Before the opera begins, a solitary figure in white robes walks purposefully out on to stage from the right, turns onto a raised platform, and sits, facing slightly away from the audience. This is how Wagner Dream, a modern British opera, begins. The opera is based in two worlds, that of 1883 Venice and the last day in the life of Richard Wagner, and 5th century India and the romantic entanglement of a young outcast woman and the Buddha’s cousin... Read more
Watching this video I heard Māra creeping up in the form of voices of naysayers, and looking around the world today their is no shortage of such people: the young and nihilistic, the old and crotchety, the middle-aged beer-bellied bad-mustached cop with the pepper spray. Such people are inescapable as we go through life. Anything of value that you do will be met by people who don’t want you to do it. Whether it’s due to their own insecurities, or ideologies,... Read more
George Bernard Shaw once said “England and America are two countries separated by a common language.” And a not-too-old Guardian article re-ignited some debate, beginning with Oscar Wilde’s 1887 wrote, “We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language.” The differences, however, are not just between England and America. I currently live in Bristol, a city or area known as “The West of England” for some reason. If you ignore Somerset and Devon, both of which stretch west... Read more
(June 5 update: VICTORY! The Peers, as they’re called, in the House of Lords voted in support of marriage equality by 390 to 148 votes, a majority of 242.) And a July 17 update: the bill is now LAW with the Queen’s approval. Today Britain’s House of Lords is set to debate a bill which would grant equality to same-sex marriages. “The legislation being debated would enact marriage equality in England and Wales, allowing Britons the right to marry their same-sex partner.... Read more
For the first time since 1964, the US immigration system could undergo a shift away from a preference to unite families and toward a system that favors foreigners based on their skill and merit. Both houses of Congress are currently debating bills that could make their way to President Obama before August. What would a Buddhist immigration policy look like for the US (or UK)? Obviously such notions as generosity (dana) and nonviolence (ahimsa) should come to mind. Or perhaps we should look... Read more
One conception was common to all the philosophical schools: people are unhappy because they are the slave of their passions. In other words, they are unhappy because they desire things they may not be able to obtain, since they are exterior, alien, and superfluous to them. It follows that happiness consists in independence, freedom, and autonomy. In other words, happiness is the return to the essential: that which is truly “ourselves,” and which depends on us. – Pierre Hadot, Philosophy as a Way of Life,... Read more
Taking on the very serious topic of “Why should we meditate” while dressed in a cosmic bunny suit might seem a bit strange and, well, it is. But that’s Brad Warner for you, the man who brings you hard core zen and a slew of books with titles like: Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies and the Truth About Reality Sit Down and Shut Up: Punk Rock Commentaries on Buddha, God, Truth, Sex, Death, and Dogen’s Treasury of the Right Dharma... Read more
Last week’s attack in Woolwich, London surprised and horrified me as much as anyone. It was quickly claimed that the men had shouted Allahu Akbar, “God is great” at the time. One early video showed one of the men also apologizing that women had to see what had happened and that the problem was atrocities in their own land (note, one of the two was born in London, the other in Nigeria), saying, “remove your government. They don’t care about you.” Commentators rushed... Read more
President Obama has declared May “Mental Health Awareness Month.” At the announcement the President said (thanks to Adrian Warnock for posting this): “Today, tens of millions of Americans are living with the burden of a mental health problem. They shoulder conditions like depression and anxiety, post-traumatic stress and bipolar disorder — debilitating illnesses that can strain every part of a person’s life. And even though help is out there, less than half of children and adults with diagnosable mental health... Read more
American Buddhist Perspectives
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