The Huffington Post has a great discussion posted online late last week on the topic of religion in the US today (click the link for video). And all this week NPR has hosted a discussion of the topic, “losing our religion.” Lacking, however, was a Buddhist (or Hindu or Jain) voice. What does the rise of the ‘nones’ mean to American Buddhists? As American Buddhists are very diverse, ranging from Asian “cradle” Buddhists who may be 2nd, 5th, 9th generation... Read more
Via Lama Surya Das (www.surya.org): I hope you will join the Dalai Lama tonight through January 21st for a LIVE webcast of The Mind and Life XXVI conference from Drepung Monastery in Mundgod, Karnataka, India. “Twenty of the world’s foremost scientists and philosophers with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other senior Tibetan scholars will address topic over the course of the week that include the historical sweep of science and the revolutions in our understanding of our physical universe... Read more
The following was posted today on the Facebook page of the popular Bhutanese teacher and filmaker Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche: SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES FOR SO-CALLED VAJRAYANA STUDENTS If you think or believe that you are a student of Vajrayana—whether or not that’s true is another matter—but as long as you think you are a Vajrayana practitioner, it becomes your responsibility to protect this profound tradition. It’s important to maintain secrecy in the Vajrayana. The Vajrayana is called ‘the secret mantra yana’ because it is intended... Read more
Is humankind naturally good or evil? One might quickly sidestep the question, saying that in Buddhism, humanity has no inherent nature, and so the question makes no sense. However, Buddhism does teach that humans arise due to certain causes and conditions. The most important among those is the karma (moral actions) of one’s previous lifetime. More on that in a moment. But first a Kantian interlude. WWKS: What would Kant say? For simplicity’s sake, we won’t go all the way to Kant... Read more
My thanks to Arun Likhati of the Angry Asian Buddhist for the heads up on this wonderful new project. Buddhist chaplain, writer, and young scholar Chenxing Han, is writing her MA thesis discussing the experiences and perspectives of Asian American Buddhist youth. As many of you know, Asian American Buddhists are very under-represented in contemporary discussions of American Buddhism. Help change this by getting vocal (and spreading the word on this). From her website: Asian American Buddhists The aim of my MA thesis... Read more
In my regular bits of avoidance and procrastination tonight (I have a lecture tomorrow that I desperately do not want to write or give), I came across an old blog post that brought a smile to my face. Below is a slightly revised edition, complete with comments. You can see the original from 2007 here. I came across a fairly obscure essay by Kant today, entitled: “You must Be Well Occupied To Be Happy.” It is extracted from his Lectures on Ethics, a... Read more
“We live in an incredibly busy world,” begins Andy Puddicombe in this TED talk posted just 2 days ago (and already with nearly 20,000 hits on youtube alone). “With that in mind, I would like you to take a moment to think: when did you last take any time to do nothing?” Such is the question and one we should all ask. If your New Years resolution is to meditate more, or simply to maybe give it a try (or try... Read more
The BBC has a story this week titled “Can filming one second every day change your life?” (click for video) It makes for a useful meditation for the new year. The story features Cesar Kuriyama, who began filming one second of each day at the age of 30. What began as a one year project promises to be a life-long occupation. As he states in the video, “Trying to make the best movie possible is making me live the best life possible.”... Read more
Via the wonders of facebook, I’ve just come across a great journal based in California and supporting Theravada women across the globe. The current issue’s offerings include: 1…Listening at the End of Life: An Interview with Tenzin Kiyosaki A Tibetan Buddhist nun for twenty-seven years, Tenzin Kiyosaki (formerly Venerable Tenzin Kacho) brings her practice to the bedside working as a chaplain to those facing death. by Sarah Conover 7…Lasting Inspiration This substantive scriptural study looks into the guiding and... Read more
Merry Christmas everyone. Or, if you prefer: Happy Holidays. My friend Clarke Scott has a wonderful piece, “What does Christmas Mean to a Buddhist Monk?” well worth a read. Clarke discusses his own experiences in returning home, enjoying the beach, and giving gifts, along with the opportunities presented for the practice of patience and other Buddhist “perfections” or virtues. For me this time of year always reminds me of John Lennon’s song, “Happy Christmas.” This is one of the many... Read more
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