Have a look at the new “Reading Recommendations” links on the right. I’ve recently added Dave Webster’s Dispirited, a great blog based on his forthcoming book of the same title. As his summary states: When someone tells me that they are “Not religious, but very spiritual”, I want to punch them in the face. Hard… Dispirited argues that contemporary accounts of spirituality are a dead end for human potential, a threat to intellectual rigour, and opposed to social and political... Read more
A single LED bulb and a good book… Read more
After a long, arduous period of discernment, and with the help of many dear friends, I’ve decided to return to my Catholic roots. As many of you know, I’ve long held the identity of a ‘baptised Catholic’ and practicing Buddhist. But the calling toward a more devout spiritual life has grown much stronger in recent months. At first I thought it might just be the stress of graduate student life and that I should take a vacation to see how... Read more
This is part 3 in a series on Buddhist ethics. Part 1 introduced our ‘orientation’ in studying Buddhist ethics today. It’s essential to know where you are in the first place if you want to go somewhere. In part 2, I focused on some of the early forays into the field in the 1970s and the hopeful atmosphere surrounding those early discussions. 1990s While debates continued through the 1980s, it was not until the 1990s that another significant burst of... Read more
In my last post I opened with the importance of orientation in our studies of Buddhist ethics. What we ‘bring’ to the study – even if it is simply in the wording of our questions – can often shape our research and understanding of the religion. Being conscious of this fact is an essential first step in avoiding the too-often egregious bias of Western scholarship on all things “oriental.” I mentioned two foundations that serve the philosopher/ethicist in understanding Buddhist... Read more
As I mentioned recently, I gave a talk last month at the Oxford Center for Buddhist Studies on the topic of Buddhist ethics, or more specifically, recent studies in Buddhist ethics. As Richard Gombrich pointed out in the Q and A, I didn’t mention karma at all in my talk. And I agree with him (see his 2009 book, “What the Buddha Thought” for details) that karma must play a central role in understanding traditional Buddhist ethics (what nontraditional Western Buddhists... Read more
I remember a poster in one of my middle school teacher’s classrooms that read “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” How high we can go in life depends on our vision, our dreams, and our often-crazy willingness to put those ahead of the practicalities and traditional demands of life. Yes, being born with good looks and money, and perhaps white skin and a good head of hair, gives you a ‘one-up’ in today’s world, but it’s no guarantee. And perhaps... Read more
Some friends of mine back in Montana have founded a wonderful organization dedicated to physical, mental, and ecological health and wellness. This year they are offering three amazing journeys through some of America’s most beautiful lands. Have a look: EXPEDITION DATES & DETAILS: Canyon: Dirty Devil Canyon, Utah May 5-12, 2012 River: Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, Montana August 12-18, 2012 Mountain: Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Montana September 16-22, 2012 EXPEDITION FOCUS • Wilderness travel • Meditation practices • Yoga asana... Read more
As a young man in Montana, I used to drive with my then-girlfriend out of the small city in which we lived to a small pond. Away from the light-pollution of civilization, we would sit with a blanket on the warm hood of my car and simply gaze up at the night sky. She, a devout Catholic, and I, a stern atheist, could come together in speechless awe as the light from countless billions of stars fell upon us. It... Read more
A look inside the life of a lazy Ph.D. student… I feel as though I have ‘run the gauntlet’ this last month, filled with late nights – some working against deadlines, others enjoying a new relationship – a terrible sore throat and tooth pain (and the eventual extraction of a wisdom tooth), a lecture in Oxford, a proposal for the American Academy of Religion, and a poster and paper for a recent conference here in Bristol. Oh, and a chapter... Read more
American Buddhist Perspectives
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In