Buddhist books … topic for conversation … as the wheel of Dharma turns … Please weigh in, via the Reply section, below… as to Buddhist books in your own life …. Have you found books helpful ? ¿ or no ? … (express your experience). What are your favorite Buddhist books? (This is the place to talk about them). Or do you have a Buddhist book list? (Here’s a good way to share it). Are you looking for a Buddhist... Read more
I have been asked on more than one occasion why I’ve chosen to follow the Shin Buddhist path. Many times, I get the strong impression that the asker is thinking to him/herself, “Isn’t Shin Buddhism a Japanese Buddhist path? You’re not Japanese. You didn’t marry a Japanese Buddhist. What’s the deal?” I think, despite the obvious problems with those stereotypes, that it’s still a valid question. It’s as valid a question as why one chooses Zen or Nichiren or Shambhala... Read more
j Patheos’ As the Dharma Turns offers a month-to-month archives, as is a standard amenity with blogs. Within the blogspace, to the right, you’ll see both “Recently Posted” and “Archives.” Articles posted in the Public Square feature are also archived; other articles, however, aren’t. So this page — to be updated over time — commemorates articles no longer visible. We hope you find this a handy alternative to searching to find what’s currently invisible. Stay tuned for updates. [Library hours: ... Read more
British Petroleum’s catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is the largest in American history, and as of this writing the crisis continues. To date, every two to three days the ruptured BP oil well spews out the same amount of oil as the entire Alaskan Exxon Valdez oil spill. By way of preface to a portal onto recent Buddhist response to the catastrophe ————— here’s a quote from scholar activist Joanna Macy, in conversation with John Seed, director... Read more
Do you get days off from work for Buddhist holidays? Buddhism’s relatively lacking in (free of?) singling out special days (except, perhaps the annual Buddha-day celebration known as Vesak). The present moment is always cause for special awareness. (Go ahead … please, take a few conscious breaths. See for yourself: this moment is a wonderful moment.) Worth celebrating too is how Buddhist teachings and practice find their roots in American culture (as “Buddhism” but also as “mindfulness,” “emotional intelligence,” aspects of “cognitive... Read more
.:. A VOCABULARY LESSON FOR TODAY Here’s a valuable word that crops up, from time to time, in Buddhist discourse: ehipassiko. [ Sanskrit: Ehipaśyika “which you can come and see” — from the phrase ehi, paśya “come, see!” ] It’s considered one of the traits of the Buddha’s teachings, that you can see for yourself. All beings are welcome to put them to the test and see for themselves. No miracles. No divine messengers. No text written in stone. No coercion. No... Read more
In many lands, the full moon of May is celebrated as Vesak.This is not yet a Hallmark card holiday, yet it’s celebrated around the world, as Buddha’s day. (Many consider it a triple celebration: day of his birth, of his enlightenment, and of his final transformation unto ultimate nirvana.) Wikipedia notes : Celebrating Vesākha also means making special efforts to bring happiness to the unfortunate like the aged, the handicapped and the sick. To this day, Buddhists will distribute gifts... Read more
I’m reminded that both ecology and economy begin with “Eek!” Meanwhile — some news landed in our InBox today from EcoBuddhism whom I am passing along to you — as of possible interest. (¿Perhaps there’s more to it than “Eek!” ? ! ) Their site is an abundant cornucopia of educational and activist resources. Newly available are an array of videos — as a “carefully chosen multi-dimensional learning tool” — in each of ecobuddhism’s four domains: science wisdom solutions... Read more
[ This week being devoted to science at Patheos, this news item caught my eye. Today, science and technology go hand-in-hand. In fact, the tools themselves often upstage the science. You might compare your own use of computers to that of Master Zhong Hong, in general, and consider the role of computers to your own spiritual life. — GG] Promoting Buddhism online MySin Chew, May 20, 2010 Ipoh, Malaysia — We can hardly survive without computers in this technology... Read more
Continuing from Part 1, Karen Maezen Miller here addresses meaning, meditation, and the sacred in the mundane .:. You write, “The search for meaning robs our life of meaning” Are you saying there is no meaning? And if there is meaning, what is it, in your view? It is the search that leads us astray. The meaning is always at hand in this moment. This moment right now is the fruit of an infinite past and the seed of a... Read more
As the Wheel Turns
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