ALL LIVES ARE SACRED : A plea for peace & reconciliation in Bangkok

Last updated on: May 18, 2010 at 9:35 pm By Gary Gach

Thailand (formerly “Siam”) is the only country to declare in its constitution that Buddhism is its national religion. (It is commonplace for boys there to ordain as monks as their rite of passage into manhood.) Little wonder the monastics are concerned with the unrest in their land. I cannot speak first-hand. I’ve read The New York Times’ backgrounder and reports. This week, Agence France-Presse (AFP) published a moving piece featuring the monks’ prayer for peace. Today, the International Network of Engaged... Read more

Sites Along the Way :: Buddhist E-Cards

Last updated on: May 17, 2010 at 8:19 pm By Gary Gach

Along with health, holy, and whole, in the tree of language the word hale shares a common root. It’s universal. Hello. Greetings. Case in point: In 1910, a man named Joyce Hall bet that the postcard craze of 1903 would be outclassed by greeting cards. A century later, his company, Hallmark Cards, is worth ±$3 billion. I’m not aware of any Buddhist products in the vast Hallmark list. But you don’t have to be Buddhist to send a Buddhist greeting... Read more

Sound Meditation : Be Hear Now

Last updated on: May 14, 2010 at 10:13 am By Gary Gach

Want to stop rehearsing the future? Reviewing the past? Be here now! Wherever you are, there's always sound upon which you can meditate to focus, stablize, and calm the mind. Listen ... Read more

Recipes for an Ordinary Happy Life :: Interview with Karen Maezen Miller (Part 1 of 2)

Last updated on: May 12, 2010 at 4:09 pm By Gary Gach

In this first of a special two-part interview, Zen priest Karen Maezen Miller speaks to awakening to the spiritual in everyday life, with particular emphases on a feminine perspective, of vital relevance to us all. Hear how domestic practice of Zen can lead to intimate encounters with our own lives. Make peace with the laundry, the kitchen, the yard. Read more

Can the Soul Learn To Tweet ?

Last updated on: May 11, 2010 at 10:22 am By Gary Gach

How we can live with deeper meaning and wisdom in our technology-rich age? The great challenge of our age is not only to live connected to one another through technology, but to do so in ways that are beneficial to our own well-being, effective in our work, and useful to the world. Read more

On Mother’s Day

Last updated on: May 8, 2010 at 10:23 am By Gary Gach

.:. The thought “mother” cannot be separated from that of “love.” Love is sweet, tender, and delicious. Without love, a child cannot flower and an adult cannot mature. — Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh, A Rose for Your Pocket Question: To what does the Buddha liken metta ? (Metta can be translated as lovingkindness.) The Buddha compares cultivating metta … as to a mother, who’d risk her life to protect her child. Consider a newborn baby bird, just hatched from its... Read more

A Cup of Tea — ( How Would You Like Yours Served ? )

Last updated on: May 7, 2010 at 3:41 pm By Gary Gach

As the manager of the Patheos Buddhist Portal empties his cup to prepare to blog, he wonders how would you like to be served. Read more

“The Buddha” on PBS

Last updated on: May 4, 2010 at 2:44 pm By David Charles

From the PBS website on the two-hour special, “The Buddha” (which aired on April 7): “This documentary for PBS by award-winning filmmaker David Grubin and narrated by Richard Gere, tells the story of the Buddha’s life, a journey especially relevant to our own bewildering times of violent change and spiritual confusion. It features the work of some of the world’s greatest artists and sculptors, who across two millennia, have depicted the Buddha’s life in art rich in beauty and complexity.... Read more

Weekly Discussion of the Bhagavad Gita

Last updated on: May 4, 2010 at 1:00 pm By David Charles

Over at Elephant Journal, Bob Weisenberg is leading a weekly online discussion of the Bhagavad Gita, using Stephen Mitchell's highly-praised translation. Read more

Gifts for Dharma

Last updated on: May 4, 2010 at 12:35 pm By David Charles

Like many of you, I’m a regular reader of Danny Fisher’s blog. His “Gift for Dharma” series is well worth your time. The most recent gift comes from His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the leader of the Karma Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism: “World, we live and die on your lap.On you we experience all our woes and joys.You are Our ancestral home of old.Forever we cherish and adore you. We wish to transform you into... Read more