July 14, 2014

The Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale has released several videos of religious studies scholars in conversation about world religions and ecology. Buddhologist Christopher Ives, who teaches at Stonehill College and whose research focuses on modern Zen ethics, has done one about Buddhism and ecology that the YouTube channel of the Forum describes this way: Chris Ives, Stonehill College, discusses Buddhism and Ecology with Mary Evelyn Tucker of the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology. “Buddhism and Ecology” is part... Read more

July 14, 2014

Yesterday, PBS’s Religion & Ethics Newsweekly reported on the Shinnyo Lantern Floating for Peace — the first event of its kind. The program describes their report this way: On Sunday, September 22nd, thousands of New Yorkers gathered for the first Shinnyo Lantern Floating for Peace in Central Park. Orchestrated by Shinnyo-en, an international Buddhist community, more than 2,200 candle-lit paper lanterns with individually written messages of peace were set afloat onto a large reflecting pool in the center of Trump Rink,... Read more

July 6, 2014

Today, on his 79th birthday, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama — bless his good heart — devoted some time to speaking out publicly about Buddhist violence against Muslims in places like Burma, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. In front of the massive crowd that included Hollywood film star Richard Gere in northern India, the Dalai Lama said the violence in both Buddhist-majority countries targeting religious minority Muslims was unacceptable. “I urge the Buddhists in these countries to imagine an image... Read more

July 5, 2014

The New York Times has a new piece today about the scourge of panhandlers dressed as Buddhist monks and Taoist nuns in New York City. These fake monks and nuns have been a problem in Los Angeles as well — I’ve even seen one or two hovering around a coffee shop between my neighborhood and University of the West here in the San Gabriel Valley. The article does a good job of highlighting the particular trouble here in terms of... Read more

July 5, 2014

I’m sad to report that my maternal grandmother, Kathleen Ruth Warner, died this week. I’ll miss a lot of things about her. She used to send me clippings from her local paper anytime there was anything about Buddhism in it. She made me laugh watching her beloved Tampa Bay Devil Rays, whenever one of the players committed an error. (“Oh, you big dummy!”) Goodbye, Nana. We love you… Kathleen Ruth Warner, 94, of St. Petersburg, FL, passed away Wednesday, July 2, 2014,... Read more

July 5, 2014

As I previously mentioned, I will be one of the contributing teachers to the upcoming Eco-Dharma Conference & Retreat 2014, which will be held this year at the Wonderwell Mountain Refuge in Springfield, NH, from August 7 – August 11, 2014. The keynote speaker for the event will be the great David Loy, and, in addition to myself, contributing teachers include Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, Colin Beavan, Dr. Kritee Kritee, Lama Willa Miller, David Stember, Vincent and Emily Horn, and Patrick Groneman. The... Read more

July 5, 2014

The New York Times reports this week on “a resurgence of religious violence [that] left two people dead and more than a dozen injured” in Mandalay, Burma’s second-largest city (behind Yangon). Religious violence, which has left more than 250 people dead and close to 150,000 homeless since rioting broke out in western Myanmar in June 2012, has been a major setback for Myanmar’s transition from a military dictatorship to democracy. The government of President Thein Sein says it is trying... Read more

July 1, 2014

This via our friend Sarit Rogers at the Lovemore Movement: Pema Chödrön apparently visited Los Angeles’ magnificent Homeboy Industries this week. Homeboy posted the above photo on their Facebook page yesterday, with the caption: Father Gregory Boyle visited with Pema Chödrön last week. She is a beloved Buddhist teacher, author, nun and mother. Millions of people from around the world have been inspired and touched by her example and message of practicing peace in turbulent times. Pema Chödrön is the resident teacher at Gampo... Read more

July 1, 2014

Writer Anna North has a new post on the “mindfulness backlash” for the New York Times‘ Op-Talk blog. In it, she writes: [For Dr. Willoughby Britton] mindfulness in its original Buddhist tradition “is not about being able to stare comfortably at your computer for hours on end, or get ‘in the zone’ to climb the corporate ladder” — it’s about gaining insight into the human condition. She’s not the only one to question the emphasis on meditation as a path to... Read more

July 1, 2014

The Taipei Times has published the first of a two-part series by Ho Yi today, in which the author “reveals how Christian organizations have formed anti-gay alliances with Taoist and Buddhist groups to influence government policy on same-sex marriage.” Here’s a snippet: Twenty-seven years after the lifting of martial law [in Taiwan]…the country has become one of the most gay-friendly in Asia. The government no longer rounds up gay activists, and recent polls indicate that more than half of respondents support legal recognition... Read more

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