• Clinging to a Moment in Time.

    Updated: 2009-10-19 19:52:00
    : . skip to main skip to sidebar Buddhism in the News Loading . Monday , October 19, 2009 Clinging to a Moment in . Time I wanted to add some additional thoughts about the current discussion bubbling up to the surface in the Buddhoblogosphere about sanghas and teachers , which I addressed in my last post found here As you know I support both online sanghas and interactions with teachers as well as the traditional sanghas and teacher environments . I am somewhat bewildered by those who refuse to acknowledge the usefulness of iSanghas online sanghas Especially when there are those , which are run and administered by ordained monks We have to let go of this idea which bubbles up from time to time that online sanghas and teaching environments are always . inadequate So if I show up in person and talk to an ordained teacher at the agreed upon building I will get a better Dharma than if I interact with the same teacher via chat , phone or video-conferencing Is the specialness that some purists claim comes with physical presence of a teacher the smell they give off Is the trick being your smell mixing with their smell I know that's silly sounding and that's the point because purists are

  • Buddhism Roots Deeply in America

    Updated: 2009-10-19 19:27:38
    From New America Media, Commentary, Andrew Lam, Posted: Oct 18, 2009 // While the Dalai Lama was snubbed by President Barack Obama, who refused to meet with him last week, there was an open door policy everywhere else in our nation’s capital – from congressional receptions to synagogues and schools. One scene in particular is [...]

  • Sitting with Jundo Cohen.

    Updated: 2009-10-17 18:01:00
    : . skip to main skip to sidebar Buddhism in the News Loading . Saturday , October 17, 2009 Sitting with Jundo . Cohen Awhile back I was contacted by Zen teacher Jundo Cohen about his wonderful Tree Leaf Zendo , which provides insightful v-cast teachings that include a time for sitting Zazen . It's a very effective way of staying interconnected with a teacher and the sangha of practitioners if one has needs that precludes a person from sitting . formally I know the advent of the Online Sangha has been of some controversy of late on the Buddoblogosphere . I personally find it change to embrace and appreciate . It is allowing and enabling the Dharma to reach more and more people who seek its wisdom . People are discovering the Buddha's teachings through the internet who might not ever have come into contact with them if it were in years . past I do not understand how enabling more people through technology to sit with and learn from ordained teachers as well as enjoy support from fellow practitioners is a less helpful . It seems to me that such thinking is allowing yourself to be tethered to the iron ball and chain obstacle of I'm here and you're there . Just because people aren't

  • Episode 010 – Create the Fellowship You Crave

    Updated: 2009-10-16 02:17:18
    Create a 12-Step Meditation meeting, finding a Dharma teacher, learning more about Buddhism, integrating with 12-Step recovery.

  • Momentary Buddhahood in Elephant Journal

    Updated: 2009-10-15 17:05:03
    “In this well-written book by Anyen Rinpoche, the connection between mindfulness and Vajrayana practice is explored. Rinpoche advocates for the idea that mindfulness is not something to be focused on solely at the beginning of practice, but should be continued throughout. Momentary Buddhahood also discusses the idea that achieving enlightenment isn’t an all [...]

  • The Next Dalai Lama to be a Woman?

    Updated: 2009-10-15 16:56:00
    : skip to main skip to sidebar Buddhism in the News Loading . Thursday , October 15, 2009 The Next Dalai Lama to be a Woman In 50 years of exile from Tibet , this self-professed simple monk” has been the driving force behind the growing prominence of women in Tibetan exile society . He has even suggested that his next reincarnation could and should be a girl Woman is more compassionate and has more power to understand and feel the needs of others as compared to man , 8221 he said at a press conference last November in Dharamsala , his exile home in northern India . That the Dalai Lama—believed by Tibetan Buddhists to be the 14th reincarnation of the Buddha of compassion—should return to the world as a woman is a radical notion that perturbs even open-minded Tibetans , men and women alike . And despite his wishes , the 15th reincarnation will very likely be a boy , just like all the prior . ones In the film he also spoke admiringly about a milestone in Tibetan history known as Tibetan Women’s Uprising Day . On March 12, 1959—just days before he fled his homeland about 15,000 women spontaneously gathered in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa in an unprecedented display of peaceful

  • Webcasts Beginning October 21st

    Updated: 2009-10-15 09:39:36
    To log in to webcasts please click the Webcast tab. These free video webcasts will be scheduled for 4pm Pacific Standard Time on Wednesdays starting October 21st. Other sessions may happen spontaneously and will be announced on Twitter and Facebook. Group sessions may be scheduled as well. Send an email and we’ll set a time. Below [...]

  • The Truth.

    Updated: 2009-10-12 17:08:00
    : . skip to main skip to sidebar Buddhism in the News Loading . Monday , October 12, 2009 The . Truth If you want the truth to stand clear before you , never be for or against . The struggle between for and against is the minds worst . disease Sent ts'an , c . 700 C . . E James : It seems that we often bounce back and forth between these two extremes , which kind of feed off each other . Just the emotionally whiplash of flipping between these extremes creates mental and physical exhaustion suffering . It's reminds me of taking a winding path up hills then down them and how much suffering and exhaustion that creates for the body and mind . Whereas walking straight down the moderate , balanced middle is not only more direct but it requires less strain and thus less suffering is endured on the . trek The more I meditate contemplate upon the teaching of the Middle-Way I find it to be one of the most important building blocks to the foundation of Dharma . practice This reminds me of the old adage , which I paraphrase as , The truth is usually found somewhere in the middle between the two extremes . The Middle-Path in my view is one of compromise , which is in part what attracted me to

  • Faith in Buddhism.

    Updated: 2009-10-10 15:46:00
    : . skip to main skip to sidebar Buddhism in the News Loading . Saturday , October 10, 2009 Faith in . Buddhism Perhaps because of our Judeo-Christian background , we have a tendency to regard doubt as something shameful , almost as an enemy . We feel that if we have doubts , it means that we are denying the teachings and that we should really have unquestioning faith . Now in certain religions , unquestioning faith is considered a desirable quality . But in the Buddha-dharma , this is not necessarily so . Referring to the dharma , the Buddha said , ehi passiko , 8221 which means come and see , 8221 or come and investigate , 8221 not come and believe . 8221 An open , questioning mind is not regarded as a drawback to followers of the Buddha-dharma . However , a mind that says , This is not part of my mental framework , therefore I don't believe it , 8221 is a closed mind , and such an attitude is a great disadvantage for those who aspire to follow any spiritual path . But an open mind , which questions and doesn't accept things simply because they are said , is no problem at . all Ani Tenzin Palmo , from Necessary Doubt Tricycle , Summer 2002. Special thanks to Philip Ryan at

  • John Daido Loori Roshi, Influential American Zen Teacher, Dies at 78

    Updated: 2009-10-09 20:02:50
    John Daido Loori Roshi, successor to Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi Roshi, founder of the Mountains and Rivers Order of Zen Buddhism, and abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery, and one of the most influential Zen masters in the West, died at the Monastery in Mount Tremper, New York on Friday, October 9th. He had been diagnosed with [...]

  • President Barack Obama Wins the Nobel Peace Prize?

    Updated: 2009-10-09 17:35:00
    : skip to main skip to sidebar Buddhism in the News Loading . Friday , October 09, 2009 President Barack Obama Wins the Nobel Peace Prize I felt like someone waking up from a decades long coma this morning as I sleepily starred at the t.v . anchor telling me that President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize . My first thought was , For what Don't get me wrong , I like Obama and while I don't agree with everything he's done in his short tenure I still personally really dig the guy . I'm not sure if I'll vote for him yet again in 2012 but I'm leaning toward re-electing him barring a disaster on health care , which I'm really concerned . over Anyway , despite my admiration for the man I don't think he's done enough for peace in the less than a year that he's been in office to warrant such a prestigious prize . Especially since he has recently snubbed the Dalai Lama himself an award winner . He struck the right tone , however , this morning when talking about the award in saying he felt he didn't deserve it . And that he was very humbled . He was a bit abashed by this surprise awarding . As well as stating how he wants to share it with the world who have collectively done so much

  • Razor-Wire Dharma on CNN

    Updated: 2009-10-09 16:09:41
    Razor-Wire Dharma was mentioned in a CNN.com article this morning. Below is the beginning of the article. PRISON INMATES GO ZEN TO DEAL WITH LIFE BEHIND BAR by Stephanie Chen RIVERDALE, Georgia (CNN) — In his darkest moment, Kenneth Brown lost it all. His wife and kids, the housebroken dog, the vacation home on Cape Cod [...]

  • Blue and Gray.

    Updated: 2009-10-08 19:28:00
    blue flash streaks gray skywings navigate leafless treeswood smoke tickles nose

  • Wisdom on Public Television

    Updated: 2009-10-08 17:56:30
    Wisdom is excited to announce that we are a corporate sponsor of the PBS presentation of Vajra Sky Over Tibet. The award-winning documentary is currently available to be shown on more than 120 public television stations reaching more than half of all potential television viewers in North America. Vajra Sky Over Tibet is a visually spectacular [...]

  • New! Zen Women: Beyond Tea Ladies, Iron Maidens, and Macho Masters

    Updated: 2009-10-07 20:41:20
    Wisdom is proud to announce the release of Zen Women by Grace Schireson. “An exceptional and powerful classic with great depth, humor, and clarity.”-Joan Halifax, abbess of Upaya Zen Center This landmark presentation at last makes heard the centuries of the voices of Zen’s women. Through exploring the teachings and history of Zen’s female ancestors, from [...]

  • John Daido Loori “Descends the Mountain”

    Updated: 2009-10-06 18:59:49
    From Shambhala SunSpace. Mountain and Rivers Order website on John Daido Loori: “Only a few days of life left” Following on the recent news of the retirement of John Daido Loori, Abbot of The Mountain and Rivers Order of Zen Buddhism, the MRO has added a page to its website called “Daido Roshi Descends the Mountain,” which [...]

  • The Buddha's Wish for the World. A Book Review.

    Updated: 2009-10-06 07:30:00
    : . . skip to main skip to sidebar Buddhism in the News Loading . Tuesday , October 06, 2009 The Buddha's Wish for the World . A Book . Review In this short but interesting book , Robert Thurman sets the tone in the forward with a welcoming punch to the forehead , I am right is the root of all problems . This book is part biography but is mostly a concise but rich discourse on the teachings of Shin Buddhism from the 24th Monshu of the Jodo Shinshu Hongwaji-ha--Monshu Koshin Ohtani . I was impressed with this book from the start with the Venerable Monshu touching on the importance of ridding oneself of a very unskillful emotion that I struggle . with--self-pity Monshu says , The heart of the matter is we humans turn our backs whenever duty calls and protest that it is not our responsibility . How come I am the only one who has to do this It is not like I chose to be born in this place . I didn't do anything wrong . As long as we respond to a situation in this way , we can never get rid of the nagging feeling that the world is unfair or that we are dissatisfied with our lives . James Even if we do not believe in an external savior It seems that many of us still long for one .

  • "Bamso: The Art of Dreams." A book Review.

    Updated: 2009-10-05 17:53:00
    : : . . skip to main skip to sidebar Buddhism in the News Loading . Monday , October 05, 2009 Bamso : The Art of Dreams . A book . Review I was recently sent a copy of Bamso : The Art of Dreams and initially I thought it was more of a manual on how to use your dreams to better your life . And while it does offer some insights in how to use dreams to solve problems in your daily life it reads more like a novel or one person's dream diary . It certainly paints a very wonderful journey of the mind and it's an interesting read . However , personally I find the ideas of astral projection , mental projection and time travel through dreams to be distractions from our ideals as Buddhists of waking up from dreams and . illusions I have found that the mind in Buddhism is not something to be encouraged . Also , In the book the teacher encourages the student to cultivate his imagination . For many Buddhists such an activity is going against much of the teachings on Dharma to reduce our fantasies and imaginations , which often distract us from the present moment of right here , right now . The Buddha taught that this present moment is all we have and I personally believe that gallivanting off

  • Of Gods, Bodhisattvas and Shrines.

    Updated: 2009-10-04 18:38:00
    : , . skip to main skip to sidebar Buddhism in the News Loading . Sunday , October 04, 2009 Of Gods , Bodhisattvas and . Shrines This post was taken from a comment about a discussion of Richard Dawkin's excellent book , The God Delusion and the concept of a Creator God on Buddha Space I've written about this before but have some new insights . Ah the many facets of the diamond that is the : Buddhadharma My Creator God is science . However , I do not worship at the altar of science as some atheists and others do . Attaching too much to it . I see it as an impersonal force that holds everything together . The cosmic glue . I do not believe that one needs to believe in a God to be a good person . I am my own savior or my own destructive . downfall However , I also believe that the existence or nonexistence of any deities is unknown but not necessarily unknowable . It's hard to shut the door on anything completely in this unpredictable universe . A scientist must also leave room for unforeseen information . For me personally I'm 99.99999 certain that there is no Creator God . Yet most of the time it doesn't really have much impact on my practice one way of the other--the idea of

  • Is the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh a Radical? Hardly.

    Updated: 2009-10-03 17:00:00
    : . skip to main skip to sidebar Buddhism in the News Loading . Saturday , October 03, 2009 Is the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh a Radical . Hardly As most of you know I have been following the crisis within the community of monastics following the teachings of the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh in Vietnam . The Western news organization , The Guardian quoted some of his followers in that Southeast Asian country . These monastics made the statement that their tradition is radical . The Guardian though didn't seem to investigate why or what made them say their tradition was radical It then assumed that this must mean that Thich Nhat Hanh is a radical . However , they missed the context by a mile . I'd expect the Vietnamese Communist government to say such but not a Western news outlet who should know better . It's lazy . journalism Here's the context : The Zen tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh might be radical in Vietnam where the iron-fisted government maintains strict control over the actions of religious organizations However,it's not radical in free societies like the U.S . and France where Nhat Hanh is most . established So calling their beliefs radical must be taken in the context of what

  • Buddhism in America by State.

    Updated: 2009-10-02 18:02:00
    : . skip to main skip to sidebar Buddhism in the News Loading . Friday , October 02, 2009 Buddhism in America by . State I have often wondered which American states have the most Buddhists and one of the ways of doing that is counting the number of Buddhist centers in each state . Well , I found a map from 2004 by The Pluralism Project Not surprisingly much of the south , the center plains states and the northern Rocky Mountain states stretching from Wyoming up to Montana and Idaho have the least . Those are regions that are either : Sparsely populated , dominated by Christianity and or traditionally conservative politics , which are all factors that make establishing a Buddhist center difficult . That said I envision Buddhism continuing to grow throughout America in the coming . decades The states that appear to have the highest concentration of centers are as usual on the east , west coasts and Texas of all places . Texas is part of the Bible belt region of states and has many who are anti-anything that isn't white , anglo-saxon , protestant . That said Texas is a big state with many immigrants I'm told . So that would boost the numbers , which I'm sure is especially large in the

  • Further Thoughts on the Bat Nha Monastery Incident.

    Updated: 2009-10-01 17:29:00
    : . skip to main skip to sidebar Buddhism in the News Loading . Thursday , October 01, 2009 Further Thoughts on the Bat Nha Monastery . Incident Questions have been raised as to the veracity of the story put forth by the followers of Thich Nhat Hanh at Bat Nha monastery , Vietnam over the past few days . The practitioners of Nhat Hanh's style of Zen were initially invited and welcomed at the monastery around 2005. Everything seemed to be fine for some time between the two camps represented at the monastery . TNH's followers even used donations from lay followers of Thich Nhat Hanh to reinvest in Bat Nha monastery . Nearly 1 million was spent by TNH's lay followers to increase the land size of the monastery and build new buildings including a meditation hall that can seat 1,800 people . It was frequently filled every weekend with people from all around Vietnam , which is why I still question that the local population turned on the monastics in the past few days . I'm not ruling it out because tensions do build and trust frays in this crazy samsara . However , it is also true and dictatorial regimes often dress hardcore police and military officials in plain . clothes It is also

  • Afternoon Haiku.

    Updated: 2009-09-30 21:28:00
    honey dipped leaves flailbleached refugees flee heavenspixels dance inside<br /By James R. Ure

  • The Life and Times of H.H. Penor Rinpoche

    Updated: 2009-09-30 16:57:08
    A Tribute to His Holiness Drubwang Penor Rinpoche Published by Jeff Wallman on 12 Apr 2009 His Holiness Drubwang Penor Rinpoche was one of the first ranking lineage masters to render support of TBRC.  We are indebted to the support and blessings he bestowed on our project and are honored to enclose this tribute by Karma Phunstho. [...]

  • Vietnamese Bat Nha Monastery Raid Update.

    Updated: 2009-09-28 18:01:00
    : . skip to main skip to sidebar Buddhism in the News Loading . Monday , September 28, 2009 Vietnamese Bat Nha Monastery Raid . Update From Help Bat Nha Monastery All the brothers and sisters have been shipped to a temple Chùa Phước Huệ address : Đường Trần Phú , Bảo Lộc , Lâm Đồng , Việt Nam Our Brothers Thay Phap Hoi , Phap Sy , and Phap Tu have been taken away to other areas unknown For their safety , if anyone who is in Vietnam now or knows of anyone there , please gather at Phuoc Hue Temple to give them support and to show that we are united and have no fear . This invitation goes out to especially international practitioners who are . there We can not be divided . When we are together , nothing can harm us . The temple Phuoc Hue is in Bao Loc on the National Road from HoChiMinh City leading to Dalat City map There is large statue of the Bodhisattva of Compassion on the side of the road . photos of temple Please be present there . Please help us get the word out through FaceBook , MySpace , or any other means at your . disposal James It is clear that the Vietnamese government is crushing the religious experiment in the Communist country instituted by long exiled Zen Master

  • Urgent! Help! Bat Nha Monastery Emergency Happening in Vietnam.

    Updated: 2009-09-27 21:51:00
    : . skip to main skip to sidebar Buddhism in the News Loading . Sunday , September 27, 2009 Urgent Help Bat Nha Monastery Emergency Happening in . Vietnam Dear Friends Please pray for the monastic brothers and sisters at Bat Nha Monastery in Vietnam right now Sept.27,2009. They are being physically forced to vacate the monastery . Please intervene in anyway that you can LIVE REPORT WWW.PHUSAONLINE is giving updated information on the situation at . BatNha 9:45 a.m . VN time , September 27, 09 We are on the telephone with Bat Nha Monastery . The situation at the monastery is quite urgent and life threatening to the . monastics At the start of this current crisis , attackers gathered at 9:30am then began to destroy properties to this . moment Police in civilian clothes have been present the whole time , but they do nothing to intervene . It seems that they are there to direct the attack , and the attackers have been hired to do so The monks are doing sitting meditation on the 3rd floor of their building , sending energy to the people who are blinded by ignorance , praying to the Bodhisatva of Deep Listening to cool the fire of ignorance in their hearts with the nectar of her .

  • Cancer, Meat and Vegetarianism. Also, We are Our Own Judges in Buddhism.

    Updated: 2009-09-24 18:14:00
    : , . , . skip to main skip to sidebar Buddhism in the News Loading . Thursday , September 24, 2009 Cancer , Meat and Vegetarianism . Also , We are Our Own Judges in . Buddhism Interesting article on the association with meat based diets and cancer Although the initiated cells are not considered to be reversible , the cells growing through the promotion stage are usually considered to be reversible , a very exciting concept . This is the stage that especially responds to nutritional factors . For example , the nutrients from animal based foods , especially the protein , promote the development of the cancer whereas the nutrients from plant-based foods , especially the antioxidants , reverse the promotion stage This is a very promising observation because cancer proceeds forward or backward as a function of the balance of promoting and anti-promoting factors found in the diet , thus consuming anti-promoting plant-based foods tend to keep the cancer from going forward , perhaps even reversing the promotion consequences . James In Buddhism vegetarianism isn't a requirement partly because not everyone lives in an area where vegetables are abundant such as in Tibet . That said , many

  • New Reviews from Mandala Magazine

    Updated: 2009-09-24 17:32:53
    The Middle Way: Faith Grounded in Reason by His Holiness the Dalai Lama “How fortunate we are to have access to these brilliant teachings given by the Dalai Lama in Toronto in 2004 and now impeccably translated by his principal English translator, Thubten Jinpa. The first half of the book presents the Buddhist path to enlightenment [...]

  • Episode 009: Vajrasattva – a Purification Meditation (Tibetan 10th Step)

    Updated: 2009-09-23 04:09:05
    Click the TITLE above to show the page for this podcast episode. There you will find the link to play it from the page. It is easiest to subscribe in iTunes to access all the episodes.

  • The Laughing Lama.

    Updated: 2009-09-22 23:56:00
    : . skip to main skip to sidebar Buddhism in the News Loading . Tuesday , September 22, 2009 The Laughing . Lama That video was brought to my attention by Budding Buddhist and it has become one of my favorites . I watch it often . Recently His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama visited Taiwan and this was my favorite moment of the event , which I read in this article At the beginning of the ceremony , the Dalai Lama asked that a small table in front of his seat be removed . However , as officials were in the process of removing it , it collapsed , to a complete silence in the audience . The Dalai Lama broke the silence with loud laughter , which triggered more laughter and applauses from the . crowd James I can't get enough of the DL's smiling , laughing and relaxing demeanor . Every time I see his warm , cheery face I can't help but smile too and the same goes when I see or hear him laugh . His laugh is infectious and sincere like the unstifled belly laughs you hear from kids . They like he are usually unencumbered with feelings of low self-esteem or a compulsive neurosis over their laugh and body language . That said , at the same time he's that big brother who has seen a lot and

  • Jaimal Yogis on Buddhist Geeks

    Updated: 2009-09-22 20:24:56
    Episode 139: A Surfer’s Quest to Find Zen on the Sea This week with speak with the author of Saltwater Buddha, Jaimal Yogis.  Jaimal, a Zen surfer and journalist, wrote Saltwater Buddha to chronicle his late teens and early 20’s as he learned to surf and delved into Zen.  He shares with us some of the [...]

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