Fire Threatens Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
Saturday June 28, 2008
Wildfires sweeping Big Sur have threatened Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, a mountain retreat affiliated with the San Francisco Zen Center. Garrett Therolf writes for the Los Angeles Times that the ... Read More
Poll: Should the Buddhas Destroyed by the Taliban Be Rebuilt?
Friday June 27, 2008
Beginning in March 2001, the Taliban destroyed two giant statues of the Buddha that had stood in central Afghanistan since the 7th century. The Taliban initially shot rifles and stinger ... Read More
Tibet Re-opens
Wednesday June 25, 2008
After waves of violent demonstrations rocked Tibet in March 2008, the government of China closed Tibet to foreign visitors. Tibet re-opened this week, three days after the Olympic torch relay ... Read More
What Do You Mean by "God"?
Tuesday June 24, 2008
A blogger named Razib, who posts on the science blog Gene Expressions, questions whether Buddhism is theistic or atheistic. Razib writes,
One of the points that I run into all the ... Read More
Where Are the Monks of Lhasa?
Monday June 23, 2008
Geoffrey York writes for the Toronto Globe and Mail that large numbers of monks appear to be missing from Lhasa, Tibet.
The Olympic torch passed through Lhasa on Saturday amid ... Read More
Everyday Zen
Sunday June 22, 2008
Today my sangha had a one-day retreat in our little urban Zen center. Our meditative silence was accompanied by birdsong, traffic noise, cheers -- I'm guessing some guys were watching ... Read More
Sterile and Staged: The Olympic Torch Relay in Tibet
Saturday June 21, 2008
Today the Olympic torch passed through Lhasa, Tibet. Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports the route was lined with hand-picked spectators and guarded by paramilitary police. James Reynolds of the BBC ... Read More
Bodhisattva in a Blue Sedan
Friday June 20, 2008
It's been a beautiful week here in the greater New York City area -- green and sunny but not too hot. It's perfect weather for what I call "exercise practice," ... Read More
Saka Dawa
Wednesday June 18, 2008
Tibetan Buddhists are observing Saka Dawa, the "month of merits." In particular, today is the 15th day of the month of Saka Dawa, which in Tibetan Buddhism marks the day ... Read More
"Compassion Broke Forth Like a Healing Stream"
Monday June 16, 2008
The Catholic news site Zenit (the name is derived from "Zenith"), Archbishop Charles Bo of Burma (Myanmar) tells how people of all faiths formed a partnership to help the struggling ... Read More
Buddhism, Politics and Separation of Church and State
Saturday June 14, 2008
Burmese Buddhist monk Ashin Mettacara has written a thoughtful essay called "Religion cannot be separated from politics; what did the Buddha say about Political Involvement?" His essential point (please read ... Read More
Driving Religion
Friday June 13, 2008
Last week South Carolina authorized sale of a new auto license plate decorated with a Christian cross and the words "I Believe." I have misgivings.
To step around those nuisance establishment ... Read More
Why Palden Lhamo Ate Her Son
Thursday June 12, 2008
Late last night I finished compiling a list of the Eight Principal Dharmapalas, or dharma protectors, of Vajrayana Buddhism. Vajrayana is most closely associated with Tibetan Buddhism, and since my ... Read More
The Buddhist World Cup?
Wednesday June 11, 2008
Photo Caption: Tibetan monks playing soccer
Photo Credit: © Ling Cui | Dreamstime.com
Doing Evil
Monday June 9, 2008
What is evil, and where does it come from? The Wichita Eagle recently asked these questions of a Christian minister and a Buddhist teacher and got two very different answers. ... Read More
Monks Arrested for Bombings
Friday June 6, 2008
Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency, revealed yesterday that 16 Tibetan Buddhist monks were arrested last month. The monks were charged with bombings in Tibet in April. All the monks ... Read More
Creatures of the Six Realms: Asuras
Wednesday June 4, 2008
It's occurred to me that many people involved in politics may be Asuras. If you aren't familiar with the Six Realms, Asuras are powerful beings who can be charming on ... Read More
Karma and Sharon Stone
Sunday June 1, 2008
The fallout from Sharon Stone's "karma" comment continues. If you missed it, last week in Cannes the actress said,
“I’m not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans ... Read More