All Blogs / Religion / Buddhism / New
What Is Merit?
One of the stickier concepts from Indo-Tibetan Buddhism that is difficult to translate, both into the English language and in Western culture, is “merit” ( Tib.
read more
What Is Enlightenment?
This seems a good question for the week of Vesak -- just what is enlightenment, anyway? (Never mind that "enlightenment" isn't even the right word for what we're talking about, which is something we've discussed before.)... Read Full Post
Need a meditation reality check? You’ll find one in the Summer Buddhadharma magazine.
Are you struggling with your meditation practice? You’ll find your meditation reality check inside the Summer Buddhadharma magazine, on newsstands now. It features a forum discussion on the obstacles to meditation — including laziness,...Show More Summary
Faithful Intelligence
Science and spiritualitypossess common constraints causing a dualistic interplay between both perspectives.
read more
Faithful Intellegence
read more
The Wheels of the Hearse Go Round and Round
Whenever I manage to get a driver’s license, I want to drive a Hearse with a baby crib in the back. It will serve as an apt reminder of the constantly turning nature of birth and death.
read more
Insidious machinations
I asked myself today, “What does a failed Buddhist seeker do when they can’t intuit pure Mind?” I didn’t have to wait long to find the answer. I just looked at a few Buddhist forums on the Internet. They are...
Meet Tara Brach, meditation’s “Type-A go-getter”
Buddhist meditation teacher and psychologist Tara Brach has become popular in her hometown of Washington, D.C., especially among high-powered urban professionals. As a new profile from The Washington Post told us this weekend, she’s a “Type-A go-getter” whose weekly meditation classes and dharma talks draw people from many religions and walks of life. Click here [...]
Buddhism and Mental Illness
President Obama has declared May “Mental Health Awareness Month.” At the announcement the President said (thanks to Adrian Warnock for posting this):
“Today, tens of millions of Americans are living with the burden of a mental health problem. Show More Summary
Video: Red Bull China’s mini “Buddhism and Badminton” documentary
Via Red Bull China comes a new video that uses Buddhism’s cultural cachet to move those skinny little cans of liquid speed — while also giving us a glimpse of the monastic mindful life. The question is: while this is quite obviously a promotional video, is that all it is, or does it present some [...]
What's Your Aspiration? Be Honest.
I’ve been contemplating my aspirations for practice. Why do I meditate? Why do I practice the precepts? Do I have faith in the path of the Buddha? Do I feel compelled to attain enlightenment?
read more
Watch a 10-minute trailer for Osamu Tezuka’s “Buddha 2?
Based on his acclaimed semi-biographical/semi-fantasy manga series, here comes Osamu Tezuka’s “Buddha 2,” an anime film scheduled for a February 2014 release. Watch the high-energy trailer, which has English subtitles, here.
Don't take the bait
The administrator of the Buddhist Forum, an Internet discussion group, introduces prospective discussants to Buddhism by writing stuff like this. “The ancient Vedic society from which Buddhism emerged understood the self or ego as eternal and unchanging -- the true...
Dharma Connect: Tornado in Oklahoma
A tornado in Oklahoma killed dozens of people this evening and flattened whole neighborhoods in certainly the most destructive tornado in decades. Winds faster than 200 miles per hour were recorded, and at one point, the tornado measured over two and a quarter miles wide as it ripped through a suburb of 55,000 people.
read more
Everyday Life
"The plain tea and light food of everyday life are the deep meaning of the Buddha's teaching and the instructions of the ancestors." -- Dogen, "Kajo" ("Everyday Life") Yesterday our Dogen class reviewed "Kajo," a fascicle of Dogen's Shobogenzo. Show More Summary
Dharma Connect: Bodhi-Buddin
When the Buddhist path becomes a template for bypassing it becomes essential to loosen its tight grasp as an absolute illusion catering to a ”save one//save all” salvation & notice it as an alternative approach, flowing toward some wholesome realness at its best. There seems to be an epidemic going on where in our access to availability &
read more
Dharna Connect: Boddhi-Buddin
When the Buddhist path becomes a template for bypassing it becomes essential to loosen its tight grasp as an absolute illusion catering to a ”save one//save all” salvation & notice it as an alternative approach, flowing toward some wholesome realness at its best. There seems to be an epidemic going on where in our access to availabilit
read more
In the July Shambhala Sun: Your body, from pleasure and pain, to performance and path.
The July Shambhala Sun is mailing to subscribers now. That issue is all about your body — from pleasure and pain, to performance and path: Norman Fischer contemplates the deeper reality of the body, Karen Connelly feels the heat in “Flesh Sex Desire,” Thich Nhat Hanh offers three exercises from well-being, and four athletes talk [...]
Dharma Connect: A Compassion Recession?
As the recession drags on in European Union countries and austerity measures affect more and more people, the newly poor aren't finding sympathy but are being blamed. Rather than feeling sympathy (or empathy) for others, people are trapped...Show More Summary
If You Meet the Buddha on the Street
Last Friday, May 17th, was celebrated as the Buddha’s Birthday by many dharma followers around the world. It’s known as Vesak, which refers to the lunar month falling in April and May, and is actually a celebration of not only the Buddha’s birth, but also his enlightenment and death. Show More Summary
