Obama’s gift to Dalai Lama March 17, 2010
Posted by Philip Ryan in : Dalai Lama, News , add a commentThe Dalai Lama recently said:
Just as you cannot say that one medicine is best and other medicines are not so good, so you cannot say that this religion is best and others are of not much use.
This generosity of spirit is of course refreshing to hear in our troubled times. The Dalai Lama has of course said this or something like it many times before. In the old days this idea that wisdom was parceled out equally among cultures was referred to as “perennial philosophy.” (Thanissaro Bhikkhu spoke briefly on this topic last night at the New York Insight Center.)
Kate Saunders at the Huffington Post wrote about Obama’s gift to the Dalai Lama on the occasion of HH’s visit to the WH last month: a bound edition of the young leader’s letters to Franklin Roosevelt and Harry S Truman in the 1940s and 50s. (They must make rather poignant reading more than fifty years later.) But Saunders rightly points out this thoughtful gift was overshadowed by the same-old, same-old coverage of China’s chest-beating and sword-rattling whenever a head of state glad-hands the DL.
Stephen Batchelor on ABC
Posted by Philip Ryan in : Buddhism, Stephen Batchelor , 2 commentsStephen Batchelor, who—as you can see from the comments thread on the last post—clearly hasn’t lost his touch at provoking angry and immoderate responses from partisans, appeared on the ABC News program “Beliefs” with Dan Harris to discuss his new book, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist. Click the image to view.
Batchelor’s “Confession of a Buddhist Atheist” examined by Mark Vernon March 11, 2010
Posted by Sam Mowe in : Books, Buddhism, Stephen Batchelor , 27 commentsHere’s a review of Stephen Batchelor’s Confession of a Buddhist Atheist from The Guardian’s Mark Vernon.
Since publishing his best-selling Buddhism Without Beliefs, Stephen has become somewhat controversial in Buddhist circles for his Western approach to the Buddha’s teachings. Stephen points out, however, that “the great strength of Buddhism throughout its history is that it has succeeded many times in reinventing itself according to the needs of its new host culture.”
Stephen will be leading a 4-part Tricycle online retreat entitled “Buddhism for This One and Only Life,” starting in April.
Read the current Tricycle interview with Stephen here.
UPDATE: More thoughts on Vernon’s review of Batchelor’s latest book here at the Progressive Buddhism blog.
MORE: ABC News interviews Batchelor.
Monk arrested for setting fire to temple for insurance
Posted by Sam Mowe in : Random Notes , 1 comment so farA monk in Japan allegedly sets his temple on fire to collect on insurance money. Well, Dogen does say that, “A zen master’s life is one continuous mistake.”
On uprising anniversary, Dalai Lama says China wants to “annihilate Buddhism”
Posted by Philip Ryan in : Buddhism, China, Dalai Lama , add a commentUsing stronger words than he usually does, the Dalai Lama accused Beijing of persecuting monastics in Chinese-occupied Tibet:
“They are putting the monks and nuns in prison-like conditions, depriving them the opportunity to study and practice in peace,” he said, accusing Chinese of working to “deliberately annihilate Buddhism.”
The Dalai Lama’s remarks reflect frequent complaints by Tibetan monks that required political study sessions and visitor demands are depriving them of time for religious study. The numbers of monks attaining higher Buddhist degrees are believed to have fallen drastically since the crushing of the 1959 rebellion that resulted in direct rule from Beijing and the imposition of heavy government control over monasteries.
As he has in the past, he also expressed pessimism that China would ever agree to conditions satisfactory to Tibetans.
The Inklings of Michael Wenger March 9, 2010
Posted by Philip Ryan in : Art, Big Sit, Zen , add a commentMichael Wenger has practiced Zen since 1972 and he was gracious enough to run a Discussion during Tricycle’s 90-day online ango, The Big Sit.
Now he has a blog with his wonderful ink drawings, called inklings. You won’t be disappointed if you stop by. Below is a drawing of his from a post called “zen what is it“:
Buddhist Geeks online magazine March 8, 2010
Posted by Philip Ryan in : Buddhism , 1 comment so farThe excellent podcast outfit known as Buddhist Geeks has been reborn with a new website and online magazine! Check it out here. Best of luck to Vince and Emily!
A Flower Blooms in China March 3, 2010
Posted by Philip Ryan in : Buddhism, China , 3 commentsA very rare and very small flower grew under a nun’s washing machine in China.
Stephen Batchelor at New York Insight
Posted by Philip Ryan in : Buddhism, Insight, Stephen Batchelor , 6 comments
Book Launch hosted by Tricycle and New York Insight: Confession of a Buddhist Atheist
Stephen Batchelor at New York Insight Meditation Center
Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
Stephen’s new book Confession of a Buddhist Atheist tells the story of his thirty-seven-year quest to understand the meaning of Buddhism. It recounts his life as a monk in India and Korea and concludes with his search to discover the historical Buddha. Stephen will talk about the writing of the book and read selected passages.
Stephen Batchelor was a Buddhist monk in the Tibetan and Zen traditions. Known for his secular and agnostic approach, he teaches Buddhist meditation and philosophy worldwide. Author of the bestselling Buddhism Without Beliefs, his most recent publication is Confession of a Buddhist Atheist. Read more at stephenbatchelor.org
The registration fee for this event is $25. Register here.
The Dalai Lama on Twitter (for real this time) February 24, 2010
Posted by Philip Ryan in : Buddhism , 4 comments
We all remember the bogus Dalai Lama Twitter account and the tweetheartbreak that followed. Now His Holiness has a verified account (just like Ashton Kutcher.) What is it? @dalailama, natch. If you’re part of the Twitterati or whatever it’s called this minute (like Tricycle is) give him a follow. As of this posting, HH is at the propitious number of 108,000 followers.
UPDATE: The Dalai Lama is not (yet?) personally posting, as the Huffington Post reports.