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Untouchables still turning to Buddhism
The Dalai Lama and others have spread the message that religions should no longer compete for "market share" and Buddhism is not generally thought of a missionary religion, but it's still picking up converts. In Nagpur, India on October 14, the 50th anniversary of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's conversion to Buddhism, more than 9000 untouchables or dalits -- this according to Catholic News, though actual numbers seem to vary significantly in different accounts -- followed his lead and converted as well.
Ambedkar, considered the chief architect of India's constitution, was born into the Mahar caste, said to be descended from Dravidians who resisted the Aryan invasions and were therefore at the bottom of the caste system. He converted to Buddhism alongside more than 100,000 other untouchables in 1956.
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Chinese Border guards: "We killed in self-defense."
*update* now there's video of the killing taken by a Romanian climber, first shown on Romanian TV, available on Youtube in English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGrOh52p_aI
the galling Chinese acknowledgement of the shooting, via the Australian paper The Age
the climbers' accounts of the shooting, from mounteverest.net.
-Andrew Merz, Associate Editor
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shooting follow-up
A friend who works at Human Rights in China sent me their press release about the shooting I mentioned in my last post, including the links below.
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Train to Nowhere
The new hi-tech railroad to Lhasa, Tibet, has been getting lots of press lately, as much for its technological innovations as for the threat it poses to Tibetan culture; easier access means that many more Chinese settlers, who already greatly outnumber Tibetans in the capital.
However, in case you were thinking the situation in Tibet had slowed to a colonial economic creep, here's a story straight from the days of the Iron Curtain. The BBC is reporting that a group of British climbers witnessed Chinese soldiers shoot and kill a young Tibetan nun trying to flee to Nepal with a group of other Tibetans.
-Andrew Merz, Associate Editor
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Kicking Enlightenment
From time to time, we'll be posting short reviews and descriptions of some of the books and films, etc., that we get here in the Tricycle office but just don't have space for in the magazine. There are so many worthwhile but low-budget projects out there, hopefully a little exposure here will help some of them out...
Today's film:
Mystic Ball
Directed by Greg Hamilton
Produced by Matthew London and Greg Hamilton
Black Rice Productions
view the trailer
As a soccer fanatic, I thought I knew just about every obscure form of sport, ancient or modern, that involved kicking a ball around (there are more than you might think).
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The Mind's Attachment to The Body
After meeting with the Dalai Lama, Supermodel Elle Macpherson is dropping her lawsuit against fellow model Heidi Klum, according to the UK's Life Style Extra. It seems Elle was miffed that Heidi released a bra called "The Body." A spokesperson for Elle said, "We have numerous press clipping in the office referring to her as 'The Body'. In terms of public record, that name belongs to Elle."
But Heidi has her own claim to the nickname. She's the face of a Victoria's Secret campaign called "Body by Victoria." About her bra Heidi said: "They call me 'The Body' and now I have one named after me." Elle was ready to call in the lawyers until her meeting with the Dalai Lama. As Elle put it: "A few people have made me stop in my tracks and the Dalai Lama would be one of them." And the nickname itself? "It's no big deal for me. She can have it."
Way to let go, Elle.
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Welcome!
Welcome to the Tricycle Blog! I know, we already have blogs on tricycle.com, but this one will be a little different. Instead of Buddhist teachers and scholars writing about topics they've thought about deeply, the Tricycle Blog will contain the passing thoughts and inspirations of the thoroughly unenlightened Tricycle editors. It’s not the official voice of the magazine, and the opinions here represent nobody but the writer, but we hope you enjoy it!
-Philip Ryan, Webmaster
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What makes a Buddhist?
By view or practice
Over the last decade, there has been a fascinating discussion about Buddhism for the West -- whether the Buddha's teachings should be adapted or imported with all the cultural trappings, whether we should all dressed up as Tibetans, Burmese monks and Zen masters, or whether it is our duty to create a new brand such as "American Buddhism."
Since I'm supposed to be a spokesperson here for the Tibetan tradition, it brings up an interesting point: was there really a "Tibetan Buddhism"? I wonder. That branding sounds a bit like it was made by early explorers and travelers who simply described what they saw -- from the outside. You probably heard names like Lamaism, the Yellow and Red Hat Sect. Over three decades of spending time with Tibetan Buddhist teachers, I've never heard then use those names even once, except to make fun.
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Effortless (almost) farming
FUKUOKA - A Japanese agro-philosopher developed a farming practice called "Natural Farming", in response to modern organic agricultural methods that degrade soil. He encourages "no till" methods of grain cultivation, and the idea of letting nature do the farming work for you. He wrote an important book called One Straw Revolution, and introduced the idea of "seed balls", self propagating balls of clay containing hundreds of seeds, to the world: The Natural Way of Farming by Masanobu Fukuoka. Check out: www.seedballs.com
I would be very interested in hearing some practical experience with this method.
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Cultivation of Flowers and Vegetables
Aug. 16, 2006
By The Mahayana way
It was just the other night that I heard about some ethical way of growing things in your garden without "having to" leave casualties in one's wake. Have any of your heard something called "Mahayana Cultivation" by Fukuoka?
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A "Buddhist Thing"
Aug. 2, 2006
By Erik Pema Kunsang
Recently, the folks at Tricycle asked me to begin writing a blog on this website since there was no other Westerner directly representing the Tibetan branch of Buddhism. Now I wonder what I got myself into.
I thought about this opportunity and feel that a blog opens up many possibilities for exchange. Here is an opener.
All levels of the Buddha’s teachings emphasize respect for the living – not just human life but animals and even insects. But refraining from needlessly snuffing harmless creatures out of existence is not necessarily a “Buddhist thing." Isn't it also the First Commandment?
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Welcome!
Welcome to the all new Tricycle blog. Our editorial staff will be posting all manner of interesting material here, from links to websites and stories that catch our eye to commentary on hot topics in the public eye, with free links to pieces in the Tricycle archives. Check back often, and let us know what you think!
Rediscovering Judas
Nothing has dominated public discourse like religion has in recent years, and in political life, we hear most often from the fundamentalist extremes. But a growing number of voices—from Tikkun magazine’s Michael Lerner to scholars Karen Armstrong, and Elaine Pagels—navigate the moderate middle, finding in the world’s greatest traditions an evolving ethos of tolerance and compassion. Tricycle has given airing to each of them, and in recent weeks, these thinkers have found themselves in the spotlight once again.
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