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Buddha Buzz: Buddhist News from Around the World, Week of September 17
Here's a fun fact: the Tricycle offices in New York are in the same building as a club owned by the rapper Jay-Z. Usually, it doesn't mean much. No one is at work at 3 am on a Friday, which is presumably when the club is—excuse me for using this word—hoppin'. But this Monday Jay-Z and his wife Beyonce hosted a fundraiser for President Obama in the club, and the Tricycle staff were sent home early by what we presume were the Secret Service's orders. Because nothing is more threatening to the President's safety than a bunch of Buddhists typing furiously on their computers.
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Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Color, Activity & Iconography
Buddhist practice and Buddhist art have been inseparable in the Himalayas ever since Buddhism arrived to the region in the eighth century. But for the casual observer it can be difficult to make sense of the complex iconography. Not to worry—Himalayan art scholar Jeff Watt is here to help. In this "Himalayan Buddhist Art 101" series, Jeff is making sense of this rich artistic tradition by presenting weekly images from the Himalayan Art Resources archives and explaining their roles in the Buddhist tradition.
This week Jeff tells us about the significance of colors in Buddhist iconography.
Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Color, Activity & Iconography
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Week 3 of Shinzen's Mindfulness Retreat: Mindfulness the Path Part 2
As we mentioned on Monday, Shinzen's What Is Mindfulness? retreat is split into two parts this week. He continues to explore how we can situate the core skill sets of mindfulness (concentration, equanimity and sensory clarity) in a larger framework.
In Part 2 of "The Path of Mindfulness," Shinzen explains how mindful awareness facilitates self-knowledge, positive habit change and a spirit of love and service.
If you are a Tricycle Supporting or Sustaining Member, you can now watch this week's retreat here. If not, join or upgrade your membership here.
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New Interview with Nicholas Vreeland: Monk, Photographer, Abbot
Tricycle's Fall 2012 issue features the stunning, black-and-white photos of Nicholas Vreeland: a monk, professional photographer, and newly-appointed abbot of Rato Dratsang monastery. (He also happens to be the grandson of fashion icon Diana Vreeland.) The first Westerner to be appointed abbot of a Tibetan monastery, H.H. the Dalai Lama told him upon his appointment that "his special duty was to be a bridge between the Tibetan tradition and the Western world." Born to diplomat parents in Geneva, Switzerland, and subsequently dividing his childhood among Germany, Morocco, and the United States, Vreeland is a unique bridge, indeed.
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Week 3 of Shinzen's Mindfulness Retreat: Mindfulness the Path Part 1
This week Shinzen continues his retreat What Is Mindfulness? with a double dose of teachings on applying mindfulness skills to fundamental issues of human happiness and freedom from suffering.
Part 1 of his discussion of Mindfulness the Path starts today and Part 2 begins on Thursday.
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Buddha Buzz: Buddhist News from Around the World, Week of September 10
Buddhist hipsters of the world, rejoice! A couple of Australian entrepreneurs have started to brew "Lucky Buddha Beer," which comes with the tagline...oh, just you wait for this one..."Get Lucky."
Sigh. Always the clever ones, those Australian entrepreneurs. Wouldn't it be so nice if getting enlightened was as simple as buying a kitschy beer? The makers of Lucky Buddha Beer's website seem to think that it's as easy as clicking on a button:
I'm praying to everything that I hold dear in this life that the advertising copy on their site was written with a healthy dose of humor:
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Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Repeated Secondary Figures
Buddhist practice and Buddhist art have been inseparable in the Himalayas ever since Buddhism arrived to the region in the eighth century. But for the casual observer it can be difficult to make sense of the complex iconography. Not to worry—Himalayan art scholar Jeff Watt is here to help. In this "Himalayan Buddhist Art 101" series, Jeff is making sense of this rich artistic tradition by presenting weekly images from the Himalayan Art Resources archives and explaining their roles in the Buddhist tradition.
This week Jeff tells us about repeated secondary figures, or background figures.
Repeated Secondary Figures
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The First Buddhist Monk I Ever Saw: Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi Remembers Ven. Thich Minh Chau
Tricycle is saddened to relay the news that the Vietnamese monk Venerable Thich Minh Chau passed away on September 1st, at the age of 94. Ven. Minh Chau is known internationally for his scholarly work, A Comparative Study of the Pali Majjhima Nikaya and the Chinese Madhyama Agama, published by Motilal Banarsidass. He also translated the four Nikayas and other Pali texts into Vietnamese and served as a long-term head of Buddhist universities and institutes in Vietnam. You can watch an interview with him here and learn more about him in the video below.
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Remembering September 11: A Buddhist Reflection from Sharon Salzberg
Eleven years ago the United States was shook to its core by a terrorist attack of unprecedented scale. At the time, in response to the tragic events, Tricycle released in its next issue a special section—"September 11, Practices and Perspectives"—that shared Buddhist teachings on how to face the nation's acute suffering with patience and compassion. You can read "September 11, Practices and Perspectives," here.
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Help Buddhist Global Relief Win Millions to Combat World Hunger
Our friends over at Buddhist Global Relief, an all-volunteer organization started by students of Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi that is dedicated to combating chronic hunger and malnutrition, have a lot coming up in the next couple of months. (You can learn more about Buddhist Global Relief by visiting their website here or reading about them in Tricycle here.) Primarily, it's time to sign up for one of Buddhist Global Relief's Walks of Compassion, which raise money for programs that aim to alleviate hunger in the modern world. Here's the schedule:
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Week 2 of Shinzen's Exploration of Mindfulness
This week we continue our September retreat, What Is Mindfulness? led by Shinzen Young. This week, Shinzen continues his exploration of how mindful awareness is cultivated in various systems, both in traditional and modern contexts. Shinzen shares with us his first meditative experiences, particularly those of sensory clarity, concentration, and equanimity. In this episode, he explains the differences in how each practice lineage (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana), develop sensory clarity, concentration and equanimity. Within the Therevada (found mostly in South East Asia), Shinzen explores in depth the Burmese lineages of Mahasi Sayadaw and U Ba Khin.
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Buddha Buzz: Buddhist News from Around the World, Week of September 3
Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink.
These days when I read about Buddhism in the mainstream media—heck, when I read about Buddhism in the Buddhist media—it's more like, mindfulness, mindfulness, everywhere, and not a drop of dharma.
It's not that I have anything against mindfulness. It's just that I can't jump on the mindfulness craze bandwagon because every time I read an article about so-called "mindfulness" I'm reminded of a visit that Thai forest monk and Pali expert Thanissaro Bhikkhu paid to the Tricycle offices a few months ago. While he was here, I asked him what Buddhist concept he thinks Western Buddhists most commonly misunderstand. He responded, "mindfulness." Oof. We are in trouble.
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Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Wheel of Life
Buddhist practice and Buddhist art have been inseparable in the Himalayas ever since Buddhism arrived to the region in the eighth century. But for the casual observer it can be difficult to make sense of the complex iconography. Not to worry—Himalayan art scholar Jeff Watt is here to help. In this "Himalayan Buddhist Art 101" series, Jeff is making sense of this rich artistic tradition by presenting weekly images from the Himalayan Art Resources archives and explaining their roles in the Buddhist tradition.
This week Jeff tells us about the Wheel of Life.
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Lost in Quotation: Partial Readings of the Kalama Sutta
The Kalama Sutta has become among Western Buddhists one of the most frequently cited scriptures in the Pali canon. But usually only a specific section is quoted. This section portrays Buddhism as being almost a precursor of European Enlightenment thought, which is to say, it is used to confirm characteristic Western attitudes as being intrinsically in line with the teachings of Buddhism. But it is misleading to present this as the whole message of the sutta, as is evident when one reads the whole thing.
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September Retreat: What is Mindfulness? From Shinzen Young
This month we are offering an extended retreat led by Shinzen Young: What is Mindfulness? Shinzen will offer a comprehensive theoretical overview of how mindfulness is defined and practiced from various points of view. While most Tricycle retreats are four sessions, Shinzen's retreat runs over six sessions each with accompanying guided meditations. He dives deep into the history and translation of mindfulness while expanding traditional definitions of how we understand the effects and applications of a mindfulness practice.
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Buddha Buzz On Hiatus
Hi, everyone! Buddha Buzz is on hiatus until the first Friday of September, because I am here:
That's me, on that terrace there!
But really, though. I am in Greece, eating massive amounts of tiropita and doing other things that Greek people do (yes, I'm actually Greek—just check out that last name at the top of the page). Come September 7, please check back for Buddha Buzz business as per usual.
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Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Hats in Religious Paintings
Buddhist practice and Buddhist art have been inseparable in the Himalayas ever since Buddhism arrived to the region in the eighth century. But for the casual observer it can be difficult to make sense of the complex iconography. Not to worry—Himalayan art scholar Jeff Watt is here to help. In this "Himalayan Buddhist Art 101" series, Jeff is making sense of this rich artistic tradition by presenting weekly images from the Himalayan Art Resources archives and explaining their roles in the Buddhist tradition.
This week Jeff examines the four styles of hats in religious paintings.
Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Hats in Religious Paintings
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Interview with Shinzen Young
Next week we'll begin Shinzen Young's month-long Tricycle Online Retreat "What is Mindfulness?" Through talks and guided practices, Shinzen will elucidate how mindfulness is defined from numerous points of view and discuss factors that could facilitate or inhibit a global mindfulness revolution. The practice sessions will parallel the talks and offer an experiential point of view. Retreat participants will also be guided in Breath Focus and explore how this practice develops four aspects of mindful awareness: concentration power, sensory clarity, equanimity, and insight.
In this video, Shinzen Young speaks with Polly Young-Eisendrath, a Jungian psychologist and a student of Shinzen's, about the Vipassana he teaches and why it's important for students to understand the commonalities between different forms of mindfulness practice.
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The Mind Business
"Yoga, meditation, 'mindfulness' ... Some of the west's biggest companies are embracing eastern spirituality as a path that can lead to bigger profits."
That's the subhead of "The Mind Business," an article that appeared last weekend in the Financial Times. (The online version drops the "bigger profits" angle in the subhead). The point of the article is that Buddhist mindfulness practice and other "eastern spiritual practices" have entered the corporate mainstream, and the trend seems to have hit its stride at General Mills, where some 3,000 employees can avail themselves of the practices. The program's founder explains:
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Video Interview with Jonathan Watts of the International Buddhist Exchange Center
Even before the triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown last year, Japan was a nation in crisis, writes Jonathan S. Watts in This Precious Life: Buddhist Tsunami Relief and Anti- Nuclear Activism in Post 3/11 Japan, a Tricycle Fall 2012 "Books in Brief" book of choice. Watts has been a research fellow at the International Buddhist Exchange Center (IBEC) in Yokohama since 2006. He teaches contemporary Japanese Buddhism and social issues at Keio University.
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