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    Buddhist Cafe Culture and "Happiness Classes" Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 26 Aug 2010
    Monks from Mt. Koya (Koyasan), a center of Shingon Buddhism, are coming into Tokyo to offer classes to harried city-dwellers in cafe setting. This immediately made me think of the city centers of American Zen Centers, where one can go during the week before heading out to the mountains for retreats and so on. But here, it's usually the more serious students who do the calligraphy as the women are doing in the photo above. More »
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    More on mindfulness and technology Paid Member

    Posted by Sam Mowe on 25 Aug 2010
    More from the New York Times on how the overuse of technology can be counterproductive: The technology makes the tiniest windows of time entertaining, and potentially productive. But scientists point to an unanticipated side effect: when people keep their brains busy with digital input, they are forfeiting downtime that could allow them to better learn and remember information, or come up with new ideas. Read the rest of “Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime.” In related news, the second Wisdom 2.0 Conference has been announced. From their website: There is little question that most of us will live "connected" to technology ... More »
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    China's pollution worsens, prominent Tibetan conservationist arrested Paid Member

    Posted by Rachel on 29 Jul 2010
    Four years ago, China overtook the US to become the world's biggest emitter of carbon dioxide. Now International Energy Agency (IEA) has announced that China tops the list as the biggest energy consumer in the world. What does all this mean? Lots and lots of pollution. More »
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    “Forest bathing” keeps you healthy Paid Member

    Posted by Sam Mowe on 20 Jul 2010
    Studies show that spending more time in natural settings—forests, parks, and places with trees—improves the immune system. According an article in the New York Times, this is due to both stress reduction and chemicals that plants emit to protect them from rotting and insects called phytoncides. Exposure to phytoncides appears to lower blood pressure, pulse rate, and cortisol (a stress hormone), among other things. Many of these studies are taking place in Japan, where the practice of visiting nature parks for therapeutic effect is called Shinrin-yoku. Many studies demonstrate the positive effects of being outdoors. More »
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    Buddhist meditation boosts concentration skills Paid Member

    Posted by Rachel on 19 Jul 2010
    According to a recent study published in the July 2010 issue of Psychological Science Buddhist meditation can boost concentration skills. The study, conducted by psychologist Katherine A. MacLean, PhD, and associate researchers from the University of California, Davis, focused on a group of 60 participants with an average age of 49. The participants were sent on three-month retreats where they studied meditation techniques with Buddhist scholar and co-researcher Alan Wallace, PhD, of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies. All the participants had been on meditation retreats before, but this time they were taught to concentrate and asked to complete concentration tests. More »