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    It Was, Then It Wasn't Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 07 Sep 2007
    I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi in Jeta's grove, Anathapindika's monastery. Now at that time the Blessed One sat reflecting on the various evil, unskillful qualities that had been abandoned [in him] and on the various skillful qualities that had gone to the culmination of their development. Then as he realized the various evil, unskillful qualities that had been abandoned [in him] and the various skillful qualities that had gone to the culmination of their development, he on that occasion exclaimed: Before, it was, then it wasn't. Before, it wasn't, then it was. It wasn't, won't be & now isn't to be found. [Udana (Exclamations) VI.3, from Handful of Leaves 4, An Anthology from the Khuddaka Nikaya, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, © 2003] More »
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    Symbols, Punks, Geeks Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 29 Aug 2007
    When I type "Buddhist" into Google, the wise and witty search engine promptly suggests "Buddhist symbols" as the search I should perform. I wonder why? I blame Body Vows. When you think "Buddhist Punk," you may picture Brad Warner or Noah Levine. But Google Images thinks of this. Buddhist Geeks is interviewing artist and Naropa professor Robert Spellman. Cool. - Philip Ryan, Webmaster More »
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    Killing the Buddha Reloaded Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 29 Aug 2007
    I happened to click over to Killing the Buddha today and noticed they've more or less relaunched in a new bloggy way. Part of the blogization of the world, I guess. In ten years there will be no more jobs, no more people nor wars nor car accidents nor even credit card debt -- everything will just be blogs. Well, there may still be credit card debt floating around. More »
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    Tibet: Open for Business Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 28 Aug 2007
    Tourists, rejoice! Sure, you may have to wait all day in the summer heat to get tickets to the Potala Palace, but now Tibet is open in the winter too! No more long lines! No more hot dusty streets! Just cool, refreshing ice and snow. Beijing is working Tibet into the Olympics, starting with the torch on Everest. But more generally they are planning to transform Tibet entirely, as they expect its quaint charm to be a tourist draw for Olympic visitors. More »
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    Eat Your Goji Berries Paid Member

    Posted by tricycleblog on 24 Aug 2007
    A lot of Buddhists have become interested in yoga in recent years. Many meditators have expressed a need to "get in touch with their bodies," while others, not so interested, find enough in the Satipatthana Sutta to keep them going for a lifetime. If you are the stretching type, you might want to check out a few cautionary tales in yesterday's New York Times. A lech with a yoga mat may just get your leotard in a twist. More »
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    Kindness Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 13 Aug 2007
    As pointed out by the Worst Horse, here's a cool article on Team Tibet, a group of protesters who attended 11 major league games in early August. A depressing article on cage-free eggs: cage-free doesn't mean cruelty-free. The message of the article is, people in the egg industry think consumers looking for cage-free eggs are basically idiots -- but we're idiots who may be willing to pay more -- for a label that ultimately means little. Cage-free: At some point we have to take people's words for things, even if by "people" we mean a corporation. Otherwise we'll all be hopelessly cynical. It's about meaningful standards -- "organic", "natural", etc. -- and holding companies and people to those standards. Animal cruelty. More »