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    Pico Iyer on the Dalai Lama Paid Member

    Posted by James Shaheen on 22 Jul 2009
    Nice blog post on the Dalai Lama by Pico Iyer. Here's a taste: Not long ago, I was traveling with the Dalai Lama across Japan and another journalist came into our bullet-train compartment for an interview. “Your Holiness,” he said, “you have seen so much sorrow and loss in your life. Your people have been killed and your country has been occupied. You have had to worry about the welfare of Tibet every day since you were four years old. How can you always remain so happy and smiling?” "My profession," said the Dalai Lama instantly, as if he hardly had to think about it. Read "The Doctor is Within" here. More »
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    Homosexuality, Marriage, and Religion in Tibet: An Endlessly Complicated Situation Paid Member

    Posted by Jeff Wilson on 20 Jul 2009
    A post which Tricycle editor James Shaheen recently wrote at the Huffington Post blog has picked up a good bit of attention around the internet.  James's subject was the Dalai Lama's views on gay marriage, which, as he rightly discussed, are quite a complicated matter.  In part this stems from the utterly different cultural and religious assumptions about sexuality that monks raised in traditional Tibetan culture bring to the discussion, vs. the cultural and religious assumptions of Western gay rights advocates (or, for that matter, Western opponents of gay marriage). More »
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    Buddhism and Science Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 08 Jul 2009
    In our Spring 2003 issue, B. Alan Wallace wrote, Buddhism, like science, presents itself as a body of systematic knowledge about the natural world. It posits a wide array of testable hypotheses and theories concerning the nature of the mind and its relation to the physical environment. These theories have allegedly been tested and experientially confirmed numerous times over the past 2,500 years, by means of duplicable meditative techniques. In this sense, Buddhism may be characterized as a form of empiricism, rather than transcendentalism. Are Buddhism and science close relatives? If Buddhism disagrees with science, must we side with science? Read the whole article. More »
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    In Dharamsala India, Buddhism meets the Big Bang Paid Member

    Posted by Rachel on 30 Jun 2009
    An article appearing in yesterday’s New York Times highlights an emerging month-long math and science program designed for Tibetan nuns and monks living in Dharamsala, India. Students in the Emory Tibet Science Initiative, which is backed by Emory University in Atlanta, attend a wide range of courses including biology, physics, neuroscience, math, and logic. In its second session this past spring 91 monastics enrolled in the rigorous program which introduces concepts such as the Big Bang Theory, cloning, and climate change. The Times article explores Tibetans’ emerging interest in modern science despite a Buddhist curriculum that remains largely unchanged: Tibetans marked the 50th anniversary of their exile this year, and a return to their homeland remains elusive. More »
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    Lama Hates the Sunset Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 26 Jun 2009
    The inimitable Lama Yeshe: Lama Yeshe managed to surmount the language barriers and other obstacles, too. He strung together every English word he learned and added body language and pantomime, to talk with his new young friends from the West. Since his English was picked up from hippies in India, out of his mouth came the most improbable sentences: “Dharma is like American bed - everybody can join in.” “Change misery into blissful chocolate.” “Now you going to say, 'He crazy, he Himalayan gorilla,’ but I say, 'You check it out.’ “ “Question-answers?” He called everyone “dear,” and indeed he made each of his students feel that he or she was dear to him. He was always saying “thank you,” as though whatever happened gave him some reason to be grateful. More »
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    Practicing Buddhism whether you're a Buddhist or not Paid Member

    Posted by James Shaheen on 20 Jun 2009
    "The greatest gift you can give someone," says B. Alan Wallace, "is your attention." I've just given him nearly 15 minutes of mine and it was worth it, and I'll listen to more tomorrow (thank you for the tip, William Harryman!). Here's the opening talk of a two-day retreat hosted by the Jefferson Tibetan Society of Charlottesville, VA,  focusing on The Four Immeasurables (the Brahmaviharas) and Shamatha (meditative quiescence), followed by a guided meditation. Wallace, a meditation teacher, scholar, former Tibetan monk and a longtime student of the Dalai Lama's, teaches that any of us can benefit from these practices whether we're Buddhist or not. Great stuff, take a listen... More »