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Tibet Enters a New Year

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:51:12 +0000

Today is the beginning of Losar, and the first day of the year, according to the Tibetan lunar calendar. It may not be a happy year. The Tibetan government in exile has called on Tibetans to shun the traditional celebrations and instead pray for Tibetans under Chinese rule.

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I Read "The Bodhisattva's Brain" So You Don't Have To

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:54:48 +0000

Owen Flanagan's The Bodhisattva's Brain: Buddhism Naturalized is not a book about Buddhism. It is a book about Owen Flanagan's ideas and opinions about Buddhism, most of which seem to me to be beside any number of points.

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Enlightenment Between Extremes

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:23:45 +0000

I want to come back to the question "What is Enlightenment and What Does It Matter Anyway?" Not that I have the answer, of course.

Dosho Port says one can find two perspectives on enlightenment. Some say that enlightenment is absolute; seamless and unobstructed clarity. But others describe it as relative; always, something remains hidden. Which perspective is correct? Well, I suspect they both are.

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Companions on the Endless Journey

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:36:13 +0000

Dosho Port has a thoughtful post up called "What is Enlightenment and What Does It Matter Anyway?" These are great questions. I'd love to tackle these questions, also, but at the moment I am struggling to answer any question more challenging than "Where are the cough drops?"

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What Is Nirvana?

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:48:15 +0000

First, I want to apologize for the light posting lately. I am still under the weather but getting better.

This week many Mahayana Buddhists will be commemorating the Buddha's death and entry into complete or final Nirvana.

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Green Lama: Buddhist Super Hero

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:31:47 +0000

The Rubin Museum in New York City is hosting an exhibit called Hero, Villain, Yeti: Tibet in Comics. The exhibit is "the most complete collection of comics related to Tibet ever assembled, with examples ranging from the 1940s to the present." It closes June 11.

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DIY Buddhism Blogging

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:07:20 +0000

I apologize for being scarce this week. I have the Mother of All Head Colds and am nearly incapacitated. For now I am going to leave a provocative quote from one of my favorite texts, Dogen's Mountains and Rivers Sutra (Sansui-kyo)

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Practice Isn't Personal

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:49:51 +0000

What is it about head colds that zap brain cells? I haven't taken any medication that would make me groggy, but all I've been able to do for the past half hour is stare at the monitor and wish I were taking a nap.

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Zen Meditation Question

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:44:27 +0000

Here's a question that came up in the comments to the last post:

One aspect of Zen meditation I could not yet understand is why there is no metta meditation. In the Triratna tradition - and I suppose in most other Tibetan meditation traditions also- amongst other things there is like mindfulness of the breath meditation also the metta bhavana; a practice I have done on some occassions and also found it helpful to develop compassion. Why does the meditation and chanting practice found in the Metta Sutra and Brahmaviharas not form part of the Zen liturgy or canon? It appears in the Vietnamese Zen (Thien) tradition the Metta Bhavana might be practiced?

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Perfection of Meditation

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:22:41 +0000

I hope to focus on dhyana paramita, the perfection of meditation, a bit this week. But many of you already are experienced meditators, so I'm not sure what to say about meditation that would be helpful.

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