Before
Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused
twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual
life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what he was supposed
to do with
his life, drinks were flowing, lutes were playing, and the women were
all about him. Some called him L.L. Cool S. I imagine close friends
just referred to him as Sid.
Many people look to Siddhartha as an example of someone who attained nirvana, a buddha. But here we look at a younger Sid as
a confused guy struggling with his daily life. What would he do as a
young person trying to find love, cheap drinks, and fun in a city like New York? How would he combine Buddhism and dating? We all make mistakes on our spiritual journey; here is where they're discussed.
Each
week I'll take on a new question and give some advice based on what I
think Sid, a confused guy working on his spiritual life in a world of
major distraction, would do. Because let's face it, you and I are Sid.
Have a question for this weekly column? E-mail it here and Lodro will probably get to it!
My 17 year old son has been homeschooled all his life and just went into public school this year. He was at a party on an empty stomach and drank straight vodka from a flask. He apparently left the party, tried to walk home (about 4 miles) and passed out. I got a call from the ER 5 hours after. He came out with flying colors, no injuries, no hangover, no headache!!!! I've talked with him about not drinking, but he chose to do it anyway. So what else to do? Should I hold onto this fear I have for him or be grateful nothing happened? - Arleen
Sarah Palin's book Going Rogue has just come out and she's using the release as another opportunity to prove why she is just anther in a long line of folks who have squandered the power of having national attention. Rather than looking deep into the unifying ideas of her own Christian tradition, and transforming her own fear, selfishness, and separateness into a positive force in national politics, she continues to peddle and parade and commodify her insecurities in the guise of false morality, all while watching over her shoulder for the scantily clad shadow figure of baby daddy Levi Johnston. This is a great thing for Buddhists.
In an unprecedented historical act, Ajahn Brahm (full name: Ajahn Brahmavamso), a senior monk in the Thai Forest Tradition of Theravadin Buddhism, conducted a full ordination at his Australian monastery for a
group of four nuns to make them Bhikkunis, the highest level of
Buddhist monastics that women can attain. The ordination is undoubtedly
a huge move towards re-establishing the extinguished lineage of full
female monastics in the oldest of the Buddhist traditions, but at the
same time the controversy that it has sparked has served to illuminate
how much work remains to be done within the fight for gender equity in
Theravadin monastic communities.
Over the past few weeks I've been taking a step back and revisiting some of the very basic
teachings of the Buddha. I think it can be helpful from time to time to go back and
reconsider teachings you haven't thought much about in a long time; it can bring a fresh
perspective and re-energize your practice.
When I learned about Buddhism in my high school Comparative Religions class, I basically came
away with the understanding that there were two teachings of primary importance to Buddhists:
The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path. In my tenth grade mind, these two
teachings were roughly equivalent to the Five Pillars of Islam or the Mitzvah of
Judaism. I thought that, in order to be Buddhist, a person had to believe in
The Four Noble Truths and follow The Eightfold Path in a devotional way, similar to a
Muslim's dedication to prayer five times a day. I knew that Buddhists meditated
and I was interested in that aspect of the tradition even then but the idea of following all
eight of the folds of the path seemed just a little too difficult for me. I
couldn't (and indeed, still can't) remember each one of the eight folds without consulting a
book and so my interest in Buddhism, however small it was at the time, waned pretty quickly.
Now, as a Zen student who has been practicing for a few years and feels quite committed to
the Buddhist path, I look at the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path in a completely
different way. On the one hand, my tenth grade self was right - these teachings
are at the very core of Buddhist practice. On the other hand, 15 year old
Evelyn was completely wrong (as usual).
Before Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what he was supposed to do with his life, drinks were flowing, lutes were playing, and the women were all about him. Some called him L.L. Cool S. I imagine close friends just referred to him as Sid.
Many people look to Siddhartha as an example of someone who attained nirvana, a buddha. But here we look at a younger Sid as a confused guy struggling with his daily life. What would he do as a young person trying to find love, cheap drinks, and fun in a city like New York? How would he combine Buddhism and dating? We all make mistakes on our spiritual journey; here is where they're discussed.
Each week I'll take on a new question and give some advice based on what I think Sid, a confused guy working on his spiritual life in a world of major distraction, would do. Because let's face it, you and I are Sid.
Have a question for this weekly column? E-mail it here and Lodro will probably get to it!
I was recently engaged to a man that cheated on me.
Since finding out about his bout with infidelity I left him. We just
recently had a baby boy, soon to be four months. My love for him is
strong. I consider myself to be a spiritual woman. I have no
judgment on him for his actions. However, he wants for me to give him
another chance. He wants to be a better person and attempt to rebuild the
family. Most of my friends tell me to stay gone, however I'm not sure
of what to do. What would Sid do? - Shante D.
by Patrick GronemanLast weekend I continued my search for a spiritual practice by taking part in the Zen Mountain Monastery's "Intro to Zen Training" Retreat, a weekend toe dipping into the Mountain and Rivers Order manifestation of Soto and Rinzai...
by Greg Zwahlen People study meditation and Buddhism for all sorts of reasons, with varying levels of interest. That said, it seems safe to say that the vast majority have modest aspirations for it, modest levels of interest in it, and...
by Ellen ScordatoSO much to say about the Interdependence Project 24-hour meditation marathon in the windows of ABC Carpet & Home, a high-end home furnishings store in Manhattan, this weekend.My angle here: Was this anything more than a stunt, from...
by Lodro RinzlerBefore Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what he was supposed to do with...
Robert Chender has been a practitioner and teacher in the Shambhala tradition for many years, and is also a student and practitioner of certain shamanic traditions, including the Munay-ki initiations of the Inca shamanic tradition. In this talk he explores...
from Davee Evans The recent shift in medical marijuana policy reminded me of the infrequent and yet ongoing conversation about Buddhism and drugs. I recently read a paper published at Erowid, titled Psychoactive Plants in Tantric Buddhism, specifically discussing...
Often in business, we are confronted with shortcuts, with opportunities to bend our integrity just a little bit, in order to enrich ourselves. This might mean financially, or taking credit where it isn't due, or avoiding a difficult situation we...
by Ethan Nichtern This is the last installment of "Why We Meditate" before the 24 Hour Meditation Marathon.On Friday and Saturday, the Buddhist-inspired Interdependence Project (which creates this blog for your education and/or amusement) will be hosting our largest...
by Jerry Kolber Jerry is a writer and producer of film and TV based in NYC. His site about how to cook cheap delicious organic meals is at www.ThreeDollarDinner.com.It's hard to believe in Judaism and also believe in Christianity, but...
by Ethan NichternThis Friday 7pm, Until Saturday 7pm, The Interdependence Project is putting on what promises to be a very cool event. We are meditating, as a group, for 24 hours straight, in the storefront windows of this place,...
Closely following on Greg Zwahlen's excellent post, "Why I am not a Tibetan Buddhist " with its thoughtful look at the panorama of Buddhist traditions available to practitioners in the USA today comes Meditate NYC, an opportunity to sample...
by Greg ZwahlenIf you've received meditation instruction at a Shambhala center, or at an Insight Meditation Center, a zendo, or the ID project, the very first thing you probably learned was that it is possible to look directly into your...
by Rosemary McGinn I've always wanted to eavesdrop on a conversation between Siddhartha Gautama and Bill Wilson (the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous). I think they'd get along great: Both of these men found paths out of suffering in their own...
I'm dressing up as Paul Stanley this Halloween. My six year old son Eli's going as Gene Simmons, and my wife, Amy, as Peter Criss. Our nine year old daughter Lily is going as Hermione Granger. As much as we...
posted by Ethan NichternWhat better time than All-Hallows'-Eve for halloween quotes about fear and fearlessness? What better teacher than Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche. Happy Halloween everyone! Go to the places that scare you, homies.(ugly Golden Buddha costume from buycostumes.com -...
by Ethan NichternFrom the "Never-Thought-I'd-See-The-Day" Department, Hip Hop Legend and Wu Tang Clan charter member, The RZA, was interviewed about Buddhism, Right Speech and the Heart Sutra for the Shambhala Sun blog by my good friend Rod Meade Sperry. Check...
by Jerry KolberThis week finds Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson suspended for anti-gay Twitter slurs against a coach.Of course, he is free to say whatever he wants to whoever he wants. Twitter may find that he has violated...
"Wakefulness is our natural state: enlightened, complete, perfect in wisdom and compassion. It's not something outside ourselves that we need to attain or become. But it's also true that some effort is required to get in touch with it--and that...
by Ethan Nichtern On November 6 & 7, the Buddhist-inspired Interdependence Project (which creates this blog for your education and/or amusement) will be hosting our largest fundraiser and event to date in the form of a 24- hour Meditation...
by Lodro RinzlerBefore Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what he was supposed to do with...
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 by Jerry Kolber. Jerry is a media obsessed Buddhist televison producer in New York City. follow him at twitter.com/JerryKolber - or on Twitteleh. /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal";...
by Ethan NichternGreetings from the Shambhala Sangha Retreat in gorgeous Vermont, where I am acting as a meditation instructor under the awesome mind-heart training, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, the coolest Buddhist teacher this side of the Himalayas, in my humble opinion....
by Lodro RinzlerBefore Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what he was supposed to do with...
by Davee Evans How about a year off? NY designer Stefan Sagmeister does this every seven years. He shuts his design firm, and heads off to work on personal projects for creative renewal. Watch his views on taking time off...
by Jon RubinsteinI'm a talent and literary manager. Recently, a problem was brought to my attention regarding an upcoming release. So we all got on the phone--movie studio executives, publicists, agents, and myself--to discuss the situation and see if we...
by Jerry KolberWhat the hell happened to health care reform? It turns out that not only is Barack Obama not some sort of savior, messiah, or angel, as his post-election pre-office halo seemed to suggest, he is also not even...
by Ethan NichternBoth yoga and Buddhist meditation philosophy ask practitioners to refrain from the act of killing - whether directly or indirectly - as much as possible. In the American yoga communities I am part of, vegetarianism is fairly prevalent....
by Ethan Nichtern CNN's Wolf Blitzer asked Nobel Laureate, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, about his apparent brush-off from the newest Nobel Peace Prize Winner, President Barack Obama. The Dalai Lama, in the fashion of embodying peace, was quite gracious....
image courtesy of the Museum of anti-alcohol postersby Lodro RinzlerBefore Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for...
from Davee Evans Sex is in the news again, surprise surprise. I'm hearing nightly about David Letterman's confession of romantic affairs, and recently rehashing Frederic Mitterrand's prior sexual purchases as well. The latter, according to the AP, stemming from...
by Ethan Nichtern On November 6 & 7, the Buddhist-inspired Interdependence Project (which creates this blog for your education and/or amusement) will be hosting our largest fundraiser and event to date in the form of a 24- hour Meditation...
by Ethan NichternFile this under world turned upside down--or under political opportunism--depending on your viewpoint. According to The Hill, Republican lawmakers are criticizing the Obama administration for failing to support Tibetan rights and human rights in general by not meeting...
by Ethan NichternDzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche is one of the finest Tibetan Buddhist teachers in America, in my humble opinion. Funnier than most comedians and sharper than most scholars, I would encourage you to check him out. Somebody buy this man...
by Ellen ScordatoPop culture thermometer: Cold. Deathly cold. Cold and dead is hot. Zombieland was the top-grossing movie this past weekend. . Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was one of the near-moribund book publishing industry's few runaway success stories last year....
by Ethan NichternAccording to the Washington Post, President Obama has postponed meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama until after a summit with Chinese Leader Hu Jintao. The Post claims this is an attempt to avoid ruffling feathers and to...
by Evelyn CashI came across this story yesterday from the Buddhist Channel reporting that as the religion dies in Japan, Buddhist priests are resorting to desperate measures to try and regain followers. The priests are trying everything from anime DVDs...
by Lodro RinzlerBefore Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what he was supposed to do with...
by Ethan NichternOn November 6 & 7, the Buddhist-inspired Interdependence Project (which creates this blog for your education and/or amusement) will be hosting our largest fundraiser and event to date in the form of a 24- hour Meditation Marathon...
by Ethan NichternAn October Quote to start the month. Question Number One: What does a Spiritual America look like, and is there a difference between "spiritual" and "religious?"Question Number Two: Was Walt Whitman America's First Buddhist? Or just a spiritual...
Jerry Kolber is an award-winning film and TV producer and writer and is on the board of directors of The Interdependence Project. Past projects include Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, The Eden Myth, and Inked. Upcoming projects include Bank...
by Greg ZwahlenThe US News and World Report God and Country blog reported last week that a recent Trinity College survey found that in the next twenty years, the percentage of Americans who report "no religion" may increase from...
Nonviolent followers of Vietnamese Zen teacher and world-renowned author Thich Nhat Hahn were violently ejected from the Bat Nha monastery in Lam Dong province in Vietnam on Sunday. The monks' ejection followed months of tension.(photo AFP)...
by Ethan NichternAs your typical half-jew, half-protestant, God-loving agnostic and Buddhist practitioner, I wanted to wish everyone a very fruitful Yom Kippur 2009. Someone mentioned to me that they think atonement and fasting, seem un-Buddhist, because of the possibility of...
A good Buddhist quote on how annoying people can turn into bitter enemies, and how Buddhism uses the "tea boy" analogy to keep your enemies as close as you can."The story goes that Atisha was told that the people of...
by Evelyn CashA few weeks ago, Jerry Kolber wrote an article on this blog about the Branding of Buddhism. His piece presented an intriguing argument for branding and popularizing Buddhism in order to make the Buddha's valuable teachings available...
by Lodro Rinzler Angulimal, photo courtesy of shunya.netBefore Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what he...
an actual dzong. photo by miles_laneby Davee EvansSome things poignantly remind me that I've just moved back to San Francisco — a city that I so dearly love — like cold, foggy evenings; bells ringing from street cars; or discovering my housemate...
by Ethan NichternThis November 6 & 7, the Buddhist-inspired Interdependence Project will be hosting our largest fundraiser and event to date in the form of a 24- hour Meditation Marathon in the window displays of ABC Carpet & Home, a...
by Jerry KolberI am going to continue exploring where I left off last week with my question: is Buddhism a religion or a way to approach living? The ONLY reason I think this question matters is that the ideas that...
by Ethan NichternAccording to the Associated Press, the interim Mayor of Memphis, Myron Lowery concocted a new way to greet His Holiness the Dalai Lama: Fist Bump! Yes, that's right. He also said "Hello, Dalai." Apparently his Holiness was a...
Happy Autumn! Enjoy this quote about fall from Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, founder of Shambhala:"The Four Seasons have a natural hierarchy of restriction, openness, celebration, practicality--and then restriction again. We could talk about the functioning of governments or any organization,...
by Greg ZwahlenOver the last few days our friend Waylon Lewis, editor at elephant journal, blogged about allegations he had recently discovered about Chogyam Trungpa. Waylon was convinced they were false, and suggested that a reference to it on Wikipedia, be deleted pronto,...
Today is The International Day of Peace! The Karmapa recently shared one of his methods for avoiding aggression ... by playing video games!"All of us have emotions, happy emotions, sad emotions, displeased emotions and we need to figure out...
B-B-B-Buddha of the week!A lovely wheatpaste piece up onBogart Street, inBushwick, part ofBrooklyn, it'sBuddha! Thanks to IDP member Patrick Groneman for this photo.Would be great if the wheatpaste artist came forth too -- spread it around!...
Since the last quote provoked a surprising discussion, here's another from Economist Jared Bernstein, Chief Economic Adviser to Vice President Joseph Biden, and apparently, a fan of Buddhism. His book was given to me by Senator Eric Schneiderman, recently honored...
What would Sid do?Before Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what he was supposed to do...
"There is another issue that has important implications for how Buddhism will adapt to a more global role in the future. Karma has been used to rationalize racism, caste, economic oppression, birth handicaps and everything else. Taken literally, karma...
In today's post I'm going to continue explaining why Buddhism, despite there being religious organizations called Buddhism, is not inherently a religion and is a technique and way of living that is applicable to anyone, EVEN IF they choose to...
One City Bloggers Ethan Nichtern and Julia May Jonas recently teamed up with Buddhist Geeks Vince Horn and Ryan Oelke to discuss the state of the Dharma in the 21st Century. Some of you may remember Vince's guest post on...
"There is something suspect about our inability to enjoy anything."-Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, founder of the Shambhala Buddhist tradition.Pioneer of contemporary Buddhism and meditation master, Trungpa Rinpoche was my parents' teacher and my teacher's parent (figure out that lineage tree). He...
My husband and I have a motto that we try to keep in mind when ever we go on a trip: "Don't let the plans get in the way of the journey." It's a line from an episode of the...
photo shot by the author in williamsburg, nycWhat would Sid do?Before Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations...
I especially loved the end of President Obama's speech last night. I am not sure if Obama saw Bill Moyers on Real Time with Bill Maher, or watched Bill Moyers Journal on PBS, but he did speak verbatim of Health...
Autumn, siren of red and gold, harbinger of tweed and velvet jackets, of renewed promises and vigor, clear sun-ed autumn you come to us once again. You have come Autumn, shoving the margarita out of our hand and replacing...
One thing that the Buddhist community doesn't seem to think about very much is branding. Gasp! Branding and Buddhism? I'm sure some Buddhists would find this hideously inappropriate, and they may be right. But, following up on my post two...
A recent Boston Globe article points to a trend of young adults turning to Meditation as a means of dealing with the speed up of life that comes from becoming an adult in the age of the internet:"At a time...
Folks who've been to Karme Choling, Shambhala's retreat center in the Green Mountains, agree that it's a pretty special place. After all the striving and frustration and noise of daily life, it's extraordinary to find yourself in a spacious, verdant...
Take it easy today, ladies and gentlemen, before the fall madness gets into full swing, before Obama's Speech Wednesday on Health Care Reform, before we all die sooner than we think. Relax. That's really the point (or one point) of...
Silvery wading pools! Dance! People in the trees! . Queens, New York: center for dharma artsBuddhism and the arts: From Zen calligraphy to the compositions of John Cage and Meredith Monk, to the Beasties and Lou Reed, dharma and arts...
Last Saturday, I fell victim to one of the oldest scams in the book. A young man came to my door working on a "contest" and looking for my help. He said that in order for him to gain points...
In honor of the passage of Vermont's same-sex marriage law, Ben & Jerry's has announced that for 30 days (only in Vermont), "Chubby Hubby" ice cream will be sold as "Hubby Hubby." Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream could not be reached...
I'm a buddhist. I read the Wall Street Journal as often as I can. I don't see how anyone interested in interdependence can ignore the WSJ. I think any buddhist interested in relieving suffering in this world of relative reality...
Well, of course that's sort of a silly thing to say. That's like saying Buddhism is the World's Best Religion. Who would ever make such a claim? But the new Interdependence Project website is pretty great. Lots to check out...
Below is a video from Real Time with Bill Maher, where journalist Bill Moyers sends a great message to President Obama on standing up for change, and brilliantly diagnoses what's wrong with our political system, and especially, the non-progressives in...
A few weeks ago I wrote about how amazing my first week long meditation retreat was. What I didn't mention was the extra helpful advice about retreat practice I got in the form of a handwritten note from my friend...
The original threesome of Buddhism: the three jewelsWhat would Sid do?Before Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations...
I recently noticed that the "For Dummies" franchise had a book called "Buddhism for Dummies". This made me laugh. Buddhism is a philosophy (and, in some areas of the world, a religion) full of deep-sounding expressions, lots of quiet time...
Beloved Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh is in Massachusetts General Hospital being treated for pneumonia. The text of his letter from the hospital and more details are available at the Oxherding and Zencast blogs.(photo from Plum Village)The author of...
This past weekend I went to a homecoming party for a friend who I haven't seen in about a year. Seeing this friend for the first time in such a long time brought up some things that made me think...
This week I had the opportunity to read and see two radically different narratives about the traumas of immigration, and I thought I'd offer each a short review: the movie was District 9 by South African Neil Blomkamp and the...
What would Sid do?Before Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what he was supposed to do...
I've never been so shocked by someone unveiling a cake to me as I was when last Friday my girlfriend Jen showed me the special Mandala Birthday cake she made for me.It was a delicious as it looks. May...
This is a guest post for the One City Blog. -----Evelyn Cash is a Soto Zen and Vipassana meditation practitioner living in Wichita, Kansas. She works as an engineer. -----No matter how you slice it, I am definitely in the...
An interesting piece by Robert Wright about his first experience with a Vipassana retreat, and his anticipation of the second one he will shortly undertake.. . . I attended my first and only silent meditation retreat. It was just about...
I wake up early every morning, meditate, make coffee, write a bit and usually check out a few sites online. Besides the Interdependence Project One City blog, which I humbly submit manages to have a more relevant, lively, and consistent...
"Let the greatness infuse every detail" - Michael CarrollThis week on the ID Project Podcast we have Part 2 of a very lively Guest Lecture by Michael Carroll. Michael is author of Awake at Work and The Mindful Leader and...
This month there's two BoMs!Two friends of mine, who don't know each other, just ran into one another in Bangkok on their peripatetic ways. This walking buddha is posted in their honor.Fotograf / Photographer: Heinrich Damm I just returned from...
photo courtesy of hollywoodtoday.net. Yes, really.What would Sid do?Before Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what...
A Guest Post for the One City Blog by Vince Horn of Buddhist Geeks (Full Bio Below). It's a very common and hip thing today to want to make Buddhism secular. Many very worthwhile organizations and movements have this as their guiding...
I've been putting this off for a while, but since yesterday's conversation here with Buddhist Geeks Vince Horn pretty much started a blazing meteor shower of comments, it's time to come out and say it - my dharma is better...
(photo courtesy of Doug Olsen)This past week I endeavored on my first ever week-long meditation retreat in the beautiful and inspiring Massachussettes Landscape at the Insight Meditation Society Retreat Center. The most consistent question I have been asked by friends...
What would Sid do?Before Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what he was supposed to do...
I thought it might be useful to share a quick check-in on my own personal practice. Lately I've had plenty of opportunities for distracting thoughts, which is just great for practicing meditation. I mean, if you want to hone your...
How can mindful people do something about Global Warming and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? What does Buddhist Meditation have to do with healing the planet? Interdependence Project and One City's very own Jerry Kolber was published today over at...
So Arj Barker of the great HBO show Flight of the Conchords (well, Season one was great at least) made this send-up of meditation students and people who practice yoga for all the wrong reasons. (UPDATE: The Video is now...
I'm practicing lovingkindness meditation as part of Hardcore Dharma's investigation of three specific meditation practices. Specifically, I've been following the very explicit directions in Sharon Salzburg's* classic book, Lovingkindness.But I've been applying them to baseball. Specifically, the New York Yankees.*Sharon...
The Associated Press is reporting that Buddhist monks at nuns at the Bat Nha monastery in central Vietnam are being ordered to leave by Communist authorities. According to reports, telephone, power and water have been shut off and the monastery...
I had the honor to be interviewed about Buddhism and Ecology by Rod Meade Sperry at the Shambhala Sun Blog last week. Check out the audio interview at the above hotlink. Also check out Rod's great website, The Worst Horse...
If you meditate or study Buddhism, you eventually have to find a meditation teacher, either through books on meditation, Buddhist podcasts, meditation lectures, Dharma talks, or hopefully good old fashioned human contact. There are lots of great teachers out there,...
"Meditate Daily" has been hovering on my to-do, someday, or maybe lists for more than ten years, since the late 1990's. Two years ago the universe conspired to deliver me to the doorstep of the Interdependence Project, where the...
In this week's podcast Ethan Nicthern takes us through the many obstacles to developing a regular meditation practice, how to overcome them and what the benefits are to doing so. What are the things we tell ourselves to avoid...
"They tried to make me go sit shamatha and I said 'OM, OM, OM'"photo courtesy of indiespeaker.comWhat would Sid do?Before Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live...
This is another post by Sharon Salzberg for the One City Blog. Sharon is one of three Buddhist lineage mentors for the Interdependence Project. She is also one of the foremost (and most awesome) Buddhist meditation teachers in America. She...
My post Freedom From Religion: Buddhism Wins Best Religion in the World Award last week set off quite a stir around these here 'nets. Over at Paramita they offer to send an 11 month old girl to pick up the...
Republicans "Bombed" Google so that a top search result for worst failure ever would lead to the Obama administration site.When it comes to translation of Buddhist terms and ideas, I can think of an even more massive fail. I have...
This week on the ID Project Podcast, Juan Carlos-Castro takes us through the 12 Nidanas, a structure in Buddhist Philosophy that helps us to understand the "links in the chain of conditioned co-production", or put another way, the structure of...
photo courtesy of barackobuddha.comWhat would Sid do?Before Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what he was...
A great blog post in the New York Times by Buddhist author Daniel Goleman about the young Tibetan master Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, who has been dubbed the happiest man in the world (apparently it's no longer fellow Buddhist Matthieu Ricard)....
My experience of meditation lately feels like this: 1. Stabilize on breath. Having been doing lots of work on concentration lately, I feel like I'm getting to the point where instead of trying to pin down my attention on the breath,...
According to Tibetan tradition, the eighth-century yogin Padmasambhava was born as an eight-year-old child on a lotus blossom in Lake Dhanakosha. His name, in fact, literally means "Lotus Born." This is what the early 17th-century Tibetan historian Tāranātha had to...
Are you interested in Buddhist meditation and its link to psychology, therapy, healing arts, and a contemporary understanding of the mind? What might Carl Jung say about Buddhism or guided meditation? Would Pema Chodron and Freud get into a ballroom...
This week on the ID Project Podcast Crystal Gandrud takes us past many of the common misconceptions surrounding the Buddhist Definition of Karma to a deeper understanding that reveals important connections between the concepts of interdependence, non-self and Karma.You can...
"You ladies come here often?"Before Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what he was supposed to...
Not only would Sid bartend but he would also play in fountains with umbrellasWhat would Sid do?Before Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life....
I've just rolled my cart down aisle five at the spiritual supermarket under the sign that reads "Mind Training and Contemplative Based Spiritual Practices". After sitting regularly for over two years I'm ready to get down with the masters of...
Being that our weather has been rather wet and unpredictable as of late, I haven't been able to partake in too many outdoor activities and have become a little obsessed with taking full advantage of a nice hour or two...
Out of all the dignities the Garuda was known as the close-talker.Before Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad,...
Last summer I sat an introductory seven day retreat at Shambhala's Karme Choling, in Vermont. After seven days of sitting and walking meditation, delicious food (much of the produce was grown in Karme Choling's garden), and some of the nicest...
I recently rented "Adi Shankaracharya," the first and only movie made entirely in Sanskrit. It's a biopic of Shankara, an 8th century Hindu saint who was perhaps the most important exponent of Advaita Vedanta (a Hindu tradition). I can't say...
Anyone interested in contemplative care should check out Tina Sussman's article in the L.A. Times last week, Zen in Their Bedside Manner, profiling the work of Zen chaplains in New York's Beth Israel Medical Center. ...
"Geez Buddha, don't get up on my account."Before Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what he...
Today at the gym, riding an indoor bike in a glass enclosed room inside the place. Since this weekend's retreat, been trying to maintain the gap between habitual conditioned response and actual reality. Not easy. This lady comes in to clean...
Zoketsu Norman Fischer, a senior dharma teacher at the San Francisco Zen Center, has an interesting article in the latest issue of Buddhadharma magazine (a portion of which is available online). In the article he states that as a teacher, he has...
So the confirmation hearings for Sonia Sotomayor are set for July 13. Let the projections begin!There are lots of projections out there, but the most mystifying yet illuminating may well be this one, sent to me for this week's Buddha...
So last month The New York Times published a controversial article on Zen by Chip Brown about a long-time practitioner of Zen meditation who came to the conclusion that his meditation practice was insufficient for working with his depression, and...
"Excuse me, would any of you fine ladies care to dance?"Before Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations...
So this is my last day at work before I go on a 13-day meditation retreat at one of my favorite meditation centers in the universe, The Karme Choling Shambhala retreat center in Vermont, which this time of year should...
Very interesting article today in the New York TImes about what will happen after His Holiness, the current Dalai Lama dies. One of his possible successors, The Karmapa, the young head of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, is...
Amy Winehouse is one of many celebs who has put down the pipe and picked up a mala. photo courtesy of topnews.in Before Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn...
Listen ya'll, you've got to give something up to get the teachings! David Nichtern, who wrote "Midnight at the Oasis", and who is also is a former student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, stopped by the ID Project a couple of...
I've been a runner on and off for the last fifteen years. Last year I (slowly) ran the New York City Marathon. Today is national running day, and as a Buddhist Meditator I thought it would be appropriate to tackle...
This week we have a special guest post from Gaylon Ferguson, PhD, a senior teacher (acharya) in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition. He has led meditation retreats for thirty-three years. As core faculty at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, he teaches Religious and...
This is interesting. The Dalai Lama empowered a young Spanish boy as an incarnate Lama. Now 24, the young man, Osel Hita Torres,is moving in another direction with his life (update on the Shambhala Sun blog). Lots of good questions...
Our reading for Hardcore Dharma this week (Spectrum of Ecstasy by Ngakpa Chogyam and Khandro Dechen) included a phrase I quite liked- "pure appropriateness". It is described as follows: We neither give too little, nor do we give too much; because...
Before Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what he was supposed to do with his life,...
Hi Kate Moss! I hear you're converting to Buddhism! I'm not sure what "converting" means, but that's cool. Welcome. I think your designs for Topshop are nice. Maybe you could get Johnny Depp to come to some dharma...
Before Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at age 35 he was a confused twenty and thirty-something looking to learn how to live a spiritual life. He had an overbearing dad, expectations for what he was supposed to do with his life,...
A couple of months ago I was tripping about blithely with my gentleman friend in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn when the stream of conversation turned, as it invariably does, to the mental causality of the cruel mistress called Internet. "You know," I...
There is no shortage of evidence that the earth is burning, flooding, asphyxiating and dying. 9 out of 10 dentists agree that something has to be done or our children (or their children) will inherit a planet that cannot support...
When I studied urban planning in grad school, one of my strongest interests was in the ways buildings affect how people feel, as a result of both their individual appearances and of the way they're massed around open space...
Sunday night my husband and I saw famed singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen perform at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. He's what he looks like: And here's what he looked like from my seat:That show was fantastic! Well, that's...
So the confirmation hearings for Sonia Sotomayor are set for July 13. Let the projections begin!There are lots of projections out there, but the most mystifying yet illuminating may well be this one, sent to me for this week's Buddha...
New research using MRI scans from UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging shows evidence that meditators have larger brains than a control group of non-meditators. The lead author of the journal article, Eileen Luders summarizes,"We know that people who consistently meditate...
Emily's post this morning reminded me of an article I encountered in Slate a couple of weeks ago about Chinese names and the prevalance of the use of English names in China. The author, Huan Hsu, writes that they have become de...
Welcome to Buddha of the Month, a (roughly) monthly post that features images of the Buddha in contemporary art, popular culture, fine art - or wherever the tathagata catches our fancy. This one's by seminal video artist Nam June Paik:...
For the next five weeks, I, in tandem with the ID Project Intermediate Hardcore Dharma class, will examine and explore teachings about the five wisdom energies. The five wisdom energies, (Buddha, Vajra, Ratna, Padma & Karma), relate to qualities or...
From the desk of:MiniMoFoRe: volutionSitting on his cushion at 6:12AM, thoughts began flooding in. "Need to call Barry". "Need to pay storage bill." "Need to write post for IDP." "Should start running again." Don't attach; don't push away; observe. He started observing his thoughts;...
Check out the nice spread in the Los Angeles Times today about the work of my friend Noah Levine, Dharma Punx Founder and Buddhist Teacher. (Photo from Los Angeles Times Article)What do you think of Noah?...
In a recent post entitled "Up From Buddhism," Andrew Sullivan quotes a journalist and a blogger who have a less than favorable view of our tradition: From 2003, John Horgan explains why he gave up on Buddhism:...what troubles me most about Buddhism...
Despite my best intentions, I still have days when I miss my meditation practice. I'm on point for a while and then something happens- I'm busy with school, going out and getting in too late, etc.- that I lose the...
Sonia Sotomayor, a Bronx-born New York City native, is a federal Appeals court judge, a 54-year-old Hispanic woman, a summa cum laude graduate of Princeton who received her law degree from Yale, and a potential Supreme Court nominee. The name...
This is a week of new beginnings for me. I spent Sunday and Monday keeping an eye on my best friend's four year old, my godson Sidney, as his wife April was preparing to deliver their second son by home...
Welcome to One City. You've lived here your whole life, whether you know it or not. One City blog is an outgrowth of The Interdependence Project, a Buddhist-inspired nonprofit organization led by Ethan Nichtern, dedicated to teaching the insights of Buddhism, meditation, mindfulness, and interconnectedness in the 21st century world.
If you're interested in how your mind works, are interested in meditation (but don't want to pretend you live in ancient Asia), care about the world, are into media, love contemporary culture, and above all, really dig the truth of interdependence-that nothing happens in a vacuum--then this blog is for you.
Ethan Nichtern
Author, founding director of the Interdependence Project, and the host of the I.D. Project’s popular weekly podcast » Posts by Ethan Nichtern
Add to Del.icio.us
Add to Technorati
Add to Digg
Add to Newsvine
Add to Facebook
Add to StumbleUpon
Subscribe
