by
Ethan NichternI thought this was a good
patriotic quote for
Veterans Day:
For hatred does not cease by hatred at any time:
Hatred ceases by love alone, this is an eternal law.-The Dhammapada
Sayings of the
BuddhaMy Thought of the Day: Let's not forget that while we honor all current and past
veterans for their sacrifice, that we might also hope eventually our society stops creating more veterans.
Honoring veterans is a great and meaningful act, but one I truly hope no longer exists in 100 years, for lack of former soldiers to honor.
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 experience and went on to share them with
many people. They both struck chords that have resonated for millions
of people over the years.
The
Twelve-Step way of life
and
Buddhism share many similarities and connections, even beyond the
apparent compulsion to number important things. They're loaded with
similar paradoxes: Buddhists take vows, but dwell on and in the impermanence
of all things. Sober alcoholics "count days" of sobriety, yet survive
one day at a time.
by Ellen ScordatoThis past weekend I clicked thru on a link in a tweet from a buddhist poster, and discovered what led to several articles about the sad deaths of two people at the
Spiritual Warrior in Sedona, Arizona, led by
James Arthur Ray, a self-help author.
Both the Times and Fox News articles about the
sweat lodge deaths seem to have the same details: Sixty-plus people squeezed into a sweat lodge for 2 hours, part of a $9,000-per-head weekend spiritual retreat. Two were taken out, with neither breath nor pulse, a 38-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man, both of whom had been in excellent health. Nineteen other people were taken to the hospital; some are still in critical condition.
Online, it seems that the "New Age" world is awash in opinion, condemnation, questions, fear, sadness, sympathy - the whole gamut of reactions to such a tragedy. Some say the lodge ceremony belongs to the Native Americans who have practiced it for centuries, and should never be held by non-Native Americans, and never for profit.
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. In the
Buddhist communities, somehow, not as much (though some Buddhist practitioners are certainly
vegetarian). Then I came across this eye opening quote from the Angulimala
Sutra (discourse). Read the powerful quote, and then share your thoughts on the following question: do mindful and compassionate people eat meat? Do you eat meat? Why or why not?
(Pig Buddha T-shirt from Zazzle.com)
By Stillman BrownA quick Heartcore Dharma update: In case you missed it, last night Acharya Eric Spiegel rocked the Interdependence Project in New York with a guest lecture on the Bodhisattva vow. Be sure to check the ID Project website...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
"The world that we live in is fabulous. It is utterly workable." - Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, The Sanity We are Born WithThe current discussion on Buddhism and Psychology going on at the ID Project has been centered around Chogyam Trungpa...
I find that during periods of major change in my life, the notion of a daily meditation practice is met with a mental aversion so strong that even looking at my meditation cushion ready and waiting for me in the...
The journal CyberPsychology & Behavior recently published the results of an interesting (though somewhat unsurprising) study entitled "More Information than You Ever Wanted: Does Facebook Bring Out the Green-Eyed Monster of Jealousy?" The short answer is yes- increased Facebook usage can contribute to...
Saturday my friend and I had a discussion about what is really meant by the oft-ill translated Buddhist statement: Life is Suffering. This week in The New York Times Modern Love column , author Laura A. Monson I think gives a...
It was a quiet Sunday morning, just before a thunderstorm was to break out over New York City. The sky was bright and gray at the same time, with clouds closing in over 27th Street like a camera shutter. Little...
It was a quiet Sunday morning, just before a thunderstorm was to break out over New York City. The sky was bright and gray at the same time, with clouds closing in over 27th Street like a camera shutter. Little...
A big ole group of high New Jersey officials, including Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano were arrested this morning, for charges including corruption and money laundering....
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...
I've always had this problem called being an overachiever. I frequently have unrealistic expectations of myself, and mentally beat myself up when I fall short of these ideals. So when I first started becoming interested in Buddhism I said to...
I love Adam Yauch! But the winds of impermanence blow cold this July day.Adam "MCA" Yauch, leader of the Beastie Boys and practicing Tibetan buddhist, has cancer -- a salivary gland tumor, apparently not life-threatening -- and the Beasties are...
Wow, my friends and I must be pretty pain-free according to this msnbc article:"Stub your toe? Say 'Sh#!' You'll feel better"Everybody wants to avoid pain, but no one can. That's not even a particularly Buddhist insight. Living beings do different...
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...
Here's a story. My mother is a retired church organist and choir director. Growing up, my participation in religious life was fairly required. When I was about ten or eleven, the church had a charismatic youth minister, a wiry, fierce, Princeton-seminary-educated...
You know Bernie Madoff, of course. The guy with the onomatopoeia for a name? The Madoff sentencing is now complete. Bernard Madoff is going to jail for an 150 year sentence for his $50 billion Ponzi Scheme. The list of...
The King of Pop, Michael Jackson is Dead, after going into cardiac arrest. Michael Jackson, like him or hate him, might be the biggest icon of Generation X. Ever. Everybody dies, even Michael Jackson dies. Death is real, it comes...
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...
This past week I had the unfortunate experience of having my wallet stolen. All I know is that I had it and two blocks and one stop at a shoe store later, it was gone. As soon as I realized...
Darren Littlejohn recently published a book titled, The 12 Step Buddhist: Enhance Recovery from any Addiction, a Buddhist take on the Twelve Step addiction recovery method. As Darren's article on Beliefnet iterates, "from a Buddhist perspective of attachment, we're all...
Following up on last week's post, here is a wonderful reading I ran across while looking for something that reflected our values to be read during the ceremony. It reminded me of some of the previous discussions we have had...
The world continues to mourn one of the pseudo-masters of eastern spirituality, David Carradine, in our culture's peculiar way: we are dying to see the Carradine hanging photo. Thai Rath, a local paper, has supposedly published a Carradine death photo,...
The typical conception of a spiritual person's home is a minimalist abode painted with soft, calming colors. The tipple of a small fountain, the shadow of a bonsai tree, hemp fabrics, lightly sounding gongs, African throat singing music, ethnic cushions,...
Chinese police have Tiananmen Square on virtual lockdown to prevent protests commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the student massacre there today. Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama also paid his respects to victims.(photo by Stuart Franklin Magnum, life.com)...
The purported fossil missing link found this morning of 47 million year old Darwinius Masillae is causing a stir. Some people think it's the key to understanding our entire human evolution, some are not so sure. I just like...
A woman from Preston Hollow, Texas, Sara Bell, claims she saw Jesus Christ in A Cheeto, and named it Cheesus Christ. Cheetos, anyone?...
After reading Daphne Merkin's A Journey Through Darkness in today's New York Times Magazine, I was left contemplating Buddhist viewpoints on treating depression. It's no secret that many people are drawn to the dharma during difficult times- seeking relief from despair and anxiety. Each week there...
Check out this awesome graphic composed by I.D. Project's very own Juan Carlos Castro: So, turns out - according to U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, that Swine Flu is less severe than feared....
Recently I've found myself with the urge to take better care of myself. Eating healthier, exercising more, going to bed earlier, sticking to my meditation practice. I'm not worrying about catching the swine flu, this isn't a totally neurotic thing....
Things have been hard for a lot of people I know lately. My work hours have been cut. Some of my friends have been laid off and others are working really hard just to have a slim chance of a...
by Ethan Nichtern
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