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Sunday November 15, 2009

Back to the Basics: The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path

By Evelyn Cash

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).

Wednesday November 11, 2009

Categories: Meditation

The Power of Coincidence

by Jerry Kolber, special to the Herald, author: Three Dollar Dinner

Over the past few weeks I have been incredibly aware of co-incidents.  The power of coincidence seems to be playing a large role in my life and I am wondering if this is related to karma, or cause-effect, or intentionality. This may or may not have anything to do with Buddhism and I leave it those far more deeply versed in the non-basic teachings than I to weigh in, but I do feel compelled to share some of my thoughts on coincidence.

Tuesday November 10, 2009

Building and safeguarding Buddhism in the West


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 modest levels of commitment to it. That's not a bad thing. It's wonderful, actually. It's normal, it's healthy, and it's exactly what one would reasonably expect. Most of the people I hang out with fit this description, and thank goodness they're here. 

In a very real sense, people with a casual interest in Buddhism and meditation are the foundation of dharma in the West, without which there would be little or no dharma here at all. The scholar Thomas Tweed, writing about this in Westward Dharma: Buddhism beyond Asia, wrote "sympathizers have been an important part of the story of Buddhism since the 1880s . . . [the] tens of thousands who .  ..do not affiliate formally with Buddhism formally or fully are an important part of the tradition's history in America" (pgs 75-76). Tweed coined the term "night-stand Buddhists" to describe the contemporary representatives of this demographic.

There simply aren't enough teachers to teach everyone with this level of interest in meditation and Buddhism. However, the good news is that it seems to be possible for facilitators to give introductory instruction with only a relatively modest amount of experience themselves.

In order to keep this situation healthy and thriving, however, it is also important that there is a certain percentage of the Buddhist population that is deeply trained and knowledgeable, able to guide the smaller number of people who wish to explore the dharma further and deeper, able to address more thorny issues in an informed manner, and able to protect the integrity of the overall situation. Basically, we also need more masters of scripture (āgamadharma) and realization (adhigamadharma).

Monday November 9, 2009

Meditation Marathon and the Inextricability of Disco and Tonglen

by Ellen Scordato

SO 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 a practice point of view? Here are my impressions -- and my photo, below - from the inside looking out.

24hrsit-inside-out.jpg

I sat for 2 shifts, totalling 8 hours, from 7am to 3pm on Saturday. First off, I am not an early morning person on weekends.

Friday November 6, 2009

Categories: Meditation

Sit Down Rise Up: Come Say Hello!

By Stillman Brown

Thumbnail image for SitDownRiseUp-01.jpg

If you live in New York, take a stroll by ABC Home and Carpet at Broadway and 19th St. before tomorrow at 7PM to lend your support (or just say hi) to the ID Project's Sit Down Rise Up 24-hour meditation marathon. It's attracting a lot of attention and there's a great energy happening so far. The folks sitting the entire 24 hours, including ID Project founder Ethan Nichtern, will need your good vibes! 


Thursday November 5, 2009

Categories: Buddhism, Meditation

Why We Meditate: Sittin' In The Morning Sun, Sittin' When The Evening Come

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...

Wednesday November 4, 2009

Categories: Buddhism, Meditation

Buddhism is Not a Religion Part 5: Why I Sit

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...

Wednesday November 4, 2009

Meditating, In Public, on Broadway For 24 Hours. No, I Am Not David Blaine

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,...

Wednesday November 4, 2009

Categories: Buddhism, Meditation

Meditate New York!

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...

Tuesday November 3, 2009

Why I am not a "Tibetan Buddhist" (anymore)

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...

Sunday November 1, 2009

Categories: Meditation

Mindfulness and the Brain

by Evelyn CashFor those of us who can't get enough articles detailing the science behind mindfulness and how it affects the brain, here is a recent article from Psychology Today: The Neuroscience of Mindfulness.  I know I personally love to...

Wednesday October 28, 2009

Larry Johnson Suspended for Twitter Slurs

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...

Thursday October 22, 2009

Categories: Meditation

Concentration Without Effort: Meditation Theory vs. Actual Practice

By Melissa Kirsch I recently developed a mild but irksome case of writer's block. I dreamed someone important in my career had built me a tightrope.  I like when dreams are so explicit as to require a minimum of...

Monday October 19, 2009

Categories: Buddhism, Meditation

Buddhist Quote of the Day: Meditation in Everyday Life

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....

Sunday October 11, 2009

Categories: Meditation, Talking Dharma

Learning to Sit Down and Shut Up

The truth is, I'm an accidental Soto Zen Buddhist.  When I initially learned to meditate, I had little interest in sticking to any particular tradition.  I liked to call myself a "non-denominational" Buddhist and didn't really see a need to...

Thursday September 24, 2009

Why We Meditate: It's Cheaper Than Adderall

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...

Sunday September 20, 2009

Categories: Arts and Media, Meditation

Music and Meditation

Music has a lot of power.  It can make you laugh, it can make you cry, it can bring back memories long forgotten and it can help you create new ones.  I love music and my tastes are about as...

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About One City: A Buddhist Blog for Everyone

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.

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About the Authors

Davee Evans
A Shambhala practitioner in San Francisco
» Posts by Davee Evans
Evelyn Cash
Evelyn is a Soto Zen practitioner and engineer living in Wichita, Kansas.
» Posts by Evelyn Cash
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
Ellen Scordato
A business owner, editor, teacher, and board member of the Interdependence Project
» Posts by Ellen Scordato
Greg Zwahlen
Practices meditation and studies Buddhism
» Posts by Greg Zwahlen
Jerry Kolber
A writer, producer, and director for television, film, and theater in NYC
» Posts by Jerry Kolber
Jon Rubinstein
Jon writes about art and the media from a Buddhist perspective.
» Posts by Jon Rubinstein
Kirsten Firminger
A Doctoral Candidate in Social Psychology
» Posts by Kirsten Firminger
Lodro Rinzler
Lodro Rinzler is a second-generation Shambhala Buddhist practitioner and teacher.
» Posts by Lodro Rinzler
Paul Griffin
A writer, scholar, and tutor in New York City
» Posts by Paul Griffin
Patrick Groneman
Assistant Director of the Interdependence Project
» Posts by Patrick Groneman
Stillman Brown
A photographer, writer, and meditation practitioner living in Brooklyn, NY
» Posts by Stillman Brown
More »

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