John Pappas Names His Picks for the Twelve Best Buddhist Twitterers at elephant journal February 18, 2010
Posted by Danny Fisher in blogs and blogging, Buddhism and the internet, elephant journal, Twitter.Tags: elephant journal, John Pappas, Twitter
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With tongue once again firmly planted in cheek, Sweet the Dirt, Push the Dust’s John Pappas names his twelve best Buddhist Twitterers at elephant journal. I was honored to be among those John named. He writes:
@RevDannyFisher ~ Professor and Coordinator of the Buddhist Chaplaincy Program at University of the West in Rosemead, CA; ordained Buddhist minister; writer.~ Not only did the Good Reverend win Elephant Journal’s Hottest Male Buddhist Blogger contest but he also kept his humility. The Dharmic equivalent of a cup of cocoa, a warm Snugee™ and a night of heavy petting, Danny puts his reputation on the line whenever he acknowledges me on Twitter. …Danny communicates and engages and leaves smiles behind on everyone’s faces…even this old Jack Daw.
Take a look at the other picks and vote for your favorite here.
A Gift of Dharma for 2.18.10 February 18, 2010
Posted by Danny Fisher in A Gift of Dharma, Sulak Sivaraksa.Tags: Sulak Sivaraksa
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Today’s quote comes to us from the great Sulak Sivaraksa–Thailand’s preeminent social activist and one of the titans of the modern engaged Buddhist movement–whom I previously quoted and wrote a little biography for in this post. This is it:
The bodhisattva does not turn away from violence and suffering. The bodhisattva has both the wisdom and compassion to understand and respond to it. Nonviolence does not mean turning way from violence or being passive. It means responding to violence with upaya, or skillful means. Let us look at the life of the Buddha for an example of upaya being used to respond to a violent situation.
A conflict had broken out between the Sakyas and the Koliyas over water and the kings of the two states were preparing to go to war. The Buddha came and said to the king, “How much is water worth great king?” “Very little Reverend Sir,” he replied. “How much are warriors worth great king?” “They are beyond price,” he replied. “It is not fitting that for a little water you should destroy warriors who are beyond price.” Those listening fell silent. The Buddha then addressed them, “Great kings, why do you act in this manner? Were I not present today you would set flowing a river of blood. You have acted in a most unbecoming manner.”
Had the Buddha done nothing and allowed a war to begin that would not have been nonviolence. In fact failing to intervene in this situation would have been an act of violence itself. He intervened in the conflict in a nonviolent manner; this clearly illustrates nonviolent action. This is proof that Buddhism is not otherworldly but is actively engaged with the world. Unfortunately many Buddhists are content with inner peace and don’t relate to the world around them. In Burma there are many great meditation masters; you can go to the temples there and enjoy wonderful meditation practice. But what about outside the temples? The country is a military dictatorship and there are many terrible abuses of human rights. Staying in the temple and meditating is not practicing nonviolence. We need to engage with the world. During the Vietnam War Thich Nhat Hanh realised that he could not remain in the monastery and meditate while bombs were going off and people were dying outside. He could not turn away from the suffering of the world; he had to respond to it.
“Meet James Zito” – This Week’s Post is Up at Shambhala Sun Space! February 18, 2010
Posted by Danny Fisher in James Zito, Shambhala SunSpace.Tags: James Zito, Shambhala Sun Space
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My latest “On the Buddhism Beat” post is now online over at Shambhala Sun Space. This week, it’s an interview with our friend, past interviewee, and Buddhist filmmaker James Zito. As I previously mentioned, James recently released his new documentary Inquiry Into the Great Matter: A History of Zen Buddhism. Here’s a snippet from our conversation:
Danny Fisher: There’s a concern across your work about what is referred to in the new film as “the glitzy, the modern and the industrial.” Would you say a bit about this?
James Zito: One of the most important elements in Buddhism is the lineage: in all of the Buddhist traditions available to us today, there is an unbroken lineage of realization which needs to be maintained properly or the tradition is broken and lost. The rapid pace of global development presents a threat to the survival of some of these precious lineages as well as the traditions that constitute them. In fact, some aspects of Buddhism are likely endangered species. Today, for example, there are said to be less than a thousand monks at any given time in the whole of Japan, whereas there used to be a few hundred in just one of the major monasteries.
In my opinion, the rigorous documentation of Buddhist materials is a very important priority of Buddhology. To document something means to make a record of it—preserve it—for the future. Buddhist documentaries have an important role to play in showing how things were and are still in these different places where the traditions are to some extent being eroded.
You know, the Tibetans painstakingly translated all the texts they could get their hands on in a period of the first dissemination of Buddhism to Tibet. Eventually, Atisa, who had come from India, was amazed to find texts in the library at Samye Monastery that had long disappeared from his country. This points to the necessity of carefully preserving everything we can about extant Buddhist traditions because they aren’t simply aspects of history, but keys to enlightenment and liberation, as well as methods for cultivating sanity and connection to basic goodness—spiritual treasures for all mankind.
Read the rest here.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama Meets with U.S. President Barack Obama February 18, 2010
Posted by Danny Fisher in Dalai Lama, Shambhala SunSpace.Tags: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, President Barack Obama, Shambhala Sun Space, The Associated Press, The White House
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President Barack Obama meets with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the Map Room of the White House, Feb. 18, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
The Associated Press and Shambhala Sun Space offer excellent reports on the meeting which occurred today at the White House.
A Great Interview… February 18, 2010
Posted by Danny Fisher in books, mental health, Television.Tags: Ethan Watters, Jon Stewart, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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More here.
Robert Thurman on “The Meaning of the Dalai Lama” February 18, 2010
Posted by Danny Fisher in Dalai Lama, Robert Thurman, Shambhala SunSpace.Tags: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Robert Thurman, Shambhala Sun Space
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It’s at Shambhala Sun Space:
Just Monk-eying Around… February 18, 2010
Posted by Danny Fisher in Hsi Lai Temple.Tags: Hsi Lai Temple
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The author at Hsi Lai Temple on February 17th, 2010. Photo by Miroj Shakya.
A Gift of Dharma for 2.17.10 February 18, 2010
Posted by Danny Fisher in A Gift of Dharma, Dalai Lama.Tags: His Holiness the Dalai Lama
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Today’s quote is yet another from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, whom I first quoted and wrote a short biography for in this post. It‘s from his famous book Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective (Snow Lion Publications, 1997):
Question: What should you say to a loved one who is talking about a third person with hatred or anger? On the one hand, you want to show compassion for the feelings being experienced by the loved one. On the other hand, you don’t want to reinforce or lend approval to that hatred. What might one say?
Dalai Lama: Here I would like to tell a story. Once there was a Kadampa master called Gampowa who had many responsibilities. One day he complained to the Kadampa master Dromtonpa that he had hardly any time for his meditation or for his Dharma practice. So Dromtonpa responded by agreeing with him, “Yes, that’s right. I don’t have any time either.” Then once an immediate affinity was established, Dromtonpa skillfully said, “But, you know what I am doing is for the service of the Dharma. Therefore, I feel satisfied.” Similarly, if you find one of your beloved ones speaking against someone out of anger or hatred, maybe your initial reaction should be one of agreement and sympathy. Then once you have gained the person’s confidence, you can say, “But….”