Amid the turmoil and scandal of the contemporary political world, many eyes are turning toward China as a natural counterbalance to the stumbling United States. The continued growth, both internally and externally in influence, trade, new ports and infrastructure around the world should give pause to any China skeptics still remaining out there. The political […]
Month: July 2018
Buddhism and the Thailand Cave Miracle
As I reflect on the outpouring of ingenuity, resilience, and collective hope involved in the Thailand cave rescue miracle, I am interested in how there were certain things that the boys and their coach did not have access to. For example, they had little to no perceptible light; they were without cooked and fast food; […]
Straight-Edge Buddhism
The straight-edge movement started as part of the Hardcore Punk music scene in the early 80’s. At that time, drugs and alcohol were thought by many to be ruining the scene, and punks began to abstain from intoxicants in response. In fact, some adherents went so far as to abstain from promiscuous sex and eating […]
Love Versus Principle
Master Jingzong; English translation by Foying, edited by Fojin Love rules in a family, whereas legal principles rule in a court of law. Love is the name of the game for people who are fond of each other. But those who are in conflict resort to principles. A society will not be harmonious unless love […]
Master Huijing’s Dharma Words about Taking Refuge to Amitabha
Like the bright light in a dark room, the Three Jewels is a compass for people on a crossroad, a compassionate ship in the sea of sufferings, a timely rain for a burning house, a treasure for the poor, a good medicine for the sick. One who takes refuge to the Three Jewels is like […]
Confessional Artists: The Spiritual Vocation of Creative Professionals
Bodhi Obfuscatus (Space Baby). By Michael Joo. From davidsenouf.com Since my schooldays I’ve been interested in exploring the discourse around “confessional” professions. In popular culture, it’s still assumed that one can trace a straight line from a business degree to a job in a bank, or from a law degree to a practicing barrister’s office. […]
Master Huijing’s Dharma Words about Departure and Reincarnation
Art by ryky.deviantart.com Common people in the world want to pursue wealth, complete high education, and seek for boundless knowledge. However, no matter how high his academic qualification and how knowledgeable he is, the Buddha will call him a fool if he does not believe in retributions resulted from good and evil karma, and is […]
Getting the most out of summer
Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf, So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day Nothing gold can stay. – Robert Frost Once you realise this floating life as the perfect mirage of change, […]
Reading Chinese Buddhist Texts and Honouring Different Traditions
Leshan Buddha. From chinaclickgo.com I have recently co-authored a reader in Chinese Buddhist texts (Lock and Linebarger 2018) . The reader is intended for students who have basic literacy in Chinese but need a lot of help in reading and understanding the difficult language in which most Chinese Buddhist texts are written. I would of […]
The Sakya Family and Vocation: Ratna Vajra Rinpoche’s Life of Joy and Responsibility
The responsibilities of Ratna Vajra Rinpoche are considerable, but the House of Sakya bears its historical responsibilities with joy