The content of this post first appeared in the newsletter published by the author’s sangha, City Cave Zen. When the pandemic took hold, my sangha, City Cave Zen, decided to try holding meetings online, to meditate, chant and discuss the Dharma in a way that would be as similar to physical meetings as we could make […]
Author: Teahouse
Dharma and the All-Divine: New Age and Buddhist Thought with Rebecca Wong Howe
In a previous editorial on the Ukraine crisis, we discussed the theological intersection of the country’s two Orthodox denominations and Buddhism. We asked the questions: how can we see the Dharma embodied in other religious traditions and others’ spiritual beliefs? How is the will of the bodhisattvas communicated? How can we learn about our own […]
Mexican Buddhism: Covering a Living, Vibrant Force
In the idyllic town of Valle de Bravo, Mexico, is a stupa under the care of Casa Tíbet México, the remarkable La Gran Stupa Bon para la Paz Mundia. This beautiful religious landmark on the outskirts of Mexico City was founded by Bön teacher Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and consecrated in 2010. Despite the relatively marginal presence of […]
Developing a Sense of Similarity
Several years ago, when I was eating lunch alone in the dining area of a university food court, a smiling student recruiter from a major international religious organization asked whether he could speak with me for a moment. I obliged, and he sat down in the chair directly across from me at my table. After […]
When is Generosity Not Genuine?
When I grew up, I’d occasionally stay up late watching TV. About 10 minutes into a show, the screen with cut away to the first ad. I remember the images used in commercials produced by NGOs that were meant to solicit donations, which appealed to the sensibilities of audiences in the developed world. The typical […]
Giving with a Cheerful Heart
When some people see others in unfortunate situations in their lives, they may act with subconscious feeling of superiority. A response that appears to come from a sense of compassion or justice may actually be a response that merely feeds the ego. To put this into clinical terms, these people may be suffering from a […]
The Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia: A Cause Worth Supporting
For years, the Swedish-born monk Vello Väärtnou has toiled on two core projects: the opening of a Buddhist Studies institute in Sweden and an online Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia. It brings together Tibetan, Chinese, Sanskrit, and Pali terms in a collection of approximately 81,700 entries explaining the terminology and discourse of Vajrayana Buddhism. I have known him […]
Earth Day 2022: Only So Many Chances
Today is Earth Day, a perfect opportunity to rethink our conventional paradigms that are dooming the planet’s livability for human beings. Today I would like to explore briefly several ideas alluded to in yesterday’s post. The first is Dr. María Elvira Ríos’ exploration of ganying, Dependent Origination in Óscar Carrera’s writing, and Jordi Solé Ollé’s exploration […]
Earth Day 2022: Assemble all Beings
22 April is Earth Day, and the occasion comes with renewed urgency as we now know that it is highly unlikely that we can stop the world from passing 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming in the next ten years. There is still hope that the world can keep the world from warming to 2.0 degrees […]
Changing Minds: Uniting Monasticism with Education
What happens when monastics leave their school and disrobe for lay life? Maintaining the bridge between the old and new life with Choje Lama Wangchuk