All Blog Posts (114)

Transforming Emotions

Recently I have had a very interesting experience that was torturous, but helpful. In my relationship with my teacher, working together, we exposed the fear/ desire pairing. Desire was fed by the fear of not getting emotional needs met. Fear was fed by the fear of losing that which appears, at least partially, to meet those emotional needs. We cut this pattern and what arose was terror. The surprise was underneath that there was a powerful pushing force that most closely resembled anger. And eve… Continue

Added by Leslie on November 26, 2009 at 7:30pm — 3 Comments

Sutra and Prayer to help 500,000 Animals

"Dear Center Directors, students and friends, You might have heard the Nepal news about the 500,000 animals that are going to be sacrificed over two days on 24th November (Ghaddimai animal sacrifice festival, happens every five years in the terrai). The Buddha Boy wrote to the organizers asking them not to do it but his request was rejected. It is a big Hindu festival and now the Buddha Boy is thinking to go there an… Continue

Added by Loren Enders on November 11, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Buddhism books, Pema Chodron and banners

Contents of my spiritual newsletter November 2009

New online
Short Quotes
Space
Is Buddhism a Religion?

What follows is an extract of the Buddhist content of the 'new online' portion of my newsletter.

New online

On Katinka Hesselink Net

Buddhism banners

… Continue

Added by Katinka Hesselink on November 4, 2009 at 5:36am — No Comments

Books I am reading

I am reading The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Not exactly about Buddhism, but he sure has a lot to say about "the impact of the highy improbable" Also, rereading Karma & Reincarnation by Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama, the Head Priest of the Tamamitsu Shrine in Tokyo as well as the founder of a school here in Encinitas California. Continue

Added by Sharon on October 31, 2009 at 3:00am — No Comments

Books I am reading

The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb & rereading Karma & Reincarnation by Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama. Continue

Added by Sharon on October 31, 2009 at 1:03am — No Comments

Contemplative Photography

At the kind suggestion of Ann Braun I have started reading The Little Book of Contemplative Photography by Howard Zehr. Tonight I did the first exercise in the book; "Tuning up" your eyes. The first part of the exercise involved observing a familiar space. I skipped that part. I did do the second part which is to make a frame out of cardboard. This is the part I want to write about because what I experienced surprised me. I found a piece of gray cardboard that I had carefully stored under my bed… Continue

Added by Roger Noble on October 29, 2009 at 7:30pm — 5 Comments

Taoist Story

I recently came across this story in the notes of a copy of the Tao Te Ching. I was struck by the similarlity to the four yogas of Mahamudra so thought i would post here. A monk asked Ma-tzu, "Why do you teach, 'Mind is Buddha'?" Ma-tzu said, "To stop a baby from crying." The monk said, "When the baby has stopped crying, what then?" Ma-tzu said, "Then I teach 'Not mind, not Buddha.'" The monk said, "How about someone who isn't attached to either?" Ma-tzu replied, "I would tell him 'Not bei… Continue

Added by Andy McLellan on October 6, 2009 at 6:49am — No Comments

Poet Seers

"The arrow that is shot should penetrate so deeply that even the feathers do not show. Hug the body of the Lord so tightly that the bones must be crushed to crumble. Weld to the divine until the very welding disappears. " - Mahadevi Continue

Added by Loren Enders on October 2, 2009 at 10:02pm — 4 Comments

halfway a buddhist...? spiritual quest, harry potter...

Online

On All Considering

… Continue

Added by Katinka Hesselink on October 1, 2009 at 3:30am — No Comments

Fundraiser bazaar & travelogue for Thrangu Rinpoche's Tara Abbey

The Newport Beach sangha led by Arlene Dorius is holding a fundraiser bazaar and travelogue presentation on Sunday, Nov. 8 for the benefit of Tara Abbey, a nunnery in Nepal under the wing of Thrangu Rinpoche. Items are from Nepal. We're also selling raffle tickets for a Buddha statue and Tara thankga. See the two flyers on my profile page (Nancy) Comment Wall for details. Continue

Added by Nancy on September 27, 2009 at 9:28pm — No Comments

Last Words

Buddhist practice has cultivated in me an interest in states of mind before death, so naturally this little op-ed piece in the New York Times caught my eye: quotations taken from inmates’ last statements in Texas just before being executed. I found it moving. All were interesting. Here are a few that struck me: "My heart goes is going ba bump ba bump ba bump." "I am nervous and it is hard to put my thoughts together. Sometimes you don’t know what to say." "Could you please tell that… Continue

Added by A Serious Buddhist on September 22, 2009 at 11:42am — 38 Comments

Buddha Blog Sept. 6 - 19

Gonan-e Ceremony: the Tatsunokuchi Persecution

Throughout the year we remember and celebrate both the good and the bad events that took place when Nichiren [Sun-Lotus] Daishonin [Great Sage] walked the earth. Nichiren, in his compassion to heal the disastrous times that pervaded Japan. On the afternoon of… Continue

Added by Henry Landry on September 11, 2009 at 2:28pm — No Comments

Visualizing the Unfettered Mind Network (Part VI)

Continuing on from part v, first a summary of this series of blog entries, then a bit about the diversity of participation in the Forum conversations and finally a few questions..... Summary of previous blogs on this topic: The first two blog posts on the topic of Visualizing the Unfettered Mind Network appeared in Dec 2008, when there were about 250 people subscribed to UM Ning. These posts… Continue

Added by Ann Braun on September 9, 2009 at 7:30am — 5 Comments

academic series, "Buddhism and American Culture"

Hello. I'm co-editor of a series of books with SUNY press on "Buddhism and American Culture." The volume on literature, entitled EMERGENCE OF BUDDHIST AMERICAN LITERATURE, has just come out. It has essays on Snyder, Whalen, Fenollosa, Kerouac, and a few surprises. If anyone wants to know more, let me know. Future volumes on social conflicts, film, and a sequel on literature. Cheers, JWB Continue

Added by John Whalen-Bridge on September 7, 2009 at 4:51pm — 7 Comments

Meditation on the Secret Doctrine, dreams, conditioning and Tibet

New online

On Katinka Hesselink Net

Who Am I?, Pablo Sender

On All Considering

Anniversaries – really not my thing… (2 comments)

… Continue

Added by Katinka Hesselink on September 7, 2009 at 4:41am — No Comments

Visualizing the Unfettered Mind Network (Part V)

Today I'd like to continue on from part III and part IV with a closer look at participation in the Unfettered Mind Ning Forum based on information collected a few weeks back, just after the Forum conversations were organised into categories. To prepare for this I counted: -- how many conversations (topics)… Continue

Added by Ann Braun on September 6, 2009 at 6:30pm — 2 Comments

The Music Of Poligraf : The Dam part 8

("Masculine Wave" by Katsushika Hokusai)

"Ocean" is th

… Continue

Added by Christopher Stewart on September 4, 2009 at 2:21pm — No Comments

The Music Of Poligraf : Uncoiling part I

(Tobyo from the Bakemono-Dukushi - Unknown Artist)

"Uncoiling I" was originally written in September 2002, elaborating on drafts da

… Continue

Added by Christopher Stewart on September 3, 2009 at 11:45am — No Comments

what's one thing you wonder about Buddhist practice?

"What's one thing you wonder about Buddhist practice?" I wonder if it's a serious problem if I think about the practices one way but the teachers and community around me think about the same matters a distinctly different way--been wondering about this pretty much non-stop for about two years. If I think about Chenrezig practice as...a kind of psychological yoga...but I take empowerments from a teacher who so far as I can wishes to create or promote a more theistic belief...and I subverting what… Continue

Added by John Whalen-Bridge on September 3, 2009 at 2:10am — 5 Comments

The Music Of Poligraf : The Chrome Lake part 5

"Introspection II" is the fifth section, and second with vocals, of "The Chrome Lake." And as is the case for its almost-but-not-identical twin "Introspection I," the subject matter is pretty much self-explanatory.

Verse

… Continue

Added by Christopher Stewart on September 1, 2009 at 10:41am — No Comments