Friday, July 18, 2014

Heartfelt Condolences to MAS Crash Victims


Is Buddhism a Religion for People with Commitment Issues?


By Ayelett Shani, HAARETZ, June 26, 2014


Bristol, UK -- Prof. Rupet Gethin, co-director of the Center for Buddhist Studies in Bristol, explains why the West is drawn to Eastern ideas.

Why do you think the West is drawn to Eastern religions?
It is part of the crisis of faith of the 20th century, in which doubt is cast on ideas once considered to be absolute truth. The concept that Western culture is superior began to be undermined when people began to study Eastern approaches in depth, to question Western culture and to leave room for the possibility that other cultures, too, might be of value at the philosophical and conceptual levels.

But why Buddhism, specifically, which according to a survey conducted in England, has become extraordinarily popular there, especially among middle-class people aged 25 to 45?

Buddhism specifically is perceived as a religion that can offer a response to the crisis of faith, in part because it bypasses the problem of a deity. I think that what attracts Westerners to Buddhism is the way in which it analyzes and understands human consciousness and cuts a path through everything connected to belief. There are certain beliefs associated with Buddhism, such as karma and rebirth, that some people might find problematic, but you don’t have to subscribe to all the basic assumptions of Buddhism to do a meditation workshop or to study it more deeply.

I would say it’s a religion for people with commitment issues. Maybe that’s a problem.

Yes. The basic, ancient Buddhist idea is to strive to avoid doing harm, to do good and purify the consciousness. That is quite straightforward, and in this sense Buddhism is accessible. We all know that when we are angry or afraid or distressed, we don’t think as we should, everything becomes distorted and unstable. Our emotional state prevents us from seeing reality as it is. Buddhism takes this truth and suggests that we start to work with it – to try to placate the consciousness and examine the world differently.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Stressed at work? Meditating really does work!


Meditating can have an almost instant effect on reducing stress, researchers have found.
They say three consecutive days of 25 minute sessions can have a dramatic effect.
Researchers studied 'mindful meditation' - a technique developed in the 1970s, which is even available online via websites.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Oh Buddha! Ex-archbishop Rowan reveals he meditates

By TANIA STEERE


The former Archbishop of Canterbury has admitted he is inspired by Buddhism and spends 40 minutes a day meditating. Lord Williams completes the intense early morning ritual to help him clear his mind for prayer. The former Archbishop disclosed in an interview with the New Statesman how he contemplated becoming a monk in his youth, as well as joining the Orthodox church.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

The Present Moment


Panhandlers Dressed as Monks Confound New Yorkers

If He Walks and Talks Like a Monk, but Has His Hand Out ...



In Times Square, amid the dozens of Elmos, Mickey Mouses and superheroes who work the crowds for loose bills, new costumed characters have come to seek their fortunes.
They are mostly men of Chinese descent, with shaved heads, beatific smiles and flowing robes of orange, but sometimes brown or gray. They follow a similar script: Offering wishes of peace and a shiny amulet, they solicit donations from passers-by, often reinforcing their pitch by showing a picture of a temple for which the money seems to be intended. Then they open a notebook filled with the names of previous donors and the amounts given.