bodhi tree swaying

You’re in the middle of a conversation with a friend, and your phone rings. You stop mid-sentence and suddenly you’re caught up in a phone call. You don’t even think about whether or not to pick up the call. It just happens. You’re in the car and you hear the ping of a text message [...]

Yup. Obama's going to win this election.
2/29/12 – 1

I have a very real opportunity to go to space.But I need your help. Details: http://www.johnherman.org/2012/02/21/send-john-herman-to-space/

I love Google+, but…In the last 6 days one of my articles has been visited by 19,264 people from Facebook, and 120 people from Google+. Here's the link in case you want to make it 121 http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/on-practice/10-things-science-…

I’m a science geek as well as a Buddhist geek, and recently when I was leading a retreat on how to bring more joy into our lives I found myself making a lot of references to an article published in Yes magazine, which touched on ten things that have been shown by science to make [...]

Canada's Orwellian Approach to Climate Science."The [Canadian government] protocol requires that all interview requests for scientists employed by the government must first be cleared by officials. A decision as to whether to allow the intervi…

If you caught our story the other day about the Buddhist comic-book hero from the 1940′s, the Green Lama, you might be fascinated to know that it later ran as a radio show on CBS — and we have an episode below for your entertainment! Om Mani Padme Hum! The Green Lama Strikes for Justice! [...]

Associate professor Justin McDaniel’s religious studies class on monastic life and asceticism gives students at the University of Pennsylvania a firsthand experience of what it’s like to be a monk. Students participating in the class are required to observe disciplines drawn from various monastic traditions, including refraining from using any technology other than electric lighting, [...]

From Salon.com: If you have never heard of the Green Lama … he was an American pulp magazine hero of the 1940s whose superpower was imparted by, of all things, Buddhism. Om mani padme hum: such is the mantra of billionaire playboy Jethro Dumont (best billionaire playboy superhero name ever) when he wants to magically [...]

From time to time I’ll hear people saying that meditation shouldn’t involve effort. For example, Krishnamurti said, “All effort to meditate is the denial of meditation.” And I just stumbled upon a website that decried the “arrogance” and “ignorance” of those who say that meditation involves effort, because “Effort is the antithesis of meditation.” It’s [...]

What are we looking for? What gives our lives a sense of meaning? How can we find a sense of confidence in a world marked by change? In the Noble Quest sutta from the Middle Length Sayings, the Buddha offers a first-person guide to the pursuit of a meaningful life. Drawing on his own life [...]

[Click on the image for a larger version.]
This Buddha statue reclines gracefully on the ledge of one of the windows in the “yoga room” (it’s called that, although there’s hardly ever any yoga done there) below the shrineroom a…

A large stone Buddha head I photographed while I was leading a workshop at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY.

[Click on the image for an embiggened version.]

I thought it would be an interesting project to paste the entire text of the Dhammapada into Wordle in order to see what language the Buddha (or at least that text, which is generally reckoned to be one of the older Buddhist suttas) used.

I used Buddharakkhita’s translation from Access to Insight.

The size of the word depends on how frequently it’s used, so this is a reflection of certain emphases of the Buddha’s language.

The language strikes me as being predominantly positive and humanistic. “One” here is mainly the personal pronoun plus phrases like “Wise One.” “Man” is the main subject. “Wise,” “holy,” and “good” are the main adjectives. “Like” is common because the Buddha used a lot of similes, so this is “like” as in “fortifying this mind like …

So, is this the work of a Ron Paul opponent, or a not very smart Ron Paul supporter?
2/2/12 – 1

An Australia palliative nurse has recorded the most common regrets of the dying, and among the top ones is “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.”

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

In Buddhism there’s a list of five reflections, which are, basically, that I’m going to get old, get sick, die, be separated from all that’s dear to me, and (and here’s the kicker) that I’m responsible for everything I do and for the consequences of those things. Basically this amounts to reflecting on the fact that we’re going to die, so that we choose …

I like writing endorsements, and it's nice to be at the top of the page.
2/1/12 – 1

Disturbing news about ADD medication."To date, no study has found any long-term benefit of attention-deficit medication on academic performance, peer relationships or behavior problems, the very things we would most want to improve."
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I just watched and enjoyed "Monsters," which is a low-budget (almost home made) Sci-Fi movie with surprisingly high production values, decent acting, and an affecting plot.
Monsters(2010)

More Lana Del Rey. Love it.
LANA DEL REY-BLUE JEANS