"People are being exposed to so many different traditions and teachers, and so for me the big question is and remains, 'How to manage that? How do we handle all of that in a way that contributes to people’s understanding rather than confusion?' I think that’s the big challenge for the Dharma in the West." Joseph Goldstein is one of the best-known teachers of Vipassana [...]
“Dakini Power” author Dr. Michaela Haas talks women in Buddhism
Danny Fisher interviews Dr. Michaela Haas, author of "Dakini Power: Twelve Extraordinary Women Shaping the Transmission of Tibetan Buddhism in the West." Dr. Michaela Haas is the author of the new book Dakini Power: Twelve Extraordinary Women Shaping the Transmission of Tibetan Buddhism in the West. A lecturer and research scholar in the Religious Studies department at the [...]
Meet Ven. Miao Hong – First Buddhist appointee to the Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Danny Fisher sits down with Venerable Miao Hong Hsiangju Liu, the first Buddhist to ever be appointed to the President of the United States' Advisory Council of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. As we head toward the US elections on Tuesday, one of the accomplishments that President Barack Obama can claim (whether he keeps his job or not) is the historic first-ever [...]
Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi talks about Buddhist Global Relief’s “Walks to Feed the Hungry”
Not long ago, we brought you news about Buddhist Global Relief's 2012 Walk to Feed the Hungry fundraising events. This is the third year for the events, which seek to raise funds for the organization's programs that provide relief to communities around the world afflicted by chronic hunger and malnutrition. So far, walks have in total raised over $120,000 to support BGR’s [...]
A report from Amnesty International’s DC Town Hall event with Aung San Suu Kyi (with video)
Danny Fisher reports from the Amnesty International's town hall event, where Aung San Suu Kyi was questioned about the political landscape and future of Burma. Last week, I had the great honor and pleasure of attending Amnesty International’s town hall event with Burma’s Nobel Peace laureate and engaged Buddhist icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Held at the Newseum in Washington, DC, [...]
Journeys: Found in Translation
Danny Fisher reflects on how important learning scriptural languages like Pali has been for engaging his Buddhist practice. One of the most valuable parts of my education as an engaged Buddhist practitioner has been my study of Pali—the Middle Indo-Aryan language in which the earliest Buddhist texts are preserved. Not being a particularly adept linguist, I resisted the [...]
Reconnecting with essence-love: A new interview with Tsoknyi Rinpoche
Danny Fisher interviews His Eminence the Third Drubwang Tsoknyi Rinpoche about the teachings in his latest book, Buddhism in America, and the Nangchen Nuns in Tibet. This Thursday, May 17, His Eminence the Third Drubwang Tsoknyi Rinpoche will visit Los Angeles at the invitation of InsightLA, where he will participate in an evening of conversation with Sharon Salzberg. The [...]
Film Review: “The Lady,” Luc Besson’s Aung San Suu Kyi biopic
Danny Fisher reviews "The Lady," Luc Besson's Aung San Suu Kyi biopic, as Burma shows signs of democratizing. The Lady, which was released for awards consideration late last year, is now playing in limited release throughout the U.S. and Canada. At the time Danny Fisher saw the film at an advance screening, Burma was in the news as Hillary Clinton became the first U.S. [...]
Dalai Lama wins Templeton Prize
His Holiness the Dalai Lama was announced as the recipient of the 2012 Templeton Prize this morning. In their citation, the John Templeton Foundation notes (among other things) that "[His Holiness] encourages serious scientific investigative reviews of the power of compassion and its broad potential to address the world's fundamental problems -- a theme at the core of his [...]
Former political prisoner and comedian Zarganar speaks out through US Campaign for Burma
Zarganar, the famed Burmese comedian/satirist and fearless critic of Burma's military government, has spoken out after a long silence in a web video released by the US Campaign for Burma. Zarganar (whose name translates to English as "Tweezers") was first banned from speaking and performing in 2006, and then charged with "public order offenses" and sentenced to 59 years in [...]
