Category: Arts & Culture
To the Next Generation of Artists
In this impassioned open letter, jazz giants (and Buddhists) Herbie Hancock & Wayne Shorter point the way to a more artful, peaceful world.
Remembering “Irish Zen Saint” Maura O’Halloran
Maura O'Halloran was a young Irish-American woman who took to Zen practice. Since her passing, O'Halloran's story has captured imaginations everywhere.
Sample a gorgeous musical tribute to Thich Nhat Hanh from Alex Cline’s Flower Garland Orchestra
Alex Cline shares a song from his sprawling and inspired new album, which is both a tribute to Buddhism’s Avatamsaka Sutra and to Thich Nhat Hanh himself.
In Mad Men finale, a meditative breakthrough?
No, he didn’t become a Buddhist, but in “Person to Person,” Mad Men’s finale, Don Draper certainly came closer than many might have expected he could. Buddhism or no, it made for a memorable meditation-and-pop-culture moment. (Spoiler alert: this post does in fact address the very end of the final episode and some of the details leading up…
Watch this moving TED talk on how a Zen hospice is “redesigning” death
In this TED Talk, BJ Miller, a palliative caregiver at the Zen Hospice Project, describes how he wants to see death redesigned.
George Michael remembered by Boy George: “I hope the Buddha will hold him in his arms”
When the news broke, Christmas Day, of the death of singer George Michael at 53, fellow pop star and namesake Boy George was among the countless fans seeking to pay tribute on social media. In an extended tweet, Boy George referenced the spirituality that has informed his own life and, perhaps, that of George Michael:…
A Zen read of the visual language of “Arrival”
If the new film Arrival had you thinking about “Zen circles,” you’re not the only one. Buddhadharma Deputy Editor Koun Franz on the happy accident of the film’s unique approach to alien communication.
How Buddhism inspired Monet’s masterpieces
Was the great Impressionist master inspired by Zen Buddhism? The curator of a new exhibition believes so. Lilly Greenblatt reports for Lion's Roar.
Leonard Cohen Burns, and We Burn with Him
“God is a fire,” said Nikos Kazantzakis. “He burns and we burn with Him.” Art, passion, and Zen are fires too—burning the self, leaving behind only ashes and essence.
8 North American Buddhist nuns, including Pema Chödrön and Thubten Chodron, receive “Global Bhikkhuni Award”
Pema Chödrön and Thubten Chodron have been awarded the Global Bhikkhuni Award for their achievement in promoting, protecting, and preserving the dharma.
The Buddhist Life of Benedict Cumberbatch
Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch sits down with Dominic Wells to talk about the leading role Buddhism has played in his life and career.
Listen: Nepal’s rock star Buddhist nun, Ani Choying Drolma
Listen to the music of Nepalese musician and Buddhist nun Ani Choying Drolma.
Recalling Bob Dylan’s Buddhist “Monk”
Bob Dylan’s just won the Nobel Prize for Literature — for his body of songwriting. Seems about right; this is, after all, a person of many talents. Which leads us to recall one less-appreciated Dylan art pursuit: painting. In October 2011, the exhibition Bob Dylan: The Asia Series, was mounted at New York’s Gagosian Gallery.…
Watch the beautiful short film, SIT — plus a bonus clip
SIT is a new, short documentary film by Yoko Okumura, daughter of the Bloomington, Indiana-based Japanese Soto Zen priest Shohaku Okumura.
Uncovering the Buddhist lessons in Alan Moore’s “Swamp Thing” comics
More than thirty years ago, famed comics auteur Alan Moore put a Buddhist spin on DC Comics’ Swamp Thing.
Watch the trailer for the new Benedict Cumberbatch-narrated documentary about Thich Nhat Hanh
The trailer for Walk With Me — a "journey into the world of mindfulness... and Thich Nhat Hanh," narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch — has been released.
New animated film “Kubo and the Two Strings” introduces kids to Buddhist concepts
Kubo and the Two Strings, a new animated film that hits theaters today, takes kids on an adventure with strong Buddhist themes.
What does Neil deGrasse Tyson have to say about “Buddhistic” astrophysics?
Famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has a hypothesis about science and Buddhism.
Jaimal Yogis’ documentary “Saltwater Buddha” teaches the samsara of surfing
For surfer, journalist, and Zen practitioner Jaimal Yogis, his documentary film, "Saltwater Buddha," has been the ultimate lesson in letting go.
The Frontier Zen of Philip Kapleau and Rochester Zen Center
As Rochester Zen Center celebrates its 50th anniversary, Zen teacher James Ishmael Ford reflects on its unique importance.