Question: Buddhism as a whole speaks eloquently on issues such as managing suffering and dealing with violence after it has occurred, with forgiveness, acceptance, and letting go. But, in my experience, it has been largely silent on dealing with issues of violence as they are occurring. So, here is my question: In day-to-day society—be it in a business setting, family setting, [...]
The Moon Is Me, I Am the Moon
We are all one and the same. This is the experience of Zen. So teaches Shodo Harada Roshi in this series of poetic calligraphies (accompanied by English translations) and commentaries, excerpted from Moon by the Window. Text and calligraphies by Shodo Harada Roshi. When I ladle up springwater, The moon enters my water jar In Zen we look at the self and the world as one and [...]
“I Kinda Vow” author Genine Lentine explains the background to her Half-Moon Ceremony
Genine Lentine wrote a piece for the Winter 2011 issue of Buddhadharma about her murky relationship with the Buddhist precepts, creating a humorous ceremony of vows called the Half-Moon Ceremony. Here, she explains where this idea emerged. This text, the Half-Moon Ceremony, or Ryaku Demi-Fusatsu is inspired by the Full Moon Ceremony, or Ryaku Fusatsu, a monthy renewal of [...]
Saturday Night at the Raccoon Lodge
Barry Magid grapples with the difficulty of dharma taking root in America as it adopts different cultural rituals. Not long ago I sent my students a link to a YouTube clip from The Honeymooners, the old TV series starring Jackie Gleason and Art Carney. The episode showed them with their pals at the Raccoon Lodge. You might want to look up the “Official Royal Raccoons [...]
Seeing Ourselves Clearly
“The suffering and happiness each of us experiences,” says the Dalai Lama, “is a reflection of the distortion or clarity with which we view ourselves and the world.” The key is knowing the true nature of self. To know and experience the nature of self correctly is to experience nirvana. To know the nature of self in a distorted manner is to experience samsara. It [...]
The One Heart of Flight 93
Sensei Anthony Stultz served as the Buddhist chaplain at the tenth anniversary memorial for the victims of Flight 93. He recalls this moving experience. In the Zen Peacemaker family tradition we define Zen as a way of awakening to the oneness of all life. In the engaged Shin tradition, oneness is a metaphor for the compassionate action of the bodhisattva’s vow, personified [...]
What to Do When Energy Runs Wild
Advanced meditation practices can cause energy imbalances that lead to serious physical and emotional problems. Ken McLeod, a veteran of two three-year retreats, explains what to do if this happens to you. A few years ago, a psychologist came to see me with concerns after attending a one-day retreat. The practice instruction she had received was to put attention on just the [...]
Yes, We’re Buddhists Too!
Jan Willis examines the subtle—and not so subtle—racism that exists in American Buddhism. On occasion, people have said to me, “Oh, I didn’t know that there were African American Buddhists!” Mostly my reaction is demure, but I sometimes want to respond with the question, “Why shouldn’t there be?” After all, African Americans are human beings who think and breathe and [...]
The Road to Diversity
In this 2011 Buddhadharma Forum, Larry Yang, Amanda Rivera, Bob Agoglia, and Rev. angel Kyodo williams discuss how to foster meaningful diversity in American Buddhism. Introduction by Charles Johnson I would wager that every Buddhist enjoys the story about Hui-neng, the sixth patriarch of Zen, who presented himself as a poor “commoner from Hsin-chou of Kwangtung” to the abbot [...]
How Can I Be a Compassionate Caregiver?
Caring for someone with a chronic or terminal illness can bring out the best in us, says Stan Goldberg, but it can also reveal our sharp and judgmental qualities. For Buddhists caring for non-Buddhists, the challenge is even greater. If you are not already a caregiver for someone with a chronic or terminal illness, statistics say you will be. It’s estimated that there are [...]
