Lobsang Sangay, Tibet's prime minister in exile, told a group he was speaking to in Washington that President Trump should meet with the Dalai Lama. "Donald Trump... has been to all three major sacred places of three major traditions," said Sangay, referring to Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Vatican. "What is left is Buddhism and his holiness the Dalai Lama is the most [...]
Stand Against Suffering: An Unprecedented Call to Action by Buddhist Teachers
Thirteen leading Buddhist teachers, joined by more than 140 additional signatories, call on Buddhists and all people of faith to take a stand against policies of the new administration that will create suffering for the most vulnerable in society. As published in the May 2017 Lion's Roar magazine. As long as a society protects the vulnerable among them, they can be expected [...]
The Ziji Collective issues statement on revisions to executive order temporarily banning refugees from entry to U.S.
The Ziji Collective, a global network of young meditators and spiritual practitioners from the Shambhala tradition, has issued a statement in response to U.S. President Donald Trump signing a revised version of his "travel ban" Monday. The travel ban suspends the refugee program for 120 days, and stops the issuing of new visas to citizens from six predominantly Muslim [...]
Commentary: American Open-Heartedness Is Needed Now More Than Ever
After the election, Buddhist American international aid worker Katie Letheren broadens her plea for compassion toward Syrian refugees -- so that it may extend even to those who would turn them away. Right before the presidential election, Lion’s Roar published my article, “Let’s Open Our Hearts to Syrian Refugees.” It was about the 65,000 Syrian refugees that I (and many [...]
5 Ways Not to Bite the Trump Hook
Getting hooked by your habitual reactions isn’t going to help anyone, says Susan Piver. She suggests five ways you can respond more skillfully. Pema Chödrön famously introduced us to the notion of shenpa, which she defines as "biting the hook" of our habitual reactions. When someone leaves us, we may bite the hook of grasping. When something unfair happens, we may bite [...]
Conservative Buddhists Speak (Part 2)
In January, our editor-in-chief issued a direct call to conservative Buddhists so that their voices might be better represented. After publishing the first batch of responses later that month, more have come in. We present them here. Thank you for reaching out and recognizing that to have a Buddhist practice one does not need to be a progressive or liberal. As I watched my [...]
Let’s Stand Up Together
In this commentary from the Spring 2017 issue of Buddhadharma, monk-scholar Bhikkhu Bodhi urges Buddhists to become "more visible as advocates of peace, basic sanity, and social justice" — and explains why doing so transcends party politics. I recently came across a news report stating that 2,500 religious leaders had signed a petition urging Congress to reject Donald [...]
Buddhist Churches of America shares statement on executive order temporarily banning refugees from entry to U.S.
Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) has issued a statement in response to President Donald Trump's executive order issued last week, which temporarily halts travel to the United States from seven predominantly Muslim nations and suspends the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days. The order has been met with much resistance, sparking protests across America (and a number [...]
Office of Tibet report: Tillerson, Trump administration to “support Tibet issue”
Rex Tillerson, the freshly confirmed US Secretary of State, "has responded favorably" to questions posed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about Tibet, the Central Tibetan Administration reports. Among Tillerson's comments, the report says, are affirmations that "he considers the issues of religious freedom of Christians, Tibetan Buddhist, Uygyur Muslims, Falun Gong [...]
Buddhist teachers, on social media, respond to “Muslim travel ban” (Updated)
On Saturday protests at American airports erupted, seemingly "out of nowhere," in response to an Executive Order, and its enforcement, temporarily halting travel to the United States from seven predominantly Muslim nations, and blocking Syrian refugees in the process. The order, which former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani told Fox News had originated as a "Muslim Ban," has been [...]