Buddhist monks at an event organised by Gujarat chapter of Buddhas Light International Association, an international Buddhist organisation, in Ahmedabad, on Sunday. (Express Photo: Javed Raja)

Around 1,500 Dalits from different parts of Gujarat resolved to follow Buddhism at a function organised at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial in Shahibaug area of Ahmedabad on Sunday.

The function, organised by the Gujarat chapter of Buddhas Light International Association (BLIA), an international Buddhist organisation, was presided over by Hsin Bau, the religious head of BLIA, and Buddhist monk from Taiwan. A number of Buddhist monks from India and abroad took part. People took the pledge to follow Buddhism after getting themselves registered with BLIA for the function.

Those who were present on the occasion included former BLIA president of Gujarat chapter and current Congress MLA from Dasada constituency Naushad Solanki and former BJP MP Ratilal Varma.

Current president of Gujarat chapter of BLIA Tushar Shripal said nearly 1,400 persons got themselves registered for the programme. Solanki, an Elder Adviser of BLIA in Gujarat, said that there were many people among the 1,400-odd people who took the pledge to follow Buddhism for the first time.

Manjula Makwana, a resident of Surendranagar in Saurashtra, who embraced Buddhism along with her husband, Ghanshyam Makwana, and three children at the function, said, Equality is the only reason for us to embrace Buddhism. As Hindus we did not find equality We are witnessing lot of discrimination and atrocities against people of Scheduled Caste (Dalits). Surendranagar is notorious for it.

Nisarg Parmar, an engineer from Naroda area of Ahmedabad who is pursuing his Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), was another Dalit who pledged to follow Buddhism a the function. As many as around 25 persons from Nisargs extended family took the pledge to follow Buddhism at the function.

Speaking to The Indian Express on reasons behind his pledge, Parmar said, We used to follow Hinduism. But we do not like the discrimination and caste hierarchy in it. Buddhism is preaching equality. So, today we have taken the pledge to follow Buddhism I want India to be the best in the world. But I think one of the biggest hurdles in its progress is this caste system that discriminates people and treats them unequally, he added.

Recently, on Vijayadashami or Dussehra, around 500 Dalits from different parts of Gujarat embraced Buddhism at three separate functions in Ahmedabad city, Mehsana and Idar of Sabarkantha district.

See more here:
1,500 Dalits from across Gujarat embrace Buddhism for equality - The Indian Express

The disparity between common Japanese religious practices and belief-centric views of religion was again brought into relief when a prominent psychology professor from the US, who was temporarily visiting my lab in Japan, encountered the domestic co-existence of Buddhist and Shinto altars. Most traditional family homes in Japan house both a Buddhist altar to honour deceased relatives (butsudan) and a Shinto altar, called a god-shelf (kami-dana), to bring blessings. This pluralistic practice goes largely unremarked upon by Japanese people, but it can be striking for those from more exclusive religious backgrounds. When the US professor learned of the practice, he turned to a Japanese colleague and asked if he had two altars in his home. Yes, at his familys house, he answered. The professor asked in astonishment which of the two systems, if either, was the one that he really believed in. My Japanese colleague was puzzled. Neither, he said, and then clarified: or maybe both! He had never really thought much about whether he believed in altars before, he explained.

Christopher Kavanagh

I am a Buddhist. Buddhism, specifically Zen Buddhism, more precisely Soto Zen and koan introspection as a piece, centers my life. It focuses my attention, it guides ever step I take. It is who I am.

I am a Buddhist, if a Buddhist of a liberal sort. Of course that liberalism speaks to the profound assumptions with which I engage the world.

In my case its as someone who embraces the modern and post modern scientific world view. In his book the Universe in a Single Atom the Dalai Lama says If scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims. I believe that. And that privileging of the scientific investigation very much influences how I engage my religion.

And there are other things that weave into who I am and how I engage the world, and what I understand of my Buddhism.I am especially aware of how I engage Buddhism is heavily marked by my Christian upbringing and my graduate studies in a contemporary, if liberal, Protestant seminary,itself a member of a pan-religious theological union, through which I wandered learning much of the methodologies with which I engage spirituality and the world.

For instance, when trying to understand ordination within Japanese-derived Soto Zen, I relied about equally on historical analysis of Vinaya ordination and its reform in Japan, together with the Christian ordination notions of ontological and functional ministries. Then in trying to understand the ritual life of a Soto priest I found myself immediately seeing it through my earlier critical analysis of the Christian Eucharist.

Within this I see how I recapitulate in the most personal terms how a religion enters a culture and begins immediately to adapt and to re-interpret.

Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)

And, you know, thats okay.

In his article that I cite at the beginning of this briefest of reflections, itself more a tease toward something larger, cognitive antropologist Christopher Kavanagh throws away a phrase, circumscribed relativism. I find it delicious. And compelling.

Relativism, the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute. But modified by circumscribed, to define or mark off carefully. With emphasis on carefully. With respect. With humility.

We are, in speaking of religion, approaching the most important things of our human lives, the questions and the findings of meaning and purpose. Nothing less.

So, as we approach that burning bush, (am I doing it again?), we need to take off our shoes and approach humbly.

Its absolutely critical we understand ourselves and our limitations. So, deep looking is called for. But, also to respect the mysteries of our human condition, and maybe, to accept that wisdom arises where it arises. Wisdom cannot be contained. Not even by the greatest of systems.So, while I fully embrace the great story of evolution, I find I can only understand it through poetry. And poetry is always self-contradictory.

It will never be either or. It will always be both and

It will always be messy. It will always be seen obliquely, through the corner of the eye rather than straight on, through a glass darkly, rather than through plate glass.

Tell all the truth but tell it slant Success in Circuit liesToo bright for our infirm DelightThe Truths superb surpriseAs Lightning to the Children easedWith explanation kindThe Truth must dazzle graduallyOr every man be blind

A little darker. Perhaps.

But, much more true

Read more from the original source:
Toward a Circumscribed Relativism: Another Mind Bubble from an Aging Western Zen Priest - Patheos

This week, several Unitarian Universalists addressed themes of identity, belonging, inclusion, and welcome.

Doug Muder sorts through a liberal view of intervention.

When we do decide to pull out of a country, we need a withdrawal plan rather than just a tweet announcing our departure. First, we need a plan to get our own people out of the country safely. And second, we need to do right by the people who have helped us, and who will likely be targeted for death after we leave. If nothing else, that means doing something Trump hates to do: welcoming refugees to the United States. (The Weekly Sift, October 21)

Celebrating the recent historic spacewalk by two female astronauts, Erika Hewitt points to previous delays as an example of diversity falling short of true inclusion.

Remember (especially if you identify as male) that wherever you go, systems and structures were built with ONE kind of person in mind, and often the obstacles dont appear until its too late. This is also true of white supremacy culture, ableism culture, and all of the other invisible snares of oppression. Lets keep snipping those snares, one cord at a time. (Facebook, October 18)

James Ford reflects on what it means to claim a Buddhist identity.

I believe the only appropriate way of understanding the precepts regarding sexuality turn on respect and care and mutuality. . . . I assert these positions I hold are Buddhist, if a liberal Buddhist.

Others, I know, think this means I am not a Buddhist. Or, at best, a marginal Buddhist.

But then many Buddhists think the same about Zen Buddhists in general.

The upshot is probably, while quite important, the question of who and who is not a Buddhist is going to remain ambiguous. The deal, as I see it, in a sort of bottom line way is not Buddhism, but Buddhisms

And, me, Im comfortable with that. (Monkey Mind, October 24)

Dan Harper writes that you dont need to be affiliated with a congregation to be a UU.

What is permanent about Unitarian Universalism? That you live an ethical life. That you challenge yourself to use your reason to engage with religion. That you allow yourself to doubt. That you allow your religious attitudes to change and evolve. That you value the Western religious tradition of which anglophone Unitarian Universalism is a part, while remaining open to insights from non-Western religious traditions. That you are in conversation with other UUs.

That last point deserves elaboration: How can non-affiliated UUs stay in conversation with other UUS? Through sudden villages, conferences and gatherings of a few days or a week where you get to meet other UUs face-to-face. Through reading UU writers, and listening to UU podcasts. Through online contacts: social media, blogs, email, whatever. (Yet Another Unitarian Universalist, October 23)

John Beckett answers the question of how a polytheist can be a Unitarian.

The first thing to understand is that contemporary Unitarian Universalism is not the Unitarian Christianity of Channing, the Universalism of Murray and Ballou, or the Transcendentalism of Emerson. Nor for that matter is it the Humanism of the mid-20th century. It is the direct descendant of all those traditions and it contains elements of them, but it has evolved into something quite different.

Contemporary Unitarian Universalism is based not on common creeds or theologies, but rather on shared values, beginning with the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Those shared values are why monotheists, polytheists, and non-theists can gather together . . . and worship together. UU worship does not affirm the primacy of any deities or beliefs about deities. Rather, it affirms the primacy of living together in a way that is respectful, sustainable, and mutually supportive. (Under the Ancient Oaks, October 24)

David Breeden describes the concentric circles of human connection first imagined by the Greek stoic philosopher Hierocles.

A decolonized, cosmopolitan Humanism calls us to widen our circles.

Yet, herein lies a problem: What if the concentric circles dont keep expanding because of national policy? If you happen to live in the United States, for example, many of your fellow citizens see no need to expand the circles to include other animals, the citizens of other nations, or the planet. Many Americans wish only to be a circle of Americans.

In this way, from a practical viewpoint, the building out of Heirocles circles breaks down.

How do we live an ethical life of expanding circles of compassion when a majority of our fellow citizens dont wish to draw the circle wider?

Thats the question that contemporary Humanists are working hard to answer. (Medium, October 24)

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Interdependent Web: Expanding circles of compassion - uuworld.org

While Diwali is a cause for massive celebration in India, Hinduism is a minority religion in the United States. So, when it comes to acknowledging the holiday, people may be wondering, "What's the appropriate message?"

Diwali, also known by the Sanskrit word Deepavali, is a five-day festival and one of the most important Hindu festivals in India. Over the years, the holiday has become one that's celebrated across India by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and some Buddhists. Often called the "festival of lights," the holiday celebrates the victory of light over darkness and good over evil.

Occurring annually on the 15th day of the month of Kartik on the Hindu calendar, this year, celebrations began on Friday, but the main day is Sunday. Deepavali means "rows of lighted lamps," according to BBC, and during Diwali, houses, shops and public places will be decorated with small oil lamps called diyals.

Given the joyous nature of the holiday, if you chat with friends who observe Diwali, it's perfectly appropriate to wish them a "Happy Diwali."

If "Happy Diwali," is a bit simple for your style and you're looking for something with a little more oomph to it, try one of these recommendations from the Times of India:

Another greeting option to send is "Shubh Diwali," meaning "Happy Diwali" in Hindi, one of the two official languages of India.

The story of Diwali varies based on location, according to National Geographic, although every tale plays into the theme of good triumphing over evil. In Northern India, its origin goes back to Rama, a major deity, defeating Ravana, a demon-king. People in Southern India celebrate it as the day the god Krishna, defeated the demon Narakasura. In Western India, Diwali is the day the god Vishnu sent the demon king Bali to rule the netherworld.

For Sikhs, Diwali is a day to celebrate the release of the Sixth Guru Hargobind from captivity, according to the Hindu American Foundation. Jains consider the day that Lord Mahavira achieved enlightenment. Some Buddhists also commemorate the occasion as the day Ashok Vajiayadashami embraced Buddhism as his faith.

Although Diwali lasts five days, the main celebration occurs on the third day, known as Lakshmi Puja. On that day, people prepare to welcome Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, by keeping their homes spotlessly clean, according to the Times of India. People will also deliver sweet treats and gifts to their friends and family.

Diwali celebrations are most prominent in India, but people across the globe will commemorate the holiday.

Go here to see the original:
Diwali Greetings: Diwali Wishes in English and How to Say Happy Diwali in Hindi - Newsweek

The site of Ayodhya, at least till the end of the 6th or early 5th century BC, was considered too forested for human habitation. (Photo: Vishal Srivastava)

Gautama Buddhas Phena Sutta (The Foam) is said to have been composed in Ayodhya. On a certain occasion, when he was staying here, he thus addressed the brethren:

Like to a ball of foam this body is:Like to a bubble blown these feelings are:Like to a mirage unsubstantialPerception: pithless as a plantain trunkThe activities: a phantom, consciousness.

Millennia later, when John Stratton Hawley, a professor of religion from Barnard College, New York, visited Ayodhya a month after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, he asked; Where is all that rubble?

He was told that it had mostly been carted off. That said, however, the mosque itself was not made of huge blocks of stone. It had used large bricks of the old Jaunpuri style. This is something Hawley and his co-writer Vasudha Narayanan concluded in The Life of Hinduism (2006). So the expectation of finding massive blocks of stones as rubble was misplaced.

But beyond the rubble, or the absence of it, and the temple-versus-mosque tension that Ayodhya now evokes, the Phena Sutta brings to mind the many other strands of India which can be found in reference to Ayodhya.

The site of Ayodhya, at least till the end of the 6th or early 5th century BC, was considered too forested for human habitation. Its early inhabitants are said to have come from the regions to the south and west of the area and were a part of the urban iron age culture known as the Northern Black Polished Ware Culture.

In Mauryan times, it is believed that Buddhism and Jainism prospered here. Saketa, found in ancient Buddhist texts, and Vishaka, Vinaya or Vinita, mentioned in Jain texts can be identified with Ayodhya. The oldest religious tradition at Saketa appears to have been the worship of tribal images. Uttarakuru, where Mahavira preached, had a shrine of Yaksha Pasamiya.

The Buddhist scripture Samyutta Nikaya speaks of the Buddha dwelling in Ayojjha. Historian BC Law in Historical Geography of Ancient India (1954) says that Ayojjha represents the Sanskrit Ayodhya of the Ramayana and the A-yu-te of Hiuen Tsiang.

Another traveller from China, Fa-Hien, called it Sha-Che. Fa-Hien, who visited around 400 AD, wrote, the country yielded good crops, was luxuriant in fruit and flower, and had a genial climate. The people had agreeable ways, were fond of good works, and devoted to practical learning. There were above 100 Buddhist monasteries, and more than 3,000 Brethren who were students of both the Vehicles

When Hiuen Tsang visited Ayodhya (7th century AD), it had become an important religious centre under the Guptas. He found 1,000 monasteries and 3,000 monks studying books of both the Great (Mahayana) and the Little (Hinayana) Vehicles of Buddhism.

BC Law also points out that Ayodhya was the birthplace of the first and fourth Jain Tirthankaras. It is called Ishvakubhumi in Jain writings, and the first Tirthankara, Rishabhanatha, is believed to have been born here. Prof BB Lal, former director-general of the Archaeological Survey of India, conducted excavations in Ayodhya between 1975-76 and found a terracotta image showing a Jain ascetic. Ascribed to the 4th century AD, it is the oldest image found in Ayodhya.

The Mani Parbat, one of the oldest mounds of the city, which archaeologist AE Cunningham photographed in the 1860s, is where Buddha is said to have preached from. (This has become part of Hindu folklore, and is believed to be part of the hill, containing the sanjeevani herb, that Hanuman carried from the Himalayas to revive the injured Lakshmana on the battlefield.)

By the close of the 6th and early 5th century, BCE, Ayodhya is said to have emerged as an important marketplace as it was at the junction of two important highways. During the period of the Buddha and the Mahavira, merchants became significant, financially supporting preachers. There was a lot of riverine trade, too, as boats carried goods such as slaves, commodities of everyday use, ghee, honey, beeswax, lac, condiments and stones. The intense activity is established by the large number of coins found in Ayodhya. The coins disappeared after the first two centuries AD, perhaps reflecting a slowdown in economic activity. According to John Allan in the Catalogue of the Coins of Ancient India (1936), Ayodhya experienced a shortage of gold coins after the 5th century AD. They were later found only in the 11th century AD.

The tussle to stake ownership over Ayodhya, and define it by the Hindu-Muslim question, has concealed the myriad other factors that have gone into making the city and, by implication, India.

Lord Ram as a bodhisattva in the Anamaka Jataka. Or Vimalsuris Paumachariyam (a Jain version of the Ramayana) which characterises the Rama Katha characters as creations of the Jain tradition? That is another story. Or stories.

More:
Long ago, by the Sarayu - The Indian Express

While 2019s Celebration of World Faiths focused on the importance of taking care of the Earth in various different religions, many speakers conveyed another valuable lesson: the importance of getting in touch with ones spiritual side, regardless of religious affiliation.

The event featured the Assisi Declarations on Nature, formed when leaders from Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism gathered to discuss how their faiths could help protect and save an ailing Earth.

Not everyone has to identify with the same religion:

Because she does not believe in the superiority in any one religion or faith, first-year graduate art therapy counseling student Daisy Yen said she finds it important to partake in events such as the Celebration of World Faiths.

Yen read the Buddhist Declaration in accordance with her personal beliefs at the event Saturday night. However, Yen said she did not do this in the hopes of converting anybody to Buddhism.

I personally dont feel like any religion is superior, or better, than any others, but I think its important that you have a belief its kind of the anchor for your soul, Yen said. So, I dont mean to promote Buddhism, it depends on what you feel you have a connection to. Thats why I came to this ceremony its not only for Buddhism, its not only for Christians, its for every religion, and I have respect for all of them.

On a personal level, Yen said she identifies with the Zen school of Buddhism, which heavily relies on meditation.

For meditation you basically try to have a clear mind, Yen said. One of the sayings is everyone is like a mirror. When the mirror is clean, its supposed to be able to reflect everything clearly. You can make a good decision if you have a very clear mind. However, when theres dust on the mirror, then its hard for you to see things clearly and you may not be able to make good decisions. So its very important that you polish, you clean, your mirror, which stands for your mind.

Yen said being mindful of both ones thoughts and actions is the core of her faith, and this stems from the belief in reincarnation.

For Buddhism, we believe that you have a past life. You have a past life and you have your future life, so whatever you are doing today, whatever happens to you today is a result from your past life, and all the good or bad things youre doing will contribute to your next life, Yen said. So, youre encouraged to be very aware of what youre doing right now. I think its very good to be mindful, and I think mindfulness would be the core.

No one faith is better than others:

Similar to the sentiments of Yen, Yolande Scholler said she also feels no one faith is more important than others.

I believe that were all spiritual beings, and I think on that level of being a spiritual being, theres no such thing as distinctions between different religions, so its all boiling down to the same essence basically, in my opinion, Scholler said.

This very belief inspired Scholler, a second-year social work graduate student from the Netherlands, to start Mantra, a meditation-focused group for those of all different faith backgrounds, even though she individually practices Hinduism.

Its a way to deepen your spirituality, Scholler said. So, you can follow a specific path and you dont have to change it, you can just stick to that, or you can have no path at all it would still be beneficial.

Mantra is currently studying the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu text from which Scholler read at the Celebration of World Faiths event.

Red Cedar Circlewelcomes all:

At the beginning of the event, the Red Cedar Circle performed Grandmother Song, a tribute to Grandmother Earth, and Tall Cedar Tree, a prayer for the plants. According to the program, these praises originate from the Pacific Northwest Coast Salish Lummi Tribe.

The Red Cedar Circle meets at the Center for Spirituality and Sustainability at noon on the first Saturday of every even month. Member Kathy Matthews said the SiSiWis tradition-based group welcomes anybody to attend their gatherings.

We welcome one and all, Matthews said. We welcome all faiths. As long as you are of a peaceful mind, then you are more than welcome to join us and share your own stories and beliefs. We are open.

According to Matthews, SiSiWis means sacred breath, and the tradition originated as a means to bring different groups together.

Red Cedar Circle comes from the SiSiWis medicine tradition of the Pacific Northwest, Matthews said. That tradition comes from some of the core [families] in that area from way back. It was actually a tradition that came into being as a way to bring all those tribes in that area together.

Matthews said because of this, peace is at the very core of the tradition.

Thats how the tradition was put together, to bring peace to all those peoples up there, and so I believe that is the one base purpose for it being brought out into the world: peace, respect, love, Matthews said.

For more information on events at The Center for Spirituality and Sustainability, visit their calendar of events on their website.

Go here to read the rest:
WIWYK: Different faiths have more in common than not - The Alestle

Compassion. Its an action of little effort with impacts that reverberate far beyond that singular moment.

From brightening up a strangers day to clinching a dream business deal thanks to an authentic connection, empathy often creates overwhelmingly positive ripples. Yet it often feels increasingly distant in our modern world.

So, why dont we give compassion the credit and attention it deserves?

Thats what Thupten Jinpa, a Cambridge University alumni, author of A Fearless Heart, longtime translator to the Dalai Lama, and former Tibetan monk wondered.

Thupten Jinpa

With a lifetime immersed in Buddhist philosophies, Jinpa inherently knew there were more perks to compassion than morality alone. But also as a scholar, he wanted to prove it through science.

Jinpa worked alongside Stanford University to design an 8-week course calledCompassion Cultivation Training (CCT).Now offered worldwide, CCT teaches students practical, evidence-based methods of integrating empathy and compassion into their everyday lives. So far, theyve guided everyone from school teachers to CEOs to Silicon Valley police chiefs on instilling conscious empathy.

He also established a nonprofit called the Compassion Institute. Here, Jinpa and his colleagues study the physical and psychological benefits behind mindful, compassionate living.

The more we can live consciously, Jinpa says, the happier we are.

Building a Life of Compassion

Before emerging as a leader in compassionate studies, Thupten Jinpa was a young Tibetan refugee growing up in India. And, it was actually as a child that he first met the Dalai Lama.

The legendary spiritual luminary visited Jinpas boarding school, which was run by Tibetan Buddhist monks. During this visit, the then six-year-old Jinpa was chosen to hold the Dalai Lamas hand and walk alongside him during his stay. Though he knew this man was an important figure, Jinpa didnt fully understand just how so.

I just knew he was my boss boss, Jinpa laughs.

Still, its hard not to think that this early bond somehow guided his future pathespecially since he soon adamantly wanted to become a monk himself.

Aside from his interaction with the Dalai Lama, Jinpa was also enthralled with the monks he regularly saw around him. As an incredibly bright, yet academically bored, student, Jinpa loved the intellectual debates that were commonplace within the monastic order.

There was also an undeniable aura that drew the boy in. They all looked radiant, he says. There was a level of serenity that you don't see in ordinary peoples faces.

So, despite his own fatherwho was a monk himselfbeing against his son joining a monastery, Jinpas strong will won out. At just eleven, he became a Tibetan Buddhist monka role hed remain in for the next eleven years. Those years were probably the best years of my life, Jinpa recalls. It was just amazing.

For the first time I was able to plunge into what inspired me. It was intellectually stimulating. My colleagues were very impressive. The combination of practice, intellectual scholarship, self-study, retreats, and debate...It was just perfect.

It was also during this time that Jinpa reconnected with the Dalai Lama who was seeking a one-off substitute for his regular English translator. With a reputation for his solid grasp of the language, Jinpa was given the opportunity. When people were taken aback by his talent, he was given the role full-time.

Since then, 1985 to be exact, Jinpa has worked closely with the Dalai Lama as they travel the globe to spread his message of peace, kindness and compassionthree things at the core of Tibetan Buddhism.

In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, there's a whole mythology of compassion, Jinpa says. If people talk about the attributes of individuals, compassion is seen as the best.

He also began realizing how radical the Dalai Lamas teachings were. Though no doubt rooted in Buddhist traditions, he ingeniously adapts his wisdom so its consumable within the secular, mainstream world.

He genuinely believes that theres something in the mental training techniques that the Buddhist traditions have developed, and that they can be adapted, says Jinpa. Basically, if it touches upon the fundamental human experiencehuman lifethen it should be translatable.

After years of inspiration by the Dalai Lama, Jinpa began feeling called towards a purpose beyond life as a monk. Two years of contemplation later, he decided to leave the monastic life behind in pursuit of higher educationand an opportunity to teach the value of compassion to a greater audience.

Though the change didnt necessarily mean hed have to leave his role as translator, Jinpa was still nervous to let his boss know. But as youd likely expect, the Dalai Lama showed nothing but grace.

He responded, Jinpa recalls, I would be lying if I said that I'm not saddened by your decision, and for the monastic community to lose someone of your caliber. But, I've known you for a long time and I know you did not make this decision lightly.

So, with the Dalai Lamas blessingand a scholarship to Cambridge University to study philosophy and religious studiesJinpa began a path as an advocate for a more practical, universal, and academic understanding of compassion.

The Science of Compassion

If compassion is so integral to humanity, why does it seem to be lacking within modern society?

As part of his studies at Cambridge, work with the Compassion Institute, and beyond, Jinpas made it his mission to explore and promote the fascinating intersection of psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, and kindness.

Alongside a team of scientists, psychologists, and even the Dalai Lama himself, Jinpa and his team have been analyzing the merits of mindful compassion for yearsand what theyve learned has been illuminating.

The beauty of learning to extend empathy beyond the normal circle is that even though you may have difficulties with another person, says Jinpa, your handling of that relationship never lets you forget the humanity of the other person.

That gives you tremendous stability and strength.

In life, we often dont have a choice in what happens. However, we do have a choice in how we respond. This is why the teachings of mindfulness and compassion are so powerful, he says. Mindfulness gives us the ability to take a step back and recognize our choices.

Though recognizing the humanity within everyone positively affects us and others within nearly every aspect of life, just imagine the benefits within the workplace alone.

Whether were the intern, the CEO, or the client, we all have flaws, strengths, histories, and motivations. By both acknowledging each others humanity, we can often reach an authentic, effective solution faster than ever.

Jinpas especially seeing workplace benefits within the healthcare industryan industry fraught with stress and burnoutand often lacking in compassion when people need it most.

Not only do physicians, nurses and other medical professionals deserve empathy for their too-often unappreciated laborso do the patients who are treated everyday. In fact, studies are showing that compassion makes patients feel better both emotionally and physically.

Jinpa points to various studies showing that, on average, it took physicians only forty seconds of compassion to make a marked difference on a patients overall well-being and decrease physician burnout.

By taking the short amount of time to build even a short, but genuine, relationship, both parties feel better about whatever challenges may lie ahead. At that moment, theres no doctor and patient. Instead, its just two humans working towards a mutual goalhealth.

Forty seconds can make all the difference, says Jinpa.

Were All Just Human

If compassion is such an important quality, why do humans ignore kindness?

Jinpa learned that so much of our modern culture has been molded by whats considered Darwinian evolutionary thinkingor survival of the fittest. The pursuit of self-interest is seen as the ultimate explanation of human behavior, he says.

Kindness too often gets in the way of that. With the complexities of todays concept of success, compassion often only kicks in during critical, painful or emotional moments. After all, if we dont receive compassion from others during a life-or-death situationwe die.

We too often ignore, overlook or even bury the impulse, says Jinpa. Until recently, compassion was kept within religion or morality. The Dalai Lama took it out, naturalized it, and made it part of the human experience. Now, Jinpas encouraging us all to do the same.

So, how can we all start integrating compassion into our own lives?

First off, Jinpa recommends that we think of integrating compassion into our life as a shift in perspective more than anything. Its not altering how you do things. Instead, its just viewing it all through a compassionate lens.

Its about becoming more aware about when your emotions are kicking in and being able to regulate them, he says.

He also suggests practicing awareness of your actions.

Awareness sets a certain standard for when youre confronted with a situation. Where you might be tempted to do something that is harmful, youre instead able to bring in your mindfulness training and say, Well, this is unbecoming of me. This is against my values.

That's one reason why regular contemplative practice is so powerful. It gives us the ability to bring mindfulness and awareness when it's needed.

Essentially, the more practice you have at mindfully stopping your mental impulses through methods and tools like regular meditation, the easier itll be when it matters most.

Then, when a moment emerges where youd once act impulsively without thought, youll instead stop, thinkand act with kindness.

Want to hear my entire conversation with Thupten Jinpa? You'll learn more about his life as a Tibetan Monk, the science and psychology behind compassion and kindness, how hes using compassion training to treat PTSD, what his relationship with the Dalai Lama was like, and so much more.

Listen to the entire conversation on my donothing podcast now and visit http://www.donothingbook.com for more information. Also, connect with me on Twitter and LinkedIn and keep up with my company imageOne here.

Read the rest here:
Why a Moment of Compassion Can Change Everything in Business (and Life!) - Forbes

The reservoirs of an important art museum are deep, locked, and mostly invisible. The Newark Museum, occupying an urban block in New Jersey next to Rutgers University, houses a widely respected Tibetan Buddhist art collection, which His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has toured five times. Yet few people may be aware that the museum owns an equally impressive Japanese Buddhist art collection because most of it has never been on display.

In a new exhibition, Beyond Zen: Japanese Buddhism Revealed, on view through January 5, 2020, the museum has brought out what it calls baroque Buddhism: paintings, objects of pilgrimage, shrine ornaments, and gloriously gowned bodhisattvas and household-shrine buddhas. They abide in golden palaces, gem-studded gardens, under silken canopies. Aesthetics are ornate and materials are luxurious: gold, silver, lacquer, silk, and porcelain.

The exhibition provides a rare chance to peer deeper into the Newark Museums rich collections and offers insights into the evolution of Buddhism in Japan, especially in the Edo period (16031868). Much of the museums Japanese Buddhist art was acquired in 1909 from a Western collector who traveled through the countryside, buying what he liked and creating a casual but illuminating cross-section of Buddhism in pre-modern Japan. These sorts of objects are not often on view in art museums, not because they lack beauty but because curators do not consider them to be antique enough. The works speak to Japans reverence for Buddhism and the religions familiar presence within the daily lives of ordinary people. The arts baroque qualities filled a demand.

At the entrance of the exhibition, a scowling wooden temple guardian, Zocho-ten, the Guardian of the South, offers a glimpse into a more distant era. The sculpture is said to be from the Heian period (7941185) and is typical of the wrathful defenders early Japanese Buddhists called on to help defeat the enemies of enlightenment. Its unusual in this exhibition because of both its great age and its having been purchased by the museum in 1965.

Guest curator Midori Oka, associate director of the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Japanese Art in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University, selected around 50 objects for the show, ranging from sculpture and paintings to tiny votive pieces and netsuke [miniature sculptures worn with traditional Japanese dress]. Overall, she chose for dramatic emotion, vibrant imagery, and a wide view of Buddhisms appeal. Golden clouds hand-painted on the gallery walls lift ones spirits and recall the gilded aesthetic that created the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, suggesting a continuity between the Muromachi (13361573) and Edo periods. An elegant, wooden museum-built frame divides the gallery into two rooms. The dramatic entry houses four silk-scroll paintings of different manifestations of Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion, all four not seen together till now. These and other objects in the exhibition are described below:

Kannon, Bodhisattva of Compassion: Four hanging scrolls, painted in teal, coral, black and gold on silk in the Meiji period (18681912), depict four of Kannons many manifestations: Fish Basket Kannon, Merciful Mother, Willow Branch Kannon, and the bodhisattva unadorned by other identities. Kannons robes are elegant, transparent and gauzy, draped and ornamented, and gloriously opulent, as befits a well-heeled bodhisattva wishing to convince humans of the elevating supremacy of compassion.

Bodhidharma (Daruma), Zen Patriarch: Zen practitioners will be familiar with conventional black-ink drawings of a starkly sober Bodhidharma staring wide-eyedhis eyelids legendarily cut off so that he can meditate without closing his eyesin a vaporous white space. This wooden Bodhidharma, however, wears a flowing red-lacquer robe that flips up in the wind blowing across his forehead and lifts off his feet. The flapping robe is a traditional imagining of the tale of Bodhidharmas miraculous crossing of the Yangtze River on a reed. He is on his way to spend nine years meditating in a cave. Made in the Taisho period (19121926), the statue feels modern and cinematic, and Bodhidharma looks like an action figure whipping through time and space.

Jizo: In the Edo, an artist envisioned a brilliance for the bodhisattva Jizo (Skt., Ksitigarbha), who rescues children and beings lost in hell. Sculptures of Jizo can be inelegant and lumpy, a squat figure formed from clay, or refined and elegant, as this one is. Here, the artist has given the bodhisattva the golden robes and aureole of a standing buddha. The face, with its high forehead, has the deepened gaze and unshakable serenity of ultimate wisdom. We recognize that Jizo has the power to reach even into the worst suffering.

Scenes of Hell: Dramatic visions of hell have always been appealing to artists. From the Edo period, this handscrollcreated with ink and vibrant color on paperitemizes both the garments that new arrivals will wear (to determine the weight of their sins, the curator writes) and the dark destinations that await them. Demons and writhing snakes skewer we humans, roast us in red flames, and boil us in grinning pots, having great fun at our expense.

Bodhisattva Seishi: In Pure Land Buddhism, the power of wisdom (Seishi) merges with the saving grace of Kannon and the inexpressible magnificence of Amida, Buddha of Boundless Light, to manifest enlightenment. Yet this lovingly carved wooden bodhisattva from the Kamakura period (11851392) is more personable and humble than we might expect from one with such a heavy duty. Traditionally, Seishi and Kannon are attendants of Amida. This statue is probably from an altar set that showed Amida at the center and Seishi and Kannon on either side. Seishi bends in gassho, hands together, a gesture of oneness. Viewed from the front, the bodhisattva appears to be magically beseeching us. Are we to cast aside our petty concerns and join him on the path?

Amida Buddha: In this Edo-period scroll, a dying soul (off-camera, so to speak) is welcomed into the Western Paradise (Jodo) where gold-robed Amida Buddha sits on a lotus throne amid stupendous scenery. Kannon leads an entourage to welcome the newcomer. Jizo, Seishi, and 23 other celestial beings have joined the party. Singing and playing heavenly instruments, they float on pearly clouds in the land of enlightened peace and beauty. Just in case you thought you might prefer hell.

The monks path: In four ink-and-color Edo-period scrolls, each with 24 scenes, the monk Tokuhon (17581818) is shown in his severe self-mortification and tireless missionary work (the exhibition text says) as he traverses the path of good deeds and miracles. He has many adventures, he meets with diverse beings and humans, and he assembles a whole novels worth of stories. Hes an ascetic wanderer whose life is nonetheless rich and lustrous. Monks and nuns used these etoki paintingsbased on handscrollsas a kind of slide show for spiritual and moral instruction.

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A Hidden Trove of Japanese Buddhist Art Revealed in New Jersey - Tricycle

The New York Times recently reported that those who eat their biggest meal in the early hours have better success losing weight. Buried in the article was a comment which would catch the attention of anyone who has had close contact with Theravadin monastics, or, like me, has been one:

The lowest B.M.I.s were recorded in the fraction of peopleabout 8 percent of the total samplewho finished lunch by early afternoon and did not eat again until the next morning, fasting for 18 to 19 hours.

This is a similar eating practice followed by Theravadin monasticsbhikkhus and bhikkhuniswho follow the dietary rules of the Vinaya, the monastic code believed to have been written by the Buddha himself. According to the Vinaya, monastics can eat food only between dawn and noon.

Although this diet was intended to meet the specific needs of the Buddhist community in 5th-century India, some lay people have chosen to take on a version of the practice. Theres even a book advocating the Buddhas diet.

The original logic of the monastic eating practice aimed to avoid causing aggravation to both monastics and laypeople, as explained in the Latukikopama Sutta (MN 66). The diet is neither intended as a health regimen, nor explicitly, as some have claimed, as an expression of a middle way between indulgence and asceticism. While its true that Buddhist monastic life was generally designed to be such a middle way, originally the Buddha allowed his monastics to go on alms round whenever they pleased. The Latukikopama Sutta explains that the Buddha forbade monastics from going on alms rounds after noon to avoid dangers that they might meet later in the daystumbling into natural dangers in the dark, being propositioned for a tryst in the twilight hours, random hooligansand to prevent inconveniencing or frightening lay people.

Considering that weight loss is only a significant issue in societies of satiety, the following of the bhikkhu diet as a health regimen is almost certainly an innovation of modern Western Buddhism. Some Theravadin lay people do follow the bhikkhu diet for a day every quarter moon as part of uposatha practice, where some monastic rules are followed for the sake of cleansing the defilements of the mind and making good karma, but not to slim their waistlines.

Since Im an ex-monastic, you might think that I am against the use of the bhikkhu diet as a mere dieting toolbut youd be wrong. I have used it that way myself from time to time, and recently, several weeks before I read the Times article, I had decided to take it on indefinitely.

The reason was simple: approaching 41 years of age, I found myself overweight and feeling the stressful, impermanent, and uncontrollable nature of my body. I needed to do something.

When I was a monk, the dietary rule turned out to be a profound practice for me. Learning how to tolerate hunger for hours a day became training for tolerating difficult emotions and physical pain. Restricting eating to the morning acts on your desire like focusing a camera lens: the way that the mind relates to the craving for pleasure and safety becomes clearer and easier to witness.

To use a metaphor of Ajahn Chah, the great Thai Forest teacher, the eating rule is like a Thai lizard hunter. He finds the mound where the lizard lives and closes off all the holes but one, then he waits, watching that one hole. Sooner or later the lizard comes out where he can catch it. In the same way, when you stop foraging for food whenever you want and limit yourself to the morning only, you can see your minds behavior around food more clearly.

Related: Dogen Said Not to Waste a Single Grain of Rice. Heres How.

As a layperson, following the bhikkhu diet is of course much more difficult. As a monk, I did not have to cook dinner for others while I myself was not eating or resist the urge to wake up my brain with a meal when I had to stay up late at night working. It was initially difficult as a layperson to adjust to the need to schedule a reasonable amount of healthy food before the noon cutoff. It was also hard to acclimatize myself to the season of hunger that began sometime in the late afternoon and continued until nighttime. After a week or two, however, the diet was feeling energizing. I was losing weight. There was an ironic, one might even say Epicurean, enjoyment in being able to eat freely in the morning, and also in not having to think about food after noon.

A sense of excitement began to grow about the diet. After feeling a little tired in the first week, I did as the monastics do: I began taking tonics in the late afternoon and evening (sugar, honey, and medicine are allowed according to all the different lineages). I would have tea and honey or a particular scandalous treat that is allowed for monastics courtesy of a loophole: dark chocolate. Due to the ingredients of pure dark chocolate being cocoa (a medicine) and sugar, monks in the Thai Forest tradition munch on the little dark squares at tea time. This might make us on the diet seem like dandies to you, but believe mewhen dark chocolate is the only food stuff you are allowed, its flavor begins to turn ascetic pretty quickly.

That adjustment made, I began to settle into the diet comfortably, at least for the most part. I slipped occasionally due to a birthday party dinner or needing to work late at night. I decided to accept that there might be a cheat day once a week, a practice actually recommended in The Buddhas Diet as good for your metabolism.

I also began to feel the mood that comes from settling into any difficult discipline, a mixture of increased self-confidence, self-respect, and a decrease in the kind of anxiety that results from not feeling able to rely on oneself. Other benefits included increased mental clarity and lightness in the latter half of the day, and better sleep at night.

Clark Strand, another ex-monk who tried the bhikkhu diet and wrote about it in Tricycle, fell off the wagon after a few months and gave it up. The friend whose bhikkhu practice inspired Strand to stop eating after noon also happens to be my former abbot, Thanissaro Bhikkhu. After Strand began eating after noon again, Ajahn Thanissaro reportedly told Strand, Its supposed to be part of a whole lifestyle. You take the bhikkhu out of the bhikkhu diet and all youve got is this guy who wont eat anything after twelve noon because it keeps his weight down. Hard to have much commitment to that!

Time will tell how I fare, but Im inclined to think that Ajahn Thanissaro was right. Neither the Times nor even a slim waistline is enough inspiration to keep on the bhikkhu diet. So although one might take up the bhikkhu diet out of a desire for health, longevity in its embrace will require seeing its personal spiritual benefits (and I think its clear that it would not be beneficial for everyone). It will also require having a little of the bhikkhu or bhikkhuni in you. But then isnt that supposed to be true of every follower of the Buddha?

[This article was first published in 2017.]

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I Tried the Buddhist Monk DietAnd It Worked - Tricycle

From running a small operation out of his parents basement in Connecticut 20 years ago, Kyle Tortora has an inventory of about 1,200 Buddhist and Hindu statues stored in an Oceanside warehouse, sold through his website and shipped all over the world.

Tortora, an Encinitas resident, launched his business after originally setting out to be a podiatrist, and then to escape the corporate world in New York City.

This interview has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

Q: What first sparked your interest in the Buddhist and Hindu religions?

A: I read Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse like four times when I was growing up and just loved the book, I gravitated toward the book. I kind of thought about, not the supernatural aspects of Buddhism, but just the mystical aspect kind of drew me into it. I was studying pre-med to be a podiatrist, I just thought Id naturally be a podiatrist. I thought that was my path. I took organic chemistry at the University of Richmond and said, This is totally not for me. I switched my major to religion, which is what I was truly interested in. That summer I was like, I dont want to just go home and be a lifeguard for the summer, or do whatever job everyone else is doing. I researched temples to meditate in in Thailand. So, 18-year-old kid, I had a thousand bucks in my pocket and I went to meditate in Chiang Mai for two weeks in a temple up there. After that was done, I spent a month and a half and traveled around Thailand and it was just absolutely amazing.

Q: How did it turn into a business selling statues?

A: I went to Manhattan and sold websites for two years, and after that I was like, This sucks, I dont like wearing a suit and tie every day, schlepping around Manhattan, so I sold everything and went to India for the first time. Then I was old enough to say, Hey I need to figure out how Im going to make traveling work. I saw a nataraja statue and it just hit me. Im going to find out where these are made, Im going to build a website and Im going to come back here, buy a container, ship it back and sell them. And thats what I did. Twenty years later, here I am.

Q: Which countries do the statues in your inventory come from and who makes them?

A: More or less all over southeast Asia and south Asia. India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and China. I dont go to all of them on every trip, but I definitely hit all those countries in a four, five-year span. I work directly with artisans. I find the good artisans that I can work with who are trustworthy, who are good people. Usually it starts off, they have a stock of stuff and I buy those, but then I just kind of commission orders from them and then they make the statues for me. There are a couple artists in particular that went from basically having a workshop with two people and now its 30 people, and Im supporting, him, his family and all those people as well.

Q: Do your customers buy these statues as part of their religious practices, or are they more for decoration?

A: Both. I have Hindus buying them who are doing pooja, which is kind of a ceremony, so theyre worshipping these gods daily. I sell to Buddhist temples and Hindu temples. And then I sell to people who just want more outdoor statues. Theres a bunch of very spiritual people who arent fully practicing but they feel drawn to these statues. It kind of runs the gamut.

Q: Is there a strong market for these statues locally, given the growing interest in eastern religion and philosophy in Southern California?

A: Absolutely. I live in Encinitas, so thats like the epicenter of yoga, thats yogas birthplace in America. Im very happy that Im in the corridor between L.A. and San Diego because I have a lot of people coming through. This is definitely better than New York City.

For more information, visit lotussculpture.com

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Encinitas resident brings eastern religion statues to the west coast - Encinitas Advocate