Saving Yourself

• Saving Yourself
• Saving Yourself
• Myanmar's prominent Buddhist monk talks peace and unity
• The Mind-Body Connection and the “Emotional Rollercoaster”
• Dorsky Museum presents “Anonymous,” an exhibit of contemporary Tibetan art

Saving Yourself Posted: 01 Jul 2013 07:00 PM PDT This is a very compelling narrative from someone who detoxed and just finished rehab and is trying to get themselves clear. We all know somebody who's been there even if we haven't exactly been there ourselves. The Shitshow & The Oxygen Mask: A Postmodern Narrative I find the end of it particularly poignant–I feel this is true not only of this process but of things like Buddhist practice. You put on your oxygen mask first. You do what you can in the world, but you've got to save yourself first. It won't take long until I can help others, you think. You take it one day at a time. Read More @ Source

Saving Yourself Posted: 01 Jul 2013 06:00 PM PDT This is a very compelling narrative from someone who detoxed and just finished rehab and is trying to get themselves clear. We all know somebody who's been there even if we haven't exactly been there ourselves. The Shitshow & The Oxygen Mask: A Postmodern Narrative I find the end of it particularly poignant–I feel this is true not only of this process but of things like Buddhist practice. You put on your oxygen mask first. You do what you can in the world, but you've got to save yourself first. It won't take long until I can help others, you think. You take it one day at a time. Read More @ Source

Myanmar's prominent Buddhist monk talks peace and unity Posted: 01 Jul 2013 05:00 PM PDT Eleven Myanmar, 30 June 2013 Yangon, Myanmar -- Bhante Ashin Nyanissara, commonly known as Sitagu Sayadaw, one of the most prominent Buddhist monks in Myanmar, has urged the government and the people to work together to safeguard the religion and the nationality in the country. << Sitagu Sayadaw giving speech at the ceremony (Photo - EMG) Speaking at a special ceremony held at Aung Sann Tet Monastery in Insein Ywama, Yangon on June 27, Sitagu said, "The objective is good enough. We need to choose a word wise enough to capture the whole process of protecting the country as well as safeguarding the religion and the nationality. In front of the respected monks here, I would like to announce to you [the monastery's head] that a leading committee will be formed, and its organizational rules, structure, and title will be decided soon. The unity is very important," said Sitagu Sayadaw. He also urged the monks attending the ceremony to be patient, forgiving, and united in accord with the Buddha teachings regarding the current situations. "I'd like to request from here to all people from different religions such as Buddhist, Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity not to turn small incident into a bigger one. The ones who take refuge under a tree should not destroy it. What should not be retaliated must not be exaggerated. The wild exaggeration is the main cause behind the destruction of peace and unity. Nowadays the incidents like those have happened often in our country. We all should not take part in those incidents. If we do, we will be the same as the Time Magazine's cover story accused [of the Buddhist]," he added. He also said the Buddhist monks should be aware of those who are behind the recent incidents and to act wisely. Support from those persons having international outlook and the law experts is essential for the Buddhist monks to be able to protect the nationality and the religion. The government and the people must also cooperate in it, Sitagu Sayadaw said. He also questioned the coincidence of religious riots with the peace talks between the government and the ethnic groups. He believed this is an attempt to derail the government's peace effort, and he urged his fellow monks not to become the tools of the riot-inciting people. "In our noble country, while the government is trying to build national unity and reconciliation with ethnic peoples, I think incitements to religious riots have come about to disrupt the peace process. Don't be moved by the incitements. Our monks, be cautious not to become the tools of inciting people," Sitagu Sayadaw told an audience of over 1000 monks. During the occasion, Sitagu Sayadaw also condemned the cover story of TIME magazine's July issue, which referred to a senior Myanmar Buddhist monk with the title "The Face of Buddhist Terror". He said he opposed all the contents of the story, and took a vote on his opinion. All of the monks joined him to condemn the TIME's story. In his conclusion, Sitagu Sayadaw repeated the importance of unity, forgiveness and patience among the Buddhist monks, the government, and the law experts to protect the nationality and the religion. Read More @ Source

The Mind-Body Connection and the “Emotional Rollercoaster” Posted: 01 Jul 2013 11:00 AM PDT The relationship between the mind and the body is a fundamental part of Dharma practice. As Anyen Rinpoche, founder of the Orgyen Khamdroling Dharma Center, explains, reflecting on the mind-body connection through mindfulness and self-discernment can help ground you and reconnect you in your own practice — which we all can use from time to time. Click here to read "Examining the Body-Mind Connection Through Mindful Self-Reflection," an excerpt from his book Momentary Buddhahood. Anyen Rinpoche, along with John Tarrant and Polly Young-Eisendrath, will be leading "Getting Off the Emotional Rollercoaster," a weekend program — coming soon, from July 19 to 21 — co-presented by the Shambhala Sun Foundation at Omega Institute this summer. The program will be held at Omega's Rhinebeck, NY, campus and will explore emotions and how to work with them in everyday life. During the weekend, participants will learn to cultivate a sense of calm and spaciousness, make friends with negative emotions, transform the inner dialogue that accompanies them, and apply helpful Buddhist techniques to deal with them on the spot. For more information, and to register, click here. Read More @ Source

Dorsky Museum presents “Anonymous,” an exhibit of contemporary Tibetan art Posted: 01 Jul 2013 10:00 AM PDT Rabkar Wangchuk, "Spiritual Mind and Modern Technology," 2013 A rare exhibit of contemporary Tibetan art will be on display later this year at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, at the State University of New York at New Paltz. The show, entitled Anonymous, features more than 50 works of painting, sculpture, installation, and video art by 27 artists living in Tibet and in diaspora. These will include many works from the private collection of Shelley and Donald Rubin (founders of New York's Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art) that have never before been exhibited. The show opens July 20 and runs through December 15. According to curator Rachel Perera Weingeist, "It is only roughly in the last ten years that a contemporary Tibetan visual culture has galvanized." The museum's press material further explains: "Anonymity and self-expression are commonly polarized values and artistic goals within the global art market. In traditional Tibetan art, artistic craft was used to support the transmission of Buddhist culture. In the present atmosphere, however, art is becoming a vital medium of self-expression for Tibetans — increasingly, artists are creating work focused on the individual. A cautious 21st century visual language steeped in irony, metaphor, and allusion has fully emerged." Click here to see representative images from the Anonymous exhibit, and get info on attendant programs such as a lecture by Columbia professor Robert Thurman on October 21. Image courtesy Samuel Dorsky Museum. Read More @ Source