2013 Nyingma Summer Seminar offers “A Celebration of the Entire Buddhist Path,” streamed live

• 2013 Nyingma Summer Seminar offers “A Celebration of the Entire Buddhist Path,” streamed live
• Model/singer/author Naima Mora: “Everyone is a Buddha”
• A “Seeing Fresh” moment lost in time
• Blur frontman’s Buddhist-themed opera, Monkey: Journey to the West, to grace Lincoln Center stage
• California couple bequeaths $25 million Japanese art collection
• Buddhist Monk Dedicated to Preventing Suicide in Japan.
• Pay more attention to Buddhists, Rinpoche tells India
• Here’s to more and more “Happily Ever After”
• Time’s “Buddhist Terror” cover story provokes outrage, reflection
• The False Idea 'I AM'
• Koans and Performance Project to premiere “We Are Still Here” in SF

2013 Nyingma Summer Seminar offers “A Celebration of the Entire Buddhist Path,” streamed live Posted: 27 Jun 2013 08:00 AM PDT Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche Mangala Shri Bhuti has no small ambition for this year's Nyingma Summer Seminar in Ward, Colorado. From July 13-21 they're offering "A Celebration of the Entire Buddhist Path," with live teaching from Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, Dungse Jampal Norbu, Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel and, on July 18, Ven. Pema Chodron. Attendees will receive two teachings daily, integrating them through meditation and small group discussion. Those unable to attend can register for live video or audio streams. Click here for complete info. Read More @ Source

Model/singer/author Naima Mora: “Everyone is a Buddha” Posted: 27 Jun 2013 07:00 AM PDT Photo by Kaboo Vang. Naima Mora, a former contender on TV's "America's Next Top Model," will be delivering a talk called "Everyone is a Buddha" during tomorrow's TEDxSacramento event, taking place from 8am to 5pm at Sacramento City College's Performing Arts Center. And while "Buddha" is a word many feel free to use lightly, Mora doesn't seem to be so cavalier. In this interview, Ms. Mora says, "I'm a Buddhist and I am always working everyday bringing forth the best part of myself." She also shares messages of positivity ("Perception: What We Think is What We Believe," "Life and Death: What Matters Most,") on her website and on the Huffington Post. Maybe she'll reveal more about her practice in her upcoming book, Model Behavior, due out in August, or in the lyrics of the band she fronts, Galaxy of Tar, whose progressive and complex music you can hear via this link, this link. Read More @ Source

A “Seeing Fresh” moment lost in time Posted: 26 Jun 2013 07:00 PM PDT Via seeingfresh.com comes our Contemplative Photo of the Week: About this week's pick, shot by user Angelique, Seeing Fresh's curator Andy Karr writes, "It evokes a Rutger Hauer line from Blade Runner, 'All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.' It's a wonderful example of fresh seeing." For more about the practice of contemplative photography — a method for working with the contemplative state of mind, seeing the world in fresh ways, and expressing this experience photographically — visit Seeing Fresh. Read More @ Source

Blur frontman’s Buddhist-themed opera, Monkey: Journey to the West, to grace Lincoln Center stage Posted: 26 Jun 2013 06:00 PM PDT Photo: William Struhs You may know and love Damon Albarn's rough lilt as former frontman for Britpop sensations Blur. But did you know he composed a Buddhist-themed opera based on a classic 16th c. Chinese novel? Monkey: Journey to the West, follows the surreal, allegory-rich adventure of the Monkey King and his companions—gluttonous Pigsy and the repentant, formerly murderous General Sandy—as they accompany the virtuous monk Tripitaka on a quest for the Buddhist scriptures in India that will save China.  (More, with a Monkey trailer, after the jump.)This elaborate production, with live sets and animation backdrops designed by Albarn's Gorillaz collaborator Jamie Hewlett, features Chinese acrobats, contortionists, and martial artists romping through heavenly worlds, the White Skeleton Demon's lair, volcanic cities, and a fateful encounter with the Buddha himself. Set to Albarn's score, it all adds up, according to The Guardian, to "a high-octane, 90-minute, rock 'n' roll circus." The original novel is based on the epic scripture-collecting journey to India undertaken by the 7th c. Chinese monk Xuanzang. It was the translation of the detailed journals he kept during 16 years of travel that led to the rediscovery and preservation of innumerable historical Buddhist sites throughout India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Monkey: Journey to the West, not staged in its entirety since 2008, opens the Lincoln Center Festival in New York City July 6 and runs through July 28. You can read a full account by Joyce Morgan, co-author of Journeys on the Silk Road, here. Read More @ Source

California couple bequeaths $25 million Japanese art collection Posted: 26 Jun 2013 05:00 PM PDT 13th c. wooden deity sculpture, artist unknown Bill and Libby Clark, California cattle and almond magnates, have bequeathed a massive Japanese art collection, valued at $ 25 million, to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. According to Buddhist Art News, "Nearly 1,700 objects spanning 1,000 years — paintings, sculpture, ceramics, woodblock prints, bamboo baskets — represent the biggest gift ever to the museum, and will transform it into one of the country's largest and most comprehensive centers of Japanese art." MIA will display 120 selected objects from the Clark collection from Oct. 6, 2013, to Jan. 12, 2014, in "The Audacious Eye," offering "unusually rich and personal insights into the scope of Japanese art and the nature of connoisseurship." To explore further, visit the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture. Read More @ Source

Buddhist Monk Dedicated to Preventing Suicide in Japan. Posted: 26 Jun 2013 04:00 PM PDT -- "The bodhisattva vow is the commitment to put others before oneself. It is a statement of willingness to give up one's own well-being, even one's own enlightenment, for the sake of others." The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa, Volume Three, edited by Carolyn Rose Gimian. © 2003 by Diana J. Mukpo. Published by Shambhala Publications. Published in the November 2006 Shambhala Sun magazine (click here for link to the full Shambhala article). Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva [Jizo] famously said, "Not until the hells are emptied will I become a Buddha; not until all beings are saved will I certify to Bodhi [enlightenment]." According to an excellent article in The New Yorker magazine, by Larissa MacFarquhar titled, Last Call: A Buddhist Confronts Japan's Suicide Culture, a Japanese, Buddhist priest, of the name, Ittetsu Nemoto has become the embodiment of that bodhisattva vow by offering refuge to the suicidal in Japan. In order to rescue the suicidal and/or mentally ill, it is necessary to enter the bowels of "hell." This is a literal "hell" -- not some mythical place where devils with pitchforks dance around. This "hell" is in the minds of those struggling with genetic, biological diseases such as: chronic depression, bipolar and schizophrenia. There's no need to imagine a mythical "hell" when you are living with the very real demons of mental illness. Hell is right here on Earth, it is in our minds. This past Monday, I wrote about the human brain's evolutionary instinct to focus on the negative in life, rather than the positive (link). This makes it easier to survive physically, but it often leaves us suffering mentally. Now, imagine adding another obstacle that fuels that negativity. Imagine having a biological disease that affects the brain through chemical imbalances causing neurons to misfire, which then leads to the brain sending confusing messages to the body. It often fails to sends the right messages to the body at the appropriate moments. The discomfort, frustration, confusion and mental pain felt from these diseases create the symptoms of "mental illnesses" (chronic depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, etc). The misfiring of neurons might tell the body to be depressed when there is no immediate reason to feel depressed. The brain might also send the wrong message to ramp-up the body's "fight or flight" system when it isn't necessary--this disconnect can often create much anxiety, stress and even feelings of suicide to make the suffering stop. Is it so difficult to understand then why some would feel suicide was their only option left to stop the suffering? Medications help calm these symptoms but cognitive therapy is also needed to bring mental perspective and retrain the mind toward healthy, mental habits. In the West, psychiatrist and psychologists are foremost in providing cognitive therapy and psychological guidance. In Asia, however, in addition to psychological doctors, many turn to their local monks. For example, the Buddhist monk, Ittetsu Nemoto facilitates guided, "death workshops" to help the suicidal. He tells them to imagine that they have been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer giving them only 3 months to live. He then guides them to write down what they'd want to do in those months. The meditation continues as Nemoto shifts from 3 months, to one month; then week; then ten minutes. One young man sat weeping during the exercise with nothing to write-down. When addressed by Nemoto, the troubled man stated that he had nothing to write-down because he'd never considered these questions. But, he realized, if he'd never really lived, then how could he want to die now? That shift in thinking changed this man's motivations--rather than see only reasons to die, he now saw infinite possibilities. Why die when you haven't truly lived, yet? How can you cast a precious life away so easily if you haven't fully experienced it yet? If he'd never truly lived before visiting Nemoto then how can he judge it already, at such a young-age, of being so lacking of any value as to be worth killing himself over? Perhaps he'd made his decision about life at much too young of an age to truly judge his life a failure! His curiosity took over--and that is a life-affirming motivation. Who knows what tomorrow might bring? Maybe a reason to live will arrive--do you want to risk missing these opportunities by killing yourself? Why kill yourself when perhaps tomorrow they'll find a cure for chronic depression, bipolar or schizophrenia?  As an example, how can you judge a film that is only 1/4 of the way through? He'd focused on what he lacked for so long that he never considered the idea of what his life could be. We focus so much on the bad that will happen in our future that we forget that good opportunities will appear, too, that might just out-way the bad. This is the essence of the Buddha's teaching on impermanence. I only seem to notice impermanence when something "good" is happening. I might be having a blissful experience with a loved-one, and wish the moment would last forever but I'm very aware of the fact that our wonderful moment will soon come to an end. This encourages us to savor the good moments because they won't last. It's much harder to conceptualize that understanding when we are in the depths of depression, or a seemingly never-ending trial in life. We can't fathom an end to our pain, but if we train our minds to the freedom inherent in impermanence, we will suffer less. This is just a taste of the liberating power of the Dharma. This is where Buddhist can be of immense help to those suffering from the very real hell of mental diseases. Unlike most religions, Buddhist doesn't resign your fate to the whims of a fickle, "God." It teaches tried and tested "exercises" that anyone can do, thus, empowering the individual to be their own savior. The very essence of Buddhist is psychological in nature. It works by mapping-out how our minds create suffering, and then offering practical, therapeutic practices (such as meditation) and changes in how we perceive the world around us that train our mind toward habits that reduce our mental anguish and leave us with a greater sense of happiness, stability and peace. ~i bow to the buddha within all beings~ Read More @ Source

Pay more attention to Buddhists, Rinpoche tells India Posted: 26 Jun 2013 03:00 PM PDT by Aarti Dhar, The Hindu, June 23, 2013 Leh, Ladakh (India) -- Buddhist spiritual leader Kyabje Thuksey Rinpoche has said the government should give more attention to Buddhist as its followers are along the international borders and are crucial for national security. << Kyabje Thuksey Rinpoche was receiving the trophy of Green Hero from the Honourable 12th President of India, Pratibha Patil in Hong Kong, 2010 (File pic) "I feel the (Indian) government pays less attention to Buddhist as compared to others. We always pray for the country and its borders are protected by the followers of Drukpa Order of Buddhist, who are settled along the international boundaries," the Rinpoche said during an interaction with a group of visiting reporters. Rinpoche is ranked second in the Drukpa lineage hierarchy of Tibetan Buddhist, which is the most predominant Order of Buddhist in India and has a large number of followers in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and along the Tibetan border. He is also the chairperson of Druk Padma Karpo Educational Society which runs the famous Druk Padma Karpo School of the Hindi film '3 Idiots' fame. "During the recent Chinese incursion, we prayed for the country," the Rinpoche said. Born in Chushul in Ladakh, the Rinpoche was recognised as the reincarnation of 1st Thuksey Rinpoche (Drukchen Dungse Rinpoche) by the 14th Dalai Lama and the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa in July 1987. In June 1988, he was taken, first to Chemday monastery and then to Druk Sanga Choeling monastery for enthronement. Until 18 years of age, he studied at his own monastery in Darjeeling. For higher studies, he went to Bhutan where he spent nine years. He graduated from Tango Buddhist University in March 2013. The Drukpa Order flourished in Ladakh because it received royal patronage and 70 per cent of the Buddhist followers owe allegiance to this lineage. Founded in the 17th Century, the Hemis Monastery is the oldest monastery of the Drukpa Order in Ladakh. According to the Rinpoche, the Hemis Gompa (monastery) has some of the most famous holy relics which are thousands of years old. "We have a hand written manuscript of Jesus Christ in our secret library but we have not yet got the opportunity to make it public to the world," he said.The Hemis Monastery organises the famous yearly Hemis Festival, which is a reflection of the rich traditional and cultural heritage of the Drukpa Buddhist. For the past four years, it has been organising the Annual Drukpa Council which is a congregation of leaders of Drukpa Order from across the world. The Council deliberates on the challenges of the present day. Serious challenge "Modernisation is a serious challenge for us as people are showing lesser interest in religion, but there still are people wanting to become monks and nuns," he said. Environmental degradation is another issue that will be discussed at the Council to be held in August. Read More @ Source

Here’s to more and more “Happily Ever After” Posted: 26 Jun 2013 02:00 PM PDT Today, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was officially struck down as unconstitutional. As The New York Times reports, "The Supreme Court issued a pair of rulings Wednesday expanding gay rights, ruling unconstitutional a 1996 law denying federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples and clearing the way for California to legalize same-sex marriage." That state, of course, remains under the controversial Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage there, but as the Times goes on to say, "many legal analysts say that same-sex marriages are likely to resume there in a matter of weeks." To that end, we want to point you to "Happily Ever After," a beautiful piece that our friend, the great (and California-based) writer Steve Silberman, honored us with back in 2009. As Steve writes, "Keith and I weren't planning on starting a gay marriage revolution, outraging the religious right, or even committing a noble act of civil disobedience. We just loved each other a lot." We hope you'll get some inspiration from "Happily Ever After." Click here to read it online now. Read More @ Source

Time’s “Buddhist Terror” cover story provokes outrage, reflection Posted: 26 Jun 2013 01:00 PM PDT Shambhala Sun and Buddhadharma online contributor Konchog Norbu takes a look at reactions to the ongoing news of anti-Muslim violence and other negative acts attributed to Asian monks. It's been a tough couple of weeks for the image of Asia's Buddhist monks. In addition to a video that went viral seeming to show some Thai monks living a jetset lifestyle (Asian Correspondent insists that's just the "tip of the iceberg"), Time Int'l's July 1 cover story, mentioned here last week, depicts the somber face of Burmese monk U Wirathu under the blaring headline, "The Face of Buddhist Terror." The Burmese government deemed the cover, and Hannah Beech's attendant story about how a growing nationalist element within Burma's monastic sangha is stoking anti-Muslim resentment and violence, enough of a national security threat that it has now banned the issue's sale within Burma. Nonetheless, the story has quickly spread, provoking the gamut of reactions throughout the Buddhist world, from outrage (The Buddhist Channel rounded up the initial reactions here) to concerned self-reflection. Burmese-driven Facebook pages and online petitions to boycott Time have sprung up, accusing the magazine of promoting the false equivalence of Buddhism with terror. But others see the issue differently. Frequent online commenter about Burma, Kenneth Wong, ponders in a post entitled, "Sooner or Later, We Face History's Judgment," how in six short years Burmese Buddhists went from deeply sympathetic coverage of its monks' peaceful role in the Saffron Revolution to being accused of fomenting movements labeled "terrorist": "I want to tell my American friends — and the rest of the World, for that matter — that Wirathu's preachings and his get-them-before-they-get-us battle cry do not represent the kind, gentle, tolerant spirit of my homeland. But reports of Burmese mobs burning down mosques and leveling Muslim villages suggest otherwise… "You can't defend Buddhism by taking up arms in its name. If you do, you have already lost your faith. You defend it by becoming an exemplar of Buddhist compassion. You can't protect Buddhism by sending other faiths into exile. You do it by banishing prejudice, bigotry, and hatred from your heart. Only that brand of Buddhism will allow my fellow Burmese to stand proud and tall when they face history's judgment." Elsewhere, Singapore-based Australian Shravasti Dhammika, a Theravada monk of 32 years, uses Time's story to explore "Dhamma or Ethnic Buddhism": "During my travels [in Asia] I have generally found Buddhists to be open, gentle, generous and kindly folk. "But I am not blind. As samsaric beings Buddhists have their defilements just as people of other faiths do. They are capable of being stupid and greedy, prejudiced and uncaring, provoked and provoking, self-centred and inflexible, tradition-bound and superstitious. They practice their religion as often as they fail to practice it – just as people of other faiths do. Despite this there has long been the illusion in the west that Buddhists, unique amongst humanity, practice their religion with complete fidelity – that because the Buddha taught gentleness, understanding and love, Buddhists follow these teachings unfailingly. Well, it looks like those with such illusions might be about to be disillusioned… "I am not entirely unhappy that a more realistic view of Buddhists and Buddhist lands is beginning to emerge…When you tie yourself to a particular culture or country you involve yourself in people's minds with that culture or country. And when that country or culture looks bad people see Buddhism as bad. Dhamma is universal, it transcends culture and ethnicity. The practice of the Dhamma is not the special preserve of any particular ethnic group. Let us practice the Buddha's teaching, not Thai Buddhism, not Tibetan Buddhism, not Burmese Buddhism or any other culturally-specific expression of the Dhamma. Let us practice the Dhamma with a minimum of cultural trappings." What do you think? Read More @ Source

The False Idea 'I AM' Posted: 26 Jun 2013 12:00 PM PDT "According to the Buddha's teaching, it is as wrong to hold the view 'I have no self' (which is the annihilationist theory) as to hold the opinion 'I have self' (which is the eternalist theory), because both are fetters, both arising out of the false idea 'I AM.' The correct position with regard to the question of Anatta is not to take hold of any opinions or views, but to see things objectively as they are without mental projections, to see what we call 'I,' or 'being,' is only a combination of physical and mental aggregates, which are working together interdependently in a flux of momentary change within the law of cause and effect, and that there is nothing permanent, everlasting, unchanging and eternal in the whole of existence." The above extract is from a wonderful book by the Venerable Doctor Walpola Rahula. To download a free pdf copy of the book, click here: What the Buddha Taught For another quote from the book, click here: What is Essential For a review, click here: Review: What the Buddha Taught Read More @ Source This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Koans and Performance Project to premiere “We Are Still Here” in SF Posted: 26 Jun 2013 12:00 PM PDT Photo: Jessica Sledge, 2013 Last February, we encouraged Buddhadharma readers to consider supporting the Koans and Performance Project in raising the funds necessary to mount an interdisciplinary theater work. Looks like the investment paid off: We Are Still Here, a contemporary "music-theater essay" riffing off the Perceval legend, and incorporating the zen koan methods employed by John Tarrant at Pacific Zen Institute, will premiere at San Francisco's CounterPULSE this July 5 and 6. Full info and tickets here. Read More @ Source