Gandhi February 26, 2008
Posted by Philip Ryan in General.161 comments
We’ve received a lot of comments about Gandhi, who appears in our current issue, on our Who Are We? page. We’ve moved all these comments over here to open up the discussion.
- Philip Ryan, Web Editor
Krishnamurti, Chogyam Trungpa, and Fleet Maull February 26, 2008
Posted by Philip Ryan in General, Meditation.2 comments
A series of YouTubes, courtesy of Hokai.
Krishnamurti speaks with Chogyam Trungpa (5 videos)
Tibetan Olympics; More from the Pew Report February 25, 2008
Posted by Philip Ryan in General.8 comments
More sanctions on Burmese businesses from the U.S.
Disillusioned with the Beijing Olympics? Try the Tibetan Olympics! The games will take place in Dharamsala from may 15th to 25th. The torch relay is currently in Taiwan, with Miss Tibet on hand to watch.
The New York Times looked at the Pew Report and found that 25% of American adults have changed from the religion of their birth to another religion or no religion.
Pew Graphic: It seems the Buddhists surveyed (who were 53% white and 32% Asian, out of a sample population of about 410) aren’t much into children. 70% of Buddhists surveyed report no children in the home (this despite 45% of Buddhists reporting in as married and 70% as being between the ages of 30 and 64.)
Pew Forum on Religion in the U.S. February 25, 2008
Posted by Philip Ryan in General.4 comments
The Pew Forum survey of religion in the U.S. has arrived. The U.S. is said to be 0.7% Buddhist. More to follow on this.
Blogisattva Award Winners 2008 February 25, 2008
Posted by Philip Ryan in General, Meditation.add a comment
Just in time for the Oscars, this year’s Blogisattva Award winners have been announced! Congratulations to all the winners, including Tricycle’s own Jeff Wilson, whose “Addressing Comments from the Meditation Thread” won Best Post of the Year!
Washington Post on Burma February 24, 2008
Posted by Philip Ryan in Burma.add a comment
The Washington Post joins the chorus of voices condemning Burma’s false progress.
Which Religion Will “Win”? February 23, 2008
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Alan Wolfe writes about worldwide religious market share in the March issue of The Atlantic:
Hindus and Buddhists together make up 20 percent of the world’s people, and high birthrates in the countries in which they are dominant suggest that this proportion will grow.
There’s not much more on Buddhism, but there is an interesting graphic plotting countries relative to wealth (the x-axis) and religiosity (y). As usual, much of the preoccupation of the article is with the rapid growth of Islam and the United States’ atypical religiosity compared to western Europe. Does secularism grow as wealth increases? It doesn’t seem to in this country, anyway.
Buddhism in Vietnam and England; Buddhist Center in Kashmir February 23, 2008
Posted by Philip Ryan in General, News.add a comment
Buddhism has had rocky times in communist Vietnam, but now the state-sanctioned church is flexing its muscles at the expense of Catholics.
But it’s very different in London, where Cambodian Buddhists use a two-bedroom flat as their temple and community center. They now have no place to gather, after a recent fire.
In India, the government set up a Buddhist center in Kashmir and cited the religion’s influence on Mahatma Gandhi, and value as an antidote to the extremism that plagues the region.
And in gratuitous celebrity news, Orlando Bloom’s squeeze Miranda Kerr discusses the couple’s mutual love of Buddhism.
Beijing vs. the Tibetan language February 23, 2008
Posted by Philip Ryan in Tibet.add a comment
The Tibetan language is said to be under siege by deliberate Chinese policy:
The Chinese government is neglecting and actively undermining the Tibetan language as part of continuing efforts to dilute the region’s unique culture, a human rights group said on Thursday.
Schools are forcing Tibetan children to learn China’s national language, Mandarin, at a younger and younger age and are failing to support use of Tibetan in official fields, the Free Tibet Campaign said in a new report.
“China’s insistence on Chinese language in Tibetan schools has failed a generation of Tibetans who now lag behind the rest of China in terms of basic literacy,” the group’s Matt Whitticase said in an emailed statement.
Beijing hits back.
On Being and Not Being a Buddhist February 22, 2008
Posted by Philip Ryan in General.4 comments
Woodmoor Village points us to this post on the Washington Post’s On Faith section.
I am not a Buddhist. I’ve never told anyone that I am a Buddhist and have in fact denied the title on more than one occasion. Even though I have been circling around the stupa for the last ten years, I have never made any formal or official commitment to the Buddha sāsana. I’ve never sown a rakusu or received a “dharma name.” I am, as of this moment, a freelance wanderer through the six realms of samsara.
