Tibet Crisis Worsens, Information Harder to Come By from Main US News Outlets

It is very distressing to see what is going on in Tibet.  It is also very distressing to see the very nominal mention of Tibet on main news sites. 

Predictably, the BBC coverage is far superior to US news outlets — BBC reporting that China is now unconscionably blaming the Dalai Lama for “organizing” the riots.

Surprisingly, BoingBoing.net (typically a “fun” site with links to interesting and as BB says, ”wonderful things,” with a tech focus) has proven to be one of the most useful sources of independent information on the crisis and atrocities going on now. 

And unlike any other site I have found, BB coverage includes dispatches from Americans in China now, reporting on web censorship going on in China now and misinformation being provided to its citizens.  One American reported his Chinese students trust their government 100% no matter what - very chilling:

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/03/18/tibet-nearly-1000-ja.html

The above link in turn includes links to previous BB posts on the Tibet crisis.

It is saying something that a small independent blog has proven to be one of the best sources of information on the Tibet crisis compared with the so-called US “news outlets”…

The Diamond Sutra: Thank You, British Library

On my last visit to London (on business; good thing financially speaking), I visited the British Library for the first time.  The Sir John Ritblat Gallery is a permanent free display of ancient books, including early literature and holy books; maps, the Magna Carta, writings of Shakespeare and an array of literary giants, an impressive Beatles display and much more.

It’s a must see exhibit, but you can experience the Diamond Sutra, the oldest printed ‘book’ (printed in China in the year 868), online, courtesy of the British Library’s outstanding Turning the Pages site.  In fact, the actual Diamond Sutra is so fragile it is not on display; library visitors instead view it and other pieces using a large touch screen very similar to Turning the Pages.

You can scroll through the Diamond Sutra (literally; it is a scroll and not a “book”) with a text or audio narration about one of the most important sacred works of the Buddhist faith.

Link to BL’s Diamond Sutra overview page: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/diamondsutra.html

Link to Turning the Pages site, featuring the Diamond Sutra and many other priceless literary treasures (see top of page for technical requirements): http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/ttpbooks.html

Chop Wood, Carry Water…Mow Lawn, Shovel Driveway…?

Before Enlightenment: Chop Wood, Carry Water. 
After Enlightenment: Chop Wood, Carry Water.

It’s an ancient Zen saying you’ve likely read many times before.  Author Stephen Altschuler recommends giving it a try literally, at least the “chop wood” part, in his recent article for the SF Chronicle, with some welcome how-to advice on chopping wood without hurting yourself.  It’s a great little article, which got me to thinking about more everyday outdoor chores like mowing the lawn or shoveling the driveway.

Stephen Altschuler is an exceptional writer, melding a strong gratitude for nature with a Buddhist spirituality.  This comes across even in this brief article, and much more so in his great book The Mindful Hiker: On the Trail to Find the Path (one of my personal favorites, in fact, which I will look forward to blogging about in the near future).

Along with step-by-step wood chopping instructions, Stephen Altschuler wrote:

…I still enjoy the ritual of splitting wood. It’s a meditation that is nearly as effective as sitting cross-legged in a zendo. You must be very focused, very steady, very silent. There is nothing digitalized about it. Nothing to be rushed. Nothing “to-do list” about this …

Intelligent Optimism? Sounds Good to Me!

 I recently came across Ode magazine through some series of articles, blogs and links that I don’t think I could replicate now.  But I am glad I found the website of this still quite new magazine for “intelligent optimists” – ”a print and online publication about positive news, about the people and ideas that are changing our world for the better.”

Ode was founded in the Netherlands by the husband and wife team of Jurriaan Kamp and Helene de Puy in 1995, but only in Dutch.  But, the couple moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2004 to launch the English version of the magazine. 

The magazine and its accompanying online community have much to offer Buddhist practitioners with scores of hits from searching, for example, for “Buddhism” and “meditation.”  Sustainable living, social justice, living spiritually and more all get their due.   My “Buddhism” search led to an especially fascinating profile from the Ode 2006 magazine archive on Mr. Dick Grace, a California vinery owner whose personal journey led him to a highly rewarding life of philanthropy and, yes, a Buddhist practice.

I don’t want this post to sound like a commercial for the magazine, so I will simply encourage the reader to check it out for themselves: www.odemagazine.com

1964 Pop Psychology Guide: The Art of Living with Yourself…and Others

“A Hole in the Head” blogsite recently posted a full scan of a 1964 pop psychology booklet, The Art of Living with Yourself and Others.  (Credit and thanks to the very fun BoingBoing website for their original post I saw, first uncovering this site.)

The booklet is an intriguing period piece and unintentionally humorous as a scattershot, superficial pep-talk of a guide on combatting stress.  After looking over the guide, apparently Mr. Stressed-Out Guy went off course first thing in the morning, when he failed to send his wife to the beauty parlor! 

The illustrations are sometimes odd, as “A Hole in the Head” notes.  I also wondered for just a moment why Mr. Stressed-Out Guy was angrily waving a toilet seat cover at his wife, until I realized that’s his hat…men wore hats (not to be confused with baseball caps) back then, you know!

I also found one particular page interesting from a Buddhist meditation perspective: If a 1960’s ad man (like Darrin Stephens, Samantha’s husband in Bewitched) had been tasked with creating a print ad for Buddhist meditation, I suppose it might have looked something like this.

Yes friends, come join us Tuesday nights for an opportunity for “some inside dope” about what’s going on ”under your hat” (aka…in your mind), which will help you “learn to live with yourself and others” too!

Quotes of Note: Marie Curie (1867-1934)

I came across a couple of quotes attributed to the renowned chemist and physicist Marie Curie some time ago from The Quotations Page, a great site for quotable quotes.  Marie Curie had no religious affiliation; according to online sources she was agnostic from an early age, with no other commentary regarding her religious/spiritual life.  That said, I find it very interesting that her quotes below contain wisdom very much in line with Buddhist practice. Enjoy.

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.

You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end each of us must work for his own improvement, and…share a general responsibility for all humanity.

Terry Dobson (1937-1992), American Aikido Expert, Writer of “Aikido in Action” Story

The story of the Aikido expert confronting a drunk in the Tokyo subway, included in the book Essential Spirituality by Roger Walsh (pp.96-98), which we read at last week’s practice group, was written by Terry Dobson (1937-1992), an American aikido expert, writer and teacher.  Surprisingly, there is no citation to Terry Dobson within Walsh’s book.

This link appears to be the best documented source of Terry Dobson’s story:

http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC04/Dobson.htm

And a link to a Wikipedia entry on Terry Dobson:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Dobson

Mapping the Dharma - Book Review Link

I came across an interesting book review which reminded me of a past blog posting of Tim’s awhile back about a graphical representation of Buddhism.

The book is entitled Mapping the Dharma: A Concise Guide to the Middle Way of the Buddha, by Paul Gerhards.  It sounds from Peter Clothier’s review that the book takes the idea of “mapping the Dharma” to a much more detailed and ambitious level. 

You may find Peter Clothier’s bio of interest too, as well as his very interesting Buddhist blog.  He is also involved with a community-contribution Buddhist blog.

starting again

Come, come, whoever you are,
Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving,
Ours is no caravan of despair,
Come, yet again, come…                 
                –Rumi

   One thing I love about the idea of re-incarnation is the idea that there is no final failure – no eternity spent in torment — only the need to try again.   The same holds true for meditation practice.  It is true during a sitting – the skillful response to catching your mind off in some other world is to just come back, yet again, to the breath.  And the skillful response to catching yourself lapsed from even sitting down to meditate is the same – just come back, start again.  That is – start again, not start over….no sense of loss here I think.  No feeling of  “I have to lose the same 10 pounds – again!”   Just – oh yes – I remember – my intention to meditate…the present moment waits always for you to come back to it.
     So if you find yourself lapsed (as I have lately) – no scolding – just come back, and begin again…that’s my plan…wish me luck this time…)

Inmates Find Freedom with Meditation Practice

I just wanted to acknowledge last month’s Boston Globe interview with Ajahn David:

“It’s not every teacher whose class attendance depends on whether there’s a lockdown under way. But the Venerable Ajahn David Chutiko, a Buddhist monk, has accustomed himself to the vicissitudes of prison life in three years of teaching meditation at the Federal Medical Center Devens. The prison at the former military base 40 miles outside Boston houses inmates with mental or physical illnesses.”

The full interview can be found here.