by Vishvapani | Jan 23, 2013 | Buddhist World, Reviews
Two rival candidates currently claim the position of Karmapa, leader of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. The controversy has split the school and prompted a flurry of books describing the conflict. But what is really going on in this dispute, and why have...
by Vishvapani | Jan 18, 2013 | Buddhism in the West, Mindfulness
On 4th December, 2012, Chris Ruane, the MP for the Vale of Clwyd in North Wales initiated a debate in the UK House of Commons on mindfulness, especially focusing on how it can help the unemployed Chris Ruane starts his speech by citing indicators of a dramatic rise in...
by Vishvapani | Jan 1, 2013 | Buddhism, Buddhism in the West, Featured, Practice
Some years ago I attended a Bearing Witness Retreat at Auschwitz concentration camp. It as a sobering, but deeply stirring experience. >When I announced I was going to do a retreat at Auschwitz, I met many responses. Some people were shocked, as if uttering...
by Vishvapani | Dec 1, 2012 | Thought for the Day
Advertising, marketing and retail promotions all want something from us: time, attention and money. How can Buddhism help us notice and withstand their effect? Thought for the Day 1/12/2012 Like most people, I believe I’m largely immune to advertising. I know when...
by Vishvapani | Nov 29, 2012 | Buddha, Featured, Gautama Buddha
In the Buddha’s world, nature and the wilderness were frightening threats. The early Buddhist texts show how he forged a new relationship with nature, opening the way for the beautiful nature poetry of his followers As the Discourses of the Pali Canon (our main...