by Vishvapani | Feb 21, 2012 | Buddhism in the West, Buddhist World, Featured
A few years ago I wrote on my previous blog an article called ‘NKT: Succession & Question of Authority regarding difficulties in the New Kadampa Tradition in managing the succession from Geshe Kelsang Gyatso to a new generation. Much has changed in the subsequent...
by Vishvapani | Nov 29, 2011 | Buddhism in the West, Buddhist World, Comment
One of the most surprising groups in western Buddhism are the Roma (‘gypsy’) Buddhists of Hungary. The link is Dr Ambedkar, the leader who inspired tens of millions of India’s dalits to adopt Buddhism. A group of Romas locate their community’...
by Vishvapani | Oct 30, 2011 | Buddhism in the West, Buddhist World
The future is bright … but is it saffron? What is the Future of Buddhism in the West? I recently enjoyed listening to a 30-minute discussion on Buddhism in the West on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Beyond Belief’. It was a good programme and as it happens two of the three...
by Vishvapani | Oct 30, 2011 | Buddhism in the West, Reviews
Madame Blavatsky’s Baboon: Theosophy and the Emergence of the Western Guru by Peter Washington, Secker & Warburg, 1993, pp. 470 h/b, £20.00 Riding the Tiger by Lama Ole Nydahl, Blue Dolphin Publishing, 1992, pp. 496, £14.95 p/b Zen In America by Helen...
by Vishvapani | Sep 19, 2011 | Buddhism in the West, Mindfulness, Practice
Around the world scientists are avidly researching the effects of mindfulness and meditation practice. The results are coming in and the are showing that they help you sleep better, avoid depression, make more rational decisions … and they change the shape of...
by Vishvapani | Jul 8, 2011 | Articles, Buddhism, Buddhism in the West, Featured
Lest there be any doubt about Buddhism’s arrival in western culture, consider an advert from a few years ago showing a room full of meditators. The copy reads, ‘If you are going to follow the breath, it may as well be fresh. Eat tic-tacs.’ If tic-tac eaters can...
