by Vishvapani | Apr 14, 2012 | Buddhist World, Thought for the Day
Burma’s struggle isn’t between Buddhists and their opponents but between different kinds of Buddhists. The monastic establishment’s complicity in the generals’ Buddhist dictatorship shows the need to reform Buddhism, freeing it from practices that...
by Vishvapani | Apr 11, 2012 | Buddhism in the West, Mindfulness
Mindfulness based approaches use Buddhist methods to address psychological difficulties. But how do they interpret Buddhist practice and how do they adapt it to the needs and problems of modern society? In the last post I described some tendencies in our culture that...
by Vishvapani | Apr 10, 2012 | Buddhism in the West, Mindfulness
Buddhists are often wary of secular mindfulness training. But Mindfulness Based Approaches are a meeting ground between meditation and modern psychology and we can learn about the psychological issues people face. (1 of two posts) In my last post I said why I think...
by Vishvapani | Apr 6, 2012 | Buddhism in the West, Featured, Mindfulness
We’re in the middle of the Mindfulness Boom as Buddhist-derived meditation practices enter the cultural mainstream. But is this the Dharma touching and transforming western society, or is Buddhism being turned into a self-help technique and a consumer product? Its...
by Vishvapani | Apr 1, 2012 | Buddhism, Buddhist World, Interviews
Tibetan Buddhist monk, Palden Gyatso, spent 33 years imprisoned by the Chinese and drew deep on his Buddhist practice to survive his brutal treatment. He escaped to the West to tell his story and I met him in London to discuss his experiences his searing memoir, Fire...
by Vishvapani | Mar 28, 2012 | Buddhist World
Many Buddhist traditions claim that they are reliable and authoritative because they inherit a lineage of realised masters dating back to prestigious teachers of the ancient past. That sounds impressive and appealing but the Buddha advised us to check out the truth of...
