by Vishvapani | Oct 26, 2012 | arts, Featured, Interviews
Harold Bloom’s writing on literature and religion is a remarkable mix of almost supernatural erudition with a deep concern with spiritual life. He’s controversial and unfashionable, but I constantly read and reread his works. I think Bloom’s approach has much in...
by Vishvapani | Oct 16, 2012 | Buddhism in the West, Featured, Mindfulness
Buddhist mindfulness practices are being used in settings from healthcare to corporate stress management and military training. This is the secular Mindfulness Movement. But can what else can mainstream society learn from Buddhism, and what does a Buddhist context add...
by Vishvapani | Oct 4, 2012 | Articles, Audio & Video, Buddhism, Featured, Gautama Buddha
The Buddha of history is not the same as the archetypal Buddha, but we can come close to him through the words he left behind and though imagination. This article was a keynote talk at the 2011 Triratna Buddhist Order Convention and reveals the Buddha to be a man of...
by Vishvapani | Sep 15, 2012 | Buddha, Ethics, Featured
A vivid account in one of the earliest Buddhist texts describes how the Buddha guided his disciples in responding skilfully to both praise and blame. The story is full of his wisdom about how we can avoid harming ourselves or others through our speech and how we can...
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 | Mar 17, 2012 | Buddhism in the West, Buddhist World, Featured
It’s 50 years since Buddhist teachers started arriving in the west in the early 60s and Buddhism crash-landed into the counterculture. So what have we learned about western Buddhism? This piece appeared in The Guardian (Saturday 17 March 2012). These thoughts...
