We all have emotional experiences that feel terrifying, and in order to experience our natural state, we have to be willing to experience these emotions—to actually experience our ego and our ego clinging. This may feel disturbing and negative, or even insane. Most of us, consciously or unconsciously, would like meditation to be a chill-out session where we don’t have to relate to unpleasantness. Actually, a lot of people have the misunderstanding that this is what meditation is about. They believe meditation includes everything except that which feels bad. And if something does feel bad, you’re supposed to label it “thinking” and shove it away or hit it on the head with a mallet. When you feel even the slightest hint of panic that you’re about to feel or experience something unpleasant, you use the label “thinking” as a way to repress it, and you rush back to the object of meditation, hoping that you never have to go into this uncomfortable place.

http://www.tricycle.com/practice/meditating-emotions

Monday, 24 August 2015

War Remembrance in Japan's Buddhist Cemeteries

1. http://japanfocus.org/-Brian-Victoria/4353/article.html
2. http://japanfocus.org/-Brian-Victoria/4367/article.html

War Remembrance in Japan's Buddhist Cemeteries (1-2)

War Remembrance in Japan’s Buddhist Cemeteries, Part I: Kannon Hears the Cries of War

The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 13, Issue. 31, No. 3, August 03, 2015

Brian Victoria

Abstract

While the role of Yasukuni Shrine in both commemorating and eulogizing Japan’s wartime
aggression is well known (and controversial), little to no attention has been paid to a similar
role played by a number of Buddhist temples in contemporary Japan. For example,
Kōa Kannon (Kannon for a Prosperous Asia) temple (興亜観音寺), located in Atami,
a hot-springs resort south of Tokyo, is one such war-eulogizing Buddhist temple.
This temple was initially established in the late 1930s at the initiative of Imperial Army General
Matsui Iwane, supreme commander of the Japanese attack on Nanjing in December 1937,
better known as the "Rape of Nanjing."

In the postwar era, Kannon Bodhisattva, the Buddhist personification of compassion enshrined
at Kōa Kannon, has gone on to become one of the main Buddhist figures employed throughout
the country to comfort the “heroic spirits” (eirei) of all Japanese soldiers who died in the war
while, at the same time, valorizing and eulogizing the war they fought in. In addition to
Kannon-centric temples, the major Shingon sect-affiliated monastic complex on Mt. Kōya now
plays a major role in the remembrance of the war dead, including an effort to transform
convicted "war criminals" into national “martyrs” (junnan-sha), an effort backed by the current
Japanese government.

http://japanfocus.org/-Brian-Victoria/4367/article.html

War Remembrance in Japan’s Buddhist Cemeteries, Part II:

Transforming War Criminals into Martyrs: “True Words” on Mt. Kōya

The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 13, Issue. 34, No. 3, August 24, 2015

Brian Victoria

Friday, 21 August 2015

Buddhism and Quantum Physics

http://seanrobsville.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/quantum-physics-excellent-tv-program-by.html

Einstein's Nightmare by Jim Al-Khalili on BBC 4. Do we create reality? Fascinating TV program on quantum physics

This is the most readily understandable and accessible treatment of 'quantum weirdness' I've seen.

Please note that this TV program will be unavailable after mid September. Watch it soon,then check out Quantum Buddhism, Buddhism, Quantum Physics and Mind and Buddhist Particle Physics.

Tuesday, 11 August 2015

Our desire for passion

http://zennist.typepad.com/zenfiles/2015/08/our-desire-for-passion.html

AUGUST 10, 2015

Our desire for passion

The first noble or aryan truth (satya) is suffering. The first noble truth is also the Five Aggregates (skandhas) consisting of corporeality, feeling, perception, volitional formations and sensory consciousness which, incidentally, are said to be previous karma according to the Buddha.

Monday, 10 August 2015

'Buddhism New' Secular Buddhism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22C1sGbE-XE

'Buddhism New' Secular Buddhism

Sunday, 9 August 2015

Theravada Bhikkhuni and the Buddha's Four-fold Assembly

http://buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,12420,0,0,1,0#.VccHJ61ywg4

Theravada Bhikkhuni and the Buddha's Four-fold Assembly

by Dr Dion Peoples, The Buddhist Channel, Aug 8, 2015

A properly functioning Sangha has four aspects: bhikkhus, bhikkhunis, lay women and lay men. All are equally required to uphold and support the Buddha's doctrinal tradition and practices.
Bangkok, Thailand -- When I was in the US Air Force, stationed in Germany, I was given a set of books - the writings of Nicherin, by an older woman co-worker. I also came into contact with a Taiwanese Buddhist woman who owned and operated a Chinese Restaurant, near the base where I was stationed.

Monday, 20 July 2015

What did the Buddha really mean by “mindfulness?”

http://sgforums.com/forums/1728/topics/489246

What did the Buddha really mean by “mindfulness?” B. Alan Wallace describes how misunderstanding the term can have implications for your practice.

B. Alan Wallace tricycle

Buddhist scholar and teacher B. Alan Wallace is a prolific author and translator of Buddhist texts. With a B.A. in both physics and the philosophy of science from Amherst College and a Ph.D. in religious studies from Stanford University, he devotes much of his time combining his interests in the study of Buddhist philosophical and contemplative traditions and their relationship to modern science

The Mindfulness Craze

The Mindfulness Craze:

by Sravasti Abbey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_v8v1nksGE&list=TLhulA8pSuRhQyMDA3MjAxNQ&index=2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4KeeGXtsds&list=TLhulA8pSuRhQyMDA3MjAxNQ

Published on Jul 19, 2015

Clarifying how the classical Buddhist presentation of mindfulness differs from how mindfulness is taught for secular purposes.

Thursday, 16 July 2015

tricycle: Across the Expanse, Anne C. Klein on the transmission of Tibetan Buddhism

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/across-expanse

July 15, 2015

Across the Expanse

Anne C. Klein on the transmission of Tibetan Buddhism

This interview with the scholar-practitioner Anne Carolyn Klein was originally published in the July–December issue of Mandala, a magazine run by the nonprofit organization Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. We are republishing it here because of its excellent discussion of transmission, the secularization of Tibetan Buddhism as it has come West, and other ideas that speak practically and directly to the experiences of Western dharma practitioners. —Eds.

Friday, 10 July 2015

A New Way Forward

http://www.tricycle.com/feature/new-way-forward

A New Way Forward

Buddhist tradition and modernity are in many ways incompatible. But one Western intellectual tradition may hold a key to bringing the two into meaningful dialogue. Linda Heuman

Theravada Bhikkhuni Order Revived in West Java, Indonesia

http://enews.buddhistdoor.com/en/news/d/58639

Theravada Bhikkhuni Order Revived in West Java, Indonesia

Saturday, 4 July 2015

Facing the Great Divide : Classical vs Secular Buddhism

http://secularbuddhism.org.nz/resources/documents/facing-the-great-divide/

Facing the Great Divide

by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi

As the winding river of Buddhist tradition flows beyond the boundaries of its Asian homelands and enters the modern West, it has arrived at a major watershed from which two distinct streams have emerged, which for convenience we may call ‘Classical Buddhism’ and ‘Secular Buddhism.’ The former continues the heritage of Asian Buddhism, with minor adaptations made to meet the challenges of modernity. The latter marks a rupture with Buddhist tradition, a re-visioning of the ancient teachings intended to fit the secular culture of the West.

From the Heartland to a New Epicenter: “Conceiving the Indian Buddhist Patriarchs in China”

http://newlotus.buddhistdoor.com/en/news/d/47197

From the Heartland to a New Epicenter: “Conceiving the Indian Buddhist Patriarchs in China”

Buddhistdoor International Raymond Lam
2015-07-03

It is not always easy to imagine the intentions of those who write hagiography, which is formally defined as the biography of a saint or religious leader. However, in the case of Chinese treatments of Indian masters, hagiography was not merely a means to inspire Chinese Buddhists with the miracle-making and moral power of their Indian spiritual forebears. It was, at its core, a way to redefine models of Buddhist sanctity and legitimize China as an ideal land for the flourishing of Buddhism.

Tuesday, 30 June 2015

History of Women in Buddhism - Indonesia

History of Women in Buddhism - Indonesia

Contents:

Monday, February 9, 2015

History of Women in Buddhism - Indonesia: Introduction

Twelve Javanese Sites Worthy of Interest: Monuments & Sites Related to Women in Buddhism & Bhikkhunīs

Historical Site Article Extracts: Tathālokā Bhikkhunī,
Maps: Ānandajoti Bhikkhu,
Introduction: Ādhimuttā Bhikkhunī and all,
Layout: Ānagarikā Michelle

Buddhist monastics and lay community members from around the world are preparing to travel to Indonesia for the 14th Sakyadhita Conference at Yogyakarta. For those interested in Buddhist women's history and the history of the ancient Bhikkhuṇī/Bhikṣuṇī Sangha in Indonesia, we thought to make information available about some of the historical (and her-storical) sites worth visiting.

Monday, March 23, 2015

History of Women in Buddhism - Indonesia: 2

Indonesian Bhikkhuṇīs & Women Ascetics: A Historical Introduction & Survey of Terminology

Article by Tathālokā Bhikkhunī
Intro by Ādhimuttā Bhikkhunī

This second part of History of Women in Buddhism series, leading up to the 14th Sakyadhita Conference in Borobudur, is an extract from Ayyā Tathālokā’s paper “Light of the Kilis: Our Indonesian Bhikkhuni Ancestors.” It provides an overview of the Indonesian terminology and a brief historical overview. It explores something of what is known of the ancient Buddhist women monastics and ascetics of the Indonesian archipelago through the travelogues, local oral traditions, dedicatory inscriptions, monuments and statuary that remains of them within their cultural and historical context."

Monday, April 6, 2015

History of Women in Buddhism - Indonesia: Part 3

South Indian Bhikkhunī Manimekalai Travels to Java

Article author: Āyyā Tathālokā Bhikkhunī
Introduction to this segment: Tathālokā Bhikkhunī and Ādhimuttā Bhikkhunī

This third post in our "History of Women in Buddhism" series records the dramatic and inspiring life story of a Buddhist woman saint, Manimekalai, second century South India’s Buddhist Mother Theresa.[1] It examines marks of the status and the mobility of ancient South and Southeast Asian Buddhist women monastics, their environmental and social justice ethics, their rights of self-determination, relationship with politics, and how Buddhism was proactively compared with regards gender issues and women’s rights to other faiths, doctrines and religions of the period.

This post especially coincides with the Sri Lankan Buddhist observance of Bak Poya on the full moon of April, the commemorative date of the Buddha’s visit to the Isle of Manipallavam aka Nagadipa, which figures so prominently in the life story of Manimekalai.

Extracted from Ayyā Tathālokā’s paper “Light of the Kilis: Our Indonesian Bhikkhuni Ancestors,” it is part of the series leading up to the 14th Sakyadhita Conference in Borobudur, Indonesia. [Also: read the worthy historical places to visit and about theancient terminology]

Monday, April 13, 2015

History of Women in Buddhism - Indonesia: Part 4

International Buddhist Networking, Bhikkhunīs and Women’s Leadership in the 5th-7th Century Indonesian South Seas

Ayyā Tathālokā Bhikkhunī

This fourth post in our "History of Women in Buddhism" series examines the International Buddhist networks that became well established between India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and China.

This post specially coincides with Songkran/Saṃkrānti--the South and Southeast Asian Solar New Year in April, a time in which the sun appears to reach its zenith in the sky and maximum strength. We cover a time period when Buddhism rose in Indonesia, and International Buddhist networks and scholarship rose to a point of fluorescence. Powerful women leaders patronized Buddhist scholarship and the Bhikkhunī Sangha was widespread and well-established.

Extracted from Ayyā Tathālokā’s paper “Light of the Kilis: Our Indonesian Bhikkhuni Ancestors,” it is the fourth part of the series leading up to the 14th Sakyadhita Conference in Borobudur, Indonesia. [Also: read about worthy historical places to visit, the ancient terminology, and the journey of an Indian nun ]

Monday, April 20, 2015

History of Women in Buddhism - Indonesia: Part 5

The Mystery Story of Devi Kili Suci ~ the 11th Century Vanishing Crown Princess Bhikkhunī Hermit & Her Selomangleng Goa Cave

Ayyā Tathālokā Bhikkhunī

In this fifth post in our “History of Women in Buddhism - Indonesia” series, we skip over the Borobudur period ahead in time to the 11th century, to a time when royals’ renunciation of the throne for monastic life appears almost commonplace, and the Indonesian mountain hermitages and grottos are frequented by both male and female hermit ascetics of various faiths. Mantranāya/Vajrayāna Buddhism has been spreading in Java since at least the end of the seventh century and has grown strong. We explore the still-popular legendary story of one crown princess turned kili/wiksuni/bhikkhunī/mahāsiddhā, and visit the cave where she lived, practiced, and mysteriously vanished from corporeal existence.

Extracted from Ayyā Tathālokā’s paper “Light of the Kilis: Our Indonesian Bhikkhunī Ancestors,” this is the fifth part in our mini-series leading up to the 14th Sakyadhita Conference in Borobudur, Indonesia.

Monday, April 27, 2015

History of Women in Buddhism - Indonesia: Part 6

Bhrikutī & the Appearance of New Non-Bhikkhunī Forms of Women’s Asceticism in Buddhism

Ayyā Tathālokā Bhikkhunī

In this sixth post in our “History of Women in Buddhism - Indonesia” series, we pick up a topic that is only hinted at being possible in Part 5 - the subject of the appearance of non-bhikkhunī/bhikṣuṇī forms of women’s (and men’s) ascetic/spiritual ideals (and practices) in Buddhism. It is a time in history or her-story when both royal blood and ascetic spiritual power and mastery appear to have become an essential qualification of the deification of the fe/male rulers of the land, often united with or balanced by their co-appearance as either awesome likenesses or living embodiments of the bodhisattvas and buddhas of Mantranāya and Tantrayāna Buddhism, which has been spreading and developing in Java now for a period of more than 500 years (from the 7th-13th century). We look at one such example in the image of Bhrikutī, an apparently royal female ascetic of spiritual power, who appears very close to the most exemplary Śaivite royal female ascetic and consort, Parvatī, and yet is a manifestation of both the Buddhist wisdom of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, and the fierce form of compassion of the savioress, Bhagavātī Aryā Tārā.

This post is specially dedicated to all those affected by the 25 April 2015 earthquakes in Nepal and the surrounding areas, to all those in need, and to all those who are helping.

Extracted from Ayyā Tathālokā’s paper “Light of the Kilis: Our Indonesian Bhikkhunī Ancestors,” this is the sixth part in our “Women in Buddhism - Indonesia” mini-series leading up to the 14th Sakyadhita Conference in Borobudur, Indonesia.

Monday, May 4, 2015

History of Women in Buddhism - Indonesia: Part 7

Ardhanārīśvarī Ken Dedes & Gender in Ancient Indonesian Buddhism

Ayyā Tathālokā Bhikkhunī

In this seventh post in our “History of Women in Buddhism - Indonesia” series, we continue to look at a topic about which questions have been raised in Part 6 - the subject of the compassionate manifestations of gender in Buddhism and its harmonious associations with Hinduism, in ancient Indonesian Buddhism. For, in Part 6, we encountered the Amoghapaśa form of the highly popular bodhisattva mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara (अवलोकितेश्वर), commonly known as Kwan Yin, 觀音, 觀世音 or 觀自在 菩薩摩诃萨埵 in Chinese, or Chenrezig, སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས་ in Tibetan. This bodhisattva is well known not only in Mahāyāna Buddhism, but amidst the Theravāda Buddhists of Southeast Asia as well.

Originally, in India, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva is known for having appeared in male form, as also in Indonesia, Tibet, Sri Lanka and Korea, but then for later having appeared in female form as Kwan Yin in China, to many contemporary observers’ wonder and curiosity. How and why did s/he do so? And, was this orthodox and legit? I’ve been asked these questions more than a few times...

In our last post, we saw how, in India, in the Amoghapāśa Sādhana meditation text authored by 12th century Kashmiri monk Sakyaśrībhadra and in the highly popular earlier Hevajra Tantra, Avalokiteśvara appeared with both male and female emanations, the two primary female emanations being Green Tārā who represented the manifestation of karuṇā—the compassion, and Bhrikuti who manifested theprajñā—the wisdom of the bodhisattva. Thus, when His Holiness the Dalai Lama--himself widely thought to be an incarnation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara--speaks about appearing in female incarnation, or when the Gyalwang Karmapa says it would be no problem in Dharma for the Karmapa to appear as a woman, they may not actually be saying anything strange or unorthodox at all. Actually, the very high level of bodhisattva that Avalokiteśvara is, is taught to be basically androgynous, and to be able to appear in any form, as needed--and to have no trouble at all with appearing in either male or female form.

At the end of our last post, we saw Avalokiteśvara popularly partnered with Green Tārā and Bhrikutī in Buddhism, and Śiva (Shiva) popularly partnered with Parvati in the co-contemporary Hinduism, in the context of non-dualism within manifest dualities and pluralities.

In this 7th post, we take one step closer, and look at one 13th century living woman, Ken Dedes, the daughter of a Buddhist monk, who, in a way, represented all these, both the unity and the dualities. And how as such, she became the progenitor and founder of two dynasties and a transcendent legend, remembered and immortalized now in Indonesian Buddhist culture as the Prajñāpāramitā, the Perfection of Wisdom and Mother of All Buddhas herself.

I hope that this sharing of history or herstory or an embracing “our-story,” may give some clue as to a part of our Buddhist heritage of compassion--karunā, wisdom--prajñā and skilfull means--upāya, with regards gender, love for the world, and the Buddhist vision of humanity that shares in all these qualities.

Monday, May 25, 2015

History of Women in Buddhism - Indonesia: Part 8

Gāyatrī Rājapatni: Queen, Bhikkhunī & the Prajñāpāramitā

Ayyā Tathālokā Bhikkhunī[1]

In this eighth post in our “History of Women in Buddhism - Indonesia” series leading up to the Sakyadhita International Buddhist Women’s Conference in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, we explore the life of one of Indonesia’s most interesting historical Buddhist women. Earlier prominent women leaders and women ascetics/monastics/nuns that we’ve portrayed in this series such as Ken Dedes,Bhrikuti, Devi Kilisuci, Ratu Shima and Manimekhalai have been interesting in enigma--they are fascinating in that we catch such brief glimpses of their lives, leaving so much to be filled in by imagination, as we find in the many Indonesian, Indian and Tibetan legends, operas and ballets through which their lives are popularly remembered. In this post however, we have the benefit of a lengthy and highly-descriptive historical documentary poem written by a co-contemporary Buddhist monastic poet/biographer/documenteur passed down to us intact, and at least one very well-preserved mortuary portrait image, the Prajñāpāramitā. Of further interest in addendum is the role that this image has come to play in the contemporary re-nascence of the Theravada Bhikkhunī Sangha on the other side of the world, in North America.

Extracted from Ayyā Tathālokā’s paper “Light of the Kilis: Our Indonesian Bhikkhuni Ancestors,” this article is part of the series leading up to the 14th Sakyadhita Conference in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This post coincides with the release of the first English-language edition of Earl Drake’s Gayatri Rajapatni: The Woman Behind the Glory of Majapahit by Areca Books.

Monday, June 1, 2015

History of Women in Buddhism - Indonesia: Part 9

Tomé Pires Witness & the Beguines,

change comes to the roles of women in religion in Indonesia

Ayyā Tathālokā Bhikkhunī

In this ninth post in our “History of Women in Buddhism - Indonesia” series leading up to the Sakyadhita International Buddhist Women’s Conference in Indonesia, we come to the last of the ancient and premodern records of Buddhist women leaders, kilis and bhikkhunīs in Indonesian Buddhism, with one final and telling glimpse from a surprising Western source, before sweeping social changes overtook Java, Sumatra and much of the archipelago. We touch on some of the changes brought by Islam and by Colonialism, and the impact they had on women in Indonesian religion and spirituality, and women in Buddhism.

Extracted from Ayyā Tathālokā’s paper “Light of the Kilis: Our Indonesian Bhikkhuni Ancestors,” this article is part of the series leading up to the 14th Sakyadhita Conference in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This article is dedicated to the first Theravada bhikkhunī ordination in contemporary times in Indonesia which is planned to precede the Sakyadhita Conference in June 2015.

Monday, June 29, 2015

History of Women in Buddhism - Indonesia: Part 10

Shedding Light on the Bhikkhunīs & the Great Founding Women of Borobudur

Ayyā Tathālokā Bhikkhunī

This paper is the tenth and final post in a series of extracts from the larger article titled “Light of the Kilis: Our Indonesian Bhikkhunī Ancestors” which explores what is known of the ancient Buddhist women monastics and ascetics of the Indonesian archipelago.

Chronologically, this post falls between part 4 and part 5 in this Awakening Buddhist Women blog series. Prepared especially for the 14th Sakyadhita International Conference in Yogyakarta, this previously unpublished extract was presented live at the Sakyadhita Conference.

An audio recording, read by Ayyā Tathālokā, is available here on Youtube.

“Light of the Kilis” is based on research materials gathered from travelogues, local oral traditions, dedicatory inscriptions, monuments, and statuary, or what remains of these within their cultural and historical context. The materials span a time period of more than 2000 years, from the 3rd century BCE up to modern times.

Here we focus on the 8th and 9th centuries and materials that are of direct relevance to the Sakyadhita Conference locale and of special interest and value to women in Buddhism. I touch on the feminine aspect of Indonesian candis, the appearance and role of both the esoteric Bhagavatī Aryā Tārā, the human queen Devī Tārā, and her daughter (or granddaughter) Śrī Sanjiwana Prāmodhavardhanī, the latter two Buddhist women being key persons involved with the foundation and establishment of the world-famous Borobudur monument. I also highlight images of bhikṣuṇīs and the dual sangha (bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs) that are portrayed on three levels of the wall reliefs of the Borobudur monument. These images are of outstanding historical value, because we can glean from them unparalleled visual knowledge of Buddhist women’s monastic way of life at the time they were created. I review and describe these images in the context of the Dharma teaching stories they illustrate – shining examples of women’s leadership and eminence in the Buddhist sangha, as they were conceived of and understood during this period.

Friday, 15 January 2016

Friday, 25 September 2015

Friday, 11 September 2015

Buddhist View on Evolution and Creation - - Khenpo Sodargye

Event type:

City:

Tuesday, 8 September 2015

Drop the story and find the feeling.Pema Chödrön

Monday, 24 August 2015

War Remembrance in Japan's Buddhist Cemeteries (1-2)

War Remembrance in Japan’s Buddhist Cemeteries, Part I: Kannon Hears the Cries of War

The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 13, Issue. 31, No. 3, August 03, 2015

Brian Victoria

War Remembrance in Japan’s Buddhist Cemeteries, Part II:

Transforming War Criminals into Martyrs: “True Words” on Mt. Kōya

The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 13, Issue. 34, No. 3, August 24, 2015

Brian Victoria

Friday, 21 August 2015

Buddhism and Quantum Physics

Tuesday, 11 August 2015

AUGUST 10, 2015

Our desire for passion

Monday, 10 August 2015

'Buddhism New' Secular Buddhism

Sunday, 9 August 2015

Theravada Bhikkhuni and the Buddha's Four-fold Assembly

by Dr Dion Peoples, The Buddhist Channel, Aug 8, 2015

Monday, 20 July 2015

The Mindfulness Craze:

Thursday, 16 July 2015

Anne C. Klein on the transmission of Tibetan Buddhism

Friday, 10 July 2015

Buddhist tradition and modernity are in many ways incompatible. But one Western intellectual tradition may hold a key to bringing the two into meaningful dialogue. Linda Heuman

Theravada Bhikkhuni Order Revived in West Java, Indonesia

Saturday, 4 July 2015

Facing the Great Divide

From the Heartland to a New Epicenter: “Conceiving the Indian Buddhist Patriarchs in China”

Tuesday, 30 June 2015