Buddha Torrents

Enlighten Up! (2009)

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:03:00 +0000

Ok I'm going to STFU now about Second Lie and if I haven't alienated all the followers I will continue posting until that Big Project shows up then its gonna be Namaste for Budhha Torrents, no kidding for real this time, because.

Enlighten Up! (2009)
Kate Churchill is a filmmaker and a dedicated yoga practitioner who insists that yoga can transform anyone. She decides to prove it. Her plan: select a subject, immerse him in yoga and follow him until he finds a yoga practice that transforms him. Her subject: Nick Rosen a skeptical, 29 year-old journalist living in New York City.

Intrigued by the opportunity to peek behind the curtain of a 5.7 billion dollar “spiritual” industry, Nick signs on to investigate yoga for 6 months. Before he can say OM, he finds himself twisted up like a pretzel, surrounded by celebrity yogis, true believers, kooks, entrepreneurs and a gentle teacher from Brazil who leads his class with his feet behind his head.

The more Nick investigates yoga the more contradictions he discovers, leading him to question whether yoga is anything more than a workout. As Nick searches for concrete facts and discards the lofty spiritual theories of his yoga teachers, he strays further from Kate’s original plan. The two find themselves lost in Northern India, embroiled in a struggle between Kate’s expectations and Nick’s overt rejection of “spirituality.”

They circle the globe talking to mystics, gurus, mad men and saints searching for the true meaning of yoga. Ultimately, both Nick and Kate end up in places they never could have imagined. They don’t find the answers to their questions, they find much more.

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How to get a Third Life and the Right View

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:36:00 +0000

Usually this blog only reports on various media available. I try to remain impartial on events and limit my own comments. However some times the guardians of Internet stupidity come out to validate there existence, and I feel the need to open my big mouth. There's a great article on some of this here.

Many people that use this blog are under the assumption that I'm some Monk that lives in a cave in the Himalayas with a laptop trying to disrupt the flow of Capitalistic Dharma endeavours. Far from it. I am a human prone to many mistakes and with the subtleties of a Chainsaw. I'm not a teacher of Buddhism nor is this blog, so save your praise and disdain. The only people that deserve respect are teachers listed here. My only teaching from this blog is when you have what your looking for, stop coming here.

I'm sure some people are thinking just STFU and just post some more links. In fact I have only one more link to post. A special project being worked on by devoted people in Europe. Which will be released here as well. Then I will stop coming here.

I would pass that advice along to anyone who decides to visit Second Life and the artificial Monks/Admins/ that dwell there. My trip there was taken under the assumption that a second life would be a better life. A life in which you could be the person you really wanted to be and do anything you wanted. In fact that's what it is.When you burst into a artificial house with artificial people discussing there real world problems you have even more artificial and real problems.

When my Father died I didnt rush off to a fictional reality. When I have a fight with my spouse I dont go and hide in someones blog either. When I'm having physical pain I dont try and find a distracting TV program. When shot with an arrow I don't thrust a second arrow in my body to take my mind off the first. I look directly at the source. If your tools for Pschyo-therapy are based on the constant flow of electricity to your home what will you do during a blackout?

The people in SL have real problems. The people in First Life have real problems. Do we need a Third life on top of those two to make sense of it all? Do our world leaders need to meet in a virtual reality to solve our Climate Crisis , Hunger issues and War? Does all that Bullshit bring you closer together?

The Internet is not going anywhere, torrents will never disappear, nor will human creativity. Second Life will be replaced by something better. Digital Sanghas will have holographic technology enabling you to be present at temples half way across the world. To what extent do you emerse yourself in today's technology? Is having a Twitter feed, Blog, Facebook account, Black Berry and Second Life character enough to find your digital Bodhi Tree?

Technology is here to stay as are all the constant upgrades.
The question is what do you need as a raft? And when do you reach the other shore?

“IMHO, whether in front of the television or the pulpit, a man’s day is wasted if he looks for salvation outside of himself. ”- yuttadhammo

If you dont know what Second Lie is all about here's an interesting documentary about it.
Someone recommend I refer to that world as Second Lie, which I think is very appropriate.

Update:
In case people haven't noticed the scathing assessment of my article/trip you can always go over to Open Sores Buddha and comment there. Dharma nerd and virtual reality guru Al will be only too happy to moderate your comments. Also if anyone wants to obtain there Zen Monk robes via Fedex the system requirements of your computer are very low but the financial requirements may be quite high.

Al has also pointed out on his Flickr page that I am a Second Life Loser. Which is true, better a Second Life loser than a First Life Flake. This coming from a man who calls himself a "Zen Priest" and poses with guns on his Flickr page. You got me there dude. I also have a Flickr page devoted to my middle finger going out to you. I would show you my real Flickr page but its filled with boring real world stuff like Rock Climbing, Backpacking and World travel, plus I'm not stupid enough to have my real name out there.

Please have for compassion for me, I'm a flawed person. In my previous life I was a very deprived person and I'm still working out the kinks in this life.

Second Life, how about a First one?

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:30:00 +0000

The following is a true story of my trip to a false world.

Many of us spend far to much time on computers, a prime example of this is the world I am going to expose in this article.

Let me tell you of the sad reality of Second Life. In case your not familiar with Second Life its a virtual world where über good looking people in tank tops and fishnet stockings run around having virtual sex, virtual lives and virtual Buddhism. In this virtual world there exists a few Buddhist Sanghas.

This false reality must be experienced to truly understand what the hell I'm talking about. Yesterday I read the post on Wild Fox Zen about Dosho Mike Ports up coming trip to teach at this Sangha, so in order to wrap my head around this concept I decided to visit this world myself.
I found my way to this Kannonji Temple in Second Life and was very helpfully told how to clothe my Avatar (That's the word for my false self in this game) and how to navigate this world. I voice chatted with with the resident monk (aka: Admin) about various Dharma subjects, mostly chit chat. Later I explored some of the non-Buddhist areas, which amounts to 99.9% of the reality and came away with the wisdom of never returning. On exiting I decided to return to Buddha Land and explore their private little space.

I noticed several buildings that looked like houses and in fact they were. Private little dwellings decked out with ikea like furniture and every new age cliche accessory. In two of these dwellings were actual people. Meaning real people sitting in front of there computers. I knocked on one door for several minutes, noticing that someone was inside. Finally an androgynous hippie answered and let me explore his/her home. They did not feel like chatting, perhaps because they wanted their Avatar to have some peace and quiet. (I roll my eyes at the irony of that).

I then noticed the other house had two people in it as well. I let myself into the house, some thing the real world does not allow, to find two Aryan like people embracing in what I could only imagine to be the beginning of some real world self loving. I was then informed that this was a private residence and I should leave. Their pet Albino tiger also seemed annoyed that I was there.

I had my Avatar sit on their expensive ikea-like sofa to relax from a hard day of flying around Virtual Buddha Statues. I was then informed by the Matthew McConaughey Avatar to please leave "this is a private gathering and that his father had just died." Now when someone tells you in the "Real world" that their Father just died and they would like some privacy I usually leave. However in a world dominated by ones and zeros and cyber zen monks who manage the private orgies, I have a hard time being serious.

So, flying up stairs (lol) to the beautiful King size virtual bed with a great view of the digital Buddha I decided to take a virtual nap. Unfortunately the cyber tiger was growling at me making it impossible and to make matters worse the head Zen dude showed up at the house and demanded I leave. I was then told I was banned from receiving anymore Dharma lessons in their uh, Sangha. No doubt because my Avatar looked too much like Ken Wilber.

Exiting Second Life I came back to my first life with this bit of wisdom:

If your using Second Life as an excuse to avoid your first life, no amount of Virtual Buddhism is going to get you out. People in that world that come to that Cyber Sangha looking for a community to chat with or sit with have really got a screw loose and need Psychotherapy. I understand that various teachers have been using the "environment" of Second Life to give talks and that the medium allows several people to interact that would not be able to be there in person. It was even rationalized as a venue for people with disability's to join and be part of a Sangha. All valid points.

My take on it is this. How many veils of Illusion do I need to pile up on reality in order to see it properly? Out your front door is a vast blue sky. Across the street are humans raking leaves. Talk to them, they are your Sangha. Engage yourself in real activities that don't involve computers. Smell real flowers. Walk in the cold air. Eat a real apple not in front of some distraction. Be present in this world.

To the Internet Monks that selflessly moderate the Second Life Cyber Temple. Sitting for vast stretches in front of there computers waiting for lost souls to show up or trouble makers to ban, I leave these final words:

As I left the Virtual world I stopped at another Buddhist Community in Second Life and came across some ironic wisdom written on a wall:

Let me respectfully remind you

Life and death are of supreme importance

Time swiftly passes by, and opportunity is lost.

Each of us should strive to awaken…

Awaken…

Take heed, do not squander your life.

PS: There's thousands of rabbit holes in the Internet to hide. Including this blog. I'm not overly concerned with my image in this matter. If one person steps back and says enough, then that is enough. Of course this is only my opinion, feel free to move along, I'm not pretending to be a teacher in a pretend world. Comments have been disabled, due to my selfish Buddha Nature. I also don't want to read peoples pros and cons on this bag they wear over there heads defending there addictions.

Do You Do It or Does It Do You?

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:24:00 +0000

Do You Do It or Does It Do You?: How to Let the Universe Meditate You - Alan Watts
At the heart of the popularity of such spiritual teachers as Eckhart Tolle and Ken Wilber lies the spirit and intellectual passion of the seminal teacher who inspired them all—Alan Watts. Now, in response to our run-away bestselling audio collection Out of Your Mind, Sounds True is proud to present one of Alan Watts’ most extraordinary learning sessions. Listeners will delight in hearing Alan Watts at his finest as he guides them with humor, deep insight, and startling wisdom into a genuine understanding of how the grand, exuberant Self plays the game of living through us, and vice versa. With rare guided meditations taught by Watts himself, Do You Do It or Does It Do You? is an essential audio seminar with one of the true pioneers of Western spirituality.

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A Tribute to Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:53:00 +0000

A Tribute to Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
To mark the 50th anniversary of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö's parinirvana, we have quickly assembled this short compilation from our ever-growing archive of film and photographs. Although little known in the West, Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö was of the greatest importance for the spread of the Tibetan Buddhist teachings over the Western hemisphere. At that time in Tibet there was no other master that received the respect from followers of all traditions. Since he himself, following in the footsteps of his predecessor Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, had gathered, studied, practiced and taught all the different lineages of Tibetan Buddhism everyone claimed him as a great teacher of their very own tradition.

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Mae Chee Kaew - Her Journey to Spiritual Awakening & Enlightenment

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:38:00 +0000

Mae Chee Kaew - Her Journey to Spiritual Awakening & Enlightenment
Mae Chee Kaew (1901-1991) was a countrywoman, who lived a simple village life in the northeastern region of Thailand and overcame enormous difficulties in her attempt to leave home and follow the Buddha’s noble path. Blessed with the good fortune to meet the most renowned meditation masters of her era, Mae Chee Kaew took their teachings on meditation to heart, diligently cultivating a mind of clear and spontaneous awareness. Her per- sistence, courage, and intuitive wisdom enabled her to transcend conventional boundaries—both those imposed upon her by the world and those limiting her mind from within—and thereby find release from birth, ageing, sick- ness and death.
Mae Chee Kaew is one of the few known female arahants of the modern era and testimony to all beings that regardless of race, gender or class, the Buddha’s goal of supreme enlightenment is still possible.

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Karmapa: The Black Hat Lama of Tibet

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:06:00 +0000

Karmapa: The Black Hat Lama of Tibet
Karmapa, the black hat hierarch of Tibet, has been honoured as a living buddha in his 16 successive incarnations. The Karmapa life stories tell of the spread of mystic spirituality in the regions of Tibet, China, Mongolia, Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim and also incorporate the ancient transmission from India. The life stories of the Karmapas are being told here for the first time in English and cover 800 years. The Karmapa lamas established monasteries in Tibet and other countries, and they were famous as artists and sculptors, whose unique style known as Karma-Khadri, is the most highly considered art school in Tibet. The 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje has written an introductory message expressing the hope that people of all nations will read the book.

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Fluent Tibetan

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:58:00 +0000

Fluent Tibetan
Fluent Tibetan is a significant and unmatched achievement in the field of teaching colloquial Tibetan." -- The Tibet Journal The most systematic and extensive course system available in spoken Tibetan language, Fluent Tibetan was developed by language experts working in conjunction with indigenous speakers at the University of Virginia. Based upon courses for diplomats needing to learn a language quickly, the method acquaints students with the sounds and patterns of Tibetan speech, through repetitive interactive drills, enabling the quick mastery of increasingly complex structures, and thereby promoting rapid progress in speaking the language. Fluent Tibetan is the best course available anywhere for learning on your own. The package consists of textbooks and tape recordings, arranged in fifteen units. The first three units are devoted to recognition and pronunciation of the Tibetan alphabet and its combinations in syllables and words. With unit four, vocabulary and grammatical patterns are introduced in situational dialogues. Each dialogue is followed by extensive drills repeating the vocabulary and grammatical patterns in different contexts thereby teaching how to use the language creatively. The exceptionally clear voices in the dialogues and drills are both male and female indigenous Tibetans. The glossary is both Tibetan-English and English-Tibetan. Fluent Tibetan corresponds to a year of college-level language study.

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Universal Love - Nawang Khechog

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:34:00 +0000

Universal Love - Nawang Khechog
For spiritual practitioners in Tibet, one of the highest aspirations is to cultivate the heart of universal love—to become one who loves all sentient beings unconditionally. Thus, the measure of whether someone has cultivated universal love is illustrated in the classical Tibetan story of the mother who has only one child ("Buckikpe maa tar") and shows how much she would love and give care to her only child. Yes, this is a tall order and, in my case, I am far from actualizing this wonder and magnificence. Perhaps I can say that I have been inspired by this highest aspiration a tiny bit since my early years due to the kindness of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s living inspiration and his teachings on the Tibetan Spiritual culture of universal love. This inspiration gives me some sense of meaning, purpose, and direction, and helps me to channel my anger not to hate anyone, channel my temptations not to become overwhelmed by lust and greed, and channel my heart to try to love all and everyone. I often wonder if, even given a million years to do this, I can cultivate this universal love in my heart. That would be the beginning of the highest journey and meaning of my life.

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Light At The Edge Of The World: People Of The Windhorse

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:43:00 +0000

Light At The Edge Of The World: People Of The Windhorse
Wade Davis travels to Mongolia to discover the secrets of the man-horse bond by taking part in the lives of his nomadic horsemen hosts.

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The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:36:00 +0000

The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions
The psychological benefits of mindfulness are well established. Yet for people who struggle with difficult emotions like anxiety, guilt, anger, loneliness, sadness, or low self-esteem, mindfulness practices can be enhanced by adding a simple yet powerful ingredient: self-compassion. Without it, we all too often respond to emotional suffering with self-criticism, shame, or defensiveness—tough-to-break habits that only make suffering worse. This wise, eloquent, and practical book illuminates the nature of self-compassion and offers easy-to-follow, scientifically grounded steps for incorporating it into daily life. Practical examples and innovative exercises and techniques make this an ideal resource for readers who are new to mindfulness or want to bring an important new dimension to their meditation practice.

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Buddhist Saints in India: A Study in Buddhist Values and Orientations

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:32:00 +0000

Buddhist Saints in India: A Study in Buddhist Values and Orientations
The issue of saints is a difficult and complicated problem in Buddhology. In this magisterial work, Ray offers the first comprehensive examination of the figure of the Buddhist saint in a wide range of Indian Buddhist evidence. Drawing on an extensive variety of sources, Ray seeks to identify the "classical type" of the Buddhist saint, as it provides the presupposition for, and informs, the different major Buddhist saintly types and subtypes. Discussing the nature, dynamics, and history of Buddhist hagiography, he surveys the ascetic codes, conventions and traditions of Buddhist saints, and the cults both of living saints and of those who have "passed beyond." Ray traces the role of the saints in Indian Buddhist history, examining the beginnings of Buddhism and the origin of Mahayana Buddhism.

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Buddhism and Science: A Guide for the Perplexed

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:28:00 +0000

Buddhism and Science: A Guide for the Perplexed
Beginning in the nineteenth century and continuing to the present day, both Buddhists and admirers of Buddhism have proclaimed the compatibility of Buddhism and science. Their assertions have ranged from modest claims about the efficacy of meditation for mental health to grander declarations that the Buddha himself anticipated the theories of relativity, quantum physics and the big bang more than two millennia ago.

In Buddhism and Science, Donald S. Lopez Jr. is less interested in evaluating the accuracy of such claims than in exploring how and why these two seemingly disparate modes of understanding the inner and outer universe have been so persistently linked. Lopez opens with an account of the rise and fall of Mount Meru, the great peak that stands at the center of the flat earth of Buddhist cosmography—and which was interpreted anew once it proved incompatible with modern geography. From there, he analyzes the way in which Buddhist concepts of spiritual nobility were enlisted to support the notorious science of race in the nineteenth century. Bringing the story to the present, Lopez explores the Dalai Lama’s interest in scientific discoveries, as well as the implications of research on meditation for neuroscience.

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Tibetan Tantric Choir - The Gyuto Monks

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:23:00 +0000

Tibetan Tantric Choir - The Gyuto Monks
The Western world became familiar with overtone singing--the process by which an overtone, or second note, is generated by one's voice--primarily through Tuvan throat singers. The monks of Llhasa, Tibet, have handed down this tradition for centuries. TIBETAN TANTRIC CHOIR is a recording of two pieces by the Gyuto Monks, produced by former Grateful Dead member and famed ethnomusicologist Mickey Hart during the monks' brief 1986 visit to the U.S. Each member of the Gyuto ensemble is capable of generating three tones at once, and they combine their voices on two lengthy pieces full of low-frequency drones and gently arcing overtones.

The first piece is for unaccompanied voices, and its focus on the low register is alternately spooky and enthralling. The second piece, "Melody for Mahakala," finds the monks accompanying themselves on a variety of handmade percussive instruments. The effect is like that of primal industrial music wedded to ancient religious rites. Intense concentration on the monks' work is rewarded by a deeper understanding of the relationship between sonic frequencies, but this album also functions well as somewhat ominous ambient music.

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Buddhist Yoga: A Comprehensive Course

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:19:00 +0000

Buddhist Yoga: A Comprehensive Course - Thomas Cleary
The word "yoga" has many meanings, including "meditation", "method", and "union." While the physical exercises of Hindu yoga are familiar to westerners, the subtle metaphysics and refined methods of spiritual development that characterize Buddhist Yoga are not yet well known. This volume presents a landmark translation of a classical sourcebook of Buddhist Yoga, the "Scripture Unlocking the Mysteries," a revered text of the Yogachara school of Buddhism. The study of this text is essential preparation for anyone undertaking meditation exercise. Linking theory and practice, the scripture offeres a remarkably detailed and thorough course of study in both the philosophical and pragmatic foundation of Buddhist yoga, amd their perfect, harmonious union in the realization of Buddhist enlightenment.

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The Sociology of Early Buddhism

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:16:00 +0000

The Sociology of Early Buddhism
This volume analyzes the remarkable ability of Buddhism to survive within a strong urban environment despite its renunciant nature. Early Buddhism flourished because it was able to take up the challenge represented by buoyant economic conditions and the need for cultural uniformity in the newly emergent states in northeastern India from the fifth century BCE onwards. In spite of the Buddhist ascetic imperative, the Buddha and other celebrated monks moved easily through various levels of society and fitted into the urban landscape they inhabited. The book offers reasons for this apparent inconsistency.

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Daoism

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:09:00 +0000

Daoism
Daoism is one of the great philosophical and religious traditions that grew and flowered in China. Unlike the great Western religions, Daoism has no one God or even a founding prophet. One of its central beliefs is that each person must follow his or her own path to the Dao, or 'Way of Life.' By being so universal and yet so personal, Daoism has exerted a significant influence on the spiritual life of many cultures both in Asia and throughout the world. "Daoism, Third Edition" traces the progress of Daoist thought, from the great Daodejing, or "The Book of the Way and Its Power" by Laozi, to the contemporary "Tao of Physics" by Fritjof Capra. This revised edition also examines the restoration of Daoism under China's religious freedom clause, the slow rebirth of Daoist monasticism, renewed interest in Daoism in China and abroad, and the impact of tourism on the monastic tradition. Coverage includes: meditation and the concept of wuwei; Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism; the growth and spread of religious Daoism; art and literature within Daoism; and political turbulence in the 20th century.

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Sera: The Way of the Tibetan Monk

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:05:00 +0000

Sera: The Way of the Tibetan Monk - S Rock
Tibet was once home to thousands of thriving Buddhist monasteries. But in 1959, following a Tibetan uprising against China's long occupation, nearly all were destroyed by the Chinese military, the practice of Buddhism was outlawed, and the Dalai Lama was forced into exile. In March of that year, Chinese tanks bombarded the 540-year-old Sera Jey Monastery in Lhasa, Tibet, killing hundreds of monks and destroying ancient texts and invaluable artifacts that had been collected over centuries. Thousands of survivors fled over perilous mountain passes to neighboring India, many with only thin robes and light footwear to shield them from the harsh winter conditions of the Himalayas.The Sera Jey Monastery, reestablished near Mysore, India, now houses 5,000 Buddhist monks living in exile-including many who escaped the attack on the Tibetan monastery in 1959, and many more who have never known their ancestral homeland. Providing an intimate glimpse of this rarely seen world, Sera: The Way of the Tibetan Monk evokes the subtle moods and rhythms of this Buddhist community that has steadfastly carried on the legacy of the original Sera Jey. More than 100 duotone photographs capture daily rituals and sacred ceremonies, serious moments and playful gestures, compassionate faces and expressions of inspired serenity. Moving and unforgettable, Sheila Rock's portraits celebrate the tranquility, simple joys, and unadorned beauty of the ascetic life, offering a powerful testament to the strength and resilience of a persecuted people. A percentage of the royalties from this book go to the Sera Jhe Health Care Committee in aid of various humanitarian projects.

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Death and the Afterlife in Japanese Buddhism

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:03:00 +0000

Death and the Afterlife in Japanese Buddhism
For more than a thousand years, Buddhism has dominated Japanese death rituals and concepts of the afterlife. The nine essays in this volume, ranging chronologically from the tenth century to the present, bring to light both continuity and change in death practices over time. They also explore the interrelated issues of how Buddhist death rites have addressed individual concerns about the afterlife while also filling social and institutional needs and how Buddhist death-related practices have assimilated and refigured elements from other traditions, bringing together disparate, even conflicting, ideas about the dead, their postmortem fate, and what constitutes normative Buddhist practice.

The idea that death, ritually managed, can mediate an escape from deluded rebirth is treated in the first two essays. Sarah Horton traces the development in Heian Japan (794-1185) of images depicting the Buddha Amida descending to welcome devotees at the moment of death, while Jacqueline Stone analyzes the crucial role of monks who attended the dying as religious guides. Even while stressing themes of impermanence and non-attachment, Buddhist death rites worked to encourage the maintenance of emotional bonds with the deceased and, in so doing, helped structure the social world of the living. This theme is explored in the next four essays. Brian Ruppert examines the roles of relic worship in strengthening family lineage and political power; Mark Blum investigates the controversial issue of religious suicide to rejoin one's teacher in the Pure Land; and Hank Glassman analyzes how late medieval rites for women who died in pregnancy and childbirth both reflected and helped shape changing gender norms.

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The Record of Linji

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:59:00 +0000

The Record of Linji
The Linji lu (Record of Linji) has been an essential text of Chinese and Japanese Zen Buddhism for nearly a thousand years. A compilation of sermons, statements, and acts attributed to the great Chinese Zen master Linji Yixuan (d. 866), it serves as both an authoritative statement of Zen's basic standpoint and a central source of material for Zen koan practice. Scholars study the text for its importance in understanding both Zen thought and East Asian Mahayana doctrine, while Zen practitioners cherish it for its unusual simplicity, directness, and ability to inspire.
One of the earliest attempts to translate this important work into English was by Sasaki Shigetsu (1882-1945), a pioneer Zen master in the U.S. and the founder of the First Zen Institute of America. At the time of his death, he entrusted the project to his wife, Ruth Fuller Sasaki, who in 1949 moved to Japan and there founded a branch of the First Zen Institute at Daitoku-ji. Mrs. Sasaki, determined to produce a definitive translation, assembled a team of talented young scholars, both Japanese and Western, who in the following years retranslated the text in accordance with modern research on Tang-dynasty colloquial Chinese. As they worked on the translation, they compiled hundreds of detailed notes explaining every technical term, vernacular expression, and literary reference. One of the team, Yanagida Seizan (later Japan's preeminent Zen historian), produced a lengthy introduction that outlined the emergence of Chinese Zen, presented a biography of Linji, and traced the textual development of the Linji lu. The sudden death of Mrs. Sasaki in 1967 brought the nearly completed project to a halt. An abbreviated version of the book was published in 1975, but neither this nor any other English translations that subsequently appeared contain the type of detailed historical, linguistic, and doctrinal annotation that was central to Mrs. Sasaki's plan.

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Being a Buddhist Nun: The Struggle for Enlightenment in the Himalayas

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:56:00 +0000

Being a Buddhist Nun: The Struggle for Enlightenment in the Himalayas
This prize winning ethnography describes the politics of buddhism, butter, and barley in the Indian Himalayas. They may shave their heads, don simple robes, and renounce materialism and worldly desires. But the women seeking enlightenment in a Buddhist nunnery high in the folds of Himalayan Kashmir invariably find themselves subject to the tyrannies of subsistence, subordination, and sexuality. Ultimately, Buddhist monasticism reflects the very world it is supposed to renounce. Butter and barley prove to be as critical to monastic life as merit and meditation. Kim Gutschow lived for more than three years among these women, collecting their stories, observing their ways, studying their lives. Her book offers the first ethnography of Tibetan Buddhist society from the perspective of its nuns.

Gutschow depicts a gender hierarchy where nuns serve and monks direct, where monks bless the fields and kitchens while nuns toil in them. Monasteries may retain historical endowments and significant political and social power, yet global flows of capitalism, tourism, and feminism have begun to erode the balance of power between monks and nuns. Despite the obstacles of being considered impure and inferior, nuns engage in everyday forms of resistance to pursue their ascetic and personal goals.

A richly textured picture of the little known culture of a Buddhist nunnery, the book offers moving narratives of nuns struggling with the Buddhist discipline of detachment. Its analysis of the way in which gender and sexuality construct ritual and social power provides valuable insight into the relationship between women and religion in South Asia today.

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The Madman's Middle Way: Reflections on Reality of the Tibetan Monk Gendun Chopel

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:54:00 +0000

The Madman's Middle Way: Reflections on Reality of the Tibetan Monk Gendun Chopel
Gendun Chopel is considered the most important Tibetan intellectual of the twentieth century. His life spanned the two defining moments in modern Tibetan history: the entry into Lhasa by British troops in 1904 and by Chinese troops in 1951. Recognized as an incarnate lama while he was a child, Gendun Chopel excelled in the traditional monastic curriculum and went on to become expert in fields as diverse as philosophy, history, linguistics, geography, and tantric Buddhism. Near the end of his life, before he was persecuted and imprisoned by the government of the young Dalai Lama, he would dictate the Adornment for Nagarjuna’s Thought, a work on Madhyamaka, or “Middle Way,” philosophy. It sparked controversy immediately upon its publication and continues to do so today.
The Madman’s Middle Way presents the first English translation of this major Tibetan Buddhist work, accompanied by an essay on Gendun Chopel’s life liberally interspersed with passages from his writings. Donald S. Lopez Jr. also provides a commentary that sheds light on the doctrinal context of the Adornment and summarizes its key arguments. Ultimately, Lopez examines the long-standing debate over whether Gendun Chopel in fact is the author of the Adornment; the heated critical response to the work byTibetan monks of the Dalai Lama’s sect; and what the Adornment tells us about Tibetan Buddhism ’s encounter with modernity. The result is an insightful glimpse into a provocative and enigmatic work that will be of great interest to anyone seriously interested inBuddhism or Asian religions.

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Socially Engaged Buddhism - Sallie B. King

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:46:00 +0000

Socially Engaged Buddhism - Sallie B. King
"Socially Engaged Buddhism" is an introduction to the contemporary movement of Buddhists, East and West, who actively engage with the problems of the world - social, political, economic, and environmental - on the basis of Buddhist ideas, values, and spirituality. Sallie B. King, one of North America's foremost experts on the subject, identifies in accessible language the philosophical and ethical thinking behind the movement and examines how key principles such as karma, the Four Noble Truths, interdependence, nonharmfulness, and nonjudgmentalism relate to social engagement. Many people believe that Buddhists focus exclusively on spiritual attainment. Professor King examines why Engaged Buddhists involve themselves with the problems of the world and how they reconcile this involvement with the Buddhist teaching of nonattachment from worldly things. Engaged Buddhists, she answers, point out that because the root of human suffering is in the mind, not the world, the pursuit of enlightenment does not require a turning away from the world. Working to reduce suffering in humans, living things, and the planet is integral to spiritual practice and leads to selflessness and compassion. "Socially Engaged Buddhism" is a sustained reflection on social action as a form of spirituality expressed in acts of compassion, grassroots empowerment, nonjudgmentalism, and nonviolence. It offers an inspiring example of how one might work for solutions to the troubles that threaten the peace and well-being of our planet and its people.

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Heart Sutra - Prajna Paramita Hrdaya Sutram - Imee Ooi

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:43:00 +0000

Heart Sutra - Prajna Paramita Hrdaya Sutram - Imee Ooi
The Heart Sutra appears to refer to the use of perfect wisdom (prajnaparamita) to cleanse error from the heart (hridaya)...

The Heart Sutra (Prajnaparamita) is one of the most universal Buddhist chants in the world. It is a classic chant recited among both the Mahayana, Zen and Vajrayana/Tibetan Buddhists. This is powerful chants, especially when played/chanted around the full moon, new moon and for uplifting the heart. Pali narration.

The Prajnaparamita Hrdaya Sutram 1
The Prajnaparamita Hrdaya Sutram 2
The Prajnaparamita Hrdaya Sutram 3

Unmistaken Child (2008)

thegreenbuddhist@gmail.com (Leaf Dharma) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:22:00 +0000

Unmistaken Child (2008)
The Buddhist concept of reincarnation, while both mysterious and enchanting, is hard for most westerners to grasp. UNMISTAKEN CHILD follows the four-year search for the reincarnation of Lama Konchog, a world-renowned Tibetan master who passed away in 2001 at age 84. The Dalai Lama charges the deceased monk’s devoted disciple, Tenzin Zopa (who had been in his service since the age of seven), to search for his master’s reincarnation.

Tenzin sets off on this unforgettable quest on foot, mule and even helicopter, through breathtaking landscapes and remote traditional Tibetan villages. Along the way, Tenzin listens to stories about young children with special characteristics, and performs rarely seen ritualistic tests designed to determine the likelihood of reincarnation. He eventually presents the child he believes to be his reincarnated master to the Dalai Lama so that he can make the final decision.

Stunningly shot, UNMISTAKEN CHILD is a beguiling, surprising, touching, even humorous experience.

Mininova

English Subtitles