Monday, September 14, 2009

Buddhist News of the Day


Dalai Lama on 9/1/09, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (AP/Chiang Ying-ying); Matina Shakya, 4, the Living Goddess Kumari Devi, carried during the Indrajatra festival in Kathmandu, Nepal on 9/8/09). The practice of worshipping an ordinary pre-pubescent girl as a source of supreme power has been an integral part of both Hinduism and Buddhism, a tradition which continues to this day. The country's new Maoist-led coalition has allowed the centuries-old ritual to continue (Reuters/Gopal Chitrakar). Photos
Buddhist Chaplain Prepares For Deployment
Thomas Dyer is preparing to deploy with the Tennessean National Guardsman as the Army's first Buddhist chaplain. Dyer, a former Southern Baptist minister, says he was drawn to Buddhism through meditation and explains how he will apply the principles of his faith as a spiritual counselor for the troops (NPR, 9/11/09).

Enlightened art: Buddhism comes to life at Ringling's "Paths to Paradise" exhibit
A study of the depictions of Buddha vary by the cultures that first embraced him (St. Petersburg Times, 9/12/09).

Obama adviser, officials meet with Dalai Lama in Dharamshala
A senior adviser to President Barack Obama and two other U.S. officials met with the Dalai Lama at his headquarters in Dharamshala, India, before the Tibetan spiritual leader visits the U.S. next month (Bloomberg, 9/14/09)

TG presents World Tipitaka Edition in Roman Script to Buddhist Federation in Norway
Thai Airways Public Company Limited Chairman of the Executive Board Committee Wallop Bhukkanasut presided over the presentation of a 40-volume “World Tipitaka Edition in Roman Script” to Mr. (Thaipr.net, 9/14/09).

Tyler Cowen on the Implications of Autism

  • [Cowen] takes a lesson from Buddhism, which stresses the fleeting character of our concepts. "Most fundamentally, Buddhist philosophy is suspicious of complex forms of mental ordering and that is where Buddhism parts company with autism" (p.94).