American Buddhist Net

The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin joined the Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker this morning at 0700 Hours (Sydney time). Both Sea Shepherd ships are now on the tail of the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru.

The Japanese fleet was running fast to the Northeast not knowing that the Steve Irwin was on a course of Southwest coming directly for them. With the fleet doing 15 knots, and the Steve Irwin doing 15 knots, the Steve Irwin and the whaling fleet closed the gap at 30 knots cutting the rendezvous time in half.

The Steve Irwin sat motionless by an iceberg for two hours at a distance of thirty miles to allow the Nisshin Maru to continue towards it. At a distance of only three miles, the Steve Irwin got underway and intercepted the Nisshin Maru.

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As part of the Morality Revival Project by the abbot of the Dhammakaya temple in Thailand, a mass ordination of 100,000 monks was organized. The objective is to strengthen ethics and improve morality by allowing 100,000 men to be true monks for 49 days. The mass ordination was hosted by the Dhammakaya Temple and 330 other temples from all over Thailand. Pathum Thani, Thailand. 06/02/2010.

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This article is the first of two comparing findings of studies of advanced practitioners of Tibetan Buddhist meditation in remote regions of the Himalayas, with established results on long-term practitioners of the Transcendental Meditation programs. Many parallel levels of improvement were found, in sensory acuity, perceptual style and cognitive function, indicating stabilization of aspects of attentional awareness. Together with observed increases in EEG coherence and aspects of brain function, such changes are consistent with growth towards a state of total brain functioning, i.e. development of full mental potential. They are usually accompanied by improved health parameters. How they may be seen to be consistent with growth of enlightenment will be the subject of a second article.

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Taipei - Taiwanese Buddhists packed relief materials for Haiti earthquake survivors Sunday, while other civic groups were seeking donations and sending medical teams to the Caribbean nation.

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The Palmview child returned fire after being wounded by the intruder

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Put this under "Buddhist practice" because this little man defended his mom and himself and shot back only after he was hit and only after they had retreated to the bedroom. ABN

...“Buddhism is more about human emotions. In the course of that exploration, it will become obvious that most disturbances are stimulated not by external causes but by such internal events as the arising of disturbing emotions. The best antidote to these sources of disruption will come about through enhancing our ability to handle these emotions ourselves. Eventually we need to develop an awareness that provides the ways and means to overcome negative, disturbing emotions ourselves,” added Dalai Lama.

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Though his tribal land is worth an estimated $5 billion, an Aboriginal man refuses to sell it, instead keeping it as a legacy for his family.

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Respect. ABN

The publication of Buddhist Warfare, a book I co-edited with Mark Juergensmeyer, is a bittersweet experience as it marks the culmination of a journey that began with an exploration of the peaceful aspects of Buddhism only to end up chronicling portions of its dark side. This journey, which consumed much of the last six years of my life, began in 2003 when my wife and I spent a little over a year in Thailand. It was then that I began to research Buddhist social activism which was going to be the topic of my dissertation.

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Upaya Zen Center is posting an outstanding series of podcasts (14 in all) featuring Stephen and Martine Batchelor speaking on "Godless Religion or Devout Atheism?"

Stephen Batchelor is well-known, and perhaps infamous, for his book Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening. I am a tremendous fan of his modern approach to Buddhist practice. Each new culture that adopts Buddhism has adapted the teachings to make sense within its individual context.

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Here is the second installment of the Stephen and Martine Batchelor podcast series, parts 5-9.

Here are the final five parts of this cool series from Upaya Zen Center.

Bodh Gaya, Jan. 6: Hands folded, the Dalai Lama thanked China. It made the Chinese cry.

The Tibetan spiritual leader today “humbly” paid his “gratitude” to China, turning a yearly peace lecture into an appeal to win over enemy hearts as he reached out to the country that has dismissed his freedom struggle as a separatist movement.

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Dolphins have been declared the world’s second most intelligent creatures after humans, with scientists suggesting they are so bright that they should be treated as “non-human persons”.

Studies into dolphin behaviour have highlighted how similar their communications are to those of humans and that they are brighter than chimpanzees. These have been backed up by anatomical research showing that dolphin brains have many key features associated with high intelligence.

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The forest monks of Wat Nong Pah Pong want the Council of Elders and the Office of National Buddhism to impose stricter controls on Western monks to stop them from ordaining women.

They also want the properties of Thai temples in the West to come under the ownership of the Thai Sangha to ensure complete control.

The monks are seeking the changes after the recent ordination of two women at Bodhinyana Temple, a branch of Wat Nong Pah Pong in Perth, Australia.

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...Marker, a Buddhist, decided to redirect his mission: donating computers to the Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries, the Queens Galley soup kitchen and other charities in Kingston.

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Facing homelessness, fighting addiction, waiting to hit bottom.

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This is an interesting story, with a Buddhist happy-ending-transition. I think a good many Americans are like this; maybe the contrast is not so stark, but the underlying theme is sort of similar. ABN

Tibetan Buddhist Retreats California
Click here for more info: Tibetan Buddhist Retreats California

I took a 3 month leave off of work due to overwork, burn-out and depression. I have been trying to find a spiritual path for some years now, but due to lack of time, have never had a chance to fully focus on it. Now that I have the time, I really want to take advantage of it, and I have a high interest in learning more about Tibetan Buddhism from an experienced teacher...

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In an unprecedented historical act, Ajahn Brahm (full name: Ajahn Brahmavamso), a senior monk in the Thai Forest Tradition of Theravadin Buddhism, conducted a full ordination at his Australian monastery for a group of four nuns to make them Bhikkunis, the highest level of Buddhist monastics that women can attain. The ordination is undoubtedly a huge move towards re-establishing the extinguished lineage of full female monastics in the oldest of the Buddhist traditions, but at the same time the controversy that it has sparked has served to illuminate how much work remains to be done within the fight for gender equity in Theravadin monastic communities.

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LACHLAN Edwards, 15, had already rescued one man when he swam straight back into the rip at Point Impossible on the weekend to save a drowning woman.

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...Sergeant Munley bolted from her car and shot at Major Hasan. He turned toward her and began to fire. She ran toward him, continuing to fire, and both she and the gunmen went down with several bullet wounds, Mr. Medley said.

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with Lama Ole Nydahl
San Diego, California
November 25-29, 2009

The practice of Phowa, or conscious dying, is Buddhism's most direct response to the issue of death. Phowa belongs to the set of practices traditionally reserved for those who completed many years of training. Thus, it has been inaccessible except to be received as a final help for the passage from one life to another. Since Tibetan Buddhism has appeared in the western world, Phowa has became available to any Buddhist practitioner though the efforts of teachers who have mastered this traditional practice.

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We generally do not post links to events that are expensive; these fees seem reasonable. ABN

TAIPEI (Reuters Life!) - A plastic bottle thrown into a Taipei recycling bin could be reincarnated as a blanket to warm disaster victims in any of 20 countries, thanks to a unique project by the world's largest Buddhist charity.

The Taiwan Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation has been taking plastic bottles from the waste stream of Taipei, a city of 2.6 million, for three years to convert them into about 244,000 polyester blankets intended for disaster zones.

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In Buddhist teachings, the four Brahmaviharas, translated as the Immeasurables, Divine Abodes, or Divine Abidings are: metta or loving-kindness, karuna or compassion, mudita or sympathetic joy, and upeksha or equanimity. These are not just emotions we may or may not feel; they are states that we cultivate on our journey to being truly awakened.

...Although each of these states is a mark of wakefulness and evolving, each can be confused with a condition that mimics the true state, but actually arises out of fear, and is aptly referred to as a ‘near enemy’.

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A three-month-old Macaque monkey rides on the back of a temple dog called Tan, inside Tung Luang Buddhist temple in Thailand's Chiang Mai province.

The orphaned baby monkey has been adopted by Buddhist monks after its mother was shot dead by a hunter.

Tan has befriended it and even shares his food with the orphan.

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First Aired: 9/21/2009
109 minutes

In this presentation at UCSB, His Holiness the Dalai Lama turns to one of his favorite themes: the importance of compassion. Far from being a uniquely Buddhist concern, the Dalai Lama explains why caring for others can be the basis for a rich and rewarding life for all people.

I am a college student, and consider myself a Pure Land Buddhist. I want to improve myself little by little according to the buddhist doctrine, and ideally, what I really want to do is eventually join a monestary. But I have decided that I should finish my education before I even consider leaving the materialistic world. In the mean time, I am not sure how best to express my faith. I know what I believe, but some things are difficult to do.

I love fashion, and expensive things. I also love make-up, and when I put these things on and straighten my hair I feel beautiful. I like feeling beautiful. When I don't feel beautiful, I feel ashamed, and I feel that I will never find love. But these things all conflict with my beliefs.

Should I give up vanity? I don't like this conflict inside my heart. I want to shave my head, and give up fashion, but I worry that this is too drastic. I'm not a nun yet. Should I follow my beliefs to the letter, or wait?

Right on time for the somber eighth anniversary of the Afghanistan war and occupation, Code Pink founder and primary spokeswoman Medea Benjamin has announced that her organization – which made so many headlines and newscasts protesting "Bush’s war" – is now "rethinking" their position on Afghanistan. A piece in the Christian Science Monitor, which Code Pink is now strenuously trying to spin, reports that the famous antiwar group is seriously amending their position after listening to the views of Afghan women. On a recent trip to Afghanistan, the leaders of Code Pink met Afghan women who opposed the idea of a US withdrawal, and this somehow forced them into a reevaluation of their views.

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Benjamin's position betrays a profound disrespect for the very people she purports to be defending, the women of Afghanistan. I hope she publicly admits that she has been duped and returns to her roots as a real anti-war activist, rather than clinging stubbornly to this disgraceful position and trying to squirm out of the implications of it. If she doesn't do this, I hope she will at least have the decency to step down quietly and relinquish her position to someone more reasonable, because her time is obviously up. Medea, if this is about pride...it's OKAY that you said something stupid! We all do it! Just because you said it doesn't mean you have to own it for the rest of eternity! Please don't allow your group to be twisted into its opposite. Robyn