About.com Buddhism

Religion in Japan: Mistranslations and Manga

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:42:20 +0000

Recently Ichiro Ozawa, secretary general of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, made a speech that, translated into English, seemed to insult Christians by calling them "self-righteous," contrasted with the more "magnanimous" nature of Buddhism. The speech was delivered on Mount Koya, birthplace of the Japanese Buddhist school of Shingon.

At Japan Times, Roger Pulvers explains that many nuances of Japanese were lost in translation into English that made the speech seem harsher than it really was (although the speech was still mostly a pile of "shallow generalities," Pulvers says).� From there, Pulvers discusses the roles that religions have played in Japan since the 1930s. In the case of Buddhism, that role was not always beneficial. Some of you might find Pulvers's commentary as interesting as I did.

Another news tidbit from Japan -- the Ryohoji temple of Tokyo has launched a promotion featuring manga to draw more visitors to the temple. This weekend the temple set up tents and opened a temporary cafe, staffed by young women in popular manga role-playing costumes. The temple is also selling 500 yen ($5) cards with cartoon characters that allow one to download a video to a mobile phone of the Ryohoji chief monk chanting prayers.

Religion in Japan: Mistranslations and Manga originally appeared on About.com Buddhism on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at 10:42:20.

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Being Lamps Unto Ourselves

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:29:13 +0000

I finally worked up the nerve to write an introduction to the Heart Sutra -- a very brief, beginner-level introduction. I recall that I had committed the sutra to memory before anyone explained any part of it to me. I hate to think how long it took for me to figure out who that guy "Shariputra" was.

The Heart Sutra is part of the much larger Prajnaparamita (perfection of wisdom) Sutra, which is a collection of about 40 sutras. Various legends claim these sutras were spoken by the historical Buddha and lost to mankind for centuries. According to one story I've heard, the sutras were guarded by nagas in an undersea cave and then entrusted to the sage Nagarjuna.

However, historians say the prajna sutras were composed by several authors between 100 BCE and 500 CE, as were most of the Mahayana sutras. Reference books don't all agree, but generally historians seem to think the Lotus and� Vimalakirti sutras were composed around 200 CE, and the Diamond Sutra about 400 CE. The vast Flower Garland (Avatamsaka) probably took at least a couple of centuries to write, beginning no earlier than the 1st century CE. And so on.

Being Lamps Unto Ourselves originally appeared on About.com Buddhism on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 00:29:13.

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When Monks Attack: Anti-Christian Violence in Asia

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:42:22 +0000

A few days ago some photos popped up on the Web that allegedly shows Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka attacking a Christian church. I can't tell what they're doing from the photos, but eyewitness accounts say that protesters threw stones and petroleum bombs at the church after two women died at an evangelical faith healing service.

No one was hurt, and the local Buddhist temple denies any involvement. But this episode points to an increase in violence against Christian churches in Asia. The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka complained in 2004 that more than 140 churches had been forced to close because of attacks, intimidation and threats.

When Monks Attack: Anti-Christian Violence in Asia originally appeared on About.com Buddhism on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 10:42:22.

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Virtual Dharma War

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:22:37 +0000

At Tricycle, Zenshin Michael Haederle writes about online bickering among Buddhists. In particular, there have been a few online flame wars that involved Buddhist teachers. For example, a couple of Zen teachers used their blogs to challenge each others' teaching credentials. Sad.

[Update: See Jaime McLeod's comment that Haederle misrepresented this specific situation.]

Anyone who has ever participated in online discussions has seen them melt down into nasty personal attacks. Buddhist online discussions seem about as likely to do this as any other, unfortunately. Online culture can be so nasty I think some people throw in insults because they think it's expected.

Virtual Dharma War originally appeared on About.com Buddhism on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 00:22:37.

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Shaolin Temple Website Hacked

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:49:17 +0000

Twice this month, critics of Shi Yongxin, the abbot of China's fabled Shaolin Temple, have hacked the temple's website. The critics accuse the abbot of running a commercial enterprise instead of a Buddhist temple.

Shaolin, first built in the 5th century CE,� is thought to be the birthplace of Chinese Kung Fu as well as Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism. The temple was sacked in the late 1960s during the Cultural Revolution, but martial arts clubs around the world donated money to bring it back to life. Critics complain today's Shaolin is more a commercial enterprise than a temple, and that the abbot is more interested in promoting tourism, books, films, television programs and affiliate "temples" than in spiritual practice.

Shaolin Temple Website Hacked originally appeared on About.com Buddhism on Sunday, November 15th, 2009 at 22:49:17.

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I'm Off to Sesshin

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:06:15 +0000

I'll be on retreat until Sunday night. In the meantime, please check out the Buddhism forum!

Also, check out "Cultivating Her Faith" by Zen T.C. Zheng in the Houston Chronicle. It's a profile of the Rev. Myokei Caine-Barrett, the first woman Nichiren Shu priest in North America.

I'm Off to Sesshin originally appeared on About.com Buddhism on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 06:06:15.

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Walking Away From Buddhism

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:24:26 +0000

Every now and then I trip over an article about Buddhism in which someone says he or she "tried" Buddhism and rejected it. Almost inevitably the article reveals that the writer's understanding of Buddhism is laughably superficial.

I found a good example of the "rejection of Buddhism" genre today. The author, whose name is Jake Shannon, at least has read Walpola Rahula's What the Buddha Taught and has a little cognitive understanding of some basic teachings. But Shannon makes the tiresomely common misunderstanding that anatta is a teaching of non-existence.

He writes, "To the Buddha, the self or Atman (ego) was an ever-changing composite of the Five Aggregates, namely matter sensations, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. For Buddha, since these five composites were in flux, they somehow ceased to exist."

Walking Away From Buddhism originally appeared on About.com Buddhism on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 10:24:26.

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Meditation and Gamma Waves

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:33:37 +0000

The Irish Medical Times reports that Professor Billy O'Connor, a neuroscientist, is the new Professor of Physiology at the new Graduate Entry Medical School (GEMS) at the University of Limerick. The article about Professor O'Connor reports that "experiments on Tibetan Buddhist monks have shown a correlation between transcendental mental states and gamma waves."

I don't know about "transcendental" mental states, but gamma waves are brain waves associated with perception and consciousness.

Neuroscience tells us the brain is plastic, Professor O'Connor says.� It is constantly re-wiring itself. Your brain is a work in progress. "We have a constantly changing brain in a constantly changing world." So meditate away; it's good for your brain.

Meditation and Gamma Waves originally appeared on About.com Buddhism on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 11:33:37.

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Finding a Buddhist Teacher

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:39:59 +0000

At Shambhala Sun, Karen Maezen Miller has some great advice for finding a teacher. Here are some highlights:

"Teachers can be charming, entertaining and provocative, but if you choose based on anything other than the vigor and authenticity of their practice, you will surely be misled."

Most of us seek out teachers because we're looking for someone to give us something we think we don't have. Second-rate teachers and charlatans encourage their followers to think that way.� My first teacher, the late John Daido Loori, used to tell us he had nothing to give us. But Daido was a walking manifestation of vigorous practice. Daido was a great teacher.

"Choose a teacher who has time for you and a practice center you can get to, or your spiritual life might be little more than intellectual tourism."

Finding a Buddhist Teacher originally appeared on About.com Buddhism on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 19:39:59.

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Buddhist Doctrines vs. Dogmas

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:20:38 +0000

I cringed a bit when I stumbled onto a religion forum discussing the proposition "Buddhism is compatible with any other religious belief: Why or why not?"� However, most of the responses are well informed, I thought. I especially liked this response (and the LOLcat signature line).

Several of the commenters emphasize the role of dogma in the Abrahamic religions and observe that Buddhism generally is "softer" about doctrines, letting people come to their own understanding of many issues. This is generally true, but I think it's important to remind ourselves why it is true.

Buddhist Doctrines vs. Dogmas originally appeared on About.com Buddhism on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 15:20:38.

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