Merry Christmas from Buddha Santa!!

I hope you all had a peaceful, serene day.Today on Christmas I was thinking about Jesus and how in the Buddhist tradition he would probably be a Bodhisattva, and that is exactly how I see him--a great, wise and wonderfully compassionate teacher. Or perhaps a Buddha. It's another way for me to feel apart of the season with my Christians brothers and sisters. It's a time to celebrate common ideals such a peace on Earth and good will toward every man, woman and child.He did so much for the poor and...

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A Cheerful Belated Winter Solstice Wish to my Pagan Friends!!

So yesterday was the official day of celebration for Winter Solstice. I apologize for missing the specific date but I wanted to pass on my well wishes to all those who celebrate this wonderful, peaceful, accepting holiday/tradition. I didn't know much about the celebration so I did some studying for this post. I hope you find some things in this short essay that you didn't know before and find a new respect for a great holiday with a long, proud history.May the year to come bring many happy days...

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New Jersey Abolishes Death Penalty

TRENTON, N.J., USA (AP) — Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed into law Monday a measure that abolishes the death penalty, making New Jersey the first state in more than four decades to reject capital punishment.The bill, approved last week by the state's Assembly and Senate, replaces the death sentence with life in prison without parole."This is a day of progress for us and for the millions of people across our nation and around the globe who reject the death penalty as a moral or practical response to the...

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Blending Christmas with Winter Solstice and Bodhi Day (Rohatsu).

First let me say Happy Bodhi Day to all. This is the day that we not only celebrate the enlightenment of Buddha but the birth of Buddhism as well. In the west it is a time dominated by the Christian holiday celebrating the birth of their savior, Jesus Christ. For many Western Buddhists this can be a time of isolation feeling disconnected from society which brings us suffering. Anytime that we feel we are not apart of all things (interconnection) we will most always feel some sort of emotional distress:...

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My Father's Stroke Emergency

I'm very shaken right now. I just got off the phone with my mother and it turns out that my father had a mini-stroke last night!! I'm on the verge of tears here as I type this out because my dad and I hadn't had the best relationship when I was growing but now (in the past decade) we've really become close and have become real friends and tight buddies. We see each other twice a week and I'm am so thankful that I have had this time with him.Apparently he went into the middle bedroom in their house...

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Reflections on Meat by a Buddhist Vegetarian

As some of you know, I am a vegetarian and have been for 3 years this past August. It has been interesting to watch my perceptions about meat change over this period of time. At first and for the first two years I didn't really feel sickened when I smelled cooking meat but now I do from time to time. I also sometimes have a hard time looking at raw meat or cooking meat without feeling horrified as if I was looking at human flesh.The main reason that I decided to become vegetarian was from an immense...

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Heading South for Thanksgiving

Some of my family plus my wife and I are going down to Florida to visit the Disney World amusement theme park over the American Thanksgiving holiday. I haven't been to Disney World since I was a child and I am really looking forward to wearing some shorts in November (it's usually quite cold here where I live in November whereas down in Florida, USA it will be a balmy 78 degrees--about 26 celsius--). I am also excited to ride the rides and just act like a kid again. Should be a nice break. I'll...

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Buddhism and Secular Humanism

I am one of those "Western Buddhists" who is also a secular humanist. So what exactly is secular humanism you ask? Well, this post will be my attempt to answer that question and show how my interpretation of Buddhism fits into it.Humanism is often described as a philosophical system/way of life that emphasizes reason, ethics and justice and specifically rejects the supernatural. In this regard I do not believe in the supernatural reality of Bodhisattvas as I can not confirm their existence via reasonable,...

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Introducing, The Enlightenment Visa Card!!!

Because nothing says Buddhism like materialism and accruing debt.I'm a little late on this but what great news!!! Here I was wasting hours and hours meditating to realize enlightenment and now I can just buy a piece of the Nirvana pie at a mere 15% APR!! Now I have an enlightened way to buy my Zen liqueur!!The late fee for past due payments is $25 which is apparently this credit cards version of accruing less skillful karma. If you keep missing payments then you will be reborn as a "credit liability."...

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Buddhism and Sin

The Buddhist challenge to conventional Western notions of spirituality illuminates the way we set flesh and spirit at war with each other. In Buddhism there is no original sin.Although noticing how we express our sexuality can certainly lead to an awareness of right conduct, the flesh is not regarded as representing a corruption or punishment of any kind, nor as an obstacle to the attainment of enlightenment. The root of human suffering is not sin, but our confusion about ego. We suffer because...

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My Teachers, the Leaves

The last few weeks have been very difficult for me and my wife. Things have been very stressful with a lot of problems swirling around our minds from financial problems due to my schizo-affective illness, Medicare dropping my insurance plan and trouble with my medications. I have found myself having bad reactions to my new medicine, Wellbutrin. It has been making me too stimulated and left me bordering on full blown mania. I have been quick to anger while taking it, to the point of being enraged...

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Meditation and Distractions

The purpose of meditation is not to concentrate on the breath without intetrruption, forever. That by itself would be a useless goal. The purpose of meditation is not to achieve a perfectly still and serene mind. Although a lovely state, it doesn't lead to liberation by itself. The purpose of meditation is to achieve uninterrupted mindfulness. Mindfulness, and only mindfulness, produces Enlightenment. Distractions come in all sizes, shapes, and flavors. Buddhist philosophy has organized them...

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Christians Protest Buddhist Display at City Hall meant to Promote Dalai Lama Visit

In Bloomington, Indiana in the United States of America the city hall has a display featuring Buddhist culture and art to promote an upcoming visit by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In response, some Christians from the area are protesting the display claiming that it promotes one religion over another. They protested by placing a display of the Christian ten commandments at the city hall."I read a brief statement on the importance of the Ten Commandments being the bedrock on which our city and nation's...

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Reasons Why Buddhist Monks Wear Robes and ShaveTheir Heads

I received a comment asking what the symbolism is of the robes that Buddhist monks wear and I put together a response from some research. I decided to make a post out of it for others who might be interested in the query. If anyone else has something to add, feel free to post it in the comments.For the most part the robes of the monks depended on the dye that was available in the region. And then tradition just kept those different colors. And it also helps distinguish which sect/tradition/school...

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Dalai Lama to Receive Honor in America Today

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will receive the Congressional Gold Medal--America's highest civilian honor--in a ceremony today. It is to be awarded to him in recognition of his contributions to peace, non-violence, human rights and religious understanding. Predictably China is angry over the award to which the Tibetan Buddhist monk replied with a laugh, "That always happens."His playful attitude continued when a reporter asked him if he had a message for Chinese President Hu Jintao, he patted the...

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The Reincarnationist

I was recently contacted by critically acclaimed author M. J. Rose regarding her newest novel, The Reincarnationist. Rose has been interested in Eastern philosophy and especially reincarnation since her early years and has now written a book of fiction surrounding many of those ideas.The Reincarnationist has received star reviews from Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, was chosen as a Booksense pick and has received rave reviews from People Magazine, The Chicago Sun Times and more. And so, without...

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Boycott the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Plus an Update on Burma.

WARNING: This video contains images that might be disturbing to some viewers.CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEOI was greatly disappointed in the International Olympic Committee when it announced that it was selecting Beijing, China to host the 2008 summer Olympic games. I enjoy watching the world come together in seeing the best of the best compete, however, I do not like the idea that this will come at the expense of oppression, torture and other human rights violations.My first solution would be to...

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Faith in America: Buddhism in the Heartland

In America we have the NBC Nightly News organization with journalist Brian Williams. This past week they've been running a series titled, "Faith in America" and this past Friday the segment was on Buddhism in the heartland of America. There isn't a lot of discussion in America by the media or elsewhere regarding Buddhism. The religious discussion usually focuses on Christianity and/or the other monotheistic religions, Islam and Judaism. Click on the link below to see the video. There is a brief...

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Taking Refuge in the Buddha

NOTE: I am not a Dharma teacher, a "guru" or Buddhist master but am a simple lay person and the following thoughts are mine and mine alone. I firmly believe that we must work out what we believe for ourselves. That being said, it can be helpful to hear other peoples' opinions and it is my hope that this post will do that to some degree. Please, do not take it as some kind of dogma or doctrine, it is simply my understanding of one aspect of Buddhism.We constantly hear about taking refuge in the Buddha...

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International Bloggers Day for Burma 2007

If you are thinking about buying rubies, may I suggest you refrain. Ninety percent of the world's rubies come from the junta led government in Burma.$750 million dollars a year worth and it all goes to the generals. However that statistic is probably low. The red color of the rubies is a horrible symbol of the blood shed to obtain them. They are quite literally, "Blood Rubies."~Peace to Bur...

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Burma's Silent Protests and Smuggled Video Appears

Burmese Launch Silent Protest: YANGON, Myanmar - A growing number of citizens in Myanmar's largest city are shutting off the government-run nightly newscast, trying to send the subtle message to authorities that they are tired of listening to their propaganda, residents said Tuesday.Most are switching off the news for the first 15 minutes of the hour-long broadcast, while some also are shutting off all the lights in their homes. It was unclear how many people participated in...

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Meditation and Nausea with an Update on the Situation in Burma

I've been feeling nauseous lately and today I'm feeling it again. I didn't feel up to meditating this morning because of my stomach but I thought that it might help despite feeling like it was the last activity I wanted to engage in. I tend to heat up when I meditate which doesn't help calm my stomach in the least so I took off my socks to release some energy and began to breath deeply from my stomach.I did a relaxation meditation for the first ten minutes focusing my breath and mind upon each section...

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