Thursday, March 8, 2012

Buddhism on NPR (National Public Radio)



Swayambhunath Stupa, Kathmandu, Nepal (PraTeekdahal/Flickr.com); line of 24 previous buddhas Burmese-style (Sandrotto/Flickr.com)

Buddhism and the Zen of Punk Rock

(Day to Day, Anil Mundra) - Buddhism is finding a large following among fans of punk rock. Dharma Punx is Jack Kornfield's student Noah Levine's brainchild with a franchise of Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Societies across the country. Buddhism and punk rock have many things in common, for example, both running counter to the way of the world.
Is the Dalai Lama playing a dangerous game?

(All Things Considered, Corey Flintoff) The Dalai Lama shocked the Buddhist world [and officially atheist China with its one billion uncounted Buddhists] when he announced that he was giving up his political powers as head of the Tibetan government.
Buddhism and Science: Promise and Perils
(13.7 Cosmos and Culture, Adam Frank) - The problem with including Buddhism in the mix of our discussions of Science and Religion is that its most visible public entrance into the debate... The real place for Buddhism and Science to begin their discussions is the nature of the mind. After all, Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha, claimed to have found a way out of the suffering humans are heir to and his prescription was centered exactly and explicitly on an investigation of Mind. For 2,500 years the various Buddhist practices from Vipassana in Thailand to Zen in Japan have focused on a direct observation of, and investigation into, consciousness.

Rehabilitation through Zen drumming inTaiwan
(Associated Press via NPR) - Taiwan's U-Theatre Ensemble of drummers and Chinese operatic dancers leverage the spirituality of Zen Buddhism and Tai Chi Chuan exercises...

Brit Hume still under fire for Christianity vs. Buddhism
(Tell Me More) - [It has been more] than a week since Fox News Channel's Brit Hume gave disgraced golfer Tiger Woods advice that essentially urged him to ditch Buddhism and find...
Beijing finds common cause with Chinese Buddhists

(All Things Considered, Louisa Lim) - In particular, it has bolstered support for Buddhism, which provides needed charity work and financial aid -- and also serves as a counterweight to...
Brit Hume to Tiger Woods: Drop Buddha, Try Jesus
(Tell Me More) - Brit Hume suggested that amidst the Tiger Woods scandal, that Tiger should look toward Christianity for redemption rather Buddhism....
Deaths overwhelm Japanese burial process
(Talk of the Nation) - Japan is a largely secular country, but rituals of [pre-Buddhist] Shinto and Buddhism are important to many in Japan.

PULSE
(Pulse by Julian Barnes) - “Are you saying it's Buddhist to forget who you slept with?” “It could be.” “I thought Buddhism was about things coming round again in different lives...” A volume of fourteen stories about loss, friendship, and longing includes the tales of a recently divorced real-estate agent who invades a reticent girlfriend's privacy, a couple that meets over an illicit cigarette, and a widower who struggles to let go of grief. Read excerpt

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