Science, religion and politics have converged on some hot-button issues in the U.S. Scientists, politicians and clergy are butting heads on such matters as teaching evolution in public schools and ... Read More

Buddhist temple in Thailand is offering instant rebirth, for a fee. People line up every day to climb into big, pink coffins. Monks chant over them, and they climb out, ... Read More

Thich Nhat Hanh said, "When we have a toothache, we know that not having a toothache is happiness. But later, when we don't have a toothache, we don't treasure our ... Read More

Today an explosion that may have been a bomb rocked Yangon, Burma (Myanmar), between Sule Pagoda and Yangon City Hall. Four people were injured, according to a shopkeeper. Many assume a ... Read More

Researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research have learned that walnut trees medicate themselves when stressed. What stresses trees? you ask. Drought, pollution, unseasonable temperatures. That sort of thing. ... Read More

The Washington Post's "On Faith" site today features an online panel discussion on morality and finance. The questions before the panel: "Are the economy's recent financial failures also moral failures? ... Read More

English rugby star Jonny Wilkinson says he found happiness through quantum physics and Buddhism. In a new book, the 29-year-old inside center (I believe that's right) for the Newcastle Falcons ... Read More

This post at the blog Philosopher's Playground considers the problem of terminology and identity. C. Ewing writes, Assuming that we use the simple "a painter is one who paints" definition, which ... Read More

Only 0.7 percent of American adults are Buddhists, so I don't expect Buddhism-specific concerns to be listed on the party's platforms. Nor am I aware of any polls, scientific or ... Read More

The devastation of Hurricane Ike left thousands of heads of cattle, horses, pets and wild animals stranded and in danger. At MSNBC, Mike Stuckey describes the work of compassionate people ... Read More

Does Buddhism play a role in making your political decisions? How much?

I'm planning a feature article on economic issues viewed from a Buddhist perspective, but in light of today's front-page stories about failing financial institutions I'm posting a few of my ... Read More

Today the satellite channel Link TV is showing "Tibet: Beyond Fear," a documentary Neal Genzlinger of the New York Times calls "advocacy filmmaking at its most brazen." The documentary ... Read More

A dharani is a chant that is something like a mantra, only longer, and something like a sutra, only shorter. Some dharanis can be translated, but some are, I ... Read More

I was in lower Manhattan on 9/11. I didn’t do anything brave. I was out of the danger zone, in a high-rise office building just over a mile north of ... Read More

The body of Thubten Jigme Norbu, eldest brother of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is being cremated today in Bloomington, Indiana. Norbu, known to Tibetan Buddhists as Taktser Rinpoche, died ... Read More

Reuters reports that a team of archaeologists has unearthed a large reclining Buddha in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, near the ruins of the two large standing Buddhas destroyed in 2001 by the ... Read More

Yesterday, in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," Sen. Joe Biden said, "I’m prepared as a matter of faith to accept that life begins at the moment of conception.” ... Read More

Here's a big shout-out to the Kansas City sangha, which has organized a week of programs and activities to raise awareness of Buddhism in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Activities ... Read More

A year ago, Buddhist monks drew the attention of the world by leading massive demonstrations against the government of Burma. Tens of thousands of monks took to the streets, ... Read More

In August 2007, the government of Burma (Myanmar) steeply raised the price of gas. As a result, costs for transportation and food staples also increased sharply. Pro-democracy activists began to ... Read More

If you haven't overdosed on politics news lately, or maybe even if you have, I recommend RJ Eskow's "Election Returns: The Politics of Karma, the Karma of Politics" in the ... Read More