An author owns a snappy title, and then the snappy title owns the author. Robert Wright, having titled his new book Why Buddhism Is True, has to offer a throat-clearing preface and later an apologetic appendix, in order to explain exactly what he means by Buddhism and exactly what he means by true, while the totality of his book is an investigation into why we think there are whys in the world, and whether or not anything really is. Wright sets out to provide an unabashedly American answer to all these questions. He thinks that Buddhism is true in the immediate sense that it is helpful and therapeutic, and, by offering insights into our habitual thoughts and cravings, shows us how to fix them. Being Buddhistthat is, simply practicing Vipassana, or insight meditationwill make you feel better about being alive, he believes, and he shows how you can and why it does.

Wrights is a Buddhism almost completely cleansed of supernaturalism. His Buddha is conceived as a wise man and self-help psychologist, not as a divine beingno miraculous birth, no thirty-two distinguishing marks of the godhead (one being a penis sheath), no reincarnation. This is a pragmatic Buddhism, and Wrights pragmatism, as in his previous books, can touch the edge of philistinism. Nearly all popular books about Buddhism are rich in poetic quotation and arresting aphorisms, those ironic koans that are part of the (Zen) Buddhist dcortales of monks deciding that it isnt the wind or the flag thats waving in the breeze but only their minds. Wrights book has no poetry or paradox anywhere in it. Since the poetic-comic side of Buddhism is one of its most appealing features, this leaves the book a little short on charm. Yet, if you never feel that Wright is telling you something profound or beautiful, you also never feel that he is telling you something untrue. Direct and unambiguous, tracing his own history in meditation practicewhich eventually led him to a series of weeklong retreats and to the intense study of Buddhist doctrinehe makes Buddhist ideas and their history clear. Perhaps he makes the ideas too clear. Buddhist thinkers tend to bridge contradictions with a smile and a paradox and a wave of the hand. Things exist but they are not real is a typical dictum from the guru Mu Soeng, in his book on the Heart Sutra. You dont have to believe it, but its true is another famous gurus smiling advice about the reincarnation doctrine. This nimble-footed doubleness may indeed hold profound existential truths; it also provides an all-purpose evasion of analysis.

Still, the Buddhist basics are all here. Sometime around 400 B.C.E.the arguments over whats historically authentic and what isnt make the corresponding arguments in Jesus studies look transparenta wealthy Indian princeling named Gotama (as the Pali version of his name is rendered) came to realize, after a long and moving spiritual struggle, that people suffer because the things we cherish inevitably change and rot, and desires are inevitably disappointed. But he also realized that, simply by sitting and breathing, people can begin to disengage from the normal run of desires and disappointments, and come to grasp that the self whom the sitter has been serving so frantically, and who is suffering from all these needs, is an illusion. Set free from the selfs anxieties and appetites and constant, petulant demands, the meditator can see and share the actualities of existence with others. The sitter becomes less selfish and more selfless.

Buddhism has had a series of strong recurrent presences in America, and, though Wright doesnt stop to trace them, they might illuminate some continuities that show why his kind of Buddhism got here, and got true. Its first notable appearance was in late-nineteenth-century New England, where, as Van Wyck Brooks showed long ago, Henry Adams was drawn especially to the lands of Buddha. Another New England Buddhist of the day was William Sturgis Bigelow, who brought back to Boston some twenty thousand works of Japanese art, and who, when dying in Boston, called for a Catholic priest and asked that he annihilate his soul. (He was disappointed when the priest declined.) These American Buddhists, drawn East in part by a rejection of Gilded Age ostentation, recognized a set of preoccupations like those they knew alreadyWhitmans vision of a self that could shift and contain multitudes, or Thoreaus secular withdrawal from the race of life. (Jon Kabat-Zinns hugely successful meditation guide, Wherever You Go, There You Are, is dotted with Thoreau epigraphs in place of Asian ones.) The quietist impulse in New England spirituality and the pantheistic impulse in American poetry both seemed met, and made picturesque, by the Buddhist tradition.

The second great explosion of American Buddhism occurred in the nineteen-fifties. Spurred, in large part, by the writings of the migr Japanese scholar D.T. Suzuki, it was, in the first instance, aesthetic: Suzukis work, though rich in tea ceremonies and haiku, makes no mention of Zazen, the hyper-disciplined, often painful, meditation practice that is at the heart of Zen practice. The Buddhist spirit, or the easier American variant of it, blossomed in Beat literature, producing some fine coinages (Kerouacs Dharma Bums). Zen, though apparently an atypically severe sect within Buddhism, came to be the standard-bearer, so much so that Zen became an all-purpose modifier in American letters meaning challengingly counterintuitiveas in Zen and the Art of Archery or the masterly Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, where you learn how not to aim your arrow or how to find a spiritual practice in a Harley. It was this second movement that blossomed into a serious practice of sitting lessons and a set of institutions, the most prominent, perhaps, being the San Francisco Zen Center.

Though separated by generations, the deeper grammar of the two Buddhist awakenings was essentially the same. Buddhism in America is simultaneously exotic and familiarit has lots of Eastern trappings and ceremonies that set it off from the materialism of American life, but it also speaks to an especially American longing for a publicly productive spiritual practice. American Buddhism spins off museum collections and Noh-play translations and vegetarian restaurants and philosophical books and, in the hands of the occasional Buddhist Phil Jackson, the triangle offense in basketball.

The Buddhist promise in the American mind is that you can escape and engage. Ten minutes a day toward Enlightenment is the sort of slogan that has inspired the current generation to unimaginably large numbers of part-time meditators. (Among whom I number myself, following guided meditations recorded by Joseph Goldstein, a seventysomething Vipassana teacher who has the calming, grumpy voice of an emeritus professor at City College, though my legs are much too stiff for the lotus position and I have to fake it, making mine in every sense a half-assed practice.) Dont just sit there, do something is the American entreaty. With Buddhism, you can just sit there and do something.

Wright, like his Bay Area and Boston predecessors, is delighted to announce the ways in which Buddhism intersects with our own recent ideas. His new version of an American Buddhism is not only self-consciously secularized but aggressively scientized. He believes that Buddhist doctrine and practice anticipate and affirm the modular view of the mind favored by much contemporary cognitive science. Instead of there being a single, consistent Cartesian self that monitors the world and makes decisions, we live in a kind of nineties-era Liberia of the mind, populated by warring independent armies implanted by evolution, representing themselves as a unified nation but unable to reconcile their differences, and, as one after another wins a brief battle for the capital, providing only the temporary illusion of control and decision. By accepting that the fixed self is an illusion imprinted by experience and reinforced by appetite, meditation parachutes in a kind of peacekeeping mission that, if it cannot demobilize the armies, lets us see their nature and temporarily disarms their still juvenile soldiers.

Buddhism, alone among spiritual practices, has always recognized this post-hoc nature of our reason, asking us to realize its transience through meditation. (Not much really there, is there? Joe Goldstein murmurs about thought in one of his guided meditations.) Meditation, in Wrights view, is not a metaphysical route toward a higher plane. It is a cognitive probe for self-exploration that underlines what contemporary psychology already knows to be true about the mind. According to Buddhist philosophy, both the problems we call therapeutic and the problems we call spiritual are a product of not seeing things clearly, he writes. Whats more, in both cases this failure to see things clearly is in part a product of being misled by feelings. And the first step toward seeing through these feelings is seeing them in the first placebecoming aware of how pervasively and subtly feelings influence our thought and behavior.

Our feelings ceaselessly generate narratives, contes moraux, about the world, and we become their prisoners. We make things good and bad, desirable and not, meaningful and trivial. (We put snappy titles on our tales and then the titles own us.) Wright gives the example of a buzz-saw symphony as a small triumph of his emancipation: hearing a buzz saw whining in the background, what would usually have been a painful distraction became, robbed by meditation of any positive or negative cues (this is a pleasant sound/this is an unpleasant one), somehow musical. Meditation shows us how anything can be emptied of the story we tell about it: he tells us about an enlightened man who tastes wine without the contextual tales about vintage, varietal, region. It tastes... less emotional. All the states of equanimity come through the realization that things arent what we thought they were, Wright quotes a guru as saying. What Wright calls the perception of emptiness dampens the affect, but it also settles the mind. If it isnt there, you dont overreact to it.

Having gone the full Buddha route, Wright gives us accounts of meditation retreats, and interviews with enlightened meditators; he explores sutras and explains dharma. Given that hes more product-oriented than process-oriented, Wright tends to reflect on the advantages of meditation rather than reproduce their pleasures. Meditation, even the half-assed kind, does remind us of how little time we typically spend in the moment. Simply to sit and breathe for twenty-five minutes, if only to hear cars and buses go by on a city avenuelistening to the world rather than to the frantic non sequiturs of ones monkey mind, fragmented thoughts and querulous moods racing each other aroundcan intimate the possibility of a quiet grace in the midst of noise. The gong with which Goldsteins meditations begin on YouTube, though a bit of Orientalia, does settle the mind and calm its restlessness. (Yet many sounds of seeming serenitybirds singing, leaves rustlingare actually the sounds of ceaseless striving. The birds are shrieking for mates; even the trees are reaching insistently toward the sun that sustains them. These are the songs of wanting, the sounds of life.)

Wright has, for the purposes of his book, tied himself to a mechanical view of the constraints that operate on the human mindthe same one that he has posited in previous books, rooted in the doctrines of evolutionary psychology. This is the viewto which Wright is, as a Buddhist might say, overattachedthat our deepest desires are instincts implanted by natural selection in our primeval past. Whether or not evolutionary psychology is a real or a pseudoscienceopinions varyone can believe that human beings are afflicted with too much wanting without thinking that we are that way because once upon a time those cravings helped us have more kids than our neighbors. Even if our desires were implanted by evolution rather than inculcated by culture, theyre still always helplessly double: altruistic impulses encourage us to look after our tribe; genocidal ones encourage us to get rid of the neighboring tribe. Pair bonding is adaptive, but so is adultery: fathers want to care for their offspring and see them thrive; they also want to have sex with the woman in the next cave in order to cover all genetic bets. Desires may arise from natural selection or from cultural tradition or from random walks or from a combination of them allbut Buddhist doctrine would be unaffected by any of these whys. If every doctrine of evo-psych turns out to be falseif its somehow all culture and inculcationit wouldnt affect the Buddhist view about our need to get out of it.

Other recent books on contemporary Buddhism share Wrights object of reconciling the old metaphysics with contemporary cognitive science but have a less doctrinaire view of the mind that lies outside the illusions of self. Stephen Batchelors After Buddhism (Yale), in many ways the most intellectually stimulating book on Buddhism of the past few years, offers a philosophical take on the question. The self may not be an aloof independent ruler of body and mind, but neither is it an illusory product of impersonal physical and mental forces, he writes. As for the minds modules, Gotama is interested in what people can do, not with what they are. The task he proposes entails distinguishing between what is to be accepted as the natural condition of life itself (the unfolding of experience) and what is to be let go of (reactivity). We may have no control over the rush of fear prompted by finding a snake under our bed, but we do have the ability to respond to the situation in a way that is not determined by that fear. Where Wright insists that the Buddhist doctrine of not-self precludes the possibility of freely chosen agency, Batchelor insists of Buddhism that as soon as we consider it a task-based ethics... such objections vanish. The only thing that matters is whether or not you can perform a task. When an inclination to say something cruel occurs, for example, can you resist acting on that impulse?... Whether your decision to hold the barbed remark was the result of free will or not is beside the point. He calls the obsession with free will a peculiarly Western concern. Meditation works as much at the level of conscious intention as it does at the level of unreflective instinct.

Batchelor wants to make Buddhism pragmatic not just in the idiomatic sensepractical for daily usebut in the technical philosophical sense as well: he thinks that the original doctrines of Buddhism were in accord with the ideas of truth put forward by neopragmatists like Richard Rorty, for whom there are no firm foundations for what we know, only temporary truces among willing communities which help us cope with the world. Buddhism, in his view, was long ago betrayed into Brahmanism; the open-ended artisanal practice of meditation became a caste-bound dogma with truths and ceremonies. It is a process of fossilization hardly unknown to other spiritual movementsthere was a time when Hasidism was all about spontaneity and enthusiasm, and a break from too much repetitive traditionbut in Batchelors view it led to a needlessly ornate and authoritarian faith, while his own brand of Buddhism has been restored to its origins.

Batchelor also tackles the issue, basically shelved by Wright, of whether Buddhism without any supernatural scaffolding is still Buddhism. As a scholar, he doesnt try to deny that the supernaturalist doctrines of karma and reincarnation are as old as the ethical and philosophical ones, and entangled with them. His project is unashamedly to secularize Buddhism. But, since its Buddhism that he wants to secularize, he has to be able to show that its traditions are not hopelessly polluted with superstition.

Here Batchelors pragmatic turn, made tightly on a sharply curving road, begins to fishtail more than a little. He insists that reincarnation is just an embedded doctrine in the ancient Pali culturea metaphor like all the others we live with, a cosmological picture that works well, not unlike the metaphors of evolutionary fitness and cosmology that are embedded in our own culture. The centrality of reincarnation doctrines shouldnt be held as a mark against Buddhist truth.

Can we really tiptoe past the elaborate supernaturalism of historical Buddhism? Secular Buddhists try to, just as people who are sympathetic to the ethical basis of Christianity try to tiptoe past the doctrines of Heaven and Hell, so that Hell becomes the experience of being unable to love, or Heaven a state of being one with Godnot actual places with brimstone pits or massed harps. Batchelor, like every intelligent believer caught in an unsustainable belief, engages in a familiar set of moves. He attempts to italicize his way out of absurdity by, in effect, shifting the stresses in the simple sentence We dont believe that. First, theres We dont believe that: there may be other believers who accept a simple reward-and-punishment system of karma passing from generation to generation, but our group does not. Next comes We dont believe that: since reincarnation means eternal rebirth and coming back as a monkey and the rest of it, the enlightened Buddhist tries to de-literalize the that to make it more appealing, just as the Christian redefines Hell. In the end, we resort to We dont believe that: we just accept it as an embedded metaphor of the culture that made the religion.

Then theres the shrug-and-grin argument that everyone believes something. Is it fair to object that most of us take quantum physics on faith, too? Well, we dont take it on faith. We take it on trust, a very different thing. We have confidenceamply evidenced by the technological transformation of the world since the scientific revolution, and by the cash value of validated predictions based on esoteric mathematical abstractionthat the world picture it conveys is true, or more nearly true than anything else on offer. Batchelor tap-dances perilously close to the often repeated absurdity that a highly credulous belief about supernatural claims and an extremely skeptical belief about supernatural claims are really the same because they are both beliefs.

A deeper objection to the attempted reconciliation of contemporary science and Buddhist practice flows from the nature of scientific storytelling. The practice of telling storiesimagined tales of cause and effect that fixate on the past and the future while escaping the present, sending us back and forth without being here nowis something that both Wright and Batchelor see as one of the worst delusions the mind imprints on the world. And yet it is inseparable from the Enlightenment science that makes psychology and biology possible. The contemporary generation of American Buddhists draws again and again on scientific evidence for the power of meditationEEGs and MRIs and so onwithout ever wondering why a scientific explanation of that kind has seldom arisen in Buddhist cultures. (Science has latterly been practiced by Buddhists, of course.)

What Wright correctly sees as the heart of meditation practicethe draining away of the stories we tell compulsively about each moment in favor of simply having the momentis antithetical to the kind of evidentiary argument he admires. Science is competitive storytelling. If a Buddhist Newton had been sitting under that tree, he would have seen the apple falling and, reaching for Enlightenment, experienced each moment of its descent as a thing pure in itself. Only a restless Western Newton would say, Now, what story can tell us best what connects those apple-moments from branch to ground? Sprites? Magnets? The mysterious force of the mass of the earth beneath it? What made the damn thing fall? Thats a story we tell, not a moment we experience. The Buddhist Newton might have been happier than oursours was plenty unhappybut he would never have found the equation. Science is putting names on things and telling stories about them, the very habits that Buddhists urge us to transcend. The stories improve over time in the light of evidence, or they dont. Its just as possible to have Buddhist science as to have Christian science or Taoist science. But the meditators project of being here now will never be the same as the scientists project of connecting the past to the future, of telling how and knowing why.

Both Wright and Batchelor end with a semi-evangelical call for a secularized, modernized Buddhism that can supply all the shared serenity of the old dispensation and still adjust to the modern worldBatchelor actually ends his book with a sequence of fixed tenets for a secular Gotama practice. But does their Buddhism have a unique content, or is it simply the basics of secular liberalism with a borrowed Eastern vocabulary? What is the specifically Buddhist valence of saying, as Batchelor does, that the practitioners of a secular Buddhism will seek to understand and diminish the structural violence of societies and institutions as well as the roots of violence that are present in themselves? Do we need a twenty-five-hundred-year-old faith from the East to do thisisnt that what every liberal-arts college insists that its students do, anyway, with the help of only a cultural-studies major?

All secularized faiths tend to converge on a set of agreeable values: compassion, empathy, the renunciation of mere material riches. But the shared values seem implicit in the very project of secularizing a faith, with its assumption that the ethical and the supernatural elements can be cleanly severedan operation that would have seemed unintelligible to St. Paul, as to Gotama himself. The idea of doing without belief is perhaps a bigger idea than any belief it negates. Secular Buddhism ends up being... secularism.

Can any old faith point a new way forward? No doctrine is refuted by the bad behavior of the people who believe in itor else all doctrines would stand refutedbut the stories of actual Buddhism in large-scale practice in America do not encourage the hope that Buddhism will be any different from all the other organized faith practices. One of the best books about Buddhism in contemporary America, Michael Downings Shoes Outside the Door (2001), takes as its subject the San Francisco Zen Center and its attempted marriage of spiritual elevation with wild entrepreneurial activity. Downings novelistic and nuanced account focusses on the charismatic, Bill Clintonish master of the Zen Center, Richard Baker, who got embroiled in a Bill Clintonish sex scandal. American Buddhism seems as susceptible to the triple demon of power, predation, and prejudice as every other religious establishment.

A faith practice with an authoritarian structure sooner or later becomes a horror; a faith practice without an authoritarian structure sooner or later becomes a hobby. The dwindling down of Buddhism into another life-style choice will doubtless irritate many, and Wright will likely be sneered at for reducing Buddhism to another bourgeois amenity, like yoga or green juice. (Batchelor refers to this as a dumbing down of the dharma.) Yet what Wright is doing seems an honorable, even a sublime, achievement. Basically, he says that meditation has made him somewhat less irritable. Being somewhat less irritable is not the kind of achievement that people usually look to religion for, but it may be as good an achievement as we ought to expect. (If Donald Trump became somewhat less irritable, the world would be a less dangerous place.)

If there is something distinctive about a Buddhist secularism, it is that the Buddhist believes in the annihilation of appetite, while the pure secular humanist believes in satisfying our appetites until annihilation makes it impossible. Appetite, though, has a way of renewing itself even after its been fed; no matter what we do, some new gnawing materializes. Dissatisfaction with our circumstances, the frustration of our ambitions, something no bigger than a failure to lose enough weight or to have an extra room to make a nursery out of: even amid luxury, the ache of the unachieved seems intense enough. It is these dissatisfactions that drive so many Americanswho cannot understand why lives filled with material pleasure still feel unfulfilledto their meditation mats.

Secularized or traditional, the central Buddhist epiphany remains essential: the fact of mortality makes loss certain. For all the ways in which science and its blessed godchild scientific medicine have reduced the overt suffering that a human life entails, the vector to sadness remains in place, as much as it did in the Buddhas time. Gotamas death, from what one doctor describes as mesenteric infarction, seems needlessly painful and gruesome by modern standards; this is the kind of suffering we can substantially alleviate. But the universal mortality of all beingsthe fact that, if were lucky, we will die after seventy years or sois not reformable. The larger problem we face is not suffering but sadness, and the sadness is caused by the fact of loss. To love less in order to lose less seems like no solution at all, but to see loss squarely sounds like wisdom. We may or may not be able to Americanize our Buddhism, but we can certainly ecumenicize our analgesics. Lots of different stuff from lots of different places which we drink and think and do can help us manage. Every faith practice has a different form of comfort to offer in the face of loss, and each is useful. Sometimes it helps to dwell on the immensity of the universe. Sometimes it helps to feel the presence of ongoing family and community. Sometimes it helps to light a candle and say a prayer. Sometimes it helps to sit and breathe.

Original post:
What Meditation Can Do for Us, and What It Can't - The New Yorker

(Editor's note: This is the third article in a four-part series exploring how chaplains of different faiths serve all Soldiers. The final article explores Islamic chaplains.)

FORT BLISS, Texas -- Last year, a devout Christian Soldier deployed in Kuwait knocked on the door of Army Buddhist Chaplain Capt. Christopher Mohr and entered his office in silence, closing the door abruptly behind him.

The Soldier did not say a word. Mohr could see that he was emotionally frazzled and too distraught to speak. All of a sudden, the Soldier broke down and began crying hysterically. He explained to Mohr that his significant other had been sexually assaulted back home.

Mohr just listened calmly and let the distraught Soldier vent. The Soldier was livid and felt guilty for not being at home to protect the one he cared about.

After several sessions over the next few weeks, Mohr helped the Soldier make peace with himself.

Mohr, 36, is one of three active-duty Buddhist chaplains in the Army, but more importantly, he said, he's one of about 3,000 chaplains in the total force.

Mohr said that he felt called to the Army to serve and minister to Soldiers of all faiths. He said that first calling still drives him regardless of faith or denomination.

In July, Mohr was transferred to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he now serves as the battalion chaplain for the 93rd Military Police Battalion.

Among the challenges Mohr sees at his new post will be getting to know the military police mindset while understanding the very different mission set that the military police have, compared to the combined arms unit that he was assigned to where he served as the battalion chaplain for the 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment at Fort Riley, Kansas.

"At Fort Riley, I knew of 30 Buddhist Soldiers," Mohr said. "With a somewhat higher population at Fort Bliss, I will likely have more Buddhist Soldiers to serve."

Mohr said at Fort Riley, he held Buddhist services for his very small congregation weekly, or as frequently as possible when in the field.

"I welcomed anyone who wished to attend my services even if it was just out of curiosity. My job is to provide religious support to anyone who asks."

Mohr accepted a direct commission into the Army eight years ago to serve as a Buddhist chaplain because he saw a spiritual need that he felt he was capable of meeting.

SERVICING ALL SOLDIERS

Mohr has conducted various command ceremonial functions upon request, such as offering invocations and benedictions at changes of command and at prayer luncheons.

If he is asked to perform a task that he was unable to perform, such as conducting a Catholic Mass or a Catholic wedding, for example, he will refer such requests to a chaplain who could. Mohr said that this is a key concept in the Chaplain Corps, and one he enthusiastically supports.

Other examples of Mohr serving Soldiers without regard for differences in faith included providing a Jewish Soldier with Kosher Meals-Ready-to-Eat during his unit's recent field training. Mohr coordinated with supply personnel to ensure those meals were available during training.

He also said that during this past Memorial Day, he was honored when he was asked to offer the invocation and benediction at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.

One of Mohr's greatest honors so far occurred a few years ago when the California Army National Guard asked him to conduct a military funeral for a Buddhist Soldier. The Soldier's family, who was also Buddhist, specifically requested that a Buddhist chaplain conduct the service.

UNIQUE BUDDHIST EVENTS

Mohr said that he conducts services on post for key Buddhist holidays such as:

-- Enlightenment Day, observed in February in some parts of the Buddhist tradition

-- Buddha's Birthday, observed on April 8 in some parts of the Buddhist tradition, and Vesak, a combined observance of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and passing, which is usually held in late April or May in many Buddhist countries

-- Ullambana, an observance for the departed and those who are suffering, is held in July or August.

It can be challenging to find ways to conduct unique, meaningful Buddhist events like the yearly Lantern Floating, he said. The event is similar to the much larger Lantern Floating conducted each Memorial Day in Hawaii, which includes music and a ceremonial ignition of the Light of Harmony, that leads up to the floating of lanterns onto the Pacific Ocean.

COUNSELING

Mohr figures that he has served the spiritual needs of about 150 Buddhist Soldiers since he was commissioned in 2009. He has provided spiritual support and comfort to injured Soldiers as often as necessary, and this year alone, he has helped nine suicidal Soldiers work toward resolving the issues that brought them to their darkest places.

Mohr said that when most non-Buddhist Soldiers meet him for the first time, they are often cautious and curious. "That usually shifts pretty quickly to a place of trust and openness as soon as they realize I'm a Soldier and here to help them if they need it."

Mohr said that, typical of all chaplains, most of his days are filled with a mix of staff meetings, ministry of presence, being present where Soldiers are training or working and addressing concerns or issues that they bring up, and spiritual guidance or counseling sessions wherein a Soldier's issues are given full attention in a more formally confidential setting.

"However, you never know when a request for help from a Soldier or an Army couple seeking to plan their wedding will take precedence and shift the entire plan for that day," Mohr explained.

Mohr said the highlights of any day are when he gets to work with fellow chaplains to "deliver relevant, meaningful ministry experiences." These would include a spiritual fitness run conducted with Christian chaplain peers or bringing another chaplain to visit his unit to conduct worship services in the field.

EDUCATION

After Mohr graduated from Menasha Senior High School in Menasha, Wisconsin in 1999, he attended the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh from 2001 to 2004 and earned his bachelor's degree in Religious Studies focused on Buddhism, and the Japanese language and culture. From 2002-2003, Mohr spent another year in an exchange program at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan.

In 2011, Mohr received a master's of divinity in Buddhist Chaplaincy from the University of the West in Rosemead, California.

ARMY SERVICE

Mohr accepted a direct commission in 2009 as a chaplain candidate, and was assigned to Joint Force Headquarters in the Wisconsin Army National Guard.

He graduated from the Chaplain's Basic Officer Leadership Course at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in 2009, and transferred to the California Army National Guard to complete his education. There he served as a chaplain candidate with the 1st Battalion, 185th Armor at San Bernardino, California. Mohr's duties included working under the supervision of a senior chaplain to learn the Army structure and how to operate in a military unit.

In 2012, Mohr accessioned as a chaplain after meeting DOD requirements. He was then assigned to the 224th Special Troops Battalion in Pomona, California, serving there until 2013.

Mohr returned to the Wisconsin Army National Guard in 2013 and served with the 32nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion in Wausau, Wisconsin, until his entry to active duty in 2014.

Mohr is grateful to the Army, saying that his supervisors and colleagues have made the difference by providing time, space, and resources. They have helped him reserve facilities, promote Buddhist services to others, and make available many of the resources he needed.

Despite having a degree in religious studies, Mohr said he was unaware of the chaplaincy until he spoke to a recruiter at a job fair. To be directly commissioned as a chaplain candidate, Mohr obtained both his bachelor's degree, and ecclesiastical approval from his endorsing body, while completing an application process, background checks, and a physical evaluation.

Once commissioned, Mohr worked toward the DOD's requirements of all chaplains, including a 72 credit-hour master's degree, endorsement, ordination, and two years of ministry experience.

SPRITUAL ROOTS

Mohr's Catholic mother encouraged him from an early age to explore religion, beliefs, faith, and his spiritual identity.

"I came into the Buddhist faith after being invited to visit the head temple of a small religious order of the Shingon school of Buddhism," Mohr said. "This school focuses on applying Buddhism to our daily lives and focusing on providing ministry and altruistic service to build harmony within the community where we live. This model fits my particular religious inclinations. It made sense to me when I saw their embrace of the interfaith environment."

Mohr formally became Buddhist at the age of 22.

He explained that Buddhism is a religion that sprung up from roots in ancient India. It is a religion and teaching that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices based on teachings of Buddha.

Mohr was ordained through the International Order of Buddhist Ministers, and endorsed by the Buddhist Churches of America. He practices in the Shinnyo-en tradition, a minor order of the Daigo Temple Lineage in the Shingon school of Esoteric Buddhism.

While grounded in Buddhism, Mohr said he puts "a heavy emphasis on functioning in an interfaith environment, and my education, denomination and endorser encourages this as well."

"I feel at home working with a wide array of faiths, faith practices, and communities," he said.

In July, Mohr spent 12 days visiting Cambodia. He estimates that they visited about 10 Buddhist temples throughout the country. On his return, Mohr brought back two statues of Buddha. One will be used in Buddhist worship services at Fort Riley and the other at his new post at Fort Bliss.

"Chaplains are amazing people serving Soldiers, dependents, DoD civilians and retirees, but every once in a while you meet a chaplain who personifies, not only Army values such as respect, honor, integrity and selfless service, but also the values and characteristics of their religious faith," Roxanne Martinez, director of religious education, Fort Riley, Kansas, said. "As a Buddhist chaplain, he embodies the qualities of Buddhism: loving kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity, as well as generosity, love and wisdom. "His talks and teachings on Buddhism were talks that people of all faiths could reflect on in their day to day lives."

Martinez said that as an Army director of religious education, she had the pleasure of supporting Mohr in his services for the Buddhist community.

Mohr has a special affinity for "tankers and infantryman" whom he says are some of the most loyal and decent humans he has ever met.

"They are willing to go the extra mile and shoulder more than their fair share of the burden to help whenever they are able," Mohr said.

"One of Buddhism's core teachings is practice equanimity or mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation," Mohr said. "In Buddhism, this means to remain centered in the midst of whatever is happening, but it also means that one is to practice a calm compassion when working with people of all faiths."

Mohr hopes to someday serve both as a brigade chaplain and a family life chaplain.

See the article here:
Buddhist chaplain serves all spiritual needs - United States Army (press release)

Robert Wright

Hachette Book Group

On this weeks episode of my podcast, I Have to Ask, I spoke with Robert Wright, the best-selling of author of books including The Moral Animal, Nonzero, and The Evolution of God. Those books covered subjects such as the evolutionary roots of human behavior, globalization and technologys positive influence on our relationships and lives, and how religious belief has become increasingly tolerant over time. His new book is called Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment. It seeks to explain why Buddhism is so valuable, both to the world and to Wrights own life, and how its core insights reflect real truths about evolution and human psychology.

Below is an edited transcript of part of the show. You can find links to every episode here, and the entire interview with Wright is also below. Please subscribe to I Have to Ask wherever you get your podcasts.

Isaac Chotiner: I should say, in the interest of full disclosure, that my first paid job in journalism was at bloggingheads.tv, which you were the founder of.

Robert Wright: You realize youve just undermined the credibility of this entire conversation?

I didnt make enough money that Im in any sort of debt to you.

Thats true. Well, then, I may have the opposite problem in this conversation.

Can you just talk a little bit about what Buddhism is, and specifically, the variety of Buddhism that youre talking about in this book?

Well, first of all, theres religious Buddhism, which this book isnt about. This book is about what you might call the naturalistic or secular part of Buddhism. Its not about reincarnation, and its not about prayers, and so on. It is about the central claim of Buddhist philosophy, which is that the reason we suffer, and the reason we make other people suffer, is because we dont see the world clearly. Buddhist practice, including meditation, can be seen as a program for seeing the world more clearly.

You write in the book that you wondered if there was a way to put the actual truth about human nature and the human condition into a form that would not just identify and explain the illusions we labor under, but would help us liberate ourselves from them. One of the things that youre doing in the book is youre talking about these illusions, and youre explaining how science gives us some reason to understand why we have these illusions and that Buddhism and science, in this sense, coexist or teach us the same thing. Can you talk a little bit about that?

Yeah. I had written in the past about evolutionary psychology, and one thing that struck me is that actually, the human mind was not designed by natural selection to see the world clearly, per se. Thats not the bottom line. The bottom line is like: What psychological tendencies got the genes of our ancestors into subsequent generations? Often, [that] involved seeing the world clearly. You want to have a pretty clear visual picture of the world, generally, but not in all respects. If having a mind that is deceived or that has a distorted view of things will get genes into the next generation, then distortion will be built into the mind.

What would be an example of that?

Buddhism makes two really radical-seeming claims, when you drill down on what Buddhists mean by, We dont see the world clearly. One thing they mean is that we dont see ourselves clearly at all. In fact, Buddhism goes so far as to say, Were confused about the very existence of a self. There is a sense in which the self doesnt exist, which is pretty radical. Then, theres also a claim about how deluded we are about the world out there, that the people and the objects we see, we tend to have a distorted view of, we attribute to them a kind of essence that isnt there. Both of these claims may sound strong, but I think theres a lot more to be said for them than you might imagine. I think evolutionary psychology explains why we do suffer from these particular distortions.

One of those distortions concerns things such as our love of chocolate.

Chocolate, which I remain a fan of, as I was before I started meditating. Here, we get to another of the kind of central claims of Buddhism, very central, that in a way, is related to the other things Ive said about what Buddhism is. The idea that at the root of suffering was like, thirst, craving, for not just food, but for material attainments, for status, for sex, for everything that we crave. The illusion there is that lasting gratification will ensue, or even that it will endure for very long. It actually tends not to, right? We tend to pursue things as if they will be more deeply and enduringly gratifying than they are. The Buddha stressed their impermanence, that they would evaporate, and I think evolutionary psychology, again, explains why they evaporate.

Well, sure. Organisms have to be motivated, from natural selections point of view, to do things, to nourish themselves, to do whatever will get genes spread, like sex, but they cant be enduringly happy with these things, or they wouldnt sit around and get busy. Its a dog-eat-dog world out there. The fleetingness of pleasure is a product of natural selection. Were learning more about the brain chemistry of it, and I talk a little about that. Thats another example. The idea, in general, with mindfulness meditation, which is the kind I focus on in the book, is to, rather than be driven by your feelings, examine them and decide which feelings you think are offering good guidance and which arent.

If I really want to eat my second ice cream sundae of the day, you, in the book, you dont think that the way to do that is to repress it, necessarily, but to think about why I have that desire for it, and why, in fact, it may not make me that happy to have a second ice cream sundae. Is that correct?

Well, not just to think about it, and in fact, I came out of my study of evolutionary psychology very aware that knowing about the problem of human nature by itself doesnt solve the problem. Mindfulness meditation is a practice for getting better at seeing whats driving you and deciding consciously whether you want to be driven in exactly that way.

Righteous indignation is a powerful motivator. We just need to be mindful that our conception of whats righteous is warped.

Thats why, I think its interesting that Buddhism, a couple thousand years before Darwin, diagnosed the human predicament in ways that make a lot of sense in terms of evolutionary psychology and also came up with a prescription, a program that is not trivially easy to follow, by any means. Then again, its a difficult problem, but a program that I think works in a kind of pragmatic, therapeutic sense. Beyond that, it can take you into really, I think, interesting philosophical, and I would say, spiritual territory. Ive been on meditation retreats, a number of them, where you really just do nothing but meditation all day, no contact with the outside world. In that context, you can really go to some interesting places.

One of the things that you write about in your book, just to move off things like chocolate, is anger. You talk about why, in a certain way, we sometimes get pleasure from anger. In some incident of road rage or something, being angry really brings us some sort of joy. Again, its not long-lasting. I was wondering, in your own life, how do you feel like Buddhism has helped you with anger?

Im as prone to rage as the next person.

I worked for you, I know this.

I was actually ... I forget, was I a very well-behaved boss?

I contend that there are worse bosses. Some of them occupy very high positions, even as we speak.

Rage is an interesting example, because it, in a certain sense, made more sense in the environment of our evolution, a hunter-gatherer environment, than it makes now. The point of rage, from natural selections point of view, is to demonstrate that people cant mess with you. If you disrespect me, if you try to steal my mate, whatever, I will fight you. Even if I lose the fight, I have sent a signal to everyone in my social environment that I am willing to pay the price to make sure that people who exploit me suffer.

In a modern environment like road rageand there actually recently was an actual death by gunshot in a road rage caseit doesnt even make that much sense, because theres nobody whos ever going to see you again whos witnessing the rage. Theres no point at all in a demonstration of your resolve.

It's not going to help you on Tinder if you put on your profile that you just shot someone on the freeway, either.

No. There could be active downside, beyond the risk of getting shot. One thing an evolutionary perspective can do is highlight the absurdity of some of our feelings and so reinforce the idea that its worth learning how to examine them carefully and cultivating the ability to not be driven by them, should you choose not to.

How has that worked for you? You talk in the book about a former colleague who would make you angry sometimes to think about.

I do not mention that persons name.

I was just meditating once, this was during a retreat, and for some reason, he came to mind. You know, I dont have a lot of just bitter enemies. I would say there are two or three people in the category I would put this person in. I was meditating, and I dont know why I started thinking of him, but just suddenly I had a very charitable view. Suddenly, I was like, imagining him as a gangly, awkward adolescent, like, not fitting in on the playground, and developing the various tendencies that, in my view, are not entirely commendable, and in any event, have rubbed me the wrong way. It was just the first time Ive ever thought of this person in a charitable way. Thats some kind of testament to the kind of distance you can get on your more reflexive reactions to things.

How do you feel about anger and rage in terms of people who, say, are reading the newspaper now and seeing whats going on in the world? What do you think the appropriate response is?

Very interesting question. Im thinking about, and I may have done this by the time the podcast airs, who knows, trying to get the phrase mindful resistance off the ground. Maybe, I dont know, a podcast called Mindful Resistance that competes with yours or something, who knows. I, personally, think that the reaction to Trump is excessive, for tactical purposes, that I dont think we realize how often our outrage actually feeds his base and serves his goal of keeping support at least high enough that he cant get impeached, for example. I just think in a lot of ways, and Im as prone to this as the next person, clicking retweet on something that actually doesnt have much nutritional valueits a real challenge. Righteous indignation is a powerful motivator, and it can be harnessed for good. We just need to be mindful that our conception of whats righteous is kind of naturally warped. You need to very carefully examine, I think, your commitments, kind of, your value commitments or whatever, to make sure that youre not being led astray by the parts of human nature that tend to lead us astray, or that youre not just overreacting in a counterproductive way. It absolutely is a challenge.

To be honest, Ive known people who went so far down the meditative path that, although they had the same views that they had about social justice or whatever, the same views theyd ever had, still, they seemed a little more complacent than I thought was optimum. I think thats an actual danger. You want to think about it. I dont think Im anywhere near there. My problem, in general, with politics and ideology, is keeping my rage below the counterproductive level. I need meditation even to do that.

Do you think youve gotten a better sense of why people like Trump?

Three of my four siblings voted for Trump. On the other hand, Ive pretty much avoided talking to them about it, so I dont claim that Ive gotten a lot of insight there. I do think, there is the natural tendency to want to demonize the people on the other side of the fight. It is natural and easy to say, They are racist, they are stupid and so on, and I just think its more complicated than that. There are some true racists, but I think youre not serving your own cause when you succumb to the tendency to demonize people in that way, because I think if youre going to undermine Trumps support, youre going to need to understand what the source of that support is.

Thats a very pragmatically political way of looking at it, though, that if you want Trump to lose in 2020 that you have to reach some people who voted for him, and so on. What about from a larger sense of, just put aside the political consequences for a minute. Do you think that what we need is more sympathy for people who vote in different directions and so on?

One term I would use is cognitive empathy. Not necessarily feeling their pain or even caring about them, just understanding what the world looks like from their point of view. Again, I think meditation can really facilitate that. It can break down your natural tendency to want to dismiss or demonize them. Once you do that and understand what their situation in life is, and what their frustrations are, you may then feel deeply that, yeah, some of these problems they face should be addressed. Cognitive empathy may lead to sympathy, but I think the first step is just to see the situation clearly. Our brains naturally discourage that.

As Slates resident interrogator, Isaac Chotiner has tangled with Newt Gingrich and gotten personal with novelist Jonathan Franzen. Now hes bringing his pointed, incisive interview style to a weekly podcast in which he talks one-on-one with newsmakers, celebrities, and cultural icons.

You started this podcast by saying, Im not talking about religious Buddhism, per se. When you close the book, you talk about this very subject, and you ask, Is the type of Buddhism Im practicing in fact a religion? I was just wondering, how do you feel about it, sitting here today? Is the type of Buddhism youre practicing a form of religion?

It kind of feels like that to me. I certainly consider it spiritual in some reasonable definitions of that term. The thing I say in that chapter about religion is, William James said, Generically, religion certainly centrally involves the idea that there is an unseen order, and that our supreme interest lies in harmoniously adjusting ourselves to that order. Buddhism, set aside the religious part, but just philosophical Buddhism does posit the existence of a kind of order. A couple of kinds, but one kind is that there is a natural convergence between seeing the world more clearly, seeing the truth, becoming happier, and becoming a better person.

Thats three different things, right? Clarity of vision, happiness, and moral edification, becoming a better person. The assertion by Buddhist philosophy is that, conveniently, those are all the same thing. If you get on the path, including a meditative path, and seriously pursue it, you will be making progress on all three fronts. At least, they will tend to coincide. I think thats basically true. There are people of great meditative attainment who are bad people. Thats possible. But I think, by and large, this kind of amazing claim about the way the universe is set up, that you get kind of three for one, I think is true.

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Mindful Rage - Slate Magazine

Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of life. Buddhist practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The experience developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow a path - a path which ultimately culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood.

Because Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator God, some people do not see it as a religion in the normal, Western sense. The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching are straightforward and practical: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible. Thus Buddhism addresses itself to all people irrespective of race, nationality, or gender. It teaches practical methods (such as meditation) which enable people to realize and utilize its teachings in order to transform their experience, to be fully responsible for their lives and to develop the qualities of Wisdom and Compassion.

There are around 350 million Buddhists and a growing number of them are Westerners. They follow many different forms of Buddhism, but all traditions are characterized by nonviolence, lack of dogma, tolerance of differences, and, usually, by the practice of meditation.

At this present time this Buddhist-directory site is only listing Buddhist organizations operating in North East USA. New York City, NY State, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire,New Jersey & Vermont. If you know of any Buddhist organizations in this area that are not listed or wish to change a listing please let me know.

More:
Buddhist Directory

Buddhist Centers in (Bay Area) California

Aro Ter Lineage Alameda Practice Group Founders: Ngak'chang Rinpoche and Khandro Dchen Web site: http://www.aroter.org Email: ogdor@hotmail.com Tradition: Tibetan, Nyingmapa, Aro Ter lineage

American Buddhist Meditation Temple 2580 Interlake Road, Bradley, CA 93426 Tel: (805) 472-9210, Fax: 472-9210 Tradition: Theravada, Thai, Maha Nikaya

Bay Zen Center 5600-A Snake Road, Oakland, CA 94611 Tel: (510) 482-2533, Fax: (510) 482-9531 Email: info@bayzen.org Web site: http://www.bayzen.org Tradition: Ordinary Mind Zen School (Charlotte Joko Beck) Contact: Lance Ashdown

Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) 1710 Octavia Street, San Francisco, CA 94109 Tel: (415) 776 5600, Fax: (415) 771 6293 Head: Bishop Hakubun Watanabe Minister: Rev. Kodo Umezu Email: bcahq@pacbell.net Tradition: Jodo Shinshu (Pureland)

Buddhist Church of Oakland 825 Jackson Street, Oakland, CA 94607 Tel: (510) 832 5988, Fax: (510) 832 0709 Minister: Rev. Seigen Yamaoka Affiliation: Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) Tradition: Jodo Shinshu (Pureland)

Buddhist Church of San Francisco 1881 Pine Street, San Francisco, CA 94109 Contact Person: Chizuko Kakiuchi or Jeff Matsuoka (web) Tel: (415) 776-3158, Fax: (415)776-0264 Email: jeff@bcsfweb.org Web site: http://www.bcsfweb.org Tradition: Jodo Shinshu (Pureland) Affiliation: BCA (Buddhist Church of America) Spiritual Director: Rev. Hiroshi Abiko

Buddhist Church of Stockton 2820 Shimizu Drive, Stockton, CA 95203 Tel: (209) 466 6701, Fax: (209) 469 2811 Minister: Rev. Charles Hasegawa Affiliation: Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) Tradition: Jodo Shinshu Buddhism

Buddhist Center San Francisco 110 Merced Ave., San Francisco, CA 94127 Tel: (415) 661 6467, Fax: (415) 665 2241 Email: SanFrancisco@diamondway-center.org Web site: http://www.diamondway.org/sf Head: Lama Ole Nydahl Tradiition: Tibetan, Karma Kagyu Affiliation: Diamond Way Buddhism

Buddhist Center San Luis Obispo c/o Jeff Foster and Betsy Schwartz 282 Ramona Drive, Pismo Beach, CA 93405 Tel: (805) 544 4036, Fax: (805) 173 3902 Email: SanLuisObispo@diamondway-center.org Head: Lama Ole Nydahl Tradiition: Tibetan, Karma Kagyu Affiliation: Diamond Way Buddhism

Buddhist Temple of Marin 390 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley, CA 94941 Tel: (415) 388 1173 Affiliation: Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) Tradition: Jodo Shinshu Buddhism

Buddhist Wisdom Meditation Center Gilroy Mail: 777 First Street, PMB 522, Gilroy, CA 95020-4918 Tel: (408) 847-1890 Contact person: Laura S. Email: antique@lighthousewoods.com Web site: http://www.lighthousewoods.com/buddhist.html Tradition: Non-sectarian, Vipassana, Theravadin, Shambhala

Berkeley Buddhist Temple 2121 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704 Tel: (510) 841-1356, Fax: (510) 841-1435 Minister: Rev. Seigen Yamaoka Email: bsangha@pacbell.net Web site: home.pacbell.net/bsangha Affiliation: Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) Tradition: Jodo Shinshu Buddhism

Berkeley Buddhist Monastery 2304 McKinley Ave, Berkeley, CA 94703 Tel: (510) 848-3440, Fax: (510) 548-4551 Email: paramita@dnai.com Web site: http://www.drba.org/bbm.htm Tradition: Ch'an (Zen) Affiliation: The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas Contact: Rev. Heng Sure

Berkeley Buddhist Priory 1358 Marin Avenue, Albany CA 94706 Tel: (510) 528-1876 Email: Prior@BerkeleyBuddhistPriory.org Web site: http://www.BerkeleyBuddhistPriory.org Tradition: Mahayana, Soto Zen Affiliation: Order of Buddhist Contemplatives Spiritual Director: Rev. Kinrei Bassis Teacher: Rev. Kinrei Bassis

Berkeley Shambhala Center 2288 Fulton Street, Berkeley, CA 94704 Tel: (510) 841-6475 Email: shambhal@pacbell.net Web site: http://www.shambhala.org/center/berkeley Founder: Chgyam Trungpa Rinpoche Tradition: Tibetan, Kagy lineage

Berkeley Zen Center 1931 Russell Street, Berkeley, CA 94703 Tel: (510) 845-2403 Email: bzc@berkeleyzencenter.org Web site: berkeleyzencenter.org Tradition: Soto Zen (Suzuki Roshi)

Buddha Zendo 167 Vernon Street, San Francisco, CA 94132 Tel: (415) 452-3013 Tradition: Tendai Kengyo

Chagdud Gompa San Francisco Practice Group, San Francisco, CA Tel: (415) 282-6030 Founder: H. E. Chagdud Tulku Web site: http://www.chagdud.org Tradition: Tibetan, Nyingmapa

Community of Mindful Living - Deer Park Monastery 2499 Melru Lane, Escondido, CA 92026 Tel: (760) 291-1003, Fax: (760) 291-1172 Email: deerpark@plumvillage.org Web site: http://www.iamhome.org Tradition: Vietnamese Zen (Thich Nhat Hanh) Affiliation: Order of Interbeing

Compassion Meditation Center 17327 Meekland Ave., Hayward, CA 94541 Tel: (510) 481-7002 Email: photu@jps.net Web site: http://www.compassiontemple.org Tradition: Vietnamese Zen Lineage: Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh

Delano Buddhist Church Delano, CA Tel: (805) 725 8135 Affiliation: Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) Tradition: Jodo Shinshu Buddhism

Dharmadhatu 2288 Fulton Street, Berkeley, CA 94704 Tel: (510) 841-3242 Email: shambhal@pacbell.net Web site: http://www.shambhala.org/center/berkeley Tradition: Tibetan - Kagyu - Lama Chogyam Trungpa

Diamond Way Buddhist Center 110 Merced Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94127 Tel: (415) 661-6467, Fax: (415) 665-2241 Email: dwbc@diamondway.org Web site: http://www.diamondway.org Tradition: Tibetan, Karma Kagyu Lineage

Drukpa Kargyud San Francisco 348 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA 94114 Tel: (415) 255-0470, Fax: (414) 255-2016 Tradition: Tibetan, Kagyu, Drikung

Empty Gate Zen Center 2200 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94704 Tel: (510) 845-8565 Email: egzc@emptygatezen.com Web site: http://www.emptygatezen.com Tradition: Korean Zen (Zen Master Seung Sahn) Affiliation: Kwan Um School of Zen

Enlightened Experience Celebration 410 Albany Ave, #302 Albany, CA 94706 Email: dorje1@mindspring.com Tradition: Tibetan (FPMT) Coordinator: Bill Kane

Ewam Choden Tibetan Buddhist Center 254 Cambridge Ave., Kensington, CA 94607 Tel: (510) 527-7363 Email: lamakunga@hotmail.com Web site: http://www.ewamchoden.org Tradition: Tibetan, Sakya Ngor lineage Spiritual Director: Lama Kunga Thartse Rinpoche

Fresno Betsuin Buddhist Church 1340 Kern Street, Fresno, CA 93706 Tel: (209) 442 4054, Fax: (209) 442 1978 Minister: Rev. Joko Yoshii Email: betsuin FR@aol.com Affiliation: Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) Tradition: Jodo Shinshu Buddhism

Gold Mountain Sagely Monastery 800 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, CA 94108 Tel: (415) 421-6117, Fax: (415) 788-6001 Email: drbagmm@jps.net Web site: http://www.drba.org Founder: Venerable Master Hsuan Hua Tradition: Mahayana, Ch'an (Zen)

Green Gulch Zen Center 1601 Shoreline Highway, Sausalito, CA 94965 Tel: (415) 383-3134 Tradition: Soto Zen (Suzuki Roshi)

Guadelupe Buddhist Church 1072 Olivera Street, Guadalupe, CA 93434| Tel: (805) 343 1053 Minister: Rev. Jim Yanagihara Affiliation: Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) Tradition: Jodo Shinshu

Hartford Street Zen Center (Issanji) 57 Hartford Street, San Francisco, CA 94114 Tel: (415) 863-2507 Email: Baizan@yahoo.com Web site: http://www.hartfordstreetzen.com Tradition: Soto zen (Suzuki roshi) Affiliation: San Francisco Zen Center Contact Person: Lynne Menefee

Hayward Buddhist Center 27878 Calaroga, Hayward, CA 94545 Tel: (510) 732-0728, Fax: (510) 732-2731 Email: ttpghw@jps.net Web site: home.jps.net/~ttpghw Tradition: Vietnamese Zen Lineage: Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh

Healing Buddha Center Segyu Gaden Pelgye Ling 2369 Empire Grade, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Tel. (831) 423-8700 Email: HBC-scruz@healingbuddha.org Web site: http://www.healingbuddha.org Tradition: Tibetan (Segyu lineage of the Gelug School)

Insight Meditation Center of the Mid-Peninsula 1205 Hopkins Ave., Redwood City, CA 94062 Tel: (650) 599-3456 Email: info@midpeninsight.org Web site: http://www.midpeninsight.org Tradition: Vipassana Spiritual Director: Gil Fronsdal Contact Person: Ines Freedman

Institute for World Religions & Berkeley Buddhist Monastery 2304 McKinley Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94703 Tel: (510) 848-3440, Fax: (510) 548-4551 Email: paramita@dnai.com Founder: Venerable Master Hsuan Hua Tradition: Mahayana, Ch'an (Zen)

International Meditation Center 1331 33rd Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94122 Tel: (415) 731-1941 Tradition: Theravada (Burmese)

Jewel Heart San Francisco Center Tel: (415) 248-2656 Web site: http://www.jewelheart.org Spiritual Director: Kyabje Gelek Rinpoche Tradition: Tibetan, Gelupa

Jr. Young Buddhist's Association of San Francisco 1881 Pine Street, San Francisco, CA 94109 Contact Person: Lika Sasaki (President) Tel: (415) 776-3158, Fax: (415) 776-0264 Email: minidora24@excite.co.jp Web site: http://www.geocities.com/bcsfhome/yba.html Tradition: Jodo shinshu (Pureland) Affiliation: Yound Buddhists Association of America Teachers: Shizuko Siegel

Kagyu Droden Kunchab 1892 Fell Street, San Francisco, CA 94117 Tel: (415) 752-5454 Web site: http://www.kdk.org Tradition: Tibetan Affiliation: Founded by Kalu Rinpoche Contact: Lama Lodru

Kamtsang Choling USA. 33 Marne Ave, San Francisco, CA 94127 Tel: (415) 661-6467 Email: 74034.1033@compuserve.com Tradition: Tibetan - Kagyu - Shamar Rinpoche

Kannon Do Zen Meditation Center 292 College Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94040 Tel: (650) 903-1935 Email: howard@howardwade.com Web site: http://www.kannondo.org Tradition: Soto Zen (Suzuki Roshi)

Karma Thegsum Choling Buddhist Meditation Center 677 Melville Avenue, Palo Alto Tel: (650) 967-1145 Contact: Katherine Penny Tradition: Tibetan, Kaygu

Koyasan Shingon Tenchi-ji Temple Box 3757, Fresno, CA 93650-3757 Tel: (559) 435-0507 Affiliated to: Koyasan Shingon-shu Kongobuji Temple, Japan Web site: http://www.shingon.org/sbii/sbii.html Founders: Rev. Eijun Eidson, Rev. Shoken Harada Email: beidson@shingon.org Web site: http://www.koyasan.org

Lesbian Buddhist Sangha (LBS) Berkeley, California Contact Person: Carol Newhouse Email: Carolnewh@aol.com Tradition: Vipassana Insight Meditation

Lieu Quan Buddhist Cultural Center 1425 Claton Road, San Jose CA 95127 Tel: (408) 272 5765 Email: thichphapchon@yahoo.com Web site: http://www.chualieuquan.com Tradition: Mahayana, Vietnamese Spiritual Director: The Most Ven. Thich Hai An Affiliated to: Tu Dam Pagoda, Hue Vietam Teacher: Ven. Thich Phap Chon

Lotus Organization 1053 Solano Avenue, Albany, CA 94706 Contact Person: Susan Verby Tel/Fax: (510) 525 5562 Email: inquiry@thelotus.org Web site: http://www.thelotus.org Affiliation: Tibetan, Western Teachers: Padma Tenzin Sol / Robin Bello

Mettananda Vihara 4619 Central Ave., Fremont CA 94536 Tel: (510) 795-0405 Tradition: Theravada, Burmese Vipassana Meditation-Mahasi Method Spiritual Director: Ashin Dhammapiya Teachers: Ashin Kawthida & Ashin Nyarnika

Middlebar Monastery 2503 Del Rio Drive, Stockton, CA 95204 Tel: (209) 462-9384 Email: bjames@oco.net Tradition: Sotozenshu (for American culture and customs) Affiliation: loose affiliation with Soto Zen in Japan Spiritual Director: Daino Doki MacDonough, Roshi Teachers: MacDonough Roshi and Brother James, his disciple.

Mountain Source Sangha 1559 26th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94122 Contact Person: Stephen Damon Tel: (415) 681-9172 Email: cleolucky@aol.com Web site: http://www.mtsource.org Tradition: Soto Zen Affiliation: San Francisco Zen Center Spiritual Director: Taigen Dan Leighton

Mountain View Buddhist Temple 575 Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, CA 94043-3102 Tel: (650) 964-9426, Fax: (650) 964-6159 Minister: Jay Shinseki Email: mvbt@aol.com Web site: http://www.bcacoast.org/mtview/announce.html Affiliation: Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) Tradition: Japanese Shinshu Buddhism

Nalandabodhi - Bay Area study Group 105 Palm Ave. #12 San Francisco, CA 94118 Tel: (415) 422-0002 Email: sjohnston@nalandabodhi.org Web site: http://www.nalandabodhi.org Tradition: Tibetan, Nyingmapa/Kagyu Contact: Stephanie Johnston

Nyingma Institute 1815 Highland Place, Berkeley, CA 94709 Tel: (510) 843-6812 Email: Nyingma-Institute@nyingma.org Web site: http://www.nyingmainstitute.com Tradition: Tibetan. Nyingma Contact: Abbe Blum

Oakland Zendo - Pacific Zen Institute 4033 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94607 Contact Person: David Weinstein Tel: (510) 531-5779 Web site: http://www.pacificzen.org Tradition: Soto/Rinzai Lineage: Harada/Yasutani Affiliation: Pacific Zen Institute Spiritual Director: John Tarrant, Roshi Teacher: David Weinstein

Oxnard Buddhist Church Tel: (805) 483 5948, Fax: (805) 483 2353 Minister: Rev. Kakei Nakagawa Affiliation: Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) Tradition: Jodo Shinshu Buddhism

Padma Shedrup Ling Box 117, Fairfax, CA 94978 Tel: (415) 485-1356 36054 Niles Blvd, Fremont, CA 94536 Tel: (510) 790-2294 or 2296, Fax: (510) 796-9043 Tradition: Theravada (Thai) Teacher: Phramaha Somchai Contact: Phramaha Suchart

Palo Alto Buddhist Temple 2751 Louis Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303 Tel: (415) 856 0123, Fax: (415) 856 9130 Minister: Rev. Hiroshi Abiko Web site: http://www.sonic.net/~enmanji/ Affiliation: Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) Tradition: Jodo Shinshu Buddhism

Palo Alto Shambhala Meditation Group 956 Bonita Avenue Unit 1 Mountain View, CA 94040 Tel: (650) 938-2356 Email: polard@wenet.net Web site: http://www.shambhala.org/center/palo-alto Founder: Chgyam Trungpa Rinpoche Tradition: Tibetan, Kagy lineage Director: Henry Polard

Purple Lotus Buddhist School 33615 9th Street, Union City, CA 94587 Tel: (510) 429-8808 Email: webmaster@purplelotus.com Web site: http://www.purplelotus.org Tradition: Mixed (Vajrayana, Pure Land, Taosim)

Purple Lotus Temple 636 San Mateo Ave., #1, San Bruno, CA 94587 Tel: (650) 952-9513, Fax: (650) 952-9567 Email: webmaster@purplelotus.com Web site: http://www.purplelotus.org Tradition: Mixed (Vajrayana, Pure Land, Taoism)

Ratna Shri Sangha 2245 Cabrillo Street #4, San Francisco, CA 94121-3724 Contact: Cindy Chang (415) 386-4619 or Jeff Beach (415) 386-4619 Email: gyaltsen@earthlink.net c/o Jeff Beach Tradition: Tibetan, Kagyu, Drikung

Ratna Shri Center at Berkeley Berkeley, California Tel: (510) 843-2967 Email: RatnaShri@aol.com Tradition: Tibetan, Kagyu, Drikung Contact: Ven. Lama Osal Dorje

Rigpa - USA National Headquarters 449 Powell Street, Suite 200 San Francisco, CA 94102 (Walk-in entrance at 521 Sutter Street) Tel: (415) 392-2055, Fax: (415) 392-2056 Web site: http://www.rigpa.org Teachers: Sogyal Rinpoche and H.E. Dzogchen Rinpoche Tradition: Tibetan, Nyingma

Rigpa Center Berkeley, California Tel: (510) 644-1858 Founder: Sogyal Rinpoche Tradition: Tibetan, Nyingma (Rigpa)

Sakya Dechen Ling 1709 Myrtle Street, Oakland, CA 94607 Tel: (510) 465-2202 Email: info@sakyadechenling.org Web site: http://www.sakyadechenling.org Tradition: Tibetan, Sakya Lineage Spiritual Director: Her Eminence Jetsun Kusho Chime Luding Contact Person: Katherine Pfaff

Sati Center for Buddhist Studies PO Box 2021, Santa Cruz, CA 95063-2021 Tel: (415) 646-0530 Email: info@sati.org Web site: http://www.sati.org Tradition: Theravada

San Francisco Buddhist Center 37 Bartlett Street, between 21st & 22nd Streets & between Valencia & Mission Streets (in the Mission) San Francisco, CA 94110 Tel: (415) 282-2018 Email: amigo@sfbuddhistcenter.org Web site: http://www.sfbuddhistcenter.org Head: Sangharakshita, founder of the Western Buddhist Order Affiliation: Friends of the Western Buddhist Order Contact: Paramananda, Viveka, Karunadevi, Viradhamma, Khajit, Lisa Cullen

San Francisco Myoshinji Temple 2631 Appian Way, Pinole, CA 94564 Tel: (510) 222-8372 San Francisco Myoshinji Temple Email: contact@nichirenshoshumyoshinji.org Web site: nichirenshoshumyoshinji.org Tradition: Nichiren Shoshu Affiliation: Head Temple Taisekiji, Japan

San Francisco Shambhala Center 1630 Taraval Street, San Francisco, CA 94116 Tel: (415) 731-4426 Email: sfshambhala@yahoo.com Web site: http://www.shambhala.org/center/san-francisco Founder: Chgyam Trungpa Rinpoche Tradition: Tibetan, Kagy lineage Directors: Debra Seibel and Bregman

San Francisco Nichiren Buddhist Church 1570 17th Ave., San Francisco, CA 94122 Tel: (415) 665-4063 Tradition: Nichiren Shu

San Francisco Zen Center 300 Page Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 Tel: (415) 863-3136 Email: secretary@sfzc.org Web site: http://www.sfzc.com Tradition: Soto Zen - Suzuki Roshi

San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin 640 N 5th Street, San Jose, CA 95112 Tel: (408) 293 9292, Fax: (408) 293 0433 Rinban Masanori Ohata Minister: Rev. Gerald Sakamoto Email: sjbc@sjbetsuin.com Web site: http://www.sjbetsuin.com Affiliation: Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) Tradition: Jodo Shinshu Buddhism

San Jose Myokakuji Betsuin 3570 Mona Way, San Jose, CA 95130 Tel: (415) 246-0111, Fax: (415) 246-3543 Tradition: Nichiren Shu Contact: Bishop Matsuda

San Luis Obispo Buddhist Church 6996 Ontario Road, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 Tel: (805) 595 2625 Minister: Rev. Jim Yanagihara Affiliation: Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) Tradition: Jodo Shinshu Buddhism

San Mateo Buddhist Temple 2 S. Claremont Street, San Mateo, CA 94401 Tel: (415) 342 2541, Fax: (415) 342 0576 Minister: Rev. Eijun Kujo Affiliation: Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) Tradition: Jodo Shinshu Buddhism

Sang-ngak-cho-dzong 2508 Eagle Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501 Tel: (510) 865-1394 Tradition: Tibetan, Nyingma

Saraha Buddhist Center PO Box 12037, San Francisco, CA 94112 Tel: (415) 585-9161, Fax: 585-3161 Web site: http://www.kampadas.org Tradition: Tibetan, Kadampa Mahayana Buddhism (NKT).

Saraha Buddhist Center 43 South 14th Street, San Jose, CA 95112 Tel: (408) 297-6840, Fax: (408) 97-6840 Tradition: Tibetan, New Kadampa Affiliation: Manjushri Mahayana Buddhist Centre, Ulverston, UK

Siddhartha's Intent Western Door c/o Kathryn Meeske, President P.O. Box 15566, Fremont, CA 94539 Tel: (213) 739-0246 or (415) 675-0337 Email: siwd_main@hotmail.com Spiritual Head: Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche Tradition: Tibetan

Sixth Patriarch Zen Center 2584 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704 Tel: (510) 486-1762, Fax: 883-0461 Email: sixthpat@zenhall.org Web site: http://www.zenhall.org Tradition: Korean Rinzai Zen Spiritual Director: Venerable Hyunoong Sunim Contact Person: Jaguang

Soka Gakkai International - USA 606 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401 Tel: (310) 260-8900, Fax: (310) 260-8917 Email: sgi-usa@sgi-usa.org Web site: http://www.sgi.org Tradition: Mahayana Founder: Nichiren Daishonin

Southern Alameda County Buddhist Church 32975 Alvarado-Niles Road, Union City, CA 945587 Tel: (510) 471 2581, Fax: (510) 489 3556 Minister: Rev. Naoki Kono Email: sacbc@aol.com Web site: http://www.sonic.net/~enmanji Affiliation: Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) Tradition: Jodo Shinshu Buddhism

Spirit Rock Meditation Center 5000 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, Woodacre, CA 94973 Tel: (415) 488-0164, Fax: (415) 488-0170 Email: SRMC@spiritrock.org Web site: http://www.spiritrock.org Tradition: Mixed Affiliation: Insight Meditation Society (MA) Teachers: Jack Kornfield, James Baraz, Sylvia Boorstein, Anna Douglas

Theravada Buddhist Society of America / Dhamananda Vihara 17450 S Cabrillo Highway, Hal Moon Bay, CA 94019 Contact Person: U Osadha Tel/Fax: (650) 726-7604 Email: osadha@tbsa.org Web site: http://www.tbsa.org Tradition: Theravada, Burmese / Mahasi Vipassana Spiritual Director: U Silananda Teachers: U Sobhana, U Jotalankara, U Osadha, U Nandisena

Tibetan Nyingma Institute 1815 Highland Place, Berkeley, CA 94709 Tel: (51) 843-6812 Email: Nyingma-Institute@nyingma.org Web site: http://www.nyingmainstitute.com Tradition: Tibetan (Nyingma) Contact: Abbe Blum

Tsa Tsa Studio/ Center for Tibetan Sacred Art Contact: Roberta Raine 4 Joost Ave., San Francisco CA 94131 Tel: (415) 206-0313, Toll-free: 1-877-OM-AH-HUM Tradition: Tibetan, Gelupa (FPMT) Spiritual Director: Lama Zopa Rinpoche Email: tsatsafpmt@aol.com Web site: http://www.tsatsastudio.org

Tse Chen Ling 4 Joost Ave., San Francisco CA 94131 Tel: (415) 333-3261, Fax: (415) 333-4851 Tradition: Tibetan, Gelupa (FPMT) Spiritual Director: Geshe Ngawang Dakpa Email: tclcenter@aol.com Web site: http://www.tsechenling.com Contact: Lobsang Chokyi

Vajrakilaya Centres: Dudul Nagpa Ling 7436 Sea View Place, El Cerrito, CA 94530 Hung Kar Ling 6444 Pine Haven Road, Oakland, CA 94611 Founder: Orgyen Kusul Lingpa Rinpoche Tradition: Tibetan, Nyingmapa Contacts: John & Amy Kriebel - San Raphael, CA Tel: (510) 528-8151

Viet-American Buddhist Youth Association Hayward Buddhist Center 27878 Calaroga Avenue, Hayward, CA 94545-4659 Tel: (510) 732 0728, Fax: 732 2731 President: Rev. Thich Tu-Luc Email: ttuluc@jps.net

Wat Brahmacariyakaram 4485 South Orange Avenue, Fresno, CA 93725 Tel: (559) 264-5644 Tradition: Theravada, Thai

Wat Buddhanusorn 36054 Niles Boulevard, Fremont, CA 94536-1563 Tel: (510) 790-2294, Fax: (510) 796-9043 Email: t_setkorn@hotmail.com Web site: http://www.watbuddha.iirt.net Tradition: Theravada, Thai

Wat Buddhapradeep of San Francisco 310 Poplar Ave. San Bruno, CA 94066 Tel: (650) 615-9528, 615-9688 Fax: (650) 583-8083, 742-6657 Email: wat-thai@wat-thai.com Web site: http://www.wat-thai.com Tradition: Theravada, Thai

Wat Chaobuddha of San Bernardino 3495 Gray Street, San Bernardino, CA 92407 Tel: (909) 880-2762, Fax: 880-2762 Tradition: Theravada, Thai

Wat Mongkolratanaram (Berkeley Thai Temple) 1911 Russell Street, Berkeley, CA 94703 Tel: (510) 849-3419, 840-9034, Fax: 845-8150 Abbot: Ajahn Manat Tradition: Theravada, Thai

Wat Nagara Dhamma (Wat Nakorntham) 3225 Lincoln Way, San Francisco, CA 94122 Tel: (415) 665-7566, Fax: (415) 665-9892 Tradition: Theravada

Zen Hospice Project 273 Page Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 Tel: (415) 863-2910, Fax: 863-1768 Email: mail@zenhospice.org Web site: http://www.zenhospice.org Residential care

* Buddhist Centers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico

Special Thanks to Buddhanet.net!

Buddhist Centers Courtesy of http://www.Buddhanet.net

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Buddhist Centers- Bay Area California - Urban Dharma

Diamond Way Buddhist Center San Francisco belongs to an international non-profit network of over 600 lay Diamond Way Buddhist centers of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, founded by Lama Ole Nydahl and under the spiritual guidance of H.H. the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Trinley Thaye Dorje.

Diamond Way Buddhism offers practical and effective methods to realize minds inherent richness for the benefit of all. With an accessible and modern style, it works with peoples confidence and desire, using every situation in life to develop fearlessness and joy. We always present a basic introduction for newcomers, and the meditations are guided in English.

8pm Mondays

Our program begins with a short introduction on a Buddhist topic, followed by a guided meditation. The regular meditation is the Guru Yoga meditation on the 16th Karmapa and is guided in English. It generally lasts around 30 minutes.

We have moved out of 110 Merced Ave and meet once a week (only) at The Center SF, 548 Fillmore St which is a rented space, until we find a new physical location for our Center. For more information please contact us at: sanfrancisco@diamondway.org or call us at: (415) 294-1406.

H.H. 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje

H.H. 17th Karmapa Trinlay Thaye Dorje

Lama Ole Nydahl & Hannah Nydahl

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Buddhism San Francisco - Diamond Way Buddhist Center San ...

Terre Haute, IN Buddhist Temples - The most mellow and peaceful temples you can find. Check out the Buddhist temples in Terre Haute, IN. Buddhism in Terre Haute, IN

If you are trying to reach nirvana and peace, then Terre Haute, IN's Buddhist temples can help you attain your tranquility. Terre Haute, IN Buddhist temples also can help you to find a way of enlightenment, so shrug off the confusion and uncertainty in life and find inner peace.

Buddhism is a very accepting path in life. We accept people with religious and atheist backgrounds. We can teach you the path to true inner peace and enlightenment -- and no one ever accused a Buddhist of forcing his or her views down someone's throat! If you're looking for a new philosophy, consider Buddhism. Our teachers will calm your raging spirit and show you the way.

Terre Haute, IN Buddhist temples offer a different insight into life and mankind's inner spirit. Find your own path at Terre Haute, INs Buddhist temples. With over 360 million Buddhism followers in the world, there are bound to be different forms of Buddhism. Local Terre Haute, IN Buddhist temples offer several schools of Buddhism including Mahayana Buddhism, Tantric Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism, Western Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism. Although there are several schools of Buddhism, Buddhist ideology does maintain a sense of commonality. There are also Buddhist seminaries and studies that you can join. If this is of interest to you contact a local Terre Haute, IN Buddhist temple to learn more.

Quite often Buddhism is not viewed as a religion because it does not practice the worshiping of a single god, or a god in a physical form. The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching is quite simple, in that nothing is fixed or permanent, change is always possible, and that actions have consequences. If you really think about it, meditation is one way to a peaceful world. Sit, close your eyes, and relax your mind. See? Now if only we could make certain individuals do that...

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Terre Haute IN Buddhist Temples Page 1 - myhuckleberry.com

Besides the fact that Buddhists are told to think for themselves, and that Buddhism as a philosophy exists across many cultures, time periods, and with varying teachings and practices, there are some core Buddhism beliefs that might be considered representative of most Buddhists.

This page may serve as a basic introduction to Buddhism. All quotes are from the Buddha, unless otherwise stated. If you wish to explore any idea further, select the link to navigate to a book or website specially recommended if you are interested in that topic. If you have an idea for a new belief that should be included, send us an email.

1. Buddha is Not a God

The Buddha was an ordinary man, who 2,500 years ago saw clearly into the true nature of reality. As such, Buddhas teachings are not set rules to follow, nor the only wisdom in the world. Rather, they should be seen as advice to consider, from someone who has gone beyond everyday views, ideas, and conceptions. Many have also become enlightened before Buddha, have since the Buddha, and will in the future.

Read more in this book explaining the Dalai Lamas most respectful views on Jesus

2. You Should Not Believe Anything Without Thinking

Buddhists are encouraged to test everything they read or hear, to see if it stands up to their own standards as true or not.

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.

Good Basic Recommended Reading

3. Gods and Deities are Cultural

Some Buddhist schools have many Gods, others have none. But it would be wrong to say that Buddhism itself teaches atheism, pantheism, or any other position on gods and deities. Gods are the conception of a particular time and culture, and may be used more or less wisely in the development of ones spiritual practice.

This book lays out some basics about the Buddhist Universe.

4. But Dont worry too much about the nature of God

The Buddha said it was more important to take steps to end your suffering than to follow endless discussions on the true nature of God (and other such unanswerable questions).

Our theories of the eternal are as valuable as are those which a chick which has not broken its way through its shell might form of the outside world.

5. The Purpose of Life

Life exists in itself there is no inherent meaning attached to life. However as all human beings (and animals) wish for happiness and not to suffer the purpose of life may be said to end that suffering.

Read about what the Dalai Lama thinks the Meaning of Life is.

6. The Afterlife Depends on this Life

Buddhism teaches that in an interconnected world, all actions have consequences (karma). The consequences of acts undertaken in this and earlier lifetimes will be felt in a next one, in a process known as reincarnation. It is a Buddhist aim to educate oneself and meditate in order to escape from this cycle of rebirth, to enter Nirvana.

This book clearly explains why we shouldnt fear death, and this is the most famous book that explains what happens when we die.

7. Books and Teachings are Very Important

It is important to read and to listen to great teachers, so we can undo more of our ignorance. Books are important, as is listening to great teachers. In fact, it is one of the most important things we can do with our lives.

If youre looking for a good one to start with, this one might be it.

8. Meditation is Key

A key belief in all Buddhist groups is the importance of meditation. Without calming our mind, and examining our minds nature and its beliefs, we can never reach enlightenment. Doing this sitting down is called meditation, and doing this while we undertake everyday activities is called mindfulness.

Everything is based on mind, is led by mind, is fashioned by mind. If you speak and act with a polluted mind, suffering will follow you, as the wheels of the oxcart follow the footsteps of the ox.

A good introduction to sitting meditation is this book. A good one for meditation in everyday life is Mindfulness in Plain English. Thich Nhat Hahn is generally known as the master of mindfulness.

9. Healing Comes from Mind

Buddhism believes that our external situation is created by our internal minds. This is equally true for our health and the state of our bodies. Many Buddhists use meditation, mantras, and prayers alongside medicines to help heal themselves.

See HealingMeditation.org for more information on how this is done.

10. Its Up To Ourselves

Buddhism maintains that it is not up to others to make us meditate or study. We are responsible for creating our own suffering, and it is solely up to us to create the circumstances for our release. It requires personal wisdom and commitment.

Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.

The Buddha

11. Our Bodies Are Precious

A life reborn as a human is considered a very precious thing. To have a long life is a rare and important opportunity to end our suffering. Hence, it is important to keep healthy.

To keep the body in good health is a dutyotherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.

In this book the Dalai Lama gives advice how to See Yourself As You Really Are

12. Your Spiritual Community is Important

You do not have to go to a temple or meditation class to be a Buddhist. But being surrounded by others with similar views and objectives as yourself will be beneficial for ones motivation, sense of purpose and deepening ones understanding.

13. Interconnectedness is the Nature of Reality

Buddhists believe that everything is interconnected every object, being, and concept is connected to what caused it, and what is around it. Also known as emptiness, Buddhists try to see that there is nothing in the universe that is not connected to everything else.

Emptiness is impermanence, it is change. We should not complain about impermanence, because without impermanence, nothing is possible.

Thich Nhat Hanh

This is the editors own favorite book! It most clearly explains how we are not separate from the people and objects around us, in beautiful writing.

14. Its Good to Be Good

Buddhists believe in the idea of karma (a logical extension from everything being interconnected). What we do to others will ultimately affect ourselves.

Hence Buddhism advocates doing good deeds, but not just the following strict rules. It is up to the individual to consider the wisest course of action for their future long term happiness. Five precepts, or guides, are often given as advice as to actions that will often most lead to beneficial outcomes. They are: not to lie, steal or defraud, kill or injure others, hurt via sexual relationships, and to not further cloud your mind with too many intoxicants.

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.

15. Compassion is Key

Compassion is a natural extension of understanding and wisdom. With true wisdom we grow more compassionate for the people we meet. And with compassion we ourselves grow wiser.

If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path.

The Buddha

Perhaps the best book on compassion and how it is so transformative

16. Sex is Neither Bad nor Good

In Buddhism, it is less the act of sex, or when or with whom it is performed that is important. More important is the motivation, attachment, and consequences of any act.

Read about the Buddhist Ideas on Sex

17. Strive for Balance

The Buddha himself learned that it is important not to be too strict on oneself (or on others). Moderation is the key to success in most things.

If you tighten the string too much, it will snap, and if you leave it too slack, it wont play.

A nice book on a central idea in Buddhism the Middle Way

18. Its Never Too Late to Begin

Some Buddhist schools emphasize that enlightenment is a quick process, that can happen at any moment. Others emphasize that it is difficult, and can take many lifetimes. Both agree, it is never too late to start practicing and thinking about the right way to live. The less ignorance you have, the less you will suffer.

It is never too late. Even if you are going to die tomorrow, Keep yourself straight and clear and be a happy human being today. If you keep your situation happy day by day, you will eventually reach the greatest happiness of Enlightenment.

Lama Yeshe

A great Buddhist book if youre going to pick one up.

Prayer Wheels, Meditation, and Oracles read more about some of Buddhisms practices. Or, browse through a collection of Wise Quotes.

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Buddhism Beliefs

A Day Retreat with Zen Teacher Pat George

Saturday, January 9, 2016

When:Saturday, November 14, 10am 12pm

Where:Radnor Friends Meeting, 620 Conestoga Rd, Villanova, PA, United States (map)

Description:

Sutra:MN 14 PTS: M i 91 Cula-dukkhakkhandha Sutta: The Lesser Mass of Stress &MN 36 PTS: M i 237 Maha-Saccaka Sutta: The Longer Discourse to Saccaka

Led byWilliam Stauffer

Click to read more

When: 1 pm to 6 pm, Saturday, November 14, 2015. Please come by 12:45. NOTE:This Retreat is at a different time than the usual retreat times

Where: Plymouth Meeting Friends, 2150 Butler Pike, Click to read more

When:Saturday, October 10, 10am 12pm

Where:Radnor Friends Meeting, 620 Conestoga Rd, Villanova, PA, United States (map)

Description:Sutra: MN118, npnasati Sutta (Mindfulness of Breathing)

Led byJulianna Lipschutz

Note:Prior to the Sutra Study, there will be sitting meditation from 9:30AM to 9:50AM. Please bring your own hard Click to read more

When:Saturday, September 19th,10AM to 4PM

Where:Plymouth Meeting Friends, 2150 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA

No pre-registration necessary, please arrive around 9:30AM for set up.

This retreat will incorporate sequences of mindful Yoga practices in order to help our Buddhist practice of meditation or Click to read more

When: Sunday, September 13, 2015, 7:30PM 9PM

Where: Plymouth Meeting Friends, 2150 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA

Description: How Can We Understand Self, No-Self, and Non-Self in Buddhism? Led by Richard McKinney

Click here to learn more about our Lecture and Discussion series

When:Saturday, September 12, 10am 12pm

Where:Radnor Friends Meeting, 620 Conestoga Rd, Villanova, PA, United States (map)

Description: Sutra: MN86, Angulimala Sutta (To Angulimala, a murderer)

Led byZachary Brown

Note:Prior to the Sutra Study, there will be sitting meditation from 9:30AM to 9:50AM. Please bring Click to read more

Follow this link:
Philadelphia Buddhist Association

"Just as in the great ocean there is but one taste the taste of salt, so in this Doctrine and Discipline there is but one taste the taste of freedom." - The Buddha

Buddhism teaches that every human being has the potential to become happier, kinder and wiser - even infinitely so. The Buddha was a human being who, through his own efforts, realized the Path to Enlightenment. Rooted in awareness that all things are impermanent and constantly subject to change, Buddhist teachings are a means by which, through our efforts, we too can realize our fullest potential.

The Seattle Buddhist Center is part of an international Buddhist movement known as the Triratna Buddhist Community (formerly the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order). The Triratna Buddhist Community is dedicated to communicating Buddhist teachings in a context that is both understandable and appropriate for the modern Western world.

The Seattle Buddhist Center is a great resource for newcomers to Buddhism. We offer ongoing introductory classes on meditation and Buddhism in a welcoming and casual atmosphere. Our introductory meditation courses are good place to learn how to meditate, whether you consider yourself a Buddhist or not.

We offer a wide variety of activities using many different approaches to practice. Visitors and members are encouraged to participate to the degree that they feel comfortable. Although we have a strong and dedicated core membership, our approach is casual and friendly, and we are always happy to see new faces.

The Seattle Buddhist Center is entirely volunteer-run. To find out how you can support us, check out our 2015 Pledge Drive.

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Seattle Buddhist Center Home