The International Humanist and Ethical Union has joined with its member organization One Law for All to hold a Rally for Free Expression in London on 11 February. The rally was organized to respond to the recent spate of attacks on free speech in the UK, including threats and censorship directed at Humanist student groups at the University of London (see IHEU stories at http://www.iheu.org/humanists-condemn-another-attack-atheist-expression-london-university and at http://www.iheu.org/threats-violence-force-cancellation-university-talk-sharia-law). -->
Here's a question that came up in the comments to the last post:
One aspect of Zen meditation I could not yet understand is why there is no metta meditation. In the Triratna tradition - and I suppose in most other Tibetan meditation traditions also- amongst other things there is like mindfulness of the breath meditation also the metta bhavana; a practice I have done on some occassions and also found it helpful to develop compassion. Why does the meditation and chanting practice found in the Metta Sutra and Brahmaviharas not form part of the Zen liturgy or canon? It appears in the Vietnamese Zen (Thien) tradition the Metta Bhavana might be practiced?
...I hope to focus on dhyana paramita, the perfection of meditation, a bit this week. But many of you already are experienced meditators, so I'm not sure what to say about meditation that would be helpful.
...Following up on the last post on the role of debate in Buddhism -- this brings to mind one of my favorite women of Buddhist history -- Liu Tiemo (ca. 780-859), also called the "Iron Grindstone."
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An excellent opportunity for an experienced Communications Officer has arisen within the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), the world union of Humanist and other non-religious organizations. -->
Lewis Richmond has an essay at Huffington Post about a couple of topics dear to my heart. One topic is the growing inclusion of women as equals in Buddhism, and the other is that "'right speech' is often wrongly interpreted to mean never saying anything critical or difficult."
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An artist's impression of Alain de Botton's "Temple to Perspective
Alain de Botton has been accused of many things – of being superficial, self-absorbed and most recently (by Terry Eagleton) "banal" – but no one would call him stupid. The PR campaign for his latest book Religion for Atheists: A Non-Believer's Guide to the Uses of Religion, is a case in point. To accompany the book’s publication he has launched a campaign to build a “£1 million atheist temple” in the City of London, dedicated to the wonders of the evolution. It sounds rather nice – a 460 metre narrowing tower (De Botton himself refers to it as "A Temple to Perspective") with a roof open to the sky, with layers of fossil-studded rock representing the different eras of the earth’s life, ending at the ground with a wafer-thin strip of gold depicting the infinitesimally short span of human life on the planet.
The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) is calling for the Indonesian government to guarantee the freedom and safety of Alexander Aan, an Indonesian arrested for blasphemy. IHEU -- the global union of more than 100 Humanist and atheist groups from 40 countries including Indonesia -- has also raised Aan’s case with the United Nations. Aan was arrested for blasphemy last week in Dharmasraya, in the province of West Sumatra. -->
One of the first posts I wrote here, as I remember, had to do with my discomfort with identifying as a Buddhist. I had no trouble with the Buddhism part; it was the identity part that bothered me. Just to say "I am a [insert object of your choice]" gives me a little twitch of discomfort these days.
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Yet another Humanist student group in London is being threatened with censorship for talking about Islam. The London School of Economics (LSE) Student Union has instructed the LSE Student Union Atheist, Secularist and Humanist Society (LSESU ASH) to remove cartoons featuring Jesus and Mohammed from their Facebook page. It is the third instance this month of free speech being threatened at a London college. -->
We're very pleased to announce that the New Humanist app for iPhone and iPad is now available for download from the iTunes store.
The Jesus & Mo cartoon strip that has sparked controversy
Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche, a lineage holder in the Tibetan Dzogchen tradition, has a new book out called Living Fully: Finding Joy in Every Breath. This is not a book I would recommend to someone who just wants to learn something about Buddhism. However, I think some of you who already have some experience with practice would find this book inspirational and clarifying.
...It's already January 23 in China, so the Chinese new year has begun. This is a year of the dragon, so for fun I wrote an article about Buddhist dragons. Enjoy.
This morning I ran into an article about correct use of the word karma, based on what it says in a standard dictionary. Unfortunately, the article, and the dictionary, are incorrect. Barry Wood of GateHouse News Service wrote,
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