https://politicalresearch.org/ The latest research related to Buddhism en https://religiondispatches.org/2022/07/10/meditation-sickness-everyone-talking-about-how-nobody-talking-about-risks-meditation There are some visible signs that particular Buddhist communities in the United States are beginning to see a greater need to respond to what are often today called “challenging” or “adverse” meditation experiences. For a few decades now, meditation practices… Sun, 10 Jul 2022 12:47:39 EDT Ira Helderman c25ccb12-3b04-41e9-bb34-400829e97d24 https://religiondispatches.org/2022/04/13/black-buddhists-struggling-intergenerational-trauma-slavery-segregation-and Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk who joined the ancestors earlier this year, was profoundly influential for Black Buddhists who’ve struggled under the weight of systemic racism and intergenerational trauma. Thay (as he was affectionately known) coined the term… Wed, 13 Apr 2022 01:05:20 EDT Rima Vesely-Flad cb62532f-cecf-4cd4-b5ed-5b1ea1bc99cb https://religiondispatches.org/2022/03/23/reactionary-white-buddhists-have-joined-fight-against-critical-race-theory A recent article by conservative watchdog Campus Reform targeted my collaborative research talk on racial justice work in and as Buddhist practice . The talk traced the multiple ways whiteness has operated in American Buddhism including the erasure of Asian… Wed, 23 Mar 2022 08:09:49 EDT Ann Gleig 3e25bf41-c788-4e46-b561-c9853d3dc794 https://religiondispatches.org/2018/02/15/buddhism-and-politics-myanmar-author-interview What inspired you to write Buddhism, Politics and Political Thought in Myanmar ? My interest in the subject began back in 2002, during my first trip to Myanmar. Along with a friend, I had signed up for a month-long meditation… Thu, 15 Feb 2018 02:34:59 EST Matthew Walton 592ab71d-ae91-4930-be92-9d98caa86cc5 https://religiondispatches.org/2017/11/21/australians-vote-overwhelmingly-marriage-equality-and-more-global-lgbt-recap Australia: Voters overwhelmingly support marriage equality; opponents seek religious exemptions Australian voters overwhelmingly expressed support for marriage equality in a non-binding mail referendum whose results were released on November 15. The win came in spite of a “well-organized religious campaign”… Tue, 21 Nov 2017 03:37:54 EST Peter Montgomery 35e156c5-5d85-4591-a61c-e17edba1c54a https://religiondispatches.org/2017/01/22/uncertainty-about-us-role-lgbt-human-rights-under-trump-global-lgbt-recap As the Donald Trump administration took power in Washington, D.C., amid some uncertainty about the stance it will take toward LGBT people, Human Rights First published a video about the importance of U.S. government advocacy for LGBT human rights worldwide… Sun, 22 Jan 2017 11:00:12 EST Peter Montgomery f361a641-fe21-40b3-983c-40a2b4431883 https://religiondispatches.org/2016/08/30/catholic-sister-buddhist-nun-and-two-rabbis-friendship-goes-beyond-interfaith Four unlikely people brought together by a tiny synagogue in City Island, New York Tue, 30 Aug 2016 02:59:19 EDT Matthew Gindin b3155375-9445-4e4f-9908-1dbf0a43f4df https://religiondispatches.org/2016/07/12/sit-down-and-shut-pulling-mindfulness-its-buddhist-roots “Wisdom 2.0?” meditation teacher Kenneth Folk has famously pondered. “That’s a networking opportunity with a light dressing of Buddhism.” If mindfulness has gone corporate, then Wisdom 2.0 is its annual shareholder meeting. The yearly conference hosts tech royalty alongside media… Tue, 12 Jul 2016 11:15:20 EDT Max Zahn 2facea40-fbd2-4a07-a8f2-9e03b31f94dd https://religiondispatches.org/2016/06/16/birds-and-buddhists-wildlife-rehab-nyc-style Spring is the busy season at the Wild Bird Fund, the only wildlife rehabilitation center to be found anywhere in the five boroughs. On a recent Monday afternoon, a constant procession of concerned humans walked through the Fund’s door near… Thu, 16 Jun 2016 02:23:09 EDT Jay Wexler 2b1ce9dd-1f86-4d45-aef7-99e9651ddbab https://religiondispatches.org/2016/05/15/world-congress-families-blessed-georgian-orthodox-patriarch-and-george-w-bush-global The Human Dignity Trust has released a report, Breaking the Silence: Criminalisation of Lesbians and Bisexual Women and its Impacts, which it says is “the first ever global in-depth analysis of how laws against homosexuality specifically impact lesbians and bisexual… Sun, 15 May 2016 09:06:00 EDT Peter Montgomery d672fd23-5261-40c2-8042-cc154ca01de0 https://religiondispatches.org/2016/02/12/australias-harsh-refugee-policies-stirring-backlash-malawi-court-sides-pastors-lift The current issue of ILGA-Europe’s Destination EQUALITY magazine focuses on reconciling sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and religion. The magazine includes personal testimonies of LGBT Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists and an interview with Krzysztof Charamsa, the Polish priest and… Fri, 12 Feb 2016 11:07:42 EST Peter Montgomery 20f51a51-4058-4ce6-ba0d-1c36c1f7602a https://religiondispatches.org/2016/01/21/put-your-money-where-your-mind-profit-meditation-studio-opens-new-york Ellie Burrows and Lodro Rinzler had their big idea over a cup of tea. Certain details change with the telling (was it a nail salon or a hair salon?), but here’s the official version: during a teatime conversation, Burrows asked… Thu, 21 Jan 2016 12:33:29 EST Michael Schulson 7244d37b-04ca-4079-832f-0950cca3e969 https://religiondispatches.org/2015/05/19/competitive-religious-philanthropy-wake-nepali-earthquake The death toll in Nepal has surpassed 8,500, Reuters reported this week, making it the country’s deadliest earthquake on record. In the aftermath of the disaster, aid has come in many forms, although not nearly enough. As Cathleen Falsani reported… Tue, 19 May 2015 10:36:45 EDT Nalika Gajaweera 049d9b25-0b85-402c-8c32-b5e4b44cc008 https://religiondispatches.org/2015/05/15/ministries-presence-report-nepal American Christians in earthquake-ravaged Nepal—but not evangelism as usual. Fri, 15 May 2015 05:50:10 EDT Cathleen Falsani 019bba33-67ae-4611-8161-60b604449e78 https://religiondispatches.org/2015/04/14/what-critics-mindfulness-trend-dont-get It’s not simply reinforcing western privilege or turning us into contented drones. Tue, 14 Apr 2015 02:21:06 EDT Hollis Phelps e41cd5cd-efa4-4be5-94a0-b817e4579647 https://religiondispatches.org/2015/04/10/mormon-leaders-slam-counterfeit-gay-families-vatican-resists-gay-ambassador-isis This week new US rules for federal contractors went into effect, forbidding workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. When the executive order was issued last year, conservatives complained that it lacked an exemption that conservative… Fri, 10 Apr 2015 10:44:24 EDT Peter Montgomery 214d566b-329a-4d73-8518-d1e7cc0daea3 https://religiondispatches.org/2015/03/10/its-not-yogaphobia-its-theology A response to Andrea Jain Tue, 10 Mar 2015 10:31:30 EDT Kyle Garton-Gundling f4a9608a-c94d-42b6-9bff-2d479ac4c75f https://religiondispatches.org/2014/12/25/no-selfie-doctrine-theological-new-years-resolution In an interview in the current issue of The Paris Review, James Wood asks Norwegian novelist Karl Ove Knausgaard if he has ever experienced religious ecstasy. “No,” Knausgaard replies, “but they say one of the main things about religious ecstasy… Thu, 25 Dec 2014 11:10:40 EST Richard Amesbury 5c275827-194f-46ba-a7e9-abf6e528cddd https://religiondispatches.org/2014/12/15/hide-religion-feature-science-60-minutes-drops-ball-mindfulness Anderson Cooper’s journey into mindfulness was featured on the latest episode of 60 Minutes, and it proved to be a textbook example of what I call the mystification, medicalization, mainstreaming, and marketing of mindfulness. That’s good for me—analyzing these sorts… Mon, 15 Dec 2014 12:35:49 EST jeff wilson 81c47f0c-0270-48e0-a7db-6a287d0f32ca https://religiondispatches.org/2014/08/13/bill-stone-gays-death-introduced-kenya This week’s global LGBT justice roundup, with a focus on Africa. Wed, 13 Aug 2014 05:37:05 EDT Peter Montgomery 1e0fb274-f806-4baf-b434-2574064586ce https://religiondispatches.org/2014/01/06/cambodia-erupts-protest-stolen-buddhist-relic-ignites-anger “I was quite shocked upon learning of the relic’s loss,” said former prime minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh in a rare public statement released days after the disappearance. “As a Buddhist and the one who listed Buddhism as the state religion in the 1993 constitution, I am extremely sad, completely grievous for the loss of the Buddha relics which were a happy, peaceful, prosperous, and holy thing for our respectful country.” Mon, 06 Jan 2014 08:23:14 EST Joe Freeman 83ce4b5e-53e8-4ef8-8773-78c951f49515 https://religiondispatches.org/2013/12/12/yes-navy-yard-shooter-was-buddhist Despite the fact that, like Buddhism, Islam prohibits murder, the two are treated quite differently when it comes to its adherents committing acts of violence. Thu, 12 Dec 2013 05:53:57 EST Joshua Eaton 69637f8d-1a88-4492-ad9d-f092a4955ab1 https://religiondispatches.org/2013/12/12/navy-yard-shooting-why-its-not-religion-story What seemed to propel the confusion saturating the media’s initial coverage of Aaron Alexis was the role of religion and, more specifically, the profile on Buddhists. Why would a reporter expect a person of another religion to “pick up a weapon and kill twelve people,” but not a Buddhist? Thu, 12 Dec 2013 05:51:10 EST Michael Jerryson 4fc13503-67e1-4411-a611-b1535ea669d4 https://religiondispatches.org/2013/10/01/does-religion-condemn-homosexuality Religions are richly variable in their organizations, belief systems, rituals, and practices. This is true across cultures and history. Grand statements about what “all religions” say or believe about anything—especially about such a complex phenomenon as human desire and sexuality—are… Tue, 01 Oct 2013 02:02:51 EDT Michael Bronski d576c749-c751-4239-b07f-380dd776d016 https://religiondispatches.org/2013/09/10/buddha-scientist-entrepreneur-self-improvement-guru 4 (not especially noble) truths about “Buddhist Geeks.” Tue, 10 Sep 2013 09:14:03 EDT Michael Schulson da2e69f8-db9c-4e12-b2ee-098efc0e01fc