By Chapter and verse
Lisa Hubick
South Delta Leader
http://www.southdeltaleader.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=48&cat=43&id=253876&more=
"What do Keanu Reeves, Tina Turner, Uma Thurman and Richard Gere all have in common?
Besides being rich, beautiful, famous people they also all happen to be Buddhists.
Over the last few years Buddhism has become hip in the West, and if the sold-out lectures the Dalai Lama gave while visiting Vancouver are any indication, we are just as curious as everyone else.
You may even have tried picking up a paperback with a title like Introduction to Buddhism.
But instead of delivering enlightenment, it probably had the coma-inducing power of a sleeping pill-which is nice if you want to fall asleep, but not if you want to figure out what all this Buddhism hype is about.
Pema Chodron's book The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness or When Things Fall Apart is a good place to start.
Her name may sound exotic, but this Buddhist nun is an American and she isn't cloistered away in a monastery.
In fact, she is married with grandchildren, living in the same hectic and complex world as the rest of us. As a result, her writing is practical, occasionally funny and always down to earth.
Another Westerner who offers a practical Buddhist perspective is Mark Epstein. His book Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart may sound like a self-help book, but Epstein, a psychiatrist and Buddhist for over 25 years, believes the modern self-help movement is a massive misdirection of time, money and energy.
He explains how everyday Buddhism can develop self (or self-less) awareness, which, according to Epstein, is the key to lasting happiness.
Wanting something less psychological and more direct? Franz Metcalf's Buddha In Your Backpack: Everyday Buddhism For Teens may be the book for you. But don't let the "teens" in the title put you off. If people want a basic introduction to a topic I often suggest a book written for children or teens. The language tends to be simple and straightforward and the author usually breaks up the monotony with anecdotes, pictures or jokes, like this one from Buddha In Your Backpack: Why can't Buddhists vacuum in corners? Because they have no attachments.
Well, I thought it was funny.
The more audio-visually oriented may prefer one of the library's several videos on Buddhist topics, two of which are quite comprehensive. One simply called Buddhism is a series of talks by Robert Thurman (father to Uma Thurman and the first Westerner to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk). Another is a set of lectures by the Dalai Lama himself called The Four Noble Truths. These are definitely heavier than the previously mentioned books.
Both men are scholars and go into great depth explaining many central Buddhist ideas such as the Three Jewels and the concept of self.
If you decide to watch these, be prepared for university level lectures on the subject. But if skimming the surface with the lighter books peaks your interest, these discussions will provide deeper waters to swim through.
Lisa Hubick is an information services librarian at the Ladner and South Delta branches of the Fraser Valley Public Library."
Lisa Hubick
South Delta Leader
http://www.southdeltaleader.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=48&cat=43&id=253876&more=
"What do Keanu Reeves, Tina Turner, Uma Thurman and Richard Gere all have in common?
Besides being rich, beautiful, famous people they also all happen to be Buddhists.
Over the last few years Buddhism has become hip in the West, and if the sold-out lectures the Dalai Lama gave while visiting Vancouver are any indication, we are just as curious as everyone else.
You may even have tried picking up a paperback with a title like Introduction to Buddhism.
But instead of delivering enlightenment, it probably had the coma-inducing power of a sleeping pill-which is nice if you want to fall asleep, but not if you want to figure out what all this Buddhism hype is about.
Pema Chodron's book The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness or When Things Fall Apart is a good place to start.
Her name may sound exotic, but this Buddhist nun is an American and she isn't cloistered away in a monastery.
In fact, she is married with grandchildren, living in the same hectic and complex world as the rest of us. As a result, her writing is practical, occasionally funny and always down to earth.
Another Westerner who offers a practical Buddhist perspective is Mark Epstein. His book Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart may sound like a self-help book, but Epstein, a psychiatrist and Buddhist for over 25 years, believes the modern self-help movement is a massive misdirection of time, money and energy.
He explains how everyday Buddhism can develop self (or self-less) awareness, which, according to Epstein, is the key to lasting happiness.
Wanting something less psychological and more direct? Franz Metcalf's Buddha In Your Backpack: Everyday Buddhism For Teens may be the book for you. But don't let the "teens" in the title put you off. If people want a basic introduction to a topic I often suggest a book written for children or teens. The language tends to be simple and straightforward and the author usually breaks up the monotony with anecdotes, pictures or jokes, like this one from Buddha In Your Backpack: Why can't Buddhists vacuum in corners? Because they have no attachments.
Well, I thought it was funny.
The more audio-visually oriented may prefer one of the library's several videos on Buddhist topics, two of which are quite comprehensive. One simply called Buddhism is a series of talks by Robert Thurman (father to Uma Thurman and the first Westerner to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk). Another is a set of lectures by the Dalai Lama himself called The Four Noble Truths. These are definitely heavier than the previously mentioned books.
Both men are scholars and go into great depth explaining many central Buddhist ideas such as the Three Jewels and the concept of self.
If you decide to watch these, be prepared for university level lectures on the subject. But if skimming the surface with the lighter books peaks your interest, these discussions will provide deeper waters to swim through.
Lisa Hubick is an information services librarian at the Ladner and South Delta branches of the Fraser Valley Public Library."
Vastaukset 2
Vanhimmat
http://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/specials/generouscelebs/pagina_5_1.html
Keanu tosielämän sankarina:
http://avoinkampus.joensuu.fi/blog/pranta/archives/000490.html