By my rough estimation, we spend perhaps 50 percent or more of our waking hours in storytelling. Humans make stories but, in some sense, we are also made by our stories. Read more: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, History, Islam, Sri Lanka Civil War, The Bible, Postmodernism, Science, Quran, Morality, Psychology, Religion and Science, Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, Stories, Myths, ...

Gautama the Buddha and Buddhism have made excellent contributions towards strengthening the Indian Way, which is based on universal acceptance, particularly in making it dynamic and bringing the common man into its fold. Buddha’s contribution for taking this way in his time, when it was a narrow path, cannot be underestimated.

It is increasingly obvious that natural limitations will soon force economic growth to cease. Buddhist teachings emphasize that this does not require a reduction in the quality of life. Read more: Sustainability, Green Living, Buddhism, Peak Oil, Economic Crisis, Green Faith, Eco-Theology, Eco-Buddhism Project, Free Market Capitalism, Economic Reform, Gross National Happine...

I came across an article in The Daily Beast the other morning entitled ""America the Angry"." In it, political consultant Douglas Schoen discusses the findings of a recent Newsweek/Daily Beast poll revealing that the vast majority of Americans are in a bad mood. As unemployment, gas and grocery prices are on the rise, so are people's levels of anger, anxiety and frustration. Three-quart...

Last week I attended the festive opening of the Guibord Center at St. John's Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles. Founded by the Rev. Dr. Gwynne Guibord, former Officer of Ecumenical and Interreligious Concerns for The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, the center's mission is "to bring people together, to challenge assumptions, unleash The Holy and affirm the faith that transforms the wor...

for the post-conflict situation in Sri Lanka. Many reacted to the news not with sadness, but with a sense that c...

By Vishal Arora Religion News Service NEW DELHI (RNS) India plans to lend rare fragments of the Buddha's bones to Sri Lanka for the 2,600th anniversary of Buddha's Enlightenment in May, and some see it as part of India's strategy to gain a regional edge over neighboring China

A decade ago, having recently begun Buddhist meditation practice, I attended a lecture/Q&A with a Tibetan master at a Buddhist center in Hollywood. The warm vibes and the stunning icons and paintings suggested a sacred, healing space. The speaker -- I knew so little at the time, I thought his name was "Sri" -- seemed the embodiment of enlightenment. He described how we can foster spiritua...

A bright new face has been added to the crowded Web, drawing a large readership and uploading more than 900 stories in its first twelve weeks. Still in soft-launch, The Jim Luce Stewardship Report (JLSR) is focused on "Connecting Goodness." Covering Faces, Issues, World Affairs, Life Style, the Arts, and Video, JLSR offers articles by a global mix of over 50 writers since its spring inc...

CEB which has incurred a heavy loss can be resurrected with a new action plan – both in terms of financial and corporate. The trade unions also support this effort. Their suggestions are also included in the action plan. It is a bottom-up approach which aims at transforming the CEB into a profitable insititution Renewable energy will be the new order of the energy sector in Sri Lanka in the...

The war continues to rage in Afghanistan. The enduring violence and conflict has left the nation, its people and economy in ruins. Over the past nine years, billions of dollars have been spent and army commanders have come and gone. Like many of its neighbours in the Middle East, Afghanistan continues to find its existence challenged by the problem of terrorism, fundamentalism and fanatic...

Religion comes into conflict with science when it is defined by unprovable claims that can be dismissed as superstitions, and when it treats as historical facts stories that read like legends and myths to non-believers. Other aspects of religion -- what I would consider the deeper and more significant elements -- are not only compatible with science but enrich its findings. The best evi...

I was excited to be able to address Lafayette College's Class of 2010 on the topic of "Awakening the Buddha Within." This very well might be the first time in Lafayette's history that the Baccalaureate Sermon was rendered from a Buddhist perspective, so I was thankful for this unique opportunity. The Baccalaureate Sermon has a long and proud tradition at Lafayette College. On June 16th, ...

Arrested, Books, Buddhism, Books News

Last night PBS aired The Buddha, a new TV special about the sage's life, impact, and particular relevance to our own bewildering times of violent change and spiritual confusion. By filmmaker David Grubin, the documentary features the work of some of the world's greatest artists and sculptors, who across two millennia have depicted the Buddha's life through art rich in beauty and complexit...

Arrested, Books, Buddhism, Books News

Last night PBS aired The Buddha, a new TV special about the sage's life, impact, and particular relevance to our own bewildering times of violent change and spiritual confusion. By filmmaker David Grubin, the documentary features the work of some of the world's greatest artists and sculptors, who across two millennia have depicted the Buddha's life through art rich in beauty and complexit...

Arrested, Books, Buddhism, Books News

At times like these, I often wonder what normal people might think about the strange behavior of the Chinese government when the Dalai Lama looms on the horizon. President Obama meets all manner of heads of state, even small states, business people, ministers, celebrities, religious leaders, and no one pays that much attention. He already met the Dalai Lama when he was a senator, and now ...