A Science Writer Embraces Buddhism as a Path to Enlightenment

By GREGORY COWLES, The New York Times, Aus. 18, 2017

OM’S LAW: To the extent that Buddhism encourages its practitioners to cast aside the self on their way to enlightenment, it can seem like a fool’s errand. The self isn’t so easy to shed, as Buckaroo Bonzai noted: “No matter where you go, there you are.”

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Sogyal Rinpoche steps down as head of Rigpa after allegations

Tibet Sun Newsroom, 15 August 2017

McLEOD GANJ, India -- Following allegations that abuses were committed on his students, Sogyal Rinpoche, Buddhist teacher and author, has decided to step down with immediate effect as the head of Rigpa, a network of Buddhist learning centres around the world.

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A Buddhist Leader on China’s Spiritual Needs

By IAN JOHNSON and ADAM WU JUNE, The New York Times, June 24, 2017

YIXING, China -- During a visit last fall to the Temple of Great Awakening, the sprawling complex built by the Buddhist organization Fo Guang Shan in Yixing, we were greeted by an unexpected host: the Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the group’s founder and one of modern China’s most prominent religious figures.

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Why I swapped investment banking for Buddhism in Bhutan

Interview by Caroline Eden, The Guardian, Apr 14, 2017

‘In Bhutan, humans are not dominant, but a small part of the whole’ says Emma Slade on the Himalayan kingdom she regards as her spiritual paradise
Timphu, Bhutan -- Bhutan is one of the few places in the world where you can experience unbroken Buddhist culture. Spirituality is embedded in daily life here. I came because I wanted to meet monks and serious retreatants, and witness first hand what it might mean to dedicate your life to spiritual practice as a Buddhist.

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Zen and the art of family maintenance – lessons from the bestselling Buddhist monk

by John-Paul Flintoff, The Guardian, 25 February 2017

Haemin Sunim says a happy relationship and contented children are within reach for us all – if we could just slow down and pay attention to each other
Seoul, South Korea -- Some people, if you ask them a question, answer quickly. Others take a moment to think first. Haemin Sunim looks up, slightly to the right, and allows 14 seconds to pass before he answers one of my questions. I counted, when I listened to the recording. And here’s something: waiting for his reply, I didn’t feel even remotely uncomfortable. Because taking time is Sunim’s thing. He’s a Buddhist monk who has become internationally famous for it.

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