Rev. Danny Fisher

Jan Willis (left) and the author (right) at Tricycle‘s 2001 Buddhism in America Conference at the World Trade Center in New York City on July 3rd, 2001.
Photo by Kenneth Kraft.
Go Beyond Words: Wisdom Publications’ Buddhist Blog is reporting that Jan Willis, a preeminent scholar of Tibetan Buddhism and Professor of Religion at Wesleyan University, has been named as an Outstanding Woman in Buddhism for 2009. She is the author of, among other books, On Knowing Reality: The Tattvārtha Chapter of Asaṅga’s Bodhisattvabhūmi and Dreaming Me: An African American Baptist-Buddhist Journey. Jan has also named by Time Magazine as a “Spiritual Innovator for the New Millennium.” She will be honored at the Outstanding Women in Buddhism Awards Ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, March 6th, 2009.

Jan and I met at Tricycle‘s 2001 Buddhism in America Conference at the World Trade Center in New York City. In the years since, we’ve stayed in friendly, sporadic touch. I think she’s absolutely great, and I’m very happy to hear the news about this award. Warmest congratulations, Jan! I can’t think of a more fitting honor for you than to be formally named an “Outstanding Woman in Buddhism.”

This via Go Beyond Words: Wisdom Publications’ Buddhist Blog: Richard Gere, everybody’s favorite celebrity Buddhist, will receive the Joel Siegel Award at this year’s Critics’ Choice Awards. The award, which is named for the late Good Morning, America film critic and humanitarian, is their highest honor.

An accomplished advocate for human rights, Gere was the Co-founder and Chairman of Tibet House and joined the Board of Directors of the International Campaign for Tibet to more effectively address both national and international forums of influence. Second only to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Richard is the foremost public spokesman for the Tibetan crisis in forums from the United Nations to the United States Congress. He is a longtime sponsor of amfAR, Amnesty International, Survival International and Human Rights Watch. He has also focused on the battle against AIDS, working with the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Naz Foundation and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. He launched the Heroes Project in 2002 in partnership with the Avahan AIDS Initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The awards will will air live on VH1 this Thursday, January 8th, at 9 pm EST.

Congratulations, Mr. Gere!