2009 March 16 « Rev. Danny Fisher

March 16, 2009

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s Keynote Address at Buddhist Translators’ Conference

A few days ago, I posted about the Khyentse Foundation’s translation conference “Translating the Words of the Buddha”. Over at Digital Tibetan Buddhist Altar, you can read the full text of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s keynote address. Take a look.

March 16, 2009

My Review of Jaimal Yogis’ Saltwater Buddha for elephant journal

I’ve got a review of Jaimal Yogis’ soon-to-be-released book Saltwater Buddha: A Surfer’s Quest to Find Zen on the Sea over at elephant journal. As I say in my review, though the title suggests a disposable, New Agey sports tome grabbing loosely at Buddhist terms, the reality is that this is warm, perceptive, and often quite vividly drawn stuff. You can read my review here, and pre-order a copy at Amazon.com.

March 16, 2009

Tibet News (3.16.09)

Image via the BBC.
Here’s your Tibet news for today:

Reuters reports that “a government office in an ethnic Tibetan part of China’s southwestern province of Sichuan was hit by a bomb early on Monday but no casualties were reported.” An investigation has begun.

In an interview with the BBC, His Holiness the Karmapa (pictured above) said, “We can only wait for China to become more open and more democratic. The [Dalai Lama's] Middle Way Approach would then be more important because it advocates not separation from China but keeping Tibet as part of China…If there is a chance [to improve relations], I will do whatever I can.”

Both the New York Times and the Washington Post have new reports on Tibet’s willingness to talk with China and the Chinese government’s crackdown, respectively.

The Associated Press reports that the launch of Tangula Luxury Trains’ new service from Beijing to Tibet has been postponed from April until next spring. The company’s marketing director cited “China’s economic slowdown and [the government's] security crackdown [in Tibet]” as the reasons.

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March 16, 2009

Burma News (3.16.09)

Only two items today:

The Associated Press reports that U.N. Human Rights investigator Tomas Ojea Quintana said today in a report that the junta must release all 2,100 political prisoners before the upcoming elections. “Release must be without imposing any particular condition which may result in new forms of diminishing enjoyment of human rights, such as written statements renouncing the right to political participation or campaign,” he said.

The International Herald Tribune reports on the U.S.’s “quandry” over Burma:

It has been a policy of unintended consequences — two decades of isolation and sanctions by the United States that only made Myanmar’s ruling generals more stubborn — and now a new administration in Washington has declared it a failure.

But U.S. officials also say they don’t know what else to do.

March 16, 2009

Rorotoko: Donald S. Lopez, Jr., on His New Book Buddhism and Science

Donald S. Lopez, Jr., writes about his new book Buddhism and Science: A Guide for the Perplexed over at Rorotoko. Take a look here.

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