Rev. Danny Fisher

While exchanging comments in a recent post with Jason Kosareff, University of the West‘s Enrollment Counselor, I noticed that he had a Blogger profile and explored further. I discovered that Jason has started a blog about UWest, appropriately called University of the West. He writes:

The idea of this blog is to give people some insight into the inner workings of University of the West, a Buddhist-founded campus located in Rosemead, California, about 10 minutes by car from downtown Los Angeles.

Way cool, right? Well, this got me wondering if the other Buddhist and Buddhist-inspired schools had blogs of their own. As it turns out, the Institute of Buddhist Studies has both a news and events blog and a regular podcast.

As for Naropa University, where I earned my M.Div., the Summer Writing Program at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics has an official blog. And, of course, the Allen Ginsberg Library has a blog that I reference from time to time.

I recommend taking some time and surfing around these blogs–there’s lots of neat stuff there.

Over at her blog The Quilted Librarian, my mom considers the meditative quality of hand quilting. She incorporates a teaching of Norman Fischer’s that appeared in an issue of Turning Wheel: The Journal of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship and also points readers to a fascinating little booklet called Buddha’s Robe is Sewn: The Tradition of Sewing Practice in the Shunryū Suzuki-rōshi American Lineage. Check it out.

I’ve previously blogged about two of my mom’s Buddhist-themed quilts here and here.

[This post has been updated as of 6:55 p.m. EST on 4.17.09. The original title was "Do American Buddhists Need a Civics Refresher?" After a good conversation in the comments section (see below), I rethought things a little bit and decided to change it. So much for my efforts to reclaim the term "American Buddhists!" ☺]

The Associated Press is reporting that Republican Assemblyman Curt Hagman of Chino Hills, CA, has repaid $6,100 in improper campaign donations made by the Buddhist Temple of Chino Hills, the Bu-Sha Center and Buta Buddhism Research Center. Though their nonprofit status expressly forbids donating to political campaigns, the representatives of the Buddhist temples “say they did not know the contributions were illegal.” Hagman claims he was unaware of the donations until the AP contacted him.

Not to be unkind, but, with regards to this issue, don’t we have a giant cautionary tale in the history of Buddhism in America…?

Ron Ryan at the Burmese Vihar in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India, December 2006. Photo by the author.

While traveling this week, I was very sad to get the news that Ron Ryan, a pal and former colleague, died in India.

Ron served for many years as librarian on the faculty of the Antioch Education Abroad Buddhist Studies in India program. I participated in the program as a student, and later served on the faculty. Both times, Ron impressed me with his humility, generosity, vast knowledge, and good humor. A testament to his character: when the program ended and he said goodbye to the students we both worked with, the warmth and appreciation in their send-off seemed to surprise and delight him in equally enormous measure. I remember his face at that moment like it was yesterday.

When I said goodbye to Ron as I left Bodh Gaya the last time I was there, he offered some kind words on my path as a chaplain that have really stayed with me. He was not someone who just gave compliments away willy-nilly, and so the things he had to say did what he intended: they encouraged me.

It’s sad to think of the Burmese Vihar in Bodh Gaya without Ron. I know I will feel his absense there in the future. I feel it now.

“Develop the mind of equilibrium.
You will always be getting praise and blame,
but do not let either affect the poise of the mind:
follow the calmness, the absence of pride.”

- Sutta-Nipāta