Rev. Danny Fisher

Just a Buddhist Minister Trying to Benefit Beings

Month: September, 2009

September 27, 2009

Photos for Rato

kidVia Buddhist Art News:

PHOTOS FOR RATO
Nicholas Vreeland

Exhibition will be on display at Talavera Studios until November 2009. Mon-Fri 10am to 6pm. For more info call 212.213.0050

AURORA LOPEZ—TALAVERA
145 Avenue of the Americas, #2A
(between Dominick and Spring Streets)
New York, NY

The exhibition of photographs by Nicholas Vreeland has been organized by friends of Photos for Rato in order to raise funds for the reconstruction of Rato Dratsang, one of Tibet’s most prestigious monasteries.

Robert Delpire participated in selecting the works: twenty photographs by Nicholas Vreeland taken over the 24 years he has been a Rato monk. Each image, signed and numbered, is part of a limited edition of 25 that will be on sale for $1,000 each.

In order to raise the necessary support for this important Buddhist institution a similar event will be held in Paris, Chicago, London, Genoa, Rome, Berlin, and New Delhi over the course of this year.

THE RECONSTRUCTION OF RATO DRATSANG
Rato Dratsang, a Tibetan monastery founded in the fourteenth century and devoted to the study of Buddhist logic, is being reconstructed in the south Indian state of Karnataka. $500,000 is needed to complete this project.

Rato Dratsang is one of a few state monasteries, owned by the Tibetan government and under the direction of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

In 1983, the few Rato monks able to escape Tibet built a two-story building. New monks have since come from northern India, Bhutan, Nepal, Taiwan, and the United States. Today the Rato community consists of over 120 monks. Unfortunately, they live in difficult conditions, with four monks currently having to share one room.

The Rato monks therefore decided to build a new monastery to accommodate their growing community. It is designed to include a temple, 66 monks’ rooms, a dining room, and a kitchen, as well as an administration building.

NICHOLAS VREELAND
Nicholas Vreeland is a Buddhist monk and member of Rato Dratsang. He was educated in Europe, North Africa, and the United States, after which he pursued a career in photography, an artform he was introduced to very early in life by his grandmother, Diana Vreeland, one of the most legendary figures in fashion. In the late sixties and early seventies, Nicholas Vreeland worked as an assistant to Irving Penn and Richard Avedon.

Vreeland was introduced to the Tibet Center in New York by John and Elizabeth Avedon, and followed the teachings of Khyongla Rato Rinpoche. After many years of study he became a monk in 1985. He was awarded a Geshe Degree (Doctorate of Divinity) in 1998, and now divides his time between The Tibet Center in New York and Rato Dratsang in India.

Rato Dratsang Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non profit foundation. All funds raised by the sale of Photos for Rato will be exclusively used to complete the construction on the Rato Dratsang.

For more information or to order prints, visit http://www.ratodratsangfoundation.org/photos_for_rato/.

September 27, 2009

This Week is Banned Books Week

Via (my mom) The Quilted Librarian:

bbw_caged_lg

September 27, 2009

Support the Fresh Air Fund!

Visit http://www.freshair.org.

September 26, 2009

Take Part in a Dinner Supporting the Zen Hospice Project on Oct. 4th with Huston Smith, Norman Fischer, and Others

This via MahaSangha News:

Please join us on Sunday October 4th, as Huston Smith and Phil Cousineau take part in an intimate dinner benefiting Zen Hospice Project. One Night One Heart is a collection of sumptuous dinners, warmly hosted by our generous donors, with remarkable special guests. Please make time to attend one of these special dinners. Your participation will help us provide loving care to those we serve. Thank you!

Huston Smith is one of the world’s most respected and beloved authorities on world religions. He has taught at Washington University, MIT, Syracuse University and the University of California at Berkeley. In 1996, Bill Moyers devoted a five-part PBS special, The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith, to his life and work. Best known for his book The World’s Religions (translated into 12 languages, with over two and a half million copies worldwide), Smith believes the role of what he calls the world’s “wisdom traditions” is a simple one: to help us behave decently toward one another. His documentary films on Hinduism, Sufism, and Tibetan Buddhism have all won awards. Smith’s latest DVD release is The Roots of Fundamentalism – A Conversation with Huston Smith and Phil Cousineau . His most recent book is Tales of Wonder, an autobiographical review of his life and associations.

Phil Cousineau is a writer, teacher, editor, independent scholar, documentary filmmaker, travel leader, and storyteller. His life-long fascination with the arts, literature, and history of culture has taken him on many journeys around the world. He lectures frequently on a wide range of topics – from mythology, film, and writing, to beauty, travel, sports, and creativity. He has published more than 20 non-fiction books, including Once and Future Myths: The Power of Ancient Stories in Modern Times and The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker’s Guide to Making Travel Sacred, and has more than 15 scriptwriting credits to his name.

Choose from nine separate dinners around the Bay Area with remarkable special guests, including:

  • Renowned religious scholar Huston Smith and best-selling author Phil Cousineau
  • Zen priest and poet Norman Fischer
  • Robert Rosenthal, Director of the Center for Investigative reporting
  • NPR “Kitchen Sister” Nikki Silva
  • Artist Tom Killion
  • Filmmaker Jeffrey Friedman
  • Dancer and choreographer Anna Halprin
  • OpenRoad.TV host and adventurer Doug McConnell
  • Award-winning actors Kathleen Chalfant and Howard Rosenman

Exqusite meals will be lovingly created by Chef David Gingrass of TWO restaurant, Chef Paul Canales of Oliveto Restaurant, Laura Stillman of One Degree Catering, Chef Gayle Youlden of La Belle Gourmande, Chef Jennifer Carvaly, and Chef Scott Sasaki of Garibaldis, Oakland.

Sunday October 4th, 6pm. Tickets are $250. For more information and to purchase tickets click here. You can also contact Liz Bohm at (415) 863-2910 or liz@zenhospice.org

Not in the area or undable to attend? You can support loving care for the dying by making a donation here.

ABOUT ZEN HOSPICEPROJECT:
Founded in 1987 at the height of the AIDS crisis, Zen Hospice Project began by reaching out to people dying on the streets or in poverty. Our work has grown to include a nationally acclaimed Volunteer Caregiver Program, an award-winning Education Center and a range of Bereavement Support Services. So far, we have provided care for over 3,000 terminally ill people and their families by training and supporting more than 1,500 volunteer caregivers. Over 18,000 people, including many health and social care professionals, have attended our workshops and support groups.

Thank you for your support.
www.zenhospice.org

Liz Bohm
Community Outreach and Events Manager
(415) 863-2910

Read about Huston Smith in the November Sun

September 26, 2009

The DharmaRealm Podcast Comes at You Live from the Jōdo Shinshū Center on October 2nd!

Way cool news from the newly minted Dr. Scott A. Mitchell at the DharmaRealm:

The DharmaRealm Podcast: Live!
At the Jodo Shinshu Center
Friday October 2, 2009 at 5 p.m.

Harry and I are going to be recording the DharmaRealm podcast before a live “studio audience.” If you’re going to be in Berkeley on October 2, please join us at the Jodo Shinshu Center.

The event will start with a live performance of Harry’s music followed by a short discussion between Harry and Scott on an as-yet undetermined topic. We’ll turn the mic over the audience for questions after that, so come prepared with your burning Buddhist questions and we’ll do our best to answer them.

The Jodo Shinshu Center is located at
2140 Durant Avenue in Berkeley
at the corner of Durant and Oxford. There is (limited) free parking, but the best way to get there is via BART; the Downtown Berkeley station is just four blocks to the north.

We do all our recording in the JSC’s Kodo which is just up the stairs in the main entrance.

Get there early to check out the BCA Bookstore, the largest Buddhist bookstore in northern California. They’ve not only got a great collection of books but also plenty of altar accoutrement as well as gifts, music and more.