2009 November 16 « Rev. Danny Fisher

I don’t want to make a habit of this, but today’s quote is kyped from a recent post by the great Philip Ryan at the Tricycle Editor’s Blog, and comes to us from Dr. David R. Loy. I’ve been mulling over it since I read it a couple of days ago, and decided today that that meant it demanded reposting! (Keep your eye on Trike’s blog for more gems in the future.)

Dr. Loy is the Besl Family Chair of Ethics/Religion & Society at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was previously a professor of philosophy at Bunkyo University in Chigasaki, Japan. He also currrently sits on the editorial boards of the following scholarly journals: Cultural Dynamics, Worldviews, Contemporary Buddhism, The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, and World Federation of Buddhists Review.

He began Zen practice with Robert Aitken Roshi in 1971, and later undertook formal koan training with Yamada Koun Roshi. Today, he is an authorized teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan lineage of Zen Buddhism.

A very prolific author, his books include: Nonduality: A Study in Comparative Philosophy, Lack and Transcendence: The Problem of Death and Life in Psychotherapy, Existentialism, and Buddhism, A Buddhist History of the West: Studies in Lack, The Great Awakening: A Buddhist Social Theory, The Dharma of Dragons and Daemons: Buddhist Themes in Modern Fantasy, and Money, Sex, War, Karma: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution.

Dr. Loy is also the co-author with Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi and Dr. John Stanley of the Buddhist Climate Declaration–the pan-Buddhist declaration on climate change that I was proud to sign with many other Buddhist clergy and teachers. He also co-edited with Stanley and Gyurme Dorje the recent book A Buddhist Response to the Climate Emergency.

Here’s the quote–from the article “The Nonduality of Good and Evil” for the Spring 2002 issue of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review:

We all love the struggle between good (us) and evil (them). It is, in its own way, deeply satisfying. Think of the plots of the James Bond films, the Star Wars films, the Indiana Jones films. In such movies, it’s quite obvious who the bad guys are. Caricatures of evil, they are ruthless, maniacal, without remorse, and so they must be stopped by any means necessary. We are meant to feel that it is okay—even, to tell the truth, pleasurable—to see violence inflicted upon them. Because the villains like to hurt people, it’s okay to hurt them. Because they like to kill people, it’s okay to kill them. After all, they are evil, and evil must be destroyed.

What is this kind of story teaching us? That if you really want to hurt someone, it is important to demonize them first—in other words, fit them into your good-versus-evil story. That is why truth is the first casualty of all wars.

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November 16, 2009

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Among Deepak Chopra’s “Seven Most Powerful Teachers”

Image via Forbes.

In a new feature for Forbes, Deepak Chopra names his “Seven Most Powerful Teachers”. Among them is His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, about whom Chopra says:

He is world-famous as the face of Eastern spirituality. His life embodies every truth he speaks, but he also works tirelessly to advance knowledge of the brain in its higher functions. His abiding lesson is about compassion.

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The Center for Buddhist Studies at UC-Berkeley is pleased to announce that it will administer the new Toshihide Numata Book Prize in Buddhism. The prize will be awarded on an annual basis to an outstanding book in the area of Buddhist studies published the previous year.

Purpose

The Toshihide Numata Book Prize in Buddhism (or “Toshi” Prize) will be presented to an outstanding academic book in the area of Buddhist Studies each year.

Eligibility

To be considered for the prize during the 2010 nomination period, a book must have a copyright date of 2009. Edited and/or coauthored books are eligible. Books focused primarily on Japanese Buddhism should be nominated for the Toshi Prize in Japanese Buddhism (administered through the UCB Center for Japanese Studies) rather than the Toshi Prize in Buddhism.

Nominations

Nominations, consisting of the book and a nomination letter, must be received by March 1, 2010, and may come from scholars (including authors) or book publishers. Supporting documentation, such as readers’ reports and reviews, may also be included.

Nomination materials should be sent to:

Toshi Prize in Buddhism
University of California, Berkeley
Center for Buddhist Studies
2223 Fulton Street, Room 512
Berkeley, CA 94720-2318
U.S.A.

Prize

The annual prize will be in the amount of ten-thousand dollars ($10,000). The committee has the discretion to split the prize among multiple books. The prize winner(s) will be reimbursed for expenses related to their attendance at the prize presentation.

Presentation

The prize will be presented annually at the University of California, Berkeley. The prize will be celebrated with a public lecture by the prize recipient, a symposium focused on the book’s theme, and a presentation dinner.

For more information, please contact:

Robert Sharf
Chair, Center for Buddhist Studies
2223 Fulton Street, Room 512
Berkeley, CA 94720-2318
(510) 643-5104
rsharf@berkeley.edu

Rev. Danny Fisher

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His Holiness the Dalai Lama Among Deepak Chopra’s “Seven Most Powerful Teachers”

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Robert Thurman on PBS’s Life (Part 2)

November 16, 2009

Buddhist Studies at UC Berkeley Announces the Toshihide Numata Book Prize in Buddhism

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