Rev. Danny Fisher

Just a Buddhist Minister Trying to Benefit Beings

Month: November, 2010

November 27, 2010

Dharma in Action Fellowship

This from Sarah Weintraub at the Buddhist Peace Fellowship:

Bringing together Buddhist practice and on-the-ground work for peace in Colombia

The Buddhist Peace Fellowship is looking for a Buddhist activist to work for peace in Colombia through the Dharma in Action Fellowship (DIAF).  The DIAF Fellow will be placed with the Fellowship of Reconciliation’s peace team to provide nonviolent protective accompaniment to threatened peace activists in Colombia, while exploring the relationship between Buddhism and activism.

Applications are due January 3, 2011!

The DIAF’s placement will be for at least one year.  The FOR team carries out human rights protective accompaniment in the rural peace community of San José de Apartadó and in the capital city of Bogotá. Team members in San José increase the security of a community that refuses to participate in Colombia’s civil war. Bogotá team members support the peace community of San José, and also work with other grassroots nonviolent initiatives.

The Dharma in Action Fellow will be responsible for communicating reflections on the relationship between Buddhism and activism through a socially engaged listserv and/or a personal blog, and upon completion of service will give a speaking tour, visiting Buddhist centers in the U.S. to talk about his/her experience and insights while on the team in Colombia.

DIAF Requirements:
* A clear understanding of and commitment to nonviolence, and to the value of bearing witness through an accompaniment project.
* Proficiency in both Spanish and English.
* A commitment to serve for at least one year.
* at least 23 years old at time of service.
* A commitment to Buddhist practice.

Financial Arrangements:
FOR covers travel, living expenses, a small monthly stipend, and health insurance. The Dharma in Action Fellowship includes dharma support while in Colombia and funds towards a Buddhist program of the DIAF’s choice upon completion of service.

Training:

All applicants to the FOR team complete an interview, followed by a week-long training.   The training is a mutual discernment process to help both the volunteer and FOR decide if it is the right fit.  Applicants to the DIAF position on the FOR team will also be interviewed by BPF.

FOR has scheduled their next training for February 18-23, probably in Nyack, New York. The application deadline is January 3, 2011.

For more information about FOR’s Colombia program and to apply:
http://forusa.org/content/apply-be-part-colombia-peace-presence

For more information about the DIAF position on FOR’s Colombia team, please contact Sarah Weintraub at sarah@bpf.org.

If you would like to make a donation to support the Dharma in Action Fellow, please click here.

November 27, 2010

Sarvodaya USA “Building Schools to Inspire” in Nepal

This from Nepal’s ekantipur.com:

Started a decade ago by a group of village youths, Jyotidaya has evolved into a full-fledged high school in Chapagon. And at Jyotidaya High School, many inspiring things are unfolding at the moment. The school is currently run as a cooperative. In 2008, Sarvodaya USA, one of the pioneers in Gandhian ethics of shramadan (donation of labour), began working with Jyotidaya High School in exploring the possibilities of integrating Gandhian methods of non-violence and social service into teaching and learning.

Read the rest here.  For more about Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne – Sri Lanka’s “Little Gandhi,” founder of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, and Engaged Buddhist icon — check out this past post.

November 27, 2010

A Gift of Dharma for 11.27.10

Today’s quote is yet another from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, whom I first quoted and wrote a short biography for in this post. This is it — Snow Lion Publications’ Dalai Lama Quote of the Week for this past week:

Tsongkhapa pays homage to the “foremost holy lamas,” for it is in dependence upon a qualified lama that the three principal aspects of the path are realized.

The high title “lama” alone does not qualify someone as a lama; the good qualities associated with the title must also be present. The three words–foremost, holy, and lama–set forth the three qualities of a lama.

“Foremost” describes a person who has diminished emphasis on this lifetime and is primarily concerned with future lifetimes and deeper topics. Such a person has a longer perspective than the shortsighted one of those who mainly look to the affairs of this life and thus, in relation to common beings whose emphasis is mainly on this life, is the foremost, or a leader.

“Holy” refers to one who, as a result of developing renunciation for all forms of cyclic existence, is not attached to any of its marvels and is seeking liberation. A holy person has turned his or her mind away from attachment outside to the better things of cyclic existence and focused it within.

In the word “lama”, “la” means high, and “ma” is a negative, which indicates that there is none higher; this is a person who has turned away from self-cherishing to cherishing others, has turned away from the lower concern for personal benefit in order to achieve the higher purpose of attaining benefit for others.

November 26, 2010

Mapping Vandalism at Buddhist Temples in the U.S.

Help Arun at Angry Asian Buddhist with an important project.

November 26, 2010

Labsum Gomdrub Ling: International Buddhist Institute for Cultivating the Three Higher Trainings

This from Labsum Gomdrub Ling: International Buddhist Institute for Cultivating the Three Higher Trainings:

Dear Friends,

I’d like to share with you a new project initiated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama:Labsum Gomdrub Ling: International Buddhist Institute for Cultivating the Three Higher Trainings.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Labsum Gomdrub Ling’s Patron, has a pioneering new vision to create a truly international Buddhist institute, bringing all the Buddhist traditions of the world together in study and practice, in India the land of the Buddha.

Under expert guidance from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Samdhong Rinpoche (Tibet’s Prime Minister and LGL’s Chief Advisor) and other great scholars, this vision is currently being developed into a comprehensive curriculum, which will:

  • Offer in-depth, intensive intermediate and advanced-level study and practice of all the Buddhist traditions, initially in four root Buddhist languages – Tibetan, Chinese, Sanskrit and Pali – as well as in English, and eventually in other languages and traditions, such as Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, etc
  • Embrace multi-disciplinary studies exploring the relationship between Buddhism and science, health, psychology, and other religious and philosophical traditions
  • Create a truly non-sectarian (Rime) approach, returning to the texts common to all schools of Buddhism: the Buddha’s own words (sutras) and the original Indian commentaries (shastras)
  • Follow in the footsteps of Nalanda University, using tools of logic and reasoning to critically examine the teachings and stimulate open debate, questioning and deeper learning
  • Be delivered from a modern perspective, taught by a diverse range of scholars and practitioners, all expert in their field
  • Be set in a comfortable, modern campus designed to meet the needs of international students

Your Part in His Holiness’s Vision…

Currently Labsum Gomdrub Ling is a small, but growing group of international volunteers in need of many more partners, ideas, volunteers and donations to turn His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s vision into reality.

Therefore, Labsum Gomdrub Ling is currently seeking ideas and input from members of the community about all aspects of the institute, and invites you to…

  1. Learn more about His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s vision at www.LGLinstitute.blogspot.com
  2. Sign up for regular email updates via the LGL Community Email List
  3. Forward this message to anyone who might be interested
  4. Share your ideas and feedback in LGL’s Facebook Discussion Forum — Your ideas are important and very much appreciated

As LGL builds a large and diverse community of people, each of whom plays a part in bringing His Holiness’ vision into reality (from offering one idea or one dollar, to offering full-time volunteer service) it’s an exciting time and we hope you’ll join us!

www.LGLinstitute.blogspot.com
LGLinstitute@gmail.com
Facebook Discussion Forum at:
Labsum Gomdrub Ling International Buddhist Community
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