tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15504575526962051972024-02-18T18:22:26.899-08:00Models of Buddhist CaringIn this time of tremendous need we can learn much from others who are doing great work on behalf of strangers, family and friends.From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550457552696205197.post-2929477482455235652013-04-13T02:44:00.002-07:002013-04-13T03:06:32.689-07:00On family life...Dear friends,<br />
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Here is a discussion from India on the issue of family and the Buddhist way of life. It is ably translated, light hearted, and worthy of the hour of viewing required. I would like all my students to watch it. Be patient. Listen carefully. I also share it with the public as a service to humanity. Have listen. Let me know your thoughts....<br />
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<br />From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550457552696205197.post-67555584619939169972012-05-27T12:40:00.003-07:002012-05-28T12:08:40.612-07:00Recognizing Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (May) Is The Least We Can Do...<br />
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<i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">"NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2012 as Asian
American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month." </span></b></i></div>
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Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have made a tremendous contribution to my life as well as the human community. Growing up in riot torn 1960's Los Angeles County would have <a href="http://www.rainbowdharma.com/festivalscreening/room1a.htm">destroyed me long go</a> were it not for the rise of Buddhism in Judeo-Christian American society. I'm particularly indebted to the Asian American Buddhist community. In the face great resistance, what began as 19th Century bonded Asian labor has become inseparable from the spine of America's greatness.<br />
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Racism and assimilation played a dubious role in suppressing their contributions. America is made stronger when the full story of its citizenry is openly told. We honor <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/05/01/presidential-proclamation-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-heritage-m">Asian Americans and Pacific Islander's Heritage</a> whenever we recognize their truth without being asked to do so. Caring means more than restitution.<br />
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We must acknowledge many Asians arrived on America's shores as Buddhist. Chinese immigrant service to completing the transcontinental railroad was inseparable from Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian culture. It's amazing to consider how many history books neglect to mention this simple point.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Quan Yin, c.1850 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">San Bernardino,CA</span></td></tr>
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Frontier America showed the Asian community no quarter. It was as vile
in "taming" Asian American culture as it was every other
non-white community. Asians were hung, neighborhoods were burned,
communities were driven out of town, and citizenship was denied. Rape,
torture, beatings, robbery, murder, extortion and all sorts of crimes
were exacted upon them. Menial work, servitude, prostitution, drug
cultivation and sales were often the only means of earning a living
wage. Survival was not easy. Some Asian communities literally <a href="http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2007/06/the-secret-chin.html">lived underground</a> to shelter themselves from the onslaught.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fresno, California</span></i></div>
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<small><a href="http://lc.celebrateoklahoma.us/video/video">Find more videos like this on <i>Celebrate Oklahoma Voices!</i></a></small>
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Extra-judicial violence and legislative predjudice were meted out against the Asian American community for a hundred years (c.1840 -1940). World War II ushered in a zenith of prejudice, racism, and discrimination causing grief throughout AAPI communities.<br />
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Japanese Americans were hardest hit during the war. Despite it all, their <a href="http://youtu.be/9m1JVjE2Ox0" target="_blank">442 Regimental Combat Team</a> distinguished itself while shouldering segregation and interment as well violating the Buddhist creed of non-violence held by some families for centuries. It was they, not the so-called American Buddhist community of today, who found themselves making decisions that would alter American consciousness about the AAPI experience forever.<br />
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On the other hand, Japan's Zen Buddhist leaders <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_at_War" target="_blank">supported the country's war</a> on America. Japan's Shinto/Buddhist peasantry was conscripted to fight pitched battles in service of an emperor they believed to be a <a href="http://factsanddetails.com/japan.php?itemid=584&catid=16&subcatid=111">living god</a>. While Japan's Buddhist soldiers died in the Pacific, Japanese American Buddhists died on behalf of American interests in Europe. At one point, the world's grisly battlefields laid strewn with Buddhist bodies on both sides. World War II was hell.<br />
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The Buddhist aspect of WWII is yet to be told. President Obama's proclamation of AAPI Heritage month opens the way for deeper dialogue. We are indebted to his leadership and must join together in our efforts to address predjudice of the past. <br />
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The Pacific Island experience of Hawaii also deserves recognition. Today, the aging remnants of American's 1960s hippie New Age movement, including the legendary Ram Das, pervade the Hawaiian Islands. Their new-found indulgence in Eastern spirituality flutters through palm trees in a myriad of exotic boutique tourist retreats. The Dalai Lama has visited twice--each time extolling the virtues of peace and the taming of indigenous anger. At times it seems the spirit of Aloha has been righteously appropriated by luxury vacation marketeers and Western spiritualists. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img align="right" alt="Princess Ka'iulani at 10 yrs" height="200" src="http://thekaiulaniproject.com/Images/Kaiulani_10yrs.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="144" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Princess Kaiulani</td></tr>
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This month however, let the stories of King Kameamea, Queen <span class="st">Kaʻahumanu, Queen Liliuokalani and </span>Princess Kaiulani<span class="st"> </span>resound in our hearts from the Hawaiian point of view. We owe it to them and the better part of ourselves. Let's admit they were treated as a culture that stood in the way. Their human legacy was subordinated then and now to secure America's Westernmost military outpost invasively peopled by an Anglicized civilian population.<br />
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Having been stripped of sovereignty, they had no choice. Hawaiians stood by powerlessly as the Japanese arm of Hitler's War defiled their sacred shores. They unwillingly paid a price that saved continental America tremendous grief. It's hardly ever mentioned that if it were not for Pearl Harbor the Japanese fleet may have targeted Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, or San Diego. Instead, Anglicized Hawaii is championed for taking the brunt of the war's first volley. The ancient Hawaiian Kingdom remains unacknowledged for enduring attack by the enemies of an America some would say illegally occupied native Hawaiian lands. <br />
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The Untouchables of India also deserve a place at the Asian American
table. Despite the perception they only exist in India, the often exploited
Untouchable community lives among us. Within the last decade torrid stories of <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwKI1XBs3UuNuN9DvpPtAtCdn57E3A2dJc5FVKSZuRbJXg0HKTx2608koNNPRTpKSQh7JvWBFCwJkeOC2uJAGVJg_aBADtY7kJfSvzuf09jai_2CUzwcWlCwQ8615tNmYRFhIM-79NUCn/s1600/maid380.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwKI1XBs3UuNuN9DvpPtAtCdn57E3A2dJc5FVKSZuRbJXg0HKTx2608koNNPRTpKSQh7JvWBFCwJkeOC2uJAGVJg_aBADtY7kJfSvzuf09jai_2CUzwcWlCwQ8615tNmYRFhIM-79NUCn/s200/maid380.jpg" width="200" /></a>sexploitation,
pedophilia, fraud, slavery, and death have come forward. Hundreds of
Untouchable men, women, and children sought <a href="http://www.wassusa.com/pages/Lakireddy%20Bali%20Reddy.html">justice and release from bondage</a> in Berkeley, California (2001). India's Untouchable (Dalit) Ambedkarite Buddhist movement is the largest and most dynamic social uplift movement in the modern era. The amount of human beings involved is greater than those affected by Aung San Suu Kyi, Thich Nhat Hanh and the Dalia Lama combined. <i>Jai Bhim. </i>Yet, we know little of their plight in America and abroad.<br />
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All this and much more must be considered before the truth of Asian American and Pacific Island experience can be fully appreciated. We are all participants in the American democratic experiment whether our experience has been positive or negative. The AAPI experience has been both. When the results are finally in, my hope is that Buddhism in America will have a compassionate role of informed caring commensurate to its doctrine. A <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%20http://goldsea.com/Personalities/Inspiring/inspiring.html">short list</a> of AAPI contributions is worthy of recognition. But in truth, meditating for ten thousand million billion years could not express the gratitude we owe to the nameless faceless Asian American and Pacific Islander Americans who have contributed to our nation.<br />
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Well done Mr. President...<br />
<span class="rg_ctlv"><a class="rg_hl uh_hl" href="http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=XT8&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1173&bih=591&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnsu&tbnid=JryFtWAFzhQMGM:&imgrefurl=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/52539.html&docid=vKl9MAO-Au7ByM&imgurl=http://images.politico.com/global/news/110401_obama_2012_ap_605.jpg&w=605&h=328&ei=bhmuT_jVILPXiAKTsr3xAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=831&vpy=74&dur=5006&hovh=165&hovw=305&tx=45&ty=34&sig=111256589233464510646&page=1&tbnh=109&tbnw=130&start=0&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:0,i:184" id="rg_hl" style="height: 165px; width: 305px;"><img alt="" class="rg_hi uh_hi" data-height="165" data-width="305" height="108" id="rg_hi" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSKxM8cmS4xODcVNUoxR27VSLCrZ22o6XGcaoJaV30EfX-F9YW5-w" width="200" /></a></span><br />
<br />From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550457552696205197.post-88611236147276021732012-01-30T13:14:00.000-08:002012-01-30T13:14:09.407-08:00Taiwan Monk offers hope to African orphans with Buddhist teachings<img src="file:///Users/rebecca/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot.png" alt="" /><br /><img src="http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/picture/upload/twnafri.jpg" alt="" align="left" height="225" width="300" /><br />Taipei, Taiwan -- Master Hui Li, chairman of the South Africa-based Amitofo Care Centre (ACC), decided to set up orphanages in Africa after an eye-opening visit to South Africa in 1992.<br /><br />During that trip, Hui Li saw the devastating effect that HIV/AIDS was having on the children of the country and decided that Buddhist teaching were the solution to the misery he saw.<br /><br />"The fundamental principle of Buddhism is that everyone is equal," the 56-year-old said in a recent interview with CNA. "Practicing Buddhism helps heal the kids and teaches them how to treat others with respect."<br /><br />At present, he added, his non-profit organization has adopted more than 3,000 orphans across the continent in countries such as Malawi, Swaziland and Lesotho. <a href="http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=71,10696,0,0,1,0">Source</a>From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550457552696205197.post-87733821652772033012012-01-06T06:22:00.000-08:002012-01-06T06:23:03.332-08:00Buddha-shaped pears<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Buddha-shaped pears grow on the trees at an orchard in Weixian county, north China's Hebei province. Hao Xianzhang, a local fruit farmer, spent six years to perfect the process by growing the pears inside molds.From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550457552696205197.post-42794615484341307152011-04-28T20:44:00.000-07:002011-04-28T20:47:34.680-07:00The Buddhist temple built using 1.5million recycled beer bottles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EnhPFe81-U7bak1KvI7HSCOJpnvhLSvXFjOtOpEMnVM-uxxJI9F4xOSkoHmwB5qSX7cmQPCXgPfXd1NqqOAwj33kO7FD7HooA-7XP_0a0-0PG9pLINI6HxxBqsiDD4OLwKbXKaq24WxN/s1600/Beer+Bottle+Temple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EnhPFe81-U7bak1KvI7HSCOJpnvhLSvXFjOtOpEMnVM-uxxJI9F4xOSkoHmwB5qSX7cmQPCXgPfXd1NqqOAwj33kO7FD7HooA-7XP_0a0-0PG9pLINI6HxxBqsiDD4OLwKbXKaq24WxN/s320/Beer+Bottle+Temple.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<blockquote>"Built using more than a million beer bottles, this incredible temple in the north-east of Thailand is a novel way to recycle any empties.<br />
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The resident Buddhist monks at the Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew complex encourage local authorities to deposit any used bottles at the temple which they then use to build new structures.<br />
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Having already built the a temple and even shelters, the monks who live in the town of Khun Han really have got into the spirit of recycling." <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1148758/Pictured-The-Buddhist-temple-built-using-1-5million-recycled-beer-bottles.html?ITO=1490">Article</a></blockquote>From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550457552696205197.post-33048317214331406112010-12-18T18:50:00.000-08:002010-12-18T19:02:32.599-08:00Non-Violent Prisoner Strike in Georgia Crosses Racial LinesBuddhist or not, this model of non-violence is worthy of note, globally.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijp1AixdZaBgnDmslENS1fJO9mPzybXglp-HRhXtbMljnHkQAFDj1DvO1jFRHHD5W77U4NROPMK4NZoCu-lf4Bq8CPAHfRe0qysHLNS-OupKPXQDuw2SBMbXdmYXrtP8UA9jQqbCH174Y7/s1600/pristrike.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 201px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijp1AixdZaBgnDmslENS1fJO9mPzybXglp-HRhXtbMljnHkQAFDj1DvO1jFRHHD5W77U4NROPMK4NZoCu-lf4Bq8CPAHfRe0qysHLNS-OupKPXQDuw2SBMbXdmYXrtP8UA9jQqbCH174Y7/s320/pristrike.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552221441913791378" border="0" /></a><br /><blockquote>"Non-Violent Prisoner Strike in Georgia Crosses Racial Lines<br />Fed up with their living and working conditions, prisoners across the state of Georgia last week staged a six-day mass peaceful protest that transcended racial boundaries.<br /><br />Black, Latino and white inmates at least six prisons, including Hays State Prison, Telfair State Prison, Macon State Prison and Smith State Prison, banded together to show their unhappiness by staying in their cells. The families of some prisoners reported that corrections officers responded violently, destroying personal effects and beating inmates at one penitentiary while another facility cut off the hot water supply.<br /><br />Inmates spent months coordinating the protest by using cell phones smuggled into the prisons.<br /><br />They have demanded better living conditions, medical care and nutrition, more educational and self-improvement opportunities, wages for work performed in prison and better access to their families, among other demands." <a href="http://www.allgov.com/Controversies/ViewNews/Non_Violent_Prisoner_Strike_in_Georgia_Crosses_Racial_Lines_101218">Article</a><br /><br /><br /></blockquote><object height="300" width="420"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/f4BOZg-02kA&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/f4BOZg-02kA&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="300" width="420"></embed></object>From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550457552696205197.post-10167756362196812982010-02-26T18:42:00.000-08:002010-02-26T18:49:06.662-08:00Ron Allen....Detroit2006 Los Angeles Poverty Department (LAPD) invited African American Buddhist priest and a Viet Nam veteran Ron Allen to direct poetry workshops on Skid Row. FRIED POETRY is a skilletful of individual and group spoken word pieces and music on the subjects of spirituality and recovery from addiction. In Fried Poetry, LAPDer's invoke their insights into recovery as means of healing self and society.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0489iI9Ogq4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0489iI9Ogq4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /></div><blockquote><br />"There is no question that Dharma has taken hold in Detroit. In the face of great odds, closed-off highways and harsh winters, Still Point fills every Sunday. We have over 120 members now. There is a waiting list for seminary slots. Two years ago, Kogam Gary Schwocho started a sangha in Royal Oak, Muddy Water Zen. It will only grow. Bodhidharma <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ron Allen</span> is a one man prophet of the Dharma – he has his own set of formal students and has integrated Buddhist teachings into his plays and poetry, most notably his recent play about the Tibetan Book of the Dead." <a href="http://www.stillpointzenbuddhisttemple.org/newsletters/April05.pdf">Article</a><br /></blockquote><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550457552696205197.post-33383126279700554532009-10-26T16:35:00.000-07:002009-10-26T16:36:49.848-07:00War - we don't need No ore trouble<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fgWFxFg7-GU&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fgWFxFg7-GU&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550457552696205197.post-6437525098816816292009-10-20T11:14:00.000-07:002009-10-20T11:15:32.236-07:00Lama Rangdrol to give public teaching in San Diego and San Francisco<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0l3CGPaMj8r-8XQf_D0lE_-ewj7t5qyC4XBmSOY-ZTUo992CeQhfF7qDv6n1__p7BaWGq6ETrlAckzTvuX9m6NBlZsh461ASPJ5iCHQGv0TBRLpN2poEhhwECTidhbZqD1BZXJuyXJs9P/s1600-h/Lama+Rangdrol+Visits+San+Diego+-+Flier.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 248px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0l3CGPaMj8r-8XQf_D0lE_-ewj7t5qyC4XBmSOY-ZTUo992CeQhfF7qDv6n1__p7BaWGq6ETrlAckzTvuX9m6NBlZsh461ASPJ5iCHQGv0TBRLpN2poEhhwECTidhbZqD1BZXJuyXJs9P/s320/Lama+Rangdrol+Visits+San+Diego+-+Flier.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394744316391636466" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />A great time to meet:<br /><br />San Diego:<br />November 4, 2009<br />Indigo Village<br />1054 Second Street, Suite B<br />Encinitas, CA 90024<br /><br />San Francisco:<br />November 6-8From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550457552696205197.post-58354330785377011202009-10-14T12:49:00.000-07:002009-10-14T12:51:06.489-07:00Real Conversion<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9S0AObjQfas&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9S0AObjQfas&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550457552696205197.post-4524724109808871712009-10-14T12:37:00.000-07:002009-10-14T12:39:16.047-07:00Bodhisattva<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_jeOguqNIAo&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_jeOguqNIAo&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550457552696205197.post-47191695902938245782009-10-10T21:56:00.001-07:002009-10-10T21:56:44.439-07:00We are not alone<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mq1AGmmIC4E&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mq1AGmmIC4E&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550457552696205197.post-52128391806110024812009-10-03T17:10:00.000-07:002009-10-03T17:11:28.368-07:00Peace Summit<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/s1j0OHDLOHo&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/s1j0OHDLOHo&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550457552696205197.post-10269489372647152832009-09-13T02:09:00.000-07:002009-09-13T02:12:06.427-07:00Learning to live again: Brooke Hopkins struggles through rehab after bicycling accident - Salt Lake<blockquote>"One night a Tibetan Buddhist monk in maroon-and-saffron robes swept into<br />His wife, Peggy Battin, comforts Hopkins after a particularly grueling day of off-the-vent breathing and therapy. (Leah Hogsten/The Salt Lake Tribune)<br />Hopkins' Bountiful rehab room and delivered a piece of ancient wisdom. The body is nothing; it is ephemeral,' the lama told him. 'The mind is everything.'<br /><br />Hopkins remembered that sentiment when he saw, for the first time, his emaciated body in the mirror while being wheeled into the shower. He either could be depressed by the sight or celebrate his expanding mental powers and social skills, either indulge in self-pity or confront the challenges ahead with dignity and drive.<br /><br />'The lama's words came back with their full force,' he recalls, 'and I understood them for the first time ... and my potential depression lifted.' <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_13270592">Article </a><br /> <a href="http://166.70.44.68/multimedia/2009/9042009_BrookeHopkins_MM/index.html">Audio</a><br /></blockquote><a href="http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_13270592"></a>From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550457552696205197.post-35366990898077149432009-01-03T17:51:00.000-08:002009-01-03T17:53:40.124-08:00Lama Rangdrol wins film award<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">.</span><br />Festival Canceled Due to Heavy Rain, a film about Lama Choyin Rangdrol's spiritual journey to Cambodia has been awarded the Aloha Accolade Award for Excellence in Filmmaking at the 2009 Honolulu International Film Festival.<br /><br />The award notice said, "...judges felt that your film demonstrated superior and standout filmmaking and is deserving of one of our our most esteemed awards. Your film was among the very best of the several hundreds of films submitted from over 30 countries around the world."</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_khScLhJRd4G7WGGJ-advp0eO_wpDQYVqKFZNWVaJtguF9hiKMWe4Oq2W_sTU3Duszvb0e23AHhKlwylg08mK0V_ZTT8YxzJBs1nGjBczs5wY374Pc2p4OfphIF1kISBzQjsnpMqN2PoS/s1600-h/Guardian+Poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_khScLhJRd4G7WGGJ-advp0eO_wpDQYVqKFZNWVaJtguF9hiKMWe4Oq2W_sTU3Duszvb0e23AHhKlwylg08mK0V_ZTT8YxzJBs1nGjBczs5wY374Pc2p4OfphIF1kISBzQjsnpMqN2PoS/s320/Guardian+Poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287246977212223250" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Our HBCU world premiere was well received in America's bible belt at Nashville's International Black Film Festival and we are screening again at the Pan African Film Festival in Magic Johnson's theaters in South Central Los Angeles. An award from the film community of Honolulu, city of multi-generational Buddhists as well as hometown of president elect Obama,</span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> adds an exciting dimension of contemporary relevance to Rainbowdharma's achievements.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQcnBvGm86RDuDipUGQjKNdaERp_rzz4vy2OWxSQMyC0BU-cyJDnDNleH1vwM-udA5mBvNVU1U2BfqL5p-UPvItZmykOWQo12SENj2wUogG18onrhwWJlsoNi2Aab9pc99p5woQaoW92N/s1600-h/Lakshmi+Poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQcnBvGm86RDuDipUGQjKNdaERp_rzz4vy2OWxSQMyC0BU-cyJDnDNleH1vwM-udA5mBvNVU1U2BfqL5p-UPvItZmykOWQo12SENj2wUogG18onrhwWJlsoNi2Aab9pc99p5woQaoW92N/s320/Lakshmi+Poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287247961806828530" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The award will be presented at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony to be held 10:00 pm March 8, 2009 at the beautiful and historic Hawaii Theatre in the heart of Honolulu. Join us</span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">! And if you can't make it, co</span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">nsider making an</span> <span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);font-size:85%;" ><a target="_blank" href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=offering%40rainbowdharma%2ecom&item_name=Support%20Rainbowdharma&no_shipping=0&no_note=1&tax=0&currency_code=USD&lc=US&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF&charset=UTF%2d8">offering</a></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> to help cover Lama's attendance</span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. A donation of any amount, large or small, is a pure offering that supports the goal of </span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">promoting </span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">diversity, and spiritual health </span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">in America at a time it needs it the most.<br /><br />We'd like to thank those who have supported Lama Rangdrol's work over the years. If you are new to the Rainbowdharm experience, we look forward to adding your name to our</span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> growing list of supporters, and keeping your informed about the film's progress.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);font-size:85%;" ><a target="_blank" href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=offering%40rainbowdharma%2ecom&item_name=Support%20Rainbowdharma&no_shipping=0&no_note=1&tax=0&currency_code=USD&lc=US&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF&charset=UTF%2d8">make offering here</a></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">:<br />https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=MB4JLJWL9R4FG&lc=US&item_name=Rainbowdharma&currency_code=USD&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF%3abtn_donateCC_LG%2egif%3aNonHosted<br />______________________________________________________</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" ><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://rainbowdharma.com/festivalscreening/theater1.htm" target="_blank">Festival Canceled</a></span></div>From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550457552696205197.post-39612254046994375902008-12-29T21:36:00.000-08:002008-12-29T22:11:06.109-08:00Lama, marriage, and teaching peace to the communityMany Western Buddhist students are confused about the freedom of Lamaism's student/teacher relationship. They bring their <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Judeo</span>-Christian concerns about sexuality to the environment of Lamaism and become judgmental and fearful. Their misconceptions are also <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">prompted</span> by Buddhist traditions from Southeast Asia that hold celibacy in supreme regard. Southeast Asian monks and nuns are forbidden to have sexual relations even in their imagination.<br /><br />The chaste Buddhist monk has been stereotyped to a degree Buddhist traditions to the contrary are mistakenly viewed as corrupt and exploitive. Western Buddhist students and non Buddhist onlookers disconcert with ideas of chastity and violation in ways that serve no one as well as diminish the idea that love can be a powerful vehicle of teaching in some Buddhist settings.<br /><br />In Lamaism a student and teacher falling in love is not only acceptable but serves as a working example of the interpersonal blended with the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">spiritual</span> at the most intimate level.<br /><br />Here is a wonderful example of how a loving relationship between teacher and student can serve an entire community:<br /><blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_604805.html">Lama teaches path to peace, happiness - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review</a>: "By t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_604805.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 153px; height: 88px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWFqWJhuA-FINCK4KgTfNTCsKXqP9vJ9ji7-LuFiuiM4wlo3iBT7k1quoNHyltPSk0b77BtixHFZHuSM-BZfqXrE9xiahtTRKe7Vfjo63WRXfoNmEJ9kzFL83zttS_ByTc1YE9pSk5jvf/s320/20081229-budda.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285460135140378386" border="0" /></a>he time <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Grossmann</span> decided to finish her doctorate, she and Lama had fallen in love. They got married and moved to Pittsburgh after <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Grossmann</span> landed a post-doctoral research position at Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Engineering and Public Policy." Watch the video.<br /></blockquote><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><br /></span>From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550457552696205197.post-70279758565918257412008-12-01T23:01:00.000-08:002008-12-01T23:07:52.728-08:00Crime Fighting Through Mass MeditationMeditation as a community approach to crime fighting is new to the West. But for those who have studied Buddhist meditation historically it has always been nothing more than an international mental health program. Here's an example of mass meditation in America's hardest hit areas of crime and violence.<br /><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IIN8r9rgtUM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IIN8r9rgtUM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550457552696205197.post-9470348546063300112008-11-30T12:46:00.000-08:002008-11-30T12:47:57.900-08:00Cambodia's elderly require priority attention<a href="http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2008112722914/National-news/Victims-of-time-growing-old-in-the-Kingdom-of-the-young.html">Growing old in the Kingdom of the young</a><br /><br />Cambodian Buddhist temple compounds are the final refuge where the elderly spend their last years.<br /><blockquote>Pech Poy, 50, has been living at Wat Ounalom for eight years, devoting the rest of his life to the acquisition of Dharma. “I see that most old people live in difficult situations because they don’t have a place to stay, so I am luckier than most,” he said. “When I die my next life will be better than this. I believe I will be reborn in a good condition because now I try to do good and save the Dharma."</blockquote>From Lama Rangdrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11504109102533660127noreply@blogger.com0