Sumeru News

There is often some confusion about the relationship between Shakyamuni Buddha's first teachings, Sanskrit and Pali. Here's an article from Bhikkhu Mihita explaining the origins of Pali as the lingua franca of early Buddhism. https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/96735/1/Buddha%20as%20Progenitor%20of%20Pali_TSpace.pdf

There's a new Buddhist centre in town, and it is unique in its approach. The Toronto Centre for Applied Buddhism, just launched in 2019, focuses on psychotherapy from a Buddhist perspective. In addition to counselling and workshops for patients, it is also dedicated to training professionals in the counselling field. Find out more here:  http://appliedbuddhism.ca/ As described on their website,  AN EDUCATIONAL HUB FOR MINDFULNESS AND COUNSELLING Established in 2019, the Toronto Centre for Applied Buddhism aims to provide educational programming that focuses on the application of the Buddhist teachings in contemporary societies through collaboration with educational institutions and Buddhist communities...

This excerpt is from my recently-published book, BODHISATTVA 4.0: A Primer for Engaged Buddhists. It's one of 108 topics. This one is about guns, and it comes from the section of the book on violence. In all, the book has more than 500 online resources for deeper study and networking. https://sumeru-books.com/products/bodhisattva-4-0 GUNS “On an average day in America, seven children and teens will be shot dead.” Gary Younge, Another Day in the Death of America There is no Buddhist justification for guns. There is no way to “normalize” gun violence. There is no karmic upside to the business of making and selling guns,...

This morning I saw an article in The New York Times, How High Tech Is Transforming One of the Oldest Jobs: Farming It reminded me of a section on farming from my new book, Bodhisattva 4.0: A Primer for Engaged Buddhists, the excerpt from which I include here. Hopefully you read them and find them both valuable. FARM "The real cause of hunger is the powerlessness of the poor to gain access to the resources they need to feed themselves." Frances Moore Lappé We have enough food for everybody, but they can’t get it. They are like hungry ghosts. There is no...

Roar: Sulak Sivaraksa and the Path of Socially Engaged Buddhism By Matteo Pistono Foreword by John Ralston Saul Paperback | $15.95  Published by North Atlantic Books Mar 05, 2019 | 288 Pages | 6 x 8-1/2| ISBN 9781623173326 https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/shop/roar/ In this time overshadowed by the impending doom threatening our planetary biosphere, some spiritual leaders are turning their attention to a path forward with a new paradigm of sustainable development. In the past, social justice initiatives by the spiritually-motivated have focused on the plight of the poor and oppressed, but the scope now is suddenly much broader. In researching my latest...