- Here's a short biography - I'm not sure why - on the founder of the Jogye sect in Korea. What's interesting to me is that, as in Rinzai Zen, there's an emphasis on post-enlightenment training. Enlightenment is not seen as some kind of thing that only the few get, or if you passively sit for decades you might get, but as something that is understood to be an outcome, though not the goal in itself, of sitting.
- Evidently in Thailand, at least some monks are against the government. I'm not following this very closely, and the most time I've ever spent in that country is a couple of hours in the Star Alliance lounge, but I do hope they come to peace soon there.
- The English language version of China News has a story on the Tibetan monks helping out in the Yushu region. I'd guess the government didn't mind them helping out, and I'd also guess that some of the media reports about the Chinese government and the monks in this region were somewhat overblown. I wish some of the bloggers in the America-centric Buddhist blogosphere would understand that the Chinese are not, contrary to what the Dalai Lama said, interested in eradicating Buddhism. They just don't want Pat Robertsons.
- Lama Chuck Stanford answers the question from a Buddhist perspective (more or less), "Why is my faith not growing?" I'd have given a somewhat different answer, such as, what do you expect it to be anyway? He's right when he says that it's inaccurate to see faith as " as an accomplishment or a personal possession," but when he gets into the "vision thing," well, I beg to differ. Although I agree with the sentiment, "If you are dissatisfied with your level of faith, you may, in fact, be dissatisfied with how you are relating to the world," I would add if you are dissatisfied with your level of faith, you should ask yourself why that is so, and in that, you should have great faith. You'll get an answer if you let that question permeate your marrow.
And that's my take on the news of Buddhism for today...
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