by elephantjournal.com on Jun 30, 2009
A family visit to…The Great Stupa Which Liberates Upon Seeing A Buddhist monument dedicated to Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche (and all sentient beings, too). via Leah Barasch Fox It has long been the tradition that wherever the teachings of the Buddhas have been revered and practiced, communities of followers have built reliquary monuments known in Sanskrit [...]
926 views
Comments 4
by Lindsey Block on Jun 30, 2009
Out of the top Five Ways To Green Your Haircut via Planet Green, I do 1 and 5. I have short hair (for a gal) and I cut it myself. I usually get too antsy and frustrated with my hair before I can even have the chance to call up a hair salon to schedule [...]
1,022 views
Comments 5
by Todd Mayville on Jun 29, 2009
Happiness is an Inside Job by Sylvia Boorstein Review: Todd Mayville for elephantjournal.com In this paperback reprint of Happiness is an Inside Job, Sylvia Boorstein uses the meditative parts of Buddhism’s Noble Eightfold Path (Right, or Wise Effort, Mindfulness, and Concentration) to remind the reader that how much happiness each of us chooses to have [...]
473 views
Comments (0)
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 29, 2009
Why? Because you have gifts and talents to offer the world and they deserve nurturing and appreciation from you first. You know the idea that you need to love yourself before others can love you? Well, I believe that’s a half truth. Others can love you even if you don’t love yourself, but it’s difficult to [...]
391 views
Comments 4
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 29, 2009
By the two minute mark, I was getting chills. At 2:32, I literally had to hug someone. By three minutes, I was gagging with goodness. What is it about goodness and smiling that makes us happy/open/touched and/or makes us want to recoil in would-be coolness? With karmic kudos to Strala Yoga for the tip. Bonus: [...]
453 views
Comments (1)
by Nadia Ballas-Ruta on Jun 29, 2009
When I first joined Twitter, I was overwhelmed. I remember after creating my account, I just looked at the screen and felt like Robert Redford’s character at the end of the movie The Candidate. “Now what?” is what came to my mind. I had no idea how to proceed. One of my good friends, Lisis, [...]
312 views
Comments 2
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 29, 2009
Breaking non-news: July 1-Aug 1 whoever has most popular blog on elephantjournal.com wins a great big thick cool eKo Manduka yoga mat, color choice up to you. Worth $75 plus shipping. Wanna write something? If it’s got anything to do with “the mindful life—living a good life that happens to be good for others, and our [...]
346 views
Comments 4
by Waylon Lewis on Jun 29, 2009
Above: “Live from NY: Jeff Krasno reppin’ the Elephant at Wanderlust HQ! ~ Lana” New: the gents behind SWAE. The lovely @TaraStiles wears her @americanapparel organic fair labor elephant shirt: A Happy Monday Morning photo sent my Mathew Gerson of Econsciousmarket. ~ Send us your photo, we’ll post to your photo and link to your [...]
2,567 views
Comments 12
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 29, 2009
article via Duff McDuffee Is this Crazy Wisdom, or..? Andrew Cohen is a controversial American guru. He has a tight-knit spiritual community, a cool pop spirituality magazine (EnlightenNext) with excellent graphic design written by and edited by community members, and has several provocative books and audio programs. Cohen is passionate about waking up, and now. He [...]
1,234 views
Comments 8
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 29, 2009
Five Ways to Engage Your Kids in Grateful Giving by LaSara Firefox, MPNLP Even when funds are tight, giving reminds us of how much we have, and how fortunate we are. While coming face to face with money-problems can be a challenging experience, being able to do something about it is a saving grace. This [...]
672 views
Comments 11
by Waylon Lewis on Jun 28, 2009
“I’m sorry our apologies are actually passive-aggressive ways of criticizing you, America.” This Hour has 22 Minutes—which I got to see with my Quebecois girlfriend at the time back, way back in ’94 while visiting me mum in Halifax, Nova Scotia‚—tells it like it is, and apologizes for doing so:
681 views
Comments (0)
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 28, 2009
- When we meditate, usually it is our discursive thoughts that are the main distraction. When we see the “stuff” that can arise in our mind, identifying with the seeing rather than the mental chatter is the beginning of a more perfect practice. Thoughts are not the enemy. They are included in our meditation practice. [...]
608 views
Comments (1)
by Waylon Lewis on Jun 28, 2009
Update: big news—Econscious Market is the featured mindful gift store on Grist.org, one of the biggest bestest green media sites in the whole wide world. Econscious Market doesn’t believe in “eco-friendly” products. Rather, “We offer “eco-friendly-er products,” says founder Mathew Gerson. “You want truth in marketing, there’s nothing green about extracting and then buying new [...]
590 views
Comments 24
by Todd Mayville on Jun 28, 2009
When I first came across this book, I couldn’t help but wonder how Buddhism and the 12-Step program with its definite Judeo-Christian foundation would connect, particularly in regards to the Higher Power talked about so much in the 12-Step program. However, the use of the word “enhance” in the title gives a clue, and the [...]
720 views
Comments (1)
by Reverend Danny Fisher on Jun 28, 2009
C.F. Lee, the new President of University of the West. Right on the heels of Naropa University’s administrative change, the also-Buddhist-founded University of the West, where I serve as Coordinator of the Buddhist Chaplaincy Program, inducted a new president this week as well: Dr. C.F. Lee, the outgoing Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong. A press release about [...]
203 views
Comments (0)
by Lindsey Block on Jun 28, 2009
American Apparel‘s rockin’ organic cotton unisex briefs are iconic, simple and stylee. Both myself and my boyfriend wear them (not each other’s. Well…sometimes)…because they are comfy and hip, stylish but practical. The slim fit is great for sports, or…sitting around hipster cafes smoking American Spirits while pretending to read Catcher in the Rye. And remember: [...]
4,035 views
Comments 7
by Todd Mayville on Jun 28, 2009
Yoga in America is a collection of essays from a variety of yoga teachers across the United States. You won’t find anything from superstars like Rodney Yee, Shiva Rea, or Baron Baptiste here….which is to its strength. These essays are written by instructors who are in their studios every day, each with their own unique [...]
589 views
Comments 3
by Joana Smith on Jun 28, 2009
Last week we went flying on an airplane to Boulder, CO, we had a party to get to. But when we returned home, someone had cut down four trees in the garden! They told us that it was to help the big, old, sick tree in the center of the garden get more water. It’s [...]
461 views
Comments 8
by Kathryn Budig on Jun 27, 2009
A yoga teacher talks about a relationship that left her feeling…drained. I have many passions in life, but if I had to narrow it down to just a handful, they would be yoga, cooking, fabulous footwear, dark innovative chocolate and vampires. Yup, you heard me, vampires. In fact, I consider myself to be fairly schooled [...]
4,126 views
Comments 21
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 27, 2009
Nothing like the smell of a better world in the morning. Like it or not, most coffee-farming families are dedicated gamblers—betting all of their resources, all of their work and their very survival on the annual coffee harvest. All told, 125 million people worldwide are dependent on the coffee harvest. Many villages become ghost towns during [...]
346 views
Comments 3
by Reverend Danny Fisher on Jun 27, 2009
Via the Buddhist Peace Fellowship: Alice Walker, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple, has written a lovely blog post with her reflections about Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s Nobel Peace laureate and Prime Minister-elect who is currently on trial before the ruling military junta. Her’s a snippet of what she has [...]
632 views
Comments (0)
by Pam Uhlenkamp on Jun 27, 2009
Review via Pam Uhlenkamp, elephant’s designer (and designer of Jimmy Gleacher’s cover, above) I love road trips. This story is the ultimate cross country that treks from the deep south, to the northwest, to Boulder, CO, and finally New York City. All along wondering if the heroine will find her long lost sister….or if it’s [...]
273 views
Comments (0)
by Jim Tolstrup on Jun 27, 2009
Rain and hail continue to fall in Northern Colorado and rivers like the Cache La Poudre (reportedly named by French trappers who hid a cache of gunpowder there and never found it again) are brimming full. The early settlers and trappers in this area, referred to the swollen state of rivers in the spring as “The June Rise.”
165 views
Comments (0)
by Nadia Ballas-Ruta on Jun 27, 2009
Growing up as the first ethnic kid in the neighborhood put me in an interesting position. I was the first in my family to be born in America, and the first in the neighborhood to have a skin color that was slightly darker than the rest, and a name that was really odd. I had [...]
202 views
Comments 3
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 27, 2009
The below article comes from Boulder-based Udi’s, a great “natural” products company that provides granola, and the yummy bread I buy every Wednesday and/or Saturday at my local farmers’ market. The below story details Michael Pollan’s recent visit to Boulder, where I interviewed him courtesy of Naturally Boulder, Fresh Ideas Group and the video’s sponsor, [...]
1,330 views
Comments 3
by Todd Mayville on Jun 27, 2009
I first heard about Glass Dharma (again with the co-opting of Buddhist terms, but I’ve just about given up on that fight as hopeless) via Twitter and contacted them about their products. I’ve been looking for more and more ways to avoid using anything disposable (especially if it’s plastic), and the idea of a glass [...]
527 views
Comments (1)
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 27, 2009
“I think what you learn from nuns is strong determination, and to never give up,” says Tsoknyi Rinpoche III—a Tibetan Buddhist teacher popular with Western students and the abbot and patron teacher of a number of thriving nunneries in the remote nomadic region of Nangchen in Eastern Tibet. The new documentary “Blessings” tells the story [...]
1,103 views
Comments 4
by Waylon Lewis on Jun 27, 2009
We’ll add more info later as we learn it, but for now you gotta check this out: a new climbing gym is coming to Boulder (we only have two, or three or four depending on how you count it, that can’t be enough in the land of the climber!)…so start out by clicking here to see [...]
674 views
Comments (1)
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 26, 2009
Juana Molina, Un Dia Domino Records, 2008 Reviewed by Joel Davis, KGNU DJ — Terrasonic, Friday Afternoon Sound Alternative Un Dia, Juana Molina’s fifth recording, serves as sonic opiate. At turns and all at once, it thrills, massages, sedates and delights, extending a winning streak of enthralling releases dating back to her first (Rara). In [...]
142 views
Comments (0)
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 25, 2009
Via the Whole Foods Market web site: Whole Foods Market Boulder, as well as the other Colorado stores and the Denver Distribution Center, has offset 100% of the electricity with clean, sustainable American Wind™. Whole Foods Market believes that companies, like individuals, must assume their share of responsibility as tenants of Planet Earth. The impact [...]
257 views
Comments 2
by Waylon Lewis on Jun 25, 2009
As Cesar Millan of The Dog Whisperer says, most discipline problems are rooted in a dog not getting enough exercise. Enter: the Springer. I bought one’a these handy “Springer” dog-bicycle attachments off ebay a year or so ago, and finally got it on my bike (well, I had the handy gents at UBikes mount it [...]
1,185 views
Comments 7
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 24, 2009
“Oryoki and the Oryoki Chant” from PKTC Publications is the first book on Oryoki, the monastic way of eating that was introduced to the West by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The book also contains the first complete commentary in English to the The Sutra of the Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels, which is one of [...]
873 views
Comments 2
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 24, 2009
Update: Hey Waylon! Now is the time to spread news re the public permit hearings on Tuesday, JULY 14, 2009 regarding the Valmont Coal Plant in Boulder, Colorado, far and wide. So far we are expecting 500 or so folks. I’d like to make that 10,000. What do you think you can do? – Branden [...]
960 views
Comments 5
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 24, 2009
Send us your reasons for biking to work! You can either post it as a COMMENT or send your response to editorial@elephantjournal.com. As a student at the University of Colorado, I am proud to mindfully commit myself to biking to classes (and beyond!) everyday. With such an extensive network of pedestrian paths in Boulder, I [...]
361 views
Comments 16
by Henry Schliff on Jun 24, 2009
In the Sutra on the Root of Unfolding (Mulapariyaya), the Buddha teaches a gathering of monks how all possible things one could conceive of as an originating entity are not the original root. The sutra caught my eye because it begins with an analysis of the elements: earth, water, fire, and air. But let me [...]
195 views
Comments (0)
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 23, 2009
If the Briefcase Fits…on Pulp Fiction, and…Yoga? You can learn a thing or two about yoga from the movies. Most recently for me it was Pulp Fiction. Aside from the fact that the f-bomb is dropped a total of 281 times in the film, (I was bored) the question becomes, where do you find inspiration? [...]
703 views
Comments 2
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 23, 2009
TerraSonic’s broadcast domain is expanding to include KGNU’s FM signals: 88.5 FM in Boulder and Denver, and 93.7 FM in Nederland. We’ll also be available via the regular stream at kgnu.org (no more AM web stream!). Named by Westword as Denver’s “Best World Music Radio Show”, TerraSonic is your hour-long magic carpet ride around the [...]
140 views
Comments (1)
by Lindsey Block on Jun 23, 2009
Ever thought that maybe guerrilla gardening and/or planting more trees all around us isn’t the best way to restore our environment? At least not to U.S. scientists who are developing a synthetic tree that collects carbon “around 1000 times faster than the real thing.” So how is a carbon-catching tree even possible? As the wind [...]
440 views
Comments 3
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 23, 2009
Bike vs. Segway vs. Carshare vs. Bus…it’s the Boulder “Celebrity” Commuter Challenge! Update! Turns out Waylon may not’ve won Boulder Commuter Contest after all! elephantjournal.com exclusive: Yo Way, I think we’re gonna have to have a showdown at the OK Corral, cuz here’s why I shoulda won da race… I hit my first destination (Boulder [...]
254 views
Comments (0)
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 23, 2009
Excerpt from Lawrence King’s new Book “What The Hell Were You Thinking:” Politics and religion should go hand in hand, if the agenda is about addressing the issue of saving our planet. Buddha, Great Spirit, God, Allah, Krishna , Yahweh, or whomever you choose to call your higher power states clearly do unto others as [...]
201 views
Comments (1)
by Waylon Lewis on Jun 22, 2009
A Neighbor’s Lament: Don’t we have better things to do with our bad-economy-pinched US tax dollars than run a gas-guzzling lawnmower over a beautiful, wild, ecologically-diverse park that was willed to be left in its wild state? I live in downtown Boulder, Colorado. There’s a pocket park behind my house that even most longtime Boulder [...]
238 views
Comments 2
by Saraswati J. on Jun 22, 2009
by Sarah Miller Lately my life has been consumed by the birthing process. Last week my sister gave birth to twin boys at home. In her living room. With a midwife. This is a rare feat in our society these days. Yet less than a hundred years ago, wombyn were still having births at home [...]
383 views
Comments 14
by Walk The Talk Show on Jun 22, 2009
elephantjournal.com founder Waylon Lewis interviews Michael Pollan re: how to communicate “green” to the masses, why he eats meat, GMOs, cancer, diet, Swine Flu & Michelle Obama’s organic garden. Sponsored by Gaiam. A few weeks back I got to interview one of my idols (as I mention in the first moments of the interview)—Michael Pollan. [...]
5,666 views
Comments 29
by Jim Tolstrup on Jun 22, 2009
Suburbitat: A Suburban Naturalist’s Journal: A Simple Act of Kindness Yesterday I was walking into town. Actually, I was going to the Fort Collins Shambhala Meditation Center, to practice meditation, in order to be a more aware and compassionate person. I like to look around when I walk. I look up in trees, into gardens and ditches and [...]
205 views
Comments 5
by elephantjournal.com on Jun 22, 2009
Editor’s introduction: I interviwed Dr. Jeremy Geffen for elephant magazine a few years back…the videos are still on youtube (and embedded below). He’s a legend in the “fighting cancer naturally” arena—well-worth checking out. A few days ago he sent me the below press release—big news: First Multi-Center Community-Based Oncology Provider in U.S. to Offer Comprehensive [...]
604 views
Comments 2
by Todd Mayville on Jun 22, 2009
This informative and readable book is an eloquently done academic study of Buddhist art throughout the Asian continent. However, just because it is academic does not mean that it is boring; in fact, it is quite the opposite. Leidy has written a book that could be found in any classroom as a basis for study, [...]
428 views
Comments (0)
by Waylon Lewis on Jun 21, 2009
From the Only in Boulder files: a tree falls and smashes two…light green hybrid Toyota Priuses, which just happen to be driving along one after the other. But was the wood from the beautiful old tree reclaimed, and made into furniture? Excerpt from The Daily Camera, Boulder’s paper of record: BOULDER, Colo. — Diana Barnett [...]
396 views
Comments 2
by Waylon Lewis on Jun 21, 2009
LOL, unless you’re a Buddhist (or PETA member)…but still purty impressive. Via AP: Said Obama to the persistent fly: “Get out of here.” But it didn’t. So Obama waited for the fly to settle, put his hand up and then smacked the fly dead in one try. Without missing a beat, the president said to [...]
344 views
Comments (0)
by Todd Mayville on Jun 21, 2009
Seamm Jasani is a more gentle form of Boabom, a martial art form originating in Tibet prior to the arrival of Buddhism. Seamm Jasani is as much meditation and relaxation as it is a physical fitness routine; the combination of these two forms combine to aid in increasing the practitioners’ vitality and strength, as well [...]
498 views
Comments (1)
We can personally recommend the geniuses at iSupportU —