Sutra on the Root of Unfolding (more Buddha ramblings)

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…

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Stanford University’s Search for Compassion (Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education)

By Henry Schliff on Jun 20, 2009

Nagarjuna famously said, “emptiness is the womb of compassion.” His proclamation, intended to point the direction for fostering compassion may or may not help the team of philosophers, neuroscientists, psychologists, and theologians who are…

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Tulsi: the holy herb of India

By Henry Schliff on Jun 15, 2009

As a lover of all things "spice" I am always on the lookout for new flavors to add to the kitchen. And a week ago I found the holy of holies (literally). Our local…

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Attaining Ignorance: knowledge, dependent origination, and humility in life

By Henry Schliff on May 8, 2009

One primary aim of many religious traditions and spiritual disciplines is the acquisition of knowledge. Emphasis is often placed on gnosis of the supreme will or power of the universe, and coming to know…

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Translating Ignorance or Ignorant Translation

By Henry Schliff on Apr 28, 2009

Words should be simpler. Or the mind more advanced. That is why translation is like constructing a puzzle without any pieces. All the pieces of the puzzle are scattered in a vast jungle and…

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Duke University interfaith dialogue on the environment (Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Stephanie Kaza, and more)

By Henry Schliff on Apr 19, 2009

Earlier this month while visiting family in North Carolina I had the opportunity to attend the Duke Faith Council’s 3rd Annual Spring Dialogue entitled Saving the Earth: What can faith traditions teach us about…

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One piece of music you must see before you die; Giuseppe Verdi’s Messa da Requiem

By Henry Schliff on Apr 5, 2009

We all want to be remembered after we depart this world. Weeping relatives, friends to tell of our greatest deeds, and music to rend the souls of those who mourn our passing. Alessandro Manzoni…

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Econo-Buddha Part I: Recession = Potential

By Henry Schliff on Mar 26, 2009

The legend of the Shakyamuni Buddha tells the story of his “great going forth,” or his renunciation of worldly life. And the steps leading to the renunciation are especially pertinent to contemporary America. If…

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Econo-Buddha Part II: The Diamond Heart of Shakyamuni

By Henry Schliff on Mar 25, 2009

A familiar scene. My wife and I are walking Pearl Street in Boulder and someone asks for change. I ignore the request or give a diffident refusal. She thinks for a second and pulls…

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Book Review via Henry Schliff: Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West (Donald S. Lopez, Jr.)

By Henry Schliff on Mar 18, 2009

I am always excited to find a book that can simultaneously broaden my perspective and challenge pre-existing notions, Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West by Donald Lopez is just that kind of…

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Movie Review: Watchmen: Who’s Watching Hollywood?

By Henry Schliff on Mar 8, 2009

Watchmen has not surprisingly opened nationwide to a mixed critical consensus. Much is done well while some is not done at all, which is the movie’s primary flaw. Visually, Watchmen is spectacular if occasionally…

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Accepting Repentance; Shantideva, Abraham Joshua Heschel [video]

By Henry Schliff on Mar 3, 2009

Is repentance relevant and legitimate to people living in contemporary society? I used to think of repentance or confession of sin as a means for organized religions to keep the individual in obedience to…

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Christopher Field, latest thoughts on Climate Change; Democracy Now Video

By Henry Schliff on Feb 26, 2009

For the past two weeks I've had this partial paragraph hanging out on my desktop waiting to speak. CHICAGO, Feb. 14 ‐‐ The pace of global warming is likely to be much faster than…

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The State of Angulimala: the American hunger

By Henry Schliff on Feb 24, 2009

When I think of our current economic turmoil and the knee jerk responses taken to it I am reminded of the Sutra of Angulimala, the demonic murderer bandit of the Buddhist tradition with his…

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Practical Metaphysics: verses from Nagarjuna

By Henry Schliff on Feb 18, 2009

I have been turning four lines over and over in my head for the past week or more: There are four conditions: efficient condition; Percept-object condition; immediate condition; Dominant condition, just so. There is…

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Book review: Spiritual Evolution: a scientific defense of faith (Dr. George E. Vaillant)

By Henry Schliff on Feb 9, 2009

I recently finished the latest book of psychoanalyst, research psychiatrist, and pioneer in the field of adult development, Dr. George E. Vaillant. The book, Spiritual Evolution: A Scientific Defense of Faith, is in part…

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Gear Review: GoLite brings Style, Sustainability and a new Spring line. [Men's] ~ via Henry Schliff.

By Henry Schliff on Jan 28, 2009

It’s time to get your gear groove on in style and efficiency with GoLite. The Boulder, Colorado based high-performance clothing company that is making major strides in inventiveness and sustainability. Recently, I tested out…

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Time Magazine’s Michael Grunwald: the answer to America’s Energy Needs

By Henry Schliff on Jan 25, 2009

December 31, 2008. As the old year was setting and the year of Obama was about to begin, Michael Grunwald wrote about a revolutionary idea to change energy usage as we know it. But…

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Teleportation? Quantum Scientists say, “Yes we Can!”

By Henry Schliff on Jan 24, 2009

Recently the journal Science, in their Jan. 23rd issue, reported they had achieved the "teleportation of quantum information between atomic quantum memories separated by about 1 meter." What does all that mean- Information was…

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MLK: the betrayal of silence; videos of speeches.

By Henry Schliff on Jan 18, 2009

The action and speech of Dr. Martin Luther King demonstrates the power of one man to influence a nation. What would have happened if he had remained silent. And who now among us is…

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