When the Iron Bird Flies: Tibetan Buddhism Arrives in the West is a documentary-in-progress, seeking to give the world a comprehensive look at the impact Tibetan Buddhism is having on Western culture. Many teachers and familiar faces — like Richie Davidson (who is featured in our current issue), Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Reggie Ray, and Tsokyni Rinpoche (who has contributed a piece about emptiness and clarity and perceiving the nature of mind for our next issue) — feature in the film.
The people behind the film need your financial help to complete it, so they’ve started a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds. If you like what you see here (and want to see more) be sure to check out the When the Iron Bird Flies Kickstarter page, which includes more video (including a link to a 20-minute preview) and details on how to kick in.
Don’t miss the New York Times today for a great piece all about how Rosanne Cash — daughter of the Man in Black, and no doubt a musical legend in her own right — has become a fixture at concerts at New York’s Rubin Museum of Art. And while she’s not a Buddhist, she has taken inspiration from the Himalayan art at the RMA. Read the Times article here.
And for more all about the Rubin, check out our Shambhala Sun profile of the RMA, “Where the Deities Live.”
The Pema Chödrön Foundation has announced its 2012 Book Initiative, which aims to make the prominent Buddhist teacher’s books “available to underserved women and men, and the organizations that serve them, free of charge.”
This program is for the benefit of individuals who cannot afford books, and to groups and not-for-profit organizations who serve people in need. Along with Pema’s books, the Foundation has a limited number of CD titles available.
If you are part of an organization that would like to participate in this initiative, an application can be found here.
As of today, our new magazine can be found on newsstands everywhere, featuring an in-depth look at the emerging field of contemplative science — and what it tells us about meditation — plus:
Two pieces by the Dalai Lama;
A new short story by Charles Johnson;
A profile of Mingyur Rinpoche – and a teaching by him, too;
A meditation instruction by Chogyam Trungpa;
Book reviews by Joan Sutherland and our own Andrea Miller …and much more.
With his 1993 film Groundhog Day, Harold Ramis ended up not just making a classic comedy, but an underground Buddhist favorite. Perhaps that’s not such a surprise; as Buddhist author/teacher and comedian Wes Nisker says,“Harold Ramis should be considered a revered lineage holder in the crazy wisdom tradition of the Tibetans.” So, what’s the Buddhism/Ramis connection? Find out in this Shambhala Sun article by Perry Garfinkel.
I’ve written about them before (like, here), but this not-unimportant post-punk turned full-on rock band is back (again) and referring to Buddhism in the press for the coming release of their new album, Choice of Weapon. As I say, this isn’t the first time; The Cult’s last album had some Buddhist themes, and singer Ian Astbury has spoken about his affinity for Tibetan Buddhism before, even writing a piece called “The Buddhist Way” for SPIN back in ‘09.)
We’re always happy to talk about the work of Karuna-Shechen here; the organization, which focuses on humanitarian work in the Himalayan region, is truly an inspiration. And it turns out, it had a great 2011. By which we mean that its work – 120 projects by the count of main coordinator Matthieu Ricard (pictured, center, above) — flourished, assisting many people in need. Here’s Ricard’s latest “annual report,” as it were; see if you’re not inspired. Continued »
If you’re a film buff, you probably recall director Ron Fricke’s fantastic, visually stunning outings like Koyaanisqatsi orBaraka. Fricke’s newest work is a sequel, of sorts, to the latter. Entitled Samsara, the film is described by the director as a “guided meditation on the cycle of birth death and rebirth.” It was shot on 70mm film — one of just a handful of films to be shot in such a loving way over the past forty years — in some 25 countries. Continued »
Our March 2012 magazine is landing in subscribers’ mailboxes now, and will be at newsstands everywhere starting this week. Inside you’ll find fascinating looks at the emerging field of contemplative science — and what it tells us about meditation, and what that tells us about us — plus, two articles by the Dalai Lama, a short story by Charles Johnson, a profile of (and a teaching by) Mingyur Rinpoche, Leza Lowitz on finding in life’s difficulties the greatest gift of all, Joan Sutherland’s feature review of the books Searching for Guan Yin and Bringing Zen Home (a detail from Liza Matthews’ accompanying photo appears here), and much more.
Photo (detail) by James Gimian. Used by permission.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche — the great Buddhist teacher who (among many other accomplishments) founded the Shambhala Sun. To mark this, our January 2012 magazine includes “Ocean of Dharma,” Barry Boyce’s look at the life and work of Trungpa Rinpoche, and we’ll be sharing teachings from Rinpoche in the magazine all year. (Look for “A Meditation Instruction,” the first of these teachings in our next, March 2012 magazine.)
“If we begin to surrender to ourselves — begin to drop the story line and experience what all this messy stuff behind the story line feels like — we begin to find bodhichitta, the tenderness that’s underneath all the harshness. By being kind to ourselves, we become kind to others. By being kind to others — if it’s done properly, with proper understanding — we benefit as well.
“So the first point is that we are completely interrelated. What you do to others, you do to yourself. What you do to yourself, you do to others.” — Pema Chödrön, from her book Start Where You Are, via Heart Advice.
We here at the Shambhala Sun Foundation — the independent, nonprofit corporation that publishes the Shambhala Sun and Buddhadharma magazines — seek two new colleagues to fill the roles of Associate Publisher and Associate Art Director. Click here for details.
Jan 25 update: We’ve just added a third position: Assistant Digital Editor. Click here.
Gil Fronsdal of the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California, may be known to many as a Buddhist teacher, but he’s naturally interested in the growing mindfulness movement; that is, mindfulness as it we see it, more and more, in secular society. Here he shares his thoughts about what it means when this powerful practice is brought into all the realms of our modern lives, including education, parenting, medicine, mental health, business, sports, prisons, and conflict resolution.
For much more, see Mindful.org’s “Mindful Society” page, which focuses on the latest developments on how people are working to move our society in the direction of greater mindfulness, awareness, and caring for each other.
The Pema Chödrön Foundation has announced its 2012 Book Initiative, which aims to make the prominent Buddhist teacher’s books “available to underserved women and men, and the organizations that serve them, free of charge.”
With his 1993 film Groundhog Day, Harold Ramis ended up not just making a classic comedy, but an underground Buddhist favorite. Perhaps that’s not such a surprise; as Buddhist author/teacher and comedian Wes Nisker says,“Harold Ramis should be considered a revered lineage holder in the crazy wisdom tradition of the Tibetans.” So, what’s the Buddhism/Ramis connection? 
I’ve written about them before (like, 
Our March 2012 magazine is landing in subscribers’ mailboxes now, and will be at newsstands everywhere starting this week. Inside you’ll find fascinating looks at the emerging field of contemplative science — and what it tells us about meditation, and what that tells us about us — plus, two articles by the Dalai Lama, a short story by Charles Johnson, a profile of (and a teaching by) Mingyur Rinpoche, Leza Lowitz on finding in life’s difficulties the greatest gift of all, Joan Sutherland’s feature review of the books Searching for Guan Yin and Bringing Zen Home (a detail from Liza Matthews’ accompanying photo appears here), and much more.
“If we begin to surrender to ourselves — begin to drop the story line and experience what all this messy stuff behind the story line feels like — we begin to find bodhichitta, the tenderness that’s underneath all the harshness. By being kind to ourselves, we become kind to others. By being kind to others — if it’s done properly, with proper understanding — we benefit as well.
