With the recent news that President Barack Obama has decided to send more troops to Afghanistan, the argument continues if this war is necessary. Buddhists believe in non-violence but also know that the world is complicated and that there are many sides to this debate.

Courtesy Ekoji Buddhist Temple Dharma School in Fairfax County, Virginia

Caught in the middle are soldiers. Many soldiers are religious. In fact, right now, there are 1,900 Buddhists serving in the U.S. (Army Times).

A great blog that helps sort this out for many is the Buddhist Military Sangha. It is an unofficial online resource for Buddhists in the United States Armed Forces. One of the frequent contributors to the site is a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Priest named Jeanette Shin. Shin was ordained at the Nishi Hongwanji, in Kyoto, Japan, in 2003. She was endorsed to become a military chaplain by the Buddhist Churches of America and served in the US Marine Corps from 1988-1992. She is a minister of the Buddhist Church of Florin, near Sacramento, CA.

How does she justify her role in the military?

Yes, there have always been armies and police, and there has to be some provision for defence. Even were we living in a world of wise rulers, protection is necessary. The Buddha speaks of this, as does Dogen. Aggression exists within each of us. But our wars today day wars are hardly the work of wise rulers (Neither were most wars in the past.). Whatever the issues may be, however just, the killing is fed by arms dealers and vast corporations who profit from the various technologies of killing. And by politicians driven by self-interest in raw form. And even by ourselves in a willingness to preserve privilege over groups and people elsewhere in the world.Having said all that, I would add that military personnel and families I have met often embody the highest principles of honour, duty, and self-sacrifice. They try to live according to what I might call “practice,” for the sake of their country and people. It is essential to hold this in mind.

I can’t help wondering, maybe naively, what would come of a policy that replaces retribution with generosity, that uses even a portion of the trillions we spend on war and destruction at home (prisons) and abroad for education, health, housing, and food? I would sign up in a New York minute as a chaplain to that kind of army.

READ MORE COMMENTS BY SENSEI JEANETTE SHIN ON THE BUDDHIST MILITARY SANGHA...

Reviews for "The Buddha's Wish for the World" are now appearing. Rev. Gregory Gibbs of the Oregon Buddhist Temple has previewed the book and has these comments:

"For Jodo Shinshu Buddhists in North America this book will be important. The Go Monshu/Chief Abbot has not been obvious in a leadership role so far as understanding our teachings goes for some decades. People look to the Kangakuryo for questions of accuracy but a committee cannot be a leader. His Eminence Monshu Koshin Ohtani will now be more obviously in his proper role of leadership for those of us who are pretty much limited to the English language for our appreciation of the Buddha-dharma.

Here are some partial reviews so far...

Precious Metal: the blog

I really enjoyed the book because it not only taught me about the tradition of Shin Buddhism but also brought to light the importance of values this form has picked up based on its geographical origins. Specifically, the importance of family and surrounding oneself with family. Not only considering our direct family, but all of humanity as one big family.

Flatbed Sutra

Buddhist practitioners of all schools (including Zen) are certain to discover many affinities with the Shin teachings–which can certainly provide some profound insight into their own traditions. While it is true that students and practitioners of all Buddhist traditions will find many similarities, it may be the unique qualities of the Pure Land teachings, when compared to other traditions, that offer some of the more profound insights.

The Buddha Blog

It is a short book and can be read in one sitting but don't let that fool you into thinking that it's not full of great wisdom. It is frankly wonderful how much wisdom and unique insights Monshu offers in this thin but enriching monogram.

Robert Thurman (from the introduction)

To read The Buddha’s Wish for the World is to feel enfolded within that wish, which the author so deeply feels to be expressed in the vision of the original compassionate vow of the bodhisattva Dharmakara, who eventually became the Infinite Light Amitabha Buddha.

READ A SAMPLE OF THE BOOK AT THE AMERICAN BUDDHIST STUDY CENTRE...
PURCHASE THE BOOK AT THE BCA BOOKSTORE...

Daily Buddhism has been asking for practitioners of Buddhism to explain their denomination. It is inviting essays explaining "your " version of Buddhism.

Up for the challenge, we get this great explanation of Shin Buddhism from Jeff Wilson. He begins with a description of Shinran's interpretation of Buddhism.

Shinran taught that Amida is actually reality in its true, liberated nature, and the Pure Land is a poetic description for nirvana. Putting the insights of Mahayana Buddhism into narrative format, he talked about how Amida embraces all beings no matter how bad or good, and liberates them from their greed and delusion. In fact, this liberation is something that has been accomplished in the primal past (i.e. it is always naturally present), and so we should stop endlessly chasing after attainment. Instead, when we give up attachment to our ego-laden efforts to become enlightened, and relax back into the embrace of inconceivable wisdom and never-abandoning compassion, we are freed from our anxieties and pettiness. Our practice, then, stops being about getting Buddhahood for ourselves, and instead is refocused to be about expressing gratitude for all that we have received, spiritually and materially.

Wilson points out that the main focus of Shin is the practise of "gratitude." And that, everyone can become a Buddha by reciting the Nembutsu.

None of us are deluded about our level of attainment-we are ordinary people, prone to foolishness. But everyone, Shin Buddhist or otherwise, exists within an inconceivable network of support from all things, an ever-changing matrix that provides us with nourishment, shelter, love, and, if we don’t let our egos get in the way, pushes us on toward final liberation. Awakening to this inner togetherness which we all share helps us to get a perspective on our karmic limitations, and this engenders humility, patience, and a sense of humor about our shortcomings and those of others. When we wake up to how power-beyond-self is always nurturing and supporting us, we often say the nembutsu in gratitude. Nembutsu is a phrase, Namu Amida Butsu, that expresses our happiness and thankfulness. It isn’t a mantra or a prayer-it doesn’t accomplish anything other than letting out that bottled-up gratitude in a joyful utterance.

Jeff Wilson is currently an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Renison College on the campus of the University of Waterloo in Canada. He recently wrote the book, "Mourning the Unborn Dead A Buddhist Ritual Comes to America" from Oxford Press.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT DAILY BUDDHISM...

Robert Thurman is asked how the teachings of the Buddha can help you understand the world today.

Robert Thurman is currently a Professor of Buddhist Studies at Columbia University.

At Big Think, you can access hundreds of hours of direct, unfiltered interviews. Others interviewees include Sen. Ted Kennedy, entrepreneur Richard Branson and Canadian author Naomi Klein. The creators of Big Think are former producers for PBS and have interviewed hundreds of leading intellectuals, political figures and cultural icons for this global conversation.

WATCH MORE OF ROBERT THURMAN AT BIG THINK...

My daughter, who recently began fostering six kittens, finds this video very amusing. It's a cat who puts his paws together for gassho.

It's worked for Barack Obama and his election campaign, could it work for Buddhism too?

Social Networking and the internet have proven to be very successful for Barack Obama and his election campaign. Obama has used the worldwide web to get his message out to young voters, enlist volunteers, and solicit campaign funds.

So what can this phase of the internet do for Buddhism? Here are some networking websites that might attract people to Buddhism or already have.

Facebook.com
Of course we start with Facebook which has over 500 groups listed under Buddhism. The largest one comprising close to 4,000 members and includes videos and discussion boards.

Meetup.com
Meetup boasts as being the "world's largest network of local groups." Meetup makes it easy for anyone to find or organize a group in their community.

According to their website, "Meetup's mission is to revitalize local community and help people around the world self-organize. Meetup believes that people can change their personal world, or the whole world, by organizing themselves into groups that are powerful enough to make a difference."

Buddhistway.org
We have also discovered a strictly Buddhist social network. The Buddhist Way encourages you to "share your Buddhist Way of Life." Not as elaborate as the other sites, it does contain blogs, chatrooms and forums.

When we use these sites for communicating the dharma, just remember to be mindful and act responsibly. Also be aware of friendly monks.elcome to BUDDHISTWAY.ORG! Please register yourself and take a look around. There's lots to see and do, so take your time, meet some new friends, and share your Buddhist Way of Life.

courtesy robotpirateninja.com

Barack Obama has made it clearly known that he is a Christian. But many Buddhists believe that he may have studied some of the Buddha's teaching. It looks like we were not the only people looking for a connection on the internet:

Every once and a while I Google 'Obama and Buddhist' just to see if he is a secret Buddhist. So far nothing has come up. What I did note is that there were a number of Buddhists blogs, organizations, and individuals who see Buddhism in Obama's approach to listening, problem solving, patience, tolerance, and so on. -The Original Black Buddha

Earlier this year, we told you about his sister, Maya, who considers herself a "Buddhist".

So the connection grows, whether it's real or not. Even Obama's own website has a "Buddhists for Obama" group. At last count, 438 people have become members.

And that leads us to the "Buddhists for Obama" fridge magnets.

But our favorite comes from Lama Surya Das, who made a guest appearance this month on the Stephen Colbert Show on CTV/Comedy Central. Colbert introduced him on a very funny segment called "Obama's Church Search". Colbert asked Surya Das why Obama should become a Buddhist now that he’s left the church he grew up with. The Lama gave twelve reasons why Obama should become a Buddhist on his blog:

12. Buddhists have more fun.

11. It’d be great to have a president for once who practiced right speech, right actions, right intentions and right livelihood, as Buddha taught.

10. I’d call him Head Lama Obama.

9. All the best people are. My religion is the best and the only way, just like yours.

8. Buddha has for 2500 years taught change and inclusivity.

7. Buddhist meditation and mindfulness training is good for both physical and mental health.

6. Buddha was the world’s first ecological leader and protector of animals as well as human beings. (Obama could rename 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue “The Green House”)

5. Nonviolence and altruism is the Buddhist way. War might be outlawed.

4. Buddhist practices of mindful anger management and nonviolent conflict resolution could make him an enlightened leader, like Aung San Su Kyii of Burma and the Dalai Lama of Tibet. (Pres. Medvedev of Russia does yoga.)

3. I am a Buddha, and so can you.

2. It would help the energy crisis.

AND FINALLY, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, my father’s favorite answer to all of life’s big questions:
1. BECAUSE…

The Dharma Realm is probably the first Shin Buddhist podcast on the internet. It's a conversation between Rev. Harry Bridge of the Lodi Buddhist Church and Dr. Scott Mitchell of the Institute of Buddhist Studies on Buddhism and Jodo Shinshu. Their first topic is "mindfulness." The discussion is lively and contains good information on the Buddha dharma.

Rev. Harry Gyokyo Bridge spent his youth in Tokyo and the Boston. He encountered Buddhism while in college, and although he had dreams of becoming a professional musician, he instead found his way into the Buddhist ministry. He attended both the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, CA and Ryukoku University in Kyoto, Japan. In September of 2006 Rev. Bridge became the resident minister of the Buddhist Church of Lodi in California.

Scott Mitchell is a Buddhist scholar and Jodo Shinshu Buddhist who lives and works in Oakland and Berkeley, California. He recently completed his doctoral studies at the Graduate Theological Union; his dissertation, Taking Refuge in the Dharma: post-colonialism, ritual theory, and American Buddhist studies, examines the role of role of ritual within American Buddhist communities, challenging the orientalist assumptions of current scholarship. Currently, he works at the Institute of Buddhist Studies, both as a teacher and their resident web developer/IT guy. He also writes the blog, "The Buddha is My DJ."

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ON DHARMA REALM...

Looking for answers? Do you have 15 minutes? Then, go to TED. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives. This site makes the best talks and performances from TED available to the public, for free.

Here's a sample from Tenzin Bob Thurman who became a Tibetan monk at age 24. He's a professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies at Columbia University, and co-founder of Tibet House U.S., a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan civilization. In this talk, he says that in our hyperlinked world, we can know anything, anytime. And this mass enlightenment is our first step toward becoming Buddha. When we can know everything, we can see how everything is interconnected -- and we can begin to feel compassion for every living being.

And by the way, he is Uma's dad.

In the Editor's Blog, we are on the lookout for interesting posts and articles. This posting came the blog, GODZ. The aim of this blog is to write about different religious experiences in various churches, mosques or temples. In this post, they attend a Buddhist temple. The article begins by being quite skeptical of Buddhism as a current trend.

As the sensei said in temple, your practice should be whatever floats your boat, but I'm talking about the kind of yogi who spends 400$ on a new meditation cushion or yoga mat and another 1,500 dollars on their yoga clothes.

After attending the temple, they have these observations after attending their first Jodo Shinshu service.

The sensei seemed real, honest, intelligent and content. It did not bother him that the folding chairs were only 1/5th full. I got the sense that he might actually have some inner peace.

The writer seemed to lump Buddhism with the "new age" movement. Buddhism is not new age. Jodo Shinshu is not new age. It is old age. It has a rich history. The writer seems to understand and appreciate this knowledge in the end.
READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE...

We relaunched the Manitoba Buddhist Temple web site at the beginning of 2007. In just two months, we have had over 1,000 visitors to our site from all over the world.

In the next phase of this web site, we hope to introduce more people to the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism. This will be a place for the editors of this web site to share their thoughts, web sites, and recent news of the world.