Dr. Karen Derris is a scholar of South and Southeast Asian Buddhist traditions and professor of religious studies at the University of Redlands. Her research focuses on the intersection of literature and feminist ethics in pre-modern Buddhist traditions, particularly focusing upon the central importance of community in Buddhist ethical and spiritual development. Dr. Derris received her PhD from the Committee on the Study of Religion at Harvard University in 2000. This is an excerpt from her … [Read more...]
A Country Called Witness
Georgia Kashnig
Georgia Kashnig is a Zen practitioner, a dancer, and a facilitator of sacred reading spaces. They received an MTS in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School, an MA in the Regional Studies, East Asia Department at Harvard University, and in fall 2021 they will be joining the PhD program in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Georgetown University. Their research focuses on religion and literature, interfaith inquiry, and developing contemplative methods of reading that … [Read more...]
Honoring Our Ancestors: A Buddhist Response to Anti-Asian Violence
Chenxing Han
Chenxing Han is a Bay Area–based writer whose publications have appeared in Buddhadharma, Journal of Global Buddhism, Lion’s Roar, Pacific World, Tricycle, and elsewhere. She holds a BA from Stanford University and an MA in Buddhist studies from the Graduate Theological Union. After studying chaplaincy at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, California, she worked in spiritual care at a nearby community hospital in Oakland. Her first book, Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian … [Read more...]
The Idea of Dhammadāna
Bhikkhu Anālayo
The present article explores the meaning of dhammadāna, “the gift of Dhamma,” as evident in relevant Pāli texts and in relation to the meritorious deed of publishing Buddhist books for free distribution. A pdf version can be downloaded here. Introduction A very meritorious and praiseworthy way of disseminating the Dhamma takes the form of book publications that are strictly for free distribution. The indubitably wholesome intentions that underpin such activities can at times be associated … [Read more...]
Sense Restraint in Daily Life: Recommendations from a Health Behavior Change Perspective
Curtis Breslin
Curtis Breslin, Ph.D. is a retired professor of psychology who taught at Seneca College and the University of Toronto for many years. He has published extensively in scientific journals with a focus on addiction and behavioral change. Since 1997 he has been practicing in the Theravādin Thai Forest tradition of Ajahn Chah. Currently, Curtis volunteers and practices at Tisarana Buddhist Monastery and Sati Saraniya Bikkhuni Hermitage in rural Ontario. A pdf version can be downloaded here. At … [Read more...]
The Best Buddhist Story: Yasodhara’s Love and Loss
Vanessa R. Sasson
Vanessa R. Sasson is a professor of Religious Studies in the Liberal Arts Department of Marianopolis College where she has been teaching since 1999. She is also a Research Fellow at the University of the Free State, as well as Research Member for CERIAS at UQAM. She has a long academic publishing record. Yasodhara and the Buddha (Bloomsbury, 2021) is her first novel (this is its second edition). She is currently working on the sequel. For more on Vanessa’s work, see vanessarsasson.com. A pdf … [Read more...]
Wings of Wisdom and Compassion: Lessons of Freedom from Japanese American Internment in WWII
Duncan Ryūken Williams
BCBS graduate intern Sarah Fleming sat down with Duncan Ryūken Williams to discuss what the stories of Japanese American Buddhists who lived through World War II can teach us today about faith, freedom, and interfaith solidarity. On March 21, 2021, BCBS hosted a conversation between Duncan and Chenxing Han that explored some of the themes addressed in this interview. For more information, see Buddhism, Race, and American Belonging: An Asian American View. Duncan Ryūken … [Read more...]