Dang Zang http://chagchen.org Enlightenment or bust Sun, 11 Mar 2012 10:39:42 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 It really is great if it works for you http://chagchen.org/2012/03/11/it-really-is-great-if-it-works-for-you/ http://chagchen.org/2012/03/11/it-really-is-great-if-it-works-for-you/#comments Sun, 11 Mar 2012 10:39:42 +0000 Alex W http://chagchen.org/?p=1015 Writing in the Guardian, Julian Baggini referred recently to the tendency of religious people to be critical of political or social wrongs, but to be jolly nice to the representatives of other religions. He repeats an anecdote (from Simon Blackburn) in which the representatives of various faiths react to each other’s presentations, saying, “Wow, [...]]]> http://chagchen.org/2012/03/11/it-really-is-great-if-it-works-for-you/feed/ 0 Benchen and Back – digital edition http://chagchen.org/2012/02/22/benchen-and-back-digital-edition/ http://chagchen.org/2012/02/22/benchen-and-back-digital-edition/#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:12:50 +0000 Alex W http://chagchen.org/?p=1006 It is now 20 years since, as the book itself explains, I was among the students taken by Lama Chime Rinpoche on a pilgrimage to his home monastery in Kham, eastern Tibet. We were the first group of westerners ever to have permission to enter that region. From Beijing via Xining and on to [...]]]> http://chagchen.org/2012/02/22/benchen-and-back-digital-edition/feed/ 1 Religions need secularism http://chagchen.org/2012/02/18/religions-need-secularism/ http://chagchen.org/2012/02/18/religions-need-secularism/#comments Sat, 18 Feb 2012 11:02:16 +0000 Alex W http://chagchen.org/?p=1001 Baroness Warsi has claimed that “intolerant secularisation has to be held back by reaffirming the religious foundations on which our societies are built”, while the Pope is reported to have recently attacked “atheist extremism” and “aggressive secularism”. I’m not at all sure that I would recognise “intolerant secularisation” if I came across it. “Intolerant [...]]]> http://chagchen.org/2012/02/18/religions-need-secularism/feed/ 0 To be a card-carrying Buddhist? http://chagchen.org/2012/02/03/to-be-a-card-carrying-buddhist/ http://chagchen.org/2012/02/03/to-be-a-card-carrying-buddhist/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:54:13 +0000 Alex W http://chagchen.org/?p=993 My contribution to the discussion in the Guardian:

]]> http://chagchen.org/2012/02/03/to-be-a-card-carrying-buddhist/feed/ 0 Books and more books http://chagchen.org/2012/01/19/books-and-more-books/ http://chagchen.org/2012/01/19/books-and-more-books/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:00:47 +0000 Alex W http://chagchen.org/?p=978 At last the catalogue project that I began so long ago has reached a sort of completion. Improvement will always be possible, through more detail and ironing out mistakes. But at least I now know what I’ve got, and will avoid that embarrassing moment when you start reading a wonderful text that you ordered from [...]]]> http://chagchen.org/2012/01/19/books-and-more-books/feed/ 0 Happiness is Overvalued http://chagchen.org/2011/12/30/happiness-is-overvalued/ http://chagchen.org/2011/12/30/happiness-is-overvalued/#comments Fri, 30 Dec 2011 10:50:06 +0000 Alex W http://chagchen.org/?p=972 Happiness is booming: its stock is riding high. In 2012 you will be able, for a mere thousand Australian dollars, to take part in a conference on “Happiness and its causes” in Sydney. Unless, that is, you happen to want to join the additional workshops, which take another 700 dollars or more out of [...]]]> http://chagchen.org/2011/12/30/happiness-is-overvalued/feed/ 2 Online study http://chagchen.org/2011/12/26/online-study/ http://chagchen.org/2011/12/26/online-study/#comments Mon, 26 Dec 2011 11:05:34 +0000 Alex W http://chagchen.org/?p=969 http://learning.tergar.org/

It looks as if it might be quite helpful, depending what stage you are at. Anybody have personal experience?

 

]]> http://chagchen.org/2011/12/26/online-study/feed/ 0 FPMT centre in Pisa http://chagchen.org/2011/12/09/fpmt-centre-in-pisa/ http://chagchen.org/2011/12/09/fpmt-centre-in-pisa/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:32:15 +0000 Alex W http://chagchen.org/?p=965 I recently paid a bit more attention to the Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, which is in Pisa, only just over an hour and a half drive from here. It’s associated with the FPMT, which scores highly in my book. It’s in fact a really important study centre. The website is clearly very much [...]]]> http://chagchen.org/2011/12/09/fpmt-centre-in-pisa/feed/ 0