In light of recent revelations of alleged sexual assault by Sakyong Mipham, spiritual leader of Shambhala International, of some of his female students (see reports in Buddhist magazines Tricycle and Lion’s Roar) I am reposting this series of articles on how and why sexual assault, emotional and spiritual abuse happens in Buddhist communities. Please read… Read More Why Convert Buddhist Churches Act Like Incestuous Families
Babies in cages were no ‘mistake’ by Trump but test-marketing for barbarism [Editor: And the police shooting to death of unarmed Black youth was a ‘pre-test’ for Fascism that most Americans didn’t even recognize as such. Indeed, the election of ‘Dirty Donald’ Trump was itself a ‘pre-test’ for fascism, because he broke every norm for… Read More Fintan O’Toole: Trial runs for fascism are in full flow
The Supreme Court ruled on Trump’s travel ban barring entry for nationals from five predominantly Muslim countries. The Court ruled in support of Trump’s travel ban. I contend that historically Trump v. Hawaii will be seen as the watershed case that provided the legal justification for Fascism in America. The Court first announced that the… Read More Trump v. Hawaii re:Muslim Ban
Lately I’ve been studying media influenced by Buddhism. I’m curious about the way that contemporary Indians and South Asians view Buddhist culture, what meanings they attach to Buddhist symbolism. I just ordered The Buddha of Suburbia, a novel written by Hanif Kureishi, who also wrote the novel that become one of my favorite films, My Beautiful Launderette. The Buddha… Read More Buddha in a Traffic Jam
The Northern Triangle’s agricultural crisis has been more than a decade in the making. [Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador] [Editor: I’m not one to say that climate change and the environment are the sole cause of mass migration, but this article provides the statistics to show that the cause is 1) not primarily drugs or gang… Read More Climate Change in the Border Migration Crisis
Editor: At the end of this post is a ‘Waking Up’ podcast by Sam Harris interviewing Andrew Yang, economist, entrepreneur and business educator, a who is running as a Democrat for US President in 2020. To begin with, I am not a fan or even a casual follower of Sam Harris, first because he is… Read More Andrew Yang: AI, UBI and the War on Normal People
Separated migrant children are headed toward shelters with a history of abuse and neglect Taxpayers have paid more than $1.5 billion to private companies operating shelters accused of serious lapses in care, including neglect and abuse. by Aura Bogado, Patrick Michels and Vanessa Swales, Reveal and Edgar Walters, The Texas Tribune June 20, 2018 10… Read More Private Security Firms Exploit & Abuse Migrant Children
