by Vishvapani | Apr 6, 2012 | Buddhism in the West, Featured, Mindfulness
We’re in the middle of the Mindfulness Boom as Buddhist-derived meditation practices enter the cultural mainstream. But is this the Dharma touching and transforming western society, or is Buddhism being turned into a self-help technique and a consumer product? Its...
by Vishvapani | Apr 1, 2012 | Buddhism, Buddhist World, Interviews
Tibetan Buddhist monk, Palden Gyatso, spent 33 years imprisoned by the Chinese and drew deep on his Buddhist practice to survive his brutal treatment. He escaped to the West to tell his story and I met him in London to discuss his experiences his searing memoir, Fire...
by Vishvapani | Mar 28, 2012 | Buddhist World
Many Buddhist traditions claim that they are reliable and authoritative because they inherit a lineage of realised masters dating back to prestigious teachers of the ancient past. That sounds impressive and appealing but the Buddha advised us to check out the truth of...
by Vishvapani | Mar 22, 2012 | Buddha, Gautama Buddha
What’s left to say about the Buddha? Everything, I discovered: the funny, original, surprising Buddha of history is more relevant than ever Writing the biography of the Buddha which was published last year as Gautama Buddha: the Life and Teachings of the Awakened...
by Vishvapani | Mar 17, 2012 | Buddhism in the West, Buddhist World, Featured
It’s 50 years since Buddhist teachers started arriving in the west in the early 60s and Buddhism crash-landed into the counterculture. So what have we learned about western Buddhism? This piece appeared in The Guardian (Saturday 17 March 2012). These thoughts...
