via Lyndon Comstock in the Shambhala Times, Surmang Dutsi Til shedra school in eastern Tibet recently took examinations in reading, writing, and arithmetic. A ceremony honoring those who did especially well was attended by hundreds of the children who’ve been attending the school. The best students received khatas, books, and other gifts. This event marked […]

Even with the vast amount of information available to us through the media and internet, the amount of destruction, death, and suffering that is a result of the earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent nuclear catastrophe in Japan is hard to comprehend. It is enough to make the brain of any person with a capacity for empathy […]

“Dana (“giving”) is the most fundamental of all Buddhist practices. It is the first topic in the Buddha’s graduated talks, the first step on the bodhisattva’s path to perfection, and the first of the ten paramitas  (perfections) in the Mahayana tradition. It therefore sets the tone for all that follows in the spiritual journey.” -Andrew […]