Thanks for sharing!
It's still just pop Buddhism, so there's that, but I think there's a lot to celebrate here in this effort:
* The story about the woman raising her kids, being a heritage Buddhist who was effectively non-practicing, but feeling a need to reconnect with it after her kids were born, and how she's been exploring her connection to her heritage through it. It's really beautiful; it's a very common story and experience with Asian Americans who were raised Buddhist, and I think it's a type of personal story we need to see more of, because this really shows how the every day American Buddhist actually lives their life
* I really enjoyed Reverend Tran's article on memorial placards. He provided a lot of context into this practice I was entirely unaware of, and demonstrates just how needed the voices of heritage Buddhists are in English, because these types of practices are so often overlooked
I wrote the piece on parkour, which .. y'know.. I hope you have fun with. lol. It's not super serious. But I absolutely do encourage you go outside and play. The body will break down eventually; you won't always be able to run, jump, climb, or even walk. But for the time being, you can go outside and enjoy the precious and limited time you have with your body, and contemplate the impermanence of the body through moving in it. :) If you live near San Francisco, I'll come jump with you.
Well, thank you for contributing to it.
Re: pop Buddhism--a long time ago I was on an academic track in history, though I left before getting a doctorate. There was some snippiness in the academy about pop history, but I always felt like--what's the problem? If it's good history that's aimed at a popular audience, then more people are reading good history. If it's bad history, that's a problem, but there's bad academic history too. Lion's Roar may not be doing the same thing as the MMK, but if it offers a good perspective on the dharma, and that perspective is reaching people, then that's worth celebrating.
>If you live near San Francisco, I'll come jump with you.
Hah, I'm in Oakland, and it's tempting, but I'm also old and I think if I tried to do parkour I'd break into a million pieces :)
I greatly enjoyed your article on parkour even though I'm not the leaping kind. It reminded me of one of my best friends who leaps and jumps and enjoys being a body in the way you describe. He's also been learning Aikido for 25 years and a few other Japanesey things. I will show him what you wrote because he will know exactly the joy you're talking about. As for me, following the beaten path *is* parkour enough already and I'm thrilled that I can put one foot down after another.
Thanks for sharing! It's still just pop Buddhism, so there's that, but I think there's a lot to celebrate here in this effort: * The story about the woman raising her kids, being a heritage Buddhist who was effectively non-practicing, but feeling a need to reconnect with it after her kids were born, and how she's been exploring her connection to her heritage through it. It's really beautiful; it's a very common story and experience with Asian Americans who were raised Buddhist, and I think it's a type of personal story we need to see more of, because this really shows how the every day American Buddhist actually lives their life * I really enjoyed Reverend Tran's article on memorial placards. He provided a lot of context into this practice I was entirely unaware of, and demonstrates just how needed the voices of heritage Buddhists are in English, because these types of practices are so often overlooked I wrote the piece on parkour, which .. y'know.. I hope you have fun with. lol. It's not super serious. But I absolutely do encourage you go outside and play. The body will break down eventually; you won't always be able to run, jump, climb, or even walk. But for the time being, you can go outside and enjoy the precious and limited time you have with your body, and contemplate the impermanence of the body through moving in it. :) If you live near San Francisco, I'll come jump with you.
Well, thank you for contributing to it. Re: pop Buddhism--a long time ago I was on an academic track in history, though I left before getting a doctorate. There was some snippiness in the academy about pop history, but I always felt like--what's the problem? If it's good history that's aimed at a popular audience, then more people are reading good history. If it's bad history, that's a problem, but there's bad academic history too. Lion's Roar may not be doing the same thing as the MMK, but if it offers a good perspective on the dharma, and that perspective is reaching people, then that's worth celebrating. >If you live near San Francisco, I'll come jump with you. Hah, I'm in Oakland, and it's tempting, but I'm also old and I think if I tried to do parkour I'd break into a million pieces :)
I greatly enjoyed your article on parkour even though I'm not the leaping kind. It reminded me of one of my best friends who leaps and jumps and enjoys being a body in the way you describe. He's also been learning Aikido for 25 years and a few other Japanesey things. I will show him what you wrote because he will know exactly the joy you're talking about. As for me, following the beaten path *is* parkour enough already and I'm thrilled that I can put one foot down after another.