Buddhist Coalition for Democracy Blog
Democracy and Dukkha
Fragment of a draft for a manifesto on Buddhist-informed democracy Democracy depends on the rule of law to define what is fair and what is an arbitrary use of power. However, the rule of law is not just about the laws or the institutions. The rule of law lives only to...
MAGA’s Collective Reactivity
Starting on the evening of last November 5, as the state by state presidential election counts were coming in and pointing to the inevitability of Donald Trump’s election to a second term, I have been taking note on a daily basis of how much more of a reactive person...
If You Were Not Afraid, What Would You Do for the Healing of the World: Transforming Powerlessness
I would like you to consider a question. If you were not afraid, what would you do for the healing of the world? Not a different you, not a superhero, but as you are. If you were not afraid of losing the respect and affection of people. If you were not afraid of...
Meditation in A Democracy
In the US we live in a representative democracy—imperfect, but real. Citizens elect officials who represent our ideas and concerns, again imperfectly. Democracies need to be nurtured and protected. Their credibility rests on the willingness to accept criticism,...
Polarity
On a wall in my apartment hangs a prayer flag. The image on the flag is taken from a page in spiritual leader Ram Dass’s book Be Here Now. It shows an illustration of a man, stylized like a paper doll, with multiple options for his garb: bohemian, flower child choices...
Intimacy Demands Activity
Years ago as part of Lay Ordination I gave a “Way Seeking Mind” talk in which I recalled a longing for a deeper intimacy with the natural world around me: the rocks and trees of the mountains and forests that I loved. But it was the question of birth and death that...
The Inspiring Unintended Consequences of Terrible Political Times
Who could’ve predicted the wonderful unintended consequences of these terrible political times in our beloved American democracy! Who could’ve predicted that a small group of Buddhist visionaries would be inspired to conceive of a new coalition—a diverse Buddhist...
All Kinds of People
“Takes all kinds of people to make up a world.” These words were spoken by Kurt Vonnegut’s beloved fictional weirdo, Kilgore Trout, in his book Breakfast of Champions. In the scene, Trout is having a conversation with a truck driver about people with religious beliefs...
This is the Week That Was
The other day White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller declared the “Democrat party is not a political party. It is a domestic extremist organization.” Just a day earlier Donald Trump directed the pentagon to establish specialized National Guard units to quell...