March 2011 – the DharmaRealm

America, Buddhism, and Individualism

Friday, 18 March 2011Sunday, 25 March 2012 the DharmaRealm

Inspired by a Dharma Talk at the BCA National Council Meeting, Rev. Harry starts us off by suggesting that individualism is a point of contact between Buddhism and American culture. This seems somewhat counterintuitive given that individuality seems at odds with Buddhist ideas of interdependence, no-self, or non-attachment to the ego. But we think there… Continue reading America, Buddhism, and Individualism

A Buddhist view of History

Friday, 4 March 2011Sunday, 25 March 2012 the DharmaRealm

For some reason, we thought we'd start talking about the Seven Masters. But we get immediately sidetracked by Herbert Güenther, a Buddhist scholar who wrote about the Madhyamaka and Yogacara schools of Buddhism. Interestingly, his discussion of the development of these schools isn't exactly historically accurate from a Western point of view -- but it… Continue reading A Buddhist view of History