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In the face of fundamentalist intimidation

Andrew Sullivan writes of the moving case of John Hari: I linked to Johann Hari's excellent defense of free speech in the face of religious intimidation here. The piece was eventually published in India - and this is what happened: That night, four thousand Islamic...

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Disappointment in Your Spiritual Teachers

Great post. I've written about this before but it's always helpful to revisit the issue. What do we do when our spiritual guides don't quite measure up to our own expectations of them? Can recognizing their limitations actually help free the wisdom the have to offer...

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Wow. I never would have guessed that Tommy Lee would be so concerned with spiders' rights to "rock out." I guess incarceration was helpful. TOMMY LEE: I practice Buddhism, and I definitely believe there's someone higher and greater than all of us out there, you...

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This is interesting. It looks like a more deeply integrated approach to "loving thy neighbor" is showing up in DC. In his remarks today at the National Prayer Breakfast, President Obama retold the story of his journey to Christianity: "I believe this good is possible...

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From the “you-already-know-this” file…

Wildmind offers us an article over at Fort Worth, Texas' Star-Telegram: Once the catchphrase of 1960s counterculture, "mindfulness" has finally graduated from the fringe to the mainstream. "Staying in the moment" is now the guiding principle of millions of devotees...

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Choosing Your Reincarnated Successor?

As someone who spent a little time chasing Buddha around Asia, in my own backyard, and within my heart and mind, I found Michael Powell's piece in today's New York Times to be a powerful reminder about how traditions can get lost on the paths they create. The search...

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Fundamentalism v. Cultural Conservatism

Daniel Larison tells us that there is a difference between fundamentalism and cultural conservatism. While I think he offers an interesting position, I'd also suggest that his working definition of fundamentalism is off. He says: The key characteristic of a genuinely...

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