Writings on Buddhism

Center for Buddhist Studies Community Wellness Newsletters

Since 2021, I have had the pleasure of serving as a Research Fellow for the University of Arizona Center for Buddhist Studies. Under the guidance of Center Director Jiang Wu, a professor in the Department of Religious Studies, CBS supports a flourishing international community of scholars and students. The center’s activities include a Buddhist studies lecture series, rare Buddhist archive preservation, financial assistance to scholars and students of Buddhist studies, hosting academic conferences and workshops, a visiting scholar program, contemplative studies, and community outreach.

In collaboration with the faculty and staff, I wrote and edited a Community Wellness Newsletter from 2021-20213. Prof. Wu kindly gave me permission to include links to the archives of the newsletter here on my website. Click on the link for the full newsletter contents. Enjoy!

Contemporary Buddhist Music (April 2023)

Imagine walking into a Buddhist temple, and what do you hear? Perhaps your ears perceive the low, monotone sounds of Zen monks intoning the Heart Sutra or devotees in the Theravadan tradition reciting the Three Refuges. Many Buddhist chants have traditionally been sung in unison with very little melody or accompaniment.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (Nov. 2022)

As the seasons change here in the northern hemisphere and respiratory illnesses start to circulate more frequently, our minds turn to keeping ourselves healthy during the colder months. Despite the widespread availability of vaccines and boosters, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt our daily lives and many are looking for ways to boost immunity and improve our overall health.

In recent decades, many people in the West have turned to “alternative” or “complementary” practices from Asia and elsewhere to help prevent and treat health issues that don’t respond as well to Western interventions or drugs.

Buddhist Healing Spaces (Jan. 2022)

Imagine entering the cool, dark main hall of a temple or walking through the gate of a lush garden in autumn. Your breathing slows down, your senses awaken, and your surroundings invite you into a state of calm contemplation.

In recent decades, scientists, doctors, and architects have begun to study and quantify the variables in our built environment that reduce stress responses and encourage a relaxation response.

Ecodharma: A Modern Global Movement

Extended wildfire season in the American West, deadly floods in Europe, sea level rise threatening island nations, severe heat waves. In every corner of the globe, we are witnessing firsthand the impacts of climate change on humans, wildlife, and ecosystems. In this issue of our Community Wellness newsletter, we explore Buddhist perspectives on the climate crisis. How can Buddhist teachings help us understand our relationship with the natural world? How have modern environmentalists been inspired by Buddhism to enact social and political change and vice versa?

A Buddhist Ethical Framework for the Environmental Movement

Since the early 1960s, Buddhists and activists inspired by Buddhism have applied some of the core tenets of Buddhist teachings to inspire collective action to protect the environment. As a world religion with more than 500 million practitioners around the globe, Buddhism encompasses a multitude of lineages and practices; therefore, to describe one monolithic “Buddhist ethic” of environmentalism is impossible. Here we highlight a few specific examples of the ways in which Buddhist teachings have been applied to modern ecological issues.

Five Ways to Practice Ecodharma

As a vegetarian and avid hiker, I find many opportunities to invite ecodharma principles into my daily rhythm. I especially enjoy introducing my five-year-old son to the wonders of nature in the Sonoran Desert, where wildlife abounds and the effects of climate change (drought, wildfires, insect extinction) feel palpable and immediate. Here are a few ideas for ways that you can introduce ecodharma practices into your daily life.

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