“I am convinced that the kids from the most challenging circumstances are also the grittiest, the most determined. and have the biggest capacity for compassion,” says buildOn’s founder Jim Ziolkowski, who started the volunteer service organization to fulfill the social justice aspect of his Catholic faith.
Author Archives: Fred Yi
Buddhist Teachings on Aging
Watch Buddhist teacher and author Lewis Richmond explain a Buddhist approach to old age and read an excerpt from his book “Aging as a Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide to Growing Older and Wiser.”
EXCERPT: AGING AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE by Lewis Richmond
“Ahimsa and Aging”
Every religion has its form of contemplative practice. Though Buddhism has many meditation practices, it is first and foremost an ethical teaching and a way of life. I have heard anecdotally that Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Zen teacher, was once asked to summarize all of Buddhist teaching in one word. He said “Ahimsa,” which means “non-harm” or “nonviolence.” This is the first ethical precept of Buddhism. The term is thousands of years old and goes back at least to the Vedic Hinduism of ancient India. Mohandas Gandhi made ahimsa the centerpiece of his doctrine of nonviolence.
When the Dalai Lama says, “My religion is kindness,” he is saying much the same thing. More fundamental even than meditation for Buddhists is the sense that all life is sacred, and all life in one. That is the doctrine that underlies nonviolence. If all life is related, then we avoid harming others as much as we avoid harming ourselves. Thich Naht Hanh calls this connection “interbeing.” Shunryu Suzuki Roshi said, “When you feel the oneness of everything, you naturally don’t want to harm anything.”
This is the Golden Rule spoken as a Buddhist. To practice ahimsa is to follow Buddhist values, whether you call yourself a Buddhist or not. Meditation grows out of the ahimsa spirit and is a central expression of it. The application of Buddhist meditation to aging is another application of the ahimsa spirit. Our increasingly fragile and infirm bodies and minds are sacred, and worthy of the greatest kindness and care. To respect our aging at every stage is the greatest kindness we can offer to ourselves and those we love.
From “Aging as a Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide to Growing Older and Wiser” by Lewis Richmond (Gotham Books, 2012)
Lewis Richmond Extended Interview
“Kindness is one of the gifts older people can bring to a society, because they have seen what happens when kindness disappears from the world. It’s not pretty.” Watch more of our interview about aging with Buddhist teacher and author Lewis Richmond.
New State Dept. Faith Office, Bobby McFerrin, Thousand-Dollar Genome
Managing editor Kim Lawton interviews Shaun Casey, director of the State Department’s new faith-based office launched by Secretary of State John Kerry this week, about the need for religion’s engagement with US foreign policy. We also revisit our stories about Grammy-Award-winning artist Bobby McFerrin and about ethics and genetic testing, especially in children.
New State Department Faith Office
Critics have long charged that the US government has not done a good job in understanding the relationship between religion and foreign policy. This week, Secretary of State John Kerry launched the new Office of Faith-Based Community Initiatives in hopes of better engaging religion in US diplomacy. Christian ethicist and Wesley Theological Seminary Professor Shaun Casey is directing the office.
Bobby McFerrin
This Grammy-Award-winning artist’s new album, “spirityouall,” includes his interpretations of classic African-American spirituals as well as songs he composed. Through all of them he hears the influence of his father, Robert McFerrin, Sr., who was an operatic baritone.
Bobby McFerrin Extended Interview
“To me, just being is a religious experience. Just being is holy.” Watch more of our interview with the Grammy-award winning artist about his faith and his music.
Bobby McFerrin Performs “Fix Me Jesus”
Watch Bobby McFerrin’s recent performance of “Fix Me Jesus” in the Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis.
The Thousand-Dollar Genome
When researchers first mapped the human genome, it took almost 10 years and cost $3 billion. Today the process takes three weeks, and the price tag is rapidly approaching $1,000. We visit the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and talk to doctors and parents about the ethics of sequencing human genomes, especially for children with genetic defects.
Interfaith Village in Israel, Churches and Domestic Abuse, LDS Pageant
An “oasis of peace” in Israel where Christians, Jews, and Muslims choose to live together; a Chicago priest who wants parishes to do more for the victims of domestic abuse; and an annual outdoor production based on the Book of Mormon.
