“The bodhisattva practices emptiness, but he does not realize emptiness…He considers peacefulness but does not seek extreme peace.” – Vimalakirti Sutra By way of (re)introduction Hello, my patient readers. Believe it or not, the work continues behind the scenes. It took me some time to come back around, but I am back on this project […]
Read More White lotus, red turbans, black flags: revolutionary buddhist hereticsThough this blog has been relatively inactive for the past few years, I still try to keep tabs on the subject while surviving and working on a book draft. Recently, the fantastic Insight Myanmar podcast, who I have had some dialogue with in the past, participated in a panel discussion in Chiang-Mai on the intersections […]
Read More Insight Myanmar podcast: “Zenarchism”Hein Htet Kyaw has been doing some much needed research and translation into contemporary Buddhist Anarchism in Myanmar. Ven. Nyar Na is an inspiring figure. The privileges many Western Buddhists take for granted (free-thought, atheism, scientific materialism, anti-clericalism, anti-authoritarianism, etc), the Ven. Nyar Na has been harshly persecuted by the Sangha for advocating. I would […]
Read More Venerable Nyar Na: The Monk in Sky Blue Robe & His Censored Buddhist Anarchism in BurmaOriginally posted on The inner Moon:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1JMOIsnv7g4GZ4dHjAlKUX?si=63db22339ffa40c7 Here is the fourth episode of my Empty Notes podcast, which always seems to be changing its central purpose. In this case, I decided to go on a bit of a rant about the philosophical perspective I’ve been slowly distilling, a kind of ‘Three Teachings’ syncretism for a…
These quotations come from the article Buddhism and Marxism in Taiwan: Lin Qiuwu’s Religious Socialism and Its Legacy in Modern Times By Charles B. Jones, published in the Journal of Global Buddhism 1 (2000): 82-111. Lin Qiuwu’s ideas on the synthesis of revolutionary socialist and Buddhist ideology display a clear coherence which goes beyond mere […]
Read More Quotations fromm Lin QiuwuI found this video to be an excellent introduction to modern capitalism commodification of Buddhism. It doesn’t shy away from (and in fact encourages) a deep dive into the history and philosophy without shying away from any of the unpleasant aspects. As this critique of Buddhist capitalism becomes more accepted, we need to begin thinking […]
Read More McMindfulness: When Capitalism Goes BuddhistA friend of mine who teaches foreign language reminded me today of a curious problem in English. We don’t often take the time to understand what our compound words and prefixes do to the meaning of a term. For example, anarcho-communism is often used synonymously with anarchism, libertarian socialism and so on. However, the order […]
Read More Anarcho-Buddhism or Buddhist Anarchism?An Interview with Author & Activist William C. Anderson I recently picked up a copy of William C. Anderson’s new book, The Nation on No Map, an excellent and timely discussion on the history, theory, and practice of Black anarchism. I was a fan of his prior work with Zoe Samudzi in the essay The […]
Read More Zen and the Anarchism of BlacknessIn my study of Buddhist Anarchism, I have met many interesting and thoughtful people who share my interest in an expanded praxis of liberation. Among the most interesting and most thoughtful is the Twitter user @WeiKangWhite. I started following them very early on in my research, and have always been astounded by the depth of […]
Read More In this Very Life: Dzogchen & Anarchism with Wei KangAnarchist Communism To begin simply, Petr Kropotkin, one of Ichikawa Hakugen’s main political influences, was among the earliest and clearest proponents of anarchist communism. Kropotkin most succinctly summarized anarchist communism as “the no-government system of socialism”. He went on to explain that “It is a synthesis of the two chief aims pursued by humanity since […]
Read More Realizing Hakugen’s Buddhist-Anarchist-Communism
No Selves, No Masters 