High Plains Buddhist

Please Go To Middle Border Sun

2009-06-01T22:48:00.000-05:00

I am combining all of my blogs--about Kansas, South Dakota, Buddhism, and the law--into one blog-the Middle Border Sun, formerly South Dakota Watch.

I am tagging the headlines so you can quickly scan if you are interested in the topic. The MBS also utilizes a unique, "boxy" look that aggregates many postings on diverse topics in a small amount of space.

Please change your bookmarks to http://www.middlebordersun.com and your RSS feed to http://southdakotawatch.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Namaste.

Video: Buddha's Stuff In France Now

2009-05-17T13:33:00.003-05:00

Let's hope Buddha is no longer attached to his stuff because it's a long way away from India in Franc now.

What's Buddhism Got To Do With It?

2009-05-15T10:35:00.003-05:00

Any philosophy that can claim smokin' hot singing legend Tina Turner as an adherent has to be doing something right!

Image via Wikipedia

One Year Later, Praying For The Victims Of China's Big Earthquake

2009-05-13T09:52:00.002-05:00

Oops! Looks Like I'll Be Sending Buddha A Belated Birthday Card

2009-05-10T17:35:00.003-05:00

Image by Taekwonweirdo via Flickr

The bad news? I forgot Buddha's birthday.

The good news? Buddha is not attached to birthdays, so he probably won't mind that I send him belated birthday wishes.

Namaste, Buddha! And happy birthday. Hope you get that Red Rider Dharma with a compass in the stock that you've wanted for over 2,000 years!

Buddhist Art for Buddha's Sake

2009-05-01T19:05:00.001-05:00

Meditate And Become Not Just More Enlightened But More Creative?

2009-04-26T10:13:00.002-05:00

An interesting press release from Psychological Science regarding meditation and creative imaging:

The Enhancement of Visuospatial Processing Efficiency Through Buddhist Deity Meditation
Maria Kozhevnikov, Olga Louchakova, Zoran Josipovic,
and Michael A. Motes

New evidence suggests meditating may do more for you than bring inner peace--it may also improve imagery skills. Accomplished meditation practitioners completed visuospatial rotation and memory tasks before and after meditating. Prior to meditating, all participants performed similarly on the tasks. Volunteers who then performed the tasks after utilizing the Deity Yoga meditation style (i.e., focusing intently on a mental image of a deity) performed much better on the tasks than did Open Presence practitioners (who did not focus on a specific image while meditating) and nonmeditating control participants. Although Deity Yoga meditation contributes to improvement in visuospatial processing abilities, future studies will need to assess if this effect also occurs with other visual meditation styles.

Workin' Out With The Buddha!

2009-04-20T23:25:00.001-05:00

Hey, Do You Get A Bowl Of Soup With That Hat?

2009-04-19T10:19:00.001-05:00

New Novel Featuring Mrs. Buddha To Be Released This Summer

2009-04-18T21:39:00.003-05:00

This just came in over the mindfulness transom: a novelization about the life of Mrs. Buddha. It sounds intriguing to me.

Image via Wikipedia

Dear Friends and Family,

It is with great pleasure that I am sharing my book of historical fiction titled Buddha's Wife.

Buddha’s Wife is a novel about compassion, inspiration and forgiveness. Thousands of books, texts and stories have followed Siddhartha’s teachings and his path to becoming The Buddha, but little has been written about his wife Yasodhara, their son Rahula or their relatives and how they reacted to his leaving them sleeping in the middle of the night, without a word of farewell or explanation.

Several acclaimed authors, writers and zen abbot were gracious enough to read Buddha's Wife. Here's what they say:

Buddha’s Wife tells a fascinating story, little known in the west, about the woman whom Buddha left behind. Gabriel Constans focuses the reader’s attention on the strong and complicated women who surrounded Buddha and makes us re-think the nature of spiritual life.
-- Chitra Divakaruni, international best-selling author and American Book Award winner, whose books include Mistress of Spices, Sister of My Heart and Palace of Illusions.

A remarkable recreation of Yasodhara’s life. It is very readable and engages readers in the complexity of issues many women have raised about Gotama the Buddha’s life and practice.
-- Katherine Thanas, Abbot, Santa Cruz Zen Center.

This book is an awesome read, insightful, woman loving - a challenge to all spiritual seekers to rethink, re-vise, and dream anew.
-- bell hooks, professor, activist and author of national bestseller all about love.

Thank you for your precious time and attention. I hope you find the story of interest. The book is only available from the publisher (Robert D. Reed Publishers), until its worldwide release this summer. You can order a copy right now and read an excerpt, at www.buddhaswife.com

I look forward to hearing from you.

Many blessings,

Gabriel Constans

Robert D. Reed Publishers
POB 1992
Bandon OR 97411, USA
Email: 4bobreed@msn.com
Website: www.rdrpublishers.com
Phone: (541) 347-9882

Take a Survey: Why Do You Follow DharmaTweets?

2009-04-16T16:13:00.003-05:00

Do you follow my DharmaTweets on Twitter? If so, why? You can indicate why you follow by taking this survey. Namaste!

A Message from the Publisher

2009-04-07T18:31:00.007-05:00

I realize that this blog has taken a bit of a turn in the past months.

It started out as what I hoped would be "practical" Buddhism and mindfulness from the point of view of a "regular" guy from the American Plains. Recently, I have been posting less of that and more Buddhist news and photos. I felt that I needed to provide at least some decent content from time to time.

The photos come from some of the best news organizations and photographers in the world (thank you GumGum and PicApp!) and I think add some useful content and wonderful images.

But it is not the same thing as thoughts from Average Joe South Dakota Buddhist Dude.

Most of my creative Buddhist and mindfulness writing has been directed at my DharmaTweets on Twitter. I like trying to fit original (ok, is anything in Buddhism truly "original"?) Buddhist

Image via CrunchBase

and dharma thoughts into the confines of 140 characters. It's like writing poetry. It's not poetry very often but it forces me to think and condense.

You can read these DharmaTweets at the top of this column. It stays fixed in that position above the blog posts.

Besides the challenge, we live busy lives, even too busy to read a 200 word blog entry from time to time. And my following there is growing every day. (Ok, I'm a little attached to having lots of followers.)

I plan to still write more extensively on this site and post news of interest to Buddhists and those who love them. I also have several other blogs that keep me busy on South Dakota, Kansas, and the law, so check them out too. Plus I'm a practicing lawyer, soccer coach and referee, husband, and inveterate TV watcher.

Thank you for your readership and support.

Namaste.

Life in a Small Buddhist Myanmar Village

2009-04-05T21:03:00.001-05:00

Mohammed Babangida: An Interesting Fellow

2009-03-29T21:40:00.008-05:00

Let me tell you about an interesting fellow from Nigeria, Mohammed Babangida.

Image via Wikipedia

Mohammed Babangida presents an intriguing figure of his native land.

He has extensive education in law and petroleum, both in Nigeria and overseas, including the United States.

Mohammed Babangida is working hard to help Nigeria and Africa prosper and control their own destinies.

He is doing much to better the lives of his countrymen and women. Click the links in this story to learn more about Mr. Babangida.

Caution: Monetization Ahead!

2009-03-29T02:30:00.003-05:00

Every once in a while on this blog, you're going to see what you might perceive is an odd post.

Ok, odder than usual.

In a further attempt to monetize this blog, I will be doing some short blog posts that integrate some keywords and links.

The posts will be about 100 words in length like this one.

I get paid a small fee to write and post these entries.

They will always be identified at the end of the entry as a paid post.

I hope they are not too much of an intrusion to your reading pleasure and support of this blog.

Photo: The Joy and Pain of Memory

2009-03-09T17:20:00.001-05:00

I took this photo of the World Trade Centers on a beautiful summer evening from a tour boat on the Hudson River in the Summer of 2000.

New York City. A perfect sunset. The greatest city skyline in the world. Though I was in NYC for a legal seminar and to visit a client on a case, I didn't have a care in the world. It is one of the most perfect moments in my life, that cruise around Manhattan and catching the Twin Towers in golden light.

And a year later, they were gone in a hideous terrorist attack--and many of the people who worked in those towers.

Such is the joy and pain of memory.

How About Buying Some Tickets for the Sioux Falls Downtown Lions Pancake Feed!

2009-03-05T17:42:00.001-06:00

I am selling tickets for the annual Sioux Falls Downtown Lions Pancake Days Feed.

The event is at the Sioux Falls Convention Center April 21 and 22.

Tickets are $5 each and kids 6 and under eat free.

If you'd like to purchase some tickets, email me at toddepp(at)gmail(dot)com and let me know how many you'd like. I need cash or check when you pick them up or I mail them out.

The proceeds go to local programs to assist the blind and those with sight and other disabilities and youth programs. This is my club's main fund raising even for the year.

It's always a lot of fun to attend and you won't go away with an empty tummy!

South Dakota Buddhists Facebook Group, Let's Meet!

2009-03-01T11:57:00.006-06:00

South Dakota Buddhists just hit 48 members today. 48 members was my "critical mass" number. Why 48? Why not. Seemed like a nice, mindful number.

Image by Welfl via Flickr

Anyway, now that we've hit 48, what would we like to do next? I'd like for us to get together. I realize we have a node of folks in the Sioux Falls area and another in the Black Hills. So, I suggest two different meetings.

I am guessing that some would like to simply learn more about Buddhism. Others might want to start a meditation group. Still others might want dharma talks. Perhaps other want to meet and talk.

I will see about finding a facility or room here in the Sioux Falls area to meet in the next month. Perhaps someone on the west side of the state could do the same thing. If you want to take that on, please let me know.

If you have other ideas, let me know. I have no attachment to a particular plan.

And feel free to invite your friends and family members to join South Dakota Buddhists.

Thank you for your support and membership.

Namaste.

Todd Epp
Organizer
South Dakota Buddhists Facebook Group and
Grasshopper

The Buddha Is In All Things--Including Jelly Beans

2009-02-28T16:12:00.001-06:00

Survey Says! Church/Temple/Mosque Attendees More Likely to Believe in Suicide Bombing

2009-02-19T16:51:00.003-06:00

A recent survey seems to suggest that those who attend church/temple/mosque/whatever more often than their less observant co-religionists are more likely to believe or participate in suicide bombings.

However, those who truly are believers and who pray seem less likely to do so than their better attending pretenders, who apparently get wrapped up into ritual over what the religion actually teaches.

Just something to makes you want to go "hmmm." Think about this survey next time you go blaming some religion for making people do idiotic, murderous things.

News Release
February 18, 2009
For Immediate Release

Contact: Barbara Isanski
Association for Psychological Science
202.293.9300
bisanski@psychologicalscience.org
Study Suggests Collective Religious Rituals, Not Religious Devotion, Spur Support for Suicide Attacks
In a new study in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, psychologists Jeremy Ginges and Ian Hansen from the New School for Social Research along with psychologist Ara Norenzayan from the University of British Columbia conducted a series of experiments investigating the relationship between religion and support for acts of parochial altruism, including suicide attacks. Suicide attacks are an extreme form of “parochial altruism”—they combine a parochial act (the attacker killing members from other groups) with altruism (the attacker sacrificing themselves for the group).

While the relationship between religion and popular support for suicide attacks is a topic of frequent conjecture, scientific study of the relationship is rare. The researchers found that the relationship between religion and support for suicide attacks is real but is unrelated to devotion to particular religious beliefs or religious belief in general. Instead, collective religious ritual appears to facilitate parochial altruism in general and support for suicide attacks in particular.

The researchers surveyed Palestinian Muslims about their attitudes towards religion, including how often they prayed and went to mosque. The researchers found that devotion to Islam, as measured by prayer frequency, was unrelated to support for suicide attacks. However, frequency of mosque attendance did predict support for suicide attacks. In a separate survey of Palestinian Muslim university students, the researchers found again that those who attended mosque more than once a day, were more likely to believe that Islam requires suicide attacks, compared to students who attended mosque less often.

A similar pattern of results was found in research carried out with other religious groups. In another experiment, the researchers conducted phone surveys with Israeli Jews living in the West Bank and Gaza and asked them either how frequently they attended synagogue or how often they prayed to God. All participants were then asked if they supported the perpetrator of a suicide attack against Palestinians. Analysis of the responses showed that 23% of those asked about synagogue attendance supported suicide attacks while only 6% of those queried about prayer frequency supported suicide attacks.

In the last experiment, the psychologists surveyed members of six religiou majorities in six nations (Mexican Catholics, Indonesian Muslims, Israeli Jews, Russian Orthodox in Russia, British Protestants and Indian Hindus) to see if the relationship between attending religious services and support for acts of parochial altruism holds up across a variety of political and cultural contexts. These results also showed that support for parochial altruism was related to attendance at religious services, but unrelated to regular prayer.

This study indicates that religious devotion does not cause support for suicide attacks or other forms of parochial altruism. However, the findings suggest that regularly attending religious services may make individuals more prone to supporting acts of parochial altruism. The researchers theorize that collective religious rituals and services create a sense of community among participants and enhance positive attitudes towards parochially altruistic acts such as suicide attacks. Although, the researchers note, the greater sense of community, developed via religious services, may have many positive consequences. They observe, “Only in particular geopolitical contexts is the parochial altruism associated with such commitments translated into something like suicide attacks.”
###

Join the South Dakota Buddhists Facebook Group

2009-02-19T13:12:00.002-06:00

I've formed a South Dakota Buddhist Facebook group. Click here to join. No invitation is necessary, just a Facebook membership and an interest in the dharma here in the Dakotas.

I hope you'll join and see what happens.

How About Meditation Instead of Hypnotism for Young Ballers?

2009-02-05T11:38:00.004-06:00

No steroids. No HGH. Just "you are getting sleepy."

A Kansas small school basketball power had its players get, as David Letterman would say, "Hip-mo-tized!" by a Church of Christ minister/family therapist. That title in and of itself is, well, unusual.

Here's the Kansas City Star's online headline and link: Kansas high school coach told to stop hypnotizing team

An excerpt:

"At the high school level, it's not appropriate. We are trying to get kids to understand who they are and what they are. It may give kids a mixed message if you can't do it on your own." (said St. John school superintendent James Kenworthy).

Kenworthy's comments are very Buddhist. I'd suggest meditation instead to help find their true nature--and better free throw shooting.

Apparently hypnotism isn't a banned substance in Kansas high school sports.

Meet, Greet, Eat Biscotti with SD/KS Watch on Presidents' Day!

2009-02-04T15:03:00.003-06:00

Friends of South Dakota Watch and Kansas Watch (and those who love them) are invited to Caribou Coffee in Sioux Falls for a mixer. No formal agenda except to talk about the pressing issues of the day, meet blogger extraordinaire Todd Epp, drink coffee, and have a little Presidents' Day fun.

If aren't on Facebook and want an invitation, send me an email at toddepp(at)gmail(dot)com so I can send you an invitation.

The details:

Time and Place
Date:
Monday, February 16, 2009
Time:
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Location:
Caribou Coffee
Street:
1924 South Minnesota Avenue
City/Town:
Sioux Falls, SD

View Map

**Time and Place**
Date:	Monday, February 16, 2009
Time:	5:00pm - 7:00pm
Location:	Caribou Coffee
Street:	1924 South Minnesota Avenue
City/Town:	Sioux Falls, SD
	View Map

I hope you can make it!

Show a Little Financial Love to High Plains Buddhist

2009-01-31T23:39:00.001-06:00

Ok, I'm begging.

Send money. Show a little love. I don't plan on quitting my day job any time soon but I do devote quite a bit of time and effort to this undertaking.

So, become a 2009 Financial Supporter of High Plains Buddhist and I'll list you and a link to you if you like. $5 minimum.

Thanks for your readership. And thanks, in advance, for your financial support. Use the button below.

Mindful Appreciation of an Unseasonable Day

2009-01-22T22:56:00.002-06:00

Here in South Dakota, we are in the midst of our very long winter.

Last week, we had temperatures that were minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. That's not windchill, that's actual air temperature.

My state was worse than a deep freeze.

So today in Sioux Falls, the temperature hit an unseasonable 40 degrees and was sunny.

To many of you across the USA and around the world, that's not all that warm. But in the middle of a Dakota winter, it is a rare and lovely gift.

It meant taking off your heaviest of coats.

It meant not struggling with boots and mittens.

It meant donning sunglasses and catching some rays, even if you were fully clothed.

It meant driving down the street in the car with my window open--just a bit--and fresh air blowing in.

Driving down the street with your window open doesn't sound like a big deal. But in January in South Dakota, it is gift.

While much of the rest of my day was extremely stressful--life as a general practice attorney--I was not unmindful of the small gift life had given me and my fellow Dakotans.

Namaste.