Helping the Honeybees

The US Department of Agriculture and US Environmental Protection Agency released a scientific report on May 2, 2013 on the health of honey bees. The report found that there are numerous factors for the decline in numbers including parasites and disease, genetics, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure.

The world-wide decline in honey bee populations is of great concern because many crops such as almonds, apples, oranges, cucumbers, squash and some beans are dependent on bees.

The USDA-USEPA report found that nutrition has a major impact on individual and colony longevity. As more land has been developed, there is less open space for bees to forage. Farmers are planting large areas of land with high value row crops such as corn thereby reducing the variety of forage types. Finally, modern weed control methods have resulted in the loss of have reduced availability of weeds that once provided valuable nutrition to bees.

What can we do to help? Rather than just pointing the finger at corporate agriculture, we could each help the honeybees by planting the flowers that they favor. As the suburbs continue to spread, more and more land belongs to individual homeowners. If every one planted a few flowers that are favored by the honey bees, that would make a significant difference. Even if you can only plant a pot of flowers, or maybe a window box, that would help the bees in your neighborhood.

So, the next time you are at your local garden center, look for plants such as the following:

Asters
Salvia
Sunflowers
Thyme
Mint
Coneflowers
Bee balm

From a Buddhist perspective, helping the honeybees is one of the several ways to practice generosity which is to offer protection to sentient beings no matter how small they are. Parents and teachers can engage children in planting flowers that bees prefer and thereby teach them consideration and respect for these living creatures who indirectly help keep us alive. Through these small steps, we can help sustain the environment and ensure that we have food to eat in the future.

References

The Honey Bee Conservancy – tips on how to create a bee friendly garden (and much more!).

Bee Keeping for Dummies – includes a chapter on which flowers to plant to feed bees.

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New Years Greetings 2013

With Hurricane Sandy, the Mayan Doomsday, the spate of horrific shootings, the economic woes, and the fiscal cliff, many of us feel anxious and think the world is against us. Survival instincts may cause us to withdraw into our emotional bunkers and shut out those around us.

This is not a healthy way to live. Instead, we should follow the advice of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa Rinpoche and other spiritual teachers who advise us to meditate on the lam rim – the path to Enlightenment. The lam rim helps us understand how we’ve ended up in our current predicament and how we can ensure that our future is brighter. We should alternate between contemplation on the lam rim and practicing calm abiding. Through daily meditation on the breath, we remain centered regardless of our surroundings.

Now is the time to deeply reflect on the meaning of taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha and to seek the protection of our gurus from the bottom of our hearts. We pray that His Holiness the Dalai Lama and all our spiritual teachers will live long and preserve the Dharma teachings for years to come. By putting the teachings into practice in accordance with our gurus’ instructions, we can change the world and permanently free ourselves from suffering.

Long Life Prayer for H.H. the Dalai Lama

In the land encircled by snow mountains,
You are the source of all happiness and good,
All powerful Chenrezig, Tenzin Gyatso,
Please remain until samsara ends.

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Guns are not the solution

In memory of the victims of the Newtown, CT shooting, I wrote this article:

Newtown shooting and gun violence: a Buddhist response

Please keep the victims and their families in your prayers.

Take action:

Demand a Plan

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Holiday Dharma Gift Ideas

A few special Dharma gift ideas for the Buddhists in your life:

Gift of prayer: dedicate a puja for a loved one and help support The Tibetan Nuns Project. The Tibetan Nuns Project was founded over two decades ago to provide education and humanitarian aid to refugee nuns from Tibet and Himalayan regions of India. Pujas include Tara and Medicine Buddha and several others.

Words of Wisdom: In his book Beyond Religion: Secular Ethics for a Whole World , His Holiness the Dalai Lama provides an eloquent, detailed explanation of the need for a secular ethics rooted in the two principles of compassion and interdependence.

Bodhisattva Attitude: How to Dedicate Your Life to Others – Ven. Sarah Thresher has masterfully crafted a collection of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s motivations about cherishing others.

2013 Calendar: Lhasa and Beyond – stunning photos of Tibet. Publisher: International Campaign for Tibet. ICT promotes human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet.

Meditation Shawl: Perfect for winter! Available from the FPMT Foundation store. The FPMT is an organization devoted to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.

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Low Self Esteem: Buddhist and Christian Perspectives

Tenzin Namgyel and I were at Dunkin Donuts enjoying our usual Sunday morning breakfast today. We listened to a sermon by a young Christian minister about self-esteem on the television. He taught that each of us is a child of God the creator, and since God only creates master pieces, we should learn to see ourselves as master pieces. If we get depressed and think that we’re just average, just ordinary, if things seem out of our reach, we should stop and consider that this is not the case — we’re perfect because God the Artist made us that way. It was a moving, uplifting talk.

From the Buddhist perspective, although we take it for granted, being born as a human is so incredibly rare. Our birth in this lifetime as humans is the fruition of the virtuous actions we’ve performed over countless past lifetimes — it’s solely our own achievement. We learn to celebrate and treasure every moment of this precious human rebirth. Even if we’re living under the harshest conditions, we’re still humans with the capacity to help others. But in order to cherish others, we first need to acknowledge our own self-worth.

Please share  your insights.

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On Breaking the Bodhisattva Vows

Not only is it difficult to have the opportunity to receive the Bodhisattva vows from a spiritual teacher, it is also difficult to maintain the vows purely. Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Losang Jampa recently conferred the vows to a small group of students at the Mahayana Sutra Tantra Center in Northern Virginia. Rinpoche said when someone asks for your help you need to carefully analyze whether or not it is within your powers to do so. In some cases, you might not be able to due to a lack of means, time, or skill. If you have taken the vows and there’s no reason why you can’t help the person, then you’ll break your Bodhisattva vows. This also applies to you helping your community with social issues such as poverty.

Remember that His Holiness the Dalai Lama said, “Apathy is a form of selfishness”.

Please share your thoughts.

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Presidential Election: advice from His Holiness

11/9/2012 edit: corrected the link

Here’s a link to my article in the Washington Post about presidential leadership qualities. It’s based on His Holiness’s book Beyond Religion and Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland.

Please share your thoughts.

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How to Rescue Earthworms

Hot, dry summer weather is hazardous for our friends the earthworms. Crossing the sidewalk is like crossing the desert for us. The ground is so hard, the worms seem to pop out and roll onto the pavement. Tenzin (age 12) and I found a worm that was half dead – half its body was already shriveled up and hard, it barely responded to touch. To our amazement, the worm cast away the dead section and revived after a few hours of gentle soaking.

This is Tenzin’s account of how to rescue worms:

1. Bring the worm to a safe place.
2. Examine it carefully to see what’s wrong.
3. If it looks too dry, take it home.
4. Build a habitat using a container filled with damp  soil and leaves.
5. Place the worm in a damp paper towel inside the habitat in a quiet place.
6. Let the worm rest, this may take a few minutes or a few hours depending on whether it needs to discard a dead section of its body. Keep it captive for the shortest amount of time possible.
7. Say many prayers for the worm, surround it with holy objects, play recordings of the Medicine Buddha prayer.
8. When it has fully healed, find a shaded area in the woods. Water the ground if it’s too hard. Make sure there aren’t any ants nearby. Ants might attack the worm. If possible, water the area regularly if the dry weather continues.

Here’s the link to a detailed, caring article on rescuing worms in a variety of weather conditions.

By setting your motivation correctly and dedicating all the merit from your efforts, you create immeasurable good karma and please countless Buddhas. Rejoice!

This is an easy way to engage kids in practicing the Dharma. It shows them how to respect living creatures and to be mindful of others’ sufferings. Instead of lecturing kids about love and compassion, save a worm with them. If it survives, they’ll be heroes, but even if the worm dies, you’ve set an example by trying to save it. The kids will get in the habit of being on the look-out for those in need.

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February 8, 2012: Global Vigil for Tibet

 

 

Dear all,

(source: Capital Area Tibet Assoc. email)

As urged by the Kalon Tripa, to show solidarity with Tibetans in Tibet, Tibetans and friends around the world will be participating in a global vigil on Wednesday, February 8, 2012. Tibetan Association of Charlottesville, Capital Area Tibetan Youth Congress and CATA will be also together joining the world wide movement. Please join us with your family and friends in traditional Tibetan attire on this occasion. Don’t forget to bring along a half face black mask.

Time: 10 AM to 3 PM

Date: February 8, 2012

Location: China’s Embassy

Address: 3505 International Place, N.W.,

Washington DC 20008

Nearest Metro Location: Van Ness UDC Metro

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Lama Zopa Rinpoche Encourages Sur Practice

A recent FPMT newsletter contains advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche in which he encourages his students and FPMT Centers to do the sur offering practice regularly.

On a personal note, you might have noticed based on this blog, that I’m deeply disturbed by the self-immolations in Tibet. For me, doing the sur practice has helped me reach out to those who have so bravely sacrificed themselves for religious freedom. The bardo beings are everywhere and can read our thoughts. Standing out in the cold, dark night on the edge of the solemn woods, drenched in the smoke and aroma of the charcoal and roasting offering substances, I find a way of connecting with their vulnerability. Above all, it’s my small way of repaying these martyrs’ incredible kindness.

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