About 2,500 years ago, a man named Siddhartha Gautama was born in Nepal. He would become known as the Buddha, which in Sanskrit means “awakened one.” What he awakened to was a new way of finding happiness: letting go of the idea of a permanent self, and practicing compassion, mindfulness and moderation.
Kevin Trainor, Department of Religion chair at the University of Vermont
Commentary: The Dalai Lama Comes to Washington
Begins at 22 min 30 sec
Some 20,000 people descended on the National Mall on July 9 to catch a glimpse of Buddhism's most popular living leader. The Dalai Lama spoke about finding inner peace, and encouraged the crowd to spend as much time on “warm-heartedness” as “brain intelligence.” Our own Maureen Fiedler was there, and brings us this reflection.
Imagine a church with no official creed. It has roots in Christianity, but Mohammed and the Buddha share the altar with Jesus. Poems often replace Gospel readings. And it’s OK if members don’t believe in God. Enter the Unitarian Universalist church, which turned 50 this month.
Pictured: Dante and Beatrice contemplate heaven; from Gustave Doré's illustrations to Dante's 'Divine Comedy'
Michael L. Scott, sixth-generation Unitarian Universalist
Compassion in the First Person: Serenity Behind Bars
Begins at 43 min 20 sec
Robin Casarjian is a therapist who believes that compassion can be a powerful tool for healing – especially in prisons, where many of the inmates have long histories of trauma and anger. She's taught workshops on forgiveness, meditation and stress management to prisoners for more than 20 years.
Robin Casarjian, founder of the Lionheart Foundation
