Many people have noticed many connections between the ancient discipline of Buddhism and the modern discipline of psychology. Nathan at Dangerous Harvests points out that this association can be a double-edged sword. Yes, the Buddhist-psychology connection can be genuinely helpful. However, in the West Buddhism is too often rendered into a variation on pop psychology.

"Amongst this subsection of Western convert Buddhists, teachings that are vast and subtle, and which contain layer and layer of pointers, get shunted into what amounts to a self-improvement project in Buddhist clothes," Nathan says.

I have something of a Grand Theory of how this happened. This theory may not hold water, but hear me out --

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Recently I came across an article that flatly stated Buddhism has nothing to offer the West about practicing ethics. I disagreed strongly, but all of my arguments fell on deaf ears. As far as this individual was concerned, Buddhist ethics amounted to following the same rules followed by Christians; nothin' new.

The difference, however, is not in lists of rules themselves, but in understanding the basis of the rules. What is it that makes one act "moral" and another "immoral," other than some arbitrary list of commandments held over from the Bronze Age? In my experience, this is something westerners rarely think deeply about. There are rules, see, and you're just supposed to follow 'em. Because.

I have a new article on the Second Precept -- to refrain from taking that which is not given -- and I ended up devoting most of the article to explaining how this precept is not precisely the same thing as whichever of the Ten Commandments prohibits stealing.

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Marc Lacey reports for the New York Times that wildfires threaten a premature end to a three-year silent retreat currently underway near Bowie, Arizona. The 39 participants began the retreat six months ago.

The fire, which has burned more than 200,000 acres in the Chiricahua Mountains, is now about four miles away from the retreat site. Authorities haven't yet decided whether the participants will have to be evacuated. If necessary, retreat organizers say they will take the participants to another quiet, but safer, place so that the retreat can continue. If it comes to that, let us hope no one is trapped by the fire.

The retreat venue is the Diamond Mountain Retreat Center, which was founded by Michael Roach and Christie McNally. The article says McNally is participating in the retreat but Roach is not, which suggested their long-time practice of remaining within 15 feet of each other has been discontinued. It turns out that much has changed for the controversial couple.

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Zen teacher Charlotte Joko Beck peacefully passed away yesterday, at the age of 94.

Joko was the founder of the Zen Center of San Diego and the Ordinary Mind Zen School. She also authored several books, notably Everyday Zen and Nothing Special. She was a dharma heir of the late Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi Roshi.

Joko had already married, raised children, and divorced before coming to Zen practice in her 40s. One suspects these life experiences fueled her interest in bringing Zen out of esoteric monasteries and into everyday life. Her teachings were both down to earth and uncompromising.

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