Lead story
Editor's note:
Thich Nhat Hanh, who brought the Buddhist teachings of mindfulness to a Western audience, returned in 2019 to Vietnam, where he grew up as a monk, after 50 years of being in the West. His disciples have explained his desire to reconnect with his roots as a message to the community that we all come from someplace.
Scholar Michael J. Poulin brings home this point of interconnectedness in his article on the practice of mindfulness in the West. He writes how taken out of its context of Buddhist teaching, “there’s good reason to doubt” this practice “would automatically lead to good outcomes.”
In the West, people tend to think of themselves as individuals, as an “I” instead of “we,” which is encouraged in Asian cultures where Buddhism developed. This context is important, he notes, when striving to use mindfulness to reduce suffering – that we exist in relation to another. If not, “it may do the opposite,” he writes.
Religion News
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Wisconsin bishop takes rare step of removing defiant priest
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Game changer: How mahjong helped Jewish and Asian Americans overcome racism
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Commentary and Analysis
Although he appears to be recovering from his surgery, the hospitalization of Pope Francis marks the beginning of the end of his papacy. Time is running out. Francis is 84 years of age, and it will be miraculous if he is able to continue as pope for another five years. By Thomas Reese/Religion News Service
Native Americans have long struggled to practice their spiritual rituals and protect their landscapes. Crackdowns on Indigenous protests could further erode the free exercise of their religions. By Rosalyn LaPier for The Conversation
The doctrine of inerrancy likely took shape during the 19th and 20th centuries in United States, in response to the rise of liberalism within Christianity. By Geoffrey Smith for The Conversation
Abortion and contraception were quite common among premodern Christians, who also celebrated women's celibacy as superior to marriage and childbearing. By Luis Josué Salés for The Conversation
A Palestinian elderly man sells a goat at a livestock market in preparation for the upcoming Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday in Gaza City, Friday, July 9, 2021. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra)
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- This Week in Religion is a publication of the Global Religion Journalism Initiative, a collaboration among the Religion News Service, The Associated Press and The Conversation U.S.
- The three news organizations work to improve general understanding and analyze the significance of developments in the world of faith.
