I’m happy to say that my book trailers are up! Here’s the mini version:
And here’s the extended version:
LaVora
www.mlavoraperry.com
Archive for the ‘Buddhism’ Category
Children’s Book Video Trailers: “Peacebuilders–Daisaku Ikeda & Josei Toda, Buddhist Leaders”
January 11, 2010PEACEBUILDERS—A Children’s Book Biography
November 18, 2009Seeking Organ Transplant Stories from People of Color
Scroll past this grey area to read the newest posts–or just jump to “New Posts” in the menu on the right. If you landed on this page from the web (so this area isn’t grey and there IS no menu bar), click on the image above to go to the home page. Then follow the preceding directions.
“[PEACEBUILDERS reconnects] the openness of childhood to the possibilities of the world.” -Roy Craft, Director, Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, Morehouse College
Visit the website for my children’s book biography PEACEBUILDERS: DAISAKU IKEDA & JOSEI TODA, BUDDHIST LEADERS, here.
-LaVora
New Review of My Children’s Book, Taneesha Never Disparaging…
August 11, 2008Read the newest review of my children’s book, TANEESHA NEVER DISPARAGING, at
http://www.yabookscentral.com/cfusion/index.cfm?fuseAction=books.review&review_id=13669
-LaVora
Buy Taneesha here. (This is my publisher. The book’s available from Amazon, too. But my publisher gives a nice discount. Plus they are very nice folks.)
Read more Taneesha reviews and stuff, here.
Guidance—It’s an Optional Thing (This isn’t Hypnosis)
August 10, 2008For those of you who know what
the non-English words mean.
You know who you are…
***
You should understand that the ultimate meaning
of this chapter [16 of the Lotus Sutra]
is that ordinary mortals, just as they are
in their original state of being, are Buddhas.
-Nichiren, Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings
***
You are getting sleepy awakened…
It’s okay to not
“go get”
guidance
Or to listen to
but choose not to follow
a suggestion
Inside you
exists all the wisdom you need
Just as you are
you are capable of making wise decisions
Chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
Study Nichiren’s words
the ones he wrote
the ones he spoke
Muster courage
fear kills dreams
fear feeds “impossible”
fear sucks
No One
knows better than you
what is best for you
Trust in your Buddhahood
You are the Gohonzon
the Gohonzon is you
You are Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is you
You are everything
everything is you
(Can you hear the Stylistics?
I can)
So do it
do something
do something else
Because
you are a Buddha
Always have been
Always will be
No kidding
I didn’t make this up
(Then again, really, I did)
See?
See
You are awakened
“You are Everything”–The Stylistics, 1971
Buddhism & Science—Not At Odds with Each Other
June 4, 2008This is posted on FortuneChildBooks.com–the Buddhist website I publish. Here’s a snippet.
A Buddhist Dialogue with Science
By Timothy Harada
Unlike some religions, Buddhism and science are not at odds with one another. Instead, Buddhism and science compliment one another. The goals of science and the goals of Buddhism are in some respects similar and in other ways opposite, but complimentary. With an understanding of Buddhism, it is possible to gain a greater appreciation for science. The reverse is also true; with an understanding of science, one can gain a greater appreciation for Buddhism. Though neither science nor Buddhism at this point in time offers proof of the other’s validity, they both allow a dialogue that is not only interesting, but may prove to be fruitful to both science and Buddhism in the future.
Read the full article here.
First Pre-publication Reviews of “Taneesha Never Disparaging”
March 28, 2008My book, Taneesha Never Disparaging, got 2 advance reviews yesterday! Those are reviews that come in before the book is published, which it won’t be until September 1, 2008. I am soooooo psyched about getting these! Here they are:
“Taneesha Never Disparaging is a joy to read. M. LaVora Perry addresses the issues many kids face today—overworked parents, bullying, and social awkwardness—with a fresh and positive perspective. Don’t miss this beautifully and skillfully written novel.”
-David Richardson, Book Review Columnist for Reading Today, a publication of the International Reading Association
~~~
“Taneesha’s voice is fresh, funny, and true as a lotus blossom in a muddy pond. Readers will become familiar with the word ‘disparaging’ as Taneesha navigates her way through fifth grade as a Buddhist, daughter, and good friend to all. Taneesha Never Disparaging is a warm and welcome read amidst a sea of cynicism.”
-Kelly Easton, Author of Hiroshima Dreams, White Magic, Aftershock, The Life History of a Star, Walking on Air, and The Betts Pets Mysteries
You can read a synopsis, Chapter 1, and new reviews that come in here.
Humanizing Religion, Creating Peace—SGI President Daisaku Ikeda’s 2008 Peace Proposal Presented to the UN
March 27, 2008
Each year, Soka Gakkai International (SGI) President Daisaku Ikeda presents a comprehensive peace proposal to the United Nationss. Many of his suggestions have been adopted by UN member organizations.
Here is an excerpt from Ikeda’s 2008 proposal, which is available in full at SGI.org:
Almost twenty years have passed since the end of the Cold War, almost ten since the start of the new century, and still the contours of a new and different way of organizing the world have yet to take shape. While the processes of globalization possess a seemingly unstoppable momentum, this can hardly be considered a global order. Rather, the effort to contain through the application of force the many highly explosive situations around the world has met with limited success at best. The situation could perhaps be characterized as one of global disorder.
Important efforts, however, are being made. Recently (January 15-16), the Alliance of Civilizations Forum was held in Madrid, Spain. Based on the belief that the maintenance of international peace and security requires the overcoming of cultural animosities, more than 75 UN member states and international organizations participated in this event. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon encouraged further action toward peace, saying, “You may have different backgrounds and perspectives, but you share a common conviction that the Alliance of Civilizations is an important way to counter extremism and heal the divisions that threaten our world.”
To read the full proposal, click below:
Read the summary online
Download the summary (PDF)
Download the full version (PDF)
Dean Lawrence Carter Sr. of Morehouse College’s Martin Luther King International Chapel on the Gandhi-King-Ikeda Exhibit
March 27, 2008
On October 17, 2006, Dr. Lawrence E. Carter Sr., Dean of Morehouse College’s Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel in Atlanta, Georgia, appeared on Singapore television to explain the significance and contemporary relevance of the “Gandhi-King-Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace” exhibit, which has been displayed in several countries. The exhibit, the accompanying Community Builders prize, and the YouTubed GKI video that follow the Singapore interview in this post were conceieved by Dr. Carter.
Dean Lawrence Carter on Singapore Television, Oct. 17, 2006
“Gandhi-King-Ikeda: Community Builders”
LaVora
www.mlavoraperry.com
“Our Shared Humanity”—Video Introduction to the SGI Peace, Culture, & Education Movement
March 27, 2008This video, posted in a 4-part simplified version on YouTube in 4 parts and on the SGI.org website in its entirety, explains the philosophy of the SGI Nichiren Buddhist movement. See related post in the Religion/Spirituality/Buddhism category of this blog.
“Our Shared Humanity” Part 1 (simiplified).
“Our Shared Humanity” Part 2 (simiplified).
“Our Shared Humanity” Part 3 (simplified)
“Our Shared Humanity” Part 4 (simplified)
Writer M. LaVora Perry’s Blog
Two New Soka Gakkai Nichiren Buddhism Websites Announced–Highlighting Achievements of Daisaku Ikeda and Josei Toda
March 27, 2008Two new Soka Gakkai websites were announced today, Daisaku Ikeda.org and JoseiToda.org.
From Daisaku Ikeda.org
Daisaku Ikeda is a Buddhist leader, peacebuilder, a prolific writer, poet, educator and founder of a number of cultural, educational and peace research institutions around the world.
As third president of the Soka Gakkai (value-creating society) and founder of the Soka Gakkai International, Daisaku Ikeda has developed and inspired what may be the largest, most diverse international lay Buddhist association in the world today. Based on the 700-year-old tradition of Nichiren Buddhism, the movement is characterized by its emphasis on individual empowerment and social engagement to advance peace, culture and education. Click here for more…
From JoseiToda.org
Josei Toda (1900-58) was the second president of the Soka Gakkai, one of Japan’s most influential lay Buddhist movements. Based on the teachings of the 13th-century Buddhist reformer Nichiren (1222-82), Toda developed a methodology of personal transformation called “Human Revolution” that has become the foundation underlying the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a worldwide organization of engaged Buddhists promoting peace and personal empowerment throughout the world. Click here for more…
