I just read that Full Contact Enlightenment came in second for a 2010 Canadian weblog award in the category for Religion, Spirituality and Philosophy.

I’m thrilled to have been nominated and really humbled to have actually placed within the top 3. There aren’t all that many buddhabloggers here up north so I want to take this opportunity to list the few that I am aware of and hopefully add to the pool of nominees for this award next year.

Khandro.net was one of the very first websites I encountered on the net when researching Tibetan Buddhism and continues to be an essential and valued resource for its vast number of links and in-depth listings of teachings.This site sets the standard for educational Buddhablogs.

Sumeru Books maintain a data-rich blog with a wide selection of news relating to Buddhism in Canada. They are currently collecting any available resources that document the history of Canadian Buddhism so if you have anything of interest, please send it there way.

Spirit of Rebellion has its roots in the Dharma Punx movement and speaks much to social justice, engaged Buddhism and life both on and off the cushion. Well-written, deeply philosophical and peppered with personal reflections on the path, this blog shows what it is like to walk the world with a tender heart.

It’s all yoga,baby while not “explicitly or exclusively” Buddhist, is a Montreal-based blog run by a kindred spirit who casts a critical, yet compassionate view on modern yoga and the various ways that media, society and individuals co-opt, mangle and distort its teachings. It’s much like the yoga sister to Rod Meade Sperry’s blog – The Worst Horse.

If I neglected to mention any other Canadian Buddhist or spiritual blogs, please leave me a note in the comments and I’ll be sure to check it on and share it with others in a future blog post. I’m always on the hunt for new blogs to read.

]]> http://fullcontactenlightenment.com/2011/01/well-thank-you-canadian-weblog-award/feed/ 8 http://fullcontactenlightenment.com/2009/11/canadian-buddhists-eh/ http://fullcontactenlightenment.com/2009/11/canadian-buddhists-eh/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:52:44 +0000 TMcG http://fullcontactenlightenment.com/?p=1743 I’ve been listening to quite a few episodes of the Buddhist Geeks podcast where I hear much coverage of American Buddhism. All of this got me thinking as to whether the Canadian Buddhist experience is all that different. My wish to maintain a non-dualistic mind tells me that we are all under the same banner and that geography is just another label placed onto this experience, but there is a part of me that thinks that there is something unique that’s going on here north of the border.

I’m just putting it out there, but could the following ideas shed some light on this subject.

1. An absence of Canadian Buddhist figureheads. Sure we have K.D. Lang and Lenoard Cohen and they’re great but we as Canadians always seem to be exporting our talent. This brings me to asking if we have enough of an infrastructure to support the education of Buddhist studies here in Canada. Many of us have taken or do consider hitting the ‘Road to Naropa’ since there are very few institutions outside of the Canadian university system that are teaching courses that compare to their offerings.

We did try to recruit the Dalai Lama for the Montreal Canadiens during his recent visit.

2. We as Buddhists are less technologically active (or at least open about our activity). Although we have a greater percentage of the population that is online, Canadian Buddhists are hiding online. I’m not connecting with any and the majority of my online exchanges come from the US and overseas. I don’t come across many Facebook groups speaking to inherently Canadian Buddhist events, actions or organizations. Is it that there is a generational or technological divide amongst Canadian Buddhists? Are we too shy to connect with one another online? Tell me I’m wrong.

3. We’re used to consuming American content. Tell me that you didn’t prefer MTV to Much Music? That the Canadian version of Sesame Street was as cool as that of our US counterparts? How many of the Buddhist blogs and podcasts you follow are Canadian?

4. We’re shy and don’t like offering opinions. Oh that British politesse.

All of this is just a gathering of random thoughts. I’d love to hear from other Canadian Buddhists to get your perspective and to help me to discover more about the elusive Canadian Buddhist community. (said in a “Hinterland Who’s Who” voice)