My Buddha is Pink: Buddhism for the Modern Homosexual

Front Cover
Sumeru Press Incorporated, 2019 - Religion - 144 pages

Just what does the Third Precept mean for the gay Buddhist? Is being gay a consequence for something we did in a "previous life?" What is meditation and how do you get started?

My Buddha Is Pink is a collection of essays designed to help gay practitioners follow the Buddha's path without getting lost in dogma. As with other major religions of the world, there are portions of Buddhism that have persisted through the years that can come off as homophobic at worst, or at the minimum, restrictive toward the LGBTQI community. This book seeks to slice through the baggage and hone in on Buddhism's basics to guide the solo practitioner on a skillful course toward a more fulfilling life.

Buddhism isn't so much a religion, but rather a philosophy on how to live a life that brings more happiness and nurtures behavior that is harmless toward other living beings. It's not a passive belief system, but one that allows a practitioner to be engaged with the world without being ensnared by the traps that surrounds our daily lives - deceit, self-absorption, and consumerism. It's a doctrine that can help you understand your own greed, hatred, and delusion, which in turn helps you to identify these in others as well, so you can limit contact with them.

But more than anything, My Buddha Is Pink is a fun and lighthearted look at being a happy and healthy modern gay Buddhist in an environment where homophobia remains an issue.

About the author (2019)

Richard Harrold has been practicing Buddhism for about 20 years, in the Thai Forest Theravada tradition. His blog, "My Buddha Is Pink," which ran from 2009-2014, offered a pioneering gay Buddhist perspective for Western practitioners. The blog continues to have visitors and has accumulated nearly 200,000 pageviews since its launch. The essays here are based on that blog and his long practice, including five years under the guidance of Ajahn Khemasanto at Wat Dhammasala Forest Monastery in Perry, Michigan.

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