This year’s Tibet House benefit concert — it’s twentieth! — just got a boost: Iggy Pop, legendary frontman of The Stooges (just named as Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees (for whatever that’s worth)) has now joined previous performers Philip Glass and Patti Smith on the bill, along with Gogol Bordello, Regina Spektor, and more. Now that’s cool.

The benefit will be held at Carnegie Hall on February 26. For tickets or more info call Tibet House (NYC) at (212) 807-0563, between 10AM and 5PM, Monday through Friday. More info of course on the TH site, here.

After first writing up this item, I decided to start playing recordings by the great artist, Iggy, himself. Some after-listening thoughts:

First off, I have to give kudos to Tibet House for booking Iggy. And Iggy for supporting Tibet House. (It goes without saying that anyone who supports a fine cause has earned their kudos, of course. And Tibet House surely qualifies as a fine cause.)

But why is Iggy cool? Well, as a writer of music (albeit a private and “unconventional” — read: bad – one)  I would say this:

If I could write one song as good as, say, “Gimme Danger,” I’d be… well… I’d be Iggy Pop. And there really can be only one Iggy Pop.

I mean, who else could write (and sing) the phrases “that’s like hypnotizing chickens” and “I’m just a modern guy; of course I’ve had it in the ear before”? And not only that, he put them back to back. (Those are lyrics from “Lust for Life.” Don’t let those horrible cruise commercials ruin that song for you. The song is brilliant. And darkly so. And, okay, those lyrics may not thrill you, but trust me, it’s about context. And Iggy had it. “Lust for Life” wasn’t key to the soundtrack of 1996’s Trainspotting for nothing.)

Also, as a guy who calls himself a Buddhist (and who advocates meditation for everyone, in pretty much whatever form works for you), I want to hear why Iggy is playing this show. Maybe it’s just that he’s available and said, “Sure,” because he’s an affable and enthusiastic and good guy. Maybe it’s something else, more specifically related to meditation or Buddhism.

Either way, I’d like to know — this is an actual artist, a lifer. And he knows a thing or two about perseverance through suffering. That’s the type of person I consider worth following, whatever the reason he’ll be performing at Tibet House in February. So I’ve got a message in to Tibet House to see what they say.

Anyway, that’s besides the point. The real point is: Iggy is big-time, enduring Great. Nice get, Tibet House. Iggy rules.

Via PR Newswire:

Borrowing the Zen practices of minimalism and focus, [St. Louis Tea Part movement co-founder Bill] Hennessy helps conservatives channel their anger and concern into positive steps toward reclaiming liberty.

“After the 2008 elections, I realized that shouting alone was useless. I also realized that we on the right were fighting too many battles at once. So I started to write myself a letter, and that letter turned into this book.”

Zen Conservative, the new book by St. Louis Tea Party leader Bill Hennessy, targets the millions of Americans who are fed up with government growth, regulatory intrusion, and unfathomable borrowing and spending in Washington, DC. But rather than just ratcheting up the volume, Hennessy’s “Zen Conservatism” aims toward effectiveness. The book advances the 5-2-1 method Hennessy has used to help the St. Louis Tea Party stay focused, engaged, and effective in issues like the proposed takeover of healthcare, the cap and trade tax scheme, and the undue influence of Andy Stern’s SEIU union.

Well, this sure isn’t my cup of tea. But if it’s yours, here’s the website.

Today’s Bing.com “cover star”:

The Potala Palace.

Roll over the Bing homepage screen (while it’s there) to learn factoids about sand mandalas and Tibetan Buddhists’ “awesome hats.”

The always-mighty Konchog Norbu sends on this “interesting-looking trailer for a film called ‘Oh My God’,” noting that it uses “a ton of Tibetan Buddhist imagery.”

EMBED-Oh My God Trailer – Watch more free videos

Thanks as ever, Konchog.

And while we’re talking Tibetan Buddhism on video, I have to give props to my “alma mater” at Wisdom Publications, who are sponsoring PBS’s showings of Vajra Sky Over Tibet, and even have a nifty little “ad” that will run with it:

Well done!

For listings of when Vajra Sky Over Tibet will be playing, visit the Wisdom blog. It’s playing on Boston’s WGBH this Sunday at 5:30. My calendar is marked.

We originally told you about this on Jan 2 of this year, but the new videogame Uncharted 2 , which “takes place in war-torn Tibet” is out as of midnite last night.

Hmm…Another “find Shangri-la” video-adventure?

A good friend writes to say “It is an exclusive PS3 game that is set in Nepal, Tibet, and Shambhala and is absolutely loaded with Buddhist art and imagery. It is already being touted as one of the best games ever.”

He says he’s picking it up today. Maybe he’ll provide a review here? Or, maybe you will?

UPDATE: note the “Phurba Dagger Artifact” that comes with the “Fortune Hunter” edition of the game. (Thanks to reader Michael, who left this in the comments for this post.) If you don’t know what a phurba is, here’s a Wiki-answer for ya.

This woman does not kid around. I first made contact with her a short while ago on Shambhala SunSpace and now she’s written her first guest post there.

Lots more to come – thanks to the many of you who’ve emailed and commented lately. You’ll be seeing your contributions here soon, once I dig out from the current workload.

You gamers (and “evil Buddhists”) might wanna check out this report on Shambhala SunSpace about “Cursed Mountain,” a new game for the Wii that, according to IGN.com:

repurposes Tibetan Buddhism to fuel its survival horror premise. …Cursed Mountain puts players at the control of Eric Simmons, an explorer who takes to the Himalayas in search of his younger brother Frank. Naturally, as Eric he ascends the mountain he’s pulled deeper and deeper into a supernatural world, haunted by the dispossessed as they perpetually linger in a state of Bardo, victims of a curse on the region and in limbo between this life and the next.

Sounds like fun. (And I’m only half-kidding.)

So, this is the new issue of the National Review, depicting Sonia Sotomayor on its cover as a pseudo-cartoon Buddha.

Um… why?

And the Horse is not the only one asking. See here. And here.

Do the Old Boys at the NR not know the difference between an Hispanic and an Asian? Or is this like the treatment that Obama’s gotten in the past? (One example, here.)

Either way… No one’s put her on such a pedestal. It’s just weird.

Sheesh.

I have the scoop over at Shambhala SunSpace.

Thanks, everyone, for your comments. And again, don’t believe everything you read — in the paper, on Wikipedia… even here!

That’s one version of a headline for what might just be a big news story, for the Buddhist world and way beyond. But don’t believe everything you read.

Based on an original story from El Mundo, the UK’s Guardian and also The First Post are running pieces about the “former” Lama Osel of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, in which Osel seems to be coming out against his having been recognized, when he was a child, as the reincarnation of the great Lama Yeshe. (The Guardian piece has already been picked up by the Huffington Post.)

But again: don’t believe everything you read. First of all, there are various “small” details in the stories that show research wasn’t done. “Lama” is defined in the Guardian piece as “one of a lineage of reincarnated spiritual leaders.” Actually, a lama is simply a teacher. (The word that should have been used is tulku.) Whether a lama is also a reincarnated spiritual leader or not is another matter.

Far more important, though, is this: the story just doesn’t paint a full picture. It’s been known for years now that Osel was going to quietly pursue film and explore life as a non-lama. (And while the news here suggests that he’s still addressed as “Lama,” he isn’t; the FPMT folks have been happy to address him as he wishes.) So why would someone who wants to quietly pursue their own thing knowingly seek publicity? And why would that person seek publicity that might damage his relationship with the FPMT, which, from all I’ve heard about, is just fine?

And what seem to be Osel’s complaints about being essentially kidnapped don’t wash, either — the young Osel often visited his family, and his father and his brother even lived with him for a time at Sera Monastery!

One dear friend suggests that perhaps Osel was caught in a “Phelpsian moment.” Only, where Michael Phelps let his guard down and had a big ol’ bong hit with a camera present, Osel instead let his guard down and perhaps said some things that were taken wildly out of context. Was this lazy journalism? Was it somehow agenda-based?Whatever it was, this will be an important story to watch, because it should create discussion: about how we think about reincarnation (especially within the framework of Tibetan Buddhism), and how we think about the media, especially when it’s about Buddhism. Perhaps the FPMT (a wonderful organization from all the contact I’ve had with it, and from all I’ve ever heard about it) will even see this as an opportunity to lead us toward a smarter and more balanced discussion. (I mean, they should have been interviewed by El Mundo to begin with!) At the very least, it reminds us that there’s never just one side to a story. We Buddhists should be watching closely when it comes to how the mainstream media covers and treads into our world.

So: stay tuned!