April 2010: Buddhist Twitter feeds you need to follow

My Twitter name is 'OhioBuddhist'
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Previous month's recommended follows

Social media has become a hotbed on which the Buddhist sangha has flourished. On Twitter and various other social networking sites, Buddhists have been signing on in droves to participate in the conversation. As we open our hearts and minds in the 21st century (along with our Macs and PCs), let's review some favorites from Twitter.

Some of the ground rules have been changed for this list to make sure we get a good mix each month. Each list will have two Centers, two celebrities, two bloggers, two Buddhist news sources and one wildcard. My own Twitter feed is linked to the Twitter graphic above, and you can find a huge list of similar Twitter feeds by subscribing to the @OhioBuddhist Buddhism List (mine). Also check below the article for a statement about why the posting has slowed down on this site.

Enjoy, and please comment below the article with your own suggestions!

April 2010 Twitter recommendations:

@yuzuki_en Starting off this month with our Wildcard, Yuzuki Matsushita is a Vajrayana Buddhist monk in Japan who just started this Twitter account. He followed me a few weeks ago and DM'ed, asking for suggestions of Buddhist Twitter accounts in English (though his blog is not). Give him a warm welcome! He also twits in Japanese (@yuzuki_m).
@zenatplay Overwhelmingly positive conversation and active Twitterfeed! Lisa Baldwin's blog called (you guessed it) Zen at Play gives us more of the same. She also designed a 4 week ecourse soon to be turned into an ebook about decluttering your head (and your least favorite room). Great idea!
@sfzc San Francisco Zen Center is well-known in its own right, especially for their Tassajara Zen Mountain Center retreats and cookbook. Founded by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi in the Soto Zen tradition, it was the first Zen training monastery in the West. Their Tweets feature local news and quotes from their founder, as well as other content.
@ZenDirtZenDust Jack Daw has a wonderful blog called Sweep the Dust, Push the Dirt. Unlike many Twitter accounts that can seem like afterthoughts, poor Jack lives in South Dakota so it's his main source of socialization. He also writes for @elephantjournal, and check out the link lists on his blog- terrific resources!
@brooklynzen Brooklyn Zen Center is a Soto Zen Center and is led by Teah Strozer. They practice zazen twice daily on Carroll Street in Brooklyn. They Tweet their events, news and conversation- a very active account! Find out more on their website and Facebook page.
@newsbuddhism This account Tweets a diverse assortment on international news related to Buddhism. The linking site isn't the best- lots of ads- but the news is worth the follow.
@Urban_Zen Out of New York City, Urban Zen has a platform for (from their website) 'well-being, empowering children and preserving culture'. They Tweet and Re-tweet about health concerns and positive change, with some chatter and quoting thrown in (of course).
@LamaSuryaDas Author of one of my favorite books, Awakening the Buddha Within, Lama Surya Das dissemminates the dhamma with a thick New York accent, which is why I recommend the audio version of the book. It doesn't get more down-home than that (unless you're not from the East coast, I suppose). His Tweets have the wonderful personality, i.e.: 'Natural meditation is like basketball with a hoop as wide as the world. You can't miss!' He's also the founder of the Dogchen Center and Dzogchen Retreats.
@sharonsalzberg She co-founded the Insight Meditation Society and the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies with Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein and has written several books. This account, though fairly new, already has a nice following and her Tweets have the kind of characteristics we want to find in a teacher: kind, informative and helpful.
@dailyzen Just quotes, good content. Only followers. Thanks to Steve, commenter from the Feb. feature

I am currently going to school so won't be writing as much for the next six months, however I will be continuing the series I started such as the Buddhist Twitter feeds articles and Free Buddhist e-book of the month, as well as occasional news and Buddhism 101 posts. Stay tuned, and check out my other sites linked below!

Feel free to comment below or email me!

Small parts of this article may be summarized, quoted or referenced elsewhere, so long as the material is accredited to Emily Breder and linked back to this page.