TigerLion Arts Presents The Dragons Are Singing Tonight Jan 26 – Feb 12
TigerLion Arts Presents The Dragons Are Singing Tonight Jan 26 – Feb 12 |
- TigerLion Arts Presents The Dragons Are Singing Tonight Jan 26 – Feb 12
- Award-winning solo performance “Hopeless”, based on the teachings of Pema Chodron, to play in Seattle
- Sukhavati for Arbie Thalacker announced; Mark Rothe, Executive Director of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, shares a remembrance
- Scared?
- Ancient pillar with Buddha image found in Nalasopara
- Book Review: Ghosts, amulets, ringtones, and the rest of Thai Buddhism
- Singapore Buddhist Lodge gives out more than S$670,000 to the needy
- ‘Look at science the Buddhist way’
- Ultimate Source of Inner-peace Is Warmheartedness; His Holiness
- The Dalai Lama on democracy and his possible reincarnation — as a woman (with video)
- 'Cradle of Chinese Buddhist' embraces world
- Could the Dalai Lama come back to us as a woman?
- With A Sandwich In His Hand
| TigerLion Arts Presents The Dragons Are Singing Tonight Jan 26 – Feb 12 Posted: 12 Jan 2012 07:00 AM PST |
| Posted: 12 Jan 2012 06:00 AM PST
Click here for more info and a video about the show. Read More @ Source
|
| Posted: 11 Jan 2012 09:00 PM PST Following on our previous posts regarding the life and passing of Arbie Thalacker: It has been announced that there will be a sukhavati for Arbie at the Shambhala Meditation Center of New York at 5:00 PM on Thursday, January 12. There will be an opportunity to sit with Arbie in the main shrine room starting at 4:00 PM. There will also be a chance to sit with him on Wednesday evening, January 11, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at Redden's Funeral Home at 325 West 14th Street. All are welcome to attend these events. In addition to tributes by Melvin McLeod, Richard Reoch, Barry Boyce and Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, we now also have a remembrance of Arbie by Mark Rothe, Executive Director of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra. Read this after the jump. From Mark Rothe, Executive Director of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra: Monday, January 9, 2012
Organizationally, Arbie was more tied to the Shambhala centers, Naropa University and the Karmapa Foundation than specifically to KTD. However, Arbie was an advisor and benefactor to KTD since almost the beginning, and, as a KTD administrator, I knew I could call on him for advice. Arbie's responses sensitively took into account the often-thorny personal, political and multi-cultural issues that can arise at a dharma center in America. Handling a problem technically was often the least part, but he did that, too! Last summer, Arbie greatly helped the entire U.S.–based Karma Kagyu Sangha by facilitating the U.S. visit of His Holiness Karmapa. As far as KTD was concerned, necessary interactions with U.S. State Department, the Diplomatic Security Service, and other concerned parties overseeing His Holiness' visit were simply beyond my expertise. Arbie stepped up and moved easily between the modern culture of government and the traditional culture of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism, and the visit went much more smoothly than it otherwise might have. We at KTD have, over recent months, been aware of Arbie's decline in personal health, and we have offered spiritual practice dedicated to his benefit. KTD President Tenzin Chonyi and KTD Lama Karma Drodhul visited Arbie in Manhattan just last week. I understand His Holiness Karmapa was notified this morning, and I'm sure Dharma practice will continue in various locations over the upcoming weeks. I believe Arbie knew of my — and our — regard for him, and that he will be greatly missed. Read More @ SourceSam Zurick Swings One Bat this Time *from Tim Kinsella's blog 
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 11 Jan 2012 08:00 PM PST
"Since the early 1980s," writes Jeff Greenwald in "Snakes on the Brain" (from our January 2012 magazine), my travels in South Asia have made me more aware of snakes and their very different roles across Eastern and Western cultures and mythologies. Why do they provoke such strong and varied reactions?" The most common of those reactions, probably, is fear. But we can control our fears, even those that may be considered primal — that is to say, those conditioned by evolution and genetics. The key, Greenwald says, is the stories we tell ourselves as individuals and as cultures. For more, sample "Snakes on the Brain" online here and then see the January '12 Shambhala Sun. Read More @ SourceMake Love & Peace, Stop War 
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Ancient pillar with Buddha image found in Nalasopara Posted: 11 Jan 2012 07:00 PM PST by Sandhya Nair, TNN, Jan 9, 2012MUMBAI, India -- An ancient pillar carved with an image of Gautam Buddha was discovered near a Buddhist stupa in Nalasopara (W) on Friday. The stupa comes under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Following the discovery of the pillar, the digging work was discontinued. The pillar will now be inspected by ASI officials and historians before being moved to safety. The state government, along with the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC), is working on converting the stupa into an international tourist spot. The stupa complex will house meditation centres, a museum and a mini theatre where films on the Buddhist stupa will be shown. Ashokan inscriptions have been recovered from Sopara on earlier occasions. During an earlier excavation, ruins of a Buddhist stupa and a large stone coffer containing eight bronze images of Buddha dating back to the 8th-9th century AD were found. 
|
| Book Review: Ghosts, amulets, ringtones, and the rest of Thai Buddhism Posted: 11 Jan 2012 06:00 PM PST The Bangkok Post, Jan 9, 2012Bangkok, Thailand -- Somdet To is, according to Justin McDaniel "arguably the most famous monk in Thai history." His image, picture, chants, biographies, amulets, and pamphlets are everywhere. Yet you could read everything written on Thai Buddhism in English for scholars or tourists without noticing his existence, let alone his importance. In this superb book, McDaniel not only does justice to Somdet To but suggests a new way of thinking about "Thai Buddhism" and how it is studied.
Somdet To was born around 1788. There are many biographies, films, and webpages on his life, but they conflict wildly and there is little documentary proof. He is known through many stories. According to one version, he was the son of King Rama I, sired on a Lao peasant girl during a military campaign in the North. This story gives him origins that range from the top to the bottom of society, from centre to periphery. He became a great Pali scholar, abbot of prestigious Wat Rakhang, and a preceptor of kings. But why is he so famous down to the present? Not for his teachings. Only a few sermons survive and they are unremarkable. Not for his writings _ a few pages with recipes for making amulets. Not for any philosophical innovation or reform movement. His legacy consists mainly of stories about his life which show him as compassionate, very down-to-earth, even ready to mock his great patron, the king. As with the Buddha, stories of the life (and previous lives) are a form of teaching by example. But perhaps the best-known facts about Somdet To are that he meditated on corpses, exorcised ghosts, and specialised in making protective devices, especially amulets. He is remembered for his exceptional powers. Amulets have since become big business and Somdet To's are among the most valued and costly.
Somdet To quelled the ghost with a chant, the Jinpanjara gatha. This rather martial verse is now hugely popular, available through pamphlet, radio broadcast downloadable ringtone, or impregnated in sacred water by a statue of Somdet To enclosing a recorder playing the chant on an endless loop. McDaniel's point is that the practice of Buddhism in Thailand today is all about shrines to legendary ghosts, amulets related to famous old monks, magical chants used as ringtones, family outings to theme parks full of statues of figures gruesomely tortured in hell, and so on. Scholars have presented an idealised Buddhism, cleansed and standardised by teachings from Sri Lanka, reform movements led by kings, and modern legislation. In reality, McDaniel argues, these efforts have all failed. There is not even a standard liturgy, a manual for religious performances. Thousands of monks and wats have produced their own versions. There has been no policing of the boundaries of what is worshipable. Local spirits, Hindu and Chinese gods, ghosts like Nak, past kings, and increasingly famous monks like Somdet To have slipped into the pantheon. An abbot asked McDaniel for a crucifix because he thought it would be a good addition to his collection of protective amulets. McDaniel resists describing the result as syncretism on grounds that the practitioners themselves do not see it that way. The fashionable term, hybridity, does not appear once in this book. McDaniel also argues strongly against classifying practices into "pure Buddhism" and other, magical elements labelled as "tantric" or "esoteric." He suggests that "pure Buddhism" is something imagined by foreign scholars, particularly those with a Protestant background (McDaniel is Irish Catholic). In history, the "pure" and the rest cannot be disentangled. The Thammayut reform movement, which supposedly began as an effort to purify Buddhist practice, ended up lionizing forest monks famed for their supernatural powers. McDaniel delights in pointing out that several modern-day proponents of "pure" Buddhism also own protective amulets. McDaniel suggests that individuals have "repertoires," meaning menus of religious things they will own or do. These repertoires can be very varied and very flexible over time. Fads come and go. Recently Ganesha has had a good run, but may now be fading. Neither state nor Sangha makes any significant effort to police what these repertoires may contain. The result is that "Thai Buddhism" is extraordinarily alive and inventive, with no sign of dying away like some well-regulated faiths. McDaniel scoffs at scholars who see the proliferation of cults and especially of commercialism as a reaction to capitalism, globalisation, and modern angst. He suggests instead that the variety and inventiveness is a product of unregulated popular ownership, and that things have probably always been much the same. He twits the reformers who wring their hands over crass commercialism, and would like Thai Buddhism to be all meditation and good works; their chances of quelling the cacophony of everyday practice are nil. McDaniel also tries to define the messages and meanings of the real-world "Thai Buddhism" that includes Somdet To's martial chant, Mae Nak's shrine, hell theme parks, and all the rest. He suggest that besides the well-known Buddhist qualities of non-attachment, compassion, and enlightenment, everyday practice involves "a celebration of abundance, a promotion of heritage, a desire for security, and a rhetoric of graciousness." In short, people value protection from dangers, worldly success, fellow feeling, national identity, and more beauty in life. Finally, McDaniel suggests that Thai Buddhism is changing. It no longer looks to India or Sri Lanka as its source, but sees itself as leader of the Theravada world. Meanwhile the position of the historical Buddha is shifting. In a typical wat today, crowds throng shrines to old monks, legendary ghosts, past kings, and local spirits while the hall housing the main image is often closed and locked. There is a trend of building massive statues of famous monks, including Somdet To. There are even wats where Somdet To's image has the central site and the Buddha is to one side. This book informs, entertains, and provokes. I think this is the first volume on Buddhism which made me laugh, often. The author intends it to be controversial and hopefully it will provoke some fierce responses. Currently the publication is an expensive, academic-targeted hardback. Its appeal should be wider. Anyone interested in Thailand today, in Buddhism, in ghosts, or in why CentralWorld was burned down (it was the only building in the area with no protective shrine), should read this brilliant book. Read More @ Source
|
| Singapore Buddhist Lodge gives out more than S$670,000 to the needy Posted: 11 Jan 2012 05:00 PM PST Channel News Asia, 7 January 2012SINGAPORE -- The Singapore Buddhist Lodge (Welfare Foundation) has given out twenty per cent more red packets for the Lunar New Year this year.
This amounts to more than S$ 670,000 - an all-time high since it started distributing red packets in 1949. More than 11,000 people are expected to benefit. They include the elderly and the disabled registered with the Community Development Councils. Acting Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Chan Chun Sing graced the event and gave out red packets ranging from S$ 10 to S$ 180. The Buddhist Lodge also donated S$ 60,000 to the National Kidney Foundation, with the money going towards a transport allowance for needy patients. Singapore Buddhist Lodge president Lee Bock Guan said: "The price of coffee, drinks and daily expenses has increased. It is difficult for the elderly to celebrate the Lunar New Year so we found out how much we should increase our red packets by. Last year, we gave S$ 150. And this year, we increased it by 20 per cent." Read More @ Source
|
| ‘Look at science the Buddhist way’ Posted: 11 Jan 2012 04:00 PM PST TNN Jan 6, 2012BHUBANESWAR, India -- After delivering hard talks on chemistry at the ongoing Indian Science Congress (ISC) here, Nobel Laureate Prof Richard R. Ernst donned the garb of a Buddhist spiritual leader and philosopher on Thursday.
Trying to strike a chord with the audience, Prof Ernst said: "I was immensely influenced by Meditation and the Dalai Lama and his preaching. The Buddhist leader always looked at science from the spiritual point of view." Ernst recollected old memories how the Dalai Lama held series of discussions with scientists to establish the link between spiritualism and science. He also spoke of the monastic Tibet Institute in Rikon, Switzerland. "The Dalai Lama was responsible of the institute. The Buddhist monastery and its Tibetan monastic community consttute a vital part of the cultural and religious life of Tibetans in Switzerland," said Ernst, who won Nobel Prize in 1991 for his contributions to the development of the methodology of high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The Nobel Laureate exhibited his craving for Tibetan paintings created by master painter Zhu-Chen. "I find science when I do pigment analysis in his paintings. The colour combinations in Tibetan art resembled the chemical reactions in chemistry," Ernst said. He cultivated interest in Tibetan art during a trip through Asia in 1968. Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingh Deb and Subhag Swami spoke, among others. Read More @ Source
|
| Ultimate Source of Inner-peace Is Warmheartedness; His Holiness Posted: 11 Jan 2012 03:00 PM PST The Tibet Post International, 10 January 2012Bodhgaya, India -- Humanity needs more warmheartedness. This was the message of the spiritual leader of Tibet, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to thousands of Buddhist devotees from all over the world at the conclusion of his teachings at Bodhgaya, Bihar state of India, where he was conferring the 32nd Kalachakra initiation for world peace over the past ten days.
"Calm-mind entirely based on compassion, when you have sense of concern over other human beings, you will get happiness everywhere, if you keep suspicious and distrust, then you will feel insecure everywhere, therefore, the ultimate source of inner-peace is warmheartedness," said His Holiness.
The Buddhist leader successfully finished his 32nd Kalachakra initiation for world peace in Bodhgaya Tuesday. During the last ten days, over 200,000 people were attended the Buddhist teachings including, including 20,000 monks and nuns, and more than 50,000 devotees from Himalayan regions, over 8000 Tibetan pilgrims from within Tibet and 1000 Chinese nationals from mainland China. For the first time in Bodgaya city, where Gautam Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment, His Holiness' teachings of Kalachakra for peace were streamed live on the web-TV and thousand others watched the teachings and over 300 journalists from all over world covered the events. His Holiness concluded the final day of teachings by finishing the 32nd Kalachakra initiation including giving Tara's empowerment and long life prayer. He then led the Buddhist followers through the Bodhisattva vows and encouraged people to repeat the vow as part of their daily practice. Read More @ SourceThe Dali Lama Interview 
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Dalai Lama on democracy and his possible reincarnation — as a woman (with video) Posted: 11 Jan 2012 02:00 PM PST  Photo by Luca Galuzzi - www.galuzzi.it By Adam Tebbe "The day I officially handed over [political power], that night? Very unusual, sound sleep." These were the words of the 14th Dalai Lama, who recently sat down for an interview with NDTV at the 2012 Kalachakra event in Bodh Gaya. Now seeing himself as semi-retired, some Tibetans and Tibetan supporters wanted him to take on a ceremonial role in the wake of his announcement. To that, he said (in this interview), "No use. My basic nature — I don't like formality. I don't like. I've grown up [with] too much formality." His Holiness believes strongly that the Tibetan problem is a national one; not the job for any one individual, but one for all Tibetans and supporters of Tibet. His hope is that Tibet's next leader will be modern educated and democratically elected. This, he believes, will be his greatest contribution to the Tibetan people and cause. "Still, I am here," he said in his NDTV interview. "Still I am the Dalai Lama. I am Tibetan. This body [is] Tibetan body." This year has been a particularly challenging one for Tibet, hit by wave after wave of self-immolation acts in protest of Chinese repression. His Holiness scoffs at China's assertion that the Tibetan leadership in exile is somehow responsible for the acts. "People inside Tibet [are] our boss, " says His Holiness. "So, the decision is in their hand. Not my hand. If I try to control them, then my expression is hypocritical." He continues, "The Chinese government, they have the responsibility. We are refugees. We have no responsibility. But Chinese officials sometimes point out, ah, all the blame on us. So, immediately, I respond, 'Please, come here. Investigate, thoroughly, whether we started these works or not." "Now the time has come [where] they must look at what are the real causes?" He points to the increase of soldiers at Tibetan monasteries and cameras on every corner of the street, even in classrooms, as the real causes for such acts. He asks, "Why? For the last sixty years they have utilized various methods and now they must think, 'What is wrong? What are the real causes?'" The Chinese have expressed their intention to appoint (or, anoint, as the interviewer points out), their own successor to the office of the Dalai Lama. Speaking on his own reincarnation, the Dalai Lama talked about how he doesn't anticipate any final decision on the matter for at least another decade. "As early as 1969, in one of my statements, I stated [whether] the very institution of the Dalai Lama should continue or not should be decided by the Tibetan people. They should decide. So, no hurry. No hurry." When asked whether the next Dalai Lama could possibly be a woman, His Holiness replied, "Yes." He continued, "You know, among humanity, in very, very ancient times, male and female were equal. Everybody is equal. No concept of leader. Now, the time has come [where] we must make every effort for the promotion of human compassion and human affection. In that respect female, biologically, more sort of sensitivity toward other's pain." The video also features a short interview with Richard Gere, well-known for his activism for Tibet, who speaks on the self-immolation phenomenon and causes. You can watch the video from NDTV in full by clicking here. Read More @ Source
|
| 'Cradle of Chinese Buddhist' embraces world Posted: 11 Jan 2012 01:00 PM PST by Liu Xiangrui and Li Yao, China Daily, Jan 11, 2012 Temple complex to house shrines representing other countries  << Two monks from Baima Temple pass a Thai-style shrine on Friday. The temple is planning to build an International Temples Zone featuring 10 exotic shrines from foreign countries. Xiang Mingchao / China DailyThe Baima Temple - White Horse Temple - aspires to be not only the oldest, but also the largest and most international Buddhist temple in China. Henan province, in Central China, has approved a plan to expand and renovate the temple into a 1,300 mu (87 hectare) cultural park over eight years, the largest in China by then. It currently covers 20 hectares. The almost 2,000-year-old temple is creating an International Temples Zone to showcase 10 exotic shrines from foreign countries, said Wang Xiaohui, director of the religious affairs bureau in Luoyang, where the temple is located. The Indian shrine opened in May 2010. A Thai shrine built in the 1990s is being expanded and will open in April. "Details were discussed when Myanmar Minister for Religious Affairs Thura U Myint Maung visited Baima Temple and inspected the site on Dec 27." The minister instructed that the decorative materials, mostly gems, for the golden canopy on the roofs would be shipped from Myanmar, Wang said. Following the examples of the Indian and Thai gardens, other foreign temples will be funded by foreign governments, enterprises or religious groups, who will also oversee the construction, statue-making and decoration. When they are completed, Baima Temple monks will manage the gardens. Several other countries, including Japan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, have shown interest in investing in similar programs, Wang added. "Baima Temple is widely regarded as 'the cradle of Chinese Buddhist' and has become an ideal place to demonstrate unique Buddhist cultures from different countries," Wang said. Former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee first proposed the construction of an Indian shrine when he visited the temple in 2003. Its construction was officially agreed on when Premier Wen Jiabao visited India in 2005. The 6,000 square meter Indian shrine, created with an investment of 15 million yuan ($ 2.4 million), is the first temple that India has funded and built in a foreign country, Wang said. It resembles the revered Buddhist shrines at Sarnath and Sanchi, India, built in 2nd and 3rd centuries BC. Now a popular spot at Baima Temple, it appears in tourist guides with introductions to its history, architecture and artistic features. The Thai shrine was built in the 1990s when Thailand donated a statue of Buddha to the temple. It has expanded from less than 3,000 to more than 10,000 sq m, with an investment of 30 million yuan, mostly from Thai religious groups, Wang said. "I love this idea. We can get a good look at foreign temples without g! oing abr oad," said Li Na, a tourist. But the 36-year-old bank employee from Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, said she expected more than just fascinating buildings. "Right now, only the Indian garden is open, and it looks rather empty inside. But it's their cultures that interest me most," she said. Tang, the tourist, said: "We come here to appreciate not only the architecture, but also the deeper Buddhist messages. Most of us are not familiar with Buddhist in India. Maybe Baima Temple can do more to help visitors learn about foreign Buddhist cultures, inviting monks from abroad to present their Buddhist practices during peak tourist seasons." With the opening of more foreign gardens, some tourists worry that ticket prices will rise. "They will stay at the present level, 50 yuan, for a few years, and no extra fees will be charged to enter the International Temples Zone," said Hu Xuanyan, an official from Luoyang religious affairs bureau. The temple receives about 1 million tourists a year, which brings it an annual income of 20 million yuan. "The foreign temples are great news for me. People can worship Buddha as is done in different countries - and I believe all the world's Buddhists belong to one family," said Shi Chengjuan, 46, a Buddhist and frequent visitor to Baima Temple. Zhang Zong, a researcher specializing in Buddhist fine arts at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, also welcomed the move to build the International Temples Zone. "It will be a center of communication among religious groups from different countries. Tourists will gain eye-opening experience and knowledge of the historical ties and development of Buddhist in China, Asia as a whole and beyond," Zhang said. Read More @ Source Malaysian Chinese Scholar | Preserving the Call of Prophets at all Times 
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Could the Dalai Lama come back to us as a woman? Posted: 11 Jan 2012 12:00 PM PST Photo by Luca Galuzzi - www.galuzzi.it Could the Dalai Lama reincarnate as a woman? "Yes," he tells NDTV in a new interview. "You know, among humanity, in very, very ancient times, male and female were equal. Everybody is equal. No concept of leader. Now, the time has come [where] we must make every effort for the promotion of human compassion and human affection. In that respect female, biologically, more sort of sensitivity toward other's pain." He also discussed China, his hope for Tibet's next leader — that said leader will would be modern educated and democratically elected — and more. Video of the interview, which also features a short interview with Richard Gere, well-known for his activism for Tibet is now online. Click here to watch. For more from the Dalai Lama, see our special spotlight of articles by and about him. Read More @ SourceExciting Pilgrimage to Nainativu Island and Nagadeepa Purana Viharaya, Sri Lanka 
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 11 Jan 2012 11:00 AM PST The message? - Enjoy the simplicity in life. See also on Impacted Nurse....always good to go to Australia from time to time to see what Ian is talking about. If you visit, be prepared to stay for a couple of hours...! Read More @ Source真．愛．你 
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Portland artist and Shambhala International sangha member Melanya Helene will present "Hopeless," an "uplifting collection of stories, musings and music based on Pema Chodron's teachings on the nature of hope and fear," at Seattle's Shoreline Temple Residence Temple on January 28th. Tickets for the 8 p.m. show are sold out, but tickets for the 2 p.m. matinee are still available at 
Arbie Thalacker was beloved at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, especially by the long-term staff who helped him develop KTD since the 1980s. Arbie and Deborah [Garrett] have a home in the greater Woodstock area, and we would get to see them not only when they had KTD business but sometimes also just when they had gotten out of New York City to relax.
<< THE LOVELORN GHOST AND THE MAGICAL MONK
<< Singapore Buddhist Lodge gives out more than S$ 670,000 to the needy
Stressing the need of a "role model", the 79-year-old Swiss Nobel laureate was all praise for Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama while delivering his lecture on "Science and Spirituality: The view of a Western Scientist" on the Utkal University campus here. The event was organised by Bhaktivendanta Institute, Kolkata.
An individual, a family, a community and the whole of humanity need more warmheartedness and more of a consideration for the well-being of others. Through that our world becomes a very warm, peaceful. "The ultimate source of inner peace is Warmheartedness," said the the Tibetan Nobel peace laureate, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His Holiness also told the the crowd of thousand devotees at Bodhgaya that a long term happiness, joyfulness must come through inner peace and compassion.| You are subscribed to email updates from BuddhaRocks ☸ Buddhist To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
