From the Summer 2012 Buddhadharma magazine: “It’s All Good”
From the Summer 2012 Buddhadharma magazine: “It’s All Good” |
- From the Summer 2012 Buddhadharma magazine: “It’s All Good”
- Buddhist Jatakmala and Panchatantra evoke the contemporary spirit in dance
- Korean Buddhists promote temple food, Templestay program in N.Y.
- “Yoga for Meditators” teaches you to sit — quite literally
- Letter: Buddhist temple with Muslim architechture directive
- Wall of Udayagiri collapses while others like Ratnagiri plundered and neglected
- Monks fear Tawang projects will defile sacred Buddhist spots
- Buddhist calm becomes big business
- Hands Of The Buddha
| From the Summer 2012 Buddhadharma magazine: “It’s All Good” Posted: 13 Jun 2012 06:00 AM PDT
To read a lengthy excerpt from "It's All Good" from the Summer Buddhadharma 2012 magazine, click here. And browse the entire issue online here. Read More @ Source
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| Buddhist Jatakmala and Panchatantra evoke the contemporary spirit in dance Posted: 12 Jun 2012 07:00 PM PDT Orissa Diary, June 11, 2012Bhubaneswar, India -- The Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy organised a 3-day long contemporary dance festival at Bhubaneswar with colour and grandeur. Being organised for the first time this festival awakened curosity and excitement among the art connoisseur of the city who thronged to see something of different taste both in terms of dance as well as presentation.
This is followed by Jatakmala i.e. tales of Buddhist expound on wisdom and vagaries of life through a series of naratives. These tales emanated issues of times i.e. ecology, human releations, wisdom stories and historical record of its time. Choreographed by Bharat Sharma this episode depicts images of animal world, power, conflicts, enviornment, relationship, dreams and abstract concepts using props, colour schema and different designs through gestures and movements.
Her group performance on Panchatantra sends message of friendship, bravery, leadership and freedom through parable and allegory of popular tales of Panchatantra showcasing the stories of monkey and crocodile, lion and rabit, swain and tortoise, monkey. Laced with humour and satire, elegantly blend of tradition with contemporary and beautifully combined with a rich movement of vocabulary and grammer the production of Padamshree Dr. Ananda Shankar Jayant took the audience to a different world of kaleiodoscopic designs of colour rhythm and imagery. Both Bharat Sharam and Dr. Ananda Shankar Jayant enthralled the art lovers of the city by their superb choreographic presentation of music, dance and rhythm synchronized with proper costumes, props and light effects. Read More @ SourceThe Habits of Happiness- Matthieu Ricard at TED.com Part 2/2 
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| Korean Buddhists promote temple food, Templestay program in N.Y. Posted: 12 Jun 2012 06:00 PM PDT By Cho Chung-un, Korea Herald, June 11, 2012New York, USA -- A Korean Buddhist group has launched a week-long promotion event for temple food and temple stay programs in New York, as part of efforts to introduce its 1,700-year-old culture abroad. In cooperation with the Korean Cultural Service New York and the Korean Embassy in New York, the cultural arm of the Jogye Order will invite local journalists, chefs, restaurateurs, power bloggers and travel agents to gala dinners from June 12 to 14, to offer a better understanding of temple food. Temple food, the food that Buddhist monks eat, is comprised mostly of wild vegetables, roots and husks of trees foraged in mountainous regions. Seasonings are used sparingly to enhance the original taste and flavor of the main ingredients. The event also features lectures on temple food as well as an art exhibition of dolls made of dak paper or Korean traditional paper, depicting the self-disciplinary life of Buddhist monks. On June 15, the Buddhist group will hit the road with the Kimchi Taco Truck, a popular Korean fusion food chain, to promote its temple food and Templestay program on the streets of midtown Manhattan. The group also plans to hold a press conference to increase media exposure of its cultural offerings. The New York event is a follow up to a similar showcase held in Paris last year. The group plans to open its first temple food restaurant on the rooftop of Galeries Lafayette in Paris next year. The Boy With Divine Powers (4 of 5) Documentary About Buddha Boy 
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| “Yoga for Meditators” teaches you to sit — quite literally Posted: 12 Jun 2012 05:00 PM PDT
During a question-and-answer session on a meditation retreat I led many years ago, one participant asked, "Why do we have to sit in such an uncomfortable position?" I knew what she meant. After years of sitting on a bench or cushion with no back support—with aching knees, low back, and shoulders—I had often wondered the same thing. I pondered her question for a few moments, and then the answer came: Any position you sit in for a long period of time is going to get uncomfortable after a while. Whether you're sitting on a hard wooden bench with no back support or luxuriating in the most ergonomically supportive lounger, after a while your body is going to want to move. Perhaps this sitting meditation scenario is familiar to you: You've been sitting a little while, and you suddenly notice that you're slumping a bit. You immediately correct by jerking your body back to a more upright position. Not long after, you notice you're slumping again, and once again you correct your position. The cycle can happen over and over in the course of a sitting. This little dance could be a sign that the spine is out of congruence, that your basic sitting position is not self-sustaining. Traditional sitting postures—whether on a bench, zafu, or some other type of support—were developed to make the most of the body's natural energy flow. An upright, neutrally aligned spine allows for the most efficient movement of energy. When the spine, and therefore the spinal cord, is in an easy, neutral position, the nervous system has a much better chance of finding equilibrium, which creates a supportive environment for the mind to quiet. When the spine is out of integrity, we struggle. Struggle creates an uncomfortable combination of agitation and fatigue. As we spend muscular energy to support the spine in sitting, we create tension and agitation. Over time, tension and agitation tire us out. Then we spend more muscle energy to prop ourselves up. As we tighten our core postural muscles to maintain an upright position, breathing becomes shallower. This decreases our energy further, inclining us to slump over. The cycle sustains itself. When your spine is aligned naturally, it holds itself up. We need to supply some intention, but the energy expenditure is minimal. Two things have to happen in order for the spine to be in optimum alignment. First, your foundation (the parts of the body in contact with your cushion, bench, or chair) must be evenly and efficiently grounded. Next, your spinal curves must be intact. When these two conditions are met, while you may experience fatigue or agitation for reasons other than spinal misalignment, your body—and therefore your mind—has a much greater chance of finding equilibrium. Your sitting position then sustains, rather than depletes, energy. The first step for creating a sustainable position is to determine what sitting position best allows for spinal congruence in your unique body. I will address five possibilities here: a zafu, a v-shaped cushion, a meditation bench, folded blankets, and a chair. You don't have to choose just one of these. If you are on a long meditation retreat, you may want to switch between a zafu and a chair, for example, if this fits within the guidelines of the retreat. In your home practice, you may find that a bench suits you on days when your energy is low, whereas a v-shaped cushion supports you better on days when you're feeling agitated. Staying open to shifts in your body-mind will help you determine what works best at a given time.
The two convex curves, in the sacrum and thorax, are stable, while the two concave curves, in the lumbar and cervical spine, are flexible. The concave curves give support to the structures immediately above them: the rib cage and head. When these curves are in integrity, the intervertebral discs create even space—front to back and side to side— between each vertebral body. When the vertebrae are evenly spaced, the discs stay healthy, not developing flat spots that can become brittle or bulging spots that can create pain by pushing out from between the vertebrae and impinging on nerves. When the vertebrae are in congruence, the discs create the cushion the spine needs to maintain its buoyancy and integrity. In order to maintain these curves, we must focus our initial attention on the sacral angle. The sacral angle determines the ability of the rest of the spine to maintain its natural curves. The optimum angle for the sacrum is approximately 30 degrees, with the top of the sacrum angling forward. There are a whole host of muscles and muscle groups that, when tight, can limit the sacrum's ability to find the magic angle. Tight hips, hamstrings, quadriceps, adductors, and abductors can all pull on the pelvis, causing it to tilt out of neutral, which usually brings the sacrum's angle to vertical, or can even cause the sacrum to tilt back. Postural habits such as constant tightening of the abdominal muscles can also affect the sacral angle and flatten the lumbar. All of these conditions not only make the spine unable to hold itself up easily, but over time they can also cause disc damage. The even grounding of the sit bones is also essential. When we sit unevenly, with one sit bone more grounded than the other, the spine will misalign in whatever way it needs to for the body to stay upright. Support is the key to bringing the spine to its optimum position. Even very flexible people don't do well sitting flat on the floor. So even if you have little restriction in the muscles that act on the pelvis and femur bones, using a bench, zafu, v-shaped cushion, chair, or blankets will allow you to sit more easily. In our competitive Western culture, we often tend to see props as crutches. This is not at all the case—in yoga or in meditation. Using a cushion, bench, or chair in meditation simply allows you to create the most supportive position for sitting for long periods. You wouldn't want to run a marathon in flip-flops. Instead, you would wear shoes meticulously designed to help your body withstand the impact of constant pounding. The same applies to sitting. Struggling against the body is counterproductive in meditation. Even with the best sup- port, you will likely experience challenges in your body when you sit. But if your spine is not aligned properly, struggle will be constant, and your nervous system will not be able to find equilibrium. Why not give yourself every possible opportunity to sit comfortably? Selecting what you will sit on can take some experimentation. There are supports you can use for short meditation sessions that might not work for longer ones, and there are some that won't feel comfortable for you from the outset. You may try out something in a shop and find it perfectly comfortable, only to get it home and decide it's not the right choice for you. I sat on a meditation bench for my first several years of practice and then switched to sitting cross- legged. It took me a while to find the most comfortable position for long-term sitting, and I'm well aware that as time goes on I may shift yet again. Here are guidelines for choosing a cushion or bench: When you decide to shop for a support, it might be helpful to bring along a friend who can assess whether your pelvis rests in the optimum angle on a cushion or bench. The illustrations in this section should help you understand what that looks like. Your most reliable feedback, of course, is your own body. Remember, feeling at ease and breathing freely is the most important cue. Explore all the options that work for your body, and be open to the possibility that over time your preferences may change. Read More @ Source 
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| Letter: Buddhist temple with Muslim architechture directive Posted: 12 Jun 2012 04:00 PM PDT by Kelvin Liew Peng Chuan, The Buddhist Channel, June 13, 2012I read with interest the news item that appeared on Buddhist Channel "Malaysia: Respect the cultural features of all communities,The Sunday Star, May 27, 2012."
Buddhism has been a religion of tolerence due to its emphasis on Metta (loving-kindness), Panna (Wisdom) and its universal feature inclined towards non-attachment. Now if the state government of Kelantan is moving towards Islamizing the state architechture,it is not an issue. There is nowhere in the Tipitaka that states all temples built in the name of 'Buddhism' must have 'Buddhist features'. Thai Buddhist Wats have been incorporating Hindu elements in its architechture for ages without any much hoohah. Islamic architechture can be another enriching feature to Kelantanese future temples. I can also see no harm in following the state directive disallowing the display of religious icons clearly in the open. Buddhist, after all began without images. Images were Greeco Buddhist innovation and it spread like wild fire throughout the Buddhist world since it was first created. Buddha images,if the temple wants to have it,can be displayed within the temple premises for devotional purposes. Examplirary forest monks like the late Ajahn Buddhadassa never had any Buddha images in his practice centre. All he had was the Patimokha,that's it. Having Metta, Buddhists should always be sensitive to the needs of others. Having Panna, Buddhists should weigh the wieght of this issue,is it harming Buddhist,or it's stepping on our ego? Contemplating on non-attachment, one can clearly see this whole issue is but worldly. Read More @ SourceThrough the Eastern Gate 
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| Wall of Udayagiri collapses while others like Ratnagiri plundered and neglected Posted: 12 Jun 2012 03:00 PM PDT by Walter Jayawardhana, The Buddhisty Channel, June 13, 2012Jaipur, India -- The Times of India has reported a section of the wall of the 8th century Buddhist monastery at Jajpur's Udayagiri collapsed recently.
The archeological Survey of India has accepted lack of staff at many of these Buddhist archeological sites and has pointed out lack of funds for the neglect. The Times of India has reported the historical wall collapsed due to getting soaked in the April showers. "It is extremely important to prevent the wall from collapsing because it would block the entrance to the monastery," said Nrusingh Charana Sahoo, a noted historian and researcher.
When the bricks thaw, there is nothing holding them, he added. Manas Ranjan Sahoo, an ASI official in Udayagiri said "We found that the wall has given away at several places. We will repair it soon." "ASI is struggling to preserve the archaeological wealth. The monument tells the story of Buddhist civilization and religion," said Bebaratta Ajaya Das, vice-president of Buddhayan, a cultural organization working for preservation of Buddhist sites. Udayagiri was a Vajrayana centre between the 8th and 9th century A.D. At Udayagiri, there were remains of several stupas, said a senior official of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), adding that one of this is the Dhyani Buddha having descriptions in Vajrayana texts. "Illegal quarrying near Udayagiri poses a serious threat to the ancient Buddhist monastery. The monument is facing the onslaught of axes and spades of quarry workers as every day many trucks transport the stones, boulders, stone-chips and morums from the hill," the official added. A separate Hindu report said, "Udayagiri and Ratnagiri in Orissa were important centres of Buddhist culture in ancient India. But priceless artefacts of that time are being lost thanks to governmental apathy." The Hindu quoted Prafulla Mohanti , a man familiar with the area for the last 30 years, "A 1000 and more years ago, these places were epitomes of Buddhist culture in India. Fits and starts of excavation during the past few decades — more in fits than in starts — have unearthed amazing evidence of their importance from the heritage angle. for the world at large, and the Buddhist world in particular. Artefacts ranging in size from gigantic, life-like images of the Buddha to exquisite : "All those hillocks in Ratnagiri, Udayagiri and Lalitgiri were covered with statues. They were full of them; lying under banyan trees, among frolicking monkeys. They were part of our lives. But nobody understood their importance. Then, early in the 1960s, people from the Archaeological Survey of India came to the area and found them lying around. One lady was responsible for taking away the best of the artefacts. Much later, I found some of these statues in the Kolkata museum. Since then, many were sold to foreign antique smugglers by local people. In fact, even I was offered some." He recalls a beautiful sitting Buddha that is no longer there. "Most of these priceless artefacts disappeared after the 1960s. My estimate is 80%" he rues. Ratnagiri and its neighbouring Udayagiri could have been the cultural capitals of the entire Buddhist world but for the neglect and apathy of the government and people of Orissa and India. That includes successive governments of both. There are, even today, priceless treasures wilting in the wilderness atop hilltops here; unwept, unhonoured and unsung. Most of these, since their excavation, have been stolen, just taken away or simply neglected. Miniature rock and metal models and niche carvings, adorn the place even today. Some lie in wasteland, a few find a home in the beautiful but ill-equipped ASI Museum and many more are hopefully safe under Mother Earth. Who takes charge of this heritage that is Orissa and India? The ASI museum is open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (entry Rs. 5.). This three-storied structure with four galleries has a staff strength of five: "two permanent and three ad hoc", as per one of them. There is an elegant-looking Yatri Nivas close by, which is yet to be opened. "It was completed six months ago. The Chief Minister was to inaugurate it a few weeks ago, but bye-elections prevented it. Now it has to wait for the convenience of the CM," said one of the locals. The officer in charge of the museum is "in dual charge" for a long time, and comes from Konark (160 km away) a couple of times a week. When I asked the Superintending Archaeologist of ASI for Orissa Dr. AK Patel about the "two permanent, three ad hoc" phenomenon, this is what he had to say: "Yes, we are under-staffed, not only in Orissa but in the entire country. Even in Konark, which is a world heritage site, there are only three permanent watchmen." As for protection and conservation of the treasures above and below ground, he lamented "The local population is not co-operating. As per the rules, no construction made before 1982 in the protected area can be touched, but anything that came up later can be demolished. We have all the responsibility but no power. We can only request the State government for action, which we have been doing. We have also lodged an FIR about some such constructions, and have written to the Collector. But hardly anything is moving. The local people have even threatened to close the museum." I asked Tapaswini Mahapatra, who spent her childhood in Ratnagiri where she was born, about memories of the place as it was three decades ago. She remembers the annual 3-day festival during the New Year (around April 14) held atop the Ratnagiri hillock where 10,000 to 20,000 a speople gathered each day. The festival was connected to the temple on the hillock. Dr. Patel said it has since been "transplanted" to the base of the hillock in the 1990s after ASI discovered Buddhist monuments below its plinth. Tapaswini also remembers a 10-foot high sitting Buddha. What can be done Poet-anthropologist Dr. Sitakant Mahapatra, former Secretary, Culture, Government of India and Director-general of ASI, says, "ASI has problems of inadequate personnel and funding. I hope there have been positive changes since my time. They should expeditiously complete the remaining part of excavations in Ratnagiri, Udayagiri and Lalitgiri, which are not far apart. Secondly, whatever they have already excavated in the other two places should be brought to Ratnagiri. An annexe to the existing museum can be earmarked for Udayagiri and Lalitgiri. Later, they can have a museum complex for all three sites in the area. Land is still available there, unlike in Bhubaneswar." Read More @ Source
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| Monks fear Tawang projects will defile sacred Buddhist spots Posted: 12 Jun 2012 02:00 PM PDT by Naresh Mitra, TNN, June 13, 2012GUWAHATI, India -- Buddhist monks of Arunachal Pradesh have asked Union power minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to scrap the hydroelectric power projects proposed to be constructed in Tawang as they would desecrate many sacred Buddhist spots in the district.
Lamas under the banner of Save Mon Region Federation (SMRF) met Shinde recently in New Delhi and raised their concern over 13 hydroelectric projects planned in Tawang, the birthplace of the VIth Dalai Lama. The 400-year old Tawang monastery, highly revered in the Mahayana sect of Buddhist, is among the many sacred Buddhist spots in the district. The monastery, founded by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in 1680-1681AD on the wish of fifth Dalai Lama, stands on the spur of a hill about 10,000 feet above sea level. Tawang is also strategically important location for its proximity to Mac Mahon Line and China frequently claiming the area as southern Tibet.
Pointing out that Centre had scrapped proposals for three dams on the Ganga due to religious sentiments, Gyatso said: "Similar steps should be taken to ensure that our sacred sites in Tawang and elsewhere in Arunachal Pradesh are not defiled. He added that the 1750MW Demwe hydroelectric project was also planned close to the holy site Parshuram Kund in Arunachal Pradesh. SMRF said that discontent and anger of the people of Tawang against large number of hydroelectric projects would only benefit China, which claims the place as part of its territory. "People of Tawang have faith in the Union of India, but situations like these are instilling discontent and dissatisfaction among citizens. This is perhaps exactly the kind of sentiment China is banking on when it claims Tawang time and again," Gyatso said. He said that apart from environmental degradation and desecration of sacred places, the hydel projects would not help the people of Tawang as the electricity generated would be channelled outside. SMRF was also concerned that these projects could jeopardize the area's "cultural dynamics" and the influx of migrant labourers would undermine the rights of indigenous people. "Tawang's population is barely 49, 950 and the 13 projects are set to bring in a peak labour force of over 100,000 people. This will ruin the cultural dynamics of the area where the rights of indigenous people have been constitutionally safeguarded," SMRF said. Read More @ SourceTransforming Anger Into Loving-Kindness ~ A Teaching by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche 
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| Buddhist calm becomes big business Posted: 12 Jun 2012 01:00 PM PDT AP, June 12, 2012
Peace of the action: The calming yogic technique of 'mindfulness' is catching on in big business and even politics San Francisco, CA (USA) -- This has become a daily ritual. In Mr Ryan's world, it's a stretch for people to get this relaxed. He's a member of Congress.
Increasingly, people in settings beyond the serene yoga studio or contemplative nature path are engaging in the practice of mindfulness, a mental technique that dwells on breathing, attention to areas of the body and periods of silence to concentrate on the present rather than the worries of yesterday and tomorrow. Marines are doing it. Office workers are doing it. Prisoners are doing it. The technique is drawing tens of thousands to conferences and learning experiences across the nation and world, and studies have shown it to reduce the symptoms of certain diseases and conditions. Mr Ryan has written a book, "A Mindful Nation," pushing mindfulness as an elixir that can tone down political divisions in Washington, get American schoolchildren learning better, and return the country to an era of richer personal experience.
Benefits in stress reduction and improved performance have prompted US corporations including Google, Target, Procter & Gamble, General Mills, Comcast, BASF, Bose and New Balance to offer mindfulness training and encourage its use at work. The practice's critics, including some psychologists and religious scholars, say the approach is little more than Buddhist meditation repackaged and rebranded for a secular, and often paying, audience. "The commercialisation of Buddhism has been happening as long as Buddhism has existed," said Rachelle Scott, an associate professor of religion at the University of Tennessee and author of "Nirvana for Sale." "It's problematic, because most Americans who are engaging in these activities don't know the cultural backdrop to that, so in order to gain access they have to go to one of these retreats, and they are expensive," she said. Of the $ US34 billion ($ 34 billion) Americans spent on alternative medicine in 2009, $ US4.2 billion - about 12 per cent - was spent in sectors that included mindfulness concepts, such as meditation-related classes or relaxation techniques, according to federal data. Participation in meditation therapy by US adults rose 6 per cent a year on average from 2002 to 2007, according to a study by the research group SRI International. Marine 1st Lt Scott Williams, 32, of Lancaster, California, said skills he learned through Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training - known in the military as MMFT or "M-fit," - allow him to transition rapidly from one focus point to another, to rid his mind of negative thoughts, and to recover more quickly from emotional experiences. "As an infantry officer in the Marines, the mental agility gained by conducting mindfulness exercises could potentially be the difference maker as I lead men through chaotic and uncertain environments in Afghanistan," he said. The technique has also reached prisons, where it is being used to reduce stress, anxiety and violence. Mr Ryan, a Democrat from Youngstown, learned the technique at a retreat two days after the 2008 presidential election - the end of a stressful campaign period and the beginning of another. "I was to the point where I was OK, but I thought, 'I'm going to be fried by the time I'm 40; I'm just going to be burnt out,'" said Mr Ryan, who was 35 at the time of the election. For Mr Ryan, a former high school quarterback, the feeling he gets during mindfulness meditation reminds him of the utter concentration and single-mindedness athletes feel when they're "in the zone." In fact, it was Phil Jackson, the legendary NBA coach, who was among the first to legitimise mind-body techniques in popular culture as he led the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers to 11 titles from 1989 to 2010. Jackson was nicknamed the "Zen Master" for a holistic approach to coaching that drew upon Eastern religious philosophy. Over the same period that Jackson was winning titles, brain science was beginning to validate what practitioners found evident: The brain can be trained to de-stress, and the body will perform better. For many, it was a wacky, or at least unconventional, idea - departing from the wisdom of the day that the brain was more or less fully formed by the time a child hit kindergarten. The growing body of research showing the brain has the capacity to change throughout life is bringing mental fitness onto the same plane as physical fitness, said Georgetown University associate professor Elizabeth Stanley. Ms Stanley, who runs MMFT and conducts research for the Army and Marines, said mindfulness meditation "isn't touchy-feely at all" in its new uses. "There's something very empowering about learning how and why the body and mind respond under stress," she said. Ms Stanley said studies involving subjects engaged in repeated mindfulness have shown that it changes the way blood and oxygen flow through the brain, leading over time to structural changes. The practice can shrink the amygdala, which controls our fear response; enlarge the hippocampus, which controls memory; and make the insular cortex that regulates the body's internal environment more efficient, according to recent peer-reviewed studies by Ms Stanley and others. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention are touting several recent studies that have found the technique can reduce the severity of irritable bowel syndrome symptoms in women and reduce stress and pain in chronic sufferers of fibromyalgia and depression. Google spokeswoman Katelin Todhunter-Gerberg says the company's "Search Inside Yourself" mindfulness class is among its most popular. It enhances awareness and performance, which improves productivity and morale, she said. One Google lawyer, she said, was able to use her training to stop taking things so personally, reduce the irritability sometimes evident in her emails, and elicit immediate kudos from customers. Not everyone is sold. In her self-help website Mindful Construct, psychology master's student Melissa Karnaze worries that mindfulness runs the risk of encouraging participants to suppress valid emotions. "To imply that typical forms of human judgment are somehow inferior to a particular type of attention referred to as mindfulness - with regard to mental health and well-being in general - is a broad sweep," she said in an email. "We rely on various types of judgment for survival, and context matters." Mr Ryan wants to see fellow politicians embrace mindfulness and abandon the aggressive, around-the-clock grind. "Nobody enjoys it; nobody likes it. It's become a mess," Mr Ryan said. "Look at the approval ratings from the American people, look at how the people who are inside these institutions feel about the gridlock and the inability to get things done, and the constant campaigning, and the amount of money that's involved. We're not going to solve the problem by doing more of it." Read More @ Sourceชิ น บั ญ ช ร ๙ จบ 
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| Posted: 12 Jun 2012 12:00 PM PDT An article in The Buddha Diaries titled Blessing caught my eye this morning. The author is asking about a Buddhist baby blessing/naming ceremony for his grandchild. He then goes on to contemplate, it would seem to me, the matter of spiritual authority. How does it go, By the authority vested in me I declare you....etc. etc. This whole matter of ceremonial, it's significance to us, who is empowered to celebrate them and...who isn't! And why. So much surrounds this business doesn't it. Here is the last paragraph of the article:-
My teacher would use the term sanctifying the mundane. I took this to mean we can engage with existence in such a way that we encounter a depth or sanctity to all that we touch, see, hear, smell, taste and know. And this comes about as a consequence of finding that depth or sanctity within ourselves and at the same time (ah hem) not getting over large in our own heads! Humility and self reflection keep us safe. The only way forward, it seems to me, is to walk on and regard all one encounters with reverence and respect. Which includes that which we call myself. As for the question of spiritual authority. You could call that the light of the Buddha which shines through us without questioning where or what it illuminates. Hands are blessed gifts, hands being our main instrument for making contact with that which we call not myself. No wonder they tingle! Read More @ SourcePema Chödrön explains Maitri 
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Everything is either wisdom or a distortion of wisdom, says Anne Carolyn Klein. Once we see this, we can relax and allow the path to dissolve the disturbed energies that give rise to our habitual reactions.
The first presentation of the evening was Hansha Balaka, skillfully displaying the various gaits and movements of Swain followed by acrobatic gestures entiled Street Dance Ragavali depicting the nationalist element through the colourful display of Indian national flag with Ashoka Chakra choreographed by his illustrious father Narendra Sharma sensitized the patriotic spirit of the audiences. It is punctuated with movement with imagined charecterstics of each colour and the centrality of chakra in the flag's formulation. 
Most important, the position(s) you choose must sup- port even grounding through your foundation and integrity of your natural spinal curves. The human spine, or vertebral column, develops with four natural curves. Two are convex; the other two are concave (Figure 1). These curves allow for shock absorption, and allow your spine to flex, extend, rotate, and side bend naturally as you move through space.
An important Center of Vajrayana Buddhism, another national newspaper, the HINDU has blamed the government of India for lack of interest in preserving the Buddhist center for sometime and complaining of the plunder of artifacts by thieves .
<< Tawang
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