Seeing Fresh: Contemplative Photo(s) of the Week
Seeing Fresh: Contemplative Photo(s) of the Week |
- Seeing Fresh: Contemplative Photo(s) of the Week
- Forest Walking III
- About Buddha and his religion Budhism
- Thai Buddhist film festival seeks to spark faith
- Double standards in Buddhist commune’s sale of Tharpaland to Scottish Power for wind farm?
- Ancestor worship goes hi-tech
- Buddhism tour circuit to woo more visitors
- 15 Austrians awarded Diploma in Buddhism
- Join a free teleconference with Stephen and Ondrea Levine
- Buddhists march in Bangkok to speak out to the world to stop disrespecting Buddha
- Nyingma Institute presents: The Cutting through Conditioning six day retreat, residential and non residential available
- Pakistan: Buddha attacked by Taliban gets facelift
- Join a free teleconference with Stephen and Ondrea Levine
| Seeing Fresh: Contemplative Photo(s) of the Week Posted: 27 Jun 2012 07:00 AM PDT If you're a fan of art and photography, you should know Andy Karr. Andy is, along with Michael Wood, co-author of The Practice Contemplative Photography, which we've featured in the Shambhala Sun, and in this Shambhala SunSpace video.
Now, one of the many great things about contemplative photography is that anyone can do it. Maybe you're a serious photographer with all the latest equipment, or maybe you've just got a camera in your mobile phone. Either way, you can take part in the creation of real art. Contemplative photography is completely accessible, as you'll see from this selection of some of Andy's favorite submissions to the Seeing Fresh website, dedicated to contemplative photography and its practice.
Each week, Andy will share at least one new favorite "Seeing Fresh" photo here on Shambhala SunSpace. To learn more about the practice, the book, and to submit your own photos, visit the Seeing Fresh website and The Practice of Contemplative Photography's Facebook page. Read More @ Source
|
| Posted: 27 Jun 2012 02:00 AM PDT  "These are the five rewards for one who practices walking meditation. Which five? He can endure traveling by foot; he can endure exertion; he becomes free from disease; whatever he has eaten & drunk, chewed & savored, becomes well-digested; the concentration he wins through walking meditation lasts for a long time. These are the five rewards for one who practices walking meditation." (The Buddha, in the Cankama Sutta*) The Buddha taught many meditation & mindfulness techniques. One of them, called cankama in the Pali Canon (the Theravada Buddhist scriptures), was a form of mindfulness practice that he was particularly keen on early in the morning. In English, this is known as walking meditation, although this is somewhat misleading as Buddhist meditation involves the development of absorptive concentration which is done in the classic cross-legged position. Becoming unaware of the physical surroundings in one of these states of mind whilst walking could be pretty dangerous, if it's possible at all. In truth, cankama is more 'mindful walking' than walking m! editatio n, but the latter term seems to have entered the English language Buddhist lexicon already, so we're stuck with it.  Mindful walking was not only a favorite practice of the Buddha. To this day it has remained a mainstay of both the Theravada & Zen forms of Buddhism. In Zen, it is known as kinhin (経行) in Japanese, and is practiced in-between long periods of zazen (sitting meditation). In Thai, mindful walking is called jong-grom (จงกรม), and is usually practiced on a designated stretch of land or floor.In the lineage of Ajahn Chah, it is widely used as a way to cultivate the long-lasting concentration referred to in the Cankama Sutta above. So, here in the International Forest Monastery in Northeast Thailand, I decided to use the sala (pavilion) situated in the forest to do a bit of mindful walking…with the Buddha watching over me.  In Thailand, when entering a temple building - and many other places such as people's homes and some businesses - it is customary to remove one's footwear. Not to do so is cons! idered m ost impolite, especially in a temple, and it can be very dirty too, as soil etcetera is trampled everywhere. So, prior to entering the sala, my flip-flops were deposited outside its perimeter, awaiting my return. Actually, being barefoot is great for mindful walking as it enhances the sensation of the feet touching the surface over which they are traversing. This, in turn, assists the mindfulness aspect of the practice, as the heightened feeling encourages attention.  I chose a section of the sala just in front of the Buddha statue, which itself is an image of the Lord Buddha walking. The tiled floor is nice and cool in the sala, so it has a nice soothing sensation on the feet as they paced up & down the two mats placed at two entrances of the sala. Focusing on the feet as each one touches the floor & then rises up, mindful walking is indeed a pleasant way to develop concentration. The trees at each end of the walk waved in the wind, as if encouraging my efforts. After a short time, awareness came to rest on the motion of the feet, and the view of those trees as they enlarged with each approach. Broadening out awareness to take in everything in view, I looked downwards. And this is what I saw: The one doing the walking was without a head!  This is the view ever before me, but I am not always aware of it, despite being introduced to it by the teachings of a British philosopher called Douglas Harding nearly a quarter of a century ago.As he taught, however, this fluctuation between seeing what is thought to be here & what's actually seen is quite natural. Moreover, it's a fun way to cultivate mindfulness, being awake to the emptiness where others see a head. This doesn't mean, in my experience, that I don't have a head - I can feel it here. But it does point at, most directly, the emptiness that lies behind my face. One might call it, as many Zen masters have, the original face. Walking in this emptiness is a freeing experience. Whilst it is not an avoidance of everything that's present, it puts it all in a wider context than is normally experienced. So, rather than identifying with the headed self and all its concerns, we can act out of this spacious awareness, as the very emptiness in which all that is known arises.  As a bleak reminder as to why we might want to practice something such as mindful walking & seeing our nature as it is right now, the sala has a rather grim occupant. It is the skeleton of a woman that died many moons ago, and donated her remains to the monastery to use as a subject for reflection. (Presumably, she promised her body to the monastery prior to her demise, although here in Thailand you can never be too sure about these things!) So, there seems to be a choice here! : remain committed to the idea of being a mortal being that will one day end up as bones, or look into actual experience and discover what the Buddha called the deathless (amatapada). Mindful walking & 'headless awareness' are two bonafide ways to develop awareness and see what we truly are. Then, we are free of death and suffering. Try it sometime! *Cankama Sutta: Walking (AN 45:29), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight, 17 February 2012, Link. Retrieved on 27 June 2012. For more on the teachers mentioned in this article, Ajahn Chah & Douglas Harding, please click on the tab marked 'Teachers' above.  
|
| About Buddha and his religion Budhism Posted: 27 Jun 2012 01:00 AM PDT  Buddhism a religion followed by billions of people around the world stands on three pillars- the founder-Buddha, his teachings-Dhamma, and the last called Sangha which means the order of Buddhist monks and nuns. Meditation is a "dharmic" religion which is also popularly called Buddha dharma. The teachings of Buddhist texts are in PALI and SANSKRIT languages.
|
| Thai Buddhist film festival seeks to spark faith Posted: 26 Jun 2012 08:00 PM PDT by Xinyan Yu, AP, June 22, 2012BANGKOK, Thailand -- Religion can be a tough sell nowadays, so instead of waiting for disciples to make their way to temple, some promoters brought 36 films with Buddhist themes to the heart of modern Thailand earlier this month.
"It's like prescribing medicine to children, you have to add a little sweetener there," said Somchai Seanglai, the permanent secretary of Thailand's Culture Ministry. "City dwellers or our young people are not used to the traditional way of practicing Buddhist, so we insert Buddhist dharma into art and culture that people love to consume." Dharma refers to the Buddha's teachings on the meaning of existence. Initiated by the California-based Buddhist Film Foundation, the movie festival came to Bangkok for the first time this year since its debut in Los Angeles in 2003, and pulled in 3,700 visitors. "Now many youngsters think of Buddhist as a religion for old people, so the film festival is trying to engage Buddhist with the contemporary world," said Santi Opaspakornkij, executive director of the Buddhadasa Indapanno Archives, an education center dedicated to promoting Buddhist through new channels in Thailand. About 90 percent of Thailand's population is Buddhist, but many view the religion simply as a rough guide to social do's and don'ts, with vague notions encouraging good behavior. "I don't go to temples very often," said Napasamon Jeeramaneemai, a third-year architecture student at Bangkok's Thammasat University attending the festival. "Buddhism for me is just a better way to resolve bad situations. Sometimes when you blame them on 'karma,' it's easier to accept them." Buddhists believe "Karma" rules a person's destiny depending on their deeds throughout their existence, which can span many lifetimes. To make sure the films would cause no major offense, the Buddhadasa Indapanno Archives sought support from three leading Thai monks in the forefront of popularizing Buddhist, including the popular young preacher, Phra Maha Vudhijaya Vajiramedhi, who posts his teachings on his Twitter account for more than 500,000 followers. The films included "Crazy Wisdom," a documentary released in 2011 by American filmmaker Johanna Demetrakas. It portrays Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, a controversial Tibetan monk who preached to thousands of students when he lived in the West but whose lifestyle was in defiance of many of Buddhist's ethical principles. But many people considered his unconventional style a challenging but effective way of presenting Buddhist concepts. "I personally don't agree with the way Trungpa Rinpoche teaches," Nittaya Weera, a freelance writer on telecommunication, commented on "Crazy Wisdom." ''But I understand the real essence of Buddhist is in the belief itself. The way to get there doesn't really matter." "Crazy Wisdom" turned out to be the most popular films. Other crowd-pleasers included "Abraxas," a Japanese film about a married punk rocker turned Buddhist, and "Karma," a lighthearted Nepali film about two Tibetan nuns on a journey to get repayment of a loan. Read More @ Source
|
| Double standards in Buddhist commune’s sale of Tharpaland to Scottish Power for wind farm? Posted: 26 Jun 2012 07:00 PM PDT Argyll News, June 26, 2012Argyll, Scotland (UK) -- A Buddhist group running a retreat at Tharpaland in Dumfries and Galloway, has conducted its own primary research into the impact on human health and function of infrasound generated by wind turbines. Quite why it was the occasion of prayer in which head and chest pains were manifest has not been explained. Raised blood pressure, head and chest pains are almost routinely reported in what studies of infrasound have taken place – along with insomnia and nightmares. However, while we can understand that low frequency 'noise' might well impact on body and mind as decribed, quite how the specific circumstances of prayer marry with infrasound to be conducive to the appearance of these symptoms is not immediately explicable. It is, though, easy to see how meditation is a particularly useful test of concentration in the face of the presence of infrasound; and entirely plausible that this sort of constant low level disruption would mess with brain function. However, having presented their findings and expressed their reasonable consequent view that they could not continue to run the very specific facility of a retreat beside a wind farm, the Buddhists are selling their estate to Scottish Power and moving away. The move has a defensible pragmatism – but it comes oddly from a spiritual group to be prepared to save their own operation while bequeathing a potentially enhanced problem to their erstwhile neighbours. Scottish Power will now own more land in an area where they may wish to extend the 71-turbine farm they are already to build nearby. 
|
| Posted: 26 Jun 2012 06:00 PM PDT By WINNIE YEOH, Photos by GOH GAIK LEE, All Malayisa, June 21, 2012Penang, Malaysia -- Ancestor worship prayer has gone digital with a Buddhist temple in Bayan Lepas putting up two 50-inch LCD screens to display names of the deceased.
The LCD screens are set up on both sides of the prayer hall displaying ancestral tablets to replace traditional ones. The traditional way of ancestor worship is where names are written on pieces of paper and pasted on a wall. The slides on the screen change every three seconds to display different names and the digitalised ancestral tablets take the form of lotuses which float towards the palm of Lord Buddha to symbolise the deceased having a rebirth in the Pureland of Buddha.
"In the past, about 1,000 pieces of A4 size papers would go up in flames after the prayer sessions. "We're not against tradition but we have to do our part in protecting the environment. "The temple also prohibits burning of joss sticks, joss papers and candles," he said when met at the temple recently. Ven Wei Wu also said the temple offered devotees LED rechargeable candles as it is not only environmental friendly but also safe. He also said some traditions have certain values but most times, people blindly followed tradition without fully understanding its meaning. The temple is believed to be the first in the country to launch the service and its first trial session on April 1 during the Qing Ming Festival puja was well-received by devotees. Ven Wei Wu said although people were initially hesitant but most had adopted the idea. He said the digital method doesn't require a special software and the slides could be done with Microsoft PowerPoint. Ancestor worship prayers are held twice a year at the temple, the first during the Qing Ming Festival and the other one during the seventh lunar month. For details, call the temple at 604-6414822 Read More @ Source
|
| Buddhism tour circuit to woo more visitors Posted: 26 Jun 2012 05:00 PM PDT Deccan Chronicle, June 25, 2012Karnataka, India -- Karnataka tourism is looking at exploring Buddhist sites in the state for its religious tour circuit. Till now, Jain sites have been much promoted in the religious circuit, and with the new initiative, the department hopes to bring in increased domestic and foreign travellers. "We have got approval for setting up the Buddhist circuit. There is also a Jain circuit that has done quite well. For the Buddhist circuit, we are even looking at China for promoting this circuit among Buddhist travellers," said Mrs Latha Krishna Rao, Principal Secretary, Tourism. For some time now, the state tourism department has found much takers on its Jain circuits such as Shravanabelagola and Karkala. "We plan to improve accommodation facilities. In Shravanabelagola, there are proposals for adding more medium-level accommodation facilities for tourists," Ms Rao added. Recently, the tourism department conducted a survey across the state for determining tourism needs and found that the state needs improved accommodation facilities, especially medium and high-end level. In Bengaluru alone, tourist facilities capable of accommodating both medium and high end tourists to the extent of 28,000 persons is required. With this focus in the global investors' meet, the tourism department had announced that Hyatt Hotels and Resorts will be setting up a five-star hotel at Hampi, while Orange County, Somateeram and Windflower will be setting up resorts around heritage spots like Pattadakal, Aihole, Belur, Bijapur, Jog, Mysore and Anekal. 
|
| 15 Austrians awarded Diploma in Buddhism Posted: 26 Jun 2012 04:00 PM PDT Asian Tribune, JUne 25, 2012Vienna, Austria -- The first batch of students from the University of Vienna who completed the inaugural Diploma in Buddhism was felicitated in Austria today.
In honor of the students who were awarded the Diploma, the Embassy of Sri Lanka organized a ceremony to invoke blessings on the students and staff of the Embassy. The Most Venerable Wijayarajapura Seelawansa Thero, Chief Prelate of the Vienna Buddhist Centrum, conducted the ceremony, followed by a sermon delivered by The Venerable Wilachchiye Kassapa Thero from Sri Lanka. Having invoked blessings on the participants, the Venerable Wilachchiye Kassapa Thero explained to the audience the Buddhist concept of humanity, which emphasised mutual understanding and accommodation, reaching out to people of all communities and from all walks of life. The Chief Prelate of the Vienna Buddhist Centrum stressed the importance of working towards achieving peace and harmony among different religions and traditions. The Most Venerable Wijayarajapura Seelawansa Thero had pioneered the course of study in Buddhism at the Academy, following an agreement signed between the two Universities, facilitated by the Embassy. The 15 Austrian students, who were awarded the Diploma in Buddhism, have expressed interest in pursuing higher studies in this field at the Buddhist and Pali University. Earlier on, the students had been presented with Diploma certificates by Ambassador Azeez, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka in Austria at a Certificate Awarding Ceremony that was held at the Academy of Buddhism and Christianity. Read More @ Source
|
| Join a free teleconference with Stephen and Ondrea Levine Posted: 26 Jun 2012 03:00 PM PDT
This will be the Levines' first public program in several years. Stephen and Ondrea live in near-seclusion in the mountains of Northern New Mexico. They are both experiencing significant illness, which prevents them from traveling and teaching. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and speak personally with Stephen and Ondrea — all you need is a telephone, though pre-registration is required. Register online here, and receive instructions on how to join the conference call. All participants will receive a free recording of the audio after the teleconference. Read More @ Source
|
| Buddhists march in Bangkok to speak out to the world to stop disrespecting Buddha Posted: 26 Jun 2012 02:00 PM PDT The Buddhist Channel, June 27, 2012
The Knowing Buddha Foundation is preparing a major march in Bangkok on 30 June, to show their respect for Buddha and to show how so many are disrespecting Buddha. Bangkok, Thailand -- The KnowingBuddha Foundation is preparing a Buddhist March - the first time in history - on 30 June, in one of the Bangkok's most famous streets, Khao San Road, to speak out against the improper usage of Buddha's image in the modern world. The March will contain signs to show that Buddha is their father religion, and they will show how the world should treats Buddha with a variety of signs. The high light of the March will be the enormous size signs depicting "Enough" on the Buddha Bar picture also the sign "No!" on the Disney movie "Snow Buddies" which use Buddha's name as a Dog. Reportedly, there are many others business who using Buddha' images in commerce, and this will be reflected in the march. The KnowingBudda organization's purpose of the march is to improve awareness in the world, about how not to treat Buddha's images and name improperly. The KnowinBudda organization is non-profit charity, based in Thailand. Mrs Acaharavadee Wongsakon, the foundation president, indicates that Buddha is the prophet of their religion and that it's fairly common that people should give respect to Buddha like other religious leaders - but if not, there should be no disrespect. Mrs. Acharavadee Wongsakon, the Meditation master who is the founder and the President of Knowing Buddha organization said, "As a Buddhist, to love peace and tranquility dosen't mean you should not do what's right. We've been too quiet on these matters until the world misunderstood or forgot who Buddha is. The Buddha image is not meant for tattoo, furniture, any kind of logo, or to be used as merchandise. Once Buddhists see Buddha's image or sculptures they will immediately be reminded of his teachings and compassion; not how much money they can make or how much joy they can receive." The organization notes that the Buddha Bar is the worst example that they have come across of shameless disrespect that encourages the world to follow their path. They urge them to stop using his name and symbol in their business.At the same time, the organization asks Disney to ask o stop using Buddha as a dog's name in their movie. The KnowingBuddha foundation, indicates that the world have gone too far on these matters, but they have just started their work, and we will persist until the world is no longer using Buddha's image improperly. The march is called 'Dharma Gratitude' and it will start at 5pm on Saturday at June 30th, at Khao San Road in Bngkok Thailand. The multi-nation tourists and the world will witness the Buddhist march in a way they have never seen. It will be truly unique and loud. 
|
| Posted: 26 Jun 2012 01:00 PM PDT
of time to change us and everything we know, seeing how each stage of life we pass through, even those that we may know as 'difficult' has a distinct patterning and special wisdom to reveal. When we ask, "How did this moment of time arise?" the delicate blossom of the present moment is not crushed by the weight of past conditioning. A space opens up between us and the compelling force of habit. We can look through layers of conditioning, using awareness like a microscope that penetrates to the core of wisdom. July 9-14: Cutting through Conditioning Through skillfully observing mental images, we can recognize and then release the layers of conditioning that have accumulated throughout our lives. Topics covered include: self-image; the cyclic nature of fascination and anxiety; and Abhidharma analysis of discerning mental events. Primary Instructor: Sylvia Gretchen. Cost for retreat: $ 370 (nonresidential); $ 600 (residential). Meals are included in both residential and non residential retreats. Please call to speak to a retreat advisor. Please refer to the "Kum Nye: Attuning to the Present Moment" Daily Schedule at the bottom of the "retreats" web page as an example of a typical Nyingma Institute Retreat Schedule.
Residential Retreats at Nyingma Institute
Questions? Information? Registration?
|
| Pakistan: Buddha attacked by Taliban gets facelift Posted: 26 Jun 2012 12:00 PM PDT The Korea Herald, June 26, 2012JAHANABAD, Pakistan -- When the Taliban blew the face off a towering, 1,500-year-old rock carving of Buddha in northwest Pakistan almost five years ago, it fell to an intrepid Italian archaeologist to come to the rescue.
Thanks to the efforts of Luca Olivieri and his partners, the 6-meter-tall image near the town of Jahanabad is getting a facelift, and many other archaeological treasures in the scenic Swat Valley are being excavated and preserved. Hard-line Muslims have a history of targeting Buddhist, Hindu and other religious sites they consider heretical to Islam. Six months before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the Taliban shocked the world by dynamiting a pair of 1,500-year-old Buddhist statues in central Afghanistan.
Olivieri himself had to leave in 2008 after more than two decades of tending to the riches dating back to Alexander the Great and the Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim invaders who followed. The 49-year-old head of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan returned in 2010 and is back at work. Taliban militants climbed ropes to insert explosives in holes drilled into the face and shoulders of the Jahanabad Buddha, said Olivieri. The explosives in the shoulders failed to detonate, but the others blew off most of the face above the lips and cracked other parts of the carving and surrounding rock. Olivieri and his team began work this month on fixing the cracks and what's left of the face. A full reconstruction is impossible because detailed documentation and fragments of the face are lacking. "Whatever you do in the absence of perfect data is a fake,'' said Olivieri, who says he has wanted to be an archaeologist since age 6 and still brings a youthful exuberance to his work even as his beard grows gray. Arriving as a university student in 1987, he was fascinated by Swat, once an important center of Buddhist culture and trade. The monk credited with introducing Buddhism to Tibet, Padmasambhava, was born in Swat. In more recent decades, the area was known as "the Switzerland of Pakistan,'' popular with religious tourists from China, Japan and South Korea, and the hope is that restoration of the Jahanabad Buddha will spark a revival of tourism here. Olivieri's mission is funded by the Italian government, which works with local Pakistani antiquities authorities. It has uncovered over 120 Buddhist sites among Swat's soaring hills and rushing rivers. Of roughly 200 Buddhist rock carvings in Swat, the Jahanabad Buddha was among the few to survive with its face intact for so long, said Olivieri. Most were defaced centuries ago by Muslim invaders who, like the Taliban, consider Buddha a false idol. Maulana Shamsur Rehman, a leading Islamist politician in Swat, says the attack on the Buddha should never have happened. Islam preaches freedom and protection for followers of all religions, he told The Associated Press, and "in line with Islamic rules, nobody should have an objection to the repair work on the Buddha statue.'' In 2001, militants damaged the excavated ruins of a 7th century Hindu temple in Swat overlooking a stronghold conquered by Alexander in the 4th century B.C. Unable to protect the temple, the Italian mission had to rebury it. Ironically, the site that Olivieri was most worried about during the Taliban's violent reign in Swat was an Islamic one ? the roughly 1,000-year-old Udegram Ghaznavid mosque, the third oldest in Pakistan. He feared the militants would occupy and damage it, but that never happened. Pakistani security officials say the Taliban are again trying to infiltrate Swat, but militants are not the only threat to the archaeological sites. Looters are perhaps a bigger problem. Many relics looted from Swat are in private and public collections around the world. In December police arrested several men in Swat and seized a roughly one-meter-tall, 1,800-year-old Buddhist statue that could have fetched tens of thousands of dollars on the international antiquities market. Read More @ Source
|
| Join a free teleconference with Stephen and Ondrea Levine Posted: 26 Jun 2012 10:00 AM PDT
This will be the Levines' first public program in several years. Stephen and Ondrea live in near-seclusion in the mountains of Northern New Mexico. They are both experiencing significant illness, which prevents them from traveling and teaching. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and speak personally with Stephen and Ondrea — all you need is a telephone, though pre-registration is required. Register online here, and receive instructions on how to join the conference call. All participants will receive a free recording of the audio after the teleconference. Read More @ Source
|
<< Modern method: Than Hsiang Temple abbot Ven Wei Wu showing the digital ancestral tablets on a 50-inch LCD screen
The Shambhala Sun is pleased to co-sponsor a special — and free — teleconference on July 24 with 
<< In this May 24 photo, people sit near a sculpture of the Buddha whose face was destroyed by Taliban fighters at Jahanabad, Pakistan, in the Swat valley. (AP-Yonhap News)
Buddhadharma is pleased to co-sponsor a special — and free — teleconference on July 24 with | 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 | |
