Re-releasing live animals: Is it safe?
Re-releasing live animals: Is it safe? |
- Re-releasing live animals: Is it safe?
- Life savings spent on rare Tibetan ceremony in Queens
- Life savings spent on rare Tibetan ceremony in Queens
- Seeing Fresh: Contemplative Photo of the Week
- No More Fukushimas Peace Walk (a walk around Lake Ontario)
- Dalai Lama Visits Religious Places
- Dorje Drollo Empowerment and Tri
- Mitt Romney’s Burma problem
- Dalai Lama arrives on maiden visit to Kashmir Valley
- Sojourn in Kashmir and a visit to the Tibetan Muslim Community
| Re-releasing live animals: Is it safe? Posted: 18 Jul 2012 09:00 AM PDT  Photo: Roberto Rodriguez By Claire Michalewicz Merit release—buying animals that are about to be slaughtered and releasing them back into the wild—is a tradition practiced, to different degrees, by various Buddhist groups each year. It sounds like a good – and yes, meritorious – idea, but you might want to think twice before trying it. Why? Well, as Conservation Magazine reports, hundreds of thousands of birds are caught in Asia each year just so they can be bought for merit release, putting them through the unnecessary stress of catching them just to be set free again. But there's more. Many of these birds are infected with avian flu virus and other pathogens, and they can infect other birds, animals and people when they're released. According to the study, published in Biological Conservation, 10 percent of the Cambodian birds the researchers tested were infected with avian influenza. "The presence of pathogenic viruses and bacteria among birds available for merit release is a concern both to wild bird populations and to humans involved in the trade," the authors write. Birds aren't the only animals commonly used for merit release. Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia has an annual tradition of releasing a boatload of lobsters back into the ocean on the last day of lobster season. On June 30, a group of abbey residents and friends boarded a boat and bought about 100 lobsters from a local fisherman. After a reading of The Essence of Benefit and Joy: A Method for the Saving of Lives by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye, the lobsters were released back into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. But in addition to buying lobsters directly from the fisherman, at least one Buddhist group—as well as the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals PETA)—encourages other means of releasing animals, including taking lobsters and other live seafood from grocery stores and putting them back in the ocean. But Spencer Greenwood, director of the Lobster Science Center at Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island, says putting store-bought lobsters into the ocean is potentially dangerous for the crustaceans. "To increase the likelihood that all the lobsters are going to survive, it would be better to do it in conjunction with a fisherman," he told me. "To me that would be a more ethical way of doing it." Greenwood said lobsters taken from a grocery store have to be acclimated to the ocean water before being released, so the different water conditions aren't too much of a shock to their bodies. Lobsters secrete ammonia, Greenwood said, which can be toxic to them in the wrong environment. Greenwood said it's important to acclimate the lobsters to the water, to ensure that they'll survive. "If they're not in the right type of environment, it can be dangerous to them." Read More @ Source
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| Life savings spent on rare Tibetan ceremony in Queens Posted: 18 Jul 2012 08:00 AM PDT  Tibetan prayer flags Would you spend your entire life savings on a Buddhist ceremony? One woman, Dayangji Sherpa, did just that. Sherpa, a health care aid living in Queens with her daughter, spent her savings on a rare ceremony in which every text in the Buddhist canon is read by various lamas from morning to night. The ceremony, which involved the reading of 108 books and lasted more than a month, cost Sherpa $ 50k. In the the New York Times piece, the monks explained, "Completing the Kangyur, the Tibetan-language version of the sacred Buddhist texts, is done as a form of prayer for peace for all sentient beings." The monks sat for some forty days in a converted church building in Elmhurst and the occasion marked the first time such a ceremony was ever held in New York. To see photos from the rare ceremony, see here. (Photo by Sistak via Flickr using a CC-BY-SA license.) Read More @ Source
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| Life savings spent on rare Tibetan ceremony in Queens Posted: 18 Jul 2012 08:00 AM PDT Tibetan prayer flags Would you spend your entire life savings on a Buddhist ceremony? One woman, Dayangji Sherpa, did just that. Sherpa, a health care aid living in Queens with her daughter, spent her savings on a rare ceremony in which every text in the Buddhist canon is read by various lamas from morning to night. The ceremony, which involved the reading of 108 books and lasted more than a month, cost Sherpa $ 50k. In the the New York Times piece, the monks explained, "Completing the Kangyur, the Tibetan-language version of the sacred Buddhist texts, is done as a form of prayer for peace for all sentient beings." The monks sat for some forty days in a converted church building in Elmhurst and the occasion marked the first time such a ceremony was ever held in New York. To see photos from the rare ceremony, see here. (Photo by Sistak via Flickr using a CC-BY-SA license.) Read More @ Source
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| Seeing Fresh: Contemplative Photo of the Week Posted: 18 Jul 2012 07:00 AM PDT Every week, we've been showing some of the great photos submitted to Seeing Fresh, Andy Karr's contemplative photography website. Elaine Bachelder took this beautiful shot of lavender plants.
One of the great things about contemplative photography is that anyone can do it. Maybe you've a got 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. To learn more about the practice, and to submit your own photos, visit the Seeing Fresh website and The Practice of Contemplative Photography's Facebook page. You can view all of our "Seeing Fresh" posts on Shambhala SunSpace here. Read More @ Source
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| No More Fukushimas Peace Walk (a walk around Lake Ontario) Posted: 18 Jul 2012 06:00 AM PDT  Cameco Nuclear, a plant on the shores of Lake Ontario For many, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster reminded us that we all need to collectively look for more environmentally sound solutions to the world's energy dilemma. From now until August 11, 2012, peaceful protesters — with involvement from the Grafton Peace Pagoda in New York, which is affiliated with the Japanese Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist order — of many walks of life will be participating in the "No More Fukushimas Peace Walk," taking them on a walk around Lake Ontario to promote a "nuclear free future." According to those who helped organize the walk, "Lake Ontario is sacred to the First Nation people of US and Canada and yet it is being highly contaminated by 13 nuclear reactors on the Canadian side and 4 reactors on the US side (and the US government wants to build two more). Native people have disproportionately high cancer rates due to higher exposure from nuclear radiation created by nuclear waste dumping and uranium mining on Native lands." (Photo by Robert Taylor via Flickr using a CC-BY license.) Read More @ Source
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| Dalai Lama Visits Religious Places Posted: 18 Jul 2012 01:00 AM PDT July 18th 2012 Srinagar, J&K, India, 17 July 2012 (Press Trust of India) - The Buddhist spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on a six-day visit to Kashmir Valley, today paid obeisance at religious places of different
faiths in the city. The Dalai Lama also visited the mausoleum of Shiekh Mohammad Abdullah, the founder of the National Conference and the grandfather of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. He visited Hazaratbal shrine, Gupt-Ganga Shiva temple and gurdawara Chatti Padshahi in the city, an official spokesman said. The spiritual leader prayed for peace and prosperity in the world, especially in the state, he said. State's Tourism and Culture Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora accompanied the Dalai Lama to the religious places. At Abdullah's mausoleum, the Dalai Lama said the Kashmiri leader had shown "genuine concern" for the Tibetan cause. "Late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was a close friend of mine. I met the late leader several times. He always showed genuine concern for my cause," the Dalai Lama said. The Dalai Lama appreciated the people of Kashmir for their hospitality. "I will always remember the warm welcome and excellent hospitality of the people of Kashmir which they have extended to meduring the visit," he said. He said all religions give the same message of brotherhood, communal harmony and amity. At Gurdwara Chatti Padshahi, the Dalai Lama was honoured with "saroopa by the grand Granthi", the spokesman said.    Read More @ Source 
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| Dorje Drollo Empowerment and Tri Posted: 17 Jul 2012 09:00 PM PDT
with Venerable Younge Khachab Rinpoche VII Shelburne, Vermont August 3-5, 2012 Venerable Younge Khachab Rinpoche will offer the Dorje Drollö empowerment and liberating instructions from the terma cycle of Younge Mingyur Dorje. As this lineage has been passed down from generation to generation within Rinpoche's family, it is particularly powerful and auspicious to receive it from such a master. For further details click here. Read More @ Source
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| Posted: 17 Jul 2012 02:00 PM PDT  Photo: Gage Skidmore While Republicans and Democrats alike have been criticizing U.S. Olympic uniform designer Ralph Lauren's decision to outsource production to China, Mitt Romney has been noticeably silent on the issue, calling the debate "extraneous" and saying the focus should be on the athletes. Throughout his presidential campaign, Romney has repeatedly promised to "get tough on China," so his decision not to speak out was initially surprising. But, it turns out, he may have a reason for keeping quiet—the torchbearers' uniforms for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, for which Romney served as president and CEO of the organizing committee, were made in Burma, which until last year was controlled by a brutal military junta. One of the 2002 torchbearers, Susan Bonfield, tipped off a Burmese democratic group when she received her uniform in 2001. Trade unions and human rights groups protested and called on the International Olympic Committee to apologize and promise not to support the Burmese regime again. Read More @ Source
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| Dalai Lama arrives on maiden visit to Kashmir Valley Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:00 PM PDT Srinagar, J&K, India, 12 July 2012 (Press Trust of India) - Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama arrived here today on his maiden private visit to Kashmir during which he is scheduled to meet Tibetan refugees living in the Valley. The Dalai Lama, who will be a state guest during his six-day stay in the Valley, was received at the
"The Chief Minister welcomed the (Buddhist) religious leader and conveyed his good wishes to him. Omar also enquired about the health of the Dalai Lama," an official spokesman said. He said the Dalai Lama reciprocated the good wishes and prayed for peace, prosperity and development of the state. This is the first visit of the Dalai Lama to Kashmir Valley. The spiritual leader, who recently retired from active politics, however, had visited Ladakh region of the state last year. There are no public engagements for the Dalai Lama for Friday and Saturday, but he will meet the Tibetan refugees living in Kashmir on Sunday, officials said
The Dalai Lama has also expressed his desire to visit some tourist places like Gulmarg health resort during his stay in the Valley, the sources added. (OHHDL Clarification: His Holiness the Dalai Lama has visited Srinagar before. His last visit to Srinagar was in 1988) Read More @ Source 
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| Sojourn in Kashmir and a visit to the Tibetan Muslim Community Posted: 17 Jul 2012 12:00 PM PDT Srinagar, J&K State, India, 14 July 2012 - His Holiness the Dalai Lama was welcomed on arrival in Kashmir by the Chief Minister, Mr Omar Abdullah along with his Ministers of Tourism, Revenue, Power and others, who escorted him to a waiting helicopter. It carried him to the Nehru State Guest House, in a quiet and secluded location with wooded hills behind and a view over the famous Dal Lake. Meeting the Tibetan Muslim community living in Srinagar is one of His Holiness's priorities during his stay here. These people have a long history. There are records of friendly contacts between Muslims and Tibet dating back as far as the 8th century CE, and it seems that some Muslims came to live in the country from the 12th century onwards. By and large they were traders for whom Tibet presented an entrepreneurial opportunity, but there are also suggestions that hardships in their native Kashmir and Ladakh may have impelled some of them to come to Tibet. Many of them married Tibetan women and settled down, speaking Tibetan and adopting Tibetan customs. There was also a community of Chinese Hui Muslims who conducted trade with China and Central Asia, who remained a separate community with their own mosque and cemetery. Most accounts of the Tibetan Muslims look back to the time of the great Fifth Dalai Lama, who accorded them respect and recognition as a distinct community within Tibet. He granted them a remarkable degree of autonomy with associated privileges. They were allowed to elect a five-man committee to administer their own affairs; to settle disputes among themselves according to Sharia law; they could open businesses in other Tibetan cities and were exempt from tax. During the Buddhist holy month of Saka-dawa, they were permitted to meat even when it was otherwise restricted and during Losar celebrations, when administration of Lhasa was in the hands of monk officials, the Muslims were not obliged to doff their hats to them. Besides this, the great Fifth granted them land to construct ! a mosque , of which there were eventually four, constructed in Tibetan style, and a cemetery. Their leaders were customarily invited to all government celebrations.
After His Holiness's escape to India in 1959 and the final occupation of Tibet by the Communist Chinese, Tibet's Kashmiri Muslim community remained where they were. But a year later they urgently wished to leave and sought approval to come to India, citing their longstanding origins there. The Indian government acceded to their request and made arrangements for their welfare. His Holiness previously visited this community in 1975 and 1988. This morning His Holiness was welcomed at the Tibetan Public School, Srinagar, by the Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister, Mr Omar Abdullah, Tourism & Culture Minister, Mr Nawang Rinzin Jora, Minister of State for Home & Tourism Mr. Nasir Aslam Wani, the local MLA, the School Principal and members of the Tibetan Kashmiri Muslim community. The Principal opened proceedings with words of welcome, praising His Holiness as an icon of peace and the Chief Minister for his courage, determination and optimism. He then invited a student with a pure and strong voice to sing the invocation prayer with which it is customary to begin the school day, and a group of students sang a song in Hindi.
"As a human being His Holiness promotes compassion, warm-heartedness and non-violence, human values that are a source of happiness. He refers to these as secular ethics. Secondly, as a religious practitioner, he works to foster inter-religious harmony. Thirdly, as a Tibetan and someone in whom Tibetans place their hope and faith, he works as a free spokesman for his people." She then called on her fellow students of the Tibetan Public School to stand up, hand on heart, to take a pledge similarly to work for happiness in the world and avoid doing harm to others and to promote harmony between religious traditions. The school captain signed a large framed document to this effect on behalf of the students and His Holiness added his signature in affirmation. Students performed a Kashmiri and a Tibetan song and dance. In his address, the Chairman of the Tibetan Public School said that it was 24 years since His Holiness had last visited this community, so it was great joy to receive him today. In the 50 years that they have lived in the beautiful Kashmir Valley they have tried to heed his advice to live in harmony with their Kashmiri brothers and sisters. He thanked His Holiness for giving the initial funds to start the school, recalling that Sheikh Abdullah had provided the land and that his son Farooq Abdullah had also made a donation of funds. The school has 515 students at present and a staff of Tibetans and Kashmiris. Living in Kashmir, staff and students have been comfortable with sharing a religion but retaining differences of culture. He offered extensive thanks to all those who have contributed to the flourishing of the school, acknowledging that it has really made progress since the Youth Association took an interest in running it. He concluded with this wish,
Tourism & Culture Minister, Mr Nawang Rinzin Jora, expressed his admiration that despite losing his own country His Holiness has been a tireless champion of peace and non-violence throughout the world. He thanked those who had invited him to Kashmir and then thanked His Holiness for coming. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah noted that 24 years have passed since His Holiness last came to Kashmir, a visit he remembers vividly, although he was young when he came to meet him with his father, "Since then a great deal has changed, my hair has turned grey and yet you remain the same. We have been through difficult times and seen darkness, but that darkness is lifting and we keep up our hopes. His Holiness is an inspiration to us." He said that although the school is called the Tibetan Public School, its students and staff include both Tibetans and Kashmiris, a model of harmonious existence. Noting that one of the school buses had been burnt during a bout of unrest in 2010, he announced that a replacement would be made available within a matter of days. He assured his listeners that whatever his government could do for the school and Tibetan Muslim community they had done and will continue to do so. "His Holiness is not just a guest here, he's part of our family. We hope we have many occasions to welcome you here again and again with happiness in our hearts."
"I know chancellors of universities, responsible for the education of others, who themselves are highly educated and yet are unhappy and full of anxiety. Why is this? Because they lack an appreciation of the importance of a warm heart. In places where education is particularly oriented towards material development, such as in America and Europe, people are beginning to realise something is missing. Indeed scientists are beginning to say that to be full of anxiety and deprived of inner peace is bad for your health." Stories we hear in the news about students who attack their companions and instances of corruption rife in society are not due to a lack of education, but to an education that lacks human values. He said that it's true that while our religions have different philosophical views, they share a common purpose of helping us to become better human beings. And while there are many who follow religion, there are others who don't, which is why His Holiness talks about the need for secular ethics. He said we need to explore how to incorporate such values into our education systems so that as well as training our brains we also learn to train our hearts.
"We human beings are social animals, which means we have to help each other. Fighting among ourselves is part of life, but it's not a good way to build a happy society. When I was young I fought with my brother, but we soon got over it and made friends again. It's important not to nurse grudges and let anger burn for a long time." Negative emotions only bring trouble, he explained, but as human beings we can use our intelligence to see if there is any benefit in jealousy or anger. If we do that we'll see that anger solves no problems but only creates more. And if we are not angry we can examine situations that confront us much more clearly and take appropriate decisions about how to deal with them. Coming to understand the pros and cons of negative emotions will enable us gradually to reduce them. And we do this for our own benefit not to please the Buddha or God. In answer to a question during a brief meeting with the press, His Holiness said he had been unable to visit the Valley for the past 24 years due to the turmoil that had taken place, "But now the situation is better and peace is returning to Kashmir. People want to live a happy life and the basis of a happy life is peace. The Kashmiri people should live peacefully and if there is any problem, dialogue is the only way to resolve it. Violence is in nobody's interest; a more peaceful approach is essential."
In his interactions with some of the Tibetan Muslim Elders, His Holiness was effusive in his praise for their keeping up their use of the Tibetan language and bringing their children up to speak it so well. He asked if any of them could read and write Tibetan and two of the elderly ladies, some of them in their late eighties, said they could and that they had learned because they had such kind but strict teachers in Tibet.
Tomorrow, His Holiness will be meeting with a group of students and government employees from Ladakh. In the coming days he plans to make pilgrimages to Muslim, Hindu and Sikh places of worship in Srinagar city before he departs for Leh on 18th July. Read More @ Source 
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