At Buddhadharma News: Exclusive clips from E. Gene Smith documentary “Digital Dharma”
At Buddhadharma News: Exclusive clips from E. Gene Smith documentary “Digital Dharma” |
- At Buddhadharma News: Exclusive clips from E. Gene Smith documentary “Digital Dharma”
- Czech Foreign Minister calls on His Holiness the Dalai Lama
- Friendship between a spiritual leader and a playwright
- Birth And Death Should Not Be Avoided
| At Buddhadharma News: Exclusive clips from E. Gene Smith documentary “Digital Dharma” Posted: 12 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST
So we hope you'll learn more about it by visiting Buddhadharma News and the exclusive Digital Dharma clips that are being shared there. And be sure to enter yourself to win access to a free private screening of Digital Dharma. Just click here — and check back at BDN for more exclusive clips in the days ahead. Read More @ Source
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| Czech Foreign Minister calls on His Holiness the Dalai Lama Posted: 12 Dec 2011 02:00 AM PST Prague, Czech Republic, 11 December 2011 - Czech Foreign Minister Mr. Karel Schwarzenberg called on His Holiness the Dalai Lama this evening at his hotel in Prague. His Holiness the Dalai Lama said that the Tibetan spirit especially among the younger generation in Tibet was extremely strong. He called on governments and parliaments to send fact finding missions to Tibet to find out the actual situation in there. He expressed his deep concern about Tibet's environment. Environment is not a political issue he said. Tibet's environment is important for China as many rivers that start in Tibet flow through China. He said international environmental experts including from China should investigate what damages has been done and what can be done to prevent further damage. Earlier in the morning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama addressed the roundtable conference on Democracy and Human Rights in Asia: One Year After an Empty Chair in Oslo at Charles University in Prague. Former President Havel who couldn't attend the conference due to ill health said in his message that we are entering a rather dangerous period where human rights and civic freedoms were being sacrificed for material growth. "Human rights issues faced with ever growing economic might of a country like China are being trivialized and economic interests are being deliberately separated from those dealing with basic freedoms. And this is very dangerous, not only because solidarity with those pursuing freedom in different parts of the world is fading but also for Euro-Atlantic area whose original identity is thus being lost," said President Havel.
"It was a great encouragement when we saw that there are many people –often from very far away – who feel a similar responsibility for the world as we felt. We have been attempting now, for more than twenty years already, to return that solidarity that we received and to express support to all those who are fighting for human rights and basic freedoms in Asia and elsewhere. For people like Liu Xiabo and the likes of him all over the world," the message said. In his address, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said that the 7 billion people share one home and the survival of this planet depends on us. We have to think about others' wellbeing. The Tibetan leader praised India for its democratic principles and said there is accountability of governance. China he said, with its recent economic developments have great potential to make constructive contribution on the global stage. However, he expressed concern about the present system of government.
His Holiness expressed his concern about the growing gap between the rich and the poor, as well as the high level of corruption. Mr. Bernard Kouchner, former French Foreign Minister said that China is economically doing well but at the same time, there are lots of people imprisoned. Arab Spring has worried the Chinese leadership, as they fear it will come to them. Dr. Jianli Yang, President and Founder of the Initiatives for China based in Boston said that China is afraid of Liu Xiaobo, a key author of Charter 08. The Charter 08 called for democratic changes in China. Over 350 Chinese intellectuals and human rights activists signed the charter.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama was invited to the Czech Republic by former Czech president Vaclav Havel and Forum2000 who organised the conference. Nobel Laureate Dr. Shirin Ebadi and Mr. Stéphane Hessel, Co-drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights also spoke at the conference. In the afternoon, His Holiness the Dalai Lama spoke about his three commitments in life during the public talk on Searching for Happiness in a Troubled World at the Prague Congress Centre.
Ultimate source of happiness is within ourselves. A calm mind and concern for others welfare will help towards happiness. Compassion he said, is not about having pity for others, but sense of respect for others.  Read More @ Source 
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| Friendship between a spiritual leader and a playwright Posted: 11 Dec 2011 08:00 PM PST December 10th 2011 Prague, Czech Republic, 10 December 2011 - The meeting of two old friends, a spiritual leader and a playwright took place today in Prague on the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights day. His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited his old friend former President Václav Havel at his office. Just a few hours earlier, His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived in Prague on a three days visit
President Havel who hadn't been keeping well looked fragile but determine to keep his appointment with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He had travelled from his country retreat to Prague. The meeting between the two personal friends lasted over an hour. President Havel thanked His Holiness the Dalai Lama for his kind words. He said that he had been following the changes in the Tibetan political leadership and it was done at the right moment. In response, His Holiness said that this change was done voluntarily. Not out of pressure but with pride and happiness.
Speaking about the situation in Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said that the Tibetans inside Tibet even among the young people, the spirit of Tibet was very strong. Tomorrow His Holiness the Dalai Lama will address "Democracy and Human Rights in Asia: One Year After an Empty Chair in Oslo" roundtable conference in Prague. The conference will commemorate the first anniversary of Nobel Peace Prize to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. The conference will focus on the current state of democracy and human rights in Asia. The Former French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, Nobel Laureate Dr. Shirin Ebadi, Mr. Stéphane Hessel, Co-drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Dr. Jianli Yang Dissident, President and Founder, Initiatives for China based in Boston, USA will also address the conference.
The roundtable conference and the public talk will be live broadcasted on http://www.forum2000.cz/en/web-tv/   Read More @ Source Buddhists Circuits in Nepal.mov 
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| Birth And Death Should Not Be Avoided Posted: 11 Dec 2011 04:00 PM PST Note: The Shushogi is a relatively modern distillation of the teachings of Zen Master Dogen taken from The Shobogenzo: The Eye and Treasury of the True Law. An epic! In the Shushogi: What is Truly Meant by Training and Enlightenment, in the very first section titled Introduction: The Reason for Training is this:
The Shushogi can be found it its entirety here on the Shasta Abbey website. I love it that what you find there is clearly a scan and I have a copy of the original beside me now. Later on in this section of the Shushogi is this:
Birth and death, the cyclic nature of existence is in Buddhist teaching synonymous with suffering, the first of the Four Noble Truths. Suffering exists. So here in the Shushogi is a teaching about suffering and how to bring that to an end. Don't avoid it, look it straight in the eye. Further, and a few days ago there was a post titled Where is Home on the subject, there is the cause of suffering which has to be addressed. The Second Noble Truth, The cause of suffering is tanha (thirsting) or craving/desire. It's all very well to get ones head around the Buddhas teaching, to understand how it works and how it all fits together. There is for example a good article on Dependent Arising on Buddhanet which is worth reading. At the time of the Buddhas Enlightenment, which we are all celebrating at the moment December 8th being the traditional date for doing that, the Buddha taught both the Four Noble Truths and Dependent Arising. Two ways to point to the same thing, cause and effect. The law of cause and effect. Yes, it is all very well to understand the Buddhas teaching yet something else again to put it into daily practice. I for one was utterly confused for years trying to get a grip on Buddhist. Buddhist doctrine was always there lurking in the background, in the foreground was...life and life had the loudest voice! And there was definitely no avoiding it! I sloshed between the opposites or extremes. Happy - miserable. You're right - I'm wrong. I'm good - you BAD! I like - I don't like. I want - I don't want. This IS suffering. So what breaks the chain mentioned in the above quote, or what snaps you out of the extremes? Or at least relieves the confusion. Many moments of insight come to mind. The one that comes rushing up the hill to find me is that basic from meditation instruction. Don't hang on and don't push away, ANYTHING. That and the discipline of refraining from labeling experience and thus habitually stamp ones personal meaning on the world. There is no need to do that. The teaching I have pointed to in this post I hope helps a little with understand. In Zen we are practice oriented 101%, to the point where practice disappears. By that I mean the self consciousness, the sense of practice being an add-on or something carried about, dissolves into the immediacy of responding to what's there. Yes the sense of being a self arises during the day for all sorts of reasons (not a problem) and that sense passes, given half a chance. Lots of tofu and veg to contemplate here! Read More @ SourcePart 6 of 7: Towards an Integral Model of Buddhist 
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