Meet (and hear) Nepal’s Ani Choying Dolma, aka “The Singing Nun”
Meet (and hear) Nepal’s Ani Choying Dolma, aka “The Singing Nun” |
- Meet (and hear) Nepal’s Ani Choying Dolma, aka “The Singing Nun”
- So much for “Mad Men” — Former monk Gregory Burdulis brings mindfulness to an ad-world leader
- The Buddhist Understanding of Negative Judgment
- Russian Tuva State University Honours Dalai Lama
- Be mindful in all you do
- Advice From Atisha’s Heart
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama Expresses His Sadness and Concern over the Recent Flooding in the Philippines
- Ajahn Chah Remembrance Day - 17 & 18 December 2011 LIVE!
- Nepal's 'singing nun' shares the sound of music
- Confluence of Science and Buddhist in Dharamsala
- Khmer Rouge did not ban Buddhist, says accused
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama May Visit Holiest Buddhist Sites of Burma
- Annual Buddhist congregation being held at Bodhgaya
- Buddhist Monk Faces Eviction From Burma Monastery
- The little lama from Columbia Heights
- Lifting the veil of ignorance: Buddhism and justice
- Buddhist Abbot Under Pressure Since Clinton Visit
- The Koan Arrives Naturally
- Imagine… a happy, greed-free holiday
- How are Buddhists ringing in the New Year?
| Meet (and hear) Nepal’s Ani Choying Dolma, aka “The Singing Nun” Posted: 22 Dec 2011 09:02 AM PST
More, including two music videos by Dolma, after the jump. In a new interview with the AFP, Dolma discusses her teacher Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, her hesitancy to take on a musical career, and what it's been like to be considered a local celebrity in her homeland of Nepal. For more, you can visit her official website at choying.com. You can get two tastes of her style of music — modern interpretations of traditional Tibetan music — here: (Photo by Geraldstiehler via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike 3.0) Read More @ SourceDiffrent Look-Buddhism 
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| So much for “Mad Men” — Former monk Gregory Burdulis brings mindfulness to an ad-world leader Posted: 22 Dec 2011 06:01 AM PST
Gregory Burdulis is a former Theravadan monk who spent several years in intensive silent meditation practice in Burma. Today he teaches mindfulness meditation to employees at the famous, 600-person advertising agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky (CP+B). Participants are often looking for balance amid a hectic work schedule. "It's not that I am perfect or enlightened. It's that I think I can help," says Burdulis. In this TED video from last year, Burdulis discusses becoming a monk, practice, and his life and priorities today. Watch and read on for an update on his work below.
In this recent piece from the Daily Camera out of Boulder, CO, Burdulis talks about how he feels more responsibility than ever in his current occupation. Employees at CP+B also share their experiences, talking about how meditation is improving their work lives. According to the piece, "the mindfulness training is meant to combine meditation techniques and counseling for a common goal: strengthening teamwork, increasing creativity and raising morale in high-stress environments." Visit Burdulis on the web, here. Read More @ SourceDalai Lama on Essential Buddhism 达赖喇嘛讲授佛教 
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| The Buddhist Understanding of Negative Judgment Posted: 22 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST by Aik Theng Chong, The Buddhist Channel, Dec 22, 2011Singapore -- On the Theory of Negation, the Buddhist logicians maintained that reality is not split in existence and non existence, it consists of existence only. A non-existing or absent thing is imagination, it can produce no sensation directly.
Negative judgment is about an absent thing which has been hypothetically imagined as present. It is an inference class of perception. It is the domain of our imagination and has meaning and validity providing us with an indirect valid source of knowledge than can guide our purposive actions. To the Buddhist, when we said, 'there is no Buddha statue here', the absent of the Buddha statue, the direct cognition, the visual sensation is produced by the empty place and not by the absent statue.
To a realist, negation is based on the positive perception of an absent thing, (the absence is present). Perception of an absent thing is impossible as it is a contradiction said the Buddhist. For example, if the Buddha statue is not here, it would not be perceptible since it is absent. If it is perception, the thing is present it cannot be absent, it should be found on the negative perception of a present thing (the presence is absent). This situation happens when we actually perceived the Buddha statue in the same act of cognition of the empty space since all conditions necessary for its perception are fulfilled. The empty space which the Buddha statue is absent and the cognition of the space for which it is intent upon for its use are both negation of a possible visibility, since they are the real source of the negative judgment. The non-cognition of the Buddha statue is a negation of a hypothetical visibility. However, it is imagined on a basis of a positive perception, i.e. the empty space and consists of a sensation followed by an image constructed through the understanding. To the Buddhist logicians, cognition is always a new cognition, cognition of the object not yet cognized. Enduring cognition is recognition it is repeated cognition after the first flash of awareness. It is not a separate knowledge. Knowledge does not consist of knowledge and non-knowledge, so is reality does not consist of Negation is non-perception and non-perception always refers to a possible When we see a stove and simultaneously imagine the present of a pot on it, and by repelling the hypothetical present pot, what we get is a negative judgment that - 'there is not pot on the stove'. Negation has meaning only with an attempted positive assertion. But positive assertions that can be ascribed to a subject are limited whereas predicates that can be denied are infinite. However actually denied are only those whose presence can naturally be expected for the given subject. If we are to imagine that an elephant is now seating on the stove, the negative judgment concluded would be that - 'there is no Of course we can also find negative judgment stating an unnecessary obvious fact like the well know utterance that - 'Alexander could not have conquered any countries without an army'. The statement is logically correct and without error. Then, what is needed is for one to decide on the usefulness and purpose for such knowledge, if there is any at all. Read More @ SourceChinese Buddhist Evening Ceremony 佛教晚課大悲咒 
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| Russian Tuva State University Honours Dalai Lama Posted: 22 Dec 2011 04:00 AM PST by YC. Dhardhowa, The Tibet Post International, 21 December 2011Dharamshala, India -- After holding three days of teaching and initiation events in Dharamshala, India, today, December 21st, the Russian Federal State Education Institute- Tuva State University has awarded His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, an Honorary Doctorate in recognition of his outstanding contribution to freedom, Human Rights, religious harmony and environment protection.
His Holiness said that he visited once in Tuva where people have shown their genuine faith in Buddhist. "Tuva has a long-standing strong cultural ties linked to Tibet for past hundreds of years. Recent years, due to political reasons, I couldn't visit Tuva, however, many Buddhist followers from Russian regions including Kalmykia, Buryatia, and Tuva have come to here [Dharamshala] for teachings." The Buddhist leader finished his teachings for Buddhists from Russia on"Tsongkhapa's "Destiny Fulfilled (tokjo dunlekma)" and Geshe Langri Thangpa's "Eight Verses of Training the Mind (lojong tsik gyema)." in Dharamshala Wednesday. Over the last three days, over 6,500 people attended the teachings. His Holiness' teachings were streamed live on the web. An astonishing thousands of others listened and watched the teachings live online. Telo Rinpoche told the crowd that the decision on this outstanding Professor Award honor to His Holiness was made in October 2011. "Russian academic Council of the Tuva State University has anonymously decided to confer the honoring title of professor to the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso in acknowledgment of his outstanding input to the development of science, personal contribution to solving contemporary pressing issues such as protection of Human freedom, values and Rights, promotion of religious harmony, conservation of environment, strengthening of moral and ethical principals in society."
The Russian Buddhist leader urged His Holiness for more teachings in near future. "We need to hear more teachings of His Holiness." He underlined that he was glad to see this widening participation, there is a growing interest among Russians in engaging in deeper understanding of Buddhist through teachings. The spiritual leader of Tibet also agreed to confer more teachings and initiations for Russian Buddhists in the coming years. His Holiness said as being a Buddhist monk, it was his duty to promote compassion, religious harmony and to confer Buddhist teachings. "Today, the people from Tuva have prepared the honoring title of professor for me, I would like to thank them." His Holiness told the crowd. "As Telo Rinpoche has just mentioned and as I heard from Yulo Rinpoche, (Yeshe Lodoe Rinpoche, a Tibetan Budhist leader), It is not so easy to travel from far away to seek teachings. "However, despite facing many difficulties and challenges, you all came here to join the teachings." His Holiness the Dalai Lama stressed. "It is very important that over the last couple of years' experiences, we have seen a steadily growing interest in Buddhist among the people in these regions," said His Holiness. Read More @ SourceWhat Is Buddhist? Part Two 
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| Posted: 22 Dec 2011 03:00 AM PST by Lama Doboom Tulku, Times of India, Dec 21, 2011New Delhi, India -- There are some fundamental beliefs. One is the universal regime of cause and effect. The second is the idea of interdependence of all phenomena.
Buddhism does not believe in mortifying the flesh; it does not believe in ignoring the demands of life, or the potential for expanding knowledge about the universe; it does not deny that knowledge can help to reduce suffering or improve conditions of living. It has therefore no distaste for science or technology.
If they ignore or violate any of the beliefs that listed above, they are bound to increase individual and social suffering, and not welfare. Hence what we believe will contribute to our pleasure sometimescould turn out to be the cause of aggravated suffering. To the Buddhist, ethics and morality are not extraneous to the realm of cause and effect. They are not commandments of one who is the creator, and who functions above the realm of cause and effect. Nor have their observance to be induced by a system of reward and punishment. The belief that actions take place in the realm of cause and effect has turned Buddhism away from the need to look for an external source of authority or reward and punishment administered by an external authority. Actions have their inescapable consequences as they are governed by the law of cause and effect. Advances in science and technology are not based on an analysis of motives, or the impact and chain-reactions that these are likely to cause on the psyche and environment. The negative consequences of this absence of mindfulness have now been brought to our attention. What do we do? Persist in the mindless pursuit of individual power and material possessions, unconcerned with its consequences -- in other words running the risk of a suicide of the species? The answer lies within us, within our minds. To a believer in Buddha Dharma it is this mindfulness which is the basis on which to choose the path that leads to freedom and fulfillment. Among the most powerful enemies of mindfulness are desire, greed and the ego, the desire to promote one's ego at the cost of others or society or the environment. The answer that Buddha Dharma gives is mindfulness even to protect mindfulness, and the ethics and morality that mindfulness makes imperative in a world governed by cause and effect. Read More @ SourceRandom Rants(Buddhism part 1) 
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| Posted: 22 Dec 2011 01:00 AM PST
This is a special joint event with Heruka Center and Avalokiteshvara Center, held at Avalokiteshvara Center in Denver. In this third and final course in the series, Gen Losel will give teachings on the Bodhisattva's way of life and Gen Rinzin will lead the meditations. Atisha gives us advice from his heart on how to follow a way of life that is both joyful and meaningful. If we try our best to put these special instructions into our busy life, we shall develop a pure and happy mind, inspire others to follow our example, and progress steadily toward the ultimate supreme peace of enlightenment. What a wonderful way to start the new year! The retreat will begin on Friday at 7pm and end Sunday at 5pm. A vegetarian lunch will be served on Saturday and Sunday. Cost: $ 85 (full retreat), $ 40 (Saturday or Sunday only), $ 10 (Friday only) Accommodations may be available at Avalokiteshvara Center. Call 303-813-9551 for info. More Details can be found at : http://meditateindenver.org Read More @ SourceBuddhist prayer 
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| Posted: 22 Dec 2011 12:00 AM PST  His Holiness the Dalai Lama Expresses His Sadness and Concern over the Recent Flooding in the PhilippinesDecember 22nd 2011 Dharamsala, HP, India, 21 December 2011 - In a letter to the President of the Philippines, His Excellency Benigno Aquino III, His Holiness the Dalai Lama expressed his sadness and concern about the loss of lives and damage to property caused by the recent unprecedented flash floods on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. His Holiness offered his condolences to the families that have lost loved ones and prayers for the deceased and others affected by the devastating floods. As a token of sympathy and concern, a donation is being made from The Dalai Lama Trust to support the relief work.  Read More @ Source 
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| Ajahn Chah Remembrance Day - 17 & 18 December 2011 LIVE! Posted: 21 Dec 2011 11:00 PM PST The Buddhist Channel, Dec 15, 2011Petaling Jaya, Malaysia -- The Ajahn Chah Remembrance Day (ACRD) is a special day devoted to one of the great contemporary Buddhist monks in Thailand, Venerable Ajahn Chah who is also known as Ajahn Chah Subhaddo.
This year's event, which is the third one to be held in Malaysia, is especially significant as it marks the 20th anniversary of this great monk's passing. The two-day event on the 17th & 18th of December 2011, will be held at the SJK (C) Yuk Chai (Taman Megah) school hall. Monks from the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Malaysia will be attending this event.
He became a wandering ascetic after the death of his father, walking across Thailand while taking teachings at various monasteries. By also spending time in jungles infested with tigers and cobras, caves and cremation grounds, he developed a unique style of meditation by reflecting on death to comprehend the true meaning of life. The Thai Forest Tradition is one branch of the Theravada Buddhist tradition. Commonly practised in Thailand, Burma and Sri Lanka, one of the distinguishing characteristics of the Theravada Buddhist tradition is its strict adherence to the original teachings and rule of monastic discipline laid down by the Buddha. The Forest Tradition emphasizes very strongly on meditative practice and the realization of enlightenment as the focus of monastic life. A day in the life of a forest monk involves constant practice of the Buddha's path of contemplative insight, which includes living a life of discipline, renunciation and meditation. It is through this process that the forest monks can understand the inner truth and peace as taught by the Buddha. The extensive 227 rules of conduct, or precepts, must be strictly adhered to, such as consuming food between dawn and noon; not handling money; practice of celibacy. The forest monks commonly engage in the practice of "thudong" which is wandering on foot in search of solitary places, sleeping wherever is available and eating only whatever is offered by laypeople along the way. Ajahn Chah's Remembrance Day Webcast (Dec 17& 18, 2011) http://www.justin.tv/ ajahnchahrd Laypeople wonder why forest monks undergo such a strict and disciplined regime that entails living a life of absolute austerity. The Buddha believed that living in this manner allows forest monks to simplify and refine the mind. Refinement allows them to explore and understand the fundamental causes of suffering within the human psyche and ultimately cultivate a path that leads toward freedom from suffering and supreme happiness. The Ajahn Chah Remembrance Day seeks to provide the public with guidance by the visiting monks on how this can possibly be achieved through the teachings of the Buddha and Ajahn Chah. It is especially relevant since we live in a day in age where our lives are full of stress, pressure and fear of uncertainties. Ajahn Chah once said:
Free shuttle bus service will be provided at Nalanda Buddhist Society. The schedule is as follows: Nalanda to Yuk Chai: depart from Nalanda at 7am on 17 & 18 December (Saturday & Sunday). Yuk Chai to Nalanda: depart from Yuk Chai to Nalanda at 9pm on 17 December (Saturday) and 5pm on 18 December (Sunday). For free shuttle bus service, please register with: Lao Buddhist Monks Chanting - Laos 
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| Nepal's 'singing nun' shares the sound of music Posted: 21 Dec 2011 10:00 PM PST By Deepak Adhikari, AFP, Dec 18, 2011 KATHMANDU, Nepal -- Wrapped in a maroon robe, her head shaven, Ani Choying Dolma treads gingerly into a Kathmandu hotel, exuding the composure and serenity one might expect from a Buddhist nun.
She has recorded 12 albums, and for over a decade has been playing in festivals and concerts across Europe and the United States. The money she makes through her soulful music, a contemporary take on traditional Tibetan sounds, goes almost entirely to projects promoting the education and welfare of Buddhist nuns.
Born into a family of Tibetans who fled the Chinese occupation and raised in the shadow of a Buddhist monastery in Kathmandu, Dolma describes being beaten daily by her father and says her youth was "physically and emotionally painful". "I was courageous enough to say that I didn't want it anymore," she told AFP in an interview. She moved to a monastery perched high in the hills overlooking Kathmandu where she found a teacher, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, an influential Buddhist master in Nepal. "The person I am today... all credit goes to my teacher. I don't know what I would have become had I not been blessed with his teachings. It transformed the hatred inside me into compassion," she said. Dolma learned English, having left school aged 13, by talking to the foreigners who visited the monastery, and was schooled in spiritual singing by the Rinpoche and his wife Kunseong Dechen. She may have been destined to sing for the pleasure of just a few fellow nuns and the tourists lucky enough to hear her at the monastery, were it not for a chance meeting with American new world musician Steve Tibbetts. Tibbetts, who is renowned for his original approach influenced by travel in Asia, was passing through Kathmandu when he heard Dolma chanting at the monastery, and proposed to record her songs. She was hesitant at first but consulted her teacher, who urged her to take up the opportunity. "I wasn't sure but he told me that those were spiritual songs full of blessings, so whoever gets to hear them, would be benefited," Dolma recalls. Her career took off immediately with a tour of the United States in 1998. Once she started to receive offers for concerts around the world and the sales of her albums grew, she began to use her new-found fame to help destitute girls in Nepal. In July 2005, she set up the Arya Tara school, home to nearly 100 girls aged seven to 23 from the Himalayan Buddhist communities, who she says "mostly come from villages, where parents think that their daughters don't need to go to school". Her autobiography, My Voice for Freedom, published in French in 2008, has been translated into 12 languages including Nepalese. Despite her career taking off in the West, Dolma remained relatively unknown back home at first. But in 2005 she released "Moment of Bliss", an album featuring the song "Phulko Ankhama" (In the Eyes of Flowers), which became an instant hit at home, turning her into a celebrity in Nepal. "When I walk on the street, people come over and say: 'Oh Ani Choying!' They give me a big smile. It's a real blessing to know that I can be someone's pleasure for a moment." Read More @ SourcePema Chodron "Troublemakers" 
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| Confluence of Science and Buddhist in Dharamsala Posted: 21 Dec 2011 09:00 PM PST Tibet.net, , December 17 2011 DHARAMSHALA, India -- His Holiness the Dalai Lama today inaugurated a three-day international conference on 'Cosmology and Consciousness', which brought together Tibetan Buddhist scholars and top scientists to explore ways to promote the integration of spiritual values and scientific investigations.
The conference is an initiative of the Science for Monks Program under the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA), which has taught science to Tibetan monks since 2001 under the inspiration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The Sager Science Leadership Institute, Emory University, and John Templeton Foundation are part of this initiative. This conference opens up the dialogue to the Tibetan monastic community in an unprecedented way. In addition to the panelists, eighteen Tibetan scholars from thirteen monasteries and nunneries will be engaged in the dialogue with scientists for the first time.
"Monastics studying modern science is a historic step in the history of monastic education and Tibetan Buddhist. Through becoming well-versed in traditional philosophical studies and modern science, it is our hope that monks and nuns can make a significant contribution to the betterment of the physical and mental health of people everywhere," he said. In his address, His Holiness the Dalai Lama clarified that science and Buddhist do not contradict each other, as both are underpinned by a common principle of in-depth inquiry and analysis. His Holiness spoke on how science and Buddhist can work together to bring about inner peace and happiness in the world. "Wisdom alone is not sufficient to bring about mental peace, it should be generated by studying and training the mind," he said. "The Tibetan Buddhist, a quintessential part of the Nalanda tradition, is the most profound and comprehensive tradition to study the mind. It can make a remarkable contribution to the scientists. It is the precious gem of the whole world," His Holiness said. Emphasising the need to expand the propagation of Buddhist science and interaction with modern science, His Holiness called for greater efforts to generate more proficient science teachers and reference materials within the Tibetan community. Thanking the scientists, His Holiness said: "You all have helped immensely in promoting knowledge in modern science and closer contact with Buddhist science. It is part of your contribution towards promoting inner values like compassion and warmheartedness, which are the seeds of inner strength and it is universal. All the major religious traditions preach these values." Dr Bryce E Johnson, Project Manager of Science for Monks and Staff Scientist at the Exploratorium, said: "For over 10 years, Science for Monks has brought science to select groups of scholarly Tibetan Buddhist monastics and developed science leadership within the monastic community. The conference and the workshops will position a new cadre of monastics to support and grow the dialogue between Buddhist and modern science." During the course of the conference, the participants will discuss a range of subjects such as the nature of mind and consciousness, life and consciousness in the universe, limits of knowledge and knowing, mind, awareness, and behaviour, and serving humanity. They will discuss how best to advance investigations at the intersection of science and spirituality. Consonant with Holiness the Dalai Lama's vision, the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives has made a historic stride in introducing science education to the Tibetan Buddhist monastic learning centers in the last one decade. Since 2001, it has established Science for Monks programme and Monastic Graduates Project through innovative partnerships with the Sager Science Leadership Institute, the Emory University, Exploratorium, and John Templeton Foundation. Over the years, Western scientists have taught more than 220 monks and nuns about physics, quantum mechanics, cosmology, biology, neuroscience, and mathematics, all with a strong emphasis on scientific inquiry. "Teaching the monastic graduates science, empowers them to better articulate points of relevance between and across traditions. Further, we have found that experiences rich in inquiry efficiently break down misconceptions, best represent the spirit of scientific process and provide a rich context for dialogue," Geshe Lhakdor said. Read More @ SourceUN Celebrates 2600th Anniversary of Buddhist 
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| Khmer Rouge did not ban Buddhist, says accused Posted: 21 Dec 2011 08:01 PM PST AFP, Dec 16, 2011PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- A top Khmer Rouge leader denied Thursday that the brutal 1970s regime persecuted Buddhists and outlawed religion, to the outrage of monks following his trial at Cambodia's UN-backed court. Nuon Chea, ex-foreign minister Ieng Sary and former head of state Khieu Samphan all deny charges including genocide and war crimes for the deaths of up to two million people during the regime's 1975-79 reign of terror. They are also accused of systematically targetting Buddhists, disrobing monks under threat of execution and destroying places of worship. But Nuon Chea gave judges -- and the hundreds of Cambodians watching from the public gallery -- a very different version of events. "The question is did we really reject the monks? Of course not," he said. "Some people who accuse Democratic Kampuchea (the Khmer Rouge regime) of destroying religion are wrong. They don't understand the real meaning of religion." Like Buddha himself, he said, people did not need pagodas to practice their faith because religious principles such as compassion and kindness "are in the hearts of Buddhist followers". His words stunned the orange-clad clergymen attending the day's session. "I am quite angry with what he says," said Phnom Penh-based monk Prum Mony, 28, whose grandfather died under the regime. "If he respects monks, why did they destroy pagodas and defrock monks? He is insulting monks." Fellow monk Lai Sokchea, also 28, said Nuon Chea's revision of history was "a sin" because "his words were different from his actions". Led by "Brother Number One" Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge emptied cities, abolished money and religion and wiped out nearly a quarter of the population through starvation, overwork or execution in a bid to create an agrarian utopia. Prosecutors last month said witnesses recalled Khmer Rouge leaders labelling monks -- who are revered in Cambodian society -- "blood-sucking parasitic worms". The tribunal will resume hearing evidence next month. 
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| His Holiness the Dalai Lama May Visit Holiest Buddhist Sites of Burma Posted: 21 Dec 2011 07:00 PM PST The Tibet Post International , 16 December 2011Dharamshala, India: -- The spiritual leader of Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama expressed his desire last week to visit Burma to pay homage at the country's holiest shrine of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon, the capital of Burma.
"His Holiness the Dalai Lama said he has a great friendship with Burmese monks because they are well-versed in Buddhist scripture and also strictly follow the code of conduct of monk-hood. And he wants to pay a pilgrimage to Shwedagon," said Ashin Nyanissara, an influential Burmese Buddhist monk who joined the event in Delhi. Burmese Buddhist monks responded to the Tibetan spiritual leader by saying that he would be invited to Burma at an appropriate time, Ashin Nyanissara said in a note posted on the internet.
The Chinese government has frequently interfered with foreign nations granting the Tibetan spiritual leader entry to their countries. However, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has canceled his plans to join the 80th birthday celebration of fellow Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu in South Africa this October. "There's no China's pressure being put on South Africa on this matter," Deputy Foreign Minister Marius Fransman told reporters. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is seeking a solution to the Tibetan problem through genuine autonomy, which is compatible with the principles on autonomy in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China (PRC). For many occasions, The Tibetan spiritual leader had raised his voice over Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest in the region, strongly called for the release of the Nobel Peace laureate when he joined other Nobel Peace Prize winners, including Desmond Tutu, in Thailand in 1993. Thailand eventually agreed to provide him with a visa to attend the event despite fierce protests from Chinese government. Read More @ SourceWhat Is Buddhist? Part One 
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| Annual Buddhist congregation being held at Bodhgaya Posted: 21 Dec 2011 06:00 PM PST ANI, December 17, 2011Bodhgaya, India -- The nine-day long Buddhist religious ceremony of Kagyu Monlam is being held in the Buddhist holy shrine of Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya. The ceremony began on December 14 and would continue till December 22 at Bodhgaya. Read More @ Source The ceremony was presided over by the 17th Karmapa Lama, Thinley Dorjee, who recited verses from the Holy Scripture to the gathered monks. "Monks from countries like Nepal, Bhutan and the rest of the world come to participate in this religious ceremony. It is held every year and it is important for everyone to participate in it and it is held in a big way. Every year we gather here and hold this ceremony hoping to achieve something good for all. The main objective of holding this ceremony is to invoke world peace on an individual level by each participant," said Gempo Lama, a Buddhist monk. The Kagyu Monlam is an annual prayer ceremony held at the Grand Stupa under the Mahabodhi tree where Buddha attained enlightenment. Monks and nuns coming from Kagyu monasteries located in Nepal, India, Bhutan and Tibet be a part of the ceremony along with devotees from around the world. Why Taoism and Buddhism are essentially the same 
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| Buddhist Monk Faces Eviction From Burma Monastery Posted: 21 Dec 2011 05:00 PM PST VOA News, December 17, 2011Rangoon, Burma -- A Buddhist monk in Burma has been ordered out of his monastery after giving a speech at an office of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party. The State Sangha committee is asking him to leave Sadhu Buddhist Monastery in Rangoon, saying the speech he gave in September at a branch of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League of Democracy in Mandalay, in central Burma, was inappropriate. Ashin Pyinyar Thiha told the French news agency he will appeal the decision. In recent months the Sadhu monastery has held a series of political events. Burma's new government took over in March and has shown tentative steps toward democratic reform. Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a landmark visit to the Southeast Asian country to assess the progress of its reforms. Buddhism in America 
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| The little lama from Columbia Heights Posted: 21 Dec 2011 04:00 PM PST by ALLIE SHAH , Star Tribune, December 18, 2011
Tibetan Buddhists see the extraordinary in this Columbia Heights boy -- a reincarnated guru. Columbia Heights, CA (USA) -- It's morning time and a little boy with a shaved head and a face shaped like the moon chants a Tibetan prayer.
Big for his age, he looks bigger still perched on an ornate chair draped in crimson and saffron robes. "Only for lamas," explains his father, Dorje Tsegyal, sitting cross-legged on the floor at his son's feet. Jalue Dorjee, you see, is believed to be no ordinary boy. According to the highest authorities of the Tibetan Buddhist order, he is the reincarnation of the speech, mind and body of a lama, or spiritual guru, who died in Switzerland six years ago. Jalue is said to be the eighth appearance of the original lama, born in 1655.
Jalue is believed to be one of a very few American tulkus -- or reincarnated lamas -- and the first one born in Minnesota, which has the second-largest Tibetan population in the country. Still, the finding comes amid some controversy over the way tulkus are being identified, as some Tibetan scholars question why their number has been increasing -- to thousands worldwide. But Jalue's parents are faithful believers, and they look past any doubters to the work they must do to prepare their son for his destiny. The thought of letting Jalue go pains his mother, but she consoles herself that when the time comes, she will probably be accustomed to the idea. Of dreams and letters From the time a new life first began to stir inside her in 2006, Dechen Wangmo said she sensed there was something special about this child. He was peaceful inside her body. She carried him with ease. She never felt sick, not even in the mornings. And there were those dreams. One night, an elephant appeared with several little ones around it, she said. They merged into the small prayer room in the family home. Once inside, they vanished. Tsegyal, too, remembers having vivid, symbolic dreams at the time. In one, he said, he saw many lamas surrounded by tall sunflowers. So when a highly respected lama from India came to visit the Twin Cities Tibetan community, Tsegyal told him about the dreams. That night, the lama had magical dreams of his own, according to Tsegyal, (pronounced Say-jull). The lama told him he saw huge tigers, one in each room of the family home. Robust tigers are a good omen and a sign of strength and protection, according to Tibetan Buddhist custom. Before Jalue was born, the family asked the lama to perform a practice known as "divination," which is used by lamas in Tibetan Buddhist to advise people on important matters. Different lamas use their own divination methods, including ones using a rosary or dice to interpret events. This lama performed a divination using two arrows and prayer, Tsegyal recalled. Weeks later, a letter arrived at the Columbia Heights home. In it, the visiting lama wrote that he was sure the child was the reincarnation of a Buddhist spiritual master, Tsegyal recalled. Which spiritual master, the lama did not know. Determined to find out, Tsegyal wrote to His Holiness Trulshik Shatrul Rinpoche, the spiritual leader of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhist, the oldest of the four schools. Rinpoche performed another divination, also using the arrows. Soon another letter arrived at the family doorstep. "Your son is lucky to be a reincarnate of body, speech and mind of TAKSHAM NUEDEN DORJEE." Accepting fate Emotions filled Tsegyal: gratitude and fear, honor and pride. He showed the letter to Wangmo. "Let's not tell anyone right now," she said. What if people questioned Jalue's legitimacy? she worried. Besides, he was their one and only child. She could not bear the thought of sending her precious son off to a monastery far from her in just a few short years. But there could be consequences, Tsegyal gently persisted. Tibetan Buddhists believe that interfering with a person's destiny may cut their life short. "If he is a real reincarnated lama, we have to nurture him and nourish him," he said softly. "Otherwise, he will not have a long life." Wangmo saw that she must accept her son's fate. When another lama from India came to town, Tsegyal brought his newborn son for a blessing, but kept quiet about the recognition. "Your son seems to be of high birth," the lama observed. At Tsegyal's request, the lama performed a third divination ritual. Like the others, he quickly concluded the child was indeed a tulku. He told Tsegyal to alert the three highest lamas, and this led to more letters confirming Jalue as a reincarnated lama. On Jan. 6, 2009, a letter arrived bearing the seal of the greatest spiritual leader of the Tibetan diaspora. The Dalai Lama officially recognized Jalue as the reincarnation of the lama known as Taksham Nueden Dorjee. In a second letter, the Dalai Lama gave Jalue a formal lama name -- Tenzin Gyurme Trinley Dorjee. The boy was now 3. His life was about to change. Enlightened parenting The first thing to go was his hair. Buddhist monks must keep their hair no more than 2 inches long, a custom stemming from a story about Buddha snapping his fingers and instantly removing all the monks' hair, mustaches and beards. At the time, Jalue's shiny black hair fell to his shoulders. His parents timed his first haircut to the Dalai Lama's visit to the Tibetan community in Madison, Wis., in May 2010. The family traveled to Madison and the Dalai Lama did the honors, cutting a lock of the boy's hair. Tsegyal keeps that strand of hair preserved inside a blue, folded paper at home. Tsegyal had one more question for the Dalai Lama: How should he raise Jalue to ensure he will become a great lama? The Dalai Lama told him to keep the boy in the United States until he reaches the age of 10 so he can go to school here and learn good English. When he turns 10, he should be sent to a monastery in India, where he can learn as much as he can before he is full-grown. Jalue's father says he realizes that he is raising a lama for the 21st century. A tech-savvy spiritual leader who can easily communicate with people in the West and East. Yet someone also fully versed in the wisdom and practices of Tibetan Buddhist and able to teach those concepts to others. On a crisp fall morning, Jalue looks the part of a boy in two worlds. He practices reading Tibetan words, sitting on his lama chair at home. He is wearing a yellow "Highland Hawks" T-shirt and red flannel pajama bottoms, his favorite colors, and the ones that lamas wear exclusively. His head bowed over his workbook, he points to each word with a highlighter and reads aloud. Tsegyal sits next to his son. "He learns very fast," the father says, watching Jalue power through the workbook and look to his father with a "what's next?" expression. He's learning the basics -- how to say the morning and afternoon prayers and how to read the scriptures. In due time, his father says, he will also learn the meaning of those scriptures. "Right now," Tsegyal explains, "it's very important to know the reading. The important words. Once he will grow up his age, he will start to understand." The boy lama There is so much more Tsegyal must teach his son before they part. How to wear the monk robes properly. How to walk and how to sit. At times, Tsegyal feels overwhelmed by his duty. Mother and father still struggle to find the right balance for shaping a holy man while parenting a 4-year-old. Once Tsegyal became stern while trying to get Jalue to recite a line in the scripture. The boy's face became serious, Tsegyal said, and he spoke in a commanding tone. "Abba, now I am small. You don't have to do that. When I am grown up, I will know it." His mother remembers the day when Jalue took issue with her discipline. "I'm the reincarnate of Taksham," he told her. "You have to talk slow and in a good manner. Otherwise, I'll be shamed." Other times, he appears no different than any other 4-year-old. At home, he sucks down his favorite beef soup and rice dish. He runs around the house in his Power Ranger mask, makes action figures soar off the kitchen table, builds a garage out of Legos for his toy cars. He giggles while watching "Mr. Bean" videos or play-wrestling with his dad. He carries his eagerness to learn to preschool. He often sits near the front of the class, and when his teacher, Kathy Anderson, asks a question, he stretches his hand as high as he can, waving frantically. Jalue stands a full head taller than his classmates. A gentle giant, he grins at a blond-haired boy named Ryan and punches him playfully on the arm. "You want to play with ME?" he asks excitedly, then leads Ryan to a tub full of Legos. At preschool he's just one of the kids, but at the local Tibetan center, Jalue is viewed with great respect and awe. He stopped at the center on Saturday to celebrate his birthday with cake, candles and singing. Jalue appeared stoic, in his monk robes, standing in front of dozens of other Tibetan-American children. They craned their necks to get a better view of the boy, introduced to them as "rinpoche," meaning "precious one." Then, they sang "Happy Birthday" to him in Tibetan. At the end, the headmaster of the Tibetan center's weekend school leaned down and touched his forehead to Jalue's -- in order to receive blessings from the little lama. A mother's dilemma Dechen Wangmo is 40 years old now, and says she won't have any more children. She isn't sure what will happen in five years, when the day comes for Jalue to join the monastery. Sometimes she thinks she will move to India, too. Other times she feels she must stay because her job and her family are here in Minnesota. "Right now she thinks so many things," said Thinly Woser, a family friend and longtime Tibetan community leader who agreed to translate. "Of course, she would like to go to India with him. But she needs to be here. She is in a dilemma." She avoids taking him to shopping malls or Tibetan community events and steers clear of crowded places. Were he an ordinary boy, she would take him everywhere. But in Tibet, lamas must be kept clean and away from bad pollution so that they may have a clear vision. On the rare times she has taken him out in public in his monk robes, people have barraged her with questions. Is this a lama? Who is he? Why do you keep him here? Why don't you take him to India? Then she feels shy. She points to Jalue's father and tells the people: "Ask him." Her heart clings to her baby, but her faith tells her she must let go. "Since His Holiness is our guru and he says he has to go to the monastery, then of course he has to go to the monastery," she said. On a recent morning, Wangmo makes breakfast. She spreads peanut butter on warm naan and pours a cup of chai tea. "Jalue," she calls. He nibbles his bread, then pushes away from the table and rushes back to the living room to watch Elmo on TV. His mother inspects his teacup and frowns. "Jalue, are you done with this?" she calls to him again. He returns, tilts the blue and white porcelain cup, and gulps the last of the tea. "Whoa, good boy," she says, as she wipes his mouth. Knowing their time together is short has made Wangmo value every minute with her son. It's also made her realize that to be ready to separate from him, she must practice. When it's time for preschool, Jalue trots down the stairs dressed head to toe in maroon with a pair of Spider-Man sunglasses over his eyes and a backpack over his shoulders. He leans against his mother as she helps him put on his sneakers. Outside Jalue points at the yellow school bus making its way down his street. "Bus coming!" he yells. He lifts his face to receive a goodbye kiss. She bends down, cups his face and nuzzles him. The bus stops at the end of the driveway, and the whooshing sound of the doors opening tells her that it's time to let go. She follows Jalue with her eyes, watching as he climbs each step, cheerfully greets the bus driver and takes a seat. She stands in the driveway and waves to him and to the other little faces looking out the windows. She waves until she can't see him anymore. Then she walks up the driveway toward the house. Not once looking back. Read More @ Source
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| Lifting the veil of ignorance: Buddhism and justice Posted: 21 Dec 2011 03:01 PM PST by Paisarn Likhitpreechakul, The Nation, December 16, 2011Bangkok, Thailand -- The 20-year jail sentence handed down to Mr Amphon (last name withheld), aka Ah Kong (southern Chinese for "grandfather"), for sending four SMS messages deemed offensive to the monarchy, has stirred a debate on the Thai justice system.
It's true that "you reap what you sow" is more or less the Buddha's teaching on karma at the spiritual level. But when the teachings are applied to the social level, there are many other complicating factors at play that many Thais sarcastically say, "Tham dee dai dee mee thee nai. Tham chua dai dee mee thom pai." (Show me those who reap benefits from good deeds. Plenty of people reap benefits from evil deeds.)
Attributing everything to karma is therefore not the Buddha's teaching on karmas but the doctrine of karmic determinism rejected by the Buddha. As it can justify everything and mean nothing, a statement like "People got flooded because of karma" only gives a sense of complacency and precludes legitimate discussions on social justice. The Buddha, in Kutadanta sutta and Cakkavatti- Sihanada sutta, told stories in which social phenomena were caused by social and economic injustice such as maldistribution of social wealth. In Tittha sutta, the Buddha also explained that the doctrine of karmic determinism would mean that people do good and bad deeds as a result of past karma. Therefore, nobody would be responsible for their acts, and there would be no desire and effort to do what should be done and avoid what shouldn't be done. Obviously such a fatalistic view doesn't constitute a religion - let alone the Buddha's. For example, believing that someone is murdered because of karma raises the questions whether the murderer, as an instrument of karma, is morally responsible, why he should be punished, or why he shouldn't do it again when he feels like it. In addition to the heretical karma justification, some defend their indifference to Ah Kong's case as upekkha (equanimity, even-mindedness). But let's call a spade a spade. Equanimity means detached impartiality - not apathy. Also, the Buddha taught us - for example, in Subha sutta - to apply each and every face of Brahamavihara - loving-kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), empathetic joy (mudita) and equanimity - in all four quarters; that is, towards all without discrimination. If anything, the real test for loving-kindness and compassion is when misfortune falls on those we disagree with or even hate; empathetic joy when they meet with good fortune; and equanimity when hardship falls on us or our loved ones. Broad altruistic principles aside, the Buddha did not prescribe for us what social justice looks like in concrete terms. It's left to society to work it out. How, then, can we all agree on a just law, a constitution or a government, despite our vastly different life situations? To answer that question, we can try putting to work the four faces of Brahmavihara in a thought experiment devised by the American philosopher John Rawls for his theory of justice. Rawls famously proposed the "veil of ignorance", behind which one is deprived of all knowledge of one's own personal characteristics and social and historical circumstances. From this "Original Position", each of us is asked to define just conditions for a society, into whose different positions we will be randomly assigned. Unaware whether we will be a factory worker or a hi-so factory owner, red shirt, yellow shirt, dry-zone resident, wet-zone dweller, handicapped, able-bodied, male, female, transgender, young, old, straight, gay, atheist, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, and so on - Rawls argued that we would all agree on equal basic liberties for all citizens, such as freedom of speech and religion. He also argued that, in order to overcome the inequalities of natural contingencies, we would select conditions that are most beneficial to the least advantaged people. In real life, we also had no idea who, where or how we would be born. If we had the chance to design a society before we came to be who we are, how would we make it out to be? The author believes that we would come to a conclusion not very different from Rawls's. Behind Rawls's veil, we also don't know who our parents or friends will be. The Buddha took a different approach in Anamattagga Samyutta when he said "… this samsara is without discoverable beginning…. It is not easy to find a being who in this long course has not previously been your mother, your father, your brother, your sister, your son, your daughter…." His deep-time analogy emphasising our interconnection with all others in the world finds its echo in evolutionary biology's conclusion that we are all related and descended from common ancestors. In the final analysis, saying that "My loved ones could be in any of those social positions (Rawls)" and "There are not any one of them who are not my loved ones in samsara (Buddha)" amount to the same thing. By drawing a conceptual veil to temporarily block out our ego and selfishness, Rawls brings out the deep-seated sense of justice in us. The world of experience is said to be enveloped in seven veils of darkness. Thus, the Buddha is also called loke-vivattacchaddo ("one who draws aside the veils") to generate light all around. If the Buddha's analogy sheds light on our common humanity, the metaphorical darkness under Rawls's veil of ignorance makes that light shine even brighter. The Buddha would surely approve of Rawls' theory of justice. Now the question everyone, regardless of status in life, must ask is this: If it was actually your grandfather who sent those four SMS messages, would 20 years of imprisonment be a fair sentence? If, after giving it long hard thought, your conclusion is that Ah Kong's sentence and/or the relevant laws are at odds with the kind of just society we want to live in, it's time to declare, "We are all Ah Kong." Read More @ SourceVideo Presentation on Zen Buddhism for Philosophy 212 
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| Buddhist Abbot Under Pressure Since Clinton Visit Posted: 21 Dec 2011 02:01 PM PST THE IRRAWADDY, December 14, 2011Rangoon, Burma -- A prominent Buddhist abbot whose monastery in Rangoon has hosted a number of political events says he has come under pressure from the authorities since meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her visit to Burma earlier this month.
"I am facing pressure that may change my life completely or destroy everything that I have built in my lifetime," said Ashin Pyinna Thiha of the Sardu Pariyatti Monastery in Kyeemyindine Township, speaking at a ceremony held at the monastery on Saturday to mark the 20th anniversary of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi' being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
He said he was unable to say why he has come under pressure, but suggested that it could be because of his meeting with Clinton or his outspoken stance on political issues. "I don't know if it was because of my meeting with Secretary Clinton, or because the monastery hosted a National Day ceremony, or because of my calls for the release of political prisoners," he said. Without elaborating about what kind of pressure he was facing, the abbot said he wouldn't allow it to instill fear in him. "I am neither upset nor distracted. I am fully committed to sacrificing my life for the greater cause of truth," he said. Concerning his decision to allow Suu Kyi's supporters to commemorate her Nobel Peace Prize at the monastery, he said that he had already given them permission before they even asked for it. Speaking at the event, he also vowed to keep working for peace in Burma until the country achieved it. "We are calling for the release of political prisoners and the end of civil war, but in a word, what we want is peace. As long as political prisoners remain behind bars and there is war on the border, there is no peace," he said. In her speech, Suu Kyi also emphasized the need for peace in Burma, a country that has suffered through numerous military and political conflicts since achieving independence. "Peace is first, peace is second and peace is third. We should bear in mind that we now have an opportunity that we didn't have before to restore peace. Such an opportunity may not come back again soon, so we must take it and use it for the betterment of all. If we go forward with that belief, peace and democracy will prevail in our country sooner rather than later," Suu Kyi said. Read More @ Source
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| Posted: 21 Dec 2011 01:00 PM PST I've been chewing on something these past days. This morning I swallowed! Now waiting for digestion and the accompanying nourishment that comes from taking something into oneself. And really it was non-digestion that was at the root of what I've had my teeth into. Let's see if I can find the necessary words now while I'm in digestion mode. Or perhaps better still I'll describe chewing and leave the digestion and learning for later. Better not get ahead of myself ay. In Soto Zen we don't have a formal koan system where one is given an enigmatic saying which one then chews on (or more traditionally one sits with.) The point being to solve the koan/problem. Which is basically to digest and deepen, and thus mature, ones understanding of how to live. We say that the koan arises naturally in daily life, and it does. The trick, or skill, is to recognize the koan when it arises. And not shy away from the inevitable pain of having ones nose (more often than not) pressed up against ones fondly held sense of oneself. Most of us like to carry a reasonable sense of ourselves. A kind and considerate person able to have empathy with all that comes to us. Yes, there are the shadow sides too and you can't ignore them. However for the most part we step from light to dark and back again fairly seamlessly and (hopefully) without overly beating oneself up when the shadows loom. Or overly pleased with ourselves (hopefully) for being the way we like to appear. I liken the koan to a bone. A dog is given a bone, it's then received with teeth closing around it then chewed for awhile. Then left lying around and eventually buried! Is it buried to mature in the darkness of the earth? Readying for the time it's dug up, chewed on some more, eaten and digested? Does the time in the earth render it more digestible? Who knows what that dogie bone burying thing is all about. For we humans the bone can come in many forms. The origin might seem to emanate, like the bone, from an outside source however if you look at it the origin is far more complex. I'm seeing the source as the press of the moment to moment (moments so fleeting as to render that expression meaningless) dynamic interplay between oneself and existence. So the koan comes both from outside and from within - and arises naturally! And actually on close examination the arising of the koan is one movement, not two. Whether it is a sharp word, uttered by oneself or by a friend. A disappointment. A challenging of some kind - mentally, emotionally, practically, spiritually. One has a bone! Depending on circumstances, and past causes and conditions, it tends to be the common way to think that either (crudely put) I act on the world or the world acts on me. And which ever way I look. Life is not fair! And it isn't. That there are the very well off and the woman whose image I saw yesterday, picking grass for a meal, is simply - beyond words. That people encounter a circumstance which results in suffering, long term. A circumstance such as rape, senseless acts of violence, random killing sprees. The list could go on and on and on. These ARE senseless, unasked for uninvited and basically tragic. There are of course consequences flowing from ones actions and words and thoughts, constantly. Consequences are realized immediate, or later, or very much later. Like the bone those consequences can lay buried and often unknown to us. That is until some kind person, or condition, digs it up and hey presto a bone - to chew! So my current chewing bone had been buried for a lot of years. It concerns something I said which was false, unwise and very hurtful. I'd no idea of this hurt I'd been part of creating. It is so often the case that we do not know the consequences of our acts, it would be impossible to know all of them actually. I'll not go into details about the event since that's private and personal. Which does not mean I am not openly contrite. M, please accept my unreserved apology. Read More @ Source
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| Imagine… a happy, greed-free holiday Posted: 21 Dec 2011 12:09 PM PST  Photo by Gregory Palmer "Every billboard, every message from television, radio," says Diana Winston, "is telling us to consume." But does that mean that Winston — the Director of Mindfulness Education at the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA — thinks we should give up on holiday gift-giving entirely? "I'm not saying that," she says. "But probably the thing that people want more than anything is you. Supplement your presents with presence. That's one of the greatest gifts you can give another person." Learn more about how to do that and how to make the holidays meaningful for children (and your inner child as well) in "Have a happy, greed-free holiday," a new interview published on Mindful.org. Read More @ SourceHow to Meditate - Beginners Introduction to Zazen 
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| How are Buddhists ringing in the New Year? Posted: 21 Dec 2011 10:04 AM PST With the year coming to a close, Buddhists are not only celebrating but practicing. Want to know which communities are practicing, and where? As always, you'll find the answers on Buddhadharma's online Calendar of Buddhist events — just as you would year-round — but here are direct links to just some of what will be happening when December 31, 2011 turns into January 1, 2012: (Links open in new windows.) From December 28 to Jan 1, Great Vow Monastery in Oregon will be conducting "Joy in Mindfulness: A New Year's Retreat for Women." The retreat will be led by Sandy Boucher and Martha Boesing. Also from the 28th to the 1st: Yokoji Zen Mountain Center in Southern California will be leading its four-day New Year's sesshin. Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California will offer it's Start All Over New Year's Eve celebration. On January 1, you can attend the quarterly open house introducing the grounds and programs of the Nyingma Institute in Berkeley, CA. The Institute will also be wrapping up a Tibetan yoga retreat that same day. (Also wrapping up that day in Providence is an Urban Retreat with Fleet Maull.) Cambridge Insight Meditation Center in Cambridge, MA will be offering "periods of sitting, walking and chanting. There will also be a period for sharing readings or reflections. Light refreshments will be served after midnight. You are welcome to attend all or any part of the evening." Click here for details. Keep an eye on the Buddhadharma Calendar for more throughout the days, weeks, and years ahead. Read More @ SourceBrit Hume Advises Tiger: Drop Meditation; Become A Christian 
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But a thing which has produced a sensation can be interpreted by our intellect to involve the absence of another thing whose present does not exist. Negation is never a direct or original attitude of the mind as pure sensation always is. It is always the work of the understanding which calling in memory, interprets a given sensation on its negative side and consists in repelling a hypothetical visibility.
The Honorary Doctorate was conferred to His Holiness by Telo Rinpoche, the spiritual leader of Russian republic Kalmykia and some officials on behalf of the Tuva State University. The Tibetan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate thanked the officials and leaders of the 'Ministry of The Education and Science of The Russian Federation, Federal State Education Institute - Tuva State University' for their stand for human freedom and values.
The third is in understanding that there is a certain dependence in origination itself, that is that which originates, changes, disappears and disintegrates. This idea is inbuilt in origination. The fourth is the impermanence of conditioned things and absence of inherent existence, the cognizer and the cognized. The fifth is the suffering that follows from mistaken perceptions in the permanence of reality. In our social as well as individual lives, we have to encounter suffering caused by false apprehensions of reality and happiness.
December 30, 2011 – January 1, 2012
He established the first monastery in Thailand to be run by and for English-speaking monks, Wat Pah Nanachat ('International Forest Monastery') which Venerable Sumedho assisted in the setting up as the first abbot. Venerable Ajahn Chah is especially revered for his contribution and dedication to the establishment of the practice of the Thai Forest Tradition in Buddhism outside of Thailand.
But this 40-year-old is no ordinary devotee, for Dolma -- better known by her moniker "The Singing Nun" -- is the most unlikely of music stars, touring the world to change the lives of thousands of poverty-hit Nepali girls.
<< His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking at the opening session of the international conference on Cosmology and Consciousness – A Dialogue between Buddhist Scholars and Scientists on Mind and Matter', at the TCV school in Dharamsala, India, on 16 December 2011/Photo by Namgyal Tsewang
According to the Burmese media; 'The Irrawaddy.' A message of His Holiness the Dalai Lama was conveyed to leaders of Burmese Buddhist monks at the Global Buddhist Congregation 2011 held in New Delhi, India, on Nov. 27.
His high-pitched voice echoes inside the Columbia Heights bedroom that his father has transformed into a lavish prayer room. In here, the 4-year-old forsakes his cartoons and toys to study scripture and learn to pray the Buddhist way.
The relevant "lese majeste" law has also became a hot topic, as it has increasingly become a tool for political oppression rather than protection of the monarchy. Among the many views expressed, some Buddhists cite the law of karma to justify the verdict, saying that the grandfather got exactly what he deserved.
<< Shwe Nya Wah Sayadaw, a pro-democracy Buddhist monk, speaking at the ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. (Photo: Irrawaddy)| You are subscribed to email updates from BuddhaRocks ☸ Buddhist To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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