Gyuto Monks of Tibet set to take the stage at Glastonbury, issue new recordings
- Gyuto Monks of Tibet set to take the stage at Glastonbury, issue new recordings
- Burmese monks promoting peaceful initiatives to quell tensions
- Young Minds Conference, Lunch at Loaves & Fishes Free Restaurant and a Visit to Westmead Hospital
- How do Shin Buddhists express the dharma through music? Lend your voice
- Dalai Lama Fellows to receive $100,000 of proceeds from His Holiness’ Louisville visit
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Posted: 17 Jun 2013 05:00 PM PDT
 Gyuto Monks as pictured on the cover of their new release, "Chants." The Gyuto Monks of Tibet, whose seminal recordings of their unique overtone chanting have long stoked spiritual and musical imaginations, are once again collaborating with some of the most cutting-edge musicians and producers, with major recordings and appearances imminent. Currently touring Australia with HH the Dalai Lama, the Gyuto Monks will break away to participate in this year's Glastonbury Festival, their first visit to the UK since selling out London's Royal Albert Hall exactly 40 years ago. In addition to creating a sand mandala in the festival's Green Fields area, the monks will take the stage on June 27th in a performance timed to mark the 100th anniversary of the Tibetan Declaration of Independence. (Students for a Free Tibet will be touring a replica of this document with "Reclaiming Independence" events in the US this summer; see the schedule and read a translation here.) Said Thupten Phuntsok of the Gyuto Monks' traveling group, "We are honored to be invited to take part in [Glastonbury], at the spiritual centre of the site." The Glastonbury appearance also coincides with the announcement that the monks have inked a deal with Universal Music, the world's largest record company. These 2011 Grammy nominees, no strangers to working with luminaries on the music scene such as The Grateful Dead and Philip Glass, will have their forthcoming album, "Chants: The Spirit of Tibet," produced by Youth, bassist for the post-punk rock band Killing Joke, whose production and remix credits include Primal Scream, U2, Paul McCartney, Depeche Mode and The Verve. And if that weren't hip enough, the monks' tracks, augmented by traditional Tibetan instruments, will be treated to remixes by "ambient house" pioneers The Orb in a separate release due out July 8. Gyuto Monastery is one of two major "tantric colleges" within the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism (Gyurme is the other). Specially selected monks who had earned their geshe degree after many years of arduous philosophical study would enter to engage in more esoteric meditation techniques. Gyuto Monastery's otherworldly, multiphonic chanting was said to have been introduced by Jetsun Kunga Dhondup, who founded the monastery in 1475. Here's a selection from one of the Gyuto Monks' recordings… ……and a live collaboration with modern classical performers: Read More @ Source | ||||||||
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Posted: 17 Jun 2013 04:00 PM PDT
Among the many unsavory details of the occasionally violent, decade-long conflict between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya now beginning to spread beyond Burma's western Rakhine state is the involvement of so-called "nationalist monks" in fomenting anti-Muslim bigotry and even directly inciting the violence. Some of these monks have organized around the "969 campaign" (the name derives from a particular way to categorize the qualities of the Three Jewels—Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha—and is supposed to indicate the "pure following" of these). Originally pushing an initiative to encourage Buddhists to boycott Muslim businesses, the "969 monks" made the news again last week after a conference at which they issued a call for the Burmese government to implement a law to restrict Buddhist women marrying Muslim men.
But welcome news emerged from Burma over the past week that the greater majority of the country's revered ordained sangha are vigorously promoting peaceful initiatives to quell the ethnic tensions and engaging in hands-on actions of compassionate charity. After a deadly riot erupted in the town of Lashio last Wednesday, more than 1,000 fleeing Muslims were offered life-saving sanctuary in the compound of a nearby Buddhist monastery, with the monks personally organizing meals to feed them. And, according to Burmese monks such as Ashin Issariya, one of the leaders of 2007's 'Saffron Revolution,' this is not an isolated act, as he explained to the South China Post: "'Now, he said, 'We are mobilising monks to aid our Muslim brothers. "'Many monks and monasteries have provided aid and sanctuary to thousands of displaced Muslims now in camps.'" "Ashin Issariya is part of a network of 800 monks, including at least 10 other leaders of the 2007 protests. The network sends regular truckloads of rice, clothes and other aid to the predominantly Muslim victims of the recent violence and has been promoting interfaith dialogue with Muslim leaders." More than 200 of Burma's most respected monks gathered this past weekend to both conduct a ceremony reasserting the fundamentally peaceful nature of the Buddha's teachings and his followers, and issue a statement which, as elevenmyanmar.com reported: "…urges the peaceful coexistence within the country, respecting the 1982 Citizenship Law, which supports peaceful coexistence in Myanmar. The monks also urged the Buddhists in the country not to take part in the so-called '969' anti-Muslim movement" as well as calling for government policies and actions that are in accord with actual Buddhist principles." This is significant because the conference was organized by Burma's Sangha Maha Nayaka council, viewed by some as a government mouthpiece. Up until now, while various individual monastic and lay activists in Burma have decried the unrest, this is the first time this council has publicly denounced the extremist monks. Read More @ Source | ||||||||
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Posted: 17 Jun 2013 03:00 PM PDT
Sydney, Australia, 17 June 2013 - A quick drive around the block took His Holiness the Dalai Lama from his hotel to the Sydney Town Hall this morning to attend a session of Young Minds, an exciting forum exploring issues facing youth today. The forum's slogan, emblazoned on bright red and white banners throughout the venue read: warm heart, cool head, bright future. The theme of this morning's discussion, before a capacity audience of more than 1200, was 'How do we grow a good person?'
Once His Holiness and fellow panellists, Carla Rinaldi, Deborah Harcourt and Yassmin Abdel-Magied had taken their seats on the platform, Moderator, Simon Longstaff put the question to His Holiness - How do we grow a good person? "The measure of being a good person seems to be whether or not you have peace of mind," His Holiness replied, "Someone may be wealthy, successful, highly educated, in a position of leadership, but if they have no inner peace, they won't be happy. "An example is my mother, an illiterate peasant woman, who nevertheless was exceptionally warm-hearted. She dedicated herself to looking after her children, but she took care of others too. I remember a time of famine in China when starving Chinese made their way into North-eastern Tibet, where we lived and which was then under Chinese jurisdiction. On one occasion a couple turned up at our door begging for food and carrying the body of their dead child. My mother cried and assured them she would help them bury the child, but they told her they intended to eat it. She pleaded with them not to do so and gave them as much food as she could find. She was unflinchingly kind and we her children never saw her angry."
Asked whether children come into the world with peace of mind or whether it is a later development, His Holiness said that children's survival depends on their mother's care, so a tremendous bond is forged between mother and child. In order to take care of others, we need to be able to show them a! ffection. Even animals and birds engage in defensive strategies to protect their young, which is a biological response. It has nothing to do with religion or ethics.
He was taken to meet patients in the Organ Transplant Ward, several of whom were visibly uplifted by his presence. As he walked through the hospital the corridors were thronged with people: staff, patients and visitors eager to catch a glimpse of him or meet him face to face. He expressed his happiness at being able to make the visit and great admiration for the work being done to help patients in dire need which gives many of them a new lease of life."Our society has such a materialistic outlook that there is almost no room for affection, much as this water quenches my thirst, but does so with no display of affection. When we grow up we tend to neglect these positive values, which remain dormant while we pursue material development." His Holiness explained that there are two different kinds of competitiveness, a positive aspect that includes the wish to do well in your studies, while wishing that others do well too. The negative aspect is when we hope to do well, but aim to defeat others and bring them down. Carla Rinaldi suggested that when we are young, we have the opportunity to be a good person if our community can support us growing that way. Deborah Harcourt agreed, commenting that ensuring we grow a good person depends on a partnership between parents, educators and the community. His Holiness added that it's important that education remind us that inner values like love and compassion, patience and tolerance are crucial to living a happy life. Yassmin Abdel-Magied joined the discussion, recounting how she had grown up in a secular society, while her father retained his sense of duty to his religion. His Holiness expressed his admiration for such a sense of duty.
Another questioner asked if His Holiness thought world peace would ever be a reality. His answer was that it's us who make war, who disrupt the peace. He reminded everyone of the 200 million said to have died in violence during the twentieth century, but added that logically if we are the ones who make war, we should also be able to put an end to it. He drew the young people's attention to their truly belonging to the twenty-first century, encouraging them to take the opportunity to make this a century of peace in which conflict is resolved through dialogue rather than force. A very young girl wanted to know his favourite book and after a moment's thought he told her books on astronomy. An older girl then asked his views of those who abuse women and children in the name of religion. He told her that in today's world education has brought more equality, but that education focussed on the brain is insufficient, what we also need is warm-heartedness, which gives rise to increased self-confidence. A young boy wanted His Holiness to tell him how he controls his temper. "By thinking about it and asking myself if anger brings any benefit, I come to realise that anger is only destructive. It destroys our peace of mind and causes trouble. It also hampers our ability to function properly."
"Perhaps after 20 years as your son! My favourite prayer - For as long as space endures, And for as long as sentient beings remain, Until then may I too remain, To dispel the miseries of the world - gives me great inner strength. One day you will hear that the Dalai Lama has passed away, but I will come back, even if the institution of Dalai Lama is no longer recognised. I will be back." In a final clarification for his fellow panellists, His Holiness said he feels secular ethics are important because they have a universal quality. Religious traditions have boundaries, Buddhist is for Buddhists and Islam is for Muslims, but secular ethics can apply to and be used for good by anyone. From the Town Hall, His Holiness drove to Inner-West Sydney to visit his friend Rev Bill Crews and the Exodus Foundation at the Ashfield Parish Mission, which provides a support service for homeless and at-risk people. Rev Bill met His Holiness at the gate and escorted him first into the church, where he paid his respects and draped a white silk scarf around the crucifix on the simple altar. His Holiness insisted on joining the homeless and volunteers for lunch. An Aboriginal member of the church welcomed him saying, 'We Aboriginal people have been dispossessed of our land too, but we welcome your message of happiness.' After the first course, His Holiness and Rev Bill put on aprons and went round the tables together serving people with dessert. In his address Rev Bill said of His Holiness: "He meets with leaders of the world and they promise support, but we know what it is like to have nowhere to go and to be alone. One day your country will be as free as we want to be. Wealthy, powerful China is afraid of this one man. What does he have? The power to transform."
"My dear spiritual brother, we've known each other many years and today you wanted to show me your work, which I really appreciate. The words compassion and affection are easy to say and developing concern for others is also relatively easy to do, but you have put it into action, for years, not just in one place, but in many countries. "Those of you who are homeless, don't lose hope. In the short term you are homeless and I am too. But from a wider perspective the world is our home and other human beings are out brothers and sisters. People you may not have met before take care of you; this is the nature of the human spirit. "I enjoyed your delicious food, thank you. I'm also happy to have been able to serve some of you dessert. In our Buddhist tradition it's important to be able to offer alms to others with your own hands, so with your help I've earned some merit. Thank you. In return I'd like to make a donation to help keep up the good work here." His Holiness's last call today was at the Westmead Hospital, where he was received by Dr Jeremy Chapman, Australia's leading organ transplant surgeon. He escorted him to a small theatre where more than 340 medical professionals awaited them. Dr Chapman thanked him for taking the time to come and told him that his colleagues would value being able to put to him several moral questions that they would like help with.
Asked specifically for a Buddhist explanation of inequality in the world, His Holiness said the main cause was individuals' previous actions or karma, but clarified that while karma is the main cause there are also auxiliary conditions. He also made clear that it is possible to overcome the effects of previous negative actions by performing strong positive actions now. Another question concerned the 17-20 year disparity between average life expectancy among Australians and Aboriginal people and what can be done about it. Again His Holiness said the key is education. He suggested comparing the life expectancy of the early immigrants from Europe and Australians today. If there is a difference it can almost certainly be attributed to education.  Read More @ Source | ||||||||
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Posted: 17 Jun 2013 11:00 AM PDT
From Scott Mitchell, a teacher at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, comes a request for help in his research:
Read More @ Source
"What can we learn about Buddhism in the West when we look beyond the usual suspects of practice and teachings — meditation, compassion, mindfulness — and instead at the lived, daily experiences of Buddhists in the real world? How do Buddhists express themselves and their understanding of the Dharma? Through art? Through fiction and poetry? Through music?
"I'm doing research on just this question. I'm looking specifically at the issue of music as Buddhist practice in American Jodo Shinshu communities. My hope is to tell the story of the United States' oldest Buddhist community through an appreciation of how Shin Buddhists express the Dharma through music.
"If you have an affiliation or any experience with a Shin Buddhist community, please take the time to complete my short survey. You'll find it here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YJNJXJ7
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Posted: 17 Jun 2013 10:00 AM PDT
The Dalai Lama met with Dalai Lama Fellows program staff and five representative Fellows on Monday, May 20, to hear a progress report on the work that he authorized in 2009. Dalai Lama Fellows have been drawn from colleges and universities worldwide. A press release about the Dalai Lama's contribution describes their activity in this way: "Dalai Lama Fellows engage together in a yearlong reflective leadership curriculum exploring the role of universal values and secular ethics in advancing effective social change. Individually, each Fellow designs and creates an original, mentored Compassion-in-Action project, working across differences at the intersections of justice, peace and ecology. Representing a broad range of ideologies, nationalities, and cultures, Fellows emerge annually from highly competitive, selection processes on their home campuses." The release continues, "With this funding, Fellows will continue to design and launch 'Compassion-In-Action' projects addressing the intersections of four major global challenges identified by the Dalai Lama as fundamental and needing urgent attention: bridging differences across cultures and religions to foster greater understanding and cooperation; diminishing violence; alleviating poverty, and protecting the environment." For more information about the Dalai Lama Fellows, including how to apply for a fellowship oneself, visit http://www.dalailamafellows.org/ Read More @ Source |
