Buddhist calm becomes big business

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Peace of the action: The calming yogic technique of 'mindfulness' is catching on in big business and even politics

San Francisco, CA (USA) -- This has become a daily ritual. In Mr Ryan's world, it's a stretch for people to get this relaxed. He's a member of Congress.

<< TIM Ryan finds a quiet spot, closes his eyes, clears his mind and tries to tap into the eternal calm.

Increasingly, people in settings beyond the serene yoga studio or contemplative nature path are engaging in the practice of mindfulness, a mental technique that dwells on breathing, attention to areas of the body and periods of silence to concentrate on the present rather than the worries of yesterday and tomorrow.

Marines are doing it. Office workers are doing it. Prisoners are doing it.

The technique is drawing tens of thousands to conferences and learning experiences across the nation and world, and studies have shown it to reduce the symptoms of certain diseases and conditions.

Mr Ryan has written a book, "A Mindful Nation," pushing mindfulness as an elixir that can tone down political divisions in Washington, get American schoolchildren learning better, and return the country to an era of richer personal experience.

"You still forget your keys, you still call people by the wrong name, you still stub your toe, but you can train your mind to be more in the present moment," Mr Ryan said.

Benefits in stress reduction and improved performance have prompted US corporations including Google, Target, Procter & Gamble, General Mills, Comcast, BASF, Bose and New Balance to offer mindfulness training and encourage its use at work.

The practice's critics, including some psychologists and religious scholars, say the approach is little more than Buddhist meditation repackaged and rebranded for a secular, and often paying, audience.

"The commercialisation of Buddhism has been happening as long as Buddhism has existed," said Rachelle Scott, an associate professor of religion at the University of Tennessee and author of "Nirvana for Sale."

"It's problematic, because most Americans who are engaging in these activities don't know the cultural backdrop to that, so in order to gain access they have to go to one of these retreats, and they are expensive," she said.

Of the $US34 billion ($34 billion) Americans spent on alternative medicine in 2009, $US4.2 billion - about 12 per cent - was spent in sectors that included mindfulness concepts, such as meditation-related classes or relaxation techniques, according to federal data. Participation in meditation therapy by US adults rose 6 per cent a year on average from 2002 to 2007, according to a study by the research group SRI International.

Marine 1st Lt Scott Williams, 32, of Lancaster, California, said skills he learned through Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training - known in the military as MMFT or "M-fit," - allow him to transition rapidly from one focus point to another, to rid his mind of negative thoughts, and to recover more quickly from emotional experiences.

"As an infantry officer in the Marines, the mental agility gained by conducting mindfulness exercises could potentially be the difference maker as I lead men through chaotic and uncertain environments in Afghanistan," he said.

The technique has also reached prisons, where it is being used to reduce stress, anxiety and violence.

Mr Ryan, a Democrat from Youngstown, learned the technique at a retreat two days after the 2008 presidential election - the end of a stressful campaign period and the beginning of another.

"I was to the point where I was OK, but I thought, 'I'm going to be fried by the time I'm 40; I'm just going to be burnt out,'" said Mr Ryan, who was 35 at the time of the election.

For Mr Ryan, a former high school quarterback, the feeling he gets during mindfulness meditation reminds him of the utter concentration and single-mindedness athletes feel when they're "in the zone."

In fact, it was Phil Jackson, the legendary NBA coach, who was among the first to legitimise mind-body techniques in popular culture as he led the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers to 11 titles from 1989 to 2010.

Jackson was nicknamed the "Zen Master" for a holistic approach to coaching that drew upon Eastern religious philosophy. Over the same period that Jackson was winning titles, brain science was beginning to validate what practitioners found evident: The brain can be trained to de-stress, and the body will perform better.

For many, it was a wacky, or at least unconventional, idea - departing from the wisdom of the day that the brain was more or less fully formed by the time a child hit kindergarten.

The growing body of research showing the brain has the capacity to change throughout life is bringing mental fitness onto the same plane as physical fitness, said Georgetown University associate professor Elizabeth Stanley.

Ms Stanley, who runs MMFT and conducts research for the Army and Marines, said mindfulness meditation "isn't touchy-feely at all" in its new uses.

"There's something very empowering about learning how and why the body and mind respond under stress," she said.

Ms Stanley said studies involving subjects engaged in repeated mindfulness have shown that it changes the way blood and oxygen flow through the brain, leading over time to structural changes. The practice can shrink the amygdala, which controls our fear response; enlarge the hippocampus, which controls memory; and make the insular cortex that regulates the body's internal environment more efficient, according to recent peer-reviewed studies by Ms Stanley and others.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention are touting several recent studies that have found the technique can reduce the severity of irritable bowel syndrome symptoms in women and reduce stress and pain in chronic sufferers of fibromyalgia and depression.

Google spokeswoman Katelin Todhunter-Gerberg says the company's "Search Inside Yourself" mindfulness class is among its most popular. It enhances awareness and performance, which improves productivity and morale, she said.

One Google lawyer, she said, was able to use her training to stop taking things so personally, reduce the irritability sometimes evident in her emails, and elicit immediate kudos from customers.

Not everyone is sold. In her self-help website Mindful Construct, psychology master's student Melissa Karnaze worries that mindfulness runs the risk of encouraging participants to suppress valid emotions.

"To imply that typical forms of human judgment are somehow inferior to a particular type of attention referred to as mindfulness - with regard to mental health and well-being in general - is a broad sweep," she said in an email. "We rely on various types of judgment for survival, and context matters."

Mr Ryan wants to see fellow politicians embrace mindfulness and abandon the aggressive, around-the-clock grind.

"Nobody enjoys it; nobody likes it. It's become a mess," Mr Ryan said. "Look at the approval ratings from the American people, look at how the people who are inside these institutions feel about the gridlock and the inability to get things done, and the constant campaigning, and the amount of money that's involved. We're not going to solve the problem by doing more of it."

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Arunchal Pradesh gets fourth Buddhist center in India from government

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Arunchal Pradesh, India -- After Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, Arunchal Pradesh becomes the fourth state in India to receive the next fully fledged Buddhist Center by the allocation of funds by the  Central government of India.

Its founder Tsona Gontse Rinpoche announced The Central Institute of Himalayan Culture Studies at Dahung in West Kameng District will now attain the status due to New Delhi’s recognition.

In the West Kameng District, where the institute is located, the majority of people, and 13 percent of the population of the people of Arunchal Pradesh follow Buddhism. India’s largest monastery Tawang is also in Arunchal Pradesh.

The institute, conceived by Rinpoche in 2000, had received the approval of the Union Cabinet on May 26, 2010 with a project cost estimated at Rs 9 crore and recurring annual cost of Rs 124.86 lakh.

"It began with a central government grant of Rs 97 lakh and has since grown into a good institute to fill the vacuum in imparting education on Buddhism," Rinpoche said.

"I had pursued the Centre to establish such an institute considering the large number of Buddhist population residing in the Northeast," he said.

He pointed out that with only 25 faculty members and limited infrastructures, the institute has so far produced two batches (18 each) of Shastri (equivalent to BA in Buddhist Philosophy) degree holders.

Besides teaching arts and crafts for self-sufficiency and sustainable development and preservation of ethnic identity to foster national integrity, the institute has been inculcating an awareness on the ecological balance and preservation of natural resources, he said.

He said the other three institutes are: Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, a deemed university, Central University for Tibetan Studies, Sarnath, Varanasi, and Central Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies, Leh.

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South Korea Jogye Buddhist monks launch reforms

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Seoul, South Korea -- Buddhist leaders in South Korea have announced that they will bring in professional managers to run temple finances, following recent "misbehaviour" by several monks.

<< Jogye Order is the representative order of traditional Korean Buddhism with roots that go all the way back 1,200 years

The country's main Jogye Order has been dogged by in-fighting and criticism since the latest scandal.

It has sparked a fresh debate on the role of monks in modern-day Korea.

The reforms mean that monks will focus on "self-discipline" and "missionary work" - not running temple affairs.

Instead, financial managers will be brought in to handle the accounts, and lay people will take over the day-to-day running of temples.

The leader of Korea's Jogye Order said there was no choice but to carry out "far-reaching reform" because "pre-modern" practices had led to disputes, conflicts and scandal.

Last month, several monks were caught on camera smoking, drinking and gambling in a hotel bedroom.

Gambling is illegal in South Korea, apart from in designated places such as casinos catering mostly to tourists. It is also a violation of the code of conduct for monks of the Jogye Order.

The video unleashed a spate of allegations against senior figures in the order - that they too had drunk alcohol, gambled and even paid for sex.

The order says it has more than 10 million followers - about 20% of the population of South Korea. But it has reportedly been hit by feuds and factional in-fighting.

Buddhist leaders have repeatedly said there would be strict penalties for those who tarnished the image of the country's monks.

The BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul says that many in South Korea believe that Buddhism is already struggling to remain relevant in the face of Christianity and capitalism.

Local media reports last month said that the footage was thought to have been shot by a monk from the order described as an opponent of its current administration.

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Why Buddhism prospered in Asia but died in India

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New Delhi, India -- Undoubtedly, the philosophy of Buddhism is one of the greatest gifts to mankind. Its peaceful concepts have distanced its followers from wars, crusades and is a binding formula for the entire South/South Eastern/Central/East Asian region of the world of which most nations are Buddhist countries whilst others including India are not.

The Buddha was not interested in numbers nor was he interested in the lay deity having a distinct identity. There were no social codes, modes of worship…in other words adherence to the Buddhist faith was not obligatory unlike other religions of the world. Anyone, irrespective of caste, creed was welcome to take refuge in the teachings of Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. There was no exclusive allegiance nor was lay deity required to perform regular religious service – essentially everything was voluntary. Only those that understood the philosophy behind Buddhism would be able to cherish its value.

With time the Brahminical Social Order began to secure greater advantage over Buddhism and with royal patronage shifting from Buddhism to Hinduism, the fate of Buddhism was sealed and the great philosophy all but disappeared from India with little help of revival even from State Governments.

Why India chose to forget Buddhism

A puzzle to most is how Buddhism disappeared in the land of its birth. Was it because people became absorbed in Hindu practices, rituals, and mythology and caste supremacy or, was it the Moghul invasions, or could it have been the failure of Bhikkus to sustain the great philosophy itself?

Needless to say for whatever reasons, Buddhism did decline and disappeared in India.

Historian S. R. Goyal has attributed the decline and disappearance of Buddhism from India to the hostility of the Brahmanas. An incident oft cited is the destruction of the Bo Tree and Buddhist images by Saivite King, Shashanka, persecution by Pusyamitra Sunga (185 BC to 151 BC) who detested the Law of the Buddha had set fire to the Sutras, destroyed Stupas, razed Samgharamas and massacred Bhikkus and even killed the deity of the Bodhi tree. There is also mention of the Huna onslaught on Taxila (in Pakistan), the persecution of Buddhist monks by Mihirkula.

Incidentally, though Moghuls are accused of destroying Hindu temples, most of these temples were actually built on Buddhist shrine sites. Results of Moghul invasions were many too - Somapura Mahavihara (now in Bangladesh) was set ablaze. Odantapuri Mahavihara close to Nalanda was razed to the ground in 1199 CE after killing all the monks and Bodhgaya was attacked as well. Though there is evidence that even a century beyond the Muslim conquest Buddhism remained in places like Gaya till the end of the 14th century which disproves the notion that Muslim conquest was not singularly responsible for the decline of Buddhism in India.

Thus the inability to gage a particular time period for the process of decline until Buddhism collapsed towards the end of the 12th century. Yet, the question remains if Jainism survived why Buddhism didn’t? The Bengal Puranas depict the Buddhists as being mocked and subject to verbal chiding.

Yet persecutions may suppress but it does not kill a religion! So what really happened to Buddhism in India?

No Hindu civilization before Buddhism

There is no mention of “Hindu” in ancient Aryan literature nullifying the belief that a Hindu nation existed. Hindus profess to be Aryans citing the Rigveda as the oldest literature in the world. However, Rigveda was written in Sanskrit and contains references to Prakrit language (600 BCE to 1000 CE) and Prakrit was associated with Buddhism. The Rigveda also contains Vaidik prayer to God Indra to kill Dasas. Dr. Ambedkar claims Dasas and Nagas were the same people and were rulers of India when the Rigveda was written. The Rigveda also mentions Rishis like Bharadwaj, Vasistha, Bhrigu, Viswamitra etc – Buddhist literature mentions these are Buddha’s contemporary so the Rigveda could not have been the oldest document in the world.

There is neither archeological evidence nor literary evidence that Sanskrit is anterior to Buddhism? Hindu historian Dr. Majumdar claims that 75% of Hindu culture derives from Dravidian culture. According to Brahminical literature the Chaturvarna (Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Sudras), the Kshatriyas were exterminated by Brahmin leader Parasuram. The Brahim text the Gita mentions Vaishyas, Sudras and women as belonging to papyoni – in other words they were non-Hindus. We also know that the Vaishyas and the Sudras were disallowed to hear or recite the Vedas. Moreover, the science of medicine – Ayurveda was the profession of the Sudras and Charak Samhita the father of Ayurveda was not only a Buddhist but also the physician of Buddhist emperor Kanishka.

The truth remains that there is nothing like Aryan civilization and Vedic period in Indian history anterior to Buddhism. Prakrit the language of the indigenous people was associated with Buddhism in ancient times. In reality, the Buddhist language is associated with the Harappan culture as inscriptions used by Buddhist emperor Ashoka to propagate his message to the people were derived from the language of the Harappan people. Aryan is a distortion of the word Iranian.

In all probability the Vaidiks falsely inserted the myth that “Aryan culture” and “Vedic period” in the historical sequence anterior to Buddhism because they did not want to disclose that the Brahminical culture came after Buddhism. It was essentially an inferiority issue.

It is clear that there was no “Hindu civilization” before Buddhism, there was no “Vedic” period before Buddhism because Sanskrit developed after Buddhism and it was during the Buddhist period that the Vedas were manufactured. Not wanting to give due place to Buddhism it is often argued that the Vedas were not written and were merely passed down over generations through oral scriptures (Shruties). If so, then why were they not called Vedas instead of shruties? If Sanskrit did not exist before Buddhism in what language were the Vedas or shruties passed down from generation to generation?

The Hindu era

We all agree that the history of all religions began from their leaders – the Buddhist era began with Lord Buddha, the Christian era began with Jesus Christ...etc. The Hindu era begins from Vikrami Samvat (from Hindu king Chandra Gupta Vikramaditya) and Shaka Samvat which are 2055 and 1922 years old respectively. Yet, there cannot be two eras for Hindus – the Shaka era started from 78AD related to Kanishka, a Buddhist emperor of the Kushan dynasty.

Hindu Brahminisation began with the Shaka era and continued to the Vikram era. The first archaeological evidence of Sanskrit (language of Hindu Brahmins) called Rudra Danam inscriptions belong to the period of the Shaka rulers (Mathura, Nasik and Ujjain their capitals).

Shaka era actually started from Kanishka, a Buddhist emperor of Kushan dynasty. Instead of Shaka era it should be called Kushan era. Another question seeks to ask why Vikram era associated with Chandra Gupta 11 was made anterior to Shaka era? What is the relationship of the Hindus with the Shakas and Chandra Gupta? Kanishka was associated with Buddhism while Chandra Gupta was associated with Hindu Brahmanism. The only possible conclusion we can derive is that Vikram era was made anterior to Shaka era to make Buddhism inferior to Hinduism.

It was during the Shaka era that Buddhism came to be divided into Mahayana and Hinayana. It was during the Vikram era that Pali, the language of the Buddhists was exterminated.

Hindu history is perhaps just 2055 years old but in order to show its superiority it exterminated Pali and destroyed the cultural and religious identity of Buddhism. There sealed the fate of Buddhism in India.

Buddhism in Asia

Buddhism has strong foundations in Thailand, Burma and Sri Lanka whilst in other parts of South/South East Asia it is facing difficulties. The countries ruled by colonists resulted in persecution of Buddhist through missionary Christian/Catholic schools. Undoubtedly, there is a resurgence to revive Buddhism and to bring all Buddhist nations together.

South/South East Asia Theravada Buddhism - Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Thailand, Bangladesh, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

In India it was only after Ambedkar started a neo-Buddhist movement among the untouchables in the 1950s that Buddhism came to be somewhat revived. In India it is mostly the Indian “untouchables” who are embracing Buddhism. There are 300m Dalits who to survive caste discrimination are turning to different faiths. We may recall how 50,000 Indian dalits converted to Buddhism. Out of 28 Indian states and 7 union territories Buddhism’s reach has become minimal. It is in the state of Maharashtra that 74% of total Indian Buddhists reside followed by Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Karnataka, UP, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh.

East Asian/Central Asian Mahayana Buddhism – Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Nepal and Bhutan, Ladakh, Russia and China (non-Han regions – Tibet, Inner Mongolia and Xinjian (East Turkistan). Han Chinese in inner China have also developed an interest in Buddhism.

It goes without saying that for a very peaceful practicing philosophy the currents that Buddhism and Buddhists have faced over ancient times and even towards contemporary times will never find answers as to why Buddhism has faced the challenges it weathered. There is no streak of violence in Buddhism. It is only about one’s own journey towards salvation along a middle path that espouses to refrain from either extremes to finding the Truth for oneself. That Truth is not the same for any of us, yet it is the Truth nevertheless.

Similarly in the West too, the people have found Buddhism to be an easy philosophy to understand and follow. Thus, in the US, Europe, Australia, Canada and even South America plenty of “Dharma centers” have emerged in over 90 countries.

Undoubtedly, we must mention Indo-Sri Lanka relationship and make special mention that there has never been a period of cordiality as that which existed during the time of King Asoka of India and King Devanampiyatiss of Sri Lanka. Regrettably, India has chosen to treat Sri Lanka as a quasi-enemy and has continued to carry out destabilizing operations against Sri Lanka. India’s present overtures towards aligning with Sri Lanka through Buddhism shows clear signs of seeking to be a partner of the Asian block through Buddhism since India has antagonized enough of its neighbors already.

While India plays no role in the future of Buddhism except its treatment along scholarly lines devoid of emotional attachment, it is the practice, the understanding, the reverence given to Buddhism that is seeing a revival and a greater binding amongst South/South East/Central/East Asian countries of the world and Sri Lanka should take a lead to create greater binding.

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Letter: Buddhist temple with Muslim architechture directive

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I'm not sure of the reaction of the Kelantanese Buddhists but I am in the opinion that this is not an issue at all.

Buddhism has been a religion of tolerence due to its emphasis on Metta (loving-kindness), Panna (Wisdom) and its universal feature inclined towards non-attachment.

Now if the state government of Kelantan is moving towards Islamizing the state architechture,it is not an issue. There is nowhere in the Tipitaka that states all temples built in the name of 'Buddhism' must have 'Buddhist features'.

Thai Buddhist Wats have been incorporating Hindu elements in its architechture for ages without any much hoohah. Islamic architechture can be another enriching feature to Kelantanese future temples.

I can also see no harm in following the state directive disallowing the display of religious icons clearly in the open. Buddhism, after all began without images. Images were Greeco Buddhist innovation and it spread like wild fire throughout the Buddhist world since it was first created. Buddha images,if the temple wants to have it,can be displayed within the temple premises for devotional purposes. Examplirary forest monks like the late Ajahn Buddhadassa never had any Buddha images in his practice centre. All he had was the Patimokha,that's it.

Having Metta, Buddhists should always be sensitive to the needs of others. Having Panna, Buddhists should weigh the wieght of this issue,is it harming Buddhism,or it's stepping on our ego? Contemplating on non-attachment, one can clearly see this whole issue is but worldly.

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Monks fear Tawang projects will defile sacred Buddhist spots

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GUWAHATI, India -- Buddhist monks of Arunachal Pradesh have asked Union power minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to scrap the hydroelectric power projects proposed to be constructed in Tawang as they would desecrate many sacred Buddhist spots in the district.

<< Tawang

Lamas under the banner of Save Mon Region Federation (SMRF) met Shinde recently in New Delhi and raised their concern over 13 hydroelectric projects planned in Tawang, the birthplace of the VIth Dalai Lama.

The 400-year old Tawang monastery, highly revered in the Mahayana sect of Buddhism, is among the many sacred Buddhist spots in the district. The monastery, founded by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in 1680-1681AD on the wish of fifth Dalai Lama, stands on the spur of a hill about 10,000 feet above sea level. Tawang is also strategically important location for its proximity to Mac Mahon Line and China frequently claiming the area as southern Tibet.

"The spiritual and cultural heritage of Tawang is of great concern to the Mon community. This is the birthplace of the VIth Dalai Lama and is believed to have been visited by saint Padmasambhava. Besides, there are a number of holy sites associated with our saints along the Tawang Chu and Nyamjangs Chu river basin. These holy mountains and sacred landscapes will be affected by the proposed dams. We are against such desecration of our sacred land," SMRF general secretary Lobsang Gyatso said.

Pointing out that Centre had scrapped proposals for three dams on the Ganga due to religious sentiments, Gyatso said: "Similar steps should be taken to ensure that our sacred sites in Tawang and elsewhere in Arunachal Pradesh are not defiled. He added that the 1750MW Demwe hydroelectric project was also planned close to the holy site Parshuram Kund in Arunachal Pradesh.

SMRF said that discontent and anger of the people of Tawang against large number of hydroelectric projects would only benefit China, which claims the place as part of its territory. "People of Tawang have faith in the Union of India, but situations like these are instilling discontent and dissatisfaction among citizens. This is perhaps exactly the kind of sentiment China is banking on when it claims Tawang time and again," Gyatso said. He said that apart from environmental degradation and desecration of sacred places, the hydel projects would not help the people of Tawang as the electricity generated would be channelled outside.

SMRF was also concerned that these projects could jeopardize the area's "cultural dynamics" and the influx of migrant labourers would undermine the rights of indigenous people. "Tawang's population is barely 49, 950 and the 13 projects are set to bring in a peak labour force of over 100,000 people. This will ruin the cultural dynamics of the area where the rights of indigenous people have been constitutionally safeguarded," SMRF said.

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Tibetan delegates forced to leave conference due to Chinese pressure

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Three Tibetan delegates left the World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) conference after China's delegation threatened boycott

Yeosu, South Korea -- Three Tibetan delegates were forced to leave the delegates’ assembly meeting after Chinese officials threatened to boycott the 26th World Fellowship of Buddhist Conference’s delegate’s assembly on June 12th, 2012 claiming that they represent Tibet’s government-in-exile.

Two Tibetans, including a senior envoy of Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, are in Korea to attend the biannual event currently being held in the coastal city. The two are Samdong Rinpoche, a former prime minister of Tibet’s government-in-exile, and Pema Chhinjor, minister of religion and culture.

AFP reports a spokesperson stating that “The WFB secretary-general accepted the Chinese demand that the Tibetans leave so the meeting could go smoothly,” as the spokesperson “...called the decision by the WFB chairman ‘embarrassing.’ ”

The Chinese delegation left for Busan on Wednesday morning in a vehicle provided by the Chinese Embassy, the organizing committee said.

Seventeen delegates from China and the Chairman of the WFB returned to their home countries on early morning of June 14th, 2012 in what was said to be an apparent protest against Tibetan participation.

The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the main organizers of the the 26th World Fellowship of Buddhist Conference of South Korea, criticized the Chinese delegations’ actions and showed support to the Tibetan delegations.

In a statement released on June 14th, 2012, the Jogye Order criticized the actions of the Chinese delegations stating, “...Tibetan participation is a WFB approved representation, and the Chinese delegation’s apparent protest against Tibetan participation goes against values of what the Buddhist communities across the globe stands for...” 

The Jogye Order also states, “Through the World Fellowship of Buddhists Conferences in South Korea, we hope that the Buddhist communities across the globe can once again  recognize Tibetan Buddhism warm heartedly, and we also actively wish for Tibetan Buddhism to be freely practiced in Tibet.”

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Ancient Buddhist music used first time for a stage play on life of Buddha

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New Delhi, India -- Deb Chowdhury is a popular music director from the West Bengal state of India with strong and ancient Buddhist roots.

The drama company Rangapath of which he is the music director is the producer of a unique stage play entitled Thathagatha, based on Buddha’s life.

The stage play became more unique as Chowdhury decided to make use of thousands of years old ancient Buddhist music for the play.

To adapt such a music track for Thathagatha he did research in two Tantrayana Buddhist monasteries in India and five other monasteries in China.

Commenting on the kind of music he has invented for the play a Times of India writer Dibyajyajyoti Chaudhuri said, “Music transcends all barriers, they say. But when it comes to music associated with the Buddha, there is something in it that makes it universal.”

The writer further said, “The Erhu, Pipa, Ruan and Gu jheng may sound like words from a distant land but are actually names of Chinese string instruments used in authentic Buddhist music that have been adapted into the soundtrack of " Tathagata", a Bengali play based on the life of the Buddha, by the theatre group Rangapat.”

The man behind this feat further said, "For the music, I researched for more than two years. I visited monasteries in Bodhgaya and Mirik and recorded the music of Vajrayana Buddhism. English speaking Lamas translated the notations of the original music from the libraries at the gumphas." 

When Deb got a chance to fly to China in September 2011, he visited six ancient Buddhist places of worship there. "I was at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Famen Temple at Xi'an, the White Horse Temple and the caves of Longmen Grottoes, both in Luoyang in the Henan Province, the Five Pagoda Temple at Haidan and the Tanjhe Temple at Memtougou, both in Beijing. I recorded the Buddhist chants and music from these places and used them in the play," Deb says. Many chants were processed at the studio and some of the music was re-created locally to get that authentic feel.

Tapanjyoti Das, the director of the play, feels that it was imperative to have that perfect music for bringing the 3,000-year-oldstory alive on the stage. "Such a deeply researched work on Gautam Buddha is perhaps being done for the first time in India. The script, written by Mohit Chattopadhyay, is a result of years of research on the Buddha. Added to that, Deb's music was the icing on the cake. The play is for a qualified audience and the first staging was only for a select few from the theatre fraternity. It was much appreciated by them," says Tapanjyoti.

"The temples are mostly 1,400 to 1,500 years old and are storehouses of Buddhists music," Deb says.

Apart from the string instruments, sounds of the Chinese flute, the Xiao, and many other Chinese percussions have been used in the play too.

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Korean Buddhists promote temple food, Templestay program in N.Y.

The event kicked off with a culinary showcase of temple food by Ven. Daean at the Culinary Institute of America on June 7. Various other programs will be held at different venues in the city throughout the week, Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism, an affiliate of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, said in a press release. The event runs through June 15.

In cooperation with the Korean Cultural Service New York and the Korean Embassy in New York, the cultural arm of the Jogye Order will invite local journalists, chefs, restaurateurs, power bloggers and travel agents to gala dinners from June 12 to 14, to offer a better understanding of temple food.

Temple food, the food that Buddhist monks eat, is comprised mostly of wild vegetables, roots and husks of trees foraged in mountainous regions. Seasonings are used sparingly to enhance the original taste and flavor of the main ingredients.

The event also features lectures on temple food as well as an art exhibition of dolls made of dak paper or Korean traditional paper, depicting the self-disciplinary life of Buddhist monks.

On June 15, the Buddhist group will hit the road with the Kimchi Taco Truck, a popular Korean fusion food chain, to promote its temple food and Templestay program on the streets of midtown Manhattan.

The group also plans to hold a press conference to increase media exposure of its cultural offerings.

The New York event is a follow up to a similar showcase held in Paris last year.

The group plans to open its first temple food restaurant on the rooftop of Galeries Lafayette in Paris next year.

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The cultivation of Buddhist Ethics

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London, UK -- We are fortunate as Buddhists to have such a well developed ethical system in place which promotes the cultivation of such a positive and rewarding outlook and the ability to respond with such clarity and measure to difficulties that may arise both in our practice and situations that may arise in every day life.

I would like to touch upon what I believe are the advantages of the Buddhist ethical standard over secular viewpoints but first I want to make a brief comment about translation relating to our ethical guidelines.

I noticed this recently when I was thumbing through an older translation of the Anguttara Nikaya, and it struck me how someone new to the practice might, if they were reading one of these earlier texts misinterpret the meaning based on their westernised understanding of the work.  Personally speaking I prefer in many instances the older copies of the canon in English but I have the advantage of having many years of study behind me relating to the texts, as such I am not prone (although admittedly, not immune) to the occasional ‘blunder’ when it comes to reading the works.

As far as the differences in style go the newer translations on the whole appear to be much more stylised, but this tends to make them more accessible, and as a consequence, more readable.  In contrast the antiquated language of some of the older transcriptions seems to appear ‘stuffy’ and long-winded.  I think in the interests of balance though we can say that the early texts were pioneers, without which Pali language resource would still be in its infancy.  Some of the early translators themselves acknowledge such difficulties. I.B. Horner in the introduction to her 1938 edition of the Sutta Vibhanga (Published by the Pali Text Society as the Book of the Discipline Volume 1) notes that when revising her own work she made significant changes to the way she translated certain words.  I think these pioneers of the Pali texts were, as were many translator of their time, more inclined to put a philological spin onto words that may have been difficult, that is to say, they were more inclined to put words into the context they themselves understood.  It is with this in mind that I will speak about the ethical standards the Buddha implemented, with the occasional reference to the interpretation of the translation.

The Buddha was quite straightforward in the implementation of his ethical instruction.  The follower of the Buddha was to develop skilful qualities and abandon those qualities that were unskilful.  These qualities are to be developed in line with the backdrop of Buddhist meditation, that is, concentration with the directed analysis of thoughts as they arise and fall away.  It is with this simple, yet effective mindfulness technique that one can be aware of attributes that arise that are a benefit to the path and cultivate them, while attributes that are a detriment to the path may be observed as such and avoided.  The Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh refers to this process, quite beautifully, as watering the good seeds of the mind.  In the Buddhist system those qualities indicated as skilful relate to the ‘path’ the Buddha set out.  He told his followers not to engage with metaphysical questions which would detract from the practice.  This is a very important point, and relates both to the translation difficulties I touched on earlier and the advantages of Buddhist ethics over secular ethics.

The Buddhist ethical practice does not relate to ‘good’ and ‘bad’ ethical behaviour, that is, in our western society where our ethical system developed largely from Christian ethical standards which were based on innate ‘good and evil’ qualities.  The Buddha’s path did not rely on these ethical boundaries and instead related to those qualities that would aid one in attaining Nibbana (Nirvana).  Thus the skilful qualities one develops on the Buddhist path don’t directly relate to the ‘good’ qualities one would associate with normal ethical standards.  If I may refer to the afore mentioned metaphysical questions to demonstrate.  In the western ethical model questioning the nature of the universe would not be deemed unethical, as it doesn’t infringe on our ethical ‘good/bad’ position.  In the Buddhist model such questions would be deemed unskilful, that is they would distract one from the task at hand, that is, the attainment of Nibbana.

In relation to some of the earlier translations of the texts this could prove problematic, as what has been translated in modern texts as skilful/unskilful respectively was, in older translations described as good/evil. For the casual observer, or those new to the practice this can cause great difficulty in ascertaining the context of the text, if I am conditioned to view good and evil in the western sense then reading it in a Buddhist text would automatically lead me to think the same ethical viewpoint is being propagated.  Notwithstanding the early translations are valuable resources and should be treasured as such, it is prudent that one is mindful when reading them to bear in mind there age and the style of the translation.

When we stand Buddhist ethics and western ethics side by side in our every day life what can we take from Buddhism that will allow us to benefit from them in day to day living?  The development of skilful qualities is paramount to achieving Nibbana.  As with all of the Buddha’s teaching it is the subtlety that is the beauty.  We develop Buddhist ethics against the backdrop of meditation, yet it is those qualities that allow us to attain deeper levels of concentration.  In short, the Buddha’s ethical teaching is not a see saw of balancing good against bad.  It is a wheel that when set into motion becomes a self fulfilling entity, the more you practice Buddhist ethics the more concentration and insight develops, the more concentration and insight develops the clearer Buddhist ethics become, the clearer they become the subtler the level of concentration and insight.

The Buddhist system of ethics is quite simple in comparison with many other systems, and yet through the Buddha’s insight the wheel he set in motion can achieve such subtleties that it will eventually put an end to suffering – and that, in itself, seems to me a goal worth practicing for.

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Richard Gilliver is founder of "The Foundation of Interreligious Harmony and Education", an interfaith organisation seeking to promote better relations between religions. Please view his site at: http://fiheresource.wordpress.com

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Wall of Udayagiri collapses while others like Ratnagiri plundered and neglected

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Jaipur, India -- The Times of India has reported  a section of the wall of the 8th century Buddhist monastery at Jajpur's Udayagiri collapsed recently.

Another national newspaper, the HINDU has blamed the government of India for lack of interest in preserving the Buddhist center for some time and has been complaining of the plunder of artifacts by thieves at this important Center of Vajrayana Buddhism.

The archeological Survey of India has accepted lack of staff at many of these Buddhist archeological sites and has pointed out lack of funds for the neglect.

The Times of India has reported the historical wall collapsed due to getting soaked in the April showers.

"It is extremely important to prevent the wall from collapsing because it would block the entrance to the monastery," said Nrusingh Charana Sahoo, a noted historian and researcher.

The wall probably collapsed because of moisture freezing between layers of brick and breaking the bonds between them, Sahoo said.

When the bricks thaw, there is nothing holding them, he added. Manas Ranjan Sahoo, an ASI official in Udayagiri said "We found that the wall has given away at several places. We will repair it soon."

"ASI is struggling to preserve the archaeological wealth. The monument tells the story of Buddhist civilization and religion," said Bebaratta Ajaya Das, vice-president of Buddhayan, a cultural organization working for preservation of Buddhist sites.

Udayagiri was a Vajrayana centre between the 8th and 9th century A.D. At Udayagiri, there were remains of several stupas, said a senior official of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), adding that one of this is the Dhyani Buddha having descriptions in Vajrayana texts.

"Illegal quarrying near Udayagiri poses a serious threat to the ancient Buddhist monastery. The monument is facing the onslaught of axes and spades of quarry workers as every day many trucks transport the stones, boulders, stone-chips and morums from the hill," the official added.

A separate Hindu report said, “Udayagiri and Ratnagiri in Orissa were important centres of Buddhist culture in ancient India. But priceless artefacts of that time are being lost thanks to governmental apathy.”

The Hindu quoted Prafulla Mohanti , a man familiar with the area for the last 30 years, “A 1000 and more years ago, these places were epitomes of Buddhist culture in India. Fits and starts of excavation during the past few decades — more in fits than in starts — have unearthed amazing evidence of their importance from the heritage angle. for the world at large, and the Buddhist world in particular. Artefacts ranging in size from gigantic, life-like images of the Buddha to exquisite : “All those hillocks in Ratnagiri, Udayagiri and Lalitgiri were covered with statues. They were full of them; lying under banyan trees, among frolicking monkeys. They were part of our lives. But nobody understood their importance. Then, early in the 1960s, people from the Archaeological Survey of India came to the area and found them lying around. One lady was responsible for taking away the best of the artefacts. Much later, I found some of these statues in the Kolkata museum. Since then, many were sold to foreign antique smugglers by local people. In fact, even I was offered some.” He recalls a beautiful sitting Buddha that is no longer there. “Most of these priceless artefacts disappeared after the 1960s. My estimate is 80%” he rues.

Ratnagiri and its neighbouring Udayagiri could have been the cultural capitals of the entire Buddhist world but for the neglect and apathy of the government and people of Orissa and India. That includes successive governments of both. There are, even today, priceless treasures wilting in the wilderness atop hilltops here; unwept, unhonoured and unsung. Most of these, since their excavation, have been stolen, just taken away or simply neglected.

Miniature rock and metal models and niche carvings, adorn the place even today. Some lie in wasteland, a few find a home in the beautiful but ill-equipped ASI Museum and many more are hopefully safe under Mother Earth. Who takes charge of this heritage that is Orissa and India?

The ASI museum is open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (entry Rs. 5.). This three-storied structure with four galleries has a staff strength of five: “two permanent and three ad hoc”, as per one of them. There is an elegant-looking Yatri Nivas close by, which is yet to be opened. “It was completed six months ago. The Chief Minister was to inaugurate it a few weeks ago, but bye-elections prevented it. Now it has to wait for the convenience of the CM,” said one of the locals. The officer in charge of the museum is “in dual charge” for a long time, and comes from Konark (160 km away) a couple of times a week.

When I asked the Superintending Archaeologist of ASI for Orissa Dr. AK Patel about the “two permanent, three ad hoc” phenomenon, this is what he had to say: “Yes, we are under-staffed, not only in Orissa but in the entire country. Even in Konark, which is a world heritage site, there are only three permanent watchmen.” As for protection and conservation of the treasures above and below ground, he lamented “The local population is not co-operating. As per the rules, no construction made before 1982 in the protected area can be touched, but anything that came up later can be demolished. We have all the responsibility but no power. We can only request the State government for action, which we have been doing. We have also lodged an FIR about some such constructions, and have written to the Collector. But hardly anything is moving. The local people have even threatened to close the museum.”

I asked Tapaswini Mahapatra, who spent her childhood in Ratnagiri where she was born, about memories of the place as it was three decades ago. She remembers the annual 3-day festival during the New Year (around April 14) held atop the Ratnagiri hillock where 10,000 to 20,000 a speople gathered each day. The festival was connected to the temple on the hillock. Dr. Patel said it has since been “transplanted” to the base of the hillock in the 1990s after ASI discovered Buddhist monuments below its plinth. Tapaswini also remembers a 10-foot high sitting Buddha.

What can be done

Poet-anthropologist Dr. Sitakant Mahapatra, former Secretary, Culture, Government of India and Director-general of ASI, says, “ASI has problems of inadequate personnel and funding. I hope there have been positive changes since my time. They should expeditiously complete the remaining part of excavations in Ratnagiri, Udayagiri and Lalitgiri, which are not far apart. Secondly, whatever they have already excavated in the other two places should be brought to Ratnagiri. An annexe to the existing museum can be earmarked for Udayagiri and Lalitgiri. Later, they can have a museum complex for all three sites in the area. Land is still available there, unlike in Bhubaneswar.”

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The rugby legend who became a Buddhist by reading quantum physics

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Colombo, Sri Lanka -- The rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson hit world headlines  due to his 2003 World Cup final heroics, when his drop goal in the last minute of extra-time delivered the trophy to England. He made another sensation when he told the London Times that he became a Buddhist by reading Quantum Physics.

Wilkinson, a millionaire by then  has revealed that he has found inner peace through Buddhism.

The former England Rugby star,  who became a national hero after the world cup victory, said Buddhism  had helped him overcome a fear of failure which was ruining his life ironically due to the victory..

London’s Daily Mail said, “His obsessive perfectionism had been making him miserable but Buddhism had liberated him from being motivated by ‘money, status tars, or ego’.”

He said moments after he won the world title against Australia in Sydney he was having strong feelings of anti-climax.

He was quoted having said later “I did not know what it really meant to be happy. I was afflicted by a powerful fear of failure and did not know how to free myself from it.”

After winning the World Cup serious injuries put him out of international rugby for four years.

During this derailment  he tried to learn guitar, piano ,French and Spanish as a distraction.

A report said, “In the end he had a ‘Eureka’ moment while reading a book on quantum physics – the study of sub-atomic particles.”

‘Quantum physics helped me to realise that I was creating this destructive reality and that all I needed to do to change it was to change the way I chose to perceive the world,’ he told the Times.

‘I do not like religious labels, but there is a connection between quantum physics and Buddhism, which I was also getting into.

His epiphany came after reading about a famous experiment in quantum physics known as Schrodinger's Cat, a report said.

"It was all about the idea that an observer can change the world just by looking at something; the idea that mind and reality are somehow interconnected," Wilkinson explained.

"It is difficult to put into words, but it hit me like a steam train."

He continued: "I came to understand that I had been living a life in which I barely featured. I had spent my time immersed in the fear of not achieving my goals and then spent my time beating myself up about the mistakes I made along the way. Quantum physics helped me to realise that I was creating this destructive reality and that all I needed to do to change it was to change the way I chose to perceive the world.

‘Failing at something is one thing, but Buddhism tells us that it is up to us how we interpret that failure.

'The so-called Middle Way is also about having the right intentions.

“[Buddhism] a philosophy and way of life that resonates with me,” he revealed. “I identify with it. I agree with so much of the sentiment behind it. I enjoy the liberating effect it's had on me to get back into the game.”

‘Are they decent and honest and are you giving consideration to other people?  Selfishness can never be the route to happiness or success.’

Wilkinson’s live-in girlfriend Shelley Jenkins, 27, the daughter of a scaffolding magnate, is apparently ‘really happy’ about Wilkinson’s new enlightenment.

‘I have improved as a person in my relationships, not just with her, but with friends and family,’ he said.

Asked to explain the deeper reason for his Buddhist faith, he added: ‘I think it was rooted in an even deeper fear of death.

‘I couldn’t figure out how to avoid death: it was like a game I could not win. The closer I got to family and friends and the better things got, the more I had to lose.

‘I have accepted my career will finish one day and I am in a place that will enable me to make that transition comfortably. I will not have to reinvent myself to cope with life after rugby.’

He told the French news agency AFP, “Buddhism, with its concepts of karma and rebirth, have freed me from the twin fears of death and life without rugby. It has given me the ability to understand that rugby, like life, will also come to an end."

"My motivation today has nothing to do with status, money or ego. Before I wanted to be the best in the world and I would watch other players to see how I measured up. Now when I do something great on the rugby pitch it is not about being better than others but about exploring my talent ... My fulfillment is no longer about self-gratification; it is about seeing the happiness of others."

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Thou shalt not launch IPOs, China tells temples

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SHANGHAI, China -- Buddhist and Taoist temples have no right to go public and list shares on stock exchanges, a Chinese official was quoted in state media as saying of an issue that seems to have touched a nerve with the officially atheist government.

The listing of companies linked to world famous Chinese heritage sites is not new in the country’s three-decade-old capital markets, but attempts to list at least one religious site have apparently crossed a line.

Schemes to promote tourism via temples, or even for temples to band together and go public to raise funds, were wrong, Xinhua news agency quoted Liu Wei, an official with the State Administration of Religious Affairs, today as saying.

Such plans “violate the legitimate rights of religious circles, damage the image of religion and hurt the feelings of the majority of religious people”, he said in remarks at a conference on the management of religious sites.

Reports about the Shaolin Temple, famous for its kung-fu monks, planning a listing sparked a public outcry three years ago when they surfaced. Many Chinese are concerned that the Shaolin Temple, which has become a high-profile commercial entity in recent years, is becoming overly money-minded.

Shanghai-listed Huangshan Tourism Development Co, for example, sells admission to Huangshan, or the Yellow Mountain, a UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage site in the southern Chinese province of Anhui.

And the sale of admission tickets to the famed Emei Mountain in southwest China is also an important source of income for Shenzhen-listed Emei Shan Tourism Co.

China’s Communist-run government is officially atheist but the state recognises Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism, and tolerates religious activity within boundaries.

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Buddhist Jatakmala and Panchatantra evoke the contemporary spirit in dance

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Bhubaneswar, India -- The Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy organised a 3-day long contemporary dance festival at Bhubaneswar with colour and grandeur. Being organised for the first time this festival awakened curosity and excitement among the art connoisseur of the city who thronged to see something of different taste both in terms of dance as well as presentation.

The first presentation of the evening was Hansha Balaka, skillfully displaying the various gaits and movements of Swain followed by acrobatic gestures entiled Street Dance Ragavali depicting the nationalist element through the colourful display of Indian national flag with Ashoka Chakra choreographed by his illustrious father Narendra Sharma sensitized the patriotic spirit of the audiences. It is punctuated with movement with imagined charecterstics of each colour and the centrality of chakra in the flag’s formulation.

This is followed by Jatakmala i.e. tales of Buddhist expound on wisdom and vagaries of life through a series of naratives. These tales emanated issues of times i.e. ecology, human releations, wisdom stories and historical record of its time. Choreographed by Bharat Sharma this episode depicts images of animal world, power, conflicts, enviornment, relationship, dreams and abstract concepts using props, colour schema and different designs through gestures and movements.

The second item of the evening was by Dr. Ananda Shankar Jayant a noted danseuse and choreographer who chose to present with five interesting episodes from the popular compedium “Panchatantra” using the grammer and idiom of classical dance. She effortlessly bridges traditional strcutures with contemporary inputs.

Her group performance on Panchatantra sends message of friendship, bravery, leadership  and freedom through parable and allegory of popular tales of Panchatantra showcasing the stories of monkey and crocodile, lion and rabit, swain and tortoise, monkey. Laced with humour and satire, elegantly blend of tradition with contemporary and beautifully combined with a rich movement of vocabulary and grammer the production of Padamshree Dr. Ananda Shankar Jayant took the audience to a different world of kaleiodoscopic designs of colour rhythm and imagery.

Both Bharat Sharam and Dr. Ananda Shankar Jayant enthralled the art lovers of the city by their superb choreographic presentation of music, dance and rhythm synchronized with proper costumes, props and light effects.

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China Invests to Protect Oldest Cliff-carved Buddha

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Taiyuan, China -- A multi-million-yuan project that helps to shore up the country's oldest cliff-carved Buddha statue is to kick off before the end of June in north China's Shanxi Province.

<< Visitors look at the Mengshan Buddha statue in Taiyuan, North China's Shanxi province in this March 26, 2011 file photo. [Photo:Xinhua]

With a 74 million yuan (11.7 million U.S. dollars) investment approved by the Ministry of Land Resources, the work will focus on consolidating mines around the Mengshan Buddha, which was once in danger of collapsing, according to Taiyuan City's land resources bureau.

Qiao Qinghai, a geological environment official with the city's land resources bureau, said the project will increase greenery and eliminate the hidden geological hazards in the Mengshan scenic area, which will also improve living conditions for local residents and help the development of tourism.

The 1,461-year-old Buddha statue was carved on a cliff face on Mengshan Mountain in the year 551, during China's Northern and Southern Dynasties. It is believed to be 162 years older than the world's largest sitting stone sculpture of the Buddha in Leshan, Sichuan Province.

The Mengshan Buddha, 63 meters tall, was discovered in the 1980s with parts of it lost or buried in silt and rubbles. Continuous mining in the area led to geological disasters including landslides, ground collapses and fissures, leaving the giant statue in danger of collapse. It was opened to tourists in 2008 after repair.

A total of 211 million yuan has been invested to improve the area's geology since 2008.

The Mengshan Buddha statue is more than 20 km southwest to Taiyuan, the provincial capital.

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Does Buddhism need the supernatural stuff?

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As the Dalai Lama is feted at St Paul's, a more low-key Buddhist will debate with a secular Christian the appeal of truth over myth

London, UK -- This week has been bookended with two notable Buddhist events. On Monday the Dalai Lama was presented with his Templeton prize at a ceremony in St Paul's. On Sunday, in a rather more low-key event, Stephen Batchelor and Don Cupitt will be debating with Madeleine Bunting the possibility of religion without supernaturalism at Friends House on Euston Road in London.

<< Dalai Lama Richard Chartres and Michael Colclough
The Dalai Lama, centre, at St Paul's with the cathedral's canon pastor, Michael Colclough, left, and the bishop of London, Richard Chartres. Photograph: wheelz/Demotix

Cupitt is a Christian, of sorts: at least, he's an ordained Anglican priest. But he believes almost nothing of traditional Christianity. "The whole system of Christian doctrine is a somewhat haphazard human construct with an all-too-human history, and … the Bible, when read closely, does not actually teach – nor even support – orthodox doctrine."

Batchelor, similarly, trained for 10 years as a Buddhist monk in Dharamsala, the headquarters of the exiled Dalai Lama, but believes few of the central doctrines of traditional Buddhism. "The kind of secular Buddhism I am interested in … entails a rethinking of Buddhism from the ground up. And what emerges from this reconfiguration of core values and ideas might not look anything like the Buddhism we are familiar with today."

Both men believe in the finality of death. They suppose that this life is the only one we have or can have, and that it is absurd to suppose that personality, in any form, survives the collapse of the body. The doctrine of karma is here reduced to a simple statement of faith that the world is made of braided causal chains: every effect has a cause, and is itself a cause of other effects. There's nothing there about reincarnation.

For both men, the appeal of Buddhism is that it is concerned with truth, rather than myth structures. Follow certain practices and you will come to understand more deeply certain essential truths about the world. It's a method in some ways like the scientific method, but with the inestimable and essential advantage that Buddhism has morality built in. It is an explanation of the moral facts of the world. It makes no sense for them to claim that religions could ever be morally neutral, in the way that people think of technology. They can be, and often are, morally appalling. But they can't be simply neutral. Prayer and contemplation change people irrevocably.

A surprising amount of this is compatible with perfectly orthodox Christianity and, for all I know, Buddhism. The emphasis on truth, rather than faith, is certainly a mark of all the interesting Christian thinkers that I know. But I wonder whether the project of secularising religion like this will ever be more than a minority pursuit.

Watching the ceremony in St Paul's, and listening to the Dalai Lama earlier, I felt the faint proddings of my inner Rupert Murdoch. When he described the Dalai Lama as "a very political old monk shuffling around in Gucci shoes", he was of course defending his imperialist allies in the Chinese government. But he had a point. At the press conference in the crypt of St Paul's we listened to the Dalai Lama explaining that he was perfectly ordinary, just one of 7 billion human beings, yet almost everyone in the room – even Arianna Huffington – addressed him as "Your Holiness". Who, here, was fooling whom?

I don't doubt that the Dalai Lama is a good man, a profound thinker and a skilled statesman. He deserves his prizes. But a huge part of his popularity in the west stems from the deracination of his doctrines. They appear far more secular and far less supernaturalist over here than they actually are when lived out among Tibetans.

More seriously, traditional Buddhist language is full of false friends when translated into English: words that sound the same but mean something very different. When the Buddhist says that the root of happiness is "self-confidence", he sounds like the worst sort of business guru. He answered one question about how he could bear all the suffering in the world by saying that "self-confidence is the key factor. The basis of self-confidence is honest truth. These things I myself learned to be the case. Living as a Buddhist monk, as a practitioner, [I have been] always honest, truthful."

But the kind of self-confidence – indeed, the kind of self – produced by life in a monastery is not going to have much in common with the kinds produced by life in a western economy. One of the central religious yearnings is for platitudes to be true: wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all get along. And since, for the most part, the aspirations of religion towards charity are not realised in the world around us, they need to be cast in terms of another world. That is what supernaturalism does, and it is what the exoticism of Buddhism in the west accomplishes, too. I wish Batchelor, Cupitt, and Madeleine Bunting well. But I doubt their teachings will ever fill St Paul's.

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Buddhist monks who strayed

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Seoul, South Korea -- Ven. Tojin, a high-ranking member of Korea`s largest Buddhist order Jogye and active in the National Assembly, has tendered his resignation on Saturday. The order`s main temple in Seoul, which is the center of Jogye, is directly operated by Jogye`s general affairs center.

On Friday, Bulgyo.com, an Internet newspaper for Buddhists, reported that eight monks including Tojin gambled with hundreds of thousands of dollars at Baekyang Temple Tourist Hotel in Jangseong, South Jeolla Province. In video footage taken secretly, they gambled in a room while smoking. They also ordered alcohol and side dishes late at night. They gambled the day before a funeral rite for the Ven. Jijong, a former head of Baekyang Temple.

The main slogan of the Jogye Order last year was “self-purification and reform.” Saying self-purification and reform should be conducted first for the Buddhist circle to take an independent path free from the influence of politicians, Jogye made the practice of asceticism its top priority. Despite this, the offices of the chief executive of the Jogye order and his deputy were involved in gambling. Apparently fearing social ramifications, six high-ranking figures at the general affairs department tendered their resignations.

Voices in Korean Buddhism, however, criticize those who installed the hidden camera in the hotel room and filmed for more than 13 hours. The Ven. Seungho, who provided the video to prosecutors and accused Tojin and others of gambling, is known to have been at odds with those at Jogye Temple. A power struggle is suspected, but focusing on the conflict will blur the nature of the incident. Gambling with hundreds of thousands of dollars is an immoral act that cannot be tolerated. Worse, this transgression was conducted by Buddhist monks, who are supposed to lead a more righteous life than ordinary people.

“Self-styled Zen philosophy” refers to a fox that deceives humans by pretending to have found enlightenment without sincerely practicing Zen meditation. Jogye stresses meditation, so outsiders cannot notice if monks have achieved spiritual enlightenment. Certain monks claim that they have achieved spiritual enlightenment yet consume meat and alcohol as if they have entered the stage of freedom from all obstacles. Discipline, precepts and meditation go together. If discipline and precepts are not followed, meditation cannot work.

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Bhutan counts the cost of trying to buy happiness

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THIMPHU, Bhutan -- They say you can't buy happiness - and it's something Bhutan is finding out the hard way.

The tiny, mostly-Buddhist Himalayan kingdom won a world voice for adopting a happiness index to measure its economy. But its prime minister says it promptly forgot its own lesson, and let a sudden rush of prosperity go to its head.

"Wealth creates increased desire," Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley told Reuters in an interview in the capital Thimphu, surrounded by tree covered mountains dotted with prayer flags.

"There are families with four or five cars. There are luxury vehicles being imported that can hardly drive on our roads and are made for far better roads than we have here."

A country that was closed to foreigners until 1974 and only recently opened up to the forces of globalisation lacked the tools to cope with new-found economic growth and the wealth it brought.

Debt-fuelled consumerism that far outpaced economic output has now led, inevitably, to a rude awakening.

The government has cut expenditure and is considering raising taxes on imported vehicles. The central bank, the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan, has rationed the main trading currency, the Indian rupee, squeezing private businesses.

Youth unemployment is over 9 percent and people are drifting away from the countryside, and traditional values, to the towns.

Worst of all, Bhutan's most recent Gross National Happiness GNH.L index, in 2010, found only 41 percent qualified as "happy".

BECOMING MORE MATERIALIST

"We have been moving away from GNH values and, like many countries, becoming more materialist," said Thinley.

"When such tendencies come at a cost to the economy, like we are suffering now, the government has to take difficult measures," he said. "We have to accept that the rupee is not our currency."

Thinley's Druk Phuensum Tshogpa government won power in Bhutan's first democratic election in 2008 and heads to the polls again next year.

He said the crisis highlighted the need to focus once more on the happiness index, which uses nine criteria: psychological well-being, ecology, health, education, culture, living standards, use of time, community vitality and good governance.

"Our economic problems are the result of being opened to the world and being part of the globalisation process."

Despite its boom, Bhutan remains one of the world's least developed and poorest nations, where 70 percent of 700,000 people live on subsistence farming. But economic growth led to a surge in imports of industrial and consumer goods from neighbouring India.

Almost one in eight of the 65,000 vehicles on its roads were imported last year.

Thinley said the cost of importing fuel to keep these cars on the roads wiped out the earnings that Bhutan made from its major industry, selling hydro-electric power to India.

"The revenue we earn from exporting clean energy is the same as the cost for the dirty fuel that we import from India," he said, sipping Bhutan's traditional butter-and-salt tea in a timber-clad room dominated by portraits of Bhutan's five kings.

HAPPINESS OR DEVELOPMENT?

But it seems to be getting harder to convince people to put a holistic sense of happiness ahead of raw economic development.

In parliament on Thursday the government forecast economic growth of 7-8 percent next year and said it hoped to reach its target of cutting poverty to 15 percent from 23 percent. The electricity grid covers 77 percent of the country.

"It's sad but true that the roads we are building to take services to villages are the roads by which villagers leave and some set up shanty towns around the cities," said Thinley, dressed in Bhutan's traditional knee-length, belted robe.

He said the government must prioritise policies that promoted the appreciation of rural life and stop the drift into urban areas, which was decimating villages and making the country more dependent on imported produce.

"In many ways, life in the rural setting is better and the possibility to find happiness is far greater than living in a city where you don't even know your next-door-neighbour and violence is rising," he said.

"We need to create a conscious desire in our people to continue to live in rural areas or move back from urban areas. Rather than live in a stuffy apartment, go back to the farm!"

It may be a hard message to sell to the young people heading for the towns, abandoning traditional dress for jeans, and looking for civil service jobs rather than manual work.

"People across Bhutan need to realise that we need to be more independent," he said, "(relying) on our own farming and resources."

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China 'trained female devotees to poison Dalai Lama'

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Dharmsala, India -- The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fears Chinese agents have given training to bogus female devotees to kill him with poison while seeking blessings.

Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph, the Dalai Lama, 76, said that he had received the warning of the plot from inside Tibet.
Indian security officials have advised the Nobel laureate to live in a high security cordon in his temple palace grounds in Dharamsala, a hill station in Himachal Pradesh.

"We received some sort of information from Tibet," he said. "Some Chinese agents training some Tibetans, especially women, you see, using poison – the hair poisoned, and the scarf poisoned – they were supposed to seek blessing from me, and my hand touch."

The ties between China and the Tibetan government-in-exile in India remain murky.

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Geshema degree becomes a reality

The historical decision was arrived at a high-level meeting organised by the Department of Religion and Culture of the Central Tibetan Administration last week in Dharamshala.

?The decision to officially honour Geshema degrees was unanimously taken at the two-day meeting,? Ngawang Choedak, the secretary of Department of Religion and Culture said.

?High lamas from different monasteries, including from the Dalai Lama?s main temple, and representatives from nunneries attended the meeting,? Choedak said while adding that the push came from the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

?His Holiness the Dalai Lama has over the years strongly advocated for Geshema degrees and guided the concerned people in arriving at this decision,? the secretary said.

Kalon Tripa Dr Lobsang Sangay and minister for the Department of Religion and Culture, Pema Chinnjor also addressed the two-day meeting.

In September last, the 11th meeting of Tibetan religious heads, presided by the Dalai Lama had also discussed on the required steps for the honouring of Geshema degree.

Nuns have been graduating from the rigorous 19-year program of philosophical studies as required for the normal Geshe curriculum study of the Five Great Canonical Texts. Now with the decision, nuns, at par with monks, have the opportunity to appear for the very stringent doctorate examinations.

In 2011, Ven. Kelsang Wangmo became the first Buddhist nun to be awarded a Rime Geshe Degree by the Dharamshala based Institute for Buddhist Dialectic Studies with the authorisation from His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

The degree is titled Rime Geshe [Non-Sectarian Geshe] as the curriculum includes study with Nyingma, Sakya and Kagyu masters of their respective presentations of philosophy.

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Congregational Of Vietnamese European Unified Buddhist Association Retreat to be held for the first time in UK

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Birmingham, UK -- Every year the Congregation of Vietnamese European Unified Buddhist Association holds a ten days Buddhist teaching and retreat event in a different European country. The aim is to teach and encourage the practice of Buddhist philosophy to international Buddhist fellowships of all age ranges and sexes.

More than a hundred Buddhist monks and nuns from all over the world will be present to deliver Dharma talks to about one thousand participants.

This year the UK gets to hold the 24th Anniversary of Vietnamese European Congregation Unified Buddhist Association retreat of the first time. 

The  Venerable Thich Phuoc Hue, who  is a President of Midland Buddhist Association is responsible for hosting the event. The 10 days of European Buddhist retreat will be held on 27th July 2012 to 5th August 2012.

Important dignitaries from Birmingham who will be attending the event includes The Lord of Mayor, Chair of Governor’s Miss D McllMurray, Business Manager’s Ms S Birmingham, Head Teacher’s Ms Roan and Site Manager’s Mr John Edward.

If you go:

What: Congregational Of Vietnamese European Unified Buddhist Association Retreat 1st Time in UK

Venue: Hillcrest School, Bartley Green, Birmingham B32 3AE.

When: 27th July 2012 to 5th August 2012

For more information, please contact:

Ms Hue Le, Tel: 07714021713.
Email: huele24@yahoo.com.

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Gender discrimination in religious practice

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Timphu, Bhutan -- Gender inequality took over to blend with spirituality in the second session of the Mountain Echoes festival, which began yesterday at the Tarayana Centre in Thimphu.

<< Writing the spirit: Swati Chopra, Kunzang Choden and Dr Tashi Zangmo

Three women speakers constantly argued and discussed that women have equal spirit to attain the level of spirituality as men, while they referred to religious traditions that underestimated the spirits of women.

The conversation revolved around Buddhist traditions where, at one point, Swati Chopra, who writes on spirituality and its relevance to modern lives, explained the Madhyamika ideology and the middle path teaching, associated with change and impermanence.

According to her, the irrational system that became a tradition blocks change, where women are deprived from certain spiritual teachings, even in Buddhism.

“Change has to be enlightened change, not just jettisoning tradition in entirety, but certain aspects of tradition should be questioned, which unfortunately in India there is less tolerance of questioning tradition,” she said.

The oral tradition of Buddhism, which says that to achieve nirvana one has to be born as man is ‘irrational’, Swati Chopra said. “If there is no gender in enlightenment or nirvana, according to Madhyamika teaching, why do we have to be born as man to achieve enlightenment?” she questioned. “In enlightenment, you can’t be even Buddhist.”

Well-known Bhutanese author, Kunzang Choden, said that, while there are beliefs being implanted that a woman would take nine generations to achieve nirvana, there are no such written references so far noticeable.

“Three years ago, a woman asked Jamyang Khyentse rinpoche, if a reference can be found that says so, and rinpoche said he couldn’t find it anywhere,” Kunzang Choden said.

She said the protagonist in her book, The Circle of Karma, is also looking for her spirit, and believes she will find this through literacy.  She receives basic teaching from a spiritual master, shaves her head, and wears the robes, but realises that appearance is not everything, and that spirit and appearance don’t go together.

“You can’t just trash tradition, we have to segregate it,” Kunzang Choden said, referring to patriarchal society. “With education, empowerment, opportunities, you begin to question things.”

When a male from among the audience asked how men are responding to empowerment of women efforts, Swati Chopra said, “They dig in their heels, and use tradition as a reason, but women also don’t support women, as a result of internalising tradition; but right now there is nothing to worry about, the wave is still being built.”

“Nunneries follow the same curriculum as the monk body, but smaller nunneries don’t have any set curriculum, but very ritualistic kind of practices, no qualified teachers, no proper classrooms,” explained Dr Tashi Zangmo, director of Bhutan nuns foundation.

“Households prefer male monks for pujas, while they invite nuns only when there are prayers that include fasting,” she said.

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Buddhist delegation visits ancient viharaya in Kotapola

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Kotapola, Sri Lanka -- An international Buddhist delegation led by Ven Hou Jen Chun, the abbot of the World Buddhist Ch'an Jing Centre of the United States of America will visit Gatabaruwa Raja Maha Viharaya, Kotapola.

The delegation comprising Ven Hou Jen Chun, Rev Hsu Shu Nu and four other lay devotees led by Nancy Go came to Sri Lanka on the invitation of Most Ven Kurunegoda Piyatissa Maha Thera, abbot of the New York Buddhist Vihara and were accompanied by Ven Aregama Sirisumana Thera of the viharaya.

They will also visit the Gatabaruwa Raja Maha Vihara, Kotapola. At the vihara, they will offer alms to 25 Buddhist monks from the Kotapala area and lay the foundation stone to a Buddhist Pilgrimage Centre.

The alms giving ceremony and the construction of the pilgrimage centre will be conducted by Ven Dr Kirinde Ananda Thera of the Getabaru Raja Maha Viharaya under the guidance of Most Ven Pandita V Chandavimala Maha Thera.

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U.N. Celebrates Buddhist International Day of Vesak

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New York, USA -- Vesak - signifying “Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment and His Parinirvãna (passing away) - is the most sacred day in the Buddhist calendar. In an era where the world is darkened by multiple conflicts and natural and man-made calamities, the Buddha’s message of non-violence, understanding, compassion and peace, is powerfully relevant. 

<< Ban Ki Moon with the Sri Lankan Ambassador Dr. Palitha Kohona in the General Assembly.
Photo: Sri Lankan Mission to the U.N.

The United Nations celebrated the International Day of Vesak on May 7, 2012 at the U.N. General Assembly Hall. 

Visakha in Pali means the sixth month and is known as Vaisakha in Sanskrit. People in Thailand call it Visakha.  Visakha Puja means the chantings and offerings initiated in the sixth lunar month.  However, as people in Sri Lanka have called this event Vesak,  the United Nations too have adopted Vesak as the official term and have officially recognised it as one of its International Day, as stated in the U.N.’s GA Resolution 54/115 of 2000.

Since then, the International Day of Vesak has been commemorated annually at the United Nations Headquarters as well as its offices worldwide. The unique feature of the celebrations is that each year a different Permanent Mission to the United Nations hosts the event. The Vesak event this year included cultural activities, supported by a number of Buddhist and non-Buddhist countries.
This year's Vesak Day was also commemorated with a series of events organized by the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York with the generous assistance of other missions.  The heads of the United Nations bodies along with other senior officials of the UN system attended the occasion. 

Permanent Representatives of Member States also attended the event and a number of them addressed the gathering.  A large number of Buddhist monks from around the world also participated, along with religious dignitaries from other major religions.

The holy day of Vesak is observed traditionally by Buddhists in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the South East Asian countries of Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, and Indonesia.  Interestingly, the decision to agree to celebrate the Vesakha as the Buddha’s birthday was formalized at the first Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists held in Sri Lanka in 1950, although festivals at this time in the Buddhist world are a centuries-old tradition.

Following the special commemorative event in the General Assembly Hall, cultural performances was held at the Visitor’s Lobby of the UN, depicting the rich Buddhist heritage of the organizing Member States. The day concluded with a food festival hosted by the organizing Member States, representing delicacies from over 19 nations.

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Taiwan's Buddhist rites "killing millions" of animals

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TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Tens of millions of animals, mostly fish and birds, are dying every year in Taiwan because of so-called "mercy releases" by Buddhists trying to improve their karma, according to animal welfare activists.

The government is now planning to ban the practice, saying it damages the environment and that a large proportion of the 200 million or so creatures released each year die or are injured due to a lack of food and habitat.

Around 750 such ceremonies are carried out in Taiwan each year, according to the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan.

Negotiations have seen some groups agreeing to halt the practice, but others have yet to accept a ban, Lin Kuo-chang, an official from the government's Council of Agriculture, told AFP on Sunday.

Proposed amendments to current wildlife protection laws would see offenders facing up to two years in jail or fined up to 2.5 million Taiwan dollars (US$85,000) for such unauthorised releases, he said.

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Nepal’s kung fu nuns practise karma with a kick

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KATHMANDU, Nepal -- It is a hot, cloudless morning on a hillside on the outskirts of Kathmandu and dozens of nuns arrange themselves into lines around a golden Buddhist shrine.

<< The sisters of the Amitabha Drukpa Nunnery are the world’s first order of kung fu nuns.

In unison, each slams a clenched fist into their opposite palm, breathes deeply and waits, motionless in the rising heat.

But these devotees are not here to pray or to meditate, for they have gathered to undergo a rigorous and aggressive martial arts routine as the world’s first order of kung fu nuns.

The sisters of the Amitabha Drukpa Nunnery - aged from nine to 52 - come from across Nepal, India, Tibet and Bhutan to learn the ancient Chinese discipline of kung fu, which they believe will help them be better Buddhists.

Every day, they exchange their maroon robes and philosophical studies for an intense 90-minute session of hand chops, punches, shrieks and soaring high kicks.

“The main reason for practising kung fu is for fitness and for health, but it also helps with meditation and self-defence,” 14-year-old Jigme Wangchuk Lhamo, who was sent to the nunnery from Bhutan four years ago, told AFP.

“When we practise kung fu we are doing something which gives us not only strong bodies but also strong minds.”

Buddhist nuns in the Himalayas have traditionally been seen as inferior to monks, with the women kept away from physically demanding exercise and relegated to menial tasks like cooking and cleaning.

But the 800-year-old Drukpa - or dragon - sect is changing all that by mixing meditation with martial arts as a means of empowering its women.

The nuns, in contrast to most Buddhist groups, are also taught to lead prayers and given basic business skills, as well as running a guest house and coffee shop at the abbey and driving jeeps to Kathmandu to get supplies.

Kung fu came to the nunnery only four years ago when its spiritual leader, His Holiness the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa, visited Vietnam, where he saw nuns receiving combat training that was previously used by Viet Cong guerrillas.

He was so impressed that he brought four of the Vietnamese, all women in their 20s, to Nepal to add kung fu lessons to the nuns’ yoga classes and lessons in the nuances of good and bad karma.

“Our nuns... are very new to modernisation and are timid and lack self-confidence,” the Gyalwang Drukpa wrote in a recent blog post.

“I am not saying that I am a great teacher or a great leader but the path that I have decided to take in order to promote gender equality, so as to bring about the nuns’ improvement, gives me great encouragement to work harder and live longer.”

Jigme Konchok Lhamo, 18, who came to the order from India, says kung fu has quickly made the nuns more assured and has begun to address the power balance between men and women in Buddhism.

“His Holiness wants the nuns to be like the men, with the same rights in the world,” she said. “That is why we get the chance to do everything, not just kung fu.

“We also have the chance here to learn many things, like tennis and skating. And we have the chance also to learn English and Tibetan, and musical instruments.

“In the past only men could do some of the dances. Now we have the chance to take part. Before nuns could not do anything and now we have the chance to do anything the monks can do.”

The nunnery is enjoying a surge in popularity since introducing the kung fu lessons and now has some 300 nuns practising martial arts techniques.

They have given demonstrations of their skills to thousands of pilgrims in Nepal and have toured India and Britain.

The nuns say the repetitive nature of Shaolin kung fu, which comes from the Buddhist temple of Shaolin in China’s Henan province, helps them to learn control and focus.

The benefits are obvious for young women who are expected to meditate in the same position for up to six hours at a time and sometimes undertake retreats during which they must remain silent for months.

Jigme Migyur Palmo, a soft-spoken 21-year-old nun, who came to Kathmandu three years ago from her home in Ladakh, in northern India, said kung fu works in harmony with her spiritual life.

She watched Jackie Chan kung fu movies when she was younger and now wants to be as good as the Hong Kong film star.

“I came to Kathmandu to learn Buddhist philosophy and now I don’t want to go home, I want to stay here my whole life,” she said.

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