Sex abuse allegations surround L.A. Buddhist teacher

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An investigation by an independent council of Buddhist teachers indicates that Joshu Sasaki Roshi, 105, may have abused hundreds of followers. No charges have been filed.

Los Angeles, USA -- At 19, Shari Young was in search of enlightenment. She thought she had found it at the Cimarron Zen Center (now known as Rinzai-ji) in Jefferson Park and in a Buddhist teacher, a man named Joshu Sasaki Roshi.

But she said Roshi, as his followers call him, began using their one-on-one meetings to fondle her breasts and grope her body. She consented in confusion but left after nearly a year.

That was in the early '60s, she said. A recent investigation by an independent council of Buddhist leaders has suggested that Roshi, a leading figure in Zen Buddhism in the United States, may have abused hundreds of others for decades. According to the group's report, that abuse included allegations of molestation and rape, and some of the incidents had been reported to the Rinzai-ji board, which had taken no effective action.

"We see how, knowingly and unknowingly, the community was drawn into an open secret," the council wrote, adding: "We have reports that those who chose to speak out were silenced, exiled, ridiculed or otherwise punished."

Paul Karsten, a spokesman for the center interviewed about the controversy before the council's report was completed, said Roshi was too ill to respond and cautioned that the sexual misconduct allegations had not been verified. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The council of Rinzai-ji oshos — senior Zen teachers ordained under Roshi — however, responded with a public statement: "Our hearts were not firm enough, our minds were not clear enough, and our practices were not strong enough so that we might persist until the problem was resolved. We fully acknowledge now, without any reservation, and with the heaviest of hearts, that because of our failure to address our teacher's sexual misconduct, women and also men have been hurt."

The apology from the oshos is the first of its kind and is seen as vindication by members who said they had suspected such misconduct for years.

The council investigation was spurred by a letter published in November on the website Sweeping Zen by Eshu Martin, who studied under Roshi. Titled "Everybody Knows," it excoriated the community for suppressing reports of sexual misconduct.

"It's been sort of a tribal secret for 50 years, and I just wanted to provide an opportunity for people to start talking about this in an open forum that couldn't be shut up," Martin said about his letter. He also hoped to start a public discussion while Roshi was still living; he is 105 and in poor health.

Roshi arrived in Los Angeles 50 years ago and was among a wave of Japanese teachers to tailor Zen Buddhism to Westerners. He quickly became an exalted figure and opened about 30 centers, including one on Mt. Baldy that is known for its rigorous training regimen. It was commonly thought, Martin and other critics said, that if women left Mt. Baldy it was because they weren't tough enough to handle the demanding conditions.

In 1992, Sandy Stewart, who had spent 25 years studying with Roshi, resigned from the Rinzai-ji board. He cited an "atmosphere of secrecy" regarding his teacher's inappropriate sexual behavior. One of the victims was a woman named Susanna who became Stewart's wife.

After some years passed, Stewart was coaxed back into the Rinzai-ji community and told that all of the abuse had stopped. He said he then discovered that it hadn't and wrote a letter to the board insisting that the issue be confronted. The response was an onslaught of hate mail, he said.

"People … thought I was stupid and crazy," Stewart, 75, said. "They said, 'Have you no respect?' and said I should be lashed and beaten."

Even Susanna Stewart, 71, said that for some time she felt conflicted about the abuse she suffered because she also loved and respected her teacher.

Young, who is now 63, said she would have stayed in the Zen tradition if it weren't for the abuse. Instead, she became an Episcopal priest.

"The impact on me was so tremendous," she said. "It's kind of a relief and confirming to know I wasn't just odd. In the church we have this expression, 'The truth will out.' If you've perpetrated damage upon others, at some point you have to face it."

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Nagarjuna and Quantum physics: Eastern and Western Modes of Thought

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Christian Thomas Kohl dissects key terms in the teachings of Nagarjuna and transposes these ideas with Quantum Physics. The following is a summary of his thesis on the subject.

1. Key term: ‘Emptiness’. The Indian philosopher Nagarjuna ( 2nd century BC ) is known in the history of Buddhism mainly by his keyword ‘sunyata’. This word is translated into English by the word ‘emptiness’. The translation and the traditional interpretations  create the impression that Nagarjuna declares the objects as empty or illusionary or not real or not existing. What is the assertion and concrete statement made by this interpretation? That nothing can be found, that there is nothing, that nothing exists? Was Nagarjuna denying the external world? Did he wish to refute that which evidently is? Did he want to call into question the world in which we live? Did he wish to deny the presence  of things that somehow arise?  My first point is the refutation of this traditional translation and interpretation.

2. Key terms: ‘Dependence’ or ‘relational view’. My second point consists in a transcription of the keyword of ‘sunyata’ by the word ‘dependence’. This is something that Nagarjuna himself has done. Now Nagarjuna’s central view can be named ‘dependence of things’. Nagarjuna is not looking for a material or immaterial object which can be declared as a fundamental reality of this world. His fundamental reality is not an object. It is a relation between objects. This is a relational view of reality. Reality is without foundation. Or: Reality has the wide open space as foundation.

3. Key terms: ‘Arm in arm’. But Nagarjuna did not stop there. He was not content to repeat this discovery of relational reality. He went on one step further indicating that what is happening between two things. He gave indications to the space between two things. He realised that not the behaviour of bodies, but the behaviour of something between them may be essential for understanding the reality. This open space is not at all empty. It is full of energy. The open space is the middle between things. Things are going arm in arm. The middle might be considered as a force that bounds men to the world and it might be seen as well as a force of liberation. It might be seen as a bondage to the infinite space.

4. Key term: Philosophy. Nagarjuna, we are told, was a Buddhist philosopher. This statement is not wrong when we take the notion ‘philosophy’ in a deep sense as a love to wisdom, not as wisdom itself. Philosophy is a way to wisdom. Where this way has an end wisdom begins and philosophy is no more necessary. A.N. Whitehead gives philosophy the commission of descriptive generalisation. We do not need necessarily a philosophical building of universal dimensions. Some steps of descriptive generalisation might be enough in order to see and understand reality. There is another criterion of Nagarjuna’s philosophy. Not his keywords ‘sunyata’ and ‘pratityasamutpada’ but his 25 philosophical examples are the heart of his philosophy. His examples are images. They do not speak to rational and conceptual understanding. They speak to our eyes. Images, metaphors, allegories or symbolic examples have a freshness which rational ideas do not possess. Buddhist dharma and philosophy is a philosophy of allegories. This kind of philosophy is not completely new and unknown to European philosophy. Since Plato’s allegory of the cave it is already a little known. (Plato 424 – 348 BC) The German philosopher Hans Blumenberg has underlined the importance of metaphors in European philosophy.

5. Key terms: Quantum Physics. Why quantum physics? European modes of thought had no idea of the space between two things. They were bound to the ideas of substance or subject, two main metaphysical traditions of European philosophical history, two main principles. These substances and these subjects are two immaterial bodies which were considered by traditional European metaphysics as lying, as a sort of core, inside the objects or underlying the empirical reality of our world. The first European scientist who saw with his inner eye the forces between two things had been Michael Faraday (1791-1867). Faraday was an English scientist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism. Later physicists like Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrödinger, Werner Heisenberg and others followed his view in modern physics. This is a fifth point of my work. I compare Nagarjuna with European scientific modes of thought for a better understanding of Asia. I do not compare Nagarjuna with European philosophers like Hegel, Heidegger, Wittgenstein. The principles and metaphysical foundations of physical sciences are more representative for European modes of thought than the ideas of Hegel, Heidegger and Wittgenstein and they are more precise. And slowly we are beginning to understand these principles.

Let me take as an example the interpretation of quantum entanglement by the British mathematician Roger Penrose. Penrose discusses in the year of 2000 the experiences of quantum entanglement where light is separated over a distance of 100 kilometers and still remains connected in an unknown way. These are well known experiments in the last 30 years. Very strange for European modes of thought. The light should be either separated or connected. That is the expectation most European modes of thought tell us. Aristotle had been the first. Aristotle (384  - 322 BC) was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and a teacher of Alexander the Great. He told us: Either a situation exists or not. There is not a third possibility. Now listen to Roger Penrose:

“Quantum entanglement is a very strange type of thing. It is somewhere between objects being separate and being in communication with each other” (Roger Penrose,  The Large, the Small and the Human Mind, Cambridge University Press. 2000 page 66). This sentence of Roger Penrose is a first step of a philosophical generalisation in a  Whiteheadian sense.

6. Key terms: ‘The metaphysical foundations of modern science’ had been examined  particularly by three European and American philosophers: E. A. Burtt, A.N. Whitehead and Hans-Georg Gadamer, by Gadamer eminently in his late writings on Heraclitus and Parmenides. I try to follow the approaches of these philosophers of anti-substantialism. By ‘metaphysical foundations’ I do not understand transcendental ideas but simply the principles that are underlying sciences.

7. Key terms : ‘Complementarity’, ‘interactions’, ‘entanglements’.  Since 1927 quantum physics has three key terms which give an indication to the fundamental physical reality: Complementarity, interactions and entanglement. These three notions are akin to Nagarjuna’s relational view of reality. They are akin and they are very precise, so that Buddhism might learn something from these descriptions and quantum physicists might learn from Nagarjuna’s examples and views of reality. They might learn to do a first step in a philosophical generalisation of quantum physical experiments. All of us we might learn how objects are entangled or going arm in arm.

For details, please visit: http://goo.gl/R41U4

Chapter 12: Suffering and the causes of suffering. Commentary: Suffering is not independent from a cause of suffering and not identical with its cause. There can be no cause without an effect, or an effect without a cause. The notion ‘cause’ has no meaning without the notion ‘effect’. Cause and effect are not one, but they cannot be separated into two independent notions either. Like suffering reality does not consist of single, isolated material or immaterial components; suffering arises only by dependence on other causes. Like everything in this world suffering and its (here at this picture invisible) cause are not one and they are not two different objects. [page 20. Christian Thomas Kohl. Nagarjuna and Quantum Physics]

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Christian Thomas Kohl has studied Political Science and the Philosophy of Science at the University of Berlin. He has studied Indonesian and Indian music and has promoted music from India, Pakistan, and Tibet. Most of his time over the past three decades, he has spent reconciling the fundamental concepts and principles of quantum physics and Buddhist philosophy. He belongs to the Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. http://ctkohl.googlepages.com

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Muslim council meets Buddhist high priests on halal matters

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Colombo, Sri Lanka -- The Mahanayakas (Buddhist High Priests) of the Kandy Malwatte chapters met a delegation of the Sri Lanka Muslim Council (SLMC) yesterday morning and discussed the issue arising from the issue of Halal certificate, ‘Colombo Gazette’ reported.

The Mahanayakas were briefed by the delegation led by the President of the SLMC N M Ameen on the concerns of the Muslim population as a result of the tensions that have arisen in the country following stiff opposition being raised against the Halal certificates being issued by the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulema (ACJU).

The SLMC had said that Sri Lankan Muslims wish to co-exist with all other communities in the country and in response the Mahanayakas said that efforts should be taken to strengthen the ties between Buddhists and Muslims in the country.

Objections have been raised by some Buddhist groups including Body Bala Sena (BBS) and Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) to the Halal certificate being issued by ACJU in Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, ‘The Nation’ reported that if problem persists, the ACJU has expressed willingness to handover Halal certification to the government, giving a twist to the Halal controversy after they met the Chief Prelate of the Malwatta Chapter Ven.

Tibbatuwawe Sri Sumangala Thera who had called upon the ACJU members to remain calm and preserve the long standing friendship between the two communities.

“He referred to the Halal issue citing that an amicable agreement could be reached easily through dialog.”

“The ACJU is willing to co-operate with the Parliamentary Sub-committee appointed to look into the issue but however feel that the issue of Halal certificate is blown out of proportion.”

The member said adding, “Due to the many problems that have arisen, the certification could be handed over to the SLS or the Ministry of Religious Affairs.”

‘The Nation’ also reported that, earlier, the Lanka Jamiyyathul Ulema (LJU) remained polarised, over the issuance of Halal certification and alleged that the ACJU had erred on their part.

“We do not wish to comment on the matter as we have been cooperative with the government and still render our support to come to a conclusion over the matter,” said Aslam Zubair, the media coordinator of ACJU.

Clarifying the matters with relation to the Halal certification, the ACJU stressed that they do not compel any company to obtain their certification no do they charge hefty fees for the procedure.

All their accounts have been submitted to the National Investigation Bureau and have always conducted their affairs in a transparent manner, the Consultant Shaikh Fazil Farook claimed.  

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Hong Kong: Call for visa crackdown on bogus Buddhist monks

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Police want immigration to crack down on bogus Buddhist monks working as beggars in the same way that they deal with prostitutes

Hong Kong, China -- Mainland beggars masquerading as Buddhist monks should be treated the same as prostitutes, and the immigration authorities should crack down on the practice, according to police.

<< Bogus monks at Lan Kwai Fong

One police source familiar with a rising trend of bogus Buddhist monks visiting Hong Kong as "professional beggars" said they may be violating their three-month visitor visas.

Over the past 12 months, the city had seen a major increase in the number of people clad in monks' robes and begging in Central, Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui, the source said. The police arrest people for begging, particularly in Central. But unlike prostitutes, whose work is illegal because they enter Hong Kong on tourist visas, according to the Immigration Department, begging does not constitute working.

Stronger penalties would deter bogus monks from coming to the city, the source said, adding that the police wanted a change in immigration laws.

"If these bogus Buddhist monks come here specifically to beg on a three-month tourist visa, why isn't this a breach of their conditions of stay?

"If you come to Hong Kong as a mainland prostitute on a tourist visa, you will be arrested by police for breaching your conditions of stay. Why are these bogus monks not treated the same?"

On Friday night, one man dressed like a Buddhist monk in Lan Kwai Fong tried to sell a wooden beaded bracelet to the Sunday Morning Post. The bracelets - which he said could bring blessings - cost HK$100 each.

The sale of these bracelets constitutes working and is a clear breach of tourist visa laws.

But an Immigration Department spokesman said it was difficult to define whether begging should be classed as work. He noted, however, that it was the police's duty to tackle begging.

"In the case of mainland prostitutes, they breach the conditions of their stay by establishing a business here. It is a clear immigration issue," the spokesman said.

"But it is also clear in the police ordinance that they prosecute beggars. The police are the appropriate authority to enforce the law here. There is no loophole in the immigration law."

Entrepreneur Rory Hussey, whose bar Solas is on Wyndham Street, Central, called the bogus monks a "plague".

Hussey recalled how he went on holiday last year to Thailand and a group of bogus monks were on the same flight, dressed in civilian clothes. "I see them every night, so I recognised them on the plane straight away. A few of them even had girlfriends with them," he said.

In Tsim Sha Tsui, Mike Brown, bar manager of Ned Kelly's Last Stand in Ashley Road, said the impostors "would try to get away with anything".

"They'd blatantly walk in here and ask my customers for money," Brown said. "They're regularly annoying tourists all along Nathan Road."

At Delaney's in Luard Road, Wan Chai, general manager Clare Kirkman told how up to 12 monks could be patrolling up and down the streets.

"They work in pairs; while one begs, the other keeps a lookout for police," she said. "They're a nuisance but they are very well-organised."

Last weekend, authorities in the northern province of Shaanxi closed down two temples on a sacred Buddhist mountain and arrested six people after tourists complained of bogus monks deceiving them into donating money.

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Termites infest famous Korean temples

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Seoul, South Korea -- Termites have been a constant problem in the traditional Korean buildings, since most of Korea’s cultural properties are made of wood. Termites penetrate and devour the buildings, which include traditional Korean Buddhist monasteries.

<< Tongdosa - one of the key historical temples infested with termites

According to the inspections that were conducted by the Cultural Heritage Administration for the past 4 years, 78 out of 231 buildings were infested by termites, and 18 buildings had an ongoing termite problem. High-profile important temples such as Tongdosa, Songgwangsa, and Beomeosa temples all face the same problems.

Detection of termite infestation are only possible only after damages were made. During the meeting held on February 14th, 2013, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced that the termite infestation was due to global warming as termites thrive in warm, humid environments. According to the data from the Korea Weather Administration, the  temperature and humidity of the Korean peninsula surged within the past sixty years.

They also added that not enough budget to take care of the buildings was another factor that added to the termite infestations. As a result, the damage to wooden cultural properties is getting more serious by the day.

Professor Jeong stated that it is difficult to prevent the infestation once termites are present in the treasures and buildings, what is important is to prevent the termites from latching on to the buildings.

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Gigantic Buddha tangka unfolds at Labrang Monastery

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Xiahe, China -- The Labrang Thangka Festival is an important festival at the old Labrang Monastery that was one of the six leading monasteries of the Geluk tradition of Tibet.

<< Lamas unveil a gigantic Buddha tangka alongside a hillside for disciples' worship in Labrang Monastery in Xiahe, northwest China's Gansu Province, Feb. 22, 2013.

Every year, warmly dressed people ascend to the high-elevation monastery to pray and get blessed. When the monks carry out the thangka, thousands of people assemble in front of the slope big and the vividly woven thangka is displayed. It is a major highlight of many a Tibetan Buddhists’ year.

Tibetan monks, pilgrims and nomads converge on the monastery to participate in the annual "Sunning of the Buddha" ritual, in which the world's largest Thangka of Buddha (90ft in length, 40ft in width) is unveiled at first light on the side of a mountain. The Monlam festival, or Great Prayer Festival, is the grandest religious festival in Tibet.

The Buddha tangka display or "the basking of Buddha" is a Tibetan tradition praying for a good year. As one of the six leading monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism, Labrang Monastery built in 1709 is home to more than 1,000 lamas and is another center of the Gelug Sect, also known as the Yellow Sect, of Tibetan Buddhism outside the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The monastery is about four hours south of Lanzhou. It is located in a high mountain valley at an elevation of about 3,000 meters or 10,000 feet.

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No pension for Eido Shimano

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- In Zen teachings, one is taught to note “the coming and going of nothing”. Just as the sound that leaves the wooden fish the moment the paddle hits the block, Dharma learners are taught to relinquish any notion of permanence at any point which it arises. Like the sound that meanders away as the gong is hit, or the smoke that rises and disappears when incense is lit. They are taught to be aware of traces, and that too inherently will disappear.

In the ongoing suit against the Zen Studies Society (ZSS) by its previous abbot Eido Shimano – who is seeking payment of pension due to him (see here) - the ZSS needs to be clear on its spiritual and moral authority. The person who was asked to leave the organization was not asked to do so out of personal contempt or politics.

That person was asked to leave because he failed the fiduciary duty expected of a person of the Buddhist robe, that is to help bring peace and enlightenment to people that come to him. What transpired instead is one who had become a lustful demon disguised as a person of the robe and through it, had taken sexual advantage of people who he purports to help bring peace and enlightenment.

While Eido Shimano may have been the catalyst of establishing the roots of Zen within ZSS, it certainly does not mean that ZSS is obligated to support its founder for life. The crux of the matter is this: There have been allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of Eido Shimano. There are explicit evidences forwarded by victims themselves. These accounts are compiled and documented for public view via the Internet.

By all accounts this monk has been “defeated” in the traditional sense of Dharma-Vinaya (Buddha’s teachings and his discipline).

As such, he is no longer a monk in the spiritual sense and by that it means that he is cut off from the lineage that ties ZSS to its Japanese Buddhist roots. That being the case, according to the Vinaya (parajika) by natural law he is considered an outcaste, “excommunicated” from ZSS in all sense of meaning (spiritual, moral and legal).

In this circumstance, it would seem imprudent for the ZSS to have established any legal agreement to support the pension of a person who has abused his position and influence.

The ZSS board needs to be aware that this case is no longer confined to the boundary of its estate. Eido Shimano’s misdeeds and unsavory tales have already travelled far and wide. If the ZSS is sincere in maintaining its lineage and keeping its name as a trusted center for Zen learning, it has to re-engage with the community and show that it cares for Dharma learning. That it cares for people who come to the center seeking peace and personal enlightenment.

And it can only do that if it banishes whatever traces of Shimano saga left on its doorsteps. Yes, he came, he founded, he gave, he helped and he taught at the ZSS. But he also badly misbehaved.

Like smoke that trails off after the incense is lit, or the sound of the gong meandering off into the dead of night after it is hit, ZSS must do the right thing. The society must banish any thoughts of compensating Eido Shimano his due pension.

Let the teachings of “coming and going of nothing” ring true within the four corners of ZSS. Be aware of his traces but not be bound by it. Only then can real healing truly begin for everyone concerned.

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Thailand's female monks (cautiously) lobby for legal recognition

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A quiet campaign to grant female monks legal recognition began this summer. Advocates hope that the minimal fanfare will help the 'Bhikkhunis' evade conservative religious opposition.

BANGKOK, THAILAND -- Dhammananda Bhikkhuni grips a wobbly stack of feminine hygiene products and sorts them on a long table. Her followers watch before mimicking her quick movements.

<< Novice monk Dhammarakhita (C), dressed in a brick-colored robe after her ordination by Sri Lankan Bhikkuni, an order of female monks, gestures at Songdharmakalyani Temple in Nakhon Pathom, in this 2002 file photo. Formally known as Varangghana Vanavichayen, Dhammarakhita, a mother of two who divorced her husband to dedicate her life to Buddhism, became the first woman to be ordained as a monk in Thailand.
AFP/Newscom File

Bhikkhunis (Pee-KOO-nees), ordained female monks, in Thailand consider their gender to be an essential bridge to the women they help through charity work and spiritual guidance, since women are forbidden to be alone with male monks, known as Bhikkhu (Pee-KOO).

But Thai Bhikkhunis have their own limitations, not just because they number only 25 compared with the approximate 200,000 male monks here. They lack legal recognition – a denial that accompanies various withholdings of public benefits, and it highlights a persistent issue of discrimination for women across the country.

A revived campaign to grant Bhikkhunis legal recognition launched quietly at the end of July, with advocates hoping that minimal fanfare would help them evade the conservative religious opposition that has prevented the movement from strengthening for more than 80 years.

“This is a basic human rights issue,” says prominent former senator and lawyer Paiboon Nititawan, an organizer of the Bhikkhunis’ rights movement.

The new approach to take a cautious tact to achieve legal recognition for Bhikkhunis won’t grant them entirely equal status with the male monks. But Bhikkhunis and their supporters are eager to accept whatever gains they can secure in the still largely conservative country.

The trick? “We have to stay low key,” says Dhammananda, the eldest and longest-standing Bhikkhuni in Thailand. “We won’t go out and march through the streets.”

Dhammananda presides over a monastery that is home to nine Bhikkhunis in Nakhon Pathom province, one-hour northwest of Bangkok.

The residing Bhikkhunis, all ordained in Sri Lanka, which practices their observed chapter of Buddhism, Theravada, strictly follow the eight guiding principles of Buddhism.

Like their male counterparts, the women pray several times a day and discuss Buddhist teachings. But only Bhikkhuni can physically touch the other women who travel long distances for prayer.

“I love that it is easy to touch and talk with Dhammananda,” said Khun Tip, a layperson who visits the monastery daily. “Women who have problems with their husbands or families cannot talk to male monks about these things.”

Hurdles for women monks

Everyday barriers male monks don’t have to consider stunt Bhikkhunis’ work with women, the female monks say.

Male monks receive free public transportation and reserved bus seats, government identification cards, and public funds to support their monasteries. Bhikkhunis, meanwhile, have to rely on help from laypeople and private donations.

“If we go on the bus there is no place for us to sit,” explains Dhammananda. “To many people, this here would not be considered a temple, because with a temple you must have a monk, and we are not considered that.”

Bhikkhunis’ rights campaign reveals the subtle, yet entrenched brand of gender discrimination in Thailand, which has achieved gender parity in classrooms and the workforce. However, women still earn only 94 percent of what male colleagues make and hold the minority of executive, high-level positions in business and politics.

Dhammananda acknowledges the “injustice” of Bhikkhunis’ lack of recognition, but says if their campaign is to be successful it must appeal to Buddhist morals and honor the Buddha's word – not necessarily women's empowerment.

“We will bring these donations to women who are in the local prison,” explained Ms. Dhammananda. “If we don’t, then who?”

Thai constitution

Bhikkhuni ordination is permitted under the Thai constitution, but the Thai Sangha Council, a government-linked religious advisory group, does not accept Bhikkhunis’ legal status or right to be ordained within the country. It cites a 1928 Sangha Act, which banned ordination of women following the last known attempt to recognize Bhikkhunis.

A new constitution in 1932 made that religious order void, says Mr. Nititawan.

But the Thai Sangha and some Bhikkhu – who remain largely unaware of the revitalized campaign – continue to cite the 1928 order, which recognizes only Bhikkhu, along with Vietnamese and Chinese male monks.

Nititawan says nearly 1,000 people have signed a petition to propose an amendment to the Sangha Act – one-tenth of what is needed to bring the measure before the Thai Parliament.

The change in law would place Bhikkhunis in the “other sangha,” or ordained monks, category, along with Vietnamese and Chinese monks. Bhikkhuni would still have to travel abroad to receive ordination, a costly and time consuming process of several years.

“We believe that the government will support this because there is no reason not to,” explained Sutada Mekrungruengkul, director of the Gender and Development Research Institute in Bangkok, who helped organize the campaign’s launch among 30 people in Bangkok on July 29.

The movement also references the Buddha's support of Bhikkhunis when he allowed women to join the order of female Sangha, according to Dhammananda, because they were capable of enlightenment.

Dhammananda received her full ordination in 2003 and took over the temple her mother, the first fully ordained woman in Thailand, built in the 1970s.

A former university professor and divorced mother of three grown children, Dhammananda, then known as Chatsumarn Kabilsingh, says she found her spiritual calling mid life, when she felt something was missing from her otherwise full life. She realized it was a lack of fulfillment of her spirituality. She looked in the mirror one day and asked herself, “How much longer do I have to keep on doing this?” Competing for recognition at work seemed insignificant to adopting a simpler life of charity, reflection, and spirituality.

Other Bhikkhunis also chose ordination over promising careers.

Dhamma Vijaya planned to become an ambassador, and later considered social justice work, before she joined the monastery as a novice.

“It doesn’t matter to me that we are not recognized,” Ms. Dhamma said. “I would like to learn and that is my right.”

She thinks that the ranks of Bhikkhunis will grow if they receive legal recognition.

“It will help us become stronger,” Dhamma continued.

Approximately 1,200 Bhikkhunis practice across Southeast Asia and some parts of South Asia, among other places. Aside from Sri Lanka, Bhikkhunis can also receive ordination in China, Taiwan, Australia, and the United States.

Many national communities of Bhikkhunis say they have had their own struggles for equality, and they support one another through an international alliance. The alliance, of which Dhammanada is a member, works to support ordination of women worldwide.

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Iran confiscates Buddha statues from shops

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TEHRAN, Iran -- An Iranian newspaper is reporting that government authorities are confiscating Buddha statues from shops in Tehran to stop the promotion of Buddhism in the country.

Sunday?s report by the independent Arman daily quotes Saeed Jaberi Ansari, an official for the protection of Iran?s cultural heritage, as saying that authorities will not permit a specific belief to be promoted through such statues.

Ansari called the Buddha statues symbols of ??cultural invasion.??

He did not elaborate on how many have been confiscated so far, but said more would be seized from shops.

Iran has long fought against items, such as Barbie dolls and Simpsons cartoon characters, to defuse Western influence, but this appears to be the first time that Iranian authorities are showing an opposition to symbols from the East.

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Taking a Zen Approach to Caregiving

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New York, USA -- You try to help your elderly father. Irritated and defensive, he snaps at you instead of going along with your suggestion. And you think “this is so unfair” and feel a rising tide of anger.

How to handle situations like this, which arise often and create so much angst for caregivers?

Jennifer Block finds the answer in what she calls “contemplative caregiving” — the application of Buddhist principles to caregiving and the subject of a year-long course that starts at the San Francisco Zen Center in a few weeks.

This approach aims to cultivate compassion, both for older people and the people they depend on, said Ms. Block, 49, a Buddhist chaplain and the course’s lead instructor. She’s also the former director of education at the Zen Hospice project in San Francisco and founder of the Beyond Measure School for Contemplative Care, which is helping develop a new, Zen-inspired senior living community in the area.

I caught up with Ms. Block recently, and what follows is an edited transcript of our conversation.

Q. Let’s start with your experience. Have you been a caregiver?
A. My experience in caregiving is as a professional providing spiritual care to individuals and families when they are facing and coping with aging and sickness and loss and dying, particularly in hospital and hospice settings.

Q. What kinds of challenges have you witnessed?
A. People are for the most part unprepared for caregiving. They’re either untrained or unable to trust their own instincts. They lack confidence as well as knowledge. By confidence, I mean understanding and accepting that we don’t know all the answers – what to do, how to fix things.

This past weekend, I was on the phone with a woman who’d brought her mom to live near her in assisted living. The mom had been to the hospital the day before. My conversation with the daughter was about helping her see the truth that her mother needed more care and that was going to change the daughter’s responsibilities and her life. And also, her mother was frail, elderly, and coming nearer to death.

Q. That’s hard, isn’t it?
A. Yes, because we live in a death-denying society. Also, we live in a fast-paced, demanding world that says don’t sit still — do something. But people receiving care often need most of all for us to spend time with them. When we do that, their mortality and our grief and our helplessness becomes closer to us and more apparent.

Q. How can contemplative caregiving help?
A. We teach people to cultivate a relationship with aging, sickness and dying. To turn toward it rather than turning away, and to pay close attention. Most people don’t want to do this.

A person needs training to face what is difficult in oneself and in others. There are spiritual muscles we need to develop, just like we develop physical muscles in a gym. Also, the mind needs to be trained to be responsive instead of reactive.

Q.What does that mean?
A. Here’s an example. Let’s say you’re trying to help your mother, and she says something off-putting to you like “you’ve always been terrible at keeping house. It’s no wonder you lost my pajamas.”

The first thing is to notice your experience. To become aware of that feeling, almost like being slapped emotionally. To notice your chest tightening.

Then I tell people to take a deep breath. And say something to themselves like “soften” to address that tightness. That’s how you can stay facing something uncomfortable rather than turning away.

If I were in this position, I might say something to myself like “hello unhappiness” or “hello suffering” or “hello aging” to tether myself.

The second step would be curiosity about that experience. Like, wow, where do I feel that anger that rose up in me, or that fear? Oh, it’s in my chest. I’m going to feel that, stay with it, investigate it.

Q. Why is that important?
A. Because as we investigate something we come to understand it. And, paradoxically, when we pay attention to pain it changes. It softens. It moves. It lessens. It deepens. And we get to know it and learn not to be afraid of it or change it or fix it but just come alongside of it.

Over hours, days, months, years, the mind and heart come to know pain. And the response to pain is compassion — the wish for the alleviation of pain.

Let’s go back to what mother said about your housekeeping and the pajamas. Maybe you leave the room for five minutes so you can pay attention to your reaction and remember your training. Then, you can go back in and have a response rather than a reaction. Maybe something like “Mom, I think you’re right. I may not be the world’s best housekeeper. I’m sorry I lost your pajamas. It seems like you’re having a pretty strong response to that, and I’d like to know why it matters so much to you. What’s happening with you today?”

Q.Are other skills important?
A. Another skill is to become aware of how much we receive as well as give in caregiving. Caregiving can be really gratifying. It’s an expression of our values and identity: the way we want the world to be. So, I try to teach people how this role benefits them. Such as learning what it’s like to be old. Or having a close, intimate relationship with an older parent for the first time in decades. It isn’t necessarily pleasant or easy. But the alternative is missing someone’s final chapter, and that can be a real loss.

Q.What will you do in your course?
A.We’ll teach the principles of contemplative care and discuss them. We’ll have homework, such as ‘Bring me three examples of someone you were caring for who was caring toward you in return.’ That’s one way of practicing attention. And people will train in meditation.

We’ll also explore our own relationship to aging, sickness, dying and loss. We’ll tell our stories: this is the situation I was in, this is where I felt myself shut down, this was the edge of my comfort or knowledge. And we’ll teach principles from Buddhism. Equanimity. Compassion. Deep inner connectedness.

Q.What can people do on their own?
A. Mindfulness training is offered in almost every city. That’s one of the core components of this approach.

I think every caregiver needs to have their own caregiver — a therapist or a colleague or a friend, someone who is there for them and with whom they can unburden themselves. I think of caregiving as drawing water from a well. We need to make sure that we have whatever nurtures us, whatever supplies that well. And often, that’s connecting with others.

Q.Are other groups doing this kind of work?
A. In New York City, the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care educates the public and professionals about contemplative care. And in New Mexico, the Upaya Zen Center does similar work, much of it centered around death and dying.

People who want to read about this might want to look at a new book of essays, “The Arts of Contemplative Care: Pioneering Voices in Buddhist Chaplaincy and Pastoral Work” (Wisdom Publications, 2012).

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Buddhist retreat set for Saturday and Sunday at Edwards Riverwalk

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Vail, CO (USA) -- Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi will lead a weekend retreat on some beloved verses widely read by Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.

The Dhammapada is part of the Pali Canon and captures the philosophical and practical essence of the Buddha's teachings. Attendees will contemplate how these simple, yet profoundly deep, verses demonstrate the power of the human mind in shaping their lives and happiness. The retreat will consist of commentary on this text, meditation sessions, time for questions and answers and prayer.

The event is by donation. All are welcome, but space is limited. Chairs are available, but bring your own cushion if you want to sit on the floor. RSVP to Ben Gaylord at 970-390-9299 and sign up online at www.bodhimarga.org.

Priyadarshi is the president of The Prajnopaya Institute and Foundation, a worldwide humanitarian organization. He is the founding director of The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, www.thecenter.mit.edu.

He was ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, his spiritual mentor, and has received instruction and training under many great Buddhist teachers. He teaches around the world, in the spirit of the nonsectarian Rime tradition, in Russia, Mongolia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Japan and Mexico.

If you go ...

What: Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi leads weekend retreat focused on the Dhammapada.
Where: Riverwalk Hall in Edwards.
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to noon Sunday.
Cost: By donation.
More information: RSVP to Ben Gaylord at 970-390-9299, or sign up online at www.bodhimarga.org.

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Thousands raised at Sri Lankan themed fundraiser

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Harrow, UK -- Over 200 people attended a Sri Lankan fundraising night on 9th February, held in the Zoroastrian Centre. Almost £2000 was raised for the Mayor of Harrow’s chosen charity Age UK Harrow.

<< Credit: Dermot Carlin
 
The Mayor of Harrow was entertained with dancers & dhol drummers. The Mayor was welcomed by the Sri Lankan Community where he was garlanded and the Mayoress was handed a flower basket.
They sang the British National Anthem and the Mayor gave a speech. A traditional Sri Lankan feast and a raffle were enjoyed by all.
The Mayor of Harrow, Councillor Nizam Ismail, said: “I’m so pleased that so many people from all communities came together to help raise money at the fundraiser. Age UK Harrow aims to improve later life for everyone and offers fantastic information and advice, so it really is a very worthy cause.”

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Edo Period Buddhist art turns passion into beauty

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Tokyo, Japan -- The stable years of the Edo Period (1603-1868) gave rise to a prosperous merchant class and a burgeoning "townsman" culture. For that reason, Edo art is often epitomized by colorful and flamboyant ukiyo-e prints.

<< Hakuin Ekaku's “Hanshin Daruma” (Owned by Manjuji, Oita Prefecture)

Not to be forgotten, however, are the works of Buddhist monk artists who stubbornly went their own way, choosing to work in the countryside, painting and sculpting as a means to convey the teachings of Buddha to the wider public. Though perhaps not as polished as their city-dwelling brethren, these monks imbued every brush stroke and every carving with their passion. A pair of exhibitions now running in Tokyo feature two such monks, whose "breakaway art" poses the age-old question, "What makes 'art' art?"

An 'unprecedented' artist

Hakuin Ekaku (1685–1768) was a Buddhist monk from the mid-Edo Period who possessed an almost uncanny talent. A Zen priest as well as an artist, he used his "zenga"--Zen calligraphy and paintings--as a visual tool to reach out to the public. His "One-eyed Daruma" and "Buddha," with a full head of curls, are two of the foremost examples of his robust, inspired style. His lines veer widely from his under-drawings, and his strong brush strokes seem to flow with abandon.

The general consensus is that Buddhism entered an era of decline during the Edo Period. With the Tokugawa Shogunate overseeing the administration of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, Buddhism came to exhibit a strong secular trend. It was during such times that Hakuin, based in a temple in Hara-shuku, in the old Suruga province (now Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture), practiced his art to communicate Zen ideals not only to scholars and disciples, but to people of all classes.

The "HAKUIN: The Hidden Messages of Zen Art" exhibition, showing at The Bunkamura Museum of Art in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward through Feb. 24, showcases some 100 pieces of Hakuin's Zen paintings and calligraphy.

As a painter, Hakuin was something of a late-bloomer: The bulk of his existing pieces were executed after he turned 60.

His growth as an artist can be traced in his favorite subject, Daruma. Known as Bodhidharma in Sanskrit, he is the legendary Zen patriarch who traveled from India to China in the sixth century. The lines of a Daruma portrait Hakuin painted when he was 35 are fine, almost finicky, while the facial expressions of Daruma paintings from his 40s still show some hesitation.

Finally, the "Hanshin Daruma" at Manjuji temple, Oita Prefecture, which is thought to have been executed by Hakuin when he was 83, shows strong, confident lines. The wide-eyed stare expresses the depth of an all-engulfing void.

Professor Yuji Yamashita of Meiji Gakuin University, who supervised the exhibition, commented, "The Daruma can be seen almost as a self-portrait, a reflection of Hakuin himself." His studies and training as a priest seemed to have added a profound depth to his art.

According to Yamashita, as an artist, Hakuin was not considered part of the school of "suiboku-ga" (ink and wash painting)--the undisputed master of which was Sesshu Toyo--nor was he grouped with the traditional Kano school of art painters. Thus, the art of Hakuin never earned a proper pedigree and has never found a place in the history of Japanese art.

"Considering the fact that (Hakuin's work) shows no influence whatsoever from any predecessor, his art is simply 'unprecedented,' " Yamashita said.

But there is evidence that while Hakuin's work may have been unprecedented, it was not without influence of its own. There is one piece in the exhibition where Hakuin has added an inscription to a painting by the masterful Ikeno Taiga. According to Yamashita, this shows how Hakuin may have inspired great painters of 18th-century Kyoto, including Soga Shohaku and Ito Jakuchu. This is a possibility that has surfaced only in recent years.

Hakuin is also well known for his humorous work depicting familiar characters, such as his "Sutasuta Bozu" showing Hotei, one of the seven deities of good fortune, fat and bald, scurrying around with his signature cloth sack, and for his jolly, plump-faced "Otafuku" and the "Shichifukujin" (seven deities of good fortune).

"Hakuin apparently poured all he had, body and soul, into his art. Yet there is a certain looseness. He allows a glimpse of the 'human gesture' which makes his work so interesting."

In order to truly understand the message that Hakuin tried to express through his zenga, the viewer must take in and decipher the painting and its embedded inscription as a whole, including the meaning of the words. However, as a first step, it may be enough just to let go, appreciate the artwork and get carried away in the powerful deluge that is Hakuin.

Rough-hewn, yet gentle

Meanwhile, the Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo's Ueno, is showing "Enku's Buddhas: Sculptures from Senkoji Temple and the Hida Region" through April 7, spotlighting the Buddhist monk Enku (1632-1695). Born in the old Mino province (now southern Gifu Prefecture), Enku was a monk and extraordinarily prolific sculptor who continued to carve Buddhist statues throughout his life. More than 5,000 of his works still exist.

It is said that Enku began making pilgrimages in his mid-30s, and he continued with his travels for some 30 years, trekking through Hokkaido and the Kinki region, chiseling wood and giving away his Buddha statues to people he encountered. The current exhibition centers on the 61 Enku statues from Senkoji temple in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, in addition to 39 statues from the city of Takayama.

His unostentatious Buddha statues have the texture of rough rock. There are clear chisel marks, and the surfaces are roughly hewn with a machete. The features are simple. The eyes and mouth are blunt lines. There is nothing elegant about these statues, yet they exude an overwhelming gentleness and grace that seems to embrace the onlooker.

His "Seated arhat Binzuru (Pindola)" was a "rubbing Buddha," and it is said that his "Standing Thirty-three Kannon (Avalokitesvara)" was rented out to sick patients. Enku's statues were in direct contact with the people, rooted in their daily lives.

In creating the "Standing Kongo Rikishi" (Ungyo of Nio pair), Enku carved the statue out of a tree still standing, rooted in the ground. It is a towering piece, standing more than 2 meters tall. The statue carefully retains the tree's natural form, expressing a hint of animism, a respect for the spiritual essence of natural entities.

The "Ryomen Sukuna" is a two-headed monster that is depicted in the "Nihonshoki" (Chronicles of Japan) as a scoundrel that disobeyed the Yamato dynasty and brought suffering to the people. Yet Enku's Sukuna is holding an axe, a tool used by men working in the woods, and Enku gave him a god-like look, as if he were the ancestral spirit of the mountain folk of the Hida region. His form and gentle expression is full of compassion. The statue seems to reflect Enku's way of life--to always be among the people.

"Compared to Buddha statues from the Nara Period (710-784) and the Kamakura Period (1185–1333), Enku's statues seem amateurish," according to art historian Nobuo Tsuji. "They are not 'accomplished' pieces in that sense. Yet people derive an artistic high, a pleasurable sensation from his work. Hakuin was another monk artist who broke through the existing framework of painting with his individual mode of expression. People are drawn to these two monks for their unique stance."

"Both Enku and Hakuin were able to prove the Buddhist way to enlightenment--attaining strength by letting go of worldly desires--through their artwork. That is truly an amazing feat. It may be safe to say that no artist could attain such heights through artistic training alone," Tsuji says.

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Buddhist Meditation Center is an oasis of peace next to former Temple Mt. Ski Area

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Hudson, NH (USA) -- Meditation is peaceful and inwardly focused, but occasionally it requires a lot of noise and outward effort, such as when you’re bringing a 4-ton statue of Buddha from Vietnam to the edge of Peterborough.

<< Staff photo by William Wrobel
Kien Tan stands in the meditation temple at Temple Mountain Buddhist Meditation Center in Peterborough, NH where he and other monks meditate three times a day and hold classes for local residents every Saturday.

“This was very difficult to get here,” said Kien Tan, one of two monks in residence at the Temple Mountain Buddhist Meditation Center, on Route 101, as he gazed at the huge seated Buddha. It greets you as you drive up to the house just west of what was once Temple Mountain Ski Area.

This Buddha is one of a number of statues placed along mediation pathways that wind through several acres of the property, depicting Buddha in several stages of his life as well as other figures important in his story. Along with a beautiful, 1-ton gong hanging in a pagoda, and touches of lighting and stonework near a small pond, they help create a space that is unique in the region, where people come each Saturday to learn how to meditate from two monks who have spent their lives at the practice.

The center was founded by Tue Man, 35, who lives at the center with Kien Tan, 75, both of whom originally came from near Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam. It follows the teaching of Vietnamese monk Thien Thanh Tu. (Note: The Telegraph’s typography cannot reproduce some punctuation marks used in Vietnamese names.)

The meditation center, which is registered as a nonprofit with the state, has been operating for about three years in a small, one-story house adjacent to what is now the Temple Mountain State Reservation, opposite Miller State Park and Pack Monadnock.

Many people became aware of it only last year when a large, ornate gate was built at the bottom of the driveway, visible to passing cars on Route 101.

When it received permission to operate as a “church/meditation center” from the Peterborough Planning Board in June 2011, the only stipulation was that it could not host overnight retreats.

The center was founded by about 10 Vietnamese families throughout the Boston area and New Hampshire, said Kien Tan, who, like Tue Man, speaks heavily accented and halting English. They came to New Hampshire to be on a mountain and yet still close to Boston, they said. The nearest similar temple is in Braintree, Mass.

The 11-acre property includes a small, one-story house at the end of a steep, 100-yard-long driveway. The house has not been altered from its domestic function except for the former living room, which has been turned into an open meditation center. A ceiling skylight illuminates a large sitting Buddha on an altar, surrounded by fruit and flowers, while the floor is lined with rugs.

The house is surrounded by trees and offers a beautiful view to the west, toward Peterborough and Mount Monadnock. The property is full of winding paths that have been painstakingly created over the years, often with flat stepping-stones that lead to statuary or small grottos.

In winter, after trees have lost their leaves, some traffic noise can be heard from Route 101, but otherwise it is still and quiet – except for when the occasional snowmobiler comes through.

Such peace is key the monk’s daily meditation, from 4-6 a.m. and 7-8 p.m., a practice that is key to their lives.

“It can make my mind awaken, (so) we have to know what we are,” Kien Tan said.

“You can know what is going on inside yourself,” Tue Man said.

Meditation is surprisingly difficult, they say. One of the draws of the center is the guidance that the monks can provide to a loose class that gathers Saturday afternoons.

“In a group it is easier – on your own self, it is not so easy,” Kien Tan said. “We have practiced. We can meditate anywhere and anytime.”

To help others approach this state, the center opens at 2 p.m. Saturdays. The men say various numbers of people show up from week to week for the free sessions, including a few regulars. Practitioners sit on floor rugs, in full-lotus or half-lotus position, or just kneeling if their joints aren’t up to it, for meditation and chanting.

Kien Tan says he came to the U.S. among the “boat people” who fled the Communist takeover at the end of the Vietnam War and has been associated with several Buddhist monasteries on the West Coast, the Southeast and most recently Michigan, before coming to New Hampshire to be part of the Temple Mountain Meditation Center.

Tue Man comes from the same area, although it was known as Ho Chi Minh City by the time he grew up.

“You prepare your mind with a vision of the Buddha,” he said of the work they do. “Those who come to learn, we can help them.”

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Carving China's own Buddhist tradition

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Ancient Buddhist grottoes along the Silk Road in western China are magnificent art that show the influence of many cultures over more than 1,500 years.

Shanxi, China --  Walking along spectacular Lifo Avenue, with its 26 marble ornamental pillars, I marvelled at the grand renovations undertaken at the Yungang Grottoes site. Compared with last time I visited nearly a decade ago, the zone has expanded to almost eight times the previous size, adding ancient-style pavilions and temples, a well-equipped exhibition hall and even a castle-style theater that stretches deep underground.

<< The seated Buddha in Cave No. 20 is the signature of the Yungang Grottoes.(Photo/Shanghai Daily)

Splendid as the renovation is, I quickly headed toward the grotto complexes. It is only when you see the grottoes stretching before your eyes that you can understand the beauty of Yungang Buddhist art.

In the south cliffs of Wuzhou Mountain west to Datong City, Shanxi Province's second largest city, the grottoes were created in the reign of Emperor Wencheng (AD 440-465) in Northern Wei Dynasty.

They were an attempt at atonement after the emperor's grandfather, Emperor Taiwu, attempted to extirpate Buddhism in AD 445, during a struggle with the Han insurgents. In the turmoil, numerous temples and Buddhist sutras were burned, statues toppled and monks killed.

Monk Tanyao is one of the lucky few who managed to escape. Later when Buddhism was revived, he convinced Wencheng to construct the grottoes.

Today, 45 of more than 200 grottoes in Yungang are open to the public. Most were created before the empire relocated the capital from Pingcheng (today's Datong) to Luoyang in Henan Province in AD 494. While the huge deep caves on the east and middle were ordered by royals, smaller ones peppering the west are folk art from before AD 494. Do take a look at these smaller ones if you have time, you will still find many surprises that make you awed by the folk wisdom of ancients.

Yungang Grottoes stand out among the four main grotto complexes in China, not only for kaleidoscopic carvings of Buddha and Jataka (the previous lives of Buddha), flying deities and musicians and monks but also for blending traditional Chinese carving with Indian Gandhara art.

A gateway to the west, it is where Buddhist grotto art starts to show Chinese characteristics, with carvings of Chinese pavilions and shrines.

Depictions of Buddha also vary: from the early period's simple masculinity; to the details and lavish decoration of the middle period; to later slender, attractive statues, reflecting folk images for immortals. That created a template for grotto art in northern China, that prevailed until the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907).

It's also a good place to study ancient history, art, architecture and even music - it took me quite a while to identify musical instruments from a group sculpture. Some of them no longer exist.

It's quite amazing that Yungang, built into on a sandstone cliff that is easily weathered, remains a good condition, compared with other grottoes.

Small holes in the statues tell of later renovations. The largest was in the Liao Dynasty (907-1125) when multi-storied pavilions were built on the cliff face, covering the entrance to almost every larger cave, protecting the grottoes from the elements. Renovations also saw parts repaired and the eyes of statues decorated with black glaze.

As with other Chinese grottoes, many caves are scarred by looting by explorers who hacked off parts and shipped them to places such as Japan, France and the United States.

Despite this, Yungang Grottoes remains relatively intact, an enticing gem that continues to beguile millions of visitors every year.Know as the "Five Caves by Tanyao," Cave Nos. 16-20 are the earliest group of grottoes built by Monk Tanyao on Wuzhou Mountain. Each main Buddha statue represents one emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 386-534), through to the reign of Emperor Wencheng.

The sitting Buddha in Cave No. 20 is the signature for the Yungang Grottoes, frequently found on postcards and other souvenirs.

The front ceiling of the cave collapsed in early times, leaving the Buddha and the two others at its side in the open air. It has become a popular spot for tourists to take photographs. With a height of 13.75 meters, the Buddha, said to resemble the state founder Emperor Daowu, has a typical look used to represent the strong, tough northern nomads: with a full face; a broad forehead; a high nose bridge; deep narrow eyes; large earlobes; and broad shoulders. This style of figure dominates in early period of the Yungang Grottoes. A strong Indian influence can also be found in the clothing and accessories depicted in the statues and relief sculptures. Buddha often wears a robe over one shoulder, a common style in India. And a seated Buddha at the east side of Cave No. 18 wears a crown decorated with sun-and-moon patterns derived from the Persian Sassanid Empire. A vivid group sculpture of Indian monks also shows the exotic influences from the civilization to the west.

Cave No. 19 creatively set three Buddha statues of the past, present and future in three separate chambers, lending solemnity to surroundings. At 16.8 meters high, sitting Buddha Shakyamuni is the second largest statue in Yungang,

The standing Buddha in Cave No. 18 is based on Emperor Taiwu. His robe is decorated with thousands of Buddhas, implying his regret at persecuting Buddhism.

Emperor Wencheng's likeness is found the No. 16 cave. Unlike his predecessors, he wears a robe covering both shoulders, with a long knot dangling in front. That style resembles the Gandhara-style robe with a deep-V neck that is often seen in mid-period grottoes, and helps indicates these statues were made later.

Cave Nos. 9-13

These five caves are collectively called "Wuhua Caves," - five glorious caves - in recognition of their gorgeous colored paint work in later dynasties over the relief sculptures inside and out.

A peaceful cross-legged Buddha statue sits in Cave No. 13. Holding his left hand in front of his body while resting the other on his knee, the Buddha resembles the fifth ruler of the dynasty, Emperor Xianwen. A stone warrior, said to be his son - the later Emperor Xiaowen - stands on his leg and holds his left arm, both as a support and interesting decorative feature.

Cave No. 12 is also known as "the cave of music and dance" as it houses exquisite colored relief sculptures of flying dancers and musicians. In the top of its north wall are carved 14 flying musicians in striking poses, each playing a traditional Chinese music instrument. These include: the xuan (a round or oval-shaped pottery wind instrument); the guqin (an ancient seven-stringed plucked instrument); the pipa (a vertical plucked stringed instrument); a horizontal bamboo flute; the konghou (an ancient plucked stringed instrument), a waist drum and the paixiao (a vertical bamboo flute).

Some of these instruments are only found in ancient writings.Numerous relief sculptures of such elegant flying musicians and dancers cover the walls and on the vaults over the windows where sunshine streams in, casting its light over the Buddhas.

Shrine sculpture is another highlight in these five caves, varying in styles and Buddha statues. Shrines come in a number of shapes, including arches, tents or pavilions, while Buddhas sit, stand or cross their legs, a kaleidoscopic depiction of reincarnation.

Cave No. 9 and No. 10 is a double cave; if seen from outside, it has both a front chamber and rear chamber. Double caves in Northern Wei Dynasty can be traced back to Dowager Feng. The widow took charge at an early age of 24, and oversaw an age of suppression.

For 25 years, the empire was held by two "saint" rulers. Therefore, double caves were built to honor these two "saints."On the north wall of the front chamber in Cave No. 10 is a relief sculpture of Sumeru, the mountain that stands in the center of the world, according to ancient Indian mythology. Some 5 meters by 2 meter, carvings include children, deer-like animals, double dragons, the Indian monk Kumarajiva and Deva Asura. On the ceiling of a window over the group sculpture is a blossoming double-petal lotus; as if the shining sun, surrounded by flying deities.

Cave No. 7-8

These two caves form the earliest double cave in Yungang, where cultures from the east and India to the west harmoniously set against and embrace each other.

Inside the arch door to Cave No. 8, on the east wall is a relief sculpture of Indian Shiva Mahesvara. Riding on the sacred ox, the three-headed deity holds the sun, and a bow and arrows in his eight hands. On the opposite side is his son, Kumara, with five heads and six hands riding a peacock. The sculptures illustrate how the Yungang Grottoes borrowed and artistically combined elements from different religions and areas.

On the south wall inside Cave No. 7, over an arch door, is a rectangular curtain-shaped shrine, featuring six plump donors in flowing robes. These six donors were extolled by Liang Sicheng - the "Father of Modern Chinese Architecture" - as "the six beauties in Yungang," for their elegant shapes and enchanting smile.

The double cave also features early period flying deities with bright smooth foreheads, round buns and drifting dresses.Posing in a deep-V, the deities looks cute in an endearingly clumsy way.

If you go

How to get there:

There's one and only direct flight from Shanghai Pudong Airport to Datong Yungang Airport. Trains running through Shandong and Shanxi provinces, Beijing and Tianjin municipalities and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region all stop by Datong. Take Bus No. 4, 26, 28 and 17 to Xinkaili Bus Station and change to Bus No. 3 that runs directly to Yungang Grottoes.

Travel tips:

The scenic area is open every day from 8:30am to 5pm. Entrance fee is 150 yuan (US$24), with half price admission for students and the over-65s. Tour guides charge 120 yuan, or you can rent an electronic tour device for 100 yuan. This gives detailed explanations in English, French and Japanese.

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Sri Lanka monk in for Germany on Dharmaduta work

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Berlin, Germany -- Ven. Dikwelle Seelasumana Thera, Deputy Chief monk of the Buduraja Maha Vihara, Wevuru – kannala, Dikwella left for Germany on December 27, 2012 to engage in Dharmaduta work as the second resident monk of the Berlin Vihara (also known as Das Buddhistische Haus). He joins Ven. Kongaspitiye Santharakkhitha Thera who is currently resident at the Vihara since June 2010.

Ven. Seelasumana’s visit is being sponsored by the German Dharmaduta Society founded by Asoka Weeraratna in 1952.

Ven. Seelasumana Thera is a member of the Amarapura Siri Saddhammawansa Maha Nikaya. He obtained higher ordination (Upasampada) in 1976. He has a B.A. (Peradeniya), M.A. (Kelaniya), and a post – graduate Diploma in Education (University of Colombo).  Fifty – six –year old Ven. Seelasumana Thera, has served as a Principal of a Dhamma school and as a lecturer at the Vidyatunga Pirivena in Dickwella. He also conducts meditation classes at his Temple.

This is Ven. Seelasumana’s second spell at the Berlin Vihara. He has earlier served as a resident monk at the Vihara for a two year period from 2007 – 2009, and is familiar with the German language.

Since 1957, Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka and other countries have resided at the Berlin Vihara to propagate the Dhamma in Germany and other Western countries.

Das Buddhistiche Haus, prior to it being converted into a Vihara with resident monks, was purchased by Asoka Weeraratna in the name and on behalf of the Trustees of the German Dharmaduta Society in 1957 from the heirs of Dr. Paul Dahlke, a prolific writer and pioneer of Buddhism in Germany, who built and went into occupation of Das Buddhistische Haus in 1924. It is now a National Heritage site in Germany.  

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NGO ventures to revive Buddhist sites in Pakistan

The proposal is to preserve, restore and emphasize on the significance of these ancient Buddhist sites in Pakistan, and provide a lasting self-sustainable tourism plan that would generate revenue and reveal its impact and importance.

The organization is on track to draw out plans and coordinate with several prominent NGOs, citizen groups and individuals who could help save the antique treasures. Noted Indian columnist Kuldip Nayar is also taking keen interest in the exercise to promote and save these Buddhist sites from further ruin.

Texila -an ancient site and centre of learning - also existed in Pakistan. In four provinces of Pakistan, several ancient Buddhist sites were discovered. President TBF, Sidhartha Gauri, said various prominent NGOs in Pakistan including Edhi Foundation and Mia Mir Welfare Trust have extended all possible support to save the Buddhist sites. Gauri said a peace activist Karamat Ali, Magsaysay award winner I a Rahman and former ambassador Malia Lodhi have also expressed their willingness to support the cause.

The TBF had recently highlighted ancient Buddhist sites in the Sindh province of Pakistan, many of which were unheard of to a larger population across the globe. Mastoor Fatima Bukhari, a professor with the Department of Archaeology, Shah Abdul Latif University, Pakistan assisted TBF in digging out essential information about the ancient sites in Sindh. Efforts to rope in some Buddhist organizations worldwide with a plan to highlight these sites in Pakistan to a much wider audience globally are also underway.

Sidhartha said, ?The people in India and Pakistan believe that the restoration of these ancient monuments will contribute to the peace process and create harmony among Asian nations.

The Buddhist sites in Pakistan were not protected so far?. The TBF has been working on highlighting the plight of ancient Buddhist sites in different countries in Asia, including some in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

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Buddhists Leaving Bangladesh Welcomed in West Burma

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Arakan, Myanmar -- After a year that saw Buddhist and Muslim communities in Burma’s Arakan State engage in numerous bloody clashes, the state government has now taken the step of welcoming Buddhist Arakanese from neighboring Bangladesh. But it is resettling them in violence-wracked northern parts of the state.

<< A Buddhist temple burnt by Muslim rioters in Cox’s Bazar in September. (Photo: Reuters)

Arakan State government spokesperson Win Myaing said in recent months local authorities had welcomed “hundreds” of Buddhist people, such as ethnic Arakanese, Maramagyi and Thet, who wanted to leave southeastern Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar District in Chittagong Division.

“We have not set how many we will accept, but if they come, we will help them,” he said by telephone.

More than a dozen Buddhist temples and 45 houses were set ablaze after hundreds of Muslim protesters ran riot in Cox’s Bazar on Sept. 29 last year. Following the violence some Buddhist groups have begun leaving Bangladesh for western Burma’s Arakan State.

There are some 300,000 Arakanese and other Buddhist minority groups living in southeastern Bangladesh, according to some estimates.

The tensions in Bangladesh’s Cox Bazar District seemed to be a spillover of the inter-communal violence in Burma’s neighboring Arakan State, where Arakanese Buddhist and Muslim Rohingya clashed repeatedly after an outbreak of violence since June last year.

During waves of religious communal violence that swept over Arakan State scores of people were killed, villages were burned down and some 115,000 people—mostly Muslim Rohingya—fled their homes.

According to a local social worker, “two or three” Buddhist families from Bangladesh were crossing into Maungdaw Township in northern Arakan State daily since December.

“We have to help them because they are fellow [Arakanese] ethnic group,” said the worker, who preferred not to be named.

State official Win Myaing said the local government had decided to settle these new arrivals in Maungdaw Township, where it had begun to create guarded and government-supported “model villages” for them.

“So far we have provided for 44 households in our ethnic villages in Maungdaw,” he said. “We provide homes and 2 acres of farmland to each household.”

Newcomers, he explained, were first being settled at Baho Buddhist monastery in Maungdaw town, where they would receive assistance before being transported to the “model villages” located about 10 to 15 km from central Maungdaw town.

Win Myaing said the newly-arrived Arakanese would be provided with security by Maungdaw township authorities and Burma Border Securtiy Force, who they could contact for protection in case of local communal tensions.

“We take care of their security and there is no need to worry about it,” he claimed.

Maungdaw Township in northern Arakan State was one of the scenes of bloody clashes between Muslim Rohingya’s and Buddhist Arakanese last year.

Buddhist and Muslim communities live in close proximity of each other in parts of Arakan State. In most parts, Buddhist communities outnumber Muslims.

In Maungdaw Township the Rohingya are present in greater numbers and the Buddhist villagers who did live there, fled after last year’s outburst of violence, leaving for Sittwe Township and other areas further south.

A Maungdaw resident said that tensions there had come down and the security situation was “stable,” although people felt “fear in their minds.”

He said that it made sense to settle Buddhist arrivals in the area, as there so few of them left. “We have 600,000 Muslims here, but only 20,000 Buddhists,” claimed the resident, who preferred not be named.

It remained unclear on Friday, whether the families who had left Bangladesh were aware of the fact that they were being settled in an area that was the scene of recent inter-communal violence.

Arakan State’s Buddhist leaders have been accused by international human rights groups of being complicit in last year’s violence. State authorities allegedly offered little support to Muslim Rohingya communities that were being attacked, while the communities were being encouraged to leave.

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Buddhist music a universal language

Home Dharma Mix

Shanghai, China -- A concert of Buddhist music - classical, contemporary and crossover - will be staged during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday to express hopes and prayers for a happy Chinese Lunar New Year. Li Anlan reports.

Buddhist music, which originated in Buddhist religious rituals, is increasingly popular among ordinary music lovers for its uplifting, soothing qualities.

People feeling stress find a calming and comforting power in the ancient chants and music performed with traditional Chinese musical instruments. Musicians increasingly are tapping into this traditional form of expression.

Buddhist music is frequently described as having elegance, dignity, depth, clarity and sincerity. It can be both tranquil and joyous.

On February 22, an "Illuminating the Soul" concert of Buddhist music will be staged at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, with prayers for the coming year. The Spring Festival will begin from February 10 and go through 24.

The concert will feature Taiwanese pop singer Chyi Yu, mainland singers Sa Dingding and Sangji Pingcuo, and a monastic choir and traditional orchestra from Shanghai's Jade Buddha Temple, as well as other musicians.

Music, singing hymns and chanting in Buddhist temples are considered a way to touch deep emotions, inspire and promote reflection and meditation.

Buddhist music originated in the dignified chanting of scriptures and sutras in monasteries in India and developed different characteristics as Buddhism traveled to other countries. It acquired both folk elements and those of imperial courts.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220), Buddhism arrived in China. It became more than chanting and incorporated the tonality of Chinese folk music. Scriptures were translated into Chinese and without traditional hymns, monks adapted classical folk songs along with court music.

Cao Zhi (AD 192-232), the poet son of Wei Emperor/warlord Cao Cao (115-220), was renowned for his compositions and singing. He wrote the first Buddhist hymn composed in Chinese style, "Yushan Fanbei," which was the foundation for Chinese Buddhist music, later also also called fanbei in Chinese.

Buddhist music, which is rooted in religion, was beloved by many Chinese rulers and was deeply influenced by several emperors.

Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty (AD 502-557) loved Buddhist music so much that he himself wrote several compositions, such as "Da Huan" ( "Great Joy"), "Tian Dao" ("The Heavenly Way") and "Mie Guo E" ("Cessation of Evil and Wrongdoing").

Modernization

Today Buddhist music is being modernized. The words are simple and easy to understand, all in Chinese, and the musical style is more contemporary.

"Buddhist music is very soothing and quiet, close the heart, and it can relax the nerves to achieve a more peaceful state of mind," says Master Shengjing, a singer in the Jade Buddha Temple monks' choir.

Traditionally Buddhist masters chanted, with instrumental accompaniment. "As we formed the choir, we made it easier for the public to accept," says the master, who has been with the group for five or six years.

Some orchestra works can be very festive and loud. Folk instruments add diversity, color and richness.

In 2009, the first multimedia Buddhist musical "Master Hongyi" was produced jointly by the Shanghai Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Shanghai Theater Academy.

It commemorated the 130th anniversary of the birth of Master Hongyi, a legendary Buddhist monk who was a master in music, painting, drama, calligraphy and poetry. He wrote "Farewell Song," a short song familiar to many Chinese people.

No longer used only as a spiritual aid in religious settings, Buddhist music is reaching the general public. New compositions, both traditional and crossover, attract many listeners.

"More young people are listening to Buddhist music because of the social and working pressure in modern life," says Master Shengjing. "Some come here for short-term classes and music is part of them."

The upcoming concert also features mainland performer Sa Dingding, a folk singer and songwriter known for popular crossover compositions involving Buddhist music.

Born in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, she sings in three languages: Mandarin, Sanskrit and Tibetan as well as a language she invented, which expresses emotion through "meaningless" words.

Her album "Alive" in 2007 combined pop with traditional Chinese music, including Buddhist music. It was a risky but creative merger of east and west.

Critic Robin Denselow of The Guardian rated the album with four stars saying, "The Tibetan-influenced male chanting is set against a subtle use of electronica that is far more successful than on the recent album by that other Asian diva, Uzbekistan's Savara Nazarkhan. Sa Dingding's blend of the traditional east and modern west actually works."

At the concert, she will sing her compositions "Shen Xiang," ("Holy Incense"), "Alive" (in Sanskrit) and "Xi Ran Ning Po" ("Peace and Calm"). All have strong Buddhist musical elements.

The Jade Buddha Temple performance troupe will perform two songs, and it has an orchestra.

The orchestra includes traditional Chinese instruments such as the guzheng (zither), flute, drums, erhu (two-string instrument), yangqin (dulcimer), suona (loud trumpet) and sheng (loud and piercing wind instrument).

The choir and orchestra have more than 70 performers, rehearsing every Saturday and performing regularly at the Jade Buddha Temple, especially during festivals, cultural and charity events.

The programs usually involve original compositions, says Master Shengjing. Noted local composers such as Lu Qiming and Tu Bahai have written works for the temple musicians. The temple has a new musical program every year.

Annual performances begin in January. The group has performed in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and traveled overseas to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

If you go:

'Illuminating the Soul'
Date: February 22, 7:30pm
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Arena, 1200 Expo Ave, Pudong, Shanghai
Tickets: 380-1,880 yuan

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14th century Goryeo Buddhist painting found in Rome

Home Asia Pacific North Asia S/N Korea Arts & Culture

Rome, Italy -- The National Museum of Korea recently found “Buddha Amitabha,” a 14th century Goryeo Buddhist painting in Rome, Italy during a research on the collection of the National Museum of Oriental Art.

The National Museum of Korea (Director Kim Young Na) has been recently working on more official support for the Korean galleries in various foreign museums across the globe. The Goryeo Buddhist painting found in Rome was unearthed during a research on the Korean and Asian collection of the National Museum of Oriental Art by a curator of the National Museum of Korea in October, 2012.

This Goryeo Buddhist painting portrays strong facial features and a traditional red robe patterned with gold lotus flowers, and is estimated to be from the early 14th century. Although there was a slight scratch on the halo, overall the painting was in fairly good conditions.
The Goryeo Buddhist paintings are known for their intricate athestics in the Korean Buddhist Arts, and currently there are only about 160 known artifacts across the globe, and are very rare.
The Buddhist painting that was found is a portrait of the “Buddha Amitabha”  who is handing out his right hand to the dead. This portrait is also known as the “Amitaneyong - do” which also means the portrait of where the Amitabha is greeting you. 

Moreover, this piece is regarded as a masterpiece with the Amitabha is dressed in a traditional red robe patterned with gold lotus flowers.

The National Museum of Korea states that, “there is a similar Amitaneyong-do at the Guimet Museum in France, and there are similar Buddhist paintings in Jion-ji temple and Zenrin-ji temple in Japan.”
Additionally, a 7th century Seated Maitreya bodhisattva statue on square pedestal  was also found. The Seated Maitreya bodhisattva statue on square pedestal is about 8cm tall, rather small, and has the similar jewel crown as the Seated Maitreya bodhisattva statue on square pedestal of the 83rd Korean National treasure. This statue also has a very compassionate and gentle expression with distinct facial features and lines in the garments are all characteristics of the statues of the Three Kingdoms period.

The National Museum of Korea will be working very closely with the National Museum of Oriental Art of Italy to restore the recently found Goryeo Buddhist painting and is planning to open exhibition in the near future.
Furthermore, the National Museum of Korea will strengthen their support to various foreign museums who cannot employ Korean curators and are having a difficult time exhibiting and making use of Korean artifacts.

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Young monks pitch new ways to teach old values

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Tokyo, Japan -- Put it down to good karma. More than 100 curious citizens
applied over the Internet for the chance to feast on vegetarian fare at the
table of Kakuho Aoe, chief monk of the Ryokusenji temple in Tokyo’s
Asakusa district.

<< Blindfolded diners cautiously nibble at dishes placed in front of them during a recent "Kurayami Gohan" event at Ryokusenji temple in Tokyo's Taito Ward. (By Hiroshi Matsubara)

But only the first 13 were accepted.

As the diners were escorted into a backroom one recent evening, they looked more nervous than excited.

In the event called “Kurayami Gohan” (eating in the dark), guests are treated to eat a course of basic Buddhist cuisine--tofu, rice, vegetables and other simple dishes, along with broth. But they have to wear blindfolds during the one-hour course.

Their verdict on the food? Highly original and delicious.

Then Aoe posed a question that almost sounded like a Zen riddle: When was last time they had eaten a meal in such a picky and earnest manner.

Almost to a person, the diners responded with “no” or “probably never.”

Afterward, Aoe, 35, said with a satisfied smile that his mission was accomplished. “It is my pleasure if I can help guests see such routine activities like eating as a very special experience,” said the 14th generation chief monk at the temple, which was founded four centuries ago.

Although “Kurayami Gohan” looks like a fun, gourmet event, Aoe said it is actually aimed at steering people to notice “impermanence,” an essential doctrine of Buddhism that says nothing stays the same, and thus, should not be taken granted.

Aoe belongs to the Jodo Shinshu sect of Pure Land Buddhism and is a member of an interdenominational group of Internet-savvy monks who organize cultural and community events at their temples to attract young people.

They have tried to reach out to a broader audience through their slickly-designed, online virtual temple site called “Higanji” since 2003 and have opened their temples for concerts, seminars, workshops, exhibitions and other cultural events.

Because of his cooking skills, Aoe, who holds an MBA from California, has hosted the monthly “Kurayami Gohan” event since 2006. Last November, Aoe released a cookbook introducing 86 recipes based on traditional Buddhist fare.

The recent session resonated with participant Shigeyo Komori.

“It turns people off when a religion preaches dogma, but this way I found myself receptive to the monk’s messages,” said the 44-year-old law firm secretary.

“Monks today need to have cultural tools and event-producing abilities to reach out to the masses,” Aoe said. “That is because we can actually offer wisdom to help an individual live a better life, regardless of religious affiliation.”

VALUE FOR COMMUNITY

Closer to the heart of Tokyo, in Kamiyacho in Minato Ward, is Komyoji temple, which serves as a hub for cultural activities organized by Higanji member monks due to its location and spacious compound.

A project that has taken root is called “Kamiyacho Open Terrace,” offering an alfresco cafe experience on the balcony of the temple’s main building with a view of Tokyo Tower and a graveyard almost at its foot.

The space is open to visitors between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily. Visitors are allowed to bring their own lunch and drinks, but from spring to fall, monks offer to serve tea and coffee at no cost, as well as Japanese confectionery they make.

Monks also offer face-to-face counseling and spiritual advice, if visitors ask for it. The venue also hosts periodical concerts and DJ events, titled “Tasogare” (twilight hour).

Another Higanji member, Keisuke Matsumoto, a 33-year-old Jodo Shinshu monk, became a prime mover behind the projects by networking with fellow monks and friends from his alma mater, the University of Tokyo.

Like Aoe, Matsumoto is a MBA graduate, in his case the Indian School of Business.

In his view, Japanese Buddhism has lost much of its cultural appeal, mostly because the traditional “danka” system, whereby local community members and grave owners obligatorily support temple operations, holds so much sway in society.

“The system was built so well that it allowed anyone--even someone who should be least qualified as a monk--to run a temple,” Matsumoto said.

“But those days are rapidly coming to a close because of diminishing family ties in local communities, which were the foundation of a temple’s sustainability. We now need to create another ‘en’ (chain) with society,” he said.

This sense of urgency prompted Matsumoto to set up a year-long special workshop, titled “school for future monks,” in 2012 to teach young monks who just inherited family temples and monk-wannabes how to withstand the economic buffeting they are certain to encounter.

During a recent session at Komyoji, Matsumoto instructed a dozen students to map out a “business plan” for their temples, using advanced management models from the business school he attended.

To an outsider, it sounded odd to hear monks using terms like “stakeholder,” “client satisfaction,” “core values” and “intangible assets.”

But Matsumoto said the goal of the seminar was to help students single out values and services that no social services other than Buddhism can offer.

“Unless it can change people’s lives for the better, religion is meaningless,” he said. “But we, young monks, need to find a new approach suitable for this era.”

OPENING UP

A student at the seminar, Masaomi Tomomitsu, 29, became a resident monk at Jokoji temple in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward after marrying his high school sweetheart, the daughter of the chief priest.

Life at the spacious temple has been full of surprises, said Tomomitsu, who comes from a modest background and grew up in cramped public housing.

Tomomitsu said he found the life of a monk surprisingly stress-free and economically stable.

Other than at New Year, the Bon remembrance holiday for ancestors and the spring an autumn equinox, along with days the temple hosts funeral services, Tomomitsu said he has plenty of time for himself, as daily services, for both morning and night, only take 30 minutes.

“Seeing all my college friends working hard around the clock as freshman corporate workers, I felt as if I was living in another world,” he recalled.

Then, as with many of his countrymen, March 11, 2011, proved to be a wake-up call. The magnitude-9.0 earthquake that triggered devastating tsunami and a nuclear disaster gave Tomomitsu a new way to view the world and stake out a purpose in life.

His search for mission led him to start “Kogen” (toward the origin), an annual music and arts festival at the temple that targets young people in the hope a visit to the tranquil surroundings will help them find peace of mind, even just for a day. By interacting with young artists, Tomomitsu said the temple can, in turn, develop a stronger spiritual and cultural presence.

Last year’s event attracted 150 visitors. This year, the program will be more varied than in the past, with Zen riddle sessions, yoga and meditation workshops and seminars on Buddhism teaching. The event is slated for April 29.

It clearly has potential, as two other local temples and a Shinto shrine will offer venues, and 30 monks will participate from various schools. The event is expect to attract 400 visitors, Tomomitsu said.

Aoe of Asakusa’s Ryokusenji will provide “bento” lunch boxes of his original cuisine during the event.

“If similar initiatives are being made by young monks around Japan, then temples will be recognized again as cultural community centers,” Tomomitsu said. “That, I think, is the only way that Buddhism can survive into the future."

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