First Day of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Teachings in Riga, Latvia

Riga, Latvia, 5 May 2014 - A blustery wind off the Baltic Sea added to the cold as His Holiness the Dalai Lama was welcomed at the door of the Kipsala International Exhibition Centre and escorted to the stage. Almost 3500 people of all ages, some from Latvia, but most from the European part of Russia waited attentively to hear what he had to say.

“As you have shown interest in our meeting and as I am at present unable to come to Russia, I thought it might be easier for us to meet here, than for you to come to India,” he told them. “I asked the local organizers if this could be done and I’m grateful to them for making these arrangements. What’s more I’d like to thank all of you for making the effort to come.”

He said that the texts he wanted to teach were the ‘Heart Sutra’ a short Perfection of Wisdom text, which is recited in all Mahayana Buddhist countries, China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Tibet and Mongolia, although those reciting do not always understand what it means. The second text was the ‘37 Practices of a Bodhisattva’ by Thogme Sangpo, a Tibetan scholar and practitioner. His Holiness suggested that at the end of each session there should be time for him to answer questions from the audience. “If material and technological development brought complete peace and happiness, people in advanced, developed countries should be really happy, and yet many are not. Material development provides physical comfort, but not mental peace. We may feel pain and pleasure on a sensory, physical, level, or on a mental level. Pleasure on a sensory level, like that derived from watching sport or listening to beautiful music is relatively short-lived, whereas satisfaction on a mental level, for example, love and faith, which do not depend on our senses, is more durable.”

He said that while physical pain can be subdued by mental satisfaction, mental unease is not allayed by physical comfort. If we are worried, stressed or frightened, having a beautiful house or listening to delightful music brings little relief. A disturbed mind is not calmed by mere physical satisfaction. As an example of the distinction he was trying to draw, His Holiness recounted his meeting with a Christian monk at the abbey of Montserrat who had spent five years living as a hermit in retreat in the mountains with little other than tea and bread to sustain him. When His Holiness asked about his practice he said he had been meditating on love. As he said it His Holiness noted a sparkle in his eyes that indicated his tremendous satisfaction.

“On the other hand I’ve met billionaires who have all they need and more who are very unhappy. Scientists have findings that show that a calm mind is good for our physical well-being. They also have evidence that mental training can change our attitudes, enabling us to be happier. Our human intelligence can be a source of happiness, but if misused it can also be a source of stress and worry.”

He said that only human beings develop religious faith. Such faith may have begun with worship of the sun, but in time the idea of God the creator emerged and with it the idea that since he created everything, there is a spark of God in everyone. All religions convey a message of love and compassion and because hatred is an obstacle to that, they teach tolerance and patience. And because greed is also an obstacle they teach simplicity and contentment. Non-theistic traditions like the Samkhyas, Jains and Buddhists instead of turning to a creator teach the law of causality, the principle of cause and effect, which resembles a scientific view.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking to the over 3500 people attending the first day of his two day teaching in Riga, Latvia on May 5, 2014. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL
In addition to this, a unique feature of Buddhism is that it teaches that to accept the existence of an independent self is to entertain all sorts of contradictions. The German brain specialist Wolf Singer pointed out to His Holiness that there is no central authority in the brain, which he felt resonated with the idea of no independent self.

His Holiness reiterated that because all religious traditions teach love, compassion and self-discipline they have helped humanity immensely. But one tradition cannot satisfy everyone, so there is a need for variety. If we choose to adopt a religious or spiritual practice he said we should do so seriously and sincerely. He added:

“I’m a Buddhist, but wherever I go I speak about our need for secular ethics. Ethics give rise to inner values which encourage self-confidence enabling us to lead a meaningful life.”

Mentioning two matters of pressing concern everywhere today, the gap between rich and poor and ingrained corruption, he asked people in the audience to indicate with their hands whether these problems were large or small where they lived. The number of outstretched arms indicated that these are two major problems to reckon with. His Holiness suggested that while the use of violence may seem to provide short term satisfaction, it never solves problems, but creates new ones. He asserted that this century, in contrast with the last, should be an era of dialogue.

In answering questions from the audience, His Holiness recommended that teachers not only concern themselves with communicating knowledge, but also with setting an ethical example. Meanwhile, it is essential that parents shower their children with affection. He pointed out that not everyone has an interest in religious practice, but no one can object to advice about love and compassion. He also highlighted a unique feature of Buddhist tradition that is the Buddha’s own advice to subject all he taught to investigation and experiment, not to accept it on faith alone. His Holiness compares this to a scientific view.

Returning from lunch, His Holiness spoke about the Buddhist tradition and how some time after the Buddha objections were raised that the Sanskrit tradition, the Mahayana, was not his teaching. He said that Nagarjuna, Bhavaviveka, Maitreya and Shantideva all wrote in its defence. The Pali tradition records teachings the Buddha gave in public, whereas the Perfection of Wisdom teachings, including the ‘Heart Sutra’ were taught to a more select audience. On the one hand they were not taught publicly; on the other their content reveals them as the Buddha’s teachings. They convey the weight of the Buddhadharma. The teaching of the Four Noble Truths is part of the Pali tradition, but their detailed explanation is part of the Sanskrit tradition. It would be a mistake to say that the Buddha’s presentation was limited, but his followers’ was more elaborate.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking during the first day of his two day teaching in Riga, Latvia on May 5, 2014. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL
His Holiness recalled that the Vinaya is a theme common to all Buddhist traditions. He told a story of meeting two Burmese Buddhist monks at the World Parliament of Religions in Australia. They told him we are followers of the same Buddha, but there are differences between our traditions. His Holiness agreed, but told them that at least they had the Vinaya in common. The Burmese monks expressed surprise that the Vinaya was upheld in Tibet.

Clarifying the history of Buddhism in India, His Holiness mentioned the great universities of Taxila, Nalanda and Vikramashila. Indicating the painting behind him he said these 17 masters depicted around the Buddha were not only monks, but also great scholars and logicians. He refers to Tibetan Buddhism, not as Lamaism as some writers have described it, but as the pure Nalanda tradition.

In some places the Buddha referred to the five psycho-physical aggregates as like a load carried by the person, as if the person were separate from the aggregates. But elsewhere he says there is no person apart from the aggregates. Later Indian scholars wrote extensively about logic and epistemology, including Shantarakshita and his disciple Kamalashila who were instrumental in establishing Buddhism in Tibet. Consequently, Tibetan scholars such as Sakya Pandita investigated the teachings with logic and reasoning.

“Both Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist traditions derive from the Nalanda tradition. I began to study in this manner from the age of 6, an age at which I would have preferred to play,” His Holiness recalled. “And my limited experience has shown me that an understanding of emptiness and altruism brings peace of mind.”

View of stage at the Kipsala International Exhibition Centre, venue for His Holiness the Dalai Lama's teaching in Riga, Latvia on May 5, 2014. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL
Explaining the three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma, His Holiness said that the Vinaya is part of the First Turning; the Perfection of Wisdom teachings, which extensively explain selflessness, are part of the Second Turning, while the Third turning deals with the nature of the mind. So, the First Turning deals with morality as the basis for mindfulness and introspection, the Second deals with emptiness and the Third with meditation on the awakening mind of bodhichitta and emptiness in terms of the nature of the mind. He mentioned different levels of subtlety of the mind, such as the waking state, the dream state and deep sleep, adding that in Buddhist tantra it is the subtlest level of the mind that is the basis for Buddhahood.

The collection of Perfection of Wisdom teachings include the 100,000, 25,000, 18,000 and 8,000 line editions, the 100 line ‘Diamond Cutter Sutra’ popular in China and this 25 line ‘Heart Sutra’. His Holiness remarked that the Buddha showed the path in teachings such as these, but the benefit arises from putting them into practice. In some ways, he said, this is why the Buddha is comparable to a scientist.

Going through the ‘Heart Sutra’, His Holiness explained that things exist in dependence on other factors, so they do not exist independently. Emptiness does not make things empty; phenomena themselves are empty, because they do not have independent existence. He alluded to the interdependence between cause and effect, that something is a cause only because there is an effect. The ‘Heart Sutra’ shows that independent existence is an illusion by saying “Form is empty, emptiness is form.” Emptiness is a property of the form, and form is the basis of the property of emptiness. When you look for form, you find emptiness. This is what undermines clinging to intrinsic existence. He remarked that consciousness too is empty and mentioned that meditation on emptiness is effective in undermining our negative emotions; it is not just an intellectual exercise. Negative emotions are not of the nature of the mind; they do not taint its luminosity.

Taking questions again from the audience, His Holiness was asked about the function of the Buddhist temple that is proposed for Moscow. He said that he had met members of the organizing committee and told them that it should be a learning centre, a place to study. He mentioned his reappraisal of Buddhist literature in terms of Buddhist science, philosophy and religion. Buddhist science and philosophy can be of universal interest, while the religious part is only for Buddhists. In this context, he said a book dealing with Buddhist science has been prepared and is being translated into different languages. He proposed that Russian be one of them.

A member of the audience asking His Holiness the Dalai Lama a question during the first day of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's two day teaching in Riga, Latvia on May 5, 2014. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL
To a question about previous lives, His Holiness’s answer that previous lives are already in the past amused his listeners. He said that what are more important are tomorrow and the next life which is still in our power to shape. He mentioned that the substantial cause of mind is mind, that consciousness has no beginning or end. Therefore, if we lead meaningful lives now, we can ensure a good life in the next.

A young woman from Ukraine asked how she could contribute in the present circumstances and His Holiness said the question was quite sensitive. However, he recommended Shantideva’s advice to act according to reality. Most important is to achieve the benefit of the greatest number of people. If something will cause more trouble, better avoid it. He gave the example from the Vinaya that if a monk sees a deer followed by a hunter who asks which way it went, he is justified in answering, “I only saw a bird,” to protect the deer.

“Adopting violence is always wrong; this is no longer the time for violence. Violence and the use of force provoke unexpected results. The use of force is out of date; it brings fear and distrust, which will not help solve the problem.

“Good night, see you tomorrow.”

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Wisconsin Guard names first Buddhist chaplain

The new chaplain became one of only a handful of Buddhist chaplains in the U.S. Army.

Chap. (1st Lt.) Christopher Mohr swore the Oath of Membership in the United States Corps of Chaplains in front of the red arrow of the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team during the brigade?s annual training at Fort McCoy.

Mohr joins the 32nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion to serve as the unit?s adviser to the battalion commander and provide morale, morals and ethics support to the soldiers.

He explained Buddhist teachings such as mindfulness, equanimity and service to others helped him in his personal life and how he interacts with other people.

?These things have been very useful to me in making sure that I can be a person who is of benefit to others and a person who can work with others to make sure that everybody?s needs, as best I can, be met,? said Mohr.

During his first two-weeks as a Buddhist chaplain in the Wisconsin Army National Guard, Mohr will hold nightly meditation training with a full-scale Buddhist service once a week.

Chaplain (Col.) Douglas Fleischfresser, the state command chaplain, is excited to have a new religion represented in the Wisconsin Army National Guard.

?I think it speaks for where we?re going in diversity and the need to have a diverse viewpoint in spirituality,? said Fleischfresser.

Army chaplains, regardless of the faith they represent, provide spiritual, ethical and moral guidance to all soldiers in need of assistance.

I think the chaplains are such a critical part of the unit,? said Maj. John Reiter, 32nd BTSB commander. ?They are responsible for the [spiritual] care of the soldiers. With the emphasis on resiliency, it?s critical to the health of the battalion.?

Mohr became a Buddhist reverend after receiving his master of divinity degree from a seminary in California and being ordained into the faith.

Mohr?s roles as battalion chaplain are performing Buddhist services and providing opportunities for worship to other religions. There are approximately 30 soldiers who have identified themselves as Buddhists with others showing interest in the faith, said Fleischfresser.

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Dalai Lama promotes vegetarianism on first ever World Compassion Day

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New Delhi, India -- Animal welfare was the topic of discussion and the XIV Dalai Lama propounded the ideals of ahimsa and vegetarianism at the first-ever World Compassion Day, organised at a suburban hotel on Wednesday.

“I was not vegetarian till about five decades ago, but when I saw hens being abused on an animal farm, I decided to become vegetarian,” said the Dalai Lama, at the event organised by Pritish Nandy Communications (PNC), an entertainment company, and the Humane Society International (HSI), the international branch of the Humane Society of United States (HSUS), an animal welfare organisation.

“World Compassion Day is an idea we have had for a while. The objective is to rediscover the relevance of ahimsa. We want to revive the idea of compassion not just as do-good gestures but also as an initiative to create an alternate lifestyle,” said Pritish Nandy, founder, PNC.

The Dalai Lama promoted the need to create awareness about respect for life and vegetarianism. “The media must play an important role, and even the younger generation must be informed about moral ethics through education,” he said.

When asked about his stand towards China, he said, “Though we are compassionate, we will not bow down to them. We have to wait and watch if the new regime acts according to new realities, where there is no room for totalitarianism,” he said.

The guests included actor Anil Kapoor, writer Chetan Bhagat, and police commissioner Satyapal Singh.

“To be compassionate, one requires four things. One must be spiritual, believe in humanity, believe that you will face the consequences for your actions, and one must be vegetarian,” said Singh.

Wayne Pacelle, president, HSUS, said, “Indians consume less meat than many countries. While the meat consumption in India is three to four kgs per person per year, that in the United States is as high as 100-110 kgs.”

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Jogye Order Buddhist School of International Studies holds first graduation ceremony

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Seoul, South Korea -- After 2 years since the opening, The Jogye Order Buddhist School of International Studies held it’s first graduation ceremony with 9 monastic graduates at Hwaunsa temple in Gyeonggi province on February 22nd, 2013.

These 9 monastics enrolled 2 years ago in aims of further propagating Korean Buddhism to the rest of the World. Ven. Hyun ung, the head of the Jogye Order education institute was the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony. During his speech, he stated, “... these nine graduates will be an important resource for the promotion of Korean Buddhism in the World.”
The principal venerable, Ven. Beob in, handed out the diploma to each of the nine graduates and congratulated on them on their accomplishments.

It was noted in the keynote speech that there had been no drop outs and all nine monastics had completed the course from the beginning.

Ven. Cheong ha and Ven. Jeong Hyo will go back to the United States to continue their work on Korean Buddhist propagation, and other monastics will continue to propel the advancements for International affairs, Temple stay programs, to further propagate Korean Buddhism to the rest of the world.

Native English teachers and the 16 students who entered the school last year and this year congratulated the graduates for their accomplishments. The Jogye Order Buddhist School of International Studies will continue to develop monastics with bilingual skills to further propagate Korean traditional Buddhism to the rest of the World to liberate people across the globe from suffering.

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Briton becomes first Western Tibetan Buddhist monk to die from self-immolation

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A Briton has become the first Western Tibetan Buddhist monk to die by self-immolation, dousing his head and clothes with petrol at a monastery in southwestern France.

Paris, France -- Tonden, 38, whose name at birth was David Alain, had been training for the past five years in the Nalanda monastery near the southwestern village of Labastide-Saint-Georges. The secluded monastery's 25 monks, including five Britons, are currently in retreat.

<< Tonden, whose birth name was David Alain

Horrified colleagues rushed into the garden of the quiet monastery, which is surrounded by rolling farmland, at 4.50pm on Thursday afternoon, after spotting their orange-robed, shaven-headed colleague burst into flames on the lawn.

They were powerless to help and by the time the emergency services arrived, Tonden had died.

Monks and local police said they were unsure whether Tonden had been depressed and committed suicide or that it was a political statement.

But given international events of the past week, the timing of his demise could not have been more significant.

Tonden died on the day that the Chinese Communist Party enacted its once-in-a-decade leadership change, with Xi Jinping taking over from Hu Jintao.

In the past week alone, at least nine Tibetans were reported to have self-immolated in protest at what they say is religious and cultural repression by the Chinese authorities.

In all, 74 Tibetans have now set themselves on fire since 2009 demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama, who has been in exile since 1959.

Tonden was keenly aware of the Dalai Lama's plight, having met the spiritual leader last year when he visited the monastery

He also met the Dalai Lama's sister in September when she came to Nalanda and its nearby meditation centre, Vajra Yogini, which receives lay people.

Despite the timing, the office of the public prosecutor in Castres, said: "Nothing in the investigation allows us to confirm that it is linked to the events in Tibet."

Michel-Antoine Andreani, number two of the Tarn gendarmerie said the idea a Tibet-linked protest was the "first that sprung to my mind" when he was informed of the self-immolation.

But he told The Daily Telegraph: "Given the information we have gathered so far, the individual was psychologically fragile and during his training was having difficulty coming to terms with all the obligations and vows that his position demands."

The five Buddhist precepts urge against harming living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and intoxication.

The monastery, an hour's drive northeast of Toulouse, is described on its website as "a unique monastery for Western monks in the Tibetan Geluk tradition".

The entrance to the beautiful location warns visitors: "Retreat in progress. Nalanda monastery is completely closed to all visitors except by appointment."

A lone monk praying by a gold-topped stupa – the structure used for meditation – smiled but declined to speak. The monastery stands at the end of a long drive lined with pine trees adorned with hanging crystals and Buddhist prayer flags of blue, white, red, yellow and green that were last night swaying in the evening breeze.

Standing outside waiting for the undertaker, its director, the venerable Losang Tendar, said: "We don't know at this stage whether he acted for personal or political reasons and cannot comment due to an ongoing police investigation."

"What I can say is he never once spoke about such an act. He gave no warning and left no note. I also can say that nobody was with him at the time." Beside him, Francois Lecointre, a monastery spokesman, said: "We are like his Buddhist family and it's a huge shock for the whole community that nobody could have predicted," he said.

"We have of course followed the events in Tibet, but until now it was simply inconceivable that it would happen here in the West."

He was adamant that "Buddhism proscribes all forms of violence including against oneself. That is very clear in Buddhist teachings."

While police try and piece together the motives, others warned that frustration against Chinese repression of Tibetan Buddhists is threatening to spill over in the West.

"I actually befriended someone on Facebook recently who was threatening to self-immolate to draw international attention to what is going on," said Kate Saunders at the International Campaign for Tibet.

"As far as I know he did not go ahead with it, but it was not the same person".

On Friday, the political leader of Tibetan exiles called for international support for his people's struggle against Chinese rule.

Speaking to support groups from 40 countries at a meeting in Dharmsala, the Dalai Lama's headquarters, Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay said: "Tibet is a litmus test for China and the world. By supporting Tibet, the international community will clearly show what they stand for."

"By not supporting us in our non-violent struggle, the world will send a wrong message to all oppressed people of the world."

Beijing insists it has boosted living standards in minority areas and treats minorities fairly.

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Bhutan aims to be first 100% organic nation

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Timphu, Bhutan -- The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, famed for seeking "happiness" for its citizens, is aiming to become the first nation in the world to turn its home-grown food and farmers 100-percent organic.

The tiny Buddhist-majority nation wedged between China and India has an unusual and some say enviable approach to economic development, centred on protecting the environment and focusing on mental well-being.

Its development model measuring "Gross National Happiness" instead of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been discussed at the United Nations and has been publicly backed by leaders from Britain and France, among others.

It banned television until 1999, keeps out mass tourism to shield its culture from foreign influence, and most recently set up a weekly "pedestrians' day" on Tuesdays that sees cars banned from town centres.

Its determination to chart a different path can be seen in its new policy to phase out artificial chemicals in farming in the next 10 years, making its staple foods of wheat and potatoes, as well as its fruits, 100 percent organic.

"Bhutan has decided to go for a green economy in light of the tremendous pressure we are exerting on the planet," Agriculture Minister Pema Gyamtsho told AFP in an interview by telephone from the capital Thimphu.

"If you go for very intensive agriculture it would imply the use of so many chemicals, which is not in keeping with our belief in Buddhism, which calls for us to live in harmony with nature."

Bhutan has a population of just over 700,000, two-thirds of whom depend on farming in villages dotted around fertile southern plains and the soaring Himalayan peaks and deep valleys to the north.

Overwhelmingly forested, no more than three percent of the country's land area is used for growing crops, says Gyamtsho, with the majority of farmers already organic and reliant on rotting leaves or compost as natural fertilisers.

"Only farmers in areas that are accessible by roads or have easy transport have access to chemicals," he explained, saying chemical use was already "very low" by international standards.

In the large valleys, such as the one cradling the sleepy capital, chemicals are used to kill a local weed that is difficult to take out by hand -- a challenge compounded by a lack of farm labour.

Elsewhere, the fertiliser urea is sometimes added to soil, while a fungicide to control leaf rust on wheat is also available.

"We have developed a strategy that is step-by-step. We cannot go organic overnight," Gyamtsho said, describing a policy and roadmap which were formally adopted by the government last year.

"We have identified crops for which we can go organic immediately and certain crops for which we will have to phase out the use of chemicals, for rice in certain valleys for example."

Bhutan's only competitor for the first "100-percent organic" title is the tiny self-governing island of Niue in the South Pacific, which has a population of only 1,300. It aims to reach its objective by 2015-2020.

Nadia Scialabba, a global specialist on organic farming at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation, says the organic food market and its premium prices are attractive for small countries and territories.

"This is happening in very small countries who are not competitive on quantity, but they would like to be competitive in quality," she told AFP.

The global organics market was estimated to be worth 44.5 billion euros ($57 billion) in 2010, according to figures from the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements.

Bhutan sends rare mushrooms to Japan, vegetables to upmarket hotels in Thailand, its highly prized apples to India and elsewhere, as well as red rice to the United States.

By shunning fertilisers and other chemicals, the country also stands to gain by reducing its import bill -- a particular concern for a country short on foreign currency.

Peter Melchett, policy director at Britain's organic Soil Association, says the main benefit of becoming 100-percent organic is an assurance of quality to consumers.

"Because there won't be pesticides or other chemicals on sale in the kingdom, they would be able to offer a high level of guarantees that products are organic," Melchett explained.

In countries like Spain, for example, there is a problem of contamination when organic farms are next to highly industrialised producers using large quantities of artificial chemicals, Melchett said.

"It's difficult for organic farmers in those circumstances to keep their crops and supply-chain free of contamination."

Bhutan's organic policy would "start to give the country a reputation of high-quality organic food, which in the long-run would give them a market advantage and the possibility of price premiums," he added.

Jurmi Dorji, a member of the 103-strong Daga Shingdrey Pshogpa farmers' association in southern Bhutan, says his fellow members are in favour of the policy.

"More than a decade ago, people realised that the chemicals were not good for farming," he told AFP. "I cannot say everyone has stopped using chemicals but almost 90 percent have."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you go:

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

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

When: 27th July 2012 to 5th August 2012

For more information, please contact:

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

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Cradle of Han Chinese Buddhism Has first Buddhist College

Located in the scenic Tongbai Mountains known for their monastic heritage, HBC covers an area of 6.96 hectares. The main architectural complex is in the style of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and comprises the monastery, classrooms, an administrative building, residential quarters and a Buddhist cultural center.

Venerable masters from temples at home and abroad, prominent scholars as well as Buddhist disciples across the country gathered at Sunday's ceremony, presided by Shi Yongxin, the incumbent abbot of the Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of kong fu, and vice president of the Buddhist Association of China.

Zhang Lebin, vice president of China's State Administration for Religious Affairs, said the founding of HBC is significant in promoting the sound development of Buddhism in China and nurturing outstanding Sangha members with expertise.

Henan is known as the entry point of Buddhism in China from India nearly 2,000 years ago. It is in Henan that China's first Buddhist temple, White Horse Temple, was established. Henan is also home to the ancestral temple of Zen Buddhism, the Shaolin Temple, as well as China's first royal temple, the Daxiangguo Temple.

However, the shortage of qualified Sangha members poses a challenge for Chinese Buddhism in modern society. An official survey by Henan Provincial Buddhist Association showed that only 30 percent of the leaders of Henan's more than 500 temples have received proper higher education.

HBC emphasizes the study of the original Buddhist scriptures and literature, including the history of Buddhist thinking in India and the history of Buddhist schools in China, according to the Venerable Long Zang, HBC's vice president and dean.

"Besides the traditional practice and development of morality, meditation and wisdom, HBC also trains Sangha members with courses such as English, computer science, and Buddhist painting," said the Venerable Long Zang.

The college has enrolled more than 40 students since it welcomed its first batch of students in March 2011.

"I definitely had a hard time adjusting myself to a vigorous daily schedule here in the college. But I know it takes time to truly comprehend the spirit of Buddha," said Tan Jing, a monk student originally from Beijing.

Ming Chen, a local monk student from Henan, explained why he decided to renounce the world and be ordained as a monk. "The rampant moral corruption and money fetish have turned me disillusioned. To join the Sangha and study in the college is the best way for me to pursue the truth of life and benefit others."

"Education in a Buddhist college is neither vocational training nor the attainment of a piece of diploma. Instead, it's an education of life," said the Venerable Long Zang. "For a monk student, the best perspective upon graduation is to find a direction worth striving for," he added.

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Master Jinje, Revered Korean Buddhist Teacher, Travels To U.S. For First Time

NEW YORK -- On the rare occasions that Master Jinje travels outside his monastery in the rural mountains of South Korea, he is greeted by crowds of Koreans who have taken to practicing Ganhwa Seon, the unique form of Zen meditation that he has spent decades imparting on the nation's largely non-monastic, non-Buddhist population.

But when Master Jinje, a high-level monk of Jogye, South Korea's largest Buddhist order, wandered past the hot dog stands and bodegas of New York City's Morningside Heights neighborhood in his grey monastic robes earlier this week, few people turned their heads.

Outside South Korea, where Buddhism has roughly 11 million followers and Master Jinje is revered as one of the nation's pre-eminent meditation teachers, he is little-known by those other than Buddhism scholars and a small number of Korean Buddhist immigrants. In fact, until last week, the 78-year-old had rarely stepped foot outside East Asia and had never come to the United States.

"Just as I imagined, in the land of freedom, the streets are so busy," Master Jinje said this week through a translator while touring New York's Riverside Church, where he will give a free "Dharma talk" Thursday evening. "People in this city are so fortunate. It's so lively, so full of energy. Even here, one can meditate."

The Jogye Order, which runs many of Korea's oldest and most prominent Buddhist temples, including the the Donghwasa Temple where Master Jinje resides on the far outskirts of the southeastern city of Daegu, has recently initiated an effort to spread long-isolated Korean Buddhism outside the region. This month, the first U.S. chapter of the Jogye Order is being established to oversee 30 Korean temples in New York and New Jersey.

The public relations effort by the order also may be tied to troubles Buddhists have experienced in South Korea, where almost half the nation adheres to no religion and 13 million are Protestant or Roman Catholic, making Christianity the most popular religion. In recent years, the Jogye Ordrer has accused the Christian-led government of discriminating against Buddhists, and there have been cases of Christian extremists burning and defacing Buddhist temples.

But Master Jinje, who has had several closed-door meetings with unnamed local and international officials to discuss those religious tensions since landing in the U.S. last Saturday, said his primary purpose is a spiritual one.

"I was told in Korea that nowadays people in America are very interested in meditative practice, but I heard they use different kinds of methods. The method I use is helpful for me and others in Korea, so I hope I can share it," Master Jinje said, referring an an upshot in popularity of Buddhism-related practices in the U.S. in the last decade, from meditation retreats to recreational yoga.

Buddhism has several branches and sub-branches, and has taken varied cultural forms since it originated between the fourth and sixth centuries B.C. in India. Master Jinje practices Ganwa Seon, which is most often likened to Japanese Zen with its focus on meditation -- as opposed to theoretical study -- in order to reach selflessness and enlightenment. Ganhwa Seon developed independently of the Japanese tradition and traces its origins to seventh-century contact with Chinese Buddhists.

When teaching Ganhwa Seon, Master Jinje makes use of "questioning meditation," in which hwadu, or "topics of inquiry," are used in order to raise uijeong, or a "sensation of doubt," in the person meditating.

"If I was to ask you: What was your original face before your parents gave birth to you? If you kept asking yourself and were able to get to the bottom of that question, then doubt will arise and once doubt arises then there comes a time when doubt appears all the time, 24 hours a day in your activities," he said, attempting to define a complex meditation technique that some of his students have studied for decades. "And after a time, you will be able to have a breakthrough. When you have that breakthrough, you will see the basic fundamental of your mind, which is already pure, which is already pristine."

Master Jinje teaches at Haeunjeongsa Temple in Busan City, Korea, pictured above. He also teaches at Donghwasa Temple near Daegu, Korea.

Although Master Jinje typically teaches Buddhist monks, he said his New York visit, including the Riverside Church speech, has caused him to think more about how meditation can be incorporated into the lives of everyday Americans and non-Buddhists.

"That doubt, it exists every day in your daily regular activity. Whether you are washing dishes or taking your kids to school or using the bathroom. It is in front of you all the time," he said, emphasizing his belief that humans should try to maintain an awareness of their actions, however mundane.

"I have a lot of respect for different religious practice," he added. "Regardless of what religion you believe in, you all use your mind. You have mind, I have mind. Everybody has mind. And because everybody has mind, what I am asking you to ask yourself is how that mind first came to exist."

The spiritual leader was not always so philosophical. He lived a largely secular life until he was 19 years old, when he met a Korean Seon master who offered to train him to become a monk. Master Jinje moved to a monastery, where he studied and meditated for 13 years before one of his predecessors, Seon Master Hyanggok, recognized him as the 79th "dharma descendant," or hand-picked spiritual descendant, of Buddha. His name is often paired with this title, although experts say there are dozens of lineages of "dharma descendants" of Buddha and the validity of each is contested.

That said, "he is one of the two most pre-eminent Seon teachers, with the other being in northern South Korea," said Robert Buswell, a Buddhism professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has helped coordinate Master Jinje's visit. "When he gives talks in Korea, thousands of people show up. But he has never taught in the U.S. and he has never written in English. There would never have been a way for any American or student of Buddhism or Zen to have heard of him."

One of the few who has heard of him is Uni Berrie, a 57-year-old New Yorker who met Master Jinje five years ago in South Korea. Born in Soeul to a Catholic family, Berrie said she never practiced a formal religion but always felt a spiritual yearning. After several visits back home to Korea over the years, she met him through a friend and enrolled in one of his teaching courses. Soon, she found herself practicing Ganwa Seon every day.

"I've tried yoga, I've tried Tibetan training, I've tried intensive Buddhism training of all kinds," said Berrie, who does not call herself a Buddhist. "But his teaching is about finding the true self, and you don't have to go to a temple. The more you sit, the more you meditate, the deeper you get into your understanding of yourself. It's hard to put into words."

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Louisiana's first Thai Buddhist temple opens in Algiers

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Algiers, Louisiana (USA) -- Accompanied by monks in their saffron robes, and with traditional music and dancing, hundreds of Thai Buddhist families gathered in Algiers on Sunday to celebrate the opening of the first Thai Buddhist temple in the state.

<< ELIOT KAMENITZ / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. Wat Wimuttayaram, the first and only Thai Buddhist Temple in Louisiana has its grand opening on the holy day called Phra Srisakaya Vimuttinyana which is a ceremony honoring Budda's image which has been placed in the new temple on Sunday, August 14, 2011.

The opening of Wat Wimuttayaram brought guests like Pranee Shelton from as far away as Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and Sudjai Satonpan, a restaurateur, from Slidell.

They were among more than 200 who assembled at an obscure piece of property still surrounded by dense forest and undergrowth just off Stanton Road, a narrow gravel road in largely undeveloped Lower Coast Algiers.

Surrounded, as it were by jungle, the site was decorated Sunday with hundreds of small Thai flags. Local Thai restaurants donated tables filled with food. Thai music filled the still, humid air.

Shortly before noon, more than a dozen robed monks passed along a line of tables with their alms baskets, receiving from the people donations of food, their sole subsistence.

Most were visitors invited to help bless the event. Longer term, about five monks will live at the temple, said Phrakhrupalad Wutthichai Phothachai, or "Monk Wutti, " the abbot of Wat Wimuttayaram.

From now on, the temple will become the social and spiritual center for about 100 Thai families living throughout metropolitan New Orleans, Monk Wutti said.

Monks in residence will give instruction in chant and meditation to members of the Buddhist community and teach Thai to the children and grandchildren of local members, Monk Wutti said.

Many Thais in the New Orleans area are professionals who have remained in the country after their education. Owing to Thailand's political stability, almost none are political refugees, like their Vietnamese neighbors.

Many, like Shelton, are wives of American men they met during military or corporate service in Thailand.

Until now, Monk Wutti and others said, local Thai Buddhists gathered regularly at members' homes, often on the West Bank. Now, however, the temple will provide their new center to keep in touch with each other, meet once a month or so, and seek instruction from the resident monks.

Sunday's celebration is the end of a process that began almost three years ago when the local community founded the organization that would build the temple.

Monk Wutti, a missionary monk living at a Laotian Buddhist temple in Mobile, Ala., agreed to come to New Orleans to help build a new temple on newly acquired land in Lower Coast Algiers.

A native of northern Thailand, Monk Wutti, 31, entered a Buddhist monastery at 12, and was ordained at 21.

Like that of other monks, his hair is close-cropped, almost shaved. He wears orange robes. He owns nothing, eats nothing after noontime, and subsists on what members bring him and other monks.

He is celibate. Indeed, his pursuit of asceticism is such that he does not even touch a woman.

"We dedicate our lives to avoiding desire," he said.

That said, Monk Wutti laughs easily and often. He appreciates irony, not least that he manages the temple's email and handles an iPhone.

The major building on the site is a raised cottage of ordinary Western appearance. Inside are small sleeping cells for the monks, and a great room dominated at one end by a large bronze Buddha.

On Sunday, a traditional holiday celebrating the image of the Buddha, the statue was terraced with ornamentation in the form of candles, flowers and other decorations. Believers entered the room, prayed quietly before the Buddha and wrote out their intentions on small gold cards of metal foil.

The cards will be rolled tightly and deposited inside the statue, Monk Wutti said.

Monk Wutti and those at the site are practitioners of Theravada Buddhism, one of the older and most conservative schools in that tradition. Theravada predominates in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos -- though not in Vietnam, where another tradition, Mahayana Buddhism prevails.

That is the tradition of the nearby Bo De Buddhist Temple, just a few miles away in Lower Coast Algiers. Despite their differences, members from the Bo De Temple helped the Thai community set down roots as neighbors, Monk Wutti said.

Wat Wimuttayaram is the only Thai Buddhist temple in Louisiana; the nearest other one is in Navarre, Fla., Monk Wutti said.

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First Buddha Film from Nepal to Pre-empt Bollywood Challenges

Tulsi Ghimire, who moved from India's hill town of Kalimpong to Mumbai first to learn acting and film-making and then made Kathmandu his home, has begun making "Gautam Buddha", the first Buddha film from Nepal, the birthplace of the apostle of peace.

The 60-year-old, who gave the Nepali film industry such hits as "Kusume rumal" and "Balidaan", says he was inspired to make the film after a conversation with Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka and other places.

"First, there was this Bollywood movie, 'Chandni Chowk to China', that claimed the Buddha was born in Nepal," Ghimire told IANS in an interview. "Then there are reports of renowned Bollywood director Ashutosh Gowarikar making an epic film on the Buddha.

"We are concerned whether there isn't some political motivation - to lay claim to the Buddha. If Gowarikar builds the sets of Kapilavastu, the kingdom in which the Buddha was born to its ruler King Shuddhodan, the Indian state where it is erected may be regarded by many people as the birthplace of the Buddha.

"Some puzzled Sri Lankan monks actually asked me whether the Buddha was born in India or Nepal. I told them, he was born in Kapilavastu, when neither India nor Nepal existed. Archaeological ruins prove Kapilavastu was in southern Nepal. You can still see the remains of the old palace and the garden where the Buddha was born."

"Gautam Buddha", to be dubbed in English, Hindi, Sinhalese, Korean, Chinese, Japanese and German, is going to be an animated film and the first animated feature film from Nepal.

"It would have cost far less had I chosen people to play the roles," he says ruefully. "But I found that impossible.
The Buddha literature available details minutely the 32 auspicious signs Prince Siddharth possessed, that made him a king among men. He had arms that reached his knees, the large kindly eyes of a cow, and a voice as deep as an echoing well. I realised it would be impossible to find such an actor."

Incidentally, Gowarikar is said to be on a manhunt to find the perfect face for his Buddha. "The Little Buddha", the 1994 feature film made by Hollywood director Bernardo Bertolucci, obliquely presents the story of the Buddha and his
quest for enlightenment, with Keanu Reaves playing the role.

Ghimire's film will be ready by 2013. However, he has a sneak preview for the media in mind later this year when only a few scenes will be shown.

Ghimire says he read all the literature available on the Buddha that he could get, including Dr B.R. Ambedkar's "The Buddha and his Dhamma", and Indian vipassana guru S.N. Goenka's writings about the Buddha and Buddhism.

"There are three schools detailing the Buddha's life," he says. "The Mahayana Buddhists chronicle a logically believable life while the Hinayana Buddhists depict Prince Siddharth as a reincarnation of god. The Vajrayana school, on the other hand, invests him with tantric powers.

"I have tried to adopt a middle path in my story-telling."

Ghimire says his 110-minute film will explode some of the common myths about the Buddha, including the one that said the prince left the luxury of the palace in shock after he saw an old man, a sick man, a dead man and a monk.

"The prince was 29 when he renounced worldly life," Ghimire explains. "It is therefore impossible that he didn't come across any old man in that time. His own father must have been old at that time.

"Actually, he gave up all claims on his kingdom to avert a clan war as his infamous cousin Devdutta was gearing up for battle."

His film, Ghimire hopes, will also bring into light the character of the prince's wife, Yashodhara, of whom little is known.

"She was a pillar of support to her husband," he says. "They had met before they were married and those scenes bring romance to the film."

It is rather unusual to see an Indian director championing the cause of another country. Ghimire has a vey simple answer to that.

"I just want to present the facts," he says.

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