His Holiness the Dalai Lama Launches Local News App

Kangra, HP, India, 9 May 2015 - His Holiness the Dalai Lama was today invited to Kangra, the ancient town near Dharamsala where he lives. He was welcomed on arrival by Dr Rajesh Sharma, founder of the Balaji Hospital and Shree Balaji Media Innovations, and local MLA and Minister for Housing, Town and Country Planning in the Himachal Pradesh Government, Mr Sudhir Sharma. His Holiness was ushered into the new media building adjacent to the hospital, which will be home to Himachalabhiabhi.com a bilingual new news app.

Before launching the app, His Holiness was briefly interviewed for it by Anil Patwar who asked he what felt PM Narendra Modi might talk about when he goes to China next week.  He replied:

Anil Patwa interviewing His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Kangra, HP, India on May 9, 2015. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL“I’m sure as Prime Minister, he knows best, but he might mention India and Tibet’s unique more than one thousand year old relationship. All our knowledge came from India, so we have a special relationship of Guru and disciple. Today, I am very concerned about the preservation of Tibetan culture, which is essentially ancient Indian culture. We follow the Buddhadharma and the Buddha taught in India, as the Prime Minister himself was observing the other day at Buddha Purnima celebrations in Delhi. And the traditions we preserved in Tibet belong to the Nalanda tradition that was introduced to us by Shantarakshita. “He might also talk about the environment, the importance of the Brahmaputra and other rivers that rise in Tibet on which more than a billion people depend.”

When asked what kind of birth he might choose next, His Holiness jokingly replied, “A woman?” and went on to explain how he had once told a French journalist that it could very well be possible for a Dalai Lama to be born as a woman. He cited the example of other high reincarnations in Tibet who were women.

“Personally, I don’t know where I’ll be born, but I always remember the prayer:

For as long as space endures
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I too abide
To dispel the misery of the world.

“The first Dalai Lama, who was a great scholar and practitioner, when he reached about my age and commented that he was getting old, was told by his disciples that he would probably go to a Pure Land. He told them that wasn’t what he wished for at all. He wanted to be where he could relieve others’ suffering.”

Asked why the Chinese authorities seem to have such misapprehensions about him despite his being a man of peace, he said they tend to see things only from a political point of view. He gave the example of the Cultural Revolution, which was praised while it was going on. When it was over it was described as having had some advantages and some drawbacks. Much later it was said to have been completely destructive. This suggests a difficulty in appraising things realistically.

His Holiness said that the 1.3 billion Chinese people deserve to be given reliable information and if they were could make their own judgement about what is right and wrong. By comparison he praised India as a wonderful country where freedom flourishes. He remarked that while he generally considers himself one of the 7 billion human beings alive today, he has lived the last 56 years in India.

“I am a messenger for India, a son of India, but if you ask which part of the country I’ve spent the most time in, it’s Himachal Pradesh. And I’d like to extend my greetings to the Himachali people and the wish that they will go from success to success.”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama launching the app Himachalabhiabhi.com during his visit to Kangra, HP, India on May 9, 2015. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL
Flanked by Dr Rajesh Sharma and Mr Sudhir Sharma, His Holiness cut the ribbon to the portal hub and was invited to sit at one of the computer desks where Anil Patwar guided him in launching the new news app, Himachalabhiabhi.com

Addressing an invited audience of about 200 downstairs, His Holiness said that this was the first time he had launched a new app and that he was not well acquainted with the use of computers.

“But,” he noted, “they are part of the 21st century, a time when I think people’s attitudes are changing. People are becoming opposed to the use of violence to settle conflicts, they are more concerned about the natural environment and they are concerned to find ways to close the gap between rich and poor. And the more they recognise corruption, that seems to erupt everywhere, the more they are opposed to it. The reason for this is that people’s awareness has grown. A special quality we human beings possess is our intelligence and in order to employ it we need access to more and better information.

“It’s clear that in this the world’s most populous democratic country, the media have a very important role. This includes a role in educating people. But educating the brain alone provides no guarantee of living a happy life. We need also to educate people about karuna, warm-heartedness, which will enable them to live as happy individuals, in happy families, in a happy society.”

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For Lexington author's life Buddhism connects many points - Wicked Local

When Meikle Paschal began writing down the experiences of his life, he did not know there would be a transcendental common theme connecting the events. After a closer examination, he realized his life had been threaded together through Buddhism.In Paschal’s new book, "Black Buddhist," he examines how his transformation from Catholicism to Buddhism shaped his life. On Thursday, May 30, the Lexington resident will discuss hismost recent book at Cary Memorial Library, 1874 Massachusetts Ave. at 7 p.m.Paschal spoke to The Minuteman about his experiences as an author and as a Buddhist.How did you find that you were interested in writing stories?I’ve always written well, all the way through school. And I’ve always been full of stories, some more robust than others.While in the classroom – I used to teach in Boston Public Schools and at some state colleges and would always tell my students my experiences. And for the most part I told them for the entertainment value, but then I started getting feedback from my students about my stories.I remember running into a student – one who I never thought paid very much attention – and he was telling my stories back to me and telling me how he applied them to his own life.When I realized they were important to my students, I thought it would be important that I write them down for my children. I didn’t even think it would turn into a book at that point.Over time I realized these stories had a common thread - Buddhism. It was at that point I knew this could be more than just something for my children. The writing revealed more about me than I ever could have expected. I reached deep inside myself to capture the spiritual essence.At what point did you decide to make the transition to Buddhism?I grew up Catholic and was very dissatisfied. Christian values are built around pure faith, so when I asked a question, and I questioned quite a bit, I was just told to believe instead of being told answers.I felt it was just a story to keep order in the community. So I went on to atheism for many years, but I felt that was an ignorant way to go through life, so eventually I became agnostic.When I was going through my doctoral program, it weighed stress on my entire family and me. My wife sent me to live with my mother-in-law in the Caribbean to relax it was very important in my life.When Meikle Paschal began writing down the experiences of his life, he did not know there would be a transcendental common theme connecting the events. After a closer examination, he realized his life had been threaded together through Buddhism.In Paschal’s new book, "Black Buddhist," he examines how his transformation from Catholicism to Buddhism shaped his life. On Thursday, May 30, the Lexington resident will discuss hismost recent book at Cary Memorial Library, 1874 Massachusetts Ave. at 7 p.m.Paschal spoke to The Minuteman about his experiences as an author and as a Buddhist.How did you find that you were interested in writing stories?I’ve always written well, all the way through school. And I’ve always been full of stories, some more robust than others.While in the classroom – I used to teach in Boston Public Schools and at some state colleges and would always tell my students my experiences. And for the most part I told them for the entertainment value, but then I started getting feedback from my students about my stories.I remember running into a student – one who I never thought paid very much attention – and he was telling my stories back to me and telling me how he applied them to his own life.When I realized they were important to my students, I thought it would be important that I write them down for my children. I didn’t even think it would turn into a book at that point.Over time I realized these stories had a common thread - Buddhism. It was at that point I knew this could be more than just something for my children. The writing revealed more about me than I ever could have expected. I reached deep inside myself to capture the spiritual essence.At what point did you decide to make the transition to Buddhism?I grew up Catholic and was very dissatisfied. Christian values are built around pure faith, so when I asked a question, and I questioned quite a bit, I was just told to believe instead of being told answers.I felt it was just a story to keep order in the community. So I went on to atheism for many years, but I felt that was an ignorant way to go through life, so eventually I became agnostic.When I was going through my doctoral program, it weighed stress on my entire family and me. My wife sent me to live with my mother-in-law in the Caribbean to relax it was very important in my life.Soon after my return home she and my mother passed. One night in my sleep my mother-in-law came to me in an experience and talked to me. I could actually feel the weight of her on my bed and she told me everything was going to be fine.I went through grief therapy, and started reading a lot of Alice Bailey. I asked a bookstore employee what I should read and he recommended the stories from the Buddha. Eventually I joined a cousin who lived in Lexington start going to Buddhist sessions.When looking back at your life, what effects did Buddhism have?A lot didn’t even occur when I was practicing Buddhism. I look back and apply the philosophy and research on past events.I’ve lived a whole series of important events in my life and felt that I have moved my life in the right direction.I know a lot of young black men who didn’t make it to 25. I was never arrested or shot and was able to go to college in a family that never sent anyone to college before. So when I graduated with a good cumulative average and a degree, it was then, looking back, I realized I could always summon up the courage and discipline to do what I needed to do to get where I wanted to be in life.In retrospect, it was one of my first recognitions of Buddhism.

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Local Buddhist, meditation groups look forward to Zen master’s visit

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Lectures, workshops and retreat planned for four-day visit

Buffalo, New York (USA) -- Buffalo’s Buddhist community is anticipating a rare visit from the abbot of a Buddhist monastery later this month, which will involve six events, all open to the public, including instruction on the basics of meditation.

<< Ryushin Sensei

Konrad Ryushin Marchaj, known as Ryushin Sensei, the abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery in the Catskills, which is part of the Mountains and Rivers Order of Zen Buddhism, will present three lectures, two workshops and a retreat during his four-day stay in the area.

“This is a rare and unique opportunity to have a Zen master, who is a master teacher, present and be in their presence, let alone hear talks by him,” said Marguerite Battaglia, who has meditated for years and is active with the Peaceful Heart Mindfulness Community.

Although Western New York has many groups practicing Buddhist meditation traditions, “what’s frequently not easily accessible to most of us in Buffalo is the opportunity to personally engage such an experienced Buddhist teacher,” said Ray Eigen Ball, coordinator of the Buffalo Zen Dharma Community, which is affiliated with the Mountains and Rivers Order of Zen Buddhism.

Ball has visited the Zen Mountain Monastery and met Ryushin Sensei, who was born in Poland in 1953 and escaped with his family when he was 13. Ryushin Sensei got his undergraduate degree from Yale, served in the U.S. Navy and attended medical school in Albany, later working as a pediatrician and psychiatrist until he entered the monastery.

“He’s very down to earth,” said Ball, “but you do come away with a real sense of authenticity, a person who is genuine. It can be a stark contrast to what we encounter day to day.”

Various strains of Buddhism developed after the death of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, in 483 BCE in what is now India. The Zen community developed from Buddhist roots in China and Japan.

Ball said his visit is being greatly anticipated by members of the Buffalo Zen Dharma Community, as well as other people who follow Buddhist practices in mindfulness or meditation groups. Those groups “are peer groups; they’re not led by teachers,” he added.

Battaglia said every event is open to the public, including a morning workshop April 20, during which Ryushin Sensei will instruct people on meditation.

“That would be such a good opportunity for the general public to get this, and then be able to participate in the meditation that he will lead,” she says. “Usually this is something you have to find, and go to training for, and here it is coming right to us.”

The general theme of Ryushin Sensei’s lectures and workshops will be the elimination of suffering, the basic tenet of Buddhist study and practice. All will be held in the ministry center of the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York, 1064 Brighton Road, Town of Tonawanda. Donations of $12 for each lecture, $20 for each workshop and $10 for the retreat have been requested.

• The topic for the lecture from 7 to 9 p.m. April 18 is “Unconditional Happiness vs. Pursuit of Pleasure,” and will address the key question, “What is truly the basis for unconditional happiness?” Ball recommends this lecture for anyone just starting out. “This lecture’s topic is at the heart of the matter, what is it that causes us to be unsatisfied with our lives,” he says. “This is the basics. The first lecture will set the tone and lay the groundwork for the weekend, although they all stand on their own.”

• Two events will be held April 19. From 2 to 5 p.m., a workshop titled “Ethical life and the kitchen sink: How to actually practice the Buddhist precepts” will be held. “This is aimed at the Buddhist precepts, the moral and ethical teachings,” says Ball. The lecture from 7 to 9 p.m. that day is “Spiritual Bypassing: Shielding Ourselves from Our Feelings,” focusing on how people avoid the opportunity to become aware of the roots of their own suffering.

• Two events will also be offered April 20: a workshop from 9 to 11:30 a.m. titled “Introduction to Zazen,” instruction in the practice of Zen Buddhist meditation. This workshop, while accessible to people who have never meditated before, will also be valuable for experienced practitioners, Ball says. That evening from 7 to 9 p.m., Ryushin Sensei will speak on “Religion and Morality: Blinding or Illuminating?” in which he will consider the role of spirituality and religion in uniting and dividing people.

• From 9 a.m. to noon April 21, Ryushin Sensei will lead a retreat service similar to those held at the monastery. “It will be just like being at the monastery,” says Ball. “It’s the same program, where we have a liturgical service of chanting, a couple of rounds of sitting and walking meditation, but then Ryushin Sensei will deviate a bit. Normally he would just give a talk, but this year he has decided to give a short talk and then open it up with a question-and-answer period.” An informal communal lunch will follow.

During his visit, Ball says, Ryushin Sensei also will meet with a group of inmates at the Wende Correctional Facility who have been practicing Buddhism.

For details, please visit: http://mro.org/smr/buffalo/visit-by-ryushin-sensei/

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Local Buddhist community mark four years since the planting of the Bonnyrigg Bodhi Tree

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Fairfield, Australia -- MEMBERS of the local Buddhist community have held a ceremony to mark four years since the planting of the Bonnyrigg Bodhi Tree.

The tree, located in the Bonnyrigg Town Centre Park, represents the Buddhist belief that Buddha found enlightenment under a bodhi tree.

More than 200 Lao Buddhists and members of local interfaith groups took part in the Contemplating Peace Under the Bodhi Tree event late last month.

"Prayers were made by members of the Christian, Muslim and Buddhist faiths, new robes were offered to the Buddhist monks and a parade was held in honour of the tree," a Fairfield Council spokeswoman said.

The council planted the tree in 2008 to coincide with the launch of the Bonnyrigg logo, which features a bodhi leaf alongside a gumleaf.

The Lao Buddhist Society of NSW has taken guardianship of the tree since then.

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Remembering the life of Thich Thanh Dam, local Buddhist leader

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Washington, D.C., USA -- Last month, a stream of tearful Buddhist monks, nuns and followers traveled to Giac Hoang Buddhist Temple in Washington, D.C., to pay their respects to Venerable Thich Thanh Dam.  Dam died at 2 a.m. Dec. 4 at age 84.  His body was cremated at National Memorial Park under the blessings of Venerable Thich Tam Chau, the Vietnamese World Buddhist Leader. 

Dam was born in 1928 in Nam Dinh province, North Vietnam.  He joined  the Buddhist priesthood in 1950. His mentor was Venerable Thich Phuc Duc, who Buddhists called “To Tra Trung” (Patriarch Tra Trung). Duc was the founder and head of a famous temple in Tra Trung village, Nam Dinh, North Vietnam.

In 1954, when the communists took over North Vietnam, Dam fled to the south.  He and other monks who immigrated from the North resided and practiced Buddhism in Giac Minh temple in Saigon.

During the Buddhist crisis in 1963, he and many other monks challenged the Diem administration in an attempt to obtain fair treatment for Buddhists. At that time,  South Vietnam's government was Roman Catholic. During the second republic's government in South Vietnam, Dam was a military chaplain with the rank of captain.  The communists defeated the South Vietnamese government in 1975 and put South Vietnam under communist rule. Dam was again forced to flee, this time to the United States.

In the District, he and another monk, Venerable Thich Giac Duc, bought a rundown old church on 16th Street NW and built a Buddhist temple in 1975.  To support himself and the temple, he worked as an electrician. By late 1975, the flow of refugees fleeing Vietnamese communist rule was growing. The refugees were looking to their Buddhist faith to help them rebuild their lives. With the community's support, the two monks purchased a bigger piece of property, also on 16th Street, and built a Vietnamese temple, named Vietnam, in late 1975. 

In 1981, Vietnam temple was renamed Giac Hoang in honor of King Tran Nhan Ton (1258-1308), who in 1293 renounced his monarchy and became a monk at the Truc Lam temple in Yen Tu Mountain, North Vietnam.

Under Dam's leadership,  Giac Hoang blossomed into a religious and cultural center for the Vietnamese Buddhist community in the D.C. area.   During the decades after 1975, he consistently helped many refugees from Vietnam and other countries to settle here and become successful.   On Buddhist celebration days such as Buddha's Birth and Enlightenment, New Year's Eve and the Hungry Ghost festivals, hundreds of Buddhists from not only the D.C. area, but also from as far away as New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida and North Carolina, came to Giac Hoang to take part in the prayer ceremonies that Dam led.

Dam was always willing to help other Buddhist communities in the area. Giac Hoang is a key participant in the International Buddhist Committee's annual Visakha celebration, a multicultural Buddhist celebration of the Buddha's Birth and Enlightenment.  Hundreds of Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, Tibetan, Sri Lankan, Laotian, Indian and American Buddhist families from around D.C. attend the joyful celebration.

On two occasions, Dam generously hosted a major tour of Buddhist holy relics organized by the foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, a Tibetan Buddhist organization.

Dam is remembered by all who knew him as a very kind and humble mentor. Several times,  he squeezed more rooms into Giac Hoang's living quarters for  monks, nuns or lay persons who needed shelter. He would visit any Buddhist family to share their sorrow of losing a loved one and bless them. Wherever he went, he brought the simple gift of love and peace. In keeping with the Buddhist tradition, for the next seven weeks, visitors will come to Giac Hoang temple to pray for Dam.

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Local Buddhist monks spread message of peace

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Bloomington, Indiana (USA) -- The Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center, located on Snoddy Road on the south side of Bloomington, houses eight monks (some of which are visiting from Mongolia), several workers, shrines and relics, all in the name of promoting a greater understanding of Buddhism and its core message of peace.

“We sincerely wish to promote a message of peace, compassion and loving-kindness,” Geshe-la said. “We try our best wherever we go on this tour, we try to share this message from a Buddhist tradition,” he said.

In an interview with a visiting monk, the idea that Buddhists do not proselytize was emphasized.

“We are not trying to make more Buddhists. We are trying to make more good people,” Geshe-la, whose given name is Lobsang Dhondup, said, speaking through Tenpa Phuntsoh, who interpreted for Geshe-la. “And to become good people, we should try to generate a good heart.”

The Tibetan Cultural Center was founded in 1979 by the eldest brother of the Dalai Lama, Thubten Jigme Norbu. Norbu, who was exiled from his native Tibet in the 1950s, served as a professor of Tibetan studies at IU and promoted the cause for Tibetan independence.

In 2007, the Center expanded its mission to include the preservation of Mongolian culture and spirituality and was renamed to reflect this addition.      

As a cultural center, it serves not only Buddhists, but hosts many interfaith retreats as well. The cultural building, when originally constructed, was an interfaith construction project.

Muslims, Jews and Christians all provided materials and labor in the construction of the building. This ecumenical spirit remains relevant today, as the center offers programs for people of all faiths.

The center offers opportunities for visitors to come and meditate in its temple area, most recently renovated in 2007 for the Dalai Lama’s fifth visit to the center.

This openness towards other religious traditions stems in part from the teachings of Buddhism and its belief that all people have the opportunity to find enlightenment, no matter what their religious background.

“All of the founders of the world religions have the same idea, same thought, same will. Same will,” Geshe-la said. “All the people of this world have a different mental disposition.

 “One of the core beliefs of Buddhism is that there are so many buddhas and bodhisattvas (enlightened beings) and they always take rebirth in different forms that will help the suffering of sentient beings.”

Buddhists believe all people can reach enlightenment.

“Buddha said that our mind is clear, naturally. A very luminous and knowing nature. And there are many afflictive emotions, defilements. These all are just residing temporarily inside our mind,” Geshe-la said. “They all are not naturally of the mind. The nature of the mind is really clear.”

Just as the sun, which shines naturally, may be covered by clouds, it is only temporary and the sun’s brightness still remains unchanged, Geshe-la said. “Eventually it is said that all sentient beings, if they practice, if they study, they all have the same potential to enter a state of perfection.”

The center, which has plans for eventually opening an educational center devoted to the promotion of Tibetan and Mongolian culture and spirituality, remains dedicated to the promotion of peace, harmony and understanding between the world’s religious faiths. 

Geshe-la said the teachings of Buddha cannot be forced upon a person, but instead must be embraced freely by the individual.

“The Buddha said that ‘I cannot pick you up from the suffering world. I cannot give my wisdom or my compassion to you. But I can show you the path toward enlightenment,’” Geshe-la said.

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