Mind Training & Taking Responsibility for Tomorrow’s World

Oslo, Norway, 8 May 2014 - Today is Norwegian Liberation Day, the day 69 years ago that Norway was officially liberated from Nazi forces. Civil rule had been effectively assumed by the ‘Reich Commissariat of Norway’ acting in collaboration with a pro-German puppet government, while the Norwegian king and legitimate government continued to operate in exile from London.

As His Holiness started out for the day, Norwegian private book collector Martin Schøyen presented him examples of ancient Buddhist texts in Tibetan, including a page from the ‘Amitayus Sutra’ that he said was the oldest Tibetan text in existence. Arriving at Oslo University, Tibetans and Norwegian friends had gathered to welcome him. Once inside he had a brief meeting with a group of several Christian bishops and priests. He said:
His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking with Christian Bishops on his arrival at he Chateau Neuf Theatre in Oslo, Norway on May 8, 2014. Photo/Jeremy Russell/OHHDL He remarked that whenever he has the opportunity to meet other spiritual sisters and brothers he is happy and honoured to do so. Helga Haugland Byfuglen, Presiding Bishop of the Church of Norway, speaking for the group, thanked His Holiness for coming and told him that he was among friends. She agreed with him that it is necessary for religious people to get to know each other to be able to shape the future together. His Holiness took up the point and explained his efforts to promote secular ethics. He remarked that while ethics is the basis of all religions, it is not necessary for people to be religious to live ethical lives. Ethics bring a sense of confidence and a calm mind, which in turn fosters health and well-being.

In the Chateau Neuf theatre, before an audience of 1220, His Holiness said:

“I’m very happy to be here, with Buddhist monks and nuns representing the Pali and Sanskrit traditions and Christian brothers and sisters. Religious harmony is not just a matter of making diplomatic gestures but developing respect and mutual admiration. To think that all 7 billion human beings should become either Buddhist or Christian is unrealistic. These traditions have existed for centuries and will continue to do so in the future, so we have to live together. As I am going to teach about Buddhism today, I’d like to invite the Thai monks and nuns to chant the ‘Mangala Sutra’ in Pali and the Vietnamese monks to chant the ‘Heart Sutra’ in their language.”

In a brief introduction to the occasion, a representative of Karma Tashi Ling Buddhist Society told His Holiness that the only Buddhist temple in Scandinavia is nearing completion, inviting him to attend its inauguration next year. His Holiness replied that as he gets older invitations multiply and while he’s willing in spirit to attend he will have to see what is physically possible.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking at the Chateau Neuf Theatre in Oslo, Norway on May 8, 2014. Photo/Oliver Adam
“The West is a non-Buddhist region, while Buddhism is a largely Asian tradition,” he began. “I usually advise that it is better and safer to keep to your own tradition, not changing your faith like a change in fashion. However, if an individual really feels that a Buddhist approach is more helpful or effective for him or her, that’s up to them, but religious practice requires dedication and sincerity. Let me tell you about a Tibetan woman who came to see me in the 1960s. Her husband had died and she had two children to bring up. At that time Christian missionaries offered Tibetan refugees immense help with food and education. She told me that she had accepted such help for her children and consequently had become a Christian for this life, but would be a Buddhist in her next life - a clear sign of confusion!”

His Holiness went on to talk about an occasion in Australia when a Christian minister called Bill Crews, who provides help and support for the homeless, introduced him as a good Christian. In turn His Holiness told the gathering that he regarded Rev. Crews as a good Buddhist, noting that both try to practise love, compassion, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline.

When Buddhism was brought to Tibet in the 8th century, it was a revelation. As one great Tibetan master said:

In Tibet, the Land of Snow,
The natural colour is white,
But until the light came from India,
Tibet remained in the dark.

His Holiness said that all Tibet’s Buddhist knowledge had come from India and that the master who first established it, Shantarakshita, was not only a good monk, but also an exceptional philosopher and logician. A keen study of philosophy and logic became characteristics of Tibetan Buddhism. And it is this context that His Holiness has jokingly remarked when people build huge statues that while he appreciates them, the statues will never speak. The way to maintain the tradition is to cultivate knowledge in the mind. He explained that the word for Buddha in Tibetan indicates that he has eliminated all negative aspects and cultivated all positive qualities. Because a Buddha is able to perceive conventional and ultimate truth simultaneously, he is not subject as we are to the huge gap between appearance and reality.

Many of the over 1200 people attending His Holiness the Dalai Lama's teaching at the Chateau Neuf Theatre in Oslo, Norway on May 8, 2014. Photo/Duy Anh Pham
Saying that warm-heartedness opens the mind and brings inner strength, His Holiness denied the suggestion that Buddhism has no place for desire. He said this is a misunderstanding. We have a desire to lead a happy life, we have a desire to overcome suffering and achieve Buddhahood, and we have a right to work to fulfil these desires.

Turning to the text of Geshe Langri Tangpa’s ‘Eight Verses of Mind Training’, he said that seven of the verses concerned the method aspect of the path, while the last verse concerns wisdom. He then read through and paraphrased each verse in turn.

“I will regard all sentient beings as precious; I’ll show them respect. Whenever I meet them, I’ll cultivate a wish to fulfil their well-being; I’ll be prepared to serve them. We see Christian brothers and sisters doing just this, sacrificing their own comfort to serve others. When disturbing emotions like anger, hatred and jealousy threaten to arise I will stop them, for example by observing my breath. When I meet sick people who are subject to discrimination, like lepers or AIDS sufferers, I’ll extend them my help. When someone criticizes or scolds me, even though I tried to help them, I’ll give them the victory and accept the defeat. When someone I’ve helped does me harm, I won’t retaliate, but regard them as a teacher of patience. Through study and training, I’ll learn to take others’ sufferings upon myself and offer them my joy. Finally, regarding the eight worldly concerns, I will view everything like an illusion. Although things appear to have objective existence, I will see them as being like illusions.”

His Holiness attended a discussion with students in the afternoon focussed on the theme ‘Taking Responsibility for Tomorrow’s World’. The occasion opened with a startling flute recital by Tale Coleman and continued with an introduction by Oslo University Rector Ole Petter Ottersen. He remarked that for decades His Holiness has been the face of Tibet and speculated that the world would be a better place if its battles were fought through dialogue and argument as His Holiness commends.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking with students at Auditorium Oslo University in Oslo, Norway on May 8, 2014. Photo/Oliver Adam
His Holiness told his audience that he is always happy to talk to young students. While counting himself a member of the 20th century generation whose time has passed, he asserted that those who are less than 30 years old belong to the generation of the 21st century.

“It is your responsibility to work with vision, determination and wisdom to create a happier, more peaceful world. It won’t be achieved through mere prayer or wishful thinking but will require you to take action, while respecting others and their needs. We need to consider all 7 billion human beings alive today as belonging to one human family. Climate change and the global economy affect us all beyond national boundaries. We are faced with problems like the huge gap between rich and poor in many parts of the world.

“We are social animals so taking others’ well-being into account is in our long-term self-interest. Look at bees, they have no religion, no constitution, no police, yet they work together because they are social animals. I suggest the 21st century generation keep these things in mind.”

David Abram spoke eloquently about our relationship with the earth and how much we take for granted. We overlook the magical importance of gravity. We speak of living on the earth, whereas we actually live in the air and the air lives in us. His Holiness agreed suggesting that in places like India, development takes place in the countryside and villages rather than in the cities alone.

Students listening to His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking at Auditorium Oslo University in Oslo, Norway on May 8, 2014. Photo/Oliver AdamFour students spoke articulately about their views of the future: one asked shouldn’t we recycle more, use public transport and reduce our energy consumption. Another appreciated the need to work with each other and to teach more in schools about what needs to be done for the future. Another questioned whether the problem isn’t that human beings are prone to taking short-sighted decisions. The young woman among them said her generation would be bringing children into a world in distress. She wanted young people to have a veto on policies being implemented now that will have negative consequence she and her peers will have to clear up. She said, for example, that there is no clean way of polluting, so the focus on petroleum has to change.

His Holiness concluded:

“When we face problems what’s important is to assess what we can actually achieve. I’m an old man who has faced all sorts of difficulties in his life, but I’ve never given up.

“In the past, when the need for leadership arose, physical strength was the criterion and so favoured men. Education has brought greater equality of potential. At a time when we need greater concern for the environment and sensitivity towards others’ concerns we need more women to take a lead.

“Thank you.”

Tomorrow, His Holiness will be visiting the Norwegian Parliament and the Nobel Peace Centre.

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A Charity Aims to Bring Buddhist Studies Into the Modern World

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HONG KONG, China -- Robert Y.C. Ho, a scion of a historic Hong Kong family, is the chairman of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation, which supports study in the fields of Buddhism, Chinese art and culture. The charity is named after Mr. Ho’s father, who founded it in 2005.

It has given endowments for Buddhist programs at Harvard University, Stanford University and the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. In May, it gave a $1.9 million grant to the American Council of Learned Societies for the research and teaching of Buddhist studies.

Why did your father decide to focus on Buddhism?

Buddhism was easier because his grandmother, Lady Clara, set up a temple in Hong Kong, Tung Lin Kok Yuen, in 1935 — it later grew to two charity organizations, in Hong Kong and Canada — and there’s a school associated with it. So Buddhism has been part of the family.

We also support Chinese art and culture because my father, who grew up in Hong Kong, appreciates Chinese arts — classical, traditional and contemporary.

Buddhist studies are usually associated with history. How do you make them relevant to today?

Generally speaking, Buddhist studies in higher institutions have been archaic and old-fashioned, in the sense that it’s mostly text-based, where we have scholars who are experts in Pali, Sanskrit, classical Chinese, Japanese, old languages. They read these texts and they talk about them. A lot of time, it’s not really related to what happens in the real world.

But a lot of younger scholars are pushing into new areas, like studying about Buddhism and politics, Buddhism and the environment, conflict resolution, Buddhism and psychology, things like that, and how they manifest in the world. Most of our grants are geared toward the area, which is Buddhism in the contemporary world. This is the area we want to push, to advance the field, to make it relevant to the contemporary audiences.

Why do you work largely with universities and institutions in the West, as opposed to in China or other parts of Asia?

We’re looking for the right partner, the right institution. The standard of scholarship is traditionally, at least in the modern and contemporary era, much higher in North America and the West, so there’s a practical consideration.

We’re looking into working in China, but they’re all state-funded institutions. That makes it tricky to find a partner.

Southeast Asia is another story. For example, in Thailand and Sri Lanka, they have a category of institutions called Buddhist universities, and they study Buddhism in a traditional way. They take their model back from India in the Middle Ages: They have a big monastery and next to the monastery, they would have a university where they’d teach Buddhist scholarship from a traditional point of view. That’s not what we’re looking for.

Through Tung Ling Kok Yuen in Hong Kong, we helped set up the Buddhist Studies Center at Hong Kong University — it was before we started the family foundation. After we’ve started the foundation, most of our grants for Buddhist-related areas are mostly through the foundation.

In Hong Kong, where the foundation is based, you seem to focus on arts and culture education. Why is that?

With Hong Kong being mostly Chinese, we see the program as under the umbrella of Chinese art and culture. It’s a basic belief that arts and creativity are part of a human being and the human psyche — that is important to make a person well-rounded, and to have some exposure to that is very important. It’s important not only to individuals but also to a healthy society.

The government has some initiatives to try to make Hong Kong a culture or art hub.

They are putting a lot of effort in the hardware. That’s good, that’s an important part of it, but you also need the audience.

The software is the education program, so that people who go to art events can appreciate, talk about and criticize them. You need that aspect. What we are trying to do is a small bit, but we believe if Hong Kong wants to be a world city, it needs this component.

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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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Buddhist monks organise special prayers on World Heritage Day in Gaya

World Heritage Day is observed on April 18 with an aim to create awareness among the people for conservation of cultural heritage across the world.

World Heritage Day was first celebrated by International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) on 18 April 1982 in Tunisia, which was later also approved by UNESCO in 1983.

Buddhist monks and school children gathered at the Buddhist holy centre of Bodh Gaya in Gaya district and participated in the peace march.

A monk, Ashok Bansh, said: "Today is an important day as on the occasion of World Heritage Day, all the male and female monks have assembled over here and organised a special prayer for world peace, for the welfare of the world and for the protection of the world heritage site."

Buddha was born a prince at Lumbini in Nepal over 2,600 years ago. He left his wife and child at the age of 29 in search of divine knowledge and enlightenment and attained it beneath a banyan tree at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, after years of meditation.

There are several important Buddhist religious places - Bodh Gaya in Bihar, where Lord Buddha attained salvation, Sarnath, Kushinagar, where Lord Buddha breathed his last, Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh, an ancient seat of Buddhist learning, and several monasteries in Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

India, in the recent past, has been promoting Buddhist tourism, and particularly targeting South East Asian countries, China and Japan, which have a sizeable Buddhist population.

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Seokatap, an UNESCO World Heritage site in Korea

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Seoul, Korea -- The famed Bulguksa in Gyeongju province, South Korea, an UNESCO World Heritage site houses Korea’s National Treasure No. 21, the famed three-storied stone pagoda, Seokatap.

The Seokatap is very simple and has a basic design with three stores and gives off a sense of balance and symmetry. This pagoda is over 1,000 years and said to be build in the Baekje dynasty.

On September 27th, 2012 the Bulguksa temple began the major restoration project of the Seokatap.  During this restoration, the Seokatap will be completely dismantled and put together again for complete restoration. It’s estimated cost for the restoration is reported to be approximately USD 3million.

On April 2nd 2013, the restoration team removed the six-ton second roof, known as the Okgaeseok, and revealed a hall underneath which held a gilt-bronze casket for holding the sarira of the Buddha. It has been 47 years since the sarira box was exposed, as the last time the sarira was found was during the last restoration in 1966, when thieves tried to steal the artifacts and damaged the Seokatap during the process.

Venerable Sungta, the chief-abbot of Bulguksa temple states, “It is a deep honor to be able to view the 2600 year old sari of the Buddha. The sarira will be kept at within the temple before the pagoda is fully restored.”

The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Bulguksa decided to restore the Seoktatap and the Dabotap to preserve the Korean heritage within the UNESCO site.

They plan to completely disassemble the pagoda and conduct research on the condition of the ground it had been standing on for centuries.

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Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, Kicks Off World Tour In Chicago To Guide Conversations On Fostering Peace

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Honorary Co-Chairs Mayor Emanuel & President Preckwinkle With Youth & Community Leaders Combat Youth Violence Through Lens Of Peace During Featured Youth Congress on Peace

CHICAGO, USA -- The Sakyong Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, a recognized global leader in peace initiatives and the highest leader of Shambhala, kicks off his four-city international speaking tour with a weekend-long conference in Chicago,Imagining Peace, hosted by The Shambhala Meditation Center of Chicago, focused on identifying ways to foster peace at individual, community and societal levels.

<< Sakyong Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche

The Imagining Peace Conference will be held from Friday, April 26th through Sunday, April 28th, 2013, and will open with a talk from the Sakyong at Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago, followed by Saturday's featured program, a Youth Congress on Peace, at Malcolm X City College and conclude on Sunday with the Sakyong's discussion on Peace Practices at Malcolm X City College.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle will serve as Honorary Co-Chairs of the Imagining Peace Conference and Saturday's featured program, a Youth Congress on Peace, to engage a broad community of youth, community members, advocacy groups, civic and community leaders in dialogue to envision peace for our streets, schools, neighborhoods, communities, cities and regions.

"The goal of the Imagining Peace Conference and the Sakyong's world tour is to facilitate contemplation on the Shambhala belief in the inherent goodness of all beings and to use this principle to guide dialogue on how we, as individuals, communities and as a society, can create peaceful practices to address societal challenges, such as violence, and youth violence in particular," said Tom Adducci, Executive Director, Shambhala Meditation Center of Chicago.

"By applying this principle, we can impart a socially transformative culture and practice that can strengthen our communities and bring about the best in human society."

The Imagining Peace Conference is the Sakyong's first stop on his Creating an Enlightened Society world tour with programs sponsored by Shambhala centers in four cities including Chicago, London, New York and San Francisco.

The conference provides an opportunity for the Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, head of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage and spiritual director of Shambhala, to share his teachings on the principles of Shambhala and engage the community in dialogue about applying these principals in social action and cultural practices.

For more information, please visit: http://www.thinkincstrategy.com

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Buddhist meet clinches world heritage status cry for Udayagiri

Delivering the valedictory address, governor Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare said the meet will go a long way to boost the rich Buddhist heritage of Odisha and urged tour operators to promote Udayagiri internationally. MLA Amar Prasad Satapathy highlighted the glorious contribution of Buddhist sites and pressed for including Udayagiri in the list of world heritage sites.

Impressed with the diamond triangle of Ratnagiri, Udayagiri and Lalitgiri sites in Odisha, professor Anura Manatunga from Sri Lanka called upon participants to motivate tour operators from Sri Lanka to promote this circuit along with traditional Buddhist sites of UP and Bihar.

Principal secretary tourism Ashok Kumar Tripathy highlighted the state government's commitment for promotion of Buddhist tourism aggressively in the domestic and international sector. He hoped there will be a surge of tourist traffic from Southeast Asian countries once the Bhubaneswar airport is opened for the international sector.

Twenty international delegates from seven countries and 65 national delegates participated in the conference. A total of 1,547 domestic and 66 foreign tourists attended the meet as well.

Broad subjects of discussion at the event included Buddhist philosophy and schools of thought, Buddhist remains of Odisha, Buddhism for international peace and relevance of Buddhism in the 21st century, Buddhist art, iconography and architecture, apart from Buddhist vestiges and tourism.

"The topics for discussion were important and suitable for the time. For example, higher education and promotion of Buddhist practices are crucial for the religion. The event was attended by more than 110 overseas guests, 25 Indian tour operators, many international Buddhist scholars and others," said Amiya Patnaik, vice-chancellor of Utkal University of Culture, which collaborated for organizing the event.

"The event was a big success. Odisha has a rich Buddhist heritage, with several important sites associated with the life of Lord Buddha, which are of great interest for followers of Buddhism the world over. The conference was held with a view to showcasing and projecting the Buddhist heritage of the state. The Buddhist conference highlighted the relevance of Buddhism in today's age, more than 2,000 years after king Ashoka took it upon himself to spread the message of Lord Buddha," said Jiban Patnaik a senior official of Archeological Survey of India, Bhubaneswar.

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India bars Tai Situ from attending World Buddhist Conference in Malaysia

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- India has denied H.E. The 12th Tai Situ Rinpoche Pema Tönyö Nyinje a travel visa to attend the World Buddhist Conference (WBC), currently held in Kuala Lumpur. The Tai Situpa was scheduled to give a keynote address at the conference.  No reasons were given by Indian immigration why the visa was rejected.

<< H.E. The 12th Tai Situ Rinpoche, Pema Tönyö Nyinje, in his pre-recorded video address at the World Buddhist Conference in Kuala Lumpur

The theme for the conference is “Trancending Negative Emotions”, and speakers as well as participants are expected to exchange ideas and experiences in issues and ways to create happiness and well being in our lives.

In his pre-recorded video address, the Tai Situpa expressed his bewilderment why he was denied physical presence in Kuala Lumpur, as he said “I myself cannot understand why this is happening.”

The presence of Tai Situpa was the key highlight of this edition of the WBC, which was last held in 2010. In that edition, Ven. Thich Nhat Hahn gave the keynote address.

In Tibetan Buddhism the Tai Situpa is one of the oldest lineages of tulkus (said to be reincarnated lamas) in the Kagyu school. The Tai Situpa is considered to be one of the highest ranking lamas of the Karma Kagyu lineage.

Expectations for the 2nd WBC were heightened as the present  12th Kenting Tai Situpa, H.E. Rinpoche Pema Tönyö Nyinje is a renowned Buddhist master. On a more personal level the present 12th Tai Situpa is a scholar, poet, calligrapher, artist, author, architect and geomancer.

The 12th Tai Situpa was instrumental in recognizing H.H. the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, one of the two candidates claimed to be the 17th Karmapa, whom he coronated at Tsurphu Monastery outside Lhasa in August 1992. He is the main Guru of Orgyen Trinlay in Mahamudra and training in turn the next generation of Buddhist masters.

In his video address, the Tai Situ advised the audience to learn "how to balance emotions, as negative emotions are the cause of suffering". He said that "if we cannot improve ourselves and find a balance to counter negative emotions, the world can only get worse”.

The Tai Situpa outlined the vast changes the world have undergone in the last 50 years and concluded that much is not good. The advent of overt greed, environmental degradation and unsustainable development are the result of mindsets grounded on being too selfish, greedy and overly aggressive in wealth accumulation.

He cautioned that hope for a better future in the next 50 years can only happen if we persist to make positive changes to our current mindsets and to take steps to improve existing difficulties.

This would include the development of different levels of awareness and values, driven by a change in simple personal attitude, which includes making the following as living principles in our lives, that is, to embed compassion, love, wisdom and care in the way we function day to day, moment to moment.

The Tai Situpa said that as human beings we have to keep faith in the ultimate goodness of human nature, and that our primordial essence has always been to do good.

The WBC has attracted speakers from Australia, the USA, Nepal, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and India. 500 participants are attending the two days conference from Nov 3-4, 2012.

Held bi-annually, the conference attracts renowned Dharma teachers from all over the world. It is co-organised by the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia, The Buddhist Gem Fellowship and The Buddhist Missionary Society of Malaysia. The conference is also supported by eight others Buddhist organizations.

More information on The 12th Tai Situpa
http://www.palpung.org/english/taisitupa/brief_brief.htm

The World Buddhist Conference on the web: www.wbc.my

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In a postmodern world, a return to the traditional

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Bangkok, Thailand -- While Bangkok's galleries and studios today largely vibrate with the experimental and conceptual, a practitioner of Buddhist painting and plaster-moulded bas-relief quietly keeps the ancient arts alive and relevant

Pakorn Klomkliang, curator of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, describes Songrit Muaiprom's work, as "filled with rich simplicity, unfeigned, unsophisticated, raw and without embellishments".

While the pieces in "Northeastern Thai Buddhist Art", Songrit's first solo exhibition, are clear and accessible, that doesn't diminish the dexterity of the artist nor the relevance of his work. He won first prize in the Traditional Thai Painting category at the Bua Luang Painting Exhibition this year, and has won many other awards and been featured in several group exhibitions.

From the Northeast, Songrit shunned the traditional palatial style and presented his work as folk art, of a local and classical beauty influenced by local Buddhist temple art and Thai traditional techniques in plaster moulding, providing an original interpretation of what he considers the fundamental principles of Buddhism.

"These factors lend much to the experience of Thai painting and low relief sculpture," Mr Pakorn explains, "including its meaning and the tactile beauty and smell of fresh plaster moulded by hand, which reveals the essential truth of the material and colour.

"Some of his works are also considered archetypal within Thai traditional art, such as the bird's-eye view, depicting the filling of vessels, placing images symmetrically, the use of coloured glass and gold leaf, and stories related to Buddhism and Eastern traditions."

Born in 1987, Songrit was an ordained and practising monk for more than eight years from the age of 12, before discovering his talent in the arts and choosing a path that expresses the cultural heritage of Buddhism. Songrit studied painting and sculpture at several colleges and received a master's degree from Silpakorn University.

His work is divided between the secular and spiritual - with the secular expressed through paintings that illustrate points in the history of man, and the spiritual through sculpture that explains important moments in the Buddha's life and illustrates some truths of Buddhism.

In an age where many artists - in terms of technique, subject and medium - strive to out-experiment each other in an effort to lay claim to the avant-garde, and where intensely personal or bizarrely abstract concepts, objets trouve or retro-rehashing fall under the banner of the contemporary, it can also be refreshing to be confronted with work from a modern bastion of traditional temple art.

If you go

'Northeastern Thai Buddhist Art' is on show on the 36th floor of the Pullman Bangkok Hotel G, Silom Road, daily 10am to 7pm until Dec 28.

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Religious sensitivities no excuse for violence in Muslim world

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Ramu, Bangladesh -- Religious sensitivities cannot be used to justify violent attacks. A perceived insult against one’s faith is simply not an excuse for breaking the law. And it is not an excuse to persecute people with different religious beliefs.

The looting and destruction of Buddhist temples and monasteries in Bangladesh by thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims is the latest example of this dangerous and warped way of thinking.

The mob’s rationale: they were angry about a photo of a burned Koran allegedly posted on Facebook by a Buddhist boy. While these protesters demand respect for their religion, where is their respect for the religion of others?

The Buddhist minority in Bangladesh, a country of 150 million, has traditionally coexisted peacefully within the majority Muslim society; however, there are now fears of further sectarian violence. For its part, the government blamed the attack on Islamists, as well as on Muslim Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.

But the incident is not an isolated one; it comes on the heels of last month’s protests in Muslim countries over the offensive depiction of the Prophet Mohammed in a low-budget film produced by an Egyptian Copt living in the U.S.

This pattern of intolerance is alarming, and should concern religious leaders, as much as governments, because the violence is being committed in the name of Islam, and subverts what the religion actually stands for. Of course, minority religions across vast swaths of the world are subject to attacks, but religious minorities in the Muslim world, including Baha’is, Ahmadis, Zoroastrians and others, are particularly vulnerable because of the failure in many countries to guarantee freedom of religion, as well as the rise of Islamist governments in the wake of the Arab spring.

In Egypt, Christian Copts are concerned about the erosion of their religious rights. In Pakistan, the country’s blasphemy laws were recently used to arrest a Christian girl with mental disabilities who was accused of desecrating the pages of the Koran. A furious mob demanded she be punished. Last year, the country’s national Minister for Minorities – a Christian and a critic of the blasphemy law – was shot dead, In Nigeria, churches in the North have been destroyed by Boko Haram, the militant group trying to establish an Islamic state.

These acts of persecution against should be condemned. Entire communities should not have live in terror that a perceived insult of one’s faith will prompt indefensible acts of aggression.

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World Fellowship of Buddhists takes step towards promotion of animal welfare

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Colombo, Sri Lanka -- The World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) in its final Declaration read out at the conclusion of the 26th General Conference held in Yeosu, South Korea from June 11-16, 2012, called on humanity, among other things, to extend compassion and loving kindness to all living beings as advocated by the Buddha.

The placing of an emphasis by the WFB in its final Declaration on the need for greater moral concern to be shown for the welfare of other living beings was pursuant to the adoption of a Resolution by the WFB Standing Committee for Humanitarian Services chaired by Rev.  Ikuko Hibino of Japan (Chairperson) and Dr. Basumitra Barua of Bangladesh (Co- Chairperson)  during  the Conference to the effect that ‘ Humanitarian Services be extended to all living beings, not just human beings to be in line with the teachings of the Lord Buddha – ” Sabbe Satta Sukhita Hontu ” – ‘ Let All Beings be Happy‘.

This development in the expansion of the WFB mission to address the plight of not only human beings but also  that of other living creatures trapped in the unending cycle of Samsara was largely due to a move made prior to the commencement of the Conference by  Mr. Senaka Weeraratna, Hony. Secretary, German Dharmaduta Society, Regional Centre of the WFB based in Sri Lanka, who handed in a draft Resolution  sponsored by the German Dharmaduta Society calling for the establishment of an Animal Welfare sub – Committee to work under the aegis of the WFB Standing Committee for Humanitarian Services.

The full text of this draft Resolution reads as follows:    

Whereas

Buddhism places an unequivocal high emphasis on peace and non –violence, expresses moral concern and respect for the lives of all living beings on the indisputable basis that life is dear to all, and extols the cultivation of loving – kindness and compassion on par with that of a mother who protects with her life her only child, and calls on humanity to cherish all living beings with a boundless heart radiating kindness over the entire world (Karaniya Metta Sutta);

 Whereas

As much as the protection of the ecological environment including its living creatures is of paramount importance, and a moral and civic responsibility has been cast on humanity to prevent the rapid diminution of earth’s resources which are finite, likewise the curtailment of the abuse and cruelty committed on animals is a moral obligation that need to be emphasized and supported particularly by Buddhist Organisations committed to the propagation and spread, and practice of Buddhism;

 Whereas

The World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) has responded to the need for supporting humanitarian causes in the world by establishing a Standing Committee on Humanitarian Services;

It is Hereby Resolved by the General Council of the WFB at the WFB Korea Conference 2012 to establish a Sub – Committee on Animal Welfare under the aegis of the Standing Committee on Humanitarian Services:

i) To promote Animal Welfare generally in accordance with the Buddhist tenets of compassion for living beings,

ii)  To monitor legislation and enforcement of laws on Animal Protection and Welfare in various countries with a view to ushering in reform and updating of such legislation incorporating modern standards of treatment of animals, and

iii) To provide an Annual Report with Recommendations and Measures adopted towards the prevention of cruelty and abuse of animals; and promotion of animal welfare in the member countries of WFB, and in the rest of the world. 

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Buddhists march in Bangkok to speak out to the world to stop disrespecting Buddha

After being quiet for a long time on how the world uses Buddha's images and name in a disrespectful way, reportedly, Buddhists will be no be longer be queit. The Knowing Buddha organization is gathering a large group of Buddhists who don't want to be quiet any longer, and there message to the world is "Stop Disrespecting Buddha."

The March will contain signs to show that Buddha is their father religion, and they will show how the world should treats Buddha with a variety of signs. The high light of the March will be the enormous size signs depicting "Enough" on the Buddha Bar picture also the sign "No!" on the Disney movie "Snow Buddies" which use Buddha's name as a Dog.

Reportedly, there are many others business who using Buddha' images in commerce, and this will be reflected in the march. The KnowingBudda organization's purpose of the march is to improve awareness in the world, about how not to treat Buddha's images and name improperly. The KnowinBudda organization is non-profit charity, based in Thailand.

Mrs Acaharavadee Wongsakon, the foundation president, indicates that Buddha is the prophet of their religion and that it's fairly common that people should give respect to Buddha like other religious leaders - but if not, there should be no disrespect.

Mrs. Acharavadee Wongsakon, the Meditation master who is the founder and the President of Knowing Buddha organization said, "As a Buddhist, to love peace and tranquility dosen't mean you should not do what's right. We've been too quiet on these matters until the world misunderstood or forgot who Buddha is. The Buddha image is not meant for tattoo, furniture, any kind of logo, or to be used as merchandise. Once Buddhists see Buddha's image or sculptures they will immediately be reminded of his teachings and compassion; not how much money they can make or how much joy they can receive."

The organization notes that the Buddha Bar is the worst example that they have come across of shameless disrespect that encourages the world to follow their path. They urge them to stop using his name and symbol in their business.At the same time, the organization asks Disney to ask o stop using Buddha as a dog's name in their movie.

The KnowingBuddha foundation, indicates that the world have gone too far on these matters, but they have just started their work, and we will persist until the world is no longer using Buddha's image improperly.

The march is called 'Dharma Gratitude' and it will start at 5pm on Saturday at June 30th, at Khao San Road in Bngkok Thailand. The multi-nation tourists and the world will witness the Buddhist march in a way they have never seen. It will be truly unique and loud.

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3rd World Buddhist Forum opens in Hong Kong

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Hong Kong, China -- The Third World Buddhist Forum, the largest international Buddhist conference ever held in Hong Kong, opened on April 26, 2012.

At the beginning of the opening ceremony, led by President of the Hong Kong Buddhist Association Kok Kwong, President of the Buddhist Association of China Chuan Yin, the 11th Panchen Lama, Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu, all the participants, together with thousands of monks and Buddhist believers, bowed three times to the statue of Lord Sakyamuni Buddha and chanted the Heart Sutra, one of the most well - known Buddhist scripture.

The 11th Panchen Lama Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu, one of the two most senior living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism, delivered a keynote speech at the forum.

"The virtuous Buddha compassionately and skillfully opened the door to the Dharma, pointing out for us the way to choose between wholesome and unwholesome acts," said the 22-year-old Panchen Lama.

China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin congratulated the opening of the forum in a letter which was read out to the attendees by Zhu Weiqun, deputy head of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

During the two-day event, eminent monks, well-known scholars from home and abroad, including the Republic of Korea, Japan, India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Australia, the United States and Europe, will participate in seven sub-forums and several TV forums to discuss the propagation of Dharma teachings and the protection of Buddhist scriptures, and exchange ideas on the development of Buddhist education and the promotion of Buddhist charitable efforts..

A rare piece of the parietal bone of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, was flown to Hong Kong from east China's Jiangsu province on Wednesday for public worship. This is the first time the sacred remains is worshipped outside the Chinese mainland since it was unearthed in June 2010 in Jiangsu.

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"Peace to our Mind. Happiness to our World"

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Slogan for Buddha's Birthday 2012

Seoul, South Korea -- The celebration committee of the Jogye Order of Korea Buddhism announced this year’s slogan to be Peace to our Mind. Happiness to our World as they opened the Buddha’s Birthday celebration poster and art installation by Lim Ok Sang.

The Jogye Order had a contest in February and chose the slogan created by Ahn Ho Suk, “Peace to Our Mind. Happiness to our World” and the artist and installation artist Lim Ok Sang created two posters based on the slogan.

In the book “The Life of an Artist: For the artist Im Ok Sang” by poet Kim Jong Hwan, states, “...Although Im Ok Sang is known to be an artist of great societal knowledge, he has the ability to pinpoint the darkness and light of current times..”

The Yeondeunghoe Lantern Festival will be from May 18th to the 20th, 2012.

Below is the full schedule:

May 18 ~ 28 (Fri ~ Mon) Exhibition of Traditional Lanterns at Bongeun-sa Temple and Jogye sa temple.
May 19 (Sat) 7:00 ~ 9:30 pm Lotus Lantern Parade at Jongno Street (Dongdaemun ~ Jogye-sa Temple)
May 19 (Sat) 9:30 ~11:00 pm Hoehyang Hanmadang (Post-Parade Celebration) at Jonggak Intersection
May 20 (Sun) Noon ~ 6:00pm Traditional Cultural Performance at front of Jogye-sa Temple

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Gift to Courtauld will make London a world centre of Buddhist art studies

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Philanthropist Robert YC Ho's gift will fund the launch of an MA for research into Buddhist culture, as the British capital prepares to host a Buddhist art forum and film festival

London, UK -- London is set to seal its status as one of the leading western centres for the study and conservation of Buddhist art, following a remarkable private donation of more than £2.5m to the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.

<< Detail of a 17th-century wall painting in the Lama Lhakang, Trongsa Dzong, Bhutan. Photograph: Courtauld Institute and Bhutan department of culture

The gift comes from a devout Buddhist, Robert YC Ho, a Hong Kong benefactor who is continuing a family tradition of philanthropy that dates back to the 19th century.

The donation will allow the Courtauld to establish an endowment for a postgraduate degree devoted to Buddhist art, examining it from the points of view of religion, history and conservation.

The course will examine the vast heritage of Buddhist art, from painted cave temples along the Silk Road that linked Europe to the far east, to colossal sculptures, delicate porcelain artefacts and illuminated manuscripts.

Ho is also covering the cost of a major Buddhist art forum being staged by the Courtauld this week, which will bring together speakers from India, South Korea, China and Bhutan. Academics from around the world will be joined at the event by Matthieu Ricard, a Frenchman who is one of the world's best-known Buddhist monks.

A greater focus on non-western art has become a firm part of the Courtauld's long-term strategy. The institute's director, Professor Deborah Swallow, who is a former keeper of the V&A's Asian department and has a particular interest in Buddhist art, said the donation would allow the Courtauld to return to its pre-second world war roots.

During its first decade – the 1930s – the Courtauld included programmes in Chinese, Japanese and Indian art and archaeology. However its postwar director, Anthony Blunt, ceded responsibility for the "non-western" world to the School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas), leaving the Courtauld devoted to the western tradition.

Swallow said British universities were generally also restricting art history to western traditions. "We have felt the need to redress this imbalance… to embrace the arts of the world," she said.

The Ho donations have been made through the Robert HN Ho Family Foundation, a philanthropic organisation founded in 2005 by Ho's father, to promote Chinese culture and an understanding of Buddhism. It also supports Buddhist studies at other universities.

"Until now, Buddhism and Buddhist art and its conservation have been studied separately," said Ho. "We are delighted to support the integration of these fields in a new programme that will impact not only on academia, but on the preservation of irreplaceable treasures around the world."

There was a worldwide outcry in 2001 when the gigantic sixth-century Buddhas of the Bamyan valley in Afghanistan were dynamited by the Taliban. Other treasures have suffered decay as a result of indifference or neglect.

"For the first time," said Ho, "the conservation of Buddhist art will be the focus of academic and practical study rather than being a sideline or ignored completely." Among other themes, postgraduates will explore how far western conservation methods are appropriate to Buddhist art – for instance, some believe monastery wall paintings are too sacred to be touched by anyone but monks.

The Ho family fortune is derived from the shipping and property empire of Sir Robert Ho Tung (1862-1955), a philanthropist who gave much of his fortune to educational, cultural and medical causes. His wife, Clara Cheung, supported orphanages and homes for the blind. Their son, Ho Shai-lai, and grandson Robert HN Ho inherited the philanthropic gene and the great-grandson, Robert YC Ho, has devoted himself to cultural and medical research.

The Courtauld donation comes four years after the foundation funded its first significant museum project in the UK – a ground-breaking gallery for Buddhist sculpture, which houses an important collection in London's Victoria & Albert museum. The objects on view range from monumental Chinese temple sculptures to tiny portable gilded Buddhas.

London also boasts important Buddhist collections in the British Museum and the British Library, as well as, at Soas, the highest concentration of students of Buddhist studies at any university outside Asia. The Courtauld will collaborate with Soas on its new degree.

The Courtauld's conservation of wall painting department has recently focused research and conservation increasingly on Asia and the new programme will build on its work in China, India and Bhutan.

As the Observer reported last year, Courtauld experts have had unique access to Bhutan's hidden heritage, where many temples and objects are so remote that few westerners have ever seen them. They were astonished by the exquisite quality and technical sophistication of paintings that were largely unknown in the west.

The Courtauld experts are also working in China, teaching at Dunhuang – site of the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas – and will be taking their conservation expertise to the Indian Himalayas.

Many of these historic sites are also opening up to the west. Professor David Park of the Courtauld institute, who has been instrumental in setting up the new MA course, said: "Quite a few monasteries are building their own museums. They like tourists coming."

Bhutan, once very insular, is now opening up to outsiders.

The endowment coincides with the International Buddhist Film Festival in London this week – with films and documentaries, including one on the life of Buddha narrated by Richard Gere – and a visit to London by the Dalai Lama, who will receive the £1.1m Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion at a presentation on 14 May in a different place of worship – St Paul's Cathedral.

EASTERN JEWELS

Mogao Grottoes, above, Dunhuang, China

World Heritage Site. The world's largest complex of Buddhist wall paintings (over 45,000 sq metres) in 500 cave temples from the 4th to 14th centuries.

Borobudur, Indonesia

World Heritage Site. Vast sculptural 9th century decoration, including more than 3,000 high-quality sculptures.

Ajanta, India

World Heritage Site. Begun in the 2nd century BC, the wall paintings of the Ajanta caves were hugely influential.

The Diamond Sutra, British Library

Dated 868, this Chinese copy of the Diamond Sutra is the world's earliest surviving dated printed book.

Ancient Nara, Japan

World Heritage Site. Capital of Japan in 8th century, the temples and shrines include the Great Buddha Hall of the Todai-ji, largest wooden building in the world with the largest bronze Buddha.

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Adaptive Buddhist viewpoint relevant to modern world

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There are some lessons to be learned from a former Buddhist monk about nudging religion into the modern world, writes Ian Harris.

Otago, New Zealand -- Understanding religion from a secular viewpoint, without assuming any hotline to heaven, is the approach which many cutting-edge Christian thinkers take today. They are not abandoning their 2000-year heritage, but trying to give it substance in a vastly changed world.

And they are not alone. Some adherents of an even older tradition are on a parallel track, as became clear during the visit to New Zealand last month of a former Buddhist monk, Scottish-born Stephen Batchelor.

Author of seven books on Buddhism, Mr Batchelor has steeped himself in the diverse Buddhist traditions of Tibet, Korea and South-east Asia. Each of those cultures adapted the Buddha's teaching to fit their own times and circumstances, but Mr Batchelor does not identify with any of them.

Instead, he is bent on nudging Buddhism into the modern secular world. In this he has been strongly influenced by liberal Protestant thinkers of the past 70 years who have been pioneering a new path for Christianity.

"I found in them both the inspiration for a living transformation of religious tradition, and an example of it," he says.

For example, where scholars of the Jesus Seminar in the United States set most store on texts from the earliest years of the Christian era, Mr Batchelor goes back to Pali texts (a variety of Sanskrit) closest to Siddhartha Gautama, who lived some 450 years before Jesus. When the texts are studied in their ancient Jewish or Indian settings they reveal more clearly the original teachings of the founders of their faiths.

There are other parallels. Jesus the Christ (or anointed one) and Gautama the Buddha (or one who has awoken) are worshipped as God by millions of their followers. Secular-oriented scholars say they were never divine beings, but entirely human.

That frees both Jesus and Gautama to be re-imagined for our own time and place. Released from the elaborate theological and institutional structures built upon their memory, they emerge as men of extraordinary vision and insight.

Over centuries the teachings of Gautama and Jesus about a new way of life morphed into belief systems, but today their original emphasis is being increasingly affirmed.

There is obviously a tension here between loyalty to the tradition and responsibility to the future. Mr Batchelor fears the attempt to preserve the tradition intact is condemning it to irrelevance.

"The difference between modernity and the traditional Asian forms of Buddhism is now so great that in a secular world it is necessary to leave behind the belief system and move towards a way of living," he says.

"Belief-based religion is basically about consolation. It not only explains everything, but also shows how to achieve some sort of salvation - nirvana in Buddhism, heaven in Christianity. Putting the emphasis on pursuing a way of life in the here and now changes the dynamics completely."

Which explains why Buddhists seeking a credible modern faith are rejecting belief in reincarnation, while among Christians the classic creeds and rituals are losing their potency.

Meditation is so closely associated with Buddhism that in the West it has cornered the meditation market. Mr Batchelor sees a danger in that: it could reduce the ideal of cultivating the whole personality to a self-improvement technique. A religious culture cuts deeper than that.

The goals of Christianity and Buddhism - freedom grounded in love, integrity, mindfulness of the whole of life, and the courage to be fully the people we can be - also overlap.

And for secular Buddhists like Mr Batchelor, the gold is not the goal but the path they are on. Traditionally, the nirvana of bliss and inner peace is achieved through release from the cycle of death and rebirth. His modern expression of this is the stopping of deep habits of mind to cultivate another way of living, releasing people from being determined by their instinctual drives.

"That stopping is nirvana, even when it occurs only momentarily. It is an inner awakening, the resonance of the Buddha within."

Christians will see a parallel here with the apostle Paul's concept of the Christ within, a life-centred symbol of love, grace and transformation.

Mr Batchelor thinks an evolving Buddhism can learn from Christianity - and an evolving Christianity can learn from Buddhism, especially by recovering the contemplative tradition that was once so prominent in the churches.

The imaginative adaptation of both religions offers a philosophy, ethic, psychology and way of life that embraces all aspects of existence without the need to appeal to any supernatural order of being.

That will be a step too far for many, but for others a refreshing new prospect.

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Kalu Rinpoche's YouTube confessional sending shockwaves through the Buddhist world

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Young Kalu Rinpoche's traumatic revelations highlight the dissonance between Tibetan tradition and 21st-century life

London, UK -- He is 21, a handsome, charismatic Tibetan who describes being a lama as his job. He is passionately keen on music, he raps, break-dances and parties in capital cities around the globe.

<< Snapshot of Kalu Rinpoche's YouTube confession. Watch the video at the bottom of this page

Kalu Rinpoche chronicles his moods, his existential angst, his activities and philosophical insights on Facebook – and he recently broke the most profoundly entrenched Tibetan Buddhist taboo with a confessional video that received more than 23,000 hits on YouTube.

It is hardly surprising that Kalu is agonising over what the future holds for him. As a baby, he was recognised as the reincarnation of the deeply revered previous Kalu, who was one of two lamas largely responsible for the worldwide explosion of interest in Tibetan Buddhism during the late 1970s and throughout the 80s.

Old Kalu was seen as a bodhisattva – a person who has attained a level of realisation similar to that of the historical Buddha. He spent 13 years in solitary retreat as a hermit yogi in eastern Tibet, before escaping to India following the Chinese invasion. Kalu had his headquarters in the Himalayan foothills, but he spent the rest of his life travelling the world, setting up meditation centres, teaching and attending to the needs of many thousands of followers.

Old Kalu died in 1989 after establishing a formidable reputation. He was an impossible act to follow, leaving his successor with responsibility for over 70 centres across four continents, together with a duty of care for the spiritual wellbeing of the people involved in them. Young Kalu's father, Gyaltsen, was old Kalu's personal assistant. In his confessional video, young Kalu says the traumatic events he experienced during his teenage years started after his father died when he was nine.

He relates how he was moved to a different monastery and at the age of 12 was sexually abused by older monks. He goes on to reveal that when he refused to obey instructions, his tutor tried to kill him.

"It was all about money, power and control," he says.

Kalu did the traditional three-year retreat from the age of 15, but after that his training came to an abrupt end. "I went crazy," he says. "I became a drug addict and an alcoholic."

Kalu's exposure on the internet of the dark underbelly of Tibetan monastic life is unprecedented in modern times. People who knew his predecessor say that he was sometimes critical in private, but the rule in lama land is that you never air your grievances to the outside world. Above all, you never cause loss of face by criticising a fellow lama in public.

The shock that reverberated across the Tibetan Buddhist community following these revelations is still making waves. In his Facebook posts, young Kalu seems undecided about what to do next. He is no longer a monk and appears to have moved on from drug and alcohol excess, but there is no teaching schedule for 2012 on his website.

The respected British lama Jampa Thaye sympathises with Kalu: "Ideally, a young incarnate lama should be given time to mature – intellectually and in contemplation," he says. "But all too often they are thrust into teaching tours in order to raise funds for their monasteries or in Kalu's case, the organisation he inherited from his predecessor." Lama Jampa points out that Kalu does not benefit from "the protective cocoon of a monastery" and also has to cope with the unrestrained adoration of his western devotees: "No wonder he's floundering. Sadly, I think his suffering will continue for some time. In my view the best thing he could do is try to live an ordinary life."

According to his recent public utterances, Kalu has this idea in mind. Instead of urging his followers into the study and long retreats essential to serious Tibetan Buddhist practice, he asks them to be kind to each other and to take care of the poor and the needy. He often talks about love and insists that he is just an ordinary person doing his best to lead a good life.

Young Kalu demonstrated his moral fibre shortly after he first arrived in France to check out the meditation centres set up by old Kalu. He discovered that one of them had been taken over by a group of corrupt Bhutanese monks, who were breaking their vows and wallowing in self-indulgence. Most of the French Buddhists who had supported the centre for many years had fled in disgust and the place was no longer functional. Horrified and distressed, Kalu ordered the monks to leave. They refused to acknowledge his authority and were only persuaded to return to Bhutan after Kalu enlisted backup from Tai Situ Rinpoche, the senior lama of his lineage.

At the age of 21, Kalu has been traumatised by an attempt on his life, sexual abuse and a massive load of expectations and responsibilities. He is a deracinated Tibetan, born in exile – and also a high-profile guru with a worldwide following.

The intensity of his experiences so far highlights the cultural dissonance between Tibetan tradition and the challenges of 21st-century life in the developed world. Kalu is probably seen as a loose canon by older lamas, but he gets away with it because of his status. In one sense he is a victim, but perhaps he will turn out to be a pioneer. Or a bit of both.

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Follow Lord Buddha's path for world peace: Dalai Lama

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Bodh Gaya, India -- Tibetan spiritual leader, The Dalai Lama, today asked Buddhist devotees to follow the path of Lord Buddha for promoting world peace.

<< Buddhist monks take shelter from the rain during a teaching session being addressed by the Dalai Lama on the first day of the Kalachakra festival in Bodhgaya January 1, 2012 - Reuters pic

Buddhism should not only be viewed as a tradition but taken up as a matter of study and exercise, the Dalai Lama said while addressing devotees who had assembled at Bodh Gaya, a place where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment during Kalchakra Puja at Kalchakra ground here.

He described Lord Buddha as "an ancient ideologue and scientist of the religion and I am following the path of Buddha as a teacher for maintenance of world peace." The Tibetan spiritual leader conveyed his New Year's greetings to the devotees who had assembled here from all over the globe.

Enthusiasm was visible among the devotees who braved inclement weather condition and rains during the religious discourse by the Dalai Lama. Tight security was in place for the Kalchakra Puja.

The Dalai Lama had arrived here yesterday from Himachal Pradesh to participate in the 10-day Kalchakra Puja, which has religious importance in Buddhism. The Tibetan spiritual leader also offered prayers at the Mahabodhi temple here.

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World Buddhism relic specialists to meet in Taipei

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Taipei, Taiwan -- Renowned Buddhism heritage specialists from around the world are scheduled to meet in Taipei Oct. 21-22 to discuss how to protect the birthplace of Buddha and rebuild the historical site into a cultural heritage for the whole world.

The 2011 Oriental Cultural Heritage Sites Protection Alliance international academic symposium will take place at the Taipei National University of the Arts in Guandu, Taipei, under the theme "From South Asia to Taiwan -- Cultural Heritage, History's Memories, Buddhist Art."

German Tibetologist Christophe Cueppers, director of the Lumbini Research Institute in Nepal, will be one of the main speakers at the symposium and talk about the "sacred site Lumbini."

Yukio Nishimura, a Tokyo University professor and an adviser to the Paris-based Oriental Cultural Heritage Sites Protection Alliance, will also speak on the UNESCO program for the preservation and development of world cultural heritage sites, focusing on the birthplace of Buddha at Lumbini, Nepal.

Basanta Kumar Bidari, a chief archaeologist with the Lumbini Development Trust in Nepal, will speak on the "role of religious communities in the world heritage property of Lumbini."

Roland Lin, a specialist for UNESCO World Heritage Center and a researcher with the Far East Research Center of University Paris, Sorbonne, France, will speak on the Afghanistan Bamiyan Buddhas in the Bamiyan Valley 10 years after they were destroyed.

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Engaging the world through Buddhism

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Washington, D.C. (USA) -- Engaged Buddhism refers to Buddhists who are seeking ways to practically apply insights from their meditation practice and spiritual teachings to social, political, environmental, and economic suffering and injustice.

<< Practitioners listen as Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama speaks during the Kalachakra for World Peace at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC, July 6, 2011. (SAUL LOEB - AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

While the roots of Engaged Buddhism may be found in the teachings and actions of the Buddha himself, and other great teachers of the past, Engaged Buddhism can also be understood principally as a movement that began in the late 19th century as a response to Western colonialism in Asia. It is best known through its political movements, such as the struggles by the Tibetan, Burmese, and Vietnamese Buddhists for self-determination, democracy, and peace.

Engaged Buddhism is not simply being a Buddhist and involvement in politics and social justice. Rather, Engaged Buddhists critically and creatively apply the Buddha’s teachings to transform themselves and their societies. Thich Nhat Hanh of Vietnam, Ajan Maha Ghosanand of Cambodia, The Dalai Lama of Tibet, Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma, and Ajan Sulak Sivaraksa of Thailand are modern-day leaders who embody Engaged Buddhist principals and have guided organizations such as the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, the International Network of Engaged Buddhist, and the Zen Peacemakers.

When I first went to Tibet in the late 1990s, I was on a pilgrimage and did not intend to involve myself with politics in general, nor practice Engaged Buddhism. The roadmap for my pilgrimage was the far-ranging travels across Tibet by a 19th century mystic known as Tertön Sogyal. I meditated among hermits in remote sanctuaries and slept in caves where Tertön Sogyal had experienced spiritual visions. On foot, on horseback, and in dilapidated buses, I crossed the same snow-covered passes that he had used to travel from eastern Tibet to Lhasa. I was searching out the living masters and yogis who uphold Tertön Sogyal’s spiritual lineage and could tell me the oral history of his life and teachings.

But my pilgrimage took an unexpected turn.

The more time I spent in Tibet delving into the 19th-century teachings of Tertön Sogyal, the more often I met Tibetans who wanted to tell me their stories of frustration and suffering in what they see as Chinese occupation of their country. And the Tibetans spoke of their never-ending hope that one day the exiled Dalai Lama would return to Tibet. Traveling as a Buddhist pilgrim, I gained the trust of Tibetans. Political prisoners who had experienced abuse and torture in Chinese prisons showed me scars. Monks and nuns who had been kicked out of their monasteries gave me their expulsion notices from the local security bureau. I was taken to meet a Buddhist leader who had been scalded with boiling water and then jailed for five years for publicly praying to the Dalai Lama.

Tibetans not only told me their stories, but early into my pilgrimage they asked me to spirit such firsthand accounts of human rights abuses out of Tibet and into the hands of Western governments and advocacy groups. I became a courier of often-graphic accounts of torture and abuse. This required evading China’s vast security network of plainclothes security agents, undercover cops in monk’s robes, and sophisticated cyber police. I began photographing Chinese secret prisons where Tibetan monks and nuns are incarcerated for their Buddhist beliefs. The decade-long journey in Tertön Sogyal’s footsteps became a different kind of pilgrimage -- one that became the dual narrative of the book In the Shadow of the Buddha; Secret Journey, Sacred Histories, and Spiritual Discovery in Tibet.

While I do not claim to have benefited anyone from my human rights work, I can say that I have tried to apply what the Buddha and my teachers have taught me about acting for the benefit of others. This is how I entered the path of Engaged Buddhism. I have given voice to what I have witnessed. I know in politics, ultimately, there are no winners, for every politician will die and every government will eventually fall -- the real question is not if a political system will survive, but when will it fail, Because everything is impermanent, including politicians and their governments, we have a responsibility to affect change that will bring about the conditions right now for others to find contentment and happiness. For me this is Engaged Buddhism.

Like many others who have been profoundly affected by Tibet’s unique wisdom culture, I cannot let the world forget about Tibet. China wants governments and people around the world to forget about Tibet, to turn their backs on monks, nuns, musicians and bloggers who languish in prison for their religious beliefs and their peaceful expression of political views. It is the responsibility of those who have the freedom to travel, to write, and express our opinions, to talk to our governments -- and to not only bear witness but act to change injustice. This is why I documented China’s human rights abuses in Tibet and why I wrote In the Shadow of the Buddha. I do not expect everyone to take up the Tibet issue. That is not my reason for writing. Rather, it is my hope that wherever we find ourselves in the world, we never lose hope and faith and a sense of responsibility to those who are suffering in our family, in our community, or in other countries.

I believe progressing on our spiritual path means doing what each of us needs to do to for ourselves to bring about true and lasting contentment, beyond suffering. And accomplishing the path of social engagement means creating the conditions for others to find that same lasting satisfaction. These are the commitments I’ve learned from my venerable teachers, and ones that I continue to take with me.

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Matteo Pistono, author of recently released “In the Shadow of the Buddha: Secret Journeys, Sacred Histories, and Spiritual Discovery in Tibet,”  will be contributing to On Faith during the Dalai Lama’s visit to Washington D.C., and tweeting from the Verizon center (Twitter:@matteopistono).

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