Buddhist Karma: religion

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Monday, August 6, 2012

Ensure freedom of religion without deceit

Home Asia Pacific South Asia Sri Lanka

Colombo, Sri Lanka -- “The accepted theory of freedom of religion is the freedom to believe in any particular religion of one’s own choice, changing one’s religion should be a personal decision taken independent of any coercion, influence, terror, deceit or secrecy.”

The above is an excerpt from Chapter 6 (page 89) of the report of the Commission that the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress appointed to inquire and report on the unethical conversions of Buddhists to other religions. The English edition of the 385-page report was ceremonially launched under the patronage of World Federation of Buddhists Vice President Dr. Ananda W.P. Guruge at the ACBC Hall, Colombo on July 2.

The commission has recommended that the Bill to prevent unethical conversions grafted after prolonged discussions between Buddhist and Hindu organizations be forthwith placed before parliament as a government bill instead of reintroducing the private member’s bill that lapsed at the end of the last parliamentary sessions.

The commission notes that the Christian religious community was conspicuous in its united and outright opposition to the Bill to prohibit religious conversions by unethical means. The commission wants Buddhist organizations meet this challenge at national and regional levels by bringing pressure upon their respective MPs to get the Bill passed in parliament.

“To make this legislation meaningful, the State shall give assurance to the Buddhist public to undertake the issue and directives and regulations needed to implement it. If the government hesitates to take such steps, a sustained pressure shall be brought on it at a national level unabated. The All Ceylon Buddhist Congress should give leadership to this movement mustering the active participation of all other Buddhist organizations in the country.”

The commission has also called for banning non-governmental organizations from implementing any projects that directly or indirectly provide facilities to lure people into unethical conversions. This includes incorporating strict conditions to ensure the transparency of the activities of foreign companies who arrive in Sri Lanka on investment agreements with the Board of Investment.

Among the other recommendations is the need for enforcing stricter laws when issuing visas to foreigners visiting Sri Lanka. The commission wants the visas issued to those arrived in this country under the pretext of engaging in social service projects, but are found engaged in missionary activities to be cancelled.

The commission observes the main reason for the success of unethical conversions has been the ability to entice poverty-stricken people by providing them with financial and material assistance. It has been revealed that a very high percentage of such funding is provided by foreign sources. The Buddhist community and Buddhist organizations do not possess such economic resources to counter this threat, states the report. It cites an extract from the Sri Lanka Telecom Directory 2008, showing 261 different Christian churches and organizations in the Western Province alone.

The report also warns that unethical conversion to other religions would lead to conflict situations, which are then reported by some local newspapers particularly in the English media “casting malicious, wrathful, partisan false aspersions against Buddhists.”

According to the commissioners “The reporting of these falsified news are intended for dissemination by the foreign media, which highlight these as atrocities committed against minor religious groups”.

Speaking at the launching ceremony Ven Prof Induragarey Dhammarathana, Sanskrit Studies Faculty, Kelaniya University said Sri Lanka’s Buddhist population had dropped to 61 percent according to the latest census whereas when he was young the percentage was 79 percent. He did not rule out the possibility that the next census would show the percentage coming down to 51 indicating that Sri Lanka was gradually losing her Buddhist identity.

Dr. Ananda Guruge, delivering the keynote address said that he, having been associated with the Buddhist Committee of Inquiry of 1956, was sad to see Buddhists continued to face the same problems. No proper steps had been taken to deal with them for the past 60 years. According to him, it is the very reason for the current crisis. The biggest problem was the flow of unlimited foreign funds to evangelists and proselytizers for converting the poor and to mislead the young. He assured, he would draw the attention of the world Buddhist community to unethical conversions in Sri Lanka.

ACBC President Jagath Sumathipala appointed the commission on June 11, 2006 at the historical Mihintale sacred site with retired Supreme Court Judge Sarath Gunatilleke as its Chairman. The Commission first issued its report in Sinhala in 2009 after touring the country for almost four years collecting evidence on unethical conversions from the Buddhist clergy and the laity. A total of 348 witnesses had given evidence before the commission.

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Thursday, March 22, 2012

Religion, state government should not be mixed

By: OANow Staff | Opelika-Auburn News
Published: March 18, 2012 Updated: March 18, 2012 - 6:00 AM » Comments | Post a Comment This is not an argument against the Ten Commandments. But government’s intervention in regards to religion is a dangerous, slippery slope.

State Sen. Gerald Dial, R-Lineville, proposed an amendment in the State Legislature last week that would re-write Alabama’s Constitution and allow public schools or other public bodies the right to display the Ten Commandments. Basically, the amendment says the schools’, or bodies’, right to display the Ten Commandments would not be “restrained or abridged.”

Dial’s plan passed in committee last Tuesday. It was ruled in 2002 that a Ten Commandments monument installed in the Alabama state judicial building was unconstitutional as it “violated the U.S. Constitution’s ban of a state establishment of religion.”

Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who won Tuesday’s Republican primary in an effort to re-gain his seat, was removed from his seat in 2006 over this issue. The timing of Moore’s election victory and this amendment’s passage in committee raises eyebrows.

Government needs to leave religion alone. Jesus instructed us to “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.” We would do well to remember that.

History has shown us time and again what happens when government and religion begin to mix and none of those examples have gone well, for the governments nor for religion. The quickest, most certain way to erode religious and civil freedoms is to allow politicians too much time in the pulpit or allow preachers to dictate morality outside of their own congregations.

We are a country and a state made up of many religious traditions. Diversity is our strength. No one is being discriminated against by deciding not to add more religious symbolism to governmental buildings. However, when you start putting the Ten Commandments inside schools, what’s going to happen when Muslim students, parents or educators demand equal access?

What if there happens to be a principal at a school who just happens to be Buddhist and decides a statute of Buddha would be a good addition to the school’s administrative offices?

Do we really want the folks on Goat Hill deciding exactly which God the rest of us should recognize on public property?

Current Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Chuck Malone, who was beaten by Moore in Tuesday’s Republican primary and is a deacon at First Baptist Church of Tuscaloosa, recently told the Opelika-Auburn News that the Ten Commandments should not be on display in government buildings if that is what the federal government demands. He did say, however, that the Ten Commandments should instead be instilled in our hearts.

Last we checked, the federal government has no access to our personal thoughts or beliefs. Let’s keep it that way.

Terms and Conditions

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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Separating religion from politics

Home Asia Pacific North Asia S/N Korea News & Issues

Seoul, South Korea -- Seven out of ten people are against religious people participating in political affairs

According to the polls regarding Church and State separation by the Religious Freedom Policy Research Center, 7 out of 10 South Korean citizens were against Religious People participating in political affairs.

The Religious Freedom Policy Research Center announced the results of their poll at the Manhae NGO education center during the 2012 Manhae festival symposium entitled “Can the Church and State be separated?” on March 6th, 2012.

The Research Center published an abridged version of their results on March 5th.

According to the polls, 67.2% agreed that the church and state should be separated, 12.9% disagreed, and 20% answered “doesn’t matter.”

The polls were taken on February 27th 2012, from 1,000 randomly picked males and females through the ARS system. The reliance level was 95%.

The Religious Freedom Policy Research Center stated, “Most of our people would like to have the church and state to be separated so these results should serve as an caution to the recent religious people who stated that they will participate in Politics, or to the politicians who use religion as their campaign tactics.”

The Religious Freedom Policy Research Center commented that “religious people gain the most trust in their religion when and only when they are committed to their religious duties.”

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Friday, January 13, 2012

Religion News: 10 countries with the largest number of Christians

These are some of the key findings of a new report released by the Pew Research Center, called Global Christianity: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population, which provides data on the world's Christian population by region, country and tradition.

• Almost half (48 percent) of all Christians live in the 10 countries with the largest number of Christians. Three of the top 10 are in the Americas (the United States, Brazil and Mexico). Two are in Europe (Russia and Germany); two are in the Asia-Pacific region (the Philippines and China); and three are in sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia), reflecting Christianity's global reach.

• Christians are diverse theologically as well as geographically. About half are Catholic. Protestants, broadly defined, make up 37 percent. Orthodox Christians comprise 12 percent of Christians worldwide. Other Christians, such as Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses, make up the remaining 1 percent of the global Christian population.

• Taken as a whole, Christians are by far the world's largest religious group. Muslims, the second-largest group, make up a little less than a quarter of the world's population, according to previous studies by the Pew Forum.

• Although Christianity began in the Middle East-North Africa, that region today has both the lowest concentration of Christians (about 4 percent) and the smallest number of Christians (about 13 million) of any major geographic region.

• Although Christians comprise just under a third of the world's people, they form a majority of the population in 158 countries and territories, about two-thirds of all the countries and territories in the world.

• Nigeria now has more than twice as many Protestants (broadly defined to include Anglicans and independent churches) as Germany, the birthplace of the Protestant Reformation.

• About 90 percent of Christians live in countries where Christians are in the majority; only about 10 percent of Christians worldwide live as minorities.

Week in Religion

- Jan. 4, 1915, Democrat Moses Alexander, 62, was sworn in as governor of Idaho. He was the first elected Jewish governor in the U.S.

- Jan. 5, 1531, Pope Clemens VII forbids English King Henry VIII to re-marry.

- Jan. 6, 548, this was the last year the Church in Jerusalem observed the birth of Jesus on this date. (Celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25 began in the late 300s in the Western Church.)

-- William D. Blake, Almanac of the Christian Church

Good Book?

"The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears" by Mark Batterson

What impossibly big dream is God calling you to draw a prayer circle around? Sharing inspiring stories from his own experiences as a circle maker, Pastor Mark Batterson will help you uncover your heart's deepest desires and God-given dreams and unleash them through the kind of audacious prayer that God delights to answer.

-- Zondervan

Quote of the week

"There is nothing like a calm look into the eternal world to teach us the emptiness of human praise." -- Scottish clergyman Robert Murray McCheyne

The Word

Christian Coalition: A group of political conservatives who generally also represent conservative theological views. It was founded in 1989 by televangelist Pat Robertson and is considered the successor to the Moral Majority, founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell in 1979.

-- religioustolerance.org

Religion Around the World

Religious makeup of 1995 census

Christian: 26.3 percent

Buddhist: 23.2 percent

Other or unknown: 1.3 percent

None: 49.3 percent

- CIA Factbook

GateHouse News Service

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Sanskrit doesn’t belong to any race or religion: PM

Sanskrit doesn’t belong to any race or religion: PM - Times Of India You are here: Home>Collections>ReligionSanskrit doesn’t belong to any race or religion: PMTNN Jan 6, 2012, 01.42AM ISTTags:sanskrit|Manmohan Singh

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said like the Indian civilization, Sanskrit does not belong to any particular race, sect or religion. Sanskrit, he said, is the spirit of India.

Addressing the 15th World Sanskrit Conference in the Capital, Singh said the spirit of liberalism and tolerance embedded in it must be inculcated in our present-day life. He said the government will further strengthen efforts for promotion, development and enrichment of the ancient language. "Like the civilization of India, Sanskrit does not belong to any particular race, sect or religion. It represents a culture that is not narrow and sectarian but open tolerant and all-embracing...It is this spirit of liberalism and tolerance embedded in Sanskrit that we must inculcate in our present-day life," Singh said.

Singh noted that Sanskrit, which is recognized as one of the oldest living languages in world, is often misunderstood as only a language of religious hymns and rituals. "Such an understanding does great injustice to the great genius of the language and betrays ignorance of the work of great writers, thinkers, sages and scientists like Kautilya, Charaka, Sushruta, Aryabhata, Varahmihira, Brahmagupta, Bhaskaracharya and others," he said. Maintaining that Sanskrit has a treasure of knowledge of mathematics, medicines, botany, chemistry, arts and humanities, the PM said if we provide the missing links and establish the required inter-disciplinary approaches, the wisdom of Sanskrit has the potential of enriching the present-day knowledge systems and Indian languages immensely. He said the government is committed to promotion and the development of Sanskrit.

HRD minister Kapil Sibal emphasized on inclusion of contemporary concepts into old Sanskrit texts on various subjects, including science and medicines, to widen the language's scope and make them relevant and useful in the present day situations. He called for a "little introspection" on the issue, while noting that the study of the rich and vast Sanskrit texts on these subjects has not been continued in the present era. "We all recognize that works in Sanskrit had greatly contributed to subjects like astronomy, astrology, economics, political science, ethics, logic, philosophy architecture, ayurveda, botany, zoology, physiology to name a few. These were subjects in themselves, which is quite different from studying of Sanskrit language per se," he said.

The six-day event, being organized by the HRD ministry and International Association of Sanskrit Studies (IASS) and attended by scholars and delegates from around 32 countries, will deliberate on a diverse range of topics like poetry, drama and aesthetics, scientific literature, Buddhist studies, Jain studies, Sanskrit and regional languages and literatures, and Vedas.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Book review: 'Beyond Religion' by the Dalai Lama

For most of his 76 years, the 14th Dalai Lama has been the spiritual light for followers of Tibetan Buddhism, his every word parsed for guidance to living a better, more fulfilling life. Awarded the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, the Dalai Lama has been an outspoken advocate for compassion, meditation and religious tolerance.

Now, as he steps down as leader of Tibet, the perpetually smiling monk in saffron and burgundy robes makes in "Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World" what some may regard as a heretical pronouncement: You don't need religion to lead a happy and ethical life.

Amid the clash of global, multicultural societies and religious values today, he argues in his new book that what is more important is "an approach to ethics which makes no recourse to religion and can be equally accessible to those with faith and those without; a secular ethics."

A metaphor the Dalai Lama likes to use goes like this: The difference between ethics and religion is like the difference between water and tea. Ethics without religious content is water, a critical requirement for health and survival. Ethics grounded in religion is tea, a nutritious and aromatic blend of water, tea leaves, spices, sugar and, in Tibet, a pinch of salt.

"But however the tea is prepared, the primary ingredient is always water," he says. "While we can live without tea, we can't live without water. Likewise, we are born free of religion, but we are not born free of the need for compassion."

This is anything but a book denouncing faith. But some readers, particularly those with strong religious beliefs, are bound to find the Dalai Lama's argument troubling. Even the power of prayer has dissipated in his eyes. "In fact, I consider prayer to be of immense psychological benefit," he says. "But we must accept that its tangible results are often hard to see. When it comes to obtaining certain, direct results, it is clear that prayer cannot match the achievements of, for instance, modern science."

This volume could be viewed as the distillation of the Dalai Lama's lifelong interest in science and its evolving understanding of consciousness, subjective experience, rhythms of nature and the fabric of the universe. It draws heavily from personal recollections and regular meetings with researchers in the fields of physics, cosmology, biology, psychology and neuroscience.

In language that is relaxed and clear, the Dalai Lama suggests that a concern for the welfare of others, "when combined with reflection on our personal experiences and coupled with simple common sense, can, I believe, offer a strong case for the benefits of cultivating basic human values that does not rely on religious principles or faith at all. And I welcome this."

Buddhism, which has a history of adapting to changing times and cultures, was founded by Siddhartha Gautama in India about the 6th century BC and then spread to China, Japan, Korea, Tibet and Vietnam. It arrived in the United States in the 19th century and was popularized in the 1950s and 1960s by the likes of Buddhist missionary D.T. Suzuki, author Alan Watts and beat poet Allen Ginsberg. Today a new American hybrid of Buddhism is blossoming, fed by a large representation of Jewish practitioners.

Some may disagree with the Dalai Lama's perspective, but he does a credible job of arguing why we should "move beyond our limited sense of closeness to this or that group or identity, and instead cultivate a sense of closeness to the entire human family."

"The sequencing of the human genome, for example, has shown that racial differences constitute only a tiny fraction of our genetic makeup, the vast majority of which is shared by all of us," the Dalai Lama writes. "In fact, at the genome level, the differences between individuals appear more pronounced than those between different races. The time has come I believe for each of us to start thinking and acting on the basis of an identity rooted in the phrase 'we human beings.'"

Given that the Dalai Lama has given more time to getting in touch with his inner-Buddha than anyone else alive, his book offers a fascinating approach to moral guidance in an age of technological globalization and multicultural societies.

louis.sahagun@latimes.com

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Saturday, October 29, 2011

Buddhist religion cultivates inner peace, compassion

BLAIR LOCKHART / The Daily Reveille

Practicing Buddhist and English literature senior Zach Jenkins meditates Oct. 6 in front of Dodson Auditorium fountain.

Assume the lotus position, focus on breathing deeply, acknowledge thoughts as they present themselves, then let them go as you drift toward inner peace.

This is what Zach Jenkins, practicing Buddhist and English literature senior, does several times a week to meditate.

"Buddhism helps me maintain an aura of positive energy," Jenkins said.

Jenkins first became interested in Buddhism a year ago when working at Teavana, a national chain of tea shops. One day, a customer sparked a conversation with him about a Buddha-shaped teapot and a discussion about Buddhism ensued.

"I had always been interested in Eastern religions, so I went to check out the Buddhist Temple in town," Jenkins said.

Buddhism is a tradition established in fifth century B.C. in India, said Paula Arai, associate professor of Asian religions.

"It was based on the teachings of Shakyamuni, a prince who asked questions on how to experience liberation and peace while knowing people suffer," Arai said.

She said Buddhism differs from other religions because it provides a path for followers to break the cycle of suffering, which is caused by three poisons – delusion, greed and hatred.

To be liberated from suffering, one needs to dissolve the three poisons, she said. Afterward, the person is left with the freedom to be compassionate.

"There are many kinds of meditation," Arai said. "All are effective tools to remedy the poisons of suffering."

Jenkins practices Zen Buddhism, a school of thought within Mahayana, the most popular of the three branches of Buddhism.

"The point is to focus on the here and now. With each new breath, new life enters you," Jenkins said.

The Buddhist said he likes how his religion is "really free" and does not condemn the tenets of other religions. Jenkins was born into a family that practices Catholicism, and he said his mother and friends are supportive of his religion.

"My father is a staunch Catholic," Jenkins said. "I consider our talks about religion as discussions of growth."

Arai said she has noted a high proportion of Buddhist converts come from a Catholic background. She said Buddhism is similar to Catholicism because they both involve daily rituals, and they both engage the body and mind.

Jenkins said the philosophy behind Zen Buddhism has helped him maintain mindfulness in his life.

"It helps me move past mistakes without lingering too much on the past," Jenkins said.

Jenkins said he always sees a variety of people when he visits the Tam Bao Temple on Monterrey Boulevard. There are people from all walks of life at the temple, from 40-year veterans to people just getting started, he said.

Thich Dao Quang, Abbot at the Tam Bao Temple, said attendance at his temple has increased since he began working there in 2003.

"Friday nights we have a meditation group of 65 to 70 people. Many are young people," Quang said.

He said many people visit the temple on Friday nights because the meditation and open discussion service are spoken in English, rather than Quang's native Vietnamese. Tam Bao Temple holds its English service every Friday at 7:30 p.m.

"There is tons you can learn from Buddhism; it helps develop skills which transcend all religions," Jenkins said.

____

Contact Josh Naquin at jnaquin@lsureveille.com

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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Buddhist religion cultivates inner peace, compassion

Home The Americas US West

Faith employs healing meditations

Baton Rouge, CA (USA) -- Assume the lotus position, focus on breathing deeply, acknowledge thoughts as they present themselves, then let them go as you drift toward inner peace.

<< BLAIR LOCKHART / The Daily Reveille
Practicing Buddhist and English literature senior Zach Jenkins meditates Oct. 6 in front of Dodson Auditorium fountain.