Buddhist news around the world

Buddhist News and Khmer News

Work on Buddhist relics, 80 years on - Traces of settlement dating back centuries

Calcutta, April 1: The Archaeological Survey of India and the West Bengal State Archaeology Department have started excavating what could be a sixth or seventh century Buddhist settlement in Murshidabad over 80 years after its discovery. Read more

Seeing the Teaching: Scholarship of the Buddha

What is lacking in the world today is loving-kindness or goodwill. Read more

India holy man quits after sex claim

Nithyananda Swami's announcement came weeks after a video emerged apparently showing him engaging in sexual acts with two women. Read more

Jizo Figures at Zojo-ji

When a baby is stillborn in Japan, it’s supposedly common practice to have a ceremony called “Mizuko kuyō”. The statues in these photographs are representative of the Buddhist diety “Jizō”, often seen as the guardian of children and travelers. Read more

Baby starves to death as parents nurse online child

A couple hooked to the internet in South Korea raised an online child but let their own baby daughter starve to death, a media report said. Read more

Rare Buddhist flower found under nun's washing machine

The Udumbara flower was found in the home of a Chinese nun in Lushan Mountain, Jiangxi province, China. Read more

The Cultural Genocide

The 50th anniversary of a failed Tibetan revolt against Chinese rule.
The Dalai Lama of Tibet: "TIBET TODAY IS HELL ON EARTH". Read more

Tibetans-in-exile mark centenary of 13th Dalai Lama's exile to India

Dharamsala, Feb 25 : The Tibetans living in exile in India marked the centenary of the 13th Dalai Lama's exile to India here today. Read more

Monks With Guns: Discovering Buddhist Violence

The publication of Buddhist Warfare, a book I co-edited with Mark Juergensmeyer, is a bittersweet experience as it marks the culmination of a journey that began with an exploration of the peaceful aspects of Buddhism only to end up chronicling portions of its dark side. This journey, which consumed much of the last six years of my life, began in 2003 when my wife and I spent a little over a year in Thailand. It was then that I began to research Buddhist social activism which was going to be the topic of my dissertation.
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Zen master accuses Vietnam's government of paying mobs to evict his followers

HANOI, Vietnam — A famous Zen master has accused Vietnam's communist government of hiring mobs of people to violently evict his Buddhist followers from two monasteries.
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UPR Session

By karmatoons.blogspot.com Read more

Scientists say dolphins should be treated as 'non-human persons'

Dolphins have been declared the world’s second most intelligent creatures after humans, with scientists suggesting they are so bright that they should be treated as “non-human persons”. Read more

'Illegal' Vietnam Buddhists leave temple: abbot

'Illegal' Vietnam Buddhists leave temple: abbot. Read more

Buddhist prayers for Indian Ocean tsunami victims in Aceh

Hundreds of Buddhist residents on Sunday joined a prayer in front of a mass cemetery for people who died in the deadly 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that hit Aceh five years ago. Read more

Vietnamese Buddhists seek asylum in France

Hundreds of Vietnamese followers of a radical Buddhist leader have called on the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, to grant them temporary asylum, a week after they were attacked by vigilantes allegedly hired by the Vietnamese authorities. Read more

The truth is I've never fooled anyone

The truth is I've never fooled anyone. I've let people fool themselves. They didn't bother to find out who and what I was. Instead they would invent a character for me. I wouldn't argue with them. They were obviously loving someone I wasn't. When they found this out, they would blame me for disillusioning them and fooling them. Read more

Threatened Buddhists to leave Vietnam temple: Abbot

HANOI, Dec 11 (AFP) - The head of a Buddhist pagoda in Central Vietnam said Friday that followers of an influential French-based monk can no longer seek shelter with him following three days of mob pressure. Read more

Vietnam crowd blocks EU probe of Buddhist conflict

An angry crowd disrupted a meeting Wednesday between European Union representatives and followers of a famous Buddhist monk involved in a tense standoff with Vietnamese authorities, a Swedish diplomat said Wednesday. Read more

Nobel Peace Prize proposed for Master Cheng Yen

Taipei, Taiwan -- This year's Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to President Barack Obama of the United States, albeit he doesn't seem to have done anything to contribute to world peace. Well, that may be the reason why a German Nobel laureate on a brief visit to Taipei is planning to nominate Venerable Dharma Master Cheng Yen for that prize next year.
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Painter Hirayama dies at 79

TOKYO - JAPANESE painter Ikuo Hirayama, a campaigner for the preservation of the world's cultural heritage known for his works on the Silk Road and Buddhism, died on Wednesday, a spokesman said. He was 79. Read more

Vietnam Buddhists complain of ongoing harassment

HANOI (AP) – Followers of a famed Buddhist monk say they are continuing to suffer police harassment two months after they were forcibly evicted from a monastery in southern Vietnam. Read more

Myanmar and Sri Lanka to jointly promote Buddhism

Myanmar and Sri Lanka have signed an agreement to promote Buddhism, which includes setting up an exchange programme for students of Buddhism. The signing took place during Myanmar leader Senior General Than Shwe’s visit to the country. Read more

Ancient Buddhist monastery conserved in SW China's Tibet

LHASA, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- First-phase of the project to conserve a more-than-1,000-year-old Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Ngari prefecture of southwestern China's Tibet Autonomous Region has been completed, and the second phase will begin soon.
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Despite protests, Nepal to host world’s largest animal sacrifice fair

Maneka Gandhi’s protest and Nepal’s ‘Budhha Boy’ Ram Bahadur Bomjan’s appeal would not be able to prevent sacrifice of nearly half a million animals at this month’s Gadhimai Mela in this Himalayan nation. Read more

Review: Anti-war Buddhist monk's story told in miniatures at Heart of the Beast

There are a pair of emblematic passages in Masanari Kawahara's understated and gently affecting story of Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh. In the first, we see the monk as a young child, laughing and gleefully declaring to his mother, "I want to be a monk!" Read more

German Court Denies Buddhist Bank Robber’s Request To Visit With Cat

Whirl, Germany (AHN) – A Buddhist bank robber’s plea to have his cat visit him in jail was turned down by a German court-even with the caveat that the cat is the reincarnation of his mother. Read more

Concern over monks' poor health

Concern that the health of more than 40,000 monks around the country was at risk has prompted the Public Health Ministry to speed up reforms to allow the safe transfer of sick monks between the Priests Hospital and hospitals in Bangkok and upcountry. Read more

Elder monk accused of killing 68-year-old nun

A 68-YEAR-OLD monk in Banteay Meanchey province bludgeoned a nun to death with a piece of firewood on Sunday after he caught her allowing pigs to eat from his rice plate, officials said Monday. Read more

Buddhist Hell and reincarnation

Hell to Buddhists is quite different than other religions, excepting some of Hinduism. First one needs to understand their view on death. A measurable principle of the universe, the law of conservation of energy, shows us how matter and energy are interchangeable but nothing is lost in the conversion. Likewise, impermanence is one of the three Foundations of Buddhist enlightenment. "Everything changes, nothing stays the same..." It is a short step to understanding that Buddhists don't believe the when we die, we're worm food and that's it. There are six "states of existence" which seem to be universally agreed upon, amongst the amazing variety of cultural interpretations. Read more

Review - Buddhism and Science A Guide for the Perplexed

Amongst the names of major world religions, why does "Buddhism" sound more acceptable in the same phrase as "Science" than "Christianity" or "Hinduism"? Harvard neuroscientists collaborate with Tibetan monks, not Franciscan Friars; MIT invites a lecture from the Dalai Lama, but not Pope Benedict XVI; Marsha Linehan and Daniel Siegel describe the clinical efficacy of Buddhist-derived mindfulness training, but not Holy Communion. Do Buddhism's truth claims really approximate more closely to the data-driven testable propositions of modern neuroscience, cosmology, or evolutionary biology than those of other religious belief systems --- with the insights derived from its ancient contemplative practices even representing (as some claim) direct intimations of concepts only now revealed experimentally by the western mind sciences – or do other factors explain its vogue? Does Buddhism's Most Favored Religion status in the court of Science derive from the two traditions' genuine compatibility, or rather from scientists' yearning to fill a "God-shape" hole in empiricism's frosty weltanschauung with a spiritual tradition whose warm optimism and non-theistic metaphysics strikes them as a temple broad enough in which to run cosier-feeling, lotus blossom-scented laboratories without censure or loss of tenure? Read more

Fury over south India temple ban

Police in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu have shot in the air to disperse a stone-throwing crowd protesting against Dalits entering a Hindu temple. Read more

Nutritious temple food for body and soul

With skin as white as snow and dimples that show when she smiles, it’s hard to believe she’s already 50 years old. When asked if she gets her good looks from eating only temple food, the monk smiles and waves her hand modestly, saying no. Read more

Dalai Lama gives teachings for Taiwanese Buddhists

Dharamsala, October 15: His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Thursday began giving Buddhist teachings at the request of around 1000 Taiwanese devotees at the Main Tibetan Temple (Tsuglagkhang) here. Read more

Military Buddhist Chapel Represents Tolerance

The Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., is home to the only Buddhist chapel on a U.S. military base. After a controversy over religious intolerance during the summer of 2005, the chapel was built in the basement of the academy's iconic Cadet Chapel.
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'Bhikkhunis' Hold Unique Place in Buddhism

Imagine having to live your life strictly adhering to 348 precepts ― think you're up to the challenge? In daily life, bhikkhunis, or Buddhist nuns, abide by nearly 100 more regulations than monks, who follow roughly 250 laws. Women who practice the religion are subjected to different laws at times, but Korea may be one of the more accepting countries for Buddhist females to live. Read more

Buddhist monks: Vietnam police still harassing us

After being forced from their monastery last week, 354 followers of a world-famous monk face new police pressure to leave the temple where they sought refuge. Read more

Buddhist monks: Vietnam police still harassing us

Followers of a world-famous Buddhist teacher who were forced out of a Vietnamese monastery over the weekend have taken refuge at a nearby pagoda, but they say they have once again been surrounded by police. The monks' ongoing standoff with Vietnamese authorities has tested the communist country's sometimes edgy relationship with religion, which the government views as a potential rival power structure. The government closely monitors all churches in the country. Read more

Religious tension mounts in Vietnam

Four years ago the Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, a monk who popularised Buddhism in the West, was invited by the Vietnamese government to return home after 39 years in exile. Read more

‘Biting monk’ finally speaks

IN his first interview with the media since being accused of attacking and biting his fellow monks and nuns, the chief monk of Preah Sihanouk province’s Wat Leu and adviser to Supreme Patriarch Tep Vong told the Post on Tuesday that the allegations against him were totally baseless. Read more

Dalai Lama to be given white cowboy hat before speech at Calgary conference

CALGARY — The Dalai Lama will be welcomed to Calgary with a time-honoured Western tradition - the placing of a white cowboy hat on his head by the city's mayor. Read more

Monk fined for distributing Communist Party fliers set to lose trespassing appeal

A Buddhist monk fined for distributing fliers in an apartment block is set to lose his trespassing conviction appeal when the Supreme Court hands down its ruling next month. Read more

Police violently attack Buddhist monastery

Police in Vietnam accompanied by armed mob attacked a Buddhist monastery in a province in Central Highlands of Vietnam, smashed the monastery and evicted about 400 monks and nuns out of their homes. Read more

Anger management

Dharma can help manage anger. Usually we study about human resource management, risk management, time management and financial management, which are all concerned with external elements. But anger management concerns our inner self. When anger arises, we often do not know how to manage it and we become manipulated by it. Read more

Vietnam Buddhists flee amid threats: monks

HANOI — Followers of one of the world's most influential Buddhist monks said on Monday they had fled their Vietnamese monastery after threats from unidentified people armed with hammers and batons. Read more

Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader who won't slow down

In the last two months, the peripatetic spiritual leader, who calls himself a "simple Buddhist monk" despite being "god-king" to six million Tibetans, has been to Taiwan, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany and Poland. Read more

Human Bones Burned to Make "Spirit"-Filled Swords

When forged over burning human bones, swords become filled with "spirit," says the Taiwanese swordmaker behind the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sword and other masterpieces. Read more

Ceres monk who died after fire ID'd

Stanislaus County coroner officials Thursday identified Masarin Visothea as the Buddhist monk who died last week after he inhaled smoke while trying to put out an electrical fire in Ceres. Read more

Angry monks pray as China opposes Dalai Lama's Arunachal visit

Buddhist monks have been holding special prayers here for the safe visit of the Dalai Lama to India's frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh after China objected to the Tibetan spiritual leader's proposed trip, religious leaders Thursday said. Read more

P Sihanouk province’s ‘biting monk’ to stay in office, officials say

A PROMINENT monk accused of getting drunk and biting his colleagues remains in office because of a lack of authority over the case and the absence of formal charges, officials said. Read more

Driver's license for Buddhist monk is his key to assimilation, improving harmony

The Buddhist monk reaches a top speed of 5 mph as he maneuvers his 16-year-old Toyota around the grounds of the meditation center in Raleigh. Read more

Monk dies after fire in Buddhist temple

CERES, Calif. (AP) - A Buddhist monk has died after an electrical fire in a San Joaquin Valley temple. Read more

BACKGROUND: A history of Pchum Ben

What does Pchum Ben Festival mean in Buddhism? In the Khmer language, Pchum or Brochum means “a meeting or gathering”. Ben means “a ball of something”, such as rice or meat. The Pchum Ben festival originated in the Angkorian era when people followed animism, before Brahma or Buddhism. Read more

Nepean Buddhist community prepares to honour its ancestors

The Mondul Ottawa Khmer Buddhist Monastery is gearing up to celebrate the annual Pchum Ben ceremony, a Cambodian festival that honours ancestral spirits. Read more

Buddhism DIY style

Rob Nairn, lecturer and author on Buddhist philosophy, says his job is to develop some sort of access mechanism which will allow people to get to the essence of Buddhism in their own way offten when problems arise it is said that overcoming them is a case of mind over matter. Read more

Dalai gets human rights award

BRATISLAVA (Slovakia) - The Dalai Lama received an international award on Wednesday for his promotion of human rights and his leadership in the nonviolent campaign by Tibetans seeking autonomy from China. Read more

Temple's display of corpses is 'a rights violation'

Many non government groups called on the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) yesterday to stop Thailand's infamous "Aids temple" - Wat Phrabat Namphu - from displaying corpses of Aids patients and information about the dangers of risky lifestyles. Read more

Sacred no, but the American lotus has its charms

Tucked into the tidal waters surrounding the Mount Harmon Plantation near Earleville, Md., the American lotus is in full bloom throughout August. Read more

Mass wedding ceremony held on 09.09.09

New couples during the mass wedding ceremony at Thean Hou temple in Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, Sept. 9, 2009. Read more

Big Phuket birthday party for 'World's oldest man'

PHUKET CITY: More has been revealed about the amazing life of Luang Pu Supha, claimed by adherents to be the oldest man in the world. Read more

Dalai Lama in Taipei as nephew says 'gag order' imposed

TAIPEI — The Dalai Lama arrived Wednesday in Taiwan's capital Taipei, as his nephew said the island's government had put a "gag order" on Tibet's exiled religious leader due to fears over China's reaction. Read more

alls to remove Buddhist statue from Bridge on the River Kwai

Local conservationists described it as "visual pollution", saying that it endangered the symbolism of the site, which is in the western Thai town of Kanchanaburi. The bridge symbolises the 258-mile Death Railway that claimed the lives of more than 12,000 British, Australian and Dutch prisoners of war. Read more

Calls to remove Buddhist statue from Bridge on the River Kwai

Local conservationists described it as "visual pollution", saying that it endangered the symbolism of the site, which is in the western Thai town of Kanchanaburi. The bridge symbolises the 258-mile Death Railway that claimed the lives of more than 12,000 British, Australian and Dutch prisoners of war. Read more

Buddhist pulls cars with her hair

Buddhist monks and nuns: instantly we visualise serine beings, deep in meditation, draped in blistered orange robes all with shaven heads. Not Zhang Tingting though. This fifty-two-year-old nun is a Chinese Buddhist martial arts expert. Read more

Junta Warns Buddhist Monks Online

A military government Web site, “kyaymon” [meaning “the mirror”], which operates as an online daily newspaper in Burmese, on Wednesday criticized two well-known Buddhist monks’ organizations and warned that the Burmese military authorities will take action against them. Read more

Monk Leaders Call for Third Sangha Boycott

Several exiled Buddhist monk leaders have told The Irrawaddy that Burmese monks across Burma are preparing to launch another boycott of military personnel and their families due to ongoing abuses against Buddhist doctrine and clergy by the ruling military junta.
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Pursat's 'holy cow' laid to rest

Hundreds of Cambodians staged a ceremony after the death of a "holy cow" whose spit could supposedly cure several illnesses, local officials said. Read more

Multi-coloured Buddhists

First, in gold; then red, and saffron, the monks sat in tight rows at the Wat Ananda Metyarama Buddhist Temple in Bukit Merah. Read more

Why sleep? Scientist delves into one of science's great mysteries

August 20th, 2009 By Mark Wheeler (PhysOrg.com) -- Bats, birds, box turtles, humans and many other animals share at least one thing in common: They sleep. Humans, in fact, spend roughly one-third of their lives asleep, but sleep researchers still don't know why.
According to the journal Science, the function of sleep is one of the 125 greatest unsolved mysteries in science. Theories range from brain "maintenance" — including memory consolidation and pruning — to reversing damage from oxidative stress suffered while awake, to promoting longevity. None of these theories are well established, and many are mutually exclusive. Read more

What will take us forward 3

'To live peacefully together, we need good sense and tolerance on all sides, and a willingness to give and take. Otherwise, whatever the rules there will be no end of possible causes of friction.' Read more

How the Virgin Mary Survived Sri Lanka's Civil War

For Catholics around the world, Aug. 15 is among the holiest of feast days. It marks the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, when the mother of Jesus is believed to have been physically taken into heaven after death so that her body would not suffer earthly decay. For the Catholics of Sri Lanka, Aug. 15 this year marked a similar miracle: the survival of a 500-year-old statue of the Virgin, through the fiery tumult of a quarter-century of civil war, which was re-ensconced in a jungle church that was once again safe to travel to.
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Reclining Buddhas

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- Strictly speaking, they should not exist. Reclining Buddha statues could be condemned as idolatry because the Buddha asked that no images be carved in his likeness. So, at first, after he slipped away, artistically inclined devotees only paid tribute to facets of his identity — footprints, the chair he sat on, among other relics. Read more

Taipei Tibet Office organizes a prayer ceremony for Typhoon victims

Taipei, Taiwan -- After seven days of natural disasters, the Tibet Office "Tibet Religious Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama" in Taipei have organized a special prayer ceremony for the victims of Typhoon, those who lost their lives and those who still missing. Read more

Buddhist Monk Faces Worldly Green-Card Matters

Monk Phra Bunphithak Jomthong entered the U.S. four years ago on a religious visa and has since devoted himself to serving a burgeoning Buddhist community in Southern California. Barefoot and clad in a saffron robe, Mr. Jomthong recently gave what amounts to the most accurate job description he has: "to share Buddhist practices and to promote peace and harmony among people." Read more

Baby Chhouk gets a leg up on life

PROSTHETICS students from 10 different nations travelled Friday to Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center by Forestry Administration to see Chhouk, a 4-year-old baby elephant who lost part of a leg, be fitted with a new prosthesis. Read more

Former nurse, now a Buddhist nun will teach that change is inevitable

Ani Gilda Paldron Taylor was a nurse in the 1960s, confronting death and dying on a daily basis, when she began to think about suffering. A Christian at the time, she asked her Episcopal priest to explain why suffering seemed to be inevitable. Read more

Honouring Kampuchea Krom

AROUND 600 monks, opposition politicians and rights activists gathered in Phnom Penh on Thursday to mark the loss of Cambodia's southern territories - Kampuchea Krom - to Vietnam. Read more

Closure looms for dump families

SPRINTING towards an oncoming garbage truck, Phorn Sreymean hoped to beat a dozen other scavengers in fishing out the bottles and cans embedded in the garbage raining down from behind the vehicle. Read more

Wildlife busts down across region: ASEAN watchdog

IN the first three months of 2009, some 5,410 animal seizures and 38 arrests were made by wildlife law enforcement agencies across Southeast Asia - a sharp decline compared with last year, according to recently released statistics from ASEAN's Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN). Read more

Coaxing a Khmer Temple From the Jungle’s Embrace

To reach the temple of Banteay Chhmar from the Cambodian town of Sisophon in the dry season involves a two-hour drive through parched forests coated with brown dust. The temple is breathtaking. Bas-reliefs depict naval battles between ancient Khmers and their Cham rivals in remarkable detail. Giant sandstone faces loom over thick vegetation strewn with collapsed lintels and broken naga heads. Read more

Ban imposed on commercial fishing to replenish stocks

THE Fisheries Administration has announced the end of the fishing season and a four-month ban on commercial fishing to allow fish stocks time to replenish. Read more

Thai military encroaching on hill at Preah Vihear, RCAF warns

THE commander of an RCAF brigade at Preah Vihear said Monday that they were closely monitoring a road construction project undertaken by Thailand that they said was approaching Phnom Trop, located two kilometres from the temple. Read more

Children's Day at Prey Sar

THE RIGHTS group Licadho distributed gifts to 408 minor inmates and 17 children incarcerated with their mothers at Phnom Penh's Prey Sar prison Monday to mark International Children's Day. Read more

Government inaction worsens climate threat

THE threat of climate change is gradually making its way to the top of policymakers agenda's worldwide, but in Cambodia such action is proving slower to catch on. Read more

Talking about a green future

French NGO GERES, the French embassy and the French development agency AFD are coordinating Cambodia's second Environment Week, which runs today to Sunday.
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Dying coconut crops in B'bang have farmers, officials fearing the worst

Samlot District, Battambang -- FARMERS across Battambang province say their livelihoods are in peril as thousands of coconut trees and their valuable crop perish and fears spread of a possible infestation of Brontispa longissima - or coconut beetles - which wrought havoc on Cambodia's coconut crops five years ago, provincial officials say. Read more

Boy chosen by Dalai Lama turns back on Buddhist order

As a toddler, he was put on a throne and worshipped as by monks who treated him like a god. But the boy chosen by the Dalai Lama as a reincarnation of a spiritual leader has caused consternation – and some embarrassment – for Tibetan Buddhists by turning his back on the order that had such high hopes for him. Read more

Iodised salt push for public health

Iodine deficiency disorders can seriously damage your health. In addition to stunting growth and causing deafness, dumbness and goitre, iodine deficiency can significantly lower the average national IQ in areas where it is widespread. Read more

Newborn panda is a girl

BANGKOK - A ONE-day-old panda cub born in Thailand after years of artificial insemination and efforts to get its celibate parents to mate is a healthy female with a loud cry, a zoo official said on Thursday. Giant panda Lin Hui surprised workers at Chiang Mai zoo by giving birth to the as-yet-unnamed 200-gram (eight-ounce) cub on Wednesday and director Thanapath Pongpamorn said mother and baby were doing well. Read more

Boeung Kak residents set to go public with grievances

FRUSTRATED by the lack of government response, Boeung Kak Lake residents are set to hold a press conference today explaining to the public why the land deal between the Municipality of Phnom Penh and a local developer should be terminated, they said.
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Ministers confront Myanmar

SOUTHEAST Asian ministers Wednesday called out Myanmar over its treatment of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a senior regional minister said at the start of a meeting of ASEAN and EU foreign ministers at Chaktomuk Conference Hall. Read more

Roh’s Funeral to Be Imbued With Buddhism

The last words President Roh Moo-hyun left in a note saved on his computer were: ``Life and death are both just one piece of nature. It's all fate.'' He is also thought to have visited a Buddhist temple near his home before he threw himself off a cliff last Saturday.
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Dalai Lama Offers $100K To FIU Religion Department

(AP) The Dalai Lama has offered $100,000 to help an imperiled religion department at a Florida university after receiving an e-mailed plea for a letter of support from a longtime acquaintance on the faculty. Read more

'Buddhism Now Third Religion in Netherlands'

AMSTERDAM - Buddhism has expanded in the Netherlands into the third religion after Christianity and Islam. The growth is so strong that as well as Islamisation, it is possible to speak of Buddhisation of the Netherlands, argue researchers Marcel Poorthuis and Theo Salemink in De Volkskrant. Read more

EU-ASEAN summit to kick off

DELEGATIONS from 40 European Union and ASEAN countries are to gather in Phnom Penh today for the 17th EU-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, an event likely to be overshadowed by the ongoing trial of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar. Read more

Evictees to remain in capital

NEARLY all of the 258 families from a Phnom Penh slum displaced by fire earlier this year will be allowed to remain in the capital rather than face relocation to a site some 50 kilometres from their homes, community residents and municipal officials said after a deal was struck with City Hall. Read more

Govt responds angrily to reports of planned Preah Vihear replica

CAMBODIAN officials have reacted strongly to Thai media reports that the country plans to build a replica of Preah Vihear temple along the border, saying it could violate international law. Read more

Tourists concerned over Angor Wat lights

Tourists have voiced concern about an ongoing light installation project at Angkor Wat temple that they argue could alter the ancient complex's appearance and cause considerable structural damage. Read more

Thai instability blamed for delays in oil talks

THE Cambodian oil authority said at the end of last week that Thailand's recent political instability had delayed negotiations between the two countries over the vast disputed offshore area in the Gulf of Thailand that potentially holds marketable oil reserves.
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UN body readies statement

THE UN's Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights (UNCESCR) is set to release its concluding observations following its review of Cambodia's rights situation in Geneva last week. Read more

Doors close on Suu Kyi trial

YANGON - Myanmar again barred diplomats and journalists from the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi Thursday, as international pressure mounted on the military junta to drop the case against the pro-democracy icon. Read more

'Ghost' dollars offered for Pol Pot's shoes: report

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — A Cambodian photographer's attempt to sell the sandals of late Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot has yielded only one bid -- 790,000 fake dollars offered in protest at the sale, a report said. Read more

Suu Kyi allowed to speak out

YANGON - Myanmar opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi was unexpectedly allowed to speak to diplomats at her internationally condemned trial Wednesday and expressed hope for "better days" in the future. Read more

‘Professional squatters' a myth: housing advocates

HOUSING rights advocates have dismissed recent comments made by national and municipal government officials that evictees at the centre of land disputes are often "professional squatters" who move from slum to slum and use NGOs to demand compensation from developers. Read more

Staged killings stir victims' emotions on Day of Anger

ABOUT 1,000 people gathered at Choeung Ek killing fields Wednesday morning to watch performers stage re-enactments of Khmer Rouge crimes as part of the national Day of Anger commemoration. Read more

1st textbook on KRouge

ANG SNUOL (Cambodia) - CAMBODIA on Wednesday officially unveiled its first textbook about the murderous Khmer Rouge regime, with officials handing out thousands of copies to students and teachers. More than 1,000 pupils joined their teachers for a ceremony at Hun Sen Ang Snuol High School, a few miles from the UN-backed court set up to try top KhmerRouge leaders who ruled the country in the late 1970s. Read more

'Day of Anger' in Cambodia

CHOEUNG EK (Cambodia) - CAMBODIANS marked the annual 'Day of Anger' Wednesday to remember victims of the Khmer Rouge terror as the regime's top torturer was tried by a UN-backed genocide tribunal. About 2,000 Cambodians, including hundreds of Buddhist monks, gathered at Choeung Ek, a former Khmer Rouge 'killing field' dotted with mass graves about nine miles (15km) south of Phnom Penh. Read more

Internalize beliefs, don't just talk

Senior researcher Lao Mong Hay, of the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission, wrote "Khmer Rouge Trial: Time for soul searching," published several months ago in UPI Online. It's a thought-provoking piece, valuable for people of all faiths. Read more

Former child soldier's demining efforts finally gain recognition

Anlong Veng -- As the sun rises between the trees, Akira, president of the Cambodian Self Help Demining (CSHD) team, begins his morning by setting a stick of TNT next to a land mine. Read more

Officials refuse Rik Reay demands

AFTER one aborted meeting and another unsuccessful one, residents of the Rik Reay community remain no closer to resolving conflicts with local developer Bassac Garden City. Read more

Asian leaders condemn Burma trial

A statement by Asean - a 10-nation grouping that includes Burma - called for proper medical care for Ms Suu Kyi. It warned the "honour and credibility" of Burma's government were at stake. Read more

Lake residents protest over money

MORE than 30 residents from Boeung Kak lake protested Monday, handing official letters of complaint to the National Assembly and the ministries of interior and land management, pleading with them to intervene in the filling of the lake until a fair compensation package could be worked out with those who would lose their homes. Read more

Abuse of child 'witches' on rise, aid group says

(CNN) -- Christian Eshiett was a rambunctious pre-teen who spent a lot of time cavorting with his friends in southern Nigeria. He would skip school and run away from home for days, frustrating his grandfather, who oversaw the boy's care. Read more

Municipal Court to rule on Group 78 injunction request

Phnom Penh Municipal Court is expected to rule today on an injunction request filed by residents of Group 78 in response to a City Hall eviction order that gave residents until May 5 to vacate their strip of land along the Tonle Bassac river. Read more

Rice industry group eyes $600,000 dryer

The Cambodian Rice Millers Association (CRMA) plans to bring a US$600,000 paddy-drying machine to Takeo province early next year in order to boost rice exports, the president of the association said. Read more

How Sand Dunes Grow Huge

Phnom Penh Municipal Court is expected to rule today on an injunction request filed by residents of Group 78 in response to a City Hall eviction order that gave residents until May 5 to vacate their strip of land along the Tonle Bassac river. Read more

Buddhist temple set on fire in Ontario

SCARBOROUGH, Ontario -- A fire at a Buddhist temple in Canada may have been set Saturday morning by someone angry at the defeat of the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, the monks said. Read more

Himalayan Communities Better Placed To Preserve Buddhism: Dalai Lama

Dharamsala, HP, India - His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Saturday said Buddhist nuns from Himalayan regions had an important responsibility in preserving Tibetan Buddhist traditions, which he said was facing an uncertain future in its homeland. Read more

Student activists try to save wildlife on China's menu

Stewed turtle cures cancer, crocodile meat relieves asthma, pangolin scales regulate menstruation and scorpion venom helps stroke victims. Read more

More illegal workers being repatriated from Thailand

POLICE at the Thai border say they are seeing greater numbers of Cambodian migrant workers being repatriated by Thai police. Read more

The Dark and the Light Side of Thai Art

The 500 sculptured concrete arms that rise beneath the bridge, seemingly seeking emancipation from a bottomless pit, create an arresting image of anguish and desperation — just as Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat intended. "To reach heaven, you need to pass suffering," the 54-year-old says in his trademark booming voice. Nirvana in this case is Wat Rong Khun, or White Temple, a spectacular, ornately carved building painted white to symbolize purity. Part of a project that Chalermchai started in 1997, the compelling ubosot, or assembly hall, is one of the three main structures at the sprawling White Temple complex (tel: (66) 5367 3579), a 6.4-acre (2.6 hectare) site in his native Chiang Rai in northern Thailand. When devout Buddhist Chalermchai's project is complete — with the help of 67 disciples, he hopes it'll be done by 2070 — he will have created nine equally intricate buildings, including a crematorium, each one teaching grand lessons in morality. "Every human has to see this," he says. "This is my way, and a good way, to give back to the world." Read more

Four injured after water buffalo goes on rampage at Philippines religious festival

Four people were injured in the town of Pulilan, north of Manila, after farmers lost control of the beast, who was part of a procession of 300. Read more

Burma's Suu Kyi taken to prison

Ms Suu Kyi will stand trial on 18 May, lawyer Hla Myo Myint told reporters.
She was taken to a prison from her home in Rangoon, where she has spent most of the past 19 years, to hear the charges. Read more

Group wants capital housing

LIVING in shelters built from donated tarpaulins and the charred remains of their old houses, residents of Group 34 near Sovanna Market in Phnom Penh say they are prepared to leave, just not to a community 49 kilometres away. Read more

Global Witness welcomes sand export ban as first step to reform

INTERNATIONAL corruption watchdog Global Witness has welcomed the recent decision by Prime Minister Hun Sen to ban sand exports from the country, calling it a "first move" towards the sustainable management of the country's natural resources. Read more

Permaculture hits Siem Reap at orphan-run Harmony Farm

TWO young Cambodians, Sian Vannak and Hoeuy Han, hope to transform agriculture in Siem Reap through permaculture, a system that emulates relationships found in nature to maximise organic agricultural yield while minimising the use of resources, funds and human labour. Read more

Money row over border fight

Government officials warned Wednesday that while Cambodia continues to seek a peaceful resolution to its border dispute with Thailand, its patience will run out, as both sides demand compensation over the latest bout of fighting. Read more

Oxen pick beans, corn over rice

FARMERS expressed concern about the rice harvest after the royal oxen refused to eat the grain at the annual Royal Ploughing Ceremony held Tuesday. Instead, the animals preferred beans and corn laid out in identical golden bowls at the ceremony in front of the National Museum. Read more

Conservation continues at Preah Vihear temple

NEITHER the ongoing border dispute with Thailand nor protests from Cambodian villagers will delay Cambodia's effort to preserve the Preah Vihear temple complex, officials say. Read more

Dawkins strips away religion's dead wood

London, UK -- I doubt it was his intention, but in 100 years time Richard Dawkins could be hailed as a prime architect of 21st-century religion. Read more

Lycee residents ask for reprieve

IN San Lim Soreng's home on the fourth floor of the Lycee Francais Rene Descartes building, residents urged students and members of the French community to ask the French embassy for more time in their homes. Read more

Coming Together at Waisak

Mangelang, Indonesia -- By 10 o’clock on Saturday morning, the Borobudur subdistrict of Magelang, Central Java, was filled with cars and buses loaded with visitors coming to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha. Read more

Vesak and Happiness

Colombo, Sri Lanka -- It is not every hour that one is reminded of the impermanence of life. Sometimes for days people forget that we are here for a short period. They flow with the ups and downs of life as they are to live forever. Read more

Hundreds Buddhists Commemorate Moment of Vesak in Menteng

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Hundreds of Buddhists commemorate the birth, enlightment and spiritual liberation of Buddha Gautama, Vesak Day 2553/2009 in Vihara Buddha Metta Arama in Central Jakarta, Saturday. Read more

Thailand celebrates Vesak, seeks responses to political and financial crises

Bangkok, Thailand -- Celebration calls for reflection to find ways to solve current problems in light of the Buddha’s principles. In his address during the closing ceremony Prime Minister Abhisit encourages the nation to build peace, promote sustainable development and defend human rights. Buddhist elder calls for transparency and good government for the good of the country. Read more

Elaborate activities for Wesak celebration

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- THOUSANDS of devotees are expected to converge at Buddhist temples throughout the country tomorrow to pay homage to Lord Buddha on his birthday and to celebrate his attainment of enlightenment as well as to commemorate his death. Read more

'Buddha' celebrates birthday at Trinidad's Dattatreya Yoga Centre

Trinidad and Tobago -- Siddhartha created history centuries ago. His joyous life story has been a best seller and hundreds have followed his teachings over the years. Read more

Buddha Poornima (Wesak) Celebration and Meditation Teaching at Bangalore

Bangalore, India -- DHARMA SUBHASHITA (Thubten Lekshey Ling) Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Meditation and Study Center (dharmasubhashita.org) will be conducting a celebration of Buddha Poornima (Wesak) at Bangalore on 9th of May. Buddha Poornima marks the anniversary of the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, his attainment of Buddhahood and his Mahaparinirvana. Read more

Well-armed to protect Buddha

Like a visitor from some remote part of the universe, the deity Ashura of Kofukuji Temple in Nara appears with six spindly arms frozen in motion and three faces on a single head that is crowned with a perfectly groomed hairdo. The body is slender and graceful and little imagination is needed to see the numinous figure spring into action like those brilliant deaf Chinese performers who visited Japan last year and amazed all with their synchronized interpretation of the 1,000-armed Kannon bodhisattva. Read more

Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path Now on Your iPhone

San Diego, CA (USA) -- Buddha meets Benjamin Franklin in a unique fusion app that incorporates Franklin’s time-honored self-improvement system with Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path – with an iPhone twist. Read more

Residents vow to fight eviction

SEVERAL residents of Tomnup Toek commune in Phnom Penh have threatened violence if authorities try to evict them by force to Kandal province after an early morning fire on April 16 claimed the life of a 4-year-old girl and left 288 families homeless. Read more

Few aware of blood disorder

At the National Paediatric Hospital (NPH) Wednesday, doctors prepared 18-month-old Thalassaemia patient Meng Leng for her monthly blood transfusion. Read more

Studies say 'hobbit' previously unknown species

Debate has raged in the scientific community since the fossils were found on the island of Flores, with some experts insisting they were descended from Homo erectus and others saying evolution could not account for their small brains. Read more

Dalai Lama meets with Buddhist communities of NYC

While waiting to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New York on May 5, I was thinking of a story that late Lopon Pemala from Bhutan once told me. As a young boy Lopon Pemala wanted to study Buddhism so he set out for Tibet where, during that time (1930’s), most of the great Buddhist teachers were. He told me how he made the journey with just a gho on his back, a small cloth bag and mere cloth boots on his feet. On the way he endured great hardship with little food and the unbearable cold – turning snot into icicles, freezing fingers and toes. But it was all about the suffering and the thirst for Buddhism. “If we wanted to receive the teachings, we went to great lengths, even if it was crossing mountains,” he said, and he surely had. He became one of Bhutan’s most learned and respected Buddhist scholars. So it was with some guilt then, that unlike the days of Lopon Pemala’s childhood, I was sitting comfortably in a chair at the Waldorf Astoria awaiting the world’s leading Buddhist figure to come to me (or rather the group of 120 members of the Himalayan Buddhist Community that I was a part of). We had congregated there to seek guidance on promoting Buddhist Culture in New York. Read more

Red Cross Warns of Crisis in Pakistan

PARIS — With their possessions piled on pickup trucks or escaping on foot, thousands of people were reported to be fleeing the conflict in Pakistan’s Swat Valley on Thursday as the International Committee of the Red Cross said that up to half a million people may have been uprooted by the fighting. Read more

Sri Lanka's devout defender of Buddhism

Colombo, Sri Lanka -- There passed away 140 years ago to be precise on July 8, 1833, a Buddhist prelate whose services to his religion were inestimable and his contribution to national culture was outstanding. He was Mahaddama Rajadhi Rajaguru Gnanavimala Tissa, the founder of the Amarapura Nikaya. Read more

'Freed' animals face death

Singapore -- Releasing animals into the nature reserves and reservoirs is a well-meaning act, but it may have adverse effects on the ecological balance in our nature reserves and parks, as well as the water quality of our reservoirs. Read more

Pangolin setting record for survival

When pangolins are confronted with anything more threatening than a weaver ant, their typical reaction is to curl into a fetal position, develop a stomach ulcer and die from stress. Read more

Shots fired at worker protest

SECURITY police at the Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh opened fire during a confrontation with more than 100 protesters Wednesday as they sought intervention over a pay dispute. Read more

Recalculating Happiness in a Himalayan Kingdom

THIMPHU, Bhutan — If the rest of the world cannot get it right in these unhappy times, this tiny Buddhist kingdom high in the Himalayan mountains says it is working on an answer. Read more

Faithful celebrate the life of Buddha

A Thai Buddhist temple in Layhill will observe one of the holiest Buddhist holidays of the year this weekend with full days of meditation, candlelight processions and, of course, delicious Thai food. Read more

Preah Vihear temple on a road less travelled

THE Preah Vihear temple (Prasat Preah Vihear) is not overrun with foreign tourists. In fact, we were unfortunate when the pickup we were in got called back from halfway up the mountain to collect two foreigners, the only others I saw there. Read more

Residents brace for evictions

ONE community facing eviction on Tuesday watched its deadline pass quietly and heard they will have a chance in court to defend their claims to the land, while another had their businesses shut down by authorities, in what residents say is an attempt to force them to accept the government's relocation terms. Read more

The Dalai Lama on the Global Economic Meltdown

New York, USA -- I’m a fan of the Dalai Lama thanks to the groundwork of my spiritual adviser, Robert Thurman, a professor of Buddhism at Columbia University. It never occurred to me, though, that I’d have an opportunity to meet the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, much less have a personal audience with him, but that’s what happened this morning. Read more

A talk with the Dalai Lama

IN A MEETING at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge last week, the Dalai Lama and more than 100 scholars from China showed how direct discussion can overcome irrational prejudices and official cant. Chinese academics needed a chance to encounter Tibet's spiritual leader without government interference. Read more

City's eviction deadline for Group 78 arrives

AHEAD of their May 5 eviction deadline, residents at the city's besieged Group 78 community say they are worried about an impending forced eviction but remain confident of their legal rights to the strip of land in Tonle Bassac commune. Read more

Tiger counts to promote survival of M'kiri's big cats

TWO censuses begun last month in Mondulkiri will attempt to determine the number and needs of tigers remaining in the province, information that wildlife conservationists say is essential to preserving the existing population and fostering its expansion. Read more

Photographer finds inspiration in urban poor

The intense heat radiated from the smouldering garbage below her, and the fetid smell permeated the air all around her. Amidst the refuse, a little girl climbed onto the lap of her mother whenever she stopped working: a strong mother-daughter bond clearly evident.
Read more

Farinella: Hats Off To The Dalai Lama

FOXBOROUGH, MA (USA) - Ponderous thoughts I was pondering while looking down upon the Dalai Lama, of all people, from the press box at Gillette Stadium: Read more

Dalai Lama inspires reverent silence, cheers at stadium

FOXBOROUGH, MA (USA) -- After a drizzly and overcast morning, the sun broke through the clouds over Gillette Stadium yesterday moments before the Dalai Lama stepped onto the turf, as if on cue. Read more

Tendai Buddhists go marathon lengths for enlightenment

Mount Hiei, Japan -- As the men training to become Tendai Buddhist monks strode up Japan's Mount Hiei on a nearly 25-mile trek, a man called Gobo was sweating, but his skin felt cold. The 50-year-old's eyes glazed, his pallor turned ghostly, his breathing became truncated and rapid. Read more

Soul Searching and Seeing the Light

FBorobudur, Central Java -- I confess that my meditation track record is not good. In fact, it's a feeble and embarrassing one, limited to a single experience during which I glanced over at a friend a few minutes into the class and promptly started giggling. Read more

Sunday school class explores Buddhism

Savannah, GA (USA) -- Anijah Sampson, 6, learns to meditate during a "Buddhism for Kids" Sunday school program at Unitarian Universalist Beloved Community Church on Sunday. Hunter McRae/Savannah Morning News. Read more

Dalai Lama extols virtue of compassion

CAMBRIDGE, MA (USA) -- Arrayed before him were deans and doctors, professors and pupils, and the full range of scholars who populate the hallowed halls of Harvard.
Read more

Dolphin deaths rise in 2009

Illegal gill nets being used by fisherman in Kratie province have led to the deaths of two baby Irrawaddy dolphins this year, causing local experts to fear a
another increase in calf mortality rates. Read more

Swine Flu Slideshow

Like people, pigs can get influenza (flu), but swine flu viruses aren't the same as human flu viruses. Swine flu doesn't often infect people, and the rare human cases that have occurred in the past have mainly affected people who had direct contact with pigs. But the current swine flu outbreak is different. Read more

Swine flu Graphic

Protect yourself to protect your friends. Read more

Swine flu health officials: If you have flu-like symptoms don't take public transportation

WASHINGTON — Health officials on Thursday stressed that people with flu-like symptoms should avoid public transportation but said everyone else needs only to follow commonsense precautions, as the nation's swine flu cases passed 100, reaching 16 states. Read more

Want to play monk? Fork over $700

Fang, Thailand — Two freshly shaved white guys, scalps an uncommon pink, mill about the Sri Boen Ruang temple’s courtyard. Read more

Taiwan Buddhist master says swine flu is warning for mankind

Taipei, Taiwan -- A Taiwan Buddhist master said Thursday that swine flu is "the earth's warning" to human beings to stop destroying the environment. Master Cheng Yen, 72, nicknamed Taiwan's Mother Teresa for her charity work, gave the warning in her daily speech to her disciples around the world. Read more

Talks fail to resolve dispute

The sixth annual set of talks between Thai and Cambodian defence ministers ended midday Wednesday in Siem Reap, with agreement on some issues including demarcating their shared border, but no breakthrough on the crucial issue of troop withdrawals from around the contested Preah Vihear temple. Read more

Animal SOS: Return to Buddhist values

Colombo, Sri Lanka -- Sensitive people in the West are awakening to values that Buddhists and Jains have cherished for centuries. It is that all sentient beings have the right to life and animals and other creatures are not there in this world purely for the purpose of serving the interest of humans. Read more

R'kiri villagers turned away from govt-donor meeting

Around 40 indigenous minority villagers from Ratanakkiri province were refused access to a government-donor forum Tuesday after attempting to address delegates about indigenous land rights. Read more

Buddhist Deity Meditation Temporarily Augments Visuospatial Abilities, Study Suggests

Los Angeles, CA (USA) -- Meditation has been practiced for centuries, as a way to calm the soul and bring about inner peace. According to a new study in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, there is now evidence that a specific method of meditation may temporarily boost our visuospatial abilities (for example, the ability to retain an image in visual memory for a long time). Read more

Buddhist novice numbers fall in Cambodia

Muk Kampul, Cambodia -- Nearly 300 young Cambodian men and women have travelled to Muk Kampul district in Kandal province to be ordained as monks and nuns at a 10-day course on Buddhist teachings. Read more

The Bhikkhuni question

Bangkok, Thailand -- To many, it is a non-issue, either because they do not believe the Theravada bhikkhuni sangha can be revived, do not see any need for it, do not think women want it, or do not even know it already exists. Yet, with Theravada bhikkhunis now found in every region of Thailand, as well as around the world, the issue cannot be ignored for long. Read more

Officials confront first US death from swine flu

Washington – A 23-month-old Texas toddler became the first confirmed swine flu death outside of Mexico as authorities around the world struggled to contain a growing global health menace that has also swept Germany onto the roster of afflicted nations.
Read more

Thai militant attacks intensify

The latest violence coincides with the fifth anniversary of an attack on the Krue Se mosque, which marked a sharp escalation in the separatist conflict. Read more

Buddhist Monks Erase the Sands of Dalai Lama’s Time

The day after the Dalai Lama’s visit to Santa Barbara on Friday, Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery brought to an end the sand mandala they created in honor of their spiritual leader. Read more

Korean Supreme Court convicts female Buddhist monk

Seoul, South Korea -- A female Buddhist monk was convicted by Korea’s highest court yesterday of obstructing a government bullet train project during a long-running protest against construction of a tunnel near her temple, capping one of the most famous environmental controversies of the country. Read more

Villagers make a statement

Ethnic Jarai villagers from Kong Yu, a remote village in Ratanakkiri province, are to visit Phnom Penh for the Monday screening of a locally produced video telling the story of their protracted land dispute with a local rubber company. Read more

Buddhism In Palestine

West Bank, Palestine -- During my travelling to many cities in Palestine which includes both Israel and West Bank, I happen to notice Bo trees ( Ficus Religiosa) in many parts of Israel and West Bank and naturally I became curious to know more about the presence of this tree in this part of the world. Read more

Cooperation for protected forest

Preah Vihear Province -- Just 27 kilometres east of Preah Vihear temple - where an outbreak of violence earlier this month led to the deaths of three Thai soldiers - sits one of Cambodia's most important conservation areas, which in recent years has also been the site of remarkable cross-border cooperation with Thailand, officials say. Read more

Future blessings

The area's extensive Cambodian community celebrated the Year of the Ox by performing traditional festivities and customs from their home country.
On the corner of Sixth and Ritner streets between two buildings that house the Bra Buddha Ransi Temples more than 1,000 people gathered to ring in the Cambodian New Year’s Year of the Ox. Read more

With looming evictions, families haunted by an uncertain future

More than 228 Phnom Penh families whose homes were burned down in a suspected arson near Sovanna Market on the night of April 15 say they are not being allowed to rebuild their homes - a clear sign, they say, the city will be kicking them off their land. Read more

Mekong dredging continues

The homes, warehouses and farmland of 138 families in Prek Ksay Kor commune in Prey Veng province's Peamro district continue to be threatened by riverbank collapses resulting from sand-dredging operations in the Mekong River, say affected villagers. Read more

Buddhism lecture supports animal rights

Decorah, Iowa (USA) -- As both a dog-trainer and a practicing Buddhist, Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion Scott Hurley combines two important aspects of his life when discussing animal rights. Read more

Inferno destroys 1,000 hectares of forest; wildlife in danger

A weekend fire in Battambang and Banteay Meanchey still blazed Wednesday, putting the area's flooded forests and fish refuges at risk. Read more

Wat Kuk's macabre images invoke Buddhist hell

Phnom Penh, Cambodia -- Just outside Koh Kong city towards the Cambodian-Thai border stands Wat Mondul Seyma, a seemingly pleasant place of worship that harbours a macabre lesson to all those who stray off the Buddhist path. Read more

Emotional Ming Yi breaks down on witness stand

SINGAPORE -- The founder and former head of Ren Ci, Ming Yi, broke down in court on Tuesday as he recounted the struggles he faced in setting up the hospital. Read more

Monk gets relief during wait on asylum bid

KHMER Krom activist Tim Sakhorn met Tuesday with representatives of a relief organisation in Bangkok, a day after he met with UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) officials to apply for refugee status in the United States. Read more

Burma: Can All Monks Be Trusted?

RANGOON, Burma -- Every morning, just after sunrise, they stream out of the monasteries across Burma, alms bowls in hand. Read more

Always Relevant

Singapore -- At a time when it is becoming increasingly acceptable to display hysterically fury at what is perceived to be blasphemy or iconoclasm, some calm and reasoned words from the Buddhist tradition might not be out of place. Read more

Khmer Krom activist holds talks with UNHCR officials

Khmer Krom activist Tim Sakhorn met with officials of the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Monday in Bangkok to apply for political asylum in the United States, but he will have to wait until at least June 20 to learn his fate. Read more

Tim Sakhorn to seek asylum in America

Khmer Krom activist Tim Sakhorn, who has fled Cambodia claiming he was forced to live in a stateless limbo without identity documents, is to seek refugee status in the United States, he told the Post Sunday. Read more

More women are taking to Buddhism: First woman master

New Delhi, India -- A growing number of women are taking to Buddhism in India like in the West where two-thirds of the practitioners of the faith are women, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, the first Tibetan Buddhist woman master, said. Read more

Sri Lanka: Buddhist mobs Attack churches

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 16 (Compass Direct News) – Buddhist mobs attacked several churches in Sri Lanka last week, threatening to kill a pastor in the southern province of Hambanthota and ransacking a 150-year-old Methodist church building in the capital.
Read more

Student gives voice to Cambodian melodic chants

In Cambodia, the music of smot, or dharma songs, is most often heard at funerals and only rarely is it performed live. Read more

Trial of REN CI Founder: Ming Yi 'lied about loan'

Singapore -- REN Ci Hospital founder Ming Yi admitted to the police last year that he had lied to them about a $50,000 sum of money which he knew was an unauthorised loan from the charity's coffers to his former personal assistant. Read more

Lama Geshe Thubten Jangchub: On the rocky path to Enlightenment

Kuta, Bali (Indonesia) -- The study of Buddhism is a rigorous journey of science, philosophy and practice: An intellectual pursuit rendered meaningless without a lifelong dedication to understanding its ancient foundations. Read more

New Year tourist slump predicted for Preah Vihear

PREAH Vihear province's tourism sector has been hit hard by a long-simmering dispute with Thailand over ownership of land surrounding an ancient cliff-top temple and the local tourism authority is bracing itself for a quiet New Year after fighting broke out again earlier this month. Read more

Reordained, monk Tim Sakhorn flees: NGO

Khmer Krom activist Tim Sakhorn was ordained again as a monk at a pagoda in Battambang on Friday and has now fled to Thailand where he is seeking refugee status, according to Sann Sang, the deputy director of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community. Read more

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Consecrates Monastery in Dharamshala

Dharamshala, India -- His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Sunday emphasised the preservation and protection of Tibetan Buddhism and culture, while inaugurating a new Tibetan monastic institution near Norbulingka Tibetan Cultural Institute, located in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Read more

Farewell to a much-loved monk/artist

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — There are quite a few festivals that fall in April. For the Chinese community, there’s the annual Ts’ing-ming when they visit the graves in honour of their ancestors. Read more

New year predictions

The Year of the Ox will be ushered in this Tuesday at 1:36am, and Cambodians are busy preparing fruits and flowers to offer to the angel Reaksadevi. Read more

Spreading dharma to the masse

Phnom Penh, Cambodia -- THE recording studio of Wat Bo's official radio station, 106.25 FM, is air-conditioned, sound-insulated and full of gadgetry. Read more

Museum of Fine Arts in Houston Premieres Landmark Exhibition of Two Thousand Years of Vietnamese Art

HOUSTON, TX.- The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and Asia Society, New York will present an unprecedented exhibition of ancient art from Viet Nam—the first in the U.S. to address the historical, geographic and cultural contexts of pre-colonial Vietnamese art in depth. Throughout its long history, Viet Nam served as a central hub for trade routes connecting the regions of Asia and the West, with travelers and merchants traversing its long open plains and trade vessels from as far west as India and Rome finding safe haven in its harbors. Arts of Ancient Viet Nam: From River Plain to Open Sea will introduce new scholarship on the history of Vietnamese art. Approximately 110 objects dating from the first millennium B.C. through the seventeenth century on rare loan from Viet Nam’s leading museums will be on view. Highlights of the exhibition include ritual bronzes, terracotta burial wares, fine gold jewelry, Hindu and Buddhist sculptures and ornaments made of jade, lapis lazuli, crystal and carnelian. The works have never been exhibited in the United States and many have never traveled outside of Viet Nam. Arts of Ancient Viet Nam will premiere in Houston on September 13, 2009 and will remain on view at the MFAH through January 3, 2010. The exhibition will be presented at Asia Society in New York from February 2 through May 2, 2010. Read more

Taking an austere path to enlightenment

Tokyo, Japan -- Urban dwellers, looking for something missing from the day-to-day grind of their working lives, are literally heading to the mountains to reconnect with nature and find spiritual fulfillment. Read more

Dalai Lama meets scientists for Mind and Life Dialogues

Dharamsala, April 6: Leading western scientists and noted academics are once again in the Northern Indian town of Dharamsala, home to the exiled 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, for five days of presentation and dialogues as part of a “Mind and Life” conference series.
Read more

Buddhist Economics

Washington, USA -- "Right Livelihood" is one of the requirements of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path. It is clear, therefore, that there must be such a thing as Buddhist economics.
Read more

Dalai Lama completes 50 yrs in exile in India

New Delhi, India -- Tibetan spiritual leader in exile, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, today called upon the Chinese government to throw open Tibet to “independent, impartial observers” immediately. Read more

Mound of ruins Bengal’s oldest Buddhist site

Calcutta, India -- The Murshidabad mound that yielded Bengal’s largest sixth century ruins was today designated the state’s earliest Buddhist site. Read more

A tribute to Ghosananda

PROVIDENCE, RI (USA) -- Nearly 30 years ago, one of the fraction of Buddhist monks to survive the Cambodian genocide quietly settled in a tenement on the city’s west side. Few outsiders knew that the humble man in their midst — the Venerable Maha Ghosananda — was already considered a worldwide Cambodian spiritual leader. Read more

Monk Honored in Second-Year Funeral Rite

During the dark period of civil war, a Cambodian monk led a campaign for peace in his nation. For years, the venerable Maha Ghosananda contributed to the cause of peace, and he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize four times. He died on March 12, 2007, and his passing will be marked in an upcoming second anniversary. Read more

Buddhists understand Globalization as ongoing change

Colombo, Sri Lanka -- The Buddhist view of globalization is very different from what the contemporary Western scholars profess it to be. Read more

Buying Religious Statues in Katmandu

Here’s a lesser-known proverb to remember if you happen to find yourself in Katmandu: Always look a gift Buddha in the ear. Read more

Indian village paves way to love

The village of Barwaan Kala, in the west of Bihar, is located high in the Kaimur hills and is known locally as the "village of unmarried people". Read more

Tibetans Greet New Year in Opposition

TONGREN, China — Snow fell across this mountain valley as red-robed monks in a prayer hall beat drums and chanted in tantric harmony, a seemingly auspicious start to Losar, the Tibetan New Year. Read more

Can You Choose Your Reincarnated Successor?

The search for the present Dalai Lama commenced in earnest in 1935 when the embalmed head of his deceased predecessor is said to have wheeled around and pointed toward northeastern Tibet. Read more

Legacy lost: Korea’s missing treasures

Seoul, South Korea -- When the National Museum of Korea recently unveiled five Buddhist treasures from the Unified Silla period on loan from national museums in Japan, one local media outlet dubbed it “the sad return home.” Read more

Developments in the Study of Buddhist Art

Berkeley, CA (USA) -- More than 10 guest professors from across the country joined UCLA faculty for a two-day conference on recent scholarship in the study of Buddhist art.
Read more

Where Buddha Meets Freud

San Francisco, CA (USA) -- This is about this very moment. This wonderful moment. Have you noticed? This week is the solstice: Sunday, to be precise. The shortest day of the year, and the longest night. Read more

Clergy in crisis? 17th monk congress starts in Cambodia

Phnom Penh, Cambodia -- A RAPIDLY expanding and largely unregulated Buddhist clergy is giving the Kingdom's religion a bad name, officials say, forcing elders to address embarrassing crimes at the opening Wednesday of the 17th annual monk congress in Phnom Penh. Read more

Tigers at Thai Temple Drugged Up or Loved Up?

KANCHANABURI, Thailand -- Deep in the heart of Western Thailand, where the River Kwai weaves through the rich green jungle, the monks of the Wat Pa Luang Ta Bua Temple are beginning their day. Read more

Shaolin takes over four Kunming temples

Kunming, China -- Fourteen Shaolin monks arrived in the ancient town of Guandu, near Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, on December 13 to take over the management of four temples. Their aim is to combine Shaolin Chan Buddhism (often known in the West by its Japanese name, Zen) and martial arts, with Yunnan's native Buddhist culture.
Read more

When Jesus met Buddha

Boston, MA (USA) -- WAS THE BUDDHA a demon?

While few mainline Christians would put the matter in such confrontational terms, any religion claiming exclusive access to truth has real difficulties reconciling other great faiths into its cosmic scheme. Read more

The Dalai Lama blames “greed” for financial crisis

After addressing an overflowing house of European Parliament December 4, the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, appeared at a joint press conference with Hans-Gert Poettering, the President of the only directly elected European institution, the European Parliament. Wit, humour, serenity and positive vibes were present in the packed environs of the Anna Politkovskaya European Parliament press room, named after the slain Russian journalist, as the Dalai Lama was at ease with international journalists. Read more

17 Paths to Enlightenment

Zanskar, India -- Indigenous peoples are similar to our globe's flora and fauna in one key way - many of them also face extinction. The systematic suppression of Tibetan people and culture by the Chinese government has been well documented. Read more

His Holiness The Dalai Lama's Address to the plenary session of the European Parliament

Your Excellency, Mr. President, Honorable Members of the Parliament, ladies and gentlemen, It is a great honour to speak before you today and I thank you for your invitation. Wherever I go, mymain interest or commitment is in the promotion of human values such as warm heartedness this is what I consider the key factor for a happy life at the individual level, family level and community level. In our modern times, it seems that insufficient attention is paid to these inner values. Promoting them is therefore my number one commitment. Read more

Fear Of Death, Death Fear Reactions

New Delhi, India -- In 1969, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross shattered the silence with 'On Death and Dying'. In it she described the progression of a patient's coping mechanisms in five stages of dying: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance. Read more

Buddhist-Christian Dialogue: A Point of View

Colombo, Sri Lanka -- Recently comparison of religions has gained publicity resulting in the conclusion that all religions are the same. This theory was propounded and repeated by our politicians and even religious dignitaries. Read more

Villagers place their trust in tradition

SVAY RIENG -- In Kandal province's Svay Rieng village, locals have begun to call on an old Khmer tradition to protect their animals from disease and evil spirits. Read more

Young Buddhist leader waits in the wings

SIDHBARI, INDIA -- Give the magnetic personality and hunky good looks of a rock star to a Tibetan Buddhist monk, and the result might be Gyalwang Karmapa, the third-highest lama in the Tibetan religious firmament. Read more

Greedy world needs Tibet's compassion: Dalai Lama

KITAKYUSHU, Japan -- The Dalai Lama said Tuesday that preserving Tibet's culture of compassion was more important than ever in a world that is steeped in greed and materialism. Read more

Good Luck Seekers Gather at `Gatbawi Buddha`

PGwanbong, South Korea -- “I prayed that my son would get a good result in the College Scholastic Aptitude Test and entering the university of his choice,” said a 47-year-old parent in Busan while making 3,000 prostrations. Read more

Zopa Rinpoche to visit Penang, Malaysia

Penang, Malaysia -- The Buddhist fraternity can look forward to the four-day visit of Khenrinpoche Lama Lhundrup (pic), the abbot of Kopan Monastery in Nepal, to Penang from Oct 19, 2008.

Organised by Chokyi Gyaltsen Centre (CGC), Penang, the visit will see Khenrinpoche holding dharma lessons and a healing session. Read more

Three weeks after death, monk’s body still glows

BANGALORE, India -- The body of an 80-year-old Mundgod monastery monk who died three weeks ago has shown no signs of decomposition.

The KLE hospital in Belgaum had declared the Buddhist spiritual leader, Trippa Lobsung Nyama, dead but his followers insist he has attained samadhi (a deep, blissful, meditative state). Read more

Doctors clear Dalai Lama to resume foreign travel

Mumbai, India -- The Dalai Lama underwent a second medical checkup in as many months Tuesday and doctors cleared him to resume foreign travel, said a spokesman for the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.

The 73-year-old Dalai Lama was admitted to a Mumbai hospital in August and underwent tests for abdominal discomfort. Doctors advised him to cancel a planned trip to Europe and rest, saying he was suffering from exhaustion. Read more

Taking a leap of faith

New Delhi, India -- He was born a Hindu. But despite belonging to an educated family, Bhavan Nath Paswan had to live a life of shame and ridicule. He was a chamar, lowest of the low according to the Hindu caste system. Paswan remembers the years of suffering. Read more

Buddhist Tours – 7 Places You Should Visit on Buddha Trail

New Delhi, India -- India is the country where the seeds of Buddhism were first sown. It was here that Lord Buddha first propagated the doctrines of this noble religion. Read more

Learning to live

Bangkok, Thailand -- In a pavilion at the Sathira-Dhammasathan Buddhist centre, a group of some 30 people, mostly lay women and nuns, are lying perfectly still on the floor, their eyes closed - like dead bodies. Read more

Winds of change fail to stir Myanmar

New York, USA -- LAST September, peaceful demonstrations let the world know that the people of Myanmar had enough of the crushing oppression of the military junta, yet, today, exactly one year later, Myanmar still languishes in a haze of terror and deprivation.
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Death and rebirth for paying customers of Thai temple

NAKHON NAYOK, Thailand -- It is the ultimate in second chances: A Buddhist temple here offers, for a small fee, anopportunity to die, rise up again newborn and make a fresh start in life. Read more

Army rescues Karmapa, 400 still stranded

Chandigarh, India -- Indian Army helicopters carried out sustained air operations to rescue Ugyen Trinley Dorji, the 17th Karmapa and incarnate spiritual leader of the Karma Kagyu, the most prosperous of the four Tibetan Buddhist sects. Read more

Thubten Norbu cremated in outdoor ceremony

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (USA) -- Mourners from around the country filed through the Tibetan Buddhist temple here Wednesday to bid farewell to a man they described as a friend, a freedom fighter and a high lama. Read more

Buddhists find Lee’s expression of regret lacking

Seoul, South Korea -- President Lee Myung-bak expressed regret on September 9 over the “religious bias” shown by government officials. Buddhists praised Lee’s statement for its sincerity, but are still strongly demanding that Korea National Police Chief Eo Cheong-soo be sacked, focusing attention on whether Buddhists will hold regional rallies after the Chuseok holiday. Read more

Thubten Norbu, eldest brother of Dalai Lama, dies

Thubten J. Norbu, the eldest brother of the Dalai Lama and himself regarded as a reincarnated saint, died Friday in Bloomington, Indiana. He had split with his pacifist brother to demand complete independence of Tibet from China, going so far as to help the U.S. government in covert guerrilla warfare. Read more

Buddhists Urge Korean President to Apologize

Seoul, South Korea -- Tens of thousands of Buddhist monks and followers from around the country flocked to central Seoul to protest what they call the administration's discrimination against one of the country's largest religion. Read more

The survivors of Qingzhou unearthed

At the Art Gallery of NSW a 150-kilogram sixth-century limestone Buddha dangles from a forklift, almost two metres above the ground. Its feet supported by five riggers, the statue descends slowly into a plinth. Read more

Dalai Lama, battling exhaustion, cancels trips

DHARMSALA, India (AP) — The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, was suffering from exhaustion and has canceled two planned international trips to undergo medical tests, his office said Wednesday. Read more

Tens of thousands of monks rally in Seoul against alleged discrimination

SEOUL: Tens of thousands of South Korean Buddhists rallied Wednesday against what they said was religious discrimination by the government of President Lee Myung Bak, the latest setback for his protest-plagued administration. Read more

A fighting chance

Bangkok, Thailand -- How could a man who was a devout Buddhist, who regularly visited temples and was ever ready to give and help out the monks, treat his wife and children so violently? Read more

A New Breed of Monk Rises in Myanmar

SAGAING, Myanmar -- Sitagu Sayadaw sits on a raised platform, three visitors kneeling below him, and explains the source of his power as a Buddhist monk. "I don't have any guns but I have very strong weapons: love, kindness and compassion," he says, as two novice monks massage his feet. Read more

Dalai Lama: China mistreating Tibetans during Games

PARIS, Aug 16 - The Dalai Lama said on Saturday China was mistreating and torturing civilians in Tibet while the Olympic Games were going on. Read more

YouTube stands up to IOC over Free Tibet video

The International Olympic Committee has withdrawn a DCMA takedown notice that targeted a two-minute long YouTube video of a Students for a Free Tibet protest at the Chinese consulate in New York. The video shows protesters gathering outside the building at night and projecting images of the Olympic symbol, 'tank man,' Tibetan riot footage and clips of victims of the Chinese police crackdown in Tibet. After receiving the request, YouTube contacted the IOC and asked if it really planned to pursue a claim. The IOC retracted the notice and the video was reposted within hours. Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society praised YouTube for 'going out of its way to do more than it's required to do under the law to protect free expression.' Read more

Women's Kingdom

Western China -- Deep in the hills of south western China lives a Buddhist community of 60,000 people called Mwa-Swa. Read more

Voices from the cave

Dunhuang, China -- A traveler falls into a river and calls for help. A huge stag with a fur of nine colors saves the drowning man. The queen of a nearby kingdom dreams about the stag and longs for its fur. Read more

South Korea: Religion Continues to Haunt the Lee Administration

Seoul, South Korea -- The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism has demanded an apology and an answer from the government for leaving out Buddhist temples, including major ones such as Bulguk, Baekyang and Bongeun temples, on a website called the Educational Geographic Information System, operated by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, which shows the locations of schools and surrounding areas. Read more

The Dalai Lama's demons

Paris, France -- Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, is revered as a hero by his people and respected world-wide for his peaceful philosophy. Today, however, there are cracks at the heart of his community. Read more

Contempt ruling delayed in fight over Long Beach temple

LONG BEACH, CA (USA) -- The 70 or so protesters from the Cambodian community who gathered in front of the Long Beach courthouse Monday and the 50 who crammed into Judge Joseph DiLoreto's courtroom will have to wait for the latest chapter to be played out in a dispute for control of the local Buddhist temple they attend. Read more

Photo exhibit captures Buddhist philosophy

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam -- Some photographers strive to capture the beauty of nature and human life, but 12 professional photographers and monks in the Ha Noi-based Que Huong Photography Club are out to show the Buddhist philosophy of everyday life.
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama express concern for Tibet's fragile environment

NOTTINGHAM, UK -- Answering a question relating to Tibet’s environment from the well-known British TV presenter Jonathan Dimbleby, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said the eminent danger facing Tibet’s fragile environment cannot wait. Read more

A Buddhist shrine grows off Highway 395

Adelanto, CA (USA) -- It doesn't take long to get acquainted with the rhythm of things at a new Buddhist shrine in this high desert community presided over by a monk nicknamed "Tom" and a 24-foot-tall statue of a saint said to have miraculous powers. Read more

Karmapa draws 1,600 to county

SHAMONG, New Jersey (USA) -- More than 1,600 people from all over the country gathered here yesterday to listen to the teachings of a Tibetan Buddhist leader. Read more

Buddhism and humanism: A reflection

Dhakka, Bangladesh -- Today is the Sacred Buddha Purnima, the full-moon day of Vesakha blessed by the birth, Enlightenment and Passing way of the Buddha. The day in very significant and important to the Buddhist world. It brings peace, integrity brotherhood, non-hatred, universal love, compassion and full humanism of the mankind of the world.
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Unravelling meaning of life through Buddhism

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- Today, Buddhism continues to gain ever-wider acceptance in many lands far beyond its original home. The Buddhist Teaching of the Law of Kamma offers our society a just and incorruptible foundation and reason for the practice of a moral life. It is easy to see how a wider embracing of the Law of Kamma would lead any country towards a stronger, more caring and virtuous society. Read more

Tallest Buddha Statue Undamaged by Sichuan Earthquake

Sichuan, China -- The 1,200-year-old Leshan Buddha in China's southwestern Sichuan Province, the world's tallest ancient statue of the deity, was undamaged by the nation's strongest earthquake in 58 years. Read more

Monks' Relief Aims Thwarted

RANGOON, Burma -- After the devastation of Cyclone Nargis, the military junta has forcibly relocated tens of thousands of survivors from the Irrawaddy Delta, including many who had sought shelter in Buddhist monasteries, the centre of unrest during protests against the generals last year. Read more

Taliban prison break exposes security vulnerability in Afghan city

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan: The Taliban bomber calmly parked a white fuel tanker near the prison gates of this city one evening in June, then jumped down from the cab and let out a laugh. Prison guards fired on the bomber as he ran off, but they missed, instead killing the son of a local shopkeeper, who watched the scene unfold from across the street.
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The real heroes of Myanmar's cyclone disaster

Rangoon, Burma -- As the urgency intensifies to get food, water and medicine into the worst-affected areas of Burma 11 days after the country was hit by Cyclone Nargis, the country's military government continues to baffle the world by stonewalling international disaster relief. Read more

Bombs in ‘terrorist plot’ kill at least 60 in India

JAIPUR, India - Bombs ripped through crowded parts of this ancient city in western India on Tuesday, killing 60 people and wounding 150, police said. The seven explosions in Jaipur took place in markets and several other areas of the city in Rajasthan, a region dotted with palaces and temples that draws hundreds of thousands of tourists every year, said A.S. Gill, the state's police chief. Read more

Monks back on front lines to aid cyclone victims

KYI BUI KHAW, Myanmar -- The saffron-robed monks who spearheaded a bloody uprising last fall against Myanmar's military rulers are back on the front lines, this time providing food, shelter and spiritual solace to cyclone victims. Read more

Master Tsin Tao calls for international aid to Myanmar

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- People of kindness around the world should join in efforts to help the Burmese people suffering from the May 2 cyclone that devastated the region, the Burma-born Buddhist Master Hsin Tao said Friday following his visit to the disaster areas.
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More aid, and heavy rain, on way to Myanmar

YANGON, Myanmar - More aid is on the way to cyclone-ravaged Myanmar — but so is the heavy rain. Read more

'A nightmare to make this operation run'

GENEVA - No helicopters. Almost no boats. Floods and fallen trees on the roads.
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Myanmar's top temple source of comfort

YANGON, Myanmar -- As the steady rain that had been falling all day Monday eased off, the monks at the Shwedagon Pagoda began to chant and the worshippers prayed. Many brought their children, some of whom laughed and played marbles in the pavilion.
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Was Burma's cyclone predicted?

US First Lady Laura Bush has accused the military government of failing to act to protect its people. Read more

Mangrove loss 'left Burma exposed'

ASEAN secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said coastal developments had resulted in mangroves, which act as a natural defence against storms, being lost. Read more

UK pledges £5m for Burma relief effort

Britain today pledged an immediate £5m to help the relief effort in Burma and warned the ruling military junta to allow aid agencies proper access to the country. Read more

Banned Vietnam Buddhist group claims repression before UN meet

HANOI, Vietnam -- A Buddhist group banned in Vietnam has said police in the communist country have tried to evict its monks from a pagoda to use it for a UN-sponsored international Buddhist meeting this month. Read more

China agrees to second round of talks with Dalai Lama's envoys

Beijing, China -- Chinese officials and envoys of the Dalai Lama have agreed to a second round of talks, China's state-run media said Monday, in an apparent sign of progress in easing tensions raised by violent anti-government riots in Tibet. Read more

Buddhism and its place in Tibetan protests

Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh (India) -- Buddhism is often seen as a religion that does not have place for politics. A faith that many believe shuns the power play of everyday life. But do these notions about Buddhism hold true in contemporary India? How are Buddhism and its followers changing? Read more

Buddhist monk jailed for life over Tibet riots

Beijing, China -- Six Buddhist monks are among the first people to be jailed for a riot in which Tibetans rampaged through the capital of the Himalayan region six weeks ago, receiving sentences ranging from life to 15 years in prison. Read more

Saffron Revolution renewed

Rangoon, Burma -- Sporadic street protests erupted in several Burmese cities over the weekend, as people prepare to go to the polls in May to vote on a new constitution. More than 50 demonstrators, led by some 20 saffron-clad monks, tried to make their way to the country's famous Shwegadon Pagoda in Rangoon on Saturday. Police prevented them for entering the temple and quickly herded them away. Read more

Unholy goings-on at Buddha Gaya

Bodhgaya, India -- I am in Buddha Gaya, India, for an extended stay. I arrived earlier this month, and I am attempting to meditate in what is possibly the holiest place in the universe. Read more

Colour of Peace

Kashmir, India -- The First Great Diffusion of Buddhism in the trans-Himalayas was in the 8th century. Guru Padmasambhava established the religion in the entire mountainous region, from Ladakh in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east. He had studied at Nalanda University in eastern India. Read more

Paying homage to our only home in the universe

Today, together with millions all over the world, the Buddhist Channel will lay down its regular routine and bow towards its spiritual home, our venerable mother Earth. As we breathe in, we pay homage to the only place we know that allows us to practice the Buddha-Dharma. As we breathe out, we pay our gratitude to this hallowed planet, for allowing us to savor a bit of what it means to be Enlightenend, for allowing us to hope. Read on, and we hope you will enjoy this special edition just as we have enjoyed putting it together. We would like to dedicate this Earth Day special to all sentient beings.
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Living Lightly on Earth

Although the interdependence of all things lies at the heart of Buddhist teaching, ecology as such is a modern formulation. We might certainly plead that it is a much needed restatement of the Buddhist vision in modern times, we might side with the poets (among them, the Buddha himself) and agree that truth gets lost in the words and therefore needs restating anew from age to age. It is still up to us, however, to prove our claim from traditional sources in order to carry everyone with us. Read more

Japanese Buddhist temple withdrawn from Olympic torch route

Nagano, Japan -- A famous Buddhist temple in Japan has been withdrawn from the Olympic flame relay over security concerns and anger at China's crackdown on Tibetans.
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"Watching the sun" - Hyangiram Hermitage

Dolsan-eup, Yeosu (South Korea) -- After passing narrow paths between rocks and climbing the narrow stairs for 30 minutes, the South Sea appears, spread right before your eyes. Read more

Ven. S Mahinda and the Dalai Lama

Colombo, Sri Lanka -- In the early 1900s Tibetan Ven. S Mahinda visited Sri Lanka during the time Sri Lankan patriots were launching the freedom struggle to gain independence for Sri Lanka from the British rule. Read more

In Tibetan Monasteries, the Heavy Hand of the Party

BEIJING, China -- Arjia Rinpoche was 47 years old and a senior Tibetan abbot when he first signed a document denouncing the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism's spiritual leader.
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Is the temple of Buddha’s footprints the temple of doom?

It’s a Buddhist temple that cares for dying Aids patients. It’s also a hugely successful money-making operation, attracting thousands of tourists with its displays of mummified corpses. So where does all that money go?. Read more

The Dalai Lama’s Realism

The situation in Tibet cannot be resolved until and unless the future of Chinese individuals is resolved, too; the majority of the citizens of Lhasa, after all, are already Han Chinese. And one of the Tibetans in exile who knows China most intimately, and over more than half a century, is the Dalai Lama, who has been working with the Beijing leadership since the early days of Communist rule, 58 years ago, and who traveled for a year across China, against his people’s wishes, in 1954, meeting Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping. Read more

Dalai Lama avoids talk of Tibet woes

SEATTLE–In contrast to the chaotic reception of the Olympic torch relay in San Francisco earlier this week, it was all peace and compassion in Seattle yesterday as the Dalai Lama arrived to welcoming crowds and no protesters in sight. Read more

Eye to eye with the Dalai Lama

Seattle, WA (USA) -- "The eyes are the windows to the soul," says an old English proverb. I am about to look into a pair of eyes that will change my life. Read more

An exercise in futility to denounce Dalai Lama

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- DESPITE the seeming sophistication of the present generation of the country's leaders, China's heavy-handed denunciation of the Dalai Lama since the Lhasa riots of mid-March, blaming everything on him and his "clique", shows that the Communist Party has not changed some of its basic characteristics, such as seeking to depict its opponents as evil beyond compare. Read more

Gaya shrine suffers civic delay

Bodh Gaya, India -- Plan to demolish illegal constructions around Maha Bodhi Temple has suffered a setback, yet again. Read more

Buddha leads

Bangkok, Thailand -- Can the ancient teachings of the Buddha, which date back more than 2,500 years, cure the modern angst of globalisation? Ask Seksan Prasertkul, and the answer from the former Marxist revolutionary is a firm "yes". Read more

Buddha's birthday 'for all cultures'

Auckland, New Zealand -- BUDDHA’S birthday celebrations at the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist temple in Botany on Sunday will be a day for all cultures and religions to come together, the organisers say. Read more

Buddhism fastest growing religion in West

Colombo, Sri Lanka -- Buddhism is being recognized as the fastest growing religion in Western societies both in terms of new converts and more so in terms of friends of Buddhism, who seek to study and practice various aspects of Buddhism. Read more

Monk Rambo

Karen State, Myanmar -- In a jungle encampment in eastern Myanmar, 67-year-old monk Saw Wizana sits meditating in orange robes. Behind him, hundreds of men with semi-automatic weapons line up in military formation and march in circles around a field. They are preparing for another battle against Myanmar’s military government. Read more

Hanamatsuri celebrates Buddha’s birth

Honolulu, Hawaii (USA) -- The story of Buddha's birth is rich in symbolism and suggestions of meaning, appealing to the imagination and feelings. It is a question for us whether we can draw any meaning for ourselves out of such ancient stories. Read more

In Malaysia's Muslim ruled state, the Buddhist Trinity is complete

Kota Bharu, Kelantan (Malaysia) -- At 8pm on Aug 8 this year, the tallest Standing Buddha in South-East Asia will be opened to the public, thus completing the three stances of the Buddha in Kelantan. Read more

Did Dalai get the wrong picture on Tibet riots?

HONG KONG, China -- Chinese internet users have gone to extraordinary lengths to disprove the Dalai Lama’s claim that the riots in Lhasa on March 14, which claimed several lives, were instigated by Chinese soldiers disguised as Buddhist monks. Read more

From Shangri-La to Angry-La

Toronto, Canada -- The conundrum of Tibet baffles and defies not only its Chinese rulers, but the region's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. That's not Beijing's view. It comes from Pico Iyer, author and lifelong friend of the popular Buddhist monk. Read more

Last master of Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism shares insights at age 101

LOS ANGELES, USA -- Anyone who lives more than a century and maintains sharpness of mind is likely to have a great deal of wisdom and experience to share. Read more

An American monk in Charleston

Charleston, West Virginia (USA) -- Over the telephone, Buddhist monk Bhante Yogavacara Rahula sounds a little like a stranger in a strange land. There's a faint accent that suggests he learned English later in life and, of course, there's his name. Read more

Mental Migration

In what he calls one of the high points in his life, Andy Fort got arrested on charges of disturbing the peace in 1972 in front of Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, Mass., when he joined the 400 people protesting the Vietnam War.
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Colgate prepares for Dalai Lama

Utica, NY (USA) -- The Dalai Lama will speak April 22 as part of Colgate University’s Global Leaders Lecture Series sponsored by the Colgate Parents Fund. The Observer-Dispatch recently interviewed Colgate University President Rebecca Chopp about the lecture.
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Tibet Isn't a Buddhist Litmus Test

San Francisco, USA -- As the violence in Tibet has continued, the Dalai Lama issued a stern statement that he could not align himself with insurrection in his home country. Buddhism rests on several pillars, one of which is nonviolence. Tibet quickly became a kind of Buddhist litmus test. Read more

Silk Mountain, King Mountain

Yellow Springs, Ohio (USA) -- As a girl growing up in Nepal, Sister Dhamma Vijaya saw few opportunities. Most girls were not educated. She was expected to marry by 15, then leave her parents’ home for the home of her husband’s family, where she would have little power. Should her husband die, she would lose her status and support — in most ways, her life would end too. Read more

Visiting Buddhist nuns seek help for Nepali girls at risk

Yellow Springs, Ohio (USA) -- As a girl growing up in Nepal, Sister Dhamma Vijaya saw few opportunities. Most girls were not educated. She was expected to marry by 15, then leave her parents’ home for the home of her husband’s family, where she would have little power. Should her husband die, she would lose her status and support — in most ways, her life would end too. Read more

Saffron revolutionaries

NEW YORK, USA -- Westerners tend to think of Buddhism as a passive religion, focused on silent meditation and personal spiritual growth. The image of the Buddha seated with a smile sums it up. Read more

Helping the helpless

Mumbai, India -- A SRI Lankan monk was in a crowded train travelling from Mumbai to Ulhasnagar in India, in 1982. A couple of superior caste members were seated comfortably, while several labourers were standing nearby. When a labourer accidentally brushed against a woman’s shoulders, the husband took offence and beat him up. Read more

Buddha made unforgettable

New Delhi, India -- Once in a while you come across a book that you know will remain in your mind, turning and curing well after you have finished reading it. Read more

Fight violence with nonviolence

Atlanta, Georgia (USA) -- Legends relate that Buddha stopped a war between two kings who were quarreling over rights to a river by asking them, "Which is more precious, blood or water?" Read more

Fitting home planned for Golden Buddha

BANGKOK, Thailand -- It's a ho-hum temple in the midst of Chinatown, one of the most popular draws for tourists visiting Thailand's bustling capital city, and many visitors walk straight past it. Yet the temple contains one of the city's most beautiful attractions – a maginficent golden Buddha worth about $14 million. Read more

Monks in tears cry out against lies while Beijing instructs foreign journalists

Lhasa, Tibet (China) -- A group of Buddhist monks blocked a tour of 26 foreign journalists in Lhasa, led by the Chinese government, crying out that there is no freedom in Tibet and that the Dalai Lama is not responsible for the recent violence there. Some of them after having cried “Tibet is not free! Tibet is not free!”, broke down in tears.
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World to Watch Vesak in Vietnam

Hanoi, Vietnam -- Vietnamese Buddhist master Thich Nhat Tu sits with a group of monks in a temple room at 2am, planning meticulously for the Buddha's Big Day celebrations - the United Nations Day of Vesak 2008 (UNDV) in Vietnam. Read more

Buddhist monk dies of starvation

Beijing, China -- A 12-day blockade of food and water to major monasteries in Lhasa by Chinese forces has killed a Buddhist monk of starvation, reported Tibetans in exile yesterday. Read more

Kushok Bakula Rinponche born again in Ladakh

Ladakh, India -- A two-year-old boy, Thubstan Nawang has been identified as the reincarnation of the Indian Buddhist saint, Kushok Bakula Rinpoche. Read more

Thai temples flooded with pets after viral outbreak

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Buddhist temples in central Thailand have been flooded with abandoned cats and dogs after an outbreak of feline and canine distemper killed hundreds of pets in the past month, newspapers reported on Wednesday. Read more

The United Nations Has Failed to Take Responsibility to Protect The People of Burma, Who Are Prepared for the Worst

Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma) -- We paid serious attention to the briefing by the UN Special Envoy Mr. Ibrahim Gambari to the United Nations Security Council on March 18, 2008 on Burma. Read more

Uttar Pradesh to boast of world's tallest Buddha statue

Lucknow, India -- Decks are being cleared for the installation of the world's tallest Buddha statue in Kushinagar town of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Read more

130 killed in Chinese crackdown in Tibet: report

Around 130 people have been confirmed killed in a Chinese crackdown on protests and unrest in Tibet, the prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile told AFP on Monday. Read more

China accuses Dalai Lama of taking Olympics "hostage"

BEIJING -- China accused the Dalai Lama on Sunday of using unrest in Tibet to back demands for Tibetan independence ahead of the August Olympic Games in Beijing.
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NGOs come out in support of Tibetans, Dalai Lama

DHARAMSALA: Two NGOs here have come out in support of the Tibetans and their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and condemned alleged human rights violations in Tibet.
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Olympics will be 'taken hostage': China

China has accused the Dalai Lama of using unrest in Tibet to back demands for Tibetan independence ahead of the August Olympic Games in Beijing. Read more

Tibetan revolt has China's empire fraying at the edge

For all its overwhelming force in the lonely mountain passes, where military convoys toil towards the clouds, or in the dark alleys of Chengdu’s Tibetan quarter, where soldiers stand watch, the sour tang of a debacle for China is in the air. Read more

Tibetans expect little help from world

DHARMSALA, India—Nearly six decades of struggle against the might of China has taught the Tibetans one thing: Ask the world for little, expect less. Read more

Dalai Lama Calls for End to Violence against Tibetans

Deaths are mounting in Tibet and neighboring provinces in China and there is no end to the bloodshed in sight. In a meeting with international journalists, including SPIEGEL reporters, the Dalai Lama calls on the world to pressure China to stop using violence against Tibetan protesters. Read more

China Issues "Most Wanted" List Of Rioters

(CBS/AP) China issued a "Most Wanted" list of 21 rioters Friday - shown in grainy photos waving knives and fighting during last week's violence over Chinese rule in Tibet. Thousands of troops continued to push into western China to contain unrest.
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Divine authority over fear in Tibet

The weekly "Free Tibet" demonstrations along the river in downtown Chicago used to be about a block long. This past Tuesday they were over five blocks long with 50 police walking along to safeguard their crossings at the intersections. Read more

Who is the Dalai Lama, and why is he the focus of protests over Tibet?

Dozens of people have died in mass protests against Chinese rule in Tibet. Protestors on the streets of Lhasa set fire to Chinese businesses and smashed government buildings. The demonstrations began whenBuddhist monks marched from their monasteries on 10 March, to mark the 49th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet which in 1959 tried to restore the Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, as the political leader of Tibet.
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A Monk's Struggle

"Since China wants to join the world community," the 14th Dalai Lama said as I was traveling across Japan with him for a week last November, "the world community has a real responsibility to bring China into the mainstream." The whole world stands to gain, he pointed out, from a peaceful and unified China—not least the 6 million Tibetans in China and Chinese-occupied Tibet. "But," he added, "genuine harmony must come from the heart. It cannot come from the barrel of a gun." Read more

Free Tibet parties meet Dalai Lama

DHARAMSALA, India (CNN) -- Tibetan Youth Congress president Tsewang Rigzin and other "Free Tibet" party representatives met with the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala on Tuesday morning, representatives from both sides said. Read more

Young Tibetans reject Dalai Lama's lead

(CNN) -- While the Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet, many younger Tibetans do not follow him on a crucial question -- whether Tibet should have genuine autonomy or independence from China. Read more

Protests in Tibet: Day by Day Account

The authorities in Tibet gave people involved in anti-China protests a deadline of midnight to give themselves up, encouraging people to inform on protest organisers. A large buildup of troops is reported in the provinces bordering Nepal. Read more

Fresh Protests Reported, School Children Turn Latest Victims

Lhasa, Tibet -- As the protests in Tibet's capital city Lhasa spread like wild fire monks from Thangkor Soktsang Monastery, Zoegey County, Ngaba Tibet Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, are demonstrating in front of Chinese government office 8kms from the monastery. At the time of this report going online slogans of free Tibet and Dalai Lama's long life could be heard in the background as a protester tries to reach the outside world through his phone. Read more

Anti-China protest shadows trade deal

Trade Minister Phil Goff yesterday said he was "concerned" about the worst riots in the Tibetan region in almost 20 years and by at least 10 deaths in the protests during the weekend. Read more

Monks leading cry for a free land

HERE in the biggest and most important monastery town outside Tibet, hundreds of monks, locals and visitors from the countryside, here for a religious festival, have staged a series of protests in support of the protesting monks in Lhasa, chanting "Free Tibet" and waving Tibetan flags and scarves. Read more

Tibetan monks defy police with prayer protest

Rebkong, Tibet (China) -- Defiant Tibetan monks burned incense today despite orders from Chinese police.
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Police break up Tibetan protest in Nepal's capital, arresting at least 20

KATHMANDU, Nepal — Police have broken up a protest by 200 Tibetans in the Nepalese capital, beating them with bamboo batons and arresting at least 20 of them. Read more

Human rights could end council prayers

Cambridge, UK -- THE tradition of prayers before council meetings faces the axe - under the banner of political correctness. Read more

Buddhist Temple invites people of all faiths to 26.2-hour walking meditation marathon

Ontario, Oregon (USA) -- In 13th century Japan, a Buddhist monk named Shinran Shonin undertook a 100-day walking meditation, hoping to achieve enlightenment. Read more

Taiwan: A nun's story

Taipei, Taiwan -- It's a magical, if slightly surreal, moment. We're standing in the courtyard of the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan, surrounded by 480 identical gold statues of Buddha, listening attentively to the softly spoken words of one of the nuns, the Venerable Yi Jih. The early evening light is starting to fade and there's not a breath of wind.
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New Christian President Rattles Korea's Buddhist Nerves

SEOUL, South Korea -- The anonymous monk makes his way through downtown Seoul towards the presidential palace, prostrating face down in supplication with each step.
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Troops 'seal Tibet monasteries'

Lhasa, Tibet (China) -- Campaigners say several hundred monks have joined protests Security forces have sealed off three monasteries in the Tibetan city of Lhasa after protests earlier this week, witnesses and a rights group said.
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Monastery set ablaze after bulldozing

Kyauktaw, Burma -- A monastery in Kyauktaw Township was set on fire after being bulldozed by army authorities because the abbot of the monastery was involved in the recent Saffron Revolution. Read more

China admits Tibet monk protests

Lhasa, Tibet -- Chinese officials have admitted that Buddhist monks have been protesting in the Tibetan city of Lhasa this week. Read more

Myanmar's monks still seething, but lack leaders

MANDALAY, Myanmar -- Beneath the veneer of serenity and religious devotion, Myanmar's maroon-robed Buddhist monks, the engine of the protests six months ago against the ruling junta, are seething with rage. Read more

Buddhist blessings for new Hindu temple site in Berlin

Berlin, Germany -- Sri Lankan Buddhist monks on Mahasivarathri Day March 7 blessed a site situated in Berlin, Germany, on which is planned the construction of Europe's second largest Hindu temple. Read more

Leshan: Exploring Sichuan's Buddhist heritage

BEIJING, China -- Listed as a World Heritage site in 1996, Leshan Giant Buddha and Mount Emei in Southwest China's Sichuan Province draw tourists and Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world. Read more

China crushes protest by monks in Tibet

Lhasa, Tibet (China) -- China admitted today that it had quashed a protest by Buddhist monks in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, underscoring the opposition Beijing still faces to its rule in the remote Himalayan region. Read more

Malaysia a model for the world, says Buddhist leader

KUANTAN, Pahang (Malaysia) -- Malaysia is a fine example of a global human family and can be a model to the world, adviser to the Pahang Buddhist Association (PBA) Venerable Sik Ji Xing said. Read more

Buddhist Monk Calls for Arms Embargo Against Burma

Jakarta, Indonesia -- A Buddhist monk involved in the September protests in Burma has called on the world community to stop supporting, recognizing and selling arms to the military-run Burmese government. As VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins reports, U Awbata made his appeal at an international human rights conference on Burma in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. Read more

The Pure Truth and Benevolence Is Really Good

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan -- At the Divine Performing Arts' premiere in Kaohsiung on March 4, there were some Buddhist monks and nuns wearing yellowish frocks in attendance. They were from the Baoding Buddhist Monastery at Bingdong County in southern Taiwan. The abbot of the monastery Shi Faguang took twelve of them to see the Spectacular.
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Rural Winchester area home to Buddhist temple

WINCHESTER, CA (USA) -- It's an unlikely setting for Buddhist monks native to Southeast Asia. In a rural neighborhood near Leon and Scott roads - between a recreational vehicle storage lot, horse corrals and an empty field - two monks live a devotional existence, their days full of meditation, study and prayer. Read more

Burmese monks in Thailand pace, pray and wait

Mae Sot, Thailand -- Wrapped in orange robes, Oh Bah Seh, a Buddhist monk, shows a visitor a scar on his head - compliments of a police baton. Read more

Investiture of Ven W. Kassapa (OBE) at Buckingham Palace

London, UK -- Ven. Kassapa as always emphasised that the Order of the British Empire (OBE) he received was not only due to his own hard work but of team and the Buddhist community in the world. In turn he presented the award to his hard working team who has dedicated their service to the world community regardless of their nationality, creed, cast or geographical differences. Read more

Are Buddhist monks flirting online?

BANGKOK, Thailand -- The Thai government said Tuesday it was investigating claims that supposedly celibate Buddhist monks have been using a U.S.-based social networking website to flirt with women. Read more

Suffer the little children

Tokyo, Japan -- One of the most endearing and recurrent images of Japan, found on temple grounds, country roads and in cemeteries, is that of Jizo, the stone-carved, baby-faced monk. Read more

Tzu Chi Foundation Approved To Open Branch In Mainland China

Taipei, Taiwan -- Fan Liqing, a spokesperson from the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, has disclosed at a press conference that Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation has been approved to set up a branch in mainland China. Read more

Dalai Lama might be the area's hottest ticket

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (USA) -- The Dalai Lama's first-ever visit to the Lehigh Valley this July has taken years to plan, but tickets to see the exiled Tibetan leader and Nobel laureate might sell out in just a few minutes Monday morning. Read more

Serving the People

Mandalay, Burma -- When Burmese monks protested in September 2007, the disciples and monks at Sayadaw Nyanissara’s monastery in the Sagaing hills near Mandalay exercised restraint and stayed away from the demonstrations, largely because of their respect for the work the activist monks were accomplishing throughout the country. Read more

CIHTS to confer Honorary Degree on Dr Abdul Kalam

Dharamsala, India -- The Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies will confer an honorary degree on Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, former President of India. Read more

Thai community in Miami struggles to complete Buddhist temple

Miami, FL (USA) -- Not far from tomato fields, surrounded by litchi, longan and avocado groves, an unlikely collection of concrete and clay-tiled buildings presides over a quiet corner of the Redland. Read more

Shining light on depopulation problem

Sado Island, Japan -- The recent trend toward the mergers of villages and towns, known as "Heisei no Daigappei," has drastically reduced the number of municipalities in the nation, from 3,231 to 1,821 as of March 2006. Read more

Jordan's Prince El Hassan bin Talal wins 2008 Niwano Peace Prize

Tokyo, Japan -- Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan has been named as the 2008 winner of the Niwano Peace Prize for efforts at building peace with justice in the Middle East, especially with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Read more

Survey: US Religious Landscape in Flux

New York, USA -- The U.S. religious marketplace is extremely volatile, with nearly half of American adults leaving the faith tradition of their upbringing to either switch allegiances or abandon religious affiliation altogether, a new survey finds. Read more

Devotees unable to save Buddhist temple, but tree will be preserved

Singapore -- The Singapore High Court dismissed a bid to save a 65-year-old Buddhist temple site from government acquisition, but a Bodhi tree regarded as sacred will not be chopped down, news reports said Tuesday. Read more

Tibetan Buddhists celebrate as a new year marches in

Melbourne, Australia -- IT MAY seem odd to celebrate the New Year in March but for the Tibetan Buddhist Society it’s the most significant date of the year. Read more

Burning bright

Kanchanaburi, Thailand -- Either she likes it or I'm dead. I'm crouched next to a magnificent Indo-Chinese tiger at the Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno Forest Monastery in Thailand. Try saying that three times quickly; not surprisingly, it's better known as the "Tiger Temple". Read more

Fording the Stream: An Affirmation of the Bodhisattva Way of Life

Los Angeles, CA (USA) -- There are few expressions which capture the essence of Madhyamika Buddhism better than "fording the stream and returning to it with equal measure". Read more

Tzu Chi relief report in Philippines for Year 2007

Taipei, Taiwan -- Taiwan Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation Philippines held charity activities and medical services to provide help for the victims and the poor in the year of 2007. The global warming has caused many calamities in recent years. The environmental protection is one of the efforts made by Tzu Chi volunteers. Read more

Adding a little harmony

Whangarei, New Zealand -- A BUDDHIST Stupa which aims to emit special energy bringing peace and harmony to the surrounding community was opened on top of a hill overlooking Whangarei yesterday. Read more

Runaway lawnmower kills Buddhist monk

London, UK -- A Buddhist monk was killed when he was run over by a lawnmower as he cut the grass at his temple, an inquest has been told. Read more

Inner peace in a conflict zone

Tel Aviv, Israel -- One of the leading teachers of meditation in the Western world has recently concluded his first visit to Israel. Jack Kornfield, a 62-year-old American Jew, is one of a handful of spiritual teachers who have brought Buddhist philosophy and Vipassana meditation techniques to the West. Read more

The path to bliss and wisdom

Bangkok, Thailand -- 'Teach what you know," says the old adage. Perhaps a more powerful directive would be to teach what you love. For Ajahn Brahm, the two come together in teaching meditation. Read more

May peace and tranquility prevail

Ontario, Idaho (USA) -- This year in March, the Idaho-Oregon Buddhist Temple, Ontario, is going to host a special event March 16 to commemorate the 750th Memorial for Shinran Shonin, the founder of Jodo-Shinshu Buddhism. Read more

Peace found in relics of the Buddha

KAHULUI, Hawaii (USA) -- Charmaine Rugg felt a sense of serenity as she viewed the display of the pearl-like crystal relics of the Buddha and Buddhist masters. Read more

South Korean Buddhist team visits Nepal

KATHMANDU, Nepal -- A South Korean Buddhist team has arrived in Nepal for five-day visit, the National News Agency RSS reported on Sunday. Read more

Governor inaugurates Buddhist Deepa Centre

Jammu, India -- Governor Lt. General (Retd) S K Sinha today said that the philosophy of Buddhism continues to be dear to most people of India and a source of inspiration to them, irrespective of their religion. Read more

Fording the Stream: An Affirmation of the Bodhisattva Way of Life

Los Angeles, CA (USA) -- There are few expressions which capture the essence of Madhyamika Buddhism better than "fording the stream and returning to it with equal measure". Read more

World religions for World Peace

The principles discussed so far are in accordance with the ethical teachings of all world religions. I maintain that every major religion of the world - Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism, Taosim, Zoroastrianism - has similar ideals of love, the same goal of benefiting humanity through spiritual practice and the same effect of making their followers into better human beings. Read more

Buddhism defying religion's slide in Wollongong

Wollongong, Australia -- Wollongong people are becoming less religious, according to the 2006 Census, but Buddhism is defying the trend. Read more

“Tibetan non-violent struggle must have to triumph”

Dharamsala, India -- A group from Thailand led by Ajahn Sulak Sivaraksa, founder and president of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists, are currently in Dharamsala, the seat of the Dalai Lama led Tibetan Government-in-Exile, to express their solidarity with the Tibetan cause and encourage preservation and promotion of the “unique and peaceful Tibetan Buddhist culture". Read more

Trading the World for a Cabin in the Woods

New York, USA -- IT’S my first night in the cabin, and I can’t sleep. The quiet is too loud, as if I were holding a conch shell tight over each ear, and any sounds that do seep through - a wet bulge of snow sliding off a fir tree, the pop of a log in our blazing wood stove - send me tossing and turning, a skittish city mouse in the country. Read more

Total alcohol ban sought for religious days

Bangkok, Thailand -- All sales of alcohol should be banned on religious holidays, according to Deputy Prime Minister Surapong Suebwonglee. Mr Surapong, also finance minister, came up with the proposal during merit-making to mark Makha Bucha Day at Wat Suan Kaew in Nonthaburi. Read more

Fire leaves Buddhist temple ruined

London, Canada -- A blaze that sent worshippers fleeing out the back door of a Northeast London Buddhist temple has left many elderly Cambodians with no place to gather.
Read more

Sri Lanka: A buddhist encyclopedia soon

Colombo, Sri Lanka -- An international English medium encyclopedia on Buddhism, covering a vast range of subjects including doctrine, philosophy, culture and diverse Buddhist activities, will be completed shortly. Read more

The Buddha and the World

Colombo, Sri Lanka -- There has been a pervasive sense of anxiety in the world, since 9/11 and at the same time a search for spiritual answers. Is violence an aspect of human nature that can be cured, or are we caught in an endless cycle of violence that will never end? One of the most optimistic answers to that dilemma came from the Buddha more than two thousand years ago. Read more

Love makes the world go round

Bangkok, Thailand -- Love is a force in the human heart that is so influential it creates various contradicting emotions such as happiness, sorrow, gladness, depression, passiveness and eagerness. Some poets say love makes the world go round, turns a bad man into a good person and that love is a great inspiration. Read more

Arkansas University’s Outstanding Faculty Award goes to Tibetan Geshe professor

Fayetteville, Arkansas (USA) -- Geshe Thupten Dorjee from the University of Arkansas will receive the "The Outstanding Faculty Award" which is sponsored by the Student Government and the Arkansas Alumni Association. Read more

Mandala's path of colored sand grows at Chico State

Chico, California (USA) -- Three weeks into a five-week art residency at Chico State University, Tibetan-born Losang Samten continues to construct a vibrantly colored mandala, or sand painting, in the lobby of the Bell Memorial Union. Read more

Non-Violence And The Self-Cherishing Mind

Groningen, Netherlands -- To understand why non-violence in this sense is so powerful, I think we need to look more closely at the whole issue of altruism and self-restraint.
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Thai Prime Minister marks Maka Bucha Day

Bangkok, Thailand -- Prime minister Samak Sundaravej began his morning by making merit on Maka Bucha Day, the day the Lord Buddha gave his first sermon to 1,250 of his disciples who gathered before him without any prior arrangement. Read more

Monlam Chenmo - The Great Prayer Festival

Lhasa, Tibet (China) -- The Monlam Chenmo, also known as The Great Prayer Festival falls on the 4th - 11th day of the 1st Tibetan Lunar month. This is the greatest religious festival in Tibet and was established in 1409 by the great Tibetan philosopher, saint, monastic teacher, and social reformer, Tsong Khapa Losang Drakpa (1357-1419), the founder of the Geluk tradition of the Tibetan Buddhism. Read more

The temple that changed a town

Jenjarom, Malaysia -- About two decades ago, no one messed with Jenjarom new village - better known as a gangster hot spot rather than as the producer of quality ginger that is in demand nationwide. Read more

Nepal to recognise Buddhist and Muslim religious schools

Kathmandu, Nepal -- Hundreds of Muslim and Buddhist schools want to join the public school system after the government signalled its intention of recognising religious schools, but has set some conditions to do so, namely that such schools also use non-religious textbooks recommended by the government’s Education Board rather than rely exclusively on their own religious texts. Read more

Upwey class promotes peaceful poise

Anita and Frank Carter of the Upwey Buddhist Discussion Centre share their knowledge of Buddhism teachings with hills residents. Read more

Inspired by Buddha, Admired as Art

New York, USA -- The stars of the show arrived in wooden crates at Kennedy Airport on New Year’s Eve. They had already enjoyed a hugely popular run in Japan and were now embarking on a world tour.
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Nalanda University: It's time Asia paid back the 'knowledge' debt

New Delhi, India -- IT is payback time for the world community, especially East and Southeast Asia, for what it received by way of knowledge from an ancient Indian university that is in the throes of revival as an international seat of learning. Read more

Gift of nature

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam -- Huyen Dieu, an overseas Vietnamese monk who now lives in Nepal, says in his recently-published book Khi Hong Hac Bay Ve (When the Sarus Cranes Came Back) that 2 Sarus Cranes, one of the world’s most endangered species, suddenly flew into his monastery grounds to take up residence. Read more

Yen Tu festival opens in Quang Ninh, Vietnam

Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam -- About 50,000 visitors flocked to Yen Tu Mountain in northern coastal Quang Ninh Province for the opening day of the Yen Tu Pagoda Festival Saturday, the tenth day of the first lunar month.
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Three Buddhist Viharayas constructed in India

Chennai, India -- The three Buddhist Viharayas named, Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha constructed at Thiruthanni, Trichy and Chennai in India will be opened on March 1, 2008. Read more

ISU students take part, explore Buddhist philosophy

Terre Haute, Ind. (USA) -- April Tucker, a sophomore pre-law major and explorer of the Buddhist doctrine, grew up as a Jehovah's Witness. Her mother married a Muslim; her best friend is an atheist, and her boyfriend is a Catholic.
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Tukwila teen a monk no more

Seattle, WA (USA) -- Michael Sa-Ngoun is no longer a monk.
The 19-year-old from Tukwila, who spent two years in a Cambodian monastery because his mother was desperate to stop his self-destructive behavior, is not prone to deep philosophical meditation these days. Read more

Silicon Valley Tibetan Buddhists find a new home

Campbell, CA (USA) -- For 10 years, followers of Gyalwa Gyatso Buddhist Center did not have a home, shuttling from living room to living room, libraries and community centers. Read more

Advert showing Indian President, Chief Minister 'above' Buddha irks monks

Patna, India -- Hundreds of Buddhist monks in Bodh Gaya are protesting a Bihar government advertisement showing photographs of President Pratibha Patil and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar placed above a picture of Gautam Buddha. Read more

Love your country not the lady, preach Lankan monks

Colombo, Sri Lanka -- Sri Lankan Buddhist monks countered Valentine's Day celebrations in the island yesterday with programmes to lure the youth away from romantic love which they denounce as an undesirable Western concept. Read more

Buddhist temple fate undecided

BUXTON, Maine (USA) -- The Buxton Planning Board once again declined to vote Monday on approving a permit request by a Buddhist temple. Read more

One student's path to enlightenment

Boston, MA (USA) -- Brian Hanrahan leaves the hustle and bustle of Boston University each week and retreats to the Won Buddhism of Boston temple in Somerville, where the resonating sound of a gong indicates the start of meditation services. Read more

Sands of Peace and Harmony

Perth, Australia -- THEY say that just to gaze upon a sacred mandala enhances enlightenment. Start the year with some spiritual growth. Read more

Ancient teachings get modern twist

Thousand Oaks, CA (USA) -- The fourth reincarnation of a Buddhist lama sat in a chair on wheels at the front of a university lecture hall, at one point spinning 360 degrees, trying to lend balance to a world he pronounced out of sync. Read more

Burma: The Heartbeat Is Still Alive Underground

Washington, USA -- Lest we forget in the ruts many of us seem somewhat lost in these days, that of the dirt track race of tired horses we’re following, a/k/a the Presidential nomination process… meanwhile there are others in many parts of the world, who are striving just to speak aloud without being ‘disappeared’ by government thugs.
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Buddhist monks begin praying for world peace

Bodh Gaya, India -- Thousands of Buddhist monks and devotees, many of them from abroad, are participating in a 10-day chanting ceremony for world peace here.
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Meditating on shifting sands

Brisbane, Australia -- AS far as sandcastles go it probably won't impress too many youngsters handy with a bucket and spade. Read more

Monks to kick of Roseville visit Wednesday with sand mandala

Roseville, CA (USA) -- Roseville is readying for a Tibetan invasion.

Monks from the Gaden Shartse Monastery, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery exiled to southern India, will be in Roseville for as part of their Northern California Tour this week.
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Planning Board Delays Decision On Buddhist Temple Expansion

BUXTON, Maine (USA) -- The debate over the proposed expansion of a Buddhist temple in Buxton continues, with no decision from town leaders as to whether it can move forward. Read more

Boat capsize kills 10 in Myanmar

YANGON, Myanmar -- A boat carrying Buddhist pilgrims capsized in southern Myanmar, killing ten people, state-media reported Monday. Read more

Planning Board Delays Decision On Buddhist Temple Expansion

BUXTON, Maine (USA) -- The debate over the proposed expansion of a Buddhist temple in Buxton continues, with no decision from town leaders as to whether it can move forward. Read more

Meditating For Health

Bismark, ND (USA) -- There are lots of things you can do to lower your blood pressure. We all know you can start eating healthy, become active, or even take certain medication, but not everyone is aware of another way to lower their bp. Read more

Love Advice for "The Heartbreak Kid"

Singapore -- "The Heartbreak Kid" presents an interesting dilemma about the nature of commitment. What should you do, if the person you married turns out not to be the person you thought? What if this person turns out much worse than you could even dream of? Worse still, what if you meet another person shortly after your marriage - a "dream lover", who seems so much better than the one you married? Read more

Lhosar: Mahayana Buddhism's New Year

Kathmandu, Nepal -- Situated in the lap of the Himalayas sandwiched between two giant nations Nepal is a home to 70 ethnic groups having their own religion, culture, language and life-style. It is the land of heady mixture of unique culture proudly preserved; mind boggling adventure and remarkable nature beauty. Read more

Buddhist relics on display in Hawaii

Honolulu, Hawaii (USA) -- The "Maitreya Project Relic Tour" will open at 10 a.m. next Saturday at Kapiolani Community College, Lama Library, 4304 Diamond Head Road. It will be open until 8 p.m. and continue on display from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 17 and 18. The exhibit is free and campus parking is free. Read more

At Buddhist Temple, Cleansing Rituals to Ring in the New Year

New York, USA -- Ha Tran was applying the final swipes on Saturday to a 20-foot Buddhist statue inside a Chinatown temple. It took two days, but Mrs. Tran, a 62-year-old Vietnamese immigrant, lovingly washed every one of the deity’s thousand arms and did the same for its 10 heads. Balanced on scaffolding, she painstakingly removed 12 months of accumulated dust and incense in time for the Chinese New Year on Thursday, her yearly rite for 22 years. Read more

Czech Republic first Buddhist temple opens

Varnsdorf, Czech Republic -- At the edge of a town on the edge of the country, across the street from the ruins of a squat stone building, sits an average house where the spirit of a vibrant minority community lives. Read more

Students find peace at Zen Center

Utah, USA -- Dozens of people arrive at the Kanzeon Zen Center just before 10 a.m. on Sunday, the largest crowd of the week, for meditation and a lesson on applying Buddhist teachings. Read more

BURMA: 'How Many Monks Must Die Before The UN Moves?'

MAE SOT, Thailand -- For one Buddhist monk from Burma, the brutal crackdown of peaceful street protests in the country last September was anything but a victory for the military regime. Read more

Newtown court case: Abusing their Religion

Newtown, CT (USA) -- Last week, the Connecticut Supreme Court issued a ruling that could be a "fatal blow" to the religious freedom of the Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut, according to Yale Buddhist chaplain Bruce Blair. Read more

Monastery stops free education service

Rangoon, Burma -- A free tuition service at Ngway Kyar Yan monastery in South Okkalapa township, Rangoon, that provided extra classes to students from 10 townships in the surrounding area, has been suspended. Read more

Buddhist Monk case: Bail applications rejected

MUMBAI, India -- A local court on Monday rejected the bail applications of four persons who have been arrested in connection with the suspected murder of a Buddhist monk here on January 6. Read more

China jails Tibetan monk for "inciting masses"

BEIJING, China -- The abbot of a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in southwest China has been jailed for three years on charges of endangering national security by inciting the masses, a group monitoring human rights in the Himalayan region said. Read more

A ritual ingrained in Buddhist monks

EWING, New Jersey (USA) -- A Tibetan Buddhist sand ritual, rare to New Jersey, will be performed by Buddhist monks during a week-long demonstration starting Saturday at The College of New Jersey Library. Read more

Scandal gnaws at Buddha's holy tree in India

BODH GAYA, India -- Tales of corruption, looting and religious rivalry are swirling around the spot where Buddha is said to have gained enlightenment in eastern India some 2,500 years ago, sullying one of Buddhism's holiest sites. Read more

New Year event in Tibet draws 100,000 Buddhist followers

LHASA, Tibet (China) -- More than 100,000 Buddhist followers have converged at a Tibetan monastery to celebrate a local religious festival in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. Read more

Buddhist immersion

Berkeley, Calif. (USA) -- Waking up in the peaceful stillness of the California wilderness, he remembers that it is his turn to cook breakfast. After a few inventive attempts at waking his roommate, they work together to cook pancakes for the rest of the volunteers.
Read more

Sand mandala for centre in Petaling Jaya

Petaling Jaya, Malaysia -- For the first time, four nuns from the Kopan Nunnery in Nepal will come over to Losang Dragpa Centre (LDC) here to recreate a sand mandala from Feb 8 to Feb 20. Read more

Subdued but Unbowed

Pakokku, Burma -- A 35-year-old, slender, dark man with a long face wearing a white shirt and longyi is sitting in a teashop opposite a A-Nauk Taik, a famous monastery in western Pakokku. Read more

Chinese New Year cheer at Jenjarom’s Dong Zen Temple

BANTING, Selangor (Malaysia) -- With Chinese New Year just 10 days away, the festive cheer at Dong Zen Temple in Sungai Jenjarom, Selangor, is in full swing. Read more

A Chaitya to be built in Birmingham Maha Vihara, UK

Birmingham, UK -- For the first time in the history of England a full scale Sri Lankan style Chaitya is to be built at the Birmingham Maha Vihara in the Midlands. Read more

Thai institute invents mosquito-repellent robe for monks

Bangkok, Thailand -- A Thai research institute has developed mosquito-repellent robes targeting the kingdom's 400,000 Buddhist monks, who are prohibited from killing all animals including pesky insects, insect, media reports said Wednesday. Read more

First board meeting of Nalanda university set for February

Patna, India -- A plan of action for setting up the ambitious Nalanda International University modelled after the famed ancient seat of Buddhist learning in Bihar is set to be chalked out during the first board meeting in February, an official said on Wednesday. Read more

Tibetan Buddhist Mandala In Process At Cathedral

Philadelphia, Penn. (USA) -- It's not a typical artwork. It doesn't fit into contemporary models of abstraction, representation or self-expression, drawing instead on 2,500-year-old traditions and symbolism. It contains no paint, no paper, no clay, just careful layers of brightly colored sand. The highly trained artist did not attend a top-tier art school, but studied at a monastery in India. And no conservationist will ever worry about the artwork's longevity; in another week it won't exist. Read more

Which Temple Follows The Way?

Beijing, China -- In recent years, Shaolin monks from China have gained an international reputation for their physical endurance and feats of kung fu skill. Shaolin monk troupes have toured the world, and Shaolin temples have become a common destination for foreign travelers, with some staying for extended periods. Read more

Buddhist blessings in South Florida

HOMESTEAD, Florida (USA) -- Between the alligator-infested Florida Everglades and the craziness of Miami Beach lies a peaceful center surrounded by tomato and fruit farms.
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Lessons beyond the temple

Bangkok's Mahachulalongkorn-rajavidayalaya University (MCU) has launched an undergraduate programme in Buddhist art to ensure the survival of temple murals and sculpture. Read more

Buddhists offered a home: Mansfield Zen Center's founder 'here to support'

MANSFIELD, OH (USA) -- Michael Minock, founder of the Mansfield Zen Center, is reaching out to other Zen Buddhists who would like to practice with him. Read more

China Cracks Down on Tibetan Buddhism Ahead of Olympics

Beijing, China -- Chinese authorities in Tibet have recruited more than 140 Tibetan youths to perform traditional dances at the forthcoming Beijing Olympics, even as they impose new curbs on Buddhist culture in the Himalayan region, sources there say. Read more

How to establish Peace and Security in Burma

Paris, France -- Two venerable Buddhist abbots, U Pannya Vamsa, from Penang and U Uttara from London, are journeying on a worldwide tour, which includes Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, India, Europe and the United States to gain support from leaders around the world for political change urgently needed in urma. Read more

Malaysian Buddhist Buried As Muslim After Dispute

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- An ethnic Chinese man received a Muslim burial after a court ruled against the wishes of most of his family members, who maintained Friday he never converted to Islam. Read more

Quest for enlightenment

Roanoke, Virginia (USA) -- Michael Love admits that his practice of Zen Buddhism isn't something he's likely to mention in casual conversation. The 27-year-old Virginia Tech graduate student isn't shy about his beliefs; it's simply hard to find others who share an interest. Read more

Buddhist monks walk through Fairfield County to promote peace

WILTON, CT (USA) -- Standing in a circle holding hands, about a dozen people silently prayed before chanting a Buddhist prayer at the Quaker Meeting House in Wilton on Wednesday night. Read more

Cambodian History Writ Large At Angkor

SIEM REAP, Cambodia -- This country's most famous temple may be 900 years old, but the message it sets out to convey is timeless: Angkor Wat is all about glory. The temple is one of hundreds built by kings of the Khmer Empire to commemorate themselves and their empire, as well as to worship their gods. But Angkor Wat stands out from the rest -- in artistry, in scale and in popular imagery. Read more

Dharamsala Diary: The Right to Be Reborn Denied

Lhasa, Tibet (China) -- There’s a new law in force in China these days that says the Chinese authorities in future would choose reincarnating Tibetan lamas. Partly in anticipation of such a move and mostly to keep pace with the changing times, the Dalai Lama said he has been toying with different methods to choose his successor.
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Monks in town to size up the sole

Grass Valley, Nevada (USA) -- For the eighth straight year, monks from the Gaden Shartse monastery in southern India are visiting Grass Valley as part of their annual U.S. tour. Read more

Taipei Taiwan -- It's a magical, if slightly surreal, moment. We're standing in the courtyard of the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan, surrounded by 480 identical gold statues of Buddha, listening attentively to the softly spoken words of one of the monks, the Venerable Yi Jih. The early evening light is just starting to fade and there's not a breath of wind.
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Venerable company

Taipei Taiwan -- It's a magical, if slightly surreal, moment. We're standing in the courtyard of the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan, surrounded by 480 identical gold statues of Buddha, listening attentively to the softly spoken words of one of the monks, the Venerable Yi Jih. The early evening light is just starting to fade and there's not a breath of wind.
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Bangladesh: The Army attacks Buddhism to facilitate illegal settlement in the Chittagong Hill Tracts

Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh -- On 25 January 2008, indigenous Jumma peoples are scheduled to hold a large religious gathering at Sarnath Arannyo Kuthir, a Buddhist temple at Karallyachari in Khagrachari Hill district of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs).
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Bhikkus battle tobacco, alcohol lobbies

Colombo, Sri Lanka -- Sri Lanka's Buddhist monks see their fight against tobacco and alcohol abuse as more urgent than the war that the Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa is prosecuting against the LTTE. Read more

German FM says ties with China will improve, strained over Dalai Lama visit

BERLIN (AP) - Germany's foreign minister on Tuesday welcomed what he called a return to "normalization" of relations with China, following several strained months triggered by Chancellor Angela Merkel's reception of the Dalai Lama. Read more

We are India's first line of defence but Han influx a grave threat: Dalai Lama

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 21: The Dalai Lama, the spiritual head of the Tibetans, today said he was open to the idea of his successor being a female as the “very purpose of the reincarnation, male or female, is to carry out the unfinished tasks of the previous life.” The unfinished task, he later said, was seeking “meaningful autonomy” for the Tibetan people from the Chinese government. Read more

Shaolin monks bring schools to Bay Area

FREMONT, CA (USA) -- All it took was one Jet Li kung fu movie for Shi Yanran to know what he wanted to do, way before he was all grown up. Read more

Newly democratic Bhutan in a tight spot

MADRAS, India — Bhutan is now a democracy. Its transition from a monarchy to a democracy has been smooth. The tiny country, where Buddhism is the state religion, has been applauded by the world for changing with the times, and not waiting to be pushed like Pakistan, which has stubbornly refused to adopt democratic ideals despite enormous pressure from the United States. Read more

G.S.UNNIKRISHNAN, The Hindu

New Delhi, India -- Amherstia nobilis, locally known as Simsapa, is one of the sacred trees of India. It belongs to the family Caesalpiniaceae. Read more

The public face of Buddhism

Casper, Wyoming (USA) -- When most of us in North America think about Buddhist monks, we are likely to conjure an image of ochre-robed contemplatives engaged in quiet meditation. Read more

Walking For Peace

PORTLAND, Oregon -- Hannah Kluger has noticed that demonstrations of peace are not always met in kind.
"I don't understand why somebody would flip off a monk with a sign that says 'Peace,'" she said Saturday as she marched down Route 17A, past frozen fields and falling-down barns and the remains of an old drive-in. Read more

Ladakh: Faith in numbers

Leh, Ladakh (India) -- Buddhists of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir are having trouble making matrimonial choices. Read more

Another monk found dead in Deonar

MUMBAI, India -- A Buddhist monk from Gautam Nagar in Deonar committed suicide by consuming pesticide on Friday evening. The suicide note left behind by him did not blame anyone, however, the police have deployed more officials in the vicinity and other sensitive Dalit areas because Friday’s incident came only a days after the death of another Buddhist monk. Read more

Buddha Mahotsava ends

GAYA, India -- The three-day Buddha Mahotsava, aimed at attracting foreign tourists/pilgrims and market Bodh Gaya as an important international tourist destination, ended around midnight on Thursday. The Mahotsava was jointly organised by the tourism department of the state government and Gaya district administration. Read more

Official: Video Destroyed in Shock Case

BOSTON (AP) — A special education school destroyed videotape showing two of its students being wrongly given electric shock treatments despite being ordered to preserve the tape, according to an investigator's report. Read more

Couple could hold clues to Buddhist monk's death

A couple who tried to save a Buddhist monk from dying under a lawn mower could hold valuable information about what happened. Read more

What happened to Buddhism in India?

The fact that Buddhism disappeared from India over a period of about 800 years is not in doubt. Starting right from the great days of Buddhism after Emperor Ashoka gave the most almighty push, a combination of incorporation within Hinduism, emergence of Jainism, the invasions of the Muslims, the sectarian splits between various Buddhists sects, etc. all meant that we do not see Buddhism in India as seen in other countries. But this theory that Brahmins and/or Hinduism eradicated Buddhism does not quite hold. Read more

Foreign monks distribute blankets among the poor in Bodh Gaya

Bodh Gaya, Bihar (India) -- A group of foreign monks distributed nearly two thousand blankets among the poor and the needy during the ongoing ‘Buddha Mahotsava’ here.
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Hundreds protest facelift for Buddhist holy town

Patna, India -- Fearing displacement and loss of livelihood if the government's master plan for Bihar's Buddhist holy town of Bodh Gaya is implemented, hundreds took out a silent march to protest the proposed facelift of the town that is visited by thousands of tourists every year. Read more

Ayutthaya under threat of delisting by Unesco

Ayutthaya, Thailand -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) will soon send experts to evaluate the status of the world heritage sites in Thailand. Read more

South Korean President-elect seeks reconciliation among religions

Seoul, South Korea -- President-elect Lee Myung-bak pledged Wednesday that he would help preserve Buddhist cultural heritage with policy measures during his presidential tenure. Read more

Burma: Monks Call for Unity and Strength

Bangkok, Thailand -- “The year 2008 must be the year for change in Burma,” said U Uttara, secretary abbot of the International Burmese Monks Organization, at a meeting with civil society groups at the Student Christian Centre in Bangkok in Thailand on January 15.
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Monks honor Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary

Blowing brass pipes and hitting cymbals, Lamas, the holymen from Nepal's Sherpa climbing community, braved the morning mist and gathered in an ancient monastery in a Kathmandu suburb to pray for Hillary's rebirth. Read more

Monk's words stir the spirit of Myanmar's resistance

Sagaing, Myanmar -- In one of his most talked-about lectures, Buddhist monk Ashin Nyanissara tells the legend of a king who ruled more than 2,500 years ago. The king believed that spitting on a hermit brought him good fortune. Read more

Venerable Van Ly Obituary and Funeral Service

Van Ly Lowell, Buddhist Monk for two decades; 90 LOWELL
Van Ly, 90, the Head Monk of the Glory Buddhist Temple in Lowell, died Saturday afternoon, at Lowell General Hospital, surrounded by his family and members of the Buddhist community. Read more

Buddhism forced to turn trendy to attract a new generation in Japan

Tokyo, Japan -- Dressed in dark cotton robes, a bracelet of prayer beads hanging from his wrist, Gugan Taguchi certainly looks the part. But as he kneels to chant a sutra before an altar in the corner of the room, the people around him continue to chat, and his rhythmic prayers can only just be heard above a Blue Note jazz track. Read more

China's Spiritual Awakening

In early December, Beijing's in-crowd converged on the central business district for the opening of the Kunlun gallery. Sipping Veuve Clicquot and Mumm champagne, the real estate tycoons, stock market warriors, and Prada-clad celebrities gawked at Ming Dynasty Buddhist statuary and 15th century scroll paintings. Read more

Bon, Buddhism or both - What do we Bhutanese believe?

11 January, 2008 - While we in Bhutan may be Buddhists in faith, it seems that we are more Bon in our daily rituals. In the past, because of our lack of understanding of Bon, we simply relegated it to the villages (cf earlier Kuensel article written by Rinzin Wangchuk), where animals were sacrificed and Yul lhas worshipped. But Bon actually constitutes more than that. Read more

Buddhist abbot is face behind Ask a Monk online service

CLEVELAND, Ohio (USA) -- When the Ven. Shih Ying-Fa parks his 5-foot-10-inch frame before the computer in his home office, he never knows who will be seeking his help. Read more

Thai monk collects skulls in homage to buffalo

BANGKOK, Thailand -- The grounds of the 260-year-old Hua Krabeu temple on the outskirts of Bangkok look like a place where water buffalo go to die. Read more

Growing calls for South Korean priests to pay taxes

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korean authorities Monday faced growing calls to force religious leaders to pay income tax following TV reports publicising the luxurious lifestyles of some of them. Read more

What does Alms mean?

Alms or almsgiving exists in a number of religions. In general, it involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue. In Abrahamic religions, alms are given as charity to benefit the poor. In Buddhism, alms are given by lay people to monks to nurture laic virtue, merit and blessings and to ensure monastic continuity. The word comes from Old English ælmesse, ælmes, from Late Latin eleemosyna, from Greek eleEmosynE pity, alms, from eleEmOn merciful, from eleos pity. Read more

Thai monks blocking ordination of women

Bangkok, Thailand -- Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka has stepped forward. Tibetan Buddhism is ready to take the plunge. But the Thai Buddhist clergy still prefer to live in the Dark Ages when it comes to female ordination.
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Cambodian religious officials dismayed at theft of ancient statue

Phnom Penh- The daring theft of a 13th-century bronze Buddha statue from one of Cambodia's most important pagodas was an attack on the nation's culture of Khmer Rouge proportions, the nation's most venerable Buddhist monk said Wednesday. Supreme Patriach Tep Vong said by telephone that the theft had robbed the country of an important piece of its heritage and was a direct attack on the Buddhist religion by the perpetrators. Read more

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