Buddhism News

“The monks hijacked the briefing. They were desperate to get their story out - that they have no freedom, that 120 of them haven't been allowed to leave their dormitories since March 14.”

This article was first published on guardian.co.uk on Thursday March 27 2008. It was last updated at 10:01 on March 27 2008. via Guardian Unlimited

“We have found it to be incredibly successful, and our hope had always been that that model would go on”

At the close of their Buddha's Enlightenment ceremonies on Dec. 9, the community of Racine's Original Root Zen Center stood together and recited these Four Great Vows of Buddhism: * Sentient beings are ... via The Journal Times

“In the past few years, Chinese Buddhism has developed smoothly and the number of people who believe in Buddhism is increasing”

Married monks, headless Buddha statues, and historic temples occupied by state work units still testify to the darkest years for religion in late-20th-century China. via Earth Times

“We are now marching from the Japan Pagoda to the Bodhi temple. And at the Bodhi temple, we will pray for the fallen monks and people during the September revolution. This march is also for peace to prevail in Burma ”

Over 200 monks and local residents in India's eastern city of Bodhgaya, in Bihar state, today held a protest rally in commemoration of the monk-led protests in Burma in September and to condemn the Burmese ... via Mizzima.com

Starring Jamyang Lodro. In Tibetan with English subtitles. Rated PG. Opens Friday, November 30, at the Fifth Avenue Cinemas Can there be such a thing as a Buddhist action movie? Well, one could argue that ... via The Georgia Straight

Representatives of Chinese Buddhists transferred a wooden statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, or the Dizang Buddha, to South Korean Buddhists in Seoul on Friday. via People's Daily Online

Buddhism : Your Daily Meditation The Five Precepts are: 1. Abstain from taking life, 2. Abstain from taking that which is not given, 3. Abstain from misconduct done in lust, 4. Abstain from lying, 5. Abstain ... via Buddhist Thought of the Day

Most of us, sitting down to watch a film about Tibetan Buddhism, have certain expectations. We think we have a good idea of what we're about to see: scenic mountain villages, prayer flags fluttering above brutal mountainsides and calm, clear-eyed believers blessed with infinite forgiveness and inner peace. 'Milarepa' delivers on the first two counts but pulls the proverbial rug out from under the third. This is a cautionary tale, a lesson on what not to do. It's the Buddhist equivalent of Adam and Eve's catastrophic slip-up in the Garden of Eden, passed down through the generations. As such, it's unfailingly earnest, although not, happily, to the point of being boring. One of the most beloved tales in Tibetan culture, 'Milarepa' follows the 11th Century life of Thopaga, the boy who eventually becomes his country's greatest saint. Growing up in one of the aforementioned mountain villages, Thopaga is lavished with love from his wealthy father. His death plunges Thopaga, his mother, Kargyen, and his sister from affluence into abject poverty, thanks to the meanness of the dead man's siblings. For years, the family suffers silently until one day Kargyen has had enough. She pledges a bloody revenge against her brother-in-law and sister-in-law. And so she sends Thopaga on a quest to become a great sorcerer, laying down what will hereafter be referred to as The Greatest Maternal Guilt Trip of All Time. 'Let the cruelty of your uncle inspire you in your studies,' she tells her son. 'If vengeance does not come, I will kill myself in your presence.' Appropriately motivated, Thopaga sets off on an epic journey, across jagged mountains and deep into his own psyche, confronting the human capacity for boundless evil and hatred - and boundless love. (In an aside that may be Generation X-specific, 'Milarepa' left me, as always, struck by George Lucas' unapologetic appropriation of Buddhist tenets for use in the 'Star Wars' movies. Thopaga's lessons from the monks were apparently lifted, verbatim, for Luke's lessons from Yoda. 'Control your mind,' the monks intone. 'Cease negative action.' Thopaga even has a Han Solo counterpart who admires his friend's newfound purity of heart but prefers to stick with the flashier practice of sorcery. 'This is a far as I go,' he tells Thopaga outside the monastery. 'I hope you find what you're looking for.' Chewie howls his assent, and they climb into the Millennium Falcon.) And like 'Star Wars,' this movie works because the story frames universal impulses - to avenge wrongs, to protect one's family and to move rocks of various sizes using only one's mind. Read more

PM at the East Asia Summit has a golden opportunity to deepen the engagement through cultural diplomacy As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, upbeat after his successful resurrection of India's nuclear diplomacy, ... via Express India

“Tribal Religions", "Hinduism", "Chinese Religion", "Buddhism", "Judaism", "Christianity”

Stills from the documentaries screened at Goethe Institut A four-day documentary film screening session titled Spurensuche: Tracing World Religions, an investigative work by German theologian Professor Hans ... via The Daily Star

“It was not yet possible to get together the minimum number of four necessary for formal ceremonies”

Carolina Buddhist Vihara in Mauldin will host a gathering this weekend of nine female monks of the Theravada school of Buddhism to perform traditional ceremonies and conduct official business together for the ... via Tribune-Times

“The idea that such a thing [as destroying the statue] could happen seemed absurd.”

International Campaign for Tibet , November 1st, 2007- New eyewitness accounts have revealed that local Tibetans attempted to prevent the demolition of a statue of Guru Rinpoche near Mt Kailash in the Tibet ... via China View

Buddhism originated in India and stupas were the exemplary edifices of which represented the religion. via Buzzle.com

U GAMBIRA and ASHIN NAYAKA provide a rare glimpse into the movement behind Myanmar's monk- led uprising. via The Press On-Line

“I hope I can give them a toolbox so they can become a better person”

A devout Buddhist who studies under the Dalai Lama will speak tonight at The Bookworm of Edwards. via Vail Daily

The Dalai Lama, the head of Tibetan Buddhism, will be in Atlanta this weekend to be installed as a presidential distinguished professor. via Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Buddhist flag is a symbol of faith and peace used throughout the world to represent the Buddhist faith. via Buzzle.com

“There's no fundamental conflict between worshiping Mao Zedong and belief in Sakyamuni. Chairman Mao is Buddha, and Buddha is Chairman Mao. Mao Zedong was a leader; Sakyamuni is the embrace of the universe, the everlasting spirit.”

Dazhai village was once the poster child of the people's commune system in China, and within the village itself the Mao cult took root with a vengeance. via Blood & Treasure