Tibetan religious heads meet to ponder over Dalai Lama reincarnation

Dharamshala, Sep 22 (ANI): Chief monks from the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism met here today to discuss the future of their religion and reincarnation of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

The heads of the four Buddhist sects Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug, along with other senior Buddhist monks are also expected to discuss ways to improve Buddhist teaching to make them more relevant to the changing times during the three-day conference.

"The basic agenda is usual how to improve and disseminate the Buddhist teaching but it may also discuss about reincarnation issue," said Samdhong Rinpoche, former Tibetan PM in-exile.

Senior monks from Tibetan settlements across India and neighbouring countries of Nepal and Bhutan have come to participate in the three day conference.

"The lamas are mainly from Tibetan settlements. We also have lamas coming from Nepal, Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh and other corners of Tibetan settlements and the purpose is just to hold the 11th Buddhist religious conference which is normally held after almost every two to three years," said DN Cheodak, Secretary of religion and culture department of Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). (ANI)

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Two Tibetan Monks Set Themselves On Fire In China

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Exile Tibetan monks hold a candle light vigil in Dharmsala, India, as they react to news reports of self-immolation by two Tibetan monks at the Kirti Monastery in Sichuan province's Aba prefectuture, China.

Ashwini Bhatia/AP Exile Tibetan monks hold a candle light vigil in Dharmsala, India, as they react to news reports of self-immolation by two Tibetan monks at the Kirti Monastery in Sichuan province's Aba prefectuture, China.

Right after they waved the banned Tibetan flag and said "long live the Dalai Lama," two Tibetan monks set themselves on fire to protest the Chinese government's strict control of their religion.

The Free Tibet Campaign says that over the past six months, four monks have chosen self-immolation in Tibet.

"This shows not only the level of suffering and desperation of Tibetans but also the extreme actions they are willing to take to draw the world's attention to the situation in Tibet," they write.

Lobsang Kalsang and Lobsang Konchok were both about 18 or 19, and Kalsang's brother died back in March after he set himself on fire.

The AP adds a bit of background:

Aba has been the scene of numerous protests over the past several years against the Chinese government. Most are led by monks who are fiercely loyal to Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled the Himalayan region in 1959 amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule and is reviled by Beijing.

Also on Monday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said that it has never been up to the Dalai Lama to pick his own successor and that Beijing will identify who is the next incarnation of the Tibetan spiritual leader.

China reviles the Dalai Lama as a separatist and wants to pick a pro-Beijing successor. The Dalai Lama insists he is only seeking increased autonomy for Tibet, not independence, and opposes Beijing's involvement in selecting its leaders.

In fact, this past Saturday, the Dalai Lama issued a statement on how the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama would be chosen. As Time explains it, the Dalai Lama said he would reveal the details when the 76-year-old turns 90.

What's clear, however, is that he does not believe his successor should be picked by the Chinese government.

"It is particularly inappropriate for Chinese communists, who explicitly reject even the idea of past and future lives, let alone the concept of reincarnate Tulkus, to meddle in the system of reincarnation and especially the reincarnations of the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas," the Dalai Lama writes. "Such brazen meddling contradicts their own political ideology and reveals their double standards. Should this situation continue in the future, it will be impossible for Tibetans and those who follow the Tibetan Buddhist tradition to acknowledge or accept it."

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Popular Shaolin films blend martial arts, Buddhist spirituality

Forget Harry Potter, Transformers and any comic book superhero you’d care to name. None of them can match what is arguably the most popular franchise in film history, featuring the 1,500-year-old martial-arts tradition of some Chinese Buddhist monks.

The Shaolin Temple, founded in the fifth century, has been the key element in hundreds of movies and TV shows: “Kids From Shaolin,” “American Shaolin,” “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin,” “Shaolin Soccer” — and now “Shaolin,” a new movie starring Jackie Chan and Andy Lau that debuted Friday on video-on-demand. All are based on the martial-arts practices of the monastery — a special brand of kung fu that combines physicality and Buddhist spirituality and is, according to the Shaolin Temple’s Web site, “based on a belief in the supernatural power of Buddhism.”

“Most people don’t realize kung fu is internal and external, a peaceful and a martial application, and a Shaolin movie will include both, while most kung fu movies are about anger and shooting,” says Ric Meyers, author of “Films of Fury: The Kung Fu Movie Book.”

“Shaolin is all about spirituality, karma, your well-being,” adds Doris Pfardrescher of Well Go USA, which is distributing “Shaolin.” All other martial-arts films are “ just about action, fighting,” she adds, “but Shaolin is about religion, spirituality, being with Buddha.”

Despite the longevity of the Shaolin tradition — and that its fighting monks have popped up in Chinese films as far back as the 1930s — the temple’s cinematic cult is a relatively recent phenomenon.

It began with “Shaolin Temple,” a 1976 film inspired by a 17th-century incident in which imperial Qing dynasty forces burned down the monastery, but several monks escaped and spread their martial-arts style throughout the land. The film’s release was “when people started to get a grasp on Shaolin martial arts, and that’s also when the world was opening up to martial-arts movies,” says Craig D. Reid, author of “The Ultimate Guide to Martial Arts Movies of the 1970s.”

“These were the heroes that would save the country,” says Reid. “They were fantastic martial artists and have been important in Chinese history.”

The success of “Shaolin Temple” opened the floodgates. Filmmakers in China and Hong Kong started pumping out Shaolin movies as fast as they could, and with the release of Jet Li’s first film, the 1981 mega-hit also named “Shaolin Temple,” “everyone in China went Shaolin crazy,” says Meyers. “Kung fu is baseball in China; it’s ubiquitous, and Shaolin kung fu is top of the line” (Bruce Lee, who died before the Shaolin craze, did not practice Shaolin-style martial arts).

But Shaolin did not become just an Asian phenomenon. The 1970s TV series “Kung Fu” featured David Carradine as a Shaolin monk. Wu-Tang Clan named their first hip-hop album “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” — the 36 Chambers being a reference to a Shaolin movie. The animated hit “Kung Fu Panda” was influenced by Shaolin martial-arts styles. In the “Kill Bill” movies, Uma Thurman is taught martial arts by a Shaolin monk. And even the cartoon series “The Simpsons” helped establish the monastery’s cultural bona fides when Homer visited it during a trip to China.

Since the Shaolin craze began, martial arts have become fairly ubiquitous in movie fight scenes — hits such as “The Matrix” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” helped popularize the form — but Shaolin remains an iconic name and style all its own. “A lot of other martial-arts films are just throwing out different styles,” says Reid, “but when you see a bald-headed monk in a martial-arts film, you know it’s a Shaolin monk. Other movies are just entertainment. The Shaolin movies are a way to tell the audience about the Shaolin martial arts.”

Same as it ever was. In “Shaolin,” set in the early 1900s and inspired by the 1980s Jet Li film, a war lord (Andy Lau) betrayed by a rival seeks refuge in the legendary monastery, where he learns inner peace through the practice of Shaolin martial arts. The film, only the second to be formally authorized by temple officials, has been a hit on the mainland. When it comes to the potential American audience, says Pfardrescher, “you have a younger demographic, but with Shaolin you get more women because of the spirituality of it all. It’s amazing how many female fans we have.”

Shaolin has, in fact, become a “brand” of sorts. The monastery is now a tourist attraction, the monks have traveled the world giving demonstrations of their martial-arts prowess and numerous Web sites offer Shaolin equipment, T-shirts and other merchandise (much of which is not licensed by the temple).

But ultimately, says Reid, Shaolin has become so popular not because it is aggressive and martial, but because it is “about learning not to fight, learning to heal, not to hurt. It’s about learning about one’s self.”

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Troops outnumber monks at temples in Thai south

With its barbed wire, sandbag bunker and armed guards, Wat Lak Muang in Thailand's strife-torn deep south looks more like a military outpost than a typical Buddhist temple.

Since a deadly insurgency erupted in the Muslim-dominated region seven years ago, the army has become inseparable from religious rituals in the region, where troops live side-by-side with monks in monasteries.

At Wat Lak Muang, a few kilometres from the centre of the city of Pattani, soldiers armed to the teeth return from patrol in pick-up trucks from time to time, while monks in saffron robes busy themselves around a fire inside.

Around the stupa, prefabricated barracks have been set up for soldiers and armoured vehicles and transport lorries are parked nearby.

The eight monks living there are by far outnumbered by the roughly 100 soldiers -- a situation mirrored at other temples in the region.

The army says it is a mainly a matter of convenience.

"Just because soldiers are with monks doesn't mean that it's a religious war," said Major General Acra Tiproach, deputy regional army commander.

"It doesn't mean that we're there to fight. It's only a shelter. There are buildings we can use for accommodation and we can take care of the security of local people."

Since 2004, Thailand's three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, near the border with Malaysia, have been riven by a complex insurgency that has claimed more than 4,800 lives, both Buddhists and Muslims.

Monks -- seen, like teachers, as a symbol of the Thai state -- are among the targets, sometimes shot or attacked with bombs while out collecting alms.

The militants denounce the Bangkok-based ruling elite and the kingdom's majority Buddhists, in a region where 80 percent of the population is of Malay ethnicity and Muslim religion.

More than ever, the daily religious routines take place under close military surveillance.

In the early morning, monks in pairs go on the traditional collection of alms -- normally gifts of food -- from the Buddhist faithful in the centre of Pattani, reciting prayers as they go.

It could be a scene from anywhere in the country -- apart from the armed bodyguards who closely follow the monks, surveying each doorway, blocking access to each street.

"The situation is bad," said a local shopkeeper who came to take part in the ritual.

But he added: "I don't think it's strange. There's nothing wrong with having soldiers with monks."

Analysts struggle to describe a conflict whose roots can be traced back to the start of the 20th century.

The leaders of the insurgency are difficult to identify, the militants are discreet and the claims of responsibility unclear.

People in the region complain of a long history of perceived discrimination against ethnic Malay Muslims by authorities in the Buddhist-majority nation, including alleged abuses by the armed forces.

While the Muslim militants are not viewed as jihadists, the presence in recent years of troops in the monasteries has brought a new religious dimension to the conflict.

"The militarisation of Buddhist temples is fuelling a sense that this is a clash between religions and that's a problematic direction to move in," said Duncan McCargo, an expert on the conflict with Leeds University in Britain.

In stark contrast to hardcore Islamic militants like Al-Qaeda, the Thai insurgents have not taken their armed struggle out of the deep south.

Moreover, the younger generation of insurgents, said McCargo, is not recruited on the basis of fundamentalist ideology.

But some soldiers have been ordained as monks in recent years. And rumour has it that certain monks are armed.

Officially, the monks do not complain. Most of the superiors approve of a military presence that they can, in any case, do little about.

"It's all right because monks live with monks, soldiers live with soldiers. We live separately," said Pipit Vavakarn Koson, the abbot of Narathiwat's Tung Kha temple.

"There were bombs in some temples, some were burnt down, some monks were killed. So I thought it's a good idea to have soldiers here with us. They can protect the villagers and will make them feel more calm."

But mosques have also been attacked in the past and there are no soldiers guarding those.

Religion is one of the three pillars of the Thai constitution -- along with the nation and the monarchy -- and nobody doubts that Buddhism is the de facto religion of the state.

"The presence of the soldiers in most, if not all, temples in this area makes it appear that temples are representations of the Thai state," said Srisompob Jitpiromsri, director of conflict monitor Deep South Watch.

"When you present yourself as a protector of the temples of the Thai Buddhist, you become the protector of the minority. State mechanism becomes part of the violence."

Wat Tung Kha sits in the middle of an exclusively Buddhist village, an enclave protected by a military roadblock. The main street is covered with yellow flags, symbols of the monarchy, therefore the domination of Bangkok.

Ophat Yenbut, 66, lives with her husband opposite the monastery. She points to the house of her neighbours and explains that the couple were killed in a rubber plantation some years ago.

"I sleep better when I know that the soldiers are here to protect us," she said.

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Asia Society Exhibit Explores Pakistan's Buddhist Past

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Buddhism may not come to mind these days when people think of Pakistani culture, but that religion's practice and philosophy was prevalent in the kingdom of Gandhara, which was centered in present-day Peshawar. A new exhibit at the Asia Society in New York, "The Buddhist Heritage of Pakistan: Art of Gandhara," is the first American show in decades to examine works from this chapter of Pakistani history, featuring objects that illustrate the artistic flourishing that occurred there from the first century B.C.E. to the fifth C.E.

Sculptures, reliefs, columns and decorative artifacts serve as both art and as historical items, and their aesthetics reference the Buddhism that took root in Gandhara, as well as Greek, South Asian and other influences that contributed to the region's society. The religion grew in importance in Pakistan as the result of trade along the Silk Road and greater exposure to East Asia. Contact with other societies and periods of great support for artists created significant and dramatic works of art.

But while the artifacts in question are the product of fluid and mobile cultural exchange, today these pieces rarely travel. The last time Gandharan art traveled to the United States was 1960, when Asia Society held a similar exhibit.

And this time, getting the objects to the United States took longer than expected. The exhibit opened in August after months of delay, the result of bureaucratic breakdown at a period of rocky US-Pakistani relations. Communication troubles between national and local governments within Pakistan and an eventual devolution of Asia Society's case meant that Chiu and the institute had to make additional requests and visits to ensure that the exhibit would open at all. Trips to Karachi and Lahore took place during periods when the State Department issued strong travel advisories for Pakistan, and at times coincided with public contention between the United States and Pakistani governments about anti-terrorism initiatives in the region.

"I traveled there on a number of occasions, and certainly security is an issue when you travel to Pakistan," says Chiu. "I would say that one of the more difficult things for us was not so much me going to Pakistan, but actually getting the Pakistani representatives from museums U.S. visas to come to New York!"

Representations of the Buddha are central to both the study of Gandhara and to its art. Buddhas and bodhisattvas have their own section in the exhibit and their diversity is striking. Many figures are swathed in drapes, like Grecian figures, but reflect South Asian influences as well. Many show the Buddha as a full-bodied, richly detailed person, a significant departure from earlier depictions of the religious figure.

"Prior to this, the Buddha was represented symbolically, either through his footprint or a parasol or other representation," says Chiu. "This is really an occasion where we can see the Buddha as a human being in art."

Like these statues that influenced other depictions of the Buddha -- as well as Buddhist ideology -- across Asia, Chiu believes that this show may offer Americans some influence in understanding Pakistan's diverse history.

"This is a really unique opportunity for people to see these fantastic cultural treasures that have come all the way from Pakistan that probably will not leave the country for many decades to come," she says. "They also offer us a glimpse to another side of Pakistan, to a much earlier Buddhist culture, when this part of the world was very pluralistic and Buddhist culture was all about a great deal of tolerance."

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Master Jinje, Revered Korean Buddhist Teacher, Travels To U.S. For First Time

NEW YORK -- On the rare occasions that Master Jinje travels outside his monastery in the rural mountains of South Korea, he is greeted by crowds of Koreans who have taken to practicing Ganhwa Seon, the unique form of Zen meditation that he has spent decades imparting on the nation's largely non-monastic, non-Buddhist population.

But when Master Jinje, a high-level monk of Jogye, South Korea's largest Buddhist order, wandered past the hot dog stands and bodegas of New York City's Morningside Heights neighborhood in his grey monastic robes earlier this week, few people turned their heads.

Outside South Korea, where Buddhism has roughly 11 million followers and Master Jinje is revered as one of the nation's pre-eminent meditation teachers, he is little-known by those other than Buddhism scholars and a small number of Korean Buddhist immigrants. In fact, until last week, the 78-year-old had rarely stepped foot outside East Asia and had never come to the United States.

"Just as I imagined, in the land of freedom, the streets are so busy," Master Jinje said this week through a translator while touring New York's Riverside Church, where he will give a free "Dharma talk" Thursday evening. "People in this city are so fortunate. It's so lively, so full of energy. Even here, one can meditate."

The Jogye Order, which runs many of Korea's oldest and most prominent Buddhist temples, including the the Donghwasa Temple where Master Jinje resides on the far outskirts of the southeastern city of Daegu, has recently initiated an effort to spread long-isolated Korean Buddhism outside the region. This month, the first U.S. chapter of the Jogye Order is being established to oversee 30 Korean temples in New York and New Jersey.

The public relations effort by the order also may be tied to troubles Buddhists have experienced in South Korea, where almost half the nation adheres to no religion and 13 million are Protestant or Roman Catholic, making Christianity the most popular religion. In recent years, the Jogye Ordrer has accused the Christian-led government of discriminating against Buddhists, and there have been cases of Christian extremists burning and defacing Buddhist temples.

But Master Jinje, who has had several closed-door meetings with unnamed local and international officials to discuss those religious tensions since landing in the U.S. last Saturday, said his primary purpose is a spiritual one.

"I was told in Korea that nowadays people in America are very interested in meditative practice, but I heard they use different kinds of methods. The method I use is helpful for me and others in Korea, so I hope I can share it," Master Jinje said, referring an an upshot in popularity of Buddhism-related practices in the U.S. in the last decade, from meditation retreats to recreational yoga.

Buddhism has several branches and sub-branches, and has taken varied cultural forms since it originated between the fourth and sixth centuries B.C. in India. Master Jinje practices Ganwa Seon, which is most often likened to Japanese Zen with its focus on meditation -- as opposed to theoretical study -- in order to reach selflessness and enlightenment. Ganhwa Seon developed independently of the Japanese tradition and traces its origins to seventh-century contact with Chinese Buddhists.

When teaching Ganhwa Seon, Master Jinje makes use of "questioning meditation," in which hwadu, or "topics of inquiry," are used in order to raise uijeong, or a "sensation of doubt," in the person meditating.

"If I was to ask you: What was your original face before your parents gave birth to you? If you kept asking yourself and were able to get to the bottom of that question, then doubt will arise and once doubt arises then there comes a time when doubt appears all the time, 24 hours a day in your activities," he said, attempting to define a complex meditation technique that some of his students have studied for decades. "And after a time, you will be able to have a breakthrough. When you have that breakthrough, you will see the basic fundamental of your mind, which is already pure, which is already pristine."

Master Jinje teaches at Haeunjeongsa Temple in Busan City, Korea, pictured above. He also teaches at Donghwasa Temple near Daegu, Korea.

Although Master Jinje typically teaches Buddhist monks, he said his New York visit, including the Riverside Church speech, has caused him to think more about how meditation can be incorporated into the lives of everyday Americans and non-Buddhists.

"That doubt, it exists every day in your daily regular activity. Whether you are washing dishes or taking your kids to school or using the bathroom. It is in front of you all the time," he said, emphasizing his belief that humans should try to maintain an awareness of their actions, however mundane.

"I have a lot of respect for different religious practice," he added. "Regardless of what religion you believe in, you all use your mind. You have mind, I have mind. Everybody has mind. And because everybody has mind, what I am asking you to ask yourself is how that mind first came to exist."

The spiritual leader was not always so philosophical. He lived a largely secular life until he was 19 years old, when he met a Korean Seon master who offered to train him to become a monk. Master Jinje moved to a monastery, where he studied and meditated for 13 years before one of his predecessors, Seon Master Hyanggok, recognized him as the 79th "dharma descendant," or hand-picked spiritual descendant, of Buddha. His name is often paired with this title, although experts say there are dozens of lineages of "dharma descendants" of Buddha and the validity of each is contested.

That said, "he is one of the two most pre-eminent Seon teachers, with the other being in northern South Korea," said Robert Buswell, a Buddhism professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has helped coordinate Master Jinje's visit. "When he gives talks in Korea, thousands of people show up. But he has never taught in the U.S. and he has never written in English. There would never have been a way for any American or student of Buddhism or Zen to have heard of him."

One of the few who has heard of him is Uni Berrie, a 57-year-old New Yorker who met Master Jinje five years ago in South Korea. Born in Soeul to a Catholic family, Berrie said she never practiced a formal religion but always felt a spiritual yearning. After several visits back home to Korea over the years, she met him through a friend and enrolled in one of his teaching courses. Soon, she found herself practicing Ganwa Seon every day.

"I've tried yoga, I've tried Tibetan training, I've tried intensive Buddhism training of all kinds," said Berrie, who does not call herself a Buddhist. "But his teaching is about finding the true self, and you don't have to go to a temple. The more you sit, the more you meditate, the deeper you get into your understanding of yourself. It's hard to put into words."

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Buddhist monk renders his services in Himachal Hindu temple

Kinnaur,Sep 4(ANI): Setting up an example of communal harmony, a Buddhist priest named Wangdup Tsering has been rendering his services in a Hindu temple of Lord Krishna for past 56 years in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur District.

Situated at a height of 13,000 feet, the temple of Lord Krishna here offers an inimitable place for religious tourists.

Scores of tribals from surrounding villages and different parts of the country visit the temple here every year to offer prayers.

Devi Singh, a devotee said that the temple spread the message of communal harmony and brotherhood between Hindus and Buddhists.

"The temple of Hindu God, Lord Krishna is situated in between of a small lake. It is an age-old temple, which is related to the Hindu religion, but the priest of the temple is a Buddhist Lama who is 55-56 years old and lives in the temple. Through this temple we want to spread the message that religion is not important, be it a Hindu or a Buddhist we all are one and should live in peace," Singh said.

The temple priest, Wangdup Tsering, said that the temple does not believe in religion and allows devotees from all religion to offer prayers to Lord Krishna.

"In this temple we do not believe in religion. Devotees belonging to the Hindu or Buddhist religion come and offer prayers together," Wangdup said.

It is believed that on Lord Krishna's birthday, 'Janmashtami', the pilgrims after offering prayers in this temple head for a Hindu pilgrimage called Kinner Kailash Yatra.

Another local belief associated with the festival is that the harvesting season begins in the surrounding villages from this day onwards. (ANI)

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Buddhist Monk Charged with Chiswick Rapes

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Offences alleged to have occurred in the seventies

Chiswick, UK -- A leading member of the Buddhist community in the U.K. has been charged with rape offences which are alleged to have taken place in Chiswick during the seventies.

<< Pahalagama Somaratana Thera

According to the Metropolitan Police Pahalagama Somaratana Thera has been charged with four counts of sexual abuse.

He is the head of the Thames Buddhist Vihara, in Croydon.

The alleged rape and three counts of indecent assault occurred in Chiswick in 1977 and 1978. The alleged victim was an underage girl.

The 65-year-old from Dulverton Rd, Croydon, will appear on bail at Feltham Magistrates' Court on 23 September.

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Mingyur Rinpoche, the millionaire monk who renounced it all

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The Buddhist teacher's decision to leave his monastery suggests a revival of the principles laid down by the Buddha

Bodhgaya, India -- On first impression, Mingyur Rinpoche seemed to have everything well set up for a high profile career as a globe-trotting meditation teacher in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The youngest of three sons of the late, much venerated Tulku Urgyen, by the age of 36 he had a bestselling book (The Joy of Living) to his name, a monastery in India and Tergar, an international organisation based in the US with branches worldwide.

<< Mingyur Rinpoche

Mingyur Rinpoche was living comfortably with a retinue of attendants. He was in high demand as a teacher and admired by developed world devotees in particular, for his interest in the scientific implications of meditation – specifically its effect on brain function and the nervous system. He already had 10 years of solitary meditation retreat behind him and Tibetan Buddhist aficionados were impressed with his personal qualities.

But Mingyur Rinpoche was not content to rest on his laurels. Nor was he interested in becoming yet another celebrity guru, living in luxury and spoiled by the adulation accorded to important lamas. One morning in June this year his attendants knocked on the door of his room at his monastery in Bodhgaya, India, and when there was no response they went in to find it empty – except for a letter explaining that he had left for an indeterminate period to become a wandering yogi, meditating wherever he alighted in the Himalayas.

"He took no money, and no possessions," explained his brother Tsoknyi Rinpoche. "He didn't take his passport, his mobile phone or even a toothbrush."

In his letter Mingyur Rinpoche said that from a young age he had "harboured the wish to stay in retreat and practise, wandering from place to place without any fixed location". He advised his followers not to worry about him, assuring them that in a few years they would meet again. To this day no one has any idea of his whereabouts and he has not been in touch with his family.

Mingyur Rinpoche (the title Rinpoche means Precious One) left on his journey from Bodhgaya, the place where the historical Buddha Siddhartha attained enlightenment.

"There's an interesting parallel with the Buddha," says Donald Lopez, professor of Buddhist and Tibetan studies at the University of Michigan. "Since the fall of the Tibetan monarchy in 842, incarnate lamas have served as a kind of aristocracy in Tibet, so a high-ranking tulku is not unlike a prince. Mingyur Rinpoche has renounced royal life, just as Prince Siddhartha did. This radical step that he has taken is essentially a return to the lifestyle that the Buddha prescribed for all monks."

The life of a mendicant monk may have been a viable option for followers of the Buddha in 400BC India and for Tibet's great yogi Milarepa, but among Tibetan tulkus (incarnate lamas) it is virtually unprecedented in the present day. Mingyur Rinpoche's disappearance was greeted by the Tibetan Buddhist establishment with a mixture of astonishment and awe, accustomed as they are to many young tulkus heading off to America in search of fame, fortune and an extravagant lifestyle. They follow precedents set by an older generation of lamas like the late Trungpa Rinpoche, who made no secret of his fondness for vodka and the pleasures of the flesh, and more recently by Sogyal Rinpoche, a notorious womaniser.

Long retreats have become established among western Tibetan Buddhist practitioners, but they usually take place at secure locations and are conducted on a group basis. They are also expensive – especially for people who have to put their careers on hold in order to take part. So is it likely that more aspirant yogis and young lamas will follow Mingyur Rinpoche's example?

"We see his decision as very positive," says Cortland Dahl, the director of Mingyur Rinpoche's organisation Tergar. "It's an inspiration. You read about people doing this in the past, but no one seems to want to do it in this modern age."

Dahl points out that it must have taken some courage: "Rinpoche suffered from panic attacks when he was a child and there he was, heading off into the unknown in Bihar – one of the most bandit-ridden states in India."

The British yogi-lama Ngakpa Chogyam, however, does not fear for Mingyur Rinpoche's wellbeing:

"Religious mendicancy is understood in the Himalayan regions – but it is probably only viable for Tibetans and Indian sadhus. I imagine that Mingyur Rinpoche would be likely to find sponsors wherever he went. The main problem he might face would be people wanting to do too much for him – and he would probably have to spend some time escaping from generous benefactors."

Cortland Dahl says Mingyur Rinpoche is not only uninterested in fame and money, he is also a "pure monk" who maintains vows that include celibacy. He has this in common with a small number of young tulkus – including Kalu Rinpoche and the 17th Karmapa Orgyen Trinley Dorje. It seems as if Tibetan Buddhism might be at a turning point – away from widespread allegations of corruption and towards a revival of the principles laid down by the historical Buddha.

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Sikkim quake: Early Sunday prayers saved monks of Ringjhim monastery

The monastery houses five senior monks and 55 students and as it was a Sunday, the monks had finished their prayer session half an hour earlier rather than the usual time of 6 pm on weekdays.

The earthquake struck at 6.10 pm ruining the holy prayer hall in a matter of minutes before the monks could run for shelter. Had the prayer meeting continued till 6 PM as on week days, the monks could have been trapped inside, the Principal of the Institution of Buddhist Learning of the monastery, Acharya Prema Dorjee told PTI.

"On weekdays the routine afternoon prayer session is from 4 pm to 6 pm but as it was Sunday we finished the prayer session at 5.30 pm in the evening and the earthquake hit this part of the region at 6.10 pm," Acharya Prema Dorjee told PTI.

"We saw part of our coveted institution crumbling down like a house of cards. Had it been a weekday we would all have been under the debris" Dorjee said.

"We would all have died but it was our good luck that we survived. Had it been a week day no one would have survived" a senior monk said.

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At OU, Tibetan luminary speaks on value of tolerance

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Athens, Ohio (USA) -- A renowned Tibetan monk spoke on the importance of practicing tolerance in everyday life in Ohio University's Walter Hall Rotunda last Wednesday. The visit was hosted by the Athens Karma Thegsum Chling (KTC) and the OU Tibetan Buddhist Study Group.

<< Khempo Karthar Rimpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist abbot in the Karma Kagyu line of Buddhism, addresses local community members and Ohio University students about the importance of tolerance and empathy at the Walter Hall rotunda in Athens, Ohio on September 21, 2011. Khempo Karthar Rimpoche is one of the few remaining Buddhist elders to have studied in Tibet before Chinese communist rule came to Tibet in 1951. Photo: Kevin Briggs.

Lama Kathy Wesley, who serves at the Columbus KTC Meditation Center, introduced Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche. She said that the 87-year-old was born in the mountains of Tibet and at the age of 12 entered monastery school. He fled the Chinese Communism of Tibet in 1959 with other members of his monastery and took refuge in Bhutan in South Asia.

Wesley said that in 1976 His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa sent Khenpo Rinpoche to the U.S. as the abbot of the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra monastery. He has since traveled the nation teaching his lessons of tolerance and compassion.

Translated by Lama Yeshe Gyamtso, Khenpo Rinpoche explained the numerous benefits of practicing tolerance, such as peace, energy and success.

"The true root of tolerance is love and compassion... Someone who is loving and compassionate won't even have to try to be tolerant; they will be automatically tolerant. And because they are automatically tolerant, they will also be energetic and successful," he said.

He later said that, "The limitation is that we fail to realize that just as I want to be happy so do all others... so what prevents love and compassion from becoming tolerance is a lack of empathy."

He explained that people cannot be happy if they limit themselves to concern for their own happiness. "When you understand that people do the silly things they do because they are trying to be happy, you will be much more tolerant."

Stephen Kropf, the assistant director of the Athens KTC, serves as the faculty adviser for the Tibetan Buddhist Study Group at OU that was responsible for bringing Khenpo Rinpoche to speak.

"Well, it's always a blessing to hear one of these venerable men and women speak. They embody a direct line of teaching all the way back to the time of Buddha. So you're having as close to a direct teaching of Buddha as you can."

He added that the teachings focus on the notion that every individual is fighting his or her own kind of battle. "Most of these teachings have a message that resonates with people regardless of time and culture," Kropf said.

"I think that it relates equally to any community, and then each community that has its own specific makeup probably appreciates the teaching in their own unique way," he said. "Anybody that finds themselves in any social context would apply the teachings of tolerance to that context."

Melinda Gard, a member of the Athens KTC, said she took away a "good feeling that a lot of people are really coming together to hear about love.

"I think it's good because people want access to the dharma and teachings, and I just get that people are seeking some wisdom, and a lot of people look up to elders of all sorts," she said. "I think people really have a lot of respect, and a lot of OU students and faculty are seeking wisdom and knowledge."

Kropf said, "I think all people can hear these teachings and lessons and derive something from it. These things can be understood and put into practice. The overarching idea of this is when you do a good deed a good deed is returned to you. It's the notion of karma."

The public is welcome to attend the Athens KTC meetings every Sunday at 10 a.m. at Factory Street Studio on Ohio Avenue for meditation and the study of Tibetan Buddhism.

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Buddhist stupa discovered in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district

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Stupa dates back to the Vajrayana period of Buddhism, about  6th and 7th Century A.D.

Andhra Pradesh, India -- A hemispherical Buddhist stupa belonging to the Vajrayana period of Buddhism dating back to 6th and 7th Century A.D. was by chance unearthed by the Department of Archaeology of Andhra Pradesh last week following sighting of a large brick in the vicinity of a large mound in this village.

<< CULTURAL REMAINS: A hexagonal Ayaka pillar with a square pedestal found on a mound in Munjuluru village of Krishna District in Andhra Pradesh. Photo: V. Raju

The 10-metre (diametre) main stupa is now in a dilapidated state, but is yet another Buddhist site to get added to the four major ones in the district. Due to tilling activity some of the outer structures like aramas and ayakas have vanished. Some of the sculptures, bearing a distinct resemblance to the Amaravathi School of sculpting designs, now adorn some common places of the villages as Hindu deities such as Jambala (Kubera).

Vintage temple

The villagers considered it a vintage temple of Lord Shiva in a barren land of about 1 acre on the village outskirts. The stupa with Ayaka pillars in a hemispherical shape was found adjacent to the Zilla Parishad High School. The village derives its name from Buddhist bikshus, whom the locals used to call ‘Munulu' (sages) and thus the name Munuluru which over the years turned into Munjuluru.

Additional Director of Archaeology and Museums K. Chitti Babu, who visited the site along with The Hindu team, said that the stupa belonged to the last phase of the Buddhism (Vajrayana Buddhism practised in Tibet and Mongolia).

He said the barren area, covering many acres close to the stupa, was littered with Buddhist cultural remains.

Conch shells

The archaeologist also collected a number of red and black pottery, including rims in different shapes and sizes. The black, red and scarlet buffed ware, along with conical shaped bowls with heaps of lime conch shells used for plastering during the construction of the stupa, were collected and recorded by Mr. Babu.

The stupa is built with bricks made of husk measuring 23 cm width, 7 cm height and 28 cm length, a typical Buddhist construction material of that period. One of the ayaka pillars, which is in octagonal shape, was perched on a square base.
However, for the locals it is a dilapidated Shiva temple. The government will soon issue a notice seeking objections from the public to declaring the stupa a protected national monument.

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Buddhist sculpture in Tokyo museum believed to be one that is owned by Naoya Shiga

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Tokyo, Japan -- A wooden Buddhist sculpture at a Tokyo museum is very likely the same one that famous novelist Naoya Shiga held in his Nara home, a professor announced on Sept. 20.

<< The Buddhist sculpture held by Waseda University's Aizu Museum in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, is seen in this photo.

The professor, Mitsutoshi Kuretani of Soai University, is researching Shiga's activities in Nara. After finding information on a blog that the sculpture was in Waseda University's Aizu Museum in Tokyo, he had the museum send him photos of the sculpture. After comparing them against photos of the sculpture held by Shiga, Kuretani judged that Aizu Museum's sculpture and the sculpture Shiga owned are the same.

Kuretani plans to visit the museum in early October to examine the sculpture and make a final judgment.

The sculpture held at the museum depicts a bodhisattva, a person who trains to reach enlightenment and save others. Made out of a single tree and standing 95.3 centimeters tall, the sculpture is thought to have been made around the beginning of the 11th century.

In his essay book "Soshun no Tabi" (journey of early spring), Shiga mentions a bodhisattva sculpture that "was in Tanizaki's home, and now is in my home ..." It is thought that novelist Junichiro Tanizaki gave Shiga the sculpture.

It is known from photographs that Shiga kept the sculpture in a room on the second floor of a house in Nara. Shiga lived in that house from 1929 to 1938. The whereabouts of Shiga's sculpture since around the end of World War II had been unknown.

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Peaceful Protest Marks Saffron Revolution Anniversary

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Rangoon, Burma -- Dozens of Rangoon residents marched peacefully through the city on Monday to mark the fourth anniversary of the Saffron Revolution only to be stopped by security forces, according to local sources.

<< The September 26, 2007 "Saffron Revolution", saw thousands of monks protest against the Burmese military regime, which ended in a brutal crackdown

Onlookers watched around 200 marchers, some of them were wearing yellow shirts, set off peacefully from Sule Pagoda in downtown Rangoon at around 1 pm local time towards Kabar Aye Pagoda in North Okkalapa Township.

The Saffron Revolution was led by Buddhist monks across Burma in September 2007. The peaceful protests were brutally quashed by government troops in a crackdown which claimed 31 lives including many monks, according to government figures.

Security guards closely followed and monitored Monday's protest with many officers also deployed near Sule Pagoda. But there is no violent crackdown against the protesters and the event took place peacefully.

“They didn’t shout and hold placards. They just marched peacefully but some wore yellow shirts,” said a witness.
Dozens of people also launched a separate demonstration in North Okkalapa on Monday. They were blocked by Burmese authorities before ending the march peacefully. They repeated the “Metta Sutta” (Buddhist chant for compassion) after being blocked by security forces but then decided to end the march, said a protester.

Meanwhile, separate ceremonies to mark the fourth anniversary of the Saffron Revolution were also held in Rangoon today. Burma opposition party the National League for Democracy held a ceremony at a monastery in southern Okkalapa Township with around 1,000 attendees including monks, party members, representatives of the 88 Generation Student Group, individual MPs and other politicians.

They also called for the immediate release of all political prisoners without condition. An estimated 1,998 political prisoners are currently detained across Burma, according to Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

While some of the protesters present on Monday were activists who demand the release of political prisoners, others were campaigning against the Myitsone Hydropower Dam in Kachin State on the Irrawaddy River.

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Two Tibetan monks self-immolate amid Dalai Lama feud

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BEIJING, China -- Two Tibetan monks set themselves on fire Monday in a protest over China's tight rein over Buddhist practices, a rights group said as the Chinese government reiterated it will choose the next Dalai Lama.

The London-based Free Tibet campaign said Lobsang Kalsang and Lobsang Konchok, both believed to be 18 or 19 years old, self-immolated Monday at the Kirti Monastery in Sichuan province's Aba prefectuture.

The monks allegedly called for religious freedom and said "long live the Dalai Lama" before they set themselves on fire, Free Tibet said in an emailed statement.

The official Xinhua News Agency said in a brief report that did not identify the monks by name that both were rescued by police, suffered slight burns and were in stable condition.

Lobsang Kelsang is the brother of Rigzin Phuntsog, a 21-year-old Kirti monk who died March 16 after setting himself on fire, said Free Tibet. Phuntsog's death was seen as a protest against China's heavy-handed controls on Tibetan Buddhism and provoked a standoff between security forces and monks.

A man who answered the phone Monday at the Kirti Monastery's Administration Committee said he was not aware of any reports of monks setting themselves alight. He refused to give his name.

Calls to the county and prefecture-level Public Security Bureau in Aba both rang unanswered Monday.

Aba has been the scene of numerous protests over the past several years against the Chinese government. Most are led by monks who are fiercely loyal to Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled the Himalayan region in 1959 amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule and is reviled by Beijing.

Also on Monday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said that it has never been up to the Dalai Lama to pick his own successor and that Beijing will identify who is the next incarnation of the Tibetan spiritual leader.

China reviles the Dalai Lama as a separatist and wants to pick a pro-Beijing successor. The Dalai Lama insists he is only seeking increased autonomy for Tibet, not independence, and opposes Beijing's involvement in selecting its leaders.

On Saturday, the 76-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate said that if he is to be reincarnated he will leave clear written instructions about the process. He said in a statement that when he is "about 90" he will consult Buddhist scholars to evaluate whether the institution of the Dalai Lama should continue at all.

But Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news conference that Dalai Lamas have never decided on their own successors.

"I would like to point out the title of the Dalai Lama is conferred by the central government and is otherwise illegal. The 14th Dalai Lama was approved by the then republican government," Hong said. "There has never been a practice of the Dalai Lama identifying his own successor."

China has said that religious law requires that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama be born in a Tibetan area under Chinese control. The Dalai Lama has said his successor could be born in exile and has even floated the idea of choosing his own successor while still alive — perhaps even a woman.

In his statement Saturday, he said if the institution of the Dalai Lama were to continue, then he would leave behind "clear written instructions about it."

"Bear in mind that, apart from the reincarnation recognized through such legitimate methods, no recognition or acceptance should be given to a candidate chosen for political ends by anyone, including those in the People's Republic of China," he said.

The Dalai Lama has lived in the Indian hill town of Dharmsala since fleeing Tibet. China says Tibet has always been part of its territory, but many Tibetans say the region was virtually independent for centuries.

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Monks create mandala in Frist

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Princeton, New Jersey (USA) -- This week, men in red and orange robes, the Tibetan Monks of the 2011 Drepung Gomang Monastery Sacred Arts Tour, will construct an interfaith sacred sand mandala, a three-dimensional drawing made of sand - in Frist Campus Center from Sept. 19 through Sept. 22.

In addition to the mandala, the monks are hosting discussions, slide shows, pujas - chants and prayers - and lectures during their tour, which is sponsored by the Fields Center and Community House. The tour will also be selling merchandise such as scarves, beads and clothing, most of which were handmade by the monks.

According to a pamphlet produced by the Drepung Gomang Monastic University, the Sacred Arts tour aims to “make a contribution to world healing and peace” by sharing Tibetan Buddhist teachings, offering sympathy and prayers for the world’s tragedies and raising awareness of the “endangered Tibetan civilization and human rights abuses by the Communist Chinese.”

Members of the tour said they hope to raise financial support for the nearly 2,000 refugee monks “who call the South Indian monastery in exile their home,” according to its website.

The Drepung Gomang Monastic University is located in Karnataka, India, and was established after the monks were exiled from Tibet in the Chinese invasion of the 1950s.

Opening prayers and work on the Mandala began at 10 a.m. on Sept. 19.

The mandala, which represents peace and harmony between all religions, includes symbols familiar to religions such as Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism and Islam, as well as depictions of the four seasons and the natural world. A flyer distributed at Frist explained that the art is called “dul-tson-kyil-khor,” or “mandala of colored powder.” Over several days, the monks will carefully place bits of colored sand into a design on a flat platform to create the mandala.

On Thursday, in keeping with the tradition of mandalas, the sand will be swept up and dumped into Lake Carnegie to symbolize the transience of all things. According to the flyer, this ritual is done so that the waters can “carry healing energies throughout the world,” and is typically performed in rivers or streams.

Students said they appreciated the symbolism of the mandala.

“I love how they’re combining all the different world religions into one piece of art using a technique that holds so much importance and tradition for them,” Alex Rodgers ’14 said. “The peace message is coming across beautifully.”

Meanwhile, others such as Jenny Zhang ’13 had mixed feelings. “I think it’s really cool what they are doing,” she said. “But I wonder how effective it is going to be, how many people are going to receive the message and if it is going to be gone on Thursday, regardless of the symbolic nature of sweeping it up.”

Many of the monks learn the art both at home and at a nearby monastery, monk Dawa Tashi said. When they have less time than usual to create a mandala, such as during their stay at the University, they work for longer periods of time and rotate positions among several artists.

The monks are currently staying in Toms River, N.J., located an hour away from the University.

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Tibetan Buddhist leaders meet to talk Dalai Lama's reincarnation

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DHARAMSALA, India -- Heads and representatives of four major traditions and sub-traditions of Tibetan Buddhism and ancient Bon tradition are taking part in a 3 – day religious conference that began today at Surya Hotel here. The Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama will preside over the meeting Friday.

<< Tibetan religious heads and Lamas observe one minute silence to mourn the demise of Trulshik Rinpoche and Trizur Juchen Thupten Namgyal, 22/9/11/ Phayul photo/Norbu Wangyal

Religious leaders from Himalayan Buddhist regions and Kalmykia are also participating in the conference that is 11th of its kind. Tsona Rinpoche from Arunachal Pradesh said he was pleased for being invited to the conference.

Sources say that the meeting, among other things, will discuss the reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama, an issue that dominated media headlines and became a serious topic of discussion within the Tibetan communities, especially after China introduced a new law banning Tibetan religious beings from reincarnating without government’s approval.

Tibetans and supporters have repudiated China’s move as a blatant interference into ancient Tibetan religious tradition to tighten its control over Tibetans.

Tsona Rinpoche said that the issue of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's reincarnation is a matter of great significance not just to the Tibetans but also to several Buddhists and followers across the world.

Kalon Tripa Dr. Lobsang Sangay, accompanied by his cabinet colleagues, Penpa Tsering, the speaker of the Tibetan parliament and members of the Tibetan parliament also attended the inaugural function of the closed-door conference.

Minister of Religion and Culture, Pema Chinnjor, said the conference will highlight nine points including ways of introducing science subjects in Tibetan Buddhist institutes and the Geshema degree (Buddhist doctorate degree equivalent to PhD) for Buddhist nuns.

The heads of various religious traditions and Bon will join His Holiness the Dalai Lama in a special prayer congregation tomorrow at the Theckchen Choeling temple here.

The Buddhist leaders’ meeting is being organized by the Department of Religion and Culture of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.

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Buddhist nuns embrace the power of kung fu

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Nepalese monastery is enjoying a surge in popularity after spiritual leader introduces martial arts classes

Kathmandu, Nepal -- A Buddhist monastery near Kathmandu is enjoying a surge in popularity after its spiritual leader directed its 300 nuns to use martial arts techniques.

<< Nuns practising kung fu at the Druk Gawa Khilwa Buddhist nunnery in Ramkot, Nepal. Photograph: Simon De Trey-White/Eyevine

Enrolment is rising and Buddhist nuns as far afield as the Himachal Pradesh in India want to become kung fu instructors.

The Druk Gawa Khilwa (DGK) nunnery near the Nepalese capital teaches its nuns a mixture of martial arts and meditation as a means of empowering the young women. In Buddhism, like many religions, the voices of women have traditionally been muted. But the leader of the 800-year-old Drukpa – or Dragon – order, to which DGK belongs, is determined to change all that.

"As a young boy growing up in India and Tibet I observed the pitiful condition in which nuns lived," says His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa, the spiritual head of the Drukpas.

"They were considered second-class while all the privileges went to monks. I wanted to change this."

Although nuns have usually carried out only household chores in Buddhist monasteries, the nuns of DGK, who come from places as far apart as Assam, Tibet and Kashmir, are taught to lead prayers and given basic business skills. Nuns run the guest house and coffee shop at the abbey and drive DGK's 4X4s to Kathmandu to get supplies.

But for many, the breakthrough was the introduction of kung fu three years ago, shortly after the Gyalwang Drukpa visited Vietnam and observed female martial arts practitioners there.

"Spiritual and physical wellbeing are equally important for our nuns," says the leader.

Sister Karuna, a soft-spoken young nun from Ladakh in the north of India, says kung fu has given the nuns self confidence and also helps in meditation. "We love kung fu," said Karuna, as she prepared to swap her maroon prayer robe for a martial arts suit with a bright yellow sash. "Now we know we can defend ourselves.

We also have the fitness for long spells of meditation."

Jigme Thubtem Palmo, 32, who left her family and a career as a police officer in Kashmir six years ago to join the monastery, says young women in the region are now more interested in becoming nuns than before. "We will soon build facilities for 500 nuns," she said.

The shaven-headed DGK nuns recently stunned an audience with a colourful martial arts display at the third annual Drukpa council summit held in Ladakh.

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, a former librarian at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, says she will introduce kung fu at the nunnery she has set up in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

"It's excellent exercise, good for discipline, concentration and self-confidence," says Palmo. "Also, when any young men in the area know nuns are kung fu experts, they stay away."

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Zen Buddhism Center offers study and meditation

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Austin, TX (USA) -- The head teacher at the Austin Zen Center referenced Kurt Vonnegut and the Christian creation story in the Saturday morning Dharma Talk - a signal that the center embraces the mixed cultural and spiritual identities that shape most Austinites.

<< Charley Tucker cleans the altar as part of the soji ritual at the Austin Zen Center Saturday morning. During soji all members of the community clean the inside and outside of the temple.

Charley Tucker cleans the altar as part of the soji ritual at the Austin Zen Center Saturday morning. During soji all members of the community clean the inside and outside of the temple.

Members of the sangha - community - include individuals who have studied Zen for decades and those who have come to it in recent weeks. Some people who cross their legs on the black cushions have left other religions, while others want to supplement their faith practices or are seeking spiritual community for the first time.

East Asian countries have practiced Zen Buddhism since the seventh century, and it became popular in the United States in the 1950s and ‘60s. Zen focuses on the attainment of self-realization and enlightenment through meditation and study of the dharma, the natural order of things.

Colin Gipson is the teacher’s assistant at the center, where he started practicing in 2000. He said Buddhism attracts people from many corners because Zen “doesn’t pick and choose.” College towns like Austin frequently have centers because the populations tend to be open-minded, he said.

“Buddhism is the only thing that ever made sense to me,” Gipson said. “It’s about sitting down and not running from my suffering.”

The center offers three meditations, called zazens, on weekdays as well as Saturday morning and Wednesday evening programs, weekend retreats, volunteer opportunities and individual training.

The sangha at the center is supportive of each other and welcoming to new practitioners, Gipson said. The center holds a beginner’s meditation every Saturday morning to teach the physical and mental aspects of zazen.

The silent form of meditation most common in Zen can be intimidating, as it requires a focus on breath and self that doesn’t enter into most people’s daily life. Pat Yingst, one of the practice leaders, said it can be hard at first to avoid thinking about daily tasks in the midst of meditation.

However, the Saturday morning program of a shorter meditation, a dharma talk and tea and cookies, provides a comfortable atmosphere for exploring meditation and Buddhism for the first time.

The main facility is warm and open, with wooden fixtures and large windows in the zendo, where most meditation takes place. The kitchen is a common space for members and guests. A large tree in the front yard almost begs to be sat under.

Leah Collier travelled to Austin from San Angelo to visit the zen center after studying Buddhism on her own for a few years. She attended the beginner’s meditation and dharma talk - the Buddhist equivalent of a sermon - Saturday morning with her spouse, Arlene Harbison.

“It was emotional but very enlightening,” Collier said. “I have a better understanding from just one talk about how to deal with emotions in a grounded way, how to react instead of overreact.”

Member Collin Whites started visiting the center regularly in June after receiving a medical discharge from the United States Navy.

“Something had changed, and I wanted to move forward in a new way,” Whites said. “I wanted a place of community, healing and growth. I find practicing meditation in the morning helps me be more present and be at attention, or to change my attention when I need to.”

As the zendo cleared out after the morning program, that sense of peace and clarity remained.

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Buddhist project aims to develop pilgrimage in state

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PATNA, India -- Nava Nalanda Mahavihara (deemed to be university) in collaboration with the department of youth, art and culture has initiated a project titled, 'Revival of the Ancient Buddhist Pilgrimage in Bihar'.

The project has twin objectives of taking the existing Buddhist pilgrimage to other lesser known, but important places associated with the Buddha and facilitate community-heritage interface.

An event calendar has been prepared to generate awareness regarding the Buddhist heritage of Bihar. To begin with, on the occasion of the World Tourism Day on September 27, Mahavihara is organizing a day-long workshop titled, 'Engaged Buddhism'.

To facilitate community-heritage interface, the project has conceptualized 'Maha Kassapa' award, to felicitate individuals and institutions working towards protection and preservation of ancient Buddhist remains at villages.

Maha Kassapa, the first patron of the Buddhist 'sangha', had convened the first Buddhist Council after the Mahaparinirvana of the Buddha.

In its inception year, the project committee has decided to honour Ram Pukar Singh for his contributions towards protection, preservation and awareness generation with regard to heritage of Chechar in Vaishali.

Another highlight of the event is the inauguration of a moving thematic exhibition titled, 'A Journey Through Bihar to Vihara'. The pictorial exhibition is an effort to retrace the journey of Vihara to Bihar and generate awareness on the sublime wanderings of the Buddha in Bihar.

The Buddhist remains of Bihar is spread across in its villages and most of the time the community of the village is unaware of its social and economical value. Tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Bihar can provide economic benefit while reinforcing the common identity of the community and strengthening socio-economic aspirations.

"In the past, we have organized thematic exhibitions featuring various aspects of the Buddhist heritage of Bihar. In continuity of the past efforts we are organizing an exhibition titled, 'A Journey Through Bihar to Vihara'. The focus of the exhibition is on the footprints of the Buddha and its dynamics with the local community," said project coordinator Dipankar Lama.

"The main objective is to instill a sense of pride among the community about the existence of tangible and intangible heritage in their vicinity. We also want to reach those who support the preservation of cultural heritage in this region so that we can plan the roadmap which will enable us to jointly envision and ensure a future for the cultural heritage of Bihar," Lama said.

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Reality Itself is Annihilation and Change

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Singapore -- There are two kind of annihilation, an empirical one called destruction and a transcendental one called evanescence or impermanence. The first is the annihilation said of a jar, which when drop, broke into pieces. The second refer to imperceptible gradual, constant deterioration over time of a jar, which is the very essence of reality of all things. 

As Santiraksita has pointed out, reality itself is called annihilation as what is ultimately real has only the duration of a moment of existence. Its essence is impermanent, it is dynamic and indivisible. It cannot be divided such that non-existence should follow upon existence as its impermanent arises simultaneously with its production.

Transcendental ultimate reality is a never beginning and never stopping, infinitely graduated, constant change. There is nothing permanent, no static element in this process. An everlasting substantial Soul or matter is pure imagination. There is in every next moment not the slightest bit left of what has been existent in the former moment.

Every momentary thing is annihilated as soon as it appears, because it does not survive in the next moment as if it does, it would mean eternity because it would survive in the third and all the following moments. Static means eternal. If matter exist it necessarily is eternal, if it does not exist, being is necessarily instantaneous. The first view is advocated in the theist religion, the second in Buddhism.

Transcendental annihilation is not produced by occurring causes. Since existence itself is constant annihilation, it will go on existing, being annihilated and changing without needing in every case any cause of annihilation. The elements of existence are automatically evanescent and impermanence, they do not need any additional circumstance in order to produce that change which is going on always and by itself. Reality is characterized as efficiency it can also be characterized as evanescence or annihilation.

The theory of momentariness can also be look at from the fact that everything necessarily must have an end. There is nothing at all that does have an end to itself. This can be seen in things like fire, light, sound and even in our thoughts, which are ever changing at every moment.

This knowledge can also be deducted without any sensory experience. The annihilation of a thing need not have to depend on any special causes for it to end. Example, the destruction of a jar does not necessarily depend on the stroke of a hammer to destroy it. In this case, it is just a special cause, it is not a necessity. If all thing need to depend on special cause for their end, then there will be empirical objects which would never have an end, and we will be landed with empirical objects that will exist for eternity, which is impossible.

What is the meaning of change? It means either that one thing is replaced by another thing, or that the thing remains the same, but its condition or quality, has changed, has become another quality.

Buddhist does not object to the first meaning, since there is a change at every moment, the thing will be at every moment replaced by another thing. The realist believes in the existence of real substances along with real moving qualities situated upon it.

When for example, gold is melted down from solid to liquid, to the realist the matter is still ‘the same’, but its condition is other.

The cause producing the destruction, fire cannot annihilate the matter, but they can destroy its condition and produce a change. 

The thing disappears no absolutely, but conditionally, in functional dependence upon the causes which produce the change. To the Buddhist this is impossible. The thing must either remain or go it cannot do both at once, changing and remaining. If it has changed, it is not the same. Melted gold and solid gold are two ‘other’ objects.

To the Buddhist, the separate existence of a permanent, eternal, durable thing is denied, only the passing qualities alone, an absolute qualities not belonging to any eternal substance is maintained to be real.

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Sikkim quake: Landmark Rumtek monastery damaged

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GANGTOK, Sikkim (India) -- Buddhist prayer flags flutter serenely in the mountain breeze and senior monks in deep red robes, their faces creased with age and worry, shuffle around clutching their ubiquitous prayer beads.

Inside the half-century-old Rumtek monastery, about 24km from Sikkim's capital, the younger monks are talking animatedly, while some snooze on their beddings strewn on the verandah around the main courtyard. Their belongings are piled alongside.

There are deep cracks in the two buildings that house classrooms of the Karma Shri Nalanda Institute that's part of this monastery, forcing the young monks to abandon their rooms and shift to this verandah. "Our examinations are scheduled for November and we can't study in the open verandah. There's no knowing when our rooms will be repaired," said Chewang Norbu Bhutia, a student.

This young monk adds that while the February 2006 earthquake that struck Sikkim had caused many cracks in their rooms, this time the columns and beams that support the building have cracked. "It's totally unsafe. Even a mild tremor will bring the two buildings down," he said.

40 foreigners taken to safer places

The Centre has constituted an inter-ministerial team to visit Sikkim to take stock of the damage caused by Sunday's devastating earthquake, as hundreds of people, including 40 foreigners, were evacuated and taken to safer places. Union home minister P Chidambaram will visit Sikkim on Thursday to review the rescue ops.

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