National Geographic TV
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Nirvana (definition)
Nirvana. nir-va, to blow out. According to ancient lore, complete freedom; according to Buddhist lore, liberation.
The goal of Buddhism is the condition of the Arhat or one who has achieved nirvana: a condition where there is neither earth nor water nor fire nor air; neither infinite space nor infinite consciousness; nor the sphere of void, nor the sphere of perception or non-perception.
It is the end of woe. When the Buddha achieved it, he is reputed to have said: "I who wept with all my brothers' tears, laugh and am glad, for there is liberty!" (Yoga Illustrated Dictionary, Kaye & Ward).
The Path begins at the tip of the nose where the breath makes contact, courses through Nimitta Lane, onto Jhanas Ave. with a sharp right at Vipassana Blvd., onto Magga Hwy., ending on the Phala Fwy. Remember in case you're lost in Samsara.
VIDEO: Chi Power
Demonstrations of Chi Power by Lama Dondrup Dorje during the 2006 Pathgate Summer Retreat. See more at www.pathgate.org.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
African Buddhist Map
Religiously Remapped
Mapping Religious Trends In Africa
Map 13: Presence of Buddhism
The proportion of the population of each African country that adheres to Buddhism. This is in reality a map of countries with a "sizable" Buddhist community (where sizable means there are enough Buddhists to constitute a recognized community OR the community is vocal enough to be recognized). No African country boasts a Buddhist population proportion in excess of Libya and Mauritius's 0.3%.
Africa: Buddhism Gaining Ground
What is African Buddhism?
Engaged Buddhists discussion (2/21/08)
And what is African Pureland Buddhism? These two questions tackle a delicate subject that cannot be answered straightforwardly. So it remains much of an open question. What we ask viewers and participants is to give their opinion/position/critique on:
- What is African Buddhism?
- What is African Pureland?
- Is there, or should there be, such a thing as African Buddhism?
- What would it entail?
- Who decides what African Buddhism is?
It is important to keep ethical principles in mind. Buddhism should not be propagated as a power structure seeking converts. The Dharma is shared as a mutual means of guidance to help end suffering. Share your ideas and suggestions on the topic for the benefit of the African socio-spiritual-cultural Continent at:
Bhante Buddharakkhita (Uganda), a Theravada Buddhist monk born in Uganda, East Africa. He became interested in Buddhism while he was a student in India in 1990. He was ordained by the late Sayadaw U Silananda. In 2005, he founded the Uganda Buddhist Centre in Kampala, Uganda, the first Buddhist Center in Uganda. He is the author of Planting Dhamma Seeds: The emerging Buddhism in Africa. He is also a resident monk in West Virginia (USA) at the Bhavana Society Forest monastery. Venerable Buddharakkhita's Vipassana Foundation profile can be found here (scroll down to the end).South Africa (Wikipedia, WQ edit)
Buddhism has been gaining ground in South Africa. The country now comprises the largest Buddhist community in Africa. South Africa is also the base for organizations aiming to spread Buddhism in Africa, such as the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.
History
Apart from various Buddhist groups brought to the Cape Colony from Southeast Asia during the 1680s, and the many indentured laborers brought to Natal from India during the latter part of the 19th Century (some of whom were Buddhist, and some of whom were Hindu who later converted to Buddhism once in South Africa), most Buddhists in South Africa are non-Asian converts.
Nan Hua Temple Complex, near Johannesburg, South Africa
Various Buddhist groups grew up in the major cities since the 1970s. There has been a proliferation of distinct Buddhist traditions since the mid-1980s. These include Theravada, Zen, Nichiren, and Tibetan schools. The Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order has erected Nan Hua Temple (pictured above), the largest Buddhist temple and monastery in Africa, in the town of Bronkhorstspruit near Pretoria.
Another notable Buddhist center in the country is the Buddhist Retreat Centre in Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal. The Nichiren Buddhist lay group Soka Gakkai International also has a community center in Parkwood, Johannesburg.
A community of lay and ordained Buddhist practitioners live in the modern and tranquil setting in the peaceful and beautiful suburb of Blairgowrie/Randburg/Johannesburg. Classes open to the general public as well as structured study classes are held at the Vajrapani Buddhist Centre and various other venues in Gauteng. The center is run by the resident teacher Gen Kelsang Legden, who was ordained in the UK in 1997 by the spiritual director, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, of the New Kadampa Tradition - International Kadampa Buddhist Union.
A 2003 study estimated that in the late 1990s there were a total of 6,000 Buddhists in South Africa (3,000 of Asian ancestry) out of a total population of 42 million (or 0.01% of the total population). [Ref]
Notable South African Buddhists & Organizations
- Rob Nairn - Buddhist teacher, author, and popularizer
- Hout Bay Theravada Buddhist Centre, Cape Town, South Africa
- Emoyeni Retreat Centre, North West
Algeria: Hindu Conversions to Buddhism; Ugly American: CIA Rape Scandal
(AP/ABC News) Officials say the 41-year old CIA officer, a convert to Islam, was ordered home by the U.S. Ambassador, David Pearce, in October after the women came forward with their rape allegations in September.
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Buddhist converts STORY BELOW (Algeria.com)
CIA Station Chief in Algeria Accused of Rapes (1/28/09)
"Ugly American"? Spy Boss Allegedly Drugged Muslim Women, Made Secret Sex Videos
Brian Ross, Kate McCarthy, and Angela M. Hill (ABC World News)
Brian Ross, Kate McCarthy, and Angela M. Hill (ABC World News)
The CIA's station chief at its sensitive post in Algeria is under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department for allegedly raping at least two Muslim women who claim he laced their drinks with a knock-out drug, U.S. law enforcement sources tell ABC News.
"Rape" in Islam: Unfortunately, under Sharia law, female victims are guilty of "adultery."
Watch "World News with Charles Gibson" tonight for full report
The discovery of more than a dozen videotapes showing the CIA officer engaged in sex acts with other women has led the Justice Department to broaden its investigation to include at least one other Arab country, Egypt, where the CIA officer had been posted earlier in his career, according to law enforcement officials. The U.S. State Department referred questions to the Department of Justice, which declined to comment.
Obama family move through the eye of a needle (UK Fine Arts)
Low caste Indians set to Convert (Hinduism to Buddhism)
Zubair Ahmed BBC News, Mumbai at Algeria.com (5/27/07)
Thousands of tribal and Dalit Hindus in India are to embrace the Buddhism at a huge gathering in Mumbai (Bombay). The ceremony, which may be presided over by Tibet's exiled leader, the Dalai Lama, is billed as the largest religious conversion in modern India.
The converts hope to escape the rigid caste system in which their status is the lowest. Right-wing Hindus have often opposed conversion, pushing some Indian states to restrict legal changes of faith. The organizers say the number of people to convert in Sunday's ceremony could go up to 100,000 -- easily the biggest mass conversion in India's recent history.
Conversion controversies
The Dalits, once known as "Untouchables," hope the conversion will give them dignity and equal rights. Commentators say that despite the reservation of jobs for the Dalit and tribal communities, their social status and economic conditions have not greatly improved. They say that Dalits still face widespread prejudice and discrimination.
Conversion is a controversial subject in India, especially if it involves Hindus converting to Christianity or Islam. Two weeks ago two Catholic priests were publicly beaten after being accused of trying to bring a group of local people into the Catholic faith.
But converting to Buddhism does not evoke much adverse reaction, as most hardline Hindu leaders believe Buddhism is an extension of Hinduism. Even so, several Indian states, especially the ones governed by the right-wing BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), have made laws severely restricting conversion.
Fasting: Eat Less, Remember More
"Less food, more thought," long a sta-ple of Buddhist meditators, Himalayan yogis, and other religious seekers, fasting is gaining credibility due to modern research. The more weight lost, the more memory improved. A preliminary study suggests that restricting calories (or regular, vigorous exercise -- such as yoga -- for those who are already at a healthy weight) is proven to improve memory.- ABC News: How diet could help
- ABC News: Can Less Money Equal Better Eating?
Staying Connected, Faith Online: Sermon Via iPod?
(1/22/09)
Are you a person of faith who doesn't have enough time in a fast-paced world to go to a temple, church, synagogue, mosque, or other sacred place?
ABC News Wants to Hear From You (AP Photo)
Do you or does anyone you know download sermons onto an iPod, or listen to sermons online, or receive text messages with bits of spiritual wisdom on them?
Have you ever bought any "One-Minute Bible" books, or books reflecting a quicker way of attaining some spirituality in your life?
ABC News would like to hear from you. We are looking for people who turn to new, often abbreviated means, as a way to keep religion in their fast-paced lives.
Please tell us how you stay connected to your faith in the digital era and include a daytime phone number and an evening phone number, and an ABC News producer might reach out to you to include you in our story.
Iceland: Buddhism, economy, gay PM, genes
Orange to Soothe the Reykjavik Streets 1/25/09
A new protest movement has been started in Iceland, MBL.is reports: the Orange Protesters. A statement from the group says that Orange is a peaceful group of protesters, made up of people opposed to the violence of the last few days.
An Orange representative met with a police representative on Thursday to explain that protesters wearing orange clothes will be peaceful and oppose violence. Orange clothes will be the equivalent of a white flag to mark out peaceful protesters, the movement says. More>>
Reykjavik Riots: tear gas from police point of view 1/22/09 [comments (24)]
Seven police officers were injured when the protests got out-of-hand for the second day in a row, according to a press release from the Reykjavik police. Just like on Tuesday, stones and glass bottles were used to attack officers yesterday as well, they say. More>>
Iceland's #1 export, fairy-musician Bjork, in forest and on magazine
Iceland to appoint openly gay interim PM
REYKJAVIK, Iceland – The woman expected to become Iceland's interim prime minister is an openly gay former flight attendant who rose through the political ranks to lead a new leftist government.Johanna Sigurdardottir, the island nation's 66-year-old social affairs minister, began as an union organizer for flight attendants and is now among the country's longest-serving lawmakers.
Both political parties forming Iceland's new coalition government support her appointment — and a decision could be announced as early as Thursday. More>>
Icelandic Religious Landscape
(wikipedia)
Buddhism
There are Buddhist Web sites based in Iceland such as Karuna from the Tibetan splinter group, the New Kadampa Tradition. Construction of a Theravada Thai temple is also underway. Óskar Ingólfsson is a contact person for Zen in Iceland. There is also an Icelandic Buddhist Association with a few hundred members. In addition, Rev. José M. Tirado, a Jodo Shinshu priest, poet, and activist with an extensive background in Zen, Vajrayana, and Fourth Way studies, has taught an eclectic blend in a meditation-based counseling program several times in Iceland.
There are Buddhist Web sites based in Iceland such as Karuna from the Tibetan splinter group, the New Kadampa Tradition. Construction of a Theravada Thai temple is also underway. Óskar Ingólfsson is a contact person for Zen in Iceland. There is also an Icelandic Buddhist Association with a few hundred members. In addition, Rev. José M. Tirado, a Jodo Shinshu priest, poet, and activist with an extensive background in Zen, Vajrayana, and Fourth Way studies, has taught an eclectic blend in a meditation-based counseling program several times in Iceland.
Only 11% of Icelanders "don't believe in any sort of spirit, God, or life force," according to a 2004 Eurobarometer study entitled "Social Values, Science, and Technology" [Ref]. This is lower than Norway or the United Kingdom, while expressed belief in God was about the same in Iceland as in the UK and higher than in most of the Scandinavian countries. The plurality (and near majority) of Icelanders express a belief in a "spirit or life force" rather than in "God" or a generalized disbelief.
Religion in Iceland was initially Norse Paganism, which was commonly believed by Vikings (from 874 to 1000 A.D.). Later, the nation became half-Christian and then more fully Christian. This increasing Christianization culminated in the Pietism period when non-Christian entertainments were discouraged. At present, the population is overwhelmingly, if nominally, Lutheran. However, Baptist, Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Mormon, Muslim, and other faiths exist.
Reykjavík, Iceland -- Buddhists in Iceland have submitted a request to Minister of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs, Björn Bjarnason, for a lot near Reykjavík to build a Buddhist temple.
The lot they want is near Vífilsstadir, an old farm and tuberculosis asylum in the Reykjavík suburb of Gardabaer, Fréttabladid reports. According to Páll Júlíusson, the former chairman of the Thai-Icelandic Association, a Thai millionaire has promised to finance the construction of a Buddhist temple in Iceland.
The lot currently belongs to the Icelandic state. Bjarnason wrote in a letter to Gardabaer mayor Gunnar Einarsson that Júlíusson suggested Bjarnason hand over the lot on behalf of the government to Gardabaer, which would then hand it over to the Buddhist Association.
It is reported Júlíusson has also approached Einarsson with this matter. Bjarnason wrote in the letter to Einarsson that he would like to hear his opinion about handing over the lot before taking any actions.
Iceland's Genetic Fingerprint
Times of India (1/17/09)
"Largest genetic snapshot of Iceland"
WASHINGTON: A team of scientists has presented the largest-to-date genetic snapshot of Iceland as it was about 1,000 years ago. The scientists, from deCODE genetics, completed the largest study of ancient DNA from a single population ever undertaken.
Analyzing mitochondrial DNA, which is passed from mother to offspring, from 68 skeletal remains, the study provides a detailed look at how a contemporary population differs from that of its ancestors. The results confirm previous deCODE work that used genetics to test the history of Iceland as recorded in the sagas.
These studies demonstrated that the country seems to have been settled by men from Scandinavia -- the Vikings -- but that the majority of the original female inhabitants were from the coastal regions of Scotland and Ireland, areas that regularly suffered raids by Vikings in the years around the settlement of Iceland 1,100 years ago.
The current study further shows that the gene pool of contemporary Icelanders appears to have evolved rapidly over the intervening thousand years.
As a result, the original female settlers are genetically less closely related to present-day Icelanders, and instead more closely related to the present day populations of Scotland, Ireland, and Scandinavia, as well as those of north-western and south-western Europe.
This is a demonstration of a phenomenon known as "genetic drift." In essence, in any population, certain individuals will have more offspring and, by chance and in this case over the course of 35 generations, many more descendants than others.
As a result, particularly in a small population, the genetic variety of the original population can decrease and change over time. In this study, only mitochondrial DNA was studied, but the same phenomenon applies to the Y chromosome, which is passed from fathers to sons, and to any other part of the genome.
"This study is a major contribution to the use of ancient DNA studies in tracing the history not just of single populations, but of our species and how we spread from Africa to every corner of the globe," said Kari Stefansson, CEO of deCODE.
Ram "Buddha Boy" Bomjon -- New Buddha?
Tapaswi Palden Dorje (Ram Bahadur Bomjan Tamang): Born in Chaitra Purnima in 2046 B.S. (9 April, 1990 A.D.). Tapaswi Palden Dorje or Tamang Tulku Rimpoche (religious names conferred by Buddhist lamas in the area) has sat for kachhen duba ("severe meditation") without water since the 2nd of Jestha 2062 B.S. (16 May, 2005 A.D.) (paldendorje.com).
In the Bara district of southern Nepal, pilgrims are heading into the jungle to pay homage to a teenage boy who is being hailed as the new Buddha. The boy, Ram Bahadur Bomjon, has apparently been sitting in the shade of a pipal or Bodhi tree (ficus religiosa) and meditating for the months. During this time he has had neither food nor water.
The boy’s fame has grown rapidly, drawing increasing numbers of devotees. After visitors started prodding the boy, a fence was built around the pipal tree. Then a second and third fence were planned by the committee responsible for dealing with the growing number of pilgrims. And there are plans to build a bus parking lot in the jungle.
Local doctors have been called in to lend scientific credibility to this marvel, although they were not permitted to come any closer than fifteen feet from the boy, since they might disturb his meditation. To top it all, Ram Bomjon was reportedly bitten by a snake, but he refused all medical treatment saying that he could be cured by meditation alone.
Meanwhile, this remote piece of Nepalese jungle is rapidly turning into a spiritual marketplace. If devotees want a memento of their visit, five rupees will buy them a picture of Ram Bomjon with light emanating from his forehead. A little more will buy them a sacred amulet. As the stalls and sideshows proliferate, the jungle is slowly collecting mounds of litter.
Some are sceptical about this kind of spiritual circus. Committee, a committee? The historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, managed without a committee. Leaving aside the dubious nature of claims being made concerning Ram Bomjon’s abstinence from food and water – what about the financial aspects of this latest marvel? Somebody somewhere is surely making money out of Ram Bomjon.
Parking lots, after all, do not come cheap. Local businessman Prakash Lamsal, soberly refusing to get caught up in the frenzy, told the press: “These lamas are going to build mansions out of this. If I wasn’t a bit embarrassed, I’d take a van down there and set up a stall.”
Thai court convicts 66 migrants of illegal entry
Ambika Ahuja
Rohingya migrants look out from the window of a police van before being transported to provincial court to hear illegal entry charge at Paknam police station in Ranong province, southwestern Thailand Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009. A group of 62 barefoot, disheveled Rohingya migrants went before a Thai court Wednesday, pleading not to be sent back to Myanmar where they said they were beaten, whipped, and warned not to return by the junta's soldiers (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong).
RANONG, Thailand – A Thai court on Wednesday convicted 66 barefoot, disheveled migrants detained at sea of illegally entering the country, raising the prospect they could be sent back to Myanmar despite fears they would be persecuted there.
A Ranong provincial court judge sentenced each defendant to five days in prison after none of them was able to pay a 1,000 baht ($30) fine. Four were brought to the court from the hospital, one carried by two men because his legs were broken.
The Thai navy detained the Rohingya migrants on Monday after their rickety boat was found adrift in the Andaman Sea off Thailand's southwestern coast. The Thai government contends the migrants do not qualify for refugee status, and a police official said they could be expelled after they served their sentence.
"Please kill me here if you are going to send me back," migrant Kamal Hussein begged in an interview with The Associated Press. "If I go back, there is no land, no food, no safety. The (Myanmar) junta hates us." More>>
China detains 81 people in Tibet crackdown
BEIJING – At least 81 people in Tibet have been detained for suspected criminal activity amid a security sweep in the Himalayan region, including two who are being held for having "reactionary music" on their mobile phones, state media reported.
Tibet independence advocates said Wednesday the anti-crime crackdown appeared to be aimed at intimidating Tibetans ahead of sensitive anniversaries in coming weeks, including the 50th anniversary of a crushed independence uprising.
China has been preparing for the possibility of more unrest in Tibet since deadly rioting in the capital Lhasa on March 14 last year sparked the biggest anti-government protests among Tibetans in decades — and a major military crackdown. More>>
China has been preparing for the possibility of more unrest in Tibet since deadly rioting in the capital Lhasa on March 14 last year sparked the biggest anti-government protests among Tibetans in decades — and a major military crackdown. More>>
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Cows with Names Make More Milk
Robert Roy Britt Editorial Director
A cow grazes in front of wind turbines on the day of the inauguration of a new $550 million wind farm project in La Ventosa, Mexico, located on the narrow isthmus between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, 1/22/09. Mexico's President Felipe Calderon inaugurated one of the world's largest wind farm projects as the nation looks for alternative energy, in part to compensate for falling oil production (AP Photo/Luis Cruz Hernandez).
Researchers in the UK say cows with names make 3.4 percent more milk in a year than cows that just feel, well, like cows.
There seems to be more than just names involved, however.
The study, involving 516 dairy farmers and published online Tuesday by the journal Anthrozoos, found that "on farms where each cow was called by her name the overall milk yield was higher than on farms where the cattle were herded as a group," write researchers Catherine Douglas and Peter Rowlinson of Newcastle University. More>>
There seems to be more than just names involved, however.
The study, involving 516 dairy farmers and published online Tuesday by the journal Anthrozoos, found that "on farms where each cow was called by her name the overall milk yield was higher than on farms where the cattle were herded as a group," write researchers Catherine Douglas and Peter Rowlinson of Newcastle University. More>>
TOP STORIES
- Scientists Zero In on Earth's Original Animal LiveScience.com
- "First Rule of Ant Colony: No Hanky Panky"
- Obesity Caught Like Common Cold LiveScience.com
- UK Military tried to shoot down UFO's, government admits: Truth Is Out There
- Biggest hack steals credit card information (ABC News)
Report: Myanmar's Chin people persecuted
Denis D. Gray (AP)
An ethnic Chin child refugee sits with his mother in a refugee camp in Kuala Lumpur. Myanmar's military regime is perpetrating widespread abuse of the mainly-Christian Chin ethnic group, who face famine, forced labour, torture and persecution, a rights group has said (AFP/File/Tengku Bahar).
BANGKOK, Thailand – The Chin people, Christians living in the remote mountains of northwestern Myanmar, are subject to forced labor, torture, extrajudicial killings and religious persecution by the country's military regime, a human rights group said Wednesday.
The New York-based Human Right Watch said as many as 100,000 people have fled the Chin homeland into neighboring India, where they face abuse and the risk of being forced back into Myanmar.
"The Chin are unsafe in Burma and unprotected in India," a report from the group said. The report said the regime in Myanmar, also known as Burma, continues to commit atrocities against its other ethnic minorities.
Myanmar's ruling junta has been widely accused of widespread human rights violations in ethnic minority areas where anti-government insurgent groups are fighting for autonomy. The government has repeatedly denied such charges. An e-mailed request for comment on the new report was not immediately answered.
Chief Secretary Vanhela Pachau, a top official for India's Mizoram state, said he had not seen the report and could not comment.
"(The police) hit me in my mouth and broke my front teeth. They split my head open and I was bleeding badly. They also shocked me with electricity," the group quoted a Chin man accused of supporting the insurgents, who are small in number and largely ineffective. More>>
The New York-based Human Right Watch said as many as 100,000 people have fled the Chin homeland into neighboring India, where they face abuse and the risk of being forced back into Myanmar.
"The Chin are unsafe in Burma and unprotected in India," a report from the group said. The report said the regime in Myanmar, also known as Burma, continues to commit atrocities against its other ethnic minorities.
Myanmar's ruling junta has been widely accused of widespread human rights violations in ethnic minority areas where anti-government insurgent groups are fighting for autonomy. The government has repeatedly denied such charges. An e-mailed request for comment on the new report was not immediately answered.
Chief Secretary Vanhela Pachau, a top official for India's Mizoram state, said he had not seen the report and could not comment.
"(The police) hit me in my mouth and broke my front teeth. They split my head open and I was bleeding badly. They also shocked me with electricity," the group quoted a Chin man accused of supporting the insurgents, who are small in number and largely ineffective. More>>
The Buddha Phone
wired.com
Because weird phone customization can no longer be kept within the pithy confines of the screen, we give you the Nokia Buddha Phone.
But don’t be fooled. It is most assuredly not gold covering the entire phone. According to the Buddha Phone’s site, its shell is made out of stainless steel plated with 24 karat gold plating. But the corner edge looks just like plastic painted over.
The Buddha has small details that are somewhat attractive, like the use of Jade for the main video button, the shape of the keys, and the apparently accurate Buddhist symbols. The tech stuff is secondary with this model, though the site alludes to a touchscreen and a music player that comes with several recordings of Buddhist scriptures embedded.
I wonder what the Buddha would think about this phone. He’d probably think it a bit gaudy. But that's part of life, the part where it is said "the noble truth that is suffering."
Tibetan Tale (from Sweden)
The Song that Clarifies Recollection
by Lord Jigten Sumgön
Ratnashri Meditation Center, Stockholm, Sweden
by Lord Jigten Sumgön
Ratnashri Meditation Center, Stockholm, Sweden
Once when Jigten Sumgön was residing at Drikung Thel, he gathered his students in a meadow behind the monastery and asked them to perform displays of their miraculous powers. All but one were able to comply with their guru's request. This disciple, Rinchen Drak, suddenly died of shame.
When the undertakers tried to dismember his corpse in order to feed it to the vultures [in a "sky burial," see prior post for explanation], the body resisted the knife. Jigten Sumgön placed his walking stick on the heart-center of the corpose and sang this song:
"I bow at the feet of glorious Phagmo Drupa.
Listen, Rinchen Drak, my son.
Ka! At the time of death...
Worldly activities are a lie.
The eight worldly dharmas [1] are like the color of a rainbow.
Think, can you put your trust in them?
[1: gain, loss, pleasure, pain, fame, disgrace, kind and harsh words]
When you see the separation of gathered friends,
The affection of relatives and friends is a lie.
Heartfelt words are like an echo [2].
Think, can you put your trust in them?
[2: the attachment to affection and heartfelt words}
When you see the growth and decline of the four elements of the body,
The illusion of strength and ability is also a lie.
The spring flower of youth –
Think, can you put your trust in them?
When you see the gathering and consumption of wealth,
Clinging and painful accumulation are also lies.
Food and wealth are like dew on a blade of grass.
Think, can you put your trust in them?
When you see the suffering of birth and death,
The happiness of the assemblies of [devas] and [humans] is a lie.
The joy and suffering of the Wheel of Samsara –
Think, can you put your trust in them?
To bodhicitta [3] that gives unbiased protection like the father and the tree,
The bias of disciples is a lie.
Nonvirtuous and misleading friends –
Think, can you put your trust in them?
[3: "enlightened mind" or the "spiritual mindstuff" according to Thomas Ashley-Farrand]
When you understand that all sentient beings are your parents,
Attachment to self-cherishing is a lie.
The Shravakas’ [4] vehicle of self-liberation –
Think, can you put your trust in them?
[4: "recluse," in Pali the samana, in a sense the shamanistic hermit]
When you become convinced of the cause and result of karma,
The instruction of non-effort is a lie.
Thunder without rain in an empty sky –
Think, can you put your trust in them?
For the guru who has the realization of power and blessings,
The obstacle of maras [5] and error is a lie.
Chattering prayers like a parrot –
Think, can you put your trust in them?
[5: literally "killers" -- demons, corrupters, spiritual obstacles]
When you realize the nature of your mind,
The three limitless kalpas are also a lie.
The deceptive vehicle of relative truth –
Think, can you put your trust in them?
In the cemetery, Gathering Relics [6], are you sad, son, at being alone?
Since nothing lasts and all must die, Rinchen Drak, don’t be attached.
If your mind is still attached, transfer it to your guru’s heart.
"I bow at the feet of glorious Phagmo Drupa.
Listen, Rinchen Drak, my son.
Ka! At the time of death...
Worldly activities are a lie.
The eight worldly dharmas [1] are like the color of a rainbow.
Think, can you put your trust in them?
[1: gain, loss, pleasure, pain, fame, disgrace, kind and harsh words]
When you see the separation of gathered friends,
The affection of relatives and friends is a lie.
Heartfelt words are like an echo [2].
Think, can you put your trust in them?
[2: the attachment to affection and heartfelt words}
When you see the growth and decline of the four elements of the body,
The illusion of strength and ability is also a lie.
The spring flower of youth –
Think, can you put your trust in them?
When you see the gathering and consumption of wealth,
Clinging and painful accumulation are also lies.
Food and wealth are like dew on a blade of grass.
Think, can you put your trust in them?
When you see the suffering of birth and death,
The happiness of the assemblies of [devas] and [humans] is a lie.
The joy and suffering of the Wheel of Samsara –
Think, can you put your trust in them?
To bodhicitta [3] that gives unbiased protection like the father and the tree,
The bias of disciples is a lie.
Nonvirtuous and misleading friends –
Think, can you put your trust in them?
[3: "enlightened mind" or the "spiritual mindstuff" according to Thomas Ashley-Farrand]
When you understand that all sentient beings are your parents,
Attachment to self-cherishing is a lie.
The Shravakas’ [4] vehicle of self-liberation –
Think, can you put your trust in them?
[4: "recluse," in Pali the samana, in a sense the shamanistic hermit]
When you become convinced of the cause and result of karma,
The instruction of non-effort is a lie.
Thunder without rain in an empty sky –
Think, can you put your trust in them?
For the guru who has the realization of power and blessings,
The obstacle of maras [5] and error is a lie.
Chattering prayers like a parrot –
Think, can you put your trust in them?
[5: literally "killers" -- demons, corrupters, spiritual obstacles]
When you realize the nature of your mind,
The three limitless kalpas are also a lie.
The deceptive vehicle of relative truth –
Think, can you put your trust in them?
In the cemetery, Gathering Relics [6], are you sad, son, at being alone?
Since nothing lasts and all must die, Rinchen Drak, don’t be attached.
If your mind is still attached, transfer it to your guru’s heart.
Richen Drak’s body was then cut open and found to contain numerous relics. There were so many of these that they had to be swept together with brooms.
[6: The cemetery where this miracle occurred was thereafter referred to as Ten Chak Gang (“Gathering Relics”). There, Jigten Sumgön opened a mandala for the purification of the lower realms, which was placed under a large slab of stone. Under that slab, he also created a light which will burn until the end of this kalpa ("age" or aeon), and which benefits the minds of those whose bodies are brought there, causing them to be free from birth in lower realms.]
[6: The cemetery where this miracle occurred was thereafter referred to as Ten Chak Gang (“Gathering Relics”). There, Jigten Sumgön opened a mandala for the purification of the lower realms, which was placed under a large slab of stone. Under that slab, he also created a light which will burn until the end of this kalpa ("age" or aeon), and which benefits the minds of those whose bodies are brought there, causing them to be free from birth in lower realms.]
Lessons from Bangkok's Khao San Road
Daily Whaley, June 2008 (pleasehappy.com)
Monks in Thailand aren’t in it for life, like the ones in Vietnam. Men are usually required to try out the lifestyle for at least three months, if not a full year. Some try it out only for an event, like a funeral.
I’ve seen “monks” smoking, watching boxing matches, texting their friends. Today, I saw one at a coffee shop on a laptop and cell phone simultaneously. I think he was also drinking coffee, which he bought. I walked into a temple once to sit and saw two young monks watching Thai boxing on TV.
These were not common activities in Vietnam, where the monks don’t have individual things. They own nothing and have no money. Needless to say, I have been a bit shocked at the electronics, the consumption and just the differences in general.
An ongoing debate in Thailand: Lots of men experiencing a small taste of monastic life, but with a more cavalier approach to the practice or better for there to be fewer monks who are completely devout?
Women say former monks make better husbands.
Either way, it’s a great practice for me in non-attachment. Thich Nhat Hanh recommends that we don’t get attached to any belief or way of life, including Buddhism and his teachings. This is a good reminder for me to be open to anything, including monks with stuff and huge golden statues of Buddha, a man who left a life of gold to be with the people of the world.
I clearly have a lot to learn.
Pancake Man, Daily Whaley, Pancake Sidekick in Bangkok, Thailand 2008
The one on my right makes pancakes -- thin crepes filled with banana, chocolate, and coconut if you know to ask for it -- for drunk Westerners. The other one just hangs out and keeps the pancake man company.
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They set up shop in front of the bank on Rambuttri Road, which is just down the block from Bangkok’s famous Khoa San Road, Westerner's paradise, the backpacking district where you can get teeshirts, Pad Thai, or a ticket to a "ping pong" show any time of day or night. The pancake man doesn’t eat his own pancakes. He says it’s not real food. In fact, he's disgusted by his own scrumptious buttery creations.
This photo was taken about 2:00 a.m. after I saw a drag show. Two dummies were fighting in the street when a group of orange-shirted Dutch football fans stumbled by toward an orange Taxi to take a photo. The pancake men pulled me into their "shop" (two stools and a cart) and we ended up hanging out for about an hour. It's just another night in Bangkok.
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School is school; even monks seem bored in class.
He’s a first year student, however, in an English class of 43 monks at the Buddhist University in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. His teacher, the Swedish-American Hanna Klausner, is brilliantly patient. She has each monk ask her a question in English at the beginning of class. They like asking about sports, food, and her childhood.
He’s a first year student, however, in an English class of 43 monks at the Buddhist University in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. His teacher, the Swedish-American Hanna Klausner, is brilliantly patient. She has each monk ask her a question in English at the beginning of class. They like asking about sports, food, and her childhood.
Bhutan: Majestic Travel
Bhutanese Buddhist retreats at Zhiwa Ling, Bhutan, Himalayas
During the winter -- with perpetually clear blue skies above the peaceful atmosphere of Bhutan amid a blossoming Buddhist culture surrounded by snow capped peaks -- the Hotel Zhiwa Ling introduces week-long Buddhist retreats.
The growing quest for spiritual fulfillment with interest in Buddhism as the answer to this search is upon us. So a retreat program has been created to provide the Buddhist lifestyle and sacred knowledge in the luxurious surroundings of the Zhiwa Ling Hotel.
Bhutanese dancers in traditional costume
The one week program will be offered from December through mid March. Every week, the program will feature different aspects of Buddhism with talks and events on special topics rotating daily. The week will also feature special Buddhist ceremonies from rituals to a longevity blessing.
Spacious meditation rooms face one of the most sacred places in Bhutan -- the Takstang or Tiger’s Nest.
The hotel features a Swedish under floor heating system complementing the legendary warmth of the Bhutanese staff. The temple in the hotel, utilizing 400 year old pillars brought from a 16th Century temple, will emit the energy of the many thousands of devotees that passed through it over the centuries. This energy can be felt during meditation or while attending a resonant Buddhist chanting session. Amid this setting uniting with other practitioners under the auspices of the Rinpoches, the mind will be enriched along with spiritual body.
It is assured that course participants will enrich their lives and enjoy tremendous value positively reflected in their lifestyles.
The hotel features a Swedish under floor heating system complementing the legendary warmth of the Bhutanese staff. The temple in the hotel, utilizing 400 year old pillars brought from a 16th Century temple, will emit the energy of the many thousands of devotees that passed through it over the centuries. This energy can be felt during meditation or while attending a resonant Buddhist chanting session. Amid this setting uniting with other practitioners under the auspices of the Rinpoches, the mind will be enriched along with spiritual body.
It is assured that course participants will enrich their lives and enjoy tremendous value positively reflected in their lifestyles.
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