The origins of lent

In India, where Buddhism began, there is a three-month-long rainy season. In the time of the Buddha, once during the rainy season, a group of wandering monks sought shelter by co-habitating in a residence because they wanted to avoid stepping on the plants of the villagers.

In order to minimise potential inter-personal strife while co-habiting, the monks agreed to remain silent for the entire three months and agreed on non-verbal ways to share alms.

When the Buddha learned of the monks' silence, he instituted the Pavarana Ceremony as a means for dealing with potential conflict and breaches of disciplinary rules during the Vassa season.

Six things Buddhists should practise at the end of Vassa, or "Buddhist lent":

Perform acts of merit by offering alms, dedicate merit to deceased relatives.

Listen to Dharma teachings, observe precepts, make offerings, or present food and requisites for monks or temples, and participate in Dharma sermons.

Offer alms to monks in celebration of the descent from heaven by Lord Buddha

Clean and decorate homes, public buildings, and important Buddhist places, including hanging the national and Buddhist flags.

Organise exhibitions, lectures, or discussions related to the day at government offices, educational institutions, and temples to disseminate knowledge to the public and interested individuals.

Avoid entertainment, engage in fasting, and abstain from harming or consuming animal flesh.

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Origins and Buddhist practices associated with the day marking end ... - Nation Thailand

The source of peace is within us; so also the source of war. And the real enemy is within us and not outside. The source of war is not nuclear weapons or other arms. It is the minds of human beings who decide to push the button and to use those arms out of hatred, anger or greed. All forms of violence, especially war, are totally unacceptable as means to settle disputes between and among nations, groups and persons. His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Martin McGee, of Buffalo, has studied and practiced Buddhism since 1978

War is a racket, it always has been. Smedley Butler, United States Marine Corps major general

These two quotes summarize how I feel about war. I grew up in the Vietnam era. The graphic TV news footage of Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc and his self-immolation while sitting in the lotus position on a busy daytime street in Ho Chi Minh City (then Saigon) scared and confused me as a young child. It became a befitting symbol for the fiery times. The 66-year-old monk was protesting against the persecution of Buddhists by the U.S. backed South Vietnamese government.

Later on, I learned that self-harm and suicide are prohibited in Buddhism. In college, I went to Japan as a student in a semester abroad program and met people who had lived through World War II. An old guidebook that I picked up at a library used book sale prior to leaving led me to study on weekends at a Zen monastery near Mount Fuji.

I grappled with how a country that produced its famed peaceful Zen culture could become a nation at war. I learned that it is complicated, to say the least.

The physical, emotional and psychological suffering from war is not only felt by those directly impacted. It infects all humanity. Non-violence is at the heart of Buddhist thinking and behavior. Nothing in Buddhist scripture gives any support to the use of violence as a way to resolve conflict. The Buddhist doctrine of Ahimsa implies the total avoidance of harming any living creature by deeds, words and thoughts.

The guiding principal of compassion in Buddhism is akin to the golden rule found in all religions: the wish for others to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. It is based on appreciating other peoples feelings, especially when weve gone through the same ordeal.

Emptiness and interdependence in Buddhism are more than concepts; they are beneficial keys to understanding the nature of reality and our place in it. Upon hearing the term emptiness, one might think this suggests nothingness or a void, but the meaning is directly connected to the concept of interdependence, whereas nothing exists in a void. Great possibilities arise in emptiness. We can make anything happen (peace instead of war, love over hate, sharing rather than greed), but we can only do so by bringing together the necessary conditions.

This years annual WNY Peace Centers dinner on November 10 brings keynote speaker Rima Vesely-Flad to Buffalo. She is a professor of Buddhism and Black studies at Union Theological Seminary and the author of Black Buddhists and the Black Radical Tradition. Her talk is entitled The Dharma of Racial Justice: Contemplative Practices & Collective Liberation.

Im looking forward to having this opportunity to learn more about how to find more inner peace and promote social justice.

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Buddhist anti-conflict teaching is more important than ever - Buffalo News

The joint celebration of Institute of Buddhist Dialectics golden jubilee and College for Higher Tibetan Studies silver jubilee.

Dharamshala, 26 October 2023: In the gracious presence of Kyabje Gaden Tri Rinpoche, Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel addressed the joint celebration of golden jubilee of the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics (IBD)and silver jubilee of theCollege for Higher Tibetan Studies (CHTS) a branch of the IBD at the CHTS in Sarah earlier today.

Chief Guests of the event Kyabje Gaden Tri Rinpoche and Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel along with special guest Secretary Lobsang Jinpa of Gaden Phodrang Foundation of the Dalai Lama, Tsenyi Khentrul Tenzin Tseten Rinpoche (reincarnation of IBD and CHTSs founder Gen Lobsang Gyatso), Institutes director Geshe Samten Gyatso, CHTS Principal Passang Tsering, other esteemed guests, teachers, staff and students of IBT and CHTS, and alumni of the institutes were present to commemorate the significant milestone.

With his deepest reverence, the Speaker began his address by offering his prostration of body, speech, and mind to the portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, followed by expressing of his heartfelt greetings on behalf of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile to Kyabje Gaden Tri Rinpoche, esteemed guests and gathering of the auspicious occasion.

Applauding the multifaceted accomplishments of Gen Lobsang Gyatso the founder of IBD and CHTS, the Speaker recalled the founders legacy and his invaluable contribution in the preservation of distinct Tibetan language and religion under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Speaker Speaks at the joint celebration of Institute of Buddhist Dialectics golden jubilee and College for Higher Tibetan Studies silver jubilee

Tibetans in exile with the blessing of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and support from India and its people have been very successful in preserving our distinct heritage. And today we are celebrating the golden and silver jubilee of these two institutions preservation of traditional Tibetan disciplines.Due to the blessing of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism today has piqued the interest of a good number of non-Tibetans including numerous scholars, added the Speaker and proclaimed that the logic of Buddhism goes on par with the theories of modern science.

Saying that education along with the attributes of altruism can bring meaning to lives of others and to one self and bring significance to the society, the Speaker advised the students studying in these institutions to continue putting their heart and soul into studying and into developing altruism. Highlighting the need of studying Buddhism, the Speaker reiterated that having an understanding of the basics of Buddhism even for lay persons can help bring tranquillity and strength in dealing with life suffering with mindfulness.

The Speaker also praised the two institutions contribution to Tibetan society with their former students serving at various positions in the Tibetan society including the Central Tibetan Administration. He also appreciated students from the College for Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarah, who have been transcribing the bi-annual sessions of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile for the past many years.

Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel also launched a series of books entitled A Pictorial History of Institute of Buddhist Dialectics, A Brief Pictorial Life Story of IBD Director Ven. Lobsang Gyatso, Biography of Geshe Jangchup Tsultrim, and others.

Four alumni members were honoured with the three wheel recognition awards for their exceptional contribution to the society and staff serving 20 years in the institutes were also honoured respectively.

Institute of Buddhist Dialectics was founded by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in 1973 and appointed Gen Lobsang Gyatso to establish and lead the institution. In 1991, Gen Lobsang Gyatso expanded upon the already successful work of the institute with the founding of a new branch at Sarah, the College for Higher Tibetan Studies. Under his guidance, the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics and the College for Higher Tibetan Studies developed into uniquely valuable Tibetan educational institutions, offering integrated studies in both traditional Tibetan disciplines and modern subjects.

-Report filed by Tibetan Parliamentary Secretariat

Geshe Lhakdor, Director of Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, honored with three wheel recognition award by Kyabje Gaden Tripa.

Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel launching A Brief Pictorial Life Story of IBD Director Ven. Lobsang Gyatso

The joint celebration of Institute of Buddhist Dialectics golden jubilee and College for Higher Tibetan Studies silver jubilee

Kyabje Gaden Tri Rinpoche

Institutes director Geshe Samten Gyatso

Geshe Lhakdor

Geshe Kalsang Damdul

CHTSs library

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Speaker Speaks at Joint Celebration of Institute of Buddhist ... - Central Tibetan Administration

He harms living creaturesborn of womb or of egg,and has no kindness for creatures:know him as a lowlife.

He destroys and devastatesvillages and towns,a notorious oppressor:know him as a lowlife.

(Vasala Sutta)

Buddhism and human rights share a sense of social responsibility and all-encompassing concern. Human rights define the minimum of what is necessary to ensure each persons freedom of choice and right to self-determination. According to this vision of human rights, the institutions in which we typically live are subject to certain limitations that must not be violated in order to protect the fundamental freedom of the person.

Individual rights were first enshrined in international law with the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations in 1948 and the succeeding human rights agreements. The 30 articles of the UDHR highlight the most significant aspect of the concept of human rights: the protection of the individual or, to be more precise, the protection of the individual against powerful institutions of the state, society, religion, or others. These 30 articles formulate universal rights as being valid for every individual human being regardless of race or ethnic group, gender, religion, and so on.

Prof. L. P. N. Perera, a Sri Lankan scholar, has provided a useful commentary on each of the 30 articles of the UDHR. In his foreword to the commentary, Ananda Guruge points out:

Professor Perera demonstrates that every single Article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights even the labour rights to fair wages, leisure and welfare has been adumbrated, cogently upheld and meaningfully incorporated in an overall view of life and society by the Buddha.

Article One of the UDHR states: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood (UDHR). Perera writes a commentary on Article One from a Buddhist perspective:

This Article (which is really the basis of all human rights) is in complete accord with Buddhist thought, and may be said to be nothing new to Buddhism in conception. The Buddhist view of human rights emerges from two basic assumptions, one philosophical and the other ethical. The philosophical assumption and this is what matters here is that human beings are born with complete freedom and responsibility. Not being the creations of a Creator, they are subject only to non-deterministic causal laws, and their destinies are therefore in their own hands one is certainly born free and if all could attain Buddhahood what greater equality in dignity and rights can there be?

Classical Buddhism does not explicitly discuss so-called human rights. Discussions of this nature frequently begin by introducing a paradox, which Christopher Gowans expresses very well: It is widely acknowledged that human rights were not explicitly recognized or endorsed in traditional Buddhist texts. . . . And yet human rights are endorsed and advocated by most (although not all) engaged Buddhists today. (Gowans 2015, 245) However, the absence of specific discussions around human rights in the ancient texts need not imply that Buddhism opposes the concept. According to the Buddhist understanding of Dharma (a word deeply steeped in Indic ideas of social order and harmony), each person has essential and reciprocal roles and obligations in maintaining and advancing justice. Dharma determines what is acceptable in every scenario, as well as what is reasonable and good in all aspects and situations. Instead of being articulated as rights, Dharma obligations are expressed as duties. As M. Vajiragnana says:

Each one of us has a role to play in sustaining and promoting social justice and orderliness. The Buddha explained very clearly these roles as reciprocal duties existing between parents and children; teachers and pupils; husband and wife; friends, relatives and neighbors; employer and employee; clergy and laity (Sigala-Sutta, Digha Nikaya, NO. 31). No one has been left out. The duties explained here are reciprocal and are considered as sacred duties, for if observed they can create a just, peaceful and harmonious society.

The dignity of the human individual serves as the cornerstone of human rights. According to Buddhism, this dignity comes from the value of human rebirth. While all beings possess buddha-nature (tathagathagarbha), only the human form can achieve enlightenment and buddhahood. Human rebirth is seen as being particularly uncommon and precious. Based on these emphases, it is possible to conclude that Buddhism has enduringcauses for concern and historic ideals that might serve as the basis for a Buddhist embrace of human rights.

Engaged Buddhism scholar Sallie B. King has been one of the most prolific examiners of philosophical dialogue between modern human rights and Buddhist ethics. I wish to draw attention to several chapters in her books:

Chapter 5: Human Rights in Being Benevolence: The Social Ethics of Engaged Buddhism (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2005)

Chapter 7: Human Rights and Criminal Justice in Socially Engaged Buddhism (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2009)

Buddhism and Human Rights in Religion & Human Rights (John Witte, Jr. and Christian Green [eds.],10318.Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012)

These books and chapters all present a helpful analytical framework that articulates Buddhist responses to human rights. First, the concerns: they include theveering of human rights into selfish individualism, the Western-dominated idea of rights as an anthropocentric privileging of humanity and an adversarial conception of rights versus responsibilities.

Conversely, reasons for Buddhists to support human rights includethe infinite preciousness of human birth and the unique potential for enlightenment, as well as the idea that adherence the FivePrecepts can manifest as promoting equality, discouraging violence, and expanding autonomy and freedom. There is also an implicit acknowledgement that meditation and enlightenment cannot be Buddhisms only concern in a collective organism as complex as a society.

The fundamental moral code of the Buddhist tradition is represented by the Five Precepts, which arguably uphold human rights. The Five Precepts are that one should refrain from: killing; taking what is not given; sexual misconduct; lies; and intoxicants. In this sense, King has observed:

[T]he precepts imply that that society will be Good in which its members do not harm each other, steal from each other, lie to each other, etc. This in turn implies that a member of a Good society should have a reasonable expectation not to be harmed, stolen from, etc. Now one may or may not want to call such a thing a right, but it is certainly closing in on that ground in a practical sense, if not in the full conceptual sense.

The First Precept upholds the right not to be killed or suffer the infliction of violence. Important ideals associated with nonviolence and the Five Precepts include respect for each persons autonomy and non-harmfulness. The right not to be harmed, and other norms and principles of peace are all reflected in these values and practices. Leading Buddhists from many Asian nations, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Aung San Suu Kyi, A. T. Ariyaratne, Maha Ghosananda (19132007), and Sulak Sivaraksa, have often used the language of human rights to enrich their Dharmic perspective on social and political issues. For example, Maha Ghosananda has noted: Cambodian people must obtain all basic human rights, including rights of self-determination and rights to freely pursue economic, social, and cultural development. (Sallie 2005, 118)

Furthermore, Buddhists have founded organizations that support human rights. These organizations include the Thai National Human Rights Commission, the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, the Cambodian Institute of Human Rights, and more. Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and other Asian nations with significant Buddhist populations are also members of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), founded in2009.

Buddhism maintains that all people are fundamentally, spiritually equal. Human hierarchies are merely conventional and should be deconstructed at the highest level. The Buddha maintained that everyone can attain enlightenment, rejecting the dominant caste system in principle. Hence, a Buddhist understanding of human rights has to maintain that a persons value is inherent and, furthermore, their virtue is determined only by their actions rather than being determined by fortune or misfortune. As the Blessed One himself stated:

Youre not a lowlife by birth,nor by birth are you a brahmin.Youre a lowlife by your deeds,by deeds youre a brahmin.

Gowans, Christopher W. 2015. Buddhist Moral Philosophy: An Introduction. New York and London: Routledge.

Perera, L. P. N. 1991. Buddhism and Human Rights: A Buddhist Commentary on the University Declaration of Human Rights. Colombo: Karunaratne and Sons.

King, Sallie B. 2005. Being Benevolence: The Social Ethics of Engaged Buddhism. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.

Vajiragnana, M. 1992. Justice in Buddhism. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations) Vasalasutta (Suttacentral)

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A Buddhist Understanding of the Dharma and Human Rights - Buddhistdoor Global

(Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images)

Earlier this year, China issued new rules on religious activity that tighten oversight of clergy and congregations.

The rules are part of a long-standing strategy by the Chinese government to align religion with communism and ensure loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which espouses and promotes atheism. More recently, such rules have also been intended to bring religion in line with traditional Chinese culture and with Xi Jinping Thought, the Chinese leaders blend of Marxism and nationalism.

Chinas constitution says ordinary citizens enjoy freedom of religious beliefs and the government officially recognizes five religions: Buddhism, Catholicism, Islam, Protestantism and Daoism (also called Taoism). But authorities closely police religious activity. China has ranked among the worlds most restrictive governments every year since Pew Research Center began tracking restrictions on religionin 2007.

Here are 10 things to know about how the Chinese government regulates religion, from our recent report, Measuring Religion in China.

China is pursuing a policy of Sinicization that requires religious groups to align their doctrines, customs and morality with Chinese culture. The campaign particularly affects so-called foreign religions including Islam as well as Catholicism and Protestantism whose adherents are expected to prioritize Chinese traditions and show loyalty to the state.

Sinicization takes various forms. Authorities have removed crosses from churches and demolished the domes and minarets of mosques to make them look more Chinese. Pastors and imams have reportedly been asked to focus on religious teachings that reflect socialist values. The government also plans to issue a newly annotated version of the Quran that will help Islamic teachings align with Chinese culture in the new era.

Chinas restrictive policies toward Muslims particularly Uyghurs in Xinjiang province have been documented widely over the past decade. Human rights groups accuse China of subjecting Uyghurs to mass internment, surveillance and torture. The U.S. State Department has described events in Xinjiang as genocide, alleging that Chinese authorities have detained more than 1 million Chinese Muslims in specially built internment camps. Uyghurs make up 43% of Chinese Muslims.

Chinas government rejects the accusations and says that relocations, camps and other forced measures are meant to improve Muslims lives. For example, Chinese officials have said camps in Xinjiang offer vocational training and counter religious extremism.

Christianity in China is governed by several sets of rules. Christians are allowed to worship in official churches registered with supervisory government agencies responsible for Protestantism and Catholicism. However, many Christians refuse this oversight and worship in underground churches.

Since Xi came to power in 2013, the government has banned evangelization online, tightened control over Christian activities outside of registered venues, and shut down churches that refuse to register. Authorities have also arrested prominent church leaders and some Christians reportedly have been held in internment camps.

In 2018, the Vatican and China signed an agreement over bishop appointments to help alleviate tensions for Chinas Catholics a deal that was criticized by many. Since then, the Chinese government has stepped up efforts tobring Catholic churches into the official system andintensified its pressureon those that refuse to join.

China treats Buddhism particularly Han Buddhism, the most widespread branch in the country more leniently than Christianity or Islam. Xi frequently praises Han Buddhists for having integrated Confucian, Daoist and other traditional Chinese beliefs and practices.

At the same time, China has cracked down on Tibetan Buddhists. Recently, Chinese authorities have been accused of carrying outpolitical re-education campaignsmeant to cement allegiance to Xi and discourage loyalty to the exiled Dalai Lama. Moreover, the Chinese government has been criticized for tearing down Tibetan Buddhist monuments, includingmonasteriesandstatues.

Folk religion and ancient spiritual traditions play a large role in China. The government encourages some activities that it considers to be part of Chinas cultural heritage and has financed the renovation of some folk religion temples. People in China are allowed to venerate the Chinese philosopher Confucius and participate in temple festivals where folk deities e.g., Mazu, the goddess of the sea are worshipped. Authorities have also brought Mazu festivals to Taiwanese worshipers as a way to gain political favor.

The Chinese government has tasked local governments with regulating folk religious activities to ensure they reflect cultural heritage and are guided by socialist values. Since 2015, local authorities have been registering temples with historical and cultural importance and making efforts to bring their staff and activity under state supervision. In some provinces, temples that local authorities perceived as socially and culturally insignificant have been demolished or closed, or converted into secular facilities.

Religious activity that falls outside of the five officially recognized religions and does not meet the governments approval as a form of cultural heritage is often categorized by authorities as superstition or evil cult. For instance, Chinese law forbids witchcraft and sorcery, and the government opposes folk religious practices that include a superstitious element such as setting off firecrackers to ward off evil spirits.

Some groups, including Falun Gong, the Unification Church and the Children of God, are considered cults and banned. The government has been accused of arresting Falun Gong practitioners and subjecting them to systematic torture, such as organ harvesting.

The ruling Chinese Communist Party promotes atheism and discourages citizens from practicing religion. The 281 million Chinese people who belong to the CCP or its affiliated youth organizations are officially banned from engaging in a broad range of spiritual activities.

Still, the CCP tolerates occasional engagement in cultural customs. For example,it is acceptable to visit temples every once in a while. But visiting temples for all important religious daysorfrequently consulting fortunetellers can lead to expulsion from the CCP. Nevertheless, some CCP membersdoidentify with a religion or engage in religious practices, though generally at lower rates than non-CCP members.

Children under 18 are constitutionally prohibited from having any formal religious affiliation in China. There is also a ban on religious education, including Sunday schools, religious summer camps and other forms of youth religious groups. Schools focus on promoting non-religion and atheism, and many children join CCP-affiliated youth groups, where they must pledge commitment to atheism.

Chinas attitude toward religion dates back to the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949. Early CCP leaders denounced religion as linked to foreign cultural imperialism, feudalism and superstition, and persecuted religious groups across the board. During theCultural Revolution (1966-76), CCP chairman Mao Zedong vowed to eliminate old things, old ideas, old customs and old habits, and Red Guards attacked or destroyedmany temples, shrines, churches and mosques.

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10 things to know about China's policies on religion - Pew Research Center

Nearly 400 Hindus from across the state converted to Buddhism at an event organised by Gujarat Buddhist Academy on the occasion of Dussehra in Ahmedabad Tuesday. This is the 14th such event being organised annually on Dussehra.

The day-long ceremony headed by Bhadant Pragyasheel Mahathero from Amravati Maharashtra saw individuals and families from Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Mehsana, Surendranagar and Botad adopt Buddhism.

Vadodara-based Pravinbhai Parmar, 38, who was among those who converted, cited inequality in the Hindu religion for his decision. There is equality, love and compassion in Buddhism. No discrimination, unlike the Hindu religion where there is discrimination everywhere and increasing atrocities on Dalits day by day. What is the point of being a Hindu when there is nothing good for us, he said.

Most of those who converted were from the Dalit community.

Parmar, who works at a private school, has been associated with the academy since 2013, but decided to embrace the religion now. His wife and two daughters aged nine and seven also followed his suit. As we got to know more about Buddhism we thought this was the right time for the move, he added.

Of the 418 persons who had submitted their applications to the Collectors office a month ago for the conversion, nearly 90 per cent were present today for the deeksha, said Gujarat Buddhist Academy secretary Ramesh Bankar. A majority of them have converted to Buddhism as this religion looks at everyone with equality unlike untouchability and caste discrimination in Hinduism, he echoed Parmars views.

Bankar added that the organisation has been conducting deeksha events since 2010.

The family of 22-year-old Ashwini Kumar Solanki from Randheja in Gandhinagar was also among those converted. My parents aged 69 and 70, too, have taken deeksha today. My father has been associated with Buddhism since 2004 and it is he who suggested that we should embrace this religion, he said.

However, there were also individuals like R K Jadav (71), a resident of Chandkheda in Ahmedabad, who was the only one from his family to get converted. My family also believes in Buddhism but I thought let me first take this step and then my family members can follow, he said.

The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

First published on: 25-10-2023 at 03:42 IST

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Citing inequality, nearly 400 Hindus embrace Buddhism at Ahmedabad event - The Indian Express

Sensei Alex Kakuyo shares a practice to work with suffering by calming the mind one second at a time.

When I took my first steps down the Buddhist path I learned several uncomfortable truths about myself. For example, I learned that much of my suffering was self-created. Sometimes, my mind was clouded by feelings of greed, anger, and ignorance, which caused me to make bad decisions.

Other times, I ruminated on negative events that happened in the past or bad things that might happen in the future. In those moments my imagination caused me to fear things that might occur and be angry about things that were already over.

Buddhism offered a cure for my predicament in the way of meditative concentration. When we engage in this practice we focus our minds one thing to the exclusion of everything else.

We might concentrate on an object in our environment, a body sensation, or a Buddhist chant. When negative thoughts or emotions enter our mind, we refuse to dwell on them. Instead, we acknowledge that our attention has wandered, and re-engage with our meditation. Doing this robs our negative thoughts and emotions of energy. Like refusing to put wood on a fire until it burns out, we stop putting our focus on hurtful things until they lose their power over us. This creates a space, which allows peacefulness to enter our minds, and helps us make better decisions.

There are many ways to practice meditative concentration. However, one of my favorites is something called The Ticking Watch Meditation.

In this meditation there are two things that are happening. First, we engage our bodies to help calm our mind. Breathing in and out through the nose engages the parasympathetic nervous system; signaling to our minds that its safe to relax. By pushing out our belly buttons on each inhale we expand our diaphragms, which helps us take in more oxygen. This also helps us relax.

Second, we take our watch as the object of concentration; using it to rob our negative thoughts of energy. Each time we count a passing second instead of dwelling on our thoughts we remove a log from the fire of our passions; letting them die away so peace can enter our minds.

Once our minds are at peace (or slightly less agitated at the very least), were able to avoid self-created suffering by making better decisions and not giving energy to harmful emotions.

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The Ticking Watch Meditation to Overcome Negative Thoughts Lions Roar - Lion's Roar

Images courtesy of the Young Buddhist Association of Indonesia

Youth delegations from Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, and Thailand participated in the 2023 Korean Buddhist Cultural Tour (KBCT) in the city of Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea from 30 August2 September. The visit was organized by the World Fellowship of Buddhist Youth and hosted by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.

Participants from Pemuda Theravada Indonesia (PATRIA), the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM), the Young Buddhists Association of Thailand (YBAT), the All Japan Young Buddhist Association (JYBA), the Buddhist Gem Fellowship, Malaysia, the Young Buddhist Association of Indonesia (YBAI), the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia (BMSM), and ZKDM Mongolia all benefited from this unique opportunity to meet, exchange perspectives, embrace each others cultural differences, and facilitate exchange between Buddhist youth of various cultures.

The World Fellowship of Buddhist Youth (WFBY) is an international network of Buddhist organizations sharing the aim of propagating the Buddhadharma and promoting solidarity among young Buddhists around the world. Headquartered in Bangkok, the World Fellowship Buddhist Youth first came into being in the Colombo Young Mens Buddhist Association in Borella, Sri Lanka in 1972. Today, the WFBYs membership has expanded to 38 regional centers in 18 countries.

The Buddhist youth representatives from these many countries displayed their incredible talents, calling for a strengthening of the bonds of friendship and unity under the one Dharma during the opening ceremony night.

On the second day, the participants visited Bulguk-sa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. The temple contains many masterpieces of Buddhist art with images buddhas, bodhisattvas, and disciples, all realistically and delicately sculpted in high and low relief.

The wooden buildings of Bulguk-sa, which dates to the mid-eighth century, and the neighboring Seokguram Grotto form a religious architectural complex of exceptional significance. Every corner of the complex is full of historical stories, such as Jahamun Gate, the main entrance to the courtyard of Daeungjeon Hall, where Shakyamuni Buddha is venerated. Jahamun Gate means Gate of The Violet Sunset, referring to the halo of wisdom emanating from the Buddha. The famed Cheongungyo and Baegungyo Bridges are also part of the temple complex.

The tour program also allowed the youth delegates to visit Gyeongju World Amusement Park, while Executive Board members of the World Federation of Buddhist Youth gathered for a meeting as the meeting required a more formal environment that was expected to find solutions for some contentious issues. The program also aimed to promote interpersonal exchanges, with the view that if young people are happy they should be able to channel their spirits into motivation.

On another day of the program, the participants were invited to visit Uiduk University to experience a taekwondo exhibition and visit the universitys extensive library. As part of this experience of Korean traditional martial arts, the young participants were able to strike targets with their full strength without injuring their training partners. Afterward, they attended a tea ceremony and dessert-making workshops at Ansimjeong-sa in the nearby city of Daegu, the base temple of the Taego Order of Korean Buddhism.

On the last day, the participants experienced a temple stay at Eunhae-sa (or Silver Sea Temple), a head temple of the Jogye Order.

The Jogye Order, South Koreas largest Buddhist order, represents traditional Korean Buddhism with roots that date back some 1,200 years, making it the oldest surviving Buddhist lineage in Korea.

A version of this article was originally published by Dresiani Mareti in The Young Buddhist Editorial.

World Fellowship of Buddhist Youth World Fellowship of Buddhist Youth (WFBY) (Facebook) Pemuda Theravada Indonesia The Young Buddhists Association of Thailand Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia All Japan Young Buddhist Association Buddhist Gem Fellowship Young Buddhist Association of Indonesia Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia

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World Fellowship of Buddhist Youth Embarks on 2023 Korean ... - Buddhistdoor Global

Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha and president of All India Congress Committee, questioned right-wing Hindutva proponents as to why they didnt accept the thoughts of Buddha when they said that Buddha was the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

The Hindutva ideologues project Gautam Buddha as the ninth avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu. They accept the eight avatars and respect their thoughts. When it comes to the ninth avatar [Buddha], they not only disagree with the Buddhist thought, but they also make every effort to kill the Buddhist thought. Because the Buddhist thought is scientific, he said.

He was delivering presidential address at 67th Dhammachakra Pravartan Din, which is celebrated to mark the Buddhist conversion of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and his followers to Buddhism at Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur in 1956, at Buddha Vihar in Kalaburagi on Tuesday.

Dr. Ambedkar choosing the day and place for converting to Buddhism along with his huge followers had significance. As you all know, Nagpur is the headquarters of RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] which subscribes to Manusmriti which advocates inequality among human beings. There was an RSS parade planned on the day in Nagpur and Dr. Ambedkar chose the same day and city for conversion to Buddhism. On that day in Nagpur, there was a parade conducted by RSS to promote inequality and conversion to Buddhism conducted by Ambedkar to promote equality and self-respect. Not everybody but only those who, like Ambedkar, have guts to challenge the oppressive and exploitative right-wing ideology and are committed to establishing an equal human society can take such an extreme step, Mr. Kharge said.

Terming the Buddhist thoughts as scientific and those based on practical experiences, the Congress veteran said that India could fight starvation and become self-sufficient by following scientific approach.

At a time, India was poor and the vast majority of its population was starving. It was dependent on the grains provided by America. Jawaharlal Nehru adopted the scientific method to put India on the track of development. The Green Revolution that followed made India starvation-free. Then came the white revolution that phenomenally increased milk production. Sonia Gandhi went for the National Food Security Act to ensure that no person starved in India. These thoughts of Congress leaders were influenced by the scientific thoughts of Buddha. It is said that there are 33 crores of Gods and Goddesses. Why didnt they provide food to people? Why was India starving despite the large number of Gods and Goddesses? No God can help you if you dont work hard. Everything goes as per the laws of nature and you cannot change it. It is the scientific thought that Buddha said, he said.

Based on his own experiences of difficulties faced in telling the truth, Mr. Kharge said that people tend to reject the inconvenient truth and accept the convenient false.

Saints and reformers like Basavanna and Tukaram were opposed as they told the truth. Basavanna was chased to Kudala Sangama. Truth, however, triumphed at the end. We must understand that humankind could progress only with truth, he said.

Stressing on Basavannas famous line, work is worship, Mr. Kharge advised the poor, Dalits, backward and other marginalised communities to believe in Basavannas thought and strive hard to get self-reliant and self-respect.

The marginalised communities should get educated and work hard to get economically self-reliant and socially respected. There is now other way to achieve it. This is what Ambedkar also said time and again, he said.

Original post:
Kharge asks Hindutva proponents why they dont accept Buddhist thought when they believe Buddha is the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu - The Hindu

SHANGRI-LA TOWN, China -- First-grade students, hands folded on their desks, watch a teacher write a brush-like stroke on a blackboard in their Tibetan alphabet. Outside, craggy mountains climb toward the brightest of blue skies. The air is clean and crisp at 2,800 meters (9,100 feet), if a bit thin.

The Shangri-La Key Boarding School is an example of bilingual education, Chinese-style. Tibetan activists have a different term for it: forced assimilation. The issue is getting official attention this year, with U.N. human rights experts and representatives from the U.S. and a handful of other Western governments condemning the system.

China has shuttered village schools across Tibet and replaced them with centralized boarding schools over the last dozen years. Many students come from remote farming villages and live at the schools. The practice is not limited to the region but appears to be much more widespread in Tibetan areas.

Activists estimate 1 million Tibetan children study at such boarding schools, though the number is difficult to confirm. They say the schools are part of a broader strategy to dilute Tibetan identity and assimilate Tibetans into the majority Chinese culture. School officials respond that the lessons include Tibetan-related material such as songs and dance, and that the boarding schools were born out of a need to deliver the best education in impoverished remote areas.

In ethnic areas, the population is scattered, and the government has put in a lot of effort to consolidate educational resources and provide an excellent teaching and learning environment for the students, Kang Zhaxi, the principal of the Shangri-La school, told about 10 foreign journalists recently as lines of students spilled out of the cafeteria at dinnertime. This is how it works.

Kang Zhaxi, who was speaking in Chinese, gave the Chinese version of his name, which would be Kham Tashi in Tibetan.

China has long sought to eradicate any possibility of unrest in regions home to sizeable ethnic populations by imprisoning those who dare to protest while reshaping societies and religions including Tibetan Buddhism, Islam and Christianity to align them with the views and goals of the long-ruling Communist Party. The approach has hardened in the past decade under leader Xi Jinping, notably in a brutal crackdown on the Uyghur community in the Xinjiang region north of Tibet.

In the battle for global public opinion, the government organized a tour for foreign journalists to a predominantly Tibetan region in Sichuan province. Officials showed off schools, economic development projects, Buddhist monasteries and a Tibetan medicine hospital. Many of these locations, including boarding schools, would normally be difficult for foreign media to access. All interviews were conducted with government officials listening in.

China's communists, after coming to power in 1949, overthrew the Buddhist theocracy running Tibet in 1951. The Dalai Lama, the head of the dominant school of Tibetan Buddhism, fled into exile during a failed uprising in 1959 and has not returned since.

Protests flared over the years, but after large demonstrations in the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the government set out to quash dissent through arrests and intimidation, the reshaping of Tibetan identity into a more Chinese one, and lavish spending on infrastructure to develop the remote, mountainous region that borders northern India and Nepal along one flank of the Himalayas.

FAMILIES HAVE NO CHOICE

Kardze prefecture in Sichuan is a land of craggy mountains, rushing rivers, grazing black-haired yak and glittering pagodas and stupas. At 4,400 meters (14,500 feet), one of its airports is the highest civilian one in the world. Journalists and government officials from Beijing were left short of breath, some finding relief in canisters of oxygen.

The boarding school opened in 2012 in a town that had been renamed Shangri-La a decade earlier to boost tourism. Hotels, including a Holiday Inn Express & Suites near the school, line the streets and steep cliffs rise above the valley.

It's difficult to judge whether the students are happy, or if they are losing their Tibetan way of life, as they bounce basketballs on an outdoor court or try to repeat a simple passage on a keyboard in music class. Their parents were nowhere to be seen, though schools officials said they could visit anytime.

About three-fourths of the 390 students live at the elementary school. Kang Zhaxi, the principal, said many parents choose the boarding option for their children because of the distance from home.

Activists, speaking generally, say the parents have no choice, because village schools have been shut and they may be penalized if they don't send their children to the larger schools that have replaced them. Kang Zhaxi taught in a village for eight years before moving to the Shangri-La boarding school. It wasn't clear if his previous school had been closed.

You just do not in good conscience take young children away from their parents and families and communities and put them in boarding school at the rate that they are in Tibet, said Lhadon Tethong, the Tibetan Canadian director of the U.S.-based Tibet Action Institute.

Her group issued a report in late 2021 that used Chinese government documents and other research to estimate at least 800,000 Tibetan children, or nearly 80% of the school-age population, were in such boarding schools. Gyal Lo, a Tibetan education expert who left China in late 2020, estimates at least 100,000 preschoolers are boarding, bringing the total close to 1 million. China denies the number is that high.

Gyal Lo, who now works at Tibet Action, said he visited more than 50 boarding preschools for field research after seeing the impact one was having on his 4- and 5-year-old grand nieces in 2016. He called it an ideological conspiracy to pull children out of their culture as early as possible so they won't want to speak or be Tibetan. That's their ultimate goal, I think, he said.

THE WORLD REACTS

Human rights campaigns focused on China's actions in Hong Kong and against the Uyghurs in northwest China's Xinjiang region have generated more headlines in recent years, but the boarding school issue has helped nudge Tibet back onto the periphery of the international consciousness.

In February, the U.N. human rights office announced that three outside experts, acting as special U.N. rapporteurs, had sent a 17-page letter to China's foreign minister in November 2022 detailing their concern about an apparent policy to assimilate Tibetan culture into China's through a series of oppressive actions against Tibetan educational, religious and linguistic institutions.

A press release focused on the boarding schools, under the headline: UN experts alarmed by separation of 1 million Tibetan children from families and forced assimilation at residential schools."

The boarding schools then made it onto the agenda of a two-day hearing on China held in March by the U.N. experts committee on economic, social and cultural rights. Chinese officials responded to the criticism at the hearing, but the 18-member committee called on China in its final report to abolish immediately the coerced residential (boarding) school system imposed on Tibetan children and allow private Tibetan schools to be established.

Since then, a German Foreign Ministry official has said his government backs that call, and Czech and Canadian lawmakers have issued statements calling for an end to the boarding schools. The United States went the furthest, announcing in August that it would put visa restrictions on officials involved in the schools, which it said seek to eliminate Tibets distinct linguistic, cultural, and religious traditions among younger generations of Tibetans.

Halfway around the world, there were no signs of change as the sun set on another day at the Shangri-La Key Boarding School.

China has rejected the criticism outright. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the government would respond to the U.S. action by placing visa restrictions on Americans who spread rumors to smear China or have long meddled in Tibet-related issues.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Read more from the original source:
China shows off a Tibetan boarding school that's part of a system some see as forced assimilation - ABC News