Buddhism for the betterment of Israel

by Dr. Thor Gonen, The Buddhist Channel, Jan 20, 2016

The founder of Bhavana House based in Tel Aviv argues for Buddhism and how it can help to regain a more compassionate, kinder Israel. Speech originally delivered at the United Nations Day of Vesak, Bangkok on April 30, 2015.

Tel Aviv, Israel - Israel is a very young country, a 67 years old baby, but its innocence and sweetness had vanished very quickly, almost 50 years ago, with the occupation of Palestinian lands and the systematic discrimination and oppression of the Palestinian population.

This is not politics I am talking about but a deep concern about the illness of the Israeli society and it is time to speak up. As Dante Alighieri said, "The darkest places in Hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis".

Through claiming absolute rights on the Holy Land, based on Biblical Myths and the notion that God chose the Jews above other nations, Israeli society gradually transformed to be an arrogant, depriving, greedy, aggressive, ignorant, aloof and racist  with very little compassion or shame towards the Arab minority and the Palestinians.

The Dart ( SN36:6 )

“Bhikkhus, when the instructed noble disciple is contacted by a painful feeling, he does not sorrow, grieve, or lament; he does not weep beating his breast and become distraught. He feels one feeling—a bodily one, not a mental one. Suppose they were to strike a man with a dart, but they would not strike him immediately afterwards with a second dart, so that the man would feel a feeling caused by one dart only. So too, when the instructed noble disciple is contacted by a painful feeling ... he feels one feeling—a bodily one, not a mental one." 

David Bowie Studied Buddhism

His Tibetan Buddhist Teacher Responds to His Death

by Ryan Charles, Dalailamafilm.com, January 12, 2016

On January 10th David Bowie passed away in New York City. An official statement was released expressing that he “died peacefully, surrounded by his family after an 18-month battle with cancer.”

The prolific and influential musician, actor and artist– perhaps best known for his glam rock alter-ego Ziggy Stardust– reinvented himself many times during his more than 5 decades in the public eye. Releasing 26 albums in addition to appearing in over 20 feature films Bowie would forever “turn to face the strange ch-ch-changes” in his own life with grace and courage.

Live your life

Animated map shows how religion spread around the world

Business Insider Published on Jul 14, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvFl6UBZLv4


Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are five of the biggest religions in the world. Over the last few thousand years, these religious groups have shaped the course of history and had a profound influence on the trajectory of the human race. Through countless conflicts, conquests, missions abroad, and simple word of mouth, these religions spread around the globe and forever molded the huge geographic regions in their paths.

Decoding Buddhist prayer flags

Garvita Sharma, TNN, Dec 11, 2015

Dharmsala, India -- If you are a mountain person and the Himalayas fascinate you, there's no way you haven't been intrigued by the Buddhist prayer flags.

Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags
Bright coloured blocks of cloth strung along your way with inscriptions have become a common sight of late and an inclusion to your homes and vehicles to bring in positivity. Here's decoding the Buddhist Prayer Flags that lend a vibrant dash of hue to the snow-clad mountains.

Buddhist monk Jason Chan grants rare interview in Maitland

By EMMA SWAIN June 19, 2015, 11 p.m.

 Picture by CATH BOWEN

From long stretches of bitumen in Queensland to the gravel covered paths of Maitland, he has walked in practice of an age-old Buddhist tradition extolling the virtues of a life free of greed, hate and delusion. 

This is the story of Jason Chan and the road less travelled.

It’s a strange juxtaposition – this traditional monk seated in front of a lap top.

But in this sparse container-style abode Jason Chan is an image of antiquity among the contemporary.

Cross-legged he sits, swathed in a thin orange robe and a charcoal grey blanket looped hood-like over his bald head.

His frame is slight, his feet are hardened and bare.

But if happiness were a face it would be his.

“My decision to do this was very simple,” Bhante (the traditionalist Buddhist honorific) Chan says.

“I’ve always been a very rational person and a person with very high standards so I wanted to live the way that was, rationally-speaking, the most beneficial for myself and other people at the same time.

“So after contemplating for a long period of time I decided that being an old-fashioned homeless, wandering Buddhist monk was the best way to do that.”

Mostly, the wandering monk (as he is known) politely declines interviews with mainstream media but after spending the past couple of months walking the streets of Maitland he wants to convey the message of his faith to the masses.

Still, he shies away from too much attention and requests the story focuses mainly on his faith.

But to understand how Bhante Chan arrived (spiritually) to where he is now, we do need to go back.

Bhante Chan was once a lawyer living in Sydney but despite this apparent success he lived with depression, chronic fatigue, sleeping problems and suffered with extremely bad eczema.

More than that, he lacked direction and hope.

Supreme Patriarch row won't help clergy

by Sanitsuda Ekachai, The Bangkok Post, 6 Jan 2016

Bangkok, Thailand -- Amid heated disputes over who will become the new supreme patriarch, one thing is certain: whoever that may be, there is no way he can tackle the ills plaguing monastic society.
Regardless of who is at the top of the monastic hierarchy, it will be business as usual in the clergy. The commercialisation of Buddhism will continue unabated. So will temple corruption and monks' misconduct.

As long as the clergy's autocratic, feudal structure remains intact, the closed system will allow the elders to cling on to old centralised power despite ever louder calls for monastic reform. As a result, public trust in the clergy will continue to decline. Forget any hope for the clergy to become the voice of reason and universal morality under a new leader. We should be worried instead of the mainstream clergy's descent deeper into bigotry and ultra-nationalism. 

Our country is threatened by ethnic discrimination, conflicts and violence. This calls for empathy and compassion. Monks should take the lead. Yet they opt for an us-against-them stance that fans public distrust and hatred of ethnic minorities. This is out of touch with the modern need for pluralism. It is also against Buddhist teaching in every way.

Goryeo Buddhist artifacts named national treasures

By Lee Woo-young, The Korea Herald, Jan 7, 2016

Seoul, South Korea -- Buddhist paintings from the Goryeo Dynasty and scriptures with outstanding historical and artistic values have been named National Treasures, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Thursday.

Buddhist painting from the Goryeo (918-1392) period (Cultural Heritage Administration)

The state-run cultural heritage agency designated three rare Buddhist paintings and two Buddhist scriptures made during the heyday of Buddhism during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) as National Treasures.