Vatican calls on Catholics and Buddhists to work together to promote nonviolence

by Joshua J. McElwee, NCR Today, Apr. 24, 2017 Vatican City -- The Vatican has called on Catholics and Buddhists to work together to teach wider society the value of a nonviolent lifestyle, saying in a letter for an upcoming Buddhist holiday that the founders of the two faiths were alike in their promotion of peacemaking. “Jesus Christ and the Buddha were promoters of nonviolence as well as peacemakers,” the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue writes in a letter issued Saturday for the upcoming Buddhist holiday of Vesakh. “Though we recognize the uniqueness of our two religions, to which we remain committed, we agree that violence comes forth from the human heart, and that personal evils lead to structural evils,” the letter continues. “We are therefore called to a common enterprise.”

MBCC opposes Kelantan State Government’s New Religious Policies

DAULAT TUANKU !

Theravada Buddhist Council of Malaysia (TBCM) and all its member organisations joins all Malaysians in celebrating the installation of our 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong – His Majesty Sultan Muhammad V, the Sultan of Kelantan on 24 April 2017.

TBCM extends our felicitations to His Majesty Sultan Muhammad V, with wishes for well being, happiness and peace throughout Malaysia.

Tech-savvy Malaysians still lack knowledge of religions, say academicians

Wednesday, 29 March 2017 The Star online

Samarawickrama speaking at the roundtable on religious tolerance on March 29

PETALING JAYA: Despite rapid technological advances, Malaysians are still lagging behind in terms of religious tolerance and understanding, say academics.

Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) Assoc Prof Dr Charanjit Kaur said the only way to overcome this is to have more open inter-religious dialogues within the society.

Speaking from her personal experience, the lecturer for Gender and Religious Studies said most of her students still lack understanding of other religions.

Tzu Chi's medical care for refugees in Malaysia

REPORTfrom Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation                        Published on 23 Sep 2016

In order to provide humanitarian medical care for the refugees from Myanmar in Malaysia, Taiwan Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation in Malaysia recently organized a free health care to look after those Rohingya refugees.

Courtesy and Goodwill visit (Ziarah Harmony) to BUBS by Surau Al-Syakirin

On Saturday, 7 January 2017, Bandar Utama Buddhist Sosciety hosted a goodwill visit by the Management of Surau Al-Syakrin and a few Muslim NGO’s. The objective of the visit was to establish good rapport, foster better understanding and goodwill.

As per their request, we shared with them the Lord Buddha’s teaching of doing good, avoid evil and purifying our mind with emphasis of non violence, compassion and development of wisdom. The meeting ended on a positive note. We would like to thank Tuan Haji Muinnudin Bin Mohamed, Chairman of Surau Al- Syakirin for arranging the visit.

Mosque Open Day (Surau Al- Syakirin)

Following the visit, the Mosque invites all to their open day on Sunday,15 January 2017 from 9 am to 1 pm

Mark Zuckerberg says he is NOT an atheist and believes 'religion is very important'

Zuckerberg explored Buddhism further last year during a trip to China. He posted this photo of himself last year praying in front of a Buddhist pagoda.

By Clemence Michallon For Dailymail.com 30 December 2016 

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has clarified that he is not an atheist, ending years of speculation about his religious beliefs.

Renewing the joy of encountering the other this festive season

By Buddhistdoor Buddhistdoor Global 2016-12-23 

From wpp.com

By now, many of us will have seen the familiar Christmas images in advertisements, on billboards, and behind the glass windows of shops. The scenes invoke a cozy warmth and merry conversation, from the fireplace before which couples snuggle to the dinner table around which family members gather, or the snowy town square where old friends catch up. These motifs all share the common theme of encounter, of old and new meetings alike. It is through new or renewed encounters that our world expands, our horizons broaden, and our context deepens into new textures and layers that would never have been discerned had we not met that new “Other.”

Buddhamas

Ven. Adicca's visit to Kooki Kingdom in Uganda

 

On 27th October, Ven. Adicca was invited by the King of Kooki Kingdom where he joined other religious leaders in a discussion on the role of religious and spiritual leaders in building a harmonious and peaceful society. Ven. Adicca was later given a tour around the kingdom by the King H.R.H Apollo Sansa (Obwakamuswaga bwe Kooki); launched the new office complex of the Kingdom and planted a tree to mark his visit to the Kingdom.

The visit strengthened the relationship between Uganda Buddhist Centre (UBC) and Kooki Kingdom.

Interfaith

Malaysian Buddhist Monk Empowers Education of Muslim Children

•  Kalinga Senevirate

KUALA LUMPUR (IDN | Lotus News Features) - A grand Chinese temple on the hills of central Kuala Lumpur overlooking the Malaysian capital was the site of a unique event on November 27 where a Sri Lankan born Buddhist monk’s vision to empower the education of poor Malaysian children, most of them Muslims, was taking place without the glare of any television cameras or the national media.

Buddhists pray for peace, tolerance in Indonesia

by Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, November 19, 2016

Sumatra, Indonesia -- Hundreds of Buddhists in Medan, North Sumatra, held a joint prayer for peace and tolerance in Indonesia, amid rising religious tensions across the country.

Around 15,000 followers of all Buddhist sects participated in the joint prayer held at Soewondo Air Force Base in Medan on Saturday. Dozens of Buddhist monks, House of Representatives members and local officials also participated in the event, which will continue on Sunday.

Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin opened the joint prayer on Friday, which was marked by the release of hundreds of doves, which symbolize peace and harmony.

Interfaith

China’s Ven. Xuecheng Attends Mideast-Far East Interfaith Summit in Jerusalem

By Craig Lewis Buddhistdoor Global  2016-09-13

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday met with leaders of Asian spiritual traditions in Jerusalem. From jpost.com

Revered Chinese Buddhist monk Ven. Xuecheng joined a delegation of religious leaders in Jerusalem on Monday for the first day of a four-day interfaith conference aimed at deepening ties between Israel and Asia. The forum will examine a range of issues, such as the role of religion in modern society, the rights of individuals and what constitutes a just society, and safeguarding the planet and the environment.

Christian nuns sat for Vipassana meditation.

Commission on Arakan State to be Formed With Buddhist and Muslim Members

By LAWI WENG, THE IRRAWADDY, August 17, 2016

RANGOON, Burma -- Plans are underway to form a new commission to resolve the communal and humanitarian crisis in Arakan State, which will include Muslim and Buddhist Arakanese representatives—but from Rangoon rather than Arakan State.

The Central Committee for Peace and Development in Arakan State convene in Napyidaw on August 9. (Photo: Myanmar State Counsellor Office / Facebook)

The new nine-member commission is to play a consultative role in Arakan State - soliciting views from local Buddhist and Muslim communities, to be forwarded to the central government, which is keeping a tight rein on the region and delegating few decisions to state-level leaders.

Muslim Students Help to Rebuild Buddhist Temples in Indonesia

By Jnan Nanda  Buddhistdoor Global  2016 Aug 10 

A video of Muslim students helping to rebuild damaged Buddhist temples has been widely circulated on social media in the wake of a spate of vandalism by violent mobs in Tanjungbalai, a city in the Indonesian province of North Sumatra. The video, showing the students helping to clear up debris and repair damaged walls, was uploaded to Facebook just days after the attacks, where it was shared more than 10,000 times. The original uploader later removed the video, although it can still be found on YouTube. media reported that enraged mobs vandalized and set fire to 12 Buddhist temples overnight on 29 and 30 July in Tanjungbalai, near Indonesia’s fourth-largest city of Medan. No casualties were reported. The incidents were reportedly sparked after news spread on social media that a member of the Chinese community, most of whom are Buddhists, had complained about the volume of the call for prayer by a local mosque.

Socrates - The Buddhist