Story of Buddhism (5)

Words of Exultation of the Buddha

'Dr Strange' cast inspired by teaching from Buddhist monk on set Reuters, Oct 31, 2016 Los Angeles, CA (USA) -- Tutelage from a Buddhist monk helped  British actor Benedict Cumberbatch with his starring role in "Doctor  Strange", the latest film from Marvel Cinematic Universe. Cumberbatch stars as  Stephen Strange, an arrogant  surgeon who draws on powers  of mysticism and spirituality  when his glamorous life is taken  away from him after damaging  his hands in a car accident.

The Buddha’s Baggage

Everything you wanted to know about karma but were afraid to ask

By Thanissaro Bhikkhu 

WINTER 2016 Tricycle

Courtesy of Hiroshi Wantanabe/Gallerystock.

Karma and rebirth are often treated as Buddhism’s cultural baggage: a set of Indian beliefs that—either because the Buddha wasn’t thinking carefully, or because his early followers didn’t stay true to his teachings—got mixed up with the dharma even though they don’t fit in with the rest of what he taught. Now that the dharma has come to the West, it’s time, we believe, to leave all this unnecessary baggage unclaimed on the carousel so we can focus on the Buddha’s true message in a way that will speak directly to our own cultural needs. However, the real problem with karma and rebirth is that we tend to misunderstand what these teachings have to say. This is because Buddhism came to the West at the same time as other Indian religions, and its luggage got mixed up with theirs in transit. When we sort out which luggage really belongs to the tradition, we find that the bags marked “Karma” and “Rebirth” actually contain valuables. And to help show how valuable they are, here are my answers to some frequently asked questions on these topics.

To demolish this impure foundation, he gave the powerful tool of Vipassana." ~ S N Goenka

"In Buddha's teaching, man matters most; when we talk of man, mind matters most; when we talk of mind, purity matters most so that it can generate pure love and compassion. Purity of mind can be achieved only when impurities are removed from the root level of the mind (anusaya). It is this root of the mind (anusaya) which generates and multiplies impurities.

And if this habit pattern is not changed, the impure mind is not changed; and if the impure mind is not changed, the individual is not changed; and if the individual is not changed, the society, the world is not changed. So Buddha strikes at the root cause of misery, which is the very foundation of the problem. To demolish this impure foundation, he gave the powerful tool of Vipassana." ~ S N Goenka

Story of Buddhism (4)

Anukampa Project mission to Establish Bhikkuni presence in Europe

2016-11-03 Daily Mirror Kalani Kumarasinghe



There appears to be an increased interest in the status and changeability of social roles of both men and women across cultures. By and large, research indicates that traditional patterns of social behaviour persist where gender specific roles are concerned. There is also evidence that despite certain shifts in public perception in society, the establishment of conventional roles in Asian cultures begins almost from infancy and continues into old age. So why would this norm be an exception in the orders of Buddhism?