A Buddhist Tradition to Save Animals Has Taken an Ugly Turn

By Jani Actman, National Geographic News, January 23, 2017

What began as a quest to protect wildlife is now killing animals and harming ecosystems.

Hong Kong, China -- Claudia He Yun recently witnessed an incident outside a Buddhist temple in the Tiantai Mountains, in eastern China, that disturbed her: a group of people about to place a laptop-size turtle in a shallow moat surrounding the property. A monk stood with them reciting something, possibly a blessing for the turtle.

A Buddhist monk in Beijing, China, prepares to release turtles into the sea. Conservationists say that too often "mercy releases" end up harming animals.
Photograph by EyePress, AP

“It was probably a sea turtle and it will probably die,” says He Yun, who leads the China program for the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, an organization that works to engage religious communities in environmental issues. “Presumably this thing happens all the time - we were just there for a few hours.”

South Korea Can Keep Buddhist Statue Stolen From Japan, Court Says

By CHOE SANG-HUN, New York Times, Jan 26, 2017

SEOUL, South Korea -- A court ruled Thursday that a South Korean temple can have a Buddhist statue that was stolen from a Japanese temple in 2012, on the grounds that it had been taken from Korea centuries earlier by Japanese pirates.

Sekko Tanaka, a Buddhist monk on the Japanese island of Tsushima, in 2013, holding a photograph of a Buddhist statue that was stolen the year before. Credit Ko Sasaki for The New York Times 

Japan called the ruling “regrettable” and urged the statue’s return. The dispute is being closely watched by both governments, whose relations are often roiled by historical disputes.

Why I became a Buddhist nun

By Ven. Thubten Chokyi, Presented by Kimberly Gillan, SBS, Jan 31, 2017

After 49 colourful years working in theatre and academia, Venerable Thubten Chokyi became a Buddhist nun so she could devote the rest of her life to the service of others. This is her story.

New South Wales, Australia -- I grew up a Catholic and considered becoming a Catholic nun but ended up pursuing theatre instead, because I always loved singing and dancing.

"I am a feminist and recognise that in Buddhism, we still have a bit of a way to go [on gender equality]."

Over the years, I moved away from Catholicism in adulthood and started looking into contemplative traditions, including Hinduism and Sufism, but it was Buddhism that I was really taken with. I became a Buddhist when I was in my 30s and continued with my singing and dancing, plus teaching Aboriginal Studies at the University of NSW.

But as time went on, it became more evident to me that I wanted to take an oath and become ordained as a Buddhist nun.

One instruction at a time

Just start with mindfulness first

“You must start your mindfulness first. You should ask your mind: ‘where am I? Am I with the body? Or am I with the mantra? Or am I thinking about this or that?’”

A small bronze Buddha

Posted on 27 January 2017 by Buddhism Now

This small bronze Buddha (16.8 cm) is probably one of the earliest (1st to mid-2nd century) iconic representations of Shakyamuni from Gandhara. He sits in a yogic posture holding his right hand in abhaya mudra (a gesture of approachability); his unusual halo has serrations that indicate radiating light. His hairstyle, the form of his robes, and the treatment of the figure reflect stylistic contacts with the classical traditions of the West. This Buddha shows closer affinities to Roman sculpture than any other surviving Gandharan bronze.

Plans unveiled for Buddhist meditation centre in Highland woodland

by Calum Ross, Aberdeen Journals, January 13, 2017

Plans have been unveiled for a new Buddhist meditation retreat centre in a Highland woodland.

Aberdeen, Scotland -- 'The charity Gomde Trust Scotland has applied for permission to build 17 huts in a forest a mile east of Auldearn.

The proposal has been developed over the last nine years, since the group purchased 48 acres of woodland in the area.

Councillors have been urged to approve the scheme when they discuss the development at a meeting next week.

Speaking to the Press and Journal yesterday from Nepal where volunteers are helping local residents recover from a devastating earthquake, group trustee Helen Cawley said she hoped the retreat would prove popular with local and international guests.