American Buddhist Net

Sunday 6th July, 2008

The 73rd birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama is being marked by the University of Madras and Alliance Francaise here Sunday with a three-day festival of Tibetan culture.

The festival began with a presentation on an extraordinary French woman, who was one of the only two French explorers to be able to reach the forbidden land of Lhasa in the hundred years between 1846 and 1950.

Many foreign explorers, 'missionaries, army officers, diplomats, spies' wanted to have a look at Tibet at the time, explained Claude Arpi, French journalist and historian, speaking on the life Alexandra David-Neel whose numerous writings contributed to make Tibet and Buddhism known the world over.

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By ASHWINI BHATIA

DHARMSALA, India (AP) — The Tibetan government-in-exile won't hold any celebrations to mark the Dalai Lama's birthday Sunday because of the ongoing suffering of the people of Tibet, an official said.

The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader turns 73.

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Severe restrictions, including checkpoints and surveillance, imposed since wave of anti-government protests in March, exiles say

GEOFFREY YORK
June 23, 2008 at 4:19 AM EDT

LHASA — The pilgrims returned to the Potala Palace yesterday, spinning their prayer wheels and prostrating themselves in front of the Dalai Lama's ancient palace on a mountaintop in Lhasa.

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Human Rights Group Says Over 1,000 Protesters Detained During Anti-Government Riots Have Not Been Accounted For

LONDON, June 18, 2008

(AP) More than 1,000 protesters detained during anti-government riots in Tibet three months ago have not been accounted for, a human rights group said Wednesday.

Amnesty International said a quarter of about 4,000 people detained by police during the riots in Tibet in March are unaccounted for. The others have been either released or placed under formal arrest.

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By Ali Nassor

A group of St. Petersburg scientists have returned from the Himalayan Mountains after learning the secrets of an almost-extinct form of Tibetan yoga that they hope can be used to cure diseases in the West.

The scientists have recently completed a two-month mission to find traces of Tum-Mo, a form of Tibetan Buddhist yoga that preserves body temperatures through excessive production of internal heat despite the body’s exposure to extremely cold mountain climates.

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Saturday, June 14, 2008
ABC Radio National Interview with WSS Spokesperson

The Dalai Lama faces protests from within the Shugden Buddhist community on his Australian tour, 11th June 2008
Transcript

This week the Dalai Lama returns to Australia in fact for the second time in a little over a year. And as we go to air this morning, he's giving a press conference in Sydney.

CHANTING 'Dalai Lama stop lying' 'Religion Freedom"

Stephen Crittenden: That's a recent protest rally outside the Albert Hall in London.

Moscow, June 16, Interfax - Monks of a largest Tibetan monastery will build mandala from sand in the Roerich museum in Moscow.

"It is for the first time that mandala in Russia is dedicated to Green Tara - one of the most venerated gods in the Tibet Buddhism - a god of long and healthy life who grants priceless vital energy and power to everyone appealing to it," the museum told Interfax.

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David Ian Miller
Monday, June 16, 2008

The plight of the Tibetan people, whose cultural and religious heritage has been steadily undermined since their country was invaded by the Chinese government in 1950, has become a cause celebre for the likes of Richard Gere, Mia Farrow and K.D. Lang. At the center of that effort has been Robert Thurman, an influential and prolific American Buddhist scholar and activist who is a long-time friend of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader in exile.

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Dharamsala, June 16: Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Sunday wrapped up a five-day Australia tour, which was highlighted by his meeting with Australian acting Prime Minister and Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans.

Evans described his discussions with the Dalai Lama that took place on Friday as open and instructive. He said he conveyed the Australian Government's enthusiasm for continued talks between Chinese officials and envoys of the Dalai Lama.

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14 Jun 2008

GANNAN PREFECTURE (CHINA): Three months after demonstrations flared up in Tibetan towns and monasteries across China, monks say they now have to pass a patriotic test, possibly in September, to be allowed to remain as monks.

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Melbourne, June 14 : The Dalai Lama gave a glimpse of his remarkable sense of humour by taking a shot at cosmetics and insisting that these beautifying products make people look like creatures from outer space.

While speaking at a public talk at The Dome in Sydney Olympic Park, the Tibetan spiritual leader stressed that youngsters these days prefer external beauty and in its spell they tend to disregard the inner beauty, which is far more important than what meets the eye.

His holiness said that youngsters these days fall in love due to external attraction, which will eventually wear off, and this leaving them with the inevitable focus on "the inner ugliness''.

"External beauty - you can make ...I think quite expensive. Some makes them look like (they) come from outer space. Therefore, I think inner beauty very important,'' News.com.au quoted him, as saying.

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Be sure to see this for deep context: His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Advice Concerning Dolgyal (Shugden). ABN
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June 11, 2008 - 8:57PM

The Dalai Lama arrived in Australia today to a warm welcome from supporters but was branded a "liar" and a "hypocrite" by some 50 protesting Buddhist monks and nuns.

Members of a Buddhist group known as the Western Shugden Society (WSS) accuse the Dalai Lama of suppressing religious freedom and driving them out of the Buddhist community.

They chanted "Dalai Lama stop lying" and waved placards calling for religious freedom when the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader held a meditation seminar at Sydney's Olympic Park.

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Joyce Morgan
June 7, 2008

ROBERT THURMAN was changing a flat tyre on his car when the tyre lever slipped. It destroyed his left eye but transformed his life. It prompted the then-20-year-old to drop out of Harvard and head east on a remarkable journey that has led him to become a monk, America's leading Buddhist scholar and one of the country's most influential thinkers - oh, yes, and father of actress Uma Thurman.

"That [accident] helped me a lot," Professor Thurman says. "My first lama [teacher] told me that whenever I discuss it, I should always say, 'I lost one eye and gained a thousand."'

He certainly gained a different way of looking at the world when he swapped car wheels for Tibetan prayer wheels. It's a journey that continues to take unpredictable turns. For although Thurman is a prolific author and translator of Buddhist texts, he has not before ventured into political writing.

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June 5th, 2008 by Jared Bland in The Shelf

Lincoln Hall’s new book, Dead Lucky: Life After Death on Mount Everest, is pretty much what it sounds like: an account of how Hall, who had nearly reached the summit of Everest in 1984, suffered a cerebral edema and was left high on the mountain during his second attempt in May 2006. Presumed dead after hours of immobility and non-responsiveness, he was found alive the next morning having miraculously survived the night with no shelter, oxygen, water, or warmth. As far as things to have done go, that’s pretty impressive.

"...The big thing I see is that what I had believed to be the nature of reality—the barrier between life and death, the dichotomy, I suppose—is actually not what I thought. And two things: the impossible can be possible, and death is not the grim reaper. It’s more welcoming. And it’s not like a trap, a welcoming trap. It’s actually just the next phase. I’ve been a card-carrying Buddhist for a dozen years now, and had Buddhist sympathies for a dozen years before that, but what happened this time around, on Everest, was that my appreciation of the Buddhist understanding of reality suddenly became real to me. That death isn’t the end, that it’s a cycle. So that’s the really potent life-changing message, even though I’m much the same person outwardly."

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June 04, 2008

BEIJING: Extra numbers of armed police deployed to the streets of the Tibetan capital Lhasa Wednesday, a local official said, as Buddhist pilgrims flocked to the city for a traditional religious festival.

...June 4 this year marks the beginning of the month-long Saga Dawa festival celebrating the birth of the Buddha in the Tibetan calendar, and separately is also the 19th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

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Paul Bibby | June 2, 2008

TWO-METRE-HIGH steel fences, weapons searches conducted with metal detectors and hundreds of screaming protesters - it seems more reminiscent of a fiery World Trade Organisation meeting than a visit by the world's most respected peace advocate.

But this is the scene likely to greet the Dalai Lama when he arrives this month to lead five days of meditation teachings at Sydney Olympic Park.

Private security consultants and NSW Police have advised the organisers of the Dalai Lama's visit that his arrival on June 11 could be marred by protests from pro-China students and a Buddhist splinter group known as the Western Shugden Society.

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Modern healthcare professionals can learn much from the Tibetan Buddhist belief that it as important to die with dignity as it is to live happily. Another look at a classic, a book by Sogyal Rinpoche, that had its 10th anniversary reprint recently.

ENNAPADAM S. KRISHNAMOORTHY AND NIRANJANA BENNETT
June 1, 2008

Most books tell stories about life and living happily ever after…The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying not only addresses life, but brings the reader face to face with Death.

The book, authored by Sogyal Rinpoche, a renowned Buddhist teacher, has been revised and updated to commemorate its 10th anniversary. The book begins rather impressively with a foreword by the Dalai Lama, who sets the tone: “No less significant than preparing for our own death is helping others to die well”. Sogyal Rinpoche places life and death contextually together for our consideration, describing why we must address death during our lives. The realm of gods in the Buddhist teachings, who lived lives of fabulous luxury and pleasure with little thought or time for spirituality until death appeared, and who were unprepared for it, are alluded to here, as is active laziness whereby unimportant tasks become responsibilities, part of a rigid schedule, and begin to dictate one’s existence.

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See also this for more info: His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Advice Concerning Dolgyal (Shugden). ABN
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Saturday, May 31 2008 @ 09:17 pm BST

The mysterious "Western Shugden Society" an organisation who by their own admission have no leaders and apparently no affiliated groups who are willing to put their names to the organisation have over the last few weeks launched a vociferous attack on HH the Dalai Lama in the UK.

Accusing His Holiness many crimes their accusations of persecution of Shugden Practioners, the site goes on to accuse His Holiness of denying Tibetan's Indian Nationality, quite how they rationalise that we don't know. They go on to blame him for all manner of crimes so many and varied that they are not worth mentioning.

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TibetNet[Saturday, May 31, 2008 11:12]

Dharamshala: Following a long and careful investigation, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has strongly discouraged Tibetan Buddhists from propitiating the fierce spirit known as Dolgyal (Shugden). Although he once practiced Dolgyal propitiation himself, His Holiness renounced the practice in 1975 after discovering the profound historical, social and religious problems associated with it. He did so with the full knowledge and support of his junior tutor, the late Kyabje Trichang Rinpoche through whom His Holiness first became associated with this practice. Even within the Geluk and Sakya schools - the Tibetan Buddhist traditions to which majority of Dolgyal practitioners belong - the propitiation of this spirit has been controversial throughout its history. Historical investigation reveals that Dolgyal practice, which has strong sectarian overtones, has a history of contributing towards a climate of sectarian disharmony in various parts of Tibet, and between various communties of Tibetans. Therefore, from 1975 onwards, His Holiness has regularly made public his views on the inadvisability of this practice and underlined the following three key reasons:

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http://dalailamamatters.com/about/

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is an extraordinary example of a life dedicated to peace, communication, and unity. What he represents, and what he has accomplished, heals and transcends the current tensions between Tibet and China.

Why the Dalai Lama Matters explores just why he has earned the world’s love and respect, and how restoring Tibet’s autonomy within China is not only possible, but highly reasonable, and absolutely necessary for all humans to have a peaceful future.

In the few decades since the illegal Chinese invasion of Tibet, Tibetans have seen their ecosystem destroyed, their religion, language, and culture repressed, and systematic oppression and violence against anyone who dares acknowledge Tibetan sovereignty. Yet, above it all, the Dalai Lama has been a consistent voice for peace, sharing a ‘Middle-Way’ approach that has gathered accolades from the Nobel Peace Prize to the Congressional Gold Medal. Modeling this peaceful resistance shows the world that nobody is free unless everybody is free—and that a solution exists that can benefit all parties, not just one. And more than just his nation has taken notice. His inter-religious dialogues, honest, humble demeanor, and sense of compassionate justice sets him apart in a world at war with itself.

Robert Thurman, renowned Tibetan scholar, president of Tibet House, and longtime personal friend of the Dalai Lama, presents a bold, reciprocal five-point plan for establishing Tibet’s genuine autonomy within China, letting China renew its image with the world by allowing the Dalai Lama to guarantee freedom for his people. When China changes policy and lets Tibetans be who they are, Tibet can, in turn, join with China in peaceful coexistence.

dalailamamatters.com/about/

By MICHELLE J. LEE Staff Writer, 609-272-7256
Published: Saturday, May 24, 2008

SHAMONG TOWNSHIP - They came by the hundreds to this small monastery in the middle of the Burlington County pinelands, clutching silk prayer scarfs, beads and cameras.

A tall man emerged from the house, flanked by security guards, monks and nuns. He walked solemnly down a red carpet to the strains of a horn and took a seat in an elaborate gold and red chair while the crowd of more than 1,600 people bowed before him and chanted prayers.

The 22-year-old looked out and smiled at the large audience underneath the white tent. The applause was thunderous. This was the moment many people had hoped for decades to witness: the appearance of Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, one of the most important spiritual leaders in Tibetan Buddhism.

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May 23, 2008
By GREGORY KATZ

LONDON - Late-night revelers in London's pricey Mayfair district may see a light on if they amble past the London Hilton at 3:30 a.m. That's when the Dalai Lama rises for four hours of meditation, even when he is on the road.

His pronouncements about China and the Olympics have made headlines, but the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader's visit to Britain has a religious dimension as well, particularly in the coming days as he delivers a series of lectures on nonpolitical matters.

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LONDON (AFP) — Fervent supporters and angry critics of the Dalai Lama battled to out-shout each other in noisy and sometimes tense demonstrations Thursday, on the third day of his visit to Britain.

Three groups were protesting in central London -- hundreds of Buddhists from a group opposed to the Tibetan spiritual leader chanted slogans yards from where pro-Tibetan and pro-Beijing demonstrators were kept apart by police.

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Thu May 22 2008

A new book called “The Book of Tibetan Medicine”, by Ralph Quinlan Forde, which is being published world wide this week, claims His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama has been the main visionary and driving force, in exile, who has saved Tibetan Medicine from extinction. The establishment of The Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute in Dharamsala was one of the first projects His Holiness undertook when he first came into exile nearly 50 years ago. This Institute now trains doctors in this traditional medicine, manufactures herbal formulas and supplies healthcare to over 50 Tibetan refugee camps in India. In the book, which is fully illustrated, His Holiness The Dalai Lama is pictured together with Lady Doctor Bhutti whom He personally encouraged to train as a Tibetan Doctor. Dr Bhutti now lives and practices Tibetan Medicine in Boston.

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May 22, 2008

NEW YORK CITY - Rubin Museum of Art (RMA) presents Buddha in Paradise, an exhibition of more than 40 works of painting, sculpture, and ritual texts, drawn from the museum’s permanent collection, which explores the concept of paradise in Tibetan Buddhism. The works of art range in date from the 13th to early 20th century but illustrate ideas and beliefs that have endured for thousands of years.

Human beings across cultures have long envisioned realms beyond the hardship of ordinary existence. Most cultures have created descriptions – oral, visual, written -of such realms or states of being. In Tibetan Buddhism, paradise is conceptualized as multiple perfect realms called “Pure Lands,” which are apart from the world we know and are where enlightenment can be quickly attained. Rather than a monolithic understanding of paradise, Tibetan Buddhism contains different approaches and teachings about these lands and how to reach them, the most radical of which confronts us with the realization that paradise is all around us if we are able to perceive it.

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