karmadungyu gives more details about Buddhism, Buddha & his teachings

World's largest gemstone Jade Buddha is now in Singapore

2012-01-18T22:50:00.000-08:00

World's largest gemstone Buddha is now in Singapore. The world's largest gemstone Buddha was exposed at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza. The Jade Buddha began its five-year global tour in 2009 and has since stopped in Vietnam, Australia, the United States, Canada and various parts of Europe, The Straits Times reported. After the tour, it will be housed in the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Australia.

The world's largest gemstone Buddha was carved out of a single piece of jade that was discovered in northern Canada in 2000. Valued at $5 million, the 2.5m-tall Jade Buddha for Universal Peace was flown in here by the Amitabha Buddhist Centre with the aim of promoting universal peace and inter-faith harmony. Representatives from Singapore's nine major religions also lent their support and offered prayers for world peace. Mahayana Buddhism is the most common form of Buddhism in Singapore. Sizeable communities following other traditions include Theravada and Tibetan Buddhism. The representative organization of Buddhism in Singapore is the Singapore Buddhist Federation.

Ancient pillar carved with Buddha image found in Nalasopara

2012-01-08T22:03:00.000-08:00

An ancient pillar carved with a figure of Gautam Buddha was discovered near a Buddhist stupa in Nalasopara on Friday. The stupa comes with Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The founder of Buddha Vihar and Buddhist monk Bikhoni Sangamitra said, “the pillar was discovered when workers were digging the ground to lay a garden". "The pillar is a proof of Gautam Buddha's visit to Sopara village."

Following the discovery of the pillar, the digging work was discontinued. The pillar will now be inspected by ASI officials and historians before being moved to safety. The state government, along with the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC), is working on converting the stupa into an international tourist spot. The stupa complex will house meditation centers, a museum and a mini theatre where films on the Buddhist stupa will be shown.

Celebrate Chinese New Year with Buddha's Delight Dishes

2011-12-29T02:26:00.000-08:00

The idea of celebrating New Year with these Dishes resembles "Cleansing body and spirit with these traditional dishes". Buddha's Delight is a vegetarian dish eaten on the eve and on the first day of the New Year. This tradition stems from the Buddhist practice that encourages a vegetarian diet during the first five days of a new year, to cleanse the body and the spirit. Buddha's Delight usually includes at least 10 ingredients, but some variations are made up of 18 to 35.

Below are some of the traditional foods of Chinese New Year:

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International Buddhist conference in Sir Lanka next year

2011-12-04T23:36:00.000-08:00

Higher Education Minister S B Dissanayake said,”International Buddhist Conference 2012 will be held in Sri Lanka under the theme “New millennium challenges for Buddhism”. The conference will be held from February 17 to 19 at the Buddhasravaka Bhikshu University, Anuradhapura.

Over hundred Buddhist scholars from local and international Buddhist organizations will take part in the international conference, which is expected to be presenting over 100 research papers from different parts of the globe to discuss the progressive aspects of the Buddhist establishment in their respective countries. Besides, issues and challenges the Buddhist monks and lay Buddhists encounter at different levels will also be discussed.

In addition, the forum will draw its attention to several other goals such as to be inspected a meaningful mechanism to reform Buddhist education in Sri Lanka to be on a par with modern society, to share the different strategies adopted by different Buddhist traditions to upgrade and propagate the Buddhist establishment, to draft a coordinated plan to transmit the message of the Buddha to the ultra-modern society which is equipped with the state-of-the-art technology and people with a more updated mindset, to discuss the ways and means to re-introduce the age-old rapport between the Buddhist clergy and laity for a better and effective mechanism.

Minister Dissanayake said, “It is highly appreciated to set up such a forum to explore the possibilities of finding better resolutions to the multifarious challenges that the Buddhists are encountering today”.

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Supreme patriarchs -Buddhist congregate plans unified body

2011-11-27T22:35:00.000-08:00

Supreme spiritual leaders representing most nations with a large Buddhist population are close to deciding on the creation of a new international body based in India that aims to give a united voice to Buddhism in international meetings like the United Nations (UN).

The first ever congregation of Buddhist spiritual leaders, “supreme patriarchs” and representatives of Buddhist divisions that began in New Delhi today also saw most leaders accusing Beijing for mixing religion with politics. The four-day meet began in the shadow of the cancellation of Sino-Indian border talks following New Delhi’s refusal to interfere with the conference.

However, Indian leaders like New Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj who were scheduled to speak stayed away from the conference, as did government officials and diplomats expected to attend. A sizeable delegation of 35 representatives from China also didn’t make it despite confirming their attendance.

Museum marks 10th Anniversary with Buddhist exhibition from China

2011-11-20T21:17:00.000-08:00

An exhibition marking Buddhist artifacts from China booted off Wednesday in New Taipei City, marking the 10th anniversary of the Museum of World Religions.

Speaking in front of Premier Wu Den-yih and religious leaders from around the world, Dharma Master Hsin Tao, founder of the museum, expressed the hope that peace and harmony would continue to exist between Taiwan's different faiths.

The displays include items such as paintings, embroidered silk work from Tibet, ritual instruments and a unique statue from the Ming Dynasty that combines Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist art styles.

The New Taipei museum currently has a collection of over 4,000 Buddhist artifacts.

Beijing Capital Museum, opened in 1981, contains over 200,000 items from Imperial China and other Asian cultures.

Birth place of Gautama Buddha- Lumbini (Nepal)

2011-10-31T06:09:00.000-07:00

Lumbinī is a Buddhist pilgrimage place in the Rupandehi district of Nepal. It is the place where Queen Mayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama, who as the Buddha Gautama founded the Buddhist tradition. The Buddha lived between approximately 563 and 483 BCE.

Lumbini is the place where the Gautama Buddha was born. The exact year of his birth is strongly disputed, with possible dates ranging from the 11th to the 6th century BC. The town of Lumbini is one of the four holy places in Buddhism: the sites of his birth, enlightenment, first discourse, and death. All of these occurred outside, in nature.

The site remained neglected for centuries. Only in 1895 it was rediscovered by a German archaelogist. A temple and a bathing pool are believed to be originals from the era of Buddha’s birth.

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Buddha’s Spiritual Belief about Eternal Life

2011-09-30T04:27:00.000-07:00

Buddhism is a religion which gives more importance for ethical values and spirituality. Buddhism teaches people how to reduce their suffering which they face in their daily life by understanding themselves better. Often, people do bad things, and they get evil responses. Since the cause of suffering is rooted in the mind and desires, and because desire and attachment are caused by mistaken observations by an ego-centered self which avoids causality, peace can only be achieved by careful observations and patient mind control.

Buddhism promotes the belief that we do not have a soul. Rather, Buddhists believe there is nothing in our lives which is permanent (or immortal). In Buddhist tradition, rebirth is a process in which the spirit is continually reborn after death until ultimate enlightenment is reached. Although the Buddha did not believe in God, this does not mean Buddhists do not believe in the existence of divine beings (gods). Buddha believed that the consequences of our actions have karmic effects, according to a person's intentions (or desires).

The vital distinction is that life, death, and rebirth are more of a continuum in the Buddhist faith, rather than a soul that has one life and one existence. Finally, Buddhist beliefs in death reflect how one leads life in the now. The goal is to seek the good, reject evil, and above all shed unawareness. If one follows this path and continuously keeps truth in mind then one can be reborn with superior existence.

Buddha’s last words to his disciples “Make yourself a light. Rely upon yourself: do not depend on anyone else. Make my teachings your light. My disciples, my last moment has come, but do not forget that death is only the end of the physical body. The body was born from parents and was nourished by food; just as inevitable are sickness and death. But the true Buddha is not a human body: -it is Enlightenment. A human body must die, but the Wisdom of Enlightenment will exist forever in truth and in practice.”

Chinese Buddhist Cave Temple Exhibition -Echoes of the Past uses 3D Technology

2011-08-23T23:19:00.000-07:00

At an exhibit called Echoes of the Past : The Buddhist Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan at the Meadows Museum at SMU, visitors can experience ancient caves through 3D technology. The centerpiece of the exhibit, this 3-D digital reconstruction of the South Cave in Xiangtangshan, China, combines technology with the skills of art history sleuths to recreate a Buddhist temple cave in its entire splendor. Missing items from the cave appear in yellow.

The exhibition, which runs September 11, 2011, through January 8, 2012, uses "hundreds of overlapping scans" to create a life-sized, virtual cave. Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan is organized by the Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. SMU’s Meadows Museum will use 3-D technology to virtually restore a majestic sixth-century Chinese Buddhist cave temple for upcoming exhibitions.

Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan will include a video immersion into one of the largest stone temples carved into the mountains of northern China. The exhibit also includes ancient sculptural masterpieces from the caves. An additional 100 items from the caves, now in institutions and collections worldwide, have been digitally captured with hundreds of overlapping scans to create the life-sized virtual cave that is the centerpiece of the exhibit. Additional support for the Meadows Museum's presentation is generously provided by The Meadows Foundation. The exhibition is supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

World's Largest Buddhist Temple an Impressive Monument

2011-07-26T03:49:00.000-07:00

The largest Buddhist temple in the world, the Borobudur Temple can be found near Yogyakarta, Central Java, Indonesia.

In 1814, the British lieutenant governor of Java sent a survey team to verify reports of an impressive monument located at the center of the island of Java. For six weeks, a crew of 200 men labored to clear away the soil, volcanic ash and vegetation that buried the said sanctuary, unearthing what turned out to be one of the greatest archeological finds of the modern era.

Built between 750 and 842 AD by Sanmaratungga, it measures 60,000 cubic meters with a height of 34.5 meters and a base measuring 123 meters by 123 meters. The shrine was constructed in three layers: a pyramidal base with five concentric square terraces, the trunk of a cone with three round platforms and a towering stupa or a bell-shaped chamber.

It has a total of 1,460 panels with each panel measuring 2 meters wide. The temple teems with relief sculptures, with 1,212 panels with narrative carvings. The Buddha statues total to 504, intact or otherwise, according to research.

The Borobudur was once the main site for Buddhist pilgrimage and for more than a century after it was completed it was the most significant Buddhist temple in the world. The Borobudur Temple is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and the last restoration work was done from 1973 to 1983 with the help of UNESCO.

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Spiritual Journey in Buddhism

2011-06-07T05:42:00.000-07:00

Buddhist is very devotional and meditative. Buddhist prayer is to awaken our inherent inner capacities of strength, compassion and wisdom rather than to petition external forces based on fear, idolizing, and worldly and/or heavenly gain. Buddhist prayer is a form of meditation; it is a practice of inner reconditioning. Buddhist prayer replaces the negative with the virtuous and points us to the blessings of Life.

Prayer should be part of our spiritual journey, transforming confusion into clarity and suffering into joy. Our daily life is full of positive and negative motivations. Positive motivation is a response which includes enjoyment and optimism about the tasks that you are involved in. Negative motivation involves undertaking tasks because there will be undesirable outcomes. Meditation and prayers brings Strength and all good deeds to face any situations in life.

Specifically Buddhist prayer can helps a person to develop his or her mind, his or her good heart. Or, it is an expression of a positive motivation regarding the needs of this world. Spiritual growth is the process through which our soul becomes conscious, and therefore more dominant on the earth plane.

Buddhist Dinning Lifestyle

2011-05-27T01:59:00.000-07:00

Buddhism plays a vital role in following the ethical values, spirituality and vegetarianism. Buddhist lifestyle is living in simplicity, peace, gratitude, wisdom and compassion. Since Buddhist meditate more hence they are very conscious of their food habits. Most Buddhists are vegetarians, but many Buddhists in Buddhist countries are not. The main idea is how each individual strictly follow and one takes the vow not to harm any life. East Asian "Buddhist" differs from Western vegetarian in one aspect that is avoided killing plants life.

Many had kitchens to cook mushrooms, vegetables, gourds, fruits, and all kinds of dishes made of bean curd. They also prefer dairy products and flours like wheat flour, corn flour, rice flour. Cow’s milk, black sesame seeds, and bee honey are also highly nutritious foods. Their food habits are very healthy and nutritious.They prefers vegetables for five reasons: They contain vitamins that aid digestion, they prevent nutritional deficiencies, they help prevent obesity, they improve blood circulation, and they prevent and help cure cancers.

Alcohol and other drugs are also avoided by many Buddhists because of their effects on the mind and "mindfulness". It is part of the Five Precepts which dictate that one is not to consume "addictive materials". The definition of "addictive" depends on each individual but most Buddhists consider alcohol, tobacco and contraband drugs to be addictive.

Representation of three main things placed on a Buddhist altar

2011-05-07T04:28:00.000-07:00

Flowers

Buddhists always decorate their altars with bright flowers from every season. Flowers appear to smooth our hearts and relieve our troubles. Altars should constantly have actual flowers relatively than non-natural flowers. Appearing at the weakness of a living flower reproduces back on our own transience. In Buddhism, flowers symbolize concern, one of the two major characteristics of Buddha beside with wisdom. Sympathy alleviate suffering and provides happiness.

Candles

Candles can regularly be originated on a Buddhist altar. Their light symbolizes wisdom, the second quality of Buddha. Wisdom permits us to see what is in advance; light allows us to see that expectations.

Incense

When Buddhists give their respects to Buddha at the altar, they present fragrant rile in order to sanitize their bodies. When screening high opinion for someone else, additional effort should be finished to show politeness to smell nice. So, unnecessary to say, these works are performed with reverence for Buddha in this way.

Why do we stoop to monks/nuns and the Buddha Statue?

2011-04-20T23:26:00.000-07:00

The yellow dressing gown worn by monks is a symbol and memento of the Triple Gem, as is the Buddha Statue. Consequently one is actually bending over to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, not to several person or sculpture. There are two features to bowing — the physical action and the mind. If one bows since it gives one the chance to reveals one's faith in the Triple Gem, because it appears the right objects to do, and because it guides the mind to quiet, then it will be valuable.

If one bows without any reason or because one suffers that one must do so for exterior sake, then it is a fairly empty signal. When one bow three times to the Buddha sculpture or to senior monks, then mentally recall 'Buddho', then 'Dhammo' and then 'Sa ngho' and as well have mindfulness of the physical attitude as it turns ahead and the head handles the floor. Though, in Western countries this is often misinterprets and can be the resource of rather a lot of discomfiture. It is up to the persons themselves to make a decision what is suitable under the different conditions.

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In what ways Buddhism differs from other Religions

2011-04-15T00:17:00.000-07:00

• Christianity, Islam, and Judaism have a distinct originator who has given supporters a divinely-inspired book that offers leadership on how to perform daily actions in a proper and decent manner.

• Buddhism, by difference, has no solo creator or beautifully inspired book. As an alternative, it presents lessons trained by the chronological Buddha who lived on earth and enlightened the purpose of life.

• Christians and Muslims consider that they will live in perpetuity with God if their life on earth has been used up in worthy and useful detections; Jews are more disturbed with doing exact while breathing and reside little on what happens after death.

• Buddhists, on the new hand, do not consider that life on earth ends and a new life begins in heaven. Rather, they think that life is an eternal cycle of birth and renaissance, which what is done throughout a lifetime decides the type of life one will have in a potential manifestation unless a person is releases him or herself from the cycle.

• While Christians, Muslims and Jews desires to be predictable by God for their activities on earth, Buddhists seeks to achieve true happiness by living their lives according to the traditions of Buddha.

• Buddhists have no central administration, just different leaders who guide understanding of Buddha’s teachings with congregants who get together in temples, schools, and institutes.

10 most valuable points in understanding Buddhist belief

2011-04-02T00:31:00.000-07:00

• Real individual happiness comes from within a person’s intelligence rather than from any external resource such as contacts, reputation, wealth, love, or amusement.

• Buddhism educates that there are really two kinds of happiness: Relative happiness — the type that can move toward and go more than time; and Absolute happiness – the type that does not disintegrate, lighten, or change as the years go by.

• Relative happiness will not give true happiness since the need to be more affluent or more powerful than somebody else can never actually be satisfied.

• Absolute happiness comes while a person to conclude reaches the actual reason of life and understands the reason he or she was place on earth.

• The intention of everyone’s life and the cause of complete happiness comes with true deliverance — the instant that all darkness infuses one’s life is eradicated.

• Looking for absolute happiness absorbs a process of knowledge, scrutinizing and at last accepting, without unwillingness, the detail that the whole thing purposes as an end result of some reason that makes a measureable effect.

• Nothing, in short, take place as of magical, fortune, or a supernatural force. Everything that happens happens for a reason. We harvest what we sow. The good and bad that every one of us does creates the positive and destructive results we and others have to transaction with.

• How we do something decide the crash of those events on ourselves and others. As greatly as we would like to responsibility the fortunes for what happens to us, end results are finally of our own doing.

• Once this is understood and acknowledged, a person can begin the procedure of changing his attitudes and actions to make a new life that rises above the pain and distress that puzzles so many of us.

• At last, in the mission for long-lasting happiness we ourselves should center on how our own events pressure our lives.

Buddha’s teachings to lead a happy life

2011-03-15T06:12:00.000-07:00

Forty-nine days after Buddha achieved enlightenment he was requested to teach. As a result of this request, Buddha climbed from meditation and qualified the first Wheel of Dharma.

These teachings which comprise the Sutra of the Four Noble Truths and new discussions are the major cause of the Hinayana, or minor Vehicle, of Buddhism. Afterward, Buddha trained the second and third controls of Dharma, which consist of the Perfection of understanding Sutras and the Sutra discerning the meaning respectively. These experiences are the foundation of the Mahayana or Great Vehicle of Buddhism.

In the Hinayana teachings Buddha give details of how to accomplish liberation from distress for oneself alone, and in the Mahayana teaching he enlightens how to achieve full illumination, or Buddhahood, for the sake of others. Both traditions increased in Asia, at first in India and then slowly in other neighboring countries, together with Tibet. Nowadays they are also opening to boom in the West.

“Dharma” means “protection”. By working Buddha’s teachings we defend ourself from distress and troubles. All the problems we practice throughout daily life initiate from lack of knowledge and the system for reducing ignorance is to perform Dharma.

Practicing Dharma is the best method for improving the value of our human life. The superiority of life depends not ahead exterior development or objects progress, but upon the internal progress of silence and happiness. For instance, in the past several Buddhists lived in poor and immature countries, but they were capable to find clean, eternal happiness by committed what Buddha had taught.

If we incorporate Buddha’s teachings into our every day life we will be capable to explain all our personal problems and reach a truly peaceful mind. Without inner peace, external peace is unfeasible.

If we first found peace within our minds by guidance in spiritual paths, outer peace will come obviously; but if we do not, world harmony will not at all be attained, no issue how many people drive for it.

Buddhism coverage in Asian Countries

2011-03-03T00:55:00.000-08:00

Since the birth place of Buddhism, we will have in-depth exposure of the most recent Buddhist growth in the area by country. This is made probable through sustain given by representatives from their particular countries. Here's how Buddhist news in Asia will be divisioned.

What Mahayana Buddhism is actually mean ?

2011-02-13T23:20:00.000-08:00

Mind understand in Mahayana Buddhism, embraces all states of being of the exceptional world as well as the magnificent world. There is nothing exterior of Mind, in further words. As of this we can reflect of Samara as Mind's variation with itself yet through this difference is completely incredible in the case of water and a whirlpool of water. At no instance does the whirlpool restrain the nature of water. Water is constantly just water in whatever type it takes. It is similar with Mind in spitefulness of the faith of ordinary beings that the unique world of unusual things and situations of being is genuine, so real so as to make Mind look deceptive! The knowledge of Mahayana, i.e., the Mahayana Dharma, definitely goes against this artificial belief.

For those who are wake up such as Arhats, sophisticated Bodhisattvas and Buddhas, the apparent discrepancy between Mind, itself, and its phenomenalizations, which comprise samsara, is no longer functioning just as when somebody appreciates that the poisonous snake they supposed they paced on is only a rope. One has basically detached the illusion of a poisonous snake by being capable to see the way things actually are.

While the snake/rope false impression is simple to understand it is not so effortless when it comes to considering our phenomenal world the way it actually is, such that all happenings really don't survive in the way we imagine them to. In order to observe the world the way it truly is we first has to attach with Mind if only for a concise instant. Deficient such a relationship it will be impracticable to stimulate from the daydream we are in which reasons us to consider the phenomenal world is real while the inspiring world is a false impression.

This is why superior Buddhist teachers constantly teach Mind and the significance of recognizing it, if only for the occasion of a finger-snap. This, by the technique, is what Mahayana Buddhism is all regarding, the teaching of Mind.

World's Buddhist Society plead for Peace and Inter-faith agreement

2011-01-12T04:10:00.000-08:00

Attending to a grand prayer worshippers for world peace and religious concord held on the New Year eve in Taipei, Tibet's spiritual leader His sanctity the 14th Dalai Lama's delegate to Taiwan has highlighted the significance of religious harmony along with different religions of the world.

Representative Mr Dawa Tsering also strut on the soul of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's obligation in the support of religious harmony and considerate among the world's chief religious traditions.

The ceremonial was mutually organised by Theksum choeling Tibetan Dharma Center started by Khenpo Tsenam, Longshan Temple and Fa-Shan Temple of Taiwan under the supervision of Tibet Religious institution of His devotion the Dalai Lama.

Khenpo Tsenam and other well-known Taiwanese monks spoke about the significance of preserving fine relationship between all the practitioners of Buddhism in Taiwan and to work in concert for religious harmony.

The prayer assembly was be presented by over 600 people feel right to different practitioners of Buddhism, portrayed according to the tradition pursued outside of India as "Southern Buddhism", "Northern Buddhism" and "Eastern Buddhism". Monks and nuns from various Taiwanese and Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and education centres in Taipei were present also.

"Southern Buddhism" symbolizes Buddhism as experienced in Sri Lanka and the majority of Southeast Asia. Generally it is measured to be identical with the Theravada.

"Northern Buddhism" occasionally refers to Buddhism as accomplished in East Asia and the Tibetan region - mainly China, Japan, Tibet, Korea, Mongolia and Vietnam. It is repeatedly apprehended to by identical with Mahayana. Conversely, the term Northern Buddhism is moreover used sometimes to pass on specifically to Tibetan Buddhism. In this terms, the Buddhism of China, Japan etc. is labeled as Eastern Buddhism.

The 3rd Pattaya Buddhism Ceremony ended successfully

2010-12-18T04:27:00.000-08:00

More than 20,000 people move towards to stick together in the merit making at the 3rd Pattaya Buddhism Ceremony in order to contribute food to 2,000 local monks as part of a larger movement to allocate food to 286 temples in the four insurgency-struck Southern regions, as well as to assist as many of the modern flood fatalities as possible.

At 6.00am on 27th November,2010 Mr. Itthiphol Khunplume (Pattaya Mayor) managed the 3rd Pattaya Buddhism Ceremony, which had been agreed by Pattaya City in coincidence with the Moral and Global Environmental Rehabilitation Club for the third year consecutively.

The ceremony involved several 20.000 people and was organised as part of a nationwide project to offer food to 1,000,000 monks in 77 provinces. Also integrated this year will be those areas exaggerated by the harsh floods mutually with 286 temples in the four Southern areas which have suffered uprising for many years.

Such a large assembly had demanded road closings, as previously proclaimed, but city traffic was liberated to flow again once the ceremony was completed.

Japan launches new 3D Buddhist temple

2010-12-13T05:26:00.000-08:00

A Buddhist temple in Kyoto is showing its historic statues in 3D on iPads in a bid to supply 21st century approval of the artefacts.

The project has been commenced at Byodoin, one of the country’s oldest temples meeting back almost 1,000 years and a selected UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Five iPads have been fitted together with a sequence of historic Buddhist monuments in the temple, placed in the Kyoto region, demonstrating images of the artworks in three-dimensional form.

The artworks form element of a group of 52 wooden monuments titled Bosatsu on Clouds, which were formed in 1053 and have been confirmed National Treasures by the Japanese government.

A laser scanner was used to detain the images of five of the prehistoric artworks from the front, back and sides, in order to allow visitors to understand the complexity of the craftsmanship from all angles.

The end result, represents on the iPad tablets, illustrates the now discolored ancient wooden sculptures in all their innovative 11th century beauty, rich in colour and perfect in form. Conversely, the figures are presented at a high level and complicated for visitors to view well.

Monsho Kamii, a priest at Byodoin, said: "I required people to be capable to feel the artistic values that date back a thousand years by using computer graphics to reconstruct how these sculptures initially looked."

The sculptures are supposed to have been initially created by Jocho, the highly praised 11th century artist and master of religious statues who is generally accredited with redefining Buddhist artistic quality in Japan.

The 52 Bosatsu on Clouds, each calculating approximately 25 ins in height, emerge to stay close in the air adjacent a larger central sculpture of Amida Buddha meeting on a lotus at Byodoin Temple.

The occurrence of iPads in a historic old temple is possibly a side effect of Japan's status as a nation well-known both for its hi-tech modernity and its rich cultural tradition.

Europe's largest Buddhist centre to be built in Germany

2010-11-25T05:37:00.000-08:00

Europe's major Buddhist centre has got the progress for a site at a previous military composite outside Cologne, it was confirmed Friday.

The complex will house upto 60-80 monks plus upto 200 guests.

Already there are 20 Buddhist monks and nuns alive on the site in Waldbroel, 50 km east of Cologne.

The 10-million euro($14-million)plan, by the European Institute of Applied Buddhism, is to present seminars and courses, teaching policies to deal with concern such as divergence, anger or grief.

The centre is expected to open in 2015.

The European Institute of Applied Buddhism was place by a Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, who was exiled from Vietnam in 1966. Along with the Dalai Lama, he is one of the most familiar contemporary Buddhists and has tens of thousands of followers.

The World's Ancient Buddhist Scriptures presents in Thailand

2010-11-15T05:03:00.000-08:00

The World's oldest Buddhist Scriptures are revealed for the first time in Thailand at the Phutthamonthon Buddhist Park in Nakhon Pathom region from 8 November 2010 to 5 February 2011. Norway participated an important role in freshly moving the scriptures to safety from Taleban assaults ten years ago. The pubic present in Thailand takes place in reputation of the seventh cycle birthday of His dignity the King on the 5th of December next year. The scriptures are the world's most earliest Tripitaka scriptures for more than 2,000 years old. Some divisions of the ancient scriptures have crumbled. More than 10,000 pieces will be on show at the exhibition.

Buddha's teachings were first confirmed on palm leaves for the period of the first century BC. The scriptures were printed with "Prommi" characters that were used during Buddha's time and serve up as evidence that the scriptures are the world's oldest.

The scriptures were bared in caves in Afghanistan by Bamiyan people who runaway from Taliban attacks and took protection in caves from 1993 to 1995. The Bamiyan people then obtain the scriptures to Pakistan to save them from annihilation by the extremist Muslim Taliban government. Norway and Britain then secretly moved the scriptures out of Pakistan from 1997 to 2000. They brought out 5,000 complete scriptures and 8,000 pieces of broken scriptures inscribed on palm leaves, bark, leather and brass plates.

Phra Thammasitthinayok, Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart and more than 30 Buddhist monks and Thai representatives had brought the scriptures from Norway back for display in Thailand for the first time. Although the deputy abbot spent more than a year seeking the scriptures for an exhibition in Thailand, he finally succeeded as a result of a government-to-government deal.

Reading from the 'Teachings of Buddha'

2010-10-21T06:38:00.000-07:00

1,800-yr-old Buddha statue dig out

2010-10-14T22:35:00.000-07:00

The state of archaeology department has found a limestone statue of Gautam Buddha that dates backside to at least 1,800 years. “It was a chance detection,” said the director of archaeology and museums, Prof. P. Chenna Reddy.

The limestone statue from the second century CE was exposed at Chada village in the Atmakur mandal of Nalgonda district when labourers were digging the fields. In addition to the statue, Buddhist sculptural boards and a few large bricks were also discovered.

“The discovers make known the existence of a new Buddhist site in the Telangana region. This confirmation adds to the group of Buddhist sites in Nalgonda district such as Tirumalagiri, Phanigiri, Gazulabanda, Vardhamanukota, Aravapalli and Nagaram; all situated on the banks of Bikkeru. The district is also covered with famous Buddhist sites on the eastern side such as Yeleswaram and Nagarjunakonda,” said by Prof. Reddy.

World Beating Buddhist Temple expands agreement in U.S.

2010-10-09T00:17:00.000-07:00

Plans for a 60-foot-high Theravada Buddhist Temple has gained approval for building in the small township of Raynham, Massachusetts, according to local media foundations.

The temple grounds will cover a 60-foot-high monastery, cultural center, museum and dwelling for some 16 Thai Buddhist monks alive in the area.

Having setup home in a small New England building for the past four years, a group of Thai Buddhist monks have gained support from the local Planning Board to build what will be one of the largest Buddhist temples in the world.

The temple and meditation center will be used for learning and religious purposes, as well as meditation and chanting services, religious resources and teaching about Buddhism, Thai culture, and language.

Peaked with a 180-foot golden spike the complex will conclude the long-held dream of Boston-area Thai inhabitants to have a place of worship for their religious beliefs and admired King Rama IX, Bhumibol Adulyadej, who was accordingly born in nearby Cambridge in 1927.

In spite of recent argument surrounding Islamic mosques and the spread of Islam in the United States, no protests to the inspiring Buddhist structure were listened to the recent planning and approval meeting. Local residents, on the divergent have voiced their support of the considerable development and the monks that have occupied the site.

“Anyone can come as a guest and examine and enjoy or join us in chanting and prayer. Buddhism is an open religion. We recognize everyone in our temple,” said Lamiad Wechapak, a local Boston resident of Thai basis.

Proponents of the project have been approved a variance on the townships 40-foot-high building regulations, with the extended tower actually observing with both local and FAA regulations. The building will be tax excepted as a religious facility.

Exterior of Thailand, the future Wat Nawamintararachutis, will be the major Buddhist temple in the World. The 109,000 square foot, white construction with five tiered gables will merge Eastern and Western aesthetics, according to proponents of the growth.

The 50-acre site of the project will be properly landed and preserve offered maple trees and stonewalls with 5-acres being devoted for the temple construction, which will be completed by 2012. The enduring acreage is under environmental protection.

Two major actions a year, in the spring and fall and another nine or 10 celebrations throughout the year, are estimated to draw between 300 and 700 people but the attendance will be spread out.

International Buddhist conference held in Nepal on Sep-2010

2010-09-25T02:38:00.000-07:00

More than 100 representatives of Buddhist organizations from South Asian countries, including India, will take part in an international symposium on Buddhism here.

The eight-day "South Asia International Buddhists Youth Exchange-2010" started on 23rd Sep-2010 with the most important slogan "Buddhist Education, Environment and Entertainment".

The event is being prepared the country at the program of executive committee of the Young Men''s Buddhist Association Nepal.

The programmes also present a voluntary tour to Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha.

Next to India and Nepal, other contributing countries are : Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and New Zealand.

Revolutionary politics influences Buddhism

2010-09-17T05:28:00.000-07:00

Lives of more than 40,000 monks were lost to the country responsibility to programming by revolutionary parties. As an alternative of the Buddhist teaching, those monks pursued political agendas, Buddhist Cultural Center Director Ven Kirama Wimalajothi Thera said in Sri Lanka.

Transfering a message to the JVP the Thera said: The majority of the temples have become empty and abandoned due to the scarcity of Buddhist monks. Buddhists are stranded in life due to be deficient in well informed monks to offer proper leadership to them.

This has really spoiled language, literature and culture. This condition suited the agendas of certain NGOs.

The monks who were related to political activities with the JVP were lost to their parents, teachers and supporters. Because of the demolition the JVP has done it formed their defeat in the final election.

If they would be able to rearrange, escaping harmful activities of their branch every person will bless them, the Thera said.

Young monks should be well-informed under the Buddhist teaching in Pirivenas, or another appropriate higher education institute to accomplish the expectations of the fated life.

The JVP created protectiveness, hatred and anger among young monks instead of fondness, loving-kindness to obtain the political achievements.

Variation of young monks to the political activities is the largest violation of the human rights, said by the Thera.

The Five Precepts of Buddhism

2010-09-10T03:53:00.000-07:00

The Five Precepts of Buddhism are the fundamental ethical strategy of a Buddhist life. Buddhists believe these simple suggestions can avoid many misfortunes.

1. Avoid killing.

Although this principle seems simple enough when taken at face value, a deeper assessment shows that it is a teaching which requires ongoing attention. While it is apparent that egregious acts of killing such as murder are illegal, the truth remains that all life depends on other life for its endurance. To eat, we must murder. This is why many Buddhists endeavor to minimize the level and degree of the killing they are dependable for by assuming a vegetarian or vegan diet.

2. Avoid stealing.

Again, the apparent simplicity of this precept may be misleading. Clearly, deliberate acts of stealing such as shoplifting or robbery are prohibited, but based on an individual's social and political views, contribution in society itself may engage less obvious forms of stealing. For example, a social traditional may believe that taxation and wealth relocation constitute a form of theft. On the other hand, a social broadminded may see capitalism and private property as having naturally larcenous elements. Thus, follow the precept to abstain from stealing may be more challenging than it originally appears.

3. Avoid sexual misbehavior.

Of the five precepts, this is possibly the most straightforward, although there remains substantial room for explanation. Obviously, acts such as rape and child mistreatment are strictly prohibited, as any practical person would expect. Though, sexual misbehavior is also somewhat appropriate in nature. In a dedicated relationship, for example, disloyalty could be seen as sexual misconduct. Likewise, promiscuity and carelessness may be interpret as misconduct by some Buddhists.

4. Avoid false speech.

Apparently, this precept forbids lying, even though it does not explain the status of the various "white lies" most people tell to get through the day. A reasonable approach may be to delight this precept the similar way the first precept (admonishing killing) is indulgence by taking a "harm reduction" approach in terms of dishonesty. Immediately as no one can get through life without assassination in some form, even if it is only plants that are killed for nutrition, it is unlikely that anyone can shun all lying. Even so, setting a target to honor this precept by minimizing dishonesty can be a valuable commitment.

At a deeper level, the precept adjacent to false speech enlarges not just to simple lying, but to any type of speech that is damaging, rude, mean-spirited, pointlessly negative, or otherwise harmful to oneself or others. In determine to renounce for false speech, one should attempt to minimize these forms of speech as well. A Buddhist's speech should be elevating wherever possible, and harmless otherwise.

5. Avoid intoxication and/or intoxicants.

There is some contest within the Buddhist community as to the precise proposed meaning of this precept, with some preserving that it forbids alcohol and other drugs completely and others property that the use of these substances in control is acceptable, as long as irresponsibility does not result.

The unique wording of the precept states that "substances which cause heedlessness" are to be passed up, let somebody use some potential support to the view that a state of rashness itself is the bottom of the issue. In either case, it is clear that drunkenness and/or drug "highs" which cause irresponsibility are to be avoided. Whether one decides to do this by avoiding such substances on the whole or by involvement in a moderate, responsible manner may be best measured a personal choice.

A new Buddhist temple opens in Russia

2010-08-30T06:35:00.000-07:00

The spiritual leader of Russian Buddhists named Pandito Hambo Lama Damba Ayushev, has devoted a new temple in the East Siberian city of Chita.

Recounting it as a “historic event”, the head of the Russian Buddhists supposed that Chita has consequently become the second Russian city, subsequent to St. Petersburg, to welcome a Buddhist monastery.

The suggestion to construct it came on 16 years ago. Building works however, began only in 2007.

The earlier monastery was built in Chita 111 years ago, but was blistered down 15 years later, in blurred circumstances. The new one is said to be similar to it, having personified the features of the Buddhist-Buryat architecture.

The statue of Buddha in impudence has the height of a normal man – 1.8 meters (6 feet) as well as heads of dragons, and the Buddhist altar was shed in the Mongolian capital, Ulan Bator.

Buddhist missionary group launches border projects in Myanmar

2010-08-18T06:38:00.000-07:00

In Myanmar, The Buddhist Association for the support of Theravada Buddhism in boundary Regions this month launched missionary projects in Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin and Mon states, the group’s chairman said last week.

Chairman Dr Khin Shwe said the association’s projects plan to hold up Buddhist monks in the areas and help smooth their missionary works.

“We will conduct our missionary activities in the furthermost corners of the hilly and border regions since we desire all Myanmar citizens to come into speak with the teachings of the Buddha,” he said.

“A missionary’s assignment is not to enlarge the Buddhist community but to help people seek peace and harmony. I will join missionaries in Mon State and help them to bring out their activities.”

The Yangon-based organization was formed prior this year and works directly with the Ministry of Religious Affairs to realize the programs.

The organization received more than K1.4 billion (about US$1.4 million) from 35 well-connected well-wishers at its first donation service, held at the Myanmar International Convention Centre in Nay Pyi Taw on July 17, together with two individual cash donations of K360,000 ($360,000).

Contributors included Dr Khin Shwe himself, who is the chairman of production company Zaykabar, as well U Win Myint, president of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, U Htay Myint from Yuzana Construction and many other famous businessmen.

Western Socially occupied Buddhism Symposium

2010-08-11T06:03:00.000-07:00

The Zen Peacemakers are hosting a 6-day Symposium for Western Socially Engaged Buddhism from August 9 to August 14, 2010.

They are meeting leading Western protester practitioners, academics and supporters of Socially Engaged Buddhism. The daily program includes: meditation, a key note lecture, 2 plenary boards, discussion groups, brain attack groups and evening entertainment.

The Symposium is being prepared to encourage the practice of Socially Engaged Buddhism, to motivate and support members of the Western Buddhist community to connect this worldwide movement and to bring together the leading practitioners and theorists in this movement.

The task of the Zen Peacemakers is to improve distress in the world by supporting spiritual practice that comprise meditation, learn, direct social service, multi-faith cooperation and social enterprise.

Zen Master Bernie Glassman established the Greyston Foundation in 1980, a holistic network of community enlargement companies and not-for-profits functioning in the inner city of Yonkers, New York.

At present the Zen Peacemakers guides Bearing Witness leaves and trains leaders to produce Zen Houses in the Greyston tradition.

As an organizer in Socially Engaged Buddhism, the Zen Peacemakers also swarm an annual Symposium on the topic and liberate Bearing Witness, a FREE monthly online newsletter distribution the work of all Socially Engaged Buddhists.

Ireland's first Buddhist temple to be constructed sooner

2010-07-30T06:11:00.000-07:00

It has been proclaimed that the Dzogchan Beara move away centre will construct a copper-domed traditional Tibetan Buddhist temple on the centre’s land. The 14.5 meter tall temple will alight, by the retreat core, on top of the rock faces at Garranes, near Allihies, west Cork. The retreat center, which was established in 1992, be seated on 150 acres. Matt Padwick, the director of the retreat supposed “A number of fishermen returning to (Castletownbere) seaport tell us they love to see the centre since they then feel they are in home. Perhaps they will soon see a new construction which will be like a spiritual lighthouse.”

The temple’s structure will pursue Tibetan designs and will cost regarding €1 million. It is anticipated that construction will get underway shortly this year and the temple will be finished within 18 months. Padwick said “We need to fundraise the money earlier than we can start. At the instant we have collected just above €100,000. In some ways it is the most complicated time to raise money because of the financial system and we are taking on a challenge. But so far we have had an extremely positive response." Each and every year 300 people come up to a visit the center for weekend retreats, to find out art and meditation.

“We have an amazing view here. Most of the people who come here to be trained meditation do so on the suggestion of family and friends and that’s very nice,” said Padwick “I believe through the development of the temple we are appearing forward to a very dazzling future.” The name Dzogchen Beara means “great perfection” in Buddhist ritual. Tibetan masters have remarked in the past on the beautiful surrounding of the center and the reflective peace there. “We welcome everybody, from all walks of life and of any confidence or none, and offer many special ways to visit Dzogchen Beara,” said Padwick.

Great Buddhist Festival to score 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi, Vietnam

2010-07-18T22:47:00.000-07:00

Nearly 1,247 Buddhist nuns and monks will get together for the Great Buddhist Festival to blot the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi programmed to take place in Hanoi from July 17, 2010 to August 2, 2010.

The festival will include two major activities- a parade of the statue of King Ly Thai To from the Do Temple in Bac Ninh to Hanoi and a three-day ritual to pray for tranquility at the Thang Long Royal Citadel.

In the guide up to the 1000th anniversary of the capital city, the Hanoi Buddhist Church has rewarded special consideration to protecting and developing national cultural identities, mainly the Buddhist culture.

Buddhist organizations have worked intimately with the municipal administration and significant agencies to upgrade and restore historical ruins and hold traditional festivals to bring into full play touchable and insubstantial culture and to celebrate the capital city’s anniversary.

From now throughout the end of this year, the Hanoi Buddhist Church will go faster the collection of credentials on the capital city’s history of Buddhism. More than the past year, Buddhist supporters in Hanoi have elevated VND 2.8 billion to hold up the poor, Agent Orange victims, deprived and handicapped children, elderly people living alone and the families of social policy recipients.

The Hanoi Buddhist Church currently has a total of 2,078 monks and nuns, 2,059 Buddhist centers and 29 Buddhist worshippers at municipal and district levels.

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General idea about Tendai Buddhism

2010-07-15T03:27:00.000-07:00

Tendai Buddhism is one of the most popular recognized schools of Buddhism. As a theme of information, it is one of the little traditions of Buddhism that enjoy receipt all across the world.

Tendai Buddhism has been described well as a momentous development in both- Chinese as well as Japanese Buddhism. This school of Buddhism is recognized to have a great devotional power on Chinese and Japanese culture. Similar to every other school of Buddhism, this one also has its own position of teachings and doctrine. Though, the Tendai doctrine rests mainly on the Lotus Sutra. Lotus Sutra is also acknowledged as Saddharmapundarika-sutra. All along with Tendai Buddhism, the Lotus Sutra place the foundation principles of Nichiren and Pure Land schools.

Since Tendai Buddhism is centered on the Lotus School, it is also generally referred to as Lotus School. However, it is regularly known as T'ien-T'ai in China and Tendai in Japan. This name obtains its origin from the southeastern mountain in China, where the majority of the teachings of this Buddhism tradition were developed.

Tendai Buddhism has moderately an interesting history to its credit. Its history dates reverse to the 5th century. It was during the 5th century that two Chinese monks Hui-wen and Hui-ssu interpreted the Lotus Sutra into Chinese and started teaching it in North China. A student of Hui-ssu, recognized as Chih-hi, took these teachings to southeast China. He recognized a monastery on Mount T'ien-t'ai. This monastery is identified to have commenced the systematic and well defined explanation of the Lotus school.

Tendai Buddhism traveled to Japan throughout Saicho. Saicho was a Japanese monk who considered at Mount T'ien-t'ai. When he revisited to Japan, he placed the basis of the Tendai Lotus Sect. He built a monastery on Mount Hiei that spreaded the traditions of Tendai Buddhism in Japan.

Among a selection of other schools of Buddhism, Tendai Buddhism is the most comprehensive one. It absorbs the teachings of special other Buddhism traditions such as Vinaya, Shingon and Zen. It also covers some teachings of Shinto, which is the unique to Japanese tradition. Though, the necessary focal point of this Buddhism tradition residue Lotus Sutra only.

Tendai Buddhism centers on attaining salvation. It supporters Buddha as an extraterrestrial being rather than a human being. As for each Tendai Buddhism, Buddha is "an inspiring everlasting being, moralizing to myriad arhats, gods, bodhisattvas, and other figures using all types of sermons, lectures, imaginative fables, and miracles." In the present day circumstances, Tendai Buddhism enjoys enormous popularity.

It is followed by people across different geographical boundaries and cultures. It's humanitarian and universal approach finds it many followers in different corners of the world.

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Rare Jade Buddha Temple

2010-07-08T06:02:00.000-07:00

The Jade Buddha Temple is one among the Shanghai’s rare Buddhist temples, which have reduced through the years. The renowned Jade Buddha in the temple is supposed to have been carried by Buddhist monks from Burma and fitted it during the 1800s. The temple was re-built in 1918 after being conquered by the Qing dynasty. The temple still have houses two Buddha statues made from jade. There are total of seventy monks in the temple doing a variety of ceremonies all throughout the day. Rare paintings and prehistoric Buddhist writing can be found in the Jade Buddha Temple. More than seven thousand Dazang Sutras are being kept in the Jade Buddha Tower. Two squares are also there in the Temple with a total of three main halls.

The first hall of the temple is named as the Devaraja hall. This hall is wherever the four outer space kings are believed to have been buried. The Mahavira Hall, on the other hand, hosts the sculptures of the three Buddha’s bordered by eighteen statues. The third hall is the Jade Buddha loom where the well-known Jade Buddha is kept along with the Sutras. Both the Sitting Buddha and the Recumbent Buddha can be originated in the Temple. The sitting Buddha, fixed with whole white jade, is a picture of illumination and meditation. The Sitting Buddha is 190 centimeters far above the ground and it is exhausting a robe inlaid with precious emerald and agate.

The Recumbent Buddha, on the other hand, is 96 centimeters lengthy and is deceitful on his right side. The recumbent pose is also known as the ‘lucky repose’ and it represents the tranquilize face of the Buddha. The luxurious Hall of the temple is where the god of the 20 heavens is situated. The gods are enclosed in gold and they procession the eastern and the western sides of the hall.

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About Buddhism in America

2010-06-29T00:23:00.000-07:00

Buddhism is a religion with more than millions of followers in North America, including conventionally Buddhist Asian Americans as well as non-Asian exchanges. America presents a prominently new and different environment for Buddhists, leading to an exclusive history and a long-lasting process of growth as Buddhism and America come to holds with each other.

The history of the emission of the Buddhadharma all over Asia from its position of source in India is the history of cultural and dharmic separation. In coming to a new society, Buddhism altered to become accustomed to that culture, and the resulting different tradition was kept within the culture to which it was personalized to prevent the disagreement with other forms of Buddhism. But when it annoyed the big water to America, this process of emission resulting in differentiation broke down, and was displaced by a new process of cross-cultural combination within Buddhism. America is not Asia; America is a genuine working social and cultural melting pot. This new process of addition among the various different kinds of Asian Buddhism is an important driving force following the development of American Buddhism. There is no “racial divide” intrinsic in this inherent, ongoing, and predictable cultural activity. Each and every Buddhist in America, of any individual history, of any culture, and of any civilization, does it to some level and on some level, by requirement, and by default, every single day.

In America, we do not consider in, do not support, and do not finally allow, the countless implied cultural and administrative fences by which the different ilks of Buddhism have been kept split from each other in Asia. Asian Buddhists in America are dissimilar from Asian Buddhists in Asia since they are constantly tackled, in their daily survival, with additional forms of Buddhism than that of which is theirs traditionally.

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Buddhist art makes appeal for nature

2010-06-24T06:23:00.000-07:00

It's general knowledge that in earliest Chinese folk insight, the tiger has a negative implication - a large, remarkably ferocious wild animal, tigers have been sought for centuries and are now extremely in danger of extinction.

Though, Free Tiger proceeds to Mountains, a new show from Buddhist theoretical artist Zhang Huan on demonstrate at Pace Beijing, is hoping to revitalize this near-extinct species in a predominantly outstanding and ironical way - by portraying them completely out of ashes collected from joss firewood in Buddhist temples. In this method he turns his compliment to the tiger into a religious poem.

Inspired by the odd deaths of several tigers in the Shenyang Forests Wild Zoological Garden in Liaoning Province, Zhang determined to create the artwork to move up awareness of tiger preservation between the Chinese population. According to the essential concepts of Buddhist faith, all creatures justify the same opportunities to live as naturally as possible in peace and silence.

I want, to some level, to pass the communication to people that the idea of free tigers is connected to the central residents of Buddhism," Zhang said. "Since ash represents the wishes of people who blaze the firewood in memory of the dead, this artwork speaks to the spirit of man as well as the souls of the dead tigers."

Zhang supposed that he doesn't recognize of any other artists working with joss firewood in the similar way and maintains to have "patented" the method. Although a challenging and novel artistic technique, it's positively broken compared to Zhang's original idea for the exhibition.

"Our unique plan was to bring in actual live tigers to the balcony, where people could view them through glass," Zhang said. "It would be like a natural zoo, where people could see how tigers live and still how they chase for food. Suitable to safety rules, though, we had to discard this idea."

Zhang said that his adaptation to Buddhism five years ago carried him to "a place of peace in my mind" and stimulated him to accept a religious name, "Ciren," ci meaning mercy and ren meaning people - a grouping which has had thoughtful influence on his work.

"I want people to see the concealed meanings in my artwork, to suffer peace and consider while they understand them," Zhang said. "I'm constantly trying to fill my art with the legitimate personality of the Buddha and his love for all living things."

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The sacred Journey on Tibetan Buddhism

2010-06-23T06:39:00.000-07:00

In Tibetan Buddhism, the bodhisattva, or “awake being,” is a practitioner who has relinquished the general wish to liberate themselves from the world of suffering (samsara) so that they might through their efforts to discount all other beings from their distress, according to Wulstan Fletcher's opening to his conversion of the classic, The Way of the Bodhisattva.

This is an objective unique to the Mahayana ('Great Vehicle'), a school of Buddhist beliefs and practice hold to by Zen and Tibetan Buddhism.

The Spiritual pathway of the Bodhisattva

At first look, such an aim emerges crushingly enormous: how could one being probably make even a hollow in the constant war, poverty, and disease of the world? However in Tibetan Buddhism, the conclusion of suffering — in other words, spiritual development is a liberate from suffering of every level, possibly most especially the small and near-constant frustration, anxiety and agitation that pass for usual states of mind.

Consequently, the primary function of the bodhisattva similar to all Buddhist practitioners is to work with the mind honestly in order to cut the profoundly seated roots of everlasting dissatisfaction, yet (paradoxically) the bodhisattva's main concern is to stimulate this process in others.

Thus, attainment a high level of spiritual development and teaching necessary Mahayana and other teachings of Tibetan Buddhism is the main life principle of the bodhisattva (as demonstrated by figures like the Dalai Lama).

The structure of Spiritual Awakening, or Bodhichitta

The aspirant bodhisattva daring a demanding spiritual path, one that will eventually gather the strength of mind required to apply him or herself in helping others. This spiritual path takes the natural history of the enlighten state, known as bodhichitta (aware of heart/mind; heart/mind of enlightenment) as its orientation for practice; as the promising bodhisattva grows the two forms of bodhichitta in him/herself, they ultimately blossom into a marvelous self-sacrifice that delights in serving others.

Complete bodhichitta, which may also be referred to as the understanding of wisdom or bareness, is the crystal-clear, non-dual, perfect state of mind causal all neurosis —“the direct cognizance of realism,” according to Fletcher. This is harmonized by relative bodhichitta, also called sympathy, which is “ the ambition to achieve the highest good, or buddhahood, for the sake of all, collectively with all the practical steps required to achieve this goal.”

The Practice of sympathy in Mahayana Buddhism

Mahayana philosophy and practice are at once complicated and apparently inaccessible; their serious and straight drive to end all suffering flashes a transformative spiritual journey one would do well to intimately inspect. For an extra in-depth appears at one of the most significant practices of the Mahayana, known as Tonglen.

Reinterprets the 3 Jewels of Buddhism

2010-06-19T01:26:00.000-07:00

The 3 jewels of Buddhism are the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. Conservatively, the Buddha stands for the personality Gautama Buddha who taught 2500 years ago in India. The Dhamma stands for his wisdom and the Sangha is the order of monks which he originated.

Whenever a rest person wants to get intended as a Buddhist, he has to declaim the three sanctuary thrice. By doing this, the person articulates his meaning to guide his life by following the teachings of the Buddha. If the person needs to become a monk, he must take formal promises.

Most of the people who believe themselves as Buddhists do not examine the deeper meaning of the triple gem. They pay compliments to the statue of the Buddha; they perform resources and rituals or read Dhamma and also present food and robes for the monks in the Sangha. Though, if one actually investigates the true meaning of the three jewels, one can determine the Buddha’s teaching for himself and become enlightened.

Buddham Saranam Gacchami (I receive Refuge in the Buddha)

Buddha factually means the ‘Awakened One’. It also stands for the Buddha Nature which is the fundamental substance of all the occurrence of this universe and also one’s true nature. So when one takes shelter in the Buddha, it is not stooping down to the image of Buddha or imploring to that image. In a deeper wisdom, it means taking protection in one’s true self or in true nature.

Generally, we are known by our person names and are living according to the conditions that life presents to us. Though, in the Buddhist understanding, this is repression. To be free, one must distinguish one’s true nature and live in it, which puts an end to all determined because one has reached one’s home.

Dhammam Saranam Gacchami (I receive Refuge in the Dhamma)

The word Dhamma has many significances. The most frequently used is that of the body of tradition of the Buddha in the form of dialogues and the sutras. Though, a deeper meaning of the word Dhamma is also phenomenon or eventual realism. It is like saying that ‘water flows since it is the Dhamma of water to flow’.

Enchanting refuge in the Dhamma does mean that, at the surface level, learning the sutras and following the teachings in one’s life. Though, in a deeper sense, one must obtain refuge in the true life of things. One must recognize that all things have the nature of impermanence, disappointment and bareness and live that understanding. This refuge meant to free of charge oneself from accessory to things and wrong ideas.

Sangham Saranam Gacchami (I receive Refuge in the Sangha)

The Sangha is the society of monks who live according to the teachings of the Buddha. They request for their food and use their time in meditation. In the factual sense, taking refuge in the Sangha means to connect their order by flattering a monk. Though, in the deeper sense, it means living the true life oneself. Living in society, where one is entice by all kinds of needs and authorities, one must live correctly even if one has to stand alone.

Taking refuge means one is sheltered against all danger and disaster. And captivating refuge in the triple gem is the true defense from the vicissitudes of life. Though, one must take the refuge considerate the deeper implication of the three jewels.

The First and foremost Buddhist educational festival commenced in Britain

2010-06-14T23:47:00.000-07:00

The earliest constantly arts and cultural festival illustration on Buddhist cultural traditions has been revealed in Britain. The festival, recognized as The Many features of Buddhism, is seized in London at the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum and the Barbican Center in partnership with the Hong Kong-based philanthropic organization, Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation.

Highlights of the celebration comprise an International Forum on Buddhism and the Arts held last Saturday, the opening ceremony of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Gallery at the V&A, presentations of Buddhist holy dance, and the initial International Buddhist Film Festival in London.

The new Buddhist sculpture porch which is to release to the public in Britain. It features resources from the V&A's world class gatherings sorted from massive Chinese temple sculptures to tiny portable paint gold Buddha.

The 50 or thus sculptures created among AD 200 and 1850 are agreed in geographic groupings representing the variety of artistic expression throughout Asia, and reproduce the conflicting Buddhist practices of India, Sri Lanka, the Himalayas, Myanmar, Java, Thailand, China and Japan.

The new porch includes an 18th-century monumental gild bronze placed Buddha from China's Tibet, an influential 7th-century marble trunk of the Buddha from Tang Dynasty of China and the cranium of Buddha, once engraved straightly into the shake face of a 6th-century cavern temple complex at Xiangtangshan, northern China.

The International Buddhist Film Festival will display case over 40 films from 18 countries, together with 27 UK openings from May 7 to 17.

At a press sample of the new porch held at V&A on Monday, Robert Yau Chung Ho, manager of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation, said: "The purpose of the Foundation is to hold up broadly Chinese arts and culture. We honestly hope that our viewers for the Many Faces of Buddhism Festival will commence to welcome Buddhism's rich lasting history and communication and through it will discover new ways of understanding and forthcoming the world."

The Most Important Beliefs In Buddhism

2010-05-26T00:22:00.000-07:00

There are two Major Beliefs In Buddhism. The first one is Hinayana, the smaller vehicle, also known as Theravada, the doctrine of the elders, and the larger vehicle, Mahayana.

Hinayana places importance on that each individual is in charge for his or her own recovery. Mahayana says that all organisms are tied together through universal salvation. The diversity of division of this belief includes Zen, Lamaism and Nichiren.

Basic beliefs in Buddhism are those of re-embodiment and rebirth. Practising Buddhists distinguishes between the two concepts; in reincarnation the individual may happen again repeatedly, in rebirth the individual does not essentially return to Earth as the same entity again.

The Four Noble Truths are chief fundamental principles of Buddhism.

The nature of suffering; Humans determine through illness, ageing and death that life is filled with sorrow. Buddhists consider that we, humans, will undergo sorrow until liberation is achieved.

The origin of suffering; Humans, long for false desires which we think will bring us happiness. The searches for humanity further exacerbate human suffering.

The overcoming of suffering; False desires need to be concealed and abandoned to turn around there effects, unawareness of the way of liberation and the illusion that there is a permanent self are the main cause of suffering.

The way foremost to overcoming of suffering; The Noble Eightfold Path is one of the most significant beliefs in Buddhism. The Noble Eightfold Path is blessed with eight branches known as the right visions of understanding.

Right aspirations.
Right speech
Right conduct
Right livelihood
Right effort
Right mind control
Right mindfulness

The eight branches are not parts or stages of life that can be lived in sequence or in separation; they are the dissimilar dimensions of a total and entire way of life.

It is supposed that humans are often incorrect or deceived about the true nature of realism and that they have passion for things which we wrongly believe us pleasure and a separate hatred for those things we think won’t. Humans consider that by not receiving the things we want or desire will make us suffer, when in actuality it is the attachment to some things and hatred to others that source us suffering. All Buddhists must also abstain from taking premature meals, dancing, singing, music or watching fantastic mime, use of perfumes, personal decoration and use of garlands, use of high seats and tolerant gold or silver.

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Revolutionary politics influences Buddhism in Sri Lanka

2010-05-24T23:38:00.000-07:00

More than 40,000 monks were misplaced to the country duty to instruction by revolutionary parties. Instead of the Buddhist teaching, those monks pursued political programs, Buddhist Cultural Center Director Ven Kirama Wimalajothi Thera said.

Transferring a message to the JVP the Thera said: Nearly all temples have become empty and abandoned due to the lack of Buddhist monks. Buddhists are trapped in life due to lack well knowledgeable monks to offer appropriate guidance to them.

This has very much spoiled language, literature and culture. This situation matched the programs of certain NGOs, the Thera said.

The monks who were associated to political actions with the JVP were lost to their parents, teachers and supporters. Because of the destruction the JVP has done it shaped their defeat in the last election.

If they would be capable to rearrange, escaping disastrous activities of their part every person will bless them, said by the Thera.

Young monks should be well-informed below the Buddhist teaching in Pirivenas, or one more suitable higher education institute to accomplish the expectations of the intended life.

The JVP created envy, hatred and anger among young monks instead of affection, loving-kindness to attain the political achievements. Edition of young monks to the political actions is the largest violation of the human rights, the Thera said.

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How Buddhism Flourished throughout the World

2010-04-24T01:59:00.000-07:00

Buddhism never developed a missionary movement; Buddha’s teachings nevertheless extend far and wide on the Indian Subcontinent and from there throughout Asia. In each new culture it attained, the Buddhist methods and styles were modified to fit the local mentality, without compromising the essential points of wisdom and compassion.

Buddhism, however, never extended an overall hierarchy of religious authority with a supreme head. Each country to which it spread expanded its own forms, its own religious structure and its own spiritual head. The most well-known and worldwide respected of these authorities at present is His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet.

There are two main separations of Buddhism. The Hinayana, or Modest Vehicle, emphasizes personal liberation, while the Mahayana, or Vast Vehicle, stresses working to become a completely enlightened Buddha in order to be best able to help others. Each has various sub-divisions in Buddhism. At present, however, three major types survive: one Hinayana, known as Theravada, in South East Asia, and two Mahayana, namely the Chinese and Tibetan traditions.

The Theravada tradition spread from India to SriLanka and Burma in the third century B.C.E., and starting there to Yunnan in southwest China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, South Vietnam and Indonesia. Pockets of Indian merchants practicing Buddhism were soon found on the coast of the Arabian Peninsula and still as far as Alexandria, Egypt. Other forms of Hinayana spread from that time to modern-day Pakistan, Afghanistan, eastern and coastal Iran, Uzbekistan, Kashmir, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.

These were the ancient states of Gandhara, Parthia, Bactria and Sogdia. From this base in Central Asia, they spread more in the second century C.E. to East Turkistan (Xinjiang) and Inner China, and in the late seventh century to Kyrghyzstan and Kazakhstan. These forms of Hinayana were later combined with Mahayana aspects that also came from India so that Mahayana ultimately became the dominant form of Buddhism in most of Central Asia.

The Chinese form of Mahayana later spread to Japan, Korea and North Vietnam. Another early wave of Mahayana, mixed with Shaivite forms of Hinduism, spread from India to Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia and elements of South East Asia starting in about the fifth century.

The Tibetan Mahayana tradition, which, starting in the seventh century, inherited the full historical development of Indian Buddhism, widen throughout the Himalayan regions and to Mongolia, East Turkistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrghyzstan, northern Inner China, Manchuria, Siberia and the Kalmyk Mongol region near the Caspian Sea in European Russia.

Importance of the Buddhist Flag

2010-04-23T04:13:00.000-07:00

The Buddhist flag, primarily hoisted in 1885 in Sri Lanka, is a symbol of confidence and calm used throughout the world to represent the Buddhist faith. The six colours of the flag symbolize the colors of the aura that originated from the body of the Buddha when He achieved Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. The horizontal band of colors represent the races of the world living in accord and the vertical band of color represent everlasting world peace. The colours represent the perfection of Buddhahood and the Dharma.

The Blue light that emitted from the Buddha's hair represents the strength of Universal Concern for all beings.

The Yellow light that give out from the Buddha's epidermis represents the Middle Way which keep away from all extremes and brings balance and liberation.

The Red light that gives out from the Buddha's flesh represents the blessings that the practice of the Buddha's Teaching brings.

The White light that emitted from the Buddha's bones and teeth indicates the purity of the Buddha's Teaching and the freedom it brings.

The Orange light that glow with from the Buddha's palms, heels and lips represents the constant Wisdom of the Buddha's Teaching.

The Combination of Colour represents the universality of the Truth of the Buddha's Teaching.

Therefore, the overall flag represents that regardless of race, nationality, division or colour, all sentient beings acquire the latent of Buddhahood.

The six colors are better understandable as :

1. Blue: suggesting the thought of loving kindness and peace in Buddhism

2. Yellow: it signifies the Middle Path, that is, an entire absence of form and emptiness

3. Red: signifying success, knowledge, asset, destiny and self-respect.

4. White: signifying purity, liberation that the Dharma will always survive regardless of time or space.
5. *Orange: The spirit of Buddhism which is full of knowledge, strength and pride.

6. The grouping of these five colors represents that it is the one and only Truth.

The horizontal bars indicate peace and concord among all races through out the world whereas the vertical bars symbolize everlasting peace within the world. In straightforward terms, the Buddhist Flag involves that there is no inequity of competition, nationality, areas or skin color; that every living being own the Buddha Nature and all have the possible to become a Buddha.

Get a profound imminent into Buddhism with New iPhone App

2010-04-17T04:45:00.000-07:00

Presently launched an essential new Buddhism Reference App on the iPhone.

The App wraps beliefs, concepts, doctrines, schools, sects, major texts, practices, major historical scholars, objects, place names, and current issues. It gives chronology of important dates, pronunciation guide and guide to canonical scriptures.

This new dictionary, currently available on Apps Store as been part of the best-selling Oxford Paperback Reference series:

• It covers both the historical and modern issues in Buddhism and includes all Buddhist schools and cultures.

• Moreover 2,000 broad-ranging entries cover up attitudes, doctrines, place names, major teachers and scholars, and relics, in a clear and in brief style.

• The text is demonstrated with line drawings of religious structures, iconographic forms and signs, and ritual objects.

The ideal guide for undergraduate students subsequent courses on Buddhism, Theology, Religious Studies, and a range of Social Science disciplines such as Anthropology; postgraduate students, practising Buddhists, academics, and the general reader or researcher looking for information on Buddhism.

Buddhism motivates Vail yoga class

2010-03-31T06:27:00.000-07:00

The originator of the Summit Dharma Center and Tibetan monk Michael Gregory guides a workshop at the Yoga Studio at Vail Athletic Club from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., Saturday.

The “Mindfulness in Motion” workshop, trained with the studio instructor Karen Anderson, is destined to give participants into a deeper consideration of Tibetan Buddhism throughout own yoga.

Rachel Nelson, who recently took over as studio manager, supposed this workshop is the first of many new offerings.

“We are an asana-based building, which means we do focus on the physical side of yoga, however through these astonishing workshops our students can take what they've previously educated and start to view it through different lenses in this case, Tibetan Buddhism,” says Nelson.

Nelson speaks the idea for a Buddhism-based workshop came subsequent to the success of several group meditation classes and workshops at the studio.

“In this financial climate, I believe that our students, and all our Vail yogis are looking for ways to transfer their viewpoint from one of struggle to one of ease,” she said. “Yoga and meditation proffer new ways to achieve that, since our group meditation classes have been so well-received, people are actually looking for an opportunity like this.”

Sikkim's affluent Buddhist culture attracts tourists

2010-03-15T23:56:00.000-07:00

Sikkim which is situated in Himalayan Hills is a paradise for tourists. Currently the state Government has paced up its efforts to endorse many Budhist sites and festivals as tourist's destinations.

Kagyad chaam is the one of the four forms of veiled dances in the state.

Achieved by Lamas of Buddhist monastery on the every 28th and 29th day of Tibetan calendar, the dances represent exorcizing of malevolence spirits of previous year and welcoming the good spirits at the crack of dawn of New Year. Throughout the dance costumed Lamas with gaily-painted facades holding the ritual swords jump and swing to the rhythm of booming drums.

The lively dance not just captivates locals, but foreign tourists as well.

Kagyad dance passes various themes from the Buddhist mythology and concludes with the burning of statues made of flour, wood and paper. A worshippers of local Buddhist followers and tourists get together once a year to witness this extraordinary dance.

The Buddhist festivals, which imitate centuries-old tradition of Buddhism in State also contribute to the growth of tourism industry.

According to Sikkim Travel Agent Association general secretary Lukendra Rasily, "Tourists discovers it very very interesting, so different and when they come to Sikkim they go back with lot of memories which are not obtainable easily anywhere in the world."

"The tour operator is advertising; the Government of India is also marketing through their unbelievable India slogan," he added.

Sikkim has a lot additional to offer to the visitors, snow fully clad mountains, thick green forests and monasteries. Peace and general economic have brought in many visitors to the state. More than 300,000 tourists visited Sikkim this year alone.

Special budget train for Buddhist spots

2010-03-04T03:45:00.000-08:00

The Indian Railways will launch its special train covering the Buddhist route across the country, with a visit to Nepal also thrown in.

Aspiring to provide to budget tourist from Sri Lanka and to other Asian countries, the 14 days and 13 nights, all-paid package tour will moreover provide off-board services such as hotel lodging, vegetarian meals, road transports for sight-seeing, and support for visa formalities for foreign nationals.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), which will be running the operation, have offered three rates for the budget tourist.

Twin-sharing accommodation comes around Rs.23,650 per person, while triple-sharing accommodation costs for Rs.20,600 and for hall or dormitory accommodation, the fare has been hooked at Rs.16,650. Accommodation will be offered in budget hotels.

The train offers sleeper class accommodation for 500 passengers on each and every trip along with a store cupboard car serving vegetarian food. The IRCTC guarantees guide and security on the train for the passengers.

The pilgrims get to see 11 famous Buddhist sites starting by the paintings and sculptures in Ajanta and Ellora Caves. The other sites included in this tour are: the massive stupa at Sanchi; Sravasti, the birth place of Gautam Buddha in Lumbini, Nepal; capital of the ancient kingdom of the same name; the Mahaparinirvana Temple in Kushinagar; Vaishali, where the Buddha moralized his last talk; the reminiscent ruins of Buddhist monasteries and temples of Nalanda; Rajgir, where Buddha moralized two of his most famous sermons; Bodh Gaya where the Buddha reached enlightenment; Sarnath where he preached his last oration; and the excavations of Nagarjunakonda.

Though the package, does not include entrance fee for monuments, medical care and Nepal visa fee for foreigners. It has its own termination rules, according to which the last date for cancellation is one week before the start date. The passenger will surrender the entire money if it is cancelled during the week before the trip.

Remarkable Buddha Sculpture Made from Dead Bugs

2010-02-23T03:05:00.000-08:00

Inamura Yoneiji, a 89-year-old man, created the statue in honor to the souls of the insects, in which most of them are beetles. Discussion about the statue, Yoneiji says “For children in the years instantly after World War II, Japan was poor and there was very little entertainment activity available, to the side from catching bugs. Though, every bug would eventually die after being caught. With making a statue of a Buddha from their dead bodies, maybe their souls can rest in peace.” And how much more peaceful could be in a statue of Buddha get, with the bodies of bugs complete into a new life to pay homage to Buddha.

Inhabitat has pretty eye for fascinating and beautiful green design, and this discover has a bit of the bizarre in it as well: a Buddha statue that emerge to be made from jewels, but is really comprised of 20,000 dead bugs. The statue, located in a society hall in the Gumma prefecture of Japan, took over 6 years to generate.

World’s only stainless steel Buddhist chapel in Thailand

2010-02-08T22:16:00.000-08:00

The sparkling reflection of the sun on the shining chapel of Pak Lam Kha-Khaeng Temple in Thailand’s Kanchanapuri province, situated in130 kilometres west of Bangkok makes the construction stands out among other religious structures in the peaceful compound.

Like no other, this outstanding ubosot, or Buddhist chapel, is expertised from stainless steel and is exclusively built to make an impression on religious worshippers and visitors alike.

Portrayed as the world’s only stainless steel ubosot, Pak Lam Kha-Khaeng temple in Sri Sawat district presents tourists a glance of this shiny chapel imprinted and stamped with delicate Thai craftsmanship.

The temple’s abbot supposed that he wanted to make a difference by building this ubosot so it would one day become one of Thailand’s wonderful historic sites.

Also, it was because stainless steel is such a strong and hard-wearing material.

“Stainless steel is simple to look after. It’s a worthwhile material. No one in Buddhist history has made an ubosot structure like this before,” said the abbot of Pak Lam Kha-Khaeng temple.

It obtained seven years and Bt30 million to complete the Buddhist chapel, which was 4.5m wide, 12m tall, and 9.5 in length. Apart from the ubosot, a huge Buddha image in stainless steel of 15m in height was also construct within the same grounds in order to honour His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The abbot said the unique chapel illustrates large numbers of visitors to catch a quick look of it, particularly on weekends and public holidays.

Buddhist faithful and other visitors can take a trip to Pak Lam Kha-Khaeng temple only by boats, which may be planked at Ban Ta Gradaan and Ban Mae Huay Kamin in Sri Sawat district, where the voyage up the river can lead the visitor to a charming view of Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary.

Vietnam aims to shape world's biggest jade Buddha

2010-01-25T01:00:00.001-08:00

One of the showy entrepreneurs making it large in flourishing Vietnam revealed a huge precious stone that plans to transform into the world's largest jade Buddha.

Dao Trong Cuong, the proprietor of a Vietnamese gem mine, purchased the 35-ton stone in Myanmar last year for $2 million and brought it to Vietnam in October. In the time a team of 50 artists and sculptors completes chipping away at it, the finished Buddha is expected to weigh nearly 20 tons.

"We hope to get it keen on the Guinness Book of World Records," Cuong told a crowd of almost 2,000 people during a ritual unveiling the stone, which is 10 feet (3 meters) tall, 6.5 feet (2 meters) wide, and 6.5 feet (2 meters) deep.

Cuong adds up some of Vietnam's most powerful political members among his friends, including President Nguyen Minh Triet, who spoke at Monday's ceremony after regarding 250 monks in saffron robes chanted and rang bells.

"This single artistic work will be passed on to many generations," said Triet.

Triet pulled backside a blind covering the massive piece of jade, which has been temporarily decorated with a painting of a tranquil Buddha sitting in the lotus position.

Cuong said it will take nearly two years to complete the statue.

A look for of the Guinness Book Web site showed no entries for the world's largest jade Buddha. But according to Vietnamese media reports, the world's biggest obtainable jade Buddha weighs 4 tons and stands 9 feet (2.7 meters) tall.

Buddhism is the largest religious belief in Vietnam, a nation of 86 million where the government severely controls religious organizations. While some Buddhist faction have been involved in high-profile clashes with the government, the monks at Monday's ceremony fit in to the officially sanctioned Buddhist Church of Vietnam.

Cuong hits it rich in Vietnam's late 1980s gemstone rush. In the middle of his business schemes is a studio that makes artworks out of compressed gemstones, such as rubies and emeralds. He has made descriptions of Vietnam's revolutionary hero Ho Chi Minh, former President George W. Bush and Bill Gates.

Spiritual leader Dalai Lama prays for world peace in Bodh Gaya

2010-01-07T01:13:00.000-08:00

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama prayed for world peace on Tuesday.

About hundreds of Buddhists and followers of the Dalai Lama joined together at the Kaal Chakra Maidan (Wheel of Time Ground) in Bodh Gaya, the place where Buddha reached enlightenment, as the five-day-long 'Geluk Monlam puja (prayers)' commenced.

"Dalai Lama has given a lot of practical counsel on being kind to the people and being clear to yourself in your life thus you don't have to hide things from people because you'll have better relations with them and being unlock to them you'll have more friends," said James, a devotee from London.

Approximately 50,000 people from all over the world are expected to gather in Bodh Gaya for more than the five days to hear the Dalai Lama's conversations. During his stay the Dalai Lama would inaugurate a multimedia museum and then visit new stone carvings on Buddha's life up righted in the Mahabodhi Mahavihara locations.

The 1,500-year-old holiest Buddhist place of worship Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya is where the Buddha achieved enlightenment before 2,550 years.

Prison inmates turn into Buddhism

2009-12-24T03:15:00.000-08:00

Increasing numbers of U.S. prison inmates are turning to Buddhist meditation to help them do time, the founder of the Prison Dharma Network says.

There are 75 organizations and is in touch with 2,500 people, many of them prisoners. "This is transformative justice as opposed to disciplinary”.

There are no informations on the number of inmates practicing meditation. But more prisons now have Buddhist meditation programs and there is an increasing library of books with titles "Prison Chaplaincy Guidelines for Zen Buddhism" and the famous "Razor-Wire Dharma: A Buddhist Life in Prison," CNN reported Friday.

"Generally, the people in Buddhist community are departing into the prisons, providing programs, and speech of mouth gets from one inmate to another," said Gary Friedman, head of communications for the American Correctional Chaplains Association. "It's a break from all the bundle and noise of the prison environment".

Buddhism Religion Roots Deeply in America

2009-12-18T23:01:00.000-08:00

While the Dalai Lama was insulted by President Barack Obama, who declined to meet with him last week, there was an open door policy all over else in our nation’s capital – from congressional receptions to synagogues and schools.

The most famous monk of the 20th Century on the stage, lecturing on knowledge in the modern world as hundreds of enchanted monks and laymen look on below. The scene harks back to the golden period of Tibet, with the halls decorated with hundreds of strings of colorful Tibetan prayer flags, except the event took place at American University.

In the previous half of the 20th Century, America cleverly exported itself overseas, marketing its images, ideologies, products and religions with originality and zeal, but what it has not been able to fully charge or prepare for the effects in reverse. For if Americanization is a huge part of globalization, the Easternization of the West, also, is the other side of the phenomenon.

As some cosmic law of exchange that if Disneyland explodes up in Hong Kong and Tokyo, Buddhist temples can grow up in Los Angeles, home of the magic kingdom. Certainly, it comes as no surprise to many Californians that scholars have decided that the most complex Buddhist city in the world is nowhere in Asia but Los Angeles itself, where there are more than 300 Buddhist temples and centers, representing almost all of Buddhist practices around the world.

Over the past 25 years, Buddhism has turn into the third most popular religion in America behind Christianity and Judaism, according to a 2008 report from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Confirmation of Buddhism spreading deep roots in America is abundant.

Thomas Dyer, a past Marine and one-time Southern Baptist pastor, will be leader to

Afghanistan

as the first Buddhist chaplain in the history of the U.S. Army. The Supreme Court is currently making a decision on Salazar vs. Buono. The issue is whether a cross that stood in the Mojave National Preserve is a religious symbol or not. The National Park Service had twisted down a request to have a Buddhist stupa erected a few years back. The question to ask : Why should the Christian cross be accepted in a national park as an image that exceeds religion but not a Buddhist symbol? And, what would the high court say about religious plurality if it decides that one religion is to take preference over another on public lands?

Yet, in spite of Buddhism’s message of inner peace and compassion, in its own way, is a very fundamental spiritual practice for its negation of the existence of a creator. In essence, the serious practitioner aims to put out the self by defeating his own ego and, thereby, seeing beyond the illusion rotate by the ignorant mind. The ultimate Buddhist experience involves neither god nor self, neither “out there” nor “in here,” for that casing that separates the practitioner’s being and that of the world, upon awakening, has been lifted. All that remains is - ohm – absolute terror and bliss. Imagine, if you will, Moses not turning his face away from the burning bush that is god but impending it then fully merging with that terrifying fire.

Once an issue from a Time magazine on Buddhism in America. In it, a group of American Buddhists sits peacefully in lotus position on a wooden veranda in Malibu ignoring a calm Pacific Ocean. The other is of Vietnamese-American astronaut named Eugene Trinh’s space shuttle flight. The pictures tell me that East and West have not only assembled, but also commingled and merged. When a Vietnamese man who left his impoverished homeland can come very close to reaching the moon, while Americans are turning secret, trying to reach nirvana with each mindful breath, that East-West dialogue has come a long way.

Everyone should follow this Famous Buddhist Quotes in their life:

2009-12-09T23:24:00.000-08:00

Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.
Fill your mind with compassion.
We live in illusion and the appearance of things. There is a reality. We are that reality. When you understand this, you see that you are nothing, and being nothing, you are everything. That is all.
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make our world.
To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.
Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.
Pay no attention to the faults of others, things done or left undone by others. Consider only what by oneself is done or left undone.
What we think, we become.
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.
Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others.
He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.
An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind
Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.
Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten.
Do not reside in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

-Buddha

Did you see this odd Buddha images ?

2009-12-01T02:39:00.001-08:00

Six-toed Bronze Buddha Image:

Six armed Buddha image:

Buddha images made from paper:

Buddha's Heart:

:

Buddhism succeeds The Best Religion In The World award

2009-11-25T00:45:00.000-08:00

The Geneva-based International Coalition for the Advancement of Religious and Spirituality (ICARUS) has confered "The Best Religion in the World" award this year on the Buddhist Community.

This special award was nominated on by an international round table of more than 200 religious leaders from every part of the spiritual band. It was mesmerizing to remind that many religious leaders voted for Buddhism rather than their own religion though Buddhists actually make up a tiny minority of ICARUS membership.

Here are the remarks by four voting members: Director of Research for ICARUS Jonna Hult, alleged "It wasn't a surprise to me that Buddhism won Best Religion in the World, because we can find literally not one single occurrence of a war fought in the name of Buddhism, in disparity to every other religion that seems to keep a gun in the secret just in case God makes a mistake. We were hard pressed to even find a Buddhist that had forever been in an army. These people practise what they moralize to an extent we simply could not document with any other spiritual tradition."

Buddhism's Teaching's related in present day trouble-torn world

2009-11-19T02:34:00.000-08:00

Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra today alleged that teachings and high moral values mainly the path of non-violence spreaded by Buddhism have become increasingly related in the present day trouble-torn world and our endeavour to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood, harmony, peace and amity.

The Governor was speak to the Golden Jubilee celebration function of the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies (CIBS).

Referring to the effort being done at the CIBS, the Governor supposed it has played a major role in circulating the teachings of Buddhism and donated in a big way in preserving and promoting the rich art, culture and language of Ladakh.

The Governor said organization of CIBS in Leh has assists and promoted opportunities for students and scholars to study Buddhism.

Distinguishing the important contributions made by the Institute in the past 50 years, he said that he strongly favours being CIBS being accorded the status of a deemed university.

He observed that this would attract students not only from the Ladakh and Lahaul and Spiti regions but from all over the country and even from abroad to follow Buddhist studies in CIBS.

The Governor mentioned that this Institute could act as a role model in provided that quality education and advised the Governing Body of CIBS to gradually enable this institution to provide education and research opportunities in identified areas of the Sciences and Humanities.

He assumed that there is also need for providing a much larger number of trained persons to teach Bodhi and restated that the glorious tradition of this region needs to be optimally preserved.

Mr Vohra congratulated the staff members, scholars and students of the Institute, and the people of Ladakh, on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of this institution.

He released a memorial memento brought out by the CIBS to mark this occasion.

On behalf of the Institute, the Governor presented cash awards of Rs 10,000 each to two prominent scholars Prof Ishey Thabkhas and Mr Tashi Rabgias for their lifetime achievements in promoting the history, culture and language of Ladakh.

On his own behalf, the Governor proclaimed cash awards of Rs 25,000 each, to both of these scholars.

The 'Caves of the Thousand Buddhas'

2009-11-12T23:36:00.001-08:00

The 'Caves of the Thousand Buddhas', or Qianfodong, are located at Mogao, about 25 kilometres south-east of the oasis town of Dunhuang in Gansu province, western

China

, in the center of the desert. In the late fourth century, the area had turn into a busy desert crossroads lying on the caravan routes of the Silk Road linking

China

and the West. Traders, pilgrims and other travelers stopped up at the oasis town to stock up with provisions, pray for the journey forward or give thanks for their survival.

At about this time peripatetic monks carved the first caves into the long cliff stretching almost 2 kilometres in length next to the Daquan River. Over the next millennium more than 1000 caves of changeable sizes were dug. About five hundred of these were decorated as cave temples.

When the Silk Road was deserted under the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), oasis towns lost their importance and several were deserted. Even though the Mogao caves were not entirely abandoned, by the nineteenth century they were largely forgotten, with only a few monks residing at the site. At some point in the early eleventh century, an absurd archive - with up to 50,000 documents, hundreds of paintings, collectively with textiles and other artifacts - was preserved up in one of the caves (Cave 17). Its entrance covered behind a wall painting, the cave remained hidden from sight for centuries, until 1900, when it was discovered by Wang Yuanlu, a Daoist monk who had allotted himself abbot and guardian of the caves.

Impacts of Ritual and Ritual Objects in Buddhism

2009-11-05T03:55:00.001-08:00

Rituals :

Rituals form is an essential part of the Tibetan Buddhism. Throughout the year, in the temples and the different other places, daily as well as special rituals are performed. The special rituals are carried out to settle the deities; to carry rainfall and good harvest; to avoid disparaging storms, disease and death; to control devils and evil spirits and finally to overpower the passions of the mind and ego.

Meditation is an important ritual which is agreed out with the help of certain hand signs and chanting of mantras. The method for meditation varies in different traditions but the aim is same, to assist the inner spiritual development.

Non initiates of Tibetan Buddhism perform rituals like contribution of food, flower and water. They assume religious pilgrimage, song prayers, light butter lamps at the local temple and occasionally also fund monks to carry out the rituals on their behalf.

Ritual Objects :

Concerts of rituals require the presence of certain objects. Each ritual object has an emblematic meaning and many of them are in addition the hand held objects of different Buddhist divinities.

Offer Bowl : They are kept on the altar and hold seven outer contributions including drinking and cleansing water, flower, incense, light, perfume, food and music.
Butter Lamps : Butter Lamps are consistently seen in Buddhist Temple and Monasteries and help in centering the mind while meditating. Initially, simplified yak butter was used; however now, it has been restored by vegetable oil. They are seen as eliminator of darkness externally while theoretically, they turn tedious and uninspired mind into enlightened one. The lamps are handled by the monks of the monasteries and are sometimes kept in a separate enclosure so as to avoid any accidental fire hazard.
Mandala : A mandala is a blessed geometric figure representing the universe. It functions as a holy area open to deities and forces. The centre of Mandala is used for focusing attention during meditation.
Prayer Wheels and Prayer Flags : Prayer Wheels are wheels on spindle and decorated on them are the prayers and the mantras. It is supposed that spinning of the prayer wheel in a clockwise direction sends prayer to all the Buddhas. This spiraling of the prayer wheel is comaparable to oral performance of prayers. The prayer wheels are made of copper and silver and have bamboo grip.

Phurpa : Quiet often referred as a magic blade, phurpa is made use of by high level tantric practitioners to overcome evil spirits and to destroy obstacles. It indicates stability on a prayer ground during ceremonies. Guru Padmasambhava is thought to be the creator of this implement.With the help of this implement that he bound the evil spirits and sacred the ground which became the site for the Samye Monastery. The practitioner first believes and then performs the sadhana of the phurpa. This is followed by an invitation to the divinity to enter the phurpa. Though doing so, the practitioners imagines that he is shocking and overpowering the evil spirits by insertion them under the point of the phurpha.
Dorje : It is a small clubs which the Tibetan lamas hold in their right hand during religious ceremonies. Dorje obtains from the Sanskrit word vajra and is believed to eliminate all kind of ignorance. It is itself considered eternal. It is representative of the male belief which represents kindness of Buddha. In rituals, dorje is paired with a bell, drilbu, which symbolises female principle.
Drilbu : The bell or the Drilbu is an enormously important ritual object in Tibetan Buddhism. The sound of the bell, very much like that of a trumpet and the drum, is believed to advise the evil spirits to keep a remoteness from the sacred area where the rituals are being performed. It is used beside with the dorje in rituals and is representative of the wisdom. The male and the female principle, as indicated by the dorje and dribul, combine to achieve enlightenment. The use of the bell and vajra differs as per the ritual performed or the sadhana songs.
Kapala or the Skull Cap : The skull cap is developed as a libation ( pouring out of liquid offering in honour of a deity) vessel for a number of Vajrayana deities, primarily furious. During rituals, it is very important that the right kind of skull cap is chosen.

Valuable facts on Buddhism

2009-10-28T04:56:00.000-07:00

Buddhism is the fourth largest religion of the world. Originated by Gautam Buddha, it is a lane of spiritual development that assists a person in finding the true nature of life. Buddhism highlights on experiencing, rather than teaching or learning. It believes meditation as the means to enlightenment and is based on a number of principles. The followers of Buddhism do not worship any God and go behind the noble eightfold path to lead a significant existence.

In the following lines, we have provided some quick information on Buddhism in a brief form. Read on to recognize some facts about Buddhism ,

Meaning: System taught by the Buddha
Founded In: 6th Century BC
Place founded: North India
Founder: Siddhartha Gautama ("the Buddha"), an Indian prince
Followers: 376 million
Size: Fourth largest religion in the world
Main locations: China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia
Main Sects: Theravada and Mahayana
Sacred texts: Pali Canon (Tripitaka), numerous Mahayana sutras
Original language: Pali
Spiritual leader: Monk (lama in Tibetan Buddhism)
Place of ritual: Temple, meditation hall.
Theism: Varies - Theravada is atheistic; Mahayana is more polytheistic.
Ultimate reality: None, Nothing is permanent.
Holidays: Buddha's birthday, Buddha's enlightenment and lunar quarters

Moreover the following spiritual aspects are involved in the Buddhism facts .

Three Jewels/Three Refuges

Four Noble Truths

Noble Eightfold Path

Progressive Chinese farmer branches out by growing pears shaped like baby Buddha

2009-10-21T05:42:00.000-07:00

For Britain's harassed fruit farmers, things could be concerning to go even more pear-shaped.

A Chinese farmer has invented baby-shaped pears - and he is scheduling to export his new idea over here.

Plucky farmer Gao Xianzhang has produced 10,000 of the mini marvels this season and he plans to take the fruits of his labor to the UK and Europe.

Britain could shortly see the appearance of the pears, which are shaped like mini Buddha’s.

If the idea holds on, sales of the mini pears could hit the earnings of British farmers who are already stressed to fend off sales of cheaper foreign produce in recession-hit Britain.

Gao spent six years perfect the complicated baby-shaped pears, carefully expertising each one which grows inside an individual mould.

In spite of their heavy cost of £5 each, locals in his home village of Hexia, in Hebia, northern China, have reportedly been breaking them up.

'People look like to think they are pretty or lucky and will purchase them as soon as they're off the tree,' Gao explained.

Luckily for Gao, he should have few problems getting his peculiar shaped fruits past EU officials.

TheLifeofBuddha

2009-10-13T21:53:00.000-07:00

How to Meditate - In Buddhism

2009-10-05T23:21:00.000-07:00

The reason of meditation is to make our mind peaceful and calm.

If our mind is calm, we will be free from worries and mental distress, and so we will understanding true happiness but if our mind is not peaceful, we will find it very hard to be happy, even if we are living in the most excellent conditions.

If we train in meditation, our mind will slowly become more and more peaceful, and we will experience a purer and purer form of happiness. Finally, we will be able to stay happy all the time, even in the most complex circumstances.

Typically we find it difficult to control our mind. It appears as if our mind is like a balloon in the wind – blown here and there by outside circumstances. If things go well, our mind is happy, but if they go badly, it directly becomes unhappy. For example, if we get what we want, such as a new ownership or a new partner, we become excited and stick to them tightly.

Though, we cannot have everything we want, and since we will certainly be separated from the friends and belongings we currently enjoy, this mental adhesiveness, or attachment, serves only to cause us pain. On the other hand, if we do not get what we want, or if we drop something that we like, we become hopeless or irritated.

For example, if we are enforced to work with a coworker whom we dislike, we will perhaps become irritated and feel distressed, with the result that we will be unable to work with him or her proficiently and our time at work will become stressful and unrewarding.

Such fluctuations of humor arise because we are too closely involved in the external situation. We are like a child making a sand citadel who is excited when it is first made, but who becomes upset when it is cracked by the incoming wave.

By training in meditation, we can create an inner space and clarity that enables us to control our mind regardless of the external circumstances. Steadily we develop mental stability, a balanced mind that is happy all the time, rather than an unstable mind that fluctuates between the extremes of excitement and depression.

If we prepare in meditation systematically, ultimately we will be able to eliminate from our mind the vision that are the causes of all our troubles and suffering. In this way, we will come to experience an eternal inner peace, known as “liberation” or “nirvana”. Then, day and night in life after life, we will experience only calm and happiness.

World's Most Unusual Buddha

2009-09-29T00:25:00.001-07:00

Thailand’s city of Ayutthaya is the place of one of the world’s most unusual Buddhist statues. Along with the ruins of Wat Mahathat (The Temple of the Great Relic) is the remains of a stonework statue of the Buddha whose body has been vanished to the ages but whose head rests suitably in the climbing roots and vines of a Bodhi (Banyan) tree.

This piece of ancient historic is absolutely too precious to allow it just stay under a tree, hence there is a nominated security personnel sitting nearby to watch us though we were busy taking photos. Just about this famous figure are many other physique of the Ayutthaya period which have survived the destruction of time.

India's most famous Buddha

2009-09-21T22:46:00.000-07:00

The Buddha statue positioned at the middle of an artificial lake in the city of Hyderabad is considered as one of India’s most famous Buddhist statues. This figure stands at a full of 17 meters (56 feet) in height and weighs about 320 tons over the lake from a top of the Rock of Gibraltar.

The single largest monolithic statue in all of India, the Hussain Sagar Buddha was shaped by a group of artisans from a single piece of stone. It was engraved by 200 sculptors for two years. Tragically, during the statue’s fixing in 1992 the figure tilted over and fell into the lake, causing the death of 8 workers. The governments recovered the statue and refurbished it to its full height and stature.

World's Popular Big Buddha

2009-09-15T02:53:00.000-07:00

Tian Tan Buddha occasionally referred to as the Big Buddha, is located on the Lantau Island, in Hong Kong Formed of bronze and completed in 1993. The statue is considered as the main feature of the Po Lin Monastery, representing .concord between man, nature, people and religion. The statue is named as Tian Tan Buddha because its base is a imitation of Tian Tan, the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

The statue sits on a lotus throne on the top of a three tiered altar. At 34 meters (110 feet) tall, the Tian Tan Buddha is presented in a position of peacefulness. His right hand is raised to remove problem. His left hand rests on his knee, representing happiness.

Monywa Buddha - World's largest Reclining Buddha

2009-09-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

Monywa city is in central Myanmar located on the banks of the Chindwin River. In east of the city is the Po Khaung Taung, a range of hills wherever you can see the Monywa Buddha– the largest reclining Buddha statue in the world. This massive figure measures 90 meters (300 feet) in length. The head alone is 60 feet high.

The Monywa Buddha was built in the year 1991 and is empty space inside, allowing visitors to walk beside from the head to the feet. Inside the figure, there are 9,000 one-foot-high metal images of the Buddha and his followers, illustrating various representations of important events in the Buddha’s life.

World's Symbol of Buddha - the Gal Vihare

2009-08-30T22:47:00.000-07:00

Located in north central Sri Lanka, Polonnaruwa is the place of one of the most wonderful of the world’s representations of the Buddha - the Gal Vihare. This immense rock temple was built by Parakramabahu the Great in the 12th century.

The central attractions of the temple are 4 huge statues of the Buddha engraved into the face of a granite boulder. Among these gigantic stone figures are a Reclining Statue of the Buddha that measures about 14 meters (46 feet) in length and a standing figure measuring 7 meters (23 feet) high.

World's Tallest Statue - Ushiku Daibutsu

2009-08-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

The Ushiku Daibutsu is located in the city of Ushiku in Japan. Completed in 1995, it is one of the world’s tallest statues, positioning a total of 120 meters (394 feet) high including the 10m (30 foot) base and 10m high lotus platform.

Visitors to the statue can take an elevator to a platform upto 85m from the ground where an observation decorate is situated. The bronze-plated figure represents Amitabha Buddha, and is also known as Ushiku Arcadia.

World's largest and oldest Reclining Buddha

2009-08-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

Wat Pho is famous for the massive Reclining Buddha statue located in Bangkok. It is one of the oldest and also largest temples in Bangkok, built nearly 200 years before Bangkok became Thailand’s capital. Wat Pho holds the division of having both Thailand’s largest Reclining Buddha image and also the largest number of Buddha images in Thailand.

The fully gold-plated Reclining Buddha statue is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, and remember the passing of the Buddha into Nirvana. The statue’s eyes and feet are decorated with carved mother of pearl, the soles of the feet showing the 108 auspicious characteristics of the true Buddha.

World's famous Buddhist Temple - Kamakura Great Buddha

2009-08-16T22:25:00.000-07:00

The Kotoku- is a prominent Buddhist temple of the Jodo shu sect situated in the city of Kamakura in Japan. The temple is famous for its great Buddhist statue (or daibutsu). A massive outdoor demonstration of Amida Buddha, is one of Japan’s most celebrated Buddhist figures.

Cast in bronze, the Great Buddha stands at over 13 meters(40 feet) in height and weighs nearly 93 tons.The statue reportedly dates from 1252 and is generally believed to have been spread by the Buddhist monk Joko, who also collected donations to build the temple for Buddha.

Although it initially was housed in a small wooden temple, the Great Buddha now stands in the open air as the original temple was cleaned away in a tsunami in the 15th century.

Temple of the Emerald Buddha oldest and most famous statues of the Buddha in the world

2009-08-13T21:36:00.000-07:00

Bangkok’s Buddhist temple is Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, situated within the grounds of the Grand Palace. The primary building is the central ubosoth, which houses the Emerald Buddha, one of the oldest and most famous statues of the Buddha in the world.

A jade statue decorated in gold clothing, the Emerald Buddha was, according to legend, created in India in 43 BC in the city of Pataliputra, where it remained for 300 years. In the 4th century AD it was taken away to Sri Lanka by Buddhist monks to save it from damage by war.

Finally the statue made its way to Thailand and was moved to Wat Phra Kaew in 1779. The statue has three different sets of gold clothing, which is changed by the King of Thailand in a ceremony at the changing of the seasons.

One of the World’s Biggest Buddha Statues--Leshan Great Buddha

2009-08-12T00:07:00.000-07:00

The Leshan Giant Buddha is an extremely large statue carved out of a cliff face in Sichuan, western China. This great sculpture is a figure of Maitreya, i.e. a Bodhisattva traditionally represented in sitting posture.

Giant Buddha work had begun in the year of 713 during the Tang Dynasty and the statue was not completed until the year of 803. The effort of thousands of sculptors and workers had completed its work.

Leshan Giant Buddha considered being the biggest carved stone Buddha in the world; it is featured in many poetry, song and story. The sculpture stands about 71 meters i.e. 233 feet high and have three metered i.e. 11 feet long fingers on each of its enormous resting hands.

Buddha’s teaching deals with the major obstacles and way to over come the obstacles

2009-08-06T22:56:00.000-07:00

Buddha teaching says that the five hindrances (Nivarana) are the major obstacles to our concentration.

The Sensual desire i.e. abhidya
Ill will, abhorrence, or anger i.e. pradosha
Laziness and sluggishness i.e. styana and middha
Restlessness and worrying i.e. anuddhatya and kaukritya
Doubt i.e. vichikitsa -- doubt, skepticism, indecisiveness, or vacillation, without the wish to cure it, more like the common idea of cynicism or pessimism than open-mindedness or desire for evidence.

Meditation is one of the best ways to overcome all the above mentioned problems. So Buddhist often does meditation to avoid all the obstacles in order to obtain the Nivarana. Buddhist monks also teach the proper meditation to their students.

Amazing and rare Buddhist art objects were unearthed from Gobi Desert

2009-08-03T00:37:00.000-07:00

A joint Austrian-Mongolian treasure hunt team has unearthed a rare Buddhists treasure which was not founf for more than 70 years, in the Gobi Desert.

The relics, which include statues, artwork, manuscripts and personal belongings of a famous 19th Century Buddhist master, were buried in the 1930s during Mongolia’s Communist purge, when hundreds of monasteries were abused and destroyed.

Michael Eisenriegler, leader of the operation, had told in the BBC World Service that they were filled with “the most amazing Buddhist art objects”.

This expert had said that “It is of tremendous value for Mongolian culture because Buddhism was almost destroyed in the Communist times, especially in the 1930s. I’m totally exhausted in the operation but still I’m also totally impressed with what I’ve seen.”

The finds will be put on show at the Danzan Ravjaa Museum in Sainshand, 400km (450 miles) south of the Mongolian capital, Ulan Bator and nearly 20 boxes were remain hidden in the desert.

Yuroke--Peaceful Land of Joy Meditation Center celebrates the Tibetan culture in the New Year’s festival

2009-07-29T22:33:00.000-07:00

Yuroke is a place where thousands of Buddhists from all over the country in a celebration for world peace. This Peaceful Land of Joy Meditation Centre use to celebrate the Tibetan culture in the New Year’s festival.

The Peaceful Land of Joy Meditation Centre gears up for its annual festival, traditional Tibetan culture, food and art and bringing Buddhism to life in Hume.

The temple, which was built using traditional Tibetan design and ornamentation, is nestled in a four-hectare Yuroke property surrounded by green gardens and traditional artworks. This was officially opened by the Dalai Lama in the year of 2003, the temple grounds house more than 2500 rose bushes, featuring more than 300 varieties. “People really like the place when they go their since it is such a nice and relaxing environment” and also “Visitors use to say how peaceful it is.”

The two-day festival is highlighted by a non-denominational ceremony for world peace, but that’s also a celebration of culture, art, music and tradition. The festival attraction includes a market housing the traditional crafts, jewelery, organic soaps, candles and incense. And there are also book stalls, open-air cafes, photographic exhibitions, a tour of the gardens and tips for green thumbs.

This is also a place to learn a little bit about Buddhism and meditation. The Tibetans celebrate their New Year and it’s all about getting over the obstacles of the last year or any obstacles that are present and setting them up for the future.

Buddhism ranks in the 4th place of the World Religion

2009-07-27T00:24:00.000-07:00

At present Buddhism has about 365 million followers and it is considered to be the world's fourth largest religion after Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. Buddhism was founded in Northern India by Siddhartha Gautama (circa 563 to 460 BCE).

Buddhism is sometimes regarded as it is emerged from the Hindu religion with which it shares beliefs in karma, dharma, and reincarnation:

• Karma is the sum of an individual's actions of body, speech and mind -- good, bad and neutral -- taken in their current and previous lives.

• Dharma, in Buddhism, refers the two main terms they are:
1. The teachings of the Buddha; i.e. a person's path towards the enlightenment.
2. The basic principles that classify the universe.

• Reincarnation is the rebirth of a living being after death into a new body that can be a human, an animal or a supernatural being.

In difference to Christianity, the classical Buddhism does not involve the recognition or the worship of deities. But also does not teach the existence of the human soul.

Buddha's very first teaching

2009-07-23T03:47:00.000-07:00

Buddha's first teaching was called the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, which means turning of the Wheel of Truth. This was given on the full-moon day of July, called Asalha.

This dialogue was given to the five ascetics who were his former companions, at the Deer Park in Isipatana which is now known as called Sarnath, near Benares, India. Many Devas and Brahmas i.e. the angels and gods were present to listen to these dialogues.

Buddha started the discussion by advising the five ascetics to give up two extremes. These were luxury in sensual pleasures and the disturbing of the body (self-indulgence and self-degradation).

Buddha also taught the five ascetics the Four Noble Truths and they are: the truth of suffering; its cause; its end; and the way to its end. Everything in this world is full of suffering, and the cause of suffering is desire, but the end of suffering is nirvana. The way to the end of suffering is through the Noble Eightfold Path.

Buddha also said that he was enlightened i.e. got nirvana only after he understood the Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path

The Four Noble Truths are:

There is suffering

Suffering has origin

Suffering can cease

There is a path out of suffering

Buddha said that he was enlightened only after he understood the Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path

2009-07-20T22:27:00.000-07:00

The Noble Eightfold Path of Buddha has eight factors they are:

1. Right understanding i.e. to know and understand the Four Noble Truths.

2. Right attitude i.e. to have three kinds of thoughts or attitudes:

(i) Thoughts of repudiation or an attitude of "letting go".

(ii) Thoughts of kindness to others, which are opposed to ill will.

(iii) Thoughts of harmlessness, as opposed to unkindness.

3. Right speech deals with abstaining from falsehood, such as telling lies or not telling the truth; tale-bearing or saying bad about other people; harsh words and playful talk such as gossiping.

4. Right actions that deals with abstaining from killing, stealing and sexual misconduct.

5. Right livelihood that deals with the five kinds of trade which should be avoided in order to lead a noble life. They are: trading in arms (weapons), living beings (breeding animals for murder), fascinating drinks and poison.

6. Right effort has four parts by means of meditation:

(i) Try to stop unpleasant thoughts that has arisen

(ii) Prevent unpleasant thoughts from arising.

(iii) Try to widen the good thoughts

(iv)Try to continue good thoughts that have arisen in your mind

7. Right mindfulness is also fourfold, since it is mindfulness of the body, mindfulness of feelings/sensations, mindfulness of thoughts passing through the mind and mindfulness of Dharma.

8. Right concentration is single-pointedness of mind as developed in meditation.

Buddha and Buddhism teachings and their main precepts to be followed by Buddhists

2009-07-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

The Buddha's teachings are about suffering and how to overcome the suffering to lead happy life. Buddha taught people that make decisions in the way they would be happy and have peace of mind.

Buddha taught that life will not be complete perfect and that we all will suffer (Dukkha) which is not permanent. He taught that we suffer a lot because of our own desires, angriness and stupidity, and he also showed that we could end our suffering by letting go of desires and overcoming anger and stupidity.

Buddha had also said that complete letting go of these negative influences is called Nirvana, meaning "to extinguish", like putting out the flame of a candle. This would be the end of suffering, when one is fully awake and has let go of all the desires and anger, is called the Enlightenment. In Buddhism both the Enlightenment and Nirvana means the same thing.

All the Buddhists are always encouraged to follow the five precepts or rules that say what not to do at any cost. Buddha said that killing, stealing, having sex in a harmful way, and lying are not signs of skill.

These are the five concepts that each person should pledge on,

1. I will never hurt a person or animal that is alive.

2. I will never take something that is not given to me.

3. I will never have sex in a way that is harmful.

4. I will never lie or say things that really hurt people.

5. I will never intake intoxicants, like alcohol or drugs.

In Buddhism religion, if a person wants to be a monk, he should follow other precepts also.

Buddhists often meditate, or think deeply, while sitting in a special or specific way for many reasons. They often chant and meditate while walking; sometimes they do these things to understand the human heart and mind. And sometimes they do this meditation to understand the method that world works. But mainly they do meditation to find peace within themselves.

Buddhism teachings and their believe

2009-07-17T01:46:00.000-07:00

Buddhism teaches people how to reduce their pain by understanding themselves better. Some looks it as a religion and some people think it is a philosophy and for others, Buddhism is a way of finding the reality. The teaching of Gautama Buddha is one who lived between 563 and 483 BC - tell us how to live a good life. Buddha was a rich prince and gave up everything to work out how best to live. His teachings were first started in India and slowly spread, after his death, through most of Asia, to Central Asia, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, and the East Asian countries of China, Mongolia, Korea, and Japan and have now spread to the west.

Buddhists believe in the Three Jewels:

Buddhists often speak about the Three Jewels, which are

The Buddha

The Dharma

The Sangha.

The word Buddha is a Sanskrit word means "He woke up". The first Buddha was named as Siddhartha Gautama and he was the one who started Buddhism. If people use to calls a person a Buddha if they had found their enlightenment.

The Dharma is the manner the Buddha taught to live the life.

The Sangha is the group of monks and other people who use to meet together, like worshippers.

Buddhists say "I take protection in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha" which seans that these three things keeps them safe. They give up themselves to the community and teachings inspired by the Buddha.

Traditional beliefs of Laughing Buddha

2009-07-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

Laughing Buddha statues represents a stout, smiling or laughing bald man in robes with a largely uncovered pot belly stomach, which symbolizes happiness, good luck, and plenitude. Some statue has small children at his feet and another item that is usually seen with the Laughing Buddha figure is a begging bowl to represent his Buddhist nature.

In some scenes the Laughing Buddha may be found sitting on a cart drawn by boys, or wielding a fan known as an oogi (said to be a "wish giving" fan -- in the distant past, this type of fan was used by the aristocracy to indicate to vassals that their requests would be granted). All of these descriptions display Hotei as a traveling monk who goes around and takes the sadness from people of this world.

Legends say that, if one rubs the Laughing Buddha's great belly, it brings forth wealth, good luck, and prosperity. Hotei is also represents as the patron saint of restaurateurs, fortunetellers and bartenders i.e., when a person overeats or over drinks, friends jokingly attribute it to the Laughing Buddha's power.

The Laughing Buddha's statue graces many temples, restaurants, and amulets, as he has become a deity of contentment and abundance. The icon of Hotei is almost always seen carrying a cloth or linen sack (that which never empties) which is filled with many precious items, including rice plants (indicating wealth), candy for children, food, or the woes of the world.