Buddhism: Part of the American Cultural Landscape

http://www.myfoxla.com/story/26114988/buddhism-part-of-the-american-cultural-landscape

Buddhism: Part of the American Cultural Landscape

Of all the world's religions, Buddhism is one of the most mysterious and most intriguing to many Americans.
The books The Dharma Bums, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and even If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him!, are all examples of how Buddhist concepts are part of the American cultural landscape.
It will probably come as a surprise to those who have lived in the Christian and Jewish traditions, to learn that Buddhism is America's third largest religion and also its fastest growing one.

NYT: Buddhists in Pink

http://www.nytimes.com/video/world/asia/100000002309661/buddhists-in-pink.html

Buddhists in Pink

By Chelsi Moy, September 19th, 2013

Enrollment is rising at the Aung Thawada Nunnery School on the northern border of Yangon. The nuns, whose ages range from 9 to 94, join for a variety of reasons, including to escape poverty or abuse.

religiousstudiesproject: Project Opportunities Digest

http://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/2014/07/29/religious-studies-project-opportunities-digest-28-july-2014/

Project Opportunities Digest

e.g.

2 PhD scholarships in Buddhist Studies

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany

Deadline: September 15, 2014

More information

HuffPost: 10 Tibetan Buddhist Women You Need to Know

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michaela-haas/10-tibetan-buddhist-women-you-need-to-know_b_2863427.html?utm_hp_ref=buddhism

10 Tibetan Buddhist Women You Need to Know

 by Michaela Haas

14th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women : Compassion and Social Justice

http://sakyadhita.org/conferences/14th-si-con/14th-si-con-abstracts.html

Conference Abstracts: "Compassion and Social Justice"

14th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women
Yogyakarta, Indonesia, June 23-30, 2015

NewYorker: Is That All There Is ?

http://www.vox.com/2014/7/23/5926393/10-new-yorker-religion-articles-to-read-while-the-archives-are-free

Is That All There Is?

by James Wood
Subtitled "Secularism and its discontents," this essay by James Wood is a thought-provoking attempt to grapple with the ramifications of secularism, which, he writes, "can seem as meaningless as religion when … doubt strikes." Though this piece is, in a sense, a review of an essay collection titled The Joy of Secularism, Wood's astute interaction with it proves him to be much more than another book reviewer — he's a critic, and he's precisely the kind of critic the religion world should be paying attention to. (Wood's polemic on the New Atheists is another fascinating read.)

"How can it be that this world is the result of an accidental big bang? How could there be no design, no metaphysical purpose? Can it be that every life-beginning with my own, my husband's, my child's, and spreading outward-is cosmically irrelevant?" …
These are theological questions without theological answers, and, if the atheist is not supposed to entertain them, then, for slightly different reasons, neither is the religious believer. Religion assumes that they are not valid questions because it has already answered them; atheism assumes that they are not valid questions because it cannot answer them. But as one gets older, and parents and peers begin to die, and the obituaries in the newspaper are no longer missives from a faraway place but local letters, and one's own projects seem ever more pointless and ephemeral, such moments of terror and incomprehension seem more frequent and more piercing, and, I find, as likely to arise in the middle of the day as the night.

Help Kickstart “The Dalai Lama Film”

http://shambhalasun.com/news/?p=57064

Help Kickstart “The Dalai Lama Film”

What Buddhism and Psychotherapy Are Learning From Each Other

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=7%2C11924%2C0%2C0%2C1%2C0#.U9ALB7HCeSp

What Buddhism and Psychotherapy Are Learning From Each Other

by David Loy, The Huffington Post, Jul 2, 2014

One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light,but by making the darkness conscious. -- Carl Jung
San Francisco, CA (USA) -- Whenever Buddhism has spread to another culture, it has interacted with the belief systems of that culture, resulting in the development of something new. Today the main site of interaction within the West is not Judeo-Christianity but psychology, a conversation that has led to innovative types of psychotherapy and, most recently, to the extraordinary success of the mindfulness movement.

The Asian Dissertation Award

http://khyentsefoundation.org/2014/07/asia-dissertation/

The Asian Dissertation Award 2014

The European Dissertation Award was recently announced. Accredited institutions that offer PhD programs in Buddhist Studies or Religious Studies in any European country (including the UK) are invited to nominate one dissertation that was completed during the academic year 2012-13 or 2013-14. For more information contact Jun Xie: jun@khyentsefoundation.org. The Asian Dissertation Award will reopen for nomination in June 2015.
Calendar

• Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2014  European Nominations accepted
• Feb. 28, 2015               Three dissertations selected
• May 15, 2015               European Winning dissertation selected
• June 30, 2015              European Winner announced
• June 30, 2015              Invitation to submit nominations for the next Asian award

• June 30, 2016              Invitation to submit nominations for the next European award

Vox: From Nietzsche to Richard Dawkins: a conversation on modern atheism

http://www.vox.com/2014/7/20/5912283/from-nietzsche-to-richard-dawkins-a-brief-history-of-modern-atheism

Vox:From Nietzsche to Richard Dawkins: a conversation on modern atheism

..
Various scholars have pointed out that New Atheist critiques of religion fall short because they've misrepresented faith, caricatured believers, and engaged in the same fundamentalism they were allegedly impugning.
..

Conference on MIGRATION, RELIGION AND ASIA 2014 (Call for Papers)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1urf8kM4r9s9yN7awsHirU-_7DbU4FsQqDwR2C1oJEyo/viewform

Conference on MIGRATION, RELIGION AND ASIA 2014 (Call for Papers)

Organiser: EU project CHINET, Department of Sociology, Andragogy and Cultural Anthropology and Department of Asian Studies, Palacký University Olomouc
27th – 29th November 2014

Conference venue:
Arts Centre (Konvikt), Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic
Department of Sociology, Andragogy and Cultural Anthropology
Keynote speakers:
Professor Martin Baumann (University of Lucerne)
Professor Emeritus Eileen Barker (London School of Economics and Political Science)
Professor Robert Segal (University of Aberdeen)
Special Guests: Doctor Bernard Scheid (University of Vienna), Doctor Aike P. Rots (University of Oslo)

Abstracts must be submitted by 31st August 2014 -

How Americans Feel About Religious Groups

http://www.pewforum.org/2014/07/16/how-americans-feel-about-religious-groups/

July 16, 2014

How Americans Feel About Religious Groups

Jews, Catholics & Evangelicals Rated Warmly, Atheists and Muslims More Coldly

Religious Pluralism: Seeing Religions Again with Marcus Borg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHIv-c-Rpzw

Religious Pluralism: Seeing Religions Again with Marcus Borg 

 University of California TV

Uploaded on Jan 31, 2008

Best-selling author Marcus Borg, Professor in Religion and Culture, uses a interdisciplinary approach to examine the role and importance of religions and religious pluralism in contemporary life in this presentation at UCSD. [3/2002] [Humanities] [Show ID: 5968]

Diana Eck - Globalization & Religious Pluralism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0wDxV4vOqU

Diana Eck - Globalization & Religious Pluralism

Uploaded on May 15, 2009

The first in a series of Gifford Lectures by Prof Diana Eck. Recorded April and May 2009 at The University of Edinburgh.

In 1893, the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago convened under the banner of universalism. How do pluralism and globalism today stand in contrast to the spirit of universalism, and signal a new reality? While the phenomenon of globalization clearly relates to economics and politics, to environmental and security concerns, how has it altered our religious consciousness, our religious life? What ethical questions are at the forefront of globalization? How have immigrants created new kinds of diasporas? How has the Internet destabilized borders of all kinds, including religious and national borders?

Daniel Dennett: Breaking the Spell - Religion as a Natural Phenomenon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WhQ8bSvcHQ

Daniel Dennett: Breaking the Spell - Religion as a Natural Phenomenon 

University of Edimburgh

Uploaded on Feb 10, 2009

Professor Daniel C. Dennett, Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University, presented his lecture in the Nature of Knowledge series, Breaking The Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon, on March 14, 2006.

A Buddhist Nun Becomes A Role Model for Women Empowerment

http://www.ionglobaltrends.com/2014/07/womens-issues-buddhist-nun-becomes-role.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FzqKG+%28i+On+Global+Trends%29#.U8UeGBBvJNk

Women's Issues: A Buddhist Nun Becomes A Role Model for Women Empowerment

 By Kalinga Seneviratne* | IDN-InDepth NewsFeature

SINGAPORE (IDN) - By ordaining women into the Sangha (order of Buddha’s disciples), Gautama Buddha 2500 years ago has placed women on an equal footing with men in India. But today in most Asian Buddhist countries nuns are fighting an uphill battle to be recognized as credible teachers of the Dhamma (Buddha’s teachings). One Nepali woman may be unwittingly changing this perception by virtually singing the Dhamma.

“I never label myself into anything I just do what my heart wishes to do, with all the understanding and respect towards Buddha’s teachings and his principles,” said Nepali Buddhist nun Ani Choying Drolma, when I interviewed her just before she performed to a sellout audience at Singapore’s premier concert hall, The Esplanade in April. 

Full article

http://mosaicscience.com/story/can-meditation-really-slow-ageing

Can meditation really slow ageing? 

Is there real science in the spiritualism of meditation? Jo Marchant meets a Nobel Prize-winner who thinks so.

Other Fingers Pointing to the Moon

http://www.tricycle.com/interview/other-fingers-pointing-moon

Other Fingers Pointing to the Moon

An interview with Zen master and former priest Ruben L. F. Habito

Ruben L. F. Habito is a master in the Sanbo Zen lineage, the founding teacher of Maria Kannon Zen Center in Dallas, Texas, and a professor of world religions at Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology. He is also a former Jesuit priest, and as a young ecclesiastic was sent from his native Philippines to Japan, where he encountered Zen and entered formal training under Yamada Koun Roshi, with whom he studied for 18 years. Discovering Zen was epiphanic for Habito (“it pointed to a realm beyond language”), and koan study became for him a profound foil to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, a set of meditations and devotional practices for Jesuits that Habito had been practicing since entering the order. During his time in Kamakura, the seat of Sanbo Zen, a fusion of Rinzai and Soto traditions formerly called Sanbo Kyodan, Habito met Maria Reis, who became his wife and mother of their two sons. (Habito left the Jesuits but continues a deep engagement with the religion.)

In 1989 Habito and Reis moved to Dallas, where Habito founded Maria Kannon, named for the Virgin Mary and Kwan Yin [Guanyin], the bodhisattva of compassion (Kannon in Japanese), two figures who became inexorably linked in 17th- and 18th-century Japan, when Christianity was banned; Christian practitioners found a worthy manifestation of Mary in the veneration of the bodhisattva, who became known as Maria Kannon. Habito is the author of several books on the relationship between Christianity and Zen practice, among them Healing Breath: Zen for Christians and Buddhists in a Wounded World and Living Zen, Loving God, both from Wisdom Books.

Full Article

 

BuddhisNow: recommended selection of articles

Self is Heavy, by Buddhadasa Bhikku

Often, when we say that there is no self, people get worried, or angry. Their attachment and identification to this idea of a self is so strong that they actually become hostile towards us if we begin to say there is no such thing. We need to explain this a bit, therefore, so that you don't get mad at us... Click here for Self is Heavy

The Guru, by Dalai Lama

There is a saying in Tibetan: 'Although your realization is high, like that of a divine being, you should maintain your way of life in conformity with other people.' Click here for The Guru

We need to put ourselves into perspective, by Ajahn Sumedho

Existence is something that can strengthen us, rather than weaken us. We need to put ourselves into perspective; we need to see ourselves in terms of the mass as well as in terms of the individual. When we take life on the extreme level of 'me' as a person, we forget the common problem that we share with the rest of humanity... Click here for We need to put ourselves into perspective

Happiness in Solitude, by Beopjeong Sunim

Human existence is fundamentally about being alone. We're born alone, live life as long as we can, and then eventually die alone. Although we may live our lives connected with others, we all maintain our own individual views and belief systems. Just as we each have different facial features, our individual karmic tendencies, which direct our lives, also differ... Click here for Happiness in Solitude

Scroll of Mudras

This handscroll depicts hand gestures known as mudras in Sanskrit, the Indian language in which many early Esoteric Buddhist texts were written. In Japan, the gestures are called inso, the Japanese term for a Chinese word that combines the characters for 'seal' and 'form.' Click here for Scroll of Mudras

Buddhism Now archives

We are posting the covers of old paper versions of Buddhism Now including selected articles... Click here for Buddhism Now archives

Vimalakirti Sutra

At that time, out of this very skill in liberative technique, Vimalakirti manifested himself as if sick. To inquire after his health, the king, the officials, the lords, the youths, the aristocrats, the householders, the businessmen, the townfolk, the countryfolk, and thousands of other living beings came forth from the great city of Vaisali and called on the invalid. When they arrived, Vimalakirti taught them the Dharma... Click here for Vimalakirti Sutra

Ippen's Pure Land

Pure Land Buddhism is one of the major schools in the East, yet has hardly made a dent here. I remember once hearing it being described as too 'Christian' for Westerners, yet almost all of the other schools encompass the notion of a Pure Land in some way or other. Even in Theravada the three Refuges can easily be interpreted in a Pure Land way. The very essence of it is that one is taking refuge... Click here for Ippen's Pure Land

The Laughing Buddha Humour and the Spiritual Life, by Dennis Sibley

Humour lies at the heart of Buddhist thought and practice... Click here for The Laughing Buddha Humour and the Spiritual Life

Telephone Meditation, by Thich Nat Hanh

Usually when you hear a telephone, you cannot resist running to it. 'Telephone Meditation' by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is a very strong meditation... Click here to read Telephone Meditation.

New to Buddhism? Would you like to learn how to meditate? Then try these easy to follow 'first steps into Buddhist meditation'.

Buddhist Insight from Mahasi Meditation Tradition, by Bhante Bodhidhamma

Bhante Bodhidhamma's talk begins with a short meditation then goes on to explore the nature of self as experience... Click here to hear Bhante Bodhidhamma's talk

Wrinkles, The Universe and All That, by Linda Clark

I never really thought about the ageing process until I was twenty-five and my new employers, the South-Eastern Electricity Board, sent me to London on an induction course... Click here to read Wrinkles, The Universe and All That

The Real Way, by John Aske

These loves, hates, frustrations etc, unpleasant as they seem, are the essential manure out of which the lotus of enlightenment grows and blossoms... Click here to read The Real Way.

Buddhist art: Buddha Calling the Earth to Witness

Some Buddha images. Click here to view the Buddha Calling the Earth to Witness.

A few things you should know about Buddhism. Foundations of Buddhism.

Awareness part one If I manage to restrain my mind, by Acharya Shantideva
Translated by Stephen Batchelor

If angry thoughts alone are overcome, it is equivalent to conquering all one's enemies... Click here to read If I restrain my mind.

Awareness part two Always delight in silence, by Acharya Shantideva
Translated by Stephen Batchelor

Never forsake, even at the cost of one's life, those spiritual friends who understand the meaning of the great way and personify the bodhisattva's practice... Click here to read delight in silence.

Yours in the dharma,

Richard

Buddhism Now
Buddhist Publishing Group

HuffPost: The F Word in Buddhism: 'Daughters of the Buddha' Discuss How Buddhist Women Can Achieve Equality

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michaela-haas/daughters-of-the-buddha-discuss-how-buddhist-women-can-achieve-equality_b_2421834.html?utm_hp_ref=buddhism

The F Word in Buddhism: 'Daughters of the Buddha' Discuss How Buddhist Women Can Achieve Equality 

 by Michaela Haas

Patheos: Buddhism and Mental Illness

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/americanbuddhist/2013/05/buddhism-and-mental-illness.html

Buddhism and Mental Illness

May 21, 2013 By Justin Whitaker

..

Having faced mental illness, in a number of different capacities, it’s hard to know just where to start. Before I was born, perhaps.
What is the Zen koan? “What was your face before you were born?”
..
full article

 

An Opera and a Musical Revive interest in Buddhism

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/americanbuddhist/2013/05/an-opera-and-a-musical-revive-interest-in-buddhism.html

An Opera and a Musical Revive interest in Buddhism

 May 18, 2013 By Justin Whitaker

If you happened to be in Berkeley, CA between February 6 and March 10, you might have caught “The Fourth Messenger” a musical animated by the questions: What if the Buddha were a woman? What if she were alive today?

..

..

If you missed that run, but happen to be near Cardiff, Wales (as I happen to be) or Birmingham, England, there is another show headed your way: Wagner Dream (wiki).
This one takes on a somewhat darker theme, that of an unfinished Buddhist opera by the great composer Richard Wagner himself. In the story, “Wagner is dying in Venice. He will leave behind some of Western art’s greatest works. But he hasn’t finished his life’s work; he is tormented by his need to write a music drama about the Buddha.”

full article

 

American Buddhism and the problems of Belief and Free-Inquiry

http://progressivebuddhism.blogspot.ch/2014/06/american-buddhism-and-problems-of.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+ProgressiveBuddhism+%28Progressive+Buddhism%29

American Buddhism and the problems of Belief and Free-Inquiry

written by Thomas Armstrong

 

There is a wildly famous quote from Buddha that I am told by Wildmind's Bodhipaksa is fully fake, a mistranslation of Buddha's true instruction, coming from the Kalama Sutta. Here, the fake quote:

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it."

 full article

Call for Papers: 4th International Conference on Buddhism in Australasian region

http://shambhalasun.com/news/?p=57011

Call for Papers: 4th International Conference on Buddhism in Australasian region

The International Conference Buddhism & Australia 2015 will be held on 26-28 February, 2015 in Perth, Western Australia. This conference investigates the history, current and future directions for Buddhism in Australasia and main theme for Buddhism & Australia 2015 will be:
Buddhist Symbols and Symbolism
The organizers are open to proposals for contributions on Buddhism history, philosophy, texts as well for proposals on any related theme.
All Buddhists, scholars and members of the general public interested in Buddhism are invited to present their papers in this coming conference. Researchers across a broad range of disciplines are welcomed as well the submission of pre-formed panel proposals.
What to Send:
Proposals may be in Word or RTF formats with the following information:
a) author(s)
b) affiliation as you would like it to appear in programme
c) email address
d) title of proposal
e) body of proposal; no more than 300 words
f) up to 10 keywords
g) CV max 2 pages
Please use plain text (Times Roman 12) and abstain from using footnotes and any special formatting, characters or emphasis (such as bold, italics or underline).
Proposals should be submitted by November 25, 2014 by the following email: info@buddhismandaustralia.com
If a proposal is accepted for the conference, a full draft paper should be submitted by January 20, 2015. We acknowledge receipt and answer to all proposals submitted.
For further details of the conference, please visit: www.buddhismandaustralia.com
Organizing Chair
Marju Broder: info@buddhismandaustralia.com

Towards a New Buddhist Story

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-loy/towards-a-new-buddhist-st_b_2545120.html?utm_hp_ref=buddhism

Towards a New Buddhist Story 

by David Loy

Is a new Buddhist story beginning to develop out of the interaction between Buddhism and the modern world? Both need such a new story. It's not only a matter of seeing the problems with modernity: we need to become aware of the difficulties with traditional Buddhist worldviews as well.

ScientificAm: Is Buddhism the Most Science-Friendly Religion?

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2014/02/11/is-buddhism-the-most-science-friendly-religion/

Is Buddhism the Most Science-Friendly Religion?

By David Barash | February 11, 2014

 

Numata: E-learning Course on Bhikkhuni Ordination

http://www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/Home.3.0.html?&L=1

E-learning Course on Bhikkhuni Ordination

 

News from the Numata Center for Buddhist Studies:

E-learning Course on Bhikkhuni Ordination

The Numata Center for Buddhist Studies, in cooperation with the Women in Buddhism Study Initiative is currently offering an E-learning course focused on bhikkhuni/bhikshuni ordination. It will consists of a series of lectures given by a group of international scholars, who will present their research on legal issues and relevant Vinaya material. This will be followed by an updated regional survey of the current situation of nuns in the Theravada and Mulasarvastivada traditions. The language of instruction is English. Participation is free of charge, but requires online registration. For more information see here

Promoting Buddhism in Europe

http://www.budsas.org/ebud/ebdha194.htm

Promoting Buddhism in Europe

Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi

Keynote address at a seminar on "The Necessity for Promoting Buddhism in Europe," held on the first death anniversary of Ven. Mitirigala Dhammanisanthi Thera, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2 July 2000.

Buddhadharma: Khyentse Foundation grants awarded for education initiatives

http://shambhalasun.com/news/?p=56904

Khyentse Foundation grants awarded for education initiatives

Khyentse Foundation recently awarded grants to two projects focusing on Buddhist youth education. Bodhi Kids, in addition to establishing an onsite kids’ program in upstate New York, is developing online teaching resources and has plans to film teachings and interviews from great masters, specifically about parenting and educating youth in dharma.

Rowan Williams, Former Archbishop of Canterbury: Buddhism helps me pray

http://enews.buddhistdoor.com/en/news/d/47270

Rowan Williams, Former Archbishop of Canterbury: Buddhism helps me pray

Buddhistdoor International Staff Reporter
2014-07-08

Rowan Williams. Photo: Fiona Hanson/PA.

Rowan Williams has highlighted his interfaith credentials by opening up about his practice of Buddhist-inspired meditation.

Restoring Balance: Women's Wisdom for the Modern World

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michaela-haas/restoring-balance-womens-wisdom-for-the-modern-world_b_3188422.html?utm_hp_ref=buddhism

Restoring Balance: Women's Wisdom for the Modern World

Posted: 05/07/2013 10:49 am by Michaela Haas


Recently ,His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama made headlines when he enthusiastically supported the idea of choosing a female successor.

BCh: Is Buddhism a religion for people with commitment issues?

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,11923,0,0,1,0#.U7rGBhBvJHs

Is Buddhism a religion for people with commitment issues?

By Ayelett Shani, HAARETZ, June 26, 2014

Bristol, UK -- Prof. Rupet Gethin, co-director of the Center for Buddhist Studies in Bristol, explains why the West is drawn to Eastern ideas.

Dalai Lama urges Buddhists to halt Muslim violence

http://news.yahoo.com/dalai-lama-urges-buddhists-halt-muslim-violence-144732124.html

Dalai Lama urges Buddhists to halt Muslim violence

Head of RE from Lancashire chosen for RE Expert Advisory Group

http://m.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/11321291.East_Lancs_teacher_chosen_to_teach_country_an_RE_lesson/

Head of RE from Lancashire chosen for RE Expert Advisory Group

by Emma Cruces , Education reporter 2:10pm Friday 4th July 2014 in News

A SCHOOL’S department head is to lead the way in how Religious Education is taught across the country.

full article

The Council of Dharmic Faiths

  THE COUNCIL OF DHARMIC FAITHS

http://www.councilofdharmicfaiths.co.uk

 

 

 The Council of Dharmic Faiths was founded in 2010 to bring together the faiths of Indian origin for the purpose of understanding each other better and making the common values of the Dharmic faiths better know. They include Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism, and the decision was taken to allow Zoroastrians associate membership for historical reasons. The aim is not political representation, which is best left to individual faith organisations, but education and mutual dialogue.

 

Owing to the fact that the founders and board members had too many other interests, the Council has never advanced much beyond a House of Commons launch and a recent AGM. It also has a website (see direction above) and a fledgling radio station - http://radiodharmaonline.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/ramanuja-jayanti-madhava-turumella.html

 

Until the AGM, Yann Lovelock served as Buddhist Vice Chair and Lama Zangmo as a member of the Executive Board, but both have now stepped down. A new Buddhist Vice Chair is needed, preferably someone with organising skills and an interest in IT. Please contact Yann (yanda_lovelock@yahoo.co.uk) if interested.

The International Buddhist Relief Organisation

The International Buddhist Relief Organisation is a UK based NGO recognised by the UN. It was established as a charity in 1995 with the registered aim ‘to help relieve the suffering of people everywhere, regardless of their status, creed or geographical location, who are in condition of need, hardship or distress as a result of local, national or internal disaster or by reason of social or economic circumstances. In accordance with the Buddhist doctrine and principles, such help is also extended to animals everywhere that are in need of care or attention.’

Principally it has consisted of a small group associated with Ven. Kassapa OBE who have raised funds to help relieve disasters (eg the S.E. Asian tsunami, floods in Pakistan, the Philippine cyclone). It has also supported fixed projects like the Tithandizane Clinic in Zambia (with Amida Trust), the Welligama Nursery School (in the wake of the tsunami), and the Navatkuli Housing Appeal, based in Jaffna, for people displaced by the civil war. In addition, it collects medical supplies and equipment for use in poorer countries and supports animal rescue schemes.

The charity has a website (http://www.ibro.co.uk/) and is registered with Paypal and Everyclick.

 

The Proposal

At its AGM on 24 May 2014, the statutory officers decided to stand down in favour of a new committee to take over IBRO’s work and name. Their minuted decision is to act as a caretaker committee until December 2014, or until such time before that date as another committee can take over. Also minuted is that they have asked Yann Lovelock (in consultation with Ven. Kassapa) to help arrange this transfer.

At present the charity has assets of nearly £3K and had a turnover of about £9K in the previous year. These figures are about average, except for 2005 during the tsunami relief period, when IBRO’s profile was very high in the media.

Enquiries and expressions of interest in carrying on IBRO’s aims should initially be addressed to Yann Lovelock at yanda_lovelock@yahoo.co.uk

IFN: INTER FAITH WEEK 2014

Press Release 25 June 2014

INTER FAITH WEEK

At their meeting on 25 June the Trustees of the Inter Faith Network for the UK launched Inter Faith Week: Celebrating 2013 and planning for 2014.

Inter Faith Week takes place in the third week of November and has now become a fixture in the local and national calendar with events to:

· strengthen good inter faith relations at all levels

· increase awareness of the different and distinct faith communities in the UK, celebrating and building on the contribution which their members make to their neighbourhoods and to wider society

· increase understanding between people of religious and non-religious beliefs

The Officers of the Inter Faith Network said: “This is a Week that is firing the imagination of more and more people of all ages each year. In the UK we live side by side as neighbours with people of many different backgrounds. This is a Week for celebrating the positive aspects of how we coexist and for strengthening our common bonds. It encourages new links and friendship. It enables people to learn more about their neighbours’ faiths and beliefs. It brings people together to volunteer in their local communities. It encourages discussion – including about areas of commonalities and shared values, areas of difference, and also about some of the more difficult questions that face us today.”

Inter Faith Week 2014

It is expected that this year many different kinds of organisation will be holding events to mark the Week: faith groups; inter faith organisations; non-religious belief bodies; businesses; sports organisations; local authorities; Police and Fire and Rescue Services; schools and Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education (SACREs); universities and colleges; hospitals; businesses; voluntary organisations; chaplaincies; and others.

Inter Faith Week 2014 will have a special focus on events involving young people or with an intergenerational dimension, and some ideas for events are included in the short report.

Organisations in many areas are already planning their Inter Faith Week events for 2014. Just one local example is Dacorum Interfaith Network in Hertfordshire whose Co-Chairman David Lawson has said “The aim of ‘Interfaith 14’ in November is to bring all the different faiths in Dacorum together on one day, in one place, to share with others a little bit about their faith to help understand and accept each other and to help build friendships between communities.”

The 2013 Week saw thousands participate through over 400 events which took place in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to mark the Week – nearly 30% more than the previous year. The number of local faith communities involved with the Week more than doubled – as did local authorities and civic bodies. The spread of activities was wide: from faiths volunteering together on social action projects and fundraising together for charity, to faith trails and open door days at places of worship; from debates and dialogues to multi faith sports matches; from exhibitions and festivals to hands-on workshops to learn more about different faiths.

25 June 2014

Notes to Editors

1. Inter Faith Week: Celebrating 2013 and planning for 2014 accompanies this Release and can also be downloaded from www.interfaithweek.org
2. The production and publication of the report was supported by a project grant from the Department for Communities and Local Government.
3. For further information contact: Ashley Beck ashley.beck@interfaith.org.uk 020 7730 0410.
4. Inter Faith Week was established in England and Wales in 2009. Scottish Inter Faith Week has taken place with great success since 2004 and is led by Interfaith Scotland (www.interfaithscotland.org). This year it begins on Sunday 23 November.
5. The Inter Faith Network for the UK manages the Inter Faith Week website: www.interfaithweek.org and leads on the Week. Within Wales, the lead is taken by the Inter-faith Council for Wales (www.interfaithwales.org), and within Northern Ireland, the lead is taken by the Northern Ireland Inter-Faith Forum (http://niinterfaithforum.org).
6. The Inter Faith Network for the UK (www.interfaith.org.uk), was founded in 1987.
7. Sunday 16 November, the first day of Inter Faith Week, is also Mitzvah Day (www.mitzvahday.org.uk) - a Jewish-led day of social action involving people of all faiths and none working together in their local communities. Many events are being jointly held to mark both Inter Faith Week and Mitzvah Day, and will be branded ‘Inter Faith Mitzvah Day’ events.

The Inter Faith Network for the UK

2 Grosvenor Gardens

London

SW1W 0DH

Tel: 020 7730 0410

Fax: 020 7730 0414

Email: ifnet@interfaith.org.uk

Web: www.interfaith.org.uk

Registered charity no. 1068934. Company limited by guarantee no. 3443823 registered in England.

Historic Routes of the Silk Road added to UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites

http://enews.buddhistdoor.com/en/news/d/47158

Historic Routes of the Silk Road added to UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites

 

Telegraph: School governors: abolish rules on Christian assemblies

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10933867/School-governors-abolish-rules-on-Christian-assemblies.html

School governors: abolish rules on Christian assemblies

The National Governors' Association calls for the abolition of the 70-year-old rule that requires schools to hold a Christian assembly every day, saying it is "meaningless"