Article

By Siddhartha Over the years, thousands of people have passed through Fireflies Ashram, located just outside the city of Bangalore, in India. Here is a short note on this ashram. An ashram is a place of refuge for people who are seekers, those on a spiritual quest.  Unlike other ashrams, Fireflies is an ashram without a guru. This is to underline the fact that we...

The article below is written by Christina McMellon a PhD student at Edinburgh University's Centre for Research on Families and Relationships. Her research explores how young Lao volunteers in Vientiane understand and experience happiness and she has recently returned to Scotland to write her thesis after spending 2 years in Vientiane conducting fieldwork. This piece was originally part of an occassionalblog which can be read at www.christinainlaos.wordpress.com....

 - Hans Ucko - ?No religion is an island? is a paraphrase on John Donne?s powerful words: ?No man is an island?. I have many times heard this paraphrase by the Jewish scholar A.J. Heschel and I have often used it myself. It is strange that we have to say it. Of course no religion is an island. Islam cannot do away with its links to...

Mourning for Her Written by Venerable Wu Yin Translated by Shwu-Jen You ? (1) I am the girl who was raped. I take the time tunnel back to India, To a speeding bus in New Delhi, A weary and terrified girl with her helpless boyfriend: Grieving and wailing, our shaking bodies curled into balls We both fight back with all our strength But finally we cannot withstand the beating and kicks that endlessly...

?Mothers come to me, almost every day, asking what they can do for their children?They tell me about the doctors they have seen and the hospitals they have visited?but still there is no clear answer for their children?As a Buddhist priest, I am talking to them and helping to overcome their suffering by listening and sharing their pain.? The Buddhist priest speaking to us was...

Corruption A Buddhist perspective on causes, impacts and solutions Prepared by Dr Nigel Crawhall, Hout Bay Theravada Buddhist Centre for the Western Cape Religious Leaders Forum Manopubbangama dhamma manosettha manomaya manasa ce padutthen bhasati va karoti va tato nam dukkhamanveti cakkamva vahato padam. Mind determines all states of being Mind is highest, these are formed by mind If, with an impure mind, one speaks or acts, ...

Sulak Sivaraksa Yokohama, Japan 10 November 2012 ? ? The foundation of all Buddhist practice, and without which there is no Buddhist practice, is sila (ethics which means how to be normal and natural without exploiting ourself and others). Ethics, in Buddhism, begins with the understanding that we are not just observers in reality. Whether we like it or not, we participate, with our bodies, our speech, and our...

The word "democracy" appeared in the First Declaration of the People's Party which was announced and distributed to the public on 24 June 1932. It states: "It is necessary that the country has a government like in a democracy; that is, the country's head of state must be a commoner elected by Parliament to assume the position for a specified...

Why isn't Burma's democracy icon speaking up for minorities -- and against her country's nationalistic, racist, xenophobic, and occasionally violent Buddhist majority? BY WILLIAM MCGOWAN | SEPTEMBER 17, 2012  ? During her long struggle against Burma's generals, pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi has leaned heavily on her Buddhist faith. She has extolled the religion for...

-1- If one learns a Western language, be it English, French, German, or even Latin and Greek for that matter, one has to bear in mind the tenses used in such language to indicate time, as verbs can denote the past, present or future tenses. In the Thai language, however, the concept of tenses does not exist; therefore the words "60...

The Adelaide Festival of Ideas 12-15 July 2001 Culture is such an intangible network of beliefs, rituals, language, and history that it is difficult to start this talk with a functional definition. Similarly, reconciliation is a concept which is constantly evolving and adapting to changing situations. What is clear is that a culture of truth, forgiveness, and cooperation can foster the...

It is indeed a great honour to be invited to give the Padmapani lecture.  Last year I had the privilege of visiting the Ajanta Caves and the most striking painting in one of the caves was that of Padmapani, which moved me so much-not only artistically but also compassionately.  Ever since then I have been praying to Padmapani as well...

The English claimed to be the prime mover of modern democracy, with constitutional monarchy?which is not quite true Modern republican democracy in fact started in the USA as the American patriots rebelled against British colonialism.  The French Revolution of 1789 was in fact the first experiment with republican democracy in Europe with its famous declaration on equality, fraternity and liberty.  Since the revolution was very...

Dr. Susan F. Kepner University of California, Berkeley ? http://th.wikipedia.org M.L. Bunluea Thepyasuwan (1911-1982) was a revered teacher of literature, a novelist, and a leading contributor to the development of Thai education during the Thai twentieth century.  Ajarn Sulak Sivarak could well have been describing her, when he wrote these words: ?The Duty of a Teacher?  I say that the ideal, the best teachers are those who...

July 5, 2012 Dear Sir, I am a great admirer of your country for its simplicity, aesthetic sense, its rich traditions and lately for initiating and propagating the revolutionary idea of GNH which has the potential to pave the path to sanity in this world fast hurling towards self destruction. Though we are still in a minority but many of us are realizing that the...

Every two years a meeting between heads of state from Europe and Asia (ASEM) is being held, by rotation in an Asian or European country. Independent civil society meetings are organized prior to these exchanges.This year the 9thASEM will be held in Vientiane, the capital of the Lao People?s Democratic Republic. SombathSomphone, Magsaysay Award recipient and founder of PADETC, a leading NGO in Laos, is...

? ? For read more, please download PDF file below.

Esoteric Teaching of Wat Phra Dhammak?ya Mano Mettanando Laohavanich 1   Abstract  Thailand?s controversial  Wat Phra Dhammak?ya has grown exponentially. In just three decades, it has come to have millions of followers in and outside of Thailand and over forty branches overseas. The esoteric teaching of meditation taught ...

A point that must never be forgotten, especially among the ruling elites and those with important administrative positions at the national and provincial levels and in the private and public sectors, is that as a society we have a penchant for self-delusion. Often, we would turn away from the truth. Also, we have been almost completely eradicated from our roots. It?s often said that we...

In 2010, a Peoples? Tribunal on Sri Lanka in Dublin, arranged by the Permanent People?s Tribunal in Rome, came to the conclusion that the Government of Sri Lanka can be suspected of having committed crimes against humanity and war crimes against the Lankan Tamils during President Mahinda Rajapakse?s time from 2006 onwards. Dr Sulak Sivaraksa participated in the Tribunal and supported...

Spent the better part of two hours debating the ordination of bhikkhunis with a good friend, a Thai scholar who taught Pali in Burma for many years and is now back in Thailand at Wat Mahadhatu. My contention, based on the internationally well-known (thanks to Bhikkhu Bodhi?s article on the subject) commentary to the Milindapanha, was this: (Arg 1) a) when there were no...

When Siddhartha was born, eight Brahmans are said to have made a prophecy that he would either become a Buddha, achieving supreme spiritual enlightenment or he would become a Chakravarti or the universal emperor, the legendary hero who would rule the whole world in all the four directions. By choosing to be a Buddha and removing the folly and ignorance of the world, Sidhartha, a...

About Nagarjuna Institute Nagaloka campus is spread over 14 acres in Nagpur (in the centre of India) where Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar converted to Buddhism in 1956 and launched the Dhamma revolution. The heart of the campus is the Nagarjuna Institute (NI) - tradition has it that the great master Nagarjuna lived in this area. The aim of the Institute is to train young people in Buddhist...

In his widely read blog (13 February 2012), the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, criticises the politics of regime change pursued by the United States of America. He is concerned that Malaysia may also be a target for regime change. And the US candidate to head the new regime which will be in full, complete support of US policies, he says, is...

Optimism and hope for the future in Burma have risen dramatically over the last year. This has culminated in celebrating the recent by-elections and a seat in parliament for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and forty two other members of the National League for Democracy (NLD). But whilst there have been reforms over the last year, such as the release of some political prisoners...

Eco-Spirituality: A Foundation for Ecological Justice Dr. Rama Mani  World Future Council - Strategy Meeting Sekem, Egypt 13-17 March 2012  ? The Venerated Mother Earth Do you recall the poignant, familiar words attributed to the First Nations leader of North America, Chief Seattle of North America, in 1855? He said: ?Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is...

 THE RECORD OF THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF WU-MING Compiled by Master Tung-Wang Abbott of Han-hsin monastery in the Thirteenth year of the Earth Dragon period (898) My dear friend, the most reverend master Tung-Wang, Old and ill, I lay here knowing that writing this note will be my last act upon this earth and that by the time you read it I...

By TIMOTHY W. RYBACK Published: March 28, 2012 Next Monday, the United Nations will implement Resolution 65/309, adopted unanimously by the General Assembly in July 2011, placing "happiness" on the global agenda. Courtesy of Jean Timsit "Conscious that the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal" and "recognizing that the gross domestic product [...] does not adequately reflect the happiness and well-being of people," Resolution 65/309 empowers the...

I had the great honor last month to spend a few weeks with Sulak Sivaraksa and about his more than half a century of living and working for justice, peace, democracy and sustainable livelihoods. Sulak Sivaraksa, born 1933, is a prominent and outspoken Thai intellectual and social critic. He is a teacher, a scholar, a publisher, an activist, the founder...

As Thai society moves with the times, so do its religious beliefs and practices Published: 7/02/2012 BangkokPost Newspaper section: Life อ่านภาษาไทย Writer: Phra Paisal Visalo ? Ten years ago, some observers raised doubts over the widespread meditation retreat among the middle-class if it was just a ...

"To be, or not to be: that is the question."--Hamlet "Psychopaths are capable of taking the perspective of somebody else, but only to take better advantage of you. They're able to play the empathy game, but without the feelings involved. It's like an empty shell. The core of empathy -- being in tune with the feelings of somebody else -- seems to be completely lacking. They...

By Dr. Vandana Shiva Navdanya A-60, Hauz Khas New Delhi ? 110 016 Seed is the first link in the food chain.  Seed sovereignty is the foundation of food sovereignty.  If farmers do not have their own seed or access to open pollinated varieties that they can save, improve, exchange, they have no seed sovereignty and consequently no food sovereignty. The deepening agrarian and food crisis has its...

TIME FOR A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC PARADIGM(INPUT FOR THE DRAFT OUTCOME DOCUMENT FOR RIO+20)ROYAL GOVERNMENT OF BHUTAN IntroductionIn June, 1992, in Rio de Janeiro, the world?s assembled leaders vowed to ?cooperate in a spirit of global partnership to conserve, protect and restore the health and integrity of the Earth's ecosystem? (Article 7). In order ?to achieve sustainable development?, they further pledged to ?reduce and eliminate unsustainable patterns...

? SITTING AROUND THE FIRE a dialogue on POLITICS, PEACE & RECONCILIATION Organized by Panos South Asia & The Morung Express March 25 and 26, 2011 New Delhi, India ? ? ? ? 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2. INTRODUCTION              A Dialogue              Background              The Search for a New Paradigm              Media and Reconciliation 3. DAY 1 ? MARCH 25, 2011              Politics, Problems and Possibilities of Reconciliation              Welcome and Opening Comments              Notes from the African Context ? Joseph Babu Ayindo              The...

by Kiva Bottero The Mahabodhi International Meditation Center stands out as a model of socially engaged Buddhism in India. Perched high in the Himalayas, this vibrant spiritual community consists of a residential school for more than 400 poor children drawn from surrounding villages, an institute for the blind, a home for the aged, a monastery, a nunnery and more. The vision...

? Download as PDF files - Download part I - Download part II

An Interview with AjahnSulak Sivaraksa EB: In ?The Wisdom of Sustainability?, you described consumerism as a ?demonic religion?. Consumerism is one of the main drivers of the climate crisis.Why and how can itbe described from a Buddhist point of view as a demonic religion? SS: From the Buddhist point of view, the three root causes of suffering are greed, hatred and delusion. Consumerism promotes...

by Phra Sangkom Thanapanyo Khunsiri, Edited by Nathan Schneck, The Buddhist Channel, Nov 14, 2011 In a "sufficient economy", generation of material wealth is not the ultimate aim. Instead the final goal is to create environmentally healthy, self-sufficient communities in which basic human needs are met through Iocal natural production methods. Bangkok, Thailand -- Five years ago Wat Doi Pha Som initiated an environmental revitalization process in...

Phra Sangkom Thanapanyo, Wat Doi Pha Som has focused on applying King Bhumibol?s economic principle of sufficiency economy in the local villages of the Samoeng District, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. The King?s guidelines of Sufficiency Economy promote the planting of three types of resourceful plants: plants that are edible (Food), plants that can be used for medicinal, cosmetic, sanitation, and other household purposes (Usage), plants that...

? By Chandra Muzaffar ? Like many other intellectuals in the United States and the West, Professor Joseph Nye is overly concerned with the position of the US as the world?s leading power. He does not want China to overtake his country. While acknowledging ?that America will be less dominant than it once was?, Nye is nonetheless convinced that it will remain number 1. It is a conclusion that...

David R. Loy ? In a Buddhist blog about Occupy Wall Street, Michael Stone quotes the philosopher Slavoj ?i?ek, who spoke to the New York Occupiers at Zuccotti Park on October 9: They tell you we are dreamers. The true dreamers are those who think things can go on indefinitely the way they are. We are not dreamers. We are awakening from a dream which...

Meeting Rivers Series - 33   Gandhian Values for Sustainable Futures  D. Jeevan Kumar* Gandhism and the Gandhian vision of sustainable development emerged as a critique of the Western-centric dominant model of development with its misplaced emphasis on the promotion of individual growth and self-advancement, the harnessing of Nature, the achievement of technological sophistication, the spurring of urbanization and the increased use of...

by Sulak Sivaraksa ? Religion may in fact help anchor capitalism and trap us in its violent deadlock ad infinitum. Or to be even more blunt, to be truly against capitalism one must be against certain religious practices and thoughts. Capitalism is often seen as the source of alienation. Alienation is marked by being uprooted from traditional community and certainty. Capitalism makes social relations thin and antagonistic and...

Has the clergy's stern frown on female ordination stopped women's determination to pursue a monastic life? If you drop by the Sathira Dhammasathan nunnery-cum-dhamma centre this weekend, you will realise how the clergy's attempts to keep women down are ineffective and irrelevant. For one whole week starting this Sunday June 12, the lush greenery of the dhamma centre will be enlivened by different shades of the...

Public Statement ?The Two-Land Dhamma Yatra?   For Amity and Peace of the People in Cambodia and Thailand 15-18 May 2011, Poipet Pass and Klong Luk Pass, Aranyaprathet Skirmishes along the Cambodia-Thailand border have recently brought about losses of official and civilian lives and their properties. The disgruntled mentalities of people in the two lands and their relations are deeply wounded, almost beyond healing. Nevertheless, Cambodia and...

Breathe in, breathe out, and drop the Coke Buddhist economist Sulak Sivaraksa has advice for Western capitalist societies. Sholto Byrnes slows down and listens Sunday, 8 May 2011 If David Cameron wishes to take fresh advice on how to increase happiness, now that the American psychologist who inspired his well-being index has admitted that the theory needs some adjustment, he might find it fruitful to study a...

Born 'untouchable', he fought for freedom and emancipation of all castes and helped to draft the constitution of India Editorial The Guardian, ...

Sri Lankan Reflections on What It Means to Be Rich or Poor When I was small, I didn't know that I was poor. My family lived in a small fishing village on the southern coast of Sri Lanka. We had rice from the paddy fields and fish from the sea. Our house was simple, but it kept us dry when it rained. The local temple was...

The Buddhist revival in India ignited by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar more than fifty years ago has brought millions of the country?s most impoverished and marginalized people to the Buddhist path. There is much we can learn from them, says Alan Senauke.

Zen Master Dogen wrote ?Gourd with its tendrils is entwined with gourd.?  This means we are all intimately bound up, wound up with each other. Truly inseparable.  At Buddhist Peace Fellowship, San Francisco Zen Center, and at Berkeley Zen Center, we have been talking about the complexities of diversity, race, zen practice, and our communities in the United States.  This is not just about...

The 1st Conference of Grassroots Activities for Reviving Buddhism in Japanese Society The 1st Conference of Grassroots Activities for Reviving Buddhism in Japanese Society was held on October 5, 2010 at the Tokyo Grand Hotel under the sponsorship of the Zenseikyo Foundation & Buddhist Council for Youth and Child Edification and the Rinbutsuken Institute for Socially Engaged Buddhism. In the Japanese Buddhist world, there had...

The Way Forward on Tibet The Status of Discussions Between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Government of the People?s Republic of China Remarks by Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, Special Envoy of H.H. the Dalai Lama Institute of South Asian Studies, Singapore November 24, 2010 ? ? ?

          Step by step the School for Wellbeing Studies and Research is taking shape as an independent think pond/do tank, and as a creative learning platform. In stead of a Summer Course as planned in 2010 ? our ?summer? was too hot with political turmoil resulting in 95 people killed during violent clashes in Bangkok! ? the School team organized individual public...

Bringing together Buddhist practice and on-the-ground work for peace in Colombia The Buddhist Peace Fellowship is looking for a Buddhist activist to work for peace in Colombia through the Dharma in Action Fellowship (DIAF). The DIAF Fellow will be placed with the Fellowship of Reconciliation?s peace team to provide nonviolent protective accompaniment to threatened peace activists in Colombia, while exploring the relationship between...

Revival of Buddhism?s Heart in Laos In the Occasion of Centennial Anniversary of Venerable Maha Pan Anandho On 25 October, 2010 Pornchai  Borriboontrakul ? Buddhism in Laos, the land of million elephants, was gradually declined since the colonization of Siam (Thailand) and France to Laos over 100 years.  And up until when the Buddhist Scholars Council was established in 1928 by the group of intellectual, led Prince Petcharaj, which it...

the Big Buddha at Nagaloka ? Last week saw celebrations across India marking the 54th anniversary of the conversion to Buddhism by Dr Ambedkar at Nagpur on 14th October 1956. Manidhamma writes with news from Nagaloka, Triratna?s training centre in central India, just a few miles from the ?Diksha Bhumi?, or ?Ground of Conversion?. He says - ?Thousands of people from various states of India and abroad...

by Vidyananda The political events over the year in Malaysia has create much uncertainty. Compounded by economic uncertainty arising fallout of large financial institutions, gives more reasons for concerns. Amidst all this, what is most fearful in the heart of many Malaysian is the unstable political environment. What concerns and upsets most is the manner so-called dissidents and oppositions are dealt with. In particular, the...

A Joint Statement ? From 22 - 26 August 2010, thirty Buddhists from the Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions and Christians from the Anglican, Lutheran, Baptist, Reformed and Roman Catholic traditions met at Payap University, Chiang Mai, Thailand, under the theme, ?Buddhists and Christians Engaging Structural Greed Today.? The consultation was jointly organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and...

SEEDS OF PEACE Where Pilgrims and Conservationists Meet By Matteo Pistono, Executive Director, Nekorpa The Buddhist hermitage of Taksang?the Tiger?s Lair?hangs precariously to a dramatic 3,000 foot cliff above a dense jungle forest. The white walls of the temple architecture contrast with the deep mountain greens and dark shadows. A nearly thousand-foot waterfall cascading by the hermitage casts a rainbow sheen around the site in the afternoon sun....

LUCKY SEVERSON, correspondent: This ragtag parade in northwest Thailand, in the area known as the Golden Triangle, is a celebration of sorts, but it also has a very serious purpose, and one that has had dangerous consequences. (speaking to Thai man): How was he killed? PIPOB UDOMITTIPONG: He was stabbed to death. SEVERSON: You think that he was killed because of his environmental work? UDOMITTIPONG: Of...

? Part 2 Applying the Liberative Method and Constructing Another Vision From "Socially Engaged Buddhism for the New Millennium" : Essays in honor of the Ven. Phra Dhammapitaka (Bhikkhu P.A.Payutto) On his 60the virthday anniversary page 65-74

Part 1 The Nature of Consumption and the Ideology of Consumerism and The Ideology of Consumerism From "Socially Engaged Buddhism for the New Millennium" : Essays in honor of the Ven. Phra Dhammapitaka (Bhikkhu P.A.Payutto) On his 60the virthday anniversary page 54-65 

One of the key and unique teachings by the Buddha is the interrelatedness among all beings. The teachings of the Buddha, in addition to the great extent on renunciation, include numerous guidelines of how individuals should live together in a peaceful and beneficial manner. Such socio-political teachings have been the ideology for the kings and...

During the past decade, Siam has witnessed the rise of civil activism throughout the country in various fields ranging from environment, education, and agriculture, to constitutional and democratic reform. This is not only a middle class phenomenon; peasant farmers have been actively involved in all these forms of activism, utilizing protest marches, demonstrations, hunger...

As author of a book on peace, democracy, and righteousness (Santi Pracha Dhamma) and governor of the Bank of Thailand, the memory of Dr. Puey Ungphakorn challenges us to ask how Buddhist principles connect with the major globalizing force of today, economics. Buddhists have held a variety of views of economics. Buddhist monastics and hermits make vows...

Introduction Every religion defines itself, has its own worldview and its own value systems. Likewise, it has its own theology(s), scriptures and sacred texts, doctrines and dogmas, rites and rituals, and customs and practices. True there are many exciting similarities and common items, but at the fundamental levels, i.e., the faith items, they are different....

He who knows when enough is enough will always have enough. Like Dr. Puey I have spent my life working in the so-called "development business", and like Dr. Puey I have tried to give this development a human face. In my forty years in this endeavor, I have taught at schools and walked around Africa with...

The Muslim and Buddhist communities are the two largest religious communities in Asia. More than three fifths of the world's Muslims are found in various parts of Asia. Likewise, the vast majority of the world's Buddhists live in this continent - the continent that gave birth to all the world's religions. Interaction between Muslims and ...

Introduction The state of Kelantan in peninsular Malaysia shares its border with the province of Narathiwat. Although its population is predominantly Malay and Muslim, Kelantan is also known for pockets of Thai settlements in the rural areas, particularly in the districts located close toThai Malaysia border. In fact, despite the label given to the state...

On 14th December 2006 a seminar was held to celebrate the anniversary of Wongsanit Asharm on alternative perspectives for the future Thai society. Two approaches were discussed, namely Community-Culture approach and Dhammic Socialism. The participants were from Wongsanit Asharm, Spirit in Education Movement (SEM), College of Social Management, NGO workers, grassroots leaders and general public. The seminar was...