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Thai buddhism in the next decade

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 ...

Beyond the Matrix -- A Buddhist Approach

"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...

The Seed Emergency: The threats to seed and seed Sovereignty

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

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

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...

A conversation with Venerable Bhikkhu Sanghasena

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...

Handbook: The Future of Buddhism

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Do the best you can, but don’t expect to win.

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...

Application of Sufficiency Economy

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...

Sufficiency Economy Introduction

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...

THE DECLINE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

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...

Waking Up from the Nightmare: Buddhist Reflections on Occupy Wall Street

David R. Loy In a Buddhist blog about Occupy Wall Street, Michael Stone quotes the philosopher Slavoj Žižek, 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...

Gandhian Values for Sustainable Futures

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...

Rethinking Capitalism, Religion, and Alienation

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...

Sisters in Buddhist spirituality

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”

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...