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Tulku Sherab Dorje and Lama Surya Das have announced the Buddhist Peace Prayerfest Rimay Monlam. As the website explains, the Tibetan word rimay means"honoring and including all schools and traditions of Buddhadharma," and monlam mean "an articulation of purpose; a mission statement; a formulation for realizing our highest aspirations." Co-organized and co-led by the two teachers (with many more in attendance), the event will be held at the Garrison Institute in Garrison, New York this weekend, June 1–4. You can find more at the website (which includes a special note and practice guide for those who cannot attend the event), and in the YouTube video below. Read More @ Source Toward the First Revolution in the Mind Sciences Google TechTalks August 8, 2006 B. Alan Wallace, Ph.D. has been a scholar and practitioner of Buddhism since 1970. He is currently seeking ways to integrate Buddhist contemplative practice

The E-Vam Institute in New York has announced that two events planned in June with Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche have been rescheduled due to a conflict. The June 22 date at Shambhala Meditation Center of New York , titled "The Legacy of Chögyam Trungpa," has been pushed back to Friday, August 24, from 7 to 9 PM. The other event, a Mahamudra weekend at E-Vam Manhattan that was originally slated for June, has been changed to September 8 to 9. For Rinpoche's complete listing of events in 2012, please see the schedule  here . Read More @ Source

Photo: Florence Delahaye Sister Chan Khong is best known as Thich Nhat Hanh's closest collaborator, but she's also a dedicated activist and gifted teacher in her own right. Andrea Miller profiled her in the May 2012 Shambhala Sun magazine, and the entire piece is now online here .  "People think that engaged Buddhism is only social work, only stopping the war," Chan Khong says. "But, in fact, at the same time you stop the war outside, you have to stop the war inside yourself." Over her lifetime, Sister Chan Khong has learned the importance of not making peace, but rather being peace, being understanding, being love—and to embody this way of being twenty four hours a day. The key, she tells the Shambhala Sun, is to practice mindfulness. "When your body and mind are not one, you do not see deeply," she says. Read the rest of "Path of Peace: The Life and Teachings of Sister Chan Khong" here . And browse our entire May 2012 issue o

Photo: Jean-Marie Hullot via Flickr, CC-BY-SA license.) Bhutan, known as the Land of the Thunder Dragon, recently held its third annual literary festival, Mountain Echoes, from May 20 — 26. The gathering of authors and musicians in this idyllic Buddhist kingdom opened with a lamp-lighting ceremony, important to both Hindus and Buddhists alike. The festival provided "a platform for authors from India and Bhutan to get together and engage in a cultural dialogue and understand Indian and Bhutanese literature in all its myriad forms and dimensions." Participants and attendees this year included the Queen Mother of Bhutan, Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, the poet Gulzar, and many others. Several new books were introduced at the festival, including Bhutan: Through the Lens of a King , a book that showcases photographs by Bhutan's 5th king Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, and When Loss Is Gain by Pavan K. Varma, "a story set in contemporary India and Bhutan that deal

by Dave Pope, The Buddhist Channel, May 31, 2012 Help Sunim cross The Americas by bicycle Winnipeg, Canada -- Sunim Daeung is a 42 year old Korean Monk on an epic adventure of self discovery. His goal is to circumnavigate all of North America then travel down the west coast of Mexico and continue all the way to the southern tip of South America....on a bicycle! << Sunim Daeng in Vernon, British Columbia, April 26th 2012 He says he will camp whenever possible and stay in hostels when he can't. The members of his temple have been saving and donating to send him on this trip for a very long time. I asked what motivated him to embark on such a trip. He humbly replied, in just four soft spoken words, while gently placing his open palm to his chest, "To test my spirit". The immensity of the task facing Sunim as he treks across the American continent are as follows: He has limited language skills for the countries that he will be trave

The People's Liberation Army in Ngaba Tibet; Photo by SFT HQ via Flickr using a CC-BY license Voice of America (VOA) is reporting that a thirty-three year-old woman named Rikyo, a mother of three, self-immolated and died today outside of Jonang Dzamthang monastery in Ngaba in an apparent protest against Chinese rule in her country. This latest self-immolation comes after two young Tibetan men self-immolated on Sunday. According to VOA, "This week's immolations follow a new Chinese move to ban Tibetan Buddhists, including current and former government officials, students, and party members, from engaging in religious practices during the sacred month of Saka Dawa, which began May 21. Saka Dawa commemorates the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death." Read more on the story here . Read More @ Source Zen Master Seung Sahn: "Wake up!" (part 5 of 6) Zen Master Seung Sahn's teaching documentary &q

by Walter Jayawardhana, The Buddhist Channel, May 31, 2012 Nalanda - the first university of the world - is close to the place where Buddha delivered His last sermon Rajgir, India -- "The ruins of Nalanda stretches out below us, a poem in red. The remains of this ancient monastic university, located on the way from Patna to Rajgir consist of classrooms, stupas, monk's cells and temples. The crimson of the bricks glows in the light of the midday sun," said Kauusalya anthanam writing a news feature on the world's first university, the Nalanda. "Some of the bricks look worn with age while others look bright and new; one admires their quality and endurance for the university is said to have flourished from the 5th to the 12th Century A.D. I have only to shut my eyes to think of the robed monks making their way across the impressive structures to attend classes in logic, grammar or medicine, and above all Buddhist studies. All the subjects Nalanda was famous

Moscow Kremlin (by macle via Flickr, CC-BY license) The seeds of dharma continue to spread. Russia, a country that has been showing a growing interest in Meditation in recent years, has seen the publication of a significant encyclopedia on Buddhist philosophy. Released in Moscow on May 23, the encyclopedia was released as scholars from around the world participated in the Third International Conference on Comparative Philosophy at the Institute of Philosophy in Moscow. The 1,045 page work, edited by Dr. Marietta Stepanyants, included the contributions and assistance of many scholars. Dr. Abdusalam Guseinov, Director of the Institute of Philosophy, stated that the work is the first comprehensive publication of its kind on Buddhist philosophy derived from original sources in the country. Read More @ Source

If you've already received your July 2012 Shambhala Sun magazine, you may have seen our mention of a "virtual retreat" that Pema Chödrön will leading on July 14, her 76th birthday. Pema is spending almost the entire year in solitary meditation, and this virtual retreat is a special opportunity for fans and students to connect with and honor her by way of practice. Created by the Pema Chödrön Foundation, the retreat will explore the theme of Practicing Peace, by way of an exclusive Pema teaching specially filmed for the occasion. More on the retreat after the jump. The Pema Chödrön Foundation explains: "She's invited all of you to take half of that day (or longer) as a retreat. You could do this alone at home, or gather with friends to share in this experience. Pema filmed a teaching just for this occasion, with advice, encouragement and meditation instruction. To have her friends and students, from around the globe, 'practicing peace' on her birth

This Monday the San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC) will be presenting " Resounding Compassion: A Concert for Peace ," a benefit concert held at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in celebration of the SFZC's founding in 1962. Proceeds will benefit both the SFZC and Shinryu-in, the family temple of Kiko Tatedera roshi located in Miyagi, Japan, which sustained heavy damage during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Tatedera roshi currently serves as head priest at Sokoji Sōtō Mission of San Francisco, where SFZC's late founder (Shunryu Suzuki roshi) served when first arriving in the United States in 1959 — then housed in an old Jewish synagogue. The concert will include original pieces by double-bassist Shinji Eshima, who performs for the San Francisco Ballet and San Francisco Opera Orchestras. One piece, titled "All's Farrow," will be accompanied by the debut of a work of art by bronze artist Al Farrow's work — a bell of compassion made o

( From our May 2012 magazine; click here to browse it online .) See David Sipress's next cartoon for the Shambhala Sun when the July 2012 issue hits newsstands in the first week of June. More: "What's So Funny About Buddhism?" — cartoonist David Sipress explains Read More @ Source

Buried now the bench in the woods and beside the path... Even when the flower of meditation is overtaken by the weeds of busy summer living there is still a place to sit. Though it does become harder and harder to find! Read More @ Source

A new post from Shambhala SunSpace "Earth Dharma" blogger Jill S. Schneiderman . How shall we bring the Buddhist "perfections of the heart," such as generosity, patience, equanimity, truthfulness, renunciation, and wisdom, to the ways we interact with the earth? I sometimes find myself adopting what might be considered a generous stance of sharing equally what Earth offers. But then I realize that I'm reacting to a feeling of needing more than what I already have. In "The Bodhisattva Path," the eighth-century monk, scholar and poet Shantideva wrote : May I become an inexhaustible treasure For those who are poor and destitute. May I turn into all things they could need, And may these be placed close beside them…. Just like space And the great elements such as earth, May I always support the life Of all the boundless creatures. I reflected on these verses, and having listened recently to Sylvia Boorstein's talk " The Pa

We've written before about the Holistic Life Foundation , a fantastic nonprofit that brings yoga, meditation and mindfulness training to disadvantaged kids in Baltimore. HLF is hosting a benefit on Saturday, June 16 at Baltimore's Metro Gallery to raise money for its programs. Tim Ryan , Ohio congressman and the author of A Mindful Nation — and the subject of a Q&A in the July 2012 Shambhala Sun Magazine — will be the keynote speaker, with a reception following his speech. Prints from J. T. Liss (Photography for Social Change) will be on sale at the event, with 25 percent of proceeds going to The Holistic Life Foundation. Tickets for the evening are $ 30 and are available here. Founded by brothers Ali and Atman Smith and their friend Andy Gonzalez, HLF provides yoga, meditation and mindfulness instruction, mentoring and other programs for children and youth from impoverished neighborhoods. After bringing programs into public schools in Baltimore, students showed

In " The Beautiful Energy of Thoughts " from the May 2012 Shambhala Sun , Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche describes how challenging it can be to work with the thoughts that arise during meditation. But, he says, those thoughts shouldn't cause stress. "When you experience each thought in its completeness, the energy of the thought arises and dissolves in its own place," he writes. "Therefore, you do not need to tamper with your thoughts. Further elaboration causes bewilderment and confusion. When the energy of each thought is complete and independent, it is liberated upon arising and leaves no trace." Click here to read the rest of the article, now online in full. And browse the entire May 2012 issue of the Shambhala Sun here . Read More @ Source

According to a news report from Q 13 Fox , a Buddhist temple in Seattle was destroyed on Sunday — caused by burning food that had been left in a stove. Though the report leaves out a fairly important detail — the name of the temple — we believe it to be a Vietnamese temple known as Chua Bo De at 3903 South Sunny View Drive in Seattle, Washington. The fire was difficult for firefighters to put out due to its location on a steep hill, according to the Seattle Fire Department. Damages are estimated to be around $ 600,000. Read More @ Source Alan Watts: OM The sound of LOVE Alan Watts- OM: Reading from Hindu Scriptures. All Credits to; Alan Watts and to his Son www.alanwatts.net SEE MY PAGES; www.facebook.com www.myspace.com Key Words; alan watts buddhism om hinduism islam christianity buddha meditation dhamma dharma talk zen energy alex jones david icke planetx nibiru lightworkers Awakening Divine love max igan illuminati 2012 iambuddy h

We at the Shambhala Sun are partnering with our friend, author Lodro Rinzler, to bring you weekly selections from Shambhala Publications' Under 35 Project , which collects writings from younger practitioners. This week, Brandon Rennels describes how he put the skills he learned in the corporate world to use promoting mindfulness. Integrating Head & Heart A year ago I was sitting at a cafe in Ann Arbor, enjoying breakfast with a beloved professor from university. When I was in school he taught a course entitled Psychology of Consciousness, which was one my first introductions to mindfulness practice.  Peace Is Every Step , by Thich Nhat Hanh, happened to be required reading, and after I finished the course I wondered why this material wasn't taught in every classroom. That day, I had gone to the professor seeking guidance. For a few years I had been working internationally in the business world as a management consultant. During this time I developed a skill set for

Photo via Tibet Post International Two Tibetan young men self-immolated at Barkhor market outside of Jokhang temple in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa on Sunday, the latest in a wave of self-immolation protesters drawing attention to the issue of Chinese rule in Tibet. It should be noted that Tibet Post International points out that before setting themselves afire, the two shouted out unintelligible slogans, making it difficult to ascertain their motives. However, given the vast number of self-immolation protests we have been seeing, the acts are believed to be protests against Chinese rule. The event happened during celebrations in the past few days of the Buddha's 2556th birthday, with some 5000 pilgrims visiting the temple each day. One of the young men was a 19 year-old named Tseten, who died from his injuries; the other man (unknown), who was about 25 years of age, was ( according to Xinhua News Agency via The Korea Herald) hospitalized after. Tibet Post International st

2008 participants The Soto Zen Buddhist Association , comprised of Soto Zen teachers working to preserve and promote Soto Zen practice in North America, will be holding its 5th National Conference this October 3-7, 2012, at Great Vow Zen Monastery, in Clatskanie, Oregon. These conferences allow lineages to connect to discuss membership requirements and standards of training. This event is not open to the general public. In 2010 a Standards Committee was formed within the SZBA; it conducted a survey among the various sanghas the SZBA represents and was able to identify what training standards these practice sites have in place. Up for discussion at this year's conference is whether or not the SZBA should adopt "training standards to recognize Dharma transmission." To get a sense of the varying perspectives on this issue, you can read this dialogue , over at Sweeping Zen, between SZBA members James Ishmael Ford Roshi and Kyogen Carlson Roshi. Read More @ Source

Down at the station bunting - home made Cupcakes in a shop window and more bunting. It looks like Britain is having a collective party.... Read More @ Source Two-seat Dhamma talk about the Funeral Venerable Mahanaridra and Venerable Maha Bun Chhou Video Rating: 4 / 5

by Richard Gilliver, England, The Buddhist Channel, May 26, 2012 I have been reading a Sutta lately which I have found exceptionally useful in day-to-day life. The Sutta is the Dhajagga Sutta: The Top of the Standard (SN 11.3). One of the reasons this Sutta has touched me so much is its simplicity. If I am honest I am usually drawn more to the Suttas that are subtle, that you have to come back to in order to appreciate their full range, but this one is one of those special little ones that is plain, it is its very simplicity that contains the 'magic'. I think the Dhammapada is like that, and that is why it is so enduring amongst Buddhists, and respected amongst non Buddhists alike, it is straightforward, not so much a treatise of the Dhamma but a handbook for life. I know that when my mind is wavering (or simply chooses to flutter off on its own little adventures) that if I recall the Dhajagga Sutta I will soon be mindful and alert again, I will be 'back on trac

"Boredom is part of the discipline of meditation practice. This type of boredom is cool boredom, refreshing boredom. Boredom is necessary and you have to work with it. It is constantly very sane and solid, and very boring at the same time. But it's refreshing boredom. The discipline then becomes part of one's daily expression of life. Such boredom seems to be absolutely necessary. Cool boredom." –via Ocean of Dharma's Quotes of the Week (click here to subscribe.) The Shambhala Sun is commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of Chögyam Trungpa's death with "Ocean of Dharma," a yearlong series of previously unpublished teachings, some of which you can read online now.  Click here to read the first of these, "A Meditation Instruction." "The Teacher-Student Relationship," from our May issue, is now online in its entirety — read it here . And coming up in our July 2012 magazine , which will be hitting newsstands in a few day

by Paul Griffin, The Buddhist Channel, May 26, 2012 Stephen Batchelor's interpretation linking science with Buddhist ( Does Buddhist need the supernatural stuff? ), while accepting the law of cause and effect, is inconsistent in not providing any explanation of what happens to accumulated karma after death. Buddhist doctrine of course definitely refers to reincarnation, for example the Anguttara Nikaya 6/63 states: "Threefold however, is the fruit of karma: ripening during the lifetime, ripening in the next birth, ripening in later births......". A further difference is that the scientific method is analytical, it breaks things down into their component parts, wheras Buddhist proceeds towards an expansive synthesis, i.e. the four boundless states, the four immaterial spheres and indeed the central doctrine of non-self is opposed to the scientific focus on 'identity'. Read More @ Source

Ezinemark.com, May 25th, 2012 New Delhi, India -- From ages, India has witnessed birth of many religion and spiritual doctrines, which later spread across the world like a phenomenon. India is the holy land where many divine incarnations were born to show a positive direction to human evolution. Lord Buddha is the incarnation who created the religious philosophy of Meditation in India. Thus, Buddhist tours adjudged, as the spiritual face of India is apt from every aspect. Buddhism is all about the essence of dharma, which shape the karma of mortals for many lifetimes. Prince Siddhartha was born in the year 623 B.C. in a royal clan of Nepal in Lumbini at Nepal. Everyone believed that he will be a great warrior but at the age of 29, he abandoned all royal luxury and family to attain self-realization. The popular Buddhist sites in India are Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Vaishali, and Ajanta & Ellora caves. Bodh Gaya : The holy place where Lord Buddha undertook vigorous meditation to

by Walter Jayawardhana, The Buddhist Channel, May 26, 2012 Taxila, Pakistan -- The ancient Buddhist learning center of higher education Taxila, situated in modern Pakistan has been declared one of the most endangered historical sites in Asia by the Global Heritage Fund which promotes the preservation of historic architectural sites around the world. It is one of the finalized  list of the top 10 most endangered sites in Asia. Taxila is  in the Rawalpindi District of Punjab province of Pakistan, and an important archaeological site. The city dates back to the Gandhara period and contains the ruins of the Gandharan city of Takshasila, which was an important Hindu and Buddhist centre, and is still considered a place of religious and historical sanctity in those traditions. In 1980, Taxila was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was ranked as the top tourist destination in Pakistan by The Guardian newspaper in 2006. Besides Taxila, nine other endangere

Shambhala Times , the community news magazine of Shambhala International , has just announced the debut of ShambhalaNews.org — the "newest member of the online Shambhala family." Designed especially for readers who are not members of the Shambhala community, the site is, in the words of Communications Director Larry Barnett, "generally jargon-free, straightforward, and includes reports on the ways in which Shambhala and its members are working to create enlightened society." You can visit the new website here . Read More @ Source Compassion Without Limit Part 1 of 14 THE DZOGCHEN PONLOP RINPOCHE Teaching on Compassion Without Limit: The Courageous Heart and Lojong Practice at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado April 11, 2003 was recorded by Patrick and is sold by Vajra Echoes. These and other videos of Rinpoche's teachings are available at www.vajraechoes.com For more information on Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpo

By John Curry, EMC News, May 24, 2012 Stittsville, Ontario (Canada) -- Except for the intermittent sounds of traffic passing by on Hazeldean Road filtering into the building and the ticking of a wall clock, silence reigned in Stittsville's Cambodian Buddhist Temple on Thursday evening, May 17 as Bhante Kovida led attendees through meditation exercises. << Ven. Rath Sam, left, of the Cambodian Buddhist Temple on Hazeldean Road in Stittsville and Bhante Kovida, right, take part in a meditation session led by Bhante Kovida at the Temple on Thursday evening, May 17. John Curry, Metroland One involved moving the hands in a rotational cycle, while touching the body at certain points. These movements and touches enhance a person's awareness of the moment and helps eliminating random thoughts from the mind. In this way, these hand and arm movements are a roadway to a state of meditation. This exercise was followed by a half hour of controlled breathing, again with an

By Tammy Quackenbush, Yonhap News, May 24, 2012 SAN FRANCISCO, CA (USA) -- With more than 80 Buddhist centers ringing California's San Francisco Bay, the area is hardly bereft of such belief. But two stand out among them, specializing in what has remained in Korea a less dominant sect: Korean Seon (Zen) Buddhism. One of the centers also stands out for its approach to teaching. << Entrance to the Empty Gate Zen Buddhist Center (All photos courtesy of Tammy Quackenbush) The Empty Gate Zen Buddhist Center is the larger of the two zen-based centers, located in the heart of the East Bay city of Berkeley near the University of California campus. The center has a loose affiliation with Korea's Jogye order, the country's largest Buddhist sect, but its membership is with the Kwan Um School of Zen, which was established by Seung Sahn, the first Zen master to live and teach in the West. "The Kwan Um School and the Jogye order are separate," explained Jason

The Buddhist Channel, May 26, 2012 Honolulu Ceremony among the Largest Memorial Day Observances in the U.S.A. with 40,000+ Audience Expected at Ala Moana Beach Park TOKYO, Japan -- Shinnyo-en, the Buddhist denomination in which all people regardless of age, gender, nationality, or religious background can cultivate the innate kernel of enlightenment existing in all beings, announced today confirmed details about the 14th annual Lantern Floating Hawai'i ceremony ( http://www.lanternfloatinghawaii.com/ ). Lantern Floating Hawai'i 2012 will culminate the day-long public celebrations of one of the largest Memorial Day observances in the U.S.A. at the Ala Moana Beach Park ( http://www1.honolulu.gov/parks/programs/beach/alamoana.htm ) on Monday, May 28, 2012. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 6:00 PM HAST (Midnight EDT) and continue for about ninety minutes. The event will air live on Hawai'i News Now, KGMB and stream live via webcast on Lantern Floating Hawaii

A forest path in the International Forest Monastery. Forest walking can be a wondrous exercise. Traversing the damp track through the fresh-aired woods is stepping through the mind. Though feet tread over wet soil, leaves and twigs, where does all this take place? In this very mind. The two are, in fact, one and the same. For, in actual experience, there is no separation between the sights & sounds of the forest and the mind that apprehends them; they arise together.  The intertwining trunk of the mind... Science, it would seem, affirms this unitive experience. For, where do we experience the five senses but in the sixth one, the mind? Take vision, for example. When I look at the tree, it is light reflected off ! of its s urface that travels to my eye, and from there to the brain. And it is here, in the mind that's associated with this brain that I experience the tree; not 'out there' in the world, but here in the mind. In fact, if reflected on, everything that'