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AFP, July 31, 2012 LOS ANGELES, CA (USA) -- A new study finds that mindfulness meditation can help older adults battle feelings of loneliness while also boosting health. The study, published in the journal Brain, Behavior & Immunity, shows that eight weeks of training in mindfulness meditation (a total of 2.5 hours a week) is linked with decreased loneliness. << Older adults reported reduced feelings of loneliness after taking part in an eight-week training on mindfulness meditation. The study included 40 participants between ages 55 and 85, some of whom participated in an eight-week training programme (a total of 2.5 hours a week) called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, which was established by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in the US. "We always tell people to quit smoking for health reasons, but rarely do we think about loneliness in the same way," said study lead J. David Creswell said in a statement dated July 2

by Andrew Lam, New America Media, Commentary, Jul 31, 2012 For a country steeped in Buddhism, Myanmar is accruing terrible karmic debts. Yangon, Myanmar -- Alarming news and images of attacks and killings by the Buddhist majority in Rakhine Province against a Muslim minority there have been slowly trickling out onto the Internet and the wider world. Pictures of charred bodies and crying parents have stirred largely unheeded calls for intervention, mostly from Muslim nations. "The attacks have been primarily one-sided, with Muslims generally and Rohingyas specifically the targets and victims," Benjamin Zawacki, a Bangkok-based researcher for Amnesty International, told The Associated Press. "Some of this is by the security forces' own hands, some by Rakhine Buddhists with the security forces turning a blind eye in some cases." The government in Myanmar, recently lauded for taking steps toward democratization, declared a state of emergen

The Buddhist Channel, Aug 1, 2012 An open letter to Burma's monks Rangoon, Burma -- Arabic press Al-Arabiya has called it "the ignored genocide".  Other news agencies, such as the Iranian based IRNA, liberally uses the term "massacre" in its reports.  While much of the western press have either ignored this issue or downplayed it altogether, the attention in the Muslim world has spawned calls for revenge. Pakistani Talibans have threatened to invoke "jihad" to "avenge crimes against the Muslim Rohingya". But this "genocide" or "massacre" did not take place in the usual spots that we so often associate it with. It did not happen in the West Bank, neither did it occur in some Iraqi neighborhood or – in the most current context – Syria. It is happening within the fringe of a so-called Buddhist land, the land of the golden pagodas, Burma. As Buddhists, our natural tendency is to view this tragic conflict between e

Swazi sunbeams, near Manzini The Times of Swaziland is reporting that Chand-rakanthi de Silva, a former textbook manager at Waterford Kamhlaba United World Colleges and assistant librarian at Pathways World School, has received the first Buddhist funeral in Manzini, Swaziland. Swaziland, a mostly Christian country, legally paved the way for other religions in its July 2005 constitution that ensures "protection of freedom of conscience or religion." For more Buddhist news coming out of South Africa, you will want to read our article " The Dharma of Ubuntu ." The piece ran in our Summer 2012 issue of Buddhadharma and covers Buddhist relief work in the region. (Photo by krugergirl26 via Flickr using a CC-BY license.) Read More @ Source

Samye Ling Samye Ling, a Karma Kagyu lineage monastery on Holy Isle island in Scotland, is worried by a proposed power plant in nearby Arran. Founded by  Dr. Akong Tulku Rinpoche and Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche , Samye Ling was the first Tibetan monastery in Europe (the name Samye comes from the first successful Buddhist establishment in Tibet). Lama Yeshe Rinpoche , current abbot of Samye Ling, has expressed concern that the proposed plant would be unsightly, producing unwanted noise and pollution. Speaking to Deadline News , Lama Yeshe said, "It's just going to ruin the potential of Arran and Holy Isle." The Rinpoche also worries about the environmental impact, saying, "We feel Holy Isle is beautiful, environmentally and ecologically sound, and we care about nature and the wild animals." (Photo by maciejzgadzaj via Flickr using a CC-BY license.) Read More @ Source

The latest hubbub in the literary world — or at least the world of literary nonfiction — is all about Jonah Lehrer and his book, Imagine: How Creativity Works . Lehrer was a well-known staff writer for the New Yorker, but resigned that post yesterday due to the revelation that he had included in the book Bob Dylan quotes that, unfortunately, weren't by Bob Dylan at all. These quotes, about Dylan's songwriting, were fabricated by Lehrer himself. That's bad news for the author but not necessarily for the book, which has already sold some 200,000 copies. And being that the book is nonfiction, a James Frey / A Million Little Pieces -style backlash probably isn't in the cards. So while Lehrer is on to the next phase of his career, his book remains out there with much to (legitimately) tell us. So do check out "Tapping the Creative Mind" — Christian McEwen's feature review of Imagine from our September issue, which is just hitting newsstands this week. As

Leh, Ladakh, J&K, India, 27 July, 2012 - On this fourth visit to Lamdon Model School since the mid-seventies, His Holiness the Dalai Lama was given a warm reception by Mr. Eshey Tondup, the Principal, who showed him two new buildings: a dental clinic dedicated to the memory of the late Roy A. Kite, Jr. from France, whose longstanding contribution to the students' welfare His Holiness remembered well and a science block with three new Chemistry, Physics and Biology laboratories. During his last visit to Lamdon school, in 2009, His Holiness urged the administration to provide such science facilities so students could gain practical experience of science. He offered financial help for them to do so and was deeply impressed with what has been achieved. His Holiness the Dalai Lama makes a gesture during his visit to address the Leh Muslim community organized by the Muslim Coordination Committee Leh Ladakh, J&K, India, on 27 July 2012 . (Photo by Rosemary Rawcliffe) . In

Pema fans wont want to miss her feature article in the November '12 Shambhala Sun, available in early October. Buddhist teacher Pema Chödrön recently celebrated her seventy-sixth birthday, and the folks at the Pema Chödrön Foundation decided to honor the day by arranging a "virtual retreat" that fans worldwide could take part in. So how'd it go? Smashingly! As the PCF tells us: "From Ukraine to Uganda, and from Tajikistan to Tibet, friends and students of Pema Chödrön from around the world gathered together in their homes and local centers on July 14 in honor of her 76th birthday. Pema had filmed a teaching just for this birthday retreat before she entered her own retreat for this entire year. Remarkably, more than 11,000 people from 101 countries gathered with many thousands more in their own communities. There was no cost for the retreat and teachings, but the many birthday offerings that were received went toward the building of a three-year retreat ce

We've told you before about Samsara , director Ron Fricke's upcoming sequel, of sorts, to his 1992 masterpiece Baraka . Now, there's a new trailer out. Shot on 70mm film in over 25 countries, Fricke calls the film "a guided meditation on the cycle of birth death and rebirth." Watch the new trailer here: Samsara premiered at the Santa Barbara Film Festival in February, and it's set to be released in theaters on August 24. There's lots more information, including a schedule of screenings, at the film's website. The word samsara , Fricke explains, describes "the ever-turning wheel of life." For more on the concept of samsara, see " What Turns the Wheel of Life ," by Francesca Fremantle. Read More @ Source

The XVIIth Congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies has been announced at a newly launched website , and will be held in Vienna, Austria, at the University of Vienna, from August 18-23, 2014. Founded in 1976, " IABS " is the preeminent scholarly organization for those who study Buddhist, and is dedicated to "promoting and suppporting scholarship in Buddhist Studies in a spirit of non-sectarian tolerance and with scientific research and communication as preeminent objectives." Their conferences occur every three years at various locations around the world (the most recent, in 2011, was held at Dharma Drum Buddhist College in Jinshan, Taiwan, while the 2008 was held at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, in the U.S.). Those who plan to attend the 2014 conference in Vienna must be members of IABS (join here ) and should fill out the electronic "mailings request form" online as soon as possible. For more information, visit  http://iabs2014

Tyranny is a strong word to use here. However it speaks of the strength and pull that numbers can have in our minds, towards the positive or towards the negative. Numbers, numbers and more numbers are quoted on the news and elsewhere. Constantly. But what do they actually MEAN. Just the sum of something or other. I'll leave it there though, I'd not want to get into a whole debate about numbers. We need them. They most likely are useful. And I'll not be getting overly up or down about the numbers we are exposed to. I was given a postcard the other day of this old sign which lists the words used by sheep farmers to count their sheep. The counting goes up to ten however, apparently, the counting went on indefinitely to account for fields full of them woolly beasts! I'll maybe ask a farmer what he uses, what language he uses, to count his sheep now. Counting Sheep This post has given me the opportunity to link to this delightful animated video. Several readers wil

Homepage » News » His Holiness Inaugurates Science Building at Lamdon School and Visits Ladakhi Muslims at Idgah, Leh. » July 30th 2012 On July 27 His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited the Lamdon Model School where he was given a warm reception by its Principal, Mr. Eshey Tondup staff and students. He was first taken on a tour of two new buildings in the school premise: the dental clinic and the science block. The former is dedicated to the memory of the late Roy A. Kite, Jr. of France, whose son was there to introduce it to His Holiness. His Holiness remembered Mr. Roy's dedication and expressed to the son. During his previous visit to the school in 2009, His Holiness had urged the administrators to provide facilities to students for scientific research and offered his assistance in this.  Thus, the school authorities were able to construct the science block.  His Holiness was deeply impressed and said that "the result is remarkable" regarding the science bloc

If you're following the Shambhala Sun on Facebook , you know that we share interesting stories from around the web there all week long. But not everyone's on Facebook, so here's what we posted in the past week. Noted Tibetan teacher Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche passed away on Tuesday ; he gave some great practice advice to Western Buddhists in this interview Buddhist monks in Burma are reportedly urging people to shun the Rohingya Muslim community and trying to block humanitarian aid to the stateless Muslim group Aung San Suu Kyi has addressed the Burmese parliament for the first time Several prominent Buddhist teachers have signed an open letter to the American Buddhist community, urging them to speak out against natural gas fracking that's threatening the environment around a Buddhist temple in Pennsylvania Naropa University has received a $ 250,000 gran t from the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation If you're not already following us on Facebook, li

"A Sri Lankan youth employed as a domestic aid has been arrested in Saudi Arabia for praying to a statue of Lord Buddha, which is considered an offence according to Islamic Sharia law. According to the Bodu Bala Sena, the youth bearing passport no. 2353715 identified as Premanath Pereralage Thungasiri has been arrested by Umulmahami Police, which is a grave situation. While the youth is a Buddhist, the charge levelled against him is that he paid obeisance to the Buddha at the house where he was employed. The Bodu Bala Sena organisation further said those employed in Muslim-majority countries are prevented from practicing their religious faiths, and if found to do so are punished severely. Recently a Sri Lankan woman was arrested for gazing at a child at a shopping complex, where she was accused of witchcraft, on the grounds that she had a black cord around her wrist. On prior occasions too many Sri Lankan female domestic workers were forced to embrace Islam, and wear t

Here's the latest from The Under 35 Project, by Michael Felberbaum . Advertisements for meditation almost always contain images of airbrushed men and women in straight-backed, Buddha-like cross-legged postures, sitting under brilliant blue skies in an open meadow or on a rock next to a gently rolling sea at sunrise. Serenity blankets the meditator's face. What does not show up in the advertisements are grimaces, foot cramps, twitches, tears, boredom and the other common experiences of practicing meditators. It's especially ironic to me that popular images surrounding Buddhism and meditation are so idyllic when, in actuality, it is a philosophy based on the truth of suffering and the inevitably of death. Most people do not associate suffering and death with clear skies, perfect yogi postures and sunshine. It's not just non-meditators who glorify sitting — even much of the meditation literature supports the popular image by likening thoughts to clouds in the sky a

Field of Merit website banner photograph I've been hinting in past posts that there is a project about to be launched which I am involved with. Well here it is.... fieldofmerit.org We opened the doors eight hours ago and we hope you will support our efforts any way you can. Why not be the first to leave a comment and sign-up for our monthly Newsletter for starters? Read the first two posts of our blog, read our About page. Let us know via the contact form if the pages don't display correctly on your computer. The photograph, which we are using as the website banner image, was taken in the grounds of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey a month ago. Newcastle had just had the devastating storm which left houses and businesses washed out, the black cloud to the right speaks of serious weather near by. Incidentally, when conditions calmed down, people were kayaking up and down the flooded streets! Everybody loves a bit of fun even in the midst of serious conditions. And why not?

Leh, Ladakh, 26 July, 2012 - Today, His Holiness the Dalai Lama reached the Leh Jokhang Temple, which locals call the Gonpa Soma (New Temple), at 8 o'clock. He immediately began to conduct the  ceremony to ordain fifty Ladakhi Shramaneras (novice monks) as Bhikshus (fully ordained monks), which took nearly 4 hours. His Holiness was assisted on this historic occasion by the 102nd Gaden Tripa (Throne Holder of the Gaden tradition), the very venerable Kyabje Rizong Rinpoche, the Abbot of Namgyal Monastery, Thomthok Rinpoche, Geshe Tseten Namgyal, the Abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery and other Bhikshus. After enjoying lunch with these senior Bhikshus, His Holiness visited the regional Head Quarters of the Indo-Tibetan Border Force (ITBF), where he planted a tree. He gave a short talk to about 300, mostly Ladakhi, members of ITBF. His Holiness stressed the importance of relating to other people on a basic human level, considering other people to be human beings like ourselves, with the

Photo: tibet.net Kasur Alak Jigme Thinley Phuntsok, who previously served as a kalon and speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, passed away yesterday at age 72. At age seven, he was identified as the reincarnation of Jigme Tulku of Rebkong Ringpo monastery. Through the years, Phuntsok served in a variety of administrative roles within the exiled government — in addition to kalon and speaker, he was also the auditor general and chairman of the Public Service Commission. Read his full obituary here , at the Central Tibet Administration's website. Read More @ Source

As you may know, Raymond Taavel, a beloved Shambhala Sun staff member and dedicated activist for LGBT rights, was murdered outside a bar here in Halifax in April. (See our coverage of his death here .) Raymond was long involved with organizing Halifax's annual Pride Week celebrations, and for this year's Pride, Shambhala Sun senior writer Barry Boyce put together this tribute to Raymond in The Coast , a local weekly newspaper. There's also this video about Raymond that was shown at his public memorial service in May. Read More @ Source

Monks in Rakhine during less violent times The Independent reports that Buddhist monks in Burma are urging people not to associate with Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine state in the west of the country, and are trying to block humanitarian aid from reaching the Rohingya community. The news comes after weeks of clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in Rakhine that have left at least 80 people dead and displaced tens of thousands. This Pakistani editorial calls attention to violence against the Rohingya people, whom the United Nations consider to be one of the world's most oppressed minorities. (Photo by Daniel Julie via Flickr , using a CC-BY license.) Read More @ Source

"According to Buddhism, we are unable to live happily as long as we suffer from the delusion of self—from the sense that 'I' am separate from the rest of the world." That delusion, says Zen teacher David Loy , is the root of many problems, causing people to live in the future because that's when they expect their desires to be fulfilled. In August, Loy will be teaching a week-long course at the Omega Institute , called Money, Sex, War, Karma: Transforming Self, Transforming Society, focused on overcoming those delusions and desires and creating real change. Through presentations, discussions and guided meditations with Loy, the class will explore both personal and social transformation through the Buddhist path. The program runs Sunday, August 19 through Friday, August 24 at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. Tuition is $ 360; click here for more information and registration. Read More @ Source

HH Dagchen Rinpoche with grandson, HE Asanga Rinpoche (2007) For the last seven years, Seattle-born 13 year-old Asanga Rinpoche Sakya has been training at Tharlam Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal. Asanga was born in to a royal line of Sakya lineage holders and entered the Nepalese monastery at age 5 , a time when other children his age were starting kindergarten. He is a prince by birth and, as is customary in the Sakya tradition, he has been training in the monastery so that he can continue passing on the teachings of his bloodline. His grandfather, Jigdal Dagchen Sakya, is one of the Sakya lineage's most venerated leaders. In June of this year, Asanga returned home to Seattle for the first time since entering the monastery, where he will become reacquainted with his family and teach for the summer. He is getting to know his younger sisters and the family is planning a trip to Disneyland. Depending on the health of his aging grandfather, Asanga will also participate in a teach

Sneezing, coughing, blowing her nose — Natalie Goldberg was awfully sick yet she was happy. Happiness is available to everyone, she realized, but we can find it only when we're still. "You don't do happiness. You receive it. It's like a water table under the earth. It's available to everyone but we can only tap it, have it run up through us, when we're still. A well that darts around can never draw water. We misinterpret success, desire, enterprise, and the things we love as the state of happiness. Usually, we don't even consider happiness because we're too busy dashing after life, defending, building, developing, even fighting, asserting, arguing. We're in the scramble—lively, engaged." Read a longer excerpt from "Waking Up to Happiness" here . And you can browse the entire July 2012 magazine here . For more from Natalie Goldberg, see our Natalie Goldberg Spotlight Page , which features all of her work from the pages of the

Here's another photo from Andy Karr's contemplative photography website Seeing Fresh , by Alain Walry. You don't need an expensive camera to try contemplative photography — anyone can do it. To learn more about the practice, and to submit your own photos, visit the Seeing Fresh website and The Practice of Contemplative Photography's Facebook page . You can view all of our "Seeing Fresh" posts on Shambhala SunSpace here . Read More @ Source

Dog rose with moody Pennines Ah how good it is to be out walking with summer wild flowers strewn around. Read More @ Source

Finding True Refuge is an exciting new web-video series spearheaded by meditation teacher Tara Brach . FTR takes you inside people's intimate journeys into meditation — why they began the practice, and how it has transformed their lives. Previously, Jesse T. shared his inspiring story in this video , and in this SunSpace post , teachers including Brach and Tsoknyi Rinpoche shared their own meditation experiences. Now, four previous non-meditators explain how sitting has helped to heal and awaken their hearts. Meditation helped Laura overcome an eating disorder, alcohol addiction, and the loss of a relationship. Now, she draws inspiration from her group meditation practice. And there are three more FTR videos after the jump! Janet shares the story of how meditation helped her accept the reality of her mother's death, and helped her create a special moment with her mother: Terry, an incest survivor, used food as a source of comfort for decades. Now, her practic

The Tibetan Buddhist master and onetime abbot of Thrangu Monastery, Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche , died suddenly this morning in Melbourne, Australia, site of the Kagyu E-vam Buddhist Institute which he founded. . Family and students were by his side as he passed, apparently of a heart attack. He was 57. . Though such an event was unexpected, Rinpoche's travel and activity had been restricted in recent years due to health concerns. He was expected to arrive in North America soon, for his first visit here in some time. . Felicity Lodro and Kal Kingi of the E-Vam Institute—of which Rinpoche was director—issued a statement about his death; you can read it here . Shambhala Publications, which publishes Rinpoche's work, issued this statement , along with an excerpt from his book Mind at Ease . . . Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche's work has appeared in the Shambhala Sun magazine numerous times; here's a selection of his work. Suffering: The Journey Starts Here — Tr

The Tibetan Buddhist master and onetime abbot of Thrangu Monastery, Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche , died suddenly this morning in Melbourne, Australia, site of the Kagyu E-vam Buddhist Institute which he founded. . Family and students were by his side as he passed, apparently of a heart attack. He was 57. . Though such an event was unexpected, Rinpoche's travel and activity had been restricted in recent years due to health concerns. He was expected to arrive in North America soon, for his first visit here in some time. . The following statement about Rinpoche's passing has been issued by Felicity Lodro and Kal Kingi of the E-Vam Institute — of which Rinpoche was the Director: "Dear Friends and Members of Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche's centres, "It is with deep regret that we inform the Karma Kagyu tradition, the Nyingma tradition and all other schools of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the wider Buddhist community that our treasured and beloved Traleg Kya

Outside of The Dark Knight Rises , The Avengers , and other summer blockbusters, 0ne of the season's most talked about films is Kumare: The True Story of a False Prophet . (In fact, Vikram Gandhi , the film's creator, is scheduled to appear on The Colbert Report tonight.) Watch a trailer for and read a review of this unusual documentary and its unique view of spiritual teachers and students. Review by Cristina Moon Brooklyn-based filmmaker Vikram Gandhi likens his new genre-bending documentary  Kumaré  to a Zen koan. Followed by a film crew, Gandhi grows out his hair and beard, dons an accent, and becomes a "fake guru" he calls Kumaré. Vikram then has his character visit suburban Arizona. The aim isn't just to trick people, but to teach people who think they need a guru that all spiritual leaders are actually illusions — and the only real guru is within.  "The reason for making the film was in a way propaganda — exposing something that seems real t

1. Read the Roman-Raphaelson book on writing. Read it three times. 2. Write the way you talk. Naturally. 3. Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs. 4. Never use jargon words like reconceptualize, demassification, attitudinally, judgmentally. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass. 5. Never write more than two pages on any subject. 6. Check your quotations. 7. Never send a letter or a memo on the day you write it. Read it aloud the next morning — and then edit it. 8. If it is something important, get a colleague to improve it. 9. Before you send your letter or your memo, make sure it is crystal clear what you want the recipient to do. 10. If you want ACTION, don't write. Go and tell the guy what you want. David Brain Pickings - 10 Tips on Writing from David Ogilvy. Make of this what you will.... I pre-ordered the book The Unpublished David Ogilvy: A Selection of His Writings from the Files of His Partners . Read More @ Source

The Fall 2012 Buddhadharma magazine—which is mailing to subscribers now—features a lengthy excerpt from Kay Larson's new biography of the avant-garde composer John Cage: Where the Heart Beats: John Cage, Zen Buddhism, and the Inner Life of Artists . The excerpt focuses on the Cage's 4'33″ —the legendary "silent piece," from the furor over its debut performance to its enduring legacy 60 years later. Where the Heart Beats , which focuses on Cage's involvement with Zen Buddhism in the 1950′s and its influence on his compositions, got a great review in Monday's New York Times . Reviewer Ben Ratliff notes that Zen "changed not only the sort of music he composed but, seemingly, everything he did and said." You can read Ratliff's full review here , and look for the book excerpt in the new issue of Buddhadharma . Read More @ Source

The World Fellowship of Buddhists, established in 1950 to foster cooperation between Buddhists of different sects all over the world, called on humanity to extend compassion and loving-kindness to all living beings in its final Declaration at its 26th General Conference held in South Korea last month. This stemmed from Ven. Senaka Weeraratna of the German Dharmaduta Society, who handed in a draft resolution at the conference calling for an animal welfare subcommittee of the WFB Standing Committee for Humanitarian Services. You can read the full text of the draft resolution at lankaweb.com, available here . (Photo by Craig Nagy via Flickr using a CC-BY-SA license.) Read More @ Source

A new study by the Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life estimates that between 1 and 1.3 percent of the United States population—between 3 and 4 million people—identifies as Buddhist, a dramatic increase from a 2007 Pew survey that found only about .7 percent of the population to be Buddhist. The new study, which focused on religious identity and practices of Asian Americans, also estimated that around two-thirds of American Buddhists are Asian American, about double the proportion found in the 2007 survey. The study's authors said the probable reason for the increased estimate of Asian American Buddhists is that the previous survey was only conducted in English and Spanish, while the new survey was also conducted in seven commonly spoken Asian languages. You can read the full report here . Read More @ Source

Peacefulness follows any decision, even the wrong one. Rita Mae Brown This seems to be true. It might be due to the utter relief of making some kind of move, any kind of move, in ones life. A move large and far reaching or small and still far reaching. But the awareness of the long term consequences of small or large decisions are hidden to us. For the most part. Who knows what twists and turns will influence our decisions as we continue on our way. It is not as if there is one final decision and then everything follows from there. Although one good decision, made for the right reasons, has the power to carry forward into future good decisions. The key lies in the ability to keep listening to those inner prompting , or the internal bell I mentioned recently , and steer by them. As best one can. I'm particularly, acutely perhaps, aware of this need to keep listening and keep flexible because I, and another female monastic of our order, are standing on the brink of lau

If you're following the Shambhala Sun on Facebook , you know that we share interesting stories from around the web there all week long. But not everyone's on Facebook, so here's what we posted in the past week. An 18-year-old Tibetan monk has died after self-immolating in protest of Chinese occupation; he's estimated to be the 44th Tibetan to self-immolate since 2009 Commenting on the wave of self-immolations, Tibetan prime-minister-in-exile Lobsang Sangay says there's no other way for Tibetans to protest , while two other Tibet experts show the wide variety of opinions on the protests Digital Dharma , a documentary about the late Tibetologist E. Gene Smith, will be shown at the Rubin Museum in New York next Wednesday Rewire, a new meditation app for iPhone , uses the user's music and videos as the object of meditation And, in case you missed them, these were some of our most popular Shambhala SunSpace posts from this week. Re-relea

I have been doing a lot of research on non-profits, rights work, journalism and so on over the past few months for a project unrelated to this blog. But I discovered a lot of stuff that may be in the … Continue reading → Read More @ Source

by Tania Branigan, 6 July 2012 Authorities want to attract 15 million tourists to Tibet per year but local groups worry about damage to traditional culture Lhasa, Tibet (China) -- Chinese officials have announced plans to build a £3bn Tibetan culture theme park outside Lhasa in three to five years. << Jokhang temple in Lhasa, Tibet A worshipper at Jokhang temple in Lhasa: Chinese authorities say proposed theme park would reduce tourist pressure on the city's main sights. Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian Authorities see developing tourism as crucial to the economic future of Tibet and have set a goal of attracting 15 million tourists a year by 2015, generating up to 18bn yuan (£1.8bn), in a region with a population of just 3 million. But Tibetan groups have expressed concern that the surge in tourism has also eroded traditional culture and that the income has economically benefited Han Chinese more than Tibetans. Ma Xinming, deputy mayor of