Therefore, be ye lamps unto yourselves, be a refuge to yourselves. Hold fast to Truth as a lamp; hold fast to the truth as a refuge. Look not for a refuge in anyone beside yourselves. And those, who shall be a lamp unto themselves, shall betake themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the Truth as their lamp, and holding fast to the Truth as their refuge, they shall reach the topmost height.

- Buddha…

so I’m not naïve enough to believe that Fox news or  Brit Hume are likely to issue an apology to the world’s Buddhists.  I mean there is only about 1.5 billion.  So it’s not like he really offended anybody.  I wonder if we would have experienced the same non-reaction if Mr. Hume had suggested that it was time for Tiger Woods to let go of his Jewish faith?  Not likely. And one can only imagine the uproar in the radical Islamic community over such a pronunciation.  But Buddhism by its very nature is ripe for just such a dismissive attitude.  Buddhism is so focused on the self, we often forget that the true purpose of religion is to force it unsolicited on others who don’t share our views.  That’s what it’s really all about…right?

Brit Hume seems to be ready to offer Tiger Woods a “get out of Hell free card.”  All just for signing up to endorse Christianity. I’d offer Tiger this thought…

“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”

-  Buddha

Related articles about the Woods-Hume Controversy

• Fox sorts out all Tiger’s problems (dvorak.org)
• Michael Sigman: The Gospel According to Brit Hume (huffingtonpost.com)
• Hume Claims He’s not Proselytizing While Still Proselytizing (videocafe.crooksandliars.com)

Sikkim which is situated amidst Himalayan Hills is a paradise for tourists. Now the state Government has stepped up its efforts to promote many Budhist sites and festivals as tourist’s destinations.

Kagyad chaam is the one of the four forms of masked dances in the state.

Performed by Lamas of Buddhist monastery on the every 28th and 29th day of Tibetan calendar, the dances symbolize exorcizing of evil spirits of previous year and welcoming the good spirits at the dawn of New Year.

During the dance costumed Lamas with gaily-painted masks holding the ceremonial swords jump and swing to the rhythm of resounding drums.

The vibrant dance not just enthralls locals, but foreign tourists as well.

Kagyad dance enacts various themes from the Buddhist mythology and culminates with the burning of effigies made of flour, wood and paper.

A congregation of local Buddhist followers and tourists gather once a year to witness this extraordinary dance.

The Buddhist festivals, which reflect centuries-old tradition of Buddhism in State also contribute to the growth of tourism industry.

According to Sikkim Travel Agent Association General Secretary Lukendra Rasily, “Tourists finds it very very interesting, very different and when they come to Sikkim they go back with lot of memories which are not available easily anywhere in the world.”

“The tour operator is marketing; the Government of India is also marketing through their Incredible India slogan,” he added.

Sikkim has a lot more to offer to the visitors-snow clad mountains, thick green forests and monasteries.

Peace and normalcy have brought in many visitors to the state. Over 3 lakh tourists visited Sikkim this year alone.

Related articles

• Dalai Lama holds mass gathering (news.bbc.co.uk)
• Indian MP attacks tougher visa laws (telegraph.co.uk)
• Delhi tries to dispel tourists’ fears (guardian.co.uk)

Tibetan Buddhism is considered as the guardian of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, a paradise for diverse species, with its rigorous doctrines.

“The Tibetan Buddhism stresses the harmony between humans and the nature. Despite harsh natural conditions, however, Tibet has done a good job in environmental protection. This has much to do with the Tibetan Buddhist dogmas requiring quietness during self-cultivation in order to better merge oneself with the nature,” said Cao Ziqiang, 75, former vice president of the High-Level Tibetan Buddhism College of China.

The plateau has offered this religion an ideal environment for its expansion. There, all lamaseries have luxuriant woods, vast pastures and fertile land.

“To cherish the land has naturally become a mission for those Buddhist followers,” Cao said, adding: “Meanwhile, some Buddhist disciplines and taboos have helped protect the ecological environment as well. For example, the precept of no killing is actually regarded as a respect to life and conducive to the protection of both animals and plants.”

Tibetans have internalized these disciplines into self-awareness and have been pursuing them to the letter in their daily life. “Tibet’s weak ecosystem has been protected to the utmost this way,” he said.

According to China Meteorological Administration, the growth rate of temperatures in Tibet is four times the national average. Consequently, Tibet has become a big victim of climatic changes. Its Buddhism, closely tied up with the nature, has no choice but to accept this reality.

Related articles

• Stop Torture In Tibet (thepetitionsite.com)
• Dalai Lama visit to India border region too close for comfort for China (nationalpost.com)
• That’s The Spirit [Snap Judgment] (jezebel.com)

A group of Buddhist monks are on a hunger strike to demand control over Bodh Gaya’s 1,500-year-old Mahabodhi temple, days after Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan backed the move and sought the amendment of an act relating to the shrine.

Read More at Bihar Times

Related articles

• Can you be polite for entire day? Send us the evidence! (ireport.com)
• Cold spell kills dozens of homeless in north India (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Turning the Wheel of Dharma – An examination (article)

This episode is the first half of a lecture by Dr. Eric Hauber, Vice General Director of SGI-USA. The topic is “The Unique Buddhist Perspective of Life and Death” and the lecture was given at Viento y Agua Coffeehouse and Art Gallery in Long Beach, CA.

We have decided to release the second half of the lecture as Episode 3, to be posted in the next day or two. Let us know what you think about the shows so far!

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.

-  Buddha

Found at newkerala.com

“The Dalai Lama will deliver a discourse at Palitana near Bhavnagar in Gujarat Jan 3,” according to a post on the website of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

“After that he will reach Bodh Gaya to give teachings from January 5 to 9,” said the website.

The Dalai Lama, 74, along with many of his supporters fled Tibet and took refuge in India when Chinese troops moved in and took control of Lhasa in 1959.

He has ever since been heading the Tibetan government-in-exile from here which is not recognised by any country in the world.

Related articles about the Dalai Lama

• Dalai Lama’s Tawang Trip Strains India-China Ties (time.com)
• Beyond India vs. China: The Dalai Lama’s Agenda (time.com)
• Dalai Lama to Tour India Region Despite China Ire (time.com)

From Barabara O’ Brien’s Buddhism Column at About.com

I’ve written a new feature article on the Three Pure Precepts.  These are Mahayana precepts featured in Zen, Pure Land, and probably some other schools. A standard translation:

To do no evil;
To do good;
To save all beings.

However, as I explained in the article, there are lots of interesting variations. One that I didn’t discuss in the article is from Reb Tenshin Anderson Roshi, from his book Being Upright: Zen Meditation and the Bodhisattva Precepts:

Embrace and sustain forms and ceremonies
Embrace and sustain all good
Embrace and sustain all beings

Read the full article

To comprehend and to understand God above all similitudes, as He is in Himself, is to be God with God, without intermediary, and without any otherness that can become a hindrance or an intermediary. Whosoever wishes to understand this must have died to himself, and must live in God, and must turn his gaze to the eternal light in the ground of his spirit, where the Hidden Truth reveals Itself without means.

- Ruysbroek. …