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

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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!

From the Big News Network

A five-day photo exhibition was organised by a Buddhist monastery at Dharamsala here to commemorate twenty years of the passing away of the tenth Panchen Lama.

The exhibition concluded on Thursday.

On view were rare photographs and vintage Thangka paintings (traditional Tibetan scroll art) that showed the lives of Panchen Lamas.

The organisers wished that through this exhibition the world will remember the forgotten Tibetan Buddhist lineage of spiritual leaders.

The main aim of the exhibition was to show the world that the tenth Panchen Lama had consistently worked for the welfare of the Tibetan people, and also that he had struggled to preserve Tibetan theological culture despite Chinese conquest and rule.

Read More

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When it comes to decorating a room, practicing feng shui has become quite popular. When you decorate using the principles of feng shui, you work to utilize the space in your home effectively to maintain good chi, or energy. To achieve the right feng shui in a room, there are certain things that a homeowner must or must not do when it comes to decorating. The following interior decorating tips will help you maintain good chi in your home.

Include Color in the Room
There are certain colors in feng shui decorating that you should use if you want to promote good energy in the room. Each color stands for a different thing. Red, for instance, represents good luck, which is why most people will include red in their feng shui design. For a fresh and peaceful look, decorate with green. Use yellow if you’re looking for another good luck color.

In feng shui decorating, you never want to choose a color that’s unappealing or distracting to the homeowner. Rather, you should go with colors that have a comfortable feel to them.

Keep the Room Simple
Overly crowded spaces full of stuff are not typically part of a feng shui design. Instead, the room should be kept very simple. You just want to include basic amish furniture and a few accessories. In the feng shui practice, a room should never be cramped, as that will only create negative energy in the room.

When implementing a feng shui design, start out with the basics, such as a piece of furniture and maybe another added piece such as a wood dresser to begin with. Slowly add a few more items as needed, but be sure you don’t go overboard on the accessories or décor items.

Use Natural Materials
If you are practicing feng shui, then remember to use natural materials for the room whenever possible. Bamboo, hemp, organic fabrics, and other natural materials help to keep the negative chi away that can be found with artificial products. A great way to incorporate the feng shui practice into a room is with a bamboo wood floor or an organic cotton slipcover over the couch.

Decorate with Plants
For a room with good chi, your definitely going to want to decorate with plants. Plants are a wonderful addition to any feng shui design, as they are living objects that help the environment.

You can use all different types of plants in your home to help you achieve a unique look in each room. In one room, a small potted plant might be just the thing. But in another room might call for a large standing tree in the corner. No matter what kind of plant you choose, it will make a great addition to any feng shui room.

Decorate and Design According to the Bagua
A bagua is the energy map for a particular room. If you are really serious about feng shui decorating, then you’re going to need to specifically follow the bagua according to the shape and size of the room. The energy map of a long dining room is going to be different than that of a small kitchen. Use the bagua to determine the life areas in your home. Then you’ll be able to start decorating the different rooms according to feng shui practices.

Feng shui decorating has seen a rapid increase in popularity in recent years. Thus, these days feng shui is known more as a design style rather than a philosophy. By learning more about this practice and incorporating it into your home, you’ll be able to create some positive chi and embrace the feng shui life.

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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. …

From the Associated Press (AP)

NAGANO, Japan, Dec. 30 (AP) – (Kyodo)—Tibet’s spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will visit Zenkoji Temple in central Japan, which earned praise from him for rejecting cooperation in a Beijing Olympic torch relay, in June 2010, the temple said Wednesday.

The Buddhist temple in Nagano declined to serve as the starting point of the Japan leg of the torch relay because of the crackdown on Buddhists in Tibet in 2008, and the Dalai Lama gave a statue to the temple in March to show his gratitude over the decision. Both sides have since maintained exchanges.

“Zenkoji Temple’s decision to withdraw from the relay led Tibetans to think that they have received strong support from the Japanese Buddhist community,” said Lhakpa Tshoko, the representative of the Dalai Lama’s liaison office for Japan and East Asia.

The Dalai Lama will arrive in Japan on June 18, attend a ritual at the temple the following day and deliver a speech in Nagano on June 20 before visiting Tokyo and Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, according to the temple.

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However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?

- Buddha …

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Most people think of Feng Shui in terms of a system of religious rituals to safeguard their property. It is that, of course, but it is also considered more than that. Basically, Feng Shui is based on the ancient Chinese belief that the power of natural forces, called ‘chi’, can be harnessed to act favorably on any kind of property. When you take apart the word Feng-Shui, wind is the meaning of Feng and water is the meaning of the word Shui. Water and wind are two of nature’s elements out of the five elements that are often used in Feng Shui House. The ancient Chinese have always seen water and winds as a sign of good health and a good harvest.

Feng Shui is a Chinese system of aesthetics that has been in use from times immemorial. It involves all the elements that surround us like, geographical, religious, astrological and mathematical and aims to strike the perfect harmony between these so that we get to have relaxation, a sense of well-being and prosperity. It is an art form the sole purpose of which is to provide us with a lifestyle that is expressed through interior decoration. Sitting down in your best ergonomic office chair can allow one to loosen up.

Feng shui is the art of improving the environment in which you live or work by making a series of changes to the color, layout and decor. There are a number of people who think of feng shui as being very mystical and hard to comprehend. There are professional consultants who specialize in customized analysis of an individual and their home. However basic feng shui principles are very easy to learn and can be applied by anyone.

There are many aspects that a practitioner will use in conjunction with each other. I am going to touch briefly upon a few different tools a consultant may use to evaluate your space: surrounding environments, supportive directions, and the five elements. Feng Shui has remained a philosophy and can be used in any culture and alongside any belief system. Feng Shui has the capacity to bring about change using an old Chinese formula which determines the rising and falling energy in a house or with an individual’s life.

Developing some anger management help can always be good. Feng Shui teachings have gained in popularity in recent years in the West and for good reason! These teachings offer you a unique way of seeing and responding to your immediate environment in a profound, life changing way.

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Bangkok – Thailand’s Sangha Supreme Council which governs the country’s Buddhist monkhood has severed all ties with and Australian monastery for ordaining two female monks, media reports said Tuesday….