By  Shyamal Sinha

Mayawati president of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), stated on 1 November that she would be forced to convert to Buddhism if the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would not change its mindset towards minority social groups.

BSP, which focuses on a platform of social change to improve the lives of the weakest strata of Indian society — the Bahujans or Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and religious minorities.

She accused the BJP of promoting a “casteist” agenda and tried to link its policies to controversial events such as the Gujarat’s Una incident on 11 July last year, where several Dalits were assaulted amid accusations of skinning cow carcasses.

“I throw an open challenge to the BJP to change its casteist and communal mindset towards Dalits, Adivasis, Backwards, and also those who have changed their religion or else I will also have to take a decision towards changing my religion to Buddhism,” said Mayawati at a party rally. (The Economic Times)

The BSP is a populist party, founded in 1984, claiming to represent the marginalized caste communities of the “Bahujans,” or the “people in majority,” who broadly fit into the officially designated social groups that are considered to be historically disadvantaged: Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Castes (OBC). It also counts a share of Dalit Buddhists among its voting constituencies. At the rally, Mayawati claimed that she was waiting for Hindu leaders and people associated with the BJP to change their attitudes towards discrimination in the caste system, or else she would be forced to convert to Buddhism as a symbolic move reflecting one of the BSP’s political heroes, Dalit constitutionalist and Buddhist national father Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

Mayawati’s threat may well prove to be fruitless. Notably, mass conversions to Buddhism by Dalits (which began under Ambedkar in 1956 as a public statement of “opting out” of the shashtras and their authority) have been statistically declining. Between 2001 and 2011, the number of people converting to Buddhism dropped by about 26 percent in Uttar Pradesh, the state where Maywati has been elected three times. There are also significant social and economic repercussions for being listed as a Buddhist neo-convert by the government. (The Quint)

Yet Hindu nationalists have cause for concern should Buddhist converts play a role counterproductive to their political goals. “The BJP, RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and Bajrang Dal are always seeking support based on the Hindu identity. When people reject Hinduism by embracing Buddhism, they also refuse to be part of their socio-political ambitions,” said political activist Nawab Satpal Tanwar.” (IndiaSpend)

The symbolism of Mayawati’s anger towards the BJP is also adding to the crumbling Buddhist diplomacy of BJP leader and Indian PM Narendra Modi, who in recent years courted both domestic and international Buddhist organizations assiduously as part of his broader political platform. Individuals like the Dalai Lama, as well as powerful forces like the International Buddhist Confederation and the Ministry of Culture, have all played direct or indirect roles in Modi’s plans. His largely forgotten Buddhist battle buses, campain busses decked with Buddhist slogans that crossed Uttar Pradesh (also claiming the political mantle of Ambedkar) canvassing for votes for the BJP in 2016, were met with widespread skepticism, along with persistent controversies swirling around the “Dhamma Chakra Yatra” leaders.

While caste discrimination is illegal under the Indian Constitution, the culture of caste permeates Indian society and politics, with religion inevitably drawn into the fray given that castes are often affiliated with different spiritual traditions.

By – Shyamal Sinha

Meeting on sidelines of annual forum could be an opportunity to improve bilateral ties after protracted border dispute

He will meet his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj and top leaders on the sidelines of the annual meeting of foreign ministers from Russia, India and China (RIC), Indian media reported on Monday, in what will be the first high-level talks between Beijing and New Delhi since the start of President Xi Jinping’s second term.Xi Jinping may have opened China’s Communist Party Congress as “first among equals,” but he walks away as much more than that. He’s now likely the most powerful leader this country’s known since Mao Zedong.
By far, he is first among 1.4 billion.

No dates have been given for Wang’s visit, but it could provide an opportunity to improve bilateral ties between the two countries after a protracted border dispute at the remote Doklam plateau – claimed by both China and Bhutan, an ally of India – that ended with a mutual “disengagement” in late August.As per Chinese claims, Doklam is located in the Xigaze area of Tibet, bordering the state of Sikkim. However Bhutan was not a party to the Convention.In 1949, Bhutan signed a treaty with India giving allowance to India to guide its diplomatic and defense affairs.

Shortly after the 73-day stand-off, Xi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in the Chinese port city of Xiamen and agreed to move forward.

In letter to Tibetan herders, Xi sends message on China’s border row with India

Wang was supposed to attend a RIC meeting of foreign ministers in April but the trip was cancelled due to scheduling problems. Beijing had earlier that month lodged a diplomatic protest with India over the Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh. But the Chinese foreign ministry later dismissed the suggestion that the two events were related.

Regional experts said that in the aftermath of the Doklam crisis, the two sides could engage in a more focused discussion in December.

“The meeting could see an exchange of views on bilateral relations – both progress and problems – and perhaps they will explore new ideas and take a fresh look at some of the pressing issues and irritants,” according to Rajeev Chaturvedy, a research associate with the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore.

The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to inquiries about the trip.

US to help India balance China’s power under Donald Trump’s new Asia strategy, ex-CIA official reveals

Rohan Mukherjee, an Asian affairs expert at the Yale-NUS College in Singapore, echoed that view.

“By and large, the emphasis of both sides is likely to be on moving forward on a cooperative footing and adhering to peaceful methods of resolving future incidents along the border,” Mukherjee said.

“But unfortunately, structural factors such as India’s and China’s growing power and interests will make cooperation architecture difficult to create and maintain.”

Before the military stand-off, a US$50 billion Chinese investment in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor – part of Beijing’s belt and road trade plan – had also troubled India, since it runs through contested territory in Kashmir that India claims as its own.

The troops may have stepped back, but the China-India dispute in the Himalayas is far from over

Long Xingchun, a South Asian affairs expert at China West Normal University, said New Delhi was wary of Beijing’s ambitious trade and infrastructure initiative, but China needed India’s support.

“China doesn’t want to have any conflict with India, since it doesn’t pose any major threat to Chinese national and regime security. And given that India is increasingly moving closer to the United States, China’s main geopolitical rival, it’s a country that Beijing wants to win over,” Long said.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told a Washington think tank this month that the US wanted to work with India over the next century to promote a “free and open” Asia-Pacific region led by prosperous democracies.

By  Shyamal Sinha

नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः । न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः ॥
The soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor can he be burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.

Marking the end of a year of national grief, hundreds of thousands of black-clad mourners, many openly weeping, lined the streets of Bangkok’s historical quarter to pay their final respects to Thailand’s late king, Bhumibol Adulyadej (1946–2016), who was cremated late on Thursday night in an elaborate Buddhist ceremony. The late monarch’s son and Thailand’s new ruler, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, presided over the proceedings, which are estimated to have drawn more than 250,000 people from across the country.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej (r. 1946–2016) passed away at Bangkok’s Sririraj Hospital on 13 October last year at the age of 88, following many years of ill health. The late king, also known as Rama IX as the ninth monarch of the Chakri dynasty, was the world’s longest-serving head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history, having sat on the throne for more than 70 years. Widely loved and respected in Thailand, he was popularly seen as a unifying figure of stability in the country that has struggled through decades of political instability punctuated by numerous military coups. His only living son, Maha Vajiralongkorn, has since assumed the throne, although he does not enjoy the same level of public approval as his late father.

A series of complex Buddhist ceremonies and Brahmin rituals, which began on Wednesday, is being held over five days for the late monarch who had lain in state in the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall within Bangkok’s Grand Palace. Preparations for the state funeral have taken nearly a year at a cost of some 3 billion baht (US$90 million), including an elaborate royal crematorium, built for the occasion and standing more than 50 meters tall, according to officials involved in its design, which is based on Buddhist cosmology.

The crematorium’s main structure is crowned with a seven-tiered roof and spire, and surrounded by eight pavilions representing the mountains surrounding Mount Meru. The pavilions are decorated with sculptures of mythical creatures, such as naga, kinnara, and garuda, from the Himavanta (Thai: Himmaphan), a forest believed to surround the base of Mount Meru. For those unable to attend the funeral in person, 85 miniature replicas of the royal cremation site were set up throughout the country.

The cremation formalities began on Thursday morning, when King Maha Vajiralongkorn arrived at the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall to pay his respects to his father and ask permission to transfer the royal urn to the crematorium. The urn was then transported on an ornate palanquin borne by 60 officials, joining the first royal procession of the day. For the second procession, the urn was moved to the Royal Chariot of Great Victory, accompanied by more than 2,000 soldiers. A third procession saw the urn borne by the Royal Gun Carriage before being conveyed to the royal Crematorium in the nearby Sanam Luang public area, in the historic center of Bangkok.

More than 95 per cent of Thailand’s population was born during the late king’s reign, and most Thais view him as a stabilizing figure in a period characterized by economic transformation and political upheaval. Many of those lining the streets of the Thai capital had spent the night on the pavements near the iconic Grand Palace for the opportunity to say farewell to the only monarch they had ever known.

“He was the lifeblood of the nation,” said 60-year-old Sorana Theppanao, who said he had been sleeping outside for three days to get a spot near the procession. (Reuters)

“I love the late King so much. I am overwhelmed; I don’t know how to put it into words,” said 53-year-old Piyarporn Supaporn, a housewife from the eastern province of Rayong. “Our hearts and our minds are directed towards our beloved father.” (Bangkok Post)

“This is the last goodbye,” said 42-year-old Pimsupak Suthin, 42, in tears, who had traveled from Thailand’s northern Nan Province for the occasion. “I really love and miss him. It is very difficult to describe.” (Reuters)

The royal cremation proper, started at 10pm local time on Thursday in the presence of the royal family. A column of smoke rising from the crematorium at 11.30pm marked the late king’s final departure for those gathered to say goodbye to the “father” of Thailand. Officials in charge of the ceremony said about 110,000 people had gathered in a cordoned zone near the cremation area, with another 200,000 nearby.

Along with members of the Thai royal family, senior monks, and government officials, foreign dignitaries from more than 40 countries were also present to pay their respects to the late monarch, among them the king and queen of Bhutan, who have maintained close ties with Thailand’s ruling family, and royals from Britain, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden.

On Friday morning, the Buddhist rituals and rites continued. The late king’s cremated remains were blessed by Supreme Patriarch Somdet Phra Maha Muniwong, head of Thailand’s monastic sangha, and King Maha Vajiralongkorn, whose coronation can only take place after his father’s funeral, returned to the crematorium to lead a ceremony to transfer the ashes back to the Grand Palace, where the funeral will continue until Sunday.

Thailand is predominantly a Theravada Buddhist country, with 93.2 per cent of the kingdom’s population of 69 million identify as Buddhists, according to 2010 data from the Washington, DC-based Pew Research Center.

Buddhism has always been a missionary religion and Theravada Buddhism was able to spread due to the work and travel of missionaries. The Mon people are an ethnic group from Burma(Myanmar) that contributed to the success of Theravada Buddhism within Indochina. Buddhism was likely introduced to the Mon people during the rule of Ashoka Maurya, the leader of the Mauryan Dynasty (268-232 BCE) in India. Ashoka ruled his kingdom in accordance with Buddhist law and throughout his reign he dispatched court ambassadors and missionaries to bring the teachings of the Buddha to the east and Macedonia, as well to parts of Southeast Asia. India had trading routes that ran through Cambodia, allowing for the spread of these ideologies to easily occur. The Mons are one of the earliest ethnic groups from Southeast Asia and as the region shifted and grew, new inhabitants to Burma adopted the Mon people’s culture, script, and religion.

By – Shyamal Sinha

President Dr Lobsang Sangay, Central Tibetan Administration inaugurated a 3-day workshop on the Tibetan Medicare System (TMS), a social health insurance programme of the Department of Health, seeking to improve public health and well-being of the Tibetan community in-exile through access to quality secondary and tertiary healthcare.

At least 48 Tibetan medical officers, doctors, health workers from 33 different settlements are participating in the 3-day meeting cum workshop, being held at the Tibetan Reception Centre.

In his inaugural remarks, President Dr Lobsang Sangay welcomed the growing trust and participation of public in the Medicare System over the last six years.

Recalling the momentous awarding of Certificate of Appreciation upon the TMS team of Health department, by the USAID, President Dr Sangay congratulated the medical officers and health staff of the various Tibetan settlements, who have been incremental to the success of TMS.

“Department of Health is the first ever CTA body to receive such a letter of appreciation from a foreign government organisation in the 14th as well as 15th Kashag. This Certificate is a recognition of hard work and commitment of the staff of the Central Tibetan Administration particularly the health department, towards community and health service,” he said.

Dr Sangay encouraged the heath staff, particularly those directly dealing with the Medicare Programme, to provide quality and compassionate guidance to members/claimants of TMS, and to ensure that they receive an excellent experience of care from the TMS.”

Kalon Choekyong Wangchuk of the Heath department described TMS as a completely non-profit and charitable programme with welfare of the Tibetan public as its sole objective. He announced that the TMS has gained 100 more members over the year and prided the improved public awareness and support for the programme.

President Dr Sangay presented awards to medical officers of Ladakh, Miao and Mundgod Tibetan settlement for achieving highest enrollment in the Tibetan Medicare System 2017 – 18.

The three-day meeting will review the overall performance of the programme and discuss the progress of TMS over the year. The meeting will also discuss the challenges faced with regard to the implementation of the programme, and the causes for low performances in certain settlements as well as other procedures such as reimbursments, bill claiming system etc.

By – Shyamal Sinha

Narendra Modi congratulated Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for sweeping general elections. Modi, in a tweet, said that he looked forward to the strengthening of relations between India and Japan after Abe’s victory. He tweeted, “Heartiest greetings to my dear friend Abe Shinzo on his big election win. Look forward to further strengthen India-Japan relations with him.”

Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party-led (LDP) coalition won a huge two-thirds majority bagging 312 seats in the 465-member lower house in a snap election on Sunday. The final results are expected by Monday. The return of Abe to power is likely to ensure more business investments in India.

Recently, Abe visited India to lay the foundation stone of bullet train project from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. Similarly, the cooperation between two countries is likely to expand in other strategic fields too.

The comfortable election win is also likely to stiffen Abe’s resolve to tackle North Korea’s nuclear threat. Japan is seeking to exert maximum pressure on Pyongyang after it fired two missiles over Japan in the space of a month.

Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) benefited from a weak and splintered opposition, with the two main parties facing him created only a matter of weeks ago. A “supermajority” would also allow Abe to propose changes to pacifist Japan’s US-imposed constitution.

By Shyamal Sinha

Tung Lin Kok Yuen is a Buddhist nunnery and educational institution located at No.15 Shan Kwong Road in Happy Valley, Hong Kong. Founded in 1935 by Lady Clara Ho-Tung, it is home to approximately 30 nuns and 50 lay devotees.

It is the only seminary for Buddhist nuns in Hong Kong and provides an 8-year curricular program in Mahayana Buddhism.

Hau Wong or Hou Wang (Chinese: is a title that can be translated as “Prince Marquis” or “Holy Marquis”. It is not any one person’s name.Hau Wong refers usually to Yeung Leung-jit a loyal and courageous general. Despite his failing health, he remained in the army to protect the last emperor of Southern Song Dynasty when he took refuge southwards in Kowloon.

The Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) of Hong Kong has designated two Buddhist temples—Tung Lin Kok Yuen (TLKY) Temple on Hong Kong Island and Yeung Hau Temple on Lantau Island—as monuments under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, along with a Christian landmark—Kowloon Union Church.

“The Antiquities and Monuments Office considers that with their significant heritage value . . . the three historic buildings have reached the ‘high threshold’ to be declared as monuments,” said a representative of the AAB after the meeting in June. “Consent . . . has been obtained from the respective owners.” (South China Morning Post)

Installed in 1976, the AAB is a constitutional body of the Hong Kong government that evaluates old buildings for designation as monuments based on their historical or architectural merit. According to AAB chairman Andrew Lam: “Heritage is the fruit of a place’s culture and history. It not only reflects the historical facts but also carries our emotions. And the work of the Antiquities Advisory Board relies on professional judgment as well as public knowledge and awareness of the importance of heritage.” (Antiquities Advisory Board)

Located in Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island, TLKY was founded in 1935 by Lady Clara Ho Tung (1875–1938) and her husband, the prominent businessman and philanthropist Sir Robert Ho Tung (1892–1956). TLKY contains an ancestral hall, Dharma hall, dining hall, lecture theater, library, sutra hall, and dormitories for monastics. The temple also houses a valuable collection of calligraphy and Chinese couplets. The temple building shows the influence of Western engineering of the time combined with elements of traditional Chinese architecture, with its flying attics, brackets, and glazed tile roofs. TLKY is considered one of the more prominent Buddhist temples in Hong Kong and serves as a center for the Buddhist community and a place of education for monastics.

Thought to have been build in 1699, Yeung Hau Temple is the oldest temple in Tai O, a fishing village to the south of Lantau Island. The temple consists of two halls connected by a roofed over courtyard that forms an incense tower. The ridge of its roof is decorated with ceramic figures portraying Chinese folk stories.

AAB executive secretary Susanna Siu Lai-kuen said that although all three buildings are privately owned, the AAB would oversee the maintenance and protection of the buildings now that they are listed monuments. If the owners want to carry out any maintenance or reconstruction work, they will need to seek permission from the AAB.

“That I can be part of this milestone is thanks to the Three Jewels [the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha],” TLKY’s abbot Ven. Tsang Chit told Buddhistdoor Global.* “I feel so fortunate that TLKY has this endorsement, but it’s important to remember that TLKY is not just a monument. It is a living structure and organization.”

By  Shyamal Sinha

Buddhism  is a religion and dharma that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spi ritual practices largely based on original teachings attributed to the Buddha and resulting interpreted philosophies. Buddhism originated in Ancient India sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, from where it spread through much of Asia, whereafter it declined in Indiaduring the Middle Ages. Two major extant branches of Buddhism are generally recognized by scholars: Theravada (Pali: “The School of the Elders”) and Mahayana (Sanskrit: “The Great Vehicle”). Buddhism is the world’s fourth-largest religion, with over 520 million followers or over 7% of the global population, known as Buddhists.

For the past three years, Buddhism has been the fastest-growing religion among prisoners in Scottish prisons. Data recently obtained via a Freedom of Information request, shows that 22 prisoners registered their religion as Buddhism in the past three years.

Prison chiefs could not say where these prisoners are housed or how many were Buddhist before 2014, however they do believe that the number has significantly increased over the past three years.

It is so far unclear why the convicts converted to Buddhism. As once source noted: “It was a surprise to see so many cons professing their belief in a peaceful religion about karma and love. In the past, inmates have said they were Jewish or Muslim to get better food but it’s hard to see what’s behind the sudden surge in popularity of Buddhism.” However, it has been suggested that Buddhism might help the convicts come to terms with their incarceration and being removed from society, and the usual material pursuits. (Daily Record)

Buddhism has also been the fastest-growing religion in English prisons in the last decade, and many organizations are now teaching mindfulness-based meditation programs to prisoners, including Angulimala; a Buddhist prison chaplaincy organization in the UK, with the stated objective:

To make available facilities for the teaching and practice of Buddhism in Her Majesty’s Prisons and other places of lawful detention or custody, specifically:

1. To recruit and advise a team of Buddhist visiting chaplains to be available as soon as there is a call for their services;
2. To act in an advisory capacity, and to liaise with the Home Office chaplaincy officials with individuals’ chaplains within her majesty’s prisons, and with any other relevant bodies or officials; and
3. To provide an aftercare and advisory service for prisoners after release. (Angulimala)

The name Angulimala comes from the Buddhist sutras. Angulimala was a robber and murderer whose name was derived from the garland he made of his victims’ fingers, which he wore around his neck (Angulimala literally means “finger garland”). One day, the Buddha passed by and Angulimala tried to chase the Buddha to kill him, but could not catch up, even though the Buddha was walking at his usual pace. After some time, Angulimala stopped in his tracks and shouted, “Stop!” at the Buddha. To which the Buddha responded that he had already stopped—he had stopped harming and killing and told Angulimala that now it was his turn to “stop.”

These words struck Angulimala to the extent that he did indeed “stop.” He threw down his weapons and followed the Buddha, becoming a monk and eventually attaining enlightenment. It is from this parable that the Buddhist Prison Chaplaincy Organization in England takes its name. (Community of Interbeing)​

British monk Venerable Khemadhammo founded Angulimala in 1985, and has since introduced Buddhism to more than 100 prisons throughout England, and since 1999 to numerous prisons in Scotland. According to Venerable Khemadhammo, it is not only prisoners who are imprisoned; everyone, including monastics, is imprisoned by their own greed, ignorance, prejudices, aversione, and attachments.

“It was my belief then, as it is now, that Buddhist techniques equip us with the means to escape that imprisonment and enjoy a secure and lasting peace,” said Venerable Khemadhammo. (Bangkok Post)

Dick Allen, a former prison chaplain with Angulimala who had been visiting prisons for nine years, observed that in his experience Angulimala helps not only the prisoners, but also Buddhists on the outside. Working for the organization and visiting the prisons has helped Allen along the path, and no doubt the activities of Angulimala will be a source of inspiration for many others. (Community of Interbeing.

Buddhism has spread across the world, and Buddhist texts are increasingly translated into local languages. While in the West Buddhism is often seen as exotic and progressive, in the East it is regarded as familiar and traditional. In countries such as Cambodia and Bhutan, it is recognized as the state religion and receives government support. In certain regions such as Afghanistan and Pakistan, Buddhist monuments have been targets of violence and destruction.