By Shyamal Sinha

Variously descended from a pirate captain, a Lord Mayor of London and a governor of North Carolina with a 400,000-acre estate, Michael Dobbs-Higginson was born on a farm with no electricity in the British colony of Southern Rhodesia in 1941.

Michael Dobbs-Higginson, ordained as a lay Buddhist monk in Japan at age 22 and erstwhile Merrill Lynch chairman, shares his unique life story in his new memoir A Raindrop in the Ocean: The Life of a Global Adventurer. The most fundamental period of his life was his stay at a Buddhist monastery on a mountain in Japan, where he battled hardship to find untapped reserves of resilience that would last him a lifetime.

His personal doctrine, the result of a lifetime of learning, is based on Buddhist principles with a sprinkling of Western morality added to the mix. It is his way of securing balance—not happiness—and has aided him in maintaining a relaxed and confident demeanor thoughout.

“I don’t look for happiness; that is a Walt Disney construct,” Dobbs-Higginson said in a recent interview. “The search for happiness is a very ephemeral one. If you and the world around you are in balance, you are naturally peaceful. Peacefulness is one thing, but happiness is trite.” (The Telegraph)

His auto-biography tells the story of how Dobbs-Higginson was raised in colonial Rhodesia (a territory that corresponds to modern-day Zimbabwe) and went on to roam the world as a teenager. It includes tales of bed-hopping, drug-smuggling, and shady business deals, written as if by a master storyteller, while sharing a religious philosophy based on Japanese Buddhism.

Dobbs-Higginson was ordained as a lay Buddhist monk in 1963, at the age of 22, at Shino-In, the headquarters of the Shingon school of Japanese Buddhism on Mount Koya. He was the first Westerner to be accepted into the 1,200-year-old Buddhist tradition. Now 75, Dobbs-Higginson is calmly facing his greatest challenge yet; the downhill battle against a terminal illness.

After studying medicine in Dublin, logging in Canada, and teaching surfing in Hawaii, Dobbs-Higginson describes how he moved back to Japan, where he set up several businesses before being chased out of the country by ruthless Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operatives, after refusing to participate in their operations. He then realtes how he went on to become the chairman of Merrill Lynch Asia-Pacific, and is still involved in various startups developing electric vehicles and drones for Asia, and an e-commerce platform for Africa.

When asked how he reconciled his career as a banker with his monastic principles, he answered: “If I was joining the mafia to smuggle drugs, that would be a moral question, but joining investment banking, I was actually doing some good. I felt that I was giving opportunity to people who might not otherwise have had it, and in those days we were not paid those grotesque sums.” (The Telegraph)

His philosophy for life, he explains, is built up out of three parts: minimizing the ego, encouraging curiosity, and focusing on substance rather than form. This last notion came from his mother: “My mother was a sort of quasi-mystic, and very interested in comparative theology,” Dobbs-Higginson recounts. “And when I was about six or seven, about to leave for boarding school, she said: ‘I want to tell you something.

“She said ‘you’ve got to understand that life is about form and substance. Most people focus on form, because that’s the easy part, and that’s usually driven by the ego. But substance is really what the person is made of; what their moral value systems are and who they really are—so focus on substance.’” (Citya.M. Newsletters)

At 75, he still leads a full life, despite his illness, with three children, six grandchildren, and his French wife Marie-Thérèse.

He lives in Singapore, London and France.

By  Shyamal Sinha

Komik Village is famous for Lundup Tsemo Gompa Buddhist Monastery. It is believed that the monastery has ‘Matrey Buddha,’ or ‘the future Buddha,’ who looks after the well being of the people of Komik Village.
Lying at an elevation of 4,587 meters, the Himalayan village of Komik in India’s mountainous far north is no doubt justified in laying claim to be the world’s highest village accessible by a motorable road. Yet, isolated as it is, even this remote settlement is not immune to the growing impact of climate change, which is having a profound effect on the village’s way of life and, on a larger scale, the fragile ecosystems of the Himalayas, sometimes known as the world’s “third pole.”

Located in the arid Spiti Valley, in the state Himachal Pradesh, where India bumps up against Tibet, life for Komik’s 130 residents, who rely primarily on agriculture to survive, is harsh. Yet recent years have seen traditional watercourses, the lifeblood of the region, drying up, presenting a growing threat to their already tenuous existence.

“We are used to being in a remote place. We have our traditional ways of living,” said 32-year-old farmer Nawang Phunchok. “But these days the water is not coming like it used to. The seasons are changing. We see there is less water than before.” (Reuters)

With a population of some 12,000 people, Spiti Valley possesses a distinctly Tibetan Buddhist culture similar to that found in nearby Tibet and the Ladakh region of India, centered on Vajrayana Buddhism. The valley is part of a cold Himalayan desert that is cut off from the rest of India for six months of the year when the region’s lofty mountain passes are blocked by snowfall. The Tibetan Plateau is one of the world’s most sensitive and vulnerable climate change hotspots.

Home to some 46,000 glaciers, the Tibetan Plateau is the largest source of accessible fresh water on the planet and the source of Asia’s six largest rivers—including the Ganges, Mekong, and Yangtze—which supply one-third of the world’s population. However, over the past 50 years, temperatures on the Tibetan Plateau have risen by 1.3ºC—three times the global average—causing glaciers to retreat, permafrost to deteriorate, and grasslands to degrade, accompanied by increasing desertification. Some studies have projected that more than two-thirds of the glaciers could disappear by 2050. Shrinking glaciers, erratic rainfall, less snow, and warmer temperatures are taking their toll, with rivers, streams, and lakes rapidly drying up.*

“In 2015–16, there wasn’t enough snowfall and so when summer came, the springs—which are the main source of irrigation for people—were all dried out. There was hardly any crop,” said Ishita Khanna, who works in Spiti valley with eco-tourism company Ecosphere. “With the climate changing, this could be disastrous for people living here if this keeps happening. There should be more support for people and a deeper understanding of their way of life here. It’s a very hard life.” (Reuters)

While the relatively recent roads that have been carved into this inaccessible region have increased tourism and brought with them access to some modern amenities, life continues much as it has always done in Spiti Valley, where telephone and internet connectivity is almost nonexistent. Residents farm tiny plots of land, on which they cultivate green peas and barley, between April and September, before winter closes the valley off and temperatures drop as low as –30ºC.

“We thought the road would bring us more prosperity in terms of tourism and trade, but it has been disappointing,” said 55-year-old farmer Tenzin Andak from Komik. “It is a worry for us. Life is getting more difficult these days, partly because there is less water.” (Reuters)
There are basic options for homestay and hotels in Komick, where the food is served by local people with great lovel and that too when ordered in advance. Anyone looking for luxury stay can opt for Kaza. Komik can be best visited during summer from May to October as the routes from Rohtang Pass remain open at this time.

By  Shyamal Sinha

People through garbages here n there but very few have creative idea , one resourceful man in Buddhist-majority Cambodia has taken matters into his own hands, building an entire school out of discarded waste materials.

A non-profit project, Coconut School is the creative vision of environmentally conscious enterpriser Ouk Vanday, aimed at helping underprivileged children who would otherwise have limited education opportunities. “My initial purpose of creating the school was to give vulnerable children in the village the opportunity to learn English and computer skills because they had never had the chance to do so,” said Vanday, formerly a hotel manager. “I use waste to build the school because there’s plenty of it everywhere, it’s easy to find and inexpensive. “But more importantly, I want to educate my students about trash and how recycling it can help the environment.” (Deutsche Welle)

Comprised of two main buildings, Coconut School accommodates more than 200 students and five volunteer teachers. The English classroom features walls built from brightly painted car tires tightly bound in rows, while the library, which also serves as the school’s computer room, is largely composed of green beer bottles. Discarded metal Bottle caps serve to reinforce the school floors.

Colorfully adorned with used plastic waste, Coconut School is located in the village of Roneah on Koh Dach (or Silk Island), a river island some 28 kilometers outside of Phnom Penh.

Koh dach, Kandal is one of the popular tourist destinations in the province as well as in Cambodia. The entire area of Koh dach island covers 30 square kilometers of land lying on the shores of Mekong River. The travelers, who want a break from the buys and hectic life, can land to this secluded and sleepy island. The tourists can reach the island within a minute from Phnom Penh by availing boats

As well as being environmentally responsible, Vanday’s vision is also one of self-sufficiency: he chooses not to seek funding from the Cambodian government or charities to cover runnings costs, which he estimates at just US$150 per month. The school’s computers have been donated and Vanday is looking to install solar panels to reduce the cost of electricity.

“The concept is when we teach the children, we offer them knowledge,” said Vanday. “In Cambodia, even if people have education, they still throw away plastic every day because they’ve learned this from their parents. It’s not easy to stop them, so that’s why we show them the benefit of the plastic. When you throw the plastic, you throw the benefit.” (Channel NewsAsia)

Alongside English language classes and computer studies, the school, perhaps unsurprisingly, also teaches children the value minimizing waste and recycling, giving discarded items a new lease of life, which Vanday says stimulates the children’s creativity while keeping the environment clean. “We teach the children to learn, but [to] learn is not to ‘follow me,’” said Vanday. “Learn to think. Think for what? Think to create a new thing for the world. We teach the children to wonder. Wonder, think, do, understand, share, be happy.” (Channel NewsAsia)

Indeed, 80 per cent of the waste used to build the school has come from the students themselves, who pay their monthly school fees in trash. “Other people see trash as useless, but for my students, it’s their school fee and what their school is made of,” Vanday explained. “When they can see the benefits, they will learn from this young age not to throw their trash on the streets.” (Deutsche Welle)

Coconut school has been so successful that Vanday is now launching a similar project on Kirirum Mountain in the southern province of Kampong Speu.

“We are part of global problem so let’s work side by side. Our world needs us to protect it. Not for yourself, not for myself, but our children in 100 years. That is our responsibility,” Vanday emphasized. “Don’t wait for someone to change you, change yourself. And people will join you in the future.” (Channel NewsAsia)

Buddhism is the official religion of Cambodia, with 96.9 per cent of the population of 14.14 million following Theravada Buddhism, according to data for 2010 from the Washington, DC-based Pew Research Center. Islam (2 per cent), tribal animism (O.5 per cent), and Christianity (0.4 per cent) represent the bulk of the remainder. According to the Ministry of Cults and Religious Affairs, there are 59,516 Buddhist monks and 4,755 monasteries in Cambodia.

By Shyamal Sinha

In times of spiritual crisis and division among peoples, interreligious dialogue is an urgent need

The first conference between Theravada Buddhists and the Discalced Carmelite Order started, at the University of Mysticism in the medieval city of Avila. Avila is the hometown of Saint Teresa of Jesus, one of the most influential Catholic mystics and monastic reformers in the history of the Latin Church. The conference, titled: “1st World Encounter Teresian Mysticism and Interreligious Dialogue: Theravada Buddhism and Teresian Mysticism – Meditation and Contemplation, Pathways to Peace” is co-organized by the International Centre of Teresian and Sanjuanist Studies (CITeS) and the Centre of Buddhist Studies of the University of Hong Kong, and will take place from 27-30 July.

The feasibility of a dialogue between Buddhism and Teresian thought is based on the idea that both traditions turn “inwards” to uncover the true meaning of human existence and of reality, via contemplative activities like meditation that are core practices to both traditions. The “patron saints” of the conference are Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint John of the Cross, and Buddhaghosa, the author of the Visudhimagga and one of the most important Theravada Buddhist commentators.

The conference started on the 27th, with an opening speech by Dr. Father Francisco Javier Sancho Fermin, director of CITeS. “Imagine a symphony with only one note, a painting with only one color,” he said. “He who loves the different, the Other, assumes the Christian calling. Interfaith dialogue is an exercise of responsibility, or more accurately, co-responsibility. We want CITeS to be a space of encounter and little by little we’re taking significant steps, such as this conference.” In his speech, he referred to the creation of spaces to examine different aspects of mysticism, not just in the Carmelite Order but in other religious traditions as well, so that communion and fraternity between different religious traditions can be facilitated. “The simple fact is that the Order of Carmel finds its origin to be closest to the east, and is linked to the Prophet Elijah, a meeting point between different cultures and different faiths,” he stated.

His speech was complemented by a speech by Ven. Hin Hung, head of the Centre of Buddhist Studies of the University of Hong Kong, who presented the Buddhist perspective. In his speech titled “The Importance of Interreligious Dialogue and Goals for the Encounter from the Buddhist Perspective,” Ven. Hun Hung referred to the conference as the Encounter, a special meeting between Buddhists and Carmelites.

“In its interaction with other religious traditions, Buddhism has discovered new aspects of itself, as a result, allowing it to adapt and grow. . . . These coming days of interfaith encounter offer us many opportunities to learn from each other. We can advance our understanding of different spiritual beliefs and practices, on each [of our] own terms and without subsuming one under the other,” he said. “Differences are important, for we need to know how we differ. However, although we walk on different paths, there is a long stretch of common ground on which we can walk together. . . . This Encounter will enable us to see many of the things that are important to both religions.”*

The lectures during the conference will include Carmelite perspectives on the monastic and contemplative life, as well as a prayer and meditation workshop by Italian-born bhikkhuni Ven. Dr. Dhammadina, who is also a professor at the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts in Taiwan. On each morning of the conference , where are interreligious chants with Theravada monks who are also PhD students at the Centre of Buddhist Studies (Ven. Amritananda and Ven. Dipananda). Other speakers include Ven. Dr. Khammai Dhammasami of the University of Oxford, Dr. Rupert Gethin of the University of Bristol and president of the Pali Text Society, and influential Carmelite scholars like Dr. Maximiliano Herraiz, a CITeS professor and publisher of books about Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint John of the Cross, and Friar Augusti Borrel, definitor of the Discalced Carmelite Order.

Among other activities, the encounter will feature presentations, roundtables, prayer and meditation workshops, chanting, all in an atmosphere of conviviality and fraternity.

By  Shyamal Sinha

Lacs of people flee their homes in the wake of a deluge of monsoon rains that has led to heavy flooding across large areas of Myanmar, . According to government data, at least two people have died and more than 100,000 have been displaced by flooding in July across central and southern Myanmar.

Built in 2009 on the bank of the Irrawaddy River, near the township of Pakokku in central Myanmar’s Magway Region, the slow but inexorable destruction of Thiri Yadana Pyilone Chantha pagoda was reportedly filmed by the temple’s abbot, U Pyinnya Linkkara, on 20 July.

Shocked visitors to Thiri Yadana Pyilone Chantha Pagoda wailed as they watched the structure slowy slide into the water. Local officials said there had been reports of continuous heavy rain in the area, causing the river water level to rise. They said the water may have weakened the base of the pagoda which was on the river bank.

“This pagoda was built in 2009, when it was far away from the river,” said the Buddhist monk. “Year by year, the river has eroded the land and now the pagoda has fallen into the river.” (The Indian Express)

Water levels have risen steadily since unusually strong monsoon rains began in early July, driving people in exposed areas to higher land or to seek shelter in Buddhist monasteries. Most are in Magway Region, where the pagoda collapsed and more than 60,000 have fled their homes. On Saturday, images of the Buddha’s footprint at another pagoda in Magway were submerged by floodwaters, although no permanent damage was immediately reported.

“The situation is under control, but what happens now will depend on the weather,” said Ko Ko Naing, director general of the Myanmar’s Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement. “We are prepared to support the flood-hit areas because flooding happens every year.” He added that the government had provided food and other assistance to 116,817 displaced people by Monday, along with longer-term shelter in areas where flood waters are not expected to subside immediately. (Reuters)

Myanmar is especially disaster-prone, and is ranked as the “most at risk” country in Asia by the UN Risk Model, vulnerable to cyclones, flooding, extreme temperatures, earthquakes, and landslides. The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology has warned that more rains are due in the coming week, urging people to take necessary precautions. “Heavy rain is coming in central Myanmar and coastal areas in the next few days. Central Myanmar will get rain as clouds come from the east,” said department director U Kyaw Lwin Oo. (Myanmar Times)

By  Shyamal Sinha

Highly revered lamas in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, Khensur Jhado Tulku Rinpoche, visited the Russian Federation between 30 June and 21 July to give teachings and transmissions in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kalmykia, and Tuva.

Jhado Tulku Rinpoche was born in 1954 near the Tibetan capital Lhasa, and at the age of three he was recognized and enthroned as the 6th incarnation of the abbot of Jhado Monastery. In 1959, he escape from Tibet to India, where he studied at Sera Je Monastery in southern India and later at Gyoto Tantric Monastery in Dharamsala. In 1991, he attained the highest level of education in the Gelug tradition, geshe lharampa, equivalent to doctorate degree. From 1992–96, Jhado Tulku Rinpoche served as a teacher at Namgyal Monastery in Dharamsala, the personal monastery of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. A year later he became abbot of the monastery, a position he held until 2004. He now travels all over the world to transmit the teaching of Gelug tradition and is highly respected by Russian Buddhists.

Rinpoche’s teaching program in Moscow (30 June–2 July) was held at the Open World Center and included Vajrasattva and Avalokiteshvara empowerments, and a commentary on a text of the Tibetan Buddhist master Je Tsongkhapa (1357–1419).

His program in St. Petersburg (5–9 July) was held at Gunzechoinei Datsan, a large Buddhist temple, and included 21 Tara and Hayagriva empowerments and a commentary on the texts of Je Tsongkhapa and the Tibetan teacher Konchok Tenpai Dronme (1762–1823).

In Kalmykia, Rinpoche gave teachings at Europe’s largest Buddhist temple, the Golden Abode of Shakyamuni Buddha. From 12–14 July, he granted the empowerment of the 21 forms of the female protector Palden Lhamo and gave a commentary on a text of the Indian Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna (c. 150–c. 250).

His program in Tuva (18–21 July) included empowerments of Green Tara, White Tara, 13 Forms of Yamantaka, Palden Lhamo, and Three Protectors (Kalarupa, Mahakala, Vaishravana), teachings about taking refuge and karma, and a commentary on a text of Je Tsongkhapa.

On 16 July, a special ceremony was held that made Rinpoche’s visit to the region a truly historical event. Jhado Tulku Rinpoche consecrated a new Buddhist monument at a sacred spot in Kalmykia, blessing a Kalachakra (Wheel of Time) stupa built around the “Lonely Tree” located near Khar-Buluk settlement in Tselinny District. It is believed that the Buddhist monk Purdash-Bagshi Jungruev planted a number of seeds brought from Tibet in 1903 and only this tree has survived the harsh climate, to become known as the Lonely Tree—a sacred place of pilgrimage for Kalmyks and Buddhists in the region.

Construction of the stupa was initiated in 2015 with the blessing of Jhado Tulku Rinpoche and Telo Tulku Rinpoche, and the renowned Tibetan lama Kundeling Rinpoche consecrated the land in the same year. It is believed that Kalachakra stupas have special power to remove obstacles and dispel negative forces.

Jhado Tulku Rinpoche’s visit to Russia was possible thanks to the invitation of Geshe Ngawang Tugje and Telo Tulku Rinpoche, shadjin lama (head lama) of the Kalmyk Republic and the Dalai Lama’s honorary representative for Russia, Mongolia, and the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The program for Rinpoche’s teaching tour was organized by two leading Buddhist institutions in Moscow—the Four Noble Truths Center and the Center of Tibetan Culture and Information. The Four Noble Truths Center was established with the blessing of Jhado Rinpoche during his Moscow teaching program in 2015, and its resident teacher is Geshe Ngawang Tugje. The Center of Tibetan Culture and Information was established in Moscow in 1993 with the blessing of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The chairman of the center’s board is Karma Tenzing B. (Ngawang).