By  Shyamal Sinha

Unkei around 1150–1223) was a Japanese sculptor of the Kei school, which flourished in the Kamakura period. He specialized in statues of the Buddha and other important Buddhist figures.Unkei was a devout Buddhist, and records from 1183 (Heian period end) show that he transcribed two copies of the Lotus Sutra with the aid of two calligrapher monks and a woman sponsor named Akomaro.
Tokyo National Museum has announced that it will host a groundbreaking exhibition on master sculptor Unkei, titled “Unkei – The Great Master of Buddhist Sculpture,” from September–November. The event will commemorate the construction of the Central Golden Hall at Kohfuku-ji, known as one of the Seven Great Temples in Nara, Japan, which has close ties to Unkei.

Unkei, Japan’s most famous Buddhist sculptor, lived during the tumultuous transition from the Heian period (794–1185) to the Kamakura period (1185–1333), when political power in the country shifted from aristocratic rule in the west of Japan (Kyoto, Nara) to the shogunate in Kamakura in the east.

Born as the son of another famous sculptor (Kōkei), Unkei was part of the Kei School of Buddhist sculpture that emerged in the early Kamakura period and became the dominant sculptural school until the 14th century, which specialized in sculpting statues of the Buddha and other important Buddhist figures. Unkei was a devout Buddhist and introduced a new style of sculptural expression in his work. Although his early work shows the influence of his father’s style of sculpting and is fairly traditional, his later work is characterized by a realism that was unknown in Japan until that time. His real-to-life style influenced many sculptors that followed and, to date, he is seen as one of the most influential sculptors of the period by many art historians.

The exhibition at Tokyo National Museum honors his oeuvre and commemorates the construction of the Central Golden Hall at Kohfuku-ji. Unkei had ties to the temple as his workshop was requested to carve various images for its reconstruction after it was destroyed in 1181. Three statues, all national treasures, have survived until today and are still housed at the temple: a seated statue of Miroku Nyorai (Maitreya Tathagata), and standing statues of Mujaku (Asanga) and Seshin (Vasubandhu). Kohfuku-ji will lend all three of these works to the exhibition.

Unkei produced a lot of works during his lifetime. At present there are 31 sculptures that have been attributed to him. Twenty-two of these works, from collections and temples in Kyoto, Wakayama, Aichi, Shizuoka, and other regions, will be displayed at the exhibition. Many of these statues have never left their original homes, making the show the largest-ever exhibition of works by Unkei.

In addition to works by Unkei, the exhibition will include works by his father Kōkei and two of his sons, Tankei and Koben, to place his work in a broader context and show how his early sculptural style compares with that of his father, and how Unkei’s sculptural aesthetic was passed on to his sons, who continued his legacy.

The venue for the exhibition, the Heiseikan halls of Tokyo National Museum, will allow for a unique perspective of the statues. Visitors will be able to walk around the statues, and admire them from all angles—in the temples, this is not possible as the backs of the statues can usually not be seen.

The exhibition will also introduce some of the latest research related to the work of Unkei. For instance, it will show how X-ray and CT scan technology has allowed researchers to discover dedicatory objects placed inside some of Unkei’s sculptures.

The exhibition will run from 26 September–26 November 2017, at Tokyo National Museum, Heiseikan, in Ueno Park, Tokyo.

By  Shyamal Sinha

The term “mindfulness” is a translation of the Pali term sati,which is a significant element of some Buddhist traditions. In Buddhism, mindfulness has been advocated as a way to spiritual enlightenment and cessation of suffering.
Fast moving community of Mormons in Salt Lake City, in the US sate of Utah, known as the Lower Lights Sangha, is practicing Buddhist mindfulness to deepen their spiritual lives. Meditation teacher Thomas McConkie, an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, guides the group through their mindfulness exercises.

“We are not here to tell people whether they should continue in their religious tradition or not. We want to provide space and practice where they can come to a new level of honesty and truthfulness within themselves,” said McConkie, who organized mediation sessions in his home for nearly five years before founding the Lower Lights Sangha in September 2016. “It was my Buddhist meditation practice that helped deepen my understanding of Christianity and deepen my Christian faith,” he added. (Religion News Service)

McConkie is a descendent of a family of influential Mormon leaders. He left the church and his faith when he was 19 to travel and work in Europe and Asia. He studied mindfulness while living in New York, China, and Spain, and found spiritual fulfillment in Zen Buddhism. After 15 years, he returned home and returned to the Mormon church. He now uses his knowledge of Buddhist practice to help members of the local community overcome their own faith crises, and has published a book on the subject, titled Navigating Mormon Faith Crisis: A Simple Development Map.

Mormonism is a Christian restorationist tradition, practiced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and founded by Joseph Smith in upstate New York in the 1820s. The headquarter of the church is located in Salt Lake City.

The meetings of the Lower Lights Sangha are open to all who are interested and because of this, the community is growing steadily. Between 80 and 100 participants gather for each meeting, two-thirds of whome are below the age of 40.

At the beginnning of each meeting, McConkie invites the participants to introduce themselves to the people sitting next to them, encouraging them to share their motivations for attending the meetings and for meditating. He then continues with a brief mindfulness exercise: “I want to invite you for a moment to do absolutely nothing.” (Religion News Service)

“I don’t find anything that’s in contradiction to what my spiritual beliefs are,” said group participant Sam Nielsen, 25, who is active in her Mormon congregation and who has been visiting the meditation meetings for more than a year. “I think I may be open to something that’s spiritual because of my religious upbringing.” (Kuer 90.1)

McConkie described how Mormons focus on answers rather than prayers and believe that there is a possibility to one day become like God. These beliefs provide a framework for meditation: “Mormons are primed for [meditation],” McConkie explained. “Mormons want it. It just takes a gentle breeze to blow them in that direction.” (Kuer 90.1)

The meditation gatherings particularly resonate among younger Mormons. As McConkie observes, “There’s a huge need, especially in the millennial generation, to start to explore what’s beyond partisan and religious divides.” (Religion News Service)

Mindfulness as a modern, Western practice is founded on modern vipassana, and the training of sati, which means “moment to moment awareness of present events”, but also “remembering to be aware of something”.It leads to insight into the true nature of reality,

By  Shyamal Sinha

IN recognising the potential of ‘engaged Buddhism’ as a fundamental force for positive social change in the region and its links to humanitarianism, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) believes that the concept of sympathy and compassion towards fellow human beings in need has never been more relevant as the world grapples with the highest number of refugees since the end of World War II.
Approximately 500 Buddhists from across Asia gathered in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai to attend a landmark three-day retreat and conference on “Buddhism and Humanitarianism in Asia,” where they discussed the potential of engaged Buddhism as an agent of social empowerment and humanitarianism, seeking to connect Buddhist teachings to situations of social injustice and inequality—in particular those involving displaced communities.

More than 500 monastics, academics, and students from 13 countries, including Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam, assembled for the symposium, which was co-organized on 7–9 July by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and Thailand’s Vimuttayalaya Foundation. Speakers at the event included Sister Chan Kong, the first fully-ordained monastic disciple of Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, former ASEAN secretary General Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, and Indrika Ratwatte, the incoming director of the UNHCR’s regional bureau for Asia and the Pacific.

Ratwatte, the incoming Director of UNHCR’s Asia and Pacific bureau, cautioned that religious beliefs should not be allowed to become a ground for persecution or a source of displacement, noting that, “The shared values common to different religious traditions present a strong framework for promoting tolerance and openness towards people of other faiths.” (eTurboNews)

Ratwatte added that faith-based organizations could play a major role in offering solutions for refugee situations in the region by promoting reconciliation and peaceful co-existence.

“All religions, at the highest level, teach the unity of humanity,” observed former ASAEN head Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, a practicing Muslim. “With a growing population and finite resources, we must ask how to protect and care for future generations.” (eTurboNews)

Topics of discussion on the agenda, which were facilitated and organized by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the 3R Foundation, ranged from natural disaster response planning, to resolving armed conflicts, enabling social empowerment, and environmental sustainability.

Venerable V. Vajiramedhi, a noted Buddhist monk and president of the Vimuttayalaya Foundation, co-hosted the three-day retreat, which was organized with the threefold purpose of reflecting on Buddhist teachings, thought, and practices in the context of humanitarianism, allowing the participants to learn more about humanitarian activities in the region, and establishing a network of engaged Buddhists working toward humanitarian goals.

The venerable concluded the retreat on Sunday with words of optimism and hope, noting that when people come together there are “many more hands to change the world.” He encouraged the conference participants act and practice in ways that would allow this generation to be one of “compassion, love and sharing.” (eTurboNews)

Buddhism is the fourth-most widespread religion in the world and the third-largest in Asia, representing 12 per cent of the Asia-Pacific population, according to data for 2010 from the Washington, DC-based Pew Research Center. It is the predominant religion in Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Tibet. Significant Buddhist populations are found in Japan (36.2 per cent), Singapore (33.9 per cent), South Korea (22.9 per cent), Taiwan (21.3 per cent), mainland China (18.2 per cent), Malaysia (17.7 per cent), Macau (17.3 per cent), Vietnam (16.4 per cent), Hong Kong (13.2 per cent), the Northern Mariana Islands (10.6 per cent), and Nepal (10.3 per cent). There are also sizable Buddhist minorities in Brunei, India, Indonesia, North Korea, the Philippines, and Russia.

UNHCR is the United Nations’ Refugee Agency – a global organisation dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people with offices in Thailand and throughout the sub-region.

By Shyamal Sinha

The10th Global Conference on Buddhism was held at the Ontario Science Center on 17–18 June under the theme “Buddhism, Neuroscience & Mental Health: Making a Mindful Connection,” seeking to combine scholarly wisdom with that of practitioners, both monastic and non-monastic. The Buddha applied mindfulness to a much wider area than just the present moment. He said Dharma practitioners should direct mindfulness to include and support ethics, meditation concentration, happiness, reflection, right livelihood, a moderate lifestyle, restraint of the senses, right action, inquiry into desire, wisdom, liberation and much more

The line-up of participants included 15 speakers from Australia, Canada, and the United States, who discussed mindfulness and mental health, drawing connections between Buddhism’s 2,500-year history of practices and teachings, and modern scientific applications.

The previous nine Global Conferences on Buddhism were held in either Australia or Singapore, making this the first in the Western hemisphere and the first in North America. Highlighting this new direction, a major aspect of the conference’s mission was “to explore what Buddhism can offer to Canada’s religious and culturally diverse society and the need to be sensitive to the needs of others, even if their values and beliefs are not aligned with our own.” (10th Global Conference on Buddhism)

Contributors included Ajahn Brahm, keynote speaker and Theravada monk; Venerable Yung Ku, abbess of Fo Guang Shan Temple of Toronto; Bhante Saranapala, teacher of mindfulness meditation; Theo Koffler, founder of Mindfulness Without Borders; Sara Lazar, assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School; and Tony Toneatto, director of the Buddhism, Psychology, and Mental Health undergraduate program at the University of Toronto.

Leading up to the conference, Bhikkhu Bodhi, a noted Theravada monk and translator of Pali texts, addressed those attending: “Without exaggeration, it can be said that today we either flourish together or perish together. The choice is up to us. I hope that at this Global Conference on Buddhism, the participants will explore the potentials of Buddhism, not only for promoting inner peace but also for helping to create a kinder, more peaceful, more compassionate society in which people live together with mutual care and respect.” (10th Global Conference on Buddhism)

In his pre-conference talk, Ajahn Brahm, the abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery in Australia, spoke of the need to maintain a sense of humor and playfulness in our practice of mindfulness, to give it energy and make it attractive for people to undertake. Sara Lazar titled her talk, “Mindfulness and Mental Health: The Buddhist and Scientific Approach. Two Paths, One Destination?” In it, she stressed one difference between the two approaches being that in Buddhism, as one teacher told her, “The beginning is ethics, the end is ethics, and everything in between is ethics.” Speaking of modern mindfulness, she continued, “There is absolutely no ethics in any mindfulness-based intervention. So . . . these really are very distinct paths going in very different direction.” She went on to describe recent studies which have shown that mindfulness can not only reduce the perceived intensity of pain, it can also rewire the way in which the brain responds to pain in ways that might help stem the growing opioid addiction epidemic in parts of North America.

The conference was well attended, with initial tickets selling out ahead of the start date. This led organizers to arrange a live feed to enable all those who could not attend to to follow events as they took place and to submit questions to the speakers. The live feed is still available for viewing on YouTube.

By Shyamal Sinha

Many well-wishers, including Tibetans in traditional dress, thronged the streets of Leh, Ladakh, waving whites scarves and offering incense and prayers as they gathered to catch glimpse of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, on 6 th july marked his 82nd birthday in the northern Indian city.

Traditional cultural performances and even a cake were offered to the Tibetan spiritual leader, along with prayers for a long life and speeches by community leaders of the Tibetan diaspora. In Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, home to the Dalai Lama’s official residence, where he has lived since fleeing Tibet in 1959, similar celebrations were also observed.

“His Holiness the Dalai Lama has worked tirelessly to promote human values and religious harmony in the world and for this we are all profoundly grateful. His Holiness has committed himself to the promotion of religious harmony and has therefore met with religious leaders across different faiths,” the Kashag, the highest executive office of the Tibetan Central Administration, said in a statement. “Every peace loving people across the globe, including and especially us Tibetans are celebrating this joyous occasion today.” (Central Tibetan Administration)

Speaking from the Jokhang temple in Leh on Wednesday, His Holiness observed:

“The world’s various religious traditions all teach love and compassion, tolerance, contentment, and self-discipline. They have all brought help to millions. Buddhism too can be summarized in the following verse: ‘Abandon negative action; create perfect virtue; subdue your own mind. This is the teaching of the Buddha.’ Where it differs from other traditions is in its philosophical stance. Here in Ladakh, like we Tibetans, you follow the Nalanda tradition. This takes a scientific approach, examining things through reason and logic. . . .

“When it comes to the Kangyur and Tengyur we can categorize their contents in three ways—Buddhist science, philosophy, and religion. The religious aspect is only of interest to Buddhists. But the science of mind, logic, and philosophy, such as the explanation of the Two Truths, which deal with how things appear and how they really are, can be approached and studied in an academic way by anyone interested, whether they are Buddhist or not.” (The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama)

Officials from the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama said the Tibetan spiritual leader would remain in Leh until 30 July. The Dalai Lama’s program during his stay includes participating in religious ceremonies, conducting a meditation retreat, and delivering teachings.

By Shyamal Sinha

Po Lin Monastery is a Buddhist monastery, located on Ngong Ping Plateau, on Lantau Island, Hong Kong.

The monastery was founded in 1906 by three monks visiting from Jiangsu Province on the Chinese mainland and was initially known simply as “The Big Hut” . It was renamed to its present name in 1924. The main temple houses three bronze statues of the Buddha – representing his past, present and future lives – as well as many Buddhist scriptures.

Po Lin Monastery, one of Hong Kong’s most important Buddhist temples and organizations, hosted a symposium on China’s Belt and Road Initiative from 29–30 June. The symposium coincided with president Xi Jinping’s visit to Hong Kong for the 20th anniversary of the city’s handover from the United Kingdom to China. Po Lin separately marked the handover anniversary as well as the 15th anniversary of its “Big Buddha” statue, a popular tourist attraction on Hong Kong’s Lantau Island.

Guests at the officiating ceremony on 29 June included Ven. Jingyin, the abbot of Po Lin Monastery and director of the Centre of Buddhist Studies at Chu Hai College, and Ven. Xuecheng, president of the Buddhist Association of China and abbot of numerous monasteries in mainland China. Many other senior Buddhist figures from Greater China, both lay and monastic, also attended. The second and final day of the conference concluded with a visit to Chu Hai College, where guests were shown around the campus.

The conference, with separate sessions held at Dorsett Tsuen Wan and L’hotel Nina Et Convention Centre, centered on how the Belt and Road Initiative affected, and would in turn be influenced by, Mahayana and Theravada Buddhists. Its themes emphasized the synergy between the 21st Century Maritime Silk Route Economic Belt initiative and Buddhist institutions.

Accordingly, the event’s guests were drawn from not only the northern traditions, mostly Chinese Buddhism, but also from a large pool of predominantly Theravada nations, especially Thailand. Po Lin Monastery has established a working relationship with Thailand’s oldest and perhaps most influential Buddhist tertiary institute, Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University (MCU), with an eye to developing a Buddhist Studies curriculum for monastics in tandem with MCU’s advice and accreditation. Monastic and academic guests from other Southeast Asian countries, including Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam, were also present.

Symposium topics included the history and current situations of countries along the Belt and Road, the Internet and Buddhist education, and opportunities and challenges facing Belt-and-Road countries, from promoting Buddhist-themed tourism to achieving gender parity within the various Buddhist schools. A crucial focus of the conference was what Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism could learn from each other, and to explore how Buddhism is taught in the different societies. This theme invoked the long history of cultural exchange between East, Southeast, and South Asia.

There were also speeches and presentations on Dunhuang art and Buddhist philosophy. Karma Lekshe Tsomo, fresh from organizing the 15th Sakyadhita conference at the University of Hong Kong, also presented a paper on the spirituality of ethnic Chinese communities in Indonesia.

With Southeast Asian relations growing in importance to China, and Hong Kong’s potential as a financial and business conduit along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Route Economic Belt in little doubt, the region can be sure to see many more dialogues like this recent symposium in future.

To promote Buddhist culture, the Monastery has sponsored the publication of Buddhism in Hong Kong and Buddhism in Macau, two Buddhism magazines. To encourage Buddhism studies and research, the Monastery has contributed towards the research work of the Buddhist Association of China and its Central Research Institute; to improve the environment for Dharma teaching, the Monastery has donated towards the redevelopment of Bao Monastery and the Second Patriarch Temple, in Sikongshan of Yuexi County, both in Anhwei Province, the Gaomin Monastery in Yangzhou, and the Nanhai Monastery in Henan.

PM  Narendra Modi has revealed plans to erect a “grand” monument to the Buddha at the site of an ancient Buddhist monastery in the western state of Gujarat.

Speaking  at a gathering to launch infrastructure projects to deliver potable water, Modi told attendees that he aspired to build a huge memorial to Shakyamuni Buddha beside a recent archaeological dig in Gujarat’s Aravalli District, where researchers have unearthed the ruins of a Buddhist monastery dated to the 3rd–4th century. The excavation, near the village of Dev Ni Mori, is also reported to have revealed an inscribed casket containing relics of the Buddha.

A microlith site known as Dhek-Vadlo locally was found near Shamlaji. A Buddhist stupa known as Devni Mori is located near it which dates to Mauryan period.

“There was a general notion earlier that Lord Buddha was popular in the eastern belt of the country only. But the excavation at Dev Ni Mori near Shamlaji temple [in Aravalli] some time back has established that Lord Buddha’s influence had reached the western belt too,” said Modi. “This came to be known when the relics of Buddha were found at an excavation in Dev Ni Mori near Shamlaji.” (Firstpost, The Times of India)

“It is my dream to build a grand monument of Lord Buddha at Dev ni Mori so that people from across the world can come here and visit this place. I’m confident of fulfilling my dream with your blessings,” Modi said. (The Statesman)

Modi’s announcement came during the launch of several drinking water supply schemes serving some 600 villages and three towns in the region and the laying of foundation stones for a number of other infrastructure projects.

“The great [Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, and traveler Xuanzang (c. 602–64)], in his travelogue wrote that more than 10,000 Buddhist monks were living at a monastery in my birthplace, Vadnagar. Hsuan Tsang had lived at my native place for quite a long time. During my visit to China last year, the Chinese premier told me what Hsuan Tsang had written during his stay at Vadnagar,” Modi observed. “Hsuan Tsang spent the greater part of his life at my village and Chinese president Xi Jinping’s village. I have a dream to make a giant monument to Lord Buddha at Dev Ni Mori, where people from across the world will come to visit. This is my dream and I want the blessings of the people of Gujarat to fulfil this dream.” (The Times of India)

Devni Mori, 2 km from Shamlaji, has remains of a Buddhist monastery dated to 3rd-4th century. The inscribed casket with body relics of Buddha was found from the Stupa excavated here.

The tomb of Navgaja Pir, a maulvi, is revered by many tribals.

Shyamalvan is a theme-based garden developed by Forest Department of Government of Gujarat. It was inaugurated by then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, on 18 July 2009.

Buddhism has played a central role in efforts by India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to shore up its voter base among the country’s Buddhist Dalit population and as a key element of diplomatic power plays between India and China, with Nepal sandwiched between the two geographic and economic giants. Modi in particular has gone to considerable lengths to promote India’s Buddhist history as a shared bond with China that dates back more than 2,000 years, despite the fact that Buddhists make up only a tiny fraction of India’s present population.

Shamlaji is around 20 km from Bhiloda and 29 km from Modasa. Located off National Highway 8, Shamlaji is frequented by state transport buses from Himmatnagar and Ahmedabad.

Train : Shamlaji Road is nearest (14 km) railway station to Shamlaji. There are two daily passenger trains operated by the Indian railways on meter gauge track.

1. Ahmedabad to Udaipur MG passenger departs at 11:41
2. Udaipur to Ahmedabad MG passenger departs at 15:52

His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje is the head of the 900 year old Karma Kagyu Lineage and guide to millions of Buddhists around the world.

The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, recently completed his historic first visit to Canada, with stops in Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver. His talks encompassed a range of topics, from those appealing to a wider audience: “Mindfulness and Environmental Responsibility,” to subjects aimed at more advanced practitioners, including Manjushri and Chenrezig empowerments.

Traveling the world, the Karmapa skillfully teaches traditional Tibetan Buddhist Dharma teachings, while also advocating topics such as environmental care, feminism, and more.

At 31 years of age and heading a spiritual lineage stretching back to the 12th century, the Karmapa is seen by many as the natural successor to the 81-year-old Dalai Lama as the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. In Ontario in late May, he met with local politicians and walked around Queen’s Park in brown hiking shoes and his well-known simple maroon monk’s robes. He is easily described as, “a picture of youthful wisdom with his direct gaze, towering above other monks at six feet tall,” and it is quite possible that he will become the next public face of Tibetan Buddhism. (Toronto Star)

“It is almost impossible to take on the role of the Dalai Lama,” said the Karmapa. “I will try to do as much as I can do, but this issue about future leadership, this is not something that I alone can decide. I think this is up to the people of Tibet. Maybe things need more time to resolve this problem,” he concluded, leaving the issue in the air. (Toronto Star)

Turning to the topic of his talk, the environment, the Karmapa suggested, “I think the biggest issue is also related to humans’ motivations—human greed is the biggest issue of the environment, because of consumerism,” adding, “The sad thing is, until something happens, people don’t want to change.” (Toronto Star)

The Karmapa has long been a passionate environmentalist, incorporating environmentalist thought into both his teachings and life’s work. When he spoke at Yale in 2015, his chosen topic was “Buddhism and the Environment,” and he has reached out to many media organizations about the grave threats facing the Himalayan environment. “The environmental emergency that we face is not just a scientific issue, nor is it just a political issue,” he said. “It is also a moral issue.” (Kagyu Office)

The Karmapa wrapped up his speaking tour of Canada with a conversation with Canadian anthropologist Wade Davis. This talk focused on the Karmapa’s new book Interconnected: Embracing Life in Our Global Society (Wisdom Publications 2017), which covers a range of topics, from technology to culture, and from the environment to Buddhist philosophy.

Connecting his experiences with the ideas in the book, the Karmapa discussed how his early life as a nomad influenced his concern for nature. The cultural tendency of those communities was simply to live in harmony with the environment. It wasn’t until he moved to India in his teens, the Karmapa noted, that conversations were needed about conserving nature. His Holiness connects this to a fundamental Buddhist concept in his book, writing, “Greed is a hunger that only intensifies the more we feed it.”

“Even if we had five or six Earths,” the Karmapa said in his talk with Wade Davis, “we still would have difficulty fulfilling and satisfying all of our desires. And so, the most important point is that we have to control our desires.”

Following this public talk, the Karmapa wrapped up his time in Canada on 23 and 24 June with teachings and empowerments on “Akshobya Buddha: Dealing with Disturbing Emotions.” This concluded his foreign travel for the year, with several winter programs scheduled for Bodh Gaya, India, from November.

He is following in the footsteps of his predecessor the 16th Karmapa, who travelled extensively throughout the country and was instrumental in introducing Canadians to Buddhism in the 1970s.