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.

Women’s position in Buddhism is unique. The Buddha gave women full freedom to participate in a religious life. The Buddha was the first religious Teacher who gave this religious freedom to women. Before the Buddha, women’s duties had been restricted to the kitchen; women were not even allowed to enter any temple or to recite any religious scripture. During the Buddha’s time, women’s position in society was very low. The Buddha was criticized by the prevailing establishment when He gave this freedom to women. His move to allow women to enter the Holy Order was extremely radical for the times. Yet the Buddha allowed women to prove themselves and to show that they too had the capacity like men to attain the highest position in the religious way of life by attaining Arahantahood. Every woman in the world must be grateful to the Buddha for showing them the real religious way of living and for giving such freedom to them for the first time in world history.

 The 15th conference of the Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women opened at the University of Hong Kong, kicking off 7 days of sharing, discussing, and celebrating the theme, “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation, Cultural Exchange and Social Action.” This theme highlights the diversity of contemporary Buddhist women throughout the world and the need to unite and share experiences and ideas. The conference aims to bring together scholars, monastics (both nuns and monks), and members of the public to forge pathways forward for the interests and needs of Buddhist women in not only Asia but around the world.

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, president of Sakyadhita and chairwoman of the conference, expressed the hope that this years’ meet could serve as a bridge strengthening the connection between East and West, with Hong Kong serving as a gateway to greater China.

The opening of the conference emphasized the diversity and unity of Buddhist women all over the globe. The chanting that started the opening ceremony showcased the rich diversity of the lineages and schools present (Theravada, Chinese, Korean, Vajrayana, Vietnamese, among others). The nuns, although at times somewhat flustered and lost amidst all the attention, were extremely endearing and inspiring, and captured the hearts of all those present.

In the speeches that followed, each of the speaker took time to welcome everyone and highlight the uniqueness of the gathering.

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo emphasized that the conference celebrates the achievements of both monastic and lay Buddhist women, but also stressed that even though the conference was about women, it is certainly not anti-men, and all the lay and monastic men present were most welcome.

Professor C. F. Lee, professor in engineering and founding fellow of HKU Centre of Buddhist Studies, stressed how he is continuously impressed with the advancement of women in his department of engineering, who are now obtaining higher grades than ever. He also stressed that Hong Kong is a very good place for a woman to grow up and prosper.

Professor Karma Lekshe Tsomo, international Buddhist women representative, praised the diversity of the audience, who were quite a sight to behold from the stage. Seeing everyone dressed in the robes and colors of their school reminded her of a beautiful rainbow.

The name Sakyadhita means Daughter of Shakya (denoting the clan name of the historical Buddha), and Rongdao Lai, assistant professor of religion and keynote speaker of the conference, expressed her joy and pride to be able to call herself one of the daughters of the Buddha. She called upon all her sisters, all daughters of the Buddha present in the hall, to meet old and new friends, to strengthen resolve, and share stories.

The conference will continue until coming Wednesday the 28th of June. Each day there will be many paper presentations and workshops on a variety of topics as well as many cultural and spiritual activities.

The Buddha has confirmed that man is not always the only wise one; woman is also wise.

Nowadays many religionists like to claim that their religions give women equal rights. We only have to look at the world around us today to see the position of women in many societies. It seems that they have no property rights, are discriminated in various fields and generally suffer abuse in many subtle forms. Even in western countries, women like the Suffragettes had to fight very hard for their rights. According to Buddhism, it is not justifiable to regard women as inferior. The Buddha Himself was born as a woman on several occasions during His previous births in Samsara and even as a women He developed the noble qualities and wisdom until He gained Enlightenment or Buddhahood.

You can see more images from the 22nd below.

By Press Office

The chili art gallery in Athens will host Meditation in Motion, a photographic exhibition and video installation exploring the world of Tibetan Dance, curated by the Museum of Asian Art and Culture of Arcidosso in Italy.

The exhibition, Meditation in Motion, has been planned specifically to enrich the dance-related research being presented at the CID Congress on Dance Research, being held at the Dora Stratou Theatre, creating a cultural context for the performances of the modern Tibetan dancers from the Khaita: Joyful Dances Project.

When and where

Chili Art Gallery
Dimofontos 13-15,
Thissio 11851, Athens
Tel: +30 210729564
www.chiliart.gr

8–14 July 2017

Meditation in Motion will be inaugurated at 19:00 on 8 July. The Chili Art Gallery is a 10-minute walk or five-minute taxi ride from the Dora Stratou Theatre in Athens, Greece.

About the exhibition

Life is movement and all phenomena around us are in constant motion. This unceasing movement is a dance, the dance of reality. In Tibet, dance is also seen as a bridge to another dimension, to a deeper state of mind and awareness, into which the dancers transport themselves, together with all around them.

In the Tibetan sacred dance, Cham, our ordinary conception of place is transformed into a space of pure existence: “the great mandala of action,” establishing a new balance and restoring order to the universe. Dancers become deities and the consecrated space becomes the mandala of their abode. Through dance, the mandala becomes alive and the presence of the divine is re-established: transforming place, participants, and spectators.

The exhibition Meditation in Motion features photographs by world-renowned dance photographer Herbert Migdoll from the Joffrey Ballet and his recent field research in Bhutan with Core of Culture, traditional Cham masks and costumes from Bhutan, and video installations featuring both traditional Tibetan folk dances and secret Tibetan sacred dances never before presented to the public.

By Shyamal Sinha

Climate change is caused by factors such as biotic processes, variations in solar radiation received by Earth, plate tectonics, and volcanic eruptions. Certain human activities have been identified as primary causes of ongoing climate change, often referred to as global warming.

In a joint statement, released on 9 June at an interfaith dialogue held in Bologna, Italy, religious leaders representing Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim communities called on the G7 environment ministers to protect our planet. As part of their call to action, they agreed to work together to overcome conflicts for the common goal of protecting the environment and the planet we call our home.

“We, as faith leaders and faith-based organizations, stand in solidarity with people and communities all over the world who are affected by the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation and commit to galvanizing greater awareness and action that promotes more sustainable consumption and lifestyles and protects our natural environment, both on land and water,” the joint statement read. (Climate Home)

The interfaith dialogue was organized by Connect4Climate, a global partnership program under the Communication for Climate Change Multi-Donor Trust Fund of the World Bank Group, in preparation for an upcoming G7 environment meeting. The faith representatives discussed how their own religious traditions stress the need for environmental protection and the role religion and religious communities can play in addressing climate change. They emphasized the necessity of developing a global green economy and building a more mindful and consciousness society to eliminate poverty. “We cannot address poverty without addressing environmental protection and climate change,” said Reverend Russel, a Christian minister, during the interfaith dialogue. (Lifegate)

“Let us remind our nations that the Earth is not a possession, but a partner on our journey,” Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, wrote in a letter to the interfaith dialogue. Pope Francis also sent a message to the meeting: “Action is the key word in order to transform this desert into a forest.” (Lifegate)

“Never stop looking for consensus among governments to protect Our Common Home,” said Mons. Matteo Maria Zuppi, the archbishop of Greater Bologna. (Lifegate)

The representatives emphasized the need for human kind to moderate consumption and protect the environment for all living beings. “Mankind has an obligation to make the planet a better home for all”, stressed Alfonso Arbib, president of the Assemblea Rabbinica dell’Unione delle Comunità Ebraiche Italiane. (Lifegate)

After the dialogue, all religious leaders signed the “Bologna Interfaith Charter: Living Our Values, Acting for Our Common Home,” to be sent to the G7 environment ministers on the first day of the G7 meeting. The charter asserts that: “The Bologna G7 Environment Meeting is taking place at a moment of both great peril and great promise. With the Paris Agreement in danger, we must do everything possible to ensure its successful implementation. Due to the scale and pace of harm that has already been inflicted upon our planet, we are the last generation who can turn this crisis around before it is too late. At the same time, implementing climate change solutions creates new opportunities to improve human well-being and promote a more just economy.” (Lifegate)

The G7 consists of seven nations—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States—which together represent more than 64 per cent of net global wealth. It is a grouping that holds a lot of responsibility for climate change, but also has the capacity to promote a greener, sustainable future.

Climate change in the recent past may be detected by corresponding changes in settlement and agricultural patterns.Archaeological eviden ce, oral history and historical documents can offer insights into past changes in the climate. Climate change effects have been linked to the collapse of various civilizations.

By Shyamal Sinha

Buddhism first came to China in the Han Dynasty when the Buddhist monks (missionaries) from India made their way across the overland routes of Silk Road into China. Since Buddhism was introduced to China, Buddhist ideas and practices have shaped Chinese culture in many different ways, such as art, politics, literature, philosophy and even medicine.

When Buddhism was first introduced to China, China had a lot of small kingdoms, and there was not any organized opposition to the new religion.

The religion gained the interest of the Emperor Ming of Han, and he established the White Horse Temple (Baima Si, the first Buddhist temple in China) in 68 AD.

During the early Tang Dynasty, in the 600s AD, the monk Xuanzang journey to India and visited over one hundred kingdoms, and wrote extensive and detailed reports of his findings. Xuanzang also returned with relics, statues, and Buddhist paraphernalia. With the emperor’s support, he set up a large translation bureau in Chang An (present-day Xi An). Also, there were a number of schools that taught and promoted Buddhism.

China is seeking ways to halt the increased commercialization and financial exploitation of Buddhist places of worship throughout the country, a senior official noted during a meeting of the Buddhist Association of China last week in Changsha, Hunan Province. The meeting was attended by delegates from 14 municipalities and provinces.

Buddhism is big business in China. Since the 1980s, when the Communist Party of China began to ease restrictions on religion and on the construction and renovation temples, there has been renewed interest in religion in general and in Buddhism in particular. With the more recent boom in domestic tourism, many temples, regional officials, and businesspeople have recognized the accompanying opportunities to make a profit. In recent years, many new Buddhist sites targeting domestic tourists have sprung up throughout the country, and plans are afoot for dozens more. Examples include the 128-meter-high Spring Temple Buddha statue in Henan Province, the statue of Guan Yin of the South Sea of Sanya in the island province of Hainan, and plans in Gansu Province to connect the historic Mogao Caves in Dunhuang with the sand dunes of another nearby tourist attraction.

Many temples and religious sites are also choosing to commercialize some of their services to fund maintenance of the buildings and sites, since government support for religion has diminished and income from donations is often insufficient. Visitors to temples and holy sites can expect to pay entrance fees and sometimes hundreds of yuan for incense sticks and other offerings..During the Zhou dynasty, Chinese believed that smoke resulting from burning wood act as a bridge between the human world and the spirits When Buddhism reached China, this wood evolved into sandalwood incense which were originally burned by Indian Buddhists so they could concentrate better.

It can be seen that incense burning as we know today is a merger between Chinese culture and Buddhist culture.

In 2012, there were even plans to list some of China’s most sacred Buddhist mountains—Mount Jiuhua in Anhui Province, Mount Wutai in Shanxi Province, and Mount Putuo in Zhejiang Province—on the Shanghai stock exchange to finance expansion plans for holy sites. These plans were met with widespread criticism from Buddhists in China, who lamented that the mountains, once revered as the earthly homes of bodhisattvas, were becoming symbols of the country’s unrestrained culture of materialism and commercialization. The government subsequently banned temples and holy sites from pursuing stock market listings.

All these issues were addressed during the meeting of the Buddhist Association of China, where Jiang Jianyong, deputy head of China’s State Administration for Religious Affairs, stressed that such violations of religious rights and interests called for a renewed agenda to promote and protect Buddhism and the religious right of Buddhists in China.

Delegates at the meeting related further examples of individuals and corporations exploiting Buddhism for commercial gain, often under the guise of building Buddhist cultural (theme) parks. In addition, temples are regularly rented out for commercial use by religious figures, and there have been instances in which people have collected donations to back non-existent UNESCO World Heritage Site applications.

Huai Hui, secretary-general of the provincial Buddhist association recounted how a monk in the city of Hengyang, in Hunan Province, had authorized the acquisition of 18 pine trees from Japan for the formidable sum of 5 million yuan (US$735,000). He added that another monk in Loudi, also in Hunan, had fraudulently collected 8 million yuan (US$1.2 million) in funding for the construction of a temple, which he used for personal gain.

“Some ancient temples have been surrounded by so-called cultural parks, with non-religious buildings constructed for commercial use,” said BAC deputy director Sheng Hui.  In addition, “fake Buddhists” have been luring followers, extorting money, and performing illegal religious activities, giving Buddhism a bad name. (China Daily)

Some of the initiatives of the Chinese Buddhist Society and the State Administration for Religious Affairs include mandating information disclosure and lawmaking. Last year, a living-Buddha authentication database was introduced to register and confirm the identities of purported living Buddhas, an inheritance structure unique to Vajrayana Buddhism.

“To protect religious rights and uphold dignity, Buddhist associations across China have been asked to tighten their management of personnel and strictly prohibit any commercial activities,” said Sheng Hui. (China Daily)

Today, there are over 365 million people practicing Buddhism worldwide, and China has over 100 million practicing Buddhism, which is the number one country for Buddhism.

One of the most popular figures in Chinese Buddhism in the Bodhisattva Guanyin (she is the one who perceives the laments of the world-Guanshiyin).

. Over its long history, Buddhism has different forms, ranging from an emphasis of religious rituals and the worship of deities, to a complete opposition of both rituals and deities in favor of merely meditation. Yet, all forms of Buddhism share respect for the teachings of the Buddha (the enlightened one).