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India Hosts Global Conference on Social Engagement and Liberation

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By Shyamal Sinha

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Refuge ceremony for 120 Indians. Image courtesy of the author
At the Yeola conference in 1935, prominent Indian leader and first law minister B. R. Ambedkar declared that he would not die a Hindu, saying that it perpetuates caste injustices. Ambedkar was approached by various leaders of different denominations and faiths. Meetings were held to discuss the question of Dalits and the pros and cons of conversion.

 Buddhist conference is taking place this week at  Nagpur in celebration of the Indian scholar, social activist, and reformer Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891–56), who helped convert some 500,000 people to Buddhism in a single day.

The conference, titled “Social Engagement and Liberation” and which runs from 11–14 October, has attracted Buddhist teachers, activists, and scholars from all over the world and from many different Buddhist traditions. Significantly, the conference is being held close to the site of the original mass conversion led by Dr. Ambedkar that took place in October 1956. These Buddhist leaders and social activists have come together to work for a more democratic society founded on the principle that all human beings deserve respect.

Outside of India, most people have not heard of this man who transformed Indian society during the first half of the 20th century and is now responsible for an estimated 40–50 million people currently practicing Buddhism in India. The people that Dr. Ambedkar helped to liberate are often known as “untouchables”—people outside the Hindu caste system, who exist at the bottom of an oppressive social hierarchy. These so-called untouchables are restricted to working in what are considered the “lowest” of occupations (trash collection, carcass removal, manual sewer cleaning) and they are encouraged work hard in order to be reborn in more favorable circumstances in their next life.

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Dhammachari Lokamitra, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, and Prof. Sukhdev
Thorat light candles for the opening of the conference. Image courtesy
of the author

Dr. Ambedkar, who was also the architect of India’s first constitution and a leading advocate for women’s equality, challenged this centuries-old oppression. In Nagpur, he is celebrated as a great figure who led millions of people out of the hellish conditions imposed by the caste system. Dr. Ambedkar has also inspired many people to social activism. One person who accepted this challenge is Dharmachari Lokamitra, a British-born Buddhist monk who was asked by his Buddhist teacher in the early 1970s to travel to India to help Indians manifest Dr. Ambedkar’s vision of revitalizing Buddhism in the country of its origin. Lokamitra has worked tirelessly for decades to create a training center—the Nagaloka Institute—which is helping young Indians learn about Buddhism and community building. So far, he and a dedicated group of teachers have trained more than 1,000 Indians who are now spread throughout the country working for this cause.

The conference is co-hosted by the International Network of Engaged Buddhists, a Thailand-based organization that connects engaged Buddhists around the world with the aim of addressing concerns with environmental, human rights, and conflict resolution, and the Deer Park Institute, a center for the study of classical Indian wisdom traditions based in northern India. The goal of the forum is to bring together some of the brightest men and women in the global Buddhist community to support and encourage Buddhist study and practice in India, and to create communities that are built around Dr. Ambedkar’s vision of a society based on liberty, equality, and fraternity.

Speakers at the event include Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Dr. Yo Hsiang-Chou, Ven. Chao-Hwei Bhikkhuni, Hozan Alan Senauke, Prof. Sukhdeo Thorat, Christopher Queen, Dr. Christie Yu-ling Chang, and Ven.Pomnyun Sunim, along with dozens of other Buddhist leaders and activists.

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Closing ceremony of the first day of the conference. Image courtesy of the author

Dr. Ambedkar, popularly known as Babasaheb, was an Indian jurist, economist, and politician, and a prolific scholar and social reformer. He inspired the modern Buddhist movement in India and campaigned against social discrimination against women and India’s “untouchable” Dalit caste. He was the principal architect of India’s first constitution and in 1955, founded the Buddhist society of India. Shortly before his death, Ambedkar completed his final book, The Buddha and His Dhamma, an English-language treatise on Buddhism and the Buddha’s life, which was published posthumously.The Buddhist movement was somewhat hindered by Dr. Ambedkar’s death so shortly after his conversion. It did not receive the immediate mass support from the Untouchable population that Ambedkar had hoped for. Division and lack of direction among the leaders of the Ambedkarite movement have been an additional impediment. According to the 2001 census, there are currently 7.95 million Buddhists in India, at least 5.83 million of whom are Buddhists in Maharashtra.This makes Buddhism the fifth-largest religion in India and 6% of the population of Maharashtra, but less than 1% of the overall population of India.

Asian Buddhist Animal Rights Conference Held in Seoul, South Korea

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By Shyamal Sinha

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From dharmavoicesforanimals.org
The Venerable Hai Tao was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in 1958. He graduated from Chinese Culture University of Chinese Culture in 1982. He was born in a family with traditional Chinese faith, but he encountered Christianity when he was in middle school and was a pious Christian until university. After having established a family and his own business, he also encountered Taoism.

On 30 September, hundreds of Buddhist monastics, lay practitioners, and veterinarians from around the world attended the 1st Asian Buddhist Animal Rights Conference at Hotel Skypark Kingstown, in the Dongdaemun commercial district of Seoul. The event immediately followed the 28th World Fellowship of Buddhists Conference in the same city held from 26–30 September.

The keynote speech, titled “Compassion for All Beings,” was given by the renowned Buddhist monk Venerable Master Hai Tao from Taiwan, who is also a vegan advocate. “Our greatest evil currently is that every day we are involved in a feud with animals, such as killing and consuming fish, shrimp, crab . . . on a daily basis. It is only when we fall ill one day or when we are grieving for our own ill or dying child do we realize the pain that animals endure,” Ven. Hai Tao told the Dharma Voices for Animals (DVA) website.

Co-hosted by DVA and the Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (CARE), the event was one of the world’s few Buddhist animal rights conferences. Both organizations aim to raise awareness about the plight of animals in the global livestock industry through meetings with various constituents, producing films, conducting regular animal welfare and rights workshops, and lecturing at colleges and schools.

Panel topics at the conference included implementing humane animal control methods, spaying and neutering animals, animal experimentation, animal agriculture, and promoting plant-based nutrition. Two workshops were conducted at the conference, the first was on “Advancing the Cause of Animal Rights in the Buddhist Community,” and the second was on “Living Kinder and Eating Kinder—using what was learned at the conference for the welfare and happiness of all beings.”

Among the event’s speakers was Sri Lankan Buddhist veterinarian Dr. Chamith Nanayakkara, who is also the leader of DVA’s Sri Lanka chapter. He presented a paper entitled: “Importance of Implementing Humane Animal Control Methods in the 21st Century.” Dr. Nanayakkara and his team have helped more than 50,000 animals in Sri Lanka. DVA president Bob Isaacson gave a speech titled, “Buddha’s Teachings on Sentient Beings and How We Can Live Kinder.”

Founded five years ago, DVA has 25 chapters in nine countries. Its mission is based on several core teachings of the Buddha, including the First Precept, the Noble Eightfold Path, and the principles outlined in the Karaniya Metta Sutta. Isaacson stated on the website that DVA’s objective is “to give voice to the suffering of animals and draw the attention of Buddhists and Buddhist countries to their plight and recommend measures to eliminate or reduce their suffering. It will support the enactment and/or updating of animal welfare legislation in Buddhist countries.” DVA does this by bringing together like-minded people in local communities, and acting as a grassroots agent to raise awareness to the suffering of animals within their Buddhist communities.

Founded in 2002, CARE is the largest animal rights organization in South Korea. It campaigns against all forms of animal exploitation, including factory farming, the production and selling of dog meat, vivisection, whaling, and the fur industry. It provides animal welfare lectures to schools all over South Korea through partnering with the Korean Red Cross and the government.

The organizers said that the conference was a starting point and that they planned to hold more in the coming years.

In formulating this policy, the Buddha settled on the middle way, allowing monks to eat leftovers, since no additional animals would be harmed, but prohibiting them from eating meat if the animal was killed for them. The key principle was that in eating meat, the monk should not cause additional suffering.

Dhardon Sharling appointed Information Secretary

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Dhardon Sharling poses for a photo at her desk on the second day of her appointment as the Information Secretary of the Department of Information and International Relations of the Central Tibetan Administration, in Dharamshala, India, on 5 October 2016.
Dhardon Sharling poses for a photo at her desk on the second day of her appointment as the Information Secretary of the Department of Information and International Relations of the Central Tibetan Administration, in Dharamshala, India, on 5 October 2016.
Dhardon Sharling poses for a photo at her desk on the second day of her appointment as the Information Secretary of the Department of Information and International Relations of the Central Tibetan Administration, in Dharamshala, India, on 5 October 2016.

By Lobsang Wangyal

MCLEOD GANJ, India, 5 October 2016

Sikyong Lobsang Sangay has appointed Dhardon Sharling as the new Information Secretary of the Central Tibetan Administration.

Sharling’s first appointment, as a minister, was voted out by a majority of the members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile at the end of September.

In June, when Sikyong Sangay had proposed her as minister, the Parliament approved the appointment, but it was later found that she didn’t fulfil the age requirement. Sikyong then withdrew her from his cabinet after the Parliament questioned her age.

The exile Tibetan Charter requires a person to be 35 years of age to be appointed as a minister.

Speaking to Tibet Sun about her current appointment as Secretary, Dhardon said, “I got a phone call from Kashag on the 26th of September asking if I would like to serve DIIR. I have been mentally prepared to do that for the last couple of months, and immediately said yes. On 30 October, I was given the appointment letter to serve as Information Secretary.”

“It is giving me a platform to hone the skills that I already have developed over the years — my experiences and expertise.”

Asked about her priorities as Secretary, Dhardon said, “Good communication strategy, how you win supporters, and how you make people who are hesitant about touching the Tibetan issue to hold it up with a badge of honour. Secondly, dialogue with China.”

With regard to the issue of her age in the previous appointment, she said it was an oversight. “My conscience is clear. I know what really happened. If I have intentionally done that, I am the kind of person who would admit to it and apologise. But I still to this date stand by what I said on June 3rdthat it was unintentional. It was a sheer oversight.”

Dalai Lama greets 2016 Nobel peace prize winner Juan Manuel Santos

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161007070705iaHis Holiness the Dalai Lama today sent a congratulatory letter to Mr. Juan Manuel Santos, the President of Republic of Colombia, on winning the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.

“I offer my congratulations on your being awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for your unwavering efforts to bring an end to 52 years of civil war in your country,” the Tibetan leader wrote.

The Tibetan leader further wrote, “This award is a tribute to your tireless efforts to promote peace in Columbia, regardless of how difficult the prospects may have seemed when you began. I am deeply encouraged by the steadfast determination with which you have continued to work for reconciliation and peace despite the setbacks that have arisen on the way. Clearly what is important is to continue to strive for the goal until we succeed.”

The Tibetan leader will leave on Saturday for a two week visit to Europe

HH the Karmapa Opens Dialogue on Human Emotions with Psychology Students

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By Shyamal Sinha

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His Holiness the Karmapa meets postgraduate psychology students in Dharamsala on 29 September. From kagyuoffice.org

Karmapa means “the one who carries out buddha-activity” or “the embodiment of all the activities of the buddhas”

His Holiness Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa last week received 20 postgraduate psychology students in Dharamsala, northern India, who will attend a special program of meetings with His Holiness over 11 days. During the course of the program, the students and the Karmapa will discuss and examine how Buddhism and modern psychology approach and understand the various human emotions.

The Karmapa’s meetings with the students from India’s Ambedkar University Delhi, who represent a broad cross-section of religions and backgrounds from across India, including the Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Muslim, and Sikh communities, will feature discussions, presentations, and Q+A sessions on a range of topics proposed by the students themselves that encompass jealousy and envy, love and attachment, greed, desire and contentment, guilt and shame, stress and anxiety, faith and hope, and fear, terror and courage.

“This is the first time that I have had the opportunity to hold such a long series of meetings with an Indian student group,” said His Holiness to the students during their initial meeting with him on 29 September. “For me this is a wonderful occasion because I can enter into a world that I cannot usually experience, and explore social issues and contexts I am not so familiar with. So for me this is a great opportunity, and I want to express how happy I am to have this time together with you.” (Karmapa)

Considered the third most important figure within Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, the Gyalwang Karmapa is the head of the Karma Kagyu, the largest lineage of the Kagyu, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being Gelug, Nyingma, and Sakya.

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Examining how Buddhism and modern psychology approach and understand human emotions. from kagyuoffice.org

Over the course of their time with His Holiness, the students have been tasked with preparing presentations on modern psychology’s understanding of human emotions, outlining the ways in which each emotion can be defined and viewed. The presentations must also address how these emotions are perceived within their own communities, highlighting that although they form part of the universal human experience, gender as well as religious, social, and cultural background all play a role in how these same emotions are expressed, valued, and experienced by individuals and communities.

The program was organized and sponsored at the Karmapa’s request by the Kun Kyong Charitable Trust, which the His Holiness established in 2013 to promote education, women, the environment, health, and welfare. Over the past five years, the Karmapa has sought out opportunities to interact with university students and young professionals from various countries on a range of topics, including identity, leadership, and gender issues. These interactions, including the ongoing meetings with the Ambedkar University students, reflect the Karmapa’s conviction that Buddhist teachings can serve as a resource for non-Buddhists to find new ways to address matters of universal concern in the 21st century.

The institution of the Karmapa is the oldest tulku lineage in Tibetan Buddhism, dating back to the first Gyalwa Karmapa, Düsum Khyenpa (1110–93), and predating the Dalai Lama lineage by more than two decades. Due to a dispute within the Karma Kagyu school over the recognition process, the identity of the 17th Karmapa is a matter of some controversy. The majority of Tibetan Buddhists recognize Ogyen Trinley Dorje as the incarnation of the 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, although an influential minority recognizes Trinley Thaye Dorje. The movements of Ogyen Trinley Dorje, who is based in the town of Sidhbari in Dharamsala after fleeing Tibet at the age of 14.
As a scholar and meditation master, as well as painter, poet, songwriter and playwright, the Gyalwang Karmapa embodies a wide range of the activities that Karmapas have engaged in over the centuries. As an environmental activist, computer enthusiast and world spiritual leader whose teachings are often webcast live, the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa has brought the Karmapa lineage’s activities fully into the 21st century.

How Eating Pulses Every Day Could Help Kickstart weight loss

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If you want to lose weight, upping the amount of pulses in your diet could be a good place to start.

New research has found that eating one portion of beans, peas, chickpeas or lentils per day could contribute to “modest weight loss”.

In a study of more than 900 adult men and women, those eating around 3/4 cup (130 grams) of pulses each day were found to lose an average of 0.34 kilograms (0.75 pounds) in six weeks.

Although the figure may seem small, the participants experienced this weight loss without making a particular effort to reduce their intake of other foods.

The research was led by Dr Russell de Souza from St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto.

Commenting on his findings, Dr de Souza said: “Though the weight loss was small, our findings suggest that simply including pulses in your diet may help you lose weight, and we think more importantly, prevent you from gaining it back after you lose it.”

According to the report, pulses have a low glycemic index, meaning that they break down slowly in the body once you have eaten them.

Because of this, they can leave you feeling fuller for longer when compared to other foods and can be used to reduce “bad” fats such as trans fats in a dish or meal.

Dr de Souza noted that 90% of diets fail, largely due to hunger and food cravings, often resulting in weight regain after initial loss.

“This new study fits well with our previous work, which found that pulses increased the feeling of fullness by 31%, which may indeed result in less food intake,” he added.

The research is published in full in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

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The ultimate guide to weight loss: 49 tips and tricks to drop pounds now

US grants $23 million to exile Tibetans in South Asia

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Sikyong Lobsang Sangay speaks during a press conference, as Finance Minister of the Central Tibetan Administration, Karma Yeshi, look on, in Dharamshala, India, on 3 October 2016.
Sikyong Lobsang Sangay speaks during a press conference, as Finance Minister of the Central Tibetan Administration, Karma Yeshi, look on, in Dharamshala, India, on 3 October 2016.
Sikyong Lobsang Sangay speaks during a press conference, as Finance Minister of the Central Tibetan Administration, Karma Yeshi, look on, in Dharamshala, India, on 3 October 2016.

Tibet Sun/Lobsang Wangyal

By Lobsang Wangyal

MCLEOD GANJ, India, 3 October 2016

The United States government has granted $23 million to exile Tibetans living in South Asia to strengthen their livelihood and culture.

The Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) announced the grant during a press conference at the exile headquarters in McLeod Ganj.

The aid has been granted through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the grant will be effective from 1 October 2016 to 30 September 2021.

The funding is mainly for livelihood and leadership development of Tibetan refugees.

“In the livelihood area we have several projects — integrated development projects for settlements, non-banking financial corporation, and also some cultural aspects of Tibetan culture — maintaining Tibetan identity is very important,” Sangay said.

“In leadership, it’s essentially about building human resources and capacity of the Tibetan people as a whole. Our focus is on CTA at the moment. We have already started giving trainings to senior staff members of the CTA.”

The first year will mostly about assessment, and the remaining four years will be about implementing the programmes.

Without taking part in the assessment, there will be no funds for anybody. “We request all the Tibetans working in various fields to take part in the assessment,” Sangay said.

Apart from on-going funds provided in the field of education and health, funds will be given to individuals who have proper business plans, filmmakers who have projects for social and environmental causes. etc.

For sustainability, there are projects such as building libraries, cafes, and playgrounds.

India Hosting International Buddhist Conclave from 2–6 October

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By Shyamal Sinha

Ani Choying Drolma performs at the inauguration of the conclave. From FacebookAni Choying Drolma performs at the inauguration of the conclave. From Facebook

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav will attend the inaugural function of International Buddhist Conclave at Sarnath starting from October 2 to 4. Foreign delegates and Buddhists from over 40 countries will attend the conclave that will conclude at Bodh Gaya in Bihar.

 Ministry of Tourism is hosting an International Buddhist Conclave from 2–6 October in an ostensible effort to promote tourism to the country’s Buddhist sites, but also to woo the world’s Buddhists in a display of favor for the Buddhist religion. The main events will be held in the Indian capital of New Delhi and two of the four most sacred Buddhist sites in the country, Bodh Gaya and Varanasi.

Buddhist delegates and organizations from around the globe arrived in New Delhi on Sunday to attend an opening event featuring Nepalese nun and musician Ani Choying Drolma, who is a frequent special guest at large-scale Buddhist events in India. On Monday morning, guests were introduced to the life and journeys of the Buddha by Plum Village dharmacharya Shantum Seth at the National Museum. They were due to fly to Varanasi in the afternoon to retrace the Buddha’s journey to Sarnathon Tuesday, before attending a presentation about India as a Buddhist destination by the Ministry of Tourism and the state government of Uttar Pradesh.

The conclave’s objective is to engage the “worldwide community of Buddhists, including the sangha, in supporting India’s vision to develop Buddhist circuits and awaken the world to Buddha’s India,” according to the timetable of events sent to guests. The program includes exhibition stalls hosted by various state governments, as well as cultural shows to highlight the economic, cultural, and diplomatic potential of Indian Buddhist sites.

The event was organized “with a view to showcase and project the Buddhist heritage in India and boost tourism to the Buddhist sites in the country and cultivate friendly ties with countries and communities interested in Buddhism,” stated the Ministry of Tourism in its invitation. It also noted: “The conclave will have a spiritual dimension, an academic theme, and a diplomatic and business component. Participants will include senior leaders of various Buddhist sects, scholars, public leaders, journalists, and people from the tourism industry.”

Guests from France and Poland. From Shantum SethGuests from France and Poland. From Shantum Seth

The week-long event is the latest in a campaign by the Indian government, led by prime minister Narendra Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, to present itself as a domestic and international conduit of Buddhist diplomacy. In 2015, Modi was the guest of honor at the conference Samvad — A Global Hindu-Buddhist Initiative for Conflict Avoidance and Environment Consciousness, which was held from 3–4 September in New Delhi. The Indian premier also joined the conference delegation last year at Bodh Gaya on 5 November to meditate under the Bodhi Tree, give a speech touting his credentials as a custodian of India’s Buddhist heritage, and to listen to an ecumenical Theravada-Mahayana-Vajrayana chant.

Exactly one year and one month from when Modi visited Bodh Gaya, this year’s conclave guests will fly to the center of the Buddhist world on Wednesday to attend a presentation titled “Pilgrim Trails — Buddha Dharma Yatra at Sujata Kutir,” which details India’s vision for its stewardship of cultural and historical Buddhist heritage. On Thursday they will engage in silent walking meditation before heading to the main shrine and the Bodhi Tree. There will be an ecumenical chanting of sutras from different traditions before the conclave concludes and the delegates return to New Delhi.

Modi’s “Buddhist diplomacy” has captured the imagination of many Buddhists in India and other countries, although his more cynical attempt to translate his admiration of Dalit Buddhist leader B. R. Ambedkar (1891–1956) into domestic votes among India’s Dalit community in Uttar Pradesh has met with mixed results. His international “Great Game” with Nepal also suffered a setback in May this year, with Indian officials boycotting a Chinese-supported conference in Lumbini, a contender with Bodh Gaya to be recognized as the epicenter of the Buddhist world.
With a view to showcase and project the Buddhist heritage and pilgrim sites, the ministry of tourism organises International Buddhist Conclave. Earlier, the conclave was organised in New Delhi and Bodhgaya (2004), Nalanda and Bodhgaya (2010), Varanasi and Bodhgaya (2012), and Bodhgaya and Varanasi (2014). The ministry of tourism had introduced two schemes PRASAD and Swadesh Darshan – the integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits in 2014-15. Under PRASAD, 12 cities including Amritsar, Ajmer, Dwaraka, Mathura, Varanasi, Gaya, Puri, Amaravati, Kanchipuram, Vellankanni, Kedarnath and Guwahati have been identified for development. Under Swadesh Darshan scheme, spiritual circuit has been identified as theme circuit for development. “Sarnath is one of the destinations being covered under Swadesh Darshan,

Thailand Hosts 1st ASEAN Buddhist Conference

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By Shyamal Sinha

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Ven. Ajahn Brahm delivers the keynote speech for the inaugural conference. Image courtesy of the author

Thailand is a foreigner friendly and welcoming Buddhist country. The country’s form of government is a constitutional monarchy, with a high reverence for the Thai Monarchy, and devotion to the teachings of Buddhism. And although the vast majority of the people in Thailand are Buddhist, all religions are welcome, and His Majesty the King is the patron of all religions.

Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University in central Thailand played host to the 1st ASEAN Buddhist Conference on 22–23 September. Drawing monastic and lay speakers and participants from 23 countries, the inaugural forum, with the theme “ASEAN Buddhists: Beyond 26th Buddhist Century,” focused mainly on the re-establishment of female ordination in the Theravada tradition.

The venerable British monk Ajahn Brahm, the abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery in Western Australia, delivered the event’s keynote speech, titled “We Are On the Right Side of History,” in which he offered words of encouragement to the re-emerging bhikkhuni sangha. Acknowledging the opposition to female ordination from some quarters, Ajahn Brahm noted that at certain points in history, many scientists had been considered wrong and faced public opposition—and in some cases, even risked their personal safety—beecause of their research and views that were later proven to be correct.

Ajahn Brahm also quoted the late Sri Lankan Buddhist monk and scholar Ven. K. Sri Dhammananda, who once offered the observation that a chair, which has four legs, is stable, but a chair with a leg missing is not stable—likewise, the Buddhist sangha, which is fourfold, cannot be stable with the absence of the bhikkhuni order. He urged the male monastics present to stand beside and support the nuns in their struggle for mainstream recognition.

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Prof. Bhikkhuni Dhammananda reads a special message for the
conference from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Image courtesy of the
author

His Holiness the Dalai Lama sent a special message for the occasion, which was read on his behalf by Prof. Bhikkhuni Dhammananda, Thailand’s first fully ordained Buddhist nun. The Dalai Lama expressed his great pleasure in addressing the conference: “I understand that the situation of Buddhist nuns and Tibetan nuns in particular will be discussed in the conference . . . Forty years ago, I urged nuns also to study classical texts and later this year we will be awarding the highest doctorates to nuns who have completed their study.” His Holiness also expressed the joy he had felt observing a debate by school children, who had been trained by a nun, in one of India’s Tibetan settlements.

The conference also celebrated the 72nd birthday of Ven. Dhammanand, noting two significant achievements: her scholarly work in the field of Buddhism and her path-breaking contributions as a monastic practitioner that have paved way for many Buddhist women, and enabled them to attain a position of respect in Theravada society. Ven. Dhammananda also spoke about recent developments in the re-establishment of the bhikkhuni order, thanking the assembled monks, many of whom also spoke during the conference, for their support of the bhikkhunis.

A total of nine panel sessions were held during the two-day forum, which discussed the history and the revival of the bhikkhuni order, the current state of Buddhism and female monasticism, the challenges facing Buddhism within ASEAN,* as well as education, Buddhist arts, history, ecology, and Buddhist contributions to various countries.

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The official poster of the conference. Image courtesy of the author

In an address to all the speakers and participants at the event, Dr. Amarajiva Lochan, secretary of the organizing committee, expressed his gratitude to the participants for attending this inaugural conference. Beside the two days panel sessions the conference organizing committee also held a one-day tour of Nakhon Pathom, including a river cruise, for the guests.

The conference was organized by Buddhasavika Foundation in Thailand, the Network of Asian Theravada Bhikkhunis in Vietnam, Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University’s Buddhabhat Research Unit, the South and Southeast Asian Association for the Study of Culture and Religion in India, the Gotami Vihara Society in Malaysia; STIAB Smaratungga in Indonesia; and the Dhammamoli International Buddhist Education Centre in Myanmar.

* The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a regional organization comprising 10 Southeast Asian states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, and Vietnam.In terms of healthcare, the country has developed an excellent reputation globally, due to its internationally-certified doctors and medical staff, and modern facilities and equipment. It is so good that one of the fastest-rising tourism sectors is medical tourism, with international patients visiting Thailand to take advantage of Thailand’s world-class and extremely affordable health care system.

China snubs Pakistan, denies backing it on Kashmir issue

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By – Shyamal Sinhaunnamed

Relations between India and Pakistan have taken a beating after the Uri terror attack on September 18 that killed 19 Indian Army soldiers.

China snubbed Pakistan on Monday by denying media reports that Beijing had assured to help the country in the event of any foreign aggression and also support the country on the Kashmir issue.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said that he wasn’t aware of the remarks made by Pakistan Consul General in Lahore Yu Boren that China is with Pakistan on the Kashmir dispute. He said that the issue should be resolved through dialogue and consultation.

“As the neighbour and friend to both Pakistan and India, we hope the two countries will properly address their differences through dialogue and consultation, manage and control the situation and jointly work for the peace and stability of South Asia and the growth of the region,” he was quoted as saying by Press Trust of India (PTI).

“With regard to the Kashmir issue, we believe it is an issue left over from history. We hope the relevant parties will peacefully and properly resolve the issue through dialogue and consultation,” he added.

The statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry came after Punjab (Pakistan) Chief Minister’s Office stated that China sides Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.

“In case of any [foreign] aggression our country will extend its full support to Pakistan… We’re and will be siding with Pakistan on Kashmir issue…There is no justification for atrocities on unarmed Kashmiris in…[India-] held Kashmir and the Kashmir dispute should be solved in accordance with aspirations of the Kashmiris,” Consul General of China in Lahore Yu Boren was quoted as saying by the CM Office on Friday, the Dawn reported.In the early morning Sunday, armed militants entered an Indian army base in the garrison town of Uri — about 63 miles (102 kilometers) from Srinagar, the capital of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir — killing 18 soldiers.India accuses Pakistan of having a role in a September 18 raid on Uri army base in Kashmir, one of the deadliest attacks in the Himalayan region that has been divided since 1947 and lies at the heart of the nuclear-armed neighbors’ rivalry. Pakistan denies any role in the attack.

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