2,000-yr-old stupa marks revival of India-China Buddhist links

Press Trust of India, September 20, 2015

Nangchen, China -- The restoration of the 2,000-year-old Ashoka Stupa in this quintessential Tibetan town by an Indian Buddhist monk marks a new beginning in the revival of Buddhism links between India and China.Hundreds of men and women accompanied by their children in best attires attended the ceremony, which locals say is the biggest such religious gathering in recent years just to have glimpse of the Stupa containing the relics of Buddha.

Buddhist monks said the credit to preserve the Stupa in this town located in China's Qinghai province adjacent to Tibet, through the invasions of Mongols and in recent decades, the Cultural Revolution headed by Mao Zedong goes to the local people.

The parts of the original Stupa were preserved by the people by making them into hundreds of small Stupas which were preserved in the new temple, a monk said. Over 300 tiny Stupas were displayed around the main Stupa of the temple.It was restored on September 15 signifying the revival of the Buddhist religious links between India and China in the Himalayan region strained by the departure of the Dalai Lama to India in 1959.

A massive gold-coloured statue of Buddha along with the Stupa and Ashoka Pillar was consecrated with Gyalwang Drukpa, the Himachal Pradesh-born Buddhist monk and the spiritual head of over 1,000 monasteries across Himalayas.

According to Buddhist records, Emperor Ashoka collected all parts of the body of Lord Buddha after his Nirvana, stored them in pagoda-shaped shrines before sending them to different parts of the world.

China is believed to have received 19 of them including the one in Nangchen but most of them have collapsed due to natural wear and tear as well as negligence.

Three more such Stupas were discovered in Chinese cities, Xian, Nanjing and near Ayuwang (Ashoka) Temple in Zhejiang Province. The Nangchen Stupa is the first to be discovered in Tibetan region. The fate of the rest of 15 Stupas sent by Ashoka to China is not known.

sourse:BUDDHIST CHANNEL

Buddhism Becoming Increasingly Popular Among City Youth

 By Jeevan Kumar Durgam
THE NEW INIDAN EXPRESS

HYDERABAD : Buddhism, the globally-spread religion, is now slowly gaining popularity among the youth of Hyderabad. Young students and employees, especially those in the information technology sector, are showing greater interest in the teachings of the Buddha.
“I do not call Buddhism a religion. It is the greatest philosophy of life which helps us achieve enlightenment through Vipassana (meditation),” says Devendar, who works for a multinational company in the city. He is a frequent visitor to the two major Buddha Viharas in the city.
Many young employees like Devendar started practising Buddhism and became active members of Yuva Buddhist Group (YBG)of Hyderabad which was founded by a city youth, Rajesh Suthari, to promote Buddhism in the city. 
YBG organises various activities to reach out to the local youth and teach them Buddhism. Its members also guide those who want to learn more about Buddhism. Two major Buddhist temples in the city, Ananda Buddha Vihara Trust at Mahendra Hills and Siddhartha Buddha Vihara Trust at New Bowenpally, both in Secunderabad, are now the new weekend destinations for many young students and employees.
The monks there teach the basic tenets of Buddhism to visitors who are not only interested in learning about the religion but also want to convert themselves to Buddhism. Both the Viharas have been witnessing a consistent growth in the number of visitors for the past few years.
However, there are very few Telugu people among the followers. Though the YBG has many active Telugu members, their number is far less when it comes to the activities at Viharas. 
Citing the reason, Pragya Chouhan, a member of YBG, said, “Often their parents do not accept it. And some don’t understand the language of the monks here.” These factors are keeping them away from direct participation in our activities at Viharas, but they are very much interested in Buddha’s teachings despite their absence, she added.
Not surprisingly, a majority of the visitors to Viharas are from the north-eastern states and the western state of Maharashtra where Buddhism has a strong base. The Marathi population in the city, which is the hardcore follower of Ambedkarite Buddhism, is the major stakeholder in any activity at the two Viharas in Secunderabad.
Existing for more than two decades in the city, the Viharas are attracting even  foreign visitors. Many students from countries like Burma, Nepal and Thailand, who are based in the city, visit the Viharas frequently. 
“Meeting hundreds of Buddhists here is a great experience for me as I have not met a single person at my university who talked about Buddhism so far,” said Shoon Le, a student from Burma who is studying MSc (Computers) at Osmania University.
However, Buddhist monks are finding it difficult to promote the religion with the very few Bhantejis (monks) in the city.  Head monks like Bhikku Khemachara, chairman of Sidharth Buddha Vihara Trust, are always busy visiting various places across the country. “It will be better if there are more Bhantejis at Viharas,” said Sangeeta, a member of Yuva Buddhist Group.

Mindful Journalism and News Ethics in the Digital Era: A Buddhist Approach

Book review by Dr. Kalinga Seneviratne, The Buddhist Channel, Sept 8, 2015

Singapore -- Although we are in the information age, digitization and globalization have contributed to the pollution of information, particularly news, which has increasingly turned into  a commodity produced and sold for a profit.

Shelton A. Gunaratne, the lead editor and author of this volume, says the aim of the contributing authors was to encourage the emergence of a different breed of journalists “who could bring about amity and sanity in the world community.”Their objective is to lay the foundation for building a new genre of journalism, which they have chosen to call‘Mindful Journalism,’ with a heavy emphasis on principles and concepts contained in the Buddhist middle path (magga).
Thus the authors derived the idea of Mindful Journalism from the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths, with the main emphasis on the fourth truth delineating the three dimensions of the magga - wisdom and compassion (panna), morality and ethics (sila), and concentration and mindfulness (samadhi). The term mindfulness comesfrom‘Right Mindfulness’(samma sati), the second aspect of the samadhi dimension. Because Buddhist phenomenology has no divine origin or inspiration, it encourages mindful insight to seeing things the way they really are, it inspires open debate, discussion, investigation and practice. The authors argue that such inspirationis ideal for developing a new breed of journalist that will work for the public good rather than the commercial needs of the media owners.
The  ‘Four Noble Truths’ address as the first truth that life is suffering (dukkha), which leads to the second truth on the arising of suffering because of desire (tanha) and clinging(upadana) created by ignorance(avijja); the third truth asserts that cessation of suffering is possible by removing its causes, and the fourth truth spells out the path one should follow to cease suffering.The fourth truth is also known as the Noble Eight-fold Path or the Middle Path(magga) towards attaining the state of Nibbana.  The book contains much discussion (some of it may appear too philosophical to a journalist without a basic understanding of Eastern wisdom) about various aspects of the Buddhist phenomenology along with a sprinkling of Hindu and Daoist philosophy. The first three chapters explain and translate the essence of Buddhist teachings on suffering (dukkha), impermanence(anicca) and no-self (anatta) in relevance to the practice of modern journalismthat involves reporting of poverty, social change, economic fluctuations, etc.
Chapter 4 focuseshow a journalist assuming the role of kalyana-mitta (wise adviser) could play a significant role by developing his/her mind to analyse complex issues,  seeing these in the context of interdependent and interactive variables that are ever changing. It is these changing outcomes – anicca – that we call news events. Chapters 5 and 6 go further into the meaning and application of dependent origination (paticca samuppada) model system thinking, to show how journalists could focus on the close connection between nature and human beings, to enable them to understand problem solving to report on the changing nature of  developingnews events.
Chapters 7 to 9 look at the fourth Nobel Truth of the path to eradicating suffering with each path related to journalistic practice. They look especially at how journalists could produce copy that promotes amity and sanity.
Chapter 10 explores the wisdom(panna) aspects of the path from a journalism practitioner’s point of view with examples to show how the Buddhist teachings such as in the Five Precepts (panca sila) and Mindful (vipassana) Meditation concepts could be adopted to journalism practice.
In the concluding chapter the authors point out that one need not become a Buddhist to practice Mindful Journalism, and in fact, the Middle Path espoused in the book  “is a composite of the moral/ethical, mental development, and wisdom principles that none of the contemporary religions of the world could dispute.” They give three reasons for suggesting Buddhism as an appropriate template for a new moral compass for journalism. 
First is that Buddhism gives the tools for the individual to ascertain the “truth” through personal experience (observation and investigation)  rather than through an expert or divine intervention. The second is that in the Kalama Sutta the Buddha has espoused his followers to tackle doubts and uncertainties in their own mind by not listening to repetitive sayings or hanging on to tradition, but to go out explore the truth, ponder, experience it and then analyse it themselves and believe in it. Which is well suited to the practice of investigative journalism.  The third is that the eight-fold path provides a moral compass for the practice of journalism that encourages moral integrity.
Although critics would try to dismiss this book as “utopian,” the authors argue that it may be the time to de-Westernise journalism to enable the restoration of news as a social good rather than letting it plunge further into the realm of a profit-motivated commodity signifying greed and clinging, a major cause of unhappiness in the world.
Mindful Journalism and News Ethics in the Digital Era: A Buddhist ApproachEdited by Shelton A. Gunaratne, Mark Pearson and Sugath Senarath
Published by Routledge, 2015
SOURSE: BUDDHIST CHANNEL

How to communicate like a Buddhist — mindfully and without judgment

By Cynthia Kane, The Washington Post, September 2, 2015

San Francisco, CA (USA) -- There’s a lot that used to frustrate me about communicating. Well, if I’m honest, it was that I didn’t know how to do it. I knew how to speak and string words together, but no one ever sat me down and taught me the purpose of communication or how to effectively express myself so I was heard and how to listen so I could understand. A lot of times it seemed that because I knew how to talk, that automatically meant I should know how to communicate.

Let’s be honest, communicating effectively is hard to do, especially in heated situations. It’s difficult because rarely do we stop to pay attention to what we’re saying or the purpose of our communication.
What I’ve found to help guide me on my quest is the Buddhist practice of mindfulness, specifically mindful communication.
“Mindfulness means being present with what you are doing, while you are doing it, with a nonjudgmental attitude,” says Sarah McLean, director of McLean Meditation Institute in Sedona, Ariz. “Not only is mindfulness a formal practice of meditation, it can also be the way one is engaged in activity. It is real-time gentle, present-moment, nonjudgmental attention while walking, mindfully eating, mindfully showering, for example.”So how does this apply to communication? Mindful communication is the practice of bringing our attention to our words. It means we are aware of what we’re saying while we’re saying it. It is a practice of observation and not evaluation. It is paying attention to others on purpose with a moment-to-moment awareness. And because it’s a learned skill ,anyone can apply it to his or her life.
Some would say the goal of Buddhism is to reach enlightenment, an elimination of suffering, and mindfulness is a practice used to achieve this goal. “Most of our contemporary mindfulness practices originate from the Buddhist tradition, where the four foundations of mindfulness (of body, feeling, mind and objects of mind) are a basic practice,” says Susan Gillis Chapman,author of “The Five Keys To Mindful Communication.” “In particular, in Buddhism there are precepts for mindful speech that focus on refraining from causing harm,” she says. “In lay Buddhist communities, this is practiced by refraining from harsh speech, gossiping and from dishonesty, which includes being dishonest with ourselves.” To communicate mindfully then shows us that the purpose of our speech is to help others and ourselves suffer less.
How, then, can we start to apply mindfulness to our speech so our words are kind, honest and helpful? By paying attention to our words, releasing judgment, and being in the moment.
1. Pay Attention
We’ve all been in situations where we’ve said something or reacted in a way that later we regretted, whether it was during an argument or fueled by resentment or by letting our attempts at poking fun get out of hand. Not only do we feel bad for what we said or for slamming doors and walking away, but we also see the hurt we’ve caused someone else. It’s in the aftermath of these situations that we see how powerful our words and our actions can be. It’s then that we see how easily we use judgmental or accusatory language or react with a cold shoulder or roll of the eyes.
But if we start to pay attention to our words and reactions, then we can begin to change them. By being conscious, “We learn to identify and clearly articulate what we are concretely wanting in a given situation. The form is simple, yet powerfully transformative,” writes Marshall B. Rosenberg in his book “Nonviolent Communication.” We often forget that at every moment we have the opportunity to choose how we express ourselves. We can choose to use words that encourage a sense of openness, safety and understanding or that create stress, make others and ourselves feel less than, or provoke anxiety.
Along with our words and reactions, it’s important we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings as well, especially in difficult conversations. “Paying attention helps us to not get hooked in a chain reaction that leads to mutual dissatisfaction,” says New York City- based psychotherapist Susan Solomon. “The body knows. We must take the time to acknowledge our bodily reactions, thoughts and feelings. Taking 10 seconds followed by a deep breath leads to communication based on understanding and compassion, not reactivity and disconnection.”
If we slow down the process of interacting, pausing now and again or taking a breath before speaking, we give ourselves more time to maintain awareness and promote painless conversations. If you notice yourself speaking quickly, getting caught up in a reaction, take a breath and slow down; you can always begin again.
2. Release Judgment
There’s a tendency when we start paying attention to judge others and ourselves. Phrases like, “I can’t believe I said that.” “What’s wrong with me?” Or passing thoughts like, “She has no idea how she sounds,” or “He thinks this is funny?” seem like harmless expressions, but there’s a lot of evaluating going on. If the point is to help others and ourselves suffer less, criticizing and judging only makes everyone hurt more.
The wonderful part about mindful communication, and the scariest, is it’s a judgment-free zone. “Mindfulness communication involves listening with a beginner’s mind — without judgment, without interruption, and with total receptivity,” says McLean. This means in conversation with others and ourselves, we’re committing to no longer seeing something as good or bad, right or wrong; we’re no longer seeing from a place of betterness or less than, but as an equal. “When we combine observation with evaluation, people are apt to hear criticism,” writes Rosenberg. “We need to clearly observe what we are seeing, hearing, or touching that is affecting our sense of well-being, without mixing in any evaluation.”
How do we do this? We stop gossiping about others and start reminding ourselves that our wants and needs are the same. “Find a shared goal, and you have both a good reason and a healthy climate for talking,” writes Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler in “Crucial Conversations.” When we remind ourselves of our sameness, we learn to understand our differences. If we’re judging our own behavior, we need to let ourselves feel the feeling but not let it consume us. Getting stuck in any emotion forces us off equal footing. Suddenly we’re either horrible people and less than or we’re saintly and better than. Instead of getting stuck, note the thought and say, ‘I forgive you.’ Then gently let the thought go, and start again.
3. Be In The Moment
When we’re with someone, it’s possible we’re thinking of the meeting we just had, what needs to be done for tomorrow, our list of groceries to pick up. Or we’re waiting for the person to finish talking so we can or we’re too excited so we interrupt.
Our attention can drift, but what mindful communication encourages is to refocus. McLean says that “mindfulness cultivates the attention necessary for anyone to become aware of and redirect their thoughts, again and again back to what they are actually engaged in.” When we notice our attention is stuck in a story outside the conversation, that’s the moment we come back to the conversation at hand. Without judging ourselves for not paying attention, we let go of the story we’ve been lost in and come back to where we are.
By drifting and refocusing, we’re constantly coming back to the present moment again and again, keeping us tied to the conversation we’re in and aware of its needs.
There are many reasons why we choose not to be mindful: It takes discipline. It means listening and respecting another person’s reality of a situation even if we don’t agree. It means learning to accept others and ourselves as deserving of the same type of kindness and support. It means having to take responsibility for our words, actions, and reactions and their effects on others and ourselves.
But for all the energy it takes to cultivate a moment-to-moment focus and observe our words and actions without judgment, what mindful communication gives us is a guideline for communicating that is kind, honest, and helpful.
sourse:Buddhist channel

9 Ways to Stop Absorbing Other People’s Negative Emotions

Emotions such as fear, anger, frustration, and immobility are energies. And you can potentially ‘catch’ these energies from people without realizing it.

If you tend to be an emotional sponge, it’s vital to know how to avoid taking on an individual’s negative emotions, or even how to deflect the free-floating negativities in crowds.

Another twist is that chronic anxiety, depression, or stress can turn you into an emotional sponge by wearing down your defenses. Suddenly, you become hyper-attuned to others, especially suffering with similar pain. That’s how empathy works; we zero in on hot-button issues that are unresolved in ourselves.

From an energetic standpoint, negative emotions can originate from several sources: what you’re feeling may be your own; it may be someone else’s; or it may be a combination.

Here is how to tell the difference and strategically bolster your positive emotions so you don’t shoulder negativity that doesn’t belong to you.

Stop Absorbing Other People’s Emotions 

1. Identify whether you’re susceptible. The person most likely to be overwhelmed by negative energies surrounding you is an “empath“, someone who acts as an “emotional sponge”. Signs that you might be an empath include:

•     People call you “hyper-sensitive”, “overly sensitive”, etc., and they don’t mean it as a            c     Compliment!
•     You sense fear, anxiety, and stress from other people and drawthis into your body, resolving      them as your own physical pain and symptoms. It doesn’t have to be people you don’t know      or don’t like; you’re also impacted by friends, family, and colleagues.
•     You quickly feel exhausted, drained, and unhappy in the presence of crowds.
•     Noise, smells, and excessive talking can set off your nerves and anxiety.
•     You need to be alone to recharge your energy.
•     You’re less likely to intellectualize what you’re feeling. Your feelings are easily hurt.
•     You’re naturally giving, generous, spiritually inclined, and a good listener.
•     You tend to ensure that you’ve got an escape plan, so that you can get away fast, such as          bringing your own car to events, etc.
•     The intimacy of close relationships can feel like suffocation or loss of your own self.

2. Seek the source. First, ask yourself whether the feeling is your own or someone else’s. It could be both. If the emotion such as fear or anger is yours, gently confront what’s causing it on your own or with professional help. If not, try to pinpoint the obvious generator.

•     For instance, if you’ve just watched a comedy, yet you came home from the movie theater         feeling blue, you may have incorporated the depression of the people sitting beside you; in       close proximity, energy fields overlap.
•     The same is true with going to a mall or a packed concert. If crowded places upset or                 overwhelm you, it may well be because you’re absorbing all the negative energy around you.

3. Distance yourself from the suspected source, where possible. Move at least twenty feet away; see if you feel relief. Don’t err on the side of not wanting to offend strangers. In a public place, don’t hesitate tochange seats if you feel a sense of depression imposing on you.

4. Center yourself by concentrating on your breath. Doing this connects you to your essence. For a few minutes, keep exhaling negativity, inhaling calm. This helps to ground yourself and purify fear or other difficult emotions. Visualize negativity as gray fog lifting from your body, and hope as golden light entering. This can yield quick results.

5. Flush out the harm. Negative emotions such as fear frequently lodge in your emotional center at the solar plexus (celiac plexus).

•     Place your palm on your solar plexus as you keep sending loving-kindness to that area to         flush stress out.
•     For longstanding depression or anxiety, use this method daily to strengthen this center. It’s      comforting and it builds a sense of safety and optimism as it becomes a ritual.

6. Shield yourself. A handy form of protection many people use, including healers with trying patients, involves visualizing an envelope of white light (or any color you feel imparts power) around your entire body. Think of it as a shield that blocks out negativity or physical discomfort but allows what’s positive to filter in.

7. Manage the emotional overload. You don’t need to be beholden to your ability to absorb other’s emotions; turn the curse into a gift by practicing strategies that can free you:

•     Learn to recognize people who can bring you down. People who are particularly difficult for       emotional empaths include criticizer, the victim, the narcissist, and the controller. Judith             Orloff terms these people “emotional vampires“. When you know how to spot these                   behaviors, you can protect yourself against them, including removing yourself from their             presence, and telling yourself that “I respect the person you are within even though I don’t         like what you’re doing.”
•     Eat a high protein meal before entering stressful situations such as being part of a crowd.         When in a crowd, find places of refuge, such as sitting on the edges, or standing apart.
•     Ensure that you don’t have to rely on other people to get you out of difficult situations. Bring       your own car or know how to get home easily when needed. Have sufficient funds to be able     to make alternate arrangements if you start feeling overwhelmed.
•     Set time limits. Knowing how much you can stand and obeying that limit is vital to ensure           your mental well-being. Also set kind but meaningful boundaries with others who overwhelm     you; don’t stand around listening to them talking for two hours when you can only cope with       half an hour.
•     Have your own private place in a home shared with others. Ask others to respect your              downtime during which you can rejuvenate. This is especially important to prevent you from      taking on your partner’s feelings too much. A study, man cave, sewing room, reading nook,        etc., all offer your own space.
•     Practice meditation and mindfulness.

8. Look for positive people and situations. Call a friend who sees the good in others. Spend time with a colleague who affirms the bright side of things. Listen to hopeful people. Hear the faith they have in themselves and others. Also relish hopeful words, songs, and art forms. Hope is contagious and it will lift your mood.

•     Cultivate positive emotions that boost your inner strength. If you’re surrounded by peace and     love, you’ll flourish as strongly as negative emotions cause you to wilt. Respecting your own       needs through healthy self love will increase your ability to respect others.
•     Learn to use compassion as a way to defend yourself against overwhelming emotions.               Compassion allows you to be empathetic to the plight of other people but also requires that       you are compassionate toward yourself. This means that you don’t need to feel guilty about       seeking respite from being overwhelmed; doing so ensures that you can be more engaged       with others in the long run, rather than less so. It also means that you keep yourself whole by     not immersing yourself in the world of negative people.

9. Create and maintain a haven for disengagement. Leave many paths open that lead to communing with the resonance of nature. Returning to your rightful home as a creature of nature switches off your victim mentality and recharges you energetically and spiritually.

•     Keep a picture of a waterfall or a lush forest with you and look at it when overwhelmed.
•     Step onto the quiet of a forest path or absorb the coolness of a gently babbling brook from         beneath a weeping willow.
•     Maintain a your personal space of cozy retreat where you hook into your own personal               power and energy.
•     Practise Yoga and breathing techniques. These draw upon emotional centering and provide     safe harbor in times of storm.

By Judith Orloff MD, in5d | Via: earthweareone.com

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Sukara Maddava – The last meal of Buddha

In the remote edges of the trails in Brindnagar, Dialek and Jumla, when the spring sun shone through the wooded edges, on the slopes of the Himalyan valley, in the midst of moist air, Dr Jayasinghe saw the locals tie their hogs on leashes and hunt for mushrooms. 

These hogs, like dogs have a very strong sense of smell and detects the mushrooms that are beneath the soil digging through with the aid of their snout and their hind legs. The mushrooms harvested with the assistance of pigs were called “Sukara Maddava” in the early Kahrostrian and Magda Pali languages, which literally meant “dug by pigs” .These mushrooms have a very high medicinal value compared to any other vegetable known to mankind. 

It is a fitting act by Chunda Karmara Putta to have offered this variety of mushrooms to the ailing Buddha who was 80 years of age, with the intent of giving some solace to a prevailing health condition he was suffering from. 

Sukara Maddawa” could be interpreted as tender pork. But it could also have a different meaning as food that pig loves, known as “truffle,” a kind of mushroom that grows underground that pigs are drawn to by its fragrance and would dig up with its snout to eat. 

It has been scientifically discovered that truffle makes pheromone, an androgen-analog substance, with its fragrant smell, attracting pigs to hunt for it and luring it with the sex hormone to dig with its snout for food, and spread its spore around in the process. In fact, pigs have been trained for truffle hunting. The only problem is that those mushroom hunters have to compete with the pigs for the truffles which could be eaten instantaneously by the pigs whenever it was found.

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Kerala Mahabodhi mission Organised Sravanolsavam @Kerala state