After learning to meditate while trapped in a flooded cave for 10 days, the Wild Boars soccer team may become monks to honor the diver who died during their rescue. The 12 boys who were trapped in a flooded cave system in northern Thailand said at a press conference that they are considering becoming novice monks as a tribute to Saman Kunan, the 38-year-old former Thai [...]
Buddhist teacher researches ways to improve Indigenous healthcare
Native American Buddhist teacher Bonnie Duran works to decolonize healthcare for Indigenous communities. For Bonnie Duran, it felt like coming home. For two months in 1982, she lived at a Tibetan monastery in Nepal. As a mixed-race Native American, she’d long witnessed the suffering of her community, and what she learned there about Buddhism’s first noble truth—that [...]
UNESCO adds seven Korean Buddhist temples to World Heritage list
The ancient mountain temples were established over 1,000 years ago. On June 30, UNESCO announced in a press release that seven Buddhist mountain monasteries in South Korea were added to the World Heritage List. The monasteries—Seonamsa, Daeheungsa, Beopjusa, Magoksa, Tongdosa, Buseoksa, and Bongjeongsa—belong to the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. The Korea Joongang [...]
300 Buddhist teachers, leaders, and practitioners call for reunification of families at US–Mexico border
Approximately 2,000 children remain separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border On Friday, more than 300 Buddhist teachers, leaders, and practitioners across traditions sent out a letter addressing the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s zero-tolerance immigration policy and asked for all separated immigrant families to be reunited. “We stand with leaders of other [...]
University of Michigan receives $2.5M for new chair in Tibetan Buddhist Studies
The Khyentse Foundation has funded the largest Tibetan Buddhist studies chair in North America. The Khyentse Foundation gifted $2.5 million to the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts to establish the Khyentse Gendun Chopel Professorship of Tibetan Buddhist Studies. According to the foundation, this is the largest monetary contribution to [...]
In final episode of “Parts Unknown,” Anthony Bourdain discusses death and Buddhism in Bhutan
Bourdain, who died in early June, attended a Buddhist death ritual on the final day of shooting the last episode of the show. The final episode of late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain's travel show "Parts Unknown" aired on CNN on Sunday. In it, Bourdain and his friend, director Darren Aronofsky, travel the country of Bhutan, discussing food, Buddhism, and death. "It is [...]
Japanese Buddhist priest joins movement to divest from fossil fuels and nuclear power
A Japanese Buddhist priest is trying to encourage Buddhists in Japan to withdraw money from banks that finance environmentally harmful energy projects. Tomonobu Narita, Buddhist priest at Totsuka Zenryo Temple in Yokohama, transferred some of his temple’s funds to one of Japan’s 45 “earth-friendly” banks. Narita told NBC News that he will speak with priests in other temples [...]
Suspect charged in vandalism of Ottawa Buddha statue
A suspect has been charged after a Buddha statue at the Hilda Jayewardenaramaya Buddhist Monastery in Ottawa was vandalized for the second time this year. “It hurts us. We are a very quiet community,” Weerasinghe, the monastery’s outreach coordinator, told the Ottawa Citizen. In March, the statue was attacked and decapitated. After the repaired statue was unveiled [...]
Buddhist scholar Matthew Kapstein honored with American Academy of Arts and Sciences fellowship
Matthew Kapstein, Numata Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Chicago, has been elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Along with Kapstein, President Barack Obama, actor Tom Hanks, and author Ta-Nehisi Coates are also among this year’s inductees. Founded in 1780, the Academy is one of the nation’s oldest learned societies and independent [...]
Sexual Misconduct in Shambhala Addressed by CBC Radio
On Wednesday, CBC Radio in Halifax, Nova Scotia, interviewed a Shambhala member who has issued a report on sexual misconduct in the community, followed by an interview with a leader in the organization. Shambhala is one of the largest Buddhist communities in the West; its headquarters is in Halifax. Andrea Winn, a leadership coach and second-generation Shambhala Buddhist, [...]
