Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) has issued a statement in response to the Rohingya Crisis in Myanmar, which has seen more than 430,000 people flee violence in Myanmar over the last month following a militant crackdown. A number of Buddhist leaders, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, have also spoken out against the alleged ethnic cleansing of the predominantly-Muslim [...]
Luis Oscar Gómez, scholar of Buddhism, dies at 74
Luis Oscar Gómez, a distinguished scholar and interpreter of Buddhism, died in Mexico City on September 3 due to illness. He was 74. At the time of his death Gómez was Professor Emeritus of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan, where he had worked for 35 years, contributing to Buddhist Studies in the areas of graduate training, undergraduate teaching, [...]
Dalai Lama condemns alleged ethnic cleansing in Myanmar
The Dalai Lama has joined others in urging Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi to halt violence against the predominantly-Muslim Rohingya ethnic group. (This post has been updated since its original publication on September 13, 2017) His Holiness the Dalai Lama has reportedly sent a letter to Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi. According to VOA News, the Dalai Lama urged his [...]
Thich Nhat Hanh’s monastic community to hold silent peace walk in Los Angeles
As part of their “Awakening Together” tour of the United States, members of the monastic community founded, ordained and trained by Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh will hold a walking meditation event, “Walk With Me for Peace,” in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 9. Fifty monks and nuns from Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village, Blue Cliff Monastery, Magnolia Grove Monastery, [...]
Help Phap Nguyen Temple rebuild after Hurricane Harvey
Phap Nguyen Temple in Pearland, Texas was damaged by flood waters as a result of Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall in Texas at the end of August. The Buddhist temple is seeking assistance to cover the repair of the damages, using a GoFundMe page to collect donations online. Their goal is to reach $10,000 in donations, of which just under $3,500 has been raised so [...]
Share Your Wisdom: How do you express your Buddhist values through political, social, or environmental activity?
We’ve got a question for you: How do you express your Buddhist values through political, social, or environmental activity? If you're involved in any political, social, or environmental activities through which you express your Buddhist values, we'd love for you to tell us about them! If you’ve got an answer, we want to hear it. So, tell us by sending an email to [...]
Helena wildfire threatens Chagdud Gonpa Rigdzin Ling retreat center
California's Helena wildfire is moving quickly through high winds, in the vicinity of Chagdud Gonpa Rigdzin Ling Buddhist retreat center in Junction City, according to a post on their Facebook page Thursday. Thursday's official update on the wildfire, stated it was burning along Highway 299, on both sides of the Trinity River. The wildfire was mapped at approximately [...]
Donkey Dharma
Give him five minutes and Mark Meyers, the Buddhist founder of Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, can make anyone fall in love with the oft-ignored animal. With nearly 9,000 donkeys rescued in his 17-year career, Meyers is generating compassion for donkeys around the globe. Buddhist donkey rescuer Mark Meyers practices compassion on a daily basis, reducing the suffering of and [...]
Watch exclusive clips from the Cumberbatch-narrated Thich Nhat Hanh documentary, “Walk With Me”
Walk With Me, a cinematic journey into the world of Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, premiered today in New York at The Rubin Museum of Art. The film, directed by Marc J. Francis and Max Pugh, was filmed over three years at Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village monastery in rural France. The documentary visually explores monastic life, with [...]
Five InsightLA teachers earn Theravada authorization
From InsightLA in Santa Monica, California, comes the news that five of the meditation center’s teachers recently became authorized to teach in the Theravada lineage. Buddhist teachers Trudy Goodman, Sharon Salzberg, and Jack Kornfield gathered to formally pass on the Theravada Buddhist lineage to Maureen Shannon Chapple, Wendy Block, Elizabeth Rice, Diana Gould, and Cayce Howe [...]