Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Modern vs Classical Songs
I have been observing many days and months that, when i listen to the modern DJ or some quick and popular songs of modern days, my heart starts to be faster and quicker. But when i listen to classical ones, my heart is in ease and normal. Sometimes, i like listening to classical songs, because it reminds me of my childhood and gone past days.
Monday, July 28, 2014
My Perspective into a Human Life and It's Meaning
We human beings, being the most intelligent and powerful beings alive on earth, still face many difficulties and confusion in life. Especially in this challenging life, people are used with modern technology and industrialization. People runs after money and wealth and tends to forget the meaning of their lives. According to my perspective, wealth and property are meant to be used for our conveniences. But, money and properties are using us instead.
I think that, the basic aim of human life is happiness. Still happiness differs people to people. Yet, we must know wisely how to live satisfied life. When we life with satisfaction, automatically, we tend to be more happier and contented. Most of the people have dreams to live a happy life in the future. Thinking and dreaming of the future, they forget to be happy at present time. Few realize that, they may die today or tomorrow. As life is uncertain, we must be happier at the right here and right now.
I think that, the basic aim of human life is happiness. Still happiness differs people to people. Yet, we must know wisely how to live satisfied life. When we life with satisfaction, automatically, we tend to be more happier and contented. Most of the people have dreams to live a happy life in the future. Thinking and dreaming of the future, they forget to be happy at present time. Few realize that, they may die today or tomorrow. As life is uncertain, we must be happier at the right here and right now.
United Nation Day of Vesak 2015
United Nation Day of Vesak celebration is held every year in the month May. Next year, it will be held at Thailand. Seminars and conferences are are held after the Vesak official celebration. It would be the 12th United Nation Day of Vesak and the date would be 27 - 31 May 2015. Any talented researchers, professors and delegates can present their research papers every year. This year, the area of the discussion and topics are as follows:
Buddhism and World Crisis:
• Buddhist Response to Social Conflict
• Buddhist Response to Environmental Degradation
• Buddhism and ASEAN Community
• Buddhist Response to Educational Crisis
Buddhism and World Crisis:
• Buddhist Response to Social Conflict
• Buddhist Response to Environmental Degradation
• Buddhism and ASEAN Community
• Buddhist Response to Educational Crisis
Friday, August 16, 2013
Sealed-in scientist relies on plants to breathe
A British geoscientist has volunteered to spend 48 hours in an airtight
chamber relying on the oxygen produced by plants to survive.
LONDON: A British geoscientist has volunteered to spend 48 hours in an airtight chamber relying entirely on the oxygen produced by plants to survive.
It resembles an experiment first tried by scientist Joseph Priestly in the 1770s, when he showed that a mouse could survive in an airtight chamber full of plants, but not in a sealed box without them.
Iain Stewart, a geoscience professor at the University of Plymouth in England, will share the 12 metre-square chamber with dozens of specially chosen plants on September 16 and 17, as well as a hammock, a laptop and an exercise bike.
“This experiment has never been done before with a human – it seems a fascinating challenge to see if plants really could keep a person alive,” Stewart said.
Light ensures steady oxygen
Specialist lights both inside and outside the clear perspex chamber will operate continuously, keeping the plants lit up and providing the plants with the energy needed for photosynthesis.
This is essential, as plants become heterotrophic at night, operating like humans do, using oxygen and producing carbon dioxide. It means Stewart will have to brave the bright lights to get some shuteye.
The levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide produced will be closely monitored and Stewart will be attached to medical sensors that will monitor his vital signs throughout the experiment.
Special plants chosen
The stunt will take place at the Eden Project, an environmental visitor attraction in Cornwall, southwest England, and will be filmed for a BBC documentary series.
Over the past few months, between 150 and 200 different plants – specially selected for speedy production of oxygen – have been grown in anticipation of the experiment.
Some of the plants include banana plants, sweet corn and a mixture of tropical herbs.
“Compared to something like wheat, these plants would have twice the uptake of carbon dioxide and twice the production rate of oxygen,” said Oula Ghannoum, a plant physiologist at the University of Western Sydney.
She said it’s unlikely to pose any serious risks, but that the time spent in the airtight chamber might have an intoxicating affect. “It will be interesting from a human physiology perspective,” commented Ghannoum, “and it also goes back to the discovery of photosynthesis.”
Lungs of the planet
According to the show producers, the goal of the experiment is to show the importance of plants to human survival on Earth.
“We often overlook the role of plants in sustaining life on Earth. We hope this will bring home to viewers in a compelling and revelatory way just how crucial they are to our existence,” said TV producer Andrew Thompson.
This article from: http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/sealed-scientist-relies-plants-breathe/
LONDON: A British geoscientist has volunteered to spend 48 hours in an airtight chamber relying entirely on the oxygen produced by plants to survive.
It resembles an experiment first tried by scientist Joseph Priestly in the 1770s, when he showed that a mouse could survive in an airtight chamber full of plants, but not in a sealed box without them.
Iain Stewart, a geoscience professor at the University of Plymouth in England, will share the 12 metre-square chamber with dozens of specially chosen plants on September 16 and 17, as well as a hammock, a laptop and an exercise bike.
“This experiment has never been done before with a human – it seems a fascinating challenge to see if plants really could keep a person alive,” Stewart said.
Light ensures steady oxygen
Specialist lights both inside and outside the clear perspex chamber will operate continuously, keeping the plants lit up and providing the plants with the energy needed for photosynthesis.
This is essential, as plants become heterotrophic at night, operating like humans do, using oxygen and producing carbon dioxide. It means Stewart will have to brave the bright lights to get some shuteye.
The levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide produced will be closely monitored and Stewart will be attached to medical sensors that will monitor his vital signs throughout the experiment.
Special plants chosen
The stunt will take place at the Eden Project, an environmental visitor attraction in Cornwall, southwest England, and will be filmed for a BBC documentary series.
Over the past few months, between 150 and 200 different plants – specially selected for speedy production of oxygen – have been grown in anticipation of the experiment.
Some of the plants include banana plants, sweet corn and a mixture of tropical herbs.
“Compared to something like wheat, these plants would have twice the uptake of carbon dioxide and twice the production rate of oxygen,” said Oula Ghannoum, a plant physiologist at the University of Western Sydney.
She said it’s unlikely to pose any serious risks, but that the time spent in the airtight chamber might have an intoxicating affect. “It will be interesting from a human physiology perspective,” commented Ghannoum, “and it also goes back to the discovery of photosynthesis.”
Lungs of the planet
According to the show producers, the goal of the experiment is to show the importance of plants to human survival on Earth.
“We often overlook the role of plants in sustaining life on Earth. We hope this will bring home to viewers in a compelling and revelatory way just how crucial they are to our existence,” said TV producer Andrew Thompson.
This article from: http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/sealed-scientist-relies-plants-breathe/
Threat To Buddhism In Myanmar And The Arming Of Rohingyas – OpEd
When Hannah Beech writes “When Buddhists go bad” not only is it
heralded world over but Time Magazine puts as its July cover Burmese
monk Wirathu and christens the front cover “Face of Buddhist Terror”.
But we can’t call that racism or hate speech. Yet, when Hindus or
Buddhists reacts they are automatically accused of violating freedom of
expression and indulging in hate speech. When the world media is owned
by the West, most of which belong to religious entities, it is not
difficult to ascertain the drift in attack and it is always the West’s
version that the entire world has to accept. All the West has to do is
to wave its wand and it can demonize nations and their people if it
suits them and their agendas. Myanmar is no different.
Myanmar is an Asian Buddhist nation under Western imperial focus. That focus means a string of underground movements aimed at creating situations that would facilitate the need for foreign “interference” or intervention. Templates are all the same “resolutions” become the “solution”.
The Buddhist monk Wirathu has become media’s target because of his nationalism. His speeches are written off as racist deterring people from even bothering to listen to what he says. It is media’s way of denigrating the message before it is read or listened to. But, is monk Wirathu being racist when he says that in the township of Myot Hila, the Buddhist monks have been forbidden to perform Buddhist ritual ceremony on Martyrs Day – the day Gen. Aung San (father of Aung San Su Ki) was assassinated because the Muslims (Burmese call them Kalar) are not allowing them to?
Is monk Wirathu being racist when he says that the transport company called Yar Zar Min in Mon State owned by a Muslim who is the transport association president had abolished Ka Htein – an annual Buddhist charity saying it was “nonsense”? Is it wrong for monk Wirathu to premeditate that the culture of Ka Htein would vanish if the trend of “nonsense” was to continue wherein everyone had to respect and tolerate Muslim cultures and religion but they did not reciprocate the same of others?
Why is it that media has conveniently left out that monk Wirathu started the 969 movement ONLY AFTER the Muslims in Burma started a 786 movement asking Muslims to only patronize Muslim shops. Was the 969 movement not a reaction to the action and why was the action not admonished?
Why do the media hide from the global public that Burma a Buddhist nation is only protecting their race, culture and their religion?
Incidentally, the word “Rakhaine” means “one who maintains his own race” descendents of Attila the Hun and Ghenghis Khan the Mongol!
Why not listen to monk Wirathu and make one’s own judgment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO7VKhaB08A
It has been easy to continuously silence Buddhists by making them feel that they should not be aggressive in protecting their religion or culture. Often the argument thrown at Buddhists is that they should be compassionate and calm bordering on pacifism and tolerance. Well this was what the Buddhists monks of Nalanda did and they were all killed and the world’s oldest university was burnt to cinders, the Buddhist monks in Maldives faced a similar fate when they gave their necks to be beheaded in a country that was once Buddhist, in Bangladesh too we see similar situations.
Is the world expecting Buddhists in Myanmar, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the remaining Buddhist nations of the world to silently watch and face what happened to Buddhists and Buddhism in the countries that have totally being annihilated of Buddhism and Buddhists? Monk Wirathu does not believe or accept this logic and other nations are beginning to wake up to realities too and are beginning to strategize their options.
Reference to “Rohingya” by name was only after Burma gained independence from Britain in 1948. Prior to that the name “Rohingya” does not appear in any Burmese history or even census. If it was a separate ethnic group as being claimed the name should feature somewhere. This also explains why people living in Sittwe, Buthidaung and Maungdaw areas of Arakan (Rakhine) have not heard the name Rohingya though it is infamously used internationally. The name itself is derived from the Bengal noun for Arakan which is Roshanga. The “Rohingyas” do not speak any of the dialects spoken in Burma but they do speak Bengali, they dress like Bengali and they look like Bengalis and they prepare food like Bengalis – not Burmese. Is this why Burmese continue to claim that the people who call themselves “Rohingyas” originated from Bangladesh?
The Rohingyas are said to now number 800,000.
The British retreated after Japanese occupation of Burma after arming these Bengali Muslims who used the gifted arms to wipe out entire Arakan villages. Historian Aye Chan gives details of how the Rohingyas destroyed Arakanese villages (20,000 Arakanese including Deputy Commissioner U Oo Kyaw Khaing) instead of the Japanese.
We can but wonder whether the usage of the name was created by Britain because the “Rohingyas” belonged to the Chittagong District of East Bengal (present Bangladesh) and the British promised them a Muslim Nation Area. “Rohingyas” approached Jinnah of Pakistan and requested that he incorporate North Arakan with East Pakistan before India created Bangladesh in 1971. The CIA and MI6 were involved in the exodus of Rohingyas in 1978 and 1991 to Bangladesh to create an international crisis and it is the realization of this promise that the whole fanfare of “Buddhist terrorism” is all about.
If we stick to facts virtually all Muslims of Rakhin area trace their origins to Bengali immigration during British colonial rule and this is sufficiently documented from 1870s to mid 20th century. It was a British colonial policy to engulf nations with illegal immigrants to be used at a later date to ignite friction. The cunning has paid off. Burma gained independence from Britain in 1948.
The myths
(Department of Revenue, Agriculture and Commerce 1875, 42)
It has served a global purpose to promote “Rohingyas” as an “ethnic” group for it becomes sufficient to raise calls for a self-governing Muslim region given that the “Rohingyas” could easily be manipulated as they have been through numerous movements now set up:
1. Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO)
2. Arakan Rohingya Islamic Front (ARIF)
3. Rohingya Patriotic Front (RPF)
4. Rohingya Liberation Organization (RLO)
5. Itihadul Mozahadin of Arakan (IMA)
Arming and Training Rohingyas
If a Muslim Nation Area was what the British promised well on course to that reality is when supposedly victim and innocent Rohingyas are being armed and trained. Rohingyas themselves have admitted to being trained by Muslim insurgents. In 2002 Asia Times reported that Rohingyas were bdeing trained by Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh and Pakistan, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s Hizb-e-Islami in Afghanistan, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) in Jammu and Kashmir, and Angkatan Belia Islam sa-Malaysia (ABIM) – the Islamic Youth Organization of Malaysia. Afghan instructors have been seen in some of the RSO camps along the Banglades h-Burma border, while nearly 100 RSO rebels were reported to have undergone training in the Afghan province of Khost with Hizb-e-Islami Mujahideen. According to intelligence sources, Rohingya recruits were paid 30,000 Bangladeshi taka (US$525) on joining and then 10,000 taka per month. The families of recruits killed in action were offered 100,000 taka.
This clearly demonstrates that Rohingyas are very much part of an international terrorist network and excludes any innocence that is being promoted on the grounds that they are being discriminated.
A sovereign state has every right to secure its boundaries from any individual or groups attempting to create dissent and given that the Rohingyas are having a host of militant and terrorist connections and backing it would be good for those pointing fingers to provide reasons for these incursions first. What is clear is that ever since 1940s the Rohingyas have been using arms and ammunition and are not the innocent victims that are being projected globally. If Rohingyas claim that they were not armed by the British then they need to explain where they were if they were not in Rakhin areas when the British retreated because the British armed the Muslims against the Rakhine Buddhists in 1942 this again will raise and confirm that the “Rohingya” name is a being floated to create a story for a bigger agenda.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/DI21Df06.html
If Myanmar does not wish to have the Rohingyas surely the Rohingyas would be ready to go anywhere they would be accepted even when their original birthplac e Bangladesh is also refusing them?
Given that Myanmar post-independence never regards the “Rohingyas” as citizens and if the “Rohingyas” had been facing “discriminations” and “oppressions” in the proportions that the mainstream media highlights why is it that these “atrocities” were never highlighted in the past decades in any of the “magnanimous” reports championed by international charities that are funded by western governments and lobbyists? Discrimination cannot emerge overnight!
Is the world’s powerful nations not using Rohingyas as a tool to interfere in Burma whilst getting their partners in crime the Wahhabis to unleash Muslim mi litants to train and arm the poor Rohingyas to start an armed rebellion that would ensure foreign presence on the ground when a scenario of human catastrophe is created by making people face a “refugee status”?
Would these globalists not end up arming and training segments of the Burmese Buddhists to retaliate because their only aim is to make money selling arms whilst their co-partners come for another kill by choosing to do an Iraq or Afghanistan in order to loot the nations resources and Burma is rich is resources and Burma is also a corridor to China?
How long will it take the masses to realize the truth – Muslims have been divided not be others but by their own people. Muslims are being killed in thousands not by others but by their own people – Is it Islam they practice or some other religion or cult and when Muslims accuse others or racism how would they describe their own people killing each other? Why are they blaming others when it is obvious that the deaths of Muslims by Muslims reveal a totally different story.
Something is not right. Clinton says America created the Al Qaeda but was it not the Al Qaeda that America accused for 9/11 by invading Afghanistan and Iraq, was it not these Al Qaeda linked terrorists with Wahhabi connections and funds that are behind every nation that has experienced a “terrorist” incident to warrant foreign intervention and occupation and when a documentary called “Homegrown Jihad: Terrorist Training Camps Around the U.S.” provides compelling evidence of how “Muslims of America” operates with impunity inside the U.S we need to wonder e xactly who is pulling the strings and what exactly is going on. People need to wake up and think far more than they are doing now because people are being taken for a good jolly ride.
How long are we going to accept the yarns being been thrown as bait to fool us?
If monk Wirathu is a Buddhist Terrorist for defending his nation – so be it. “You can be full of kindness and love, but you cannot sleep next to a mad dog.” – Wirathu
The one advantage that these Buddhist bashing elements both local and international has brought about is a Buddhist Awakening and for that we must thank them.
This article taken from: http://www.eurasiareview.com/12082013-threat-to-buddhism-in-myanmar-and-the-arming-of-rohingyas-oped/#comment-543901
Myanmar is an Asian Buddhist nation under Western imperial focus. That focus means a string of underground movements aimed at creating situations that would facilitate the need for foreign “interference” or intervention. Templates are all the same “resolutions” become the “solution”.
The Buddhist monk Wirathu has become media’s target because of his nationalism. His speeches are written off as racist deterring people from even bothering to listen to what he says. It is media’s way of denigrating the message before it is read or listened to. But, is monk Wirathu being racist when he says that in the township of Myot Hila, the Buddhist monks have been forbidden to perform Buddhist ritual ceremony on Martyrs Day – the day Gen. Aung San (father of Aung San Su Ki) was assassinated because the Muslims (Burmese call them Kalar) are not allowing them to?
Is monk Wirathu being racist when he says that the transport company called Yar Zar Min in Mon State owned by a Muslim who is the transport association president had abolished Ka Htein – an annual Buddhist charity saying it was “nonsense”? Is it wrong for monk Wirathu to premeditate that the culture of Ka Htein would vanish if the trend of “nonsense” was to continue wherein everyone had to respect and tolerate Muslim cultures and religion but they did not reciprocate the same of others?
Why is it that media has conveniently left out that monk Wirathu started the 969 movement ONLY AFTER the Muslims in Burma started a 786 movement asking Muslims to only patronize Muslim shops. Was the 969 movement not a reaction to the action and why was the action not admonished?
Why do the media hide from the global public that Burma a Buddhist nation is only protecting their race, culture and their religion?
Incidentally, the word “Rakhaine” means “one who maintains his own race” descendents of Attila the Hun and Ghenghis Khan the Mongol!
Why not listen to monk Wirathu and make one’s own judgment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO7VKhaB08A
It has been easy to continuously silence Buddhists by making them feel that they should not be aggressive in protecting their religion or culture. Often the argument thrown at Buddhists is that they should be compassionate and calm bordering on pacifism and tolerance. Well this was what the Buddhists monks of Nalanda did and they were all killed and the world’s oldest university was burnt to cinders, the Buddhist monks in Maldives faced a similar fate when they gave their necks to be beheaded in a country that was once Buddhist, in Bangladesh too we see similar situations.
Is the world expecting Buddhists in Myanmar, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the remaining Buddhist nations of the world to silently watch and face what happened to Buddhists and Buddhism in the countries that have totally being annihilated of Buddhism and Buddhists? Monk Wirathu does not believe or accept this logic and other nations are beginning to wake up to realities too and are beginning to strategize their options.
Who are the “Rohingyas”
Those being referred to as “Rohingyas” live in Buthidaung and Maungdaw Townships of Rakhin (Arakan State) across Naaf River which borders Bangladesh.Reference to “Rohingya” by name was only after Burma gained independence from Britain in 1948. Prior to that the name “Rohingya” does not appear in any Burmese history or even census. If it was a separate ethnic group as being claimed the name should feature somewhere. This also explains why people living in Sittwe, Buthidaung and Maungdaw areas of Arakan (Rakhine) have not heard the name Rohingya though it is infamously used internationally. The name itself is derived from the Bengal noun for Arakan which is Roshanga. The “Rohingyas” do not speak any of the dialects spoken in Burma but they do speak Bengali, they dress like Bengali and they look like Bengalis and they prepare food like Bengalis – not Burmese. Is this why Burmese continue to claim that the people who call themselves “Rohingyas” originated from Bangladesh?
The Rohingyas are said to now number 800,000.
The British retreated after Japanese occupation of Burma after arming these Bengali Muslims who used the gifted arms to wipe out entire Arakan villages. Historian Aye Chan gives details of how the Rohingyas destroyed Arakanese villages (20,000 Arakanese including Deputy Commissioner U Oo Kyaw Khaing) instead of the Japanese.
We can but wonder whether the usage of the name was created by Britain because the “Rohingyas” belonged to the Chittagong District of East Bengal (present Bangladesh) and the British promised them a Muslim Nation Area. “Rohingyas” approached Jinnah of Pakistan and requested that he incorporate North Arakan with East Pakistan before India created Bangladesh in 1971. The CIA and MI6 were involved in the exodus of Rohingyas in 1978 and 1991 to Bangladesh to create an international crisis and it is the realization of this promise that the whole fanfare of “Buddhist terrorism” is all about.
If we stick to facts virtually all Muslims of Rakhin area trace their origins to Bengali immigration during British colonial rule and this is sufficiently documented from 1870s to mid 20th century. It was a British colonial policy to engulf nations with illegal immigrants to be used at a later date to ignite friction. The cunning has paid off. Burma gained independence from Britain in 1948.
The myths
British Burma Census of 1872 (Akyab Town)
| Group | Male | Female | Total |
| Hindu | 1,884 | 28 | 1,911 |
| Mohomendan | 3,516 | 1502 | 5,018 |
| Buddhist | 5,892 | 5,627 | 11,519 |
| Christian | 216 | 109 | 325 |
| Others | 387 | 70 | 457 |
| Grand Total | 11,895 | 7,335 | 19,230 |
It has served a global purpose to promote “Rohingyas” as an “ethnic” group for it becomes sufficient to raise calls for a self-governing Muslim region given that the “Rohingyas” could easily be manipulated as they have been through numerous movements now set up:
1. Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO)
2. Arakan Rohingya Islamic Front (ARIF)
3. Rohingya Patriotic Front (RPF)
4. Rohingya Liberation Organization (RLO)
5. Itihadul Mozahadin of Arakan (IMA)
Arming and Training Rohingyas
If a Muslim Nation Area was what the British promised well on course to that reality is when supposedly victim and innocent Rohingyas are being armed and trained. Rohingyas themselves have admitted to being trained by Muslim insurgents. In 2002 Asia Times reported that Rohingyas were bdeing trained by Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh and Pakistan, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s Hizb-e-Islami in Afghanistan, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) in Jammu and Kashmir, and Angkatan Belia Islam sa-Malaysia (ABIM) – the Islamic Youth Organization of Malaysia. Afghan instructors have been seen in some of the RSO camps along the Banglades h-Burma border, while nearly 100 RSO rebels were reported to have undergone training in the Afghan province of Khost with Hizb-e-Islami Mujahideen. According to intelligence sources, Rohingya recruits were paid 30,000 Bangladeshi taka (US$525) on joining and then 10,000 taka per month. The families of recruits killed in action were offered 100,000 taka.
This clearly demonstrates that Rohingyas are very much part of an international terrorist network and excludes any innocence that is being promoted on the grounds that they are being discriminated.
A sovereign state has every right to secure its boundaries from any individual or groups attempting to create dissent and given that the Rohingyas are having a host of militant and terrorist connections and backing it would be good for those pointing fingers to provide reasons for these incursions first. What is clear is that ever since 1940s the Rohingyas have been using arms and ammunition and are not the innocent victims that are being projected globally. If Rohingyas claim that they were not armed by the British then they need to explain where they were if they were not in Rakhin areas when the British retreated because the British armed the Muslims against the Rakhine Buddhists in 1942 this again will raise and confirm that the “Rohingya” name is a being floated to create a story for a bigger agenda.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/DI21Df06.html
Unanswered questions
The accusations are many just as the lies are many too.- If Mynamr restricts “Rohingyas” from marrying and having children how is that “Rohingyas” population is annually increasing?
- If “Rohingyas” are tortured by the Rakhines how is it that the “Rohingya” population is more than the ethnic Rakhinese?
- If “Rohingyas” are a peaceful people who burnt down Rakhine houses, Buddhist temples and attempts to drive away ethnic Rakhinese from the area – over 30,000 Rakhine nationals are themselves homeless why are their plight never given international attention?
- If Myanmar discriminates on religion and denies freedom of religion how is it that there are hundreds of mosques built by Rohingyas in Rakhine area?
- If Rohingyas are poor and unable to eat how is it that the various Rohingya rebel movements have money to buy arms and ammunition?
- If Rohingyas claim to be indigenous Burmese isn’t it simple to carry a DNA test, as well as to research the language, the clothes used, the culture to determine their links to Bengali culture.
- If there are other Muslims living in other parts of Myanmar and they do not have issues with the Burmese people or its Government is it not strange that it is only the “Rohingyas” that are having trouble!
- If Myanmar is said to be discriminating minorities why is that the 1982 Citizenship Law classified 8 races and 130 ethnic minority groups though it continues to regard “Rohingyas” as stateless because Myanmar views them as Bengali migrants brought to Burma by the British colonials as farmers?
- If Bangladesh Government denies its own people (the “Rohingyas”) what is the logic that the Burmese should accept and grant them citizenship if they are illegally entering Myanmar every year?
If Myanmar does not wish to have the Rohingyas surely the Rohingyas would be ready to go anywhere they would be accepted even when their original birthplac e Bangladesh is also refusing them?
Given that Myanmar post-independence never regards the “Rohingyas” as citizens and if the “Rohingyas” had been facing “discriminations” and “oppressions” in the proportions that the mainstream media highlights why is it that these “atrocities” were never highlighted in the past decades in any of the “magnanimous” reports championed by international charities that are funded by western governments and lobbyists? Discrimination cannot emerge overnight!
Is the world’s powerful nations not using Rohingyas as a tool to interfere in Burma whilst getting their partners in crime the Wahhabis to unleash Muslim mi litants to train and arm the poor Rohingyas to start an armed rebellion that would ensure foreign presence on the ground when a scenario of human catastrophe is created by making people face a “refugee status”?
Would these globalists not end up arming and training segments of the Burmese Buddhists to retaliate because their only aim is to make money selling arms whilst their co-partners come for another kill by choosing to do an Iraq or Afghanistan in order to loot the nations resources and Burma is rich is resources and Burma is also a corridor to China?
How long will it take the masses to realize the truth – Muslims have been divided not be others but by their own people. Muslims are being killed in thousands not by others but by their own people – Is it Islam they practice or some other religion or cult and when Muslims accuse others or racism how would they describe their own people killing each other? Why are they blaming others when it is obvious that the deaths of Muslims by Muslims reveal a totally different story.
Something is not right. Clinton says America created the Al Qaeda but was it not the Al Qaeda that America accused for 9/11 by invading Afghanistan and Iraq, was it not these Al Qaeda linked terrorists with Wahhabi connections and funds that are behind every nation that has experienced a “terrorist” incident to warrant foreign intervention and occupation and when a documentary called “Homegrown Jihad: Terrorist Training Camps Around the U.S.” provides compelling evidence of how “Muslims of America” operates with impunity inside the U.S we need to wonder e xactly who is pulling the strings and what exactly is going on. People need to wake up and think far more than they are doing now because people are being taken for a good jolly ride.
How long are we going to accept the yarns being been thrown as bait to fool us?
If monk Wirathu is a Buddhist Terrorist for defending his nation – so be it. “You can be full of kindness and love, but you cannot sleep next to a mad dog.” – Wirathu
The one advantage that these Buddhist bashing elements both local and international has brought about is a Buddhist Awakening and for that we must thank them.
This article taken from: http://www.eurasiareview.com/12082013-threat-to-buddhism-in-myanmar-and-the-arming-of-rohingyas-oped/#comment-543901
Why Buddhism must be at the forefront of Nalanda University
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia -- The resuscitation of Nalanda University have recently been questioned by Buddhist groups
from South and North East Asia. The biggest lament was that no Buddhist
monks have been elected to its board. Unlike the Nalanda U of old,
where eminent Buddhist scholar monks were the rectors, governors in the
proposed new set up contains an overwhelming majority with 'secular'
credentials.
Fueling the concern coming from the make up of the academic board, it has been revealed that "the new Nalanda International University will focus on the humanities, economics and management, Asian integration, sustainable development and oriental languages" (BBC report, May 28, 2013). The objective of the school was claimed to be "aimed at advancing the concept of an Asian community...and rediscovering old relationships".
Why is it that the regeneration of a once great ancient academia be based on a secular curriculum entirely focused on humanities and economics? Compare this with the curriculum of the original Nalanda U. According to an unattributed article, the curriculum at the time of Mañjuśrīmitra contained:
...virtually the entire range of world knowledge then available. Courses were drawn from every field of learning, Buddhist and Hindu, sacred and secular (Para and Apara Vidyas as they are known in Sanskrit), foreign and native. Study of Sanskrit grammar was compulsory. In addition, there were five more compulsory subjects which included: Shabda Vidya (Science of sounds and words; otherwise called Grammar and Lexicography); Shilpasthana Vidya (Arts and Crafts); Chikitsa Vidya (Science of Medicine); Hetu Vidya (Logic), and Adhyatma Vidya (Philosophy).
n contrast, the revived Nalanda would largely be a post-graduate research university, with the following schools: School of Buddhist studies, philosophy, and comparative religion; School of historical studies; School of International Relations and Peace; School of Business Management and Development; School of Languages and Literature; and, School of Ecology and Environmental Studies
At first glance, it would seem that it's hallowed name has been borrowed to entice funders to rebuild a fabled campus. In fact, it is far easier to criticize the absence of Buddhist personalities on its board and for its lack of Buddhist centered values and philosophy. What is truly tragic, however is the revivalist's lack of vision and courage. They totally missed the core philosophy and ingenuity of the original Nalanda.
A reported US$ 1 billion has been committed by its funders (New York Times, December 9, 2006), a consortium led by Singapore, including China, India, Japan and other nations. US$ 500 million will be used to build the new university and another US$ 500 million to develop necessary infrastructure.
With that kind of money committed, surely the Governors would have set a more lofty course for the new Nalanda?
The 'original' Nalanda
Eight centuries ago, the university located in Patna attracted scholars and students from as far away as Tibet, China, Greece, and Persia. With esoteric Buddhist philosophy and teachings at its core, its rapid development from the 6th century to the 9th was dominated by the liberal cultural traditions inherited from the Gupta age. In its heyday, it accommodated over 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers. Chinese pilgrims estimated the students between 3,000 and 5,000.
Four doxographies (Tibetan: grub-mtha’) - a term used for the works of classical historians, describing the points of view of past philosophers and scientists - were taught here. Alexander Berzin specifies these as Sarvāstivāda Vaibhāṣika, Sarvāstivāda Sautrāntika, Mādhyamaka, the Mahāyāna philosophy of Nāgārjuna and Cittamatra, the Mahāyāna philosophy of Asaṅga and Vasubandhu.
Imagine a period where Europe did not yet have any universities (the first, University of Bologna was established only in 1088 AD), Nalanda with its eight separate compounds and ten temples encompassing an area of 14 hectares was monumentally ahead of its time. It's library, called the Dharmaganja, or Piety Mart, contained three large buildings. One of it, the Ratnasagara, meaning the Ocean of Gems, was a nine stories high tower and housed sacred manuscripts such as the Prajnaparamita Sutra and the Guhyasamāja Tantra (Sanskrit; Tantra of the Secret Community).
It is inside these walls that much of Tibetan Buddhism as we know it, both its Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, stems from the late 9th-12th century Nalanda teachers and scholars. Other forms of Buddhism, such as Mahāyāna Buddhism followed in Vietnam, China, Korea and Japan, flourished from the scholarly endeavor of this university. Students like the famed pilgrim Xuanzang, studied here and subsequently worked as a teacher at the University and spent about 6 years there. When he returned to China, he carried back with him 657 volumes of sacred Sanskrit texts and spent the last years of his life translating and interpreting them.
Nalanda became the synthesis and fusion center where new ideas of Buddhist psychology and philosophy were debated, coded and classified. The academic efforts of scholarly monks became the seeds which germinated Buddhism into forms palatable to adherence of the religion not from the Indian sub-continent. It is here - through inter-disciplinary study, practice (of meditation) and translation - that Buddhism became a global religion.
Nalanda’s aim was to create the most intellectually and spiritually mature individuals who would become qualified to contribute to every aspect of society for its overall being. To its custodians and teachers, ideal education means a happy and harmonious blend of philosophy and religion. The pervasive notion at Nalanda was that education was not merely the conveyance of information but the transmission of spiritual, moral, intellectual and aesthetic values combined with the opportunity for full physical development.
What Nalanda 'could be'
If Nalanda were to claim back its glory, it needs to be 'monumentally ahead' of its time, just like its predecessor. More importantly, it needs Buddhist teachings and ideals as its core identity to drive its sense of purpose. Why submit a famous academy to mundane courses (where it has to compete with numerous and better endowed institutions) when it has the chance to explore an ancient teaching so radically ahead of its time and create undreamed of synthesis using tools of modern science?
At an age where information science and mind studies are flourishing, Buddhism is at the stage where its ideas, philosophy and tenets can play a major influence in all spheres of scholarly development. Thanks in part to the internet and free flow of thoughts and ideas, this era provides a similar - or even more - liberal cultural traditions inherent in the Gupta era.
How different could the new Nalanda U be? Here are some ideas worth exploring.
Medicine and PharmacologyThe original Nalanda had medicine as one of its compulsory subject. The new Nalanda curriculum should consider accommodating the vast trove of Asian traditional medical systems which encompasses synthesis of indigenous Tibetan, Indian (Ayurveda), Chinese, Persian (Unani), and Greek. It could use the template as derived from the Tibetan medical system, which embraces the traditional Buddhist belief that all illness ultimately results from the three poisons of the mind: ignorance, attachment and aversion. Tibetan medicine follows the Buddha's Four Noble Truths which apply medical diagnostic logic to suffering. By synthesizing traditional medicine with modern medical research, this faculty could become a cutting edge pharmaceutical and medical research institute.
Neuroscience and neural networksThe scientific study of the brain and the nervous system has increased significantly, principally due to advances in molecular biology, electrophysiology, and computational neuroscience. Neuroscience has grown in tandem with Buddhist meditation, and many new research (collaborations between scientists and meditators) have produced new evidence on how our brains work, how thoughts arise, how consciousness works. And in the concept of non-self (anatta), neuroscience is starting to publish theories and evidence that there is no self to be had, no central driver to speak of, no unchanging internal self that made all the decisions. Indeed, when results become more accomplished, the field of neuroscience can be an important allied health discipline, collaborating with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics, medicine, philosophy, physics, and psychology. Continued in-depth research and studies in Buddhist meditation will see to the flourishing of this field.
Quantum physicsThe Madhyamika philosophers developed a rigorous and razor sharp method of philosophical analysis which, together with meditation investigation, penetrated into the ultimate nature of reality. Emptiness (sunyata), the core view which is propounded by the Madhyamaka, is the insight that there is nothing in the universe which exists as an independent entity in its own right. It follows that nothing exists as a fully independent feature of reality as was always thought by Western science up until the advent of quantum physics. Indeed, an understanding of emptiness can throw new perspectives onto problems of quantum interpretation. Both Buddhism and quantum mechanics illustrate that the universe is not what he or she perceives it to be with their five senses, and that everything is connected in some way. A serious and rigorous analysis of the "physics" paradigm in Buddhist thought has been long in coming. The formulation of discourses between modern quantum mechanics with certain aspects of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist methodology, such as the elementary assertions of "particle physics", will spearhead new form of synthesis. Who knows, apart form finding answers to big questions such as "what is the universe" and "what is self", students may stumble upon practical by-products which may find useful applications, such as instantaneous communication, quantum teleportation, quantum computers, energy harvesters and quantum tunneling.
Informatics and Computer ScienceThe Buddhist tipitaka contains an immensely rich lexicon of mind training, philosophical teachings and psychological discourses. Nevertheless, much of it are inaccessible to common people due to the difficulty in deciphering its meaning. The science of informatics can play a role in developing digital sources and tools using artificial intelligence and smart algorithms, so that meaningful searches can be processed by users according to their level of understanding. To be practical and useful however, such a system needs to adhere to international standards for information exchange and search results must be freely accessible to the public. Apart from that, Nalanda can offer advanced courses in computer modeling, with emphasis on researching nano technology. Tools developed here can be used to aid research in neuroscience and quantum mechanics. The innate classification of Buddhist knowledge fits nicely into the algorithmic nature of computer science, and this combination would make this to be an important department providing anchoring services to all other faculties.
Food and Agriculture SciencePoverty and endangered health due to lack of clean drinking water and sanitation is a major problem in this world. If any courses were to be moved by the teachings of loving-kindness and compassion, this area would be it. Energy and attention should focus on areas of research in organic protein production, cheap processing of nutritional vegetarian meals, genetically modified foods (vegetarian variety) and membrane technology for clean water filtering. Cross experiments in Asian vegetarian cuisines, from Korean to Chinese, Indian, Sinhalese and Thai foods may yield interesting fusion. What's important that such research will have to be made under the guidance of 'ahimsa' (non-violence), and to keep with the first precept of respecting and non-harming of sentient life.
Law and BioethicsAs research goes into ground breaking areas, stake holders and interest groups will be concerned on ethical lines that can potentially be crossed. This is where a faculty for the study of bioethics could be adjunct to other fields of research. Keeping in line with the principles of non-violence (ahimsa), loving-kindness (metta) and compassion (karuna), its formulation could encompass a broader meaning such as solidarity towards the biosphere, thus generating a "global ethics," a discipline representing a link between biology, ecology, medicine and human values in order to attain the survival of both human beings and other animal species.
Nalanda and the new world order
Bold visions and creative pursuits combined with Buddhist philosophy, ideas and meditational practices can remake Nalanda University into a beacon of human invention and high civilization. Like its predecessor, having radical thinkers, innovative teachers deeply schooled in Buddhist thoughts will enable it to take on the mantle of cutting edge research in mind studies. It can be an unparalleled institution in this field.
At this moment, it is reported that the current setup has only attracted a commitment of about US$ 100 million, which is far from its targeted sum of US$ 1 billion. Apart from politicking and a general lack of trust in the board of governors ability to revive the university's famous name, perhaps poor foresightedness and a lack of deep appreciation of Buddhist values are more to be at blame for the lack of support.
The die is not yet cast. But if the governors are open minded enough and seek the participation of great living Buddhist minds such as the Dalai Lama, Goenka, Thich Nhat Hahn, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Ajahn Brahm, Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Robert Thurman, Ven Cheng Yen, the promise of Nalanda U as a global learning and research center could well be realized.
Let's not have an entity that is survived by its past glory, for its glorious name can become an enlightening guide for humanity in tune with current needs. And for that to happen, Buddhism needs to be at the center of its core, and the driver of its spiritual existence. BC
This article taken from: http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=8%2C11559%2C0%2C0%2C1%2C0#.Ug4w0lP_GAl
Fueling the concern coming from the make up of the academic board, it has been revealed that "the new Nalanda International University will focus on the humanities, economics and management, Asian integration, sustainable development and oriental languages" (BBC report, May 28, 2013). The objective of the school was claimed to be "aimed at advancing the concept of an Asian community...and rediscovering old relationships".
Why is it that the regeneration of a once great ancient academia be based on a secular curriculum entirely focused on humanities and economics? Compare this with the curriculum of the original Nalanda U. According to an unattributed article, the curriculum at the time of Mañjuśrīmitra contained:
...virtually the entire range of world knowledge then available. Courses were drawn from every field of learning, Buddhist and Hindu, sacred and secular (Para and Apara Vidyas as they are known in Sanskrit), foreign and native. Study of Sanskrit grammar was compulsory. In addition, there were five more compulsory subjects which included: Shabda Vidya (Science of sounds and words; otherwise called Grammar and Lexicography); Shilpasthana Vidya (Arts and Crafts); Chikitsa Vidya (Science of Medicine); Hetu Vidya (Logic), and Adhyatma Vidya (Philosophy).
n contrast, the revived Nalanda would largely be a post-graduate research university, with the following schools: School of Buddhist studies, philosophy, and comparative religion; School of historical studies; School of International Relations and Peace; School of Business Management and Development; School of Languages and Literature; and, School of Ecology and Environmental Studies
At first glance, it would seem that it's hallowed name has been borrowed to entice funders to rebuild a fabled campus. In fact, it is far easier to criticize the absence of Buddhist personalities on its board and for its lack of Buddhist centered values and philosophy. What is truly tragic, however is the revivalist's lack of vision and courage. They totally missed the core philosophy and ingenuity of the original Nalanda.
A reported US$ 1 billion has been committed by its funders (New York Times, December 9, 2006), a consortium led by Singapore, including China, India, Japan and other nations. US$ 500 million will be used to build the new university and another US$ 500 million to develop necessary infrastructure.
With that kind of money committed, surely the Governors would have set a more lofty course for the new Nalanda?
The 'original' Nalanda
Eight centuries ago, the university located in Patna attracted scholars and students from as far away as Tibet, China, Greece, and Persia. With esoteric Buddhist philosophy and teachings at its core, its rapid development from the 6th century to the 9th was dominated by the liberal cultural traditions inherited from the Gupta age. In its heyday, it accommodated over 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers. Chinese pilgrims estimated the students between 3,000 and 5,000.
Four doxographies (Tibetan: grub-mtha’) - a term used for the works of classical historians, describing the points of view of past philosophers and scientists - were taught here. Alexander Berzin specifies these as Sarvāstivāda Vaibhāṣika, Sarvāstivāda Sautrāntika, Mādhyamaka, the Mahāyāna philosophy of Nāgārjuna and Cittamatra, the Mahāyāna philosophy of Asaṅga and Vasubandhu.
Imagine a period where Europe did not yet have any universities (the first, University of Bologna was established only in 1088 AD), Nalanda with its eight separate compounds and ten temples encompassing an area of 14 hectares was monumentally ahead of its time. It's library, called the Dharmaganja, or Piety Mart, contained three large buildings. One of it, the Ratnasagara, meaning the Ocean of Gems, was a nine stories high tower and housed sacred manuscripts such as the Prajnaparamita Sutra and the Guhyasamāja Tantra (Sanskrit; Tantra of the Secret Community).
It is inside these walls that much of Tibetan Buddhism as we know it, both its Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, stems from the late 9th-12th century Nalanda teachers and scholars. Other forms of Buddhism, such as Mahāyāna Buddhism followed in Vietnam, China, Korea and Japan, flourished from the scholarly endeavor of this university. Students like the famed pilgrim Xuanzang, studied here and subsequently worked as a teacher at the University and spent about 6 years there. When he returned to China, he carried back with him 657 volumes of sacred Sanskrit texts and spent the last years of his life translating and interpreting them.
Nalanda became the synthesis and fusion center where new ideas of Buddhist psychology and philosophy were debated, coded and classified. The academic efforts of scholarly monks became the seeds which germinated Buddhism into forms palatable to adherence of the religion not from the Indian sub-continent. It is here - through inter-disciplinary study, practice (of meditation) and translation - that Buddhism became a global religion.
Nalanda’s aim was to create the most intellectually and spiritually mature individuals who would become qualified to contribute to every aspect of society for its overall being. To its custodians and teachers, ideal education means a happy and harmonious blend of philosophy and religion. The pervasive notion at Nalanda was that education was not merely the conveyance of information but the transmission of spiritual, moral, intellectual and aesthetic values combined with the opportunity for full physical development.
What Nalanda 'could be'
If Nalanda were to claim back its glory, it needs to be 'monumentally ahead' of its time, just like its predecessor. More importantly, it needs Buddhist teachings and ideals as its core identity to drive its sense of purpose. Why submit a famous academy to mundane courses (where it has to compete with numerous and better endowed institutions) when it has the chance to explore an ancient teaching so radically ahead of its time and create undreamed of synthesis using tools of modern science?
At an age where information science and mind studies are flourishing, Buddhism is at the stage where its ideas, philosophy and tenets can play a major influence in all spheres of scholarly development. Thanks in part to the internet and free flow of thoughts and ideas, this era provides a similar - or even more - liberal cultural traditions inherent in the Gupta era.
How different could the new Nalanda U be? Here are some ideas worth exploring.
Medicine and PharmacologyThe original Nalanda had medicine as one of its compulsory subject. The new Nalanda curriculum should consider accommodating the vast trove of Asian traditional medical systems which encompasses synthesis of indigenous Tibetan, Indian (Ayurveda), Chinese, Persian (Unani), and Greek. It could use the template as derived from the Tibetan medical system, which embraces the traditional Buddhist belief that all illness ultimately results from the three poisons of the mind: ignorance, attachment and aversion. Tibetan medicine follows the Buddha's Four Noble Truths which apply medical diagnostic logic to suffering. By synthesizing traditional medicine with modern medical research, this faculty could become a cutting edge pharmaceutical and medical research institute.
Neuroscience and neural networksThe scientific study of the brain and the nervous system has increased significantly, principally due to advances in molecular biology, electrophysiology, and computational neuroscience. Neuroscience has grown in tandem with Buddhist meditation, and many new research (collaborations between scientists and meditators) have produced new evidence on how our brains work, how thoughts arise, how consciousness works. And in the concept of non-self (anatta), neuroscience is starting to publish theories and evidence that there is no self to be had, no central driver to speak of, no unchanging internal self that made all the decisions. Indeed, when results become more accomplished, the field of neuroscience can be an important allied health discipline, collaborating with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics, medicine, philosophy, physics, and psychology. Continued in-depth research and studies in Buddhist meditation will see to the flourishing of this field.
Quantum physicsThe Madhyamika philosophers developed a rigorous and razor sharp method of philosophical analysis which, together with meditation investigation, penetrated into the ultimate nature of reality. Emptiness (sunyata), the core view which is propounded by the Madhyamaka, is the insight that there is nothing in the universe which exists as an independent entity in its own right. It follows that nothing exists as a fully independent feature of reality as was always thought by Western science up until the advent of quantum physics. Indeed, an understanding of emptiness can throw new perspectives onto problems of quantum interpretation. Both Buddhism and quantum mechanics illustrate that the universe is not what he or she perceives it to be with their five senses, and that everything is connected in some way. A serious and rigorous analysis of the "physics" paradigm in Buddhist thought has been long in coming. The formulation of discourses between modern quantum mechanics with certain aspects of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist methodology, such as the elementary assertions of "particle physics", will spearhead new form of synthesis. Who knows, apart form finding answers to big questions such as "what is the universe" and "what is self", students may stumble upon practical by-products which may find useful applications, such as instantaneous communication, quantum teleportation, quantum computers, energy harvesters and quantum tunneling.
Informatics and Computer ScienceThe Buddhist tipitaka contains an immensely rich lexicon of mind training, philosophical teachings and psychological discourses. Nevertheless, much of it are inaccessible to common people due to the difficulty in deciphering its meaning. The science of informatics can play a role in developing digital sources and tools using artificial intelligence and smart algorithms, so that meaningful searches can be processed by users according to their level of understanding. To be practical and useful however, such a system needs to adhere to international standards for information exchange and search results must be freely accessible to the public. Apart from that, Nalanda can offer advanced courses in computer modeling, with emphasis on researching nano technology. Tools developed here can be used to aid research in neuroscience and quantum mechanics. The innate classification of Buddhist knowledge fits nicely into the algorithmic nature of computer science, and this combination would make this to be an important department providing anchoring services to all other faculties.
Food and Agriculture SciencePoverty and endangered health due to lack of clean drinking water and sanitation is a major problem in this world. If any courses were to be moved by the teachings of loving-kindness and compassion, this area would be it. Energy and attention should focus on areas of research in organic protein production, cheap processing of nutritional vegetarian meals, genetically modified foods (vegetarian variety) and membrane technology for clean water filtering. Cross experiments in Asian vegetarian cuisines, from Korean to Chinese, Indian, Sinhalese and Thai foods may yield interesting fusion. What's important that such research will have to be made under the guidance of 'ahimsa' (non-violence), and to keep with the first precept of respecting and non-harming of sentient life.
Law and BioethicsAs research goes into ground breaking areas, stake holders and interest groups will be concerned on ethical lines that can potentially be crossed. This is where a faculty for the study of bioethics could be adjunct to other fields of research. Keeping in line with the principles of non-violence (ahimsa), loving-kindness (metta) and compassion (karuna), its formulation could encompass a broader meaning such as solidarity towards the biosphere, thus generating a "global ethics," a discipline representing a link between biology, ecology, medicine and human values in order to attain the survival of both human beings and other animal species.
Nalanda and the new world order
Bold visions and creative pursuits combined with Buddhist philosophy, ideas and meditational practices can remake Nalanda University into a beacon of human invention and high civilization. Like its predecessor, having radical thinkers, innovative teachers deeply schooled in Buddhist thoughts will enable it to take on the mantle of cutting edge research in mind studies. It can be an unparalleled institution in this field.
At this moment, it is reported that the current setup has only attracted a commitment of about US$ 100 million, which is far from its targeted sum of US$ 1 billion. Apart from politicking and a general lack of trust in the board of governors ability to revive the university's famous name, perhaps poor foresightedness and a lack of deep appreciation of Buddhist values are more to be at blame for the lack of support.
The die is not yet cast. But if the governors are open minded enough and seek the participation of great living Buddhist minds such as the Dalai Lama, Goenka, Thich Nhat Hahn, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Ajahn Brahm, Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Robert Thurman, Ven Cheng Yen, the promise of Nalanda U as a global learning and research center could well be realized.
Let's not have an entity that is survived by its past glory, for its glorious name can become an enlightening guide for humanity in tune with current needs. And for that to happen, Buddhism needs to be at the center of its core, and the driver of its spiritual existence. BC
This article taken from: http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=8%2C11559%2C0%2C0%2C1%2C0#.Ug4w0lP_GAl
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Lights, True and Engaged Buddhism
Lights in the Darkness
I'm not saying beliefs and doctrines have no value, because they do. Doctrines can be like a flickering candle that keeps you from walking in total darkness. They can be like markers on a path, showing you a way others have walked before.
Buddhists judge the value of a doctrine not by its factual accuracy but by its skillfulness. A skillful doctrine opens the heart to compassion and the mind to wisdom.
Rigidly fixed beliefs are not skillful, however. Rigidly fixed beliefs seal us off from objective reality and from other people who don't share our beliefs. They render the mind hard and closed to whatever revelations or realizations Grace might send our way.
The One True Religion I believe the world's great religions have all accumulated their share of both skillful and unskillful doctrines and practices. I also have observed that a religion that's good for one person can be all wrong for someone else. Ultimately, the One True Religion for you is the one that most completely engages your own heart and mind. It is that engagement that enables transcendence.
I left Christianity because it no longer engaged my heart and mind. Well, the heart maybe, but the mind said "Nope." But just because I walked away from Christianity doesn't mean I think Christianity or any other religion is wrong for everyone else.
Just yesterday I had a lovely conversation with the cantor of a nearby synagogue. As he spoke of being a cantor is was clear that Judaism illuminates his life and is his One True Religion. I'd have been the world's most boorish ass to even think of "converting" him.
Engaged Buddhism
It's been twenty years since I found Thich Nhat Hanh's Fourteen Precepts of Engaged Buddhism . The first one is:
"Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth."
I knew then that Buddhism was a religion I could enter into with my entire heart and mind without leaving my critical thinking skills at the door. And it's also why I feel no deep compulsion to convert anyone.
If you are looking for a spiritual home, I'm happy to help you learn about Buddhism. But I can't give you reasons to convert. You'll have to find those within yourself.
This source is from: http://buddhism.about.com/od/becomingabuddhist/a/noconversion.htm
I'm not saying beliefs and doctrines have no value, because they do. Doctrines can be like a flickering candle that keeps you from walking in total darkness. They can be like markers on a path, showing you a way others have walked before.
Buddhists judge the value of a doctrine not by its factual accuracy but by its skillfulness. A skillful doctrine opens the heart to compassion and the mind to wisdom.
Rigidly fixed beliefs are not skillful, however. Rigidly fixed beliefs seal us off from objective reality and from other people who don't share our beliefs. They render the mind hard and closed to whatever revelations or realizations Grace might send our way.
The One True Religion I believe the world's great religions have all accumulated their share of both skillful and unskillful doctrines and practices. I also have observed that a religion that's good for one person can be all wrong for someone else. Ultimately, the One True Religion for you is the one that most completely engages your own heart and mind. It is that engagement that enables transcendence.
I left Christianity because it no longer engaged my heart and mind. Well, the heart maybe, but the mind said "Nope." But just because I walked away from Christianity doesn't mean I think Christianity or any other religion is wrong for everyone else.
Just yesterday I had a lovely conversation with the cantor of a nearby synagogue. As he spoke of being a cantor is was clear that Judaism illuminates his life and is his One True Religion. I'd have been the world's most boorish ass to even think of "converting" him.
Engaged Buddhism
It's been twenty years since I found Thich Nhat Hanh's Fourteen Precepts of Engaged Buddhism . The first one is:
"Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth."
I knew then that Buddhism was a religion I could enter into with my entire heart and mind without leaving my critical thinking skills at the door. And it's also why I feel no deep compulsion to convert anyone.
If you are looking for a spiritual home, I'm happy to help you learn about Buddhism. But I can't give you reasons to convert. You'll have to find those within yourself.
This source is from: http://buddhism.about.com/od/becomingabuddhist/a/noconversion.htm
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