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China still struggling to contain crisis; New York cops beat up protesters
China is still struggling to contain the crisis: China sought on Wednesday to contain ongoing protests in its ethnic Tibetan regions, as it stepped up detentions in Tibet's capital Lhasa and vowed tighter control over monasteries. The western province of Qinghai was the latest area to report anti-government activities, with hundreds of civilians staging a sit-down protest after paramilitary police stopped them from marching, a Beijing-based source who spoke to residents said. "They were beating up monks, which will only infuriate ordinary people," the source said of the protest on Tuesday in Qinghai's Xinghai county. A resident in the area confirmed the demonstration, saying that paramilitaries dispersed the 200 to 300 protesters after half and hour, that the area was crawling with armed security forces and that workers were kept inside their offices. More » -
International Buddhist Film Festival
Shoot, missed the International Buddhist Film Festival in San Francisco (2/14 to 3/6) and so missed all the fine offerings there, including the awesomely titled Meditate and Destroy about Noah Levine, by Blue Lotus Films. We won't forget to mention this year. Ahem! More » -
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Tricycle Pilgrimage to India, January 2008
The Tricycle pilgrimage to India was an eventful one, with so many sites visited we were all a bit winded by the end of it. This year, our unflappable Indian guide, Shantum Seth, took us down to the stone-temple caves of Ajanta and Ellora--truly spectacular. Stephen Batchelor and Shantum led mediations and teachings, and most memorable for me--after Ajanta and Ellora--was our visit to Sanchi, in Madhaya Pradesh. Sanchi is the site of some of the most well-preserved stupas and examples of Buddhist architecture. Stone structures spanning centuries are perched high on a hill overlooking the plains below. The great thing about Sanchi is that it spans a period from the third to the twelfth centuries. The earliest structures show no representation of the Buddha at all, in keeping with the tradition's focus on the teachings, not the man. More » -
Buddha Wild
Buddha Wild - The Monk in a Hut, directed by Anna Wilding, will screen at Tibet House on March 19th. The film is up for a major award in India. Buddha Wild" journeys to and provides an "affectionate glimpse" into the cultural and monastic lives of Thai and Sir Lankan missionary monks living on a remote monastery in the Western world. The film explores the basic tenets of Buddhism, celibacy, politics, the role of women in Asian society and the day to day lives of monks. New Yorkers get their first chance to see this "fascinating" film in a special screening at Tibet House in New York on 19 March 2008. Tickets to the screening can be purchased online at www.tibethouse.org. More » -
Makha Bucha Day, Wat Dhammakaya, and the Metta Center
Makha Bucha Day is a major holiday in Thailand and it falls tomorrow, February 21. According to Buddhist scriptures, nine months after Siddharttha Gautama attained enlightenment, on the full-moon day of the third lunar month, a total of 1,250 disciples of the Buddha from various places spontaneously assembled at Veluvan in Magadha to pay respect to the Buddha. This meeting is considered very significant in Buddhist history because first, it was done without previous appointment and was therefore a miracle, and secondly, all the disciples had been ordained by the Buddha himself and had attained sainthood and become arahants. Wat Dhammakaya's website will let you experience Makha Bucha from the comfort of your own home. More » -
More on Shinjo Ito in New York
Some more on the Shinjo Ito exhibition now in New York (the start of a world tour, apparently.) Several people I have spoken to have expressed surprise that the art is so recent. Here's the New York Times and artdaily.org. [Photo: The "Great Parnirvana" sculpture by Shinjo Ito, depicting Buddha on his deathbed, is prepared for a show of the artist's works, which opens Thursday in Chelsea. Michael Nagle for The New York Times] More »
