Tweet (CHAKRA) In March, India will hold an international Buddhism conference in Kandy to celebrate the 2600th year of Lord Buddha’s enlightenment.  A meeting was held between a visiting Lok Sabha Speaker, Meira Kumar and President Mahinda Rajapaksa to discuss the upcoming conference as well as the commissioning of the 16-feet high Buddha statue of [...]

Tweet By Tan Ong Buddhist villagers sit next to the dead bodies of their relatives in Pattani Thailand on Feb 3, 2011 Pattani, Thailand (CHAKRA) — In the Southern part of Thailand, five Buddhists have been shot and killed because of an ongoing conflict of many years between the government and Malay Muslims. Thailand is a [...]

Tweet By Tan Ong Turku, Finland Turku, Finland (CHAKRA) – A fire thought to be set out deliberately, almost destroyed a Buddhist Temple under construction in Turku last Saturday.  The fire was started at about 2:00 AM and is thought to be set deliberately. Deputy Chairman of Finland’s Vietnamese Buddhist community, Ari Vuokko, said that [...]

Tweet By Karishma Patel Halifax Citadel and Skyline Halifax, Nova Scotia (CHAKRA) – A new Buddhist Princess has been born in Halifax causing the Shambhala Buddhist community to celebrate. The Shambhala website recently announced the birth of Drukmo Yeshe Sarasvati Ziji Mukpo. Mother, Sakyong Wangmo Khandro Tseyang and father, Sakyong Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche happily carried her [...]

Tweet Using the principal of geographical rotation, every ten or so years the post of UN Secretary-General is given to individuals from various continents.  Each candidate is usually kept for two terms of five years each. The individual selected has a duty and responsibility to represent the people of his/her continent by sharing the beliefs or [...]

Tweet Vietnam (CHAKRA) – After being recognized last year, The Truc Lam Zen Buddhist Prayer Woodblocks located in northern Vietnam have been submitted for an opportunity to be recognized for the UNESCO World Documentary Heritage.  The Woodblocks are part of the Nguyen Dynasty. The Truc Lam Blocks origins are from the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda which [...]

Tweet By Tan Ong A Buddhist villager in southern Thailand was found slaughtered by suspected Islamic militants Narathiwat, Thailand (CHAKRA) - In Thailand’s South, six people were shot dead and ten police officers were wounded by a roadside bombs during the latest attack by militants.  Most of the people attacked during this outbreak were in serious [...]

Tweet By Linda Brock Akon is a popular Hip Hop Artist Colombo, Sri Lanka (CHAKRA) – Buddhist Monks and 12 000 other people took offence to Akon’s music video, which has led to a decision by the Sri Lankan government to decline a visa to Akon for a visit to Sri Lanka.  A facebook group [...]

Tweet Bangladesh (CHAKRA) – A human rights group in New Delhi has requested UN intervention after attacks on tribal areas in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh. “The Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) has demanded the intervention of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) Navi Pillay to ask Bangladesh government to take appropriate [...]

Tweet By Aseem Shukla Q:The Chicago Council on Global Affairs is recommending that the U.S. government develop a strategy to make religion ‘integral’ to American foreign policy. Should U.S. foreign policy get religion? There is little doubt that U.S. foreign policy apparatchiks have historically been deaf to religion as a driver of nationalism, foreign policy [...]