Ho Chi Minh Order award

(CHAKRA) The Ho Chi Minh Order award was granted to the Head of Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), Most Venerable Thich Pho Tue for his hearty contributions to Buddhism in Vietnam and across the world.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Nguyen Thien Nhan, was honoured to reward the 95-year-old VBS head at the Vien Minh Pagoda in Hanoi’s district of Phu Xuyen on the outskirts.

At the honorary celebration, the Deputy Prime Minister shared many great words about the VBS head.  His contributions to the VBS, to the country of Vietnam, and to the rest of the world, were honoured when passing over the award to him.

During the celebration, PM Nhan, spoke highly of the Patriarch, wishing him well-deserved happiness and good health.  He also, thanked all of Most Venerable Thich Pho Tue’s followers, Buddhist dignitaries, monks and nuns both within the borders and outside of it for all their support.

In addition to his gratitude for the Patriarch’s work, PM Nhan stated that he hopes the Most Venerable Thich Pho Tue can continue to share his wisdom with his country and even towards the country’s reform plans.

Lhabab Duchen - Buddha descends from Heaven back to Earth

Lhabab Duchen is one of the four Buddhism festivals commemorating four events in the life of the Lord Buddha, followed in  Tibetan traditions.  Lhabab Düchen occurs on the 22nd day of the 9th month on a Tibetan calendar.

This is a Buddhist festival celebrated to observe the descent of Buddha from heaven back to earth. Buddha had left for heaven at the age of 41, having ascended to The Heaven of Thirty-Three (Trayastrimsa) in order to give teachings to benefit the gods in the desire realms and to repay the kindness of his mother by liberating her from Samsara. He was exhorted by his follower and representative Maugalyayana to return, and after a long debate managed to return. This is considered to be one of the eight great deeds of the Buddha. He returned to earth by a special triple ladder prepared by Viswakarma, the god of machines. On Lhabab Duchen, the effects of positive or negative actions are multiplied ten million times. It is part of Tibetan Buddhist tradition to engage in virtuous activities and prayer on this day.

The Chakra wishes all Tibetans and Buddhists good wishes on Lhabab Duchen.

Buddha

A 112-year-old nun who is one of the two oldest currently living in Taiwan, proclaimed that her secret to a long life was simply to practice Buddhism. She is from the central area of Taiwan’s Nantou County.

Liu Ching-huan was brought to Taiwan from China’s Sichuan Province, where she was born, when the late President Chiang Kai-shek’s forces pushed her along with many others out of the province. In 1965 at a young age, she was ordained at a Buddhist temple in the county’s Puli Township.

She is currently taken care of by a nurse at a government-funded nursing home since August of 2010 and is in overall good health although she is in a wheelchair.

Liu’s caregiver said that just last month, Liu travelled on the Taiwan High Speed Railway to attend the Face of Changing Phase which is a photo exhibition that highlights Taiwan’s centenarians and the Republic of China centennial.

Liu who has devoted her life to the teachings of Buddhism still enjoys reading the religious classics related to the religion.

Liu told the Nantou Magistrate Lee Chao-ching that chanting “Nam Amitofo” is the secret to a long life. Chao-ching presented her with the centenarian cash gift plus a gold pendant with a peach-shaped “Shoutao.” This is a symbol commonly used to celebrate the birthdays of elders in the community.

Director general of the county’s government department of social affairs, Lin Jung-sen said that the other oldest living women is coincidentally also the same age as Liu and lives in Hulaien County in eastern Taiwan.

Currently in the Nantou County, there are 13 men and 29 women equalling a total of 42 centenarians. Majority of the living individual practice Buddhism and 14 of them will be celebrating their 100th birthday this year, Jung-sen said.

Yingluck Shinawatra

Bangkok, Thailand (CHAKRA)—In the southern region of the Narathiwat province, three consecutive bomb explosions killed four Malaysians as well as a Thai volunteer that was working in a tourist area. Concern has risen for the area, especially because officials believe that the targets of such blasts are foreign tourists. The specific targets of the blasts were a hotel and a Chinese-Thai cultural center, which were both partly damaged. These spoils have reminded the government of the ethnic minority problems that exist in the south.

Approximately 80% of the population in Thailand’s three southern provinces is made up of Muslims which add up to about 1.7 million people. For about seven years now, ethnic Malay Muslims have been looking to separate their portion of the south from the rest of the majority Buddhist land.

Governments of Thailand have placed over 60,000 troops in the southern region but even that has not helped stop the frequent attacks that take place in the area. The local population largely opposes the presence of soldiers in their area.

Yingluck Shinawatra, the Prime Minister has promised to take more seriously the terrorism problem of the Muslim south although the Phue Thai party has no representatives in any of the three southern provinces. People wonder, without representatives, how the Prime Minister will go about making a positive change related to the violent extremist behavior that takes place in the southern provinces.

The Thai military claims that there are many insurgents out in the south, who want to terrorize the area making it difficult for foreigners to get in and out without fear.

Kathmandu, Nepal (CHAKRA) – Approximately one-hundred youths of Buddhist organizations from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and other nations will take part in an international conference for youths on Buddhism in Nepal. The conference will take place during an 8 day span and is officially called the “South Asia International Buddhist Youth Exchange 2010″ and uses the motto “Buddhist Education, Environment and Entertainment”.

The organisers of the event  are the Young Men’s Buddhist Association Nepal (YMBAN) and will be offering more than just discussions and lectures during the conference. The International Buddhist Youth Conference programmes will also offer tours to Lumbini which is the holy birthplace of Lord Buddha.

Although majority of the conference attendees are from India and Nepal, there will also be participants from Thailand, New Zealand, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

Buddhist Monks are frequent targets of the Islamic Insurgency

Bangkok, Thailand (CHAKRA) – Muslim Insurgents broke into the homes of Buddhist villagers in the southern province of Narathiwat on Saturday. 4 Buddhists were shot and killed before all invaded properties were set on fire. Based on the police investigation, 10 Islamic militants in fatigues had invaded 3 homes in Hutaeyuloh village before violently opening fire with their M16 assault rifles on the innocent home owners. The Islamic terrorists then set fire on all homes and escaped by a compact truck and motorcycles.

The houses invaded were of the last 3 Buddhist familes settled in the Muslim community. Therefore, the police and analysts are assuming muslim militants were trying to commit a form of genocide of Buddhists in the area. Bacho district is known to be very dangerous and one of the many terrorist strongholds.

The islamic insurgency has been going on for many years and is responsible for more than 3,500 casualities (mostly Buddhist victims).  8,000 terrorist attacks have been committed in the  muslim-majority southern provinces of Thailand which include Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.

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 for the first time after she was born at 10:24 a.m. on a Wednesday which was the first day of the Tibetan new moon.  She was born at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax.

Lady Diana Mukpo, a high ranking member of the Buddhist community said, “This is a glorious and historic moment. I am filled with joy by the continuity of our Mukpo clan. On behalf of the entire Shambhala community, I extend my heartfelt good wishes to the Sakyong and the Sakyong Wangmo.”

Dr. Mitchell Levy said that the physical health of the newborn princess was healthy and happy free of any complications for both mother and child.

Traditional rituals and ceremonies are being privately celebrated at the royal family’s home in Halifax.

The princesses’ father is a highly respected member of the Buddhist community in Halifax because he is a high lama in the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.  He is believed to be the second incarnation of an enlightened individual in Tibet known as Mipham the Great.

Even though there are many Shambhala Buddhist communities around the world the largest one is in Halifax.  The princesses’ birth will continue to be celebrated for weeks to come.

Hungry Ghost Festival in Singapore

(CHAKRA) August 24th, 2010 is a special day & week for both Buddhists (Hungry Ghost Festival) and Hindus (Raksha Bandhan).

The Hungry Ghost festival is celebrated in a few countries such as various parts of China. The Hungry Ghost Realm is one of the Six Realms of Samsara, into which beings are reborn.  Hungry Ghost celebrations can be tracked back to the Ullambana Sutra where the Buddha’s disciple Mahamaudgalyayana learned that his mom had been reborn as a hungry ghost. He gave her a plate of food, but before she could eat it the food turned into burning coals. Mahamaudgalyayana went to the Buddha to learn what he could do for her and was told the sangha should fill clean basins with fruits and other food, along with other offerings.  The Buddha instructed the assembled sangha to place the basins in front of an altar and recite mantras and prayers. Then 7 generations of ancestors will be released from the lower realms and they will receive the food in the basins and have blessing for a hundred years.

Raksha Bandhan is celebrated by Hindus all over the world but is most common with Hindus from North India. The festival is marked by the tying of a rakhi (holy colored thread) by the sister on her brothers wrist. The brother then offers a gift to his sister and vows to look after her as she presents mitai (sweets) to her brother. The brother and sister traditionally feed one another mitai. There are various tales on how Raksha Bandhan. The main story being from the epic Mahabharat that concerns Krishna and Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas where she had torn a strip of thread/fabric off her sari and tied it around Krishna’s finger to stop the flow of blood. Krishna was so touched by her action that He found himself bound to her by love. He promised to repay the debt and then spent the next 25 years showing devotion. Draupadi, in spite of being married to 5 great warriors and being a daughter of a powerful monarch, trusted and depended wholly on Krishna. There is also much evidence of Raksha Bandhan during the medieval era, around the 15th century, there were many wars between the Rajputs and Muslim invaders.

Ban Ki-Moon is the current UN Secretary-General

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 values of the dominant civilization of any given continent.

There are over 10 Buddhist states in Asia including Sri Lanka, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Kampuchea, Vietnam, Bhutan, Taiwan, China, Singapore, Japan, and Mongolia.  Hindu and Buddhist civilizations have been prominent for over two millennia.  There are two large Hindu states in Asia—India and Nepal, in addition to many Sikhs and Jain’s dispersed throughout Asia.   In total these religions comprise of an astounding number of over 2.5 billion within Asia.  This number should be taken into account when the nominees for Secretary-General are selected and voted on.

There have been 8 Secretary –Generals since the beginning of the United States in 1946.  They are listed as follows:

1 ) Trygve Lie
Country : Norway
Religion: Lutheren Christian
Term of Office: 1946 – 1952

2 ) Dag Hammarskjold
Country: Sweden
Religion: Christian
Term of Office: 1953 – 1961

3 ) U Thant
Country : Myanmar ( formerly known as Burma )
Religion: Buddhist
Term of Office: 1961 – 1971

4 ) Kurt Waldheim
Country: Austria
Religion: Roman Catholic
Term of Office: 1972 – 1981

5 ) Javier de Perez de Cuellar
Country: Peru
Religion: Roman Catholic
Term of Office: 1982 – 1991

6 ) Boutros Boutros – Ghali
Country: Egypt
Religion: Coptic Christian
Term of Office: 1992 – 1996

7 ) Kofi Annan
Country: Ghana
Religion: Christian
Term of Office: 1997 — 2006

8 ) Ban Ki – moon
Country: South Korea
Religion: Christian (non – denominational)
Term of Office: 2006 – 2011

 If broken down into continental representation, the post of UN Secretary-General has been held by three Europeans, two Asians, one Latin American and two from the African continent.  All of these posts were chosen on the basis of geographical rotation.

Even though the posts were drawn from different continents on the basis of geographical rotation, It is interesting and important to note that seven of the eight holders of the post were Christian (or nominal Christians).  The only non-Christian post was taken by U Thant from Myanmar. To this day not a single Hindu, Sikh, or Jain has been has been chosen for this post.

The world’s number 1 bureaucratic position job will lose its prestige and influence on the world if posts are continuously given to members of primarily one religion. 

Members of Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh or Jain communities should also have equal representation within the posts chosen.  It is now Asia’s turn to be chosen because if a nation from the Asian continent fails to get chosen in the next round in 2011, it will take another 30 years under the principal of continental rotation for Asia to push for a representative from Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh or Jain faith.

Kentucky, USA (CHAKRA) – Interfaith religion supporters recently denounced acts of vandalism on a Buddhist temple in Louisville, Kentucky.  A local Buddhist temple was vandalized by culprits wanting to spread hatred and fear among the Buddhists in the area.  These acts are counter to the areas efforts to build acceptance and religious tolerance among the community.

The sign on the Phuoc Hau Temple on Old Third Street Road was vandalized with spray paint scribbling Buddha was “in hell” and “Jesus lives” spray painted on walkway leading to the temple.

The Louisville Metro Police are scrutinizing the situation but no leads have been made yet.  An anonymous tip line has been set up for community members to report to if they have seen anything related to the incident.

Terry Taylor, executive director of the group Interfaith Paths to Peace said the act was “despicable” and that regardless of the religion involved, such acts should not go unnoticed.  He also stated that this incident should not be concluded as an act of Christianity but rather of an individual who has a misunderstanding of what the true meaning of religion is all about.  He concluded his statement saying that this incident results in a bad reputation for the city which prides itself in being one that supports multiculturalism and acceptance of all cultures and religions.

Nina Nguyen, a volunteer at the majority Vietnamese temple said that the temple has been vandalized several times in the past and that higher security measures have been taken since to protect the large outdoor Buddha statues which were collapsed in the past.

In hopes of the vandalism stopping, the temple leader had not yet called the police, Nguyen said.

However, “It gets to the point where somebody needs to voice their concerns,” she said.

She also said that some American-born residents came to help clean up the mess with paint remover, after seeing the mess in the news.  A lot of the graffiti was cleaned up with their help.

Rev. Marian McClure Taylor, executive director of the Kentucky Council of Churches openly denounced the act.

She stated, “It’s a horrifying kind of thing because it can create an environment of gloom and a sense of not being welcome.”

“I’m grateful to discover the folks who have suffered this abuse understand clearly this is not representative of Christianity in any way.”

Many Vietnamese and other immigrant Buddhists came to the United States to escape intolerance in their home countries so they really cherish their religious freedom in this country said Thich Hang Dat, leader of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Summit Monastery in Harrison County in Indiana.