Korean monk biking the Americas on a “Journey of Spirit”

By Adam Tebbe

If you happen to be driving along and you see a man in an orange reflective vest riding  a bicycle filled with supplies, it might be Daeung Sunim — a 42-year-old Korean Buddhist monk currently biking across the Americas on a journey of self-discovery. When his friend Dave Pope asked him what motivated his decision to go on such a demanding journey, the monk softly, humbly, replied, “To test my spirit.”

The journey will take him through Canada, the United States, Mexico, and South America. Read More »

Traleg Rinpoche June 2012 programs rescheduled

The E-Vam Institute in New York has announced that two events planned in June with Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche have been rescheduled due to a conflict. The June 22 date at Shambhala Meditation Center of New York , titled “The Legacy of Chögyam Trungpa,” has been pushed back to Friday, August 24, from 7 to 9 PM. The other event, a Mahamudra weekend at E-Vam Manhattan that was originally slated for June, has been changed to September 8 to 9.

For Rinpoche’s complete listing of events in 2012, please see the schedule here.

Tibetan woman self-immolates in Ngaba, Tibet

People's Liberation Army in Ngaba, Tibet; photo by SFT HQ via Flickr, using a CC-BY license

Voice of America (VOA) is reporting that a 33-year-old woman named Rikyo, a mother of three, self-immolated and died today outside of Jonang Dzamthang monastery in Ngaba, in an apparent protest against Chinese rule in her country. This latest self-immolation comes after two young Tibetan men self-immolated on Sunday.

According to VOA, “This week’s immolations follow a new Chinese move to ban Tibetan Buddhists, including current and former government officials, students, and party members, from engaging in religious practices during the sacred month of Saka Dawa, which began May 21. Saka Dawa commemorates the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death.”

Read more on the story here.

June 4 brings “Resounding Compassion” to San Francisco Zen Center

This Monday the San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC) will present “Resounding Compassion: A Concert for Peace,” a benefit at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in celebration of the SFZC’s founding in 1962. Proceeds will benefit both the SFZC and Shinryu-in, the family temple of Kiko Tatedera Roshi, located in Miyagi, Japan, which sustained heavy damage during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Tatedera Roshi currently serves as head priest at Sokoji Sōtō Mission of San Francisco, at which SFZC’s late founder (Shunryu Suzuki Roshi) served when he first arrived in the United States in 1959, when the mission was housed in an old Jewish synagogue. Read More »

Third annual BuddhaFest coming up June 14

The third annual BuddhaFest is coming up soon! Four days of films, music, dharma talks, and meditation are planned at Artisphere in Rosslyn, Virginia, from June 14 to 17.

Speakers at the event will include Sharon Salzberg, Tara Brach, Jonathan Frost, Rick Hanson, Ven. Pannavati Bhikkhuni, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, and Congressman Tim Ryan. Numerous films will be screened, including When the Iron Bird Flies, a documentary about the impact of Tibetan Buddhism on Western culture. A full schedule and tickets for all events are available here. Read More »

Seattle Buddhist temple destroyed by fire on Sunday

According to a news report from Q 13 Fox, a Buddhist temple in Seattle was destroyed Sunday in a fire caused by burning food that had been left in a stove. Though the report leaves out a fairly important detail — the name of the temple — we believe it to be a Vietnamese temple known as Chua Bo De, at 3903 South Sunny View Drive in Seattle, Washington. The fire was difficult for firefighters to put out because of its location on a steep hill, according to the Seattle Fire Department. Damages are estimated to be around $600,000.