Vreeland photo exhibit to aid monastery reconstruction efforts

Photographer Nicholas Vreeland — a Buddhist monk holding a Geshe degree, and grandson of well-known fashion editor Diana Vreeland — is donating the proceeds of his latest exhibition to help reconstruct the 14th century Tibetan monastery Rato Dratsang in Karnataka, India. Photos for Rato opened in 2009 in select cities and is currently showing at ICIA House in Kala Ghoda, a precinct in South Mumbai, India; photographs from the exhibit are available for purchase through the website, with all funds going to the Rato Dratsang Foundation. From the website: “Each image, signed and numbered, is part of a limited edition of 25.” Read More »

Destroyed Colorado temple ramps up rebuilding effort

As Buddhadharma News reported back in December, the Lao Buddhist Temple of Colorado in Westminster was destroyed in a fire that likely stemmed from faulty wiring. The head monk, Ounkham Vuennasack, nearly died in the fire, having suffered smoke inhalation, mild burns and frostbite; while he recovered from his injuries, two-weeks later  hebegan complaining of feeling dizzy and it was discovered that he has a cancerous tumor on the right side of his brain.

He is currently undergoing chemotherapy and wishes to see the temple rebuilt in his lifetime.

Members of the Lao Buddhist Temple want to ensure that wish becomes a reality by bringing their need for funds back to the forefront. Read More »

A monk’s campaign for vegetarianism and compassion toward animals

Ven. Geshe Thupten Phelgye has been campaigning for vegetarianism and the compassionate treatment of animals since he was a teenager. The Geshe recently stopped by Animal Place Sanctuary in Grass Valley, California, to offer a blessing to the land and animals there; dozens of people came to witness the event. Established in 1989, the 600-acre Animal Place Sanctuary is home to animals that were victims of cruelty and neglect, specializing in rescue and adoption. Read More »

Fifty years of the San Francisco Zen Center

SFZC entrance (photo © Tom Hawkins)

By Adam Tebbe

Established in 1962 by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and his early students, the San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC) is the largest Soto Zen organization in the United States. Their three practice locations in northern California at City Center, Tassajara, and Green Gulch have trained a long list of senior American Zen teachers, many of whom have established centers of their own throughout the country. Practice at the SFZC locations is in the Soto Zen tradition of the thirteenth-century monk Dogen, brought by Suzuki Roshi and others to the West.

“There are only a few residential practice centers in the US, and SFZC is unique in that it has three residential centers offering three different Zen experiences — urban life, a working farm, and a traditional monastery,” says Zoketsu Norman Fischer, founder of the Everyday Zen Foundation. [Much more on SFZC's history, future, and anniversary celebrations follow here, after the jump.] Read More »

The Dalai Lama on democracy and his possible reincarnation — as a woman (with video)

Photo by Luca Galuzzi (www.galuzzi.it)

By Adam Tebbe

“The day I officially handed over [political power], that night? Very unusual, sound sleep.”

These were the words of the 14th Dalai Lama, who recently sat down for an interview with NDTV at the 2012 Kalachakra event in Bodh Gaya. Now that he sees himself as semi-retired, some Tibetans and Tibetan supporters have wanted him to take on a ceremonial role in the wake of his announcement. To that, he said (in this interview), “No use. My basic nature — I don’t like formality. I don’t like. I’ve grown up [with] too much formality.”

His Holiness believes strongly that the Tibetan problem is a national one; not a job for any one individual, but one for all Tibetans and supporters of Tibet. Read More »

Shibata Sensei celebrates 90th birthday

Onyumishi Kanjuro Shibata, a 20th-generation imperial bowmaker and kyudo master, celebrated his 90th birthday on December 29 at Boulder Shambhala Center (Karma Dzong). While he turned 90 according to the Western calendar, he is 91 according to his own calculations. Read More »