Aung San Suu Kyi. From Reuters Since the generation of Bogyoke Aung San (1915–47), the father of modern Myanmar and father of Aung San Suu Kyi, the nation has been locked in constant political tension over the direction of the country’s governance. On 1 February, the Myanmar military deposed the Burmese government, declaring a year-long […]
Raymond Lam
Buddhist Monastics in Palliative Care: A Milestone Program from Dr. Sneha Rooh
As Buddhist leaders explore inroads into pastoral care and palliative treatment, Bylakuppey-based Dr. Sneha Rooh has developed a program of palliative care that is tailor-made for monastics to train in. This is a monastic-driven, fundamentally pastoral initiative that Buddhists in traditional regions like the Tibetan plateau, the Himalayan regions, and India have long needed. Titled […]
Prayer to the Ogyen Menla for our COVID crisis
Since the beginning of 2020, the world has been struggling against a once-in-a-century public health crisis in COVID-19. Even if the world returns to some degree of normalcy, life will probably never be truly the same again. In fact, the Global South is suffering an ever-worsening resurgence of the pandemic. India has been a particularly […]
“Seven Line Prayer to Guru Padmasambhava” – A Milestone Translation and Song
I remember first listening to the magical Imee Ooi over the speakers of a souvenir shop at Ngong Ping Village, which leads to the famous Po Lin Monastery in Hong Kong. It was 2010. Her songs, which are contemporary renditions of Buddhist dharanis, mantras, and passages from Buddhist texts, evoke aural Pure Lands. Her ethereal, […]
Frederik L. Schodt’s “My Heart Sutra: A World in 260 Characters”
The pithy Heart Sutra is celebrated as perhaps the most profound Mahayana Buddhist scripture that remains relatively famous and accessible, frequently appearing not just onstage at pop stars’ concerts in China but also referenced in East Asian films and Japanese manga. For forty years, this Buddhist text has hung on the bedroom wall of Frederik […]
Visuals of Compassion: Artist Rima Fujita on her new exhibit, “Karuna”
Rima Fujita is a long-time painter of Buddhist art with a distinctive style that focuses on vivid colours and fairytale-like landscapes and figures. A keen devotee of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, she is holding a solo exhibition titled “Karuna” at Isetan Art Gallery in Shinjuku, Tokyo. We caught up with Rima to learn more […]
A Conversation with Choje Lama Wangchuk Topden on Spiritual Leadership and the COVID-19 Era
Kathmandu has a special place in Choje Lama Wangchuk Topden’s heart. He was born there on 20 November, 1983 and the Nepalese capital has had its fair share of international exposure since the devastating earthquake in April 2015. “There is an interesting contrast between the recovery effort for the earthquake, and the present disaster that […]
Ajahn Brahm’s “Karuna-virus” – A book for these times
Why do we tell stories? Throughout history, the storyteller was the sage, the wise one. Stories have a mythic, primeval place in human society and culture. They are expressions of our deepest intuitions, our oldest folk memories, and our sense of ultimate destiny. At a social level, they speak to our times and advise us […]
The Pedagogy of Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya: Student-Teacher Perspectives
Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya does not need much introduction in the world of Buddhist dance. Much has been written and shot about Charya Nritya, but less often discussed is the pedagogical interplay between teacher and student – the dance, in a sense, between the transmitter of knowledge and those to whom knowledge is being transmitted. While […]
Vello Vaartnou: A Life Devoted to Dharma
Buddhistdoor Global (BDG): You’ve been living in Australia for some decades now. But you have also spent many years building stupas, 8 of them by yourself, and created original thangkas. How did you balance so many projects with your teaching and practice in Australia?