If one seeks to understand better the general direction of Buddhist priorities in China, clues can be found in the National Cultural Heritage Administration’s (NCHA) blueprint of preserving China’s ancient grottoes in early December last year. During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–25), the NCHA released its own plan that would, by 2025, result in an […]
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Jon Kolkin’s “Inner Harmony: Living in Balance” – Visual Stories from the Heart of Asia
Dr. Jon Kolkin’s photographic volume Inner Harmony: Living in Balance exudes creative ambition and heart. A cursory look at the time it took for him to compile this collection of images – seventeen extended visits to Asia from 2007 to 2018 – attests to the time, patience, and toil that the distinguished and globe-trotting creator […]
A Lion: Mr. Shakti Sinha, Director General of International Buddhist Confederation
A core figure in India’s largest Buddhist organization has departed. Mr. Shakti Sinha (b. 1957) passed away on Monday at the age of 64. He was director general of the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), second in seniority only to Ven. Dr. Dhammapiya, the secretary general. Beyond his immediate contact with the Buddhist community, Shakti Sinha was […]
Prime minister Modi and President Kovind take Asadha Poornima 2021 Online
Highlighting its enduring presence among the Indian Buddhist community since 2011, on 24 July the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) hosted this year’s Asadha Poornima over YouTube and Facebook Live, bringing together Buddhist leaders and supporters of the Buddhist tradition from around the world. Asadha Poornima is otherwise known as Dharma Chakra Day, and commemorates the […]
Naresh Mathur
When your eyesFrom the deepest blueTurned into waterFlowing from within Magical touchCold breath of deathSad and stillTranscendental Your heart was tightAnd so aliveHot air boostingBlood and fire Elements revealedBlessing your bodyA new startAs there is no time Out of life
Buddhism in International Relations: The Sino-Indian Relationship
This series on Buddhism and international relations by Durgesh Kasbekar is a modified series from an essay “Buddhism in International Relations” by the same author. International relations and global politics are often absent from reflections about Buddhism in academia. This series aims to provide a small corrective and highlight how Buddhism affects and is affected by […]
Rima Fujita: Art and Action
Rima with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. ©Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL An enlightened, ineffably wise face deep in contemplation of the bottomless realities of the cosmos. Yet the colours are so vibrant as to have an almost childlike, playful quality. This vibrant and vivid aesthetic is Rima Fujita’s instantly recognizable artistic style, which has captured the attention of […]
Observations on the Indo-Mongolian Buddhist Partnership
It was no coincidence that just a fortnight after the third Samvad conclave from 6–7 September in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga paid a state visit to India from the 19th to 23rd. This month has seen, from the perspectives of both Mongolia and India, a significant diplomatic victory over some years in the making.
Mongolia’s Buddhist Diplomacy and India’s Union of Religious and Foreign Policy
The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), along with Indian, Japanese, and Mongolian partners, hosted its third Samvad (which, in Hindi, means “dialogue”) conference in Ulaanbaatar over last Friday and the weekend. As reported in BDG’s news article on the conclave, Mongolian political and religious leaders took this event very seriously. In his closing speech on the […]
A Circle of Buddhist Democracies: India’s Buddhist Strategy for Asia
In May’s Indian elections, PM Narendra Modi’s BJP fared considerably well, indirectly securing a mandate for its Buddhist diplomacy. This “quiet” exercise of power began several years ago in September 2015, with the Vivekananda International Foundation’s (VIF) first Samvad conference. For this event we were taken to the diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri in New Delhi, […]