Today, the 14th, marks Buddha Purnima in Mongolia and a symbolic milestone in Buddhist-influenced Indo-Mongolian relations. Two days ago, Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju led a 25-member delegation to Ulaanbaatar, meeting Khamba Lama Gabju Choijamts Demberel, the most senior Buddhist leader in the country. Accompanying the delegation was a quartet of relics of the […]
politics
The TLKY International Conference 2021 Interview Series – Prof. Jin Y. Park
Welcome to our series of conversations with participating speakers at this year’s Tung Lin Kok Yuen International Conference – Buddhist Canons: In Search of a Theoretical Foundation for a Wisdom-oriented Education (27–28 November 2021). In each blog post, I speak with keynote speakers and paper presenters about their subject at this conference. Register for this […]
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 […]
Overturned Alms Bowl: The Buddhist Take on the Myanmar Crisis
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 […]
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 […]
Buddhism in International Relations: Buddhist NGOs and monks/scholars
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 […]
Spiritually Bypassing the Coup
By Joah McGee This article was originally published on Insight Myanmar. To my knowledge, in this month since the current crisis in Myanmar began, The Lion’s Roar, the premier Buddhist publication in the West, has published exactly one article on this topic: a brief and somewhat vague (and not quite historically accurate) thinkpiece by Randy […]
On Deep Listening
It has been several months since the opposition in Hong Kong swept the board in the District Council elections. The level of violence associated with the protest movement that began more than six months ago has much reduced. However, this may be just a lull before the storm, as the basic problems have not been […]
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.
Modi’s Triumph: What it Means for Buddhism
Narendra Modi has been re-elected as prime minister of India in a landslide, with the BJP winning sweeping victories across the states. Perhaps the Hindu gods smiled upon him, rewarding his party’s fierce Hindu nationalism. He should also pleased that the Buddha, or at least the Buddhist acolytes and spokespeople Modi appealed to for the […]