American Buddhist Net

There are two sorts of protectors, enlightened protectors and oath bound protectors, who are in their retinue. Ritual offerings are usually made to protectors around sunset asking for the removal of obstacles to practice.

In general, there are both mundane and supra?mundane Dharma protectors who dispel practitioners' inner and outer hindrances. Each of those is also divided into father?lineage and mother?lineage types.

Greetings in peace and love,

I was wondering if any of you in this group may be interested in this:

A 4-month Temple Stay / study program for Mandarin language, arts and music, Chinese culture, Buddhist studies, meditation, vegetarian cooking and diet, gardening, and the monastic way of life. The program is called the "Fo Guang Shan Philippine Humanistic Academy of Life and Arts" and is scheduled APRIL 1 - JULY 31, 2010 in the Philippines (starting in Bacolod Yuan Thong Temple and ending in Manila Mabuhay Temple).

It is under the supervision of Fo Guang Shan monastic order of the Linji Chan (Rinzai Zen) lineage and the philosophy of Humanistic Buddhism (engaged, cultural, etc). The language of livelihood will be English, but the life will be following a monastic code (silence, disciplined, etc). This means contact with the outside world will be limited, however entrants will be allowed 1-2 hours weekly to communicate with family. An entrant can choose to have no contact at all.

Entrants will enjoy free food (vegetarian), boarding, clothing, and for the first time in the Philippines, a formal curriculum to be taught by the Sangha. There is also a Php1,500 monthly allowance.

Opportunities for further scholarship or employment in Taiwan ROC will be available to outstanding students after the study program. Application deadline is on March 15, 2010.

For the application form, go to http://bliabacolod.multiply.com or contact me at 0907-155-4885.

Palms joined
Ji Dao

Have you ever felt like there must be a hidden conspiracy against you? Somehow people know just how to make you feel hurt, angry, insulted, let down, disappointed, abandoned, betrayed. They break up with you, fire you, leave you, or humiliate you. The bottom line: you’ve been wronged!

Or have you?

Granted, people do not always behave in exemplary ways. But if you feel you’ve been wronged, the situation deserves a closer look.

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Extract from Know Buddhism: Buddhist Monk
Buddhism has become woven into the texture of social life of Buddhist countries. In Burma, for example, every Buddhist boy becomes a monk for some period in his life ; it may be for a year or two, for a rainy season, for a few days or perhaps a lifetime. There are reckoned to be 60,000 monks in Burma, out of a population of nineteen million. The land is dotted with white pagodas ; in every big village there is a monastery, and perhaps, still, a monastery school for the boys. You see the yellow robe everywhere. Read the full story here:

....The following is a vivid description of the great occasion when a son of a Burmese family enters the Sangha or Order of Buddhist Monks. It is taken from The Religion of Burma by Ananda Metteya (Allan Bennett 1872-1923), who was one of the first Englishmen to become a Buddhist Monk < read the full story here.

THE late Tan Guat Gnoh’s life was characterised by her passion for helping the needy, the handicapped and even the Untouchables of India. The 54-year-old former accountant turned jewellery shop proprietor had been to India seven times for humanitarian work.

But her trip to Ladakh on Aug 25 last year, proved to be her last. Tan and three others (Julie Ang Ee Lee, Jennie Cheong and Lee Ah Yem) lost their lives in a road accident.

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Environmentalists believe that Taiwanese Buddhists are upsetting the eco-system with their good intentions.

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This same argument goes on year after year, but nothing changes. It is a disgrace that Taiwanese Buddhists are still defending this ignorant practice which causes so much more harm than good. ABN

The Dalai Lama said Saturday that he had - somehow - never heard of Tiger Woods.

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Meditation exercises could boost mental toughness in soldiers readying for war, keeping them from becoming overly emotional, according to new research.

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MANILA, Philippines - After he lost almost all of his belongings in the floods brought about by Tropical Storm "Ondoy" last year, this jeepney driver thought it wasn't enough to simply thank the strangers who helped him get back on his feet.

Sonny Hernandez, 48, a resident of Barangay Nangka in Marikina City, felt it was but right to repay the generosity of his benefactors with the same acts of kindness and love he was shown when he was down and out.

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Kalachakra empowerment as well as Kurukulla empowerment will be given in Atlanta Ga on Saturday, February 27.
for more information, go to www.jonang.org or email

The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin joined the Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker this morning at 0700 Hours (Sydney time). Both Sea Shepherd ships are now on the tail of the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru.

The Japanese fleet was running fast to the Northeast not knowing that the Steve Irwin was on a course of Southwest coming directly for them. With the fleet doing 15 knots, and the Steve Irwin doing 15 knots, the Steve Irwin and the whaling fleet closed the gap at 30 knots cutting the rendezvous time in half.

The Steve Irwin sat motionless by an iceberg for two hours at a distance of thirty miles to allow the Nisshin Maru to continue towards it. At a distance of only three miles, the Steve Irwin got underway and intercepted the Nisshin Maru.

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As part of the Morality Revival Project by the abbot of the Dhammakaya temple in Thailand, a mass ordination of 100,000 monks was organized. The objective is to strengthen ethics and improve morality by allowing 100,000 men to be true monks for 49 days. The mass ordination was hosted by the Dhammakaya Temple and 330 other temples from all over Thailand. Pathum Thani, Thailand. 06/02/2010.

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This article is the first of two comparing findings of studies of advanced practitioners of Tibetan Buddhist meditation in remote regions of the Himalayas, with established results on long-term practitioners of the Transcendental Meditation programs. Many parallel levels of improvement were found, in sensory acuity, perceptual style and cognitive function, indicating stabilization of aspects of attentional awareness. Together with observed increases in EEG coherence and aspects of brain function, such changes are consistent with growth towards a state of total brain functioning, i.e. development of full mental potential. They are usually accompanied by improved health parameters. How they may be seen to be consistent with growth of enlightenment will be the subject of a second article.

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Taipei - Taiwanese Buddhists packed relief materials for Haiti earthquake survivors Sunday, while other civic groups were seeking donations and sending medical teams to the Caribbean nation.

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The Palmview child returned fire after being wounded by the intruder

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Put this under "Buddhist practice" because this little man defended his mom and himself and shot back only after he was hit and only after they had retreated to the bedroom. ABN

...“Buddhism is more about human emotions. In the course of that exploration, it will become obvious that most disturbances are stimulated not by external causes but by such internal events as the arising of disturbing emotions. The best antidote to these sources of disruption will come about through enhancing our ability to handle these emotions ourselves. Eventually we need to develop an awareness that provides the ways and means to overcome negative, disturbing emotions ourselves,” added Dalai Lama.

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Though his tribal land is worth an estimated $5 billion, an Aboriginal man refuses to sell it, instead keeping it as a legacy for his family.

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Respect. ABN

The publication of Buddhist Warfare, a book I co-edited with Mark Juergensmeyer, is a bittersweet experience as it marks the culmination of a journey that began with an exploration of the peaceful aspects of Buddhism only to end up chronicling portions of its dark side. This journey, which consumed much of the last six years of my life, began in 2003 when my wife and I spent a little over a year in Thailand. It was then that I began to research Buddhist social activism which was going to be the topic of my dissertation.

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Upaya Zen Center is posting an outstanding series of podcasts (14 in all) featuring Stephen and Martine Batchelor speaking on "Godless Religion or Devout Atheism?"

Stephen Batchelor is well-known, and perhaps infamous, for his book Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening. I am a tremendous fan of his modern approach to Buddhist practice. Each new culture that adopts Buddhism has adapted the teachings to make sense within its individual context.

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Here is the second installment of the Stephen and Martine Batchelor podcast series, parts 5-9.

Here are the final five parts of this cool series from Upaya Zen Center.

Bodh Gaya, Jan. 6: Hands folded, the Dalai Lama thanked China. It made the Chinese cry.

The Tibetan spiritual leader today “humbly” paid his “gratitude” to China, turning a yearly peace lecture into an appeal to win over enemy hearts as he reached out to the country that has dismissed his freedom struggle as a separatist movement.

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Dolphins have been declared the world’s second most intelligent creatures after humans, with scientists suggesting they are so bright that they should be treated as “non-human persons”.

Studies into dolphin behaviour have highlighted how similar their communications are to those of humans and that they are brighter than chimpanzees. These have been backed up by anatomical research showing that dolphin brains have many key features associated with high intelligence.

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The forest monks of Wat Nong Pah Pong want the Council of Elders and the Office of National Buddhism to impose stricter controls on Western monks to stop them from ordaining women.

They also want the properties of Thai temples in the West to come under the ownership of the Thai Sangha to ensure complete control.

The monks are seeking the changes after the recent ordination of two women at Bodhinyana Temple, a branch of Wat Nong Pah Pong in Perth, Australia.

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...Marker, a Buddhist, decided to redirect his mission: donating computers to the Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries, the Queens Galley soup kitchen and other charities in Kingston.

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Facing homelessness, fighting addiction, waiting to hit bottom.

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This is an interesting story, with a Buddhist happy-ending-transition. I think a good many Americans are like this; maybe the contrast is not so stark, but the underlying theme is sort of similar. ABN

Tibetan Buddhist Retreats California
Click here for more info: Tibetan Buddhist Retreats California

I took a 3 month leave off of work due to overwork, burn-out and depression. I have been trying to find a spiritual path for some years now, but due to lack of time, have never had a chance to fully focus on it. Now that I have the time, I really want to take advantage of it, and I have a high interest in learning more about Tibetan Buddhism from an experienced teacher...

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