Search results for dharma (82)
Distinction between Dharma and Religion
( Sanchin Gupta )
Swami Vivekananda (Bengali: স্বামী বিবেকানন্দ, Shami BibekÄnondo; Hindi: स्वामी विवेकानन्द, SvÄmi VivekÄnanda) (January 12, 1863–July 4, 1902), born Narendranath Dutta is the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna and the founder of Ramakrishna Mission. He is considered a key figure in the introduction of Vedanta and Yoga in Europe and America and is also credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a world religion during the end of the 19th Century. Vivekananda is considered to be a major force in the revival of Hinduism in modern India. He is best known for his inspiring speech beginning with „sisters and brothers of America“, through which he introduced Hinduism at the Parliament of the World’s Religions at Chicago in 1893.
He conducted several public and private lectures, disseminating Vedanta, Yoga and Hinduism in America, England and few other countries in Europe. He also established Vedanta societies in America and England.
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Distinction between Dharma and Religion – DAVID FRAWLEY
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Distinction between Dharma and Religion – Vishal Agarwal (17 June 2009)
1. Religions are Proselytizing, Dharma is Self-Transformation :
Why does Religion breed fanaticism whereas Dharma does not? This is explained very succinctly by David Frawley[1]:
“Perhaps nothing more so than religion that stimulates the passions of humanity toward either higher or lower actions. This is because religion introduces absolutes into human life. Religion sets up a standard of judgment that goes beyond life and death and all the limited values of our transient existence. Such a standard can deepen our sensitivity or can breed fanaticism and bigotry, depending upon whether we use these absolutes to provide a higher standard for our own behavior or to become harsher in our criticism of those who think differently than we do. True religion directs us to the Absolute, which requires that we cleanse our minds of our limited opinions and judgments. False or imperfect religion tries to make absolute these very prejudices, opinions and limitations.
To understand religion, we must look at religion as a whole, not as a belief system but as a way of life, a system of ethical, mental and spiritual culture – what is called in the Eastern world, dharma or the guiding law of our being. Otherwise we will be unable to extract the essence of religion from its mass of conflicting beliefs. This requires that we look at our own lives as a whole, and that we examine religion as a living phenomenon, as part of our greater human potential, our inner dharma, from whatever different land or culture it may arise.
We must learn to look at religion as a way of connecting with Reality through our own consciousness, which is the view of the science of Yoga. This is the view of religion that India has given us, the land wherein human beings have spent the most time in pursuit of the sacred, not to convert others, but to realize the Truth.”
RigDzin Dharma Foundation Buddhist Dharma
Venerable Traga Rinpoche
Spiritual Director
OM MANI PADME HUNG
Rig Dzin Dharma Foundation is a Tibetan Buddhist Dharma Center located in the heart of Albuquerque, NM. Founded in 2005 by the Venerable Traga Rinpoche, a beloved lama in the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, the Center offers a relaxed and informal place for meditation and learning about Buddhism. Everyone is welcome to visit – whether you are a new practitioner, curious to learn a little about Buddhist teachings or meditation, or a more experienced student of the Dharma. Classes and practices, or to learn more about us. Always feel free to call us or come by for a visit.
Click these link for more information: http://www.rigdzin.com/index.htm
His Holiness the Dalai Lama Begins Three-Day Introductory Teaching for Tibetan Youth
His Holiness the Dalai Lama waving to the students on his arrival at TCV Upper Dharamshala.
Tibet.net Updates @tibet_net
Tibet.net Updates @tibet_net His Holiness the Dalai Lama Begins Three-Day Introductory Teaching for Tibetan Youth http://goo.gl/fb/kFZMW
When the Dalai Lama turns 80 http://goo.gl/fb/qqLiUf
Tibetan Communities are vital for the preservation of Tibetan culture http://goo.gl/fb/JcKo4l
s @tibet_net
DHARAMSHALA: His Holiness the Dalai Lama today began a three-day introductory teaching on Buddhism for Tibetan youths ideally aimed at Tibetan school and college students. The teachings are being held at UPPER TCV School Dharamshala and approximately over 4500 students from Upper and Lower TCV Schools, Gopalpur, Suja and Chauntra TCVs, Sherab Gatsel Lobling, students from various universities are in attendance.
The first two days of the teaching would be on the Buddhist presentation of psychology and mind based on the book ‘A compendium of Ways of Knowing: A Clear Mirror of What Should be Accepted and Rejected’ with commentary of late Geshe Ngawang Dhargey. His Holiness would confer an Avalokiteshvara Empowerment on the third and final day of the teaching.
Before commencing the teachings, His Holiness the Dalai Lama highlighted the evolution of Buddhism in Tibet from the Nalanda tradition of ancient India. He said the rich traditions of Tibetan Buddhist culture is due to the efforts of ancient Indian sages and Tibetan lamas who have meticulously studied the dharma.
At the same time, His Holiness the Dalai Lama urged the gathering of the evils of blind faith and encouraged Tibetans to study the Buddhist texts, analyse it to understand the real essence of Tibetan Buddhism. He said it is high time for Tibetans to cease reciting mantras without understanding the essence.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama then spoke about his three main commitments in life since devolving all his political authority to an elected Tibetan leadership.
Firstly, on the level of a human being, His Holiness said his first commitment is the promotion of human values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline. “All human beings are the same. We all want happiness and do not want suffering. Even people who do not believe in religion recognise the importance of these human values in making their life happier,” His Holiness said, referring to these human values as secular ethics.
Secondly, on the level of a religious practitioner, His Holiness said his second commitment is the promotion of religious harmony and understanding among the world’s major religious traditions. “Despite philosophical differences, all major world religions have the same potential to create good human beings. It is therefore important for all religious traditions to respect one another and recognise the value of each other’s respective traditions,” His holiness said.
Thirdly, His Holiness said that being a Tibetan, his final commitment is to work towards the preservation of Tibet’s fragile environment and Tibet’s Buddhist culture, a culture of peace and non-violence, which are both under threat inside Tibet.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama then reminded the reasons why the Tibetan people had to flee into exile leaving their homeland behind. He then explained the current critical situation prevailing inside Tibet and the lack of basic human rights including religious freedom in Tibet, and urged the students to study hard to fulfill their responsibilities.
Tomorrow’s teaching would cover topics such as Cognition, Indecisive Wavering as in factors that induce indecisiveness; Inferential Understanding and other Buddhist theories such as Maadhyamika-Svatantrikas, Madhyamika-Prasangikas and the Vaibhashikas etc.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama addressing students before the teaching.
Crowds of laypeople at the teaching on 27 May 2015.
Siva-ratri celebration at Belur Math on 10 March 2013 : LIVE at www.belurmath.tv
Shiva-ratri (Magha-krishna-chaturdashi) will be celebrated at Belur Math
on 10 March, Sunday, 2013 (Time : 7.00 pm IST)
http://www.belurmath.org/news_archives/2013/03/08/siva-ratri-celebration-at-belur-math
ramakrishnamission.org/siva_ratri.htm
Hindu Dharm Varat List – 2013 | व्रत | Hindu Dharma Fasting …
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maha_Shivaratri
Mahashivaratri Today (March 9th) in USA/Canada, for India March 10th. Looking for more details?
Please visit mypanchang.com/mahashivaratri.php.
Hawaii: March 9th 2013
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India: March 10th 2013
Malaysia: March 10th 2013
Australia — WAU: March 10th 2013
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MAKERS OF BENGALI LITERATURE : RAMPRASAD SEN
MAKERS OF BENGALI LITERATURE : RAMPRASAD SEN
ACADEMIC PAPER
“O my heart, you know not cultivation.
This human soil is lying fallow
and it would have produced gold if cultivated”
The Indian concept of culture (Kristi, samaskriti) is defined in the above three lines. “The sharpening of human sensitivities, feelings, emotions, and sensibilities through art is one of various ways by which man can ‘cultivate’ the soil of life to make it yield golden harvest in return”. Thus the poet Ramprasad Sen wrote about the main concept of Indian Culture as stated by Niharranjan Roy.
“No flattery could touch a nature so unapproachable in its simplicity. For in these writings we have perhaps alone in literature, the spectacle of a great poet, whose genius is spent in realizing the emotions of a child.Willam Blake, in our own poetry, strikes the note that is nearest his, and Blake is by no means his peer.
“Robert Burns in his splendid indifference to rank, and Whitman in his glorification of common things, have points of kinship with him. But to such radiant white heart of child-likeness, it would be impossible to find a perfect counterpart.”
– Sister Nivedita (Margaret Noble:1867-1911) on Ramprasad Sen
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_Nivedita
belurmath.org/kids_section/24-visit-to-niveditas-school
cwsv.belurmath.org/volume_5/questions_and_answers/in_answer_to_nivedita.htm
Ramprasad created a new form of poetry known as ‘Sakta Padabali’ in Bengali, and a new style of singing called ‘Prasadi’. After Ramprasad there was a remarkable outburst of Sakta poetry in Bengal.
His view of life was liberal. He was against racism, castism and untouchability, and generally opposed the Hindu orthodoxies of the conservative society.
Ramprasad believed that there should not be any religious conflict between various sects and cults, since God is one. He wrote, “One in five, five in one mind, should not go into conflicts.” ( ore eke panc, pance ea, non korna sweshasweshi)
Just as the message of Chatanyadeva was spread through his kirtan-singing and dance in the fifteenth century, Ramprasad’s message spread through his songs in the eighteenth century.
The Family
Ramprasad was born in a Baidya (caste of Ayurvedic doctors) familyof West Bengal. Ramprasad’s ancestor Raja Seiharsha Sen, the court physician of Sultan Fakurddin in the fourteenth century, had received the title of Raja from the Sultan.
The family tree:
Sriharsha – Bimal – binayak-Rosh – Narayan – Sangu or Sang – Sarani – Krittibas – Ratnakar – Nityananda – Jaggannath – Jadunandan – Ranjan – Rajiblochon – Jayakrishna – Rameswar – Ramram – Ramprasad.
Ramprasad made reference to his forefathers, especially Krittibas Sen and his father Ramram Sen. The family initially was staying in Dhalahandi in the district of Birbhum, then shifted to Kumarhatta-Halisahar (then in the district of Nadia). His father was a Sanskrit scholar, an Ayurvedician and a poet.
“Tadangaj Ramram mahakobi gunodham
Sada jara sadaya Abhaiya “
Ramprasad also mentioned the scholarly forefathers, who supported many charities.
The family lost their wealth; Ramprasad’s father did not fare well, and died early.
RAMPRASAD’S LIFE AND TIME:
Mishras 2012 Europen Musical tour
Dear Friends,
We are in Varanasi now and wish all of you. We are happy to inform you that our tour for Europe this year will be in October/ November 2012. So we are starting now for booking the Concert dates of Europe and just like to inform you that if you want to book any concert of us then please contact us soon as now we are booking the dates.
We are coming three musician Pandit Shivnath Mishra, myself Deobrat Mishra on Sitar and Prashant Mishra on Tabla. So please contact us soon for any information you need.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Yours, Deobrat Mishra
Sitar Artist.
Contact us at: mishramusic@hotmail.com
Website: www.music-of-benares.com
Cell: 0091-9451586700
Note: we are also sending you a attachment of recent concert photos and Video Link on youtube we did with 108 Sitar players in Varanasi to save holy River Ganges. Please have a look. You can see more picture of it on my facebook account: Deobrat Mishra
My father Pandit. Shivnath Mishra made a history in Varanasi-India to conduct a orchestra of 108 sitar players. Total musician where 151 including Tabla players and Flute players.
Varanasi (Sanskrit: वाराणसी ) is a city situated on the banks of the River Ganges in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, 320 kilometres (199 mi) southeast of state capital Lucknow. It is regarded as a holy city by Buddhists and Jains, and is the holiest place in the world in Hinduism (and center of earth in Hindu Cosmology). It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and probably the oldest of India. The Kashi Naresh (Maharaja of Kashi) is the chief cultural patron of Varanasi and an essential part of all religious celebrations.The culture of Varanasi is closely associated with the River Ganges and the river’s religious importance. The city has been a cultural and religious centre in North India for several thousand years.
The Benares Gharana form of Indian classical music developed in Varanasi, and many prominent Indian philosophers, poets, writers, and musicians resided or reside in Varanasi, including Kabir, Ravidas Their Guru Swami Ramanand, Trailanga Swami, Munshi Premchand, Jaishankar Prasad, Acharya Shukla, Ravi Shankar, Girija Devi, Hariprasad Chaurasia, and Bismillah Khan. Tulsidas wrote Ramacharitamanas here, and Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath located near Varanasi (Kashi). Varanasi is home to four universities: Banaras Hindu University, Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies and Sampurnanand Sanskrit University. Residents mainly speak Hindi and Kashika Bhojpuri, which is closely related to the Hindi language. People often refer to Varanasi as “the city of temples”, “the holy city of India”, “the religious capital of India”, “the city of lights”, and “the city of learning.”
Mishras Press release:
Very rare to see three generation master musician’s on same stage.
11th GENERATION FATHER AND SON SITAR MASTERS of Benares Gharana
From their home city of Benares, an ancient spiritual centre of traditional music and Indian culture, “The Mishras” are bringing classical North Indian Ragas and meditative music to the world audience, gifting the audience with a fabulous performance and a spiritual experience. Join this father and son duet of two of the worlds finest Sitar Artist and Prashant Mishra on Tabla grandson of Pandit Shivnath Mishra as they inspire one another to new levels of loving interplay.
PANDIT SHIVNATH MISHRA
Pandit Shivnath Mishra was born on the 12th of October 1943, in Varanasi (North India). Also known as “Legend of the Sitar”, he is the 10th generation of the prominent Benares Gharana lineage of top class singers including Pandit Bade Ramdas Mishra and Panditji Great Grand Father. Since childhood, his highly musical family could see signs of a masterful musician in him. When Panditji was five years old, he began studying vocal music with his father, Badri Prashad Mishra, and his uncle-guru, Pandit Mahadev Prashad Mishra. However, when he was eight his musical inclination led him to study the sitar. In a family of great classical Indian vocalists, he was the first one who mastered the sitar.
Due to the vocal influence from his family as well as the Benares Gharana tradition, he is one among few artists in Contemporary India who ‘sing inside’ while playing a musical instrument. His lively, powerful and unique style has praised him with innumerous titles by the most representative authorities and institutions of music in and outside India. In 1966, when he was only twenty-three, he received a gold medal in the All India Music Conference, in Calcutta.
1979 marks the beginning of his performances abroad. Sine then, he has been constantly on tour in many foreign countries, among them Germany, Italy, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Japan, Holland etc. In 1999, he gave his first concert in the USA and Canada. During his tours, he has performed with several international jazz artists such as John Handy, Paul Horn, David Freezen, Ben Conrad, Berred Kworrase, George Figgler Aimester among others. Moreover, he participated in many conferences and recitals including the Condolence Metal of Late Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi, in Germany. He also took part in programs broadcast by the BBC Television and the German Radio.
Being one of India’s premiere sitar artists of all times, Pandit Shivnath Mishra was the Head of the Music Department at the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University of Benares, in Varanasi, for 36 years. At this time, in 1994, he formed the “Music of Benares” which consists of a group of North Indian (Hindustani) classical musicians whose aim is to familiarize audiences all over the world with Hindustani music in general and the Benares Gharana in particular. What is characteristic of the Benares Gharana is exactly the singing of the Thumri, a light Indian classical music that is highly ornamental and thus very emotional and expressive. At a time when many different Gharanas mix with each other, the “Music of Benares” group keeps this ancient tradition alive.
Incorporation of this style with the “Jugalbandi” presentation, in which there are two solo artists sharing the stage, has created a unique synthesis of classical and folk that appeals to audiences everywhere. But this is not just Jugalbandi, this is a duet between a Guru and his Shishya (disciple) and, in this case, between father and son. Seeing this special interaction on stage is no doubt an unforgettable and mesmerizing experience.
Deobrat Mishra – biography
Deobrat Mishra is no doubt one of the most energetic and innovative sitar artists of India. Selectivity, melody and rhythmic complexity are typical features in his lively playing style.
Born in 1976, he represents the 11th generation of the Benares Gharana tradition. As a young child he studied tabla with his mother, Pramila Mishra, who is the granddaughter of the well-known tabla player Pandit Baiju Mishra. He started by studying vocal music with his father at the age of five and began his sitar lessons a year later. That same year, after only six months of studying the sitar, he gave his first public performance on stage. Five years later, he performed for the first time on the All India Radio.
Since 1994 he has been touring throughout Europe with his father. In the same year he was chosen to receive the award of the best young sitar player of India. In 2000 he received the “Jewels of Sound Award” in Mumbai. His many projects include music workshops, solo performances for radio and television as well as world music programs with Indian and European artists. Moreover, he is the one in charge of cultural events and music lessons provided by the Academy of Indian Classical Music, the school he founded along with his father, Pandit Shivnath Mishra, in 2006.
Recently, he received a Masters degree in sitar from the Prayag Sangit Samiti in Allahabad. Among many other projects, the Mishras performed and recorded their music with the Western Symphony Orchestra of Italy in 2005. Nowadays, they fully dedicate their art to similar projects including annual tours around the world.
Above all, the Mishras (father and son) serve as two of India’s leading cultural ambassadors of our times
Prashant Mishra is one of the best young Tabla player of benares music tradition. When he was five he started to learn tabla with the family member of Biru Mishra of Varanasi also studying Tabla presently with Mr.Chakkan lal Mishra(Student of Great Tabla player Anokhelal Mishra..
Soon after few years of hard practice with his grandfather Pandit Shivanath mishra and uncle Deobrat mishra he was able to perform with Mishras His skills beautifully compliment and support the Mishras in their concerts.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Aviral-and-nirmal-flow-of-the-Ganga/news
In 2004 he won first prize in Tabla competition organized by Sangeet Natak Academy Uttar Pradesh India. He received many awards for his tabla playing at many different places. The Mishras tour will help to support the Academy Of Indian Classical Music School in Varanasi, India.
Additionally, the Mishras support their Academy of Music in Benares, India where they keep alive the tradition of their music amongst young musicians. Every January and February, the Academy is open to international students of all ages and skill levels. These study tours to India are a cultural experience combining ashram style living and intensive music instruction in one of the world’s oldest cities.
Visit: www.benaresmusicacademy.co
For more information, contact Deobrat Mishra: mishramusic@hotmail.com
Visit our website: www.music-of-benares.com
http://www.gangaaction.com/
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#Previous #articles #videos #benares #gharana
#Previous #articles #save #ganga #water #humanrights
Note: Mishra or Misra (Hindi: „मिश्र“ „मिश्रा“) is a Hindu Brahmin surname found mostly in the northern and central parts of India. It is one of the most widespread Brahmin surnames in the fertile Gangetic plain region and in the Indian states of Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Assam and West Bengal. It is also found in countries such as Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago under the anglicized version of Misir, due to migration owing to agricultural/plantation employment. The surname is also found in Nepal, Fiji and Mauritius, as well as in other Indian diaspora communities.
In Hinduism, Brahmin refers to the class of educators and preachers. It is the highest class in the caste system. There are many references in the Ramayana and Mahabharata about the importance of a Brahmin. In the Vedic period, the Brahmins preferred isolation and solely dedicated their life to propagating knowledge and Dharma. However Misras have historically been martial Brahmins and in earlier years, many were drafted into the army.
ADVOCACY PROJECT – Dalit Journalism in Nepal
http://www.advocacynet.org/page/home
http://www.hrw.org/asia/nepal
United Nations Human Rights
READ THE STORY OF 27 YEARS OLD PRAKASH MOHARA
Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as „untouchable„. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions.
While the discrimination based on caste system (not the caste system itself) has been abolished under the Indian constitution, a New York University School of Law based group claimed in a 2007 shadow report to the United Nations that there still is discrimination and prejudice against Dalits in South Asia. Since India’s independence, significant steps have been taken to provide opportunities in jobs and education. Many social organisations too have proactively promoted better conditions for Dalits through improved education, health and employment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalit
Varna (Hinduism) Opposition within Hinduism
Critics point that the effect of communities (jatis) inheriting varna was to bind certain communities to sources of influence, power and economy while locking out others and thus create more affluence for jatis in higher classes and severe poverty for jatis in lower classes and the outcaste Dalit. In the last 150 years Indian movements arose to throw off the economic and political yoke of an inherited class system that emerged over time, and replace it with what they believed to be true Varnashrama dharma as described in the Vedas. *HERE
In 2008, Nepal completed an extraordinary journey from dictatorship to democracy. Nepal was declared a republic, bringing the autocratic rule of King Gyanendra to an end. Elections were held and the leader of the Maoist rebels, Prachanda, emerged as head of the government. It was an extraordinary achievement, led by civil society.
But the success is not yet complete. Caste has been officially abolished in Nepal, but it remains a fact of life particularly in villages. The result has been deep discrimination against Dalit, who used to be described as “untouchables.” Caste condemns Dalit to poverty, illiteracy and ill health.
These pages are intended to support a campaign by the Jagaran Media Center (JMC), a leading advocate for Dalit rights, to reduce caste discrimination.
JMC has exposed caste discrimination for two years through an e-bulletin, which now goes out to almost 10,000 subscribers. At the suggestion of its partners, JMC has decided to expand and deepen this coverage, starting in 2009. Every three months, Dalit journalists throughout Nepal will collect information from their district and submit it to the JMC office in Kathmandu, for editing and dissemination. Each thematic e-bulletin will investigate and expose a practice which results in caste discrimination.
The information will be posted on the JMC website; broadcast on JMC’s radio station (Radio Jagaran) from Butwal in Nepal; sent out to subscribers of the JMC e-bulletin; distributed by diaspora listservs in Europe and North America; and re-distributed by The Advocacy Project (AP) in Washington.
JMC and its partners will then use the information to launch a series of actions and campaigns, in Nepal and internationally, to reduce and eliminate caste discrimination in a significant number of Nepal’s districts.
On these pages:
- The Goal: A caste-free society in Nepal
- Profiles of Discrimination: The first thematic bulletin exposes the threat to Inter-caste marriage
- The Reporters: 20 Dalit journalists are under contract to JMC. Six contributed to the first issue (January 2009)
- The Team: JMC and AP are developing the campaign in Nepal and the US
- Background: JMC and AP have cooperated to expose caste since 2004
- http://www.youtube.com/AdvProject
- Taking Action:How you can help!
Asia indigenous body calls for social justice
“The government has recently agreed to enlist Khas-Arya (including Chhetri, Brahmin, Thakuri, Dasnami and Dalit) under category of ‘indigenous (Aadivasi) against internationally accepted standards set out by ILO Convention 169 that Nepal has ratified,” the pact said in a statement.
“This agreement is clearly aimed at allowing certain groups to continue to dominate and muddle and diffuse the rightful entitlement of indigenous peoples to self-determination in the new constitution,” said Joan Carling, secretary general of the body. “We call for the withdrawal of this irrational agreement as it only serves to exacerbate the existing social and political conflicts.”
http://www.lahurnip.org/index.php
The pact has expressed solidarity with Nepal’s indigenous people in their demands for legal recognition of their distinct collective identities and cultures, right to self-determination under a federal setup of autonomous units, the right to their lands, territories and resources, the right to political participation and the requirement for their free, prior and informed consent on matters that concerns them – those are in line with the international human rights obligations of Nepal under ILO Convention 169 and UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Following protracted protests from indigenous groups, the government yesterday signed an agreement with indigenous representatives to present their demands, mostly similar to those in the petition, in the CA. “We call on all political parties and CA members to adhere to the demands of indigenous peoples and marginalised groups so as to ensure inclusive democracy in the new constitution,” added Carling.
Further, in light of reports of many incidents of excesses by police forces during peaceful protests of indigenous peoples, particularly in the south-western Nepal, that left tens of Tharus injured, the pact has urged police to exercise restraint and respect rights of citizens to peaceful assembly.
It has expressed regret that media agencies have never given due prominence to balanced reporting of organised actions and other public programmes of Nepal’s indigenous peoples. “We respect freedom of media and rights of journalists but it is also important for media agencies to reflect diversity in their reporting and give attention to the issues and actions of marginalized groups,” said Carling.
The pact has requested international media agencies to independently monitor and report on the developments in Nepal so as to facilitate the much-needed global attention to the struggles of these groups long deprived of social justice.
Source : THT
http://globalvoicesonline.org/world/south-asia/nepal
Previous #articles #videos #indigenous issues #humanrights
Yoga of Himalayas – Nuns & Communities
www.muktinath.org Chumig Gyatsa
Nepal (नेपाल) (/nɛˈpɔːl/ Nepali: नेपाल ), officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People’s Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India. With an area of 147,181 square kilometres (56,827 sq mi) and a population of approximately 30 million, Nepal is the world’s 93rd largest country by land mass and the 41st most populous country. Kathmandu is the nation’s capital and the country’s largest metropolis. Nepal has a rich geography. The mountainous north has eight of the world’s ten tallest mountains, including the highest point on Earth, Mount Everest, called Sagarmatha in Nepali. It contains more than 240 peaks over 20,000 ft (6,096 m) above sea level. The fertile and humid south is heavily urbanized. Read More: > HERE <
The Tibetan Nuns Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and supporting nuns in India from all Tibetan Buddhist lineages. It supports nuns interesting in study and higher ordination. Tibetan nunneries have historically been well established in Tibet, certainly from the 12th century and with traditions reaching back as far as the eighth century. Before the Chinese invasion in 1949, there were at least 818 nunneries and nearly 28,000 nuns living in Tibet. Traditional education in the nunneries included reading, writing, and lessons in ancient scriptures and prayers taught by the senior nuns or lamas from monasteries. Read More: > HERE <
The vision behind the Pundarika lotus symbol is the immaculate wisdom and compassion of Dharma. It is Pundarika’s hope to manifest this vision by bringing the timeless wisdom of great Tibetan masters to the modern West.
Under the guidance of Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Pundarika Foundation was established in 1994 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit religious organization and as a 501(c)(3) church in 2006 (FEIN No. 84-1295990). Pundarika is a volunteer organization that relies on the generosity of students’ time and commitment. It has the support of over 2,000 students throughout the world who attend retreats, practice Dharma under the inspiration of Rinpoche and contribute time, money and prayers to its success.
Missions and Goals: „You can awaken a sense of responsibility for all the other sentient beings who are exactly the way you used to be, tormented by negative emotions. You can begin helping them–first one, then two, then three and finally all sentient beings.“ Tsoknyi Rinpoche
Pundarika Foundation’s primary mission is to support the teaching activities and humanitarian work of Tsoknyi Rinpoche by: Keeping alive the wisdom of the Dharma, Sustaining practitioners who preserve the teachings of the Buddha as a vital tradition, Helping people experience inner peace, to better face the challenges of modern life with compassion and sanity, ~For Recent Accomplishments, please click here ~
Produced by Chariot Videos – www.chariotvideos.com . Blessings tells the story of 3000 nuns living in the remote nomadic region of Nangchen in Eastern Tibet who practice an ancient yogic tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Despite near extinction during the destruction of the Cultural Revolution, these remarkable practitioners have emerged to rebuild their monasteries by hand.. stone by stone. Now, their wisdom tradition is once again vital and growing. In 2005, Tsoknyi Rinpoche III led a small group of western students to meet these amazing women. Narrated by Richard Gere www.gerefoundation.org/, with music by Ani Choying Drolma and Steve Tibbetts, Blessings is the story of this extraordinary journey.
Rinpoche’s first visit to Chumig Gyatsa led to the immediate construction of 10 small rooms. Since then, their nunnery has been repaired and enlarged, and the nuns were able to perform a full Buddhist ritual practice for the first time. Twenty young girls were ordained and joined the community. Today, the 51 nuns divide their time between Kathmandu and Muktinath. Also, a health clinic (Chumig Gyatsa Gargon Abbey and Clinic) was constructed that serves the nuns and the local community. This year, a new large shrine hall is being constructed.
Ancient practices leading to enlightenment – The nuns’ story is a classic example of dedication and tenacity. Organized in nunneries comprised of several “Ani houses” (dwellings where up to 15 nuns live together), they perform their spiritual practices in a group, teaching and helping each other all their lives. Many nuns do three-year, nine-year or even lifetime retreat. On retreat, each nun sits all day in meditation posture doing her yogic practices and meditation.
The nuns’ daily routine captures a timeless scene from the past. A typical day starts around 3:30 a.m., as the nuns wake and immediately start their first three-hour practice session. After a short break for breakfast, they resume their second session, ending at lunch. The third session occupies the afternoon, and after a light evening meal, they complete their fourth practice session. They then continue sitting throughout the night, practicing dream yoga.
Many of the nuns are accomplished masters of difficult yogic practices such as tummo (the yoga of inner heat). They perform yearly rituals for the public that include a long procession around the center in the dead of winter in sub-zero temperatures, with only a sheet wrapped around their bodies. During the night, hundreds of the most adept nuns wet their sheets repeatedly in buckets of melted snow and continue their procession, drying the sheets again and again with the inner heat generated by their yogic practice.
This very rare and awe-inspiring event, as well as the realization of the elder nuns, has gained them respect and renown throughout Tibet. In a culture where female practitioners have struggled to gain respect, these nuns have risen to a high level of status, with many monks and lamas seeking their teachings and instruction.
* Tsoknyi Nangchen Nun at Gebchak Gonpa *
The nuns also serve the community through spiritual support and counseling, giving love, compassion and emanating peace directly into people’s minds. This is a tangible example of the power of spiritual influence.
„Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.“ ~ H. H. the Dalai Lama
The values that nuns have—peace, love and compassion—affect an entire community and continue to branch out to the rest of the world. In summary, the nuns‘ lives exemplify the power of living Dharma and its realization to transform the hearts and minds of the surrounding communities.
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Korean Buddhism Jogye 2012 Conference
www.ohchr.org/HRDay2010.aspx www.hrw.org/north-korea
www.attacreport.com/concentration camps
www.buddhachannel.tv/Won Buddhism
Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what it sees as inconsistencies in Mahayana Buddhism. Early Korean monks believed that the traditions they received from foreign countries were internally inconsistent. To address this, they developed a new holistic approach to Buddhism. This approach is characteristic of virtually all major Korean thinkers, and has resulted in a distinct variation of Buddhism, which is called Tongbulgyo („interpenetrated Buddhism“) by Korean scholars. Korean Buddhist thinkers refined their predecessors‘ ideas into a distinct form. Korean Buddhism has also contributed much to East Asian Buddhism, especially to early Chinese, Japanese, and Tibetan schools of Buddhist thoughts. Read More: > HERE <
The Jogye Order, officially the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism (대한불교조계종, 大韓ä敎 曹溪宗) is the representative order of traditional Korean Buddhism with roots that date back 1,200 years to Unified Silla National Master Doui, who brought Seon (known as Zen in the West) and the practice taught by the Sixth Patriarch, Huineng, from China about 820 C.E. In 826, the „Nine Mountains of Seon“ adopted the name „Jogye-jong“ and all were instrumental in the development of the nation during Unified Silla and thereafter. During Goryeo, National Masters Bojo Jinul and Taego Bou led major Seon movements. The Jogye Order was thus established as the representative Seon order until the persecution of the Joseon Dynasty. Read More: >HERE<
Korea (Korean: 한국 Hanguk [hanɡuːk] or 조선 Joseon [tɕosʌn] – South and North Korea, respectively (cf. etymology)) is a territory of East Asia that was formerly unified under one state, but now divided into two separate states and a region in northeastern Asia. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it is bordered by China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait and the Sea of Japan (East Sea).
Korea was united until 1948, when it was split into South Korea and North Korea. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, is a free market, democratic and developed country, with memberships in the United Nations, WTO, OECD and G-20 major economies.
North Korea, officially the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, has a centrally planned industrial economy, with memberships in the United Nations, ISO, Non-Aligned Movement, ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and other international organizations. Read More: >HERE <
The 2012 World Fellowship of Buddhist Conference will be held in Korea hosted by the Jogye Order. The decision came during the 25th WFB Conference on November 13 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The 26th WFB Conference will be organized by the Jogye Order and the Jogye Order’s Central Council of the Laity. The plan is to have the conference coincide with the 2012 World Expo in Yeosu City and the very popular Lotus Lantern Festival.
Director of Social Affairs Ven. Hyegyeong said, “The reason for coinciding the conference with the expo and the Lotus Lantern Festival is that it would be a good way to show the world the beauty and richness of Korean Buddhist tradition and to promote Korean Buddhism. We will have a tentative six-day visit plan with half the time spent in Yeosu City and the conference, and the other days to see the Lotus Lantern Festival.”
Jogye Order plans to make strong efforts in seeing the conference to be successful. In this way, the success can be carried over to the 2013 World Religious Leaders Conference, also hosted by the Jogye Order.
The WFB first began in May of 1950 in Sri Lanka as Buddhist representatives from 27 countries met to transcend sectarian barriers. This year marks the 60 year anniversary. Now, 153 WFB branches in 40 countries exist to unify Buddhists from all traditions and uphold the Buddha’s teachings. The conference is held every two years. There are seven WFB branches in Korea including the Jogye Order and the Jogye Order Central Council of the Laity.
Korea hosted the 17th WFB Conference in 1990 in Seoul. Now the conference returns after 22 years. The opportunity to host the WFB conference will be a chance to showcase the excellence of Korean Buddhism and share with the world Korean Buddhist cultural treasures such as templestay, temple food, and the Lotus Lantern Festival.
The 25th WFB Conference, with the theme “Solving Social Issues with Dharma,” was held on November 13 in Colombo. Along with the conference, a Board of Directors Meeting, a symposium, and the 60-year Commemoration Ceremony were held until November 17. More than 500 representatives from North Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, and other countries attended this year’s conference.
Documents the creation of a Buddhist painting by the Buddhist nun artist, Seol Min, who has dedicated her life to keeping the tradition of Buddhist painting alive. / The secret of Korean temple cooking popularity is in its eco-friendly and traditional recipes. Recently, a temple of Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism opens the restaurant for temple cooking. All the recipes are based on Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, but its color and shape has been upgraded even for non-believers to enjoy its taste. Arirang Today will listen to the Buddhist nun, Dae-an, who has been putting an effort to achieve the internationalization of Korean cuisine in temple cooking.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) continues to face regular, significant food shortages. A joint Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission took place between September 21 and October 2 this year to assess the main cereal harvest and estimate the food gap for the marketing year 2010/2011.
The mission estimates that DPRK faces a cereal import requirement for the 2010/11 marketing year (Nov/Oct) of 867,000 metric tons.
The mission recommended that 305,000 tons should be provided as international food assistance to about five million of the most vulnerable people, including young children, their mothers, the elderly, and poor people in regions with high malnutrition. Planned commercial imports by the government (325,000 tons) and recommended food assistance do not fill the entire uncovered food deficit, and leave a gap of 237,000 tons. The gap will need to be filled by the DPRK government and direct assistance from other countries.
While malnutrition rates among children have decreased the last decade, one in every three children remains chronically malnourished or ‘stunted’, meaning they are too short for their age, and a quarter of all pregnant and breast-feeding women are also malnourished. The mission noted that a small shock in the future could trigger a severe crisis which would be difficult to contain if these chronic deficits are not effectively managed. One in four pregnant or breastfeeding mothers is also malnourished.
17 November 2010 – > North Korea Faces Serious Cereal Deficit, Food Shortages and Undernourishment to Continue
At the household level, assessments during 2008 and 2009 indicated a marginal improvement in food security. However, current rations provided by the DPRK government can meet less than half of the daily calorific needs for the 68% of the population receiving public food rations.
Most people struggle to make up the deficit through alternative means as they do not have the necessary purchasing power.
Mountain Minorities and Indigenous Peoples
NGO Development Projects Active in Tibet
About ICIMOD – The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, ICIMOD, is a regional knowledge development and learning centre serving the eight regional member countries of the Hindu Kush-Himalayas – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan – and based in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Globalisation and climate change have an increasing influence on the stability of fragile mountain ecosystems and the livelihoods of mountain people. ICIMOD aims to assist mountain people to understand these changes, adapt to them, and make the most of new opportunities, while addressing upstream-downstream issues. We support regional transboundary programmes through partnership with regional partner institutions, facilitate the exchange of experience, and serve as a regional knowledge hub. We strengthen networking among regional and global centres of excellence. Overall, we are working to develop an economically and environmentally sound mountain ecosystem to improve the living standards of mountain populations and to sustain vital ecosystem services for the billions of people living downstream – now, and for the future.
International Mountain Day, celebrated on December 11, gives us an opportunity to reflect on the relevance of mountains for the world. This year the International Mountain Day theme focuses on indigenous peoples and other minorities living in the mountains. The purpose is both to highlight the threats and challenges faced by these communities, and to acknowledge the invaluable knowledge they have and the contributions they can make towards overcoming global challenges of poverty and loss of diversity in a rapidly changing world.
A majority of the world’s indigenous women and men live in mountain regions, many on the margins of society and facing poverty and exclusion. The Hindu Kush-Himalayan region has some of the highest diversity of indigenous peoples and other minorities in the world. An ICIMOD report identified more than 600 living languages in the Himalayas, 400 spoken by less than 100,000 people. According to current forecasts, ninety per cent of all languages could disappear within 100 years. The loss of these languages not only erodes an essential component of a group’s identity, it is also a loss to heritage for all humankind.
The UN General Assembly adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in September 2007, marking an important step in international efforts to preserve the identity of indigenous peoples. However, implementation has a different speed and different levels of commitment in different countries.
In agricultural terms, mountains are often considered ‘marginal lands’, unsuitable for modern commercial farming which focuses on cultivation of single crop varieties for large markets. Indigenous mountain people and other mountain communities continue to use traditional practices and techniques including sophisticated terracing systems, water transportation and irrigation schemes, and a combination of pasture, forestry and farming practices. Indigenous women and men serve as custodians of this traditional knowledge on how to farm under difficult mountain conditions, and how to conserve important reservoirs of agricultural biodiversity.
They sustainably farm a wide variety of crops that are adapted to a range of different elevations, slope conditions, and micro-climates, and this knowledge will be of great, if as yet little noticed, value in the world’s efforts to adapt to climate and other drivers of change. The autonomous adaptation practiced by mountain communities consists of community-based interventions that address underlying causes of vulnerability and reduce the risk of possible adverse impacts of climate change by building upon the existing rich indigenous knowledge base on adaptation to environmental change and helping to strengthen the resilience of the communities. Women especially play a critical role in gendered indigenous knowledge. Their roles and expertise have yet to be acknowledged, but has great potential for adapting to multiple drivers of change.
Indigenous mountain communities are connected to the land, the environment, and natural resources in ways that are often inextricably intertwined and therefore expressed in spiritual and socio-cultural terms. Respecting this worldview, and preserving the languages, music, artwork, folk tales, culture, meanings, and myths that express it, is critical for the survival of indigenous communities in mountain areas. This ‘intangible heritage’ also enriches the global community, providing inspiration and insights for realising a more sustainable relationship between humankind and the environment.
A scene from Tibetan Documentary „Leaving Fear Behind,“ shows a nomad school in Tibet (Amdo) working to preserve Tibetan Language and culture as it’s very existence is under threat from Chinese Government policies. Find out more: http://studentsforafreetibet.org Leaving Fear Behind: The Film the Chinese Government Doesn’t Want the World to See. // sumit sadhak practicing handstand in himalyas on the bank of ganga river one of the most important places for yogis.
The involvement of indigenous mountain communities is an important prerequisite for sustainable mountain development. Therefore, as governments work toward addressing mountain development priorities, it is critical that they live up to their commitments outlined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
We hope that this year’s International Mountain Day will help to increase awareness of the central role of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples for mountain development, and to motivate all citizens, policy makers, and development actors to recognise the importance of their contribution to sustainable development. We trust that the Day will encourage organisations to invite indigenous and traditional mountain communities to participate actively in national and international efforts to understand and adapt to the multiple drivers of change, including climate change, in the mountains of the world.
With best wishes, Andreas Schild http://www.icimod.org
Culture and Development – Placing culture at the heart of development policy constitutes an essential investment in the world’s future and a pre-condition to successful globalization processes that take into account the principles of cultural diversity. It is UNESCO’s mission to remind all States of this major issue.
As demonstrated by the failure of certain projects underway since the 1970s, development is not synonymous with economic growth alone. It is a means to achieve a more satisfactory intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual existence. As such, development is inseparable from culture. Strengthening the contribution of culture to sustainable development is a goal that was launched in connection with the World Decade for Cultural Development (1988-1998). Ever since, progress has been made thanks to a corpus of standard-setting instruments and demonstration tools such as cultural statistics, inventories, regional and national mapping of cultural resources.
In this regard, the major challenge is to convince political decision-makers and local, national and international social actors to integrating the principles of cultural diversity and the values of cultural pluralism into all public policies, mechanisms and practices, particularly through public/private partnerships.
This strategy will aim, on the one hand, at incorporating culture into all development policies, be they related to education, science, communication, health, environment or tourism and, on the other hand, at supporting the development of the cultural sector through creative industries. By contributing in this way to poverty alleviation, culture offers important benefits in terms of social cohesion. Read more: http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en
The Challenge of Human Rights and Cultural Diversity – United Nations Background Note by Diana Ayton-Shenker:
The end of the cold war has created a series of tentative attempts to define „a new world order“. So far, the only certainty is that the international community has entered a period of tremendous global transition that, at least for the time being, has created more social problems than solutions.
The end of super-power rivalry, and the growing North/South disparity in wealth and access to resources, coincide with an alarming increase in violence, poverty and unemployment, homelessness, displaced persons and the erosion of environmental stability. The world has also witnessed one of the most severe global economic recessions since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
At the same time, previously isolated peoples are being brought together voluntarily and involuntarily by the increasing integration of markets, the emergence of new regional political alliances, and remarkable advances in telecommunications, biotechnology and transportation that have prompted unprecedented demographic shifts.
The resulting confluence of peoples and cultures is an increasingly global, multicultural world brimming with tension, confusion and conflict in the process of its adjustment to pluralism. There is an understandable urge to return to old conventions, traditional cultures, fundamental values, and the familiar, seemingly secure, sense of one’s identity. Without a secure sense of identity amidst the turmoil of transition, people may resort to isolationism, ethnocentricism and intolerance.
This climate of change and acute vulnerability raises new challenges to our ongoing pursuit of universal human rights. How can human rights be reconciled with the clash of cultures that has come to characterize our time? Cultural background is one of the primary sources of identity. It is the source for a great deal of self-definition, expression, and sense of group belonging. As cultures interact and intermix, cultural identities change. This process can be enriching, but disorienting. The current insecurity of cultural identity reflects fundamental changes in how we define and express who we are today. Read More: * HERE*
Omkar Spiritual Tours – Ticket for a Cause
http://www.teach-india.com/index.htm
www.srianandamayima.org/new_projects
The Narmada (Devanagari: नर्मदा, Gujarati: નર્મદા) ,also called Rewa is a river in central India and the fifth largest river in the Indian subcontinent. It forms the traditional boundary between North India and South India and flows westwards over a length of 1,312 km (815.2 mi) before draining through the Gulf of Cambey (Khambat) into the Arabian Sea, 30 km (18.6 mi) west of Bharuch city of Gujarat. Read More > Here <
The Narmada Dam Project is a large hydraulic engineering project involving the construction of a series of large irrigation and hydroelectric multi purpose dams on the Narmada River in India. The project was first conceived of in the 1940s by the country’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. The project only took form in 1979 as part of a development scheme to increase irrigation and produce hydroelectricity. Of the thirty large dams planned on river Narmada, Sardar Sarovar Dam (SSD) is the largest structure to be built. It has a proposed final height of 136.5 m (448 ft). The project will irrigate more than 18,000 km2 (6,900 sq mi), most of it in drought prone areas of Kutch and Saurashtra. Critics maintain that its negative environmental impacts outweigh its benefits. Read More: > HERE <
A COMMERICAL AIR TICKETING SERVICE WITH A SOCIAL MOTIVE BY OMKAR SPIRITUAL TOURS – Ever thought that four flight ticket can elevate somebody´s hopes? Ever thaught that every time you fly, somebody´s future prospects could also take wings? Now this can happen by simply booking your air tickets with Omkar Spiritual Tours, a vital and innovative tours and travel service concern.
ALL PROCEEDS FROM THIS COMMERICAL SERVICE WILL GO TOWARDS THE RUNNING OF THE OMKARESHWAR SCHOOL.
Omkar Spiritual Tours is a business venture run by entepreneurs who have begun this work out of a spirit of charity to fund a very active NGO (noncommercial Organization) — a free school for local village children in Omkareshwar, India. Omkar Tours is a commerical project specifically begun for supporting an important social project.
At Omkar Tours, you are our guests and our fellow workers for a noble project, and not mere customers. All our guests receive unparalleled attention and care. Come and experience the spiritual side of India, and at the same time contribute to a worthy cause!
Omkar Tours is not a cold business venture run by entrepreneur, but a vibrant group of dedicated devotees who have begun this work out of a spirit of charity to fund the ashram free school. All the proceeds go for the running of the Omkareshwar School for the local village children, and all the workers connected with this venture are devotees of Ma Anandamayi Ashram and are spiritual people in their own right.
The Wonder of Omkareshwar – In Cooperation with Israelian Agriculture Students a System has found where 98 % of the thousend planted trees survived on this rocky and difficult soil on the island above the Narmada River. The Indian Forest Minister stunned and reported about the many tree planting projects where the trees only on paper exist, because only a few trees surviving in lack of water or difficult soil the first years.
THE SCHOOL ABOVE THE NARMADA RIVER – On the hill above the Ashram (The word ashram comes from “ah—without” and “shram—stress”. An ashram is a spiritual center, meant to be a place of quiet and peace and a place for spiritual discipline and meditation practice.) Swami Kedarnath and Dr. Swami Gurusharanan founded Mata Anandmayi Tripura Vidyapeeth, a thriving school for the local village children. The school is invaluable to the local community in offering free education to children from the poorest living conditions. Without it, the children would almost certainly have no chance for essential development in life.
The school offers a unique style of education: while all the traditional subjects are extensively covered, emphasis is also placed on Dharma (the Eternal Path of Righteousness), moral values and character development, service to society and religious studies.
400 children between the ages of 6-18 currently attend Mata Anandmayi Tripura Vidyapeeth. Demand for places is high and the school is eager to respond, although finding teachers in such a remote part of India is a constant struggle.
The school initiates projects to help their local community and the school, such as litter-picking of the island or removing rubbish from the Narmada River on which it sits. Anyone who’s been to India will recognise the cultural unawareness of litter and it’s impact on the environment. Mata Anandmayi Tripura Vidyapeeth’s shaping of young hearts and minds to appreciate the need to care for their local environment is truly commendable.
Hands-on work to help their community is known as Sewa and instils a sense of respect and responsibility for their local community. This shines through upon meeting the children and is deeply missing in modern societies.
Projects range from small to large in size and continue throughout the school year.
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FOR AIR TICKET BOOKING; PLEASE CONTACT OMKAR SPIRITUAL TOURS:
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Childwellness – Uttaranchal Cuisine
http://hindupad.com/gangotri-yatra-2010
Uttaranchal was a state of India. On 9 November 2000 Uttaranchal was carved out of Uttar Pradesh as a separate state. In January 2007, the name of the state was officially changed from Uttaranchal, its interim name, to Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand (Sanskrit: उत्तराखण्डम्, Hindi: उत्तराखण्ड UttarÄkhanḍ) is a state located in the northern part of India. Known for its natural beauty, it was carved out of Himalayan and adjoining districts of Uttar Pradesh on 9 November 2000, becoming the 27th state of the Republic of India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region on the north, Nepal on the east and the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh to the south, Haryana to the west and Himachal Pradesh to the north west. The region is traditionally referred to as Uttarakhand in Hindu scriptures and old literature, a term which derives from Sanskrit uttara (उत्तर) meaning north, and khaṇḍ (खण्ड्) meaning country or part of a country. It has an area of 20,682 sq mi (53,566 km²). In January 2007, the name of the state was officially changed from Uttaranchal, its interim name, to Uttarakhand. The provisional capital of Uttarakhand is Dehradun which is also a rail-head and the largest city in the region. The small hamlet of Gairsen has been mooted as the future capital owing to its geographic centrality but controversies and lack of resources have led Dehradun to remain provisional capital. The High Court of the state is in Nainital.
Recent developments in the region include initiatives by the state government to capitalise on handloom and handicrafts, the burgeoning tourist trade as well as tax incentives to lure high-tech industry to the state. The state also has big-dam projects, controversial and often criticised in India, such as the very large Tehri dam on the Bhagirathi-Bhilangana rivers, conceived in 1953 and about to reach completion. Read more: > HERE <
Childwellness – orphans, neglected children and children of poor families. Therefore we provide them with food, healthcare and education. If necessary we also look for permanent and stable homes in their own environment, for and a loving family form the necessary basis for a child to grow up in a balanced way. To achieve this, objectives. You can find an overview of our selections further in this presentation folder click here.
Childwellness task is to raise funds in order to support these projects financially. For that,sponsoring activities are organised annually. By means of participation of grants and festivals, Childwellness aims to reach a larger public. Furthermore Childwellness tries to find companies, associations, schools and other agencies for possible sponsoring. If you are able to help us with this, please contact us. Childwellness is also looking for monthly sponsors who want to financially support our projects on a regular basis.
Vivekananda Residential Tribal School (Vidyalaya, Wayanad District, Kerala, India) – The school has approximately 250 children, and it specifically works with tribal children. Most of them are orphans: they’ve lost their father and/or mother and therefore live permanently at school. Tribals are a very vulnerable group of people in India because they don’t belong to any caste. They are also economically extremely vulnerable because they can no longer live in their natural surroundings: their forest has become a National Reserve.
The children receive an education, a uniform, and 3 meals a day. One child in this school costs 10 Euro/month (8.93 GBP or 14.92 USD; currency of November 14, 2009) with everything included. Presently, the most important need of this school is a dormitory with 150 beds for the boys. Childwellness hopes to sponsor this dormitory as much as possible.
Childwellness supports educational projects in India. We want orphans and children of poor families to have access to a comprehensive education because good school training is of huge importance for the future of every child. Childwellness wants to prevent parents or other family members from sending young children to work to earn money, which results in them missing important chances in life. As fact, India remains a country with a significant prevalence in child lab.
“ASIA FAIR” For the first time in its existence. Childwellness took part in the “Asia Fair”, a unique event with a large turnout ! We still look back on the success of the weekend, where a number of significant contacts for the future were made.
Uttaranchal Delicious Cuisines – „I am damn sure that a true lover of food will understand the value of this group.“ The traditional cuisine of the land is highly nutritious, simple to prepare and at the same time appealing to the palate. You can have delicious and mouth-watering Pahari recipes from Garhwal and Kumaon region of Uttaranchal. Hope you will enjoy the recipes…….
http://www.internationalrivers.org/-himalayas-dam-boom
Audio Slideshow: Mountains of Concrete – A dam-building boom in the Himalayas in times of global warming is like investing billions of dollars in high-risk, non-performing assets …
Gangotri (Hindi: गंगोत्री) is a town and a Nagar Panchayat (municipality) in Uttarkashi district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is a Hindu pilgrim town on the banks of the river Bhagirathi. It is on the Greater Himalayan Range, at a height of 3,042 m. Gangotri, the origin of the river Ganga and seat of the goddess Ganga, is one of the four sites in the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. The river is called Bhagirathi at the source and acquires the name Ganga from Devprayag onwards where it meets the Alaknanda. The origin of the holy river is at Gaumukh, set in the Gangotri Glacier, and is a 19 km trek from Gangotri. Gangotri can be reached in one day’s travel from Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun, or in two days from Yamunotri, the first site in the Char Dham circuit. More popular and important than its sister site to the east, Gangotri is also accessible directly by car and bus, meaning that it sees many more pilgrims than Yamunotri. Read More: > HERE <
This small town is centered around a temple of the goddess Ganga, which was built by the Nepalese General, Amar Singh Thapa in the early 18th century. The temple is closed on Diwali day every year and is reopened in May. During this time, the idol of the goddess is kept at Mukhba village, near Harsil.
Ritual duties are supervised by the Semwal family of pujaris. The aarti ceremony at the Gangotri is especially impressive, as is the temple, a stately affair that sits on the banks of the rushing Ganga. Adventurous pilgrims can make an overnight 18 km trek to Gaumukh, the actual current source of the river Ganga.
Bhagirathi River at Gangotri. For a large number of tourists, Gangotri town serves as the starting point of the Gangotri-Gaumukh-Tapovan and Gangotri-Kedartal trekking routes.
The Ganges (also Ganga DevanÄgarÄ: गंगा) is a major river in the Indian subcontinent flowing east through the eponymous plains of northern India into Bangladesh. The 2,510 km (1,557 mi) long river begins at the Gangotri Glacier in the Indian state of Uttarakhand in the central Himalayas and drains into the Bay of Bengal through its vast delta in the Sunderbans. It has enjoyed a position of reverence since millenia among India’s Hindus, by whom it is worshipped in its personified form as the goddess Ganga (see below). The Ganges and its tributaries drain a large and fertile basin with an area of about one million square kilometres that supports one of the world’s highest density human populations.
Shockingly, this dam boom is not being analyzed for the biggest threat to hydrological projects of our time: global warming. “The possible impacts of climate change are not being considered – neither for individual dams, nor cumulatively,” says Shripad Dharmadhikary, author of Mountains of Concrete: Dam Building in the Himalayas.
A dam-building boom in the Himalayas in times of global warming is like investing billions of dollars in high-risk, non-performing assets. In the Himalayas, „melting glacier water will replenish rivers in the short run, but as the resource diminishes, drought will dominate the river reaches in the long term,“ says Xin Yuanhong, a senior engineer with a Chinese team that is studying the glaciers of the Tibetan plateau.
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, ICIMOD, in Nepal and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change agree that global warming will also lead to more storms and floods, especially in tropical and mountainous regions. A report by ICIMOD on the impact of climate change on Himalayan glaciers states: “On the Indian subcontinent, temperatures are predicted to rise between 3.5 and 5.5°C by 2100. An even higher increase is predicted for the Tibetan Plateau. Climate change is not just about averages, it is also about extremes. The change in climate is likely to affect both minimum and maximum-recorded temperatures as well as triggering more extreme rainfall events and storms.” These heavy storms and floods will jeopardize the economic profitability of hydropower projects, as well as the safety of these mountains of concrete.The sudden bursting of glacial lakes is another major concern for the safety of planned dams, and ultimately the rivers and peoples of the Himalayas. Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are a recent phenomenon. As glaciers in high-altitude regions such as the Himalayas melt, they can form large lakes behind temporary dams of ice and rock. When these moraine dams collapse, millions of cubic meters of water are released, resulting in massive flash floods. The Dig Tsho GLOF in Nepal in 1985 was one of the most devastating glacial lake bursts in recent history. The bursting of this glacial lake near Mount Everest caused a huge flood wave that travelled down the valley, killing five people and destroying one hydropower station, many acres of cultivated land and 14 bridges.
Hydropower projects and Climate Change Himalaya « Climate Himalaya
http://chimalaya.org/category/hydropower-projects-and-climate-change-himalaya/Himalayas hydroelectric dam project stopped after scientist on hunger strike against the project almost diesEminent Indian professor calls off fast after government agrees to speed up inquiry into river flow in sacred Gangeshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/mar/13/himalaya-dams
Himalaya May Become Most Heavily Dammed Region of the World | Blue … Over one billion people rely on the waters of the Himalaya for survival, and massive dam building will negatively affect this important source of water. South Asia should look at other sources of renewable energy, as dams have been proven to be detrimental to ecosystems in America. Damming Asia will not solve the world water crisis while meeting the energy needs of this growing region.
http://bluelivingideas.com/topics/climate-change/himalaya-heavily-dammed-region-world/
Unaware of risks
The Himalaya is one of the fastest changing regions of the world due to global warming. The mountains’ mighty glaciers, the source of large and important rivers such as the Ganga, Indus und Brahmaputra, are melting. In February 2009, Chinese scientists warned that glaciers on the Tibetan plateau are melting at a “worrisome speed“, threatening South Asia’s water supply. In spite of this dramatic trend, the governments of India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan are planning to transform the Himalayan rivers into the powerhouse of South Asia. They want to build hundreds of mega-dams to generate electricity from the waters of the Himalayas.
Devastating lake bursts
The sudden bursting of glacial lakes is another major concern for the safety of planned dams, and ultimately the rivers and peoples of the Himalayas. Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are a recent phenomenon. As glaciers melt, they can form large lakes behind temporary dams of ice and rock. When these moraine dams collapse, millions of cubic meters of water are released, resulting in massive flash floods. The Dig Tsho GLOF in Nepal in 1985 was one of the most devastating glacial lake bursts in recent history. The bursting of this glacial lake near Mount Everest caused a huge flood wave that travelled down the valley, killing five people and destroying one hydropower station, 14 bridges and many acres of cultivated land.
In January 2009, the government of Bhutan identified more than 2,600 glacial lakes in the country, of which 25 are considered to be at high risk of bursting, according to Bhutan’s Department of Geology and Mines. While Bhutan is aware of the risk of GLOFs and is improving its early warning system, the country, together with India, is still currently constructing one of the largest hydropower dams in the region, the 90-meter-high Tala project on the Wangchu River.
One billion people in South Asia and many millions in China depend on the Himalayan rivers – for agriculture as well as for drinking water supplies. While we can’t predict the future course of change to these lifelines from global warming, we can no longer presume that there will always be abundant snow and glaciers in the Himalayas, feeding Ganga, Indus und Bhramaputra with as much water as in the last 50 years.
While we can’t predict the future course of change to these lifelines from global warming, we can no longer presume that there will always be abundant snow and glaciers in the Himalayas. If the Himalayan governments go forward with their planned dam boom, they deny that global warming is actually transforming their region and our planet.
China’s Himalayan plan: Dam on Brahmaputra – He said the proposed project’s greatest risk for India and Bangladesh is seismic activity and not water diversion. The laws of physics will not allow water diversion from the great bend, he wrote on the blog.
The blog post also listed an alternative unofficial proposal at a 2,400 m drop in altitude at Daduqia.
“But it is near the border with India and would be highly exposed if there were another conflict,’’ he wrote.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/China-s-Himalayan-plan-Dam-on-Brahmaputra/Article1-548572.aspx
Pollution and Climate Change in Himalaya « Climate Himalaya Initiative –http://chimalaya.org/category/pollution
The Himalayan headwaters of the Ganges river in the Uttarakhand state of India. … There, a dam diverts some of its waters into the Ganges Canal, ….. In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the „IPCC“), in its Fourth … http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganges
Mountains of Concrete: Dam Building in the Himalayas
http://www.scribd.com/doc/8808220/Mountains-of-Concrete-Dam-Building-in-the-Himalayas
Dams and the Worldbank – The World Bank is the greatest single source of funds for large dam construction, having provided more than US$50 billion (1992 dollars) for construction of more than 500 large dams in 92 countries. The World Bank has been „directly or indirectly associated“ with around 10% of large dams in developing countries (excluding China, where the Bank had funded only eight dams up to 1994). The importance of the World Bank in major dam schemes is illustrated by the fact that it has directly funded four out of the five highest dams in developing countries outside China, three out of the five largest reservoirs in these countries, and three of the five largest hydroplants. http://www.whirledbank.org/environment/dams.html
„Clean Energy for the Poorest Countries“ ~ World Bank Drawing on examples from Asia, Africa and the Americas, Survival’s report Serious Damage exposes the untold cost of obtaining ‘green’ electricity from large hydroelectric dams. A rapid increase in global dam-building is currently under way. The World Bank alone is pouring $11bn into 211 hydropower projects worldwide.
The World Bank’s current focus is on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), lending primarily to „middle-income countries“ at interest rates which reflect a small mark-up over its own (AAA-rated) borrowings from capital markets; while the IDA provides low or no interest loans and grants to low income countries with little or no access to international credit markets. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millenium_goals
Upaya Zen Center – Joan Halifax Roshi
Roshi’s new book, Being with Dying
Joan Jiko Halifax (born 1942) is a Zen Buddhist roshi, anthropologist, ecologist, civil rights activist, hospice caregiver, and the author of several books on Buddhism and spirituality. She currently serves as abbot and guiding teacher of Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a Zen Peacemaker community which she founded in 1990. Halifax-roshi has received Dharma transmission from both Bernard Glassman and Thich Nhat Hanh, and previously studied under the Korean master Seung Sahn. She is founder of the Ojai Foundation in California, which she led from 1979 to 1989. As a socially engaged Buddhist, Halifax has done extensive work with the dying through her Project on Being with Dying (which she founded). She is on the board of directors of the Mind and Life Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated in exploring the relationship of science and Buddhism. Read More: > HERE <
Zen is a school of MahÄyÄna Buddhism. The Japanese word Zen is derived from the Chinese word Chán, which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyÄna, which means „meditation“ or „meditative state.“ Zen emphasizes experiential prajñÄ in the attainment of enlightenment. As such, it de-emphasizes theoretical knowledge in favor of direct realization through meditation and dharma practice. The teachings of Zen include various sources of MahÄyÄna thought, including the PrajñÄpÄramitÄ literature and the teachings of the YogÄcÄra and TathÄgatagarbha schools. The emergence of Zen as a distinct school of Buddhism was first documented in China in the 7th century CE. From China, Zen spread south to Vietnam, and east to Korea and Japan. As a matter of tradition, the establishment of Zen is credited to the South Indian prince-turned-monk Bodhidharma, who came to China to teach a „special transmission outside scriptures, not founded on words or letters“. Read More: > HERE <
Meditation, Zen Buddhist Retreats, Chaplaincy Training and End-of-Life Care – Upaya Zen Center is a residential Buddhist community located in beautiful Santa Fe, NM. As a Zen center, we offer daily meditation which is open to the public, a weekly public Dharma talk which often highlights Buddhist teachings, a residential Path of Service and work exchange program, and weekly retreats and workshops focusing on practices related to engaged Buddhism, how to live in our world responsibly, with affection, kindness and wisdom. For your convenience, here is a downloadable document representing a synopsis of Learning and Buddhist Practice at Upaya.
Upaya Zen Center also offers a two-year Certificated Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Program in the areas of Prison, End of Life Care, Peacemaking, Women’s, Youth and Environmental Ministries and a Professional Training Program in Contemplative End of Life Care.
Upaya Zen Center is a Zen Buddhist practice, service, and training center. Our vision focuses on the integration of practice and social action, bringing together wisdom and compassion.
Our mission is to provide a context for community practice, education in Buddhism and social service in the areas of death and dying, prison work, the environment, women’s rights, and peacework. It endeavors to fulfill the vision of the Five Buddha Family Mandala, by understanding the integration of all of its functions.
The Five Buddha Family Mandala is based on the Five Meditation Buddhas of traditional Buddhism from India. It is a vision of Buddhism that is integrated, interconnected, and process oriented and is based on the integration of our spirituality, education, livelihood, service, and community into a whole cloth.
Joan Halifax Roshi is a Buddhist teacher, Zen priest, anthropologist, and author. She is Founder, Abbot, and Head Teacher of Upaya Zen Center, a Buddhist monastery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
She has worked in the area of death and dying for over thirty years and is Director of the Project on Being with Dying. For the past twenty-five years, she has been active in environmental work.
A Founding Teacher of the Zen Peacemaker Order, her work and practice for more than three decades has focused on engaged Buddhism. Of recent, Roshi Joan Halifax is a distinguished invited scholar to the Library of Congress and the only woman and buddhist to be on the Advisory Council for the Tony Blair Foundation.
She is Founder and Director of the Upaya Prison Pro ject that develops programs on meditation for prisoners. She is founder of the Ojai Foundation, was an Honorary Research Fellow at Harvard University, and has taught in many universities, monasteries, and medical centers around the world.
She studied for a decade with Zen Teacher Seung Sahn and was a teacher in the Kwan Um Zen School. She received the Lamp Transmission from Thich Nhat Hanh, and was given Inka by Roshi Bernie Glassman. A Founding Teacher of the Zen Peacemaker Order, her work and practice for more than three decades has focused on engaged Buddhism.
KTD – North American Kagyu Monlam 2010
Karma Triyana Dharmachakra is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Woodstock, NY, USA, which serves as the North American seat of His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu lineage. It was founded in 1976 by the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa. The present abbot is Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche. Read More: > HERE <
The monastery was built through the blessings and inspiration of His Holiness the 16th Gwalya Karmapa, the Head of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. His Holiness‘ vision came in response to the sincere supplication of students in the West who yearned for an authentic Tibetan Buddhist monastery for the study and practice of the Buddha’s teachings.
This summer, hundreds of monks and lay people will gather at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD) on Overlook Mountain above the artist village of Woodstock, N.Y., to participate in the North American Kagyu Monlam, a five day festival of prayers for world peace. This historic event, an extension of the annual Kagyu Monlam Chenmo in Bodhgaya, India, will be the first of an annual tradition to be held at sacred places across the U.S. and Canada.
Tuesday, July 13 – 17, 2010 at 8:30am
Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD)
335 Meads Mountain Road, Woodstock, NY
“Kagyu Monlam is an avenue whereby we can spread, at times of great need, the genuine spirit of love and compassion to all the people of the world, like a great ripple, first in Bodhgaya, then in Bihar, and so on. As we continuously offer these prayers for world peace, it is our intention and our wish that peace and happiness extend to all.” — His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa.
Your prayers and aspirations will help spread the spirit of compassion and love, supporting the mission of His Holiness and other great masters. Highlights of the event include daily teachings by the Very Ven. Thrangu Rinpoche and an Akshobhya Empowerment. The complete daily schedule of events, personally composed by His Holiness the Karmapa, can be viewed at https://www.kagyu.org/monlam/schedule.php
Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, July 13-17 2010
The many recreational opportunities of the Catskill Mountains make this an ideal location to bring the family. Whether you come for one day or for the entire program, your participation will support His Holiness’s efforts to promote world peace and harmony.
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Co-sponsored by:
Kagyu Thubten Choling: http://www.kagyu.com/
Kagyu Thegsum Choling: http://www.ktcnj.org/
Chinese language website: http://www.2010usmonlam.com/ -
LIVE STREAMING:
If you have any questions, please feel free to email monlamregistration@kagyu.org or contact the KTD front office at 845-679-5906 x3. For more information, please visit www.kagyu.org/monlam. We look forward to seeing you at the first North American Kagyu Monlam.
SHAR GADEN – Altruistic Clinic Association
Ganden Monastery (also Gaden or Gandain) or Ganden Namgyeling is one of the ‚great three‘ Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet, located at the top of Wangbur Mountain, Tagtse County, 36 kilometers ENE from the Potala Palace in Lhasa, at an altitude of 4,300m. (The other two ‚great monasteries‘ are Sera Monastery and Drepung Monastery.) The Ganden Monastery has been re-established in Karnataka, India by the Tibetan population in exile. The Ganden Monastery is located in the Tibetan settlement at Mundgod. This settlement of Tibetan refugees is the largest of its kind in India and was first established in 1966, from land donated by the Indian government.
Its full name is Ganden Namgyal Ling (dga‘-ldan rmam-rgyal gling). Ganden means „joyful“ and is the Tibetan name for Tuṣita, the heaven where the bodhisattva Maitreya is said to reside. Namgyal Ling means „victorious temple“. Read More: > HERE <
Ganden Monastery is located on Wangbur Mountain, on the southern bank of Lhasa River in Tagtse County, 47 kilometers (29 miles) from Lhasa City. It stands at an altitude of 3,800 meters (12,467 feet) above sea level! Ganden Monastery is one of the earliest and largest Buddhist monasteries in Tibet, and stands atop of the six famous temples of Gelugpa – a branch of Tibetan Buddhism. Its significance as a religious, artistic, political and cultural relic led to it being preserved by the National Key Cultural Relic Preservation scheme in 1961, and is now known as being one of the ‚Three Great Temples‘, together with the Sera Monastery and the Drepung Monastery . Every year, one of the grandest of Buddhist activities – Buddha Painting Unfolding Festival – is conducted in the monastery, attracting thousands of visitors and disciples. Read More: > www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction <
Shar Gaden Library came to life very soon after the monastery was founded and it is located underneath the new assembly hall. It is also a non-profit organization, like the clinic association. The main aims and objectives of the library are to preserve and promote Pure Buddha Dharma, the uncommon monastic education and traditions and to fulfil the hard-working students’ wishes by producing necessary holy texts of Buddha Shakyamuni, as well as commentaries of highly realised Buddhist masters of India and Tibet, especially Panchen Sonam Drakpa, the unrivalled scholar of his time, who is the composer of our monastic syllabus texts and many more. Currently the association is run by the director Ven. Lobsang Jamyang, along with seven members of staff, who are highly capable in terms of computer and other related technologies. It plays a significant role during Shar Gaden School’s yearly and monthly examinations, where all the question papers, booklets, etc are designed and produced by the library with strong involvement of the director of the association. The printing press machine is not available presently, therefore we type, design, etc and take the documents to be printed elsewhere. Since it has a great role to play in terms of development of education and production of better facilities for the students, it has been given the highest priority on the monatery’s agenda so far.
Shar Gaden Altruistic Clinic Association came into being on February 26th, 2008. One of the classrooms is being used as clinic due to insufficient space and is located within the grounds of Shar Gaden school, near the library. Earlier it was known as Shar Gaden dispensary, which provided free First Aid and general medicines to the young students of the school. But later, with generous support from our benefactors and close friends, we expanded medical services by including elder monks and lay people, as well as locals. Since the monastery was established in South India, the population of the monastery has been rising rapidly day by day. A vast amount of young students have been enrolled who came from Tibet, the Himalayan region, Nepal, Mongolia, etc. The climate we have here is not very suitable for most of them and there have been many cases of allergic infections among new-comers.
This scenario has given rise to many mysterious diseases so far and many of them are beyond our ability to treat, hence, we frequently invite well-versed doctors from outside to check up on sick and feeble monks and sometime patients have to visit well known hospitals outside of the monastery if the invited doctor diagnoses the patients with serious infections. We strive to run the medical services only in order to benefit inner and outer monks and lay people who need medical help despite lack of sufficient financial foundation. So, the Shar Gaden Altruistic Clinic Association fully depends on your generosity.
- THLIB – Tibetan and Himalayan Library <
- Articles on Tibetan Medicine <
- The Lotus Sutra: www.sacred-texts.com <
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