The Carnegie Foundation and The Elijah Interfaith Institute have announced that they are working on a historic friendship treaty between the world’s largest religions, intending to invite senior leaders from various world faiths—such as the Dalai Lama, the Pope, and the Grand Mufti—to The Hague in June 2020 to sign the historic declaration at a summit to be held at the Peace Palace. 

The respected Dzogchen master and founder of the Merigar Community, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, has passed away at the age of 79. He breathed his last breath on the evening of 27 September at his residence, Gadeling, at Merigar West Buddhist Center, Italy.

More than 40 years after the end of the Vietnam War, a Korean Buddhist monk has made it his mission to help heal the deep wounds the conflict created between his country and Vietnam. Running thousands of miles to raise funds and demonstrate his solidarity with the people of Vietnam, Venerable Jino has dedicated his life to helping Vietnam and to improving the lives of Vietnamese migrants in South Korea.

In contrast to the common belief that religion in general is antagonistic toward women, Buddhism has in many ways been women’s ally in supporting their rights and honoring them by promoting the equality of all human beings. This might be quite a difficult narrative to sell for a number of reasons, yet by looking at the early history and fundamental philosophy of Buddhism, we’ll come to understand this to be true. From its start in the Indian subcontinent, Buddhism emerged as not only a new form of spirituality, as part of the sramana movement that challenged the established religions and their clerics, but also as a spiritual and social movement bringing more equality and eradicating customs that no longer serve the wellbeing of the general populace.

Eleven members of the Wild Boars soccer team, who were rescued from a flooded cave in northern Thailand after being trapped for 18 days, completed their temporary ordination as novice monks at Pha That Doi Wao Temple in northern Thailand on Saturday. Their coach, Ekapol “Ek” Chanthawong, will remain at the monastery for three months, having undertaken full monastic vows for the duration of the Buddhist rains retreat.

Representatives of the Buddhist and Muslim communities in Zanskar in the far northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir recently signed a pledge of peace and religious harmony in the presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, vowing to bring an end to communal tensions that have plagued communities in the mountainous region for decades. His holiness described the landark step toward resolving the longstanding conflict during his visit to the Himalayan region as a major achievement.

On 23 July, Patna High Court, the high court of the Indian state of Bihar, has instructed the Gaya District administration to announce Bodh Gaya a plastic-free zone and ordered Bihar State government to take action against the pollution caused by polythene bags, after local news reports revealed the level of plastic pollution in Muchalinda Lake. 

His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Tuesday praised efforts by Himalayan Buddhist communities in India to turn monasteries into centers of training, observing that transforming the monastic system was a necessary move toward a more democratic paradigm in the modern era. 

South Korea on Wednesday unveiled the fruit of a nearly 20-year project to restore the country’s oldest and largest stone Buddhist pagoda, Mireuksaji Seoktap, which is believed to date to the seventh century.

Berne, the de facto capital of Switzerland, earlier this month became the first city in the federal republic to establish a dedicated cemetery for Buddhists. An inauguration ceremony was held on 5 June attended by around 150 lay and monastic Buddhists to consecrate the new burial ground within the city’s Bremgarten cemetery.