In a joint statement, released on 9 June at an interfaith dialogue held in Bologna, Italy, religious leaders representing Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim communities called on the G7 environment ministers to protect our planet. As part of their call to action, they agreed to work together to overcome conflicts for the common goal of protecting the environment and the planet we call our home.  

(15 June 2017 – Hong Kong) The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation announced today the selection of 26 scholars and institutions for grants under The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies, an award scheme open to applications worldwide.

LONDON—A riverside vigil in the British capital on Monday to honor the victims of the London Bridge terror attack stood as a moving testament to unity and a powerful statement of the diversity embraced by Britian’s open society. Buddhist monks stood alongside Muslim clerics, Jewish and Christian leaders, and representatives of communities from all segments of London society to remember those who lost their lives just two days earlier.

Buddhistdoor Global recently had an opportunity to sit down for an interview with Ajahn Brahm, abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery near the Australian city of Perth, and spiritual director of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia. Born in London in 1951, Ajahn Brahm completed a degree in Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University. After graduation, he taught at a high school for a year, before travelling to Thailand to ordain as a theravada monk under Ajahn Chah. Now a monastic of more than 40 years’ experience, Ajahn Brahm has written several bestsellers on mindfulness and meditation, and has given talks at the United Nations as well as the headquarters of Google and Facebook. In March, Ajahn Brahm was in Hong Kong to give a series of talks on “How to Live Happily Every Day.” With the subject of his presentation in mind, our conversation soon turned to the topic of happiness.

As an active member of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order, Venerable Dr. Juewei (覺瑋) is a lecturer of Applied Buddhist Studies and the director of the Humanistic Buddhism Centre at Nan Tien Institute (NTI) in Australia—the only institute of higher education in Australasia that bases its educational philosophy on Buddhist values and wisdom. In addition to Buddhist Studies, Ven. Dr. Juewei obtained postgraduate degrees ranging from Computer Science, Business Administration, to Future Studies. With her diverse academic and professional background, she has been effectively employing technology and social media to spread the Dharma. In this interview, Ven. Dr. Juewei shares her inspiring thoughts and adventures with loving-kindness.

A Buddhist delegation from Sri Lanka visiting Pakistan this week praised the generosity and peaceful hospitality of the Pakistan people during an official visit to mark the Buddhist holiday of Vesak.

A newly built Buddhist shrine in the city of Tangshan in China’s Hebei Province uses modern architecture and a combination of concrete and natural materials to merge the building with its surroundings. Built inside a hill and hardly visible from the outside, the shrine evokes a sense of calm and serenity.

Yeshi Dhonden, a Tibetan monk who earned renown after working for some 20 years as personal physician to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, today continues draws visitors from the Tibetan diaspora and all over the world seeking alternative treatments for a variety of health conditions ranging from back pain to cancer and degenerative diseases. “If the sick come to me, I will take care of them,” says Dhonden from his private clinic in McLeod Ganj, a suburb of Dharamsala in the far northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. (France 24)

Sri Lanka has long attracted Buddhist monastics and scholars from around the world with its rich Buddhist heritage and resources. While the nation’s monastic centers and universities are renowned hubs of Buddhist education, the island’s forest hermitages are also high on the list of attractions for those seeking to practice and study Buddhism. Recently, two Western monks have taken to social media to express the spiritual joy of living in the beautiful wild hills of the island’s Central Province. 

The recent death of a student leader from Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) has drawn widespread condemnation from across the country. According to local media reports, 20-year-old Romel Chakma was arrested on 5 April by army personnel and subsequently died on 19 April while in police custody at a hospital in the port city of Chittagong. News of Chakma’s arrest and subsequent death emerged two weeks after the incident, following numerous reports on social media. Protestors allege that Chakma, who was visually impaired, was tortured to death by the army and his body subsequently burned to destroy the evidence, although the army refutes these allegations.