SUMERU

Tim Ward @ U of T

Yönten — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:52:41 +0000

From the U of T Buddhist Studies newsletter…

“On the 20th anniversary of the publication of his book, What the Buddha Never Taught, join Canadian author Tim Ward at the University of Toronto in a lively discussion about being a student in a Buddhist monastery in the jungles of Thailand, and how he finds Buddhist wisdom relevant to life in 21st century Toronto.”

Location: 170 St. George St., Room 100 / University of Toronto downtown campus
Time: September 22, 2010 — 5-6 pm

Thich Nhat Hanh, Vancouver, 2011

Yönten — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:21:42 +0000

Thich Nhat Hanh, world-honoured Vietnamese Zen Master, peace activist, and inspirational teacher, will be in Vancouver in August 2011. Here is the information about his visit, from his hosts – the University of British Columbia…

————————————-

The Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh and monastics of Plum Village, Deer Park Monastery, Blue Cliff Monastery, and Magnolia Village will hold a residential meditation retreat and a public lecture in Vancouver, August of 2011:

Retreat: “Awakening the Heart”

Dates: August 8-13, 2011
Location: UBC Point Gray Campus
(more details when these become available)

Lecture: “Open Mind, Open Heart: Touching the Wonders of Now”

Date: Sunday, August 14, 2011
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 PM
Location and Address: Orpheum Theatre, 884 Granville Street
(doors open at 2:00 PM with preliminary events until lecture begins)

Zen master, poet, Nobel Peace Prize nominee, peace and human rights activist, Thich Nhat Hanh has led an extraordinary life. Becoming a monk at age 16 in Vietnam, he soon confronted the human suffering and environmental devastation of war. From that time forward, he has chosen to assist and care for others while following the contemplative life of a monk. Through active social engagement and Buddhist practice, he advocates compassion and nonviolence.

See www.plumvillage.org for more information about Thich Nhat Hanh and his Sangha. Additional details and registration information about these events will be made available in the coming months.

The retreat and public lecture are made possible by the generous sponsorship of The Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Foundation.

Buddhism in Canada conference update

Yönten — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:02:46 +0000

The schedule, registration and accommodation details for the Buddhism in Canada: Global Causes, Local Conditions conference being held at UBC in Vancouver, October 15-17, is now available. Here are the links:

SCHEDULE: http://ubcbuddhism.wordpress.com/2010/08/30/901/

REGISTRATION (Free!): http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CXSBTKP

ACCESS & ACCOMMODATION: http://ubcbuddhism.wordpress.com/access-and-accommodations/

Sumeru signs with Lightning Source

Yönten — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:22:55 +0000

We are pleased to announce completion of an agreement with Lightning Source, a division of Ingram Content Group, for print-on-demand services and global distribution of Sumeru books.

Sumeru books will now be available around the world through more than 18 distribution channels, including Amazon, Baker & Taylor, Barnes & Noble, Blackwell, Coutts and Ingram.

These services will complement our existing catalogue of e-books and provide a paper option for readers interested in more traditional formats. Our agreement with Lightning Source also means that Sumeru books will be available online through major book web-stores.

For more details, visit our “Press Releases” page.

Canada’s new Vajra Princess

Yönten — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 16:14:37 +0000

Shambhala’s Sakyong Mipham and his wife the Sakyong Wangmo are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Drukmo Yeshe Sarasvati Ziji Mukpo, in Halifax on August 11.

For full details, visit the Shambhala Community . . . Read More.

Buddhism in Canada site closed

Yönten — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 11:49:07 +0000

The website “Buddhism in Canada” (www.buddhismcanada.com) has closed, after 16 years.

The site was operated by George Klima, out of St. John, NFLD. A great debt of gratitude is owed to him for his unstinting service to the far-flung communities that the directory served. It grew to more than 400 temples, centres, associations, charities, groups, etc. over the years and required constant updating. Thank you, George!

Last year, the site was re-designed by Sumeru and moved to a WordPress platform, to make the site more useful to viewers, but also to simplify administration. Various features were added, such as searchable entries, improved navigational tools, and a clean new look. Geo-tagging was also introduced, to allow viewers to find entries on a map.

Unfortunately, in spite of these changes, maintenance of the site was still more than George was prepared to continue, having put so much effort in over the long haul. Last week he pulled the plug.

While we can only commend George for his dedication, the fact remains that Buddhism in Canada was a critical load-bearing pillar in the identity of Canadian Buddhists and it will be sorely missed. It was arguably the most-visited Buddhist website in Canada for many years. Not to have such a gateway would be a terrible loss to the community.

Some discussion is underway between Chris Ng, of the Buddhist Education Foundation for Canada, and members of the Toronto Sangha Council, to see if support is there to revive the site on a database platform, possibly in a multi-lingual format. Such a plan would require a clear, unified vision that will be hard to achieve. It would also require significant commitment of time, resources and money.

In other words, even if those efforts are successful, it will be quite some time before they bear fruit.

If you would like to extend your thanks to George, or share a story about how the Buddhism in Canada website helped you in your journey, please join the discussion by commenting below.

East Asian Studies @ U of T closing?

Yönten — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 11:32:06 +0000

A Strategic Planning Committee at the University of Toronto has recently proposed an amalgamation of the East Asian, Italian, German, Slavic, Spanish & Portuguese, and Comparative Literature Departments into a new “School of Languages and Literatures.” This would result in even less support for Buddhist studies at the university.

The East Asian Studies Students Union has launched a petition opposing the move, and has collected almost 2000 signatures. The petition is available on their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2256991298

and at this link: http://www.petitiononline.com/saveeas/

More information and comment about the university’s proposal is available at this Toronto blog: http://torontoist.com/2010/07/university_of_toronto_languages_and_literatures.php

Khenpo Sonam Rinpoche @ Blazing Wisdom

Yönten — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 15:43:56 +0000

Toronto’s Khenpo Sonam Topgyal Rinpoche will be bestowing Guhyagarbha teachings at the Blazing Wisdom Institute in New York State this autumn. Here is the info from Blazing Wisdom’s site:

Teachings on The Guhyagarbha Tantra with Khenpo Sonam Topgyal Rinpoche

Khensur Rinpoche Sonam Topgyal, senior Khenpo of Riwoche Monastery, founder of the Riwoche Society and Temple in Toronto, Canada, Honorary Khenpo of Katog Monastery in Tibet, and senior holder of the Nying Tig and Ter Sar lineages from Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, Chadral Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche, and others, has most graciously agreed to visit BWI again in the fall of 2010, where he will offer all students of the Nyingma lineage a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn the Guhyagarbha tantra, based on Ju Mipham Rinpoche’s famous commentary.

This tantra is a crucial foundation for all deity meditation practice in the Nyingma tradition (Mahayoga), and for understanding the view and practice of tantra in general.

Dates: October 22-29, 2010
Fee: $350 incl. vegetarian lunch on each day.
The fee does not include accommodation or dana to the teacher, the translator or BWI, which as always is left to the good will and discretion of the individual.
Registration: Required. Pls register via email to office@blazingwisdom.org

Thrangu Monastery, Richmond BC

Yönten — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 11:09:50 +0000

The new Thrangu Monastery which opened last month in Richmond, BC, now has a website with lots of . . . Read More.

HE Chöje Ayang Rinpoche Canada 2010

Yönten — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 11:00:01 +0000

His Excellence Chöje Ayang Rinpoche will bestow important Phowa initiations and teachings in Canada this autumn:

Kinmount, ON August 28-29 (For information contact virgowoman@hotmail.com)

Edmonton, AB September 1-5 (For information contact metaweave@shaw.ca)

Vancouver, BC September 7-18 (For information contact amitabhafoundation.vancouver@gmail.com)

H.E. Chöje Ayang Rinpoche is 71 years old, and one of the two pre-eminent exponents of Drikung Kagyu Phowa practice alive today (the other being HE Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche). He is based in Australia. For further information about his activities, please contact: http://amitabhafoundation.metta.org.au/