News & Views 2004

 Message from the Dalai Lama (232 KB)

 

As the grand Buddha statue sits on a fault cliff above a river section where the Qingyi, Minjiang and Dadu rivers meet in southwest China's Sichuan Province, the river is full of stagnant water in winter when the water level declines to the lowest point.

Stream pollution seriously eroded the rocks of Linyun mountain,where the Leshan Mountain Giant Buddha statue sits.

China launched last April construction of a cofferdam and two 100-meter-long water drainage tunnels at the river section. The project is expected to be completed by the end of July.

This was part of the second phase of a maintenance project for the statue, which includes construction of a cliff-top plank road,a facelift of ancient architecture and stabilizing dangerous rocks. Approximately two years are needed to complete the whole project, which is to cost an investment of 7.8 million yuan (939,759 US dollars) and be completed in two years, said Zeng Zhiliang,engineer with the ancient architecture construction.

The Buddha statue, which took 90 years to build some 1,200 years ago, was built by a Tang Dynasty monk named Haitong. It sitsagainst the rock and looks over the three rivers. It is 72 meters from top to bottom and 28 meters from left to right, which is 18 meters higher than the destroyed standing Buddha statue at Bamian Valley, Afghanistan, once thought to be the highest of its kind inthe world.

The head of the Leshan Buddha, 14.7 meters tall and 10 meters wide, is covered with 1,021 buns of curly hair, each of which is large enough to support a big round table. Each ear, seven meters long, can hold two people in its hole.

The statue, which was included on the World Cultural Heritage list in 1996, has suffered weathering from the wind, water, acid rain and damages from visitors for years. Some coiled buns on the head of the statue fell down and the face was darkened.

Renovation on the grand Buddha never ceased in the past 1,200 years. However, it was spontaneous and small in size during all imperial dynasties. Since the founding of new China in 1949, largescale renovation on the Buddha statue was conducted once every 10 years.

The largest renovation on the Leshan Grand Buddha began in 2001and has yet to be finished. It was divided into three phases. The whole project is to cost 250 million yuan (about 30 million US dollars), including two million US dollars in World Bank loans.

The first-stage, focused on repairing the head, shoulders, chest and midriff, was completed at the end of April 2001. A 150-square-meter platform was built at the foot of the Buddha to ensure visitors have a clear view of it. The second phase began at the end of 2001. It was concentrated on anti-efflorescence, drainage systems at its foot and protectionfacilities against wind and water.

Due to brushing by water of the three rivers and striking by drifting objects, more than 20 holes can be seen at the mountain rocks beneath the grand Buddha, posing a threat to the large stonestatue.

Construction workers are reinforcing rocks at the mountain foot,widening the plank road along the cliff of the mountain foot by 160 square meters and repairing ancient buildings in the scenic zone.

During the forthcoming third-phase maintenance, highway roads heading to the Leshan Mountain Grand Buddha will be equipped with air and sound pollution-free facilities.

To keep this world heritage site true to name, China has moved enterprises producing pollutants to other areas and armed the grand Buddha with "electronic bodyguards" to prevent the world's tallest Buddha from fire and flood.

Telegraph, United Kingdom - The Dalai Lama, the Tibetan and Buddhist leader, has marked his visit to Britain by saying that schools and universities should put more emphasis on moral education.

	The Dalai Lama receives an honorary fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University

The 68-year-old monk was awarded an honorary fellowship of Liverpool John Moores University, which arranged his visit to this country.

"In ancient times society was more religious. In modern society it is not," he said. "Educational institutions have a most important role for shaping deeper human values.

"I think our plan should be to place more emphasis on moral ethics, including secular ethics, in educational institutions.

He told an audience of 2,000 people at Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral that declining religious belief did not matter as long as believers and non-believers exercised morality.

Singapore - While most of Singapore was asleep at 3am yesterday, Venerable Shi Ming Yi stood at the centre of Suntec City's Fountain of Wealth, chest-deep in a plastic container filled with 1,000kg of ice cubes.

HE'S OKAY: A doctor checks his temperature. -- LIANHE ZAOBAO

The chief executive officer of the Ren Ci Hospital was unveiling for the first time to the media his much-anticipated fund raising stunt for this Sunday's Ren Ci Charity Show.

'Last year Spider-Man, this year Ice Man,' he said with a laugh before the rehearsal started.

During last year's show, his 25-minute abseilling stunt down the side of Suntec City Tower 2 inspired about 150,000 viewers to pledge $750,000.

This coming Sunday, he will risk getting frostbite and hypothermia to stand as long as he can in ice to raise money for the show's target of $5 million. The show will be beamed live on Channel U from the University Cultural Centre at 7.30pm.

HE'S HAD ENOUGH: The four walls fall away. -- LIANHE ZAOBAO

The stunt was thought up by MediaWorks and was inspired by a 2002 Guinness Book of World Records stunt in which a man from The Netherlands stood for an hour in ice wearing only swimming trunks. But Venerable Shi will wear his monk's robes and sneakers.

The 41-year-old monk says that this year's stunt will be completely different from the previous year's: 'I had to overcome my phobia of height last year, and to keep my balance while walking down the building. It's more about endurance this year.'

To ensure his safety, three doctors will be on standby to monitor Venerable Shi's condition. He will be hooked up to a vital signs monitor which will enable them to keep track of his heart rate, oxygen levels and breathing pattern.

His body temperature will be monitored with a thermal scanner placed next to the container of ice, as well as an ear thermometer.

The doctors will also talk to him during the stunt to ensure that he stays lucid since extreme cold can make him drowsy.

HE'S DONE IT: Still standing after the ordeal. -- LIANHE ZAOBAO

Yesterday, his temperature dropped from 36.7 deg C to 34.7 deg C in 10 minutes. Doctors say this is normal. But a drop of more than 2 deg C could prove dangerous and he will be advised to stop the stunt, says Dr Cheng Jun, a consultant internist and gastroenterologist from Mount Elizabeth Hospital. He is one of the doctors who will be monitoring the monk's condition.

Once Venerable Shi decides to end the stunt, he will give a signal and the four walls of the plastic container will fall open so that he can make a quick escape.

He has had three rehearsals so far, including yesterday's. All were held not to test his endurance, but to get him used to being submerged in ice. Yesterday he was in the ice for 10 minutes but he is expected to hold out for longer during the charity show.

Dr Cheng says he suffered some very minor skin burns from the cold during previous rehearsals, but has recovered.

Venerable Shi says that he hopes to get through the stunt by focusing on how much money he can help to raise for charity.

He adds: 'The ice will be cold and painful, but I'll think of it as showers of love and compassion for the patients, and from the people who are making the calls to donate money.'

FOR THE PEOPLE IN SINGAPORE: Donation hotlines are open from now till Feb 1. For a $5 donation, call 1900-112-8888. For a $15 donation, call 1900-112-8889. For a $5 SMS donation, key in RENCI and send the message to 77666. For donations above $30, call 6746-1110 from Jan 8-14, between 8am and 11pm.

This was revealed by Ven. Pallewela Saradha Thera, Secretary of Sri Lanka Dharma Chakra Child Foundation at a media briefing held at the Manelwathu Viharaya, Bollegala, Kelaniya under the patronage of Ven. Dr. Bodagama Chandima Thera.

The briefing was held after a discussion between the Ven. Chandima Thera with monks representing forty flood stricken temples from Galle, Matara, Hambantota and Ratnapura districts.

Ven. Pallewela Saradha Thera stated that over 90 temples in these districts have been destroyed by the floods. But forty temples have been selected under this project after only a survey.

Ven. Dr. Bodagama Chandima Thera said that funds for this project was allocated from the donations from Buddhist devotees of Taiwan. In addition they have taken necessary steps to set up an International Buddhist University at the premises of the Manelwatu Viharaya, the Thera said.

It was revealed at the media briefing that the deeds of the temple have been legally handed over to the Ven. Dr. Bodagama Chandima Thera for this purpose by Kandy Sangaraja Ven. Kandanthulawe Dhammatissa Thera, the Chief Incumbent of the Manelwathu Viharaya. The land had been offered to the temple by the late President J. R. Jayewardene for the uplift of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. "Foreign priests and laymen as well as Sri Lankans will have the opportunity to study Buddhism in a practical aspect", Ven. Dr. Bodagama Chandima Thera said. "Although many foreign Buddhists anticipate to acquire the knowledge of Theravada Buddhism from Sri Lanka lack of opportunities has been a hindrance to the Buddhist community", Thera continued.

Ven. Pallewela Saradha Thera said nearly 40 medical students from remote areas of the country will be granted scholarships at the ceremony on February 7.

Five thousand Dhammapadha books printed on a request by the Ministry of Buddhasasana and 200,000 Pirith books will be handed over to the ministry on that day along with other donations to various institutions.

Mrs. Milina Sumathipala, the Patron, Sri Lanka Dharma Chakra Child Foundation (SLDCCF) and the Chairman of the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress and the Treasurer of the SLDCCF were also present at the press briefing.

 

 

 

Charlotte, United States - American, South Vietnamese and Buddhist flags fluttered as hundreds attended a funeral Wednesday for a monk who died last week after setting himself on fire.

Thich Chan Hy's dramatic act brought renewed vigor to campaigns against persecution of Buddhists still living in Vietnam, supporters said outside the Lien Hoa Temple.

Inside, monks and worshippers chanted prayers around Hy's lace-draped, flower-decked coffin. Scores of worshippers clutched beads and pressed their hands together, bowing in unison to the rhythm of the prayers led by the orange- and yellow-robed monks. The smell of incense filled the temple and wafted through the surrounding neighborhood in northeast Charlotte.

Thich Van Dam, a monk from Ananda Buddhist Institute in Falls Church, Va., rang a bell during the prayers and a ceremonial procession that carried Hy's coffin to a waiting hearse, which was to carry the monk's remains across the city for cremation.

Dam called the 74-year-old Hy's decision to set himself on fire - which the monk told no one about beforehand - "the most significant, important event" of the recent struggle for religious freedom under Vietnam's government.

"I think one thing he has conveyed to many Buddhists here is not to be lazy - that time is short," said Phuong Huynh, a leader of youth programs at the Buddhist temple.

"Let's get moving. Don't quarrel too much. Be more focused as to our roles as Buddhists."

Huynh said funeral worshippers came from as far as the West Coast.

Huynh provided a translation of a letter written by Hy before he set himself on fire at 5 a.m. Dec. 24, in front of a 15-foot statue of Avalokita, a Buddhist symbol of compassion.

"The following are my humble wishes. ... I wish that all people living in Vietnam are entitled to freedom of religion and beliefs. I wish that all people living in Vietnam are entitled to human rights and democracy. I wish that Vietnam will preserve the sovereignty of its land and sea borders. ... Dear Master, I have only my feeble body to offer to further the cause of the people living in Vietnam, and pray that my wishes will be fulfilled one day."

Lien Hoa is the spiritual home to about 200 of Charlotte's estimated 15,000 Vietnamese residents.

In addition to Vietnamese Buddhists, that population includes more than a thousand Montagnards, generally Christian refugees from the central Vietnamese highlands.

Khoi Huynh, 58, of Raleigh, said he came to pay respects to Hy, whose self-immolation he said has raised consciousness of the continuing problems in Vietnam.

"He wanted to talk to the government in Vietnam. ... I think that's good," he said. "Vietnamese people in the United States want the communist government to give up the regime."

The most famous act of self-immolation by a Vietnamese Buddhist was in June 1963, when monk Thich Quang Duc set himself on fire in downtown Saigon in a protest against political persecution by the South Vietnamese government of Ngo Dinh Diem.

Duc's act set off protests that helped lead to a U.S.-backed coup that overthrew the Diem government later that year.

Self-immolations have continued under the Communist Party rule.

In September 2001, a member of a dissident Buddhist sect immolated himself on Vietnam's national day to protest repression of religion in the country, according to the Paris-based Buddhist Information Bureau.

 

Colombo - Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has decided to set up an international Theravada Buddhist centre in Sri Lanka on a proposal by the Maha Sangha representing the three Nikayas, a delegation source said.

At a meeting with the Buddhist prelates at Temple Trees on Tuesday to discuss ways of defusing the current religious tension the Prime Minister agreed to implement a project drawn up by the International Buddhist Centre in consultation with other Theravada Buddhist countries.

Mr. Wickremesinghe also agreed to a proposal to restructure all institutes of Buddhist higher studies and to bring about reforms in pirivena education to suit the needs of the 21st century.Mr. Wickremesinghe accepted the need to further strengthen relations with other Theravada Buddhist countries like Myanmar, Kampuchea and Thailand.

He will take up this matter when he meets the Thai Prime Minister in February. Several other proposals presented by the delegation also received a positive response from Mr. Wickremesinghe.

These proposals include: Taking measures to set up Buddhist missionary centres in selected cities in Western countries to propagate Buddhism with the co-operation of the Buddhist centres already in existence in those countries; implementing a program to impart a knowledge of languages such as English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and Korean and to give computer training to Buddhist monks: implementing programs to teach bio- technology and psychology to bikkhus to equip them with such knowledge as necessary to face the challenges in a highly advanced world.

Her first experience with Zen meditation took place 28 years ago, when she sat in with a Zen group at a friend's urging.

"I didn't have a reason, it just seemed right," she recalled. "It was truly intuitive."

While Terris had tried other forms of meditation, the practice based on Zen Buddhist principles was the right fit for her.

"You feel like you've come home," she said. "It's something natural."

Terris is now a licensed counselor at Heartspring Wellness Center at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, as well as a dharma holder in an old Zen lineage. She leads a Zen meditation group every Sunday in Corvallis, and she suggests meditation to some of her counseling clients.

As the New Year arrives, many people focus on resolutions both realistic and far-fetched, but most involve self-improvement and making a better life. Meditation might be one way some consider changing their lives because, although less dramatic than diets and exercise regimes, it can alter the practitioner's attitude and outlook.

Meditation is not just for relaxing, although that can be a primary benefit. It is important to find something in life that demands moments of absolute focus, Terris said, and it doesn't have to be just sitting quietly.

"Not everybody can do that," she said. "It can be running, swimming, something you are pointedly focused on. There's so many different ways to meditate. They all use the same focal practice."

Meditation helps the practitioner temporarily forget the past and the future and instead focus on one idea, "a mantra, counting breath, visualization or a feeling of kindness and intention."

It's not about achieving a goal, Terris said.

"You don't meditate to get something," she said, although at a certain level, meditation can bring about peace, relaxation and even realizations about life. When Terris began meditating on a regular basis, she found her life and viewpoint changing.

"My mind was more settled, my focus was better, I was not so scattered," she said. "I attended more fully. I was more aware of what was going on in life, moment by moment."

Kicking out the mental clutter and concentrating can help people see things in their life a little more clearly.

"My favorite thing to say is,  No place to go and nothing to do,' " Terris said.

Adults frequently can't imagine taking a moment out of their lives to concentrate on doing nothing. It's hard to cast off that goal-oriented attitude. But it can be worth it.

"They get much more in touch with what they're feeling," she said. "It helps them put a lag time between their reaction and acting the reaction out."

It can improve sleep and reduce stress and chronic pain, as well. And while Terris is a Buddhist, meditation does not have to be linked to a religious or spiritual practice. She does encourage those interested in meditation to take some introductory courses before sitting in on a group, mainly because it's frustrating to be with so many people meditating without really knowing what's going on.

Tehran - Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Kamal Kharazi met with rescue workers from Taiwan on Tuesday to express his gratitude for their assistance in post-earthquake relief work in the southeastern Iranian city of Bam.

Kharazi visited the camp of the Taiwanese rescue team shortly after his arrival in Bam from Tehran by helicopter. He shook hands with Taiwanese rescue team members and extended his regards to all of them.

Before Kharazi's arrival, the rescue workers raised a ROC flag in front of the camp. However, the UN provisional post-disaster relief command center politely asked the team to remove the flag because of strong protests from Chinese rescue and diplomatic staff in Bam.

Taiwan's government has donated US$100,000 in post-quake relief aid to Iran and sent a 60-member rescue team to join search-and-rescue operations.

The Taiwan team was jointly organized by the National Fire Administration under the Ministry of the Interior and the Taipei City Government's fire department.

The Buddhist Compassionate Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, Taiwan's largest charity organization, has also sent a team to help with the relief efforts. The Tzu Chi volunteers came from Taiwan, Jordan and Turkey. Many other Taiwanese religious and charitable groups are also planning relief programs for Bam quake victims.

 

The Venerable Shi Ming Yi keeps his cool while immersed in ice cubes for almost 23 minutes. -- DESMOND WEE

His one-man endurance test in the centre of Suntec City's Fountain Of Wealth, during Channel U's Ren Ci Charity Show, inspired more than 130,000 phone calls, each pledging at least $5.

This year's show was beamed live from the University Cultural Centre and Suntec City. As of 10.40pm, it had raised $6.49 million for Ren Ci, a non-profit community hospital and medicare centre.

The amount raised exceeded the target of $5 million, as well as equalling last year's total take.

Donations will be accepted until Feb 1.

Venerable Shi, the charismatic chairman and chief executive officer of Ren Ci Hospital, drew the most calls from viewers.

Standing in a plastic tank packed with ice cubes, the 41-year-old monk bore the extreme cold dressed in his robes and wearing a calm _expression on his face.

His temperature was taken at regular intervals by doctors. After it dropped to 35 deg C, he was advised to stop.

Asked about his ordeal by reporters later, he said: 'I thought of every piece of ice as a potential charitable soul and it spurred me on.'

Reacting to the success of the show, MediaWorks' chief operating officer Man Shu Sum said: 'If not for love, Singaporeans would not be donating so generously. It's not like we offered them prizes.'

MediaWorks artiste Darren Lim shows that he is hot stuff by escaping from a straitjacket while a fire rages above him. -- ONG CHIN KAI

A touching moment for many viewers came when the late Taiwanese stuntman and singer Blacky Ko's eldest son Alan sang Conquer, one of his father's songs.

Ko, who died suddenly of asthma at the age of 50 last month, was a good friend of the monk, and had helped him to raise funds for charity on many occasions.

Other heart-stopping acts during the three hour-long show included MediaWorks' Kym Ng inching her way across a 45-storey-high makeshift bridge between Suntec towers 1 and 2.

Tied up in a straitjacket and metal chain and hung upside down, fellow artiste Darren Lim managed to pull off an escape, Houdini-style, while fires burned above and below him.

For the people in Singapore, donation hotlines are open from now till Feb 1. For a $5 donation, call 1900-112-8888. For a $15 donation, call 1900-112-8889. For a $5 SMS donation, key in RENCI and send the message to 77666. For donations above $30, call 6746-1110 till next Wednesday, between 8am and 11pm. 

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The Dhamma Times,  28 June 2004 

 

The Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang city contain some 2,000 clay sculptures and more than 45,000 meters of mural paintings that date back from the 5th to the 14th centuries. The grottoes are also known as "Caves of the Thousand Buddhas" and are one of the world's most vital sites of ancient Buddhist culture.

But the site, surrounded by deserts and Gobi, are constantly harassed by the dry weather, strong gales and sand storms that threaten the grottoes and the heritage inside.

China started to protect the grottoes from wind and sand in 1944. Since 1990, the country has carried out several tests, introduced state-of-the-art technologies and joined hands with international organizations to curb sand storms in the region.

"We can say for certain the efforts have started to pay off," said Wang Wanfu, deputy head of the Dunhuang Research Institute.

According to Wang, sand that accumulates in the grottoes today is less than 10 percent of what was reported in the 1980s. "We used to clean out 3,000 to 4,000 cubic meters of sand from the grottoes a year before the 1980s," he said. "Now it's about 100 cubic meters."

Over 30 leading sand control experts gathered in Dunhuang last November to discuss ways of harnessing sandstorms from their rootsand to map out a long-term scheme for the protection of the grottoes.

Since the 1980s, the Dunhuang academy has also joined hands with international research bodies to monitor the local geologicaland meteorological environment in the area as well as the temperature and humidity inside the caves.

In addition to the erosions of wind and sand, experts say damages to the grottoes have also stemmed from the modern perils of mass tourism, where the moisture from the breath of visiting crowds can impair delicate murals that have survived for centuriesin an arid desert climate.

"One simple example, the colors of the murals may fade when the carbon dioxide and moisture the visitors exhaled reach a certain density in the caves, which are often small and narrow," explainedLi Zuixiong, vice president of Dunhuang Research Institute.

Nearly 4 million tourists from more than 80 countries and regions have visited the grottoes since the first one was opened to visitors in 1979.

The 50 grottoes that open to tourists today are receiving more than 300,000 people a year, a figure that is expected to climb to 500,000 in the coming five to ten years.

To minimize damage to the grottoes, Li's organization diverted the tourists to eight different routes in 2000. Last year, the organization requested tourists to make reservations beforehand in an effort to adjust visitors' flows.

In the meantime, scientists are working on a virtual caves project, which will allow viewers, without entering the grottoes, to feel like they are visiting the real grottoes of amazing Buddhist art.

Use of digital means and other high technologies will also help conserve the cultural heritage, including its Buddhist manuscripts, painted scrolls and other historical documents, according to Li.

The grand grottoes that made the remote Dunhuang city on the ancient Silk Road famous were included in the world cultural heritage list of the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization in 1987.

Of the 735 caves, 492 still more or less remained intact. All have been subjected to various kinds of damage or indignities to some extent, from the long-term erosion of wind and water, to the smoke from fires built by bivouacked troops, according to experts.

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