Buddhism

Wat Buddha Samakitham

Information about this center is no longer updated. This data was last updated on 11 October 2002.

Phone: 501-782-0126 or 479-782-0126
Email: info@watbuddhasamakitham.com
Website: http://www.watbuddhasamakitham.com/Site/Welcome.html
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Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies

Information about this center is no longer updated. This data was last updated on 19 August 2002.

Phone: 607-273-0739
Email: namgyal@lightlink.com
Website: http://www.namgyal.org
Research was conducted by Dr. David Reis and the Wells College Pluralism Project.

History of the Practice

The original Namgyal monastery was established in Tibet in 1575.  It was called Namgyal Dratsang, which means “victorious monastery.”  However, in...
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Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York City Will Attract Many This Year

July 17, 2001

Source: The News India Times

http://www.newsindia-times.com/community10.htm

The News India Times reported that "the organizing committee of the 11th annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York has announced that this year’s competition, scheduled for Aug. 11 and 12, will have the largest number of participants in the festival’s history...For 10 years, the celebration has attracted a culturally diverse audience...

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Diana Eck's New Book Examines Religious Diversity in America

July 14, 2001

Source: The Hartford Courant

On July 14, 2001, The Hartford Courant reported on Diana Eck's new book, A New Religious America. "'The religious landscape of America has changed radically in the past 30 years,' Eck writes, 'but most of us have not yet begun to see the dimensions and scope of that change.'" The main part of the book focuses on Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam in America.

Statue of Buddhist Divinity Is Commissioned

July 7, 2001

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On July 7, 2001, The Houston Chronicle reported that Venerable Thich Nguyen Hanh, head monk of the Vietnam Buddhist Center in Sugar Land [Texas], commissioned a 72-foot-tall statue of the divinity Quan Am. "Quan Am - literally, Regarder of the Cries of the World - is one of the most revered bodhisattvas (divine enlightened beings) in Buddhism...The figure is the largest such tribute to Quan Am in the United States."

Indian Population Rises in New England

July 1, 2001

Source: INDIA New England

On July 1, 2001, INDIA New England reported that "reflecting...the community's growth across the United States, New England's Indian-American population has more than doubled in the past 10 years...The availability of work visas, the lure of academic institutions and the vitality of the region's high-tech industry have fueled this increase locally...The...2000 census reported 76,157 Indian-Americans in New England," up from 36,282 in 1990. "In New England, Massachusetts has the largest Indian-American population -- increasing from...

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"Nomadic Pilgrim" Dives into Monastic Life

July 1, 2001

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On July 1, 2001, The San Francisco Chronicle reported on "William Claassen, a self-described 'nomadic pilgrim.'...Claassen spent 2 1/2 years traveling around the world, visiting 40 monasteries in 12 countries. He broke bread with Greek Orthodox monks on Mount Athos, walked with Catholic brothers in Spain, watched whirling dervishes in Turkey, meditated with Zen monks in Japan and sat at the feet of Hindu gurus and Jain pujaris in India."

Top Buddhist Monk Lectures in Spokane

June 30, 2001

Source: The Spokesman-Review

On June 30, 2001, The Spokesman-Review reported that "the highest-ranking Therevada Buddhist monk in the United States [Bhante Madawala Seelawimala] is in Spokane this weekend to teach and lead worship services at the Spokane Buddhist Church...During two three-hour seminars...he plans to focus on the meaning, benefits and methods of meditation. Non-Buddhists are welcome."

Grafton Peace Pagoda an Ancient Monument to Nonviolence

June 28, 2001

Source: The Times Union

On June 28, 2001, The Times Union reported on the Grafton Peace Pagoda in Albany, New York. The pagoda is a "monument to peace developed after the horrors of war...[It] is a symbol of nonviolence that dates as far back as 2,000 years ago...There are two peace pagodas in the United States...A Japanese Buddhist nun, Jun Yasuda, is the reason the Grafton Peace Pagoda was built."

New Book Offers Glimpse into the Life of a Buddhist Monk in L.A.

June 23, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

On June 23, 2001, the Los Angeles Times published a book review of Saffron Days in L.A.: Tales of a Buddhist Monk in America by Bhante Walpola Piyananda, a Sri Lankan "who has been abbot of the Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara, a meditation center in Los Angeles, for the last quarter-century...A storyteller gifted with great compassion, wisdom and humor, Piyananda engages us in his pastoral adventures." The book "teaches the basics of Buddhism in an orderly progression."

Temple Provides Home Away from Home for Thai Immigrants in Bay Area

June 22, 2001

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On June 22, 2001, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "after years of patient fund raising, the refurbished Thai temple on Russell Street, Wat Mongkolratanaram...is to be solemnly dedicated...Thailand's ambassador, Dr. Tej Bannag, is flying in from Washington, D.C...The temple, a refuge for Thais in the Bay Area, variously estimated at 20,000 to 60,000, has been bustling for weeks now."

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