Buddhism

Tet Nguyen Dan - The Vietnamese New Year

February 10, 2000

Source: The Times-Picayune

On February 10, 2000, The Times-Picayune reported that the Bo De Buddhist Temple in Algiers, Louisiana rang in Tet Nguyen Dan, the Vietnamese New Year, at midnight on Friday, February 4th. The Vietnamese New Year, which this year falls on February 5th, is on the first new moon after the winter solstice. This year is the Year of the Dragon according to both the Vietnamese and Chinese calendars. Thong Pham, chairman of the board of Bo De Temple, stated: "In Vietnam we celebrate for seven days...This is the big ceremony in our...

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Sand Mandala at the Detroit Institute of Arts

December 25, 1999

Source: The Detroit News

On December 25, 1999, The Detroit News reported that a group of Tibetan Buddhist monks, who live in exile at the Drepung Loseling Monastery in India, will construct a sand mandala at the Detroit Institute of Arts from Monday, December 27th through Friday, December 31st. The monastic group plans to make the mandala of the Amitayush Buddha, which symbolizes boundless life. A typical mandala has four corners in white, gold, red, blue, and green, which symbolize the elements of water, earth, fire, wind, and space. Geshe Lobsang Tenzin,...

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Walking for Peace

December 21, 1999

Source: Los Angeles Times

On December 21, 1999, the Los Angeles Times reported that Bhikkhu Buddha Dhatu, a Buddhist monk, is walking barefoot from San Francisco to Los Angeles to promote world peace. He began in San Francisco on November 26th and plans to be in Los Angeles on Thursday, December 23rd for a millennial peace ceremony that will include a release of doves from a cage and prayers for peace in the next century. Dhatu's journey is being funded by thousands of followers worldwide, including a number of Hollywood celebrities. Dhatu began walking...

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New Cambodian Buddhist Temple in Lynnwood, Washington

November 20, 1999

Source: The Seattle Times

On November 20, 1999, The Seattle Times published an article on the opening of a new Cambodian Buddhist center in Lynnwood, Washington in a building that was formerly a business plant. The new center, which is to be dedicated on November 20th, will primarily serve the Cambodian Buddhist community in Puget Sound and throughout Northwest Washington, providing support services and cultural education to its members. Thoeuy Kong, a bilingual-education instructor who bought the abandoned business plant with his own savings and headed...

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Thich Nhat Hanh's Efforts to Return to Vietnam

October 16, 1999

Source: The New York Times

On October 16, 1999, The New York Times published an article on Thich Nhat Hanh's efforts to return to Vietnam. In his words, "I have offered teachings and practices in 35 countries...And yet in Vietnam, my books are still banned." Many efforts have been attempted to allow Thich Nhat Hanh and other Buddhist teachers to enter the country, but now Thich Nhat Hanh is speaking publicly to increase support in the United States and Europe to persuade the Vietnamese government to allow him and other monks and nuns entrance as...

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The Loseling Institute in Atlanta, Georgia

October 9, 1999

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On October 9, 1999, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution profiled the Loseling Institute, which is a center for Tibetan Buddhist studies and practice. Founded in 1991 by Geshe Lobsang Tenzin while he was a graduate student at Emory University, the Loseling Institute became the North American seat of the Drepung Loseling Monastery in 1995 following a visit by the Dalai Lama that solidified ties between the Monastery and Emory University. The Drepung Loseling Monastery, founded in 1416, was one of Tibet's largest...

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New Campus of Soka University of America Being Built in California

October 2, 1999

Source: Los Angeles Times

On October 2, 1999, the Los Angeles Times reported that a new campus of Soka University of America is being built in Aliso Viejo, CA. There is already a campus in Los Angeles. The new campus will eventually accommodate 1,200 undergraduate students, and also graduate students. The campus is being built by Soka Gakkai International, a lay organization of Buddhists based in Japan and drawing from 128 countries. Wendy Harder, director of community relations for Soka in Aliso Viejo, stated that the purpose of the California campuses...

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Tibetan Buddhist Leader Establishing Buddhist Center in Arizona

September 18, 1999

Source: The Arizona Republic

On September 18, 1999, The Arizona Republic published an article on ZaChoeje Rinpoche, named the sixth reincarnation of the first ZaChoeje Rinpoche by the Dalai Lama, who is establishing the Bodhi Heart Center in Arizona. Rinpoche has two goals in establishing the center: to develop inner peace in the Western world and to gather donations from the United States to improve the living conditions of Tibetans exiled in India and those living in Tehor, the eastern region of Tibet. Although the physical location of the center has yet...

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Thich Nhat Hanh Trying to Go Back to Vietnam

September 14, 1999

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On September 14, 1999, The San Francisco Chronicle published an article on the change of course that renowned Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh would like to take. In an interview at the Kim Son Monastery atop Mount Madonna in California, Thich Nhat Hanh stated: "Three years of quiet diplomacy has not worked...I have been away from my country for 34 years. Most of my friends have died. And the young people can't read my books or see me in person." Thich Nhat Hanh left his native Vietnam in 1966 during the Vietnam War...

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Lawsuit Over Native American Courses at the Naropa Institute

September 10, 1999

Source: The Denver Post

On September 10, 1999, The Denver Post reported that Lydia White Calf, a former student at the Naropa Institute in Colorado, has filed a lawsuit against the school for allowing an unqualified teacher to inappropriately practice sacred Lakota rituals and ceremonies as part of a Naropa course. The teacher in question, Weston Aguila 'Eagle' Cruz, claimed to be a member of the Yaqui tribe, but tribal officials said that nobody under that name is a registered member. White Calf's lawsuit claims that she raised her suspicions about Cruz...

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Vietnamese Buddhists Celebrate Vu Lan in Louisiana

September 2, 1999

Source: The Times-Picayune

On September 2, 1999, The Times Picayune reported that 150 people gathered at the Bo De Buddhist Temple in Algiers, Louisiana on Sunday, August 29th to celebrate Vu Lan, the Buddhist day of appreciation for parents and grandparents. Youth group members took part in administering the ceremony and preparing the celebratory feast. The youth group, which includes between 50 and 100 young adults, meets weekly to study the Buddhist faith and Vietnamese language and culture. Dien Nghiem, assistant scoutmaster with Bo De's youth group,...

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The Dalai Lama Visits Indiana

August 24, 1999

Source: The Indianapolis Star

On August 24, 1999, The Indianapolis Star reported that 800 people representing a multitude of faiths attended the Interfaith Vigil for World Peace at the St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Bloomington, Indiana. The vigil was part of the Dalai Lama's 12-day visit to Bloomington, where he was leading the Kalachakra for World Peace. In the 70-minute vigil, there were 20 minutes of silent prayer and meditation before a globe placed in the center of the church. Sister Mary Margaret Funk of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech...

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