Buddhist monks conclude 2,300-mile 'Walk for Peace' at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC

xxxxccccccvvvvv Buddhist monks conclude 2,300-mile 'Walk for Peace' at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC

Buddhist Monks at Washington National Cathedral in DC

 

Thai boys rescued from cave to be ordained in Buddhist ceremony

The "Wild Boars" are enjoying their first few days home after being discharged from hospital and speaking to the media about their harrowing ordeal inside the Tham Luang cave near the Myanmar border.

PTI

Updated:July 22, 2018, 7:35 PM IST 

Coach Ekkapol Janthawong and members of the rescued soccer team attend a Buddhist ceremony that is believed to extend the lives of its attendees as well as ridding them of dangers and misfortunes in Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand. (Image: AP)

Mae Sai (Thailand): Most members of the Thai youth football team rescued from a flooded cave will have their heads shaved, don robes and be ordained in a Buddhist ceremony this week, officials said Sunday.

The "Wild Boars" are enjoying their first few days home after being discharged from hospital and speaking to the media about their harrowing ordeal inside the Tham Luang cave near the Myanmar border.

The 12 boys, aged 11 to 16, and their coach went into the cave complex on June 23 after practice and were trapped by floods from monsoon rains.

They survived on water dripping from rocks for nine days before being found emaciated on a muddy ledge by rescue divers, who helped extract the team a week later in a risky mission.

All made a speedy and surprising recovery after a week in hospital, and on their first day out they prayed for good fortune in a traditional ceremony and mourned a former Thai navy SEAL who died during the rescue efforts.

Now they will go a step further and spend time living in a monastery before returning to normal life, a common practice in Buddhist-majority countries like Thailand.

"They will ordain for nine days," Prachon Pratsakul, the Chaing Rai governor, told reporters in a briefing at the Mae Sai district office.

"There will be about 11 boys ordained as novices and one ordained as a monk which is Coach Ek," he said, referring to Ekkapol Chantawong, who has already been in the monkhood and was said to have helped keep the boys calm inside the cave.

Praphun Khomjoi, Chiang Rai's Buddhist office chief, said that the "Wild Boars" will have their heads shaved on July 24 and attend a robe ceremony the next day.

They will then stay in different monasteries until leaving August 4.

One of the children, Adul Sam-on, will not join them as he is Christian, the governor said.

Authorities have told media to give the teammates time to adjust to their lives but interest in the story remains high, with production houses looking to make a Hollywood-style film on the saga.

The story is readymade for the screen, with a bold rescue operation that entailed sedating and moving the boys out of the cave through treacherous passageways. 

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Dalai Lama urges universal teaching of compassion

The Dalai Lama had long kept up a demanding schedule, crossing the globe for speaking engagements until doctors recently told him to slow down. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro sits down with the 80-year-old spiritual leader to discuss his hopes for spreading peace and winning autonomy for Tibet, as well as why he says he’s not sure there’s a need for a next Dalai Lama.

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TRANSCRIPT

JUDY WOODRUFF: As Pope Francis visited the East Coast a few weeks back, another world religious figure, the Dalai Lama, was in Minnesota, where doctors at the Mayo Clinic advised him to cut short his own tour of the U.S.

Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro recently sat down with the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism at his exile home in India.

A version of this story aired on the PBS program “Religion & Ethics Newsweekly.”

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Until doctors recently told him to slow down, the 80-year-old Dalai Lama had kept a breathless pace. In just a few weeks last summer, he was at a music festival in England, a presidential library in Houston, and a sold-out stadium near Los Angeles.

There is perhaps no world figure today with a more diverse face of fans.

Why are you so popular globally? Why are you a rock star?

DALAI LAMA: I don’t know. I never pay attention about that, why people praise me, why, why.

CROWD (singing): Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: And he said he’s not concerned about another matter that is many minds, who will succeed him, or, as he’s increasingly said in recent years, whether anyone will.

DALAI LAMA: Many people showing interest about the institution of Dalai Lama. For me, not much interest.

(LAUGHTER)

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: That’s significant. Like the familiar laugh, his role as Dalai Lama — the world’s best known Buddhist leader — has been central to who he is, the reincarnation of Dalai Lamas going back six centuries, leader of a fabled once-upon-a-time country high in the Himalayas.

He fled with U.S. help to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Tibet’s annexation by Mao Zedong’s revolutionary People’s Republic of China.

Today, at his home base in Dharamsala, India, he still keeps a full schedule. It begins early each morning as a diverse crowd lines up for a chance to meet him.

Many are from the tens of thousands of Tibetans who followed him and settled in India, where the Dalai Lama set up a secular Tibetan government in exile and later took on a mostly ceremonial role.

DALAI LAMA: You see, in 2011, I totally retired, now no connection with political responsibility.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: He says he’s now focused on his moral responsibility as an advocate for world peace, one that’s won him numerous awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize.

A prolific lecturer, he says that peace must start with the individual, with compassion for one’s fellow human beings. It’s a message that he says isn’t uniquely Buddhist.

DALAI LAMA: All major religions teach the practice of compassion, love, forgiveness, tolerance.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: He wants to see ethics common to all religions taught in schools, because he says religious leaders have too often focused on excludes and division, leading to both conflict and growing inequality, between and within societies.

DALAI LAMA: Like America, a very rich country, but many people poor, and then India and China now developing great potential, like Africa also, a lot of potential.

But I think this lack of moral principle, in that respect, I think, you see, we need some sort of lesson, education about socialism.

(LAUGHTER)

DALAI LAMA: I am socialist. And then, furthermore, as far as social economy theory concerned, I am Marxist. I am Buddhist Marxist.

(LAUGHTER)

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: He says materialism and consumerism have prevailed, even in places where political leaders pledge themselves to Marxist or socialist ideals.

The most prominent example is China, he said, now trying to regain its moral compass. Its leader, Xi Jinping, recently acknowledged a role for its religious traditions, including Buddhism.

DALAI LAMA: It’s unthinkable, a communist, atheist, you see, leader of that express publicly importance of Buddhism, is something quite unique. So this, I think the reality now shows just the material development alone will not get satisfaction to the public, to the people.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: While the Chinese government and Communist Party have called for more tolerance and religious freedom, they have condemned the Dalai Lama as a separatist and a puppet of the West.

With China’s prominence in global trade as the world’s second largest economy, many Western nations have become more muted in their support of the Dalai Lama. For his part, the exiled leader, while alleging human rights abuses and the destruction of Tibetan culture in his homeland, has moderated his demands.

DALAI LAMA: We are seeking genuine autonomy, not seeking independence.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: But he’s drawn a line in the sand on one issue, China’s insistence that the government approve the next Dalai Lama.

The anointing can take years after the Dalai Lama’s death, in which monks look for supernatural signs to lead them to the young boy who is the reincarnation. The current Dalai Lama, born of simple peasant stock as Tenzin Gyatso, was identified at age 3 and installed at 15 after years of rigorous study.

DALAI LAMA: As far as 1969 I publicly stated this institution, whether should continue or not, entirely up to Tibetan people.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: In the modern age, when democratic governance and Buddhist scholarship are much more accessible, he says he’s not sure there’s a need for a new Dalai Lama. When he turns 90, he says, he will consult on the question with religious elders and the Tibetan people, before deciding whether to be reincarnated, like his predecessors, or to end the tradition.

For now, it’s a decision that this very public figure says is very private.

DALAI LAMA: These inner values and world peace and a happy world, this is our common responsibility. About next life is individual business. Our concept of God, concept of nirvana, concept of next life is private business.

(LAUGHTER)

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: For the PBS NewsHour, this is Fred de Sam Lazaro in Dharamsala, India.


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Tiger Woods speaks out: 'I hurt so many people ... it's hard to believe that was me'

By Plain Dealer wire services March 21, 2010, 11:25PM

The Golf Channel

Tiger Woods said the criticism and scorn which targeted him after his admission of marital infidelity "was hurtful, but then again you know what, I did it. I’m the one who did those things and looking back on it now with a more clear head, I get it. I can understand why people will say these things because you know what, it was disgusting behavior.

"ORLANDO, Fla. -- On Sunday, Tiger Woods agreed to five-minute interviews with both The Golf Channel and ESPN -- the first time he's answered questions since his November car accident which led to the revelations about his marital infidelity.

This is the transcript of the interview conducted by The Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman, held at Woods' home course, Isleworth Country Club in Windermere, Fla., just outside Orlando. The full video is available on golfchannel.com.

Kelly Tilghman: Tiger, you've been a master of control your entire life. How did things get so out of control?

Tiger Woods: Going against your core values, losing sight of it. I quit meditating, I quit being a Buddhist, and my life changed upside down. I felt entitled, which I had never felt before. Consequently, I hurt so many people by my own reckless attitude and behavior.

KT: Were there moments you thought you should stop, but didn't?

TW: Yeah, I tried to stop and I couldn't stop. It was just, it was horrific.

KT: For a man who's so disciplined physically and psychologically, why couldn't you say no?

TW: I don't know, now I know. It's part of what I learned in treatment, being there for 45 days you learn a lot. You strip away the denial, the rationalization and you come to the truth and the truth is very painful at times and to stare at yourself and look at the person you've become ... you become disgusted.

KT: The Masters is a demanding stage on its own, let alone for a return of this magnitude. How do you know you're mentally prepared for this?

TW: I'm excited to get back and play. I miss the game. I miss playing, I miss competing. I wasn't ready to play in Tavistock or play in Bay Hill. ... I want to play in these events but I just wasn't ready. I started too late with my preparation. Hank [Haney] and I are starting to work now and start to get it going.

KT: How do you know you'll be ready for the Masters?

TW: I'm starting to get my feel back. I know how to play the golf course and that helps a lot. I just got to play it.

KT: How will your therapy affect your 2010 schedule? I'm assuming you'll have more in-patient therapy ahead.

TW: Yeah, I will have more treatment, more therapy sessions. As far as my schedule going forward, I don't know what I'm going to do, Kelly. Last year, I didn't know because of my knee it was still uncertain, and this year, with all the things that I've done I don't know what I'll be doing either.

That to me is a little bit bothersome too, in a sense that I don't like not knowing what to do. But what I know I have to do is become a better person and that begins with going to more treatment.

KT: You went from becoming recognized as the greatest golfer in the world to becoming a punch line. How did that make you feel?

TW: It was hurtful, but then again you know what, I did it. I'm the one who did those things and looking back on it now with a more clear head, I get it. I can understand why people will say these things because you know what, it was disgusting behavior. As a person, it's hard to believe that was me looking back on it now.

KT: America was concerned when the world's greatest golfer was lying on the ground with no shoes at 2:30 in the morning, bleeding. What happened that night?

TW: It's all in the police report, they investigated it and they have it on public record, there's a lot of stuff between Elin and I that will remain private and that's about it.

KT: How did you crash the car?

TW: I wasn't going very fast, but unfortunately, I hit a few things.

KT: It's been reported that members of your team, your inner circle, were involved in your misdoings, is it true?

TW: That is not true, it was all me. I'm the one who did it, I'm the one who acted the way I acted, no one knew what was going on. I'm sure if more people would have known in my inner circle they would've, they would've stopped it ... or tried to put a stop to it but I kept it all to myself.

KT: What is the state of your marriage with Elin right now?

TW: We're working on it and it's a process that will remain private between her and I.

KT: If your father were here today and looked back on these last four months, what would he say to you?

TW: He'd be very disappointed in me. We'd have numerous long talks. That's one of the things I miss, I miss his guidance, wish I could have had his guidance through all this to have him help straighten me up, I know he would've done it.

KT: What do you think he would say?

TW: Can't say it on air but he would've been very direct. Basically said, you need to get your life headed in the right direction again.

KT: For the 12 year olds and the parents out there who looked at you as a role model, what do you have to say to them to make them believe in you again?

TW: It's going to be over time. It's going to be my actions over time. I'm trying to become a better person each and every day. The proof in the pudding is over time and that's what I'm trying to do. I will continue to do that.

KT: How will you explain this to your children, one day when they're old enough to understand?

TW: I will have that sit down talk and it won't be just one time, I know that. It will be numerous times and I take full ownership of it, I did it. No one else did, it was just me and that's a responsibility that I will have. I will talk to my kids, for however long they want to talk about it. That is a conversation that will need to be had.

KT: Based on all that has transpired, what do you want your legacy to be when all is said and done?

TW: Just like I wanted before. I felt that golf was a vehicle for me to help a lot of people. My dad had always said something that I never really quite understood until these times. In order to help other people, you first have to learn how to help yourself. Going into a treatment center for 45 days I learned a lot. I learned how to help myself and that's the way I can help others down the road.

KT: I noticed you're wearing a bracelet, can we see it?

TW: Yeah.

KT: What does it mean?

TW: It's Buddhist, it's for protection and strength and I certainly need that.

KT: When did you start wearing it?

TW: Before I went into treatment.

KT: Will you be wearing it during the Masters?

TW: Absolutely.

KT: For the rest of your life?

TW: Absolutely.

KT: Tiger, thank you.

TW: Thanks Kel.

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Source:http://www.cleveland.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/03/tiger_woods_speaks_out_i_hurt.html

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Bombs, shootings wound 12 in Thai south: police

Suspected militants have launched a series of bombing and shooting attacks in Thailand's troubled Muslim-majority south

(AFP) – 4 hours ago

YALA, Thailand — Suspected militants launched a series of bomb and shooting attacks in Thailand's troubled Muslim-majority south Wednesday, wounding twelve people including three soldiers, police said.

More than 4,100 people have been killed since a separatist Islamic insurgency erupted in January 2004 in Thailand's southernmost provinces bordering Malaysia.

A bomb hidden in a motorcycle was detonated by mobile phone outside a tea shop in the main town of restive Pattani province early Wednesday, wounding five villagers.

Another bomb exploded shortly afterwards at a food market in neighbouring Yala province, injuring four people including three soldiers.

Gunmen five minutes later targeted three male fruit vendors in drive-by shooting attacks nearby, wounding all of them.

The current insurgency erupted in January 2004 but tensions had bubbled under the surface in the south since predominantly Buddhist Thailand annexed the former Malay Muslim sultanate in 1902.

The shadowy militants never publicly state their goals and target security forces, officials and civilians alike.

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Source:http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hwi1UBQuq7vXJKmkavqE970m0OzA

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