Writing from somewhere in the Tibetan plateau, Edward Wong of the New York Times describes this year's Losar observance. An informal grass-roots boycott is under way. Tibetans are forsaking dancing ... Read More

Chinese security guards accompany Tibetan monks at the Lama Temple on February 25 in Beijing, China. This is the first day of Losar. Photo Credit: Guang Niu/Getty Images Discuss this topic in ... Read More

Michael Wines reports for the New York Times that the government of China has now barred tourists from entering Tibet. There was no official announcement, but travel agencies have been ... Read More

According to Christian Newswire, the Episcopal Bishop-elect of the Diocese of Northern Michigan has received Zen Buddhist lay ordination. The Rev. Kevin Thew Forrester has been described by his former ... Read More

Barbara Demick writes for the Los Angeles Times that Chinese officials are planning to enforce celebration of Losar in Tibet. The enforcement is in response to a movement begun in ... Read More

Losar, Tibetan New Year, begins this Wednesday. In most years Losar is a festive, joyous celebration. This year, some Tibetans in and out of Tibet say they will refrain from ... Read More

The March 2 issue of Newsweek profiles His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje. On the whole it's a decent article that explains why many Tibetans hope the young ... Read More

Kallie Szczepanski, the About.com Guide to Asian History, has written an excellent account of the 1959 uprising in Tibet that resulted in the Dalai Lama's exile. As we're approaching the ... Read More

Edward Wong reports for the New York Times that monks and nuns in Tibet have been warned by a senior Communist Party official not to engage in political activity. It ... Read More

Maureen Fan reports from China for the New York Times that growing numbers of middle-class Chinese are adopting Tibetan Buddhism. Communist Party leaders and celebrities alike have adopted Tibetan Buddhism, ... Read More

Here's a fascinating podcast by Dr. Alan Wallace, Buddhist scholar and author, who discusses Buddhism and atheism. A bit of transcript: “In the framing itself, the question is already skewed. It’s ... Read More

Tim Johnson of McClatchy Newspapers has a must-see video and news story about Buddhist Tibet. Tibetans are still finding small ways to resist Chinese rule, Johnson says. Some engage in small-scale ... Read More

I hope you can stand one more Darwin post, because this is sweet -- according to the Pew Research Center, Buddhists are more accepting of evolution theory than are members ... Read More

Here's more on the alleged Charles Darwin-Tibetan Buddhism connection, from Mark Henderson of The Times (UK). Darwin knew of Tibetan Buddhism through several routes, Dr Ekman said. His close friend ... Read More

Folks, this is from the NewScientist blog. Ewen Callaway writes about Charles Darwin's much overlooked treatise, Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, in which Darwin proposed that compassion ... Read More

Since we appear to be having Science Week here on Buddhism Blog, let me call your attention to a Tricycle blog post on Buddhism and Science. Adam Frank, a professor ... Read More

The Associated Press reports that China has sealed off Tibetan populations in Gansu, Sichuan and Qinghai provinces, China. Chinese officials say the areas are closed to tourists and other foreigners ... Read More

At Wild Fox Zen, Dosho Port has an intriguing post about karma and rebirth. Dosho describes what might have been a reflection from a past life. What do you think? ... Read More

Today is Charles Darwin's 200th birthday. In the Vancouver Sun, Douglas Todd writes of the 150-year-old conflict between religion and evolution science. Conservative Christians and Muslims say evolution clashes with ... Read More

Two giants of history -- Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin -- were born 200 years ago tomorrow, on February 12, 1809. That must have been an auspicious day for rebirths. I ... Read More

Vern Lovic, the About.com Guide to Thailand Travel, writes about yesterday's Makha Bucha observance in Thailand. I've never had the privilege to visit Thailand, so it's a treat to have ... Read More

My day began with an email message -- Dalai Lama is now following you on Twitter. Feeling even more disoriented than usual I rub the blur out of my eyes ... Read More

The new Twitter account appeared to be from the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. At its peak it had 16,000 followers. Today the account has been closed by ... Read More

Today is Makha Bucha, also called Magha Puja or Sangha Day, in Thailand. This is a major Buddhist holiday in Thailand, yet the Bangkok Post reports that most Thai ... Read More

Nearly eight years after the destruction of the big stone buddhas of Bamiyan, Afghanistan, news stories say the Taliban is trying to destroy more artifacts of ancient Buddhist civilization. This ... Read More

David and Victoria Beckham installed a state-of-the-art mosquito exterminator at their new home in Thailand and incurred -- well, not quite the wrath, but at least the gentle disapproval -- ... Read More

In this week's feature article on the Lotus Sutra I mentioned two English translations. One is the Burton Watson translation (Columbia University Press, 1993), which has been popular since its ... Read More

Thanong Khanthong writes in The Nation of Thailand about Buddhist economics and the global financial crisis. In particular he cites the work of Thai monk Phra Payutto, whose book Buddhist ... Read More

Today President Obama announced that the former White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives -- a controversial office initiated by the Bush Administration -- is being re-named the White ... Read More

The Venerable Master Sheng Yen, the founder of the International Dharma Drum Mountain Association of Taiwan, died this week at the age of 78. The Venerable Sheng Yen was a ... Read More

Lamas dressed as dharmapalas dance during the annual praying ritual at the Wutun Shang Tibetan Buddhist monastery, Qinghai Province, China, on February 1. The praying ritual was originated in 1409 ... Read More

I believe these days most of us (including, I understand, His Holiness the Dalai Lama) do not believe in the Six Realms as actual locations. Instead, they are more often ... Read More

The health of His Holiness the Dalai Lama is in the news again. He has been taken to New Dehli for tests because of pain in his arms. I understand ... Read More