 Excerpted from:
the Lanka Daily News, by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi:
"...... the Sangha, the order of fully ordained monks and nuns, is the visible representation of the Buddha in the world; for twenty-five centuries, it has sustained the continuity of the Dhamma among humankind; by its procedures of ordination and transmission it ensures that the Buddha's legacy remains alive.
The presence of the Triple Gem thus depends upon the Sangha, which symbolizes the Third Gem, the ariyan Sangha or community of noble sages who have realized the ultimate, world-transcending truth. The Sangha has survived for some 2500 years; that's longer than the Roman Empire, longer than all the dynasties of the Chinese emperors, longer than the British Empire. And it has survived without weapons, without financial resources, without armies, merely through the power of wisdom and virtue....." ____________ For a set of beautiful slides on holy Teachings by the Venerable Ajahn Chah, please email Ms Lim OH at: lim_ong_hong@ May all beings be well and happy ....... "Amitofuo !!" ____________ Also, from "Awaken" magazine: Russian medics fascinated by the imperishable body of Buddhist Lama Russian medics were floored. "Samples taken 75 years after the burial of a Buddhist lama indicated that the organics of the lama's hair and nails is no different from that of a living person," states Professor Galina Ershova. The body belongs to a famous religious leader by the name of Dasha-Dorjo Itigelov, who used to be the head of Russian Buddhists from 1911 to 1927. Before this, exhumation had been conducted twice: once in 1955 and in 1973. Not a sign of decay was found on the body both times when the grave was unearthed. Nothing changed the third time the lama's body was dug up in 2002. Afterwards, the medics decided to conduct a thorough analysis of the lama's body. "His joints bend easily, soft tissues can be forced effortlessly, just like with a living human being. What's interesting is also the fact that after the coffin cover has been removed, we could all detect a sweet-smelling scent wafting out from the inside," says G. Ershova. According to her, "This completely contradicts of what should happen to a dead person after being buried for 75 years," G. Ershova also highlighted that this is the first case of its kind not only in the history of Buddhism but in the entire history of humankind. *** The lama's body has been the object of worship for Buryat Buddhists for two years now. It is situated in Ivolginsk Datsan ( spiritual center for Russian Buddhists located in the capital of Buryatia Ulan-Ude ). According to the current head of Buddhist traditional sanghha in Russia, Khamba-lama Damba Ayusheev, this unexplainable phenomenon had encouraged faithful Buddhists and helped those in doubt to leave aside all their uncertainties. Sensational results of the thorough examination of Lama Dasha-Dorjo Itigelov were relased and made public only this year in Moscow, Russia. ____________ *** A helpful note: Bodies of holy beings as such are actually not unknown or unheard of in the various Buddhist traditions where great Masters who have transcended samsaric entanglements consciously preserve aspects of their holy bodies as meritorious- ____________ Notices for our friends: Dear BB ( @ CAS of T_A Chenrezig !! ), We are looking for a special person to replace our wonderful Managing- Director of our Community Center here in Mongolia. His contract has ended and he must return home due to his elderly father and other responsibilities.
Would you be so kind as to include our advertisement on your next mail out.
Thank you,
With much love and prayer,
Carol Beairsto
Center Director
Shedrup Ling
FPMT Mongolia
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For news on the Jonang school of Tibetan Buddhism, please email Gendun Sonam at: gendunsonam@
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To petition for a STOP to the indiscriminate and criminal ( from bb and the Buddhists' points of views !! ) massacre of seals, please email Leslie at: lesliektl@yahoo. ____________ For mantra recitation of the mantras of Buddha Shakyamuni and the Karmapa's personal mantra by HH the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Himself, please email Shu Lian at : push_to_shove@ ____________
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