Dalai Lama supports Taiwan democracy

On a visit to Taiwan, the Dalai Lama called on the Taiwanese people to protect their democratic institutions, saying, "You achieved democracy. That you must preserve".

The Dalai Lama went to Taiwan to visit and pray for the victims of Typhoon Morakot. The visit also had important political dimensions, since he was invited to the island by the opposition. China, as usual, protested against the visit. China and Taiwan do not disagree with each other over the status of Tibet: both the Republic of China (i.e., Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China (the mainland) see Taiwan as an integral part of China (see map).

The Dalai Lama said that Taiwan "should have a very close, unique link with China".

Touring the village of Xiaoling, which suffered from mudslides as a result of the typhoon, the Dalai Lama was reminded of "Buddha's message of impermanence. It is indeed very very sad."

Hsueh Shu-Chun, who lost her entire family save her husband, said that "Praying for the victims brings relief not only to them but to survivors like me."

Psychiatrists recommend Buddhist meditation

In a report published in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, psychiatrists Diane Gehart and Eric McCollum, who work at the California State University, Fresno and Virginia Tech, argue that people need to realise that a certain degree of suffering will occur in every marriage. To cope with this suffering, the authors suggest employing mindfulness, which is a meditation technique drawn from the Buddhist tradition.

Mindfulness involves focusing on one's current actions and thoughts. Some British psychiatrists already use this technique for therapeutic purposes (BBC).

12th-century Buddhist art found in Nepal

A set of twelfth-century (or older) murals depicting the life of the Buddha has been discovered in Nepal, 250 km northwest of Kathmandu. The murals, which are made up 55 panels set within a painting 8 m wide, is located in a cave in a cliff 4,300 m above sea level.

The murals were found by a shepherd who took refuge in the cave from rain. The shepherd later informed an international team of researchers about them (BBC).

World's tallest pagoda opens in China

A 154 m tall pagoda has been completed at a Buddhist temple in Changzhou, in China's Jiangsu Province. The pagoda cost 300 million yuan (Canadian $43 million) to build, and features a large bell that can be heard from 5 km away. A survey conducted in February suggested that China has about 200 million Buddhists and Taoists (BBC).

The Buddha, as far as I know, preached out in the open and shunned luxury. I wonder what he would think about this sort of expense lavished on a pagoda in his name.