The Chenrezig Project: Infusing Western Life with Tibetan Buddhist Compassion Images of Tibet
The Chenrezig Project: Infusing Western Life with Tibetan Buddhist Compassion
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The Chenrezig Project, formerly known as the Yalaha Tibetan Buddhism Study Group, was established in 2006. We are the first Buddhist dharma organization in Lake County, Florida.

We believe there is a simple, universal message in Buddhism that can benefit everyone, regardless of faith or background.

Honoring the subtlety and depths of Tibetan Buddhist practice, it is our hope and intention to nurture the skillful means for living more mindfully compassionate lives.

Integrating the teachings of the Buddha as living philosophy we support each other, working to expand our knowledge and practice of the Dharma for the benefit of ourselves, our friends and loved ones, our community and sentient beings everywhere.

Our studies and practices are based on the Gelugpa tradition of Lama Tsong-kha-pa of Tibet. Our gatherings, currently held on Monday and Wednesday evenings, are relaxed and informal and usually include teachings, discussion and meditation. Everyone should feel welcome to attend -- no matter the level of experience one might have with meditation or Buddhism.

Existing to serve others, the Chenrezig Project has created an environment where people of all interests and inclinations to learn the teachings of the Buddha may do so in safety, comfort and a spirit of fun.

Please feel free to join us.

Chenrezig = Compassion

  


Click to Read . . .
A news wrap-up concerning Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, Tibet, India, etc.

Three Tibetans shot dead on first day of Chinese New Year
Three Tibetans were killed and several injured when police opened fire on Tibetans who gathered to protest in Drango, Kardze (the Tibetan area of Kham) on the first day of Chinese New Year. The escalating crackdown in Drango follows the circulation of leaflets in the area saying that Tibetans should not celebrate the New Year in 2012 because of the self-immolations, and declaring an intention by the unnamed author(s) of the leaflets to set fire to themselves at the time of Tibetan New Year (Losar, which falls on February 22). (January 24)

Tibetan exile groups condemn China's brutality, Dharamsala observes candlelight protest
Tibetans in the North Indian exile seat of Dharamsala carried out a candlelight vigil to protest police firing over the last two days in Tibet which has reportedly left at least 11 dead. (January 24)

Why China's future leader is going to Iowa
The White House has announced that Vice President Xi Jinping, the man most likely to be China's next president, will visit Washington, D.C., and California next month. Also on his itinerary: Iowa. (January 24)

Reading "The Satanic Verses" in India: Is it Illegal?
Did Amitava Kumar, Hari Kunzru and other authors who read passages from Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses," which is banned in India, at the recent Jaipur Literature Festival violate Indian law? (January 24)

India's women given low-cost route to sanitary protection
Few Indian women can afford sanitary towels. But one social entrepreneur aims to change that, and provide an income too. (January 23)

China watches anti-China rhetoric in GOP race with alarm
China is watching the Republican campaign with alarm as some candidates make China the target of repeated attacks and accusations. (January 22)

Should the Swastika be banned?
The Swastika, a Hindu and Buddhist symbol later associated with Nazi Germany, sparked fresh controversy as local authorities requested a store in New York City to stop selling Swastika-shaped earrings because they deemed them offensive. (January 21)

China forces are reported to have shot at Tibetans
Chinese security forces this past weekend fired into a crowd of Tibetans in a restive area of Sichuan Province after they tried to take away the body of a Tibetan man who had died after setting himself on fire that morning to protest Chinese policies in the Tibetan areas, according to reports from two Tibet advocacy groups and Tibetan officials in the exile government in India. (January 17)

China announces $119M in aid to Nepal
In what has been described as a 'milestone' that takes China-Nepal relations to 'new heights,' Chinese Premier Wen Jaibo gave Nepal a late New Year's gift. (January 16)

India's courts grapple with web censorship
India has long faced an uneasy tension between allowing free expression to its citizens and staunching sectarian violence among its people. It was one of the first countries to ban "The Satanic Verses" by Salman Rushdie. Lawsuits forced the Indian painter Maqbool Fida Husain to live in exile during the last several years of his life. An academic book about the 17th-century warrior known as Shivaji was banned for fear of offending Shivaji's modern-day fans, until the Supreme Court lifted the prohibition. Now comes the Internet, that bottomless well of words and pictures rife with potential to inflame sentiments. (January 16)

Does China want to buy Facebook?
Forbes Magazine reports that China is trying to buy "a huge chunk" of Facebook. According to the business magazine's website, Beijing approached a fund that buys stock from former Facebook employees to see if it could assemble a stake large enough "to matter." (January 15)

India orders crackdown on 'human safaris' in the Andaman Islands
As outrage over exploitation of the Jarawa tribe spreads, the Indian government moves toward action. (January 14)

Report: China bribing Tibetans to celebrate Losar
The Chinese government is now up to bribing Tibetans inside Tibet to celebrate the upcoming Tibetan New Year 'Losar.' A Tibetan exile citing contacts inside Tibet said Chinese government officials were coaxing Tibetans with money and gifts to celebrate Losar (February 22-24) against their wishes. (January 14)

'Chinese terror' alert for Dalai Lama
The Mumbai police have received intelligence inputs that some terrorists from the Tibetan region of China may sneak in to India to eliminate the Tibetan spiritual guru, the Dalai Lama. (January 11)

Battle for title of "World's Cheapest Car" heats up
Got $3,000? With that sum in India, drivers will have a choice of not one but two brand-new cars. Actually, the word "car" may be overstating things. The latest entrant into the ultra-cheap sub-$3K automobile market is Bajaj Auto Ltd., a company known mostly for motorcycles and motorized rickshaws. (January 10)

Tibet's officials stress management of monasteries
Senior officials of Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region have pledged stepped-up efforts to strengthen the management of monasteries in the fight against what they call the "Dalai Lama group." (January 8)

Two former Tibetan monks set themselves on fire in protest against Chinese rule
One man is dead and another is seriously burned after self-immolation protests in Sichuan, western China. (January 6)

Body paraded in China after self-immolation
A news report says the body of a Tibetan monk who died after setting himself on fire was paraded through the streets by Tibetans in northwestern China. (January 6)

Self-immolations that changed the world
In Buddhism, taking life is considered to be a fundamentally sinful action. However, at the same time, traditional Buddhist teaching says giving up one's own well-being and one's own life for the well-being of others is also a noble act, an act of Bodhisattvas. (January 6)

In Burma's villages, floods and power cuts mean more than reform.
As world leaders jet into the capital and Aung Suu Kyi's party rallies in the cities, rural leaders must tackle more immediate issues. (January 5)

China's president pushes back against Western culture
President Hu Jintao of China has said that the West is trying to dominate China by spreading its culture and ideology and that China must strengthen its cultural production to defend against the assault, according to an essay in a Communist Party policy magazine. (January 2)

Are humble people more helpful?
Helping others means sacrificing your time and energy. But if you're humble, you don't mind. (December 31)

Capitalism over caste: The succes of India's 'Untouchable' CEOs
When the Hindu temple in his Indian hometown began falling apart, Ashok Khade agreed to pay for its reconstruction. He certainly had the means. Khade is CEO and co-owner - along with his brothers - of Das Offshore Engineering, a company that builds equipment for offshore rigs and boasts 20 million euros in annual sales. Still, the decision was quite remarkable for one simple reason: as a child, Khade hadn't been allowed inside the temple. Why? Because he's a Dalit, a member of India's "untouchable" caste. (December 30)

Chinese understanding of Tibetan issue is growing: HHDL
Speaking exclusively to an audience of Tibetans, Chinese, and people from the Himalayan region attending the Kalachakra in Bodhgaya, India, His Holiness the Dalai Lama noted that the understanding of the Tibetan issue as well as sympathy towards Tibetans among Chinese in mainland China is growing. "I have been meeting Chinese scholars, students, and various representatives of organisations in the last many years and there is a growing understanding of the Tibetan issue and a growing interest in Tibetan Buddhism among the mainland Chinese," His Holiness said. (December 29)

Mumbai develops a taste for fight clubs
With money, opportunity and violence galore, full contact fighting is finding many fans in India's commercial capital. (December 26)

China: Stricter air pollution monitoring standards to start next year
China will introduce stricter air pollution standards next year to monitor tiny particles of pollution in Beijing and other cities, but it may not start releasing the results to the public until 2016. (December 25)

India asks Russia to resolve Bhagavad Gita issue
India has approached top Russian authorities to appropriately resolve the move to ban the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita, saying it is not merely a religious text, but one of the defining treatises of Indian thought. (December 24)

Incorporating Buddhist and Tibetan healing methods
The world view of Buddhist and Tibetan healing methods is that we must be grateful to our fellow humans, natural environments, and ancestral spirits for our blessings and have ethical obligations to return something to them. We owe our debts of gratitude to our ancestors, parents, neighbors, teachers, friends, animals, mountains, rivers, plants and so forth. Interdependence, from this perspective, should be based on awareness and appreciation of the support of the universe while we are living on earth. (December 24)

Scaling caste walls with capitalism's ladders in India
The rapid growth that followed the opening of India's economy in 1991 has widened the gulf between rich and poor, and some have begun to blame liberalization for the rising tide of corruption. But the era of growth has also created something unthinkable a generation ago: a tiny but growing group of wealthy Dalit (Untouchable) business people. (December 23)

The plight of China's favored sons
For China's government, social stability is threatened by a gender imbalance likely to leave up to 40 million Chinese without a wife. (December 20)

An urbanizing India faces natural disaster risk
The number of people exposed to natural disasters is expected to more than double to 1.5 billion by 2050, with 200 million of them in India, because of rapid urbanization and the extreme weather stemming from climate change, according to the World Bank. (December 20)

Religion still poison in China
Reminiscent of the Mao era, a senior Chinese Communist Party member has revived the hard line rhetoric against religion by reaffirming that the party's "principled stance regarding forbidding members from believing in religion has not changed one iota." (December 19)

3,000-year-old human remains uncovered in western Nepal
In what could well be compared to Shangri-La as envisioned by British author James Hilton in his 1933 novel Lost Horizon, recent findings of human history dating back to over 3,000 years in the caves of Upper Mustang in western Nepal have perhaps unraveled a significant portion, if not the whole of that region's unknown history. (December 17)

"Beat a Tibetan, get extra credit," shout Chinese students
More than 3,000 Chinese students went on a rampage last week, beating Tibetan students and breaking into their dormitories and class rooms in a Chinese vocational institute in Chengdu. (December 17)

The Buddha and Dr. Fuhrer: An archaeological scandal
In 1898, on an estate between the foothills of the Himalayas and the Gangetic Plains, a third-generation British planter called William Claxton Peppe excavated an intriguing brick stupa. At 24 feet, he unearthed a hefty stone coffer containing five reliquary vases. Besides a glittering heap of jewels and gold, one of the vases held ashes. An inscription around the rim recorded that the ashes were the remains of the Buddha, and that they had been deposited by members of his Sakya clan. (December 17)

India remains "dirtiest" country
ndia remains the "dirtiest and filthiest" country in the world, its rural development minister said last week, lamenting that people in many areas had access to mobile phones, but not toilets. (December 16)

In India, free speech with limits
The framers of the United States Constitution so highly valued free speech that they enshrined it in the document's very first amendment. India, the world's other mammoth democracy, has a first amendment too, but its intent and meaning are quite the opposite. (December 11)

A Buddhist perspective on the Occupy Movement
Arisings to the interconnectedness of life do not use the violent language of separation. (December 10)

Czech FM meets the Dalai Lama, hails meeting as 'inspiring'
His Holiness, on a three-day visit to the Czech Republic, met with former president Vaclav Havel and Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg. (December 10)

Buddhist peace rally against political appointment in Lumbini development
A Buddhist peace rally was held in Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, claiming that since Buddha was born in Nepal and 18 million Buddhists are connected to Buddhist culture, Nepal should be a peaceful country. They are distrustful of the recently appointed chairman of the Maoist party. (December 10)

Cricket captures public's heart in Nepal
The aftermath of civil war and chronic political instability have given Nepalis little to cheer about in recent years but the nation's cricketers have emerged as a surprise source of inspiration. (December 9)

Another Tibetan sets himself on fire
A former Buddhist monk in Tibet has been hospitalized after setting himself on fire, the latest in a series of apparent self-immolation protests against Chinese rule. (December 6)

Obama administration to consider gay rights when allocating foreign aid
The Obama administration is announcing a wide-ranging effort to use U.S. foreign aid to promote rights for gays and lesbians abroad, including combating attempts by foreign governments to criminalize homosexuality. (December 6)

China's security chief warns of "more social unrest"
China's top security chief has warned provincial officials to be prepared for unrest if financial conditions continue to deteriorate in China. (December 6)

Death of activist nun highlights reach of India's 'Resource Mafia'
In India, illegal mining is a big, booming business. The so-called coal mafia rules over an empire worth an estimated $400 million, estimates India's Central Bureau of Investigation. Bribes are bountiful and the consequences of speaking out can be dire: on the night of Nov. 16, a 52-year-old nun and anti-illegal-coal-mining activist, Sister Valsa John, was hacked to death. Her family members say she had been getting death threats from the syndicates she opposed. (December 5)

How to succeed in business? By reading, India says
Indian readers, particularly young ones, have been devouring books on business, management, careers and money in recent years. In storefront displays and airport bookstores across India, these tomes get pride of place, relegating fiction and books about politics to the back row. (November 30)

"In China, every province is a Greece"
In a closed-door lecture, Larry Lang, chair professor of Finance at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a well-known Chinese television personality has been secretly recorded as saying that the Chinese economy is on the "brink of bankruptcy". (November 29)

Why India should stop fearing Walmart
India's Parliament is in the middle of a big political brawl over the issue of fully opening up its vast retail sector to foreign investors. The debate can be handily reduced to one question: Should India allow Walmart, the world's biggest retail company, free rein into the world's biggest untapped retail market? (November 29)

China earmarks 18 billion yuan for mineral exploitation in eastern Tibet
Less than three months after Beijing announced plans to intensify its mining efforts in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR), Chinese authorities in eastern Tibet have decided to quintuple the amount of money spent in the last five years on exploiting minerals in the region. (November 28)

India looks to Buddhism to boost flagging China tourism
Eyeing China's rapidly expanding outbound tourism market, which has, so far, largely bypassed India, the Indian government has launched a tourism campaign targeting the world's fastest-growing Buddhist population with a direct sales pitch: visit India and reconnect with your faith. (November 27)

Anna Hazare feels 'betrayed' on Lokpal, threatens indefinite fast
Claiming that the draft report on the Lokpal Bill by a Parliamentary Standing Committee is a "betrayal", Anna Hazare has threatened to go on an indefinite fast in Delhi from December 27 if a strong anti-graft law is not passed in the winter session of Parliament. (November 26)

New Delhi, now more polluted than Beijing
India has recently pulled far ahead of China on one dubious development marker - air pollution in the country's capital. (November 22)

Purity in Pakistan: Government bans text messages with obscenity - or the word 'Jesus'
Cell phone carriers in Pakistan are scrambling to implement a ban on obscene text messages handed down by the government. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) sent the country's three largest mobile carriers a list of more than 1,500 words that it deems offensive - and wants banned (November 21)

Dalai Lama questions 'wisdom of self-immolations' as means of fighting Chinese repression
His Holiness has said that he is very worried about the growing number self-immolations, and questioned the wisdom of such actions as a means of fighting China's repression against Buddhist monks. (November 21)

Filthy Gorgeous
Of all the third-world metropolises, few are as maligned as Kolkata (Calcutta). To many, it is synonymous with bleakness, instinctually associated with slums, delirious traffic, Mother Teresa's Home for the Dying and weary rickshaw pullers. But it is also part of India's cultural bedrock, having produced some of its greatest writers, thinkers, artists and filmmakers. (November 20)

Fury as Tamil film 'Bodhi Dharma' distorts history
A big-ticket Tamil film about the life of Bodhi Dharma, a Buddhist monk who went to China on an evangelical mission, has stirred up a hornet's nest. (November 19)

More South Floridians choosing cremation over burial
A majority of (Broward County) families chose for the first time in 2010 to cremate their dearly departed rather than pay for the traditional - and more expensive - burial services. South Florida first began cremating in larger numbers in the 1980s. Although the rest of the nation still embalms and buries about 60 percent of the deceased, more than 58 percent of Florida's dead are cremated. (November 19)

The voice of treason
China's most famous dissident artist, Ai Weiwei, speaks out about the ordeal of his detention. (November 16)

Tibetan monks hope making ultimate sacrifice will turn call for freedom into a pressing issue
The monk doused himself in kerosene, then set himself on fire, running 200 meters down the street outside the Kirti monastery in Aba, in China's Sichuan province. (November 15)

Why China won't listen
The Chinese government often tolerates, and even encourages, abuses of power and extra-judicial punishments by law enforcement officials. These are the underlying evils that sustain a regime that values its own preservation above all else, including human rights and the rule of law. (November 15)

In Mumbai, the $50,000 slum shack
Booming real-estate prices turn shanties into goldmines. (November 15)

China to address monks' difficulties
Chinese officials have announced a number of welfare measures for monks in Tibet's monasteries, including pensions, living allowances and access to public services, in an effort to boost stability and "national unity" in the region. The measures come weeks after a series of self-immolations by Tibetan monks and nuns, with at least 11 people setting themselves on fire to protest religious policies. (November 15)

Waiting for a Tibetan spring
In the Ngaba region of Tibet, where a dozen young monks have immolated themselves, life has become harsher than ever. China has reportedly subjected the monks at Kirti Monastery to endure torture, near-starvation conditions and constant monitoring. (November 14)

Nepal to 'slash all facilities' to Tibetans?
Following the self-immolation by a Tibetan monk in the Nepali capital of Kathmandu, the Himalayan kingdom is reportedly mulling over restricting even the fundamental human rights of Tibetan refugees. (November 14)

Dalai Lama makes low-key visit to Mongolia as neighboring China protests
The Dalai Lama began a series of lectures to Buddhists in Mongolia yesterday in a low-key visit which nonetheless drew a protest from neighboring China. (November 8)

Last mountain priest dies in India's Sikkim
An ancient ritual of worshipping Kanchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain, has ended with the death of the last Lepcha priest in remote northeast India. (November 8)

Muslim hajj pilgrims perform devil stoning ritual
Chanting "God is great," millions of Muslims this weekend stoned pillars representing the devil in a symbolic rejection of temptation on the second day of their annual hajj pilgrimage, a day that also marked the start of the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha. (November 8)

The privileges of China's elite include purified air
Membership in the upper ranks of the Chinese Communist Party has always had a few undeniable advantages. There are the state-supplied luxury sedans, special schools for the young ones and even organic produce grown on well-guarded, government-run farms. When they fall ill, senior leaders can check into 301 Military Hospital, long considered the capital's premier medical institution. But even in their most addled moments of envy, ordinary Beijingers could take some comfort in the knowledge that the soupy air they breathe on especially polluted days also finds its way into the lungs of the privileged and pampered. Such assumptions, it seems, are not entirely accurate. (November 7)

Another Tibetan nun dies by self-immolation in China
A Buddhist nun in southwest Sichuan Province has died after setting herself on fire, becoming the 11th Tibetan to embrace a grisly protest against Chinese rule and at least the sixth to die doing so. (November 6)

'Curfew' like situation in Kathmandu as Tibetan woman attempts self-immolation
A Tibetan woman in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, doused herself in kerosene and attempted self-immolation after Nepali police repeatedly curbed what was a largely peaceful demonstration by Tibetan refugees last week. Heavily armed police forces are reportedly keeping a strict vigil on the movements of Tibetans in the city. (November 5)

Tibetans divided by self-immolations
For Tashi Choezom, a Tibetan studying for a nursing degree in New Delhi, the string of suicides by monks and nuns who have set themselves on fire to protest Chinese religious repression are a sin. (November 4)

Modern China yearns for new moral code
Every day, thousands of Chinese tourists make their way to the Lingyin Buddhist Temple in the mountains outside Hangzhou. When they reach the Great Hall of Clouds and Forests, home to a giant statue of Buddha, they light bundles of incense and bow their heads, proffering flaming sticks to the heavens. But many, especially the young and well-dressed, seem unsure about how such rituals should be conducted. They look around, copying what others are doing. One shouldn't read too much into the modest religious experiments of tourists out on a Sunday stroll. Yet the fumbling for the spiritual of the visitors to Lingyin is symbolic of a nation that craves something beyond the material development that has been served up as the raison d'etre of China's modern existence. (November 3)

India plans world's biggest stupa
In a bid to turn Gujarat into a pilgrim place for countries that follow Buddhism, India's chief minister is pulling out all stops to build the world's biggest stupa, which will be centered around a 351-ft high stupa towering over a 151-ft statue of the Buddha. (November 3)

China inaugurates multi-million dollar college to produce "anti-splittist" monks
Amidst the ongoing fiery episode of self-immolations in Tibet by Tibetans studying in monastic institutions, China has inaugurated its first ever official Buddhist college aimed at producing "anti-splittist monks." According to China's official news agency Xinhua, 150 students from various Tibetan Buddhist sects have enrolled in the Tibet Buddhist Theological Institute (also called the Tibet Buddhist College and Tibetan Buddhism University in other official Chinese reports) in Nyerthang near Lhasa, Tibet's ancient capital city. (October 31)

Breaking free: How Nitish Kumar turned Bihar into a model of Indian reform
Hope once seemed unimaginable in the Indian state of Bihar. For decades the state was an Indian byword for poverty, violence and corruption. But that was before Kumar became chief minister in late 2005. (October 31)

'Magic Mushrooms' can improve psychological health long term
The psychedelic drug in magic mushrooms may have lasting medical and spiritual benefits, according to new research from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
(October 31)

China invokes Waco seige in denouncing Dalai Lama
Chinese state media denounced the Dalai Lama this week for his views on reincarnation, saying that the exiled Buddhist monk was trying to revise history, compounding his crimes as a separatist.
(October 31)

West Virginia's palace of gold
It was the Taj Mahal of Appalachia, "Heaven on Earth" in "Almost Heaven West Virginia," a sprawling, opulent affair with lush gardens, a beautiful temple, a Palace of Gold, accommodations for hundreds of devotees, statues of Radha and Krishna, and even, at one point, an elephant. New Vrindaban - named after a holy town in India - was the largest Hare Krishna commune in America, and was opened to the public in 1979.
(October 31)

Will Nepal's PM improve ties with India?
Nepal's Maoists fought a decade-long war against the Nepalese monarchy and went on to form the country's first full-fledged democratic government. Since they took power in 2008, however, the country has been locked in a protracted political crisis. They've struggled to revive the stalled peace process and have yet to pass a new constitution. Jockeying between India and China has only complicated the country's complex domestic political scene. (October 31)

HHDL: Self-immolations sign of deep desperation
"This incident of growing self-immolations in Tibet needs to be studied from philosophical, religious and political view points. It is a sign of deep desperation; Chinese leaders need to look into these incidents more seriously. Ruthlessness only will not be good for all." (October 30)

Dharamsala: A whiff of nirvana?
Many come to gaze upon the Himalayas, or to get a glimpse of the Dalai Lama. But the real charm of this spiritual enclave is in its internal lessons. (October 26)

Youth activists storm Chinese embassy in Delhi, blow loud whistles outside U.N. office
The Indian capital city of New Delhi continued to remain a hectic scene of Tibet campaigns for the seventh consecutive day. (October 25)

Swami Bhaktipada, Ex-Hare Krishna leader, dies at 74
Swami Bhaktipada, a former leader of the American Hare Krishna movement who built a sprawling golden paradise for his followers in the hills of Appalachia but who later pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges that included conspiracy to commit the murders-for-hire of two devotees, died on Monday in a hospital near Mumbai, India. He was 74. (October 24)

285 Indian girls shed 'unwanted' names
More than 200 Indian girls whose names mean "unwanted" in Hindi have chosen new names for a fresh start in life. (October 23)

India falters in countering terrorism
In the wake of the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the Indian government took some initial steps toward a more robust counterterrorism policy. Since then, however, a spate of deadly attacks on high value targets have continued, most recently against the High Court premises in New Delhi last month. . (October 23)

Why I left India (again)
I was excited about moving back to India and I thought I had the right expectations - after being away for eleven years (I grew up in Mumbai), I was prepared for India to feel less like home and more like the flight's "Indian vegetarian meal": visually familiar but viscerally alien. (October 23)

China blames "Dalai group" for Tibet unrest
Beijing has called a spate of self-immolations by Tibetan monks "terrorism in disguise" encouraged by the Dalai Lama, who led "solidarity" prayers in India for the protestors. (October 22)

Activist Nima Dorjee helping Canada's displaced Tibetans
After spending the first 15 years of his life in a refugee settlement in northern India, the son of Tibetan exiles came to Canada in 1981 for a fresh start - and then some. Although he confesses to being "more Canadian now than Tibetan," he has never forgotten the place and its people, a population that has been under Chinese rule after it was invaded more than a half century ago. Since his early 20s, he's been an activist for the rights of Tibetans both in the country and in exile. (October 22)

Wandering in India, Steve Jobs learned intuition
Apple co-founder Steve jobs' wandering across India for seven months looking for spiritual enlightenment turned out 'not be a waste of time' as he came back having learned intuition. (October 22)

Tibetan community leaders detained for questioning in Kathmandu under Chinese influence
Four Tibetan community leaders in Kathmandu were detained last week by Nepalese police following a speech by China's Ambassador to Nepal Yang Houlan in which he blamed "international and domestic forces" for "coordinating [anti-China] activities" in Nepal. (October 21)

Tibetan values movement spreads
As Tibetans step up protests against Chinese rule, Buddhist monasteries in the eastern regions of Tibet have become the focus of efforts to promote not just religion but Tibetan national and cultural values, according to Tibetan sources. (October 21)

China fears the living Tibetans, not those who set fire to themselves
Protest by self-immolation is a new phenomenon in Tibet. Stories of young people burning themselves in protest against the draconian policies and practices of the Chinese government are coming out of the country on almost a daily basis. Unfortunately, both the Chinese government and the Tibetan leaders in exile are responding to this human tragedy solely in terms of a blame game. An opinion piece from the Guardian. (October 20)

Michel Peissel, Tibet expert and adventurer, dies at 74
Michel Peissel, a French explorer and an ethnologist who devoted a good part of his life to recording the culture of Tibet and led numerous expeditions to seldom-traveled places, died on Oct. 7 at his home in Paris. (October 18)

Tibetan teenager torches himself in protest
Shouting "Freedom for Tibet," a 19-year-old Tibetan set himself on fire in the Ngaba (Aba, in Chinese) area in China's southwestern Sichuan province in the eighth self-immolation protest this year. Chinese police chased Norbu Dramdul as he ran in flames for a distance before they extinguished the fire, beat him up, bundled him in a police car and sped away, eyewitnesses said. (October 18)

Ai Weiwei tops power poll
A British art magazine has named prominent Chinese artist and social critic Ai Weiwei the "most powerful" world artist, sparking a barbed response from Beijing. (October 18)

King of Bhutan marries his commoner bride
The beloved king of the tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan married his commoner bride in an ancient Buddhist ceremony at the country's most sacred monastery fortress. (October 17)

Study points to heavy-handed repression of Tibetan area in China
The rise in anti-Chinese tensions and protests in a restive Tibetan region of Sichuan Province, including a startling wave of monk self-immolations, has taken place in the aftermath of sharp increases in the security budget for the area, which indicates the conflict is partly a result of heavy-handed tactics by the local security forces, according to an assessment by Human Rights Watch. (October 16)

Every eighth urban child in India lives in slum: report
Approximately 7.6 million children are living in slums in India and they constitute 13.1 per cent of the total child population of the urban areas of the country, according to an official government report. (October 16)

Can't buy love: Materialism kills marriages
Focusing too heavily on the "for richer" part of the nuptial vows could spell disaster for a marriage, according to research published by Brigham Young University. In a survey of 1,700 married couples, researchers found that couples in which one or both partners placed a high priority on getting or spending money were much less likely to have satisfying and stable marriages. (October 16)

U.S. urges China to resume dialogue with the Dalai Lama
Amidst a fiery episode of self-immolations inside Tibet and growing protests by Tibetans in exile, a group of American senators, House representatives and senior officials appointed by President Obama has called on the Chinese government to resume dialogue with the Dalai Lama. (October 15)

India, China to have system soon to check border intrusions
"India and China will soon have a mechanism to take care of intrusions into each other's territory," India's defense minister announced. (October 15)

China warns India on South China Sea exploration projects
China has indicated it is opposed to India engaging in oil and gas exploration projects in the disputed South China Sea. (October 15)

Burma announces a mass prisoner amnesty - Is real reform next?
Squeezed between booming India and equally booming China, Burma has long felt like a time capsule of repressive rule, economic mismanagement and military dominance. But is change finally coming to this strategic crossroads? (October 11)

Teacher, leave those kids alone!
On a wet Wednesday evening in Seoul, six government employees gather at the office to prepare for a late-night patrol. The mission is as simple as it is counterintuitive: to find children who are studying after 10 p.m. And stop them. In South Korea, it has come to this. To reduce the country's addiction to private, after-hours tutoring academies, the authorities have begun enforcing a curfew - even paying citizens bounties to turn in violators. (October 11)

Nepal's 6-year-old living god
Sambeg Shakya was hailed last year by priests as Ganesh, or the god of good fortune, since then he has led several processions of Nepal's better-known 'living goddesses.' (October 10)

Khaying passes away in hospital, China says no condolences
Khaying, a Tibetan in his late teens, who set himself on fire protesting Chinese rule over Tibet last week, succumbed to his injuries on October 8. (October 10)

India claims it was the source of spirituality to Steve Jobs
Apple's visionary co-founder had a spiritual side shaped by a "spiritual retreat to India" and "traversing through the country, both of which had sparked his as accpetance of Buddhism." (October 9)

The life and times of 'the bad boy of Buddhism'
Film review: 'Crazy Wisdom: The Life and Times of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.' (October 8)

Fourth Tibetan monk self-immolates in anti-China protest
A young Tibetan monk set himself on fire this past Monday in a remote western town to protest Chinese policies, the fourth monk from Kirti Monastery to self-immolate this year, according to a Tibet advocacy group based in London. (October 4)

HHDL's visa request is denied by South Africa
The Dalai Lama scrapped plans yesterday to attend the 80th birthday celebration of a fellow Nobel laureate, Desmond M. Tutu of South Africa, after the host government did not grant his visa request. (October 4)

Nepali authorities bar Tibetans from cultural performance
In a move that has further brought into light the increasing restrictions on Tibetans in Nepal, police last week disrupted a cultural show organized by a Kathmandu-based Tibetan opera group. (October 2)

Practicing Buddhism secret to long life: oldest centenarian
A 112 year-old nun who lives in central Taiwan's Nantou County, says that the secret of her longevity is her lifetime of Buddhist practice. (October 1)

Dalai Lama visa application 'incomplete', says South Africa
The South African government, which has come under criticism lately for not responding to the Tibetan leader Dalai Lama's visa application, has said that the latter's application was "incomplete." (September 27)

Buddhist nuns embrace the power of kung fu
A Nepalese monastery is enjoying a surge in popularity after its spiritual leader introduces martial arts classes. (September 27)

Oasis in a white desert
There is a popular saying among travel buffs, 'getting there is half the fun.' But if Hemis Monastery is your destination, you can't always say the journey is fun; getting there is a sublime experience because it is nestled deep in the majestic Himalayan mountains. (September 26)

Concerns about Nalanda Univ. project voiced
Nalanda, the ancient Indian university near Patna in India's Bihar state is one of the most important sites in Buddhist history as well as the history of education. Founded in the fifth/sixth century CE, it was a rich center of liberal arts and Buddhist studies that saw many imposing Buddhist figures and others pass through it before its destruction by Muslim invaders in the twelfth century CE. Its legendary status is part of what has made the news of its revival as "Nalanda International University" - as spearheaded by Nobel economics laureate and Harvard professor Amartya Sen - so intriguing and exciting. But there is trouble brewing. (September 25)

Vipassana meditation proposed for Indian state government, schools, and prison system
Government officials in Maharashtra, India, may be practicing Vipassana meditation as part of their job criteria soon, as the ruling Chief Secretary believes this undertaking would increase worker efficiency in the government, as well as be beneficial in schools and prisons. (September 24)

Death toll in Himalayan earthquake exceeds 50
Rescue workers in India are scrambling to reach villages in remote Himalayan regions that were hit this past Sunday night by a strong earthquake. At least 53 people were reported to have died, with 40 of them in India, 6 in Nepal and 7 in Tibet. Dozens more were injured, and tens of thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged. Even so, officials said, the sparseness of the population in the remote mountain region kept the death toll relatively low for such a powerful earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.8. (September 20)

China and India making inroads in biotech drugs
Chinese and Indian drug makers have taken over much of the global trade in medicines and now manufacture more than 80 percent of the active ingredients in drugs sold worldwide. But they had never been able to copy the complex and expensive biotech medicines increasingly used to treat cancer, diabetes and other diseases in rich nations like the United States - until now. (September 19)

Buddhist stupa discovered in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district
A hemispherical Buddhist stupa belonging to the Vajrayana period of Buddhism dating back to the 6th and 7th Century CE was by chance unearthed following the sighting of a large brick in the vicinity of a large mound. (September 19)

Priest offers spiritual survival guide for the "second half"
A 68-year-old Roman Catholic author and internationally known speaker says older Americans face a problem: Religious leaders aren't paying much attention to them, and in a new book he attempts to fill that void. (September 19)

China consolidates grip on rare earths
In the name of fighting pollution, China has sent the price of compact fluorescent light bulbs soaring in the United States. By closing or nationalizing dozens of the producers of rare earth metals - which are used in energy -efficient bulbs and many other green-energy products - China is temporarily shutting down most of the industry and crimping the global supply of the vital resources. (September 16)

Chinese dissidents' stories of abuse in detention emerge
One of the great surprises about the widespread crackdown on dissent in China this spring was how many of those who were detained and later released have remained quiet. Until now. (September 16)

China to pump $47 billion into Tibet to 2015
The Chinese government will pump 300 billion yuan ($47 billion) into Tibet over the next five years, with 90.5 billion yuan to finance roads, railways, hydropower stations and other infrastructure, state media said. The 226 projects the money will support are "aimed at achieving rapid development in Tibet," the official Xinhua Chinese news agency reported. (September 15)

Pakistan claim stops Christie's auction of Buddha
Pakistan has claimed a fasting Buddha statue put up for auction by Christie with a starting price of $4.45 million and wants it back. (September 14)

'Do you speak Christian?'
Many Americans are bilingual. They speak a secular language of sports talk, celebrity gossip and current events. But mention religion and some become armchair preachers who pepper their conversations with popular Christian words and trendy theological phrases. If this is you, some Christian pastors and scholars have some bad news: You may not know what you're talking about. They say that many contemporary Christians have become pious parrots. They constantly repeat Christian phrases that they don't understand or distort. (September 13)

Leaked U.S. cable calls Karmapa the 'Obama Lama'
A leaked U.S. embassy cable from New Delhi has nicknamed the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje as 'Obama Lama' and calls the 26-year old Tibetan monk an "inspiring fresh face on the Tibetan scene" who knows Tibetan, English, and Chinese. (September 13)

Shocking impressions from the "new Tibet"
Crossing from Nepal to Tibet may show shocking changes - particularly as seen through western eyes. "What I recall as a four-house large village, has now become a megalomaniac exhibition of Chinese power in the worst sense of the word," one traveller recently wrote. (September 13)

Dalai Lama's visit in Argentina marked by Chinese conflict
His Holiness began his visit in Buenos Aires in the midst of the conflict with China that disabled him from being decorated by the City and national government. (September 12)

Indian democracy gets a wake-up call
Anna Hazare's movement is a populist one, and like all such campaigns offers simplistic solutions to complex problems. Yet there is no doubt that it has galvanized India's urban middle class, and if properly channelled could change the trajectory of the country's politics. (September 10)

Forest monks portrayed in photo exhibition
A photography exhibition offers a rare glimpse of the lives of forest monks. (September 9)

Young lawyer aids exile Tibetans with his language and legal skills
In Dharamsala, lawyer Vinayak Sharma uses his language and legal skills to help Tibetans facing India's complex legal system. (September 9)

HHDL meets Mexican president, China cries foul
Mexican President Felipe Calderon last week held "private" talks with the exiled Tibetan leader, a move which has riled the communist Chinese government. (September 8)

Water is the new weapon in Bejing's armory
China has aroused international alarm by stalling multilateral efforts to resolve disputes in the South China Sea. Among its neighbors, there is deep concern at the way it is seeking to make water a political weapon. (September 8)

Vanishing Shangri-La
In Yunnan's Meili Snow Mountains, tourists are damaging both scenery and culture. (September 7)

Primitive woolly rhino unearthed from Tibet
The discovery of a newly identified species of primitive woolly rhino, dating to 3.6 million years ago on the Tibetan plateau, scientists say, shows that the isolated Himalayan land served as the evolutionary cradle for Ice Age mega plant-eaters. (September 5)

Nepal's prime minister resigns after six months in office
A renewed bout of political paralysis is likely after Jhalnath Khanal departs under pressure from the opposition. In the wings: a new government. (September 4)

New leader of Tibetan "gov't-in-exile" disqualified for talks: Tibetologist
(Note: the sourceof this story is Xinhua, the Chinese government's news agency.) The newly-elected leader of the illegal Tibetan "government-in-exile" is not qualified for negotiations with the Chinese central government, a Tibetologist said. "China already made it very clear a few years ago that the central government is open to talks with personal representatives of Dalai Lama, not representatives from the government-in-exile," the expert said. (September 4)

South Korea will allow a Buddhist group to visit the North
South Korea said it will allow a 37-member Buddhist delegation to visit North Korea, a sign that it might be ready to ease restrictions on civilian contacts with the North. (September 3)

India plans a special strike force for Tibet
After the recent citing of a reported Chinese spy ship in Indian waters and the war-ready military build up on the Tibetan side of the border, the Indian military is planning its own special strike force. (September 3)

Chinese intellectuals warn of Party's collapse
A gathering of dozen elite Chinese political, economic and legal scholars - including top government advisers warned that the Communist Party of China faces a legitimacy crisis due to long overdue political reforms and its obsession with stability. (September 2)

Beijing sets 'bulldog of Tibet' on its Catholics
The hardline official who led Beijing's tough response to the Dalai Lama and his Tibetan Buddhist supporters has shifted jobs to tackle a new target: the country's embattled Catholics. (August 30)

On remote Tibetan plateau, a health-care program that could be a model for China
The Surmang Foundation is training community health workers on the remote Tibetan plateau, where small advances can mean the difference between life and death. (August 30)

Tibet monk given 11 years in colleague's immolation
A Chinese court sentenced a Tibetan Buddhist monk to 11 years in jail after ruling he hid another monk who set himself on fire, thereby preventing him from receiving emergency treatment. (August 29)

Sri Lanka: State of the nation and relations with India
The text of the presentation recently made by the High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in India at the National Defence College (NDC) of India. (August 29)

Beijing's unopened secret gift package to Nepal
You may think that Communists are atheists. You are wrong. They have recently become great experts in religious matters, including 'soul' reincarnations and reestablishing Buddhist institutions. (August 29)

Steve Jobs understood something about emotions that the Green Movement too often ignores
Steve Jobs has always understood that, as human beings, our first relationship with anything is an emotional one. A device isn't just a sum of its functions; it's something that should make you smile, you should cradle, you should love, you should have an emotional relationship with. If people think that's pretentious, then, in a sense, the success of Apple proves how wrong they are. (August 28)

The brew yonder: High tea in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, it's always teatime. The country produces 60 million kilos of tea every year, with almost 95% consumed domestically. At the center of the industry is the bucolic town of Srimangal, a five-hour train ride northeast of Dhaka. (August 27)

Chinese flock to free lectures on happiness, justice
When NetEase, one of China's most popular Internet portals, started offering Open University-style lectures in English, it expected eager Chinese netizens to flock to seminars like Web 2.0 Marketing Communications and Introduction to Robotics. They flocked, but not to those classes. Instead, two more contemplative courses - one on happiness, the other on justice - trumped all others. (August 26)

Seclusion during menstruation continues in Nepal despite Supreme Court ruling
"Chaupadi pratha" is a Hindu tradition that forbids women from touching anyone during menstruation for fear that it will anger the gods. It is a practice that is still prevalent in Nepal as families believe that women will anger the gods and make men, children, crops and cattle impure if they touch them during menstruation. Women are, therefore, forced to live in sheds during their periods, which international health officials confirm poses many risks. (August 22)

Tibetans forced from homes
Chinese authorities are driving Tibetan villagers from their homes near the city of Shigatse to make way for government housing and a parade ground, according to a Tibetan source. Two hundred families were set to be displaced in the move which began in April, a caller from Tibet said, speaking on condition of anonymity. (August 22)

Alleged sexual abuse by Buddhist monk sparks protests in two states
According to the Chicago Tribune, The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, and The Post and Tribune news sites there is a Buddhist monk that is currently living, working and studying at a California Buddhist Temple where he is continuously in contact with minor children. That is after he was allegedly accused of sexual abuse and rape of two teenage girls in a Chicago Buddhist Temple in the past. The temple in the Chicago area is called Wat Dhammaram. (August 21)

Buddhist monastery recreated in India for Tibetan film project
The ever bustling campus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) had an unusual look recently when six of its students toiled hard to recreate a Buddhist monastery for a film project undertaken by them, highlighting the plight of Tibetan exiles. (August 21)

Tibetans train Burmese refugees
In a first of its kind training on democracy and organising mock elections, Tibetan women activists from Dharamsala visited various Burmese refugee camps in Thailand to conduct a two-week long training. (August 21)

For good karma, liberate animals from your diet
An interesting article, noteworthy due to its source: The Kuwait Times, the largest newspaper in the Arabian Gulf. (August 20)

Understanding signs and symbols adorning scripture
Six-pointed stars, in manuscripts of the eighth to the late 20th centuries, signify 'a perfect man' in the Islamic context. And, according to the Encyclopedia Judaica the six-pointed star was adopted by Zionists in 1897 as a sign representing Judaism, but there is evidence of this symbol being in use as early as 5000 BCE. (August 20)

Tibetan monk dies in self-immolation protest
A Tibetan Buddhist monk burned himself to death on Monday in southwest China calling for the return of the Dalai Lama. (August 15)

As humans draw nearer, leopards attack in India
Several rural villages in India have suffered leopard attacks in recent months. In July alone, nearly 16 people were mauled in four different attacks across the country. The most serious was in the eastern state of West Bengal, where a leopard wandered into a village and injured 11 people. Many of the attacks have been in places on the edges of forest reserves, apparently reflecting the growing encroachment of humans on the leopard's ecosystem. (August 15)

China will assist Sri Lanka when needed
China is committed to strengthening the friendship with Sri Lanka and will extend its fullest support in all necessary situations to Sri Lanka in international issues. said Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. (August 15)

A Tibetan study reborn
At first blush, the Newark (NJ) Museum's galleries of Tibetan art look much as they always have: six interconnected spaces anchored by an altar set amid brightly painted columns and presided over by a 19th-century bronze Buddha. On closer inspection, this altar turns out to be the only thing the museum's curator of arts of Asia hasn't tweaked or rethought as she reinstalled the museum's Tibet collection on its centennial anniversary. . (August 15)

Digital artist a mandala teacher
There is something unique in both making and looking at mandalas, and that's what inspired this Ontario (Canada) digital artist to start teaching mandala making classes locally. (August 15)

China's chosen Panchen Lama visits monastery town
A Chinese-designated Buddhist lama who Communist Party officials hope will become a spiritual leader for China's five million Tibetans arrived in a monastery town in the northwestern province of Gansu last week accompanied by a formidable police presence, and a skeptical crowd was forced to greet him with prayer flags and smiles, residents and exile groups said by telephone. (August 14)

Cheers in Myanmar as Suu Kyi travel tests freedom
Thousands of well-wishers lined roadsides in Myanmar to welcome opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as she tested the limits of her freedom by taking her first political trip into the countryside since being released from house arrest. (August 13)

All-nighters for a football team during Ramadan
They're boys like other boys in countless towns, taught that football was important, but not as important as family and faith. Fordson High School's (Dearborn, Mich.) enrollment is more than 90 percent Muslim, and this week of two-a-day practices coincides with Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, when adherents refrain from eating and drinking during daylight hours. So, for a second consecutive season, Coach Fouad Zaban has moved their grueling double practices to late night, from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. This allows players to break their fast at sunset, drink liquids and eat a light meal, practice in the relative cool of what has been a baking summer, then eat again before sunrise. (August 12)

Nobel laureate backs Indian 'Save Stupa' campaign
Haryana's "Save Stupa" campaign, started by a Yamunanagar-based documentary maker, has gone global with Myanmarese Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi agreeing to be a patron of the organization running it. (August 12)

Tibetan refugees calling for rights in Nepal
Nepal's Tibetan population, which currently numbers 20,000, has urged the government of Nepal to address the rights of all refugees in their new Constitution. The Constitution is set to be released on August 31. (August 8)

In Boston, Tibetan Buddhist chaplain helps heal the spirit
Patients at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center can choose to have a chaplain visit for spiritual guidance or comfort. As one of the on-call interfaith chaplains, Tsering Ngodup said he finds patients are surprised when they hear he is a Tibetan Buddhist lama. (August 8)

India plans to counter China's border threat
In the wake of China's massive military infrastructure developments along the Indo-Tibetan border, the Indian government has given the green signal to multiple rail and road networks in its northeastern region. (August 7)

Nissan unveils its 'SUNNY' sedan for India
Built to cater to the country's premium sedan segment, the vehicle's exterior design offers a "refreshing design character." (August 5)

India starts 'tweeting' in China in public diplomacy push
The Indian Embassy in Beijing has taken to China's widely popular version of Twitter in a new public diplomacy campaign aimed at directly reaching out to young, middle-class Chinese, in an attempt to present an often overlooked "modern" image of India. (August 5)

Nepal scuttles grand Chinese plans for Lumbini takeover
Less than a fortnight after a Chinese nongovernmental organization announced its plan for what amounted to a virtual takeover of Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha in Nepal, Nepal's government unceremoniously rejected it. (July 31)

India inks defense cooperation pact with Mongolia
Strengthening its ties with Mongolia, India signed a defense cooperation agreement with the northeast Asian country and announced that it would extend a $20 million Line of Credit for a joint IT, education and outsourcing center. (July 31)

A young Tibetan lama prepares for a greater role
At the age of 7, he was deemed to be the 17th reincarnation of the Karmapa - one of the most revered figures in Tibetan Buddhism - and whisked from the yak-hair tent of his nomad family in the Himalayas to be groomed in a monastery for leadership. Now 26, his mere appearance on the stage alongside the Dalai Lama at a major ceremony in Washington last month sent a flutter of excitement through the Tibetans in the crowd. (July 30)

Thousands enthrone the Dalai Lama's portrait in Tibet
A religious gathering of more than 5,000 people in eastern Tibet violated Chinese government orders and publicly enthroned a portrait of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama with full religious ceremonial gaiety. (July 29)

Tibet Airlines Company operates first flight
Chinese owned Tibet Airlines Co Ltd (TAC) operated its maiden flight from Lhasa Gonggar Airport to Ngari's Ali Khunsa Airport last week. Earlier reports had suggested that TAC, the only carrier based in Lhasa, would begin operations with an inaugural direct flight connecting Beijing and Lhasa. The carrier's fleet at present has only one aircraft, an Airbus A319 but the airline plans to have about 20 aircrafts by 2015, Chinese state media reported. (July 28)

Asian nations calm tensions, U.S. happy
Asian nations moved last week to defuse two critical points of tension in the Pacific, in preliminary steps welcomed by the Obama administration, which is trying to reassert U.S. influence in the region. (July 28)

India's leading export: CEO's
What factors account for the rise and rise of India-trained business minds? "Our colleagues in our Asian offices are asking the same question," laughs the head of CEO succession at an international executive-search firm. "Their clients in China and Southeast Asia are saying, 'How come it's the Indians getting all the top jobs?'" It could be because today's generation of Indian managers grew up in a country that provided them with the experience so critical for today's global boss. Multiculturalism? Check. Complex competitive environment? Check. Resource-constrained developing economy? Yep.And they grew up speaking English, the global business language. (July 23)

'U.S. consulate in Lhasa first, then Chinese consulates in America', US resolves
In an ultimatum of sorts, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee has directed the Secretary of State to forbid additional Chinese consulates in the United States until China allows a U.S. consulate in Lhasa, Tibet. (July 23)

Where is Now? The paradox of the present
The night sky is a time machine. Look out and you look back in time. But this "time travel by eyesight" is not just the province of astronomy. It's as close as the machine on which you are reading these words. Your present exists at the mercy of many overlapping pasts. So where, then, is "now"? (July 24)

India conquers the world
After a long eclipse, an ancient country finally returns as a force in global business and culture. (July 23)

Chinese web search giant serves two masters
With an 84 percent market share, according to iResearch, China's Baidu can see exactly what most of the country's 450 million Internet users look for online, be it the latest political scandal, pop tune or movie schedule. And it is a formidable opponent for other companies, as Google can testify after scaling back its operations in China last year. (July 18)

Buddhist music comes West
Buddhism in the West has reached its second century. If the Asian experience of Buddhist history is any judge, it may be another hundred years before a truly indigenous Western Buddhism flourishes here in the Americas and Europe. So you might say that we in the West are still in our bridge phase, or to borrow a Northern California tree crop metaphor, we are still grafting an Asian cultivar to our North American rootstock. What of the music of Buddhism is likely to survive? The author believes probably the essence of chanted sound, some experience beyond words and culturally bound melody. (July 18)

Debate grows in Nepal about gang-raped nun
As the 21-year-old Buddhist nun from Nepal who had been gang-raped in a public bus returned to Kathmandu after initial medical treatment in India's border town of Siliguri, a debate finally began to grow about the attack in the Himalayan republic, that had so far remained largely silent on her suffering. (July 17)

HHDL's reduced role blocks China's plans
The Dalai Lama's decision to hand over full political power to an elected exile prime minister has blocked China's long-range plan to tighten control of Tibet by manipulating a new "reincarnation" of the revered spiritual leader, experts say. (July 17)

Less than half in U.S. know Dalai Lama's religion: poll
In the U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, only 47 percent of Americans correctly identified the Dalai Lama as Buddhist, Pew said as thousands attended a 10-day Buddhist prayer ritual for world peace, led by the Dalai Lama, in Washington, D.C. (July 16)

And the biggest Buddha statue in the Western Hemisphere is . . . right outside Princeton, N.J.
"The purpose of our temple (New Jersey Buddhist Vihara, where the statue is located) is to provide services for Sri Lankan Buddhists and all Buddhists, and non-Buddhists as well," said one of the three monks in residence at the unassuming temple -- which simply looks like a house. (July 15)

Dalai Lama can be a constructive partner for China: U.S.
The U.S. believes that Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama can be a constructive partner for China, particularly as it deals with the challenge of resolving continuing tensions in areas around Tibet, a Obama Administration official has said.. (July 14)

Monks sought support while in Washington, D.C.
For the first time, nearly the entire hierarchy of the Tibetan Buddhist religion was in Washington, DC to attend a Kalachakra for World Peace, the biggest Buddhist ritual open to the public and led by the Dalai Lama himself. Also occuring: an apparent attempt to up the pressure on the Obama government to support them and their cause. (July 14)

Indian spiritualism made for the modern age
A peculiar characteristic of Indian leaders who claim to represent the average man is that they dress very differently from him. The majority of Indian men today wear shirts and trousers, including a tribal king who lives on top of a hill in the South Indian state of Kerala. But political and philosophical figures in India continue to wear costumes from another time. (July 12)

Sixty years since peaceful liberation of Tibet
The propaganda never stops: The Information Office of the State Council, China's cabinet, has published a white paper on the sixty years since the peaceful liberation of Tibet. Click on the headline to see the full text. (July 12)

The truth about India
Four stupid misconceptions the West needs to shake. (July 12)

Copper mining will crush ancient Afghan Buddhist site
Teams in Afghanistan scramble to save artifacts before a Chinese company starts mining work at Mes Aynak, an area filled with the ruins of 5th century Buddhist monasteries. (July 12)

Gang-raped nun now faces expulsion from nunnery
A horrible story: In Nepal, a 21-year-old Buddhist nun who was gang-raped by five men last month in a public bus now faces the ordeal of being stripped of her religious habit and turned out of the nunnery where she had been apprenticed for almost 10 years. (July 12)

Nalanda remnants under attack by devotees
Ancient Buddhist remnants at the Nalanda University survived the plunder of the emperors of Khilji Dynasty and also managed to survive natural calamities, but presently Buddha's own devotes are unintentionally damaging the masterpieces by pinching clay from them on a regular basis. (July 11)

India looking East to build cultural bridges
India is looking East to ramp up cultural contacts and strike new friendships in Asia on the strength of shared history. (July 10)

Indian caste system pushing "Dalit" towards a wall
It is known that the large majority of the Dalits (those "Untouchables") in India are Hindus but due to extreme behavior directed at them, many of them have been converted to Buddhism. Here we present a politically opinionated (from the Pakistani side) examination of the fate of today's Indian Dalits. (July 9)

My incarnation could even be a little girl: HHDL
His Holiness told a Chinese-Australian interviewer that his reincarnation could even be a little girl. He said that it could happen since females are more capable of showing affection and compassion. (July 8)

HHDL says China has no role in picking heir
Before leaving for the U.S., the Dalai Lama said that China's Communist leadership can play no role in deciding who succeeds him as the leader of Tibetan Buddhism upon his death and called Beijing's meddling in the issue "a disgrace." (July 5)

Neuroscience and the changing media stereotypes of Muslims
Popular film and television has relied on stereotypical portrayals of Muslims and Arabs since its existence. There is, however, a quiet revolution afoot inside television and film, and the predictable box of the Muslim-as-terrorist is slowly fading. But will this shift make a difference in ending America's growing prejudice toward Muslims Neuroscience, a field that has itself been undergoing a quiet revolution, may provide some of the answers. (July 4)

A barter way of life
Imagine living on the fruits of your own labor. Being able, for instance, to trade a bag of fruit picked from your tree for a loaf of freshly baked bread and a jar of honey. Or bartering a pair of handmade earrings for a pound of zucchini and a bunch of basil. Imagine creating a gourmet meal without having to spend a dollar. Impossible? No . . . the folks at the Trader's Co-op in Mount Shasta (CA) are showing us how it's done. (July 3)

'Delhi Belly' gets bitter censor pill in Nepal
Two years after the Bollywood action comedy "Chandni Chowk to China" was banned in Nepal, now it's the turn of Amir Khan's "Delhi Belly" to land in the latest controversy in the Himalayan republic with the government stopping the film from being screened due to "obscene dialogues." (July 2)

The Psychology of Money: Consumers in China and India love shopping way more than Americans
Americans are portrayed as the world's ultimate consumers, with the oversized homes, walk-in closets, overflowing storage units -- and monstrous credit card bills -- to prove it. We must really love shopping, right? Then why is it that in a new survey, consumers in India and China were more than twice as likely as Americans to say they enjoy clothes shopping? (July 1)

The surprising, hidden population trends of Hinduism in the U.S.
What is propelling Hinduism in the United States into a role as one of the nation's largest minority religions is a steady stream of Indian immigrants who have built hundreds of temples across the nation, according to a new study. (June 30)

India's military plans with China in mind
A long-term plan by the Indian military has revealed that India is aiming to equip its armed forces to 'move from the current stage of dissuasion to deterrence against China.' (June 28)

Embrace Jesus, Thay tells West
Thich Nhat Hanh wants various religions to engage in inter-spiritual dialogue with each other. (June 27)

High-speed rail poised to alter China
Amid controversy, there are some very real economic benefits that the world's most advanced fast rail system is bringing to China - and the competitive challenges it poses for the United States and Europe. (June 26)

You work too hard
Work finds a way to slip under our front doors and into our personal lives. We check e-mail while making dinner and return phone calls on the weekend; we think about our jobs as we're falling asleep at night and when we're washing our hair in the morning. It's no secret that Americans are overworked. What's surprising is how overworked we are -- and how much corporations benefit from our around-the-clock labor. (June 25)

Six time management tips from the Buddha
Among all the substances we misuse and abuse, the greatest is time. Time is life; we squander it at our peril. Killing time deadens ourselves. (June 19)

China plans to help Nepal develop Buddha's birthplace
A Chinese-backed foundation and Nepal's government plan to transform the Buddha's birthplace in southern Nepal into a magnet for Buddhists in the same way as Mecca is to Muslims and the Vatican for Catholics. (June 19)

Meatless Mondays catch on, even with carnivores
A new nationwide pro-veggie effort, aimed at persuading people to go meatless at least one day a week, has been embraced in Aspen more than in any other city in America. But there are conflicts brewing. (June 18)

Carnist challenge: Making meat-eating cruelty-free
Ok, You get the point made by animal-rights activists. Their primary arguments (that eating other animals is unnecessary, that their lives are as valuable as ours, that eating meat has catastrophic effects on our environment) are, to be honest, unanswerable. But what if you just don't want to stop eating meat? (June 15)

China Navy reaches far, unsettling the region
As the Chinese government and the fast-modernizing naval branch of the People's Liberation Army extend the nation's maritime reach, uneasy neighbors are tracking Chinese vessels, including military and surveillance boats, fisheries law enforcement ships and fishing skiffs, and pushing back hard over anything deemed aggressive. (June 15)

With 1.2 billion people, India seeks a good hangman
Among India's population are bankers, gurus, rag pickers, billionaires, snake charmers, software engineers, lentil farmers, rickshaw drivers, Maoist rebels, Bollywood movie stars and Vedic scholars. Humanity runneth over, except in one profession: India is searching for a hangman. (June 14)

Tibet cut off for 'celebrations'
Chinese authorities have completely cut off Tibet from outside visitors ahead of politically sensitive celebrations in July. The ban is applicable not only on foreign tourists but also bars regular scholars and Tibetans from neighboring provinces from visiting the 'TAR'. (June 13)

China's Guantanamo Bay for Buddhist monks of Kirti
They are not Al Qaeda suspects. They are not terrorist suspects. They are not ordinary criminals who have committed murder, rape or any other common law crime. They are just monks. (June 13)

China's repression can't last: Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama, after a lifetime of struggles against China's government, sees hopeful signs of change in the world's biggest dictatorship. (June 12)

How we came to misunderstand dogs
Throw out the choke chain and shush those dog whisperers. A new book attempts to turn our understanding about dogs on its head. (June 11)

Nepal's royal massacre still a mystery 10 years on
It has been a decade since the royal massacre took place that plunged the Nepalese monarchy into a crisis from which it never recovered. (June 2)

Nutrition plate unveiled, replacing food pyramid
The first lady, Michelle Obama, last week relegated the government's well-known food pyramid to the sands of history, unveiling a new, simpler image of a plate divided into basic food groups. (June 2)

Blood, justice and corruption: Why the Chinese love their death penalty
China is the global leader for the number of corrupt officials who are sentenced to death, and actually executed each year. But, judging by the seemingly endless "public demand" for this kind of punishment and the surging popular anger, it would seem that there is actually not enough of it. (June 1)

Turning trash to gold in China
A landfill in Hangzhou may become a model for dealing with China's growing garbage problem. (May 31)

Cosmic Food
How fringe religious groups helped launch the healthy eating movement. (May 31)

The church of Oprah Winfrey and a theology of suffering
The Oprah Winfrey Show ended last week, bringing despair to booksellers who relied on her book club, television programmers who needed her ratings, and religion scholars who for a decade have tried explaining how this child of poverty became the leader of a worldwide cult. They have worked just as hard to define that cult, which is at once Christian and pantheistic, African-American in origin but global in reach. (May 31)

Tibetan parliament amends Charter for Dalai Lama's devolution of power
The three-day special session of the 14th Tibetan Parliament in Exile that concluded May 28 amended the Tibetan Charter, paving the way for the devolution of the Dalai Lama's administrative and political powers to a democratically elected Tibetan leadership. (May 30)

The rise of 'missing girls' in India and China
Of all the world's major ills - such as war, hunger, and natural disasters - none can quite compare to the millions of baby girls and female fetuses killed by parents who prefer boys. New data from the most populated countries, China and India, indicate that the practice of aborting female fetuses and murdering girls after birth is still widespread, despite efforts in both countries to curb these practices. (May 29)

A God is dead; is it business that suffers the most?
When Sai Baba died last month at the age of 84, India paused in respect and reverence, if blended with skepticism, too. An estimated 900,000 people, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, paid respects at his ornate wake and funeral, which was televised live across the country. He was a controversial figure: critics labeled him a fraud and bemoaned the Indian predisposition for religious entrepreneurs. Now, as the shock is starting to wear off in his home base of Puttaparthi, people are grappling with what comes next. (May 29)

Has HHDL opened the door to Beijing?
The election of Lobsang Sangay, a Harvard Law School scholar, as prime minister of Tibet's government-in-exile was followed immediately by China's rejection of any talks with him on the future of Tibet. This should not be taken as a rebuff from Beijing. Ironically, the retirement of the Dalai Lama from the government-in-exile while retaining his role as spiritual leader may open up an opportunity for talks between his representatives and the Chinese government. (May 28)

China's first collection of Buddhist medicine unveiled at Shaolin Temple
A newly-published 100-volume collection of works on Buddhist medicine was unveiled Saturday at the Shaolin Temple, the shrine of Kong Fu in central China's Henan Province. The earliest of the works dates to the Han Dynasty (202 BCE - 220 CE), while the latest was written during the Republic of China (1912 - 1949). (May 28)

No role for the Karmapa?
Has the Dalai Lama acted shrewdly in giving up his political position and removing the need for a regency? (May 27)

Raiding a brothel in India
India probably has more modern slaves than any country in the world. It has millions of women and girls in its brothels, often held captive for their first few years until they grow resigned to their fate. India's brothels are also unusually violent, with ferocious beatings common and pimps sometimes even killing girls who are uncooperative. (May 26)

Emigre entrepreneurs come to India
From the U.S. to France, entrepreneurs are leaving home and building businesses in India. (May 24)

60 years of Tibetan 'liberation': From what? From whom?
As China marks 60 years of Tibet's "liberation", a writer lifts the veil off the propaganda surrounding the event. (May 24)

Every 30 minutes an Indian farmer commits suicide . . .
Over the past 15 years, a scourge of suicides has claimed the lives of an estimated 250,000 farmers in India. And the death count is still climbing, according to a new report by the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) at New York University. (May 22)

India's anti-poverty programs are big but troubled
India spends more on programs for the poor than most developing countries, but it has failed to eradicate poverty because of widespread corruption and faulty government administration, the World Bank said this week. (May 22)

The threatened rock carvings of Pakistan
Pakistan is going to lose some of the world's most precious rock art carvings due to construction of the Diamer-Basha Dam in the north. The proposed site of the dam hosts some 30,000 ancient art carvings and inscriptions which may vanish forever due to the construction. (May 21)

Pakistan has sacrificed to fight terror, is a victim: China
Facing growing international scrutiny after Osama bin Laden was killed on its soil, China has come to the rescue of its ally Pakistan, saying that Beijing "unswervingly" supports Islamabad's counterterrorism efforts. (May 17)

China will not talk to new Tibetan leader
China appears to have ruled out talks with the Tibetan government-in-exile's new prime minister, Lobsang Sangay. (May 15)

Karmapa appeals for peaceful resolution of Kirti Monastery issues
Concerned about the current unrest at Kirti Monastery in the Tibetan area of Ngaba in Sichuan province, His Holiness the Karmapa presided over a special prayer session which was organized by twelve different organizations based in Dharamasala. (May 14)

Clinton calls Chinese Crackdown a "Fools' Errand"
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says China's effort to hold off the kind of democratic changes that are sweeping the Middle East is a "fool's errand" that is doomed to failure. (May 13)

The Dalai Lama and America the Buddhaful
On his U.S. visits (he's here now), the Dalai Lama attracts spiritual followers, spiritual seekers, politicians and civic leaders. He also draws people who don't care a whit about Buddhism but support the Tibetan political cause against China. (May 8)

The war in the heart of India
Impoverished tribals, shut out from economic progress, embrace the AK-47.
New Delhi is India's political capital; Bangalore the center of its showpiece software industry. If you travel from New Delhi to Bangalore and back, you fly over the poorest districts of the country, where, for the past decade, a bloody war has raged between Maoist revolutionaries and the Indian state. (May 8)

A Tibetan's memories of a Chinese prison
Lukar Jam has a bump on his wrist. His right shoulder is higher than his left, and hurts often too. These, however, are not the only evidence he has from the five years spent in a Chinese jail. He can, for example, even after 14 years of being released, recite all the prison rules in Chinese -- something that was beaten into him. (May 7)

Chinese defy 2006 bilateral agreement at Nathu La
The border trade between India (Sikkim) and China that is being carried out since 2006 has been stalled after goods were not cleared by the Chinese authorities at Nathu La border gate. The Chinese authorities allegedly told the Sikkimese traders that they do not recognize their items, which had been approved by the Indian government. (May 6)

Son treks into Bhutan's snowy mountains in search of CM father
Even as more than 10,000 people, including 3,000 Army personnel, scour the treacherous terrain in search of the helicopter that went missing on Saturday morning with Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu onboard, his son Tashi Tsering Khandu has taken upon himself the task of marching into the eastern Himalayas to try his luck. (May 3)

HH Karmapa denies China 'spy' tag
"Let me categorically state that I am not a Chinese spy, agent or plant in India," the 26-year-old Karmapa, who fled Tibet in 1999 at the age of 14, recently told reporters in New Delhi. (May 2)

An open letter to the authentic (and missing) Panchen Lama Gendun Choekyi Nyima
"No matter what you've been told by your minders and tutors appointed by Beijing, there is a world out here where people are searching for you . . . " (April 30)

A prolific father of Haitian letters, busier than ever
"The voice of God spoke to me," says the esteemed Franketienne, 75, also noting he had also long dwelt on the ecological ruin he believes the planet is hurtling toward. As for his death, that will come in nine years, in 2020, he says, at age 84. He is not sick, he says, but he has learned to "listen to the divine music in all of us." (April 30)

U.S. ends rights talks with China 'deeply concerned'
The United States is "deeply concerned" about a crackdown on dissidents and rights lawyers in China, and the friction could impede the two powers' ties, Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner said after "tough" talks in Beijing. (April 30)

100 Tibetan monks embark on peace march to "Save Kirti Monastery"
To draw the international community's attention to the acute crisis facing monks of Kirti Monastery in Tibet, 100 Tibetan Buddhist monks have embarked on an ambitious peace march from Dharamsala to the Indian capital of New Delhi. (April 25)

China has several interests in Nepal: U.S. Congressional report
China has significantly increased its activities in Nepal where it has "several key interests," ranging from the Tibetan refugees to part of its strategic objective to encircle India, a U.S. Congressional report has said. (April 25)

Reports of two Tibetans killed by Chinese officers
A Tibet advocacy group based outside China reports that two Tibetans were killed by Chinese paramilitary officers who were raiding a monastery in Sichuan Province to detain rebellious monks. (April 25)

Ex-soldier shines light on hidden Burma war
As protests engulfed Burma in 1988, Myo Myint faced a stark decision. A soldier missing an arm and a leg, he believed he could persuade the army to show mercy if he spoke out. Or he could be shot. (April 23)

Inspired by Everest, blessed by prayer flags: Sherpa Adventure Gear goes the distance
A line of clothing and gear that helps support Sherpa families in Nepal. (April 22)

UK calls on Pakistan, India to make peace
The British prime minister has urged Pakistan and India to build on recent, tentative steps toward better relations, saying the "time is ripe" for both nations to put their history of war and mistrust behind them. (April 10)

Chinese influence in Pak-India border "serious"
Reacting to concerns raised by a top Indian army official over growing Chinese influence along not just the India-China border but also the India-Pakistan border, the Indian minister for external affairs has said the government is closely "monitoring" developments along its borders to secure the Indian people's safety. (April 9)

Massive capital flight jolts Nepal
Gripped by protracted political instability, insecurity, labour trouble and a crippling 14-hour daily power outage, wary Nepali investors have started clandestinely transferring capital outside the country. (April 9)

The Untouchables of Dharamsala
Young Tibetans have grappled for years with the radical idea of a Tibet without the Dalai Lama. Now, as His Holiness steps down, an essay tracing their difficult moment of change (April 9)

Dalai Lama retirement accepted, So now what?
The Dalai Lama's proposal to retire from his political role - formally ending a 370-year-old tradition - has been accepted by the Tibetan parliament-in-exile after 10 days of emotional debate in the north Indian town of Dharamsala. The queston now for his followers, and for China's atheist leaders: What happens after he dies? (April 8)

HHDL reiterates concern over Tibet's glaciers melting
The Dalai Lama has reiterated his strong concern over the melting of glaciers in the Tibetan plateau; and for the millions of people that use the life-giving water that live in India. The glaciers feed vital life-lines for Asian rivers, including the Indus and the Ganges. Once the rivers dry up, water supplies in those regions will be threatened to dangerous levels. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama used research provided by Chinese experts, saying that "the Tibetan glaciers are retreating faster than anywhere else in the world". He added that the ecology in Tibet is "something very, very essential". (April 7)

"Money can't buy you love:" U.S. Senate staff delegation finds discrimination and discontent in Tibet
A new report prepared by a bipartisan staff delegation of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee that visited Tibet finds that Chinese economic and social policies are "fueling discontent" among Tibetans. The report offers recommendations for U.S. Tibet policy to promote the inclusion of Tibetans in decision-making based on the conclusion that "Tibetans . . . live under a political system that too often affords them little real power over their own affairs." The delegation also called for the establishment of a U.S. consulate in Lhasa. (April 7)

China rounding up dissidents ahead of leadership change
China has arrested another dissident on subversion charges, the third in a deepening security crackdown, an action that adds to evidence that the ruling Communist Party is determined to snuff out any risks of challenges to its power as it approaches a leadership succession in late 2012, when President Hu Jintao retires. (April 5)

India biased against girls, child sex ratio is lowest since 1947
While the number of women per 1,000 men in India has touched its highest figure, 940, since 1971 when it was just 930, the corresponding number for girls below six is just the opposite -- the lowest since Independence in 1947. (April 5)

Big Tibetan meet planned before HHDL retires
The Tibetan leadership in India will hold its national general body meeting next month just before the parliament-in-exile gets down to amending its constitution to allow Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to retire from political authority. (April 5)

Meditation has the power to make dramatic changes in your physical and psychological health
Many people see meditation as an exotic form of daydreaming, or a quick fix for a stressed-out mind. The advice here is to try it. (April 5)

Nepal disallows Tibetan voting
In what could be termed as a very crucial election for the exiled Tibetans owing to the fact that the Dalai Lama sticking to his retirement plans, thousands of Tibetans voted last week to elect their new prime minster (Kalon Tripa). But the voting could not be held in Nepal where 20,000 exiled Tibetans live. (April 5)

Children as young as four to be educated in atheism
U.K. pupils aged just four are to be taught atheism in a move schools hope will equip them to be 'citizens of the world'. Youngsters will continue to learn about the six major faiths - Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism - but they will also be taught humanism, the belief that there is no God or Gods, and that moral values are founded on human nature and experience. (March 29)

Dalai Lama blesses Tibetan medicine's premiere institute in exile
His Holiness said that the Tibetan system of medicine must evolve with research based projects aimed at enhancing the quality of the ancient Tibetan medicinal system. The 75-year-old Tibetan leader was speaking at the 50th founding anniversary of the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute that was established in exile on March 23, 1961. (March 28)

Nepal reassures support to One China, gets $18m in military aid
Nepal has reassured China of its support and commitment to 'One China Policy' during a meeting between Nepalese leaders and a 15-member Chinese delegation led by Chen Bingde, the Chief of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Nepalese PM Khanal said Nepal was always committed to the 'One China Policy' and assured the Chinese army chief that the Nepalese government will never allow anti-China activities to take place in the country. (March 27)

Nepal Prez says Buddha's teachings vital for peace in Nepal
Nepal President Ram Baran Yadav said teachings of the Buddha were very relevant in today's world and suggested that his country should turn to them to achieve sustainable peace and a democratic constitution. (March 26)

Ancient Buddhist monastery comes to sight in Midnapore
Archeologists from the University of Calcutta have excavated relics that indicate a strong presence of Buddhism in West Bengal between the seventh and twelfth centuries. (March 26)

Why China doesn't want the Dalai Lama to resign
In these tense times, the Dalai Lama's decision to resign is likely to increase anxiety among many Tibetans, desperately worried about a future without a well-established leader. At the same time, his determination to introduce democracy to the Tibetan government in exile will increase his standing among Tibetans remaining within China. It will also remind them that China's leaders have done nothing to devolve the absolute power of the Communist Party despite constitutional promises of "multi-party cooperation." (March 25)

China calls popular Tibetan PM candidate a "terrorist"
China has labeled Dr. Lobsang Sangay, the "43-year old Harvard trained legal scholar", who is dubbed by many as next Prime Minister of Tibet's Government in exile after recent elections as a "terrorist." (March 21)

Google accuses China of blocking Gmail
Over the past few weeks, access to Gmail has been intermittent for users inside China, and some foreign journalists have reported that their accounts have been hacked into. The problems have coincided with what appears to be an intensified campaign by the authorities to control the internet, following the unrest in the Middle East and a series of calls on the web for a similar "Jasmine" revolution in China. (March 21)

Thousands attend Tibetan monk's cremation amid hightened security
Tension ran high last week as thousands of Tibetan residents of Amdo Ngaba paid their last respects to Phuntsok, a 20-year-old monk who died after he set himself ablaze, marking the third year since the deadly crackdown on protesters in Ngaba on March 16, 2008. (March 20)

Is religion on the way out?
A study using census data from nine countries shows that religion there is set for extinction. (March 20)

Last speaker of ancient language dies in India
The last speaker of an ancient language in India's Andaman Islands has died at the age of about 85, a leading linguist has told the BBC. (March 19)

Dalai Lama proclaims success of Tibetan democracy, hands over government duties to elected Tibetan leader
"As early as the 1960's, I have repeatedly stressed that Tibetans need a leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people to whom I can devolve power," said His Holiness. "Now we have clearly reached the time to put this into effect." (March 17)

India may overtake China in GDP growth by 2012
India's growth rate is expected to sail well above 8 percent this year and if local Chinese officials heed Beijing's recommendation of a nation-wide 7 percent growth rate next year, India may even become the world's fastest growing economy in 2012. (March 5)

Security and national defense education course for Vietnam Buddhists opens
A training course for more than 200 Buddhists began in Ho Chi Minh City this week; trainees are expected to study the Party's and the State's guidelines and policies on building the whole-nation defense to prevent the moves of hostile forces to make use of religions and beliefs in an attempt to destroy the people's revolutionary government. (March 4)

"Dirty" energy dwarfs clean in China and India
While China and India have become bold pioneers in clean technology, they are also enthusiastically developing new sources of the oldest, most polluting fuels. The investments in the latter often dwarf the new clean-tech commitments in terms of dollars and ambition. (March 3)

China pledges over 7 billion (Nepali rupees) assistance to Nepal
The Chinese government has yet again pledged to increase its financial assistance to Nepal, a move apparently seen to further strengthen its growing influence in the impoverished Himalayan country. (March 4)

China says Dalai Lama must reincarnate; Closes Tibet to tourists
The governor of Tibet has spoken out against the Dalai Lama's remarks that he may not be reincarnated upon his death, and says that he must respect Buddhist religious traditions, with the approval of the Communist Party. (March 3)

Everest hero finds incredible religious treasure trove in Nepal
In 2004, two years after he climbed Mt Everest for the seventh time, American mountaineering legend Peter Athans took part in a charitable cataract operation project in northern Nepal that changed the lives of nearly 300 beneficiaries. Today, the event has led to a stupendous discovery that, once fully understood, could throw light on one of the oldest religions in the world, its link with India and the connection between Tibetan and Zoroastrian death rites. (Feb 28)

China takes heavy hand to light protests
China deployed a SWAT team, attack dogs and scores of plainclothes security agents in central Beijing after anonymous online activists called for people to start a 'Jasmine Revolution' for the second Sunday in a row, this time by 'strolling' past designated sites in the capital and several other cities. (Feb 28)

Rediscovered, ancient color is reclaiming Israeli interest
One of the mysteries that scholars have puzzled over for centuries is the exact shade of blue represented by 'tekhelet,' which the Bible mentions as the color of ceremonial robes donned by high priests and ritual prayer tassels worn by the common Israelite. (Feb 28)

Scientists: Reconstructing Afghan Buddha possible
German scientists say it may be possible to reconstruct one of two giant 1,500 year-old Buddha statues dynamited by the Taliban in central Afghanistan 10 years ago, which prompted a worldwide outcry and left behind only towering cliff caverns. (Feb 26)

Zen monk brings global view to Buddhism
After 18 years as head of a Zen monastery in the U.S., Issho Fujita now provides help around world. (Feb 22)

Crazy Wisdom: The Life and Times of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche: film review
A new documentary follows the global trek of Tibetan lama Chogyam Trungpa and his impact. (Feb 22)

China to develop mineral bases in Tibet
China plans to develop three major mineral bases in Tibet in the coming five years amid reports that 102 types of deposits with an estimated value of USD 100 billion have been discovered in the region. (Feb 21)

Buddha's home Kapilavastu lies in dire neglect
While the local (Uttar Pradesh) government may be trying to project itself as a champion of Buddhism, the Buddha's original home, Kapilavastu, along the India-Nepal border, lies in a condition of utter neglect. (Feb 20)

Getting ready for the next big quake in Nepal
Nepal sits at the meeting point of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, and the same seismic power that long ago produced the Himalayan mountain range continues to make the country an earthquake hotspot. Geologists have identified the region as due soon for a major earthquake, putting millions of people in danger and the nation's fragile economy at further risk. (Feb 20)

'Happiest nation' of Bhutan surprised by new study on abuse
The government commissioner charged with promoting "Gross National Happiness" in the tiny Buddhist nation of Bhutan said he was deeply dismayed by a recent study that found a majority of Bhutanese women think their husbands have the right to beat them. (Feb 19)

US Tibet Coordinator to review "specific challenges" faced by Tibetans
United States Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, Maria Otero, who also serves as Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, is on a week-long visit to South Asia in an effort to review the "specific challenges" faced by Tibetan exiles in the region. (Feb 13)

Plans on track, China rail link to stretch to near Sikkim border
China is set to extend its Tibet railway network into the strategically important Chumbi valley area, next to Sikkim and the Siliguri corridor. (Feb 11)

The meditation of the red pill
It may seem to be a bitter pill to swallow, but there is a personal resilience that can hold pain and be comfortable being with pain, looking at pain in the face, breathing it into the heart, holding it, cradling it and breathing out the needs that those around us are looking for. (Feb 10)

Oil firms hit by Chinese hackers
Hackers who appear to be based in China have conducted a "coordinated, covert and targeted" campaign of cyber espionage against major Western energy firms. (Feb 10)

Groupon's Super Bowl ad: Harmless fun or tasteless?
The text: "The people of Tibet are in trouble. Their very culture is in jeopardy. But they still whip up an amazing fish curry . . . and since 200 of us bought at Groupon.com, we're each getting $30 worth of Tibetan food for just $15 at Himalayan Restaurant in Chicago." Click on headline to see commercial, hear NPR reaction story. (Feb 8)

Meditation class helps lower violence at Alabama prison
"It works. We see a difference in the men and in the prison. It's calmer," warden says (Feb 8)

Have libraries in places of worship: HHDL
His Holiness has suggested that the numerous temples of worship mushrooming across India should also house libraries along with statues of deities. (Feb 7)

Karmapa faces scrutiny in India
The 17th Karmapa has seen his quest for a monastery unexpectedly set off a national furor, fanned by Indian media that have tapped into growing public anxiety about Chinese intentions on their disputed border. (A good overview of the situation -- Ed.) (Feb 1)

The Karmapa story: Right intentions, bad accounting
The young, extremely bright Karmapa should teach his staff proper accounting ways. (Jan 31)

Nepal's Christians will conduct their own 2011 census
As Nepal prepares to conduct its once-per-decade census, the country's growing Christian community, concerned that it is seen as a negligible minority, will count its own members this year. (Jan 31)

China denies spy rumors amid probe of Karmapa
A senior Chinese official has stepped forward to quash suspicions the Tibetan Buddhist leader known as the Karmapa Lama may be an agent of Beijing. Indian police have been interrogating the Karmapa Lama after finding large amounts of cash on his property, much of it in Chinese currency. (Jan 31)

More raids follow as agencies probe Karmapa money links
A string of India's government agencies are seeking to get to the bottom of the recovery of unaccounted foreign and Indian currency from the monastery and people linked to the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje. (Jan 29)

After earthquake comes, Chinese machinery to obliterate Tibetan roots
China is using the devastating earthquake of April 2010 to rebuild badly affected Tibetan areas, but with a Chinese name and a culture-imposing agenda, according to reports from the region. (Jan 27)

China eyes 15 million tourists to Tibet by 2015
China wants to more than double the number of tourists visiting restive Tibet by 2015, when it hopes the remote region will play host to around 15 million visitors a year. Ethnic tensions in Tibet have distracted the Chinese government and drawn international concern. (Jan 26)

Photo shows that Hu's U.S. welcomers were paid
When Chinese President Hu Jintao came to Washington, his reception had been planned with great care - not only by the White House, but the Chinese Embassy too. (Jan 25)

Bringing a monastery back to life
Erdene Zuu, Mongolia's oldest surviving Buddhist monastery, is a sprawling, windswept complex nestled in the Orkhon Valley, the ancient cultural crossroads where Genghis Khan chose to locate the capital of his empire, Karakorum, back in 1220. The monastery, which dates to 1586, once had 60 temples and 1,000 monks. Now it has just 54 monks, none of whom live on the site, and 13 temples, only one of which - the Lama Temple - can be used for worship. (Jan 23)

25-yr-old first Tibetan to be Indian citizen
Thousands of Tibetans born in India between 1950 and 1986 may have a reason to cheer. They can now become Indian citizens under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. (Jan 23)

Damming Tibet to save China: Hydropower's coming golden decade
What is becoming clear is that the Chinese Communist Party leaders intend to sweep aside the growing strength of the environment movement in China, which in recent years grew in its ability to persuade Beijing to override local boosters of dams that would inundate areas of exceptional beauty or cultural significance. (Jan 23)

Don't worry, I won't abandon you: Dalai Lama reassures Tibetans of his leadership
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has reassured Tibetans that he would not abandon the responsibility of leading the Tibetan people. The Tibetan leader was speaking to around 2,000 Tibetans who had traveled from Tibet to Sarnath (India) where the Tibetan leader concluded Buddhist teachings. (Jan 18)

Letter to President Obama from 39 Tibetan groups
Asking the president to discuss Tibet during Hu Jintao's Washington, D.C. visit. (Jan 17)

Tibet gov't chief says fight against Dalai Lama lasting and vehement
Tibet's top government official said the fight against the Dalai Lama clique is meant to be lasting, intense, complicated, and sometimes fought vehemently. (Jan 15)

Nepal, ex-rebels agree on monitoring as UN leaves
Nepal's government and the former communist rebels have reached an agreement on monitoring thousands of ex-fighters after the United Nations leaves. (Jan 15)

The ideas shaping a new India
This new year will bring the 20th anniversary of that shimmering, amorphous thing, the new India. Like China and South Africa and other made-over nations, India has more than one birth date. There is that midnight hour in 1947 when Jawaharlal Nehru proclaimed the end of British rule and spoke of India's "tryst with destiny." But it is to 1991, when India began to open its doors to the world and loosen the economic controls on its own citizens, that the present form of the country can most easily be traced. (Jan 14)

A light in India
In the age of the iPad, it's easy to forget that roughly a quarter of the world's population - about a billion and a half people - still lack electricity. This isn't just an inconvenience; it takes a severe toll on economic life, education and health. It's estimated that two million people die prematurely each year as a result of pulmonary diseases caused by the indoor burning of fuels for cooking and light; close to half are children who die of pneumonia. In Bihar, India's poorest state, a solution using rice husks is at hand. (Jan 11)

Is global warming making Tibet dustier?
Sediments taken from the bottom of a lake on the Tibetan Plateau suggest that changes in wind patterns caused by global warming may be making the area dustier. That trend could accelerate the melting of crucial glaciers in the Himalayas and affect already imperiled water supplies. (Jan 9)

An escape to Tibet - with the truth revealed half a century later
In 1949, as the Chinese revolution extended its grip to the western part of the country, Frank Bessac escaped through deserts and mountains to Tibet, a journey of almost 3,000 kilometres. Doing so, he became one of the last Westerners to meet the Dalai Lama in his summer palace in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa. (Jan 9)

Yarsagumba: The curse of the Himalayan Annapurna region
Every year, thousands of tourists come to the Annapurna region to climb passes over 5,000m (16,404ft). This isolated and barren landscape is home to Buddhist communities who have lived, farmed and traded here for centuries. But in the last few years, this peaceful region has been rocked by jealousy, crime and murder. It's all about Yarsagumba; the small, fragile, mummified body of the Himalayan bat moth caterpillar that has been invaded by a fungus -- and which is famous throughout the Himalayas as a powerful medicine. (Jan 6)

Tibetan Buddhism can solve global conflicts: Karmapa
The four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism are trying to find common ground to carry forward the Buddha's teachings in ways they can be used to resolve geo-political conflicts, says the 17th Karmapa Lama. (Jan 6)

Years of seeking leads St. Petersburg woman to life as Buddhist nun
A 68-year-old grandmother of five, Sandy, as she was known to friends, has taken the vows of a Buddhist nun and a new name - Ayya Suseela. "This step, it kind of evolved over the last 10 years," the former Methodist said. (Jan 5)

E. Gene Smith, who helped to save Tibetan literary canon, dies at 74
E. Gene Smith, a Utah native who through persistence, ardor and benevolent guile amassed the largest collection of Tibetan books outside Tibet, saving them from isolation and destruction and making them accessible to scholars and Tibetan exiles around the world, died on Dec. 16 at his home in Manhattan. He was 74. (Dec. 31)

UN asks China to reassess policies on Tibet, Mongolia
Following his recent official visit to China, the UN special rapporteur on the Right to Food has asked the Chinese government to reassess its policies which are displacing people in Tibet and Inner Mongolia. (Dec. 29)

Monks enter the modern age
Munching on pizza. Posting on Facebook. Hanging out with friends on weekends. (Dec. 29)

Mining and the new colonization of Tibet
In the next five to 10 years, there might be a change in what comes to mind when thinking about Tibet. (Dec. 28)

Research shows generosity repaid on many levels
Experts have long doubted the existence of genuine altruism, but research increasingly suggests that people can be sincerely generous. (Dec. 28)

Isolated county in Tibet is linked to highway system
China has connected the Tibetan county Medog to the nation's highway system, ending the relative isolation of the area. Medog, in the eastern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region, was the last county in China with no highway linking it to the outside world. (Dec. 27)

India may have incited Nepal's royal carnage: King Birendra's former aide
Nine years after the tragic assassination of Nepal's King Birendra, a former royal aide has dropped a book bombshell alleging India could have possibly incited the killing. (Dec. 26)

N.B.A in India, in search of fans and players
Having conquered China, the National Basketball Association has its sights fixed on Asia's other big emerging market: India. (Dec. 23)

Norway involved in China-Tibet talks
Norwegian officials have secretly been contributing economically to funding meetings between Chinese authorities in Beijing and representatives for the Dalai Lama's Tibetan government in exile. (Dec. 22)

Tibetans are real holders of Nalanda tradition: HHDL
The Dalai Lama has said that Tibetans are the real holders of the Nalanda tradition and are true followers of Indian gurus (teachers). (Dec. 22)

India still world's No. 1 destination for offshore outsourcing
India is still the world's favorite destination for offshore outsourcing, but attractive cost structures in the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia and the rapid growth of the business in China are posing tough competition, according to a new study. (Dec. 21)

'Great wall of suspicion' persists between China, India
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao left New Delhi, vowing that India will never be a rival, but his rhetoric has done little to lift Indian unease over a long-running border dispute and China-Pakistan relations. (Dec. 21)

China pays Nepal police to catch Tibet refugees: WikiLeaks
China pays Nepalese police to arrest Tibetan refugees as they cross over the border to escape persecution, according to US embassy cables released by WikiLeaks. (Dec. 20)

Government of Canada to facilitate the immigration of up to 1,000 Tibetan refugees
The humanitarian initiative will assist Tibetan refugees in Arunachal Pradesh, who live in remote and isolated settlements. (Dec. 19)

Retirement does not mean dissociation from Tibetan struggle: HHDL
"More than 99 per cent of Tibetans in and outside Tibet trust me, so I have the moral responsibility to serve them," His Holiness said. "My call for complete retirement does not mean that I will forget the Tibetan struggle." (Dec. 18)

China's strategic highway to Indian border set for completion
China has inched closer to completing the construction of a strategic highway in a remote Tibetan county close to its border with India, which is likely to boost its capability to move troops and logistics quickly to the borders. (Dec. 13)

Thousands of Tibetans evicted to make way for Lhundrub Dam
The families don't want to leave because in addition to their homes they would lose crops, their only means of livelihood. They also fear of receiving inadequate housing and being without work. They have asked to remain in their area but have been refused and are being housed in various centers. Some families have been sent to the capital Lhasa, where there is no arable land. (Dec. 13)

The Chinese consumer awakens
Chinese consumption is strong. It has grown by more than 9 percent a year, after adjustment for inflation, over the past decade. China overtook the United States in 2009 as the world's leading automobile market. The real-estate market is on fire, swelling demand for appliances and furniture. China is No. 2 in sales of luxury goods. (Dec. 13)

WikiLeaks reveals China's view of Tibet and Taiwan
Chinese leaders may have different opinions about Taiwan's economic development and political reform, but they all seem to agree on a tough stance on Tibet, according to cables from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing published by WikiLeaks. (Dec. 12)

China's army of graduates struggles for jobs
Chinese sociologists have come up with a new term for educated young people who move in search of work: the ant tribe. It is a reference to their immense numbers - at least 100,000 in Beijing alone - and to the fact that they often settle into crowded neighborhoods, toiling for wages that would give even low-paid factory workers pause. (Dec. 11)

Tibetan Buddhism's oldest reincarnate lineage turns 900
The Karmapa lineage commemorated the 900th anniversary of its founding in a grand celebration in Bodh Gaya. Karma Kagyu is the largest lineage within the Kagyu School, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. (Dec. 10)

Mind reading: How humans (and some animals) develop a sense of Self
A Q&A with neuroscientist Dr. Antonio Damasio. (Dec. 6)

China's urbanites rediscover Buddhism
China, an officially atheist country, is experiencing a Buddhism revival. (Dec. 4)

Nepal to check movement of Tibetans as part of 13-point agreement with China: report
Nepal and China have agreed to step up security in their border areas in a bid to prevent the entry of Tibetans into Nepal "to check frequent anti-Beijing protests" in the country, Nepalese media reports said. (Dec. 3)

A Tibet of the mind
For the generations of Tibetans now raised in exile, 'home' has taken on a complex tapestry of meanings. (Dec. 2)

The Karmapa is caught in a political game
As the 900th anniversary of his lineage approaches, exile in India holds no freedom for the revered Karmapa Lama (Dec. 2)

Report uncovers indiscriminate firing on Tibetan protesters in 2008
The Central Tibetan Administration received a list of six Tibetans who were shot dead during peaceful demonstration in Tibet's capital Lhasa in March 2008. An estimated 227 Tibetans have died under China's crackdown since March 2008, out of which about 107 were shot dead by indiscriminate firing. (Dec. 1)

Tibetan protester escapes to India
A Tibetan man sought by Chinese police for more than two years for taking part in protests against Chinese rule has evaded his pursuers and crossed safely into India. (Nov. 29)

China 'scared to death' of Pelosi: leaked cable
China was "scared to death" over a visit by U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is outspoken on human rights, and rejected her request to visit to Tibet, according to files released in the WikiLeaks diplomatic cable cache. (Nov. 29)

Hindu group stirs debate over Yoga's soul
Yoga is practiced by about 15 million people in the United States, for reasons almost as numerous - from the physical benefits mapped in brain scans to the less tangible rewards that New Age journals call spiritual centering. Religion, for the most part, has nothing to do with it. But a group of Indian-Americans has ignited a surprisingly fierce debate in the gentle world of yoga by mounting a campaign to acquaint Westerners with the faith that it says underlies every single yoga style followed in gyms, ashrams and spas: Hinduism. (Nov. 28)

Dalai Lama won't exit any time soon
Even if the Dalai Lama decides to quit public life, as he indicated recently, his aides say the entire process is likely to take about a year's time. (Nov. 28)

China relocates 6,000 Tibetan nomads in Shangri-la under its controversial program
The Chinese policy of resettling Tibetan nomads and herders into so-called "modern way of living" in permanent concrete houses has raised concerns from rights groups as Tibet observers and both Chinese and foreign ecologists say resettlement could exacerbate poverty and family breakdowns and land erosion from intensive grazing by fenced-in animals. (Nov. 28)

HHDL in conversation with Indian Yogic Master BKS Iyengar
His Holiness the Dalai Lama recently engaged in a conversation with renowned Indian master Dr. Yogacharya BKS Iyengar on mind training and compassion in a discussion in New Delhi. Dr. Iyengar, known for deciphering the code of Patanjali Yoga Sutra in a scientific way, has practiced Yoga for the past 60 years and explained the seven stages in achieving happiness through yoga. (Nov. 28)

For yoga master at 92, there is only the dance
She walked with Gandhi, modeled couture in Paris, acted under contract to MGM in Hollywood and worked for the resistance in World War Two France. Now she teaches yoga in New York City. (Nov. 27)

Why is New Delhi silent on Tibet?
Many are complaining that India's government bends backward to assure China that India has no interest in Tibet. (Nov. 26)

The lady walks free again
Aung San Suu Kyi is released from house arrest to a Burma that, while still in the generals' grip, is changing fast. To get things done, she will have to learn how to be more than an icon of democracy. (Nov. 22)

Tibet isn't Kashmir
Before equating the 'Kashmir issue' with the 'Tibet issue', China should think twice. Unlike Jammu and Kashmir, Tibet has no autonomy. (Nov. 21)

Tibet dam is first in a series
Construction of Tibet's first large hydropower station is likely to be the first of more projects to dam the Yarlung Tsangpo or the Brahmaputra that flows into northeast India. (Nov. 20)

Buddhist monk wins riding gold at Asian games
A Japanese monk won the Asian Games eventing individual gold medal last week, which he said was all part of the "special life path" he is on. (Nov. 19)

Succession not a serious issue for me: HHDL
"Succession is not a serious issue for me. It looks like the Chinese government is more seriously looking for it," the Dalai Lama said in Delhi. He also said that the continuation of the Dalai Lama as an institution will depend on what the Tibetan people want. (Nov. 18)

Cultural genocide taking place in Tibet, says Dalai Lama
For the past 20 years, intentionally or unintentionally, some kind of cultural genocide is taking place in Tibet, His Holiness said. "I have heard that many monasteries in Tibet are becoming more like museums and monks just caretakers." (Nov. 18)

Mining companies want a piece of Mongolia.
Mongolia is famed for its vast, open spaces, but calling it 'empty' would be a misnomer. (Nov. 12)

Through a blurry cellphone video, darkly
The task of getting news out of Tibet these days has taken on the frustrating ambience of cold-war research methodology. (Nov. 12)

Dalai Lama given map showing an independent Tibet
An antique map challenging the relationship between Tibet and China was recently given to the Dalai Lama. It clearly defines the two regions as separate countries, a historical counterpoint to China's claim over the highest region on earth. The map was drawn almost a hundred years before China's invasion of Tibet. (Nov 11)

America and India: The almost-special relationship
Both countries are eager to build on their improved ties and set up a unique, special relationship, given that together they represent the world's richest and largest democracies. (Nov. 10)

Liu Xiaobo profile
"I believe that my work has been just, and that someday China will be a free and democratic country," Liu Xiaobo, the recipient of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize said in a statement issued by supporters shortly after he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for subversion in December. (Oct. 8)

Beijing plays its Kashmir card
Even as the Chinese navy signals its intent to enforce sea denial in the "first island chain" in the East (comprised of the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the South China Sea of the Pacific Ocean), the People's Liberation Army is reportedly on the move along China's southwest frontier in Pakistan-held Kashmir. (Oct. 8)

China to expand road network in Tibet by 20 per cent by 2015, connect all rural townships
China's government says the road projects aim to bring economic development to the impoverished area and boost its links to the rest of the country. Tibetan activists say they facilitate exploitation of natural resources while threatening local culture and strengthening Communist control. (Oct. 8)

China: The case for selective failure
China's success or failure over the next 20 to 30 years will be revealed in four areas. (Oct. 7)

Previously unknown language identified in India
U.S. field linguists working in the Himalayas say they've discovered something increasingly rare - a language previously unknown to science. (Oct. 7)

Murder in the Himalayas: A story that had to be told
It's been four years since video footage of the fatal shooting of a teenage Tibetan girl by a Chinese border patrol made international news, before slipping into its final resting place on YouTube. But human rights journalist Jonathan Green, who first broke the story, is determined that it not be forgotten, and has offered an engaging and well-researched account published by Public Affairs Books. (Oct. 4)

Chinese dissident 'favored' for Nobel Peace Prize
China might well be poised to have its first-ever Nobel Peace Prize winner this week - if bookies are to be believed - an outcome that would make history, give a huge boost to democracy advocates inside China, and enrage Beijing's authoritarian government. (Oct. 4)

A Beijing backlash
China is starting to face consequences for its newly aggressive stance. (Oct. 4)

Tibetans condemn Nepal for disrupting exile-prelim elections
Tibetan exiles and activist groups around the world have strongly condemned Nepal for what they see as the "height of kowtowing" to China, after Nepalese police forces disrupted the Tibetan preliminary elections this past weekend. (Oct. 4)

One of world's largest Buddhist temples coming to U.S.
Plans for a 60-foot-high Theravada Buddhist Temple have gained approval for construction in the small township of Raynham, Massachusetts. (Oct. 1)

China warns Nobel official: Don't honor dissident
The director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute says a high-ranking Chinese official has warned him that giving the peace prize this year to a Chinese dissident would harm relations between Norway and China. (Sept. 28)

Nepal: Dragons on the prowl
China ups the ante, looks to cut India's influence in the Himalayan state. (Sept. 28)

Bhutan bids for UN seat
Bhutan has begun for the first time to lobby in a subtle way for a seat in the 2013 United Nations Security Council. (Sept. 26)

China starts work on Tibet railway line to link Shigatse with Lhasa
China has started work on a railway line that will connect Tibet's second largest city, Shigatse, to the capital, Lhasa. The 253-kilometre railway line will promote "tourism and rational use of natural resources" in the occupied country, the Minister of Railways said. (Sept. 27)

China rebuilds HHDL's Tibetan home village
China has renovated the village of the Dalai Lama, rebuilding homes of its inmates, including that of his close nephew who is optimistic about the return of the India-based exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. (Sept. 26)

Water: Tibet, China and Asia
The Tibetan plateau, often referred to as "the water tower for Asia," has in it the source of the Yellow river, the Brahmaputra, the Ganges, the Lancang, the Nujian, the Yaluzangbu, and the Yangtze. Among these, but for the Yellow river and the Yangtze, all are trans-boundary, supporting millions of lives downstream. These rivers provide an abundant and relatively stable flow, their water source being not just precipitation along the river basin, but the glacial snow on the Tibetan plateau. Since rain in most parts of Asia is largely concentrated to a few months every year, nearly 10 countries downstream depend on the flow from the Tibetan plateau. In the past few decades, and more so in the past few years, an unbridled exploitation of resources in Tibet by China, and the resultant devastation of the environment, has resulted in its precious water resource being adversely impacted. (Sept. 25)

One-child policy to stay in China
The one-child policy, 30 years after its inception, will stay, the Chinese regime said in official state media reports this week. "Anyone who illegally gave birth to a second child would be punished, and the penalties would be dismissal from school, a downgrade in wages, or a fine," said a spokesperson. (Sept. 25)

Tibetan exiles in Dharamsala settle in with disillusionment
Some who fled Chinese rule for tales of paradise find life isn't what they expected. Others say the tradeoffs are worth it. (Sept. 24)

Tibetans say their culture depends on HHDL
"We long for the Dalai Lama to come back, to solve the issue of religious freedom and to help Tibetan culture come back, said a monk in Tibet. "If we look ahead 10 or 20 years, if the Dalai Lama fails to come back, I do think Tibetan culture will die." (Sept. 24)

I am confident to return to Tibet, says HHDL
"I'm an optimist, I think I will return to Tibet with a Chinese passport," the Dalai Lama said recently in Budapest. "The Chinese leaders sooner or later have to realize that they must start some sort of political liberalisation, or otherwise they will lose the world's trust. A solution must be found that is good for both China and Tibet." (Sept. 21)

Nepal is more generous than India, China
Despite the political turmoil and poor economy, Nepal has fared much better than economic powerhouses like India and China when it came to charity giving, a study has revealed. (Sept. 20)

In death, the ultimate gift to others
Organ donations help researchers with ALS clues. (Sept. 19)

NYC's gateway to the Himalayas
The Rubin Museum of Art is now five years old, and has taken steps to reintroduce itself to the public with a new, long-running exhibition titled "Gateway to Himalayan Art." (Sept. 18)

China pats Nepal over handling of Tibet issue
A high-level Chinese delegation visiting Kathmandu has reportedly expressed satisfaction over "Nepal's 'One China' policy and the alertness adopted by the country over the Tibet issue". (Sept. 13)

Mysticism to modernity
Lhasa is today awash with modernity, wherein traditional values seem only to be an appendage. (Sept. 13)

China explores a frontier two miles deep
When three Chinese scientists plunged to the bottom of the South China Sea in a tiny submarine early this summer, they did more than simply plant their nation's flag on the dark seabed. (Sept. 11)

Indian troops on alert as border dispute with China heats up
India is augmenting its military preparedness and infrastructural development along its 5,045km disputed frontier with neighboring China in response to similarly heightened activity on the other side. Official sources said India was making preparations to deploy its strategic Agni II intermediate-range ballistic missiles and Prithvi III surface-to-surface ballistic missiles to the Chinese border. (Sept. 10)

Buddhism continues to flower in Mongolia
Buddhist practice, suppressed for decades by the Communist Party, is being reclaimed by Mongolians as an integral part of their national identity. (Sept. 10)

Israel turns back clock for Yom Kippur, sparking debate
Setting back the national clock to accommodate the faithful on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar has generated controversy in the past, but this year the argument is raging with greater intensity because of the early date of the shift, weeks ahead of Europe and the United States. (Sept. 9)

Nepal has obligation not to deport Tibetan refugees, Says UN
An official of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kathmandu said the UN agency and Nepali government should facilitate the safe transit of Tibetan refugees to India owing to the latter's international obligation. (Sept. 8)

China wants India in state of low-level equilibrium: Indian PM
"China would like to have a foothold in South Asia and we have to reflect on this reality. We have to be aware of this," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said. (Sept. 7)

Bhutan's wise pursuit of wealth in happiness
The rest of the world would do well to follow the Bhutanese example of minimising material consumerism and focusing on people's well-being and contentment. (Sept. 6)

Lhasa in their dreams
In India, Tibetan refugees build new lives while dreaming about their homeland. (Sept. 3)

Tibetan nomads struggle as grasslands disappear from the roof of the world
Scientists say desertification of the mountain grasslands of the Tibetan plateau is accelerating climate change. (Sept. 2)

Behind China's stern front: paranoia?
Despite the heavy-handed crackdown on Tibetan and Uighur disaffection in recent years, China remains unsure about the firmness of its hold on Tibet and Xinjiang. Its needling of India, and its security cover for an imploding Pakistan - the global hotbed of jihadism, which spills over into Xinjiang - are motivated by this sense of insecurity. (Sept. 1)

 
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