Great Activity by Cambodian Buddhist Student-Monks in Sri Lanka on 10, July 2011

Dear Dhamma Friends,

SMILE has a great honor to bring a good memorial activity done by Khmer Buddhist Student-Monks in Sri Lanka. This ceremony is called 'Opening Ceremony for Foundation of Building' in Cambodian Buddhist Center on 10, July 2011. The Cambodian Buddhist Students Center is conducting the building (two stories), Wall and Entrance-Gate. Please enjoy seeing the following activities recorded by SMILE. With Metta, 

What To See In Kampong Thom Province, Kingdom of Cambodia

‘Kampong Pos Thom’ was the original name of the present call ‘Kampong Thom’. Because originally long time ago, at the dock of Sen river next to a big natural lake, there was a big cave with a pair of big snakes inside. The people living around this area usually saw these big snakes every Buddhist Holiday. Time after that, the snakes disappeared, and the people of that area called Kampong Pos Thom. Then, only short words ‘Kampong Thom’. During the French colony in Cambodia, the French ruled and divided Cambodian territory into

Nice Views, Good Sense In Myanmar (Cultures of Myanmar)

The culture of Burma (or Myanmar) has been heavily influenced by Buddhism and the Mon people. Its neighbours, particularly China and Thailand have made major contributions to Burmese culture. In more recent times, British colonial rule and westernisation have influenced aspects of Burmese culture, including language and education.

Nice Views, Good Sense in Thailand

The culture of Thailand incorporates cultural beliefs and characteristics indigenous to the area known as modern day Thailand coupled with much influence from ancient India, China, Cambodia, along with the neighbouring pre-historic cultures of Southeast Asia. It is influenced primarily by Animism, Hinduism, Buddhism, as well as by later migrations from China, and southern India.

Arts

Main article: Thai art

 

Thai visual art was traditionally primarily Buddhist. Thai Buddha images from different periods have a number of distinctive styles. Thai temple art and architecture evolved from a number of sources, one of them being Khmer architecture. Contemporary Thai art often combines traditional Thai elements with modern techniques. Literature in Thailand is heavily influenced by Indian Hindu culture. The most notable works of Thai literature are a version of the Ramayana, a Hindu religious epic, called the Ramakien, written in part by Kings Rama I and Rama II, and the poetry of Sunthorn Phu. There is no tradition of spoken drama in Thailand, the role instead being filled by Thai dance. This is divided into three categories- khon, lakhon and likay- khon being the most elaborate and likay the most popular. Nang drama, a form of shadow play, is found in the south. The music of Thailand includes classical and folk music traditions as well as string or pop music.

Nice Views, Good Sense In Lao

Cultures of Lao

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Laos has its own distinct culture. Through Theravada Buddhism it has influences from India and has also influences from China. These influences are reflected throughout Laos in its language as well as in art, literature and the performing arts. Lao way of life is very much influenced by the Buddhism as can be seen through the way that Lao people live and behave. They are taught to be patient and acceptance people. Buddhism was the only thing that bound people together and taught people to be good people and stay away from doing wrong things in the past when the law enforcement was not in place. An important festival in Laos is Boun Pha Vet celebrated once a year. This is a two day Buddhist festival that involves the entire community. Traditionally the Boun Pha Vet is held in January or February depending on the moon cycle. During the ceremony the monks give a sermon of all chapters of the Maha Wetsandon Chadok, otherwise called the Great Birth Sermon. Laotian music is dominated by its national instrument, the khaen (a type of bamboo pipe). Bands typically include a singer/rapper (mor lam) and a khaen player (mor khaen) alongside fiddlers and other musicians. Lam saravane is the most popular genre of Laotian music, but ethnic Lao in Thailand have developed an internationally-best selling form called mo lam sing.

Nice View, Good Sense In Srilanka

Each country in the world has one's own tradition, culture and lifestyle. We love our traditions and cultures no matter what they are. We try to protect our beloved traditions and cultures because these bring us the great benefits for daily life. Now Smile would like to bring a great tradition and cultures of Srilankan people for everyone. Throughout the past centuries Sri Lanka has been going through a dramatic make over. A vast majority of the Sri Lankan community were only influenced by their own traditional food and nothing more. But, due to economical growth and intense competition in developed countries, companies have taken themselves overseas to developing nation.

Cuisine of Sri Lanka

The cuisine of Sri Lanka draws influence from that of India, as well as colonists and foreign traders. Rice, which is usually consumed daily, can be found at any special occasion, while spicy curries are favourite dishes for dinner and lunch. A very popular alcoholic drink is Toddy or Arrack, both made from palm tree sap. Rice and curry refers to a range of Sri Lankan dishes. Sri Lankans also eat Hoppers which can be found anywhere in Sri Lanka. Much of Sri Lanka's cuisine consists of boiled or steamed rice served with curry. Another well-known rice dish is Kiribath, meaning "milk rice." Curries in Sri Lanka are not just limited to meat- or fish-based dishes, there are also vegetable and even fruit curries. A typical Sri Lankan meal consists of a "main curry" (fish,

Smile When We Are Doing Good Things For Ourselves and Others

Cambodian Buddhist-Students Center

Smile when we know that we are providing good services for the society. Smile when we are doing good actions for ourselves and others. Here, Smile Magazine would like to record and to bring you the great social events conducting in Cambodian Buddhist-Students Center (Khemarama Temple) by Cambodian Buddhist Student-monks in Srilanka and lay people from Cambodia on 25^th, May 2011. This event can be called historical event done by Cambodian Buddhist Student-Monks in Srilanka.  The Dream and imagination really become true one day if we keep going our effort. As we have known Buddhism has existed in Cambodia since at least the 5th century CE, with some sources placing its origin as early as the 3rd century BCE. Theravada Buddhism has been the Cambodian state religion since the 13th century CE (excepting the Khmer Rouge period), and is currently estimated to be the faith of 95% of the population. The history of Buddhism in Cambodia spans nearly two thousand years, across a number of successive kingdoms and empires. Buddhism entered Cambodia through two different streams. The earliest forms of Buddhism, along with Hindu influences, entered the Funan kingdom with Hindu merchants. In later history, a second stream of Buddhism entered Khmer culture during the Angkor empire when Cambodia absorbed the various Buddhist traditions of the Mon kingdoms of Dvaravati and Haripunchai.

Cambodian Buddhist Pilgrim To Srilanka

Dear Dhamma Friends,

Smile Magazine, on behalf of Cambodian Buddhist Center, Colombo, Srilanka, would like to record the great events done by Cambodian Pilgrim from Cambodia to Srilanka from 18-25, May 2011. It is really event for the benefits of the many, for the peace and happiness of the world. As we have known Buddhism is not a religion for belief or worship, but for practice. Buddhists are, however, grateful to the Lord Buddha, the Exalted One. That is why Buddhists come to Srilanka to worship and pay homage the Holly Places around the Srilanka as well as other countries. Here, Smile would like to bring more information about Holly Places in Srilanka during the Pilgrim's Cambodian People. Smile has quoted the Original Text by Venerable S. Dhammika on A Pilgrim's Guide. Please read the follow texts to understand more about the Holly Places.

Cambodian Heritage In the World Buddhist Museum, Kandy, Srilanka

Srilanka is a famous Buddhist Country among other Buddhist countries around the world. Buddha's Teachings have been well observed from generation to generation. Presently, Srilanka has set up the International Buddhist Museum complex which was completed at a cost of Rs.200 million. The Sri Dalada International Buddhist Museum on World Buddhism established in the premises of Sri Dalada Maligawa Kandy was declared open  on 20, May 2011 in the midst of pirith chanting of the Maha Sanga. President Mahinda Rajapakse presided over the occasion. The Museum provides the opportunity to study from one location on the world Buddhist heritage. It is located in the ancient military complex building that was built by the British colonial rulers in the 19th century. The government vested the building to the Most Sacred Temple of Tooth for the purpose of establishing the Museum, Kandy, Srilanka.
  

The International Buddhist Museum is situated in the premises of the sacred Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy. It is established with the contributions from 16 Buddhist countries, namely, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Korea, Japan, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Maldives.

A Happy Family

In the society, we might not find any family which has only peaceful and happy condition in daily living. Of course, peace and happiness exist in any family, but it does not maintain always. The root causes of violence have already been mentioned above in order to seek out the certain point of problems. The Teachings of the Buddha guides every family to live with harmony, peace and happiness no matter how difficult things fall apart in their daily living.

The Five Precepts

          This section is quite difficult to expound to the blind world today. So long as greedy people are enjoying five sensual pleasures, the whole world will also be burnt with the fire of greed, hatred and delusion one day. Nowadays some countries in the world are walking along these rough roads in order to survive themselves.

Development of Right View (Sammaditthi)

          Right View is the first of the eight path factors in the Noble Eightfold Path, and belongs to the wisdom division of the path. Some scholars gave the interpretation as Right Understanding which is called “Sammàdiååhi” in Pali term. But here, I prefer to use Right View to Right Understanding. The definition was also given in some suttas as:

"And what is right view? Knowledge with regard to stress, knowledge with regard to the origination of stress, knowledge with regard to the cessation of stress, knowledge with regard to the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress: This is called right view."²³

The Duties of Buddhism for Society

          In this chapter it is much more important to everyone to understand how much Buddhism has been related with society. Not only these days Buddhism is needed, but at the time of Buddha, it was also in need of Buddhism to guide the way for peace and happiness. In once occasion the Buddha said to His disciples, thus,

The Way to Stop Violence

          Life’s journey is going round and round and faces so many troubles. Family situations or social situations are not always going smoothly in the modern society. Some families or societies are living in harmony, peace and happiness with each other while other ones are crying and calling upon for helps. Of course, in this universe, nothing is unchangeable or stable. Violence can also be put in an end but it is not with bullets or weapons. Here, the Lord Buddha said,

‘Hatred is, indeed, never appeased by hatred in this world. It is appeased only by loving-kindness. This is an ancient law’¹⁸.

This is absolutely correct to everyone. In the world, the revenge each other never comes to an end.

In Angulimàla Sutta, the Buddha used the great way out of His compassion and loving-kindness to win murder Angulimàla who have killed many people at that time.

The Obstacles for Social Development

          First of all, the characteristics of these three root causes of unwholesome must be understood. As we see the family life as well social situation is always going with troubles. In the modern society, domestic violence has been occurred everywhere around the world. The whole world is like the mad house. So, what causes such kind of problem to arise? How can the social development move forward for the good of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world, for the good, benefit, and happiness of gods and men? Now the characteristics of these roots must be noted as follows:

Greed has the characteristic of grasping an object, like birdlime (lit. 'monkey-lime'). Its function is sticking, like meat put in a hot pan. It is manifested as not giving up, like the dye of lamp-black. Its proximate cause is seeing enjoyment in things that lead to bondage. Swelling with the current of craving, it should be regarded as carrying beings along with it to states of misery as a swift-flowing river does to the great ocean.

The Influence of Violence to Mankind

Human lives are always going up and down. We are shakable to what we have seen, heard, done and so on. Even though family life is also like the realm of tigers for sometimes. As it has been described in first chapter, the root causes of violence in family, society and so on are based on misunderstanding, greed, hatred and delusion (ignorance) which begin with unguarded mind of human beings.

Of course, “Greed: liking, wishing, longing, fondness, affection, attachment, lust, cupidity, craving, passion, self-indulgence, possessiveness, avarice; desire for the five sense objects; desire for wealth, offspring, fame, etc. Hatred: dislike, disgust, revulsion, resentment, grudge, illhumour, vexation, irritability, antagonism, aversion, anger, wrath, vengefulness. Delusion: stupidity, dullness, confusion, ignorance of essentials (e.g. the Four Noble Truths), prejudice, ideological dogmatism, fanaticism, wrong views, conceit.”¹³

Ignorance (Avijja)

      This term is very familiar to all Buddhists, but they might or might not properly understand it as the root cause of violence in societies. Avijjà is termed pàøi which means ‘ignorance, the main root of evil and of continual rebirth’⁷. Again, avijjà that obstructs the way to a heavenly rebirth and to the attainment of Jhàna and Nibbàna can also be called ‘moha’ from abhidhamma point of view.

It can be said, “Moha is one of the three roots of evil and is common to all immoral types of consciousness. It is opposed to Paññà-wisdom. The chief characteristic of Moha is confusion with regard to the nature of an object. Moha clouds one’s knowledge with regard to Kamma and its consequences and the four Noble Truths.”⁸

Misunderstanding (Micchaditthi)

      Indeed, there are many cases concerned domestic violence. Yet what I have mentioned above is just in brief. Here, I would like to pick up another specific point which can be called the root cause of violence in the modern society- that is misunderstanding.

      The world might not be glorious or peaceful or happy place to everyone if the conflicts, violence, insecurity, grief, lamentation, misunderstanding, etc, are still deeply remaining in human hearts. The views are always up and down. As the Mahadukkhakkhanda Sutta, for instance, uses graphic description to show that violence, conflict and war spring from misunderstanding of sensual desires:

And again, monks, when sense pleasures are the cause... having taken sword and shield, having girded on bow and quiver, both sides mass for battle and arrows are hurled and knives are hurled and swords are flashing. Those who wound with arrows and wound with knives and decapitate with their swords, these suffer dying then and pain like unto dying...

And again, monks, when sense pleasures are the cause... having taken sword and shield, having girded on bow and quiver, they leap on to the newly daubed ramparts, and arrows are hurled and knives are hurled and swords are flashing. Those who wound with arrows and wound with knives and pour boiling cow-dung over them and crush them with the portcullis and decapitate them with their swords, these suffer dying then and pain like unto dying.⁴

Biography of Samdech Preah Maha Ghosananda

A Biographical Sketch of Somdet Phra Maha Ghosananda "The Gandhi of Cambodia" • 1929 Born Takeo Province, south central Cambodia.
• 1943 Initiated into Cambodian Buddhist Order.
• 1953 Studied at Nalanda University in Bihar State, India.
• 1956 Attended 6th Sangha Council of Buddhism.
• 1957 Studied with contemporary masters of Buddhism in Mahayana and Theravada traditions.
• 1969 Received doctoral degree from Nalanda University, title "Maha Ghosanada" bestowed.
Entered hermitage of Thai meditation master Venerable Achaan Dhammadaro.
• 1978 Met first influx of Cambodian refugees entering Sakeo camp following expulsion of Khmer Rouge regime from power. Distributed tracts to the refugees, reminding them of Buddha's words: "Hatred can never be appeased by hatred, hatred can only be appeased by love."
• 1978- Established temples in refugee camps on the Thai-Cambodia border.
• 1980 Represented Khmer nation-in-exile as consultant to the UN Economic and Social Council.
Co-founded Inter-religious Mission for Peace. Launched ecumenical initiatives, world days of prayer for "Peace in Cambodia and the Whole World."
• 1981 Founded Buddhist temples in Cambodia and Cambodian resettlement communities in North America, Europe and Australia; currently oversees temples, establishes cultural and educational programs, sponsors meditations for peace, sponsors training programs for human rights advocacy and development of nonviolent conflict resolution.
• 1983 Met with His Holiness Pope John Paul II in Rome to discuss religious basis for world peace before planned meeting in Assisi.

History of Samdech Chuon Nath

A Biography of Samdech Chuon Nath: A Master of the Khmer Literature Samdech Sangha Raja Jhotañano Choun Nath (born March 11, 1883 - died September 25, 1969) is the late Supreme Patriarch Kana Mahanikaya of Cambodia. Amongst his achievements is his effort in conservation of the Khmer language in the form of the Khmer dictionary. His protection of Khmer identity and history in the form of the national anthem, Nokor Reach and Savada Khmer are also amongst his contribution to the country.

Conserving the Khmer Language
Venerable Chuon Nath was the head of a reformist movement in the Khmer Buddhist Sangha which developed a rationalist-scholastic model of Buddhism, rooted in linguistic studies of the Pali Cannon. This new movement, known as Dhammakaya, influenced young Khmer monks in the early 20th century. The new movmenet also cultivated Khmer-language identity and culture, giving rise to the notion of Cambodian nationalism.

Chuon Nath pushed for a series of innovations in the Khmer Sangha beginning in the early twentieth century: the use of print for sacred texts (rather than traditional methods of hand-inscribing palm-leaf manuscripts); a higher degree of expertise in Pali and Sanskrit studies among monks; a vision of orthodoxy based on teaching of Vinaya texts for both monks and lay-people; and modernization of teaching methods for Buddhist studies.
He also oversaw the translation of the entire Buddhist Pali cannon into Khmer language; and the creation of the Khmer language dictionary.

Google News for Mobile Now Surfaces Nearby News

Google News for mobile is getting more location-aware, now using your location to serve up news items relevant to your whereabouts.

Friday, Google rolled out the new feature, called “News Near You,” to iPhone and Android owners using the U.S. English edition of Google News for mobile.

“Now you can find local news on your smartphone,” Google News Product Manager Navneet Singh says of the update. “We do local news a bit differently, analyzing every word in every story to understand what location the news is about and where the source is located.”

Google News for mobile will prompt you with a pop-up message asking if you’d like to share your location. Should you choose to do so, news concerning your location will show up in the “News Near You” section at the bottom of your homepage, and a “Jump to” drop-down menu will let you navigate to the section quickly.

Google Debuts New Online Magazine

Google has quietly launched its own full-length online magazine, a quarterly publication whose aim is to create a “breathing space in a busy world.”

The first edition of Think Quarterly, based out of the U.K., is a 68-page dive into the world of data and its impact on business. The first thing most people will notice is that it’s a visually stunning piece of work. It’s a rich Flash app with Google’s quirky sensibilities and the in-depth writing you might find in BusinessWeek or Salon. Google’s quarterly magazine is edited and designed by creative agency The Church of London.

The articles themselves are thought pieces about major business and technology topics from a variety of freelancers and contributors. Google was able to snag Simon Rogers (editor of The Guardian‘s Datablog), Ulrike Reinhard (editor of WE Magazine), and other journalists for the project. Many of Think Quarterly‘s articles feature interviews with Google executives and technology leaders. Some of the people featured include Vodafone U.K. CEO Guy Laurence, Google chief economist Hal Varian and famed psychologist Peter Kruse.

“At Google, we often think that speed is the forgotten ‘killer application’ – the ingredient that can differentiate winners from the rest,” Matt Brittin, Google’s managing director of U.K. and Ireland operations, said in Think Quarterly‘s introduction. “We know that the faster we deliver results, the more useful people find our service.

“But in a world of accelerating change, we all need time to reflect. Think Quarterly is a breathing space in a busy world. It’s a place to take time out and consider what’s happening and why it matters.”

It’s unclear whether the new online magazine is another sign that Google is entering the media business or whether it’s just a project to feed the company’s intellectual curiosity. Google doesn’t describe its newest project as a magazine or a publication. Instead, Google calls it a book on its website and a “unique communications tool” on its Twitter account.

Regardless of what you call it, Think Quarterly is an interesting and informative experiment by the search giant.

Update: Google says that Think Quarterly is designed as useful information for its business customers. Here’s the company’s statement:

“Like most companies we regularly communicate with our business customers via email newsletters, updates on our official blogs, and printed materials. This short book about data was sent to 1,500 of our UK partners and advertisers.
“There are only a limited number of copies, and they aren’t for sale or designed for anyone other than our partners – but anyone who’s interested can visit the companion website at www.thinkquarterly.co.uk.”