Opinions

In the fall of 1950 the Chinese People's Liberation Army began its invasion and conquest of the Tibet Plateau. Since that time, outside attention has quite properly focused on the suffering of the Tibetan people.

Nathan Gardner, front, and others of the Seattle Shambhala Buddhist Meditation Group, meditate at the Shambhala Center on Capitol Hill. On the surface, a Zen Buddhist looks and behaves quite differently from a Buddhist practicing in the Tibetan or Sri Lankan tradition

The enchanting and ancient city of Leh sprawls out in a valley hidden among the barren Himalayas. Below: Three Buddhist monk children pose for a picture on their way home from school. They belong to the 17th century monastery at Hemis, one of the most important monastic centers in all of Ladakh. (Picture courtesy of Zoltan Istvan)

The small Himalayan city of Leh, in the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir near the border of Tibet, awakes to the sound of Muslim and Buddhist prayers broadcast from the main mosque and temple.

The former political prisoner Lobsang Damchoe passed away in Gyantse on 31 January 2003. Lobsang Damchoe, a monk in his late sixties, died after long-term ill health. He had been released from Nyari prison on medical parole in 1999

From its staunch Buddhism to a new anti-Aids campaign, James Pringle in Thimphu finds Bhutan is flourishing between the neighbours from hell. During that first chilly night in Thimphu, the Lilliputian Bhutanese capital, the night belonged to the dogs

The Sino-Indian war of 1962 had the following lessons for India: While we had a good capability for the collection of tactical and topographical intelligence about Tibet, we lacked a similar capability relating to Yunnan.

testing

For those who wonder if there is more to life, Sogyal Rinpoche may just have the answer. Anna King Murdoch reports. The one thing that is instantly noticeable about the Tibetan Buddhist teacher Sogyal Rinpoche is that he looks a really happy man.

Buddha: a pragamatist focused on reducing suffering