11,000 people embraced to Buddhism in Ahmedabad

Close to 11,000 people, including those from the Koli and Kshatriya communities as well as Christian families, embraced Buddhism at a function in Saijpur Bogha here on Sunday. Buddhist monks from Bhante Pragnyasheel administered the pledges to the new converts. The Ahmedabad district collector, however, said no conversion could be effective unless an official permission was granted.



“Five Hindu Dalit families that had earlier converted to Christianity also converted to Buddhism at the function,” said Balkrishna Anand, convenor of the Bauddh Dhamma Deeksha Angikar Abhiyan (Gujarat). “We were working on the event for the last few months, touring many districts and conducting meetings to mobilise people,” he said, adding that in all, 350 meetings were held to spread the message across the state.



Maintaining that nearly 11,000 people converted to Buddhism at the function, Anand said the neo-converts had come from places as far as Patan, Surendranagar, Rajkot, Vadodara, Junagadh and Mehsana. Renowned Buddhist leader Kalpana Saroj was the chief guest at the function, which was presided over by five Buddhist monks from various parts of the country.
Asked whether an official permission was sought to carry out the conversions, the convenor said applications for conversion were submitted in the respective districts and they were under process.

Ahmedabad District Collector Hareet Mehta, however, said he did not have details of the applicants off hand.

On the occasion, the Vadodara-based Buddhist Mahasabha urged the state government to work towards inception of the Buddhist relic at M S University into a stupa.

“The state government, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation and M S University should join hands to execute the project with help from Acharya Satyanarayan Goenka of Mumbai, who had set up a grand pagoda,” a memorandum of the Mahasabha to the CM read

50 Vietnamese artisans will carve the world’s largest statue of Buddha

World largest jade statue of Buddha to be made in Vietnam

50 Vietnamese artisans will carve the world’s largest statue of Buddha at a weight of 16 tonnes from a 35-tonne jade block measuring 3m tall, 2.15m wide and 2.2m deep.
An opening ceremony for the project was held by the Than Chau Ngoc Viet Gemstone and Jewelry Company in the northern province of Hai Duong on January 18 in the presence of State President Nguyen Minh Triet, officials of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and representatives of Indian Buddhism.

Addressing the ceremony, President Triet thanked the family of Dao Trong Cuong, who owned the Than Chau Ngoc Viet company, for their effort in obtaining this giant jade block from Myanmar.

The State president expressed his wish that the statue will serve religious practices not only in Vietnam but also all over the world.

When it is completed in two years’ time, the sculpture will be registered for the Guinness Records.

Behenjee Gifted With A Plot On The Moon On Her Birthday

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) partymen went to the farthest extent to please "Behenji" Mayawati on her 54th birthday. BSP leader from Kanpur, Mahendra Singh Sengar presented her with a special and unique gift – three acre plot on the moon!

Sengar said that he bought the lunar plot from US-based Lunar Republic Society. He added that the society openly sells plots on the moon and has its registration paper duly signed by its member-secretary Margaret Hayes Barton. However, the papers did not show the price for the plot. He denied mentioning the price for the plot.

He said, "How does it matter how much it cost me; when I am gifting the plot to my most revered Behenji, its price is immaterial. It is the feeling that matters.”

Mayawati, who generally celebrates her birthday in the most extravagant way, observed her birthday in a simple way this time. Moreover, she declared welfare programmes and development schemes worth a whopping Rs.7,312 crore (Rs.70.3 billion).

Narendra Modi to Construct Buddhist temple, religion study centre in state

Buddhism was born in this country, which makes me a son of India, born to Tibetian parents” is how the Dalai Lama described himself as he inaugurated the three-day International Seminar on Buddhist Heritage here on Friday.
On the occasion, Chief Minister Narendra Modi announced to start a centre for religion studies at M S University.

Modi also announced to construct a Buddhist temple in the state. “This will not just be a place of worship or a revenue generation exercise to attract tourists, but also be developed as a centre of research on Buddhist philosophy,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the Dalai Lama paid a visit to Lord Buddha body relics found during an excavation at Devnimori conducted by the Department of Archaeology.

The Dalai Lama said, “Amid the growing technology in the 21st Century, there is also growth in the desire for peace. In such a situation, religion in its different forms teaches.



Vadodara: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated International Buddhist Convention in Vadodara. The three-day seminar will focus on Buddhist heritage in Gujarat.

Speaking about the significance of Buddhism in today’s scenario at the inauguration ceremony, Modi said, “Buddhism is now more significant as we live in a world full of conflicting interests, which then pose nagging threat to the world peace.”

Linking Gujarat’s history with Buddhism, the Gujarat Chief Minister noted: “It will be news to many, but during the times of Maitraka kings there were more than 13,000 monks in Gujarat. We also had one of the greatest Buddhist universities ‘Vallabhi Buddhist University’ in Vallabhi pur in Gujarat during that period.”

“I consider that this seminar is the first in the series of initiatives we are painstakingly planning to undertake in order to locate Gujarat in the context of Buddhism,” he added.

The seminar is being held at the Maharaja Sayaji University, Baroda, and will focus on the Budhhist heritage, recently excavated in Gujarat after a research by the university researchers.

Also present on the occasion was His Holiness The Dalai Lama, who stressed that Buddhism is the religion of peace and its teachings are very relevant at time when the world is sitting at the threat of global terrorism.

I can’t say Buddhism is the best religion: Dalai Lama
Speaking at the function, the Dalai Lama said: “Twentieth century was the most important century in the world history as a lot of inventions took place in it. But on the other hand nearly 20 crore people were killed in wars and conflicts.”

He further said: “The 21st century is no different and it is a matter of grave concern because this is the century of economy and financial powers.”

Stressing on the need of non-violence, the Dalai Lama said: “When America bombed Iraq, thousands of protestors across the globe took to streets and that shows that desire for peace is still alive.”

The seminar was very well managed by the university students working as volunteers.

Also present at the seminar were, Bhutan’s Minister of Works and Human Settlement, Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba who was the chief guest; His Holiness Ogyen Drodul Trinley Dorje, the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa; Swami Dayanand Saraswati, University chancellor Dr Mrunalini Devi Puar; Maha Bodhi Society of India, Dr Bhupendra Kumar Modi apart from other eminent Buddhist leaders across the globe.

Opposition Parties prevented me from getting PM’s post’ - Mayawati

Lucknow The Opposition joined forces in the Lok Sabha elections so that a Dalit does not occupy the chair of the country’s Prime Minister, Chief Minister Mayawati, who turned 54 on Friday, says in her latest book.
“The reason behind these parties reaching a covert understanding during the confidence vote sought by the Central government on the Indo-US nuclear deal was to stop me from becoming the Prime minister,” Mayawati writes in the fifth volume of her book A travelogue of my struggle ridden life and BSP movement — excerpts of which were released by her on Friday.

Terming as country’s “misfortune” that dynastic rule and politics of nepotism were still prevalent, Mayawati laments that it was not only encouraged in an “aggressive” manner but “unethical” alliances were also formed by different parties against the daughter of a Dalit, thereby trampling upon wishes of the general public.

On the construction of grand memorials and parks in the state, she writes that they are not to the liking of the Congress-led government at the Centre and the Opposition shows the “animosity” towards her.

In the 1,100 page book whose Hindi and English versions have been released simultaneously, Mayawati writes that though her birthdays are dedicated to the BSP movement, it has never been liked by the Opposition. They are against the poor and the weaker sections of society and the supporters of capitalists, she added