The University Buddhist Association of UCLA is an organization of students, faculty, and community members who come together to learn about and practice Buddhism. We're a non-sectarian Buddhist group that welcomes all Buddhists and non-Buddhist of all faiths and traditions.
If you're interested in learning more about the UCLA Buddhist community, please come to our meetings.
When: Every Tuesday, 5:30 - 7:00pm Where: University Catholic Center 633 Gayley Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90024
From Nov. 16-20, UCLA will be celebrating International Education Week. There will be many different events happening throughout the week that help promote worldwide educational exchange. The best part is that they even have two Buddhist-related events happening! Here are some of the events I would like to highlight:
Shoji Yamada on his book "Shots in the Dark: Japan, Zen, and the West"
An Informal Lecture Monday, November 02, 2009 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Faculty Center Hacienda Room UCLA Los Angeles, CA 90095
In the years after World War II, Westerners and Japanese alike elevated Zen to the quintessence of spirituality in Japan. Pursuing the sources of Zen as a Japanese ideal, Shoji Yamada uncovers the surprising role of two cultural touchstones: Eugen Herrigel's Zen in the Art of Archery and Ryoanji's dry-landscape rock garden. Yamada shows how both became facile conduits for exporting and importing Japanese culture.
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The Buddhist Arts of Tea in Medieval China
James A. Benn delivers the 22nd Sammy Yukuan Lee Lecture on Chinese Archaeology and Art
Saturday, November 07, 2009 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Lenart Auditorium Fowler Museum of Cultural History UCLA Los Angeles, CA 90095
The relatively rapid change in drinking habits that occurred in late medieval China (Tang dynasty, 618–907) cannot be understood without appreciating the crucial role of Buddhist ideas, institutions, and practitioners. While Buddhist texts vividly depicted the dangers of imbibing intoxicating substances, Buddhist monks were also active in spreading an alternative to alcohol—tea—throughout the empire. By the end of the ninth century, tea had become a vital component in the Chinese economy and an essential commodity of everyday life. Tea was valued for its ability to sustain long periods of meditation and for its health-giving properties. It was considered an appropriate offering for Buddhist deities, and a suitable gift for monks and laypeople to exchange. Tea, like alcohol before it, stimulated and inspired poets and connoisseurs.
This lecture will look closely at the surviving artistic, material, and literary evidence for Buddhist involvement in the promotion of tea drinking and the invention of a Chinese tea culture.
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Professor Melanie Malzahn (University of Vienna)
Friday, November 13, 2009 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
243 Royce Hall
Among the extinct languages merely known by manuscripts discovered along the Silk Road, Tocharian A and Tocharian B, together, constitute one of the twelve branches of Indo-European languages. Although deciphered in 1908 by German Indologists Emil Sieg and Wilhelm Siegling, the main bulk of Tocharian texts scattered through European collections were known by only a few specialists until very recently. Tocharian A and B were closely related, but seem not to have been mutually understandable. Apart from literary texts exclusively related to and based on Buddhist literature, we also have documents of profane nature such as letters and monastery records. In recent years, much effort has been made in publishing texts leading to a better understanding of the languages themselves, especially with regard to their internal stratification. In this respect, both languages differ significantly. Tocharian A texts, which have only been found in the Turfan Oasis and around Shorchuk/Yanqi but not further west, display a very uniform linguistic character (with very few exceptions), and the manuscripts in general seem to be younger than those of Tocharian B. Tocharian B, on the other hand, is found over a far wider range of find spots, especially around Kucha, and displays an internal chronology of at least 400 years (from 5th century CE to 8th century CE), and is also sociolinguistically diversified. The apparent transfer of literacy from Kucha to the east together with the diachronic and socio-dialectal diversification of Tocharian B and the mutual linguistic influence between Tocharian A and B offers some insight into the but rarely known Tocharian society in the 1st millennium CE.
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Buddhist Cave Temples of the Kucha Kingdom
An Afternoon of Presentations and Discussion Friday, November 20, 2009 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Seminar Room, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Fowler Museum A222 Los Angeles, CA 90095
"Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country" Film Screening Armed with video cameras, a tenacious band of Burmese reporters face down death to expose the repressive regime controlling their country.
Friday, November 20, 2009 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
James Bridges Theater Melnitz Hall UCLA Campus Los Angeles, CA 90095
Internationally renowned author and Tibetan Buddhist nun, and abbess of the Sravasti Abbey (near Newport, WA) will be giving a talk at Chapman University on Saturday.Thubten Chodron studied and practiced Buddhism of the Tibetan tradition for many years in India and Nepal under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan masters for many years. She has directed the spiritual program at centers in Italy, Singapore and Seattle. Ven. Chodron travels worldwide to teach the Dharma. Seeing the importance and necessity of a monastery for Westerners training in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, she founded Sravasti Abbey and is currently involved in developing it. Ven. Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners. She is well-known for her warm, humorous, and lucid teachings. For information call 714-997-6608 or email: nmartin@chapman.edu
For those of you still following this blog, I have decided to keep updating it. I probably won't have the time to update it daily, though I really wish I could. I found out about this really neat movement called LoveMine that aims to bring awareness to the injustices happening in Burma. It's a "collaborative movement of people and organizations committed to peace, hope and freedom for the people of Burma". Please visit their site and see what they're all about.
Last year, UCLA held its annual "Mighty Mic" concert with proceeds donated to help the refugees in Burma. Maybe this year, UCLA will once again be one of the rally points for Burmese freedom.
Welcome to the global hub for supporting, Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's detained democracy leader, on her 64th birthday.
64 for Suu is a site where anyone from around the world can leave a message of support for Burma's imprisoned democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. We want to gather hundred's of messages by her 64th Birthday, June 19th 2009.
You can view video, text, twitter and image messages from around the world left by politicians, celebrities and the public in support of Aung San Suu Kyi.
"A roller coaster of alternating hope and despair" - Village Voice
"A rich, thought-provoking film" - The New York Times"
The award-winning new documentary film "Burma VJ" will be screening in Los Angeles at Laemmle Sunset 5 on May 29 (exact times not yet announced; call the theater for info. closer to the date: 323-848-3500)
LA88 is encouraging all who are able to attend to show their solidarity with the people of Burma by joining us for the May 29 showing. Please also help to raise awareness of the ongoing crisis in Burma and the heroism of its people by inviting others to attend this important screening. The filmmakers describe the movie in part as follows:
"...Though risking torture and life in jail, courageous young citizens of Burma live the essence of journalism as they insist on keeping up the flow of news from their closed country. The Burma VJs stop at nothing to make their reportages from the streets of Rangoon... The film offers a unique insight into high-risk journalism and dissidence in a police state, while at the same time providing a thorough documentation of the historical and dramatic days of September 2007, when the Buddhist monks started marching."
20-May – New York, NY – Film Forum 29-May – Los Angeles, CA – Laemmle Sunset 5 05-Jun – Irvine, CA – Regal Westpark 05-Jun – Portland, OR – Regal Fox Tower 19-Jun – Charlotte, NC – Regal Park Terrace 19-Jun – Boston, MA – Coolidge 24-Jun – Portland, ME – SPACE Gallery 26-Jun – Tallahassee, FL – Regal Miracle 5 26-Jun – Austin, TX – Regal Arbor 19-Jul – Santa Fe, NM – CCA 24-Jul – Cleveland, OH – Cleveland Museum of Art 31-Jul – Washington, DC – Landmark E-Street 07-Aug – Salt Lake City, UT – Tower 28-Aug – Seattle, WA – NW Film Forum
After being locked away for 19 years, those inspired by Suu Kyi and what she stands for await the day she will be set free. Yet, the military junta of Myanmar has found more excuses to keep her locked away:
The charges stem from a bizarre incident earlier this month in which a 53-year-old American man swam across Inya Lake and appeared, uninvited, in Suu Kyi's garden. He was asked to leave, but when he complained of exhaustion, he was permitted to stay overnight. While swimming away the next day, he was arrested. The government appears to be using the incident as a pretext for extending Suu Kyi's house arrest, which expires in a few days; at the moment, however, she is being held on the grounds of Insein Prison, facing a possible five-year prison term.
This past Tuesday UCLA put on their 3rd Annual Mighty Mic concert benefit. Last year they raised donations AND awareness for the situation in Darfur. This year, they put on the benefit for the crisis in Burma. UCLA's UBA was able to attend and participate in this benefit. Along with having our own table (WHOO!! Ok, we shared it with another org./assoc. but we still REPRESENTED!), we got to see many performances, including Daphne Loves Derby (Eric went crazy), Blackalicious (I went crazy), Audible Mainframe, and many more.
But the most exciting part of the entire event and night was when 3 Burmese monks came onto the stage. There was this rush of appreciation and enthusiasm as they walked across the stage with such regal and humble expressions. The monks, Pyinya Zawta, Gawasita, and Agga Nya, are all influential leaders of the Saffron Revolution. They were the leaders, organizers, and the activists that led many to speak out about the militant and violent government in Burma. They spoke out and organized the Burmese people, especially students and Buddhist monks, to speak out about human rights. The Burmese government was hostile to their actions, which led them to seek asylum in America, where their lives weren’t threatened everyday. What struck me the most was when Pyinya Zawta kept emphasizing the importance of youth and activism. How, as the voice of the future, we have to continue fighting for universal human rights so that we can live in a future that is fair and kind to all that live on this precious Earth.
I enjoyed this event tremendously. I hope Pyinya Zawta, Gawasita, and Agga Nya’s journey and activism for a democratic Burma will see much success.
As usual, we will be holding our weekly meditation meeting this Tuesday, April 21st from 5:30-7 pm at the UCC (633 Gayley Avenue, across from the UCLA campus). Our meetings are facilitated by Reverend Kusala, who leads us in a dharma discussion followed by a chance to ask questions and a meditation. Previous dharma discussions are available in podcast form at Rev. Kusala's website: www.dharmatalks.info.
We would also like to announce a special on-campus event we think many of you would be interested in attending.
The Mighty Mic concert, an annual tradition, will be held this Tuesday in support of various human rights organizations working to bring peace to Burma. It starts during our regular meeting on Tuesday, but many of us will be heading over to Ackerman Grand Ballroom right after to check out the concert, if anybody's interested in joining us. Here's some information from the event's Facebook page:
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The 3rd ANNUAL MIGHTY MIC HUMAN RIGHTS AWARENESS CONCERT
Benefit for Burma April 21, 2009, Ackerman Grand Ballroom 6-10pm doors open at 5:45
Los Angeles, CA (April 6, 2009) - On Tuesday, April 21, thousands of students and community members will come together to make history at the 3rd Annual Mighty Mic Human Rights Awareness Concert at UCLA, Benefit for Burma. This student-run non-profit concert attracts about 2,000 attendees annually and is fast becoming a beloved UCLA tradition. Last year, Mighty Mic raised over $20,000 for the refugees of Darfur.
This year, Mighty Mic will highlight the struggle for human rights in Burma, a country that has been under the rule of an all-oppressive military junta for 43 years, making it the 4th least free country in the world. Learn more about the human rights violations, including the abuse of ethnic minorities, mass rape of women, forced labor, mandatory relocations, and child soldiers.
Benefit For Burma 2009's multi-media showcase will feature an eclectic mix of artists from many genres such as rock, indie, and hip-hop, as well as relevant educational content in the form of speakers and videos which will entertain, inform, and inspire attendees.
For information on the lineup of artists and guest speakers: www.mightymic.org
Although the concert is free, donations are highly encouraged as all proceeds will go towards Doctors Without Borders, USA, and US Campaign for Burma.
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If you have any questions or comments for us, as always, feel free to send us an email at ucla.uba.online@gmail.com. Have a great week and a happy Earth Day!
For more information, ticketing, press passes, vendor and sponsorship opportunities visit www.mightymic.org.
The Tricycle has posted a notice about a new program called "Adopt a Monk", organized by the Clear View Project. It's goal is to help the Burmese monks and nuns imprisoned from the Saffron Revolution. Here's how it works:
• Contact Clear View Project to choose a monk or nun. • Send regular letters on his/her behalf to the United Nations, Burmese Generals, & US government. • Send funds to buy more food & medicine for that monk. (details follow) • Hold monthly meditations at your center or public vigils in honor of the monk or all imprisoned monastics. • Send loving kindness to the monks & nuns, their families and the Burmese generals.
The Korea Broadcasting System (KBS) will be going to Myanmar to shoot a documentary on Myanmar's Theravada Buddhism called "The Road to Nibbana"
"Directed by Byan Choonho, the video will be shot in the country's famous Inlay Water Village located in northern Shan State.
The documentary will not only feature the life of Buddhist followers in the Inlay region but also the daily life of local inhabitants most of whom are fishermen, the report said."
Buddhist monks in Burmese participated in a peaceful protest march in light of the anniversary of last year's pro-democracy demonstrators. Leading world powers have also gathered to urge the junta to make political reforms.
"The monks' march took the form of their morning round of begging for alms, but it is widely understood that such a large number of monks marching in an organised fashion represents a veiled protest."
"Ahead of a possible visit by UN chief Ban Ki-moon to the country by the end of the year, the first ministerial meeting on Burma by the five permanent Security Council and mostly Asian nations urged the country's military rulers to co-operate with Mr Ban's special envoy to resolve the nation's political crisis."
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