All of us at SNE, INEB and SEM wish you a joyous, prosperous and peaceful 2019
The first four articles of this edition are dedicated to Lodi Gyari, diplomat, statesman, humanitarian, writer and tireless champion of democratic principles and progressive ideas. He was especially close and dear to INEB as the friendship between him and Ajarn Sulak grew steadily over many decades. Our friend Greg Kruglak wrote in his article about how Lodi Gyari, as Special Envoy of His Holiness, “became an architect and proponent of the Middle Path,” for the Tibetan community. Greg went on to say that, “He sought to move beyond the great suffering experienced by Tibetans and create opportunities for Tibetans to transition to the 21st century on terms that would preserve their identity and Buddhist culture. More than this, he recognized that Tibetans and Chinese were bound together through complex connections… however long it would take for Buddhism to ripen in contemporary China, Tibetans and Han Chinese would find common ground and mutual respect through their shared Buddhist identities.” In his own words, Lodi “viewed Chinese people as his Buddhist brothers and sisters.
Other dose friends who have recently passed away include Bernie Glassman, Urgyen Sangharakshita, and Reihnard Shlagintweit. Reihnard embraced learning and living in other cultures as a diplomat and statesman. Bernie and Sangharakshita both contributed to Buddhist teaching and traditions on the continents of North America (in the USA), Europe and Asia.
2019-NO1