Centre for Applied Buddhism

11/09/2024

As part of the season of celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the publication of the book Before It Is Too Late and the 45th anniversary of No Limits to Learning, SGI-UK alongside the Centre for Applied Buddhism is hosting an event at Taplow Court organised by Soka Gakkai and the Club of Rome under the theme, It's time for a Human Revolution!

Register for a ticket to attend in person or online here: https://itstimeforhumanrevolution.eventbrite.co.uk/

10/09/2024

2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the publishing of Before It Is Too Late, the book containing the dialogue between Club of Rome founder, Aurelio Peccei, and SGI President, Daisaku Ikeda and the 45th anniversary of the report to the Club of Rome, No Limits to Learning.

Ikeda and Peccei had their first meeting on May 16 1975 in Paris out of which grew a warm friendship which continued until Peccei’s passing in 1984. Ikeda wrote about the great life of Peccei, reflecting on their friendship borne from a shared struggle, in an article published in 2000.

Read the full article here: https://thefifthelement.earth/opinion/ikeda-peccei-reflections/

Photo description: Daisaku Ikeda and Aurelio Peccei, June 1981, Florence, by Seikyo Shimbun.

21/05/2024

June is Buddhist Action Month - BAM! And the theme is Mindful Money. How does your bank use your money? What effect is it having on the world?
https://www.nbo.org.uk/june-is-buddhist-actio

24/04/2024

Great to be attending the Faith and Development conference today organised by Christian Aid and Islamic Relief UK 👏

The panel discussions brought up so many important topics and delved into some of the top concerns for faith-based organisations and individuals working in the field of development. We're leaving the event with a lot of food for thought, feeling inspired and having made some new connections!

23/02/2024

Thank you Faith for the Climate and Christian Climate Action for organising last weekend's No Faith in Fossil Fuels interfaith walk 🙌🙏

23/02/2024

We are saddened to hear of the passing of Johan Galtung, a dedicated peace advocate and founder of the International Peace Research Institute, whose contributions to the practice and study of peace-building have left an indelible mark on the world.

Johan Galtung and SGI President Daisaku Ikeda met on a number of occasions, engaging in a series of dialogues in which they explored various key topics and issues from the perspective of Buddhism and nonviolence as solutions. In 1995, their dialogues were published in a book titled ‘Choose Peace’ and contain timeless wisdom for addressing the complexities and contradictions of global society based on a firm commitment to nonviolence and peace.

We wish to express our deepest appreciation and gratitude for the life of Johan Galtung.

“The answer is dialogue, inner and outer, among all parties concerned. Crowded on this Earth we find that our karmas intersect. When something goes wrong, we should follow the excellent Buddhist tradition of meditating within ourselves and seeking solutions among ourselves. In addition, we must project the Buddhist idea that, far from being a gift from above, self-improvement, individual and collective, while possible, results only from hard work. The work for peace needs not merely a handful of governments or peoples at the top, but all of us.” - Johan Galtung

Image credit: Galtung Institut

15/02/2024

This Sunday 18th Feb we'll be joining representatives from various faith traditions for a 'No Faith in Fossil Fuels' interfaith walk in central London with Faith for the Climate 🙌

The walk is part of the Christian Climate Action lent vigil 🙏🌍

If you're in London, come and join us!

No Faith in Fossil Fuels interfaith walk 18 Feb 2024 Christian Climate Action and other members of the Faith Bridge at the Oily Money action, 18 Oct 2023 (pic: Shanon Shah) As part of the No Faith in Fossil Fuels Lent Vigil (14-24 Feb), Faith for the Climate is partnering with Christian Climate Acti...

27/10/2023

We had a fantastic time at the Being Buddhist in Britain conference last Saturday co-organised by UKABS - UK Association for Buddhist Studies, the Network of Buddhist Organisations, the British MahaBodhi Society, and us, the Centre for Applied Buddhism 😄

It was a shame that adverse weather conditions in the UK prevented some of the delegates from being able to make it on the day, but for those of us who could attend we had a great time engaging in some very thought-provoking conversations prompted by the wonderful speakers.

A special thank you to our hosts, the Birmingham Buddhist Vihara, who looked after us very well and kept us going with a delicious Indian veg lunch 🙏

If you want to keep informed about similar future events and activities, you can join our mailing list here - https://mailchi.mp/appliedbuddhism/sign-up

16/10/2023

We are excited to announce the key speaker for our conference this Saturday - Dr Caroline Starkey from University of Leeds! 🤩

Caroline's research is focused on religion and spirituality in contemporary Britain, and spans a range of traditions, themes and approaches. In her research career, Caroline has frequently focused on the establishment, development and adaptation of religions of Asian origin within the British Isles, particularly Buddhism. She has researched, and published on gender and ordination issues in contemporary British Buddhism and is particularly interested in the narratives of 'Westerners' who convert to Buddhism and what this tells us about religious belonging in contemporary Britain. Caroline conducted the first national survey of Buddhist and Jain buildings in England (as part of a larger research project, funded by Historic England), and her recent publications include work on introductory Buddhist retreats in Britain, and the integration of so-called 'secular mindfulness' into the work of British Buddhist centres.

You can still book your tickets here - https://bit.ly/3qvF3Dh

17/08/2023

We are excited to announce our up-coming conference - Being Buddhist in Britain 💫

Tickets are LIVE and can be purchased for £5 through Eventbrite here - https://bit.ly/3qvF3Dh

More details on key speakers, group discussions & workshops will be shared soon 😃

04/07/2023

We're looking forward to attending the Bridging Divides, Loving Earth Conference next week at St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace 🙌

The 1-day conference will explore the intersection of climate and peace and asks, how can we come together for the sake of the Earth in a time of division and climate heartbreak? There'll be workshops, inspiring panel discussions, and keynotes speeches, and a vegetarian lunch 🫶

Tickets are still available here if you'd like to attend - https://stethelburgas.org/event/bridging-divides-loving-earth-conference/

Join us for a 1-day conference exploring the intersection of climate and peace. How can we come together for the sake of the Earth in a time of division and climate heartbreak? With Kaira Jewel Lingo, Scilla Elworthy, David Hinton, Sam Lee and many more.

22/06/2023

“As Buddhists engaged in the UN climate process, we advocate for human rights to be part of the discussions on climate change because when we do that, we contribute to building the safeguards and the social structure that encourage and support the change of heart that is needed to transform the course of human history."

The UKABS - UK Association for Buddhist Studies conference 2023 kicked off yesterday with a stimulating panel discussion titled Buddhists Engaging at the UN.