Matteo Pistono

Satish Kumar and the good folks at RESURGENCE asked me to write about Sulak Sivaraksa and his work on the environment and where he identifies the root of deep ecological suffering. I was happy to be part of their efforts. Click on the photo of Sulak to link to the magazine's website.

In the May/June issue of Resurgence, Satish Kumar introduces a celebration of Truth, Goodness and Beauty. The integration of this ancient trilogy into our lives is the foundation of the challenging journey for Resurgence & Ecologist, its writers, poets, artists, readers and supporters.

In an exclusive feature Germaine Greer, author of the inspirational White Beech: The Rainforest Years, argues that conservation and feminism  Read More 

The Thai edition of 'In the Shadow of the Buddha' will be released on Sunday, March 24, 2013 at the celebration of Arjan Sulak Sivaraksa's 80th birthday. Check out the event page for the full schedule.

Then, on Saturday, March 30, 2013 there will be another book launch and lecture by Matteo Pistono at 13.00 – 16.00 p.m. in the  Read More 

Click on the photo to watch the video of the conversation with Sulak Sivaraksa and Matteo Pistono on "Engaged Buddhism in the 21st Century" that took place at the International Campaign for Tibet on April 13, 2012.

Buddhist Economics in the Age of Globalization
a lecture by Sulak Sivaraksa April 12, 2012 5:00 PM
Healy Hall Riggs Library

»rsvp required (click on the photo to the left to rsvp)

Buddhism is one of the world’s oldest religions, and an important belief system guiding the worldviews of approximately 350 million adherents. Within Buddhism, the Engaged Buddhist Movement applies insights and lessons from Buddhist thought to address social, political, and environmental injustices and challenges. Sulak Sivaraksa (recipient of the 2011 Niwano Peace Prize) is perhaps the most well known and globally recognized Engaged Buddhist leader, both in his native Thailand and abroad. Sivaraksa will deliver a public lecture at Georgetown, reflecting upon his more than half a century of work, and his call for an “economics of happiness” as an alternative to existing models of development.

This event is co-sponsored by the Theology Department; the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs; and the International Network of Engaged Buddhists.
Featuring


Sulak Sivaraksa is a Buddhist spiritual leader and humanitarian best known  Read More 

International Campaign for Tibet & International Network of Engaged Buddhists

presents:
Engaged Buddhism in the 21st century
Sulak Sivaraksa in conversation with Matteo Pistono
with introduction by Mr. Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari, Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama

5:30PM, Friday, April 13, 2012
Doors open at 5:00, lecture begins at 5:30pm
Please RSVP to rsvp@savetibet.org or 202-785-8591

Sulak Sivaraksa is a remarkable and multifaceted Thai intellectual, social critic, and Buddhist leader whose work for peace is exemplified by courage, determination, imagination, and the constant inspiration of the core principles of his Buddhist faith. Sulak has helped to change the views of political leaders, scholars, and young people, in Thailand, Asia, and the world, encouraging a new understanding of peace, democracy, and development. He challenges accepted approaches that fail to give priority to poor and politically marginalized citizens. He has, over a lifetime of dedicated  Read More 

I had the great honor last month to spend a few weeks with Sulak Sivaraksa and about his more than half a century of living and working for justice, peace, democracy and sustainable livelihoods. Sulak Sivaraksa, born 1933, is a prominent and outspoken Thai intellectual and social critic. He is a teacher, a scholar, a publisher, an activist, the founder of many organisations, and the author of more than a hundred books and monographs in both Thai and English.

Click on the photo to the left for more images from the last few weeks.

And read below for a recent article THE FUTURE OF BUDDHISM: FROM PERSONAL AWAKENING TO  Read More 

Pilgrimage in Tibet: In the Shadow of the Buddha
Slideshow and book talk with Matteo Pistono
October 28, 2011 8 pm

Wat Pa (Thai-Bharat Society) Buddhagaya Vanaram Temple
Bodhgaya, INDIA
hosted by the International Network of Engaged Buddhist

Pistono draws on his experiences as a journalist and student of Tibetan Buddhism to explore the intersection between spirituality and politics. In a slideshow talk, Pistono weaves together majestic images from the Himalayas, stories of his decade-long pilgrimage in Tibet, and his role in smuggling out evidence of the Chinese government's human rights abuses to the West.  Read More 

There is a great collection of papers on Engaged Buddhism addressing the Future of Buddhism and social action. This collection is being published on the occasion of the bi-annual conference of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) that is happening in Bodhgaya, India from Oct 26-29th. Click on the INEB link to the left to find the conference papers.

Matteo Pistono sits on the Executive Council of INEB and contributed the following to the collection.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF PILGRIMAGE
By Matteo Pistono

When I first journeyed to Tibet in the late 1990s, I was on a pilgrimage in the foot­steps of a nineteenth-century Tibetan mystic named Tertön Sogyal. A horse-riding bandit turned meditation master,  Read More 

Engaging the World through Buddhism
The Washington Post July 10, 2011
by Matteo Pistono

Engaged Buddhism refers to Buddhists who are seeking ways to practically apply insights from their meditation practice and spiritual teachings to social, political, environmental, and economic suffering and injustice. While the roots of Engaged Buddhism may be found in the teachings and actions of the Buddha himself, and other great teachers of the past, Engaged Buddhism can also be understood principally as a movement that began in the late 19th century as a response to Western colonialism in Asia. It is best known through its political movements, such as the struggles by the Tibetan, Burmese, and Vietnamese Buddhists for self-determination, democracy, and peace.

Engaged Buddhism is not simply being a Buddhist and involvement in politics and social justice. Rather, Engaged Buddhists critically and creatively apply the Buddha’s teachings to transform themselves and their societies. Thich Nhat Hanh of Vietnam, Ajan Maha Ghosanand of Cambodia, The Dalai Lama of Tibet, Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma, and Ajan Sulak Sivaraksa of Thailand are modern-day leaders who embody Engaged Buddhist principals and have guided organizations such as the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, the International Network of Engaged Buddhist, and the Zen Peacemakers.  Read More