Author Topic: First ever SL Buddhist temple established in Israel  (Read 18413 times)

icy

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First ever SL Buddhist temple established in Israel
« on: November 26, 2013, 09:55:25 AM »
This is a rejoicing news that the first ever Buddhist temple has been set up in Israel, the Middle East.

The first ever Buddhist temple was established in Israel to cater to the spiritual needs of the some 7000 Sri Lankan community in Israel, the external affairs ministry said.

The Buddhist temple was established at the premises of a high rise apartment complex in the greater Tel Aviv area. The Buddhist temple headed by Ven. Karavilakotuwe Dhammathilaka Thero, the chief incumbent will now cater to the spiritual needs of the approx. 7000 Sri Lankan communities in Israel.

In keeping with the religious sensitivities in Israel, the inaugural event was carried out on a low scale without much publicity.

Ven. Dhammathilaka Thero and Sarath Wijesinghe, the Ambassador jointly oversaw the arrangements to ensure the establishment of the temple which is a historic landmark event since it is the first time that a Sri Lankan Buddhist temple has been established since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two States.

The present premises will serve as a temporary temple until a spacious venue is located for the convenience of the Sri Lankan community. Pictures below show the religious observances that took place at the opening ceremony.




hope rainbow

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Re: First ever SL Buddhist temple established in Israel
« Reply #1 on: November 27, 2013, 10:45:53 AM »
I rejoice not only at the opening of a new Buddhist temple where Buddhist can come for teachings and blessings and pursue their practice, but I also rejoice at the tolerance that Israel is showing in this case.
There are still countries where freedom of religious practice does not exist and where it must be done secretly if not illegally. Too many countries indeed.
Well, in fact, such a place exist within the Tibetan community itself for the practice of Dorje Shugden, a Buddhist practice banned from within a Buddhist community...

AnneQ

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Re: First ever SL Buddhist temple established in Israel
« Reply #2 on: November 27, 2013, 04:18:37 PM »
It is indeed heartening and delightful to read about this, that even in a place like Israel, Buddhism is accepted and has a potential to grow, even though it was all done under the radar. And it is indeed ironic that another Buddhist practice such as Dorje Shugden, as Hope Rainbow has pointed out, is banned and discriminated against within the exiled Tibetan community. If there is hope for Buddhism in Israel, surely the eventual lifting of the DS ban is a possibility?

icy

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Re: First ever SL Buddhist temple established in Israel
« Reply #3 on: November 27, 2013, 10:08:10 PM »
It is indeed heartening and delightful to read about this, that even in a place like Israel, Buddhism is accepted and has a potential to grow, even though it was all done under the radar. And it is indeed ironic that another Buddhist practice such as Dorje Shugden, as Hope Rainbow has pointed out, is banned and discriminated against within the exiled Tibetan community. If there is hope for Buddhism in Israel, surely the eventual lifting of the DS ban is a possibility?

Of course, there is hope for certain the anti Shugden ban and the lie to fade away.  What is the beginning of a most powerful practice to spread and increase lusciously will have obstacles in the beginning but once it reached the breakthrough, no one can ever stop it from spreading like wild fire.  When we look around the world, we can see Shugden lamas continuously and tirelessly spreading the practice everywhere.  In ancient Tibet, DS is only available and practised among the Tibetans but today DS practice has spread beyond Tibet and are practised by many in different countries in the world.  Statistically, today this number of Shugden practitioners have outnumbered hugely the DS practitioners before the the ban begins.  The ban cannot contain what is the truth for truth is most powerful and will always prevail. 

diablo1974

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Re: First ever SL Buddhist temple established in Israel
« Reply #4 on: November 28, 2013, 09:14:02 AM »
It is very heartwarming to know about this news especially when Buddhism is growing in a Islam orientated country. Let's hope other tradition of Buddhism can start to spread in these countries so that dharma seeds are planted onto their minds.  Although we might be thinking that in this modern age, many countries on this globe has practised religious freedom but do not be surprise if we have discover later that many countries have not regulate religious freedom.

Tenzin K

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Re: First ever SL Buddhist temple established in Israel
« Reply #5 on: November 28, 2013, 03:12:50 PM »
Found this interesting article:

In Israel less than 20 years ago it was entirely unknown in this country. Buddhism was a strange religion belonging to somewhere far away. Dharma teachers started going to Israel in 1989, and holding silent retreats in a house and other places where participants could practice meditation according to the guidance set out by the Buddha so long ago and still used as the basis for practice today. From these beginnings was initiated Amutat Tovana (Insight Society), which today runs many courses and has thousands of participants. At the same time another group also began bringing Vipassana to Israel, in this case taught by one teacher, S.N. Goenka. They too are very popular, with similar numbers sitting 10 day retreats. The fact that this has happened so quickly and intensively in Israel is surprising, and speaks of the genuine need, mostly but not entirely of secular people, to find a spiritual practice which is theirs and fits a non-religious culture. There may be, proportional to the population, more people involved in Buddhist meditation here in Israel than in other Western countries. In addition, in Israel, similar to other countries, there is a growth of interest in the way dharma can impact on our daily life, how it can help psychologists to renew their methods and approaches, how it gives ways to aid the sick and the dying, how it can help reduce stress and pressure, and how it can create and support different social values from those of greed and competition. For example Amutat Tovana has now made a commitment for all of its courses to be entirely on a donation basis, so that the teachings are never sold, only given freely, with the participants invited to support the teachings by giving what they can. It is a different economy, an economy of the heart, an alternative to the usual social norms.

 
One reason for the interest in dharma is that it is a living tradition that has been accumulating knowledge uninterruptedly for 2500 years. The knowledge that has been gathered is knowledge of inner space, of consciousness, of meditation, of the sublime and the subtle inner and outer world, a natural place to go for teachings of liberation. So what are these practices that have taken their place in Western society? There are 80,000 forms of meditation in the tradition. At their core are two, Samatha, which means calm, steady, concentration, and Vipassana, insight, clear seeing of the nature of reality. The concentration training of Samatha is necessary to reduce the scattered, distracted and engaged mind that is always busy and running after the senses. Vipassana is a process of unpeeling layers and layers of our conditioning, to access in the stillness, underlying truth and so free us to live in sacredness. The two are taught together in courses. But more than that, the path, the ‘Eightfold Path’, includes all aspects of life, from the way we speak and think to the essential moral values, all woven into a meditative, wise and heartful life. These insights are not just for the meditation cushion. They impact on everything. In Israel, for example, we have seen the application of Buddhist spirituality to peacemaking in the heart-touching activities of Amutat Shvil Zahav (The Middleway Charity). Learning from the ancient Buddhist practice of peace walks through the land during times of conflict, Jews and Arabs walk peacefully and quietly throughout Israel, from Arab villages to the shopping centers of Tel Aviv, in silent awareness, bringing a visible message of peace through every quiet step. It is an impressive sight, and brings a message that peace in society depends partly on inner peace, that conflict can end if we attend to the hate, fear and violence within us, and radiate friendliness and love to all beings.

rossoneri

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Re: First ever SL Buddhist temple established in Israel
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2013, 06:20:23 AM »
Rejoice indeed!!! Consider this is the first drop of water which will create a ripple effect in the Middle Eastern country. I am so happy that the land will be blessed by all the prayers of the practitioner. Who knows maybe in the near future Buddhism will be widely accepted in Israel and this will be great. People should all stand together and forget about our differences and bring peace to the world.

Jessie Fong

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Re: First ever SL Buddhist temple established in Israel
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2013, 01:29:34 PM »
I rejoice that a Buddhist temple has been established in a predominantly Islamic nation.  Just goes to show how much religious tolerance has been granted.

The world can indeed look forward to the growth of Buddhism in Isreal, now that this establishment of a temple has taken roots. With tolerance, acceptance and respect for each other's religious inclination, the signs are there that Buddhism's growth has begun.

Tenzin Malgyur

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Re: First ever SL Buddhist temple established in Israel
« Reply #8 on: December 01, 2013, 04:02:32 PM »



?
Rejoice for the Buddhist in Israel for having established the first Buddhist place of worship to cater to the spiritual needs of 7000 Buddhist living there. Israeli law officially recognizes five religions. These being Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Druzeism and Baha'i. Even though Buddhism is not included as one of the official religion, the Sri Lankan Buddhist are permitted by the Israeli government to set up a place of worship so that they have a place to get together to practice their religion.

vajrastorm

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Re: First ever SL Buddhist temple established in Israel
« Reply #9 on: December 01, 2013, 04:32:45 PM »
With the setting up of the first Sri Lankan Buddhist temple in Israel, the 7000 Sri Lankan Buddhists there can now look toward a place of spiritual solace. Israel's tolerance can be seen in its acceptance of Christianity, Islam, Druseism and Bahai and now, Buddhism. Ultimate,  what counts is the development of the mind for peace.When inner peace is attained outer peace will follow.
 

bambi

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Re: First ever SL Buddhist temple established in Israel
« Reply #10 on: December 01, 2013, 04:47:16 PM »
Rejoice rejoice rejoice!!! Such wonderful news. It is always happy and heart warming to read or hear news like this. Can you believe it? A Buddhist temple is Israel!
If now, Israel have a theravadan tradition temple, think what would happen if a DS temple is set up there!! So many will be blessed!! Isnt it wonderful! Let this be the beginning of a wonderful freedom of religion in Israel.
Thank you Israel for letting Buddhism into your country!

OMB

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Re: First ever SL Buddhist temple established in Israel
« Reply #11 on: December 01, 2013, 07:13:28 PM »
Rejoice at wonderful news ! FInally people in Israel will get to benefit from the teachings of Buddha. May the buddha dharma continue to spread far and wide.

RedLantern

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Re: First ever SL Buddhist temple established in Israel
« Reply #12 on: December 15, 2013, 03:19:52 PM »
This is a very good thing,it shows the tolerance of Israelis towards other religions.A Buddhist approach to peace offers important common ground with other traditions.The cause  of a truly comprehensive and  lasting peace can most effectively be further by ceaselessly expanding circles of friendship and understanding.
The outlook of the world's religion and ethical traditions can and must make an important  contribution.
It is truly delightful to read this wonderful news ,may Buddhism in Israel grow.