Environmental Warriors: Buddhist Eco-monks and Tree Ordination. Tree ordination, adopted from traditional Buddhist practices, is popular in many Buddhist-majority countries. Trees are given “monastic ordination” and wrapped in the iconic saffron cloth worn by Theravada monks, thereby making them sacred and protecting the trees from damage, destruction, and deforestation.

New Year Refuge: A Global Celebration of the Buddha. The one-hour event will feature creative offerings honoring the Buddha, including musical performances, short films, plus a bilingual sutra recitation of Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels, which was recently translated into English by 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha and into Chinese by The Kumarajiva Project.

Update: Buddhist Relief from JTS Korea Transforming the Lives of Rohingya Refugees. “Since close to a million people cooked their meals using firewood, the hills surrounding the Rohingya refugee camp suffered from deforestation. Also, the girls who went to gather firewood in the hills far from the refugee camp were constantly vulnerable to the danger of sexual violence,” JTS founder and chairman Ven. Pomnyun Sunim explained. “In addition, the environmental degradation caused by deforestation and firewood smoke led to a great deal of frustration among the local Bangladeshi residents. Therefore, the biggest and most pressing challenge in the refugee camp was securing fuel for cooking, which is why Join Together Society decided to provide gas cooking stoves to the Rohingya refugees.”

Nottingham Trent University researchers uncover secrets of 700-year-old Buddhist cave temple. Researchers have made a surprising discovery while studying ancient wall paintings in a Tibetan Buddhist cave temple.

‘The Irish Buddhist’ Review: Monk on a Mission. The endearingly earnest authors of “The Irish Buddhist” describe their book as “a detective story across two centuries.” Although their sleuthing is mostly archival, the tale they assemble is captivating—a jigsaw-biography that pieces together the life of Dhammaloka, a “forgotten monk” who, we’re told, “faced down the British Empire.”

The Best of the Dalai Lama: Life, Quotes, Teachings, and Books. From The Lion's Roar - "This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness."