News Round Up: 11th December 2022

The Path of Engaged Buddhism in a Divided World: An Interview with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim The 20th Biennial Conference of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), jointly organized with and hosted by Jungto Society, was held in South Korea from 24–30 October under the theme “Buddhism in a Divided World: Peace Planet, Pandemic.”

Five precepts of Buddhism may be linked to lower depression risk: Study suggests the moral practice Study suggests the moral practice may buffer known links between high stress levels and depression.

The Buddhist and Taoist influences that underpin the Star Wars universe There were many influences on the mythology and lore director Lucas created for the Star Wars universe. Some cite Joseph Campbell’s study of mythological archetypes, The Hero With a Thousand Faces, while others point to the films of acclaimed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa.

Thai Buddhist abbey loses all of its monks after they all test positive for meth | A Thai abbey’s four Buddhist monks have been defrocked, dismissed, and sent to rehab after they were all found to have taken methamphetamine when police sprung a test on them.

In Salem, Buddhists struggle to offer prayers to a Buddha once mistaken to be Muniappan The Tamil Nadu HR&CE Department is planning to approach the High Court seeking a review of its order, citing that Hindus have been worshipping the Buddha statue as ‘Thalaivetti Muniappan’ for many years.