News Round Up for w/e 7th May 2023

Luke Skywalker Practices the Dharma of Star Wars In his book, The Dharma of Star Wars, Matthew Bortolin — a student of Thich Nhat Hanh — sorts through the films’ spiritual themes and applies Buddhist teachings to George Lucas’ epics. He writes, “In Star Wars, it is Luke Skywalker in the saga’s final chapter that best exemplifies wisdom and compassion. In Return of the Jedi Luke has developed these qualities of being better than any Jedi before him—even better than his Master Obi-Wan.” Read about Luke Skywalker’s practice of wisdom.

Dharma Q+A: My Wounds (ENG Sub) Ven. Pomnyun Sunim is a Korean Buddhist monk and Seon master. He is renowned as an author, a Dharma teacher, and for his humanitarian work.

Four Buddhists Share What Vesak Means to Them - Lions Roar Thomas Calobrisi, Lama Hun Lye, Mihiri Tillakaratne, and Noel Alumit explore the meaning and lessons of Vesak, the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the birth, death, and enlightenment of the Buddha.

South Asia’s greatest stupa isn’t in India but Bangladesh. The decline and fall of Indian Buddhism was as complex a process as its rise. Perhaps no site exemplifies this as well as a great stupa-temple.

Buddhist monk charged with embezzling B180 million NAKHON RATCHASIMA: A former monk, Phra Ajarn Khom Abhivaro, has been arrested along with two others on charges of embezzling B180 million from Wat Pha Dhammakiri, where the monk was based, in Nakhon Ratchasima.