NYC Sangha Meditation and Guest Lecture

We invite all Woodenfish alumni and friends in the NYC area to attend a seated group meditation session (7:00-8:00) followed by a lecture and dialogue by Mr. Cao Guozhong (曹国忠) moderated by Woodenfish (8:00-9:00).

Lecture Topic:

自强不息，厚德载物。

One must ceaselessly strive for self-improvement, great virtue can uphold heavy responsibilities.

Speaker's Introduction:

"This saying comes from the interpretations found in the Book of Changes of the Qian and Kun hexagrams. It is also the school motto of Tsinghua University. When I gave a talk at Tsinghua the year before last, this was the subject, and it is one that I can elaborate on without end."

这是易经里乾卦和坤卦的卦义，也是清华大学的校训。我前年在清华大学做讲座时，就是这个题目。永远也讲不完的题目。

Speaker Biography:

               Cao Guozhong is Senior Translator at the United Nations and President of the Beijing Foreign Studies University North American Alumni Association. He studied English from 1985 to 1989 at Beijing Foreign Studies University. In 1989-1991, he attended the United Nations Interpreter and Translator Training class and was awarded a Master's degree. After graduation, he worked in the field of international communication for nearly nine years. He was the consultant for Mr. Liu Qi, Mayor of Beijing, for the first Beijng Mayor's International Entrepreneur Advisory Council.
               During his nearly 16 years employed at the UN, Mr. Cao has been engaged in deep reflection about Chinese philosophy, thought and culture, and how these phenomena manifest in politics, diplomacy, Chinese medicine, calligraphy, military policy, architecture, cooking, leisure, education, social morality and ethics.

Date: Monday, 11/2

Time: 7:00-9:00 PM *Meditation: 7:00-8:00 and lecture from 8:00-9:00*

Location: 2nd Floor, 123 4th Ave, 2nd FL (between 12th & 13th streets, above Think Coffee) New York, NY  10003

Suggested Donation: $10

Please arrive on time, but no earlier than 6:45 PM. The Center for Remembering and Sharing has yoga blocks and blankets for sitting, but we encourage everyone to bring additional cushions or other materials to suit their desired level of comfort. When you get to the Center for Remembering and Sharing, just ring the bell and they'll let you in right away.

Contact us here for questions or to RSVP

November Buddhist Ritual Music Symposium at UC Berkeley

Buddhist Ritual Music

Friday-Saturday, November 6-7, 2015

Symposium/Performances

Toll Room, Alumni House – Zellerbach Playhouse

Registration for performances is recommended.

To register for performances, please click here.

This symposium is focused on traditional Buddhist ritual music to consider its importance for studying the evolution of Buddhist culture as well as the interaction between Buddhist music and traditional musical culture outside the monastery in China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Nepal and Laos.It will include presentations by scholars in the field of ethnomusicology, Buddhist studies and/or religious studies and performances by Buddhist monastics, renowned in their home countries for their musicality in ritual chanting.

Beijing Public Wisdom and Social Development Forum 2015

The Public Wisdom and Social Development Forum 2015, initiated by the Centre of Public  Communication & Social Development, Peking University, Dunhe Foundation and Zhengxin Foundation will be held in Beijing from October 16th to 17th.

On October 17, 2015 at 2pm, Venerable Yifa, founder of Woodenfish Foundation, will moderate a panel with Professors Stephen Teiser of Princeton University and Richard Gombrich, Professor emiritus, Oxford University. 

This is a prestigious Buddhism event, with many influential Eminent Monks and social elites from various community sectors attending the Forum, sharing the enlightenment of Buddhist wisdom, promoting the construction of harmonious society and fulfilling a prosperous Dream of China.

The Forum has drawn support from mainstream media. The content will be livestreamed, with real-time interaction during 

the event to reach out to a broader public. This is a highly anticipated event, following the successful 2013 Shanghai Buddhism Culture Socialisation Summit, which attracted more than 3000 audiences and a further 3 million people enjoyed via the Internet broadcasting.

For more information visit this Chinese site.