Emmanuel College, a theological college of Victoria University in Toronto, is offering two new pastoral courses focused on Buddhist psychology, spiritual counseling, ethics, and contemplative care. They are the Master of Pastoral Studies (MPS): Buddhism, and the Diploma in Buddhist Mindfulness and Mental Health.

In a true show of interfaith good will, a Buddhist monastery has been providing iftar (fast-breaking after sunset during Ramadan, according to the Islamic tradition) meals for hundreds of Dhaka’s poor and hungry.

“At the end of the day, education is brainwashing. Brainwashing is inevitable. We human beings love doing that. We are already brainwashed—we don’t know otherwise. So since we are going to brainwash anyway, it’s good to brainwash with good motivation.” - Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche*

The Glastonbury Festival, held near Pilton in Somerset, England, had a special visitor on the morning of 28 June: HH the Dalai Lama. The visit to the popular arts festival was a part of the Tibetan spiritual leader’s four-day trip to the UK, during which he will also give a public talk titled “Buddhism in 21st Century” in Aldershot on 29 June.

Before the late 2000s, Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi was not well known as an environmental activist and leader of humanitarian causes. Practitioners of the 1990s and earlier became acquainted with the American-born Theravada monk mainly through his guided meditation and recorded breathing and sitting courses. He was also renowned for his seminal translations and editorship of several major publications of Theravada texts, along with a slew of academic articles and columns too numerous to mention in great detail. His scholarly credentials influenced a variety of fields, spanning early Buddhism to Vinaya law concerning women’s ordination.

A five-day dialogue between Catholics and Buddhists from the United States kicked off in Castelgandolfo, near Rome, on 23 June. The dialogue was sponsored by the Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in collaboration with the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. The venue was the headquarters of the Focolare Movement, an interfaith organization founded in 1943 by Catholic activist Chiara Lubich (1920–2008).

Nepal’s Department of Archaeology has announced that the heritage sites and monuments affected by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake on 25 April are now open again to the public. Access to the sites, which are situated within the Seven Protected Monument Zones of Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property, had been restricted until the completion of debris management on 15 June.

The Estonian Nyingma organization is inviting submissions of abstracts for panel sessions and individual papers for the 5th International Conference Buddhism & Australia, to be held from 18–20 February 2016.

“Although my view is higher than the sky,My attention to cause and effect is finer than flour.” - Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava)

On 3 June, thousands of Cambodian monastics held a celebration to pay tribute to their king’s service to the Buddhist religion. The ceremony for HM King Norodom Sihamoni was held outside Phnom Penh’s Royal Palace, and was attended by Cambodia’s monastic elite and prime minister, Hun Sen. According to police, the number of monastics stood officially at 10,000, with Buddhist clergy from Japan, Mongolia, and Singapore also among the invitees. The monastics were joined by throngs of laypeople, turned out for the occasion in Khmer traditional dress.