One Earth Sangha is leading a call for Buddhists everywhere to join in person or in spirit the People’s Climate March in New York on 21 September. The march is expected to be the largest climate march in history, and does not belong to any particular group or agenda. Thousands of organizations are involved.

Celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of Anagarika Dharmapala’s birth are being held across Sri Lanka from 1–17 September. Anagarika Dharmapala (1864–1933), whose anniversary falls on 17 September, is remembered for his campaigns to preserve Sinhalese Buddhist culture and the promotion of Buddhist education.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has sought Japan's help to develop the Indian heritage city of Varanasi, where the Buddha delivered his first sermon to five disciples at Sarnath. Mr. Modi expressed his appeal during an official four-day visit to Japan from 30 August–2 September.

It was indeed an auspicious occasion. On the morning of Saturday 23 August in Footscray, a busy inner suburb of Melbourne, the general public at the shopping centre and the Nicholson Mall were able to experience something that most wouldn't have witnessed before—the very first officially organized “Sangha Dana” offering, quite possibly initiating and establishing a new trend and tradition to be put into practice throughout the city. The custom of Sangha Dana involves the giving of alms to ordained monks by the laity.

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche is the third tulku, or incarnation, of Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche. Considered a great meditation master and teacher within the Nyingma tradition of Buddhism, he has gained recognition as the founder and director of the Mangala Shri Bhuti meditation centers. What may surprise more than a few people who do not know him well is that he is also a painter of considerable talent, trained in the French Impressionist tradition. This summer and fall, he is showing works painted at his new studio in Crestone, Colorado, at different venues across the States.

The 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple, located in China’s Henan Province, is to host a martial arts contest. While details are yet to be confirmed, on 18 August the news agency Xinhua quoted Venerable Shi Yongxin, the temple’s abbot, as announcing at the end of a Zen forum that the event would include individual and group performances in karate, taekwondo, and kung fu. According to Ven. Shi Yongxin, the competition is intended to promote global awareness of the temple: “Shaolin Temple expects to form ties with the world through various events, expand [the] impact of Buddhism and make Shaolin culture better known,” the abbot explained. This is the first event of its kind to be organized in the history of the temple, which is credited with the birth and preservation of kung fu.

This month the “Voice of Faith,” a multi-faith radio show, is celebrating its third anniversary. The first radio show of its type in Australia, the hour-long program was formally recognized by both federal and state governments and initiated by the Casey Multifaith Network and 3SER Casey Radio, one of the country’s top community radio stations, located in the southeast suburbs of Melbourne. The Casey Multifaith Network is a collaborative representation of various religions and faiths committed to working together toward the promotion of peace, harmony, and understanding within the community and beyond.

Hamburg, Germany, 23 August 2014 - After rain in the night, the sun came out for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s short drive to the Hamburg Congress Centre, where he was to talk to 7000 people about secular ethics. Before he set off he gave an interview to Bettina Hansen who hosts a women’s program on ZDF TV.

San Francisco, CA (USA) -- The news of Robin Williams' passing is shocking and touching so many of us. I was waiting for a friend at a bar when I first heard. All around me people erupted in a variety of emotional reactions as the word quickly spread. In the time since, a common reaction has been deep sadness, often paired with a sentiment of "I never thought someone like him would kill themselves."

Sri Lankan diplomat and renowned Buddhist scholar Ananda Wahihana Palliya Guruge, 85, passed away in Rosemead, California, on 6 August, following an academic tour in China and Australia. The funeral will be held on 16 August in the Sky Rose Chapel at Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier