Nobel nominee from Thailand to speak on Buddhism, peace
A Thai social activist who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for efforts to bring educational and economic reform to his country will lecture here next Saturday.
Ajan Sulak Sivaraksa will speak about "Buddhism and Peace: Engaged Buddhists in an Age of Global Societies and Violence" at Honpa Hongwanji Temple, 1727 Pali Highway.
The program will open at 9 a.m. with his talk on building a culture of nonviolence 60 years after the bombing of Hiro- shima, followed by discussion and questions by Sister Joan Chatfield and Saleem Ahmed.
After lunch, Sivaraksa will talk at 1 p.m. about his personal experiences in building peace in Thailand and internationally. Responding will be the Rev. Sam Cox and religion professor Helen Baroni.
The event is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted for the lunch.
Sivaraksa, founder of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists, is the author of several books, including "Seeds of Peace: Loyalty Demands Dissent, Conflict, Culture Change." An attorney, former Buddhist monk and BBC commentator, he received the Gandhi Millennium Award.
The program is the sixth in the temple's annual Futaba Lecture Series named for the late Kenko Futaba, a noted Shin Buddhist scholar who was president of Ryukoku University in Kyoto, Japan, and was regarded as a pioneer in engaged Buddhism.