Kagyu Monlam ChenmoBarbara O’Brien has a post on the Kagyu Monlam Chenmo underway in Bodh Gaya, the patch of earth in India where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. The 17th Karmapa presides. (Recall that there is something of a Karmapa controversy.) The festival runs from January 4th to 11th:

The International Kagyu Monlam is an eight day Buddhist prayer festival held annually in Bodhgaya, the place of Buddha’s enlightenment. His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, head of the Karma Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism, presides over the festival, supported by many leading Rinpoches from the Kagyu tradition, including H.E. Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, H.E. Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche, Ven. Zurmang Garwang Rinpoche, Ven. Kalu Rinpoche, Ven. Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche and Ven. Mingyur Rinpoche.

Sangha2go is the blog of a new practitioner in search of a sangha. Drop by and say how do you do. Perhaps Tricycle‘s upcoming 90-day Zen meditation challenge (kindly mentioned on The Buddhist Blog) will inspire him.

Urban Winter Buddha ParisThere’s never a bad time to look at the Buddha gallery on lens culture’s Buddha Project. Well, maybe if you’re driving. It’s chock-full of cool Buddhas of every sort. The one at right is called “Urban winter Buddha, Paris.” The Buddha Project people say:

Please participate by contributing your images of Buddha. Notice Buddha in your surroundings and share your discoveries with others. It will make you feel good. Guaranteed.

Sad news from Sri Lanka. The editor Lasantha Wickramatunga, a noted critic of the government, was shot by unidentified gunmen on motorcycles as he drove to work in the Colombo suburbs. Sri Lanka has never been a hospitable spot for journalists to cover and this incident won’t help:

Correspondents say Mr Wickramatunga had numerous run-ins with the government. It is the second major attack on the media in Sri Lanka this week.

On Tuesday, gunmen armed with grenades ransacked offices of the largest private TV broadcaster in the country.

Journalists in Sri Lanka have suffered a string of recent attacks and media freedom groups say intimidation and violence make it one of the most difficult countries in the world in which to report.

Amnesty International said in November that at least 10 media employees had been killed in Sri Lanka since 2006.