The International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), a self-governing group of Buddhists from more than 20 countries, will open its annual conference in Taoyuan County today.
Nearly 100 delegates from around the world will attend the conference at the Buddhist Hongshi College in Kuanyin Township (觀音). Delegates from 17 countries are attending this year's meeting, including Japanese, South Koreans, Thais, Vietnamese, Indians, Nepalese, Australians, Americans and Chinese.
Shih Chao-hwei (
Tomorrow and Sunday the delegates will discuss topics ranging from the perpetuation of suffering, Buddhism and consumerism and socially engaged Buddhism to spiritually engaged Buddhism and Dana: Social welfare or social transformation.
From Monday to Thursday the delegates will visit major Buddhist establishments around the country, including Dharma Drum Mountain, Hsuan Chuang University, Fo Guang Shan, Tzu Chi Buddhist Hospital and the Museum of World Religions.
The INEB was founded in 1989 by a group of Buddhist thinkers and social activists in Thailand. It focuses on peace, human rights, gender issues, spirituality-based development and interfaith dialogue.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
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The Taipei City Reserve Command yesterday initiated its first-ever 14-day recall of some of the city’s civilian service reservists, who are to undergo additional training on top of refresher courses. The command said that it rented sites in Neihu District (內湖), including the Taipei Tennis Center, for the duration of the camp to optimize tactical positioning and accommodate the size of the battalion of reservists. A battalion is made up of four companies of more than 200 reservists each, it said. Aside from shooting drills at a range in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), the remainder of the training would be at