News
April 2013:
Robert Janssen and Jan de Breet received the Honour of Knighthood
Robert Janssen, Paula de Wijs and Jan de Breet
(Photo: Joop Ha Hoek, Boeddhistisch Dagblad)
Robert Janssen and Jan de Breet have received the honour of knighthood in the chivalry Order of Orange-Nassau. The King or Queen of the Netherlands in recognition of extraordinary merits for society bestows this Order, which was founded in 1892 by the Queen regent Emma. Her Majesty Queen Beatrix appreciated the achievements of Robert Janssen and Jan de Breet in translating more than 5000 pages from Pali and Sanskrit into Dutch. Their joint translation work encompasses Dīgha-Nikāya, Khuddaka-Nikāya, Majjhima-Nikāya, Saṃyutta-Nikāya and the Buddhacarita of Aśvaghoṣa.
Robert Hubertus Conrardus Janssen has been professor in clinical psychology and personality theory at Vrije Universiteit (Free University) in Amsterdam until his retirement in 1986. He studied Pāli and Sanskrit with Prof. Tilmann Vetter at Leiden University. Robert Janssen was a personal disciple of Lama Anagarika Govinda who appointed him member of the supreme council of the Arya Maitreya Mandala. Johannes Adrianus de Breet studied Indology at Leiden University. He translated German and English language books on Buddhism into Dutch before starting the great translation project with Robert Janssen in 1997. The vice president of the Buddhist Union of the Netherlands, Paula de Wijs, accompanied Robert Janssen and Jan de Breet to the ceremony on April 26th 2013.
April 2012:
Delegates from German-speaking countries met
Some of the leading members of the Arya Maitreya Mandala from the German-speaking countries and functionaries of the Lama Govinda Foundation held a meeting in Pforzheim, Germany, from march 31st to April 3rd 2012. The program, under the guidance of the Acarya Dr. Armin Gottmann, offered meditation, talks on the practice of Sadhana according to Lama Anagarika Govinda, group discussions and interviews. After three days of extensive meditation and Sadhana practice there were talks about the future activities of the order in the German-speaking area.
March 2012:
„Spirit of Beauty“: Indian film featuring Lama Govinda
Angana Jhaveri |
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 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
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A film inspired by Lama Anagarika Govinda’s expeditions to Tibet is now playing in Mumbai. It was produced 2011 by one of India’s great cultural institutions, the “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya”. It is based on the classical book The Way of the White Clouds, by Lama Govinda. Angana Jhaveri, the film's director, visualizes some of the book's most important ideas. She skillfully combines Lama Govinda’s touching words of wisdom and colourful scenes filmed in Tibetan monasteries in Northern India.
The starting point is Lama Govinda’s vision 1947 in the Red Temple of Tsaparang, when the „spirit of beauty“ appears out of a flower flanking Tārā’s throne: “Where there is beauty, even for a flashing moment, there some immortal chord is touched in us.” The film’s title Spirit of beauty is a reference to Lama Govinda’s conviction, that “art in its highest attainments becomes religion. Art is the measure for the living quality of a religion.”
The production in both Hindi and English versions was supported by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, as part of an educational film series. Actually Angana Jhaveri’s film is played continuously throughout the day at the Tibet section of the “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya”, the former „Prince of Wales Museum“ in Mumbai, Tuesday to Sunday,10:15a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
February 2012:
Centennial Birth Anniversary of Ernö Hetényi
 Arya Maitreya Mandala worldwide commemorates one of the order’s great pioneers in Europe: Ernö Hetényi (1912-1999) would have celebrated his 100th birthday on 13th February 2012. Dr. Hetényi was an eminent Hungarian author, expert in Tibetan Studies and Buddhologist. Among his numerous books are Kőrösi Csoma Sándor dokumentáció and Tibeti tanítók titkos tanításai.
Hetényi has been initiated into the Arya Maitreya Mandala in March 1953. Lama Anagarika Govinda on account of his extraordinary abilities, appointed him as the leader of the Eastern European Branch of the order. In 1956 Dr. Hetényi founded the Alexander Csoma des Körös Institute for Buddhology, the order’s first academic institution in Europe. He has been very successful in strengthening the order’s ties with Buddhist communities and institutions in Mongolia and countries of the former Soviet Union.
Communist authorities in Hungary did not provide support for spiritual activities, and many compromises had to be negotiated. In spite of great difficulties Ernö Hetényi accomplished an extraordinary work by facing challenges without fear or hesitation. He never lost his convictions about what is important, nor his vision of the future of his order. His legacy will be a great source of inspiration for generations to come in the Arya Maitrea Mandala.
January 2012
Course on Mantra-Meditation in March
"Haus der Stille"
The Acarya, Dr. Armin Gottmann, will hold a course in German language on Meditation and Yoga at the Buddhist Center “Haus der Stille” near Hamburg in Germany from 15 to 18 March 2012. The course will combine Mantra-Meditation and daily lessons in Hatha-Yoga. Registration should be made directly with the “Haus der Stille” (www.hausderstille.org).
November 2011
Lecture in Vienna
On invitation of the Austrian Branch of the Arya Maitreya Mandala the Acarya Dr. Armin Gottmann gave a lecture at the Buddhist Center Vienna on 11 November 2011. In his lecture the Acarya stressed the significance of Lama Govinda’s fresh approach to Buddhism for the West. It was very stimulating session and attentive listeners asked many questions about Lama Govinda and his contributions to modern spirituality.
June 2011
Disciples of Lama Govinda meet in Amsterdam
Robert Janssen, Armin Gottmann, Volker Zotz
A small conference on the philosophical and spiritual heritage of Lama Anagarika Govinda was held from 15 to 17 June in the Netherlands. The Acarya of the Order of the Arya Maitreya Mandala, Dr. Armin Gottmann, met with Prof. Dr. Robert Janssen and Prof. Dr. Volker Zotz at Maitreya Institute in Amsterdam. Robert Janssen, the host of the meeting, is a clinical psychologist and indologist, who was appointed by Lama Anagarika Govinda as the leader of Arya Maitreya Mandala for the Netherlands. The three disciples discussed the most distinctive characteristics of Lama Govinda’s philosophy and meditative practices. On this occasion they also shared personal memories of their times with Lama Govinda who passed away a quarter of a century ago. |
Arya Maitreya Mandala
The scholar, mystic, writer and painter Lama Anagarika Govinda (1898-1985), the founder of the Arya Maitreya Mandala
The Order
The order of the Arya Maitreya Mandala follows the writings and oral teachings of its founder Lama Anagarika Govinda (1898-1985). Lama Govinda, a renowned scholar, writer, mystic, painter and poet, became widely known for his books The Way of the White Clouds and Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism.
The foundation of the order was inspired by Lama Govinda’s Tibetan teacher Lama Ngawang Kalsang, also known as Tomo Geshe Rinpoche I, who interpreted the coming Buddha Maitreya as a model for a spiritual life today, which is focused on the needs of the future. In accordance with this heritage the Order works out the core of Buddhist philosophy, ethics and meditation for contemporary people. The teaching of meditation is individual and has to suit the personal situation and the particular progress of the practitioner.
Beside its spiritual tasks the order engages in a variety of projects like researches, publications and organizing lectures and seminars on Buddhist culture, philosophy and meditation. As the current Dalai Lama puts it on the occasion of Lama Govinda’s 75th birthday in 1973: “The order of Arya Maitreya Mandala, founded by Anagarika Govinda, has done much to create and further interest in the culture and religion of Tibet among the people of the west.”
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