Dr Kalinga Seneviratne, Coordinator / Founder, Lotus Communication Network

On this auspicious day of VESAKƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  we would like to officially launch the website of the LOTUS COMMUNICATION NETWORK (http://www.lotuscomm.net/)

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Lotus Communication Network (LCN) is an informal network of like-minded Asian Buddhist media practitioners and scholars that is in the process of being developed into a regional non-governmental network.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The lotus is one of the most poignant representations of Buddhist teachings. The roots of a lotus are in the mud, the stem grows up through the water, and the heavily scented flower lies pristinely above the water, basking in the sunlight. This pattern of growth signifies the progress of the soul from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment. By using the name LOTUS we hope that this network will also grow in that spirit helping to enlighten Buddhist communities across Asia through the exchange of knowledge and culture.

The rationale behind the formation of this network is to bring media practitioners and communication scholars within Asian Buddhist countries and communities together to promote better understanding and cooperation between Buddhist communities across Asia.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ While Buddhism is gaining a lot of attention in the West, today, Buddhists in Asia are facing many threats and often their communities are misrepresented in a very negative fashion by the international media. It is time Buddhist communities across Asia re-establish the communication links that were destroyed by centuries of European colonial conquest. We have enough large Buddha statues and Temples across Asia, what we need is for Buddhists in Asia to mobilise their financial resources for the socio-economic and cultural development of their communities, not to confront other communities but to live in harmony, while preserving and nurturing Buddhist ideals, practices and cultural traditions.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We hope Buddhist media practitioners, scholars and philanthropists across Asia would join our network and help us to grow through the various projects we are planning to empower Asian Buddhists to communicate among themselves and the outside world through their own perspectives.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We welcome Buddhist volunteers to help us build our content base such as contributing audio-visual material, articles, information and pictures to our sections such as Lotus Radio New Features, Lotus TV,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Country Information, Key Issues, and Buddhists Organisations.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I would like to take this opportunity to thank my good friend Dr Sunil Jayasekare in Perth, Australia for kindly agreeing to sponsor the setting up of this website.