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February 13, 2013 11:56
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Sexual abuse allegations give pause to US Buddhist community

A 105-year-old Zen master is a recent, high-profile example of a long-suppressed problem.
Buddhist temple Los AngelesEnlarge
A Buddhist temple in Los Angeles, California. An estimated 40 percent of all American Buddhists live in Southern California. (David McNew/AFP/Getty Images)

Los Angeles-based Zen master Joshu Sasaki, now 105 years old, allegedly "groped and sexually harassed female students for decades, taking advantage of their loyalty to a famously charismatic roshi, or master," reported the New York Times on Monday.

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Religious revolution: Buddhist and Hindu Congress members make history

November 8, 2012 13:37
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The United States didn't elect its first Mormon president on Tuesday, but it did vote its first Buddhist into the Senate, and its first Hindu into Congress.Hawaiian Democrat and Japanese Buddhist Mazie Hirono was elevated from the House of Representatives to the Senate on Tuesday, beating Republican opponent Linda Lingle.

Buddhist monks come out against Rohingya, Myanmar's beleaguered Muslim minority group

September 4, 2012 14:51
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Buddhist monks in Myanmar have come out in droves to support President Thein Sein's proposal to deport all members of the Muslim Rohingya minority group from the country, in the wake of a summer of sectarian violence that has left 90 dead in Rakhine state.

Photos: Tibetans in Sichuan

Janek ZdzarskiFebruary 23, 2012 07:00
Though not part of China's officially designated Tibet Autonomous Region, Sichuan is an ethnically Tibetan part of the country. Most of the nearly two dozens Tibetan monks and nuns who have self-immolated since February 2009 were located in Sichuan.

Database of Tibetan self-immolations

International Campaign for TibetFebruary 23, 2012 07:00
Most are men, and many are young. All of them are Tibetan.

Tibet: Timeline of troubles

February 23, 2012 07:00
Experts say the current wave of unrest reverberating across the Tibetan plateau stems directly from China’s tightening of controls following the 2008 riots.

Tibet: Does China care what other countries have to say?

February 23, 2012 07:00
BEIJING — Global outcry over self-immolations in Tibet appears more subdued than the world's rage over the 2008 crackdown in Lhasa.

China keeps a lid on Tibet's troubles

February 23, 2012 07:00
Even when roadblocks and threats don’t keep journalists out, Tibetans are often too spooked to speak openly.

Tibet: How the trouble started

February 23, 2012 07:00
XINING — Monks are under lockdown as negotiations hit a stalemate.
February 13, 2012 19:33

Tense times continue in Tibet

Details are scarce, but given China's security crackdown, it's clear the situation is serious.
Tibet tensions 2012 02 13Enlarge
Tibetans and supporters of the Tibetan cause stage a hunger strike in The Hague on Nov. 16, 2011. (Valerie Kuypers/AFP/Getty Images)

The tense situation on the Tibetan plateau is not getting any better in the days leading up to when Tibetans traditionally celebrate the new year.

Tibetan rights groups outside of China report that another nun set herself on fire this weekend to protest Chinese rule in the region, where unrest has spread far beyond the borders of what China defines as Tibet.

The official Chinese news agency Xinhua confirmed the incident, which took place in Aba, a heavily Tibetan part of Sichuan province.

More from GlobalPost: Tibet is burning

Though China hasn't confirmed all of the self-immolations, Tibetan activists say this case marks the 23rd in two years. Both Free Tibet and Xinhua say the 18-year-old nun has died of her injuries.

The number of deaths and scale of protests, along with the scope of the security response, are all particularly hard to pin down. China has gone to extreme lengths to bar all but official government-run media from reporting in the Tibetan region, making confirmation of the incidents nearly impossible.

But given the massive security response and China's efforts to stymy foreign journalists from entering the area, it's clear that serious problems remain.

More from GlobalPost: Video of Tibet self-immolation (GRAPHIC)

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