"The World's Religious Communities Stand with the Buddhist Monks of Myanmar in their Peaceful Protest."

(NEW YORK, 25 September 2007)- Dr. William F. Vendley, Secretary General of Religions for Peace, the world's largest and most representative multi-religious coalition, today issued the following statement calling on the military government of Myanmar to exercise restraint and enter into peaceful dialogue with Myanmar's religious communities and other groups: "Violence against the religious communities in Myanmar should triggerimmediate action by the United Nations Security Council, as well as regional mechanisms, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)."

This story originally appears in ABC News.

People who meditate show signs they are surprisingly alert, the first study of its kind has found.

Australian PhD researcher Dylan DeLosAngeles, at the Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide, shows that mediation produces changes in brainwaves usually associated with increased alertness.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today released the official 2006 census data for religions in Australia.

The increase of the Buddhist population from 357,813 or 1.9% of the population to 418,800 followers or 2.1% of the population. The growth can be seen by the strong immigration from traditional Buddhist countries in Asia and the Indian Sub-Continent and the also reflects an ever increasing interest and benefit Australians are finding in the rich and fulfilling teachings of the Buddha.

The Steering Committee for the formation of AABCAP takes pleasure in inviting counsellors and psychotherapists to join them for a one-day Symposium and Inaugural General Meeting. For some time now, they have been aware of a significant increase in the number of helping professionals who are practising Buddhists or have an interest in Buddhism. In the last three decades there has been an exponential increase in publications on the related areas of Psychotherapy, Buddhism, Spirituality and Meditation. Buddhist - Influenced therapies like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Core Process Therapy and Hakomi are now in the mainstream of psychotherapeutic practices.