Frontline: Culture of Compassion
(Flonnet.com) Buddhism, with its vision of eternal harmony of the world, shaped the culture of the Orient, particularly South-East Asia. SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA is one of humanity’s wisest teachers. He lived in the 6th century B.C. in the northern plains of India. He taught lessons of compassion and universal love. The message spread to all corners of Asia and shaped the culture of the continent. Today it is one the great religions of the world, with millions of followers: Buddhism.
A great hero (a deva+human "man of renown") from the Ramayana in Bali, Indonesia.
1st Annual Buddhist Film Festival begins
The Cell Theater (700 1st St. NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico): RigDzin Dharma Center presents the FIRST ANNUAL BUDDHIST FILM FESTIVAL in Albuquerque. This special event features three new Buddhist films, a question and answer session with Venerable Traga Rinpoche, and a silent auction of unique Buddhist items (Local IQ).
Like happiness, loneliness is contagious
Loneliness, like happiness, can be contagious, says research out today that shows how feeling lonely can make others lonely, too. The study by John Cacioppo, a psychologist at the University of Chicago, builds on recent research showing that happiness is contagious and spreads through social networks. LONELINESS: It's increasing and can harm your health
Tantra now used in dating in Europe
NEVADA -- Tantra is now reportedly being used in dating in Europe. It is said to be an activity in such dating where each session is guided by a tantric expert and the participants just follow his/her instructions, and where Tantra is employed as "the art of meeting, the science of relationship" (DNA/ANI).
The Dalai Lama in exile in Dharamsala, India arrives for a meeting with journalists. The Tibetan spiritual leader said U.S. President Barack Obama wanted serious engagement on the issue of Tibet. WATCH VIDEO
Dec. 4, 2009 -- The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles elected the first woman bishop in its 114-year history today but had yet to decide whether to select an openly gay priest for a second bishop opening. Clergy and lay leaders, meeting in Riverside for their annual convention, chose the Rev. Canon Diane M. Jardine Bruce, a local favorite from Orange County known for her financial expertise and ability to build up congregations (LA Times).
Atheist billboards: What does it mean to be "good"?
What incredible irony! A group of atheists and agnostics calling themselves the Coalition of Reason has put up billboards around town which use God's name to attract nonbelievers ("Seeking out a community of nonbelievers," Dec. 3). "Are you good without God?" they ask. "Millions are."
HANOI, Vietnam -- Followers of a famed Buddhist monk say they are continuing to suffer police harassment two months after they were forcibly evicted from a monastery in southern Vietnam. The followers of Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, who has popularized Buddhism in the West and sold millions of books worldwide, say they are being persecuted (AP).
NEPAL: Gov't signs Everest Declaration on Mt. Everest
Cabinet expresses concern over climate change impact on Himalayas. The country’s protected areas are extended by 25 per cent. Funds are allocated to help people living at the foot of the mountain range and for greater protection of Nepal’s natural heritage.
Nepal holds highest Cabinet meeting at Mt. Everest
SYANGBOCHE, Nepal — Nepal's top politicians strapped on oxygen tanks Friday and held a Cabinet meeting amid Mount Everest's frigid, thin air to highlight the danger global warming poses to glaciers, ahead of next week's international climate change talks (AP).
INDIA: Miltants shoot leader in Kashmir
SRINAGAR – Militants shot a top leader of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat, Fazal Haq Qureshi, in Srinagar. His condition is said to be critical. The attack comes days after reports of Mirwaiz holding talks with Centre (Vijay Kumar, Ground Report).
Virginia yoga regulation a stretch for teachers
Instructors sue over state's move to certify training classes. Virginia yogis are taking the state to the mat. Three yoga instructors on Tuesday asked a federal judge to halt a state plan to regulate yoga instructor training. The Old Dominion, they say, has stretched too far into an ancient, spiritual practice. "Yoga is the study of... (Group's Video: "Teaching is Not a Crime" (Washington Post).
Hindus ask museum to remove painting
Two national Hindu leaders have called on the Neuberger Museum of Art at Purchase College, SUNY, to remove a painting that they say denigrates the Hindu goddess Kali by portraying her as a gruesome , machete-wielding figure. They even object to the name of the painting, "Housewives With Steak-Knives," as practicing Hindus do not eat beef but revere cows as a symbol of life.
World Bank: India may return to 8%-9% growth
NEW DELHI, India -- India may return to 8%-9% economic growth in the next one... (WSJ article).
India ready to withdraw troops from Kashmir
NEW DELHI -- Home minister says he favors "quiet talks" with Kashmiris but no dialogue with Pakistan until conditions met. India’s home minister said on Wednesday the government was prepared to withdraw a “significant” number of troops from Indian-held Kashmir (IHK). Briefing lawmakers in parliament on the state of domestic security, P. Chidambaram noted that militant violence in the region had dropped in the past few years (Pakistan's Daily Times).
Kashmir: Thousands of Bodies Discovered...Rights Group says
Nearly 2,600 bodies have been found in single, unmarked graves and in mass graves throughout mountainous Indian-controlled Kashmir, a human rights group said (NY Times, AP, Dec. 3, 2009).
Disabled in India-controlled Kashmir call for gov't support
SRINAGAR, India-controlled Kashmir -- A group of physically challenged persons in Indian-controlled Kashmir Thursday evening staged a candle light protest demonstration to highlight their problems on the World Disability Day (Xinhua/Chinaview.cn).
INDIA: Discovering the footprints of Jainism in South
Delhi University -- There is a blatantly wrong notion prevailing in our country that Jainism has no significant presence in states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. In order to demolish this baseless myth, prestigious Somaiya Publications Pvt. Ltd. has recently published a very important book Spectrum of Jainism in Southern India.
Police in San Antonio, as well as local TV stations, have been getting calls about bizarre sightings.The callers told the NBC affiliate WOAI that they saw a large, hairy, bigfoot-type creature around San Antonio's west side.Police also got a similar call Monday night at the same location.
Origin in Asian exploration venture
Origin Energy is ramping up its exposure to one of the world's fastest-growing energy regions through a gas exploration partnership across Southeast Asia. Origin yesterday said it would buy stakes of 20 to 40 per cent in a series of five exploration blocks in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, in partnership with the British-listed Salamander Energy.
Atheism vs. Bible
I read a letter written by Robert D. Bowers on Nov. 27 ["Liberals and Science Are Not Anti-Religion At All; Lies Destroy Faith"] and while I may agree with some of his statements, it's for a different reason. For example, we both disagree that atheism on college campuses is a coming-of-age thing. Also we both think that young people will turn away from something or someone who lies to them. But those are the only viewpoints we hold in common (TheLedger.com).
Moscow -- Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia stresses importance of Orthodox-Catholic dialogue in opposing the challenges of atheistic society. "Today we're facing the challenges of secularism. We need to respond the challenges together basing on historical experience," Patriarch Kirill said at his Thursday meeting with a delegation of the Roman Catholic Church in France at Moscow patriarchal residence in Chisty Pereulok (Interfax).
If you send out a tweet, or privately post pictures on Facebook to a selected group of friends, can police turn those uploads against you? In October, a man was arrested for using Twitter to help a demonstration at the G20 summit. Now, a non-profit group thinks that that's going too far. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) says the government is already using social networking data in some investigations. That's why they think all internet users deserve to know what information is collected -- and exactly who can access it. In an eight-page official complaint, EFF says anyone posting things on Facebook or Twitter deserves to know whether the government has access to it. WATCH VIDEO
During Cold War, American magician wrote "Trickery and Deception" manual for C.I.A. For decades, rumors of top-secret "magic" manuals swirled within CIA circles. The long-lost guides were said to have been written by a prominent magician, but many officers dismissed them as myth, believing them too fantastical to be true. But in 2007, retired CIA officer Robert Wallace unearthed an extraordinary archived file and is now making its contents available to the public for the first time. The file contained once highly-classified manuals written in the early 1950s by American magician John Mulholland that detailed the secrets of magic that could enhance the art of espionage (ABC News).
In Defense of Religion Part II: Buddhism
In the last article we accessed and defended the religion of Islam, and urged readers to not categorize all Muslims with the extremist sects. Extremism is not as much a problem with Buddhism as it is with the Abrahamic religions. However, there persist several problems with Buddhism which prevent its ability to spread further. Despite having the most historically opaque existence, Shakyamuni Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) left the world with a religion that despite textual translations, changes, and renditions throughout the last 2500 years, survives today in a very accurate and well preserved form....the first texts which survived this period were all not created (from the oral tradition) until at least four or five hundred years after the Buddha's [passing]. Yet despite all of this, Buddhists today are probably the happiest people on the planet. And all across the board agree on the main tenets of their religion...
Tiny creature, big environmental find
Chameleon discovery highlights importance of forest’s biodiversity: A tiny chameleon species with a scaly horn on its snout has been discovered in Tanzanian forests, according to LiveScience.com.
Cambodia, Thailand veer closer to collision course
PHNOM PENH — Long-standing dispute escalates dramatically as Phnom Penh hires fugitive former Thai PM as government adviser. The armies of Cambodia and Thailand declared last week that they have no intention of fighting a war with each other. That's the good news (Globe and Mail, 12/4/09).
Creature in Central Park, New York
Ufologist and Cryptozoologist Nick Redfern posted a far fetched but interesting story about a Bigfoot-like creature spotted in New York’s Central Park. As silly as this might sound, the witness appeared sincere in his face to face interview with Nick. It’s important to remember that as skeptical as you are, you have to listen and investigate claims in order to weed-out the hoaxes and misidentified sightings (GhostTheory.com).
In this file image made available by Britain’s National Archives in May 14, 2008, a sketch made by a police officer after a sighting of an Unidentified Flying Object in England in 1984 is seen. Seen a UFO? Don’t bother calling the Brits, they’ve stopped listening. Score this one a victory for the bean counters: The British military has quietly shut down its UFO hotline as a costcutting measure it was revealed Friday Dec. 4, 2009. After more than 50 years in operation, the UFO desk was quietly closed earlier this week, its e-mail deactivated, and the phone line snipped. No longer will Britons who think they’ve seen Martian craft in the sky be able to enlist the services of Her Majesty’s armed forces (Suomen Kuvalehti.fi).
"Twilight" -- Yeti crabs kill vampires dead
Mark Morford, SF Gate
Sweet Jesus of the surefire apocalypse, it is easy to become discouraged. It requires almost no effort at all to take a cursory glance at the whims and vagaries of the whipsaw culture and get instantly dragged down into the sticky abyss of sighing, what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-you-people despair as you note, for example, that Sarah Palin's abomination of human thought and progressive womanhood sold upwards of 300,000 copies in the first few days, all to adorably confused people just like these. Or maybe it's how a hugely boring, soft-core soap opera about teen depression and vacuous, undead male models raked in $140 million over a single weekend, suggesting that teen girls -- and their swooning mothers -- all secretly wish to be worshipped/ravished by pale, joyless, empty-headed man-boys who have nothing better to do than blindly revere said girl, despite how she is tremendously plain and weak and not all that beguiling in the slightest, and neither is he. More>>
Planning a Buddhist pilgrimage to India? (us.makemytrip.com)
