Friday, December 11, 2009

Wisdom Network News: SL woes

Ashley Wells (Wisdom Quarterly weekend editor)

Mysterious sky spiral explained
A bizarre light show over Norway captivated viewers and sparked several theories. Saturn's weird hexagon - Geminid meteor shower

Sri Lankan Buddhists attack Catholic church
(Baltimore News.Net, Dec. 9, 2009)
A Catholic Church in Sri Lanka has been attacked, with suspicions falling on [nominally] "Buddhist" extremists. The church of Our Lady Rosa Mystica in Crooswatta was attacked by a mob of about a thousand people last Sunday. According to witnesses, the attackers stormed the building, armed with sticks, swords, and stones. The angry mob destroyed statues and the church altar before turning their anger on the parish priest, whom they attacked before setting his car on fire. The priest, Father Jude Lakshman, of Our Lady Rosa Mystica in Crooswatta, was generally unhurt... More>>

(Xinhua) Making a record in Sri Lanka's election history, Buddhist monk Ven. Battaramulle Seela-ratana Thera will run for the presidency in elections scheduled for next January, party officials said on [Nov. 28, 2009]. He will be the country's first Buddhist monk to run for president representing his own political party... More>>

(Merinews, Dec. 10, 2009)
Hindus have sent greetings to Jewish communities world over on Hanukkah, the eight-day Festival of Lights beginning Dec. 11. Acclaimed Hindu statesman, Rajan Zed, in a release in Nevada (USA) today, expressed the warmest greetings on Hanukkah, wishing happiness, peace, and joy to all Jews. Zed, who is the president of Universal Society of Hinduism, stressed that all religions should work together for a just and peaceful world. Dialogue would bring us mutual enrichment, he added. More>>

Hinduism and human trafficking in India
(Examiner.com, Dec. 9, 2009)
The LA Times reported last week that the weather change and the droughts cause many wives to be sold to rich moneylenders by their husbands, who are impoverished farmers who have failed to pay off their debts. Though the report stated that it is a rare occurrence for a husband to use his wife as collateral for his loans, research shows that the traditional influence of Hinduism in India is a big contributing factor to sexual exploitation and modern-day slavery in the country. [Status of women:] Hindu tradition teaches daughters to be protected by their fathers... More>>

Opressed castes may try Jainism
(MyNews.in)
Dear Sir, This refers to the professor of political science and so-called dalit (child of God, i.e., an untouchable). Kancha Ilaiah’s interview with a prominent newspaper regarding his latest book, Post Hindu India, [comes] out of [the] experience of the sects of Hinduism the oppressed castes are practicing in which: (1) “Hinduism is in a state of crisis, facing a civil war due to the Varnashram system, which keeps 750 million (members of oppressed castes such as dalits, tribals, and other backward classes) subjugated and humiliated, whereas other religions offer spiritual democracy, as opposed to the spiritual fascism of Hinduism.” Ref: Transformation and not conversion is the key. More>>

Buddhist relics coming to city
And in February 2010, residents of Chennai will have an opportunity to view the relics said to date back to Gautama Buddha, the revered founder of Buddhism... (Times of India).‎

Buddha of the Week
On a recent visit to San Francisco, I visited the Japanese Tea Garden and ran into this wonderful bronze buddha statue.... (Beliefnet.com).

Kamakura, Japan: Surf and Zen
Just a short train ride from Tokyo, Kamakura is a small seaside town with a big green Buddha. Besides seeing the famous Buddha, there are plenty of... (San Diego Reader).

The Believer, Karma, and the Saints
Though the belief was entrenched in India before the advent of the Buddha, the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw writes, “It was the Buddha who explained and formulated... (SunHerald.com).

Chinese porcelain vase tops $748,000 at Nagel's sale
A remarkable $517,525 was brought in by an imperial gilt-bronze figure of the Buddha. This finely crafted sculpture of a sitting Buddha bears a Xuande... (Antiques and Arts).‎


What the Buddha would say to Sarah Palin
The Buddha At the moment Palin is touring the country to promote her book, which has a very large number of words in it, but not all of them are necessarily... (Huffington Post blog).

Direct your actions to the common good
One day, the residents of a town invited the Buddha to a meal. Soon after they left, 500 pretas – beings born in the hungry ghost realm – arrived and... (Times of India).‎

Local author compares Buddhism, NASCAR
In October, Boyer published "Buddha and the Backstretch," a book that compares the Buddhist mentality with that of her favorite NASCAR driver.... (Staunton News Leader).

Thai police vow crackdown on Buddha statue thieves
At least 20 heads of Buddha statues have recently been reported stolen from temples in the World Heritage province of Ayuthaya, which was the kingdom's... (Reuters).‎
The Great Buddha of Kamakura at Kotokuin Temple
The Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu) is a bronze statue of Amida Buddha, which stands on the grounds of Kotokuin Temple.... (Chicago Tribune).

Free Book: Siddhartha
The Buddha's name, before his renunciation, was Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who later became the Buddha. In this book, the Buddha is referred to as “Gotama”.... (Fiction Matters).‎

Tallest lord Buddha statue to be set up in Sarnath
LUCKNOW, India -- In memory of the centuries-old Buddha statues, which were pulled down in Bamiyan, Afghanistan by the Taliban, a private trust is setting up the tallest... (Press Trust of India).

Finding Buddha in a back spasm
...facing the other pains and challenges that await somewhere down the road. Motrin helps, a little... Hey, I said I was FINDING Buddha, not becoming him! (Huffington Post blog).

Give Buddha's head peace
Ancient Buddha statue heads and parts may soon be added to the list of items under a law prohibiting the trading of ancient antique objects.... (Bangkok Post).

Two Buddha heads stolen from Plaosan Temple
The heads from two Buddha statues at the Plaosan Temple in Prambanan, Klaten, Central Java, have been stolen, with the inadequate security measures at the... (Jakarta Post).

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