Source RAJGIR, INDIA, February 13, 2017 (YouTube): Nalanda was a Mahavihara, a large Buddhist monastery in the ancient kingdom of Magadha in India. The site was a center of learning in the 5th century CE to c. 1200 CE. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site today. The site of the new Nalanda University is 12 miles from the ruins.…
Source UNITED STATES, December 18, 2018 (Bloomberg): During a busy lunch service in the cafeteria of one of Silicon Valley’s largest cloud-computing companies, the vegan chef Chad Sarno turned up a gas burner and slowly poured a bottle of white wine into a steel saucepan filled with chopped onion, capers, vegetable stock, and al dente linguine. He tossed the mixture…
Source No one can describe the Truth adequately. Even the great Shankara failed to do it. — Satguru Siva Yogaswami (1872-1964), Sri Lankan mystic
Source DENVER, COLORADO, December 31, 2018 (Denver Art Museum): Ganesha The Playful Protector is developed in collaboration with the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh, which is loaning a statue of Ganesha created in the 600s to 700s that is the centerpiece of the exhibition. The 29-inch tall cross-legged figure, featuring human arms and an elephant head, is known…
Source ALLAHABAD, INDIA, December 25, 2016 (Telegraph India): The Mela administration in Allahabad has banned the centuries-old elephant-and-horse processions during the Shahi Snan (royal bath) this Ardh Kumbh, scheduled from January 14 to March 4. The move has angered the sadhus who are determined to get the ban lifted. Riding elephants and horses, the monks — including naga (naked) sadhus…
Source Hinduism is ultimately about experiencing things yourself. Understanding another person’s wisdom does not make one wise. — Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, publisher of Hinduism Today
Source UNITED STATES, December 23, 2018 (The Daily Beast by J. Kotkin and A. Kurimska): The pews are emptying virtually everywhere in the higher-income world. The Catholic Church is divided and enmeshed in scandal, unable to prevent even historically cleric-dominated Ireland from liberalizing abortion. The once vibrant evangelical movement is losing momentum in the developed world while the more established…
Source PURI, INDIA, December 21, 2018 (Religion News): For centuries, the priests at the Jagannath Temple in this city on India’s east coast have enjoyed unfettered control over the temple’s rituals. But in July, India’s Supreme Court proposed ending the hereditary rights of the community of more than 2,000 priests, threatening a livelihood that depends almost entirely on donations. The…
Source With a smile I faced all hardships. — Swami Sivananda (1887‚Äì1963), founder of the Divine Life Society
Source CHENNAI, INDIA, December 23, 2018 (Deccan Chronicle): Drawing flak from various quarters for not doing much in recovering the statues stolen from the ancient temples, the statue wing police on Saturday thwarted an attempt to sell a Panchaloha statue of Lord Murugan, said to be stolen from a temple in Nemili village near Arakkonam, and arrested a man from…