Source HOUSTON, TEXAS, October 19, 2017 (Chronicle): Last fall, as the days grew shorter and the weather cooled, Sheetal Parwal began preparing her home for Diwali. This year, Parwal and her family will celebrate a holiday meant to bring good fortune and prosperity in a rented apartment – their Katy house sitting gutted miles away after taking on 2 feet…
Source SITTWE, MYANMAR, October 30, 2017 (Irrawaddy): The Rakhine State government will close camps for displaced persons who have fled violence in northern Rakhine State by Nov. 2, said the Rakhine State minister for electricity, industry and transportation U Aung Kyaw Zan. According to the minister, camps in Sittwe, Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, and Minbya townships will be closed as the…
Source DENPASAR, BALI, October 26, 2017 (Republika): Balinese Hindus will soon celebrate the Galungan Holy Day on November 1, 2017 and Kuningan on November 11, 2017. The chairman of the Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia (PHDI) of Bali Province, I Gusti Ngurah Sudiana, appealed to society to observe this year’s religious ceremonies differently keeping in mind the status of Gunung Agung…
Source KERALA, October 25, 2017 (Daily Pioneer): Debate has resurfaced in Kerala over whether non-Hindus who believe in Hindu faith should be allowed to offer worship at Hindu temples with an important temple personality supporting the idea of allowing non-Hindus at the famous Guruvayur temple and major political parties like the CPI(M), CPI and Congress joining the campaign for bringing…
Source NEW DELHI, INDIA, October 28, 2017 (The Print): HPI Note: There is confusion in India over just what the Supreme Court is doing with regard to the temple. The court has yet to issue its formal ruling which will contain its reasoning and actions; once it does the issues should be more clear. This particular news report says the…
Source Discipline your speech. Speak the truth at all costs. Speak little. Speak sweetly. Always utter encouraging words. Never condemn, criticize or discourage. Do not raise your voice and shout at little children or subordinates.— Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh (1887-1963)
Source Man needs a guru. But a man must have faith in the guru’s words. He succeeds in spiritual life by looking on his guru as God Himself. Therefore the Vaishnavas speak of guru, Krishna and Vishnu equally.— Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-1886)
Source NEPAL, October 25, 2017 ( Christianity Today): Last week, Nepal enacted a law to curb evangelism by criminalizing religious conversion, joining neighboring countries like India and Pakistan, where the region’s small-but-growing Christian minority faces government threats to their faith. The “Nepali government [has] taken a regressive step as this law severely restricts our freedom of expression and our freedom…
Source BANGKOK, THAILAND, October 25, 2017 (by Oscar Holland, Kocha Olarn, CNN) Preparations for the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s cremation have been underway for the past year. In an old and cluttered studio outside Bangkok, sculptor Chatmongkol Insawang has been hard at work carefully shaping the trunk of the elephant-headed god, Phra Phikanet (the Thai name for Ganesha). The…
Source THAILAND, October 26, 2017 (Manila Bulletin): A sea of black-clad mourners massed across Bangkok’s historic heart early Thursday as funeral rituals began for King Bhumibol Adulyadej, a revered monarch whose passing after a seven-decade reign has left Thailand bereft of its only unifying figure. As dawn broke an estimated 200,000 Thais had gathered around the Grand Palace to bid…