Source NEW YORK, NEW YORK, July 27, 2012 (New York Daily News): State Taxation and Finance Department officials have ruled that that Yoga is not a “true exercise” activity under the tax code and therefore not subject to sales taxes. The Tax Department ruled that Yoga Salons, unlike gyms and other fitness centers, practice more spiritual activities, including “meditation and…
Source SRI LANKA, July 2012 (sundaytimes.lk): One monk’s big idea will soon be a reality as Sri Lanka’s version of the Bamiyan Buddha — a 67.5 foot high granite Samadhi Buddha statue– takes shape in a little village in Kurunegala. Here, Ven. Egodamulla Amaramoli Thera relates the beginnings of a gigantic task that started with the chance meeting of an…
Source Seek the Infinite, for that alone is Joy unlimited, imperishable, unfailing, self-sustaining, unconditioned, timeless. When you have this joy, human life becomes a paradise; the light, the grace, the power, the perfections of that which is highest in your inner consciousness, appear in your everyday life.— Swami Omkarananda. founder of Omkarananda Ashram, Rishikesh
Press Release DARTMOUTH, MASSACHUCETES, USA, July 25, 2012: Dartmouth, MA, July 25, 2012 – The World Association for Vedic Studies (WAVES) held a successful Tenth International Conference at the University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth MA from July 13-15. This conference was co-sponsored by the Center for Indic Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. After holding its first International conference…
Source CANARY ISLANDS, SPAIN, July 23, 2012 (diariodeavisos.com): On Sunday, July 22, over 2,000 people attended the celebration of the Ratha Yatra organized by the local Hindu community in collaboration with the municipality of Arona,. The Ratha Yatra is a very important holiday, which is associated with Lord Jagannath, and held in Puri (India) during the months of June and…
Source MUMBAI, INDIA, July 25, 2012 (ABC News): Oprah Winfrey is facing a barrage of criticism from disappointed Indian viewers who say she resorted to “stereotypes and cliches” in the episode of her show “Oprah’s Next Chapter” dealing with her visit to the subcontinent. “Watching the Oprah in India thing on TLC and getting more and more irritated by the…
Source “I went to the root of things, and found nothing but Him alone.”— Mira Bai (1500-1550), princess of Rajasthan, Northwest India, a saint celebrated for her lyrical poetry dedicated to Krishna
Source UNITED STATES, July 19, 2012 (huffingtonpost.com): (HPI note: we’re running several different reports on this Pew Study, as each highlights a different aspect of the report.) In a report on Asian America and religion published today, the Pew Research Center offers new data that illuminate the complexity and richness of our pluralistic democracy. Pew’s national survey is providing one…
Source VARANASI, INDIA,July 22, 2012 (indiatimes.com): The police succeeded in recovering the stolen rare handwritten manuscript of Ramcharit Manas, the epic authored by Goswami Tulsidas and other articles including a statue and silver crown on Saturday. They arrested two persons in this connection. The manuscript and other articles were stolen from the Hanuman Mandir at Tulsi Ghat on December 22…
Source BANGKOK, THAILAND, July 20, 2012 (UPI): Thailand and Cambodia have pulled back their troops from the disputed border area around Preah Vihear, a ninth-century Hindu temple. Bangkok and Phnom Penh have been at a standoff around the 900-year-old temple in the Dangrek Mountains on the Thai-Cambodia border for several years and several military confrontations. The International Court of Justice…