Buddhism

Silicon Valley Start-Up Aims to Unlock Buddhist Jhana States with Tech

March 4, 2024

The quest for inner peace and profound bliss typically takes years of meditation practice, but a Silicon Valley start-up named Jhourney claims it might soon offer a shortcut. Founded by Stephen Zerfas and Alex Gruver, Jhourney aims to harness artificial intelligence and EEG technology to help people achieve deep meditative states, known as jhanas, which are described in ancient Buddhist texts as leading to intense experiences of bliss and peace. The founders believe their approach could democratize access to these states, traditionally the realm of advanced meditators.

Source...

Read more about Silicon Valley Start-Up Aims to Unlock Buddhist Jhana States with Tech

Boston museum to return 14th-century 'sarira' to Korea after 85 years

February 6, 2024

A rare and culturally significant "sarira," the remains of Buddhist monks from Korea's 14th-century Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), will return home after more than eight decades in the United States.

Korea's Cultural Heritage Administration said Tuesday that the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, one of the three biggest art museums in the U.S. has agreed to donate the remains in its collection to the Jogye Order, the largest sect of Korean Buddhism

Source: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2024/02/398_368337.html

Read more about Boston museum to return 14th-century 'sarira' to Korea after 85 years

How Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and fortune, is depicted in Jainism and Buddhism

February 12, 2024

As a region rich in diverse cultures and religions, the subcontinent of India has seen the origin of numerous religious traditions over the centuries. This cultural diversity has fostered acculturation and accommodation of religious beliefs and ideas from one tradition to another. A notable manifestation of this trait is the adaptation of deities from one religion to another. This phenomenon is exemplified by the presence of Shri/Lakshmi in traditions which are outside the fold of Hinduism. Shri is initially mentioned in the Rig Veda and the Shatapatha Brahmana as an all-powerful deity....

Read more about How Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and fortune, is depicted in Jainism and Buddhism

How sacred images in Asian cultures incorporate divine presence and make them come ‘alive’

December 6, 2023

Walking into a favorite restaurant here in Knoxville, Tennessee, I was immediately greeted by a golden statue of Buddha, its sparkling gemstone eyes meeting my own as I made my way through the door. The aromas of Thai curries beckoned, but as I was led to a table, I kept thinking about those glinting eyes.

Sacred objects are everywhere: Statues and paintings of gods fill museum galleries and catalog pages alike. You might also see them gracing a neighbor’s yard or upon an altar in your friend’s home.

Some dazzle in bejeweled splendor. Others may appear more humble,...

Read more about How sacred images in Asian cultures incorporate divine presence and make them come ‘alive’

How an 11th-century monastery reclaimed artifacts from the US — and discovered a hoard of treasures in the process

October 24, 2023

 

Hidden under years of dirt and grime in storage rooms, hundreds of precious religious objects have been rediscovered at a monastery in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. Gilded crowns worn by Buddhist priests, halos that once adorned statues of deities and mini stupas gifted by the local community are among the long-lost antiques now on display at Itumbaha, one of the city’s oldest “viharas,” an early form of a Buddhist monastery.

The story of the objects’ rediscovery stretches...

Read more about How an 11th-century monastery reclaimed artifacts from the US — and discovered a hoard of treasures in the process

Religion Among Asian Americans

October 11, 2023

Like the U.S. public as a whole, a growing percentage of Asian Americans are not affiliated with any religion, and the share who identify as Christian has declined, according to a new Pew Research Center survey exploring religion among Asian American adults.

But the survey also shows that 40% of Asian Americans say they feel close to some religious tradition for reasons aside from religion. For example, just 11% of Asian American...

Read more about Religion Among Asian Americans

Sri Lankans Are Positive About Religious Diversity, Says Pew Survey

September 18, 2023

Although Sri Lanka suffered decades of violent ethnic conflict, Sri Lankans seem to have positive attitudes toward people of other religions despite the fact that most see religion as key to their Sri Lankan identity.

A new Pew Research Center report titled Buddhism, Islam and Religious Pluralism in South and Southeast Asia” found that 62 percent of Sri Lankans surveyed...

Read more about Sri Lankans Are Positive About Religious Diversity, Says Pew Survey

NYC will add Diwali as a public school holiday. But there’s a catch this year

June 26, 2023

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City will add the festival of Diwali to the list of public school holidays in recognition of the growth of the city’s South Asian and Indo-Caribbean communities, Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday.

Diwali, known as the festival of lights, happens October or November, depending on the lunar calendar.

However, this year it falls on Sunday Nov. 12 — meaning the 2023-2024 school calendar will not be affected by the change.

Source: ...

Read more about NYC will add Diwali as a public school holiday. But there’s a catch this year

A grain farmer applies Buddhist principles to preserve the land--and maximize taste

April 12, 2023

The first time Mai Nguyen tried bread made with hard Red Fife wheat, it was unlike any bread they’d tasted. It was nutty and sweet, like marzipan. Later, Nguyen tried a slice of milk bread made with Chiddam Blanc de Mars, a soft spring wheat that Nguyen had planted and harvested on their own. The wheat smelled like pecans and honey, and like bright sage. It was umami and creamy, said Nguyen, like a bowl of porridge.

On a farm in Sonoma County, California, Nguyen grows heritage grains cultivated centuries ago in Kazakhstan, Mexico and South Africa, using organic, drought-...

Read more about A grain farmer applies Buddhist principles to preserve the land--and maximize taste

After 30 years, Buddhist-inspired message of 'Groundhog Day' still holds spiritual power

February 2, 2023

Woodstock Willie, perhaps the second most famous groundhog in the country, saw his shadow Thursday (Feb. 2), predicting another six weeks of winter.

The early morning prediction, viewed by a crowd who braved below-freezing temperatures, was part of a five-day celebration of the release of “Groundhog Day,” a now classic film starring Bill Murray released in 1993 and filmed in this small town about an hour northwest of Chicago.

Despite almost no mention of God or religion, the filmmakers made one of the more spiritual films of the era. 

Source:...

Read more about After 30 years, Buddhist-inspired message of 'Groundhog Day' still holds spiritual power

Minnesota Buddhist temple opens up sacred dance troupe

February 11, 2023

The Buddhist community anchored by an ornate temple complex here in the Minnesota farmland is trying a new way to ensure its faith and ancestral culture stay vibrant for future generations — an open call for the sacred dance troupe.

Founded by refugees fleeing the Khmer Rouge regime, which sought to eradicate most religious institutions, Watt Munisotaram and its troupe hope that teaching young children sacred dance will strengthen their ties to both Buddhism and Cambodian traditions.

“The connection is stronger when I dance,” said Sabrina Sok, 22, a Wattanak Dance...

Read more about Minnesota Buddhist temple opens up sacred dance troupe

Asian faiths try to save swastika symbol corrupted by Hitler

November 27, 2022

Sheetal Deo was shocked when she got a letter from her Queens apartment building’s co-op board calling her Diwali decoration “offensive” and demanding she take it down.

“My decoration said ‘Happy Diwali’ and had a swastika on it,” said Deo, a physician, who was celebrating the Hindu festival of lights.

The equilateral cross with its legs bent at right angles is a millennia-old sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism that represents peace and good fortune, and was also used widely by Indigenous people worldwide in a similar vein.

Source:...

Read more about Asian faiths try to save swastika symbol corrupted by Hitler

'It's about time': Celebrations of Diwali illuminate NYC

October 24, 2022

The week dawned gloomily in New York, but the drab mist was little match for the holiday at hand: Diwali, the festival of lights that symbolizes the triumph over darkness.

Celebrated across South Asia in some fashion by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists, the multi-day festival has secured a sturdy foothold far from the subcontinent in places with significant diaspora populations — like New York.

“One thing I would say — the...

Read more about 'It's about time': Celebrations of Diwali illuminate NYC

'Where the goodies are great': Sweets lovers welcome Diwali

October 20, 2022

Many preparations go into the celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, which starts Monday.

There’s cleaning and decorating the house, buying new clothes, visiting friends and family — and of course preparing and sharing food. And although the foods associated with Diwali vary from culture to culture, one central theme is snacks and sweets.

The holiday honors the goddess Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity. It celebrates light over darkness, new beginnings, and the triumph of good over evil.

Source:...

Read more about 'Where the goodies are great': Sweets lovers welcome Diwali

These Buddhists fled communist Vietnam. Now, in a temple in New Britain, they are celebrating decades in Connecticut.

October 3, 2022

The Vietnamese Buddhists of the Hai An Pagoda in New Britain have much to celebrate

Many of the members are refugees from the country that was ripped apart by war until the south fell to the communist north in 1975. The temple was founded in Bloomfield that year by those who had escaped.

Then as the boat people escaped, peaking in 1978 and 1979, the temple grew, moving to their pagoda on Cherry Street.

Source:...

Read more about These Buddhists fled communist Vietnam. Now, in a temple in New Britain, they are celebrating decades in Connecticut.

Pages