Buddhism
What the Buddhist text Therigatha teaches about women’s enlightenment
By Jue Liang — March 22, 2024
(The Conversation) — The Therigatha, a collection of poems written in Pāli by Buddhist nuns, reveals that women’s enlightenment may not necessarily require renunciation of domestic life.
A California city wrestles with its history of discrimination against early Chinese immigrants
By Terry Tang and Deepa Bharath — March 21, 2024
Was Jesus vegetarian? New ‘Christspiracy’ documentary says yes.
By Kathryn Post — March 18, 2024
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Hindu women look to ancient goddesses for guidance on modern feminism
By Richa Karmarkar — March 13, 2024
(RNS) — Many point to Shakti, the divine feminine energy, as an antidote to toxic masculinity.
Tep Vong, the leader of Cambodia’s Buddhist community, dies at 93
By Associated Press — February 27, 2024
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia's Ministry of Cult and Religion said Tep Vong died Monday after an extended illness.
At National Prayer Breakfast, Biden speaks of praying, working for peace
By Adelle M. Banks — February 1, 2024
(RNS) — ‘We're all blessed to live in a nation where we can practice our many faiths and practice them freely,’ Biden said at the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall.
A spiritual leader in Nepal known as ‘Buddha Boy’ arrested on charges of rape and kidnapping
By Binaj Gurubacharya — January 10, 2024
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Bamjan is expected to be taken to a court in southern Nepal, where the alleged crimes occurred, to appear before a judge there.
A small Spanish city’s bid to build Europe’s biggest Buddha
By Hanna Vioque — January 5, 2024
(RNS) — The 6,000-ton white jade Buddha statue will overlook a sprawling group of temples and monasteries just kilometers from the city center. But suspicions of the project abound.
The Lotus Sutra − an ancient Buddhist scripture from the 3rd century − continues to have relevance today
By Megan Bryson — January 5, 2024
(The Conversation) — For many Buddhists today, both in East Asia and across the world, the Lotus Sutra offers religious support for various gender identities.
RNS reporters look ahead to the big religion stories they expect in 2024
By RNS staff — December 30, 2023
(RNS) — From papal reforms to psychedelics to presidential elections, here are the big religion stories RNS reporters anticipate this coming year.
Faith leaders, influencers who died in 2023: Preachers, protesters, writers, singers
By Adelle M. Banks — December 26, 2023
(RNS) — We also bid farewell to some celebrities and influencers whose time on stages sometimes represented public faith or whose lives were strengthened by their personal faith.
Revitalization of India’s ancient sacred city of Varanasi leaves some longtime visitors cold
By Richa Karmarkar — December 22, 2023
VARANASI, India (RNS) — Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to revitalize the city's historic sacred sites have increased domestic religious tourism, but for some foreign spiritual seekers, the shiny new hotels, landmarks and tourist-centered rituals have made the experience of visiting a hollow one.
What is Bodhi Day? And when do Buddhists celebrate it?
By Luis Andres Henao — December 8, 2023
(AP) — Also called Buddha’s Enlightenment Day, it commemorates when Siddhartha Gautama attained awakening some 2,600 years ago, becoming the Buddha.
How sacred images in many Asian cultures incorporate divine presence and make them come ‘alive’
By Michael Naparstek — December 6, 2023
(The Conversation) — Through the power of rituals, inanimate objects can be understood to transform into agents who can see, hear, taste and respond to the concerns of those who worship them.
Daisaku Ikeda, head of global Japanese Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai, dies at 95
By Yuri Kageyama — November 21, 2023
TOKYO (AP) — Ikeda is credited with reviving Nichiren Buddhism in the modern age, making it more accessible for present-day practitioners.
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