Buddhism
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.
UNESCO is criticized after Cambodia evicts thousands around World Heritage site Angkor Wat
By Grant Peck — November 16, 2023
BANGKOK (AP) — Amnesty International accused UNESCO of disregarding U.N. guidelines and failing in its obligation to intervene and promote the human right to housing.
Pope Francis to join other clergy at first ‘Faith Pavilion’ at climate summit
By Adelle M. Banks — November 9, 2023
(RNS) — ‘This demonstrates the significance of the interfaith movement in helping to tackle the climate emergency,’ said one faith leader about the pavilion.
From India and Taiwan to Tibet, the living assist the dead in their passage
By Liz Wilson — October 31, 2023
(The Conversation) — Across cultures, death rituals give mourners a chance to grieve. But they also offer one last opportunity to help the deceased as they transition to the next stage of existence.
Documentary on Black millennials depicts wide range of religion, rebellion
By Adelle M. Banks — October 24, 2023
(RNS) — ‘We show the pluralistic nature of the African American religious experience,’ said creator Teddy Reeves, ‘from those who are of some formal faith tradition to those who are not.’
A congressman’s ‘Dharma Caucus’ stirs suspicion for Hindu and Sikh organizations
By Richa Karmarkar — October 18, 2023
(RNS) — The joint statement echoes a growing trend among some Hindu Americans who are concerned with the American political courtship of members of the Bharatiya Janata Party of India — a political party they say has contributed to a rise in oppression of religious minorities.
Survey: A third of Asian Americans say religion is very important in their lives
By Richa Karmarkar — October 11, 2023
(RNS) — Around 40% of all Asian Americans said they feel close to a religion for reasons aside from religion, such as family or culture.
Lisa Doi: Pilgrims sustain the memory of Japanese American detainment
By Joshua Stanton and Benjamin Spratt — August 31, 2023
(RNS) — A descendant of prisoners at World War II camps dedicated her doctoral research to how the Japanese American community commemorates its forebears' experience.
As New York’s migrant crisis grinds on, some faith-based organizations go it alone
By Fiona André — August 30, 2023
NEW YORK (RNS) — Confronted with an unprecedented migrant crisis, the city’s government has relied on faith-based organizations operating inside and out of a city-funded faith-based shelter program.
Faith leaders call for repentance and spiritual reformation to address climate change
By Bob Smietana — August 17, 2023
(RNS) — At the Parliament of the World’s Religions, faith leaders held a ceremony to repent for failing to care for the Earth.
