Buddhism
Neo-Buddhists push back against Hindu claims on ancient cave monasteries in India
By Priyadarshini Sen — September 3, 2024
GUJARAT, India (RNS) — In western India, where thousands of monks once worshipped in caves chiseled into the rocky hills, a fight is on to keep Hindu chauvinists from erasing a 2,000-year-old Buddhist site.
Montgomery County, Maryland, was most religiously diverse US county in 2023
By Aleja Hertzler-McCain — August 30, 2024
Bangladesh’s Hindu-Buddhist-Christian council pushes for secular state
By Rishabh Jain — August 29, 2024
More Stories
Nearly half of world’s migrants are Christian, Pew Research shows
By Chloë-Arizona Fodor — August 19, 2024
(RNS) — US migrants are much more likely to have a religious identity than the American-born population.
Who is the ‘Laughing Buddha’? A scholar of East Asian Buddhism explains
By Megan Bryson — August 19, 2024
(The Conversation) — The ‘Laughing Buddha’ shows how people have adapted Buddhism to different cultural and historical contexts.
Online schools bridge the gap between yoga mat and Ph.D.
By Ellie Davis — August 7, 2024
(RNS) — For practitioners and students seeking deeper yoga knowledge, online yoga schools led by scholars fill the gap.
As nations face off in Olympics, interfaith chaplain corps unites to serve athletes
By David I. Klein — July 29, 2024
(RNS) — 'We have a synagogue, a church, a Buddhist temple, a Hindu temple and more together,' said Rabbi Moshe Lewin, one of the chaplains in the Olympic village. Some of those ministering to the competitors are former Olympians themselves.
UN cultural agency decides against placing Lumbini, Buddha’s birthplace in Nepal, on endangered list
By Binaj Gurubacharya and David Rising — July 29, 2024
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Experts from UNESCO had recommended placing Lumbini on the agency's list of sites in danger, saying that the deterioration of key features to the site shows an “alarming state of conservation.”
At Buddhist-Christian dialogue, finding solidarity amid shifting religious landscape
By Michael Woolf — July 10, 2024
(RNS) — In a polarized country renegotiating the role of religion in civic life, interfaith partnerships are critical.
Hundreds of mostly exiled Tibetans celebrate the Dalai Lama’s 89th birthday in India’s Dharamshala
By Ashwini Bhatia — July 9, 2024
DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) — The Dalai Lama has made the hillside town his headquarters since fleeing Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
For Buddhist influencer ‘sotce,’ a fine line between engagement and attachment
By Fiona Murphy — June 25, 2024
(RNS) — The growing popularity of online influencers like sotce puts into question the faith of a generation considered to be the least religiously affiliated in America’s history.
With world’s highest rates of religiously unaffiliated, East Asia remains spiritually vibrant
By Chloë-Arizona Fodor — June 17, 2024
(RNS) — While many East Asians do not identify with a religion, they continue to hold religious or spiritual beliefs in unseen beings, venerate ancestors’ spirits and engage in ritual practices, according to a new survey by Pew Research Center.
AP PHOTOS: Cambodian village prays for good fortune, prosperity, and rain in ‘He Neak Ta’ ritual
By Sopheng Cheang — June 11, 2024
PHUM BOEUNG, Cambodia (AP) — This ancient ritual ceremony has been celebrated annually for several hundred years by Phum Boeung villagers during the beginning of rainy season. Though marked in almost every village throughout the country in ancient times, the ceremony has become rarer.
From South Korea to India, devotees mark the birthday of Buddha with lanterns and prayers
By The Associated Press — May 23, 2024
(AP) – The birthday of Buddha is a holy occasion for all Buddhists, but is celebrated on different dates depending on the school of Buddhism or country to which one belongs.
White House hosts fourth annual Vesak celebration
By Jack Jenkins — May 23, 2024
(RNS) — President Joe Biden’s administration has been the first to mark the Buddhist holiday at the White House.
Page 1 of 22
