Wednesday, July 7, 2010

The Sentinel#40906

The Sentinel#40906

Buddhists pray for Dalai Lama’s long life on birth anniversary


BOMDILA, July 6: ‘The Sun in the sky, the Jewel of the world, the Light in our heart-may you live a long life’ was the prayer on every lip of the old and young alike, gathered to celebrate the 75th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama here today at Thubchog Gatseling Monastray (Lower Gompa ).

Deputy Abbot Geshi Lopon of the Gaden Rabgyeling Monastary (Upper Gompa) welcoming the people spoke on the moral values and virtues which a man should incorporate unto oneself based on the teachings of lord Buddha. Highlighting the path of non-violence, compassion and righteousness, Lopon urged the followers to abstain from taking non-vegetarian food including eggs on 8th, 10th, 15th and 30th day of every Buddhist Lunar calendar. On advice of the abbot it was also resolved to organize an interactive discourse on Buddhist philosophy on monthly basis at Sera village Gompa, Pedung Gompa, Gaden Rabgyeling Monastary and at Thubchog Gatseling Monastary, all located in Bomdila and its peripheral areas.

As a novel initiative, the organizing committee finalized a list of 35 students who had topped in their respective classes from the 16 schools located under Bomdila township. The toppers were felicitated by the committee on the occasion.

Attending the occasion as Chief Guest, Deputy Commissioner Rinchin Tashi elaborated on the life of His Holiness and his endeavors for world peace, harmony and brotherhood and recognition by various national and international bodies for his services. Underscoring the importance of preserving and promoting the rich cultural and traditional values of the Buddhist community while praying for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tashi reiterated and called upon the people to make life meaningful by the teachings of Lord Buddha.

Earlier in the morning, the monks of the Gaden Rabgyeling and Thubchog Gatseling monasteries performed special prayers for long life of the Dalai Lama followed by a mass procession in and around Bomdila township with the spiritual leader’s portrait. It was followed by the ceremonial Sang-sol and hoisting of Lungta (prayer flags) and offering of Khadas (scarf). To commemorate the birthday of the Dalai Lama, and DC Rinchin Tashi and a colourful cultural programme marked the end of the celebration.

The birthday of the Dalai Lama was also observed at the Siddharta Vihar gonpa at Itanagar. In a day-long programme organized by the Itanagar Buddhist Cultural Society prayers were offered for world peace and long life of the spiritual leader. To mark the occasion a medical camp was also organized in the gonpa premises that offered Tibetan medicine treatment to the needy. Sphere: Related Content

Sunday, July 4, 2010

The Message (Bible) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Message (Bible) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "The Message
9-13 With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes" Sphere: Related Content

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Original Sin | Devdutt

Original Sin | Devdutt Sphere: Related Content

BBC News - Finland makes broadband a 'legal right'

BBC News - Finland makes broadband a 'legal right': "Finland has become the first country in the world to make broadband a legal right for every citizen.
From 1 July every Finn will have the right to access to a 1Mbps (megabit per second) broadband connection.
Finland has vowed to connect everyone to a 100Mbps connection by 2015." Sphere: Related Content

Church in the World: Pope creates new office to fight secularization

Church in the World: Pope creates new office to fight secularization
Pope Benedict XVI is creating a new Vatican office to fight secularization and "re-evangelize" the West -- a tacit acknowledgment that his attempts to reinvigorate Christianity in Europe haven't succeeded and need a new boost.

Benedict announced the new office during a vespers' service Monday, confirming reports in the Italian media of a handful of new Vatican appointments expected to be announced before the pope goes on summer holiday and the Vatican bureaucracy slows down.

Benedict said parts of the world are still missionary territory, where the Catholic Church is still relatively unknown. But in other parts of the world like Europe, Christianity has existed for centuries yet "the process of secularization has produced a serious crisis of the sense of the Christian faith and role of the Church."

The new pontifical council, he said, would "promote a renewed evangelization" in countries where the Church has long existed "but which are living a progressive secularization of society and a sort of 'eclipse of the sense of God.'" Sphere: Related Content

Jacob's Ethics Reader: South Korea legalizes chemical castration of sex offenders

Jacob's Ethics Reader: South Korea legalizes chemical castration of sex offenders

South Korea's parliament voted Tuesday to legalize chemical castration as punishment for convicted child sex offenders after a series of violent assaults sparked outrage nationwide.

The bill was first introduced in 2008 in response to a high-profile case in which a 58-year-old man raped and assaulted an 8-year-old girl. The attack caused widespread revulsion and left the victim with lasting physical injuries Sphere: Related Content

The Pioneer > Online Edition : >> 38 yr old this fair lovely beauty is king’s booty

The Pioneer > Online Edition : >> 38 yr old this fair lovely beauty is king’s booty

A rare white elephant has been captured from the jungles of northwestern Burma, a mostly Buddhist country where the animals are considered good omens, state media reported on Tuesday.

Forestry officials found the animal on Saturday, acting on a tip, in the jungles of Maungdaw township in northwestern Rakhine state, a publication has reported, describing the elephant as about 38 years old and 7 feet and 4 inches (2.2 m) tall. White elephants, actually albinos, have for centuries been revered in Burma, Thailand, Laos and other Asian nations.

They were normally kept and pampered by monarchs and considered a symbol of royal power and prosperity. The elephants are not necessarily white.

They can look similar to other elephants except for certain features like fair eyelashes and toenails, light-colored hair or a reddish hue to the skin. The newspaper did not say where the elephant would be housed.

It will be the fourth white elephant held in captivity in Burma. The three others are at the Mindhamma Hill park, in suburban Rangoon, where they live in an enclosure with spiraled pavilions, a manmade waterfall, ponds, trees and vegetation.

Soraida Salwala, of the Thailand-based Friends of the Asian Elephant Foundation, said the group normally objects to placing elephants in captivity but stopped short of criticising the capture of white elephants.

In Thailand, all white elephants are traditionally handed over to the country’s king.

“The white elephant is a sign of great blessings and fortune for the land,” she said, adding that traditional Burmese and Thai beliefs are similar on the subject. Sphere: Related Content