You’ve seen the train ads and massive billboards for years featuring colorful performers posing with pastel-colored ribbons. You might have even considered buying a ticket to see this dance troupe as they move from one to city to the next. So what exactly is Shen Yun, how do they define their religious ties and why do some even call the group a cult?
Read More(EXPLAINER) Cherry blossoms hold a profound significance in various cultures around the world, often intertwined with religious and spiritual symbolism. Both their beauty and delicate nature have inspired poets, artists and thinkers. Here’s a look at how different cultures — from Japan to India to the United States — feel about at these dazzling flowers that bloom each April.
Read MoreFrom ancient civilizations to the world’s major religions, humans have sought to understand celestial phenomena in ways that reflect their spiritual beliefs and cultural traditions. Whether viewed as omens, manifestations of divine power or just a natural occurrence, eclipses continue to inspire wonder, reminding us of the interconnectedness of the cosmos and our place within it.
Read MoreFollowing a vote by CUNY’s Board of Trustees, Chancellor Felix Matos Rodríguez said on Wednesday that the the New York City system will become one of the first in the nation to designate Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Lunar New Year and Diwali as holidays on the school calendar.
Read MoreIn China, people celebrate Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14, but there are at least three holidays and cultural traditions centered on romantic love. A figure that ties together these other holidays is the Old Man Under the Moon — Yuexia Laoren in Mandarin, or Yuelao for short — who is believed to be a divine matchmaker.
Read MoreAmong China’s traditional holidays and celebrations, none ranks higher in importance than the Lunar New Year (農曆新年). Also known as the Spring Festival (春節), or simply Chinese New Year, it marks the beginning of the year according to the traditional lunar calendar.
Read MoreEvery year in mid-January, Livia Gao arrives at Mahayana Buddhist Temple in New York’s Chinatown at dawn to prepare 2,000 batches of congee, a soupy rice mixture, for the community. This special service is more commonly known as the “Laba Festival” by Mahayana Chinese Buddhists and celebrated by immigrants around the world.
Read MoreThe ground search for a monk who went missing from Sravasti Abbey last week has been suspended by the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s office. Geshe Tenzin Chodrak (Dadul Namgyal), 64, went for a walk on the evening of Nov. 7 on the abbey’s 300-acre property and did not return.
Read More“Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India, 200 BCE–400 CE,” an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, explores the influences and growth of early Buddhism through artifacts found largely in southern India. Highlights of the exhibit include relics taken from the Buddha’s remains.
Read MoreMany Americans may think Buddhism is a philosophy tied to mindfulness and yoga — but across much of Southeast Asia, being Buddhist is an important part of national identity, a new study reveals. The same is also true of the region’s Muslim-majority nations.
Read MoreThe growth of Christianity in China has stagnated over the past decade, while one-third of the country’s adult population identifies as Buddhist. A new Pew Research Center report found that only 10% of Chinese adults identified with any religious group — but the number rose significantly when survey questions focused on spirituality, customs and superstitions.
Read More(ANALYSIS) No one has called Jesus an internet guru — that is, until now. In his latest role as an “AI Jesus,” Jesus stands, rather awkwardly, as a white man, dressed in a hooded brown-and-white robe, available 24/7 to answer any and all questions on his Twitch channel.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The current and 14th dalai lama, Tenzin Gyatso, will be 88 in July 2023, and the Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa in Mongolia is traditionally one of the Buddhist leaders who recognizes the dalai lama’s successor.
Read More(OPINION) In education circles, an incident like the Dalai Lama asking a boy to suck his tongue is often called a teachable moment. But the real lessons to be learned from this video could be titled “How NOT to respond to possible child sexual abuse” Or “How NOT to respond to a troubling sexual situation with a child.”
Read MoreMore than a third of the 143 known administrative prosecutions in 2022 punished individuals for posting religious texts and recordings on social media accounts without state permission. In one case a journalist was initially fined — changed to a verbal warning — for posting her interview with a state-approved imam.
Read More(OPINION) The Venerable Master Hsing Yun died at the age of 95 on the 15th day of Lunar New Year on Feb. 5., after a long life of founding a religious order and elevating the role of women in that same order. He was the founder of the Fo Guang Shan (“Buddha’s Light Mountain”) monastic order, which falls under the branch of Humanistic Chinese Buddhism.
Read More(ANALYSIS) There has been surprisingly little engagement among religious groups in China, and Christians could point to ways that shared efforts by religious groups — care for the aging, improving schools in rural areas, marriage counseling and the like — can benefit Chinese society.
Read More(OPINION) God is so great none of us can comprehend all that he is. Ten of us — or 10 denominations, even — can’t grasp the full mystery. Thus we ought to approach other pilgrims with open minds and open hearts, looking for what we can impart to them and also what we can receive from them.
Read More(OPINION) Many of us feel stuck. It’s hard to believe that most individuals paying attention to the daily avalanche of disconcerting news are not similarly stuck. Buddhism has a term for this state. It’s called the “bardo” and it’s being referenced repeatedly in Buddhist conversations these days.
Read More(REVIEW) Valentina Pedicini’s documentary “Faith” spends time in a sect of Christianity called the Warriors of Light, composed of former martial arts champions who live ascetic lives and train daily to fight in a coming spiritual battle. The documentary focuses on why people have faith and what sustains it.
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