SourceGENEVA, SWITZERLAND, May 19, 2003: Excerpted from H.H. Mata Amritanandamayi Devi’s speech at the Global Peace Initiative of Women Spiritual Leaders: “Captivity is in the mind. Look at the elephant, which can uproot huge trees with its trunk. When an elephant living in captivity is still a baby, it is tied to a tree with a strong rope or a…
SourceNASHIK, INDIA, May 14, 2003: The Kumbha Mela is scheduled to begin July 30, 2003, and about 250,000 sadhus and 700,000 pilgrims are expected to visit Nashik and Trimbakeshwar for the rituals till August, 2004. A new route constructed for the sadhus (without their consultation) for their holy baths during the forthcoming Kumbha Mela has been declared unusable as all…
SourceSAN FRANCISCO, U.S.A., May 11, 2003: In a review of Jonathan Schell’s new book, “The Unconquerable World: Power, Nonviolence and the Will of the People,” Curiel says, “It’s clear that the peace movement in the United States and abroad succeeded on a basic level: They gave voice to an ideology that — in the long run — may be more…
SourceKAUAI, U.S.A., May 19, 2003: Yesterday’s HPI included a story about America’s alleged Christian, Judiac-Christian or Judiac-Christian-Islamic cultures, depending on one’s point of view. Some research uncovered what are generally called The Barbary Treaties, a number of past legal agreements between the United States and Tripoly (North African coastal area) intending to protect American ships. The Treaty of Peace and…
SourceWASHINGTON, D.C., May 16, 2003: India is having to bare the brunt for golfer Vijay Singh’s unpopular stand on a woman golfer joining the men’s tour. Singh, a Fijian of Indian ancestry, has briefly become one of the American sporting world’s targets, right up there with the Augusta National for refusing women members, because of his opposition to top female…
Religion News ServiceUNITED STATES, May 17, 2003: Leading Muslim organizations say it’s time for Americans to stop using the phrase “Judeo-Christian” when describing the values and character that define the United States. Better choices, they say, are “Judeo-Christian-Islamic” or “Abrahamic,” referring to Abraham, the patriarch held in common by the monotheistic big three religions. The new language should be used…
SourceMASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., May 17, 2003: The Center for Indic Studies, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, is holding a two-day conference on June 28 and 29, 2003, on the “Impact of Swami Vivekananda’s Voyage to the West” at the UMD campus. This unique event will bring together academicians, monks of the Ramakrishna order, students, and the general public to discuss Swami Vivekananda’s…
SourceOHIO, U.S.A., May 18, 2003: From July 6 to September 14, 2003, The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) will be the final venue of “The Sensuous and the Sacred: Chola Bronzes from South India,” which first opened at the Sackler in Washington, DC. These rarely seen 9th to 13th century temple bronzes were drawn from public and private collections in…
SourceKAUAI, HAWAII, USA, May 18, 2003: Hinduism Today magazine is planning an article in its next issue on the subject, “Why I am a vegetarian.” Hindu youth (age 24 and below) are invited to send a 300- to 500-word essay on the subject. The essay should cover the reasons why you personally chose to remain a vegetarian if so raised…
Religion News ServiceOTTAWA, CANADA, May 14, 2003: May the force be with you. An astonishing 20,000 Canadians declared themselves followers of the religion of Jedi, the guardians of peace and justice in the “Star Wars” movies, Statistics Canada reported May 13 in its final installment of data culled from the 2001 census. Observers agree that declaring Jedi as a faith…