India enshrines Buddha's remains after 2000 years

This is so cool! Just the fact that they have relics to re-enshrine is a great touchstone back through time. Here is the full story.....

By Laura MacInnis, The Star (Reuters), Oct 29, 2006

MUMBAI, India -- Thousands of Buddhists gathered in Mumbai on Sunday to lay to rest part of the ashes and bones of Lord Buddha in a ceremony resurrected after almost 2000 years.

<< onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Mumbai yesterday. Thousands of Buddhists gathered for the ceremony held to lay to rest part of the ashes and bones of Lord Buddha

Monks in flowing orange robes chanted hymns from scriptures as the remains were lowered into a shallow pit on top of a 90-ft high stone dome, as part of celebrations to mark the 2,550th anniversary of the spiritual leader's enlightenment.

Organisers of the ceremony said this was the first time in around 2,000 years that Buddha's mortal remains were being enshrined.

"The relics now kept in this magnificent pagoda came from an ancient dome discovered during an archaeological expedition in south India in early-1900s," Acharya S.N. Goenka told reporters.

After Buddha's death, his remains were divided and kept in eight separate domes built by his disciples across Asia.

They were later taken by Buddhist convert Indian emperor Asoka, who placed them in many smaller domes about 2000 years ago.

The remains being enshrined on Sunday were found in an ancient pagoda in southern India in 1920 and have been kept in a Buddhist monastery for over 85 years, before being handed over for enshrining.

Buddhists, some of whom came from other parts of the world, including the United States, Britain, Australia and Cambodia, sat in meditation inside the dome, which can accommodate 8,000 people, many looking up in the direction of the roof where the remains of their guru lay.

According to believers, the enshrined relics of their leader emit spiritual energy and vibrations which helps meditation.

The organisers said the newly-constructed dome was unique as it was not only the world's largest stone dome unsupported by pillars, but was built with millions of inter-locking stones using ancient architectural techniques.

"No cement, concrete or metal has been used. There are no pillars to support the dome which is 280 feet in diameter," said Subhash Chandra, a Buddhist and an Indian media baron.

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=42,3351,0,0,1,0

Sitting

I have been very lax on my sitting lately. My work schedule has been different for the last two weeks throwing everything off. It would be easy to blame not sitting on this, but I would be lying to myself. I have been putting it off to do other mindless things like watching TV. I can feel it beginning to affect my life already. I am more moody, touchy, jumpy and even a little paranoid at work. It's amazing how just sitting for 30 minutes a day keeps my head in place :-)

Online Course at Ashoka Website

Ashoka is a great site to go for online Buddhist classes. Recently they released a class by my master, Master Sheng Yen called The Legacy of Chan. I have gone through about half of it so far and it is done very well. I am not sure who did the translating for Master Sheng Yen, but it captures the flair and style of his other writings. Hop on over and give it a whirl!

From the site....

This course provides an introduction to the nature and style of Chan Buddhism, which has been practiced in China since around the 6th century C.E. and, when exported to Japan around the 11-12th century, became the source of "Zen." Rather than attempt to present in depth every important aspect and feature of Chan Buddhism, this course — by presenting some of the highlights of Chan — hopefully conveys its flavor and unique approach. In the near future you will be able to explore aspects of Chan in greater depth on Ashoka.

This Week's Words of Wisdom by Master Sheng Yen

Everything is impermanent, everything is selfless, and to experience this selflessness or emptiness is the experience the quiescence of Nirvana, Buddha nature and enlightenment.

Ah an answer, perhaps this is why I am Hindu in India now....

India's Untouchables turn to Buddhism in protest at discrimination by Hindus

By Justin Huggler, The Independent, October 13, 2006

New Delhi, India -- Across India this month, thousands of Hindus from the former Untouchable castes are converting to Buddhism in protest at the continuing discrimination they face. Mass conversion ceremonies are being held throughout the month, from Delhi in the north, to Hyderabad in the south. Organisers are claiming that more than 100,000 people have already converted.

Conversion is a highly charged political issue. Several states have passed laws this year making it harder to convert, and the mass ceremonies will infuriate Hindu nationalist parties that have been campaigning to stop lower caste Hindus changing their religion.

But for many Dalits, as Untouchables are now known, conversion is the only way to escape the oppression they still face in Hindu society. Untouchability has been illegal in India since independence, but it is still commonly practised. In many villages Dalits are not allowed to drink clean water from a well. In some areas, tea shops keep a different glass for Dalits to use, so higher-caste Hindus are not "polluted" by drinking from the same vessel, even after it has been washed. After the 2004 tsunami, Dalit survivors in Tamil Nadu were prevented from sharing water in relief camps.

See rest of article HERE.

Quote from the Buddha

Like the moon,

Come out from behind the clouds.

Shine!

 

- The Buddha (Dhammapada)

This Week's Words of Wisdom by Master Sheng Yen

Compassion was the beginning of buddhism, and it is the essence of Buddhism.