Former president Ranil Wickremesinghe has called for stronger cooperation among Theravada Buddhist nations, declaring Anuradhapura a sacred centre for Buddhists across Asia. Highlighting centuries of religious exchange between Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia
What began as a dispute over a monk’s court appearance has escalated into a demand for a presidential pardon, placing Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s government in a political dilemma. As protests intensify near the birthplace of the Aragalaya, the crisis raises
If the robe is so sacred and needs veneration if it’s taken that it represents the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, irrespective of the character
by Our Correspondent in Colombo Buddhist monks leading the ‘Freedom Pilgrimage’ have begun an open-ended protest outside Sri Lanka’s President’s Secretariat in Colombo, demanding
by Durga Velayudham The greatest tragedy in writing about other people’s suffering is when an author arrives not to understand, but to confirm a story she has already sold. Sonia Faleiro an
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For Howard Jones, enlightenment began with chaos — “a slow-motion explosion of fruit and veg,” as he describes it. In the early 1980s, long before Things Can Only Get Better became an
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The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), nestled in the southeast of Bangladesh, have long been the homeland of the Chakmas, Marmas, Tanchangya, Tripura, and other indigenous communities. These peoples have cultivated their ancestral
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Discerning observers around the world are increasingly concerned that “might is right” is becoming the prevailing principle in shaping relations between nations. There is a growing consensus that any country driven by
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Keeping in line with the ethos of what Venerable Rahula stood for all his life, his guiding beliefs, ideals and practice of what he believed in, primarily the freedom to think critically
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I did not attend the recent Dalada exposition, but I passed through Kandy during those days and witnessed the long lines – thousands of pilgrims, most of them elderly, queued in fervent
More Venerable Walpola Rahula stands as one of the most transformative figures in the modern history of Buddhism. A monk, a scholar, a social reformer, and an uncompromising advocate of free thought, Rahula
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A controversial Sotheby’s auction featuring sacred artefacts believed to be linked to the historical Buddha has been indefinitely postponed following a formal objection from the Indian government. The move has reignited global
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Today we are celebrating Buddha. Streets are adorned with lotus lanterns, incense spirals skyward in serpentine trails, and chants echo through temple halls with a rhythm as old as memory. Vesak—the sacred
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by Eric “Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.” – Gautama Buddha Elon Musk compared himself to Buddha as he prepares to relinquish his leadership over the Department of
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by A Special Correspondent Introduction: The Spirit of Kalama Sutta The Kalama Sutta, one of the most rational and investigative discourses attributed to the Buddha, begins with a powerful exhortation: “Do not
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by A Correspondent in Colombo A man standing in queue for days during the Sri Dalada Vandana pilgrimage has died of a sudden heart attack, highlighting the dangerous overcrowding and disorganized conditions
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by Luxman Aravind “Siri Dalada Wandanawa”, the special exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic, being held for the first time in 16 years, is scheduled to commence at the Temple of the
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Editorial Today is full moon Poya Day, and this is the fourth in the year. Tomorrow, we mark not only the threshold of a traditional New Year but a deeper symbolic turning
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In the Union Budget for 2024-25, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced plans to transform the Mahabodhi temple corridor in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, into a world-class pilgrimage and tourism site, modeled after the
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