Converting to Buddhism as a Form of Political Protest

Converting to Buddhism as a Form of Political Protest
SHIRASGAON, India—More than 500 low-caste Hindus filled the Veera Maidan, an open field at the edge of a dusty Maharashtra village, on a recent Sunday night. Neighbors openly gawked from porches as the throngs of people filed in, many dressed in symbolic white saris and kurtas. Under floodlights, they chanted: “I shall have no faith in Rama and Krishna who are believed to be incarnations of God nor shall I worship them. … I do not and shall not believe that Lord Buddha was the incarnation of Vishnu. … I shall hereafter lead my life according to the principles and teachings of the Buddha.” Instantly, there were 500 new Buddhists in India.

The converts had been Dalits, those from India’s lowest Hindu castes, formerly known as “Buddhism Shirts.” They joined Ambedkarite Buddhism, a movement founded a half-century ago by Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, a Columbia University-educated lawyer who drafted India’s constitution. Ambedkar was born a Dalit, and he saw the Buddha as a radical social reformer who created an outlet from the rigid Hindu caste system. Today, as inter-caste tensions rise under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose party is affiliated with right-wing Hindu nationalists, low-caste Indians are continuing to find the appeal in Ambedkar’s message.

Dalits make up nearly 20 percent of the Indian population—and many of them are angry at Buddhism Modi’s government. Last week, hundreds of thousands of them flooded the streets nationwide, protesting ongoing discrimination against them. But their mistreatment within society was rampant even before Modi’s BJP took power in 2014. Between 2007 and 2017, crime against Dalits increased by 66 percent and the rape of Dalit women doubled, according to the National Crime Record Bureau. And now Dalit anger—which manifests in regular protests, strikes, and social media furor—stands to make a major impact on India’s national elections next year.

Perhaps that’s why Modi is trying to win them over—not only as voters, but also as potential party members. The prime minister has been sending Buddhist monks out on the campaign trail and has even attracted some Buddhist politicians to his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He’s also been publicly praising Ambedkar.

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Cats Vs. Dogs – Who’s Liked More !!!!!

Cats Vs. Dogs – Who’s Liked More

A recent Associated Press poll reveals that more people like dogs than like cats.  In a survey of just under 2000 people, 59% of who were pet owners (mostly of dogs or cats) 74% said they liked dogs “a lot” but only 41% said the same thing about cats.  Only 2% said they disliked dogs “a lot”, but 15% feel that way about cats.

The people surveyed explained their opinions with comments such as dogs are more loyal, cats only care about themselves, dogs want to please their owners, and cats are “1,000 times” smarter than dogs.

What might be some reasons for this difference between our perceptions of dogs versus cats?  There are many possibilities.

Looking at the domestication history of the two species, the latest thinking is that dogs were for the most part wanted for companionship (less likely as a cooperative hunting partner as had been previously thought).  After an initial stage of being a religious symbol and appreciated for their predatory behaviors that kept rodents out of food stores, cats went through a dark period of being associated with witches and witchcraft that has, unfortunately, never completely left them.

Second, there is no doubt that the social organization and communicative behaviors of dogs are much more similar to ours than are those of cats.  We can more easily relate to the appeasement/submissive behaviors of dogs for example (even though we sometimes mistakenly assign “guilt” and other human motivations to them) and the more family like structure of a group of wolves than we can the more solitary life of many cats.

These differences in social structure lead us to believe, as reflected in the comment from a poll participant that dogs are “eager to please”.  This is a misleading conclusion.  More accurately, dogs are more likely to be motivated by social rewards and punishers.  As a general rule, dogs will respond more to petting and verbal praise; angry voices and threatening gestures than do cats.  But even this generalization may not bear up under scrutiny.  Consider the breeds with reputations for being aloof – such as Basenjis and Akitas, and compare that with many orange tabby male cats, who also have reputations for being extremely sociable – our late, great Buffett being one.

And when it comes to “intelligence”, or the question of who is smarter, it all depends on the methods used to measure it.  So it’s hard to make a claim for the superiority of cat versus dog or vice versa.

Cat and dog lovers shouldn’t be too discouraged.  The survey also found that 60% of adult said they liked both cats and dogs.  What’s unfortunate about this survey is that the data from non-pet owners weren’t reported separately.

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PANDORA MOTHER’S DAY 2018 COLLECTIONS DEBUT

 

PANDORA MOTHER’S DAY 2018 COLLECTIONS DEBUT
It only seems like two minutes since the Spring launch last month, but today sees the day of the Pandora Mother’s Day 2018 collections worldwide! There’s a surprising amount launching today, with new pieces for the Rose, Essence, Shine, and Disney lines. The collection celebrates life milestones and new arrivals, with some new sparkling bow pieces for a decorative hook.

Pandora Mother’s Day 2018 collection release
The Mother’s Day collection offers sugar and spice and all things nice, with pastel colours, homey motherly beads, and cake slices. To see all full overview of the collection, please do have a gander through the Mother’s Day tag. You can see the US gift sets at this link, also.
As usual, stores have been uploading live shots to social media and I’ve collated some of the best here. My favourites are the pretty balloon animal enamel beads, and the Plentiful Hearts murano has also snuck up on me – I actually love its softer colour from the live shots and am now tempted by it!
The Brilliant Bow is a huge statement piece, and I haven’t really seen any stores attempt to style it any other way than on its own on a bangle (as per Pandora’s own campaign styling).

The US exclusive Mama Bear dangle is also out:

The Lotus dangle has attracted attention from collectors with its pretty design and regional exclusivity – it has a double lotus design, with a silver outline laid over a soft pink enamel plate. The North American store launch booklet had this down as being a Canadian exclusive, but I think that it simply meant that it would not be coming out in the US Mother’s Day . So far, it is confirmed as being available in Canada, Australia/New Zealand, and Asia.
I have mine on order and can’t wait for it to arrive! :)

Finally, the limited edition Pattern of Love bangle. This appears to have been released out right in Asia (you can see it online in Singapore and China, for example) but will be offered as a GWP in other countries. I’ve confirmed that it will be available in Canada, the UK, and at least some European countries. I imagine it will come to most, if not all, regions

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When is Mother’s Day 2018 and what is Mothering Sunday?

When is Mother’s Day 2018 and what is Mothering Sunday?
Mother’s Day is an annual celebration of motherhood and a day on which mother figures are honoured around the world, most commonly marked in March or May.

The day is referred to as Mothering Sunday in the UK and falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent but in other countries like the United States, the holiday has less of a religious observance and has been criticised for being too commercial.

Mothers are usually given gifts and are treated to lunch or a fun outing. Special Mother’s Day cakes can also be bought and schools usually encourage children to make handmade cards for the mother figures in their lives.

What is Mothering Sunday?
Mothering Sunday is a Catholic and Protestant holiday and is celebrated on Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent, usually three weeks before Easter Sunday.

In the 16th century, people would visit their ‘mother’ church, the church where they were baptised or their local church, on Laetare Sunday and they were said to have gone ‘a-mothering’.

Later, Mothering Sunday became a day when domestic servants would be given a day off to visit their mother church and their families.

By the 1920s, the Mothering Sunday tradition became less celebrated and the commercialised American version of the holiday replaced the religious event.

Inspired by Civil War activist Anna Jarvis’s memorial to her mother and her consequent campaign to make Mother’s Day a recognised holiday in America, daughter of a Nottinghamshire vicar, Constance Penswick-Smith, created the Mothering Sunday Movement.

When is Mother’s Day 2018 and what is Mothering Sunday?

She wrote a book calling for a revival of Mothering Sunday in a time where there was strong influence from American and Canadian soldiers serving in World War II and therefore, the Church of England traditions were merged with the imported ones.

When is Mother’s Day 2018?
In the UK, Mother’s Day 2018 will be celebrated on Sunday, March 11.

The US will mark Mother’s Day 2018 on Sunday, May 13.

Australia, China, India and a number of European countries also celebrate Mother’s Day in May.

Why does the UK have a different Mother’s Day to other countries?
As mentioned above, the American Mother’s Day holiday was established in 1914 after Anna Jarvis’s campaign for a celebration in May in the memory of her mother.

President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day an official holiday, but later Anna was not pleased by how commercialised the day had become, but many countries have adopted these modern traditions to celebrate on the same day.

Mother’s Day in the US always fall on the second Sunday in May and like the UK’s Mothering Sunday, which is based on Easter, the date changes every year.

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When Is Mother’s Day 2018? Where to Buy This Day !

When Is Mother’s Day 2018? When Is Mother’s Day 2018!

When Is Mother’s Day 2018
The holiday will take place on Sunday, May 13 this year, honoring the women who have given their lives for us. The U.S. iteration of the holiday has its origins after the Civil War when women’s peace groups got together in order to bring forth peace with the establishment of holidays.

In 1868, Ann Jarvis, mother of Anna Jarvis, developed ‘Mothers Friendship’s Day’ along with a committee in order to bring families together after they had been separated by the Civil War. Her daughter would push her agenda forward over the years in honor of the legacy she was leaving behind.

Over the next few decades, the holiday was not an official one but there were small celebrations of it. However, Ann Jarvis died on May 9, 1905, prompting Anna Jarvis to establish Mother’s Day along with the help of Philadelphia merchant John Wanamaker.

When Is Mother’s Day 2018

A small service honoring Mother’s Day took place on May 12, 1907 in the Andrew’s Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, where Anna’s mother had been teaching Sunday school. However, the first official celebration of the holiday was on May 10, 1908, in the same church, along with a large ceremony in Philadelphia.

The next year, the holiday mother's s widely celebrated in New York and it continued to grow after that over the years.

Make an effort to call your mother, send her a letter or perhaps even get together this Mother’s Day.

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Thailand's Buddhism chief removed after pressure from religious groups

Thailand's Buddhism chief removed after pressure from religious groups

Thailand’s junta has removed the head of the national Buddhism office, the prime minister said on Tuesday, after religious groups called on the government to sack him over his plans to clean up scandal-hit monasteries.

Pongporn Pramsaneh, who joined the National Office of Buddhism  in February, had vowed to reform Thailand’s more than 40,000 temples by forcing them to open their finances to the public. They take billions of dollars in donations every year.

 

The former policeman was appointed amid a standoff between security forces and the influential Dhammakaya temple in February. Authorities wanted to question the temple’s chief abbot on money-laundering charges.

 

Pongporn will now move to a lower profile post of inspector-general in Prayuth’s office.

Despite high-profile temple scandals over murder, drugs and sex as well as improper financial dealings, Pongporn’s call for change had jarred on some monks.

 

A group called the Thailand Buddhists Shirt Federation submitted a petition to the prime minister’s office this month, calling for Pongporn to be removed to “prevent further damage to monks”.

 

“He painted monks as villains in Thai people’s eyes,” the group’s secretary-general, Korn Meedee, said in a statement on Facebook.

 

In July, another Buddhist group had called for Pongporn’s removal, saying he had damaged the Buddhist institution.

 

 

Phra Buddha Issara, a firebrand monk who called for reform of Buddhism, said the junta gave in to pressure too easily given government promises to fight corruption.

 

“Are they still serious about tackling corruption or are they only moving against certain people and groups?” he said, adding that when it came to monks: “No one can touch them.”

Thai security forces besieged the Dhammakaya Temple in February to try to catch its former abbot, wanted for questioning on money laundering. But police failed to catch him and he is still on the run.

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Burr Ridge Plans Celebration For Armed Forces Day

Burr Ridge Plans Celebration For Armed Forces Day.

The village of Burr Ridge will hold a celebration for Armed Forces Day on Saturday, May 19. According to the village, the celebration will be held at the Burr Ridge Veterans Memorial in front of the village hall.

The celebration will start at 10 a.m. with a Armed Forces Day 2018 flyover, and there will also be a guest speaker, concert band, and the awarding of the fifth annual Patriot's Award. The event is hosted by the Burr Ridge Veterans Memorial Committee.

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