The first is about Emperor Ashoka, the one who was so much appalled by bloodshed in a war raged by him that he renounced violence and took to the preachings of Lord Buddha. This Mauryan Emperor had a great role to play in the spread of Buddhism in both India and abroad. For so many years nobody was sure of how this powerful emperor looked like but now two statues recovered from Langudi, Orissa have been decalred to be that of the king. The statues were recovered some years back but the confirmation that are of Emperor Ashoka has come now.
I would have liked to provide more details but could not find more recent updates on this news on net. Instead I found this – link which is an old one ut still very relevant.
I am also providing another link which has more details on -Langudi in general
The other news is about the movie of Lord Buddha which reputed Indian film maker Shyam Benegal is going to make. As per reports, he is very keen that Bollywood superstar Hritik Roshan play the role of the Buddha in his film. If Hritik Roshan agrees to do this film, it would be interetsing to see him in a new avtaar. He is also playing Emperor Akbar in soon to be released movie, Jodha Akbar which will show whether the Indian audience will accept the hero in a historical character or not.
You can have more news on this topic – here
Source:Two Interesting Piece of News
In earlier times when not many people were educated, story telling was the way to instill moral values in them. In Buddhist communities, too, simple stories were used to convey and strengthen moral values. These stories are known as Jataka tales.
Today, I read quiet a few Jataka tales, one of which I am summarizing below.
Once upon a time there was a wealthy old man who had a young wife and a son. The old man had accumulated a lot of wealth and was suspicious that after his death his son would not get it. He suspected that his wife, being young, would get married to another person after his death and all his wealth will go to that another man. To ensure that his son gets all the money after his death, he hid it with the help of his faithful servant. He also directed the servant to reveal the truth to his son at the right time.
Years later after his death, his son inquired the servant about the wealth of his father. The servant took him to the location but every time refused to reveal the truth. The strange attitude puzzled the son and he sought help from his father’s wise friend. His father’s friend told him that the servant was a weak man and was overpowered by a sense of importance since he was the only person who knew the whereabouts of the treasure. He also advised him to send the servant back the moment he starts abusing him after reaching the jungle and dig the very spot to recover his inheritance.
The son followed the instruction and soon found his wealth. The moral of the story here is that even a bit of power can have a negative effect on a person who is not used to it.
Source:Jataka Tales – The Burried Treasure
Dalai Lama is worried about the Tibetan Buddhist traditions. He said the Buddhist nuns from Himalayan region from himalayan regions has an important responsibility to preserve Tibetan Buddhist traditions. He feels that the Tibetan Buddhist traditions is facing an uncertain future in the home land.
Know more about the detail in Buddhist Channel
Source:Himalayan communities better placed to preserve Buddhism: Dalai Lama
Not a proper blog, just a “heads up.” Along with another Reform Taoism member I’ve set up a site we’re calling “The New Taoist Community.” I’ve described it as being ” an experimental site for philosophical Taoists, Pantheists, Zen Buddhists and others with an interest in the fundamentals underlying Taoism to explore the subject and find ways to develop a meaningful communal approach to expressing their beliefs in the 21st century. ” The idea is that in the forum we can explore the aspects of our spirituality that we hold in common and try to find communal ways of expressing this to develop a real community. What form this will take & how it will look – well that’s something for the members to decide
Read the original:
New Taoist Community