Explore Business Standard
Buddhism
The Dalai Lama on Sunday here laid the foundation of the Chowkhang Vihara for reconstruction. The event drew a large gathering of religious leaders, local dignitaries, and community members. At the Chowkhang Vihara, the 14th Dalai Lama was received by Ladakh Buddhist Association president Chering Dorjay Lakruk. The reception featured traditional Ladakhi music and ceremonial offerings of khattaks. "Let this not be a place for only ritual prayers and idle chatter but a centre for deep study and debate on Buddhist philosophy, a wellspring of wisdom for generations," the the Tibetan spiritual leader said after laying the foundation. Lakruk called the event a historic moment for the region. He said a request had been made to his holiness to come for the event some three months back. "This is perhaps the greatest blessing we could receive. The whole of Ladakh is touched by auspicious winds today," he said. The temple, constructed in 1957, is up for reconstruction after developing crack
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea challenging the vires of the Bodh Gaya Temple Act, 1949, and asked the petitioner to approach the concerned high court. The Mahabodhi temple complex in Bihar's Bodh Gaya, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the four holy areas related to the life of Lord Gautam Buddha. Bodh Gaya is a place where Lord Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment. A plea challenging the vires of the 1949 Act came up for hearing before a bench of Justices M M Sundresh and K Vinod Chandran. The bench asked the petitioner's counsel about the prayer sought in the plea. "I (petitioner) have prayed that the Bodh Gaya Temple Act should be annulled as ultra vires," the counsel said. The bench said the petitioner should approach the concerned high court. "Why don't you do it before the high court?" the bench asked. "We are not inclined to entertain the petition under Article 32 of the Constitution of India. However, liberty is given to the ..
Congress on Saturday announced free 'tirth yatra' for Buddhist places if the party is elected in Delhi in the upcoming assembly polls. During a press conference, former Delhi MP Udit Raj said there were no schemes for Buddhist pilgrimages, which the Congress would change if it formed the government. The Delhi government organises pilgrimage for Tirupati, Ayodhya, Vaishno Devi, Balaji for senior citizens at its own expense, Raj said. "So why are there no pilgrimage schemes for the Buddhist places like Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, Lumbini, Deekshaboomi, Mhow etc.," he asked. If our government comes, we will not discriminate and will provide free pilgrimage for them also, Raj stated. The 'Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana' was launched by the AAP government in 2019 to aid the elderly in visiting pilgrimage sites across the country. Under the scheme, the Delhi government organises free pilgrimage travel for the elderly to 15 places of various religious faiths, including Ayodhya, Dwarkadheesh,
Even as the Lok Sabha elections for the Ladakh appear to be divided on regional basis, it will not affect the unity over the demands for statehood and safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, said Chering Dorjay Lakruk, president of Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA). A three-cornered election in Ladakh, with the BJP and the Congress candidates from Leh and an Independent nominee from Kargil, gives an edge to the Kargil candidate. In an interview with PTI, Lakruk stressed the need for safeguards to protect the land and culture of Ladakh, and also raised concerns over the pasture lands, used for grazing by the local nomadic tribes, being taken over by China. LBA, a prominent social and religious organisation of Ladakh, has had a key role in developing a consensus on the need for the Sixth Schedule. The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution deals with provisions for the administration of the tribal areas in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. Founded in