Kushinagar, a district in Uttar Pradesh, India, is one of the major Buddhist pilgrimage centers because it is the place where Lord Buddha is believed to have entered Mahaparinirvana (death). It was near the Hiranyavati River that Buddha took his last breath and was cremated at the Ramabhar Stupa. Located at a distance of 55 kilometers away from Gorakhpur, Uttar …

During the third century B.C.E. the spread of Buddhism was furthered by Ashoka (270-232), the third of the Mauryan kings who created the first pan-Indian empire. Ashoka was converted to Buddhism by a Theravada monk and, after a bloody war of conquest against the neighboring state of Kalinga, he recognized that such aggression violated the principles of Buddhism. From this …

Buddhism is a philosophy of life expounded by Gautama Buddha (“Buddha” means “enlightened one”), who lived and taught in northern India in the 6th Century B.C. The Buddha was not a god and the philosophy of Buddhism does not entail any theistic world-view. The teachings of the Buddha are aimed solely to liberate sentient beings from suffering. The Basic Teachings …

Buddhist ritual for celebrating the three-in-one occasion are naturally elaborate. The day falls in the Vaishaka month of the Indian calendar. For the Tibetans, it is the full moon day in the fourth month of the Tibetan calendar. On Buddha Jayanti, the Buddhist monasteries all over the world echo with prayers, sermons and recitations of Buddhist scriptures. In monasteries, religious …

Jainism doesn’t have a single founder. The truth has been revealed at different times by a tirthankara, which means a teacher who ‘makes a ford’ i.e. shows the way. Other religions call such a person a ‘prophet’. As great omniscient teachers, Tirthankaras accomplished the highest spiritual goal of existence and then teach others how to achieve it. In what Jains …

Publisher: Notion Press Pages: 90 Price: Rs. 199 Imagine you are on a treadmill and don’t have a pause button or you are driving a car that has no brakes in it. For the individual in either of the situations, death or being seriously hurt is guaranteed. Dr. Gaurav Nigam’s first book, “Devil Inside My Mind”, reflects this roller-coaster ride …

It’s that time of the year again… grocers are busy weighing kuttu ka aata; sil laddoos and vrat chips packets taking up plum spot on display; fruit vendors are enjoying their newfound status and people are postponing socialising – Navratras are here! One of the major North Indian celebrations, navratras are significant socially, religiously and to some extent scientifically… here …

Each canvas draws a comparison between the simple life left behind in small towns and the urbanised, mechanical existence we’ve carved for ourselves. Nails of Time, the exhibition of paintings and installations by Ram Partap, is a walk down the memory lane only to come to terms with reality that surrounds us. Although captions would have helped, several symbolic elements …

Paryushan Parva is the king of all festivals and hence is known as Parvadhiraj. Parvadhiraj Paryushana, this festival has the highest power of doing auspicious to the worshippers. This festival takes the soul to the upper condition. It lights the lamps of life i.e. pious life. This festival also shows the path of salvation. It is compared with water works …

Stress can be handled very well once we reach a level of calm and balance. Life can become very enjoyable then… My client walks into my office extremely agitated and wringing his hands in the air. ‘There are thoughts in my head that are constantly running, they get louder and louder and I get very impatient.’ He seems to have …