‘Sadhvi’ Gang-raped by Four, Including Her Associates at Ashram, in Bihar – News18
Posted: October 29, 2019 at 8:46 pm
PTI
Sheikhpura: A 'Sadhvi' (holy woman) was gang-raped in Bihar's Sheikhpura district, police said on Monday.
According to SHO, Mahila Thana, Yashoda Devi, theincident took place late Sunday night near Phulchod village in the district while the 'Sadhvi' was on her way to her native village in Uttar Pradesh's Basti district.
The SHO said the woman had been staying at an ashram in Kakolat a tourist spot in Nawada district after renouncing the world.
On Sunday, two residents of her native village visited the 'Sadhvi' and said her mother was seriously ill following which she left for Basti in her vehicle flanked by the duo and two of her associates at the ashram.
After she was sexually assaulted by the four, the 'Sadhvi' lodged a complaint with the police, the SHO said adding that the accused have fled and efforts were on to nab them.
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'Sadhvi' Gang-raped by Four, Including Her Associates at Ashram, in Bihar - News18
Delhi: Bid to decongest 9 arterial roads to begin with AIIMS-Ashram stretch, says Kejriwal – The Indian Express
Posted: at 8:46 pm
CM Arvind Kejriwal said all roads of Delhi will be entirely redesigned as per international standards. (Express Photo: Tashi Tobgyal)
Nine arterial roads in Delhi will be redesigned to get rid of bottlenecks and to add separate lanes for non-motorised vehicles, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Tuesday. The Delhi government project, stuck for over four years, will take off with the stretch between AIIMS and Ashram being redesigned first.
All roads of Delhi will be entirely redesigned as per international standards. We have been trying to do this for a few years now, and our hard work has paid off. Nine stretches spanning 45 km will be redesigned on a pilot basis. Work orders for one road have been given today, and will be given for two more tomorrow. For the rest, orders will be given in November. We hope to improve the condition of these roads and tackle the problem of traffic congestion by redesigning them within a year. The cost for these nine stretches will be Rs 400 crore, Kejriwal said.
After AIIMS-Ashram stretch, Vikas Marg and Narwana Road will be redesigned. While the changes include streetscaping, they will not just be about making stretches pedestrian-friendly, but will also look at the issue of bottlenecks.
Wide roads in Delhi turn into significantly narrow lanes after a few miles, and then back into wide roads, which creates a bottleneck and heavy traffic at some locations. Our priority will be to remove bottlenecks first for smooth flow of traffic and an organised lane system. Our second work would be to increase efficiency of space on the roads, so they are best utilised, he said.
Pradeep Sachdeva, the consultant for the first three projects, said geometric improvement of roads is the primary concern.
According to the new Indian Road Congress guidelines, width of car lanes can be reduced to carve out a special lane for non-motorised vehicles. We also plan to improve pedestrian access and create space for those who want to cycle. On our roads, the width of the lane keeps varying, and a road is only as good as the narrowest stretch. This has to be rectified, Sachdeva said.
The BJP, meanwhile, hit out at the project, with Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel saying that through these announcements, Kejriwal was accepting that he did not do anything in Delhi for five years. There is no drainage system on roads, no space to park autos and rickshaws. They are issuing tenders despite knowing they will not be able to complete the project during their term, he claimed.
The project was first mooted in 2015 and a creative team was put together for planning. The then L-G, however, did not clear the project and the team disbanded. After the SC judgment earlier this year, that said the elected government was the primary decision-maker in areas except for law and order, land, police and services, the project was revived.
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Blood donation camp organised at Bokaro thermal – Daily Pioneer
Posted: at 8:46 pm
To commemorate the birthday of Vigyan Deo ji Maharaj a blood donation camp was organised here on Monday. Numerous volunteers and guru bhai of the Ashram along with local people donated blood on the occasion.51 units of blood were collected during Vihangam blood donation camp here on Monday at Ashram. The camp was attended by K.P.Singh,Ramesh Thakur, Deepak Kumar, Prameshwar Nayak,Parwat Singh, Nilkanth Ravidas,Dr S.K.Singh of K.M.Memorial blood bank hospital,Chas Bokaro.
DVC,Bokaro thermal power plant, Chief Engineer and project head ,Kamlesh Kumar along with other engineers were present during the occasion. In the program every one also received the holy blessing of his holiness Sadguru Shri Vigyan Deo Ji Maharaj. Addressing the event his holiness Guru Bhai Kesho Singh said, I am expressing extremely happy by donating blood and we do not live for ourselves. It has never been the message of the Indian culture to live for our self. Our donation of small amount of blood can save alive."
With the message of Blood service is human service Sadguru Sadafal deo social welfare trust has been spreading awareness of blood donation among all the class of society.Total 51 units of blood were collected.
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Blood donation camp organised at Bokaro thermal - Daily Pioneer
Bhumi Pednekars series of contribution to various sensitive subjects – Republic World – Republic World
Posted: at 8:46 pm
Bhumi Pednekar is an Indian actor and also an activist. She made her debut as an overweight bride in the 2015 movie Dum Laga Ke Haisha. She rose to stardomin her 2017 film Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, which wasone of the highest-grossing Indian films. Starring alongside Akshay Kumar, she became extremely popular and gained exposure in Bollywood. In 2017, she also starred in Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, for which she was nominated for Filmfare award for Best Actress.
Her array of movies is short but of high quality. She is known for her brilliant acting performance in Toilet: Ek Prem Katha in which she played the character of a headstrong woman. In reality, she is a woman of great values and believes in parity. She is often seen standingup for those who are unable to stand up for themselves. The actor believes in peace and is also an activist regarding matters like women empowerment and climate change.
Also read:Bhumi Pednekar gets candid about her insecurities
The actor has been actively supporting Abhyudaya Ashram, which a school in Madhya Pradesh that teaches children the ways to repress prostitution in Chambal valley. It is said that Bhumi has built a hostel and lavatories for the girls. Bhumi also does not agree with the beauty standards that have been created and is set to break those standards. She plays a grey-haired, wrinkled character in her latest movie Saand Ki Aankh. Along with Taapsee Pannu, she essays the role of one half of the sharpshooter duo - the Tomar sisters.
She recently attended the Diacolor Savera Charity Ball where she shimmered in a pastel blue embroidered lehenga. Apart from the glamour, she partook in a fund-raiser which was set up to help marginalised students. She has continuously helped with making this world a better place. She is certainly worthy and deserving of the position she is in. Her upcoming movies are Bala and Pati Patni Aur Woh. Bhumi is an actor who is true to her class and shows extraordinary dedication to support the good causes. People are already stoked for her future ventures.
Also read:Bhumi Pednekar talks about Ranveer Singh
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2019 Seoul International Buddhism Expo to Be Held under the Theme of Meditation: Habit of Being Every Moment ‘Pause: Breathe in, Breathe out’ from…
Posted: at 8:45 pm
SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--2019 Seoul International Buddhism Expo (BEXPO) will be held at the Seoul Trade Exhibition & Convention (SETEC) from November 14th to 17th.
PAUSE: Breathe in, Breathe out is the tagline of BEXPO 2019. This year, 488 booths have been registered by 331 companies from home and oversea. The estimated visitors would be more than 70,000.
The exhibition consists of three halls. The 1st hall, Joy of Practice Daily Meditation' will be the exhibition that introduces new meditation trends using mobile applications in the age of technology.
'Joy of Art - The 7th Buddha Art Festival (BAF) will be held in the 2nd hall, where visitors can appreciate Buddhist art from a variety of perspectives and see artworks from traditional to modern styles, such as paintings, statues, and Dancheong.
In 3rd Hall, the Joy of Daily Life has a special interior proposal. It is an interior design and product exhibition where you can explore decorating options of your own meditation room so that you can concentrate on your inner self after a busy day.
On 15th, Being With Dying (BWD) will be introduced for the first time in Korea. You can learn how to connect and care for yourself and others with the basic wisdom of death. Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) will be held on 16th to take care of yourself with warm awareness. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) will be held on 17th to focus on each moment and control the stress.
The Seoul Relax Week program introduces spaces and classes where you can relax your body and mind in Seoul including Bongeunsa Temple. You will find various relaxing spaces and programs such as meditation, yoga, counseling, movement, music, vegetarianism, and temple stay.
Hong Seung-do, Secretary General of the Buddhism Expo (BEXPO), said, "the spiritual cultural heritage and method of practicing Korean Buddhism, like meditation, is one of the best mental and cultural gems that Korea can present to the world. This year's expo will play a key role in leading the spiritual culture of the world."
For more information on the 2019 Seoul International Buddhism Expo, please visit http://en.bexpo.kr/.
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2019 Seoul International Buddhism Expo to Be Held under the Theme of Meditation: Habit of Being Every Moment 'Pause: Breathe in, Breathe out' from...
Buddhist teacher shares practical tools that relieved his self-hatred, worry – The Durango Herald
Posted: at 8:45 pm
Yong Oh was searching for a refuge from his stress and negative emotions 13 years ago when he committed to Buddhist teachings.
It felt like I was being tossed and turned by my mind, said Oh, a teacher at the Durango Dharma Center.
Nationally, many are turning to meditation and mindfulness rooted in Buddhism in search of peace from internal strife, he said. The National Center for Health Statistics found late last year that 14.2% of adults were meditating in 2017, up from 4.1% in 2012.
In Ohs case, the Buddhist teachings have provided relief from self-judgment, self-hatred and worry.
The practice also helped him cope with tragedy. A car crash four years ago killed his father and left his mother with brain damage, he said. After the accident, he became his mothers caretaker and later took on an intense travel schedule to learn the Buddhist teachings.
There is no way, I think, I could have managed it without this practice, he said.
Oh, 47, now shares Buddhist practices with others at retreats across the country and as a member of the Dharma Centers spiritual leadership council. He also answers questions from meditation practitioners on Ten Percent Happier, a phone app for people seeking to improve their sleep, mindfulness and relationships.
He is the first new member on the Dharma Centers spiritual leadership council in eight years and was invited to join because of his deep level of training, said Erin Treat, the resident teacher.
Having Yong join our council means theres a deepened breadth and depth of local leadership, she said.
The Durango Dharma Center attracts about 130 residents to weekly Monday night meetings and is growing, she said.
Oh said he now enjoys teaching, but it was tough at first as an introvert something that had guided his life in the past.
Overcoming obstaclesAs an introvert, Oh was drawn to a career in acupuncture.
Previously, he worked as a graphic designer in New York City. He left the city in 2006 to practice acupuncture in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and dove into his Buddhist practice. Oh was born in South Korea, and his heritage may have influenced his interest in the practice, he said.
He loved the practice and eventually started teaching, but found it excruciating in the beginning because he was afraid of public speaking. At one point, on his way to teach a class, he remembered thinking: Maybe if I get into a car accident, I wont have to teach, he said.
But Oh kept saying yes to training opportunities to further his teaching abilities. He is now in a four-year program through the Insight Meditation Society, learning to lead residential meditation retreats.
At some point, I started to enjoy it rather than it being an ordeal I just had to endure and get through, he said.
He moved to Durango about three years ago and was drawn by the size and caliber of the Dharma Center.
Center board member and volunteer Kate Siber said she appreciates Ohs style of teaching and the example he sets for practitioners.
There is something about his presence that feels very calm and grounded and steady, and that can be very supportive to people, she said.
The meditation practice itself helps practitioners achieve greater resilience to stress and respond to life events from a place of balance and clarity, Siber said.
Mindfulness has the power to amplify the joyful things and the wonderful things of life and also seems to make the challenging things land more softly, Siber said.
To help more people feel comfortable at the Dharma Center, Oh started the People of Color Sangha over the summer. Sangha means community.
While Buddhism was practiced for thousands of years in Asia, the Insight Meditation tradition that Oh is training in was brought to the U.S. in the 1970s by American Jewish teachers who learned the practices while traveling in Asia. In the decades since, the practice has drawn many white, upper class practitioners, Oh said.
There have been people who have been attracted to dharma who havent felt welcome or safe, or its just been too intimidating to go into a place where they are going to be the only person of color, he said.
The new group at the Durango Dharma Center is intended to help those who self-identify as a person of color to find support.
The idea isnt that we are trying to separate ourselves out. Its a little bit of extra support for people who might need it, he said.
The center has also started a group for those who are gay, lesbian, transgender, intersex, queer and nonbinary.
The groups are intended to create deliberate spaces of belonging to encourage an environment of ease, relaxation and trust, Treat said.
Its a deeper culture of belonging and welcome, she said.
The groups also represent the growth of mindfulness practice and Buddhism in town, she said.
There is a group for nearly everyone who wants to participate, she said.
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Buddhist teacher shares practical tools that relieved his self-hatred, worry - The Durango Herald
Buddhist art and origins at London display – Outlook India
Posted: at 8:45 pm
Buddhist art and origins at London display
London, Oct 29 (IANSlife) Now open at Londons British Library, a significant exhibition on Buddhism is exploring the roots, philosophy and contemporary relevance of one of the worlds major religions, from its beginnings in north India in the 6th century BCE, to having over 500 million followers across the world today.
Titled ''Buddhism'', the magnificent 120-object show has on display rare treasures, from colourful scrolls, painted wall hangings to embellished folding books, highlighting the art contained within Buddhist manuscripts and early printed works.
The exhibition also features contemporary art from Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Taiwan as well as ritual objects used in Buddhist practice that provide a window into everyday life in Buddhist communities in the 21st century.
Encompassing the life of the Buddha, Buddhist philosophy, the spread of Buddhism and Buddhist practice today, highlight items include:
1. A 7.6 metre-long 19th century Burmese illustrated manuscript detailing the early life of the Buddha.
2. The most comprehensive woodblock-printed work depicting and describing scenes from the life of the Buddha, including 208 beautiful hand-coloured illustrations from China, created in 1808.
3. A copy of the Lotus Sutra in a lavishly decorated scroll from Japan, written in gold and silver ink on indigo-dyed paper dating back to 1636, one of the most popular and most influential Buddhist texts of Mahayana Buddhism.
4. A rare Buddhist manuscript in the shape of a bar of gold from Thailand dated 1917, known as ''Sankhara bhajani kyam'', going on display for the first time.
5. The ''Hyakumanto darani'' or ''One Million Pagoda Dharani,'' the oldest extant examples of printing in Japan and some of the earliest in the world, dating 764-770 CE.
6. One of the oldest illustrated extant palm leaf manuscripts, ''Pancharaksha'', an illustrated ritual text on the Five Protections from Nepal, dated 1130-1150 CE.
7. A lavishly gilded and lacquered Thai palm leaf manuscript with new research revealing it was commissioned by a queen of Siam, with a silk cover designed by her, demonstrating the role of women in Buddhism, 19th century.
8. An 18th-century copy of the Tibetan Book ''Bar do thos grol'', a guide through the stages between death and rebirth, commonly known in the West as ''Tibetan Book of the Dead,'' which helped popularise Buddhism in the 20th century in Europe.
It runs from October 25, 2019 to February 23, 2020 and spans 20 countries over 2,000 years.
(Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in)
--IANS
sj/sdr/lh
Disclaimer :- This story has not been edited by Outlook staff and is auto-generated from news agency feeds. Source: IANS
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Buddhist art and origins at London display - Outlook India
1,500 Dalits from across Gujarat embrace Buddhism for equality – The Indian Express
Posted: at 8:45 pm
Buddhist monks at an event organised by Gujarat chapter of Buddhas Light International Association, an international Buddhist organisation, in Ahmedabad, on Sunday. (Express Photo: Javed Raja)
Around 1,500 Dalits from different parts of Gujarat resolved to follow Buddhism at a function organised at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial in Shahibaug area of Ahmedabad on Sunday.
The function, organised by the Gujarat chapter of Buddhas Light International Association (BLIA), an international Buddhist organisation, was presided over by Hsin Bau, the religious head of BLIA, and Buddhist monk from Taiwan. A number of Buddhist monks from India and abroad took part. People took the pledge to follow Buddhism after getting themselves registered with BLIA for the function.
Those who were present on the occasion included former BLIA president of Gujarat chapter and current Congress MLA from Dasada constituency Naushad Solanki and former BJP MP Ratilal Varma.
Current president of Gujarat chapter of BLIA Tushar Shripal said nearly 1,400 persons got themselves registered for the programme. Solanki, an Elder Adviser of BLIA in Gujarat, said that there were many people among the 1,400-odd people who took the pledge to follow Buddhism for the first time.
Manjula Makwana, a resident of Surendranagar in Saurashtra, who embraced Buddhism along with her husband, Ghanshyam Makwana, and three children at the function, said, Equality is the only reason for us to embrace Buddhism. As Hindus we did not find equality We are witnessing lot of discrimination and atrocities against people of Scheduled Caste (Dalits). Surendranagar is notorious for it.
Nisarg Parmar, an engineer from Naroda area of Ahmedabad who is pursuing his Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), was another Dalit who pledged to follow Buddhism a the function. As many as around 25 persons from Nisargs extended family took the pledge to follow Buddhism at the function.
Speaking to The Indian Express on reasons behind his pledge, Parmar said, We used to follow Hinduism. But we do not like the discrimination and caste hierarchy in it. Buddhism is preaching equality. So, today we have taken the pledge to follow Buddhism I want India to be the best in the world. But I think one of the biggest hurdles in its progress is this caste system that discriminates people and treats them unequally, he added.
Recently, on Vijayadashami or Dussehra, around 500 Dalits from different parts of Gujarat embraced Buddhism at three separate functions in Ahmedabad city, Mehsana and Idar of Sabarkantha district.
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1,500 Dalits from across Gujarat embrace Buddhism for equality - The Indian Express
Toward a Circumscribed Relativism: Another Mind Bubble from an Aging Western Zen Priest – Patheos
Posted: at 8:45 pm
The disparity between common Japanese religious practices and belief-centric views of religion was again brought into relief when a prominent psychology professor from the US, who was temporarily visiting my lab in Japan, encountered the domestic co-existence of Buddhist and Shinto altars. Most traditional family homes in Japan house both a Buddhist altar to honour deceased relatives (butsudan) and a Shinto altar, called a god-shelf (kami-dana), to bring blessings. This pluralistic practice goes largely unremarked upon by Japanese people, but it can be striking for those from more exclusive religious backgrounds. When the US professor learned of the practice, he turned to a Japanese colleague and asked if he had two altars in his home. Yes, at his familys house, he answered. The professor asked in astonishment which of the two systems, if either, was the one that he really believed in. My Japanese colleague was puzzled. Neither, he said, and then clarified: or maybe both! He had never really thought much about whether he believed in altars before, he explained.
Christopher Kavanagh
I am a Buddhist. Buddhism, specifically Zen Buddhism, more precisely Soto Zen and koan introspection as a piece, centers my life. It focuses my attention, it guides ever step I take. It is who I am.
I am a Buddhist, if a Buddhist of a liberal sort. Of course that liberalism speaks to the profound assumptions with which I engage the world.
In my case its as someone who embraces the modern and post modern scientific world view. In his book the Universe in a Single Atom the Dalai Lama says If scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims. I believe that. And that privileging of the scientific investigation very much influences how I engage my religion.
And there are other things that weave into who I am and how I engage the world, and what I understand of my Buddhism.I am especially aware of how I engage Buddhism is heavily marked by my Christian upbringing and my graduate studies in a contemporary, if liberal, Protestant seminary,itself a member of a pan-religious theological union, through which I wandered learning much of the methodologies with which I engage spirituality and the world.
For instance, when trying to understand ordination within Japanese-derived Soto Zen, I relied about equally on historical analysis of Vinaya ordination and its reform in Japan, together with the Christian ordination notions of ontological and functional ministries. Then in trying to understand the ritual life of a Soto priest I found myself immediately seeing it through my earlier critical analysis of the Christian Eucharist.
Within this I see how I recapitulate in the most personal terms how a religion enters a culture and begins immediately to adapt and to re-interpret.
Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)
And, you know, thats okay.
In his article that I cite at the beginning of this briefest of reflections, itself more a tease toward something larger, cognitive antropologist Christopher Kavanagh throws away a phrase, circumscribed relativism. I find it delicious. And compelling.
Relativism, the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute. But modified by circumscribed, to define or mark off carefully. With emphasis on carefully. With respect. With humility.
We are, in speaking of religion, approaching the most important things of our human lives, the questions and the findings of meaning and purpose. Nothing less.
So, as we approach that burning bush, (am I doing it again?), we need to take off our shoes and approach humbly.
Its absolutely critical we understand ourselves and our limitations. So, deep looking is called for. But, also to respect the mysteries of our human condition, and maybe, to accept that wisdom arises where it arises. Wisdom cannot be contained. Not even by the greatest of systems.So, while I fully embrace the great story of evolution, I find I can only understand it through poetry. And poetry is always self-contradictory.
It will never be either or. It will always be both and
It will always be messy. It will always be seen obliquely, through the corner of the eye rather than straight on, through a glass darkly, rather than through plate glass.
Tell all the truth but tell it slant Success in Circuit liesToo bright for our infirm DelightThe Truths superb surpriseAs Lightning to the Children easedWith explanation kindThe Truth must dazzle graduallyOr every man be blind
A little darker. Perhaps.
But, much more true
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Toward a Circumscribed Relativism: Another Mind Bubble from an Aging Western Zen Priest - Patheos
Interdependent Web: Expanding circles of compassion – uuworld.org
Posted: at 8:45 pm
This week, several Unitarian Universalists addressed themes of identity, belonging, inclusion, and welcome.
Doug Muder sorts through a liberal view of intervention.
When we do decide to pull out of a country, we need a withdrawal plan rather than just a tweet announcing our departure. First, we need a plan to get our own people out of the country safely. And second, we need to do right by the people who have helped us, and who will likely be targeted for death after we leave. If nothing else, that means doing something Trump hates to do: welcoming refugees to the United States. (The Weekly Sift, October 21)
Celebrating the recent historic spacewalk by two female astronauts, Erika Hewitt points to previous delays as an example of diversity falling short of true inclusion.
Remember (especially if you identify as male) that wherever you go, systems and structures were built with ONE kind of person in mind, and often the obstacles dont appear until its too late. This is also true of white supremacy culture, ableism culture, and all of the other invisible snares of oppression. Lets keep snipping those snares, one cord at a time. (Facebook, October 18)
James Ford reflects on what it means to claim a Buddhist identity.
I believe the only appropriate way of understanding the precepts regarding sexuality turn on respect and care and mutuality. . . . I assert these positions I hold are Buddhist, if a liberal Buddhist.
Others, I know, think this means I am not a Buddhist. Or, at best, a marginal Buddhist.
But then many Buddhists think the same about Zen Buddhists in general.
The upshot is probably, while quite important, the question of who and who is not a Buddhist is going to remain ambiguous. The deal, as I see it, in a sort of bottom line way is not Buddhism, but Buddhisms
And, me, Im comfortable with that. (Monkey Mind, October 24)
Dan Harper writes that you dont need to be affiliated with a congregation to be a UU.
What is permanent about Unitarian Universalism? That you live an ethical life. That you challenge yourself to use your reason to engage with religion. That you allow yourself to doubt. That you allow your religious attitudes to change and evolve. That you value the Western religious tradition of which anglophone Unitarian Universalism is a part, while remaining open to insights from non-Western religious traditions. That you are in conversation with other UUs.
That last point deserves elaboration: How can non-affiliated UUs stay in conversation with other UUS? Through sudden villages, conferences and gatherings of a few days or a week where you get to meet other UUs face-to-face. Through reading UU writers, and listening to UU podcasts. Through online contacts: social media, blogs, email, whatever. (Yet Another Unitarian Universalist, October 23)
John Beckett answers the question of how a polytheist can be a Unitarian.
The first thing to understand is that contemporary Unitarian Universalism is not the Unitarian Christianity of Channing, the Universalism of Murray and Ballou, or the Transcendentalism of Emerson. Nor for that matter is it the Humanism of the mid-20th century. It is the direct descendant of all those traditions and it contains elements of them, but it has evolved into something quite different.
Contemporary Unitarian Universalism is based not on common creeds or theologies, but rather on shared values, beginning with the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Those shared values are why monotheists, polytheists, and non-theists can gather together . . . and worship together. UU worship does not affirm the primacy of any deities or beliefs about deities. Rather, it affirms the primacy of living together in a way that is respectful, sustainable, and mutually supportive. (Under the Ancient Oaks, October 24)
David Breeden describes the concentric circles of human connection first imagined by the Greek stoic philosopher Hierocles.
A decolonized, cosmopolitan Humanism calls us to widen our circles.
Yet, herein lies a problem: What if the concentric circles dont keep expanding because of national policy? If you happen to live in the United States, for example, many of your fellow citizens see no need to expand the circles to include other animals, the citizens of other nations, or the planet. Many Americans wish only to be a circle of Americans.
In this way, from a practical viewpoint, the building out of Heirocles circles breaks down.
How do we live an ethical life of expanding circles of compassion when a majority of our fellow citizens dont wish to draw the circle wider?
Thats the question that contemporary Humanists are working hard to answer. (Medium, October 24)
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Interdependent Web: Expanding circles of compassion - uuworld.org