A land deal between the Government and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram almost a decade ago may continue to be the target of allegations from some quarters, but Ashram records clearly show that it was a well settled fact that the land was handed over by the government in 2006 and in exchange, the government took over the land belonging to the Ashram located at Reddiarpalayam.

Some political parties and groups have been raking up controversy over the land time and again.

An authoritative source in Ashram said, There is no question of encroachment. The Cabinet of the Union Territory approved the exchange of lands and each side exchanged their lands in 2006. The issue was settled once for all.

The area at beach also known as the Tennis Ground was a dumping ground and it was being eroded by the sea endangering that part of the city.

The then French Government requested the Mother if she would undertake the development of the said area under a lease. The Mother readily agreed and spent lakhs of rupees and turned what was an eye-sore into a beautiful playground for the benefit of the students of the Ashram School in particular, and elderly ashramites in general.

This area has been in the possession of Ashram since 1948. The Mother herself played tennis here for over ten years. The convocation of Sri Aurobindo International University Centre was also held here in 1951. The Tennis Ground is very dear and sacred to all the devotees and disciples of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo in India and all over the world, an ashramite said. The Government Poramboke land had been leased out to Ashram on a nominal lease and is being used only for physical educational purposes.

In 2006, at first, Sri Aurobindo Ashram requested the Puducherry Government to donate as a noble gesture and even prepared for an equitable exchange of part of its land at Reddiarpalayam village in lieu of the Tennis Ground. Proposing to surrender the land that was being utilised for agricultural produce for the benefit of the inmates of the Ashram, the Ashram told the government that market price for that property was far higher than Guide Line Value.

Based on the approval of Council of Ministers, the Government of Puducherry and Government of India agreed to alienate the government land to Ashram located on Beach Road. Subsequently Puducherry government issued on February 4, 2008.

The Government Poromboke land measuring 86,111.2 square feet which was under leasehold with Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust has been taken over as freehold by Sri Aurobindo Ashram on March 6,2008. On the same day, the Ashram handed over the land measuring 1.83 hectare to the government.

A Deed of Exchange was executed between the managing trustee of Ashram Manoj Das Gupta and then Sub Collector P.Jawahar on behalf of government on October 29, 2010.

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Ashrams tennis ground issue surfaces again

As crazy as that headline may sound, it's true. Really. I too was amazed at this news when we investigated this story on "Interfaith Voices" for our "God and Government" series, which explores the relationships between religion and state in countries around the world.

Now, we need to be clear. The People's Republic of China remains suspicious of religion, especially religions with foreign ties like Catholicism, Protestantism and Islam. And it has certainly done a great deal to intimidate practitioners of these faiths. In the not-too-distant past, in the days of the Cultural Revolution, it destroyed temples and churches of all kinds. It's also important to realize that Tibetan Buddhism is not favorably regarded by the Chinese government because officials regard its leader, the Dalai Lama, as some kind of threat.

The Buddhism that China has begun favoring -- and even funding at times -- is Chinese Buddhism.

The big question is: Why? Why would an officially atheist government promote any religion, even a religion with long and traditional roots in Chinese society?

Well, according to our in-country reporter, Ruth Morris, Chinese officials are very concerned about the morals and ethics of their people in the wake of unprecedented economic growth, the rise of a middle class interested in material wealth, and a focus on all things material. At the same time, there has been a resurgence of Chinese interest in traditional, ancestral religions. So the government sees a potentially positive role for Chinese Buddhism in curbing excessive materialism and being "in sync" with contemporary trends.

Check out Global Sisters Report's blog by Jo Piazza, When Nuns Rule. Read it here.

Buddhism is not, of course, a dogmatic religion. It has the advantage of enabling people to focus on values and meditative practices without insisting on a set of beliefs or teachings that might challenge the Chinese government. Thus: a Buddhist renaissance in China.

Listen to this radio piece in its entirety.

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China, an officially atheist country, promotes Buddhism

By Lauren Renteria | Published 4 hours ago

This fall, the UA Department of East Asian Studies will introduce its new Buddhist studies minor.

Buddhism, one of the most ancient religions, continues to thrive across the globe. With more than 350 million adherents, Buddhism makes up approximately 6 percent of the worlds population, making it the worlds fourth largest religion.

Hoping to further educate Arizona students in the diverse and colorful cultures around the globe, the new Buddhist studies minor will be available for the 2015 fall semester.

The new minor will target students from a wide variety of disciplines to expand knowledge on what East Asian studies professor Jiang Wu describes Buddhism as not just a religion but a cultured tradition.

With the new Buddhist studies minor, students will be able to gain better insight into other cultures and lifestyles that contribute to life around the world.

This new minor will help the students appreciate the different cultures that have been influenced by Buddhism, said Albert Welter, head of the Department of East Asian Studies, and [it will] overall change how they look at the world.

Students can take an assortment of different classes concerning Buddhism. From the introduction to East Asian Buddhism to Zen Buddhism, there is a wide variety of courses to choose from. UA students will also have the option to take classes pertaining to ancient, medieval and modern Japanese religion, as well as those pertaining to other East Asian countries.

While the program will not be available until the fall semester, students said they are excited for what the minor has to offer.

Florence Luna, a UA senior studying business economics and East Asian studies, with a minor in Mandarin, said she will also be adding the Buddhist studies minor to her repertoire. Luna said that with this minor, students can gain further knowledge in other cultures and have the opportunity to discuss topics they would not have been able to explore before.

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Studying Buddha