The Atma Jyoti Blog

We want to share with you a news piece we came across a last week which was so absurd that it could have been featured on a satirical news show. We found it on Tricycle.com and The China Post.

China announced last month new regulations governing Tibetan Buddhism, including a stipulation that senior monks, known as “living Buddhas,” cannot be reincarnated without government permission.

“The reincarnation of living Buddhas must undergo application and approval procedures,” the new regulations stipulate. “Living Buddha” reincarnations with a “particularly great impact,” such as presumably of the next Dalai Lama, “shall be reported to the State Council for approval.”

The new regulations, which come into effect Sept. 1, were issued by the State Religious Affairs Bureau under the State Council, which implements religious policy set by the Communist Party.

To read more, click here.

When visiting India in 2003 and 2005, members of Atma Jyoti Ashram filmed hours of video so that we could revive the memory of our visits more clearly. We found that whenever we pulled out our video camera that the innate actor in people would arise. We put together this musical montage of some of that footage both for our entertainment and for yours.The video is less than two minutes long.

Read about our adventures in India in “Monks’ Letters.”

The renowned Swami Sivananda (1887-1963) was the inspiration, example, and joy of his disciples. In the photo above, he and his disciple Swami Venkatesananda at right enjoy a joke together. Swami Sivananda was founder of Sivanandashram in Rishikesh, and the worldwide Divine Life Society. The website of the Divine Life Society is full of resources for spiritual aspirants, including free eBooks, photos, audio talks, and video clips.

Cartoon courtesy of Rex May, alias Baloo