About 200,000 people attended a rally in downtown Seoul, South Korea, yesterday — right in front of its City Hall.

They were protesting the religious bias they accuse the government of holding against Buddhists. Read my original article about the Jogye Order, the denomination leading the protest.

Among the 200,000 people, police estimated 60,000 of them were Buddhists (including 7,000 monks).

They issued a resolution asking the president (Lee Myung-bak) to take notice of religious bias, to stop religious discrimination, and to unify the nation.

Read more about the South Korean Buddhist protest on BuddhistChannel.tv.

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On Monday, we reported that religious authorities in Nepal are searching for the next Kumari.

Today, we bring you an update from Afp.google.com:

A Nepali tradition of locking a young virgin girl in a palace and worshipping her as a “living Goddess” has been dealt a blow with the country’s Supreme Court ruling she has the right to go to school. The court said there was no justification for the specially chosen pre-pubescent girl, known as the Kumari, to be subjected to a practice that dates back centuries.

The ruling comes barely three months after Nepali lawmakers abolished the country’s 240-year-old Hindu monarchy, who received annual blessings from the Kumari in a ceremony designed to underpin the legitimacy of the royals. The court’s verdict was prompted by a complaint from local lawyers that keeping a young girl cooped up in an ornate but decrepit palace in Kathmandu’s medieval quarter was a violation of her rights.

But it was not immediately clear whether the court’s decision would herald the end of the tradition, given that the Kumari’s aura is to a large part dependent on her total separation from the outside world.

“This is not good news. In any case, she is a Goddess so how can court rulings apply?” asserted Rajan Maharajan, the vice president of the committee that looks after the Kumari and her palace. He also said the girl’s rights were not being violated because “her teacher comes to the Kumari Palace every day, and she has three hours a day when she can meet people.” “We do not keep her prisoner,” he said of the current Kumari. “We will ask the Goddess if she wants to go outside more, and if she wants, she can go, but I don’t think she feels comfortable leaving the palace.”

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Korean Buddhists are protesting what they believe to be religious discrimination (and Christian favoritism) by the South Korean government.

South Korea has about 10 million Buddhists and 13.7 million Christians. Furthermore, 4 out of the country’s 10 past presidents have been Christians. The largest denomination of Buddhism is the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism – the group leading the protest against the government.

The map that started it all

On June 24, the Jogye Order issued a statement claiming the government had intentionally left Buddhist temples off of the government transportation map. According to BuddhistChannel.tv, “in 2003, when the previous government built the online information system, the Buddhist temples were marked on the map. But a version updated on June 9 dropped them.” The map did, however, show Protestant churches.

The ministry had previously apologized (calling the error an oversight) in a press conference on June 23 and corrected the map after two top presidential aides and senior ruling party legislators visited the temple. But it was too little too late for Korean Buddhists. Buddhist monks went on to accuse the president, Lee Myung-bak, of favoring Christians for his Cabinet (10 of the 15 ministers are Protestant, 2 are Catholic). They also noted that the Protestant deputy head of presidential security had told a newspaper he had a dream “to evangelize all government ministries.”

The beef that made things worse

Then in July, a group of activists led violent anti-beef protests. The police sought them, and the activists found refuge at a Jogye temple.

Things became tense when weeks later, police searched the car of the Jogye’s head monk. Protesters claim he was treated like a criminal.

Visit BuddhistChannel.tv for more of the Jogye Order’s accusations against the government.

Taking action against the government

On August 12, the Ecumenical Youth Council in Korea, the Korean Youth Buddhist Association, and 7 other youth groups called for the enactment of a nondiscrimination law (i.e., a law against religious discrimination).

27 Buddhist sects and organizations are taking the call a step further.  Next Wednesday they will hold a rally in protest of “Mr. Lee’s Christian-friendly policy” and in favor of a ban on religious discrimination and an apology from President Lee.

Watch Religion Transcends for information next week about the rally.

Learn more about the Jogye Order on their official Web site. 

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The search is on in Nepal for the next Kumari, the virginal “living goddess.”

Religious authorities and astrologers are consulting candidates’ horoscopes to find out who should succeed the current Kumari, according to Reuters. They are looking for a Buddhist who has perfect eyes, teeth, and hair; who has no scratches on her skin; and who could be as young as 3.

Who is the Kumari?

The Kumari is a girl selected from an ethnic family of Buddhists in Nepal (see below).

She becomes the “living goddess,” and many Hindus and Buddhists in Nepal believe she is the reincarnation of the famous Hindu goddess Kali.

The Kumari lives in a wooden temple in Kathmandu where she is revered and sought after (for her blessing)  until she menstruates. At that time, a new Kumari is chosen.

The current Kumari is 11 years old, and authorities in Nepal seek to replace her before she menstruates. She is set to retire at the Daisan Hindu festival in October.

Who is Kali?

In Hinduism, there are many gods. However, they are all seen as manifestations of the One, the Ultimate Brahman. Kali is one of the most followed Hindu gods. She is the goddess who encompasses both good and evil, life and death, creation and destruction.

At times, Kali is worshipped as a sweet mother. At other times, she is worshipped as an angry feminist — bloodthirsty and enraged at masculine power.

Who are the Shakyas?

The Kumari will be chosen from a Buddhist Newar family. Newar Buddhists are an ethnic group of Buddhists from Nepal.

The Kumari will specifically be chosen from the Buddhist Shakya, the highest caste of Newar Buddhists found mostly in Kathmandu. The Buddha (Shakyamuni or Guatama Buddha) is originally from this line. Thus, the chosen Kumari should be in the line of the Buddha.

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The Dalai Lama is aging.

At 73 years old, it seems as though he is preparing for what might happen after his death someday. And while typically a successor would be discovered (through recognition that a baby is his reincarnation), it appears he may be placing others in leadership roles in preparation.

Often considered the second in line for Tibetan Buddhists, the Panchen Lama is now 17. But he was kidnapped by the Chinese government as a young child and the Chinese government recognizes their own candidate for Panchen Lama – not the 17-year-old the Tibetan Buddhists recognize.

Nonetheless, with the Panchen Lama on house arrest, another high ranking Tibetan Buddhist leader is making headlines. He is the Karmapa Lama.

In Buddhism, there are four schools of thought (much like schools in Islam or denominations in Christianity). The Dalai Lama leads the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism; the Karmapa Lama leads the Kagyu school. He is considered the embodiment of Buddhist wisdom, and many believe he was reincarnated in a line of Karmapa Lamas in order to bring his wisdom to the current world.

And though he had to dramatically escape China, the Chinese government does recognize the current Karmapa Lama.

With his wisdom and recognition, the 23-year-old Karmapa – whose real name is Ugyen Trinley Dorje —  is garnering attention as an international voice of Buddhism. Some think the Dalai Lama may be prepping him to take his place as the notable Buddhist voice in the world.

Click here to watch or read an interview with the Karmapa Lama. 

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Prayers from several religions will now find a place at the Ontario legislature’s opening each day, according to Religion News Service.

Making a compromise

The municipal councils used to begin their daily meetings by reciting the Lord’s Prayer, associated with the Christian religion. But in early 2008, Secular Ontario threatened to take them to court if they continued the ritual. The organization of atheist Canadians felt such an act implied that the legislature was for Christians only.

The government of Ontario has held several debates about religion and politics over the last few months. Finally they came up with a compromise in June that would keep them out of hot water with Secular Ontario.

The compromise? Keep the Lord’s Prayer, but add in prayers from eight other religions and a moment of silence for the non-religious. Among those religions whose prayers will be incorporated are Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Baha’i, and Sikhism.

Inclusion for diversity

This change is a good example of a move toward inclusion. Inclusion is a method of showing that all religions have merit and truth in some way and/or that all deserve representation and respect. It’s the idea of religious diversity — a cornucopia of religions tha twould all be placed on the same level, in the same arena. Exclusion, obviously, is the opposite. A religion is sometimes called “exclusive” when its followers claim their religion is the only true religion or that their beliefs must be followed in order to attain the goal of religion (whether that’s eternal life, cessation of suffering, or something else).

Wondering about the Lord’s Prayer?

The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer prayed by Jesus, and it can be found in the New Testament of The Bible (Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4). In those verses, Jesus teaches his followers to pray a prayer he teaches them to pray. Many Christian churches pray that Lord’s Prayer at each worship gathering, including Catholics who sometimes call this prayer the “Our Father.”

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Could the violence in Tibet have actually caused the cyclone in Myanmar?

If you’re a follower of Buddhism or Hinduism, you might think so. According to Religion News Service, many in Myanmar believe the protests in Tibet over independence and the Olympic Games could have created negative karma – the result of which was the cyclone that killed some 30,000-100,000 people (depending on whose estimate you’re using).

But wait – what is karma? Are we just saying Myanmar was destined for a cyclone? Well, not really. And maybe.

Karma is the idea that our actions have consequences — both actions in this life and actions in past lives. All actions bear on consequences in this life. So, if you were a murderer in your past life, even though that life is over, it still has negative consequences for your present life. Or if you did a good deed in this life, it would have positive consequences in this life and in future rebirths. Thus karma becomes an entire system of action, reaction, over and over, lifetime through lifetime, something one cannot escape since every action will have some sort of reaction. (Thus, everything is related to everything else, a typical Buddhist concept.)

It’s more the idea of “what goes around comes around” than “this is your fate.” Fate does not come into play here. What’s in question is each choice each person makes and how natural justice ensures good or bad outcomes in the future.

Christians certainly have some understanding of karma, as it is understood that if you sin, there will be negative consequences; if you perform right action, you will be rewarded. However, it seems that karma in Eastern thought is a bit more tangible. If you do something bad, something bad will actually happen to you in this lifetime or the next lifetime, a tangible event. If you do something good, you will see rewards in this lifetime or the next, tangible rewards.

How good will the rewards be or how bad will the consequences be? According to one Buddhist site, it depends on everything from one’s intentions to how many times one has repeated this deed.

Do you believe in karma? Do you think the violence in Tibet could be to blame for the cyclone in Myanmar? Leave your comments and let readers know what you think.

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If you’ve been living in a cave for the last few months, here’s a quick update on the Dalai Lama:

Tibetan Buddhism developed in India and Tibet. Its leader is called the Dalai Lama (“wisdom teacher”) and serves as both Tibet’s head of state and as its spiritual leader. However, Tibet is under Chinese rule. After attempting to overthrow the Chinese government in 1959, the Dalai Lama was exiled to Dharamsala, India, where he still lives today.

Because China is hosting the 2008 Olympic Games, many Tibetans saw this an opportune time to protest China’s rule — when the entire world was watching. In protest, Tibetans rose up, rioting against the Chinese within Tibet. While Tibetans claim hundreds have perished as a result of the Chinese backlash, China claims only a small number of Tibetan protesters were killed for their outbursts.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago — the Chinese government offered to speak with the Dalai Lama if he would concede that Tibet should, indeed, belong to China. The Dalai Lama refused. Now China is claiming that the Dalai Lama not only supports the uprising, but actually orchestrated the violence. The Dalai Lama claims he had nothing to do with the rioting. Read more here.

What do you think? Could the Dalai Lama have anything to do with the recent violence in Tibet? Would he support any type of violence? What do you make of the recent uprising?

To learn about another conflict between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government, click here.

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My sincerest apologies for missing the Chinese New Year on February 7. (I know, it’s February 18 now. But if this were 2007, it would have been today. You know how hard it is to remember it’s 2008 this early in the year!)

Just a day after Christians acknowledged Ash Wednesday, Chinese religions (Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism) and those Chinese of no particular religion celebrated the start of a new year. Check out a succinct rundown of the day and the celebrations here.

BBC also created a great photo feature containing pictures of various celebrations throughout the world.

Here’s wishing you a happy new year!

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On August 20, BBC News reported that China was going to try to pick the next Dalai Lama – or at least choose one by deciding whether the one chosen is valid. This week, BBC News is reporting that the Dalai Lama will try to choose his own successor, now realizing the Chinese government will try to interfere with the typical process. So what’s the problem? Let’s take a step back.

In Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama is kind of the equivalent of the pope in Catholicism; he is a successor in the line of the Buddha, as the pope is a successor in the line of Christ and his disciples, except that he is also considered a reincarnation of the Buddha himself. He is a spiritual head – but everyone knows he holds some political influence and has held much political power in the past. And like the group of cardinals who deliberate in Catholicism, a group of monks typically chooses a successor in Tibetan Buddhism. This group uses dreams and signs to guide them. (In a well-known story about the current Dalai Lama, he was identified as the reincarnated, living Buddha as a young child because he was able to recognize items that had once belonged to the former Dalai Lama.)

The problem begins when we look at the political environment in China and Tibet. China, of course, exiled the Dalai Lama to Tibet and has been trying to gain control of the Tibetan leader and religion ever since. Clearly, they don’t want the Dalai Lama to influence Tibetan Buddhists in a quest for independence from China. And while Tibetan Buddhists may keep their religion, China always has the final say. So what was their first step? Disregarding the Dalai Lama’s selection of his second-in-line, the Panchen Lama. The Dalai Lama chose a 6-year-old Chinese boy in 1995, but the boy has had to remain in seclusion in Tibet, more than likely to escape persecution from the Chinese government. Once the boy was quietly settled in Tibet, China chose its own Panchen Lama, one they could undoubtedly control.

Step two? Well if you’ve already tried to overstep the selection process and choose your own vice-lama, might as well move right onto the Dalai Lama himself. So, to keep China from attempting to pick its own Dalai Lama and disregard the monks, the Dalai Lama may decide to pick his own successor! That’s like the pope choosing the next pope! It would be a complete change from the typical system and would likely set the standard for future selection processes. Plus, does anyone think it’s weird that the Dalai Lama would be able to determine who he will be reincarnated as?

Want to delve deeper? Check out what the Dalai Lama has to say about his own recognition as the Buddha and what he sees for the future.

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