As a region rich in diverse cultures and religions, the subcontinent of India has seen the origin of numerous religious traditions over the centuries. This cultural diversity has fostered acculturation and accommodation of religious beliefs and ideas from one tradition to another. A notable manifestation of this trait is the adaptation of deities from one religion to another. This phenomenon is exemplified by the presence of Shri/Lakshmi in traditions which are outside the fold of Hinduism. Shri is initially mentioned in the Rig Veda and the Shatapatha Brahmana as an all-powerful deity....

Far from the religion’s ancient roots in India, a younger generation in the U.S. looks to a spiritual leader who channels the wisdom of a renowned mystic through his global network of Jain study centers aimed at making the teachings more ‘approachable’

Source: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/community/articles/jainism-american-style

As Hindus celebrate Diwali beginning Sunday (Nov. 12), the Sikh world will observe Bandi Chhor Divas, two distinct festivals that are always celebrated together in October or November, depending on the shifts of the lunar calendar. But while Diwali is a festival honoring the goddess of prosperity and good fortune, Sikhs on this day are encouraged to think about freedom and justice.

The story of Bandi Chhor Divas and its link to Diawli goes back to the early 17^th century, when Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru, became the leader of the faith...

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City will add the festival of Diwali to the list of public school holidays in recognition of the growth of the city’s South Asian and Indo-Caribbean communities, Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday.

Diwali, known as the festival of lights, happens October or November, depending on the lunar calendar.

However, this year it falls on Sunday Nov. 12 — meaning the 2023-2024 school calendar will not be affected by the change.

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Boston University began as a Methodist seminary, the Newbury Biblical Institute, in Newbury, Vt., in 1839. And since its beginnings in Boston in 1869 as Boston University, it has been open to people of all sexes and all religions, many who carve out time from their daily studies and work to find moments to pray, meditate, and reflect. 

BU photographer Cydney Scott has long wanted to capture the many ways members of the BU community express their faith. ...

Sheetal Deo was shocked when she got a letter from her Queens apartment building’s co-op board calling her Diwali decoration “offensive” and demanding she take it down.

“My decoration said ‘Happy Diwali’ and had a swastika on it,” said Deo, a physician, who was celebrating the Hindu festival of lights.

The equilateral cross with its legs bent at right angles is a millennia-old sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism that represents peace and good fortune, and was also used widely by Indigenous people worldwide in a similar vein.

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The week dawned gloomily in New York, but the drab mist was little match for the holiday at hand: Diwali, the festival of lights that symbolizes the triumph over darkness.

Celebrated across South Asia in some fashion by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists, the multi-day festival has secured a sturdy foothold far from the subcontinent in places with significant diaspora populations — like New York.

“One thing I would say — the...

Many preparations go into the celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, which starts Monday.

There’s cleaning and decorating the house, buying new clothes, visiting friends and family — and of course preparing and sharing food. And although the foods associated with Diwali vary from culture to culture, one central theme is snacks and sweets.

The holiday honors the goddess Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity. It celebrates light over darkness, new beginnings, and the triumph of good over evil.

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Tucked away on a hill beyond a vast commercial landscape are the first two Dharmic temples to exist in the Midwestern state of Wisconsin.

The 22 acres that are home to the Hindu and Jain Temples of Wisconsin were situated in “the middle of nowhere” when they were built in 2001, according to Sarvesh Geddam, the secretary of the two congregations. Now, the area is laden with fast-food restaurants and surplus warehouses, and Pewaukee, a village next to Waukesha in Milwaukee’s far-west suburbs, has become home to two more groups: devotees of Shirdi Sai Baba, a 20th-century Hindu...

Exposure to a wide range of cultures and faiths is paramount to providing students with a well-rounded higher education, and to building an enlightened and inclusive society. With this shared objective, California State University, Northridge collaborated with Drs. Jasvant Modi and Meera Modi on their $800,000 gift to support the Bhagvan Ajitnath Endowed Professorship in Jain Studies in CSUN’s Department of Religious Studies, part of the College of Humanities.

The principal objective of the endowment is the creation and continued offering of courses on the fundamental...

It was a year ago this weekend that Unity Baptist Church in Braddock held its last in-person Sunday worship service before widespread shutdowns began due to the spreading COVID-19 pandemic.

Its members still haven’t been back together in person.

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Out of grief and sheer frustration due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rev. Karie Charlton of Third Presbyterian Church in Shadyside admitted that she cried herself to sleep at several points throughout the past year.

In sharing her story of grief and vulnerability, Rev. Charlton said she hopes others may feel inspired to make themselves vulnerable to their loved ones as well during such a difficult time.

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Following a $1 million joint donation from several individuals through the Vardhamana Charitable Foundation, Narendra & Rita Parson Family Trust and Shah Family Foundation, UC Santa Barbara established and began the search for a chair of Jain Studies within the Department of Religious Studies to further the study of Jain traditions at the university.

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Diwali, the festival of lights, kicks off Thursday, with celebrations taking place across India and here in our area.

While this year’s festivities will be different because of the coronavirus pandemic, many are finding a way to make it special.

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