serving the faith communities of the Goulburn Valley
Ramadan Mubarak! If you ask your friend out for lunch this month and they say no, don’t take it personally.
They may be celebrating the month where Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.
Here’s what you need to know about Ramadan 2021 — including some basic do’s and don’ts.
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International Women’s Day is held on March 8 each year to honour and celebrate the achievements of women and highlight challenges and the need for action to reach gender equality. The day has been commemorated for well over a century. This year’s international theme is #ChoosetoChallenge.
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The Prophet Muhammad never executed anyone for apostasy, nor encouraged his followers to do so. Nor is criminalising sacrilege based on Islam’s main sacred text, the Koran. In this essay, Ahmet Kuru exposes the political motivations for criminalising blasphemy and apostasy
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There will be an online vigil, hosted by the Faith Communities Council of Victoria and supported by members of the Multifaith Advisory Group, on Tuesday 11 May, 5.00pm to 5.45pm via Zoom.
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During the COVID-19 quarantine in Italy, religious gatherings are suspended. How do Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Protestant and Buddhist Romans cope with losing connection with their communities and traditions at a time they need them most? Featuring interviews with religious leaders and laypeople who explain how their communities “virtually” observed Passover, Easter, and Ramadan this year in Rome, this documentary is a testament to how they maintain resilience and connectedness, and how the crisis has called them to draw more deeply on their spiritual resources.
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Orthodox Christians are ready to celebrate Easter, finding deep reasons for joy even amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As people gather in-person or online to worship together, different nations and diverse communities are coping with vastly different circumstances and challenges. Even amid this, Orthodox communities are drawing together to celebrate the risen Christ and the value of the human person.
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According to Islamic law, the basic elements of nature – land, water, fire, forest, and light – belong to all living things, not just human beings. Allah commands human beings to avoid doing mischief and wasting resources as these acts cause degradation of the environment. Here we bring you excerpts from the Qur’an and Hadith on care for the Environment, the Statement on fossil fuel divestment by the Fiqh Council of North America and the Green Ramadan movement.
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The Art of Living is offering 31 days of free meditations during the month of May, 2021. This will be 31 Days of free live guided Meditations. You will meditate with expert meditation teachers, learn simple breathing techniques and receive Community Support to get you started on your meditation journey and with three meditation slots per day, you can join in whenever and wherever you are.
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In the lead up to International Day of Yoga, Vishuddi Films have prepared a series of video on the History of Yoga in four languages. History is traced from the times of Harappa civilization. The story moves to explore the elements of Yoga in the times of Veda, Jainism, Buddhism, and several other doctrines. It takes you through the delightful journey of 3000 years of developmental history of Yoga up to the medieval ages.
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A recent survey found almost 70% of Australians believed in or were open to the existence of the soul — meaning they believe we are more than the stuff out of which our bodies are made.
The soul can be defined as the spiritual or non-material part of us that survives death.
Western pop culture is currently bewitched by what happens to us after death with TV shows such as The Good Place and Miracle Workers set largely in the afterlife. And the Disney film Soul depicts the soul of a jazz pianist separating from his earthly body to journey into the afterlife.
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The Mind & Life Institute is honoured to announce the Science & Wisdom of Emotions Summit, co-produced with The Awake Network. The free online program runs May 2-5.
Join His Holiness the Dalai Lama and 30+ leading scientists and world renowned teachers in exploring how to cultivate emotional well-being, work with challenging emotions, increase our capacity to love and care for others, and participate in the creation of a more interconnected and compassionate world. Speakers include Eve Ekman, Dan Goleman, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Resmaa Menakem and Sebene Selassie.
Twenty years ago the Mind & Life Institute held the seminal “Destructive Emotions” Dialogue with the Dalai Lama that focused on how we can overcome our negative emotions and cultivate our best human qualities. That gathering proved to be a catalyst for a revolution in the western conception of emotions and helped springboard the study of compassion.
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I think what makes Buddhism unique — what makes it Buddhism — is its diagnosis of what causes suffering, which is called the second noble truth.
Looking at the other noble truths, most religions acknowledge the pervasive reality of suffering, that it can end (if not in this life, then after), and that wisdom, compassion, and ethical living are a path to less suffering.
But why do we suffer at all? This is where Buddhism stands alone, offering a real-world explanation that is simple, testable, and, to my mind, irrefutable. What is it like to detox our mind of ego and these three poisons? We already know.
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The Australian Fatwa Council has received several queries in relation to taking the COVID-19 vaccination and test while fasting in the month of Ramadan. An advice is given for those who are fasting.
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The Prime Minister of Australia, The Hon. Scott Morrison, gives a message to all Muslims on occasion of commencement of Ramadan, 2021.
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The New Year is an event that happens when a culture celebrates the end of one year and the beginning of the next year. Cultures that measure yearly calendars all have New Year celebrations. On January 1, 1600 Scotland, was the first country to adopt January 1 as the first day of the New Year. Now, many countries celebrate the New Year on that day. The Panchang, the calendar used in India, uses a different reckoning to the Gregorian Calendar. This day is reckoned as the New Year in many states in India: it marks the entry of the Sun into Aries.
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The Aussie Camino is a picturesque pilgrimage inspired by Australia’s only saint, Mary MacKillop. The Way is from Portland, Victoria to Penola in South Australia, places associated with St. Mary McKillop of the Cross.
The Camino de Santiago, or “The Way of St James”, is a network of routes across Western Europe leading to the resting place of the apostle Saint James the Great.
While Caminos traditionally lead travellers to a place of spiritual significance, many of their walkers are not religious. Most are, however, open to soul-searching.
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Yom HaShoah is Holocaust Remembrance Day. It coincides with the 27th of Nisan (on the Hebrew calendar) to mark the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943, when Jewish resistance fighters defied the Nazis and fought for freedom and dignity.
In Israel, at 10:00, an air raid siren sounds throughout the country and Israelis are expected to observe two minutes of solemn reflection. Almost everyone stops what they are doing, including motorists who stop their cars in the middle of the road, standing beside their vehicles in silence as the siren is sounded.
The date was selected by the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) on April 12, 1951. The full name became formal in a law that was enacted by the on August 19, 1953. Although the date was established by the Israeli government, it has become a day commemorated by Jewish communities and individuals worldwide.
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There are different schools of Buddhism around the world, and new forms of Buddhist practice emerge. On this day, April 8, South-east Asian nations observe the Birthday of the Buddha. Here we give one small overview of this event, and share one reflection on the layers of the mind, in celebration of the Birthday of the One whom we call “Buddha”.
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The 8th Parliament of the World’s Religions, hosted for the first time virtually, will bring together people of faith from around the world in an instant. The virtual Parliament is a safe way to gather the world’s global interfaith movement and celebrate the enduring spirit and work of religious and spiritual communities striving toward a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world.
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The proposals for an Indigenous Voice would provide a way for Indigenous Australians to provide advice and input on matters that are important to improve their lives.
It could be made up of two parts – Local and Regional Voices and a National Voice.
Indigenous voice consultations will be held in Shepparton at 12:00 and 5pm on Wednesday 7 April at the Department of Rural Health, Graham Street, Shepparton.
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The Full Moon after the Autumnal Equinox brings many religious festivals in its wake, as these festivals mostly follow a lunar Calendar. This time brings the Jewish Passover (Pesach), the Christian Easter, the Holi festival on Monday 29th, the Lailat al Bara’ah of Islam, and Monday, 29th March to Wednesday, 31st March is the Sikh festival of Hola Mohalla. For many children, the Easter Egg hunt!
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