Meditate in May

Meditate in MayThe 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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History of Yoga Films

Vishuddi FilmsIn 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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What do the 5 great religions say about the existence of the soul?

Three Candles

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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Mind and Life: Science and Wisdom of Emotions Summit

Science & Wisdom of Emotions Summit

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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Detox Your Mind: 5 Practices to Purify the 3 Poisons

Mind and ripples outward

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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Ugadi: The Hindu New Year

KolamThe 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

shrine dedicated to Australia's only saint, Mary MacKillop,

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: What Holocaust Survivors Can Teach Us About Overcoming Trauma

Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Remembrance

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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Observing the Buddha: Buddha’s Birthday

Jewel in the LotusThere 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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8th Parliament of the World’s Religions, 2021

8th Parliament of the World's ReligionsThe 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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Indigenous Voice Consultations – Shepparton

Indigenous Voice Consultations Shepparton

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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Easter: A time of many religious festivals

Easter Egg hunt!
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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Care for Environment: Christianity

The Cross of ChristAs part of the Interfaith Call to Action auspiced by United Nations Environment Program and other multifaith organisations, we will, each month, present the view of one religion on the Environment and Care for the Environment. Religions to be covered include Indigenous Traditions, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism, the Bahá’í Faith, Hinduism, the Jain Religion, Buddhism, the Sikh Religion, Confucianism, Daoism, Shinto, and in summary, Environmental Ethics: Points of Agreement among the World’s Religions. This month, Care for the Environment features the teachings of Christianity.
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