The mendicant saffron robe: origin and significance

 [Translator’s notes: The humble monk’s robe was worn historically by the Buddha and his disciples; and now all the Buddhist monks are sporting it in various shades of reddish-yellow, saffron or ochre, grayish to blue, and to pitch black colors everywhere around the world. It is called Kesa in Japanese, Casa in Cantonese, Cà-sa in Vietnamese, has the root word kasaya in Sanskrit. For this article we will refer to it as Casa.]

Matrimony… according to Buddha

The Buddha’s teaching first and foremost emphasizes on Enlightenment for all sentient beings, however, while trying to achieve enlightenment, it also accentuates its foundation on how to guide human beings towards and bring happiness to our everyday’s life.

Borrowing from the Basics of Buddhism to Chase away the Blues

A growing number of mental health professionals are employing the Buddhist concept of “mindfulness” to treat depression. Patients are encouraged to sit up straight and focus their attention on their bodies, thoughts and feelings.

’5-Hour Energy’ drink inventor revealed to be a Buddhist monk billionaire

"A Buddhist monk" would not be the first guess from most people when asked who invented the5-Hour Energy drink. But Forbes reporter Clare O'Conner discovered that's exactly who is behind the phenomenon that has a 90%-near monopoly of the energy shot market.

Mindful Eating and Fast-Food Buddhism

"Mindful eating" has officially entered the memosphere. An article about it reached the very top of The New York Timesmost-emailed list this week, and two days later it's still hanging in there at number three.

Mindful Eating as Food for Thought

TRY this: place a forkful of food in your mouth. It doesn’t matter what the food is, but make it something you love — let’s say it’s that first nibble from three hot, fragrant, perfectly cooked ravioli.

Korean Buddhist temple food to go global

Buddhist group to open temple food restaurant in Paris next year.

A Korean Buddhist group will soon bring temple food to the world as a part of its effort to introduce the 1,700 years of Korean Buddhist culture abroad.

2012: Not So Scary After All?

LOS ALTOS, Calif., Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Hollywood has given us many visions of the end of the world, one of the most recent being in the movie 2012. Even without this fuel, there are many who fear that the Mayan calendar, which ends on December 21, 2012, is proof that the upcoming year will bring about Armageddon. But Marina Lighthouse, well-known feng shui expert, has evidence from another ancient culture that not only will the world keep going, it can flourish!

Tastes of enlightenment

LUNCHTIME conversation with expat chef David Thompson is a hoot. We are eating on the deck at his Bangkok restaurant, Nahm. I'm working my way through fresh noodles with fermented catfish and yellow eggplant relish with a fair kick (nahm yaa boran), a rich chicken relish (nahm yaa gai), fresh herbs and a soft-boiled egg. Thompson is on a health campaign, so sticks to fresh tuna.

Green Tea Protects Against Functional Disability Linked To Aging

Regular green tea drinkers have a lower risk of developing functional disability, researchers from Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan, reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Functional disability refers to problems with daily chores and activities, such as bathing or dressing.

The Year of the Dragon is also the Year of the Baby

Many Asian American families are preparing to grow in the Year of the Dragon, which according to centuries-old tradition is a particularly promising year to have a child.

Deepak Chopra's Beauty Tip

The invitation was hard to resist: Join us for breakfast with Deepak Chopra, and be sure to arrive on time—the morning will begin with meditation.

Buddhist monks and UNICEF join to improve the lives of vulnerable families

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, 6 February 2012 – Cheng Sophea dropped to the ground with her son and bowed in a gesture of respect as Khun Khat arrived at her home in Kampong Speu Province, several hours outside Phnom Penh.

Don't worry, be happy

Mornings can be a tense part of the day. Rolling out of bed, frantically dressing, scalding your tongue on hot tea, then slamming the door shut and rushing to the nearest traffic jam.

But does it need to be that way?

Buddhism and Groundhog Day

When I think of Groundhog Day in a Buddhist context, the first thing that comes to mind is this old Zen story:

Zen teacher Ummon said to the assembled monks, "I do not ask about 15 days ago, or 15 days hence. But what about today?"

Maverick Buddhist nun dedicated to helping the needy and homeless

Koshu Hirao, 58, is not your ordinary Buddhist nun.

Since leaving the Jishu sect about 20 years ago because of discord over her antinuclear activities, she has kept her head shaved and her religious garb but has stayed fervently independent.

Walk the talk

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — SHANTUM Seth belongs to one of India’s most celebrated families. His brother Vikram is a respected novelist best known for the award-winning epic, A Suitable Boy, while his mother, Leila, was the first ever female Chief Justice in India’s state court system.

Tibetan Buddhists believe Minnesota 5-year-old to be reincarnation of spiritual guru

MINNEAPOLIS -- It's morning, and a little boy with a shaved head and a face shaped like the moon chants a Tibetan prayer.
His high-pitched voice echoes inside the bedroom in Columbia Heights, Minn., that his father has transformed into a lavish prayer room. Here, the 5-year-old forsakes his cartoons and toys to study scripture and learn to pray the Buddhist way.