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Religion and Conflict Case StudiesBosnia. Darfur. Afghanistan. Iraq. Headlines chronicle conflicts infused with religious dynamics. Just as significant, but less visible, are places where religious actors...
BuddhismBuddhism is a religion based on the spiritual and moral precepts of Siddhārtha Gautama (c. 5th century BCE), a teacher known as the Buddha, who stressed liberation from the...
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EVENTS (8)
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2008 Undergraduate Fellows Report: A Leap of Faith: Interreligious Marriage in America
December 31, 2008
December 31, 2008
INTERVIEWS (71)
A Discussion with Sulak Sivaraksa, Founder, Sathirakoses-Nagapradipa Foundation at the Parliament of the World's Religions, Melbourne
December 5, 2009
December 5, 2009
A Discussion with Gene Reeves, Consultant, Rissho Kosei-kai and the Niwano Peace Foundation
November 25, 2009
November 25, 2009
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RELATED RESOURCES ON BUDDHIST
The Asala Festival
June 30, 2001
The Asala Festival is a yearly three-day celebration in Sri Lanka. According to Sri Lankan history, the Dalada, the left-eye tooth relic of the Buddha, was brought to the island by an Indian prince in the fourth century CE. From this time forth, the sole heir to the Sinhala Monarchy was determined by the Sri Lankan King in possession of the tooth relic. Today, the sacred tooth is locked in the Sri Dalada Maligawa, a palace temple in Kandy. Each year, between the months of July and August, a colorful Buddhist festival is held to honor the relic, the Asala Festival (also known as the Dalada peraheara). The festival also commemorates the Buddha's first teaching sermon. The Asala festival is the largest procession in Sri Lanka and is marked by the 80-100 colorfully decorated elephants in the parade. The festival lasts 21 days and draws over 200,000 participant observers each year.