Dragons and giants

 

For the record, I don´t believe in this kind of stuff. I think...

Thursday

 

Vaishnavas paying homage to Shiva? Rama, Sita, Lakshama and Tumburu worship a lingam! Narada seems to be missing, though. 

Crazy stuff White folk do

 

Some White dudes all but un-ironically worshipping an idol of Ganesha. Yes, it´s Skanda Vale again. I asked ChatGPT to translate the devotional song. It goes:  "Victory to you, O elephant-faced son of Pārvatī and Śiva! You are the pure destroyer of obstacles, revered even by Skanda. At your feet, O Gaṇeśa, I take refuge." 

I also asked why Ganesh is holding a psychedelic mushroom in one of his hands. The AI hotly denied it, claiming it´s a stylized modaka! (An Indian dumpling often offered to...you may have guessed it...Ganesha.) Apparently, Skanda Vale aren´t into the more psychotropic end of the Hippie alternative commune spectrum. 

BUT THEY NEVER ASKED WHAT´S INSIDE THE MODAKA, HUH HUH.

Kidding...

Linked here for no particular purpose. 

Destroy Shambo

 

A somewhat shambolic controversy back in 2007 involving the religious sect I mentioned earlier, Community of the Many Names of God and its Welsh ashram Skanda Vale. The ashram wanted to save one of its bulls, Shambo, from being slaughtered after the animal tested positive for TB. Note the ethno-politicking involved in the case! From Wikipedia, but seems to be fully sourced. 

Shambo

The Vel of Saint Francis

 

Some more content (partially overlapping) from Skanda Vale a.k.a. the Community of the Many Names of God. These guys seem more "far out" than the Hare Krishna! Note the syncretism. In two of the clips above, they do Hindu puja to an idol of Saint Francis. The main course is the raising of a "vel" somewhere in the Welsh countryside. A vel is a supernatural spear associated with the Hindu Tamil god Murugan (known as Skanda in pan-Hindu contexts). 

So in case you´ve been looking for a combo of bhakti to the Tamil vel and veneration of Saint Francis (with some Kali-esque spice added - see previous blog post), I suppose I found the guys for you! Open to people of all races, as far as I can tell. 

The many names of God

 

I admit that I never heard of this particular Hindu sect before. It´s called the Community of the Many Names of God and has ashrams in Wales and Switzerland. Most members seem to be White, but the head is (was?) a Sri Lankan Hindu Tamil calling himself Guru Sri Subramanium. 

He founded the Community together with a British Christian reverend and a Buddhist. Its monks apparently take the vow of Saint Francis, but otherwise the group has a strong Hindu flair and "Hare Krishna vibes". They worship the Hindu Tamil god Murugan plus Kali, Shiva and Ganesha. 

The video above shows a procession (somewhere in the Welsh countryside) featuring a murti of Kali. Note the elephant! Supposedly a gift from Sri Lankan president J R Jayewardene. Hmmm... 

I admit that this isn´t exactly my cup of chai, but there you go. 

Karthika Deepam

 

Vishnu and Brahma see Shiva manifesting as a pillar of light!  

Theory of anything

 

Well, some people have interesting hobbies, I suppose...

Buddha blasphemy

 

There is a YouTube video called "Rude Buddha" or something to that effect. The commentary section is full of supposed Buddhists who claim that "real" Buddhists shouldn´t be insulted by the skits in the video, that "real" Buddhists actually think they´re funny, and so on.

Oh, really.

So I asked ChatGPT about blasphemy laws in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Bhutan (three Buddhist nations which are also popular tourist destinations). Guess what, guys...

It seems *really existing Buddhists* aren´t particularly keen on their prophet being mocked. But sure, if you are a stoned hippie in California, I suppose you might think insulting the Enlightened One is all good and well!

Are there Buddhist blasphemy laws in nations like Thailand, Sri Lanka or Bhutan? Can you criticize Buddhism, or insult the Buddha without facing criminal conviction?

Yes, several predominantly Buddhist countries—including Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan—have laws or legal practices that restrict speech perceived as offensive to Buddhism, particularly when it is seen as insulting the Buddha, Buddhist institutions, or religious sentiments. These are not always framed as "blasphemy laws" in the way they are in some Islamic nations, but they often function similarly in practice.

Here’s a breakdown by country:

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Thailand

• Legal Basis: Section 206 of the Thai Criminal Code criminalizes defamation or insult of religion.

• Details: Anyone who "defames, insults or threatens" Buddhism (or any religion recognized by the state) can be punished with up to seven years in prison.

• Recent Examples:

  • Foreigners and locals have been prosecuted or deported for social media posts or artwork deemed disrespectful to the Buddha.

  • Wearing clothing with Buddha images or tattoos of the Buddha—especially in inappropriate body areas—has led to arrest or deportation.

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Sri Lanka

• Legal Basis: Several laws, including the Penal Code (Section 291A and 291B), criminalize deliberate acts intended to insult religious beliefs.

• Details: These laws apply broadly to all religions but are often used in defense of Buddhism.

• Recent Examples:

  • In 2014, a British woman was arrested and deported for having a Buddha tattoo.

  • In 2020, a Sri Lankan writer and teacher was charged for allegedly defaming Buddhism in an article that criticized religious extremism.

---

Bhutan

• Legal Status: Bhutan does not have overt blasphemy laws, but the constitution protects Buddhism as the spiritual heritage of the country.

• Details: Freedom of speech is guaranteed, but it is limited by considerations of public order and respect for religion.

• Cultural Practice: Criticism or satire of Buddhism or the monarch (who holds a semi-sacred position) is culturally taboo and can invite social or legal consequences, even if not codified as explicit blasphemy laws.

---

Summary

While these countries do not always use the term "blasphemy," insulting Buddhism or the Buddha can lead to legal action, including fines, imprisonment, deportation, or social persecution. Laws are often vaguely worded, giving authorities wide discretion in what is considered "insulting."

Would you like a comparison with blasphemy laws in other religious-majority countries? 

Comments and conspiracies

 

The mystery man currently known as Dev Bhagavan complains that nobody comments on his videos...again. I think his complaints and constant threats to leave YouTube are "guru tricks". 

Still, he does crack some intriguing conspiracy theories in this clip. Was ISKCON a CIA front operation? Is Ramana Maharshi´s ashram in India controlled by British intelligence? I *can* believe that many Buddhist monks are really child molesters...

"Best" comment: "What the ISKCON gurus were doing make my sex life look like high school dating".

Make of this content what ye wish.  

Hanuman attacks Lanka

 

This is not *really* funny, but I couldn´t help myself...

Monkey blamed for nation-wide power cut in Sri Lanka

Topless nuns?

 

Shocking, shocking I say! Is this interpretation correct? It seems so, judging by the artwork. Short form: Buddhist nuns are allowed, nay, required in certain situations to dress with one shoulder uncovered. Also, in the wilderness, nuns might as well be topless?!

   

Bad boy devotee

 

Somehow, I can´t leave this topic alone. Once again: how can the *bad* guy from the Hindu epic Ramayana be worshipped by some Hindus? 

Ravana has his temples, too

Will the real Buddha plz stand up?

 

Zen Buddhist Brad Warner has apparently been hassled by some Theravada fundamentalist (yawn) in the commentary. This is his response. Short form: the Pali Canon is unreliable, Buddhists shouldn´t slavishly follow scriptures anyway, and mind-to-mind transmission in more important. The School of the Elders won´t like this one! :D 

Are you kidding me?

 

So the Pali Canon was written down 500 years after the Buddha´s death, in another country, in a language the Buddha never spoke, and which may not even have existed during his lifetime? And the oldest preserved manuscripts are 500 years younger still? 

So how do we *know* that it reflects the Buddha´s original teachings? Or even the original manuscripts? Maybe Buddhism (or at least Theravada Buddhism) wasn´t invented by the Buddha, but rather by Buddhagosa...

The Ravanisation of Aryavarta

 

OK, this just got even stranger than I expected! So apparently there are a number of temples in the "Aryan" northern part of India where Ravana is worshipped. As already pointed out in a previous blog post, Ravana is the *bad guy* from the Hindu epic Ramayana. 

It´s not entirely clear to me why some Hindus have chosen to worship the demon-king of Lanka, but there could be a connection to Shaivism. While Rama is associated with Vaishnavism, Ravana has a connection of sorts to Shiva. Some of these temples do contain Shiva-lingas. Maybe it´s also a caste issue? One of the temples is also dedicated to various goddesses and claims a connection to the Indus Valley Civilization. Or so the article linked below says. Wikipedia says something else and I´m not near enough to take a look myself...  

It seems Rama´s devotees aren´t always happy about the Ravana temples, but they do "fit the format" in the extremely diverse and downright confusing religious landscape of Hinduism...    

Five temples in India where demon-king is worshipped

From Lanka with love

 

Good guy?

Ravana is the demon-king and ruler of Lanka who is the chief protagonist of Rama in the Hindu epic Ramayana. In other words: Ravana is the bad guy in a story considered sacred scripture by many Hindus. Rama, by contrast, is regarded as an avatar of the god Vishnu and worshipped as a deity in his own right. He is associated with Ayodhya in northern India.

One of the central plot elements of the epic is Rama´s invasion of Lanka and overthrow of its wicked ruler Ravana (who had abducted Rama´s wife Sita). Lanka is virtually always identified with the island of Ceylon south of India. Today, Ceylon is co-terminous with the independent state of Sri Lanka. For decades, Sri Lanka suffered a civil war between the Buddhist Singhalese and the Hindu Tamils. At one point, India sent "peace keepers" to the northern portion of Sri Lanka. Many Singhelese regarded this as a foreign Hindu aggression in support of the Tamils. Note that most Tamils live in southern India, in the state of Tamil Nadu. 

It was probably inevitable that Singhalese nationalists would appropriate the figure of Ravana and turn him into *the good guy* who defended ancient Lanka against a similar Hindu incursion. The Sri Lankan government even named the nation´s first satellite after Ravana! A scholar has refered to this process as "Ravanisation". 

It seems that the entire Ravana problematique is pretty complex. For instance, the Tamils themselves have appropriated Ravana as a positive symbol. Despite being Hindu, many Indian Tamils resent the perceived domination of northern Indian "Aryans" and Hindutva nationalists. Since these rever Rama, casting his enemy Ravana in the role of hero becomes tempting for Tamil regionalists. In a final fine irony, the Singhalese on Sri Lanka are actually also "Aryans", while being suspicious of both Tamils and northern Indian "Aryans"...

Why Sri Lanka named its first ever satellite after Ravana

Tamils praise Ravana on Twitter

Planet of the Apes

 

Many Hindus want to believe stuff like this. It´s sheer speculation, of course. Probably not true. It´s highly unlikely, to say the least, that the authors of the Ramayana had knowledge of the Americas. Their supposed knowledge of Central Europe or the Arctic could have come from Greek sources, transmitted through the Persians or the Macedonians/Greeks.

And while the Vanaras are fascinating, please show me the evidence of such an ancient race...

    

Whoa

 

President-elect Anura Dissayanaka
Credit: Eranga Jayawardena

Look who won the recent presidential elections in Sri Lanka. I´m old enough to remember when these guys were considered the worst of the worst terrorists, up there with Sendero or Abu Nidal! Or even the LTTE...

Communists don´t usually take power by winning democratic elections. The second link goes to a Marxist blog (which I don´t think supports the JVP) explaining the crisis in Sri Lanka.

Anura Dissayanake is Sri Lanka´s new president 

Sri Lanka´s debt default

My little cottage

 

The mysterious YouTube content-creator who is currently known as Adyashakti swami has shared this short clip of a goddess temple in the vicinity of his "cottage". I assume this is in Sri Lanka. Kind of interesting, if you´re into Hinduism.