I used to think speed equals distance divided by time. But not necessarily, because according to Thanong Khanthong, "the speed of light equals distance multiplied by time". I thought Albert Einstein's theory of relativity said there is no absolute time.

The Beijing-appointed Panchen Lama, the second-highest spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism, has been appointed to the country's top legislative advisory body, state media reported Monday.

What did the Buddhist say to the pizza chef? "Make me one with everything." This week, readers are working with me to disprove the disgraceful lie that Asians have no sense of humor.

Following up some old blog posts --  first, a few days ago I wrote about a monk hunger strike at Bodhgaya. Monks were fasting in protest of Hindu control of Mahabodhi Temple, which marks the spot where the historical Buddha is thought to have realized enlightenment. The hunger strike has ended, after nearly two weeks, with no resolution. The monks say they were forced to end the strike by district administration and that they will continue to work toward Buddhist control of the temple.

Next -- a few days ago, in "Let's Forgive Brit Hume," I (gently, I thought) chided Mr. Hume for ignoring a lesson from the gospel of John. (For those of you who have just come out of comas or hermitage retreats, Hume caused a stir during a televised news program when he advised Tiger Woods to leave Buddhism and convert to Christianity.) I received a lot of criticism from Christians for my use of the gospel story, but now I find I have Christian company.

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Follow Ups originally appeared on About.com Buddhism on Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 08:22:38.

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Patna, Jan 6 Hollywood star Richard Gere met the Dalai Lama in Bodh Gaya in Bihar where the actor is attending a five-day long religious discourse on Buddhism by the Tibetan spiritual leader, an official at a Tibetan monastery said Wednesday.

At the Washington Post, media critic Tom Shales calls on Fox News personality Brit Hume to apologize to the world's Buddhists. The remark Hume made on Fox News Sunday -- that Tiger Woods should abandon Buddhism and convert to Christianity -- "dissed about half a billion Buddhists on the planet," Shales said.

Hume, however, so far has refused to acknowledge that he insulted Buddhism. And at MSNBC, Pat Buchanan said that maybe the remark denigrated Buddhism, but that was not a problem because "there are not a lot of Buddhists watching Fox."

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The Brit Hume Saga: Standing Up, Sitting Down originally appeared on About.com Buddhism on Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 at 10:53:31.

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On Fox News Sunday, news personality Brit Hume had advice for the scandal-ridden Tiger Woods:

"The extent to which he can recover seems to me depends on his faith," said Hume. "He is said to be a Buddhist. I don't think that faith offers the kind of redemption and forgiveness offered by the Christian faith. My message to Tiger is, 'Tiger turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world."

Now, breathe calmly and remember verse 222 from the Dhammapada:  "He who checks rising anger as a charioteer checks a rolling chariot, him I call a true charioteer. Others only hold the reins."

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Let's Forgive Brit Hume originally appeared on About.com Buddhism on Monday, January 4th, 2010 at 00:11:16.

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The Buddha is thought to have realized enlightenment at Bodhgaya, today a city in northern India. The site of the enlightenment is marked by the 1,500-year-old Mahabodhi Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

It is also the site of controversy. Today monks are on a hunger strike to leverage their demand that Buddhists be in control of the ancient temple. As it is, the temple is the property of the Indian state of Bihar and managed by a government-appointed Temple Management Committee (TMC). By law, the TMC consists of four Buddhists and four Hindus.

This arrangement was amicable for a time, but in recent years Hindu nationalists have attempted to use the Mahabodhi temple as a place to worship the Hindu god Shiva. Buddhism died out in India many centuries ago, and as it faded Hinduism absorbed what was left of it by declaring the Buddha to be an incarnation of Shiva. But this is, of course, unacceptable to Buddhists. Further, Buddhists interpret the Hindu nationalists' actions as a means to assert the dominance of Hinduism in India and deny religious liberty to Buddhists.

Even as this drama is taking place, Bodhgaya is preparing for a week-long visit by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who will give a five-day program of teachings.

Hunger Strike at Bodhgaya originally appeared on About.com Buddhism on Sunday, January 3rd, 2010 at 10:23:46.

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This will be a discussion of an ancient Indian text by the scholar-monk, Vasubandhu , one of the seminal philosophers of the Yogacara school of Buddhism.

The spotlight is back on Jesus Christ and his India connection as the world celebrates Christmas Friday.