Source Man needs a guru. But a man must have faith in the guru’s words. He succeeds in spiritual life by looking on his guru as God Himself. Therefore the Vaishnavas speak of guru, Krishna and Vishnu equally.— Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-1886)
Source UNITED STATES, November 26, 2014 (YouTube): This rather odd YouTube video is a how-to guide to perform a Yeshu, or Jesus puja. It is an example of “inculturation,” a deceptive missionary practice in which the religious rites of another faith are adapted to Christian worship. In this video, puja articles, Sanskrit chants, bhajans, and even the breaking of a…
Source TOBAGO, November 26, 2014 (Newsday): HPI Note: Tobago is the latter part of Trinidad and Tobago. It is 120 square miles, 6% of the country’s total land area and holds 4% of its population. We can’t find a statistic for how many Hindus live there, but the entire country has a population of 1,328,019 of which 18.2% are Hindus,…
Source WASHINGTON, D.C., November 24, 2014 (Press Release): In a landmark moment for the Hindu American community, the Texas State Board of Education voted late last week to adopt new textbooks that dramatically improve the way Hinduism is depicted. The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) was involved in the adoption process from the beginning, working with scholars and historians to ensure…
Source The atman in you is that which indwells all things.” “Tell me, Yajnavalkya, about this atman that indwells all things.” “It is that which transcends hunger and thirst, sorrow and delusion, old age and death.”— Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.5
Source NEW DELHI, INDIA, November 25, 2014 (World Hindu News): World Hindu Congress 2014 was completed successfully with more than 1600 Hindu leaders from 50 countries participating. The mammoth congress had seven conference agendas, 45 sessions, 1500 delegates and 200 speakers from 50 countries. The conference reverberated the Hindu resurgence globally and enabled Hindu leaders and representatives from across the…
Source UNITED STATES, November 17, 2014 (The Hindu): Indian-American Pratima Dharm has been a pioneer on multiple counts – last month she was appointed as the first ever Hindu chaplain of a U.S. university and in 2011 she made history after the Pentagon named her as its first Hindu and inter-faith chaplain. She served in the U.S. military through some…
Source It is far easier to conquer others than to conquer oneself, because the former can be attained by recourse to outside means, while the latter can be achieved only with one’s own mind.— Mahatma Gandhi(1869-1948)
Source USA, November 19, 2014 (By Arun Venugopal, WNYC): Hema Ramaswamy, a young Indian-American woman with Down syndrome, performs her arangetram. After many years of preparation, Hema Ramaswamy of Middletown, N.J., is ready to unveil her arangetram, which literally means “ascending the stage.” It is a major accomplishment that takes years of preparation. This moment, when a student of dance…
Source ENGLAND, November 19, 2014 (BBC): Pupils in England will have to study two faiths under government proposals for a new “more academically rigorous” religious studies GCSE. The aim is to ensure pupils have a strong understanding of the central role of religion on British culture, says the government. The Department for Education says it has worked closely with experts…