Source USA, September 23, 2011: [HPI note: Quite some time has passed since The Atlantic, a literary and cultural commentary magazine for the intellectual elite, first used the word “Hindoo.” It was in 1857, the year the magazine started, used in the context of a commentary on British colonialism. The Hindu — or “Hindoo” — religion was mentioned as such…
Source Science sometimes runs the risk of not seeing the truth, because it does not want to know about miracles.— Jacques Cousteau, explorer
Press Release September 7, 2011, (by Juli L. Gittinger): Over two thousand people gathered at Montreal’s Palais de Congres for the 2nd Global Conference on World Religions after 9/11 to listen to a variety of speakers and scholars address the ongoing project to educate and inform the public about religious traditions other than their own. Starting off the morning with…
Source NAGPUR, INDIA, SEPTEMBER 12, 2011: No housewife remained coy and no schoolgirl was bashful when the city saw off its favorite guest on Sunday: Lord Ganesha, who came for His festival. Instead everybody had been dancing and shouting chants requesting Ganapati Bappa to visit them soon the next year. Smeared with gulal, swaying to the beats of sandal, the…
Source PARIS, FRANCE, September 15, 2011 (AFP): After ten years of work, publisher Diane Selliers has launched an impressive work, the “Ramayana”, a masterpiece of Indian literature, illustrated with 660 miniatures selected from museums and collectors around the world. It comes as seven volumes in a red box, carefully wrapped in a protective bag “like sacred objects,” said Selliers. “This…
Source TRINIDAD/TOBAGO, September 12, 2011 (Newsday): Minister in the National Security Ministry Collin Partap who is also the Member of Parliament for Cumuto/Manzanilla has called on all religious leaders of mandirs, churches, temples and mosques to get children more involved in activities that will enhance their spiritual and moral development and make them better individuals of their respective communities and…
Source THAI-CAMBODIAN BORDER, September 10, 2011 (outlookindia.com; by Tarun Vijay): Lovers and protectors of world heritage everywhere celebrate that the Thai government has promised to accept and abide by the verdict of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the matter of the Preah Vihear temple. Preah Vihear, a Shiva temple built in the 12th century ce, is a UNESCO…
Source KOLKATA, INDIA, September 5, 2011 (Times of India): Its festival time in India and not only street-side stalls but also gift shops have begun stocking up on statues of various sizes, all of them made in factories in the People’s Republic of China. The trend started a couple of years ago with small statuettes of the Buddha and Ganesh…
Source USA, August 24, 2011 (www.patheos.com; by Padma Kuppa): Hindus in America face a challenge in identifying as Hindu-Americans, and even in defining that term. In India, many Hindus do not put a label on their religion, or even regard it as one of many religions. It’s the Sanatana Dharma–it’s simply the way things are. In a majority-Hindu country, there…
Source Empty yourself of everything. Let the mind rest at peace. The ten thousand things rise and fall while the Self watches their return. They grow and flourish and then return to the source. Returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of nature.— Lao-Tzu (ca 600 bce), founder of Taoism