Source: Religion News Service ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, November 7, 2009: [HPI note: Yoga in the West has long been taught stripped of its spiritual roots, however possible that might be. But that causes some unforseen developments.] On November 1st, Missouri became the only state to enforce a sales tax on what many see as a spiritual pursuit — the practice…
Source: www.indiajournal.com ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND, November 5, 2009: Maryland Governor, Maryin O’Malley, celebrated Diwali for the first time at the Governor’s Mansion here, along with members of the Indian-American community. “The Festival of Lights is a beautiful tradition, and the message of light over darkness is one that can be an inspiration to us all during these difficult times,” the Governor…
Source: www.google.com UNITED STATES, November 8, 2009: To 12-year-old Suzannah Pabla, piercing her nose was a way to connect with her roots in India. To Suzannah’s school, it was a dress-code violation worthy of a suspension. Suzannah was briefly suspended last month from her public school in Bountiful, Utah, for violating a body-piercing ban. School officials — who noted that…
Source: HPI NAGPUR, INDIA, November 4, 2009: Sewa Disha, a special journal published by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) front organization released to the media on Tuesday reveals that its service projects all over the country that numbered 15,063 in 1997 have grown into a massive network of 157,776 in 2009. The journal, published once in five years, gives full account…
Source: indiatoday.intoday.in NEW DELHI, INDIA, November 4, 2009: Learning Hindi, or Sanskrit or any other language of this family has an advantage over English: it exercises more areas of the brain. Scientists at the Manesar-based National Brain Research Centre (NBRC) have for the first time studied the processing of an Indian script-Devanagari-in the human brain using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging…
Source: www.hinduismtoday.com One party says thought is caused by matter, and the other says matter is caused by thought. Both statements are wrong; matter and thought are coexistent. There is a third something of which both matter and thought are products. Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902)
Source: www.courierpress.com NEWBURGH, INDIANA, November 6, 2009: In a three-day ceremony in Indiana that concluded Sunday, worshippers gathered for the installation of a new murti of Lord Ganesha, the elephant-faced God revered for his wisdom, known as the remover of obstacles. With the help of three Hindu priests, the devotees chanted prayers, made ceremonial offerings and performed rituals designed to…
Source: www.view360.in KAPAA, HAWAII, USA, November 8, 2009: A new interactive experience brings the massive Meenakshi Temple to your computer screen in this 360-degree photo tour. A wonderful virtual pilgrimage to this ancient and traditional site. Click on the source above to walk virtually through Meenakshi Temple’s hallowed halls; HPI recommends enabling the “fullscreen” button at the bottom left of…
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk BARIYAPUR, NEPAL, November 6, 2009: Plans to sacrifice more than 500,000 animals during the two-day Durga Puja festival in Nepal have met with the wrath of animal rights activists, who called for the ancient ritual to be banned. [HPI note: The form of Hinduism practiced in Nepal is influenced by “left-handed” Shakta tantric practices, which includes extreme rites…
Source: www.animalrightsblog.com USA, November 4, 2009: [HPI note: This is an excerpt from the opinion piece published by the admin of the Animal Right’s Blog, a widely-read blog on the subject. Unequivocally condemning the animal sacrifices in Nepal, it warns against blindness and hypocrisy.] Let us not be too blind. It can be difficult to argue against this clearly horrifying…