The July-August-September edition
of Hinduism's flagship spiritual magazine, Hinduism Today, has been
released in digital form and is now available for free on your desktop. It
travels the globe from India to Australia, from Nepal to Mauritius and
beyond. It also introduces an amazing man we have named the 2010 Hindu of
the Year.
He is known throughout India as an innovator, a dauntless worker and a
brazenly proud Hindu. Our Hindu of the Year, Sri P. Parameswaran, is as
active in his 80s as most of us ever become, writing, campaigning for
social reform and building, building, building dharma institutions. You may
have visited the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, which owes much of his beauty
to him. And the Vivekananda Kendra schools, and.... Enough. Read his
amazing story in the current issue and see why he merits the coveted
Renaissance Award.
The Hinduism Today publisher and editors attended the Parliament of the
World's Religions las December, and had a chance to sit with a dozen of
Hinduism's most amazing leaders. Our article shares their views on hot
topics, things you may not normally get to ask a swami or swamini. They
give the Hindu view on the global financial crisis, gay marriage, yoga's relationship
to Hinduism and the challenges Hindus face in the future. It's a must-read
if you want to understand these issues and where we stand.
Our feature article takes us into the hills of Nepal, as we follow the
rites of passage, the samskaras, practiced there, in a unique and colorful
way. Ace photographer Thomas Kelly brings the rituals and celebrations to
life with his astounding camera work. We follow boys and girls through
life, stopping at the milestones. The ending surprises us, as writer Ellen Coon,
moved deeply by the way elders are honored in Tibet, takes the rituals back
to her home in middle America where she holds her father's 80th birthday
party in a style never seen in the US, honoring him with sacred songs, a
turban, testimonials and even a foot-washing which he (and everyone in the
Coon family) will never forget.
Our 16-page center section is a tour-de-force of some of the most exotic of
Hinduism's practices, called "Healing, Sacred Vows and Trance
Possession." Stephen P. Huyler is our guide into a seldom-documented
world that may well teach you again of the power of faith. Stephen's
stories, all photographed by him, are real, and he was witness to each of
them, from 14-month-old Aditi's return from the brink of death at a healing
shrine to a frenetic trance during kavadi. Our founder, Satguru Sivaya
Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001) had much to say on these subjects, and his
insights enrich Huyler's tales, and add a special depth to the power of
spiritual vows, called vratas.
Our publisher, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, speaks often to Hindu
groups, answering their questions about life. In this issue's Publisher's
Desk, he urges readers to work hard at living in the eternal now, showing
us how it is done. By freeing ourselves from regrets of the past and
worries about the future, he says, we not only live a more effective life
in the material world, we also meditate better. Living in the now is a form
of yoga, and a fun and effective one at that.
Mauritius is the Hindu country you have probably never heard about. Well,
that changes with this article. Vel Mahalingum tells the story of how his
once-languishing country, once under siege by Christian missionaries and
suffering economic collapse, was turned around. The people of the nation started
studying their faith, applying the ancient wisdom to their lives, even
dressing in traditional styles. Spirits rose, problems fell and today this
nation's majority Hindu community is perhaps the best model of how to face
the 21st century and keep your religion in the bargain.
There's lots more, of course. Book reviews and some humor, plus an opinion
piece by none other than Professor Arvind Sharma, one of the leading
thinkers of our time, who tells how he came to appreciate the openness of
Hinduism when he saw his non-Hindu academic peers struggling with the
constraints of their religions traditions.
It's all there in the current issue of Hinduism Today, where you go to stay
in touch with Sanatana Dharma -- click here.
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