News from Hindu Press International
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Posted on 2013/9/25 18:53:47 ( 342 reads )
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, September 25, 2013: HPI Note: The following short
statement was sent out by Jyotish Parekh, president of the Vishwa Hindu
Parishad of America:
"We note the apology from Council for a Parliament of the World's
Religions (CPWR). We are grateful for the overwhelming support received
from the Hindu community and organizations across North America. We are
confident that the World Without Borders event in Chicago to celebrate
Swami Vivekananda 150th anniversary supported by 30 organizations is poised
for success."
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Posted on 2013/9/25 18:53:40 ( 372 reads )
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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, September 23, 2013: HPI Note: The following
statement was made today by the Hindu American Foundation regarding the
Council's Decision.
Rejecting a request from a coalition of over three hundred North American
Hindu spiritual leaders, organizations, community leaders, and lay people,
the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions (CPWR) refused
yesterday to join Hindus in Chicago to celebrate the 150th birth
anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. The CPWR originally planned on being a
co-sponsor of the celebration set for September 28, 2013, but then withdrew
suddenly after receiving a complaint from an online based anti-Hindu group.
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) coordinated a letter requesting the
CPWR to change course as local organizers worked towards reaching a
compromise with CPWR, but the Parliament rejected the final requests late
last night, prompting the only two Hindu members of the Parliament Board of
Trustees to resign in protest today.
"At HAF, we are saddened that the Parliament, created in the very name
of Swami Vivekananda, turned its back on the Hindu community and drew its
own fault lines defining politics and religion," said Suhag Shukla,
HAF's Executive Director. "The CPWR has decided to define political
organizations arbitrarily, and must now take a hard look at every
organization it has partnered with and that its trustees are associated with
or represent."
Shukla suggested that the CPWR immediately examine the ties Shaik
Ubaid--the Muslim activist who claimed credit for forcing the Parliament to
dissociate from the Chicago Hindu community in several Muslim media
outlets-- maintains within the Parliament leadership. Ubaid works closely
with the CPWR Chairman of the Board, Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, having
co-founded a number of organizations and worked together in others.
In a major setback to the Parliament Board of Trustees, the only two Hindu
trustees of the Parliament, Professor Anant Rambachan, Chair of the
Department of Religion at St. Olaf's College, and Ms. Anju Bhargava,
Founder of Hindu American Seva Charities, resigned immediately after CPWR
confirmed its unilateral decision to disengage from the community
celebration.
"The decision to withdraw, made without consulting either one of us,
has caused hurt and great disappointment across the Hindu world and
especially here in the United States," wrote Rambachan and Bhargava,
in a letter released earlier today. "In spite of claiming neutrality,
the Board chose to be influenced in its decision by giving credibility to
complainants against its participation in the event and by showing no
interest in considering or deliberating on the Hindu responses
received."
But while the CPWR boasted of a unanimous approval of its decision to
refuse reversal, the resigning trustees also wrote, "We wish to
clarify also that we did not participate in the Board meeting on September
24, 2013 when the Board approved its recently released resolution. For us,
the heart of the matter is the Board's unwillingness to consider any form
of participation."
"To completely ignore issues of fairness, transparency, and mutual
respect raised by the Hindu community at large and the condescending tone
of the announcement should call into question the Parliament's ability to
be a global leader in the interfaith movement," said Mr. Pawan
Deshpande, a member of HAF's Executive Council. "Nonetheless, the
silver lining in all of this is that it has brought together so many
Hindus, across a broad spectrum of religious, cultural, and political
backgrounds, to voice our collective concern."
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Posted on 2013/9/25 18:53:33 ( 364 reads )
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The tragedy of human history is decreasing happiness in the midst of
increasing comforts.
-- Swami Chinmayananda (1916-1993)
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Posted on 2013/9/24 18:24:13 ( 388 reads )
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KEDARNATH, INDIA, September 23, 2013 (Times Of India): More than three
months after flash floods, landslides and rain destroyed large parts of
Uttarakhand the tortuous exercise of rebuilding shattered lives is on. The
immediate task of evacuating thousands of pilgrims and tourists is over.
But the residents suffer, each day a grim battle to tackle the fallout of a
loss of a way of life and livelihoods.
The government has just about scratched the surface of the problem. The
task of reconstruction is uphill. Roads have vanished. The topography has
changed. Rivers have altered course. Rain and landslides hobble operations
and worse, winter is approaching. Tourism, once Uttarakhand's backbone,
doesn't exist anymore.
A case in point is the Kedar Valley of Rudraprayag district. Many families
here no longer have homes. Their farmlands no longer exist. The pilgrimage
circuit, once a money spinner that helped them to sustain the year is
history. Hotels, shops and eateries are in ruins.
"We are finished, at Kedarbaba's mercy," Chait Singh, who is in
his eighties, says. Flood waters took away his godown and shop at Sonprayag,
15.5 miles from Kedarnath. Sonprayag, on the banks of the Mandakini, is a
picture of devastation. Abandoned cars litter the roads, most of them
damaged, full of sand and debris.
The losses are enormous. The total number affected stands at several hundred
thousand, chief secretary Subhash Kumar says. He names Rudraprayag,
Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Pithoragarh as the worst-hit.
Chief minister Vijay Bahugana concedes a complete recovery will take years
and nearly US$2.2 billion. The government is setting up pre-fabricated
houses in 19 places. These should last for over 20 years. Bahugana adds the
state doesn't have the means to compensate for the damages fully. "We
are doing our best, but can't compensate the entire (Kedar) Valley for
their loss. Our effort is to provide relief."
It's the yatra -- rather the suspension of it -- that's proving the biggest
hurdle. Puja resumed at Kedarnath on September 11, but the temple town is
nowhere near ready for pilgrims. The temple town's infrastructure was
smashed on June 16 and June 17. Many bodies are still buried under the
rubble that covers the town.
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Posted on 2013/9/24 18:24:06 ( 419 reads )
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NEW YORK, U.S., September 23, 2013 (Times Ledger): Although Queens residents
of all stripes are guilty of littering or dumping in Jamaica Bay, Hindu
religious rites get some blame for some of the more visible debris. The
Hindu rite of Ganga Pooja involves making an offering into a body of water
as a way of cleansing one's sins.
Unfortunately, not all of these materials used in the offerings are
biodegradable. Fabric outfits, plastic statues (murthis), aluminum pans and
Styrofoam wash up on the beaches and nature preserves along Rockaway's
coastline. On Aug. 31, a group of conservation-minded Hindus, in
conjunction with the Rockaway Waterfront Alliance, decided to pitch in by
cleaning up the Dubos Point Wildlife Sanctuary in Rockaway.
Sadhana, a Coalition of Progressive Hindus is an advocacy group based
around the city that tries to advocate a socially conscious, progressive
agenda, focusing on inserting tolerance, inclusiveness, non-violence
(ahimsa) and faith in action (sadhana) into Hindu and interfaith discourse.
As such, activities such as beach cleanups promote awareness of the moral
imperative to care for the environment and promote greener practices in
worship.
In response to the problem of debris at local beaches, Sadhana launched an
environmental initiative known as Project Prithvi. As Sadhana founding
member Aminta Kilawan explained, Project Prithvi "aims to protect both
tradition and the environment in a way that benefits society at
large."
Efforts to establish a designated site for religious rites has been met
with silence from the city Parks Department, and Kilawan said that "in
the past, city parks officials have been quick to close off the beach, post
signs and even issue fines to put a stop to any water offerings." She
pointed out that this leads Hindus to dispose of the materials secretly in
Jamaica Bay, which is close to Richmond Hill and Ozone Park.
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Posted on 2013/9/24 18:24:00 ( 374 reads )
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"Following the path of knowledge without love and devotion is like
eating stones."
-- Mata Amritanandamayi
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Posted on 2013/9/23 17:27:07 ( 496 reads )
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UNITED KINGDOM, August 15, 2013 (BBC): The lives of Burma's (Myanmar's)
Tamil minority are in the centre of a 12-part weekly series launching on
BBC Tamil radio on Sunday 18 August. "The Tamils Who Stayed Back In
The Golden Land" (Thanga Mannil Thangiya Thamizhargal) explores the
conditions in which Burma's ethnic Tamils live today and talks about their
collective memory, their daily lives and their aspirations for their future
in a changing Burma.
Burma's ethnic Tamils, whose number is unofficially estimated at half a
million, are the descendants of Tamils from the southern Indian state of
Tamil Nadu. They migrated to Burma during the days of the British Empire
and worked in finance and trade as well as agriculture. The end of the
British rule in Burma in 1948 led to a decline of the community's fortunes.
In the 1960s, in the wake of the military rule, many were forced to leave
Burma - but many also stayed back.
The BBC Tamil series producer, Swaminathan Natarajan, travelled across the
Tamil-speaking areas of Burma, interviewing people from various
cross-sections of the society including traders, community leaders, farmers
and social activists. Their cultural identity is the focus of the series.
Swaminathan says: "All the Hindu temples have a statue of Buddha, and
the fact that a lot of ethnic Burmese visit those temples testifies to a
high level of integration and tolerance. On the other hand, due to lack of
opportunities and economic benefits, there is reluctance among ethnic
Tamils to learn their mother tongue. Despite this, many seem to go the
extra mile to make sure the new generation doesn't forget the Tamil
language."
Editor of BBC Tamil, Thirumalai Manivannan, comments: "Having retained
their cultural roots, Burma's Tamils also seem to have achieved some
success in integration with the mainstream Burmese society. The series
looks at how this integration works - and also throws light on the issues
affecting this section of the Burmese society and takes a historic look at
the vicissitudes of their lives."
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Posted on 2013/9/23 17:27:00 ( 388 reads )
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MUMBAI, INDIA, September 21, 2013 (Manthan K. Mehta, TNN): The 10-day
Ganapati festival brought a major revenue boost to Central Railway (CR) and
Western Railway (WR), with the two collectively earning US$1.6 million more
than usual. The suburban railway network saw an average of 430,000
passengers more per day during the just-concluded Ganeshotsav festival.
On Monday, September 16, the CR network saw a record-breaking 6.5 million
passengers compared to the daily average of 4 million, an increase of 62%
in passenger traffic. On the same day, WR saw 4.95 million passengers
compared to the daily average of 3.5 million, an increase of 42%.
A CR official said the passenger count on September 16 was the highest for
a day seen so far on the suburban network. "It surpassed the till-date
highest tally of 5.5 million commuters registered on August 20, the day of
Rakshabandhan," the official said.
"During big festivals like Ganpati, Navratri or Diwali, rail transport
is the swiftest as roads are usually clogged," a senior official said.
"Many vehicles get caught in traffic jams for hours as the road width
gets decreased due to the erection of pandals, thus blocking the smooth
flow of traffic. In such a scenario, even non-rail travelers jump on the
train to avoid traffic."
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Posted on 2013/9/23 17:26:54 ( 406 reads )
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They have "Dial-a-Prayer" for atheists now. You call it up, it
rings and rings, but nobody answers.
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Posted on 2013/10/7 18:36:49 ( 465 reads )
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BANGALORE, INDIA, October 7, 2013 (BBC): Two widows have been ordained as
priests in a centuries-old Hindu temple in the southern Indian city of
Mangalore in Karnataka state. Lakshmi and Indira formally began performing
rituals at the Kudroli Shree Gokarnanatheshwara Temple on Sunday. Hundreds
watched the ceremony and musicians played as the widows entered the temple
in a grand procession. The move is considered revolutionary in a society
where widows are seen as inauspicious and normally shunned. "It is a
historic moment. We will get more widows to become priests," said
Janardhana Poojary, former federal minister and the man behind the reform.
Mr, Poojary said he would talk to the state authorities to appoint more
widows in government-aided temples across Karnataka. "There should not
be any constraints on widows from offering prayers. No widow should be
discriminated against because of her marital status," he told
reporters after Sunday's ceremony.
The widows, who have been trained in scriptures for four months, will be
paid a monthly salary and will be looked after by the temple management.
Kudroli temple authorities say they appointed Lakshmi and Indira in order
to change the mindsets and most people in the state have welcomed the move.
"It gives me joy to see them being greeted by devotees," said
Anil, a student who felt social transformation was necessary to make the
country modern. The temple was set up by a revered Hindu seer Narayan Guru,
a 19th Century social reformer from the neighboring state of Kerala.
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Posted on 2013/10/7 18:36:34 ( 357 reads )
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Go beyond science, into the region of metaphysics. Real religion is beyond
argument. It can only be lived, both inwardly and outwardly.
-- Swami Sivananda (1887-1963), founder of Divine Life Society
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Posted on 2013/10/6 15:42:18 ( 427 reads )
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KOLKATA, INDIA, October 6, 2013 (Times Of India): Two years ago, Goddess
Durga got a major makeover at two puja pandals (temporary temples, some
very large, set up street-side during festivals) in Kolkata: darker skin,
softer features and, somehow, a more Indian look. Behind this makeover was
filmmaker Goutam Ghose, who wanted Durga to look like she did before the
British set foot on the sub-continent. Since then, many statues have even
begun sporting Dravidian features.
Even outside Kolkata, community pujas are roping in arts and film
personalities, as well as architects, interior decorators and even movie
set designers. Their task is to suggest, and sometimes design, themes for
the pandals and looks for the statues. Hence, a mind-boggling array of
themes -- from Rajasthan forts and an Orissa fishing village to Harry
Potter's magical world and the exploitation of tribals -- find creative and
colorful display at community Durga pujas.
Organizers want to not only give their pandals and statues a distinct look,
but also win competitions instituted by various corporate and other
entities. With the entry of such professionals, Durga pujas, previously the
domain of "artisans" --statue-makers, pandal-builders and
decorators -- have become a public art event, says Tapati Guha-Thakurta,
professor of history, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences. Social
scientist Suman Bag points out that with theme-based pujas gaining
popularity, the festival has become more universal.
Take the example of the work being done by artist Sanatan Dinda. With his
24-member team, Dinda turned the puja pandal of a west Kolkata club into a
massive piece of installation art. The theme is conservation. Artist
Bhabotosh Sutar has carved the statue out of a 16-ton sandstone block
transported from Jodhpur for a west Kolkata puja. The theme music for this
puja, scored by Ustad Rashid Khan, is based on Rajasthani folk tunes.
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Posted on 2013/10/6 15:42:11 ( 398 reads )
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ARA, JHARKHAND, INDIA, October 1, 2013 (New York Times): Jharkhand has been
the center of a religious tug-of-war since the 18th century, when a
predominantly tribal state saw a flurry of Christian missionaries set up
base there. The first Christian missionaries to arrive in the Chotanagpur
plateau, which is most of Jharkhand today, were not the Catholics but
German Protestants who traveled through Chakradharpur and Khunti to Ranchi.
The Anglicans and the Catholics followed.
In the late 19th century, Christian missionaries converted a large number
of people, especially tribals. Despite several years of close coexistence,
the tribals had maintained their identity separate from the Hindus. The
tribals were mostly hunter-gatherers, worshipped their ancestors and
nature, ate simple food and celebrated festivals of their own.
When conversions happen, entire villages convert. If only one family dares
to convert to another religion, they are outcast by the rest of the
families. Therefore, in Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh, villagers
convert by the hundreds.
"We used to have a unique identity," said Dilip Oraon, a tribal
whose family refused to be converted to Christianity or endorse Hinduism.
"Today, we are forced to choose between Christianity or Hinduism. We
are Sarnas - those with a distinctive identity, independent of both."
As per the 2001 census, the latest available, 68.5 percent people of
Jharkhand's 32.96 million people follow Hinduism. Islam is followed by 13.8
percent and there are 13 percent animistic Sarnas. 4.1 percent of the
population is said to follow Christianity.
Much more at 'source.'
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Posted on 2013/10/6 15:42:05 ( 340 reads )
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Find the One everywhere and in everything and there will be an end to all
pain and suffering.
-- Sri Anandamayi Ma (1896-1982), Bengali mystic and saint
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Posted on 2013/10/3 16:08:38 ( 514 reads )
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, October 2, 2013 (Press Release): Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHPA)
Chicago chapter organized the "World Without Borders" program on
Sept 27-28, 2013 to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami
Vivekananda. It was a two-day event with over 2000 people participating.
The event was cosponsored by more than 35 local organizations. It was the
mammoth effort of 50 plus volunteers that made this event a milestone for
Hindu community. T
The two day long program started on the 27th with lamp lighting by invited
dharma gurus and dignitaries. The president of VHPA Shri Jyotish Parekh
welcomed the more than 500 delegates who attended the banquet. Speakers
delivered their messages highlighting the glories of Sanatan Dharma and
Hindu Sanskriti while remembering Swami Vivekananda. Stephen Knapp
(Srinandan das) of ISKCON, Detroit said, "I am proud to be a Hindu and
a follower of Sanatan dharma"
On Saturday Sept. 28th World Without Borders delegates gathered near
Wisconsin avenue and walked to the Art Institute of Chicago where Swami
Vivekananda delivered his historic message 120 years ago. Swami Ramdev
garlanded the statue of Swami Vivekanand outside the Art Institute. The
procession was led by Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, Swami Chidananda, Swami
Varadanand of Vedanta society, Swami Sharadanand of Chinmaya Mission,
Lokesh Muni of Jain Center, Pundits of Gayatri Parivar, Subramanian Swami
and many others dignitaries. All gathered in the hall where Swami
Vivekananda spoke. After lamp lighting, a representative of Governor's
Office read a message from Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, proclaiming
September 28th, 2013, as Swami Vivekananda Day.
The morning session in Museum of art concluded with a message by Baba
Ramdev who said, "We bow to the efforts of America, but at the same
time we bow to the ancient culture of India. We need to live the message of
Swami Vivekananda who said that God does not live in places of worship but
He lives in humans -- we should have darshan of Brahman (God) in the entire
Brahmand (universe)."
In the afternoon, the more than 2,000 delegates reassembled in Jain Center
for the concluding session. Children from local Bal Vihars enthused the
audience by singing and dancing on patriotic songs. Jain Muni Lokesh sang a
few lines praising the bravery of Swami Vivekananda and congratulated VHPA
for bringing all dharmacharya and organization on one platform. Dr. Beena
of Brahma Kumaris institute talked about her research on the teachings of
Swami ji. In the concluding remarks Baba Ramdev talked about reestablishing
the glories of Hindu traditions through reforms. He appreciated VHPA's
united effort of celebrating Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary.
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Posted on 2013/10/3 16:08:32 ( 540 reads )
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DELHI, INDIA, October 3, 2013 (PIB): The Union Culture Minister Smt.
Chandresh Kumari Katoch here today launched a unique project to take
India's Heritage online. Under the project, the Archaeological Survey of
India (ASI) has agreed with Google to create 360-degree online imagery of
100 of India's most important heritage sites, including Khajuraho and the
Ajanta and Ellora caves. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said these
detailed images will be placed for public viewing over the Internet. The
aim of this collaboration is to generate interest and consciousness among
the Indian population in general and the youth in particular towards
safeguarding the national cultural heritage of India. She said, this
information, which will be readily available over the Internet for public
viewing, will help in bringing our monuments closer to the public. The
Minister expressed the hope that under this project the experience of
visiting heritage sites across a vibrant nation would be more accessible
and enjoyable and also to bring it to the notice of billions of people
connected globally via the Internet.
Once published, this new imagery of Indian heritage sites will be available
on Google Maps and on the World Wonders site within the Google Cultural
Institute so that people across India and around the world can virtually
view and explore these areas, and in the process, learn more about thousand
years of Indian history.
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Posted on 2013/10/3 16:08:26 ( 402 reads )
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ORISSA, INDIA, October 3, 2013 (Daily Mail UK): An Orissa court on Thursday
sentenced eight persons, including a Maoist leader, to life imprisonment
and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on each of them for the murder of Vishwa
Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. The VHP leader
and his four associates were killed at their ashram at Jaleshpata in
Kandhamal district on August 23, 2008. On defendant was acquitted for lack
of evidence, another awaits trial and four are still being sought,
including top Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda who was reportedly expelled
from the CPI (Maoist) in 2012. The murder of the VHP leader and his
associates had triggered violent communal clashes in Kandhmal in 2008. As
many as 40 persons were killed and hundreds rendered homeless in the
violence.
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Posted on 2013/10/3 16:08:14 ( 398 reads )
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There are two great forces in the universe, silence and speech. Silence
prepares, speech creates. The strength of noise and activity is great. But
infinite is the strength of stillness and silence, in which great forces
prepare for action. To be capable of silence, stillness and illuminated
passivity is to be fit for immortality.
-- Sri Aurobido (1879-1950)
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Posted on 2013/9/30 12:23:50 ( 623 reads )
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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA, September 30, 2013 (Reuters): India's Hindu
temples are resisting divulging their gold holdings - perhaps nearly half
the amount held in Fort Knox [Fort Know holds 4,600 tons, 3% of the entire
world's supply] - amid mistrust of the motives of authorities who are
trying to cut a hefty import bill that is hurting the economy.
The central bank, which has already taken steps that have slowed to a
trickle the incoming supplies that have exacerbated India's current account
deficit, has sent letters to some of the country's richest temples asking
for details of their gold. It says the inquiries are simply data
collection, but Hindu groups are up in arms.
"The gold stored in temples was contributed by devotees over thousands
of years and we will not allow anyone to usurp it," said V. Mohanan,
secretary of the Hindu nationalist Vishwa Hindu Parishad organisation in
Kerala state, in a statement.
Indians buy as much as 2.3 tons of gold, on average, every day - the weight
of a small elephant - and what they don't give to the Gods is mostly
hoarded. Jewelry is handed down as heirlooms and stored away with bars and
coins as a hedge against inflation or a source of quick funds in an
emergency.
That is costing the economy dear. Gold imports totalled $54 billion in the
year ending March 31, 2013, the biggest non-essential item shipped in from
overseas and a major factor in swelling the current account deficit to a
record in 2012/13.
Guruvayur temple, in Kerala, one of the most sacred in India and boasting a
33.5-metre (110-ft) gold-plated flagstaff, has already told the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) it won't divulge any details. "The gold we have is
mostly offered by the devotees. They would not like the details to be
shared with anybody," said V. M. Gopala Menon, commissioner of the
temple's administrative board.
The World Gold Council estimates there are about 2,000 tons of gold locked
away in temples - worth about $84 billion at current prices - which Indian
devotees have offered in the form of jewelry, bars, coins and even replicas
of body parts, in the hope of winning favors from the Gods or in thanks for
blessings received and health restored.
Curbing gold imports and getting the gold squirreled away back into
circulation has become a priority for the government and RBI this year.
Import duty is at a record 10 percent and the latest new rule - that 20
percent of all imports must leave the country as jewelry exports - caused
confusion that dried up buying for two months.
Mumbai's Shree Siddhivinayak Ganpati temple, often visited by Bollywood
celebrities, had already put 10 kg (22 lbs) of its gold into a bank deposit
scheme. It still has 140 kg (308 lbs) in its vault. It is not alone. The
Tirupati temple in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, considered one of
India's richest, has lodged 2,250 kg (4,960 lbs) of gold with the State Bank
of India, which pays it interest.
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Posted on 2013/9/30 12:23:44 ( 609 reads )
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SINGAPORE, September 16, 2013 (The Financial Times Ltd.): Every day, twice
a day, for the past 20 years, Peter Ng, the executive charged with
investing tens of billions of dollars for Singapore's sovereign wealth fund
thinks of nothing. He does this by sitting silently and saying a word
inside himself. After a few minutes, his breathing calms, his face muscles
relax and the flutter behind his eyelids stills.
Mr. Ng, chief investment officer of the Government of Singapore Investment
Corporation, sits on a panel sponsored by CFA Institute, a
standards-setting body for fund managers and financial analysts, pondering
the "future of finance."
Over the past decade or so, meditation -- the practice of becoming aware
and then letting go of the thoughts and emotions that make up our stream of
consciousness -- has spread gently from an esoteric practice into an
activity nearly as ubiquitous as jogging or flossing teeth. That may be
because -- as the refrain goes and as many have quietly discovered --
"meditation is not what you think".
It has been quietly incorporated into corporate life: Google and General
Mills encourage the secular practice of mindfulness to help make employees
more productive. Now meditation is penetrating the halls of high finance,
too.
Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater, the world's largest hedge fund with
$150bn of assets under management, is unequivocal about its effects.
"Meditation, more than anything else, is responsible for whatever
success I have had," he says. "When I meditate, I acquire an
equanimity that allows me to see things from a higher-level perspective and
that allows me to make sensible decisions."
Backed by clinical trials and married with neuroscience, the idea that
meditation can help anyone find a greater sense of equanimity is well
established. Money managers such as Bill Gross, the founder and co-chief
investment officer of Pimco, the world's biggest fixed income investor, say
it helps remove confirmation bias, the universal tendency to seek
information that confirms ego-driven preconceptions while remaining blind
to valuable data that contradicts it.
Quelling the mind can help managers conserve energy in daily work life.
"Greater clarity makes you more orderly," says Mr. Ng. But it is
especially useful during a crisis, when "volatile markets and their
profit and loss implications can really throw you off-balance, even as
people are mostly looking to you for direction".
CFA Institute is looking to offer meditation classes, and business schools
increasingly offer courses for the "behavioral advantages" it
brings.
Much more at source.
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Posted on 2013/9/30 12:23:38 ( 407 reads )
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He is the Supreme Brahman, the Self of all, the chief foundation of this
world, subtler than the subtle, eternal. That thou art; thou art That.
-- Atharva Veda, Kaivalya Upanishad
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Posted on 2013/9/29 18:25:27 ( 477 reads )
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WASHINGTON, September 24, 2013 (Press Release): "Yoga: The Art of
Transformation," the first exhibition about the visual history of
yoga, opens October 19 at the Smithsonian's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, and
explores yoga's rich diversity and historical transformations during the
past 2,000 years. "This exhibition looks at yoga's ancient roots, and
how people have been trying to master body and spirit for millennia,"
said Julian Raby, The Dame Jillian Sackler Director of the Arthur M.
Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art. "By applying new scholarship
to both rarely seen artworks and recognized masterpieces, we're able to
shed light on practices that evolved over time--from yoga's ancient origins
to its more modern emergence in India, which set the stage for today's
global phenomenon."
A free public festival, "Diwali and the Art of Yoga," Saturday,
Oct. 26 will mark both the opening of the exhibition and Diwali, the Indian
festival of lights. In conjunction with "The Art of
Transformation," the Freer and Sackler galleries will also host
"Yoga and Visual Culture," a free interdisciplinary symposium for
scholars and yoga enthusiasts Nov. 21-23. Yoga classes in the galleries
will be offered through "Art in Context," an interactive
90-minute workshop combining tours of the exhibition with the practice of
yoga.
The Sackler's annual benefit gala on Thursday, Oct. 17, "Some
Enlightened Evening," celebrates the exhibition's opening with
luminaries from the worlds of art and yoga. More information and tickets
are available at source.
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Posted on 2013/9/29 18:25:15 ( 481 reads )
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WICHITA, KANSAS, September 23, 2013 (The Sunflower): To the people of India,
drawing pictures with colorful sand is an exciting folk art symbolizing the
welcoming of family, friends and Hindu Deities, or Gods. Through a
traditional form of Indian art called Rangoli, Hindu families take part in
an ancient and sacred ritual.
With "Flavors and Colors," the Association of Hindu Students of
America, AHINSA, was able to give the people of Wichita a unique
opportunity to experience the art, culture and food of India. "It's
out-of-the-box, something that people here probably haven't had the chance
to experience," said Vivek Abhilash, the director of publicity for
AHINSA. "We chose the Ulrich museum, because it was a perfect fit and
they were happy to have us."
The theme for the Rangoli drawings was the Ulrich exhibition Nature's Toolbox,
which is also the current theme for the museum's second floor gallery.
"You could be innovative, or you can just do the traditional geometric
designs and flowers," AHINSA president Madhulika Srikanth said.
Those who created art weren't solely of Indian descent. A group of
7-year-old Girl Scouts were "just trying to figure," troop leader
Brenda Lichman said. "We're here to get our painting badge,"
Lichman said. "This is a different way of painting with different
materials."
The art of Rangoli has evolved over the years into a competition, while
still rooted in celebration. This year, the top two drawings were
recognized and awarded with gift cards to Taco Bell and Applebee's, along
with Ulrich Museum t-shirts.
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Posted on 2013/9/29 18:24:59 ( 388 reads )
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Do not say that you do not have time for God. The busiest of men will have
the most leisure, and the laziest will always be short of time, for the
former utilizes time and the latter only wastes it. If you really want God,
you will find time for Him.
-- Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati (1912-1954), 34th pontiff of the
Sarada Peetham
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Posted on 2013/10/15 15:36:04 ( 127 reads )
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DHAKA, BANGLADESH, October 14, 2013 (Dhaka Tribune): The five-day-long
Hindu festival of Durga Puja will come to an end today through the
celebration of Vijaya Dashami, in which the main ritual is the immersion of
Durga statues in rivers. Devotees will bring out Vijaya Dashami processions
carrying statues of the deity Durga and her children Lakshmi, Saraswati,
Kartik and Ganesha, and carry them to the riverbanks in the evening.
In the capital city processions will be brought out from the Dhakeshwari
Temple and end at Waisghat in old town after parading through different
city streets. Thousands of men, women and children are likely to join the
traditional immersion rally.
Meanwhile, across the country on Sunday thousands gathered at the different
puja mandaps to celebrate the Mahanabami puja. At puja mandaps Nabami Bhog
comprising food and fruits were offered to Devi Durga and later were
distributed among the devotees.
In the city prominent puja mandaps like Dhakeshwari Temple, Jagannath Hall
of Dhaka University, Ramna Kali Mandir, Siddheswari Kali Mandir, and in the
temples of Tanti Bazar, Shankhari Bazar and Bangla Bazar were crowded with
devotees from walks of life.
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Posted on 2013/10/15 15:35:57 ( 130 reads )
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KARACHI, PAKISTAN, October 13, 2014 (Business Standard): Hindus in Pakistan
celebrated the community-based Durga Puja festival in one of the country's
oldest temples here. The 150-year-old Swami Narayan Mandir is located in
the violence-prone old quarter of Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city.
"The Durga Puja was completed on Saturday after being held for nine
days and is a big occasion for the Hindus in Pakistan," Ramesh Kumar
of the Pakistan Hindu Council said. Kumar said Sanskrit shlokas written in
Urdu script were chanted since the Hindus in Pakistan are not proficient in
Sanskrit or Hindi and the new generation Hindus were more proficient in
Urdu language which is why the Gita had also been written in the Nastaleeq
script.
Kumar pointed out that majority of the Hindu community had little
opportunities to learn the Sanskrit or Hindu language in Pakistan. He said
that efforts are now on to compile a comprehensive database on the Hindu
community in Pakistan since there are around seven million of them in the
country mostly in Karachi and Sindh province.
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Posted on 2013/10/15 15:35:51 ( 128 reads )
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Life is meant for God-realization. If you die without attaining
God-realization, your life is in vain. Even having one hundred gurus will
not help, unless the disciple has a great desire for liberation and tries
to get rid of all that stands in the way.
-- Swami Chidananda (1916-2008), President of Divine Life Society
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Posted on 2013/10/13 17:40:08 ( 265 reads )
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BHUBANESWAR, INDIA, October 13, 2013 (Times of India): Organizers clearing
debris from broken puja pandals, government officials clearing roads of
snapped branches of trees and people queuing up before water tankers summed
up the scene at Bhubaneswar and Cuttack a day after severe cyclone Phailin
made landfall near Gopalpur.
Puja pandals (temporary road-side temples set up for a festival) of
Rasulgarh, Saheednagar, Baramunda and Nayapalli, among others, were blown
away in the strong winds of Saturday night while thousands of trees were
uprooted. Several electric poles fell down while hundreds of slums were
washed away. A newly constructed road along Daya West Canal breached at
Jharpada locality of the state capital forcing suspension of traffic on the
road.
Revenue and disaster management minister Surya Narayan Patro said all major
roads across the state will be cleared by the evening. "National
Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and ODRAF forces are on the job. Road
network would be restored by the evening," he said.
Though weather continued to remain windy amid intermittent rain hundreds of
people ventured out of their homes to pay obeisance at the fallen puja
pandals on the occasion of Nabami puja. "The Goddess saved us from the
worse. I feared I may not get a glimpse of the Goddess," said Nirupama
Panda, a housewife visiting the Saheednagar mandap.
Several localities in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack faced water scarcity due to
power cuts. Tankers were deployed by the government. "There is not a
drop of water at home to drink," said Tilotama Nayak, a woman waiting
for tanker water at GGP Canal Road in Bhubaneswar.
Slum dwellers who were shifted to schools and kalyan mandaps on Saturday
started coming back to their houses. Business and commercial establishments
and fuel filling stations largely remained closed.
Power distributor CESU (Central Electricity Supply Utility) said power will
be partially restored in the city by Sunday evening and almost completely
by Monday. "We have restored power to the state secretariat, Railways,
Telecommunication Bhawan. Power will be restored to certain residential
localities such as Saheednagar, Satyanagar and Bhimatangi area by the
evening. Power was also restored in some localities of Cuttack," CESU
chief operating officer Sudarsana Nayak said.
Soaked in sorrow, puja organizers in the two cities have decided to either
scale down or cancel the immersion ceremony. "We will not take out
giant processions in wake of the cyclone. We will simply dip the murthis in
river without any fan fare. The festive spirit was already lost," said
Pabitra Behera, president of Nayapalli puja committee in Bhubaneswar.
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Posted on 2013/10/13 17:40:01 ( 201 reads )
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MADHYA PRADESH, INDIA, October 13, 2013 (BBC): Some 91 pilgrims, mostly
women and children, have been killed in a stampede at a Hindu festival in
central India, local officials have said. Many were crushed after panic
broke out on a bridge near the Ratangarh temple in Madhya Pradesh state.
Others died when they jumped from the bridge. Officials said the stampede
may have been sparked by a rumor that the bridge was about to collapse.
Hundreds of thousands had gathered near the town of Datia for the festival.
Local devotee Atul Chaudhary, who survived the crush, told BBC Hindi there
had been a couple of thousand people on the bridge. He heard screams, and
people began rushing to get off the bridge. "Several people could be
seen flattened to the ground in the midst of the melee," he said.
"Some of the youngsters panicked and jumped into the swollen river.
"I and my friends were close to the exit point and along with several
others ran for safety. Scores of others were not so lucky."
The narrow bridge is about 500m long and had only recently been rebuilt
following another stampede in 2007. Deputy Police Inspector DK Arya said
the death toll has risen to 91 and 10 others were in a critical condition.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed his condolences, saying: "On
this day of festivities, our hearts and prayers are with the victims and
their families." Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Narottam Mishra said a
judicial inquiry had been launched.
"Information from locals suggests that rumors of the bridge giving way
could have led to the stampede," he said. Other reports suggested that
police sparked panic by using batons to control the crowd. Officials said
the dead included at least 42 women and 30 children. Emergency crews and
specialist divers have been scouring the river for bodies but paused the
search at nightfall on Sunday.
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Posted on 2013/10/13 17:39:54 ( 229 reads )
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Do you realize now the sacred significance and the supreme importance of
the guru's role in the evolution of man? It was not without reason that the
India of the past carefully tended and kept alive the lamp of guru-tattva.
It is therefore not without reason that India, year after year, age after
age, commemorates anew this ancient concept of the guru, adores it and pays
homage to it again and again, and thereby reaffirms its belief and
allegiance to it. For the true Indian knows that the guru is the only
guarantee for the individual to transcend the bondage of sorrow and death,
and experience the Consciousness of the Reality.
-- Swami Sivananda (1887-1963), founder of Divine Life Society,
Rishikesh
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Posted on 2013/10/10 18:46:51 ( 374 reads )
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JOHANNESBURG, October 8,2013 (Times of India): South Africans are
increasingly embracing Indian culture, opening up historical venues to
Hindus to celebrate religious events. "The way in which other
communities have embraced Hindu cultural activities is a direct result of
the Rainbow Nation ideal of former President Nelson Mandela," said the
Chairman of the Gauteng chapter of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha,
Sinthal Ramiah.
"We find that even the few whites who sometimes resist temples or
mosques being built in their areas in their areas become friendlier when
they learn what the Indian cultures are about," Ramiah added. The
Sanathan Shakti Society, a recently-formed Hindu organisation, hosted
first-ever Navratri Yatra in country's Gauteng province.
The Tshwane Chariot Festival 2013 saw a procession from Church Square to
the Union Buildings, both historic sites in the capital of Pretoria. Both
Church Square and the Unions Buildings were forbidden to people who were
not white in the apartheid era.The same lawns on which free vegetarian food
was being enjoyed by hundreds used to be splattered with signs warning that
non-whites and dogs were not allowed on them.
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Posted on 2013/10/10 18:46:44 ( 473 reads )
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INDONESIA, October 9, 2013 (India TV News): Indonesia is the world's most
populous Muslim country with the ethnic group Javanese in majority. The
group of islands has been a trade hub and the local rulers have traded with
China and India since the 7th century. Local rulers gradually absorbed
Hindu and Buddhist traditions. The influence of Hindu and Buddhist
tradition and culture is visible in their art forms. The Ramayana Ballet is
the most famous performance in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta.
It's a graceful and fluid spectacle that juxtaposes the grandeur of the
large open air stage with the focused detail of the ballet choreography.
The whole performance, with as backdrop, the 9th century Prambanan temple,
feels exotic and, at the same time intimate. The costumes, the expressions,
and the songs draw you in. One is transported back to a time of demons,
heroic animals and epic royal quests. It's a mythical world illustrated
through dance and music that is the setting for a love story centuries old.
The tale is an old Indian epic which has become popular in Indonesia and is
the same portrayed in the Ramayana performance at Bali's Uluwatu. Photos
have trouble capturing the movements and animate beauty of the show but
hopefully this collection (link below) gives you a sense of how it feels to
be in the theatre with the hundreds of other spectators.
http://www.timetravelturtle.com/2013/ ...
let-yogyakarta-indonesia/
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Posted on 2013/10/10 18:46:38 ( 269 reads )
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O Mother! Let all my speech be your prayer; let all my crafts and
technology be your worship and be the mystic gestures of my hand, adorning
you. May all my movements become your devotional circumambulations. May
everything I eat or drink be oblations to you. Let my lying down in rest
and sleep be prostrations to you. Mother! Whatever I do, may all that
become a sacramental service and worship for you.
-- Adi Sankaracharya's 'Hymn to the Divine Mother'
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Posted on 2013/10/9 16:50:46 ( 564 reads )
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK, October 9, 2013 (A Journey Through NYC Religions):
Anantanand Rambachan is professor of religion at St. Olaf College,
Minnesota. This article is taken from his keynote address to the Hindu
Caribbean Conference of America in New York on October 6, 2012.
The abolition of the slave trade created a labor shortage that threatened
the survival of the Caribbean plantation economy, particularly in the
larger European colonies like Trinidad and Guyana. Africans were not
willing to subject themselves voluntarily to the oppressive conditions of
life on the plantations, and experiments with workers from Madeira and
China were unsuccessful. India proved to be the most reliable source of
willing laborers with the required skills. It provided a steady stream of
immigrants from 1838, the year the first group of 396 Indians arrived in
Guyana, until 1917 when indentured Indian immigration was finally
abolished. By that time, 238,909 Indians had migrated to Guyana and 143,939
to Trinidad. Most of them came from districts in the North Indian states of
Bihar and the United Province. Seventy-one percent of those who made the
arduous journey around the Cape of Good Hope and across the Atlantic chose
to make their homes in the Caribbean. Their choice is the reason for our
presence in New York City today.
Along with their physical skills and knowledge of sugar cultivation, Hindu
immigrants introduced to the Caribbean the essential elements of one of the
world's most ancient, culturally rich and philosophically sophisticated
cultures. The insights and achievements of India found expression in the
songs, dances, myths, stories and religious texts transported in the
memories and meager belongings of the immigrants. Immigrants to the
Caribbean, and specifically immigrants to Guyana, were the first to sow in
the soil of the western world the seeds of Hindu consciousness and way of
life that had evolved in Asia. Fifty-five years before Swami Vivekananda
spoke at the Parliament of World Religions in 1893 in Chicago, Hinduism was
being practiced in the Caribbean.
This remarkable story of the survival of the Hindu tradition remains to be
narrated properly. It is the story of religious survival in the midst of
abject poverty and no official support for their religious and cultural
wellbeing. The broader community viewed them with suspicious and
schizophrenic eyes. While they were required for their physical skills on
the sugar plantations, their beliefs, ceremonies of worship, life-cycle
rituals and sacred narratives were denounced as superstitious and
unenlightened. The reasons for the perception and treatment of Hindu
religion and culture as inferior and backward are many. The principal
reason will be found in the fact that the dominant values of the Caribbean
were those of Western Christian Europe. Those who judged Hinduism by these
values proclaimed it to be different and inferior.
In the mid-1960's Hindus from the Caribbean, embarked on another
significant historical journey. Driven by political fears and economic
uncertainties Hindus, especially from Guyana, migrated in significant
numbers to North America. It is story of migration with empty pockets, long
years of separation from family, relentless efforts to gain an education
and untold hours of hard work. These Hindus from the Caribbean are among
the first to construct places of Hindu worship and to establish the
tradition on the soil of the United States and Canada.
Much more of the lengthy and informative address is available at 'source'
above.
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Posted on 2013/10/9 16:50:32 ( 379 reads )
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Do you realize now the sacred significance and the supreme importance of
the guru's role in the evolution of man? It was not without reason that the
India of the past carefully tended and kept alive the lamp of guru-tattva.
It is therefore not without reason that India, year after year, age after
age, commemorates anew this ancient concept of the guru, adores it and pays
homage to it again and again, and thereby reaffirms its belief and
allegiance to it. For the true Indian knows that the guru is the only
guarantee for the individual to transcend the bondage of sorrow and death,
and experience the Consciousness of the Reality.
-- Swami Sivananda (1887-1963), founder of Divine Life Society,
Rishikesh
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Posted on 2013/10/8 18:52:10 ( 457 reads )
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KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, October 7, 2013 (PRWEB): The sixth Asian Vegetarian
Congress which opened here today was told that the global population has
the power to help reduce global warming by turning towards a vegetarian
diet that would help make a difference to the planet.
In his keynote address, prominent Asian Entrepreneur, Dato Sri Vijay
Eswaran, said limiting or abstaining from meat consumption would consume
less of our limited resources on Earth. He pointed out that the livestock
sector has emerged as a very significant contributor to environmental
problems at every scale from local to global, including land degradation,
climate change and air pollution, water shortage and loss of biodiversity.
Hence, he urged the Congress to send out a strong message to stop all
killings and to create better public awareness of the importance of
consuming more plant-based food. Having been instilled with a deep
abhorrence towards violence when he was young, he stressed: "Let's not
have any more pain in the world. There's enough pain already," referring
to the slaughter of millions of animals annually around the world.
Vijay, who is Executive Chairman of the QI Group, said vegetarianism is
more than just a personal belief. It is part of the corporate philosophy of
the company he founded with his partner, also a vegetarian. "The
15-year-old QI Group that employs more than 1,000 people in nearly 30
different countries is a fully vegetarian company. The primary
consideration here for us is the four main pillars of vegetarianism, namely
environment health, biological and ethical.
Appearing as the first keynote speaker at the congress attended by about a
thousand local and foreign delegates, Vijay said the encouraging resurgence
of vegetarianism, especially in Asian countries, is attributed to reasons
such as religion, concern for health, the environment and the compassion
for animals.
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Posted on 2013/10/8 18:52:02 ( 418 reads )
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK, October 5, 2013 (by Prof. Gregory Berns for the New
York Times): For the past two years, my colleagues and I have been training
dogs to go in an M.R.I. scanner -- completely awake and unrestrained. Our
goal has been to determine how dogs' brains work and, even more important,
what they think of us humans. Now, after training and scanning a dozen
dogs, my one inescapable conclusion is this: dogs are people, too.
Because dogs can't speak, scientists have relied on behavioral observations
to infer what dogs are thinking It has been easy to sidestep the difficult
questions about animal sentience and emotions because they have been
unanswerable. Until now.
By looking directly at their brains and bypassing the constraints of
behaviorism, M.R.I.'s can tell us about dogs' internal states. My dog
Callie was the first. With the help of my friend Mark Spivak, a dog
trainer, we started teaching Callie to go into an M.R.I. simulator Soon,
the local dog community learned of our quest to determine what dogs are
thinking. Within a year, we had assembled a team of a dozen dogs who were
all "M.R.I.-certified."
Although we are just beginning to answer basic questions about the canine
brain, we cannot ignore the striking similarity between dogs and humans in
both the structure and function of a key brain region: the caudate nucleus.
Rich in dopamine receptors, the caudate sits between the brainstem and the
cortex. In humans, the caudate plays a key role in the anticipation of
things we enjoy, like food, love and money.
In dogs, we found that activity in the caudate increased in response to
hand signals indicating food. The caudate also activated to the smells of
familiar humans. And in preliminary tests, it activated to the return of an
owner who had momentarily stepped out of view. Do these findings prove that
dogs love us? Not quite. But many of the same things that activate the
human caudate, which are associated with positive emotions, also activate
the dog caudate. Neuroscientists call this a functional homology, and it
may be an indication of canine emotions. The ability to experience positive
emotions, like love and attachment, would mean that dogs have a level of
sentience comparable to that of a human child. And this ability suggests a
rethinking of how we treat dogs. Perhaps someday we may see a case arguing
for a dog's rights based on brain-imaging findings.
Gregory Berns is a professor of neuroeconomics at Emory University and the
author of "How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog
Decode the Canine Brain."
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Posted on 2013/10/8 18:51:56 ( 342 reads )
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Just as a big banyan tree sprouts from a tiny seed, so the wide universe
with names and forms sprouts forth from the heart.
-- Sri Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950), South Indian mystic
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Posted on 2013/10/7 18:36:56 ( 389 reads )
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PUURS, BELGIUM, October 3, 2013 (Wall Street Journal): HPI Note: From what
we see of these events on YouTube (e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JlZx2oFFlU),
they are a mix of rave and Holi traditions and have little to nothing to do
with religion. Holi fell in March in 2013.
Teens and 20-somethings congregated in this Belgian hamlet on Aug. 31 to
celebrate Holi, the Hindu holiday that welcomes spring--just as autumn
approached Europe. They came to celebrate the victory of good over evil and
douse each other with iridescent powders, just like in India. Organizers
claim the rainbow hues erase social, religious and racial differences.
Holi--the Hindu festival that celebrates the arrival of spring--has spread
from India to Europe, where the religious holiday has taken an even more
colorful turn. Holi parties are springing up from England to South Africa,
luring big-hearted partygoers. Touting an intoxicating blend of Woodstock
and Bollywood, the gatherings can draw more than 10,000 people.
But all that amity and togetherness has sparked a fight between the leading
commercial Holi festival organizers. While revelers cavort in colorful joy,
their hosts are dickering over profits, festival names and even the
ingredients of the powders they sell.
"It's a sort of Holi war," says Michael Hasemann, an event
manager in Luebeck, Germany, who helps local organizers stage Holi
festivals. "Everybody is trying to shaft everybody else to become the
king of Holi."
Just last year it was a happy Holi commune. At the time, five Berlin men
staged the first commercial Holi festivals in Germany, inspired by images
of the Indian original and annual celebrations of a Krishna temple in
Spanish Fork, Utah. But a dispute over the business turned the Holi
lovefest into a slugfest, and one of the men, Stephan Dau, teamed up with
his brother to set up Holi One. Others, led by Mr. Derenko, established
themselves as Holi Festival of Colours.
The festivals' popularity has drawn in other professional event managers,
such as Mr. Hasemann, who hold separate events, and entrepreneurs. Marcel
Bodewig, for example, who usually sells support systems for call centers,
realized there was a business opportunity in selling Holi powder, known as
gulal.
Commercial Holi festivals, such as this one in the Belgian town of Puurs on
Aug. 31, have swept Europe this summer, sparking fierce competition among
festival organizers and complaints from the Hindu community. "They
drink, they party, they do whatever," Radj Bhondoe, chairman of the
Hindu Council of the Netherlands, says of the attendants at a recent Holi
in Amsterdam.
Mr. Bhondoe says he doesn't buy the organizers' claim that their events
promote the spirit of unity that is central to the traditional holiday.
"I'm afraid that's not the real model of their business. Their
business is business. It's making money," he says. As for holding Holi
in summer or fall: "You're not going to celebrate Christmas in July.
It's absurd."
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Posted on 2013/10/7 18:36:49 ( 505 reads )
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BANGALORE, INDIA, October 7, 2013 (BBC): Two widows have been ordained as
priests in a centuries-old Hindu temple in the southern Indian city of
Mangalore in Karnataka state. Lakshmi and Indira formally began performing
rituals at the Kudroli Shree Gokarnanatheshwara Temple on Sunday. Hundreds
watched the ceremony and musicians played as the widows entered the temple
in a grand procession. The move is considered revolutionary in a society
where widows are seen as inauspicious and normally shunned. "It is a
historic moment. We will get more widows to become priests," said
Janardhana Poojary, former federal minister and the man behind the reform.
Mr, Poojary said he would talk to the state authorities to appoint more
widows in government-aided temples across Karnataka. "There should not
be any constraints on widows from offering prayers. No widow should be
discriminated against because of her marital status," he told
reporters after Sunday's ceremony.
The widows, who have been trained in scriptures for four months, will be
paid a monthly salary and will be looked after by the temple management.
Kudroli temple authorities say they appointed Lakshmi and Indira in order
to change the mindsets and most people in the state have welcomed the move.
"It gives me joy to see them being greeted by devotees," said
Anil, a student who felt social transformation was necessary to make the
country modern. The temple was set up by a revered Hindu seer Narayan Guru,
a 19th Century social reformer from the neighboring state of Kerala.
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Posted on 2013/10/7 18:36:34 ( 381 reads )
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Go beyond science, into the region of metaphysics. Real religion is beyond
argument. It can only be lived, both inwardly and outwardly.
-- Swami Sivananda (1887-1963), founder of Divine Life Society
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Posted on 2013/10/6 15:42:18 ( 459 reads )
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KOLKATA, INDIA, October 6, 2013 (Times Of India): Two years ago, Goddess
Durga got a major makeover at two puja pandals (temporary temples, some
very large, set up street-side during festivals) in Kolkata: darker skin,
softer features and, somehow, a more Indian look. Behind this makeover was
filmmaker Goutam Ghose, who wanted Durga to look like she did before the
British set foot on the sub-continent. Since then, many statues have even
begun sporting Dravidian features.
Even outside Kolkata, community pujas are roping in arts and film
personalities, as well as architects, interior decorators and even movie
set designers. Their task is to suggest, and sometimes design, themes for
the pandals and looks for the statues. Hence, a mind-boggling array of
themes -- from Rajasthan forts and an Orissa fishing village to Harry
Potter's magical world and the exploitation of tribals -- find creative and
colorful display at community Durga pujas.
Organizers want to not only give their pandals and statues a distinct look,
but also win competitions instituted by various corporate and other
entities. With the entry of such professionals, Durga pujas, previously the
domain of "artisans" --statue-makers, pandal-builders and
decorators -- have become a public art event, says Tapati Guha-Thakurta,
professor of history, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences. Social
scientist Suman Bag points out that with theme-based pujas gaining
popularity, the festival has become more universal.
Take the example of the work being done by artist Sanatan Dinda. With his
24-member team, Dinda turned the puja pandal of a west Kolkata club into a
massive piece of installation art. The theme is conservation. Artist
Bhabotosh Sutar has carved the statue out of a 16-ton sandstone block
transported from Jodhpur for a west Kolkata puja. The theme music for this
puja, scored by Ustad Rashid Khan, is based on Rajasthani folk tunes.
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Posted on 2013/10/6 15:42:11 ( 416 reads )
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ARA, JHARKHAND, INDIA, October 1, 2013 (New York Times): Jharkhand has been
the center of a religious tug-of-war since the 18th century, when a
predominantly tribal state saw a flurry of Christian missionaries set up
base there. The first Christian missionaries to arrive in the Chotanagpur
plateau, which is most of Jharkhand today, were not the Catholics but
German Protestants who traveled through Chakradharpur and Khunti to Ranchi.
The Anglicans and the Catholics followed.
In the late 19th century, Christian missionaries converted a large number
of people, especially tribals. Despite several years of close coexistence,
the tribals had maintained their identity separate from the Hindus. The
tribals were mostly hunter-gatherers, worshipped their ancestors and
nature, ate simple food and celebrated festivals of their own.
When conversions happen, entire villages convert. If only one family dares
to convert to another religion, they are outcast by the rest of the
families. Therefore, in Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh, villagers
convert by the hundreds.
"We used to have a unique identity," said Dilip Oraon, a tribal
whose family refused to be converted to Christianity or endorse Hinduism.
"Today, we are forced to choose between Christianity or Hinduism. We
are Sarnas - those with a distinctive identity, independent of both."
As per the 2001 census, the latest available, 68.5 percent people of
Jharkhand's 32.96 million people follow Hinduism. Islam is followed by 13.8
percent and there are 13 percent animistic Sarnas. 4.1 percent of the
population is said to follow Christianity.
Much more at 'source.'
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Posted on 2013/10/6 15:42:05 ( 352 reads )
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Find the One everywhere and in everything and there will be an end to all
pain and suffering.
-- Sri Anandamayi Ma (1896-1982), Bengali mystic and saint
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Posted on 2013/10/3 16:08:38 ( 531 reads )
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, October 2, 2013 (Press Release): Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHPA)
Chicago chapter organized the "World Without Borders" program on
Sept 27-28, 2013 to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami
Vivekananda. It was a two-day event with over 2000 people participating.
The event was cosponsored by more than 35 local organizations. It was the
mammoth effort of 50 plus volunteers that made this event a milestone for
Hindu community. T
The two day long program started on the 27th with lamp lighting by invited
dharma gurus and dignitaries. The president of VHPA Shri Jyotish Parekh
welcomed the more than 500 delegates who attended the banquet. Speakers
delivered their messages highlighting the glories of Sanatan Dharma and
Hindu Sanskriti while remembering Swami Vivekananda. Stephen Knapp
(Srinandan das) of ISKCON, Detroit said, "I am proud to be a Hindu and
a follower of Sanatan dharma"
On Saturday Sept. 28th World Without Borders delegates gathered near
Wisconsin avenue and walked to the Art Institute of Chicago where Swami
Vivekananda delivered his historic message 120 years ago. Swami Ramdev
garlanded the statue of Swami Vivekanand outside the Art Institute. The
procession was led by Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, Swami Chidananda, Swami
Varadanand of Vedanta society, Swami Sharadanand of Chinmaya Mission,
Lokesh Muni of Jain Center, Pundits of Gayatri Parivar, Subramanian Swami
and many others dignitaries. All gathered in the hall where Swami
Vivekananda spoke. After lamp lighting, a representative of Governor's
Office read a message from Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, proclaiming
September 28th, 2013, as Swami Vivekananda Day.
The morning session in Museum of art concluded with a message by Baba
Ramdev who said, "We bow to the efforts of America, but at the same
time we bow to the ancient culture of India. We need to live the message of
Swami Vivekananda who said that God does not live in places of worship but
He lives in humans -- we should have darshan of Brahman (God) in the entire
Brahmand (universe)."
In the afternoon, the more than 2,000 delegates reassembled in Jain Center
for the concluding session. Children from local Bal Vihars enthused the
audience by singing and dancing on patriotic songs. Jain Muni Lokesh sang a
few lines praising the bravery of Swami Vivekananda and congratulated VHPA
for bringing all dharmacharya and organization on one platform. Dr. Beena
of Brahma Kumaris institute talked about her research on the teachings of
Swami ji. In the concluding remarks Baba Ramdev talked about reestablishing
the glories of Hindu traditions through reforms. He appreciated VHPA's
united effort of celebrating Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary.
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Posted on 2013/10/3 16:08:32 ( 560 reads )
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DELHI, INDIA, October 3, 2013 (PIB): The Union Culture Minister Smt.
Chandresh Kumari Katoch here today launched a unique project to take
India's Heritage online. Under the project, the Archaeological Survey of
India (ASI) has agreed with Google to create 360-degree online imagery of
100 of India's most important heritage sites, including Khajuraho and the
Ajanta and Ellora caves. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said these
detailed images will be placed for public viewing over the Internet. The
aim of this collaboration is to generate interest and consciousness among
the Indian population in general and the youth in particular towards
safeguarding the national cultural heritage of India. She said, this
information, which will be readily available over the Internet for public
viewing, will help in bringing our monuments closer to the public. The
Minister expressed the hope that under this project the experience of
visiting heritage sites across a vibrant nation would be more accessible
and enjoyable and also to bring it to the notice of billions of people
connected globally via the Internet.
Once published, this new imagery of Indian heritage sites will be available
on Google Maps and on the World Wonders site within the Google Cultural
Institute so that people across India and around the world can virtually
view and explore these areas, and in the process, learn more about thousand
years of Indian history.
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Posted on 2013/10/3 16:08:26 ( 415 reads )
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ORISSA, INDIA, October 3, 2013 (Daily Mail UK): An Orissa court on Thursday
sentenced eight persons, including a Maoist leader, to life imprisonment
and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on each of them for the murder of Vishwa
Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. The VHP leader
and his four associates were killed at their ashram at Jaleshpata in
Kandhamal district on August 23, 2008. On defendant was acquitted for lack
of evidence, another awaits trial and four are still being sought,
including top Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda who was reportedly expelled
from the CPI (Maoist) in 2012. The murder of the VHP leader and his
associates had triggered violent communal clashes in Kandhmal in 2008. As
many as 40 persons were killed and hundreds rendered homeless in the
violence.
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Posted on 2013/10/3 16:08:14 ( 415 reads )
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There are two great forces in the universe, silence and speech. Silence
prepares, speech creates. The strength of noise and activity is great. But
infinite is the strength of stillness and silence, in which great forces
prepare for action. To be capable of silence, stillness and illuminated
passivity is to be fit for immortality.
-- Sri Aurobido (1879-1950)
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Posted on 2013/9/30 12:23:50 ( 634 reads )
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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA, September 30, 2013 (Reuters): India's Hindu
temples are resisting divulging their gold holdings - perhaps nearly half
the amount held in Fort Knox [Fort Know holds 4,600 tons, 3% of the entire
world's supply] - amid mistrust of the motives of authorities who are
trying to cut a hefty import bill that is hurting the economy.
The central bank, which has already taken steps that have slowed to a
trickle the incoming supplies that have exacerbated India's current account
deficit, has sent letters to some of the country's richest temples asking
for details of their gold. It says the inquiries are simply data
collection, but Hindu groups are up in arms.
"The gold stored in temples was contributed by devotees over thousands
of years and we will not allow anyone to usurp it," said V. Mohanan,
secretary of the Hindu nationalist Vishwa Hindu Parishad organisation in
Kerala state, in a statement.
Indians buy as much as 2.3 tons of gold, on average, every day - the weight
of a small elephant - and what they don't give to the Gods is mostly
hoarded. Jewelry is handed down as heirlooms and stored away with bars and
coins as a hedge against inflation or a source of quick funds in an
emergency.
That is costing the economy dear. Gold imports totalled $54 billion in the year
ending March 31, 2013, the biggest non-essential item shipped in from
overseas and a major factor in swelling the current account deficit to a
record in 2012/13.
Guruvayur temple, in Kerala, one of the most sacred in India and boasting a
33.5-metre (110-ft) gold-plated flagstaff, has already told the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) it won't divulge any details. "The gold we have is
mostly offered by the devotees. They would not like the details to be
shared with anybody," said V. M. Gopala Menon, commissioner of the
temple's administrative board.
The World Gold Council estimates there are about 2,000 tons of gold locked
away in temples - worth about $84 billion at current prices - which Indian
devotees have offered in the form of jewelry, bars, coins and even replicas
of body parts, in the hope of winning favors from the Gods or in thanks for
blessings received and health restored.
Curbing gold imports and getting the gold squirreled away back into
circulation has become a priority for the government and RBI this year.
Import duty is at a record 10 percent and the latest new rule - that 20
percent of all imports must leave the country as jewelry exports - caused
confusion that dried up buying for two months.
Mumbai's Shree Siddhivinayak Ganpati temple, often visited by Bollywood
celebrities, had already put 10 kg (22 lbs) of its gold into a bank deposit
scheme. It still has 140 kg (308 lbs) in its vault. It is not alone. The
Tirupati temple in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, considered one of
India's richest, has lodged 2,250 kg (4,960 lbs) of gold with the State
Bank of India, which pays it interest.
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Posted on 2013/9/30 12:23:44 ( 626 reads )
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SINGAPORE, September 16, 2013 (The Financial Times Ltd.): Every day, twice
a day, for the past 20 years, Peter Ng, the executive charged with
investing tens of billions of dollars for Singapore's sovereign wealth fund
thinks of nothing. He does this by sitting silently and saying a word
inside himself. After a few minutes, his breathing calms, his face muscles
relax and the flutter behind his eyelids stills.
Mr. Ng, chief investment officer of the Government of Singapore Investment
Corporation, sits on a panel sponsored by CFA Institute, a
standards-setting body for fund managers and financial analysts, pondering
the "future of finance."
Over the past decade or so, meditation -- the practice of becoming aware
and then letting go of the thoughts and emotions that make up our stream of
consciousness -- has spread gently from an esoteric practice into an
activity nearly as ubiquitous as jogging or flossing teeth. That may be
because -- as the refrain goes and as many have quietly discovered --
"meditation is not what you think".
It has been quietly incorporated into corporate life: Google and General
Mills encourage the secular practice of mindfulness to help make employees
more productive. Now meditation is penetrating the halls of high finance,
too.
Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater, the world's largest hedge fund with
$150bn of assets under management, is unequivocal about its effects.
"Meditation, more than anything else, is responsible for whatever
success I have had," he says. "When I meditate, I acquire an
equanimity that allows me to see things from a higher-level perspective and
that allows me to make sensible decisions."
Backed by clinical trials and married with neuroscience, the idea that
meditation can help anyone find a greater sense of equanimity is well
established. Money managers such as Bill Gross, the founder and co-chief
investment officer of Pimco, the world's biggest fixed income investor, say
it helps remove confirmation bias, the universal tendency to seek
information that confirms ego-driven preconceptions while remaining blind
to valuable data that contradicts it.
Quelling the mind can help managers conserve energy in daily work life.
"Greater clarity makes you more orderly," says Mr. Ng. But it is
especially useful during a crisis, when "volatile markets and their
profit and loss implications can really throw you off-balance, even as
people are mostly looking to you for direction".
CFA Institute is looking to offer meditation classes, and business schools
increasingly offer courses for the "behavioral advantages" it
brings.
Much more at source.
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Posted on 2013/9/30 12:23:38 ( 417 reads )
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He is the Supreme Brahman, the Self of all, the chief foundation of this
world, subtler than the subtle, eternal. That thou art; thou art That.
-- Atharva Veda, Kaivalya Upanishad
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Posted on 2013/10/16 17:52:42 ( 252 reads )
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DHAKA, BANGLADESH, Octoer 15, 2013 (The Daily Star): The five-day-long
Durga Puja, the greatest of all Hindu festivals, ended yesterday with
solemn immersion of the murthis of the goddess Durga across the country.
Thousands of Hindus in the capital marched with spectacular truck
processions carrying murthis of Durga towards the Buriganga for immersion.
The young and the elderly joined hands to slowly put the murthis into the
water at the climax of the festival in the evening. Devotees thronged the
puja mandaps to celebrate Bijoya Dashami, the last day of the festival,
since the morning. Yesterday was a public holiday.
Durga puja is the worship of Shakti or divine power embodied in the goddess
Durga. It symbolises the battle between good and evil where the dark forces
eventually succumbed to the divine forces.
President Abdul Hamid hosted a reception for the Hindus at Bangabhaban
while Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited some temples in the capital
yesterday. During the reception, Hamid called upon all to contribute to the
development of the country by maintaining glorious stream of communal
harmony.
This year, over 28,000 makeshift puja mandaps or marquees with flowers and
multi-coloured lights were erected across the country. The Dhakeswari
National Temple, the biggest and oldest Hindu monastery in the capital,
drew the highest number of devotees. The state-run and private television
channels and radios aired special programmes while newspapers published
special supplements on the great religious festival.
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Posted on 2013/10/16 17:52:32 ( 214 reads )
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BARISAL, BANGLADESH, October 12, 2013 (The Daily Star): The fifth annual
reception for "Pauls and Kumars" (sculptors and artisans of
statues) was held in Barisal city yesterday with a call to patronize these
traditional statue makers, mainstream them into society, and give them
professional recognition.
"Mritshilpi Sammelon O Sammanona Udjapon Parishad," an
association in Barisal promoting the hard-up, unsung artists, organized the
event at Aswini Kumar Hall, conducted by convener Sushanta Ghosh and
coordinator Bappi Majumdar.
A total of 116 statue makers, including 11 females, from three of six districts
of Barisal division-Barisal, Jhalakathi, and Pirojpur-were presented with
crests, clothes and cash. The association has been honoring them since
2009, first of its kind in Bangladesh. Artisans from the three districts
are registered with the parishad.
The speakers and participants said that for centuries, Pauls and Kumars had
been keeping this ancestral profession alive even after living in abject
poverty and without any social status and recognition as mainstream
artists. After weeks of work ahead of Puja festivals, particularly Durga
Puja which began on Tuesday night, these artists return home with an
incidental amount of pay.
A team of five or six artisans needs 17-21 days for crafting a big statue,
while the smaller ones take them 13-17 days. To ready a protima, they
collect bamboos, hay, clay, wooden sticks, jute, and rice chaffs, among
other articles. For all this, the team is paid US$322 to US$644. The mandap
committees arrange their lodging and food.
The five-day Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of Bangladesh
Hindus, started on Thursday night at 550 Puja Mandaps of the district
including 33 in the city. The festivity will come to an end through
immersion of the statues and images of the deities in different rivers,
canals, ponds with solemnities and religious rituals and exchange of
greetings of Vijaya Dashami on Sunday.
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Posted on 2013/10/16 17:52:19 ( 198 reads )
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The whole world is your school. See that all are you. You are the
commander. You are the Commander-in-Chief! All are commanders; there is no
greater or lesser. All are God. God sees God, God talks to God.
-- Satguru Yogaswami (1872-1964), Sri Lanka's most revered
contemporary mystic
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Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations to Sadguru Sri Sivaya Subramuniyaswami ji,
Satguru Bodhianatha Velayanswami ji, Hinduism
Today dot com for the collection)
(The Blog is reverently for all the seekers of truth,
lovers of wisdom and to share the Hindu Dharma with others on the
spiritual path and also this is purely a non-commercial blog)
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