Africa is Ripe for a Strong Hindu Future

Black African swami evaluates the past and future impact of Eastern spirituality

Swami Ghananandji Saraswati

Western faiths are long embedded in Africa. Christianity came first through traders. They were followed by missionaries who opened schools and hospitals and formed societies for the propagation of the gospel, thus making Christianity deeply rooted on the continent. While Christians advanced from the coast inland, Islam came by conquest from the North. Because of the heterogeneous nature of African societies--each region and society having its own beliefs and aspirations--most traditional religions collapsed under this intense pressure from Christianity and Islam. While Christianity and Islam were expanding and getting the main hold on the African continent, the few Indians who arrived were merchants and workers interested purely in their businesses, not in portraying Hindu lifestyle. Today very few Indians in Africa live by Hindu tenets. Through their long severance from India and living in the diaspora, many have lost touch with their true culture and way of life. However, in a few places, like Accra, where I live, the Indians have a cultural center where they meet, discuss and worship. As a result, they have maintained their cultural identity. But because Christianity and Islam earlier gained such strong roots in Africa, Hinduism has hitherto had little or no impact.

The Indian community mixes little with other Africans. They tend to be inward looking and share only with Indians, rather than sharing the best things about Hinduism with Africans. As a result, Hinduism has a very low profile in Africa today. A few people have read aspects of Hinduism from books and practice Hinduism under the cloak of secret societies.

African religions and Hinduism have certain similarities. Traditional African religions recognize the many aspects of Brahman and worship God as Prithivi, Vayu, Varuna, Agni, etc., just as in Hinduism. Only Africans who have been exposed to Hinduism can appreciate these similarities which help them to better understand African beliefs and aspirations. In Africa, Christians and Muslims alike who want self-development and self-realization turn to Hinduism. When they do, most of their friends and relatives shun their company out of ignorance, misconception and misinformation. However, invariably they soon observe changes in the lives of these Africans and may even also switch to Hinduism.

No Indian swami made such a great impact on the African community as H.H. Swami Krishnanandji Saraswati (1899?1992), described as the "Swami of Africa." Swami belonged to the unbroken tradition of great souls who came to this ephemeral world with the eternal message of love and peace, of the divinity and brotherhood of man, of the virtue of selfless service and sacrifice. These great souls are the makers of civilization. They enrich culture. They create values and establish norms. They do not write history, but create it.

Krishnanandji looked upon selfless service as the essence of all religions' teachings. His life's motto was, "Service to man is service to God." He led the ascetic life of a Hindu sannyasi for over half a century, serving helpless, aged, crippled and sick people. He organized salvage operations and relief work for the benefit of refugees, war victims, riot sufferers, forsaken victims of droughts, floods and mass human exodus in numerous African countries, including: Togo, Nigeria, Gambia, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Rwanda, Sudan, South Africa and many others, bringing health, sight and spiritual upliftment to the black peoples of Africa. He brought Hinduism to black Africa by initiating the first African into the holy order of sannyasa in the person of myself as "Swami Ghanananda Saraswati" in 1975. To support his good works, Krishnanand established the Hindu Monastery of Africa under my direction in Accra, Ghana.

In our lifetime, one of the prominent sages we have been blessed to see is Mahatma Ghandi, and to him we owe our freedom in South Africa. Since South Africa was the venue of his early formative years, his system of passive resistance had quite an impact on Nelson Mandela's peaceful struggle to topple the white apartheid regime. Mandela is a man of wisdom. He must have thought, if Gandhi's system succeeded in India, which is about ten times the size of South Africa, why will it not succeed in South Africa?

I believe that Hinduism will grow with time among both Indians and Africans. It is now time for India and Hindu masters to turn their attention to Africa, with swamis and brahmins coming to conduct workshops, etc., and thereby give Africa a chance to remove the veil of spiritual darkness that has given Africa the name "the dark continent." Other areas which will attract black Africans to Hinduism will be the establishment of schools, clinics and the promotion of social work and institutions of service. Hinduism, alongside other religions, must help in harmonizing the efforts of all religions to foster the needed peace for both material and spiritual development of the continent. Africa is still a poor continent, and what it needs are programs that are aimed at reducing hunger and poverty on the continent. India can place at the disposal of Africa its vast knowledge in agriculture and light industrial development which has made India today self-sufficient.

My advice to Hindus worldwide is that the Satguru will lead you through no darker rooms than he himself went through before; for he that comes into God's kingdom must enter by this door.

SWAMI GHANANANDJI, 61, was initiated by Swami Krishnanand of India in1975. He heads the Hindu Monastery of Africa in Accra, Ghana, regularly imparting spiritual guidance to devotees

US is poised to become a Hindu Country by 2100 AD !

Atul Kumar Mehta, India

The agenda for this century was set up in the very beginning itself by the BIN LADEN. There is no doubt that this century is going to witness a big tussle between the Religion( shell ) and the Spiritualism( Core) . Many religions will be exposed in this process and shall be proved only a Shell and nothing else. Islam shall be the first casualty and the process and debates are already on. Many liberal muslims and pseudo-secularists are trying hard to defend ISLAM thru their manipulated versions but it is impossible for them to create a CORE in Islam. Islam means no philosophy but some rituals only. Some of which are violent and cruel also.

After Islam ,Christianity may face revolt from within during this century since Christianity did not made its followers so wild and Barbarians as the majority of Muslims are. Islam shall be rejected and eliminated by the humanity from the world scene but Christianity will get submerged into Hinduism. The process is on and next century may not find any trace of Islam and Muslims in the world since all of them will be either converted or get destroyed in the WAR against Terrorism which may continue for many decades. Christianity will have a different fate since Christ will be honoured and remembered by the Hindus as a great person ( like an incarnation) .

But in this revolutuion India will not play the key role , rather it will be the US only which will play the lead role. Of course the Hindu Society of US will provide the required impetus and inspiration for such a movement which shall be very intensified after 50 years, when US will have a Hindu population of 20% thru migrations and thru self-motivated conversions of persons mainly belonging to Christian faith at present.

If one will look at the exponential growth rate of American Hindus in numbers and resources then he will be certainly agree with me that a Hindu population of 50% is not an impossible target for year 2100 AD for the USA. Unfortunately , India never offered opportunities for growth of Hinduism on last 2000 years since it was/is badly trapped in Casteism . And the result was an unparallel humiliation of Hindu society for 1000 years.India is facing all kinds of dilemma / contradictions/ problems since it had failed to evolve a true version of Hindutva. The version offered by Sangh Parivar is more inspired by the Islam/ Taliban than by the real and noble thoughts of Hindu Philosophy.

India is still unable to understand the virtues of Hinduism since Hindu society have compromised with corruption and criminalization lately besides the old drag of Casteism. It has so many versions of Hinduism that some people are right to some extent in commenting that Hinduism has no future in this country. In fact Caste system has proved itself an anti-thesis of Hinduism in India but in US there will be no such problem since it will be a CASTELESS HINDU SOCIETY which will emerge as a big force there ultimately .

Hindu Philosophy is not a property or asset which belongs to Hindus/ India alone. Similarly US will not belong to Christianity always since it is also not a property or asset but a country. Everything is evolving. US has evolved itself more on Hindu thoughts of KARMA, Justice and Democracy. US is dynamic and so the Hindu Philosophy. Both need each other in this hour of maturity but spiritual crisis in the world. Therefore ,it will not be an expansion of Hinduism but rather a convergence of Hinduism with the great democracy of the world which will be witnessed by the US in this century. India denied this chance to Hinduism which shall be provided by the US in coming years so that journey of mankind is not halted for want of spiritualism which will play the key role in not only in the development of humanity but also the SCIENCE requires spiritualism badly to understand more complex phenomenons it is facing now-a-days .

A little-known fact: Hinduism is the fastest-growing religion in both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia

Hinduism is also the fastest growing religion in Ireland and Italy.

It is common enough knowledge that Islam is growing massively in India. Sure, the alarmist concerns about Muslims overtaking Hindus are overblown, but the religion is still expanding significantly in India – as evidence by the Pew Research Centre's conclusion that by 2050, India will have the largest Muslim population of any country in the world. Beyond India too, Islam's ranks are swelling. But what that same report also shows is that Hinduism happens to be the fastest growing religion for a very motley set of countries.

Reddit user KaliKwad took the data from the Pew Research Centre's The Future of World Religions report, and turned it into a map of the world's fastest-growing religions.

Relative numbers

The map is based on relative, not absolute, numbers, so the religion picked is the one that will have the biggest jump in its share of each country's population. As an example, Islam happens to be the fastest growing religion in India, but its relative share of the total population is only going from 14.4% to 18.4% by 2050, not even coming close to challenging Hinduism's hold on the nation.

With that caveat aside, here is the map for Asia.

Kalikwad/Reddit

As is evident, Islam is growing fast everywhere. The report in fact predicts that, by 2050, Muslims will surpass Hindus as the largest religious group in the India-Pacific region from having just 24.3% share of the population up to nearly 30% mid-way through the century.

But Hinduism is also growing in unusual places. Again, remember, its relative growth outside India is tiny in absolute numbers – but that still means there are some countries that will have double the number of Hindus by 2050 than they did in 2010. In Saudi Arabia, Hindus currently make up about 1.1% of the population, a number that is expected to go up to 1.6% by 2050, largely on the back of migration. The report suggests nearly 1 million Hindus are expected to move to a different region over the next four decades.

The growth in Pakistan, however, is a slightly different matter and, ironically, is the result of a metric that often turns into an allegation in India: the fertility rate of Hindus. While the fertility rate of all religions globally is about 2.5 children per woman, and just 2.1 in the Asia-Pacific region, the Hindu fertility rate in Pakistan is 3.2, which happens to be the exact same as the Muslim fertility rate in India.

The third country in Asia where Hinduism is growing is Thailand, where it is slated to go up from 0.1% of the Thai population to 0.2% by 2050.

Europe happens to be even more interesting, for Hindus.

Kalikwad/Reddit

The four countries that turn up here are Ireland, Belgium, Italy and Greece, all places where Hindus are expected to grow primarily because of migration and the resulting fertility rate. This becomes even more significant because of Europe's population will actually be contracting by about 6% over the next 40 years, making the Hindu growth of 93% seem much larger even if the absolute numbers end up being still very small.

Buddhism, another religion that originates in India, is also growing tremendously quickly in parts of Europe, taking the top spot in Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and Austria.

Hinduism growing in Africa

Hinduism growing in Africa without Proselytizing

Interestingly, Hinduism is the fastest growing religion in Ghana.  And no one is involved in the business of converting anyone.  Kwesi Anamoah, national president of the African Hindu Temple,discusses the spread of Hinduism within Ghana.

“Today, there are 2,000 to 3,000 families worshipping all over the country which is a big increase from the 24 people who participated in the first-ever training camp in 1976 to become disciples.  We have not achieved this through the winning of souls as other religions do, but have attracted people into the practice of Hinduism simply by the lives we lead.  Our lives shine in the community to attract people.”

Ghana’s 24 million population is primarily Christian (70%) and second most prevalent religious group is the Muslims. In an interesting paper ‘Returning to Our Spiritual Roots’: African Hindus in Ghana Negotiating Religious Space and Identity by Rev.Abamfo Ofori Atiemo, the writer discusses the spread of Hinduism and the form that it will take as it spreads and adapts to the local culture and historical milieu.  Here is the abstract from his paper:

 Hinduism, in its contemporary transnational form, has been widely noted as a phenomenon present in America, Europe and other parts of the world, including Africa, especially, East and South Africa. Discussions of the phenomenon with regard to Africa have, generally, focused on the Indian Diaspora. However, the developments that occurred in the 19^th and the 20^th Centuries, which resulted in the growth and spread of Hinduism through its reform movements in India and the Western world, also affected West Africa. The impact of these developments was not restricted to Indian migrants in the region; it extended to the indigenous Africans as well.  In Ghana, for example, there are indigenous Africans who identify with Hinduism, professing and practising it as their own religion. Several Hindu movements have been established in the country. They include the Divine Life Society, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Brahma Kumaris and Sri Satya Sai Baba. There are also movements of Buddhist and Sikh origins such as the Maha Bodhi, Nichiren Shoshu, the Soka Gakkai and Guru Nanak. The presence of these traditions has significantly changed the religious landscape of the country. Previously, the religious space was occupied by only three traditions – the indigenous religions, Christianity and Islam.

All the movements of Asian origins have, to different degrees of success, attracted indigenous Ghanaians.  The Hindu groups appear the most successful.  For example, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has established a number of branches, and runs a basic school that is well-patronised by both Hindus and non-Hindus. There is also a Hindu Monastery of Africa (HMA), headed by an African Swami, who studied Vedanta at the Forest Academy of the Shivananda Ashram in Rishikesh, India. The latter has established more than seven branches throughout the country and two other branches in neighbouring Togo and the Ivory Coast. In 2010, it was reckoned that there were more than twenty thousand Hindus in Ghana, out which a little over two thousand were Indian migrants.

In this paper, I examine the phenomenon of the ‘African Hindu’ within the context of current discussions about the so-called ‘neo-Hinduism’ and ‘transnational Hinduism.’ I also discuss how these African Hindus resort to a reinterpretation of the history of their traditional religion and culture, in their attempt to find religious space in the almost choked religious environment of Ghana and, also, how they attempt to negotiate their new religious identity in relation to their identity as Africans (Ghanaians). I conclude with a prognosis of the form that Hinduism   is likely to assume in the near future on Ghanaian soil as its African converts attempt to live their faith in the context of their local culture.

1. India owes its tolerance to Hindu dharma

2. 
   

3. 
   

4. 

India has been primarily Hindu in terms of culture and religion for many centuries, extending to thousands of years. Hinduism has endured remarkably through long periods of foreign invasion and hostile rule, though other ancient religions have long since perished.

We find this vast spiritual and cultural tradition comprehensively explained as early as the Mahabharata, and synthesised philosophically in the Bhagavad Gita more than 2,000 years ago. The Mahabharata describes the geography of the entire subcontinent of India relative to the worship of Krishna, Rama, Vishnu, Shiva and Durga, explaining the main deity forms and yogic teachings of later Hinduism, as well as delineating the rule of kings. Other important dharmic traditions, notably Buddhism and Jainism, share a common culture, values and practices with the Hindu.

Christianity arrived in India at an early period but was a minor influence until the colonial period. Islam began inroads in the eighth century and become a strong force after the thirteenth century. Yet these religions, in spite of great efforts, could not replace Hinduism as the dominant cultural tradition.

Composite culture and cultural continuity

Culture has an identity and continuity that evolves over time. In this regard, we can speak of an Indian culture and identity that is predominantly Hindu, just as we can speak of a European culture and identity that is predominantly Judeo-Christian, or a Middle Eastern culture that is predominantly Islamic.

There is certainly much beautiful art, profound philosophy, transformative yoga practices and deep experiential spirituality in Hindu and related dharmic traditions. This ancient dharmic culture spread to East Asia, Indochina and Indonesia, but also to Central Asia and influenced West Asia and Europe.

Yet Hindu dharma has not been frozen in time and continues to assimilate not only other religions, but also science, democracy and other modern trends, without losing its identity as promoting the spiritual quest above outer forms or dogmas.

It is crucial that India recognises its past, which has a strong Hindu component, in order to understand its cultural heritage. There may be aspects of older traditions that are not politically or scientifically correct in terms of current standards or may need reform, just as is the case with older cultures of the world. But there is much of tremendous value that should not be forgotten.

The fear of Hindu majoritarianism

There is a fear in India that highlighting its Hindu past may alienate non-Hindus or make Hindus intolerant today. There is a fear of Hindu majoritarianism in India, just as there isa fear of Christian majoritarianism in the West, or Islamic majoritarianism in the Middle East.

Yet Hinduism has never had a single book, church, or religious law, nor any single savior or religious leader. It recognises that the Divine dwells in the hearts of all beings as the very power of consciousness. Its views of religion and culture are pluralistic and synthetic, not exclusivist or monolithic. Hinduism has not been an aggressive religion, but one often under siege owing to its emphasis on inner spiritual practice over seeking power in the external world.

The British tried to eradicate pride in India’s past through denigrating Hindu teachings starting with the Vedas. Though they preserved certain Sanskrit texts, their interpretations were condescending and inaccurate. Marxist and Freudian scholars have continued with demeaning interpretations of Hinduism and miss its sublime art and spirituality.

The great gurus of modern India since Vivekananda have kept the teachings alive and expanding in spite of such concerted efforts that have even targeted them personally.

India’s characteristic culture and yogic spirituality that the world honours owes a great deal to its Hindu background. India has more peace and tolerance today than Pakistan and Bangladesh that have rejected their Hindu past and where the percentage of Hindus in the country has been radically reduced. Muslims have greater religious freedom in India than in Pakistan, with Islamic groups like Shias and Ahmadiyyas that are often attacked in Pakistan able to operate freely in India.

Mahatma Gandhi referred to himself as a “proud Hindu”. Yet such a term will rarely be found repeated in media and academic circles in the country today.

Hindu dharma has supported the timeless spirit of India and should be respected for its role. Hinduism remains one of the greatest cultural, religious and spiritual traditions in the world. An India without Hindu dharma would not be India.

Why we must honour Goddess Saraswati

1. 

The Veda Mata holds the pure white light of spiritual knowledge and all the rainbow colours of artistic expression.

The following article by Dr David Frawley was first published by DailyO


The image of the feminine muse who inspires the poet with her beauty and her grace is a common theme in great poetry, from India and Persia to Greece and Rome, and modern Europe. Sometimes the muse is human but most often she is an artistic personification, extending to an angel or a goddess.

The idea of wisdom as a feminine principle is also common, whether as Sophia of the Christians, Prajna of the Buddhists, or Medha of the Hindus. Only where this feminine power of creativity and receptivity is honoured can either great art or profound mysticism flourish.

In India this cosmic feminine force has probably been granted her widest expression – in every aspect of the feminine human life from child and daughter, to wife, mother and grandmother, and throughout nature as the rivers, lakes, valleys, moon and flowers. She is called devi or the goddess and Hindu temples abound with her many forms and dances.

Saraswati from Vedic times

Saraswati represents vak or the divine word, but the same inspiration she reflects extends to all Hindu goddesses as arising from chit-shakti, the power of consciousness.

Saraswati is the most lauded goddess of the Vedas as Veda Mata, the mother of Vedic knowledge and all the Vedic deities. Saraswati was also the name of the vast river in northwest India on which the ancient Aryas cultivated the inner divine light through fire rituals and deep meditation.

Saraswati plays the veena, the symbol of divine music, holding the book of inner knowledge and the mala as the power of mantra. She has a charming human form, diversely portrayed in painting and sculpture throughout the centuries. She rides the swan of elegant movement, or the peacock that reveals an unbounded creativity arising from a unitary inner vision.

Saraswati means “she who abounds in wide currents and lakes”. She represents the lake of the still and peaceful mind, on which the lotuses of meditation open. Sarasvati is Rasavati or the one who holds the rasa, the inner essence of delight. She directs to look behind the outer forms of the world to the inner message of bliss or ananda.

In Hindu thought, the entire universe arises from, abides in and returns to ananda. The image of Saraswati reminds us that the pursuit of ananda is the highest form of culture and the real purpose of our embodied existence.

Saraswati Puja and Basant Panchami

Saraswati is honoured on the date of Basant Panchami, a celebration of the beauty of springtime. The fifth day of the waxing moon proclaims the growing light of life. Hers is a festival of learning, not as mere memorisation but as an irrepressible overflowing of the joy of awareness.

Worshiping Saraswati may be as simple as honouring one’s school books and educational tools, or children taking Saraswati dolls to school, such as occurs most often in the east of the country. These innocent forms of worship elevate the mind and heart, quite unlike the commercial toys of modern culture.

Sarasvati Puja includes formal rituals and temple worship on a larger scale as well. It is an honouring of inner calm and wisdom, encouraging us to be sensitive, compassionate and attuned to the whole of life.

In India, there has never been the sharp division of the sacred and the profane such as occurred in the West that has kept the spiritual and artistic realms apart.

Saraswati holds at once the pure white light of spiritual knowledge and all the rainbow colours of artistic expression. She represents the dance of nature as a spiritual effulgence. The inability to see the divine iconic light through an artistic image shows a limited perception. We should welcome and celebrate the full divine flow of grace!

The Spirit Matters interviews Dr David Frawley

The spiritual landscape has never been more diverse, more eclectic, more individualized or more internally focused. Spirit matters, and in our open-source world, matters of the spirit are complex and endlessly fascinating. The Spirit Matters podcast aims to help listeners make sense of it all. For more info visit http://spiritmatterstalk.com/dr-david-frawley/

Share this:

• Share

Po

How counting your karma can transform your life

1. 

The following article by Dr David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri) was first published by DailyO

An acceptance of our karmic responsibility in life allows us to act with clarity and integrity.
People all over the world speak about karma, relative to their own lives or the condition of society, just as many practice yoga. Yet a true understanding of karma is rare.

Karma refers to something one has done, a deed. Karma also indicates the long-term consequences of our actions. An action is like an arrow that is shot. Once a deed is done, its consequences cannot be called back. These long-term effects can be very different from the short-term gains that are the usual focus of our efforts.

Karma is not destiny or fate, with which it is sometimes confused. Karma is a matter of cause and effect; as you sow, so shall you reap. The complication is that our actions do not always bear fruit immediately. Some take years or even lifetimes – so long ago that we may forget what we did in the past that brought us to where we are today.

Karma and personal freedom

The law of karma provides a distinct contrast to modern concepts of personal freedom. Our tendency today is to think that each individual should be free to do what he or she wants. This sounds very liberal but can make us ignore the facts of karma.

We are free to act in life, but we must also face the consequences of our actions. You are free to put your hand into a fire or not, but you are not free to escape getting burned if you do.

Karma, however, is not sin, and does not involve any petty moralism. Yet acting in a way that is harmful to others will naturally bring harm to ourselves by the qualities of the forces set in motion. Karma is not the fiat of some deity but reflects how the interconnected energies of life reverberate.

There are not only consequences to our actions at outer social and personal levels; there are ethical and spiritual implicationsfor our inner being or soul. These inner effects of karma may require that we limit or renounce our desires – something our commercial culture does not encourage. Action done out of desire is not free, but binds us to the external world, and may only increase further desires.

Assuming karmic responsibility

The law of karma means that we as individuals are responsible for who we are, not someone else. Even though the external world influences how we act, we alone are karmically accountable for what we eventually decide to do. We cannot simply play the role of the victim, putting our failures at the doorsteps of other people or society. Excusing the violence done by certain groups under the charge that someone else made them do it also does not work with karma.

An acceptance of our karmic responsibility in life allows us to act with clarity and integrity. It brings more consideration into our behaviour and directs us towards higher values. We live in a universe pervaded by consciousness and have a karmic responsibility to the whole of life. If we fail to acknowledge the karmic implications for what we do, we create unnecessary suffering for everyone.

Going beyond karma

Can one ever go beyond karma? We would all like to do what we want and not suffer any negative consequences. But we cannot escape karma, however much we may wish to. Yet it is possible to transcend karma to a higher awareness. This is what yoga and meditation areabout. Karma Yoga, acting with a sense of service to the whole of life, is the best practice to improve our karma. Meditation helps us understand how karma works and shows us how to become detached from its results.

Today we do not believe in karma as much as we believe in money and power – but this can produce very negative karmas if we are not careful. There are also new karmas in the information-technology era that we must consider. Using the new media has a special karmic responsibility as it can easily promote distortions or proliferate unnecessary desires.

Let us recognise our karmic responsibility as individuals, so that our lives achieve what is truly meaningful for us at a spiritual level. And collectively let us recognise the effect of our actions on future generations, so we do not compromise the resources of life that belong to all.

Do an honest accounting of your karma if you can, not just an assessment of what you may own, know or have achieved. It can be very revealing and transforming.

Learn the wisdom of karma and your life will become an adventure in consciousness.

What Advantage is There in Becoming a Hindu?

The main advantage is a conscious connection to its traditions and lineages. It is like being part of a great family as opposed to having to struggle on one’s own. It affords a more intimate connection to the teachings. If one wants to practice Hindu-based teachings these will be more effective if one has the support of the greater tradition behind them – a tradition of over five thousand years and numerous Self-realized sages and yogis. It is like entering into a great stream that can carry one along. The tradition has a reality on the subtle planes that has great power and grace.

What About Other Vedic Disciplines Like Ayurveda or Vedic Astrology?

As in the case of Yoga one does not have to formally become a Hindu to benefit from these teachings on an outer level, like using Ayurvedic practices to improve one’s health. However, if one wants to connect to the deeper spiritual levels of these teachings one cannot do so without respecting the spiritual traditions behind them and following their principles and practices in one’s behavior.

Above all, one must have a dharmic foundation for one’s life. In this regard all the dharmic traditions of India, including Buddhism and Jainism, have used Vedic disciplines like Ayurveda and Vedic Astrology and contributed much to them.

But the origins of these teachings occur in the Vedas and their Rishi lineages, connecting to which gives a special power to them. For example, Ayurveda employs the Vedic language of Agni, Soma and Vayu, while Vedic astrology follows Vedic deities for its presentation of the zodiac, planets and Nakshatras. Through studying the Vedas one can gain a greater understanding of the original insights that brought these systems forth and which continues to nourish them.

Practicing Yoga

Can a Non-Hindu practice Yoga?

Yoga is a broad system, emphasizing meditation for the purpose of Self-realization, but the tendency in the West is to reduce Yoga to its physical dimension. Certainly anyone can practice the outer or physical aspect of Yoga regardless of one’s religious orientation. Even an atheist can do so. However, an atheist is unlikely to be able to practice Bhakti Yoga or the path of Devotion, which depends upon love of God, and is one of the most important yogic paths. One who does not accept karma, rebirth and liberation cannot practice deeper aspects of Yoga that are based upon a recognition of this process. It also depends upon the Yoga that one is following. Yoga paths strongly rooted in Vedic ideas require an appreciation of their background to really apply. Jnana Yoga or the Yoga of Knowledge rests upon a background of Vedanta, for example.

The problem is that certain religions, like Christianity and Islam, are still promoting aggressive missionary efforts against Hindus that commonly include denigrating such Hindu-based traditions as Yoga and Vedanta as well as their great teachers. Those following such religions who are attracted to Hindu-based teachings should recognize this sad fact and make some effort to change it if they can.

Those following other Dharmic religions like Buddhism and Jainism, will find benefit in connecting with Hindu or Sanatana Dharma, through their views and practices may have their variations. A unity of Dharmic traditions, which does not imply attempting to make them all the same, can be of great help to all of them as they are under similar challenges in the modern world.

Above all, if one finds value in Hindu-based teachings one should look into the tradition behind them and find out what it really is. If one finds benefit from this tradition one should also support it against attempts to undermine or misrepresent it.

Hinduism and Other Religions

Can members of other religions be Hindus? To do so they would have to accept the validity of Vedic knowledge and traditions, the pluralistic nature of spiritual paths, and the process of karma and rebirth. Anyone who does this is very connected to Hindu Dharma already.

Generally Hindus believe that all true religious and spiritual teachings are part of a universal tradition or Sanatana Dharma, which the Vedas are designed to reflect.

Hindu Dharma has a particular affinity with native, organic or nature-based religions like those of the Native Americans, Pre-Christian Europeans, and Native Africans. It seeks to grow organically through life and culture rather than artificially through adaptation of a belief. It is also closely connected to other Dharmic traditions like Buddhism and Jainism, that arose from it, and to related Asian traditions like the Taoist and Shinto. Buddhist and Jain traditions in India have shared many mantras and deities with the Hindus and have contributed much to such Vedic sciences as Ayurveda and Jyotish.

Nine Beliefs of Hinduism

Our beliefs determine our thoughts and attitudes about life, which in turn direct our actions. By our actions, we create our destiny. Beliefs about sacred matters--God, soul and cosmos--are essential to one's approach to life. Hindus believe many diverse things, but there are a few bedrock concepts on which most Hindus concur. The following nine beliefs, though not exhaustive, offer a simple summary of Hindu spirituality.

1. Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest Reality. 
2. Hindus believe in the divinity of the four Vedas, the world's most ancient scripture, and venerate the Agamas as equally revealed. These primordial hymns are God's word and the bedrock of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal religion. 
3. Hindus believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution. 
4. Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds. 
5. Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single soul will be deprived of this destiny. 
6. Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments and personal devotionals create a communion with these devas and Gods. 
7. Hindus believe that an enlightened master, or satguru, is essential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry, meditation and surrender in God. 
8. Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be loved and revered, and therefore practice ahimsa, noninjury, in thought, word and deed. 
9. Hindus believe that no religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine paths are facets of God's Light, deserving tolerance and understanding. 

Hinduism, the world's oldest religion, has no beginning--it precedes recorded history. It has no human founder. It is a mystical religion, leading the devotee to personally experience the Truth within, finally reaching the pinnacle of consciousness where man and God are one. Hinduism has four main denominations--Saivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism and Smartism

Hinduism, Sanatana Dharma and Yoga 

Note: People often ask about the relationship between Vedas, Hinduism and related disciplines of Yoga, Ayurveda and Vedic astrology, particularly to what extent one may need to embrace the spiritual and religious background of these teachings in order to really benefit from them.

In the same vein people often ask about the Vedic institute as to why it deals with religion, history and social issues and not simply confines itself to Ayurveda as a health discipline or Vedic astrology as a predictive tool.The following article deals with these issues.

Hinduism, Sanatana Dharma and Yoga
By David Frawley (Vamadeva Shastri)

Sanatana (eternal or universal) Dharma is the great tradition behind such multifarious teachings as Yoga, Ayurveda, Jyotish (Vedic Astrology), Samkhya, and Vedanta and much of Tantra as well. These disciplines are rooted in Vedic lineages and transmissions going back to their very origins. They constitute a comprehensive spiritual, sacred or yogic science dealing with all aspects of life, culture, and religion.

In the modern world Sanatana or Vedic Dharma is known as the religion/culture called Hinduism or Hindu Dharma. Hinduism rests upon the Vedas or mantras of the ancient Rishis, which are a diverse set of teachings about universal consciousness and cosmic creation. Vedic mantras reflect the very processes through which all the universes are created, by which they are sustained, and through which they are dissolved, by which individual souls come into the cycle of rebirth and through which they evolve into Self-realization. The Vedas have no one God, savior or scripture but reveal a unitary reality of Being-Consciousness-Bliss (Sacchidananda Brahman) that pervades everything and rests in all creatures as their true Self (Atman or Purusha), which can be approached by numerous paths and practices.

Yoga in general refers to the spiritual practices of asana, pranayama, puja, mantra and meditation which are the main vehicles for realizing Vedic wisdom. Yoga (and its many Sanskrit synonyms) is a common term in all Hindu teachings of the Vedas, Puranas and Tantras. The diverse yogic paths of Jnana (Knowledge), Bhakti (Devotion), Karma (Service) and Kriya (Technique) reflect the multidimensional approach to the Divine found in the Vedic teachings.

Yoga as a specific term refers to the Yoga Darshana, one of the six systems of Vedic (Astika) philosophy, those that reflect and develop out of the insights of the Vedas. The Yoga Darshana was compiled by the Rishi Patanjali, who based his work on older Vedic and yogic teachings in the Mahabharata, Puranas, Upanishads and Vedas. Other ancient yogic traditions go back to such Vedic sages as Vasishta, Shyavashwa, Yajnavalkya, Shwetasvatara, Jagishavya, Asita and Devala Kashyapa, and the great avatar Krishna whose Bhagavad Gita is itself considered to be a Yoga Shastra or authoritative yogic teaching like theYoga Sutras.

A question often arises: Does one need to be a Hindu to practice such Hindu-based teachings as Yoga and Ayurveda? A complementary question also arises: Is not one already something of a Hindu if one is attracted to them? As the formulation of a universal tradition, everyone must become part of it eventually.

The question behind this is what is a Hindu? As Hindu or Sanatana Dharma is an open, inclusive and pluralistic tradition, following its Dharma is not a simple matter of holding to a particular belief or thinking that one is saved by embracing a particular savior. Hinduism is not a religion in the Western sense of the word as a dogma, but is a vast culture that includes religion, science and art as well. Yet Hinduism does deal with all aspects of religion, with its own monastic orders, temples, and specific disciplines and teachings. Above all, it has its own lineages and transmissions, its teachers, associations and families. These are part of a pursuit of Self-realization for which ordinary religious practices are just the initial step.

Much of this discussion depends upon what is meant by Dharma. Dharma arose as a Vedic term meaning the laws of truth, cosmic law or natural law. Dharma is the nature of things and their appropriate action. It is the Dharma of fire to burn, for example. It is the spiritual Dharma of human beings to seek a higher consciousness. This higher human Dharma requires practices that free us from outer or unconscious limitations, biases and attachments, which is the basis of true Yoga.

Hindu or Sanatana Dharma has several key principles. Perhaps most important on a formal level is acceptance of the Vedasand Upanishads as projecting valid methods of knowing the ultimate truth. Yet Hinduism does not insist upon any one interpretation of the Vedic teachings, which themselves are multifaceted. Individual freedom is allowed in adapting the Vedasas long as the motivation is dharmic.

Perhaps the most important theory of Hinduism is a recognition of the process of karma and rebirth as governing the cosmic movement.

Perhaps the most important practical principle is that the One Reality, what one could call God, can be approached by many paths, which is Hindu pluralism. This takes the form of many different sages, scriptures and names and forms of the Divine (different Gods and Goddesses). Many Hindu paths are also theistic in nature, but not all of them are.

Yet most significant to Hindu or Sanatana Dharma is becoming part of a Hindu-based lineage, transmission or family, entering into its greater community. This is perhaps more significant than the above mentioned principles, which are more guidelines than rigid rules

University of Iowa Museum has “murtis” of Hindu gods

University of Iowa Museum of Art (UIMA) has “murtis” of Hindu gods.

A “murti”, per Oxford Dictionary of Hinduism, is “image, icon, or concrete form of a deity; i.e. its manifestation, or incarnation”.

UIMA has bronze murti of Brahma (creator god), brass murti of Ganesha (god of wisdom and remover of obstacles), murti of Lakshmi (goddess of good fortune and beauty) and murti of Hanuman (god symbolizing strength and devotion).

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, commended UIMA for showcasing murtis of Hindu deities.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, suggested UIMA to construct a small Hindu mandir (temple) within the Museum precincts and place these murtis in that temple. It would prove to be a good educational tool for the University of Iowa students and staff, residents of Iowa City and Iowa State, and UIMA visitors from world-over, Zed added.

Rajan Zed further said that Hindu priests could ritually install these amidst chanting of mantras and other ancient installation-related traditional ceremonies which would be an educational experience to watch; with Hinduism being the oldest and third largest religion of the world. The term “murti” first occurred in the pre-BCE Upanishads, Zed noted.

UIMA described murti as “embodiments of Hindu gods”, and in its collections, UIMA also states to have Hindu religious paraphernalia used in ceremonies.

UIMA, established in 1969, with 14,000 objects including Picasso and Braque paintings and prominent African artifacts, claims to be “one of the leading university art collections in the country”. Sean O’Harrow is UIMA’s Executive Director, while J. Bruce Harreld is University of Iowa President.

Source: World Hindu News (WHN)

RSS To Spread ‘Ayodhya Message’ Through Social Media.

Mission Ram Mandir: RSS to train 250 to spread the ‘Ayodhya message’ through Social Media Networks.

RSS to train 250 social media-savvy members on February 20 to spread ‘Ayodhya message’

Vasudha Venugopal |  ET Bureau | New Delhi | 9 Feb, 2016::  Ram Mandir on Twitter —Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is planning an intensive training session on the Ayodhya issue for members and sympathisers on social media. Titled ‘Ram Mandir —A Reality’, the session will happen on February 20. RSS leaders, who wished anonymity, said the session is a result of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent call to up the ante on Ram Mandir. RSS is no stranger to social media training sessions. It has held similar sessions on the intolerance debate and Article 370.

The registration form circulated among swayamsevaks requires them to compulsorily fill up their contact details and information on what social media platforms — Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp — they are most active on.

The sessions, said organisers, will be handled by fellow travellers who have a significant following on Twitter.”The idea is to put out facts…court orders, findings by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and even statements by Muslims who admit that Ayodhya being the birthplace of Ram needs to have the temple. When such information is posted or tweeted, people will get to know what the reality is,” a pracharak, who wished to remain anonymous, told ET.

RSS members organising the event said over 1,000 people have already registered and they expect the number to go up. But only 250 people will be chosen for the Ram Mandir session.”We want people who are really active on social media and who can use facts given to them to persuade Internet audiences.

Also, depending on what social media tool they use, they could be given relevant material,” the pracharak quoted earlier said.

Last month, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had urged people to come together to build the temple. “The temple will be built within my lifetime… We need to plan it carefully… (we need) a good mix of ‘josh’ and ‘hosh’,” Bhagwat had said. After the speech, RSS’ official Twitter handle sent out tweets quoting Bhagwat on the issue. One tweet was about Somnath temple getting rebuilt with the “efforts” of then Home Minister Sardar Patel.

Sangh outfit Vishva Hindu Parishad is also doing its bit to try and inject some momentum into the Ram Mandir campaign. It is organising exhibitions on Ayodhya, displaying images of what it calls is ancient Ayodhya and of ASI excavations. Three former ASI directors had taken part in a recent VHP seminar on the Ram temple.

ET view: ‘Ram Rajya’ Instead of a Ram Mandir

For a country that has no dearth of Ram mandirs, building the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya as part of a longstanding political ‘dare’ is incidental. Building the proverbial ‘Ram Rajya’, however, is what this country should be getting busy with. To build a prayer room at the cost of erecting a building is not just anachronistic, but also harmful as it takes the focus away from real challenges. For the RSS to assert its virtues as as social and cultural organisation working for the good of the nation, it should utilise its impressive network to help build this Ram Rajya, and not be re-fixated on a Ram Mandir proscribed by geography and ideology.