The second book in our book club series is Eat, Pray Love. Is it a Hindu book? Not exactly, but it is very relevant to the experiences of non-Indian Hindus. The author has a Hindu guru (whose identity has been rather easily found out by those familiar with the world of Indian gurus). Julia Roberts after playing the author in the movie, claimed to have become a Hindu. So I think it will be worthwhile to examine the experiences and... Read more
Unfortunately the way our trip was laid out, Pongol didn’t exist for me this year! The main day was on a Friday and that was the day that we lost to airplane travel and time changes. It would have been really awesome to experience Pongol in Tamil Nadu. Hopefully someday. We were there for Republic Day at the end of our trip but we didn’t get to see much in the way of celebrations. Mostly just a lot of flags. Next... Read more
During our trip we heard an interesting story about a current holy man. We spoke to someone who had been his friend in university and is now a disciple. Apparently this man used to be a staunch atheist and he would travel the country debating religious people. And then his grandmother took him to see the Shankaracharya at the time and like love at first sight, his life changed instantly. He dedicated himself to the Shankaracharya as his guru. (This... Read more
This gorgeous building is right in the middle of the city in Chennai. It’s an oasis in the midst of a bustling city life. While we stayed in Chennai we came here to meditate in the evenings and it was so perfect. Made us all wish we had buildings like this in our cities! I could imagine living close enough to walk over every night for the peaceful atmosphere. Meditating here I had the rare but delightful experience of hearing... Read more
We are doing a scripture study together: reading along through some scriptures and discussing the passages. From the Winthrop Sargeant translation of The Gita… 26. And moreover even if you think this To be eternally born or eternally dead, Even then you should not mourn for this, Arjuna. 27.For the born, death is certain; For the dead there is certainly birth. Therefore, for this, inevitable in consequence, You should not mourn. 28. Beings are such that their beginnings are unmanifest, Their... Read more
While we were traveling one day in our van the topic of intolerance among religions came up. When I said that this was a problem with Abrahamic faiths because they require exclusivity, a friend said “No, all religions do this.” They pointed out a Pooja TV interview that we participated in where the host seemed determined to make us say that Hinduism is the greatest thing in the world. But I say that Hinduism is naturally tolerant to other religions. When... Read more
Sometimes we don’t realize how hard we’re fighting until we don’t have to anymore. As a Hindu in America I am constantly fighting to be visible, to avoid being steamrolled by the majority faith all around me. In India I got to experience what it’s like to have my faith be the one that’s everywhere. Not gonna lie, it felt great! It was amazing to be in a place where Hinduism is all around and easily visible. I felt lighter... Read more
It is 3:00 in the morning here as I write this. I got back home from India yesterday and collapsed in bed at about 6:00 pm! I have so very much to tell you about my wonderful trip. It was life changing in a subtle kind of way. There’s so much to tell that I’ll be spreading out my stories and thoughts over several posts. I think I have enough written in my journal for the next three months of... Read more
We are doing a scripture study together: reading along through some scriptures and discussing the passages. From the Winthrop Sargeant translation of The Gita… 19. He who imagines this (the embodied Self) the slayer And he who imagines this the slain, Neither of them understands. This does not slay, nor is it slain. 20. Neither is this born nor does it die at any time, Nor, having been, will it again come not to be. Birthless, eternal, perpetual, primeval, It is not... Read more
We are doing a scripture study together: reading along through some scriptures and discussing the passages. From the Winthrop Sargeant translation of The Gita… 15. Indeed, the man whom these (i.e. the sensations) do not afflict, O Arjuna, The wise one, to whom happiness and unhappiness are the same, Is ready for immortality. 16. It is found that the unreal has no being; It is found that there is no non-being of the real. The certainty of both these propositions is... Read more
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