Ever since I started my blog I have been getting recommendations to read the work of Rajiv Malhotra. His book is called “Being Different” and it has really spoken to the current generation of Hindus who are ready to take pride in themselves and their traditions. (Actually he has several books but that’s the one people keep mentioning to me!) After having his work recommended at least once a week for the last several years, I was really thrilled when... Read more
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
The Patheos Pagan channel has reached out to people on other faith channels offering to work with them on projects about ancestors. I thought this was a great opportunity because while I’m fascinated by stories about the people in my family, I don’t feel a strong connection to ancestors through genetic lines. Being a believer in reincarnation I’ve always felt like my past and my history is more connected to my own past lives than to my family tree. At the... Read more
There are times when it feels like I’m only “allowed” to be a Hindu as long as I agree with a particular person/guru/philosophy. It’s as though some people are happy to count me as a Hindu just so long as I never say anything that contradicts what they believe. Then suddenly I’m just the “ignorant American” trying to oppress others (as is my nature, apparently). Is it racist of me to think that my understanding of something could be just as... Read more
I took my first trip to India in 2011 with my parents, visiting a math in Sringeri, home of Sri Bharati Tirtha, Shankaracharya of the South. He is the guru who guides the Advaita Meditation Center, which is an organization my parents are part of. People said that there would be culture shock. People said that transitioning from America to India was challenging. I don’t know why, but for me I loved it the moment I got there. Despite being... Read more
For many Hindus, this is the biggest celebration of the year! It is known to some as the “festival of lights” and to others as the “Hindu new year” (actually, when the new year is depends a lot on your sect and the region of India you’re from, etc.) In America Diwali is probably the biggest celebration among the Hindu diaspora and it gets the honor of being the “Christmas equivalent.” In America Christmas is huge (whether folks are religious... Read more
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
If you’re in the Maryland area, I hope you’ll consider meeting up with me in Laurel for a performance by a visiting musician and singer: Sandip Bhattacharjee It’s going to be a small performance at someone’s home tomorrow night. There will be a potluck meal and donations to thank Mr. Bhattacharjee would be welcome. I’d love to get the chance to meet some of you in person so I hope you’ll come if it’s at all possible! Here is the... Read more
Nanowrimo, or Nano, stands for National Novel Writing Month. It’s an event that has been going on for over ten years where people around the world (definitely no longer just “national”) commit to writing a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. It’s great fun. Communities spring up to support the effort with write-ins and word-wars and other games to get word count up. It’s a very challenging goal, at least for me, but there’s something very freeing about... Read more
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Reading the Upanishads: Katha (part 13)
We are doing a scripture study together: reading along through some scriptures and discussing the passages. We are reading one of my favorite upanishads: The Katha. This is the story of a boy who chatted with the God of death. http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/awakening101/upani_katha.html Chapter III 1 This is that eternal Asvattha Tree with its root above and branches below. That root, indeed, is called the Bright; That is Brahman and That alone is the Immortal. In That all worlds are contained and... Read more