This is a question that is often asked of religious people of all types. What keeps you motivated in this life if you’re thinking about the next (whether that’s reincarnation or the idea of heaven)? I believe in reincarnation. I tried not to once but I just couldn’t. It makes too much sense to me! So believing that my soul will return, why do I work hard in this life? I work extremely hard at self improvement and barely give... Read more
I’m going to say something really shocking, but bear with me and hear me out, okay? A woman should be able to walk down the street completely naked and not be raped or even worry that she might be. I’m not saying that women will want to exercise this freedom or that I think it would be great for there to be naked people all over the place, but the point is that IF, for whatever reason, a woman ended... Read more
We are doing a scripture study together: reading along through some scriptures and discussing the passages. Today is the ninth post of my favorite Upanishad: 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 6 He verily knows Brahman who knows the First—born, the offspring of austerity, created prior to the waters and dwelling, with the elements, in the cave of the heart. This, verily, is That. 7 He verily knows Brahman... Read more
Sometimes I am frustrated with my own timidity. There are things I want to do but then shyness suddenly overtakes me. And I berate myself later, but in that moment my confidence fails me. Last week it was the Yatra where I should have asked for blessings for Brad and myself and I chickened out. This week I went early to Sathya Sai Baba bhajan group for the practice session. Some of the ladies there have been asking me if... Read more
I enjoyed this movie more than I expected to. It’s pretty amazing that the kid was played by Amitabh Bachchan. I never would have guessed. I kept trying to see him under the makeup but I really couldn’t. Kind of clever to have the son played by the father of the actor who plays the father in the movie. Wow that was complicated. Strangely I think my favorite part was in the very beginning before we even meet Auro. I loved... Read more
UPDATE: I’ve caused some offense to my friends and I must apologize. I didn’t realizehow the tone here comes across. I did not intend to be judgmental or to say that I’m somehow a “better” Hindu than others. My intention was to show that there is variety in us non-Indian Hindu practictioners but I work hard to not judge other people’s spiritual lives. There’s no way to compare! My tone may have been influenced by reading the opinions of Indian American... Read more
I think there is a lot of misunderstanding around what peaceful resistance or non-violent resistance is. There’s some perception that meeting violence with peace makes you look weak but that couldn’t be further from the truth. When done right, peaceful resistance completely destroys the opposition. I think the key difference is in one’s own confidence and self-respect. When you see someone being passive and they’re begging someone not to hurt them, or they’re trying to placate the other person, that... Read more
A lot of times when someone talks about Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma as being a religion, several people will jump in to say that it’s not a religion, it’s a “way of life.” So this always makes me stop and wonder, what is the difference between a religion and a way of life? Aren’t all religious people striving to live their religion throughout their life? What is this distinction between a religion and a lifestyle? I know that there are... Read more
You guys, I had an awesome Sunday. Yesterday was Ganga Dussehra, but in my south Indian circle we had another celebration on Sunday. We had a special Ratha Yatra of Shiridi Sai Baba. I only found out about it the night before, so I’m glad I didn’t have any Sunday morning plans because I always love getting to participate in ceremonies with my friends at the Sathya Sai Baba bhajan group. We got an early start at 8:00 am at... Read more
This week I watched Namastey London on recommendation from a friend who knows I’m trying to get better at Hindi. Despite what could have been a very dark theme, it’s actually a bright and light film. The main character reminds me of Aunt Robin from How I Met Your Mother for some reason. They have a similar expressions that they give. This is kind of the horror story of what can happen for western-born desis. Agree to go back... Read more
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