(Note: I am on my honeymoon this week, so if your comment doesn’t show up right away, give me a day or two!) I promised you a post about the gunas! So the word “guna” (Goooona) is usually translated as “quality” as in the types of qualities that things are made of. It is said that everything in creation has some combination of the three qualities in differing amounts. Rajas This one is energy, passion, anger, movement Tamas This one... Read more
I feel like there’s not really anything I can say about this movie. It’s very particular to India and its politics. It’s emotional, interesting, well acted, etc. But I’m not sure I can comment on the political situation in India. What do you guys think? Is it accurate? Does it make good points? Next week there won’t be a movie because I’m heading off for my honeymoon today and I won’t have access to TV and Internet for watching movies! Read more
Earlier this week (April 8th) was Ram Navami, a celebration of Lord Rama. In the North people celebrate it as Rama’s birthday and in the South as his wedding anniversary. Who is Rama? Rama is one of the avatars of Vishnu, just as Krishna was. His story is told in the epic The Ramayana. To summerize the story quickly: Rama was the eldest of three sons born to the king of Ayodhya. The kings three wives all had sons, but... Read more
Based on a post from a Christian collegue of mine, I’m going to say something that might sound crazy: It’s great if a young Hindu in India starts believing in Jesus and converts to Christianity. Good for her! I’m so glad she’s found a path that makes her happy and inspires her to do good in this world. It’s great if a white American finds Islam to be the perfect path for her. It’s great if someone from Switzerland decides... Read more
You always know that there are people who struggle with infertility. What are the odds that you’re going to be one of those people, though? Each time someone you know gets pregnant, you wonder if that means it’s more likely that you’re going to be the unlucky one, holding the short end of the stick. You never really think it’s going to be you. In a couple of weeks Brad and I will hit an official infertility diagnosis. One year... Read more
We are doing a scripture study together: reading along through some scriptures and discussing the passages. Today is the fifth post of my favorite Upanishad: The Katha. This is the story of a boy who chatted with the God of death. Chapter III http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/awakening101/upani_katha.html 1 Two there are who dwell within the body, in the intellect, the supreme akasa of the heart, enjoying the sure rewards of their own actions. The knowers of Brahman describe them as light and shade, as... Read more
So last week I started to talk about ayurveda and what it is. I wanted to see how one would get started using ayurvedic principles in one’s life, but the trouble is that there are a whole lot of practices that are claimed to be ayurvedic in origin and it’s hard to determine the authenticity of a lot of these claims. The Internet is awash with diet suggestions that say they are ayurvedic, but it seems to me that things... Read more
I can see why this movie has been recomnded so often and has had such good reviews and press. The title and silly cover images made me reluctant to try it, but I’m glad I did! The experience was one of those times when I thought to myself: I’m so glad Indian movies are so long 🙂 The overall message was, when you focus on loving what you’re doing, sucess will follow. Don’t learn because you have to and just... Read more
Today I have an interview with a friend from Twitter. What a great name Abhimanyu is! I cry every time at his story in Mahabharata. We both have Mahabharata names! 🙂 Anyway, Abhimanyu was kind enough to answer some interview questions about Hinduism in his life. (My notes in italics). 1) Can you tell us a little about yourself? Your religious background? Where you live? I am 21 and Hindu. I was born in Gaya (where Buddha got enlightenment) but... Read more
As you can tell from the fact that I write here daily about identity, culture, religion, and what we mean by “I”: questions of identity are very central to my life. I’m fascinated by exploring the classic philosophical questions that humanity has searched for answers to for thousands of years. Who am I? Why am I here? How does my “I” relate to other people’s? I love these questions. I don’t know if I’ll ever have solid answers, but I... Read more
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