I believe that the world was created in love, is sustained by love, and nothing matters more than love. We see ourselves as separate beings, but in fact we are all part of one puzzle, made of the same substance. We are all molecules and we are joined together by molecules. The air that seems to separate us is not emptiness, but is made of the same stuff as us. All is ONE. I am not the only one who... Read more
We are doing a scripture study together: reading along through some scriptures and discussing the passages. Today is the fourth post of my favorite Upanishad: The Katha. This is the story of a boy who chatted with the God of death. Part Two http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/awakening101/upani_katha.html 10 Yama said: I know that the treasure resulting from action is not eternal; for what is eternal cannot be obtained by the non—eternal. Yet I have performed the Nachiketa sacrifice with the help of non—eternal things... Read more
Ayurveda is a system of health developed over 5,000 years ago in India. It is the basis of most “new age” and “eastern medicine” systems we hear about today. I know very little about it beyond its existence and I decided that I should learn more! So you and I will learn more about it together. Ayurveda focuses on maintaining balance within the body to prevent health problems. It translates to “science of life” or “knowledge of life.” Our life... Read more
So, how did you guys like Swades? Having seen it years ago and again now, there was something new that stood out to me. It kind of felt like what I’d call a “white savior” movie. You know those movies where a white person has to go in and “save” the natives or the people of color. In some ways Swades is a white savior movie without the white. It’s got this outside character coming in and making things better... Read more
A while back someone from www.coloringhindugods.com sent me a review copy of their coloring book of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. It got lost in the shuffle of moving, but I found it again and I was delighted by what I found. It’s a big book with clear, big outlines for drawing. It’s more than just coloring, though. There are stories, mantras, and prayers to go along with each God and Goddess represented. Something both fun and educational! I really should... Read more
There’s a lot of (understandable) anger in the world around forced religious conversion. It’s a problem that’s been happening to different people from different religions around the world at different points in history. Sometimes it is caused by a religion that thinks it is the only possible Truth and must get everyone else to practice it no matter the cost. Sometimes it is caused by political powers trying to maintain control of the populace. Whenever it happens, we hear stories... Read more
In America, even though it is not technically a “Christian nation,” Christian stories and mythos underlie a lot of the culture. There are references to Biblical stories or sayings that are so ubiquitous you might not even realize that’s where they’re from! Once you start moving in Hindu circles, you will find that there are stories and references that are used as short-hand. Stories that are so universally known that they are used all the time for reference or metaphor.... Read more
We are doing a scripture study together: reading along through some scriptures and discussing the passages. Today is the third post of my favorite Upanishad: The Katha. This is the story of a boy who chatted with the God of death. Part Two http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/awakening101/upani_katha.html Chapter II 1 Yama said: The good is one thing; the pleasant, another. Both of these, serving different needs, bind a man. It goes well with him who, of the two, takes the good; but he who... Read more
There are 16 traditional rites of passage that occur in a Hindu’s life. In western culture we might have birth, first day of school, marriage, and death. In Hinduism there are several more, many of them connected to childhood. I’ve heard it said that we have so many life rituals because we see all moments of life as sacred and these markers help remind us of that. These are called Samskaras. 1. Garbhadan The first coming together of the husband... Read more
So this week’s movie is My Name Is Khan. People have been recommending this to me since it came out so now I’ve finally watched it! It was hard for me to pull together all my thoughts into a cohesive narrative, so instead I’ve just listed a lot of the things this movie brought up for me. Be warned, there are major spoilers here! Thoughts… It’s always a little uncomfortable watching an actor portraying a disability they don’t have. I... Read more
The White Hindu
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