I discovered this book browsing Amazon and last week I ordered it to see what it’s like… I have to tell you, this is a really cool book! It’s designed to teach children puja steps and prayers to various Gods, so it is clear and bright and easy to read. Unfortunately, in the Amazon version it does not come with the audio CD for hearing the pronunciation of the Sanskrit. Another version is available from their website. There is lots... Read more
So I spoke about this a couple of times in passing, but I wanted to devote a post specifically to HabitRPG because it has done a lot to transform my life these last couple months. Here’s where I was a few months ago: Lots of things I want to get done and never feeling like I quite have the time. Plenty of projects I mean to start but don’t ever get around to. I wanted to be practicing my Hindi... Read more
So obviously I write this blog from my perspective and I am a white Hindu, but there are other experiences of non-Indian Hindus and I wanted to showcase some other voices. I’ve heard rumors that Black people receive even less of a welcome than White people in Hindu communities. I hope that that’s just lies and slander! After all, in Hinduism there is no “Was Jesus Black?” debate (for the record, I’m positive he wasn’t white!). Krishna most certainly is... Read more
Do you ever experience this thing where for a couple brief seconds after you wake up you have no idea who you are? You just are. And then your name, your personality, and what you need to do that day come flooding back over you. It’s such a disappointment. Not that I don’t love being who I am, but whenever all that info dumps back onto me in the morning, it feels like an unnecessary weight. Oh yeah, I have... Read more
When I did a post a little while back about a simple puja you can perform every day, some people wrote to say that they didn’t have some of the things mentioned. For that puja and for most that you might do there are some basic accessories you should have, but it’s really not much and you can probably find things around your home that would work until you could get a proper puja set… A plate Vessle for water... Read more
This year Maha Shivratri is on the last day of February, Friday February 28th. (Take a look at the words themselves and the meaning will become easily clear. “Maha” means “great” and you may have heard it before in places like Gandhi’s title Mahatma, meaning “Great Soul [Atman]. “Shiva” is clear. Attached to “Shiva” is “Ratri” which is the Hindi word for “night.”) This is a day to seek Shiva’s blessings and you know this year I will be joining... Read more
Youtube is such a great resource! There are so many things we can use it for, and for me one of its best uses is to hear the wisdom of various gurus and spiritual teachers. There are many, many videos of lectures given by Hindu gurus. Here are some videos of gurus and teachers of Hinduism sharing their wisdom… I am so grateful to live in a time and place where I can hear these many lectures right in my... Read more
I have always believed in bettering myself. I see problems in myself or my actions and I figure out a solution and I act on it. Life is too short to not spend it always improving. I don’t want to waste a precious second of this human life (it is said that only a human embodiment can achieve moksha/samadhi). Trouble socializing? I studied how to small talk the way Data did. Okay, maybe not exactly the same way. Trouble with... Read more
Last week my friend Brea made an interesting comment. She said that it seems like my body is particularly susceptible to suggestion from my mind. I’ve always believed that our thoughts help to shape our reality and that beliefs and thoughts can have a profound effect on our experience of life (In part because whether things are good or bad has a lot to do with how we want to interpret them. Experiences just are and we add our judgment... Read more
We are doing a scripture study together: reading along through some scriptures and discussing the passages. Today is the fourth and final post on the Kena Upanishad. The previous scripture was the Isha Upanishad (find all Scripture posts here) Last time the reading ended on quite a cliff hanger. Read back to refresh your memory: Kena Upanishad Chapter Three Here are a couple different translations of the final section of the Kena Upanishad… Chapter IV 1 She replied: “It is,... Read more
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