Monastery News Video: October 2011
Our October 2011 news video covers events in August and September, including: Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami’s travels to Trinidad and Guyana; the release of our latest book, The Guru Chronicles; two swamis’ presentations at the Hindu Mandir Executives’ Conference in Columbus, Ohio; an interview in Toronto with Dr. James George, who knew Yogaswami when he was stationed as the Canadian High Commissioner to Ceylon in the early 1960s; the visit of Shivarathri Desikendra Mahaswamiji of JSS Suttur Math in Mysore, India; and brainstorming sessions with leading web design firm Happy Cog for the monastery’s completely overhauled website to be launched at the beginning of 2012.
Issues in the Teaching of Hinduism in American K-12 Schools
The history of India and Hinduism is taught in 6th and 7th grade social studies classes to nearly 4 million American children each year, along with the history of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and sometimes Jainism. The course material on Hinduism is negative in tone and scholastically deficient. This presentation will explain how the course material is created and adopted, and how Hindus can improve the process.
Presented by Acharya Arumuganathaswami, managing editor of Hinduism Today, at the Uberoi Conference, held October 1, 2011, at Loyola-Marymount University in Los Angeles, October 1, 2011. The History of Hindu India described in the presentation was given an award at the conference. You may purchase it by clicking here.
Monastery Year in Review Video
We are happy to release our year in review video today, summarizing activities of Kauai’s Hindu Monastery from September 2010 to August 2011. See progress on Iraivan Temple; follow Bodhinatha on his travels across the globe; enjoy some powerful words about the Self from Gurudeva; learn about publications, art, sculpture and grounds projects; and take a peek at what is happening at our center on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.
Make Your Home God's Home
In this video, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami reads his editorial from the October/November/December 2011 edition of Hinduism Today magazine. He encourages us all to establish a formal shrine room as the family’s place of communion with the Divine through worship and meditation.
Hinduism Today: College Diet Conundrum
In the upcoming October/November/December 2011 edition of Hinduism Today, we have an article by Pooja Patel of Midland, Texas, about how a sorely deficient diet burdens many young vegetarian Hindus attending college in the US and how some schools are responding to calls for change. Pooja thoroughly explores the problem, including frank testimonies from current students, such as the following from Rupak Dhoot, a student at Austin College: “A majority of my meals consisted of assorted boiled vegetables, bread, pasta and, in all seriousness, quite a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. My meals were highly variable. One consistent thing I could count on eating was cereal. Overall, the school seemed to recognize that there were many vegetarian students they needed to cater to, so there was always an option. However, as a picky eater, the options were not always appetizing. One problem was finding a good source of protein. A staple that serves as a rich source of protein in Indian households, dal, was obviously not available. Finding lentils, beans, nuts, etc., to satisfy the nutritional need for protein was a daily challenge.”
It’s not all bad news, however. Dozens of schools throughout the country are beginning to recognize the need to provide more wholesome, nutritious options for vegetarians, who represent a growing percentage of dorm populations. Which are the top-ten vegetarian-friendly schools and what are they serving? What can students do to improve the diet on their own campuses? Stay tuned for the upcoming edition of Hinduism Today, in print, in PDF and on the web.
From Our Gurus' Teachings
- Gurudeva's Master Course Lesson of the Day
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Bodhinatha's Latest Upadesha: "Detachment from Experiences; Importance of Daily Vigil" (May 5, 2013)
All experiences are good experiences, necessary to get us here. Awareness of aspects of ourselves that are constantly changing is a liberating perception, breaking our chains to mundane areas, detaching from instinctive and intellectual to go into superconscious. The greatest challenge facing youth today is the lack of relating to the devotional side of Hinduism. Daily practice, daily vigil, moves us forward spiritually. Commentary on Merging with Siva, The Master Course, Lesson 21.
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