What Our Donors Are Saying
Gayatri Rajan
Hindu scripture is emphatic in enjoining us to give. The ethical scripture of South India, the Tirukkural, says, “Of all duties, benevolence is unequaled in this world, and even in celestial realms. It is to meet the needs of the deserving that the worthy labor arduously to acquire wealth.” And, “He who understands the duty of giving truly lives. all others shall be counted among the dead.”
The Bhagavad Gita tell us, “Works of sacrifice, gift and self-harmony should not be abandoned, but should indeed be performed, for these are works of purification.”
In the Yamas and Niyamas, the fundamental first steps on the path of Yoga, we find that Niyama #3 is “Giving, dana: tithing and giving generously without thought of reward.”
The scriptures of all religions, in fact, are filled with directives to give. Giving could be said to be the essential virtue of all faiths and ethical systems. The Hindu Monastery’s monks give of themselves selflessly, constantly, to make available the material on their website. Now it is our turn to give.
I often have occasion to research the internet on various Hindu subjects such as karma, or the nature of God. Every time I do, I am astonished at the number of sites that use material from himalayanacademy.com. Some cite the material, more often, no credit is given. Students, researchers, philosophers and New Age thinkers, devotees of the Hindu path and other paths, and the mildly interested or curious–clearly a great many of us are benefitting from this website. Shouldn’t we make a donation to express our gratitude and insure the continuity of this tremendous resource? Please, I appeal to all who’ve visited himalayanacademy.com and been inspired, uplifted, or informed, give generously. We have a debt, after all.
With so much misinformation, even disinformation on Hinduism abounding, it is deeply important to have accurate online resources on Hinduism–as many as possible. Congratulations and thanks are due to the monks of Kauai's Hindu Monastery. Not only do they maintain and continually expand an astonishing compilation of news, information and insight, it's presented in cutting edge media: from ink on paper to digital print to numerous audio/visual media, all with world-class graphics and writing: at once fresh, lively, profound and thought-provoking. Oh, and gorgeous.
The venerable monks present their own cherished Saivism in full, as well as an abundance of material on general Hinduism; history, current events and issues, health, scriptures, arts and culture, temples, and best of all, practical observations on spiritual life skills, yoga and sadhana by a realized satguru. This is the most comprehensive, insightful, well researched and accurate, and visually delightful window into the Sanatana Dharma you'll ever find anywhere–digital or analog. And, with our help, it's absolutely free.
Jai to the monks of Kauai's Hindu Monastery! We are forever indebted to you.
Mrs. Gayatri Rajan
Canyon, California
Dr. Padmaja Patel
There are no words to describe how much I have benefited from the free online resources from Kauai’s Hindu Monastery. It is definitely a big part of my daily life, from reading TAKA, daily Master Course lessons, using quotes and relevant material for my Facebook status updates and the Master Course group discussions. For my regular posting on our Hindu blog for mywesttexaschatter.com, I use the Google Custom Search Engine to look into almost any subject related to religion and spirituality and use many articles for reference. I also use the Hinduism Today site for articles I write for our local newspaper.
For my own personal study I now have Saiva Dharma Shastra, Gurudeva’s Spiritual Visions and Gurudeva’s Spiritual Toolbox, which are available in PDF format, on my iPad. Its so nice to have them on the shelf of my iBooks app! My all-time favorite treat is inspired talks by Gurudeva and Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami–to be able to listen to them on demand is a great boon. Their words continue to guide and inspire me.
For my classes at temple, I have used the “Ten Questions and Answers” pamphlets and the Yoga’s Forgotten Foundation book to teach the children about the yamas and niyamas–and the “Visiting a Hindu Temple” pamphlet, too. I am looking forward to the new children’s storybook on the yamas and niyamas due out in 2011! I have also used the festival pager to teach the children about the various festivals.
The excitement in my class is so much greater now that I have these materials on my iPad. The kids are absolutely fascinated with it to the point that they have wanted to take it home. So, I made a deal with them that in the coming year I will gift an iPad to the one of them whose attendance is perfect and who also participates actively in the class!
I have to mention that a couple of years ago, my sister-in-law bought a new laptop and she wanted to have another guru’s picture as a screen saver, so I looked at the guru’s website to download a picture and found that there is not a single picture available to download! There is absolutely nothing free on that site.
So, with all my gratitude, I could say that if the Digital Dharma Drive was the only charity I needed to contribute to in a year, I would pledge for the entire amount without any hesitation. My life is enriched daily; it is a vital source of energy to sustain me in all my worldly endeavours.
Aum Namah Sivaya.
Dr. Padmaja Patel
Midland, Texas