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religious editor with acharya bharat

August 20, 2010

A tale of friendship,
hospitality and understanding

As soon as Acharya Bharat of Portland, Oregon, learned that Hinduism Today's new resource on Hindu holidays was available online, he jumped into action.

Ram Navami was coming up soon, so he downloaded the material for that holiday and took a printout to the religious editor of The Oregonian, Ms. Nancy Haught. He suggested she download the Ram Navami PDFs and use them for an article. And he invited her to attend the upcoming Ram Navami celebrations at his temple. She joyously agreed to both ideas.

"Being a part of the celebration was a rare and precious opportunity for me," recalls Ms. Haught who is also a teacher of world religions at the Portland State University and an interfaith-dialog enthusiast. "I met gracious people. I participated in the worship, the singing and the food, and it was all most delightful. I came to understand much I did not know before. And that was the very best part."



15 festivals booklet cover
Get more out of
your Hindu holiday!

To understand your next holiday better and enjoy it more, do one of the following:

    •  Refresh your knowledge online anytime, especially when a particular holiday is imminent. Click here.

    •  Download the PDFs from the list of 15 Hindu holidays. Click here. No charge.

    •  Acquire the 15-festivals booklet pictured on the left. It is a beautiful 32-page reprint of Hinduism Today's 15 articles—a great compilation of knowledge, tradition and inspiration that you can study, share, pass around or distribute. Order singles or bulk here.


basanti shows the festival media kit

A festivals kit
for the media
Suppose you would like to get some local coverage for an upcoming holiday, Diwali, say. Hinduism Today offers you 15 Hindu festivals for the media —a brochure and accompanying DVD that you can present to your local newspaper religion writer or other media person. It provides all she or he would need to produce a superb piece: accurate, well presented information, photos, illustrations, colorful graphics and ready articles in various formats that can be used just as they are. There are no copywright restrictions; it is Hinduism Today's offering to them. All you have to do is ask to receive the kit and give it to the right person. Have fun.


Bodhinatha and Arumugaswami in India
Outstanding Videos of Bodhinatha's tour

In March, publisher Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and his managing editor, Acharya Arumugaswami made a highly productive tour of Singapore, Mauritius and India. They pilgrimaged to the Kumbha Mela, visited temples and ashrams, conferred with swamis and various leaders.

See short, engaging videos from the tour.



Bodhinatha's coming travels and satsang

  •   September 12, Denver, CO, USA. Bodhinatha will attend a function and speak at the Sri Venkateshwara Temple of Colorado.

  •   September 18-24, Missouri, Northern & Southern California, Washington, Oregon. More details soon.

  •   September 25: Palo Alto, California. Donor Appreciation Reception (by invitation only).

  •  November 12-27, India, Singapore, Malaysia. November 16-17, Bodhinatha and Paramacharya Palaniswami will visit the Iraivan temple worksite near Bangalore. •  On November 18-19, they will be guests of honor at Golok Dham, in Delhi, the ashram of Swami Gopal Charan Devacharya who received the award: Hindu of the Year 2009

  •  March 25 - April 10, Texas, Louisiana, Arizona.

  •  Stay up to date with Bodhinatha's travel plans, here.
  •  More about Bodhinatha here.
  •  Formal invitations for him to visit your area are received here.


Dr. Vineet Sharma and the Hindu American Foundation discussion group
Hinduism
and the Berlin wall
"If only Hinduism could be presented with clarity," Dr. Vineet Sharma had always dreamed. "If we could present it in modern language, then all of its magnificence would naturally shine out. We wouldn't have to wonder anymore how to pass the faith on to the children. We would know how."

Recently, he was introduced to the book What Is Hinduism? "There it was," he recalls, "clarity! I saw a marvelous collection of teachings, there, all articulated in crisp, modern language and beautifully illustrated, I knew I'd found the tool."

Last January, Vineet, who is a physician living in Fremont, California, and the Northern California outreach director for the Hindu American Foundation, invited interested parties to his home. There, they read, mused and talked over what they found in What Is Hinduism? Understanding and enthusiasm descended with profusion. It worked. Vineet knew it would.

They became the Hinduism Discussion Group and have since met every month, each taking a turn at hosting the group. "We're learning so much and having a wonderful time in the process," said Vineet.

"Passing the religion on to the children is a serious endeavor. We need to make the effort and train ourselves first. We need to know the difference between God and gods. We need to know precisely whether we are polytheists, monotheists or pantheists. We need to be clear. Then we can hope to inspire others."

"It is the whole Hindu community living in the West that needs training and retraining. That has to be the larger goal. All we have to do is start with ourselves. Then things can happen surprisingly fast. One day, the Berlin wall fell and the whole world changed.

"The understanding is there already, deep inside, covered over with the soot of 1000 years of oppressive rule. It just needs to be reawakened, reenergized."


If you would like to meet the group or get ideas how to start your own group (it's easy, you can just start with your own family, invite a few friends and watch it grow), contact Vineet.
Cell: 510-396-4543 • home; 510-979-1695 •  sharmavs1@gmail.com

photo-of-What Is Hinduism? book
Here is the book
The Hinduism discussion group
is using exclusively:

What Is Hinduism? is the 416-page incomparable resource on the marvels of Hinduism that Vineet and the Hinduism discussion group (see above) use exclusively. They find it perfect for learning, teaching, or just getting uplifted by.

It is a compilation of 46 of the best educational articles produced by Hinduism Today's editors over 20 years.

Vineet's impressions of What Is Hinduism? gathered from our interview with him:

Order from our MiniMela.
More resources at minimela.com
Or call 1-877-255-1510
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