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July-August-September 2009 issue:
understanding temple worship

Community temple, home temple, body temple

  • In his editorial, Our Three Kinds of Temples, publisher Bodhinatha shows that temple worship need not stop with occasional visits to the community temple. Its inestimable blessings can extend into our home and daily lives through the home shrine. And they can extend further, through internalized worship, yoga or meditation, and lead the devotee to find the divine within himself, opening the door to endless wisdom and grace. "Take full advantage of your Hindu heritage," Bodhinatha urges, "activate all three modes of temple worship!" See the 13-minute video.

temple amidst greenery

  • A Chola temple in Hawaii! Read about wondrous Iraivan Temple, carved in India, shipped to Hawaii and assembled according to millennia-old canons. It is a story about a unique edifice and about Gods and people who are making it happen, from Lord Siva appearing in a vision to founder Gurudeva, to donors, architects, stone carvers and the swamis of Kauai's Hindu Monastery who manage the project's every aspect. It will be a moksha temple, meaning that it will have the lofty function of blessing worshippers toward their highest destiny.


Other highlights in this issue

  • So, THIS is who I am! You'll want to read this story. A scientist specialized in the human brain had a stroke, temporarily lost use of her thinking brain and discovered the greater, divine part of herself. She beheld the same Truth that rishis of old, and of all times, said is in everyone of us, there to be revealed in all its glory when limiting concepts are taken away. AUM.

  • Enough of embarassing us in school with those perverse characterizations of Hinduism! cries out 15-year-old F. Kumar (see "A noble cause" below). 

  • We always knew it would happen: the Hindu diaspora is bound to eventually effect some notable and positive changes. It has begun. In Northern Ireland Hindus are being openly appreciated for helping bring about much peace and healing. A most encouraging story!

  • Communalism, Hindu nationalism, secularism, etc. What do they mean anyway? Don't miss this keen analysis by Konrad Ernst of terms that rage all over the media and are "confusing at best, ferociously hostile at worst."   — And much more...


See the entire issue NOW— FREE !

Download the July-August-September 2009 now. Our newly designed website (see item below) now makes available to you all issues of Hinduism Today since the very beginning in 1979; simply download them as PDFs. If you have previously subscribed to the digital edition, you may still boot up the desktop client application you have, and you will be prompted to download the latest issue.

  • Subscriptions to the print edition available here.
  • Single, bulk or back print copies available here.


Hinduism Today's website upgrade

Check out Hinduism Today's new state-of-the-art website. It will greet with a gracious new look, enhanced organization, readability, ease of navigation and interactivity. It makes it pleasant to search into a treasure-trove of information about Hinduism that we have accumulated over the decades, such as a fast-growing collection of videos and an archive of all Hinduism Today issues going back 30 years, any of which you can download as PDFs onto your computer.


covers of history lessons 1, 2 and 3
A most noble cause:
helping children
be proud of their faith

"The American education system is delivering a near-savage and eccentric portrayal of Hinduism," cries out 15-year-old high school student Faren Rajkumar (page 9, current issue).

To help rectify the situation, Hinduism Today is composing, printing and distributing a series of accurate Hindu history lessons with the help and guidance of renowned experts. Lesson 1 and Lesson 2, from ancient times to 1100 CE are already in print and available. The result is like night and day. Far from being a source of embarrassment, the history of Hinduism turns out to abound with great people, cultures and events to be proud of! What a difference!

Lesson 3 will come out in the next issue of Hinduism Today, around September 1. It will cover the years 1100 to 1857—a critical period in Hindu history when Hinduism itself was threatened first by the Muslims and then the British. But the Bhakti movement continued unabated and Hinduism managed to survive. It is important for children to know and understand this period so they may intelligently and positively cope with a difficult past.

  • Subscribe to Hinduism Today to receive Lesson 3 issue hot off the press.
  • Order copies of Lessons 1 & 2 and share them widely—a most noble cause.


video sample image

Estimados amigos,
aprovechen la oportunidad...

... de leer tesoros de enseñanzas en idioma español!

Tenemos una abundante colección de enseñanzas en español en nuestro sitio web: varios Upanishads y las principales obras del Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, incluyendo Danzando con Siva, Viviendo con Siva y Uniéndose a Siva.  Presiona aquí.


NEW on our
other languages page

Our "other languages" collection continues to grow. Above, we informed our Spanish-speaking friends of a wealth of material in Spanish available from our website. We also now have the most popular reprint from Hinduism Today, Ten Questions People Ask about Hinduism & 10 Terrific Answers in Tamil, Telegu and Portuguese. And an earlier version of Dancing with Siva in French has just been posted. Read or download any of them from here.


Gurudeva's entire Trilogy
IN GUJARATI !

The Patel family with Gujarati text

Mr. and Mrs. M. Patel of Midlands, Texas, are students of the Master Course and ardent readers of Gurudeva's trilogy. Whenever they speak to their family back home, they share as much as they can, and always conclude, "... oh, we wish you could read it yourselves!"

Then one day, the idea struck them: "Wait! They CAN read it themselves! It's up to us!" On the spot, they set out to find and hire professional translators in Gujarat to bring the enitire trilogy into their mother tongue. "It is a big commitment for us," said Mrs. Patel. "But well worth it. It will serve our own family and also fill a great need in the many Gujarati communities around the world."

The translators are delighted to find Hindu teachings in a modern idiom, lucid and full of relevance. "We have never seen anything like this," said one. The mammoth work (3,000+ pages!) is projected to be finished by end 2010.


Mysticism and
practicality

Bodhinatha in Mauritius and Singapore

In April, Bodhinatha offered satsang in Mauritius and Singapore, and met with devotees and students of Himalayan Academy's Master Course.

Some 370 delighted Mauritians (pictured) heard Bodhinatha speak on mystical topics such as the esoterics of temple worship, and practical ones such as the art of raising children with love  •  A few hours later, at a seminar on estate planning, Bodhinatha spoke on the spiritual value of planning one's financial future.

In Singapore, an unexpectedly large audience at the Hindu Centre welcomed Bodhinatha's talk, Hindu Tools for Success, tools for shaping one's life rpositively. Most popular was the affirmations tool (based on the book, The Power of Affirmation), that many are now putting to good use, we are told.


Bodhinatha: coming
travels & satsang

USA / Canada, Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton, June 17-21
USA, Washington DC, Maryland, approximately August 9
USA, Houston, August 29-30. Bodhinatha will be chief guest at the 20th Grand Annual Janmashtami, organized by Hindus of Greater Houston  • He will also give a talk on Sunday morning at the Meenakshi Temple.
Malaysia / Singapore, September 10-22. Bodhinatha will offer a seminar in Kuala Lumpur on the subject Hindu Tools for Success  • He will also speak on the spiritual dimensions of planning one's financial future at a seminar on estate planning.
USA, San Francisco, October 31-November 1
Australia, Melbourne, December 5-9. Bodhinatha will attend the World Parliament of Religions and offer a special address to the dignitaries from India.

  • Get latest details of Bodhinatha's travel plans here.
  • More about Bodhinatha here.
  • Formal invitations for him to visit your area are received here.


Mrs. Kalugotla reading Hinduism Today to her children

On teaching
your own children

"We pick up a copy of Hinduism Today, select an article, and I start reading aloud. As we go along, I weave in my own experience and so do Vishnu and Gowri," explains Mrs. Kalugotla of Missouri, USA. "Questions and discussion come up. We are all sharing and learning, and I cannot describe how rewarding it is!"

Vishnu: "I was too skeptical, but Hinduism Today helped me clear my mind. It's been very grounding." Gowri: "I really appreciated the affirmatioms article. I repeat "I can, I will, I am able..." all day long, and it's given me confidence." Mrs. Kalugotla: "When I want to pass on a point of culture to them, Hinduism Today backs me up, much as elders would do back home."


Sivakumar, wife, Gurudeva and trilogy books
Saivite Hinduism
course offered in
Singapore

In July, Sivakumar Saravan, an experienced and respected teacher of Hinduism, will begin teaching a 12-week course on Saivite Hinduism at the Hindu Centre of Singapore. Much energy has gone into preparing the classes, including help from Himalayan Academy—and enthusiasm is building. "The course is aimed at ages 18 years onward," Sivakumar explains. "And it seeks to share knowledge that can be applied directly to one's daily life—how to derive tangible benefits from the temple, for example. I know of nothing that answers this need better than Gurudeva's trilogy, so we will focus on it exclusively. We'll bring in multimedia, such as Bodhinatha's video An Introduction to Hinduism, and we'll encourage students to poke about Hinduism Today's new super-rich website."   • Ask for more information here.

Himalayan Academy
Kauai’s Hindu Monastery | 107 Kaholalele Rd
Kapaa, Hawaii 96746-9304 USA