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Hinduism Today Releases a Special Issue on Balinese Hindus The April/May/June 2012 issue of our flagship magazine focuses on the Hinduism of Bali, where we experience the people and explore the philosophy and temple culture of this unique Hindu outpost. If you ask the Balinese, they will tell you theirs is the real, the ancient and the true form of the faith! They may well be right. Our Delhi correspondent flew to the island and spent two weeks among the Balinese, diving ever deeper into their special expression of Sanatana Dharma and their tightly-knit and proudly Hindu community. To get us started, he relates the history of how Hindus settled on this unlikely island and later uncovers the little-known Lontar palm-leaf manuscripts which reflect Bali's connection with ancient India. An expatriate Australian married to a Balinese shares her keen insider-outsider cultural insights, and there is a rich sampling of the Hindu arts, music, painting and dance which permeate Bali's way of life. Dare we speak about Nyepi, the day of silence, when all of Bali comes to a complete stop? Yes, everyone, even the tourists, enjoy a day wit...

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Hinduism Today New Issued Released The July/August/September 2012 issue of our flagship magazine travels the worlds: the outside and inside worlds, that is. On the Outside Travel with us to an amazing mela just outside of Mysore, India. We did! The Hinduism Today editor attended the five-day festival in January as a chief guest of the Suttur Mutt and its spiritual head, Sri Shivaratri Desikendra. For over 1,000 years this festival has been held, drawing some 400,000 pilgrims this year. The JSS Jathra, as they call it, is part carnival, part pilgrimage, part state fair, part musical concert and part Disneyland. Our article takes you inside the event, but more importantly inside the institution that runs it. Suttur Mutt is among India's best-kept secrets, a massive institution (with education, medical and agricultural projects that are nothing short of mind-boggling) that is founded on the Lingayat/Virasaiva tradition. Enough said. Other major articles include the Sanskrit renaissance, the beleagured Afgan Hindus who are fleeing to Germany, and a new US Supreme Court ruling that will impact Hindus in important ways. On the ...

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Like a good psychotherapy session, WHO ARE YOU? poses essential questions - about the psychology of human behavior, politics, science, metaphysics, and the mysteries of God - without imposing dogmatic answers. It can be used as a meditation companion, a catalyst for group discussion, a personal mirror for honest glimpses at the soul and tool for self-growth....

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In Zen circles it is often said that a teacher’s finger, pointing at the moon, should not be confused with the moon itself. The implication is that no lesson on Truth, no matter how profound, could ever be a suitable substitute for Truth itself. Zen is a tradition that prioritizes personal experience above all else – hence, the emphasis on meditation as a teacher par excellence. As such, students are cautioned to be wary of lessons taught by another, regardless of how wise or respected the teacher. This does not mean that didactic lessons have little value in the Zen tradition. Rather, it means that the best a teacher’s lesson can provide is a fingertip’s point in the direction of an educational experience for which a student is ripe. It is from this perspective that I deliver this book, in hope that the passages within can point you in the direction of introspective experiences for which you may be ripe. The passages of this book are the residuals of a particular type of recurring, sublime experience that I have had many times in my life. These experiences would usually occur at random moments – sometimes during a meditat...

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Preface..4 Chapter 1: Ethics, Leadership & Governance..14 Chapter 2: Religion & The Scriptures..26 Chapter 3: Science & Nature..38 Chapter 4: Psychology..44 Chapter 5: Metaphysics, Meditation & Spirituality.. 74 Chapter 6: God..108 Chapter 7: Truth..116 Appendix A: The Lost Sayings of Guru Sakshat..118 Appendix B: Song List..120 Appendix C: Notable Reflections of Others..122 Appendix D: Rides for Hitchhikers..135...

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The April-May-June edition of Hinduism's flagship spiritual magazine, Hinduism Today, has been released in digital form and is now available for free on your desktop. The issue takes you to South America, Texas, Vermont, Nepal, Northeast India and more. Hold on to the adventure. Sacred Earth But first, our 16-page Insight Section, called "The Sacred Earth." It's a rich survey of the Hindu view of environment, its protection and degradation. World-class photographer Thomas Kelly traveled the world to capture stunning images of the growing human impact on nature and climate change, and writer Matthew McDermott interviews spiritual leaders for their insights and potential solutions for the human predicament. Their words are trenchant and their warnings dire. Thomas doubles teams the editors and also writes a piece on his sometimes frightening but always fascinating encounters with the sadhus of India and Nepal. Bharat Sevashram Sangh You may never have heard of the Bharat Sevashram Sangh, but they are among the leading institutions around the world protecting Hinduism and providing social service. The story of the 6-foot, 6-i...

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The history of the judges of Israel. (Summary by Joy Chan)

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Religion

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“With the Greek civilisation beauty perished from the world. Never again has it been possible for man to believe that harmony is in fact the truth of all existence.” This elegantly-written work provides a splendid introduction to the Greeks of the classic period: how they thought, wrote, and organised their lives and loves. Although it dates from the 1890s, there is very little about it that has dated. To its author’s credit, the subject of “Greek love” is dealt with in a sane and factual context - despite the judicial assassination of Oscar Wilde going on in the background. A Cambridge don much admired by his students (including E. M. Forster), Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson belonged to the Apostles, a secret society with a strong ethic of male friendship. Alfred Tennyson and his beloved Arthur Hallam were early members. Dickinson is chiefly remembered as a historian and pacifist who played a significant part in the founding of the League of Nations. Inevitably, given his interests and intellectual background, he became a close associate of the Bloomsbury Group. The Greek View of Life is no dry academic tome. It is a popularizing work...

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Essay/Short nonfiction, Religion, Politics, Philosophy, Art

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Excerpt: Genesis; Chapter 1 -- In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day....

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Table of Contents: I Old Testament 1 -- 1 Genesis, 3 -- 2 Exodus, 70 -- 3 Leviticus, 126 -- 4 Numbers, 167 -- 5 Deuteronomy, 225 -- 6 Joshua, 273 -- 7 Judges, 306 -- 8 Ruth, 338 -- 9 1 Samuel, 343 -- 10 2 Samuel, 385 -- 11 1 Kings, 420 -- 12 2 Kings, 461 -- 13 1 Chronicles, 500 -- 14 2 Chronicles, 539 -- 15 Ezra, 584 -- 16 Nehemiah, 598 -- 17 Esther, 617 -- 18 Job, 627 -- 19 Psalms, 662 -- 20 Proverbs, 746 -- 21 Ecclesiastes, 775 -- 22 Song of Solomon, 785 -- 23 Isaiah, 790 -- 24 Jeremiah, 854 -- 25 Lamentations, 926 -- 26 Ezekiel, 933 -- 27 Daniel, 999 -- 28 Hosea, 1019 -- 29 Joel, 1029...

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Paradise Regained is a poem by the 17th century English poet John Milton, published in 1671. It is connected by name to his earlier and more famous epic poem Paradise Lost, with which it shares similar theological themes. Based on the Gospel of Luke's version of the Temptation of Christ, Paradise Regained is more thoughtful in writing style, and thrives upon the imagery of Jesus' perfection in contrast to the shame of Satan. (Summary from Wikipedia)...

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Poetry, Religion, Literature

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We learn how Dadashri stayed away from the intoxicated ego of dhanipanu dominance as a husband in married life with his wife Hiraba. His worldly interaction was with such awareness that matabheda divisiveness due to difference in opinion did not arise at all and during certain events if matabheda arose then how he rose above it with ingenuity by accepting his own mistake, with his exclusive insight and the art of living a worldly life by this aphorism ‘samaya varte savdhan – exercise caution according to the event in time’. Also he did not let any kashaya: anger-pride-greed-deceit arise. He maintained the ideal company of wife by saying ‘promise to pay’, during any event he interacted dramatically yet lovingly with her, and until the last moments he assured her that he is with her. At home he remained as a guest with her all his life. He accomplished brahmacharya celibacy even in married life and unfolded its special importance for spiritual progress. He remained as a friend for his wife. ...