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 ...

Pantheisticon: or, the Form Of Celebrating the Socratic-Society. Divided into Three Parts. Which Contain, I. The Morals and Axioms of the Pantheists; or the Brotherhood. II. Their Deity and Philosophy. III. Their Liberty, and a Law, neither deceiving, nor to be deceived. To which is prefix'd a Discourse upon the Antient and Modern Societies of the Learned, as also upon the Infinite and Eternal Universe. And subjoined, a short dissertation upon a Two-fold Philosophy of the Pantheists, that is to be followed; together with an Idea of the best and most accomplished Man. Written Originally in Latin, by the Ingenious Mr. John Toland. And now, for the first Time, faithfully rendered into English. (Summary from frontispiece.)...

Philosophy, Religion

This little book, whose design is to lead the devout Bible student into the Green Pastures of the Good Shepherd, thence to the Banqueting House of the King, and thence to the service of the Vineyard, is one of the abiding legacies of Mr. Hudson Taylor to the Church. In the power of an evident unction from the Holy One, he has been enabled herein to unfold in simplest language the deep truth of the believer's personal union with the Lord, which under symbol and imagery is the subject of The Song of Songs. (From the Foreword by J Stuart Holden)....

Religion, Psychology, Philosophy

The Author Gilbert Keith Chesterton was born in London, England on the 29th of May, 1874. Though he considered himself a mere rollicking journalist, he was actually a prolific and gifted writer in virtually every area of literature. A man of strong opinions and enormously talented at defending them, his exuberant personality nevertheless allowed him to maintain warm friendships with people--such as George Bernard Shaw and H. G. Wells--with whom he vehemently disagreed. Chesterton had no difficulty standing up for what he believed. He was one of the few journalists to oppose the Boer War. His 1922 Eugenics and Other Evils attacked what was at that time the most progressive of all ideas, the idea that the human race could and should breed a superior version of itself. In the Nazi experience, history demonstrated the wisdom of his once reactionary views.Chesterton wrote several works of Christian apologetics, the best known of which are Othodoxy, Heretics, and The Everlasting Man. (Summary from Project Gutenberg)...

Philosophy, Religion

The writings listed here represent books about Soren Kierkegaard. A fragment of his work, On the Dedication to That Single Individual, has made it to the public domain. Who was Soren Kierkegaard? He was a Danish philosopher and religious author; b. Copenhagen May 6, 1813; d. there Nov. 11, 1855. His father, Michael, a clothing merchant, once cursed God when he was young. This one incident caused him so much distress that it affected him with a deep melancholy, which he transferred to poor Soren. Michael was an evil man. He tricked Soren into thinking that the whole world existed in his own living room by taking him for imaginary walks about the neighborhood, or anywhere Soren wanted to go, as long as it existed in his imagination only. Later in life, when Soren was on his own, he rarely left Copenhagen, but he did walk about the streets and greet passersby, discussing events of the day. After 6 years of “splendid inactivity” he obtained his degree in Theology from the University of Copenhagen with the submission of his thesis paper in 1841, On the Concept of Irony with Continual Reference to Socrates. Just before graduation he fell ...

Philosophy, Religion

THE SIXTY-FOURTH BOOK OF THE HOLY BIBLE CONTAINING THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS TRANSLATED OUT OF THE ORIGINAL TONGUES AND WITH THE FORMER TRANSLATIONS DILIGENTLY COMPARED & REVISED SET FORTH IN 1611 AND COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE KING JAMES VERSION...

Excerpt: The elder unto the well-beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth -- 2. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth -- 3. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth -- 4. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth -- 5. Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers -- 6. Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:...

The Age of Reason: Being an Investigation of True and Fabulous Theology, a deistic treatise written by eighteenth-century British radical and American revolutionary Thomas Paine, critiques institutionalized religion and challenges the inerrancy of the Bible. Published in three parts in 1794, 1795, and 1807, it was a bestseller in America, where it caused a short-lived deistic revival. British audiences, however, fearing increased political radicalism as a result of the French revolution, received it with more hostility. The Age of Reason presents common deistic arguments; for example, it highlights the corruption of the Christian Church and criticizes its efforts to acquire political power. Paine advocates reason in the place of revelation, leading him to reject miracles and to view the Bible as an ordinary piece of literature rather than as a divinely-inspired text. Yet, The Age of Reason is not atheistic: it promotes natural religion and argues for a creator-God....

Politics, Religion, Philosophy

“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...

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

A wealthy London business man takes a room in a poor part of the city. He is depressed and has decided to take his life by going the next day to purchase a hand gun he had seen in a pawnshop window. The morning comes with one of those 'memorable fogs' and the adventure he has in it alters his decisions and ultimately his life. (Summary by Linda Andrus)...

Fiction, Religion, Philosophy

As Russia goes to war against Japan, Tolstoy urges those at all levels of society, from the Tsar down to the common soldier, to consider their actions in the light of Christ's teaching. However strange this may appear, the most effective and certain deliverance of men from all the calamities which they inflict upon themselves and from the most dreadful of all—war—is attainable, not by any external general measures, but merely by that simple appeal to the consciousness of each separate man which, nineteen hundred years ago, was proposed by Jesus—that every man bethink himself, and ask himself, who is he, why he lives, and what he should and should not do. (Introduction by David Barnes, and extract from Chapter VI)...

Instruction, Religion, Philosophy, Politics

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....

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...

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...

The July-August-September, 2011 edition of Hinduism's flagship spiritual magazine, Hinduism Today, has been released in digital form and is now available for free on your desktop. This issue takes you on a wondrous adventure through time as well as culture showcasing nine historic sites of ancient India. Get ready for an awe inspiring and thought provoking journey! We start with true our feature article with a magnificence recognizable by all of humanity. These nine ancient Hindu related sites demonstrate craftsmanship and artwork so awe-inspiring that the United Nations’s body for education, science and culture, (UNESCO) has deemed them as worthy of protection and care for the benefit of all of humanity. Our writers and photographers explore these temples and caves, dating back as early as 200 bce, introducing us to a depth and breadth of the rich Hindu landscape. You will be charmed by the historical accounts from western explorers. On a heart warming note, the middle section of this issue introduces our newly published "Hindu Children's Modern Stories, Books One and Two." These books bring the wisdom of the traditional yama...

Edward Granville Browne (1862 – 1926), born in Stouts Hill, Uley, Gloucestershire, England, was a British orientalist who published numerous articles and books of academic value, mainly in the areas of history and literature. His works are respected for their scholarship, uniqueness, and style. He published in areas which few other Western scholars had explored to any sufficient degree. He used a language and style that showed high respect for everybody, even toward those he personally did not view in positive light. In A Year Amongst the Persians (1893) he wrote a sympathetic portrayal of a Persian society which few Westerners had ever seen, including a frank account of the effects of opium. It did not attract the attention it deserved at the time of its initial publication, but after his death in 1926 it was reprinted and became a classic in English travel literature. A Year Amongst the Persians includes moving accounts of the Bahá’í community in Iran. Concerning his meetings with the Bahá’ís of Iran, Browne writes: “The memory of those assemblies can never fade from my mind; the recollection of those faces and those tones no time...

Travel, Religion, Philosophy