Hinduism Today and Its Incursion into the Modern World
on Feb 15, 2009 in hinduism today history of hinduism We’ve discussed the incursion of the West into Hindu life in India. Let’s turn to discuss the reciprocal reaction: the movement of Hindus and Hinduism into the West. The history of this movement is far briefer than the other. By the late 19th cen...

Hinduism Today
on Feb 15, 2009 in hinduism today hinduism in the west history of hinduism modern world Here we will reflect on modern life and Hinduism’s responses to it. If there is a dominant theme that characterizes Hinduism during this period is the matter of its relationship with the non-Hindu world. The modern era has brought great challenges...

British Imperialism in India
on Feb 13, 2009 in hindu society british imperialism history of india history of hinduism In many ways, the British imperialism in India was far more significant than the presence of Muslims, although the British directly ruled India for only 90 years. The British brought with them western folk ways and culture. Many Indians sought to imi...

The Philosophy of Gandhi and Hinduism
on Feb 13, 2009 in hinduism today gandhi history of india history of hinduism modern hinduism I mentioned in another article that India was a western idea before it was an Indian idea. Christianity itself would lend to national Indians some of the ideas they would use to achieve independence. Gandhi was greatly impressed by Jesus’ Sermon on...

Hinduism and the Challenge of Islam
on Feb 12, 2009 in islam hinduism today hinduism and other religions history of hinduism hindu life We in the West generally associate Islam with the Arab world. We often fail to remember that the majority of Muslims live in South Asia and eastwards. The most populous Islamic country is Indonesia, followed by Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. Islam f...

Hindu Tantra
on Feb 11, 2009 in tantra hindu rituals hindu goddesses goddess Closely connected with the worship of the Goddess is a large connection of writings known as the Tantras. They were composed in the medieval period. These texts are essentially technical manuals for how one may attain liberation and enlightenment thr...

The Independent Hindu Goddesses and the Creative Power
on Feb 9, 2009 in hindu goddesses devi goddess shaktism shakti The most terrifying form of the Devi (Goddess) is called Kali. She is black and fond of blood. She wears a necklace of seven human heads. Theologically, Kali reveals that life is inherently painful. In a not too distant past, human sacrifices were of...

The Hindu Goddess
on Feb 8, 2009 in hindu goddesses goddess hindu gods The worship of female deities has a long history in India and today it remains one of Hinduism’s prominent religious features. In the Indus Valley civilization numerous female figurines suggest that women were given a sacred status by virtue of the...

A Summary of the Bhagavad Gita
on Jan 23, 2009 in hind krishna Bhagavad Gita hindu gods vishnu The Bhagavad Gita is probably the work of Indian literature with which Westerners are most familiar. Gandhi referred to it as his eternal mother. Despite its message urging war, he found in it support for his practice of non-violence.The Gita is esse...

The Hindu God Vishnu
on Jan 23, 2009 in hinduism beliefs krishna hindu gods vishnu According to Hindu mythology, Vishnu is a member of a cosmic triad, the three gods who have the responsibility for creating, maintaining and destroying the universe. The destroyer we have already discovered in the figure of Shiva. The cosmic creator...