Anti-Hindu elements try to break Sri Hanuman Idol

[Sahasranama]

http://www.hindujagruti.org/news/10231.html

[sanjaya]

http://www.hindujagruti.org/news/10231.html

Wow, this is a most unfortunate incident. What's worse is that the offenders are our fellow Indians. You'd think that Indians would have more respect for Hinduism, the common religion that unites all of us as a culture. Just one point of confusion; I'm not sure what the author means when he says that "Hindus handed the Buddhists over to them." Are the criminals in this matter Buddhists? We're truly living in crazy times when Hindus and Buddhists can't get along in a country surrounded by Muslims and invaded by Christian missionaries.

[Onkara]

Wow, this is a most unfortunate incident. What's worse is that the offenders are our fellow Indians. You'd think that Indians would have more respect for Hinduism, the common religion that unites all of us as a culture. Just one point of confusion; I'm not sure what the author means when he says that "Hindus handed the Buddhists over to them." Are the criminals in this matter Buddhists? We're truly living in crazy times when Hindus and Buddhists can't get along in a country surrounded by Muslims and invaded by Christian missionaries.

Hello Sanjaya
I agree, it does sound like they are "Buddhist" but it doesn't seem to confirm why. I would be most surprised if the "youths" were acting on Buddhist principals at that time and would say that the article is rearly confirming that they couldn't be devotees of Hanuman.

In fact I hasten to add that we might observe that it is the gunas which act but we look for intelligence in people. There is rarely well thought out logic in people's negative behaviour and looking for it in such apparently senseless acts just becomes more emotionally frustrating (rajasic & tamasic) :)

[kallol]

Again it is the result of the karma of the country.

Just like some countries feed their people with anti India theories and then create a army of non-state actors.

In India we have created over the period of 60 years so called secular communities who do not know what hinduism is and hate the apparent visible part - the temples, deities, rituals, traditions, hindu history. But the same people will praise christianity and islam in the name of universality.

Aagin we have been reluctant to weed out the casteism and other divisions due to political reasons. This also help create the anger and hatred.

So it is no wonder that the ignorance we have sowed - will have to be reaped.

Love and best wishes

[Sahasranama]

Indeed, they were two young buddhist men. Buddhist hate towards "pagan" religions is nothing new. The tibetan buddhists have masacred the people who practiced the traditional Bon religion of Tibet. Hindus are not allowed to perform Sandhyavandana if they want to visit a Buddhist meditation retreat nor to wear a necklace with the symbol aum. It's not very suprising that Buddhists have done this, all though it may come as a suprise, since this type of behavior is not in accordence with the teachings of the Buddha.

[Visvamitra]

Imagine that, people claiming to adhere to what they do not follow.

[sanjaya]

Imagine that, people claiming to adhere to what they do not follow.

Heh, well said.

[TatTvamAsi]

http://www.hindujagruti.org/news/10231.html

Hmm... that is shocking to say the least..

quick, where is that dope Deepak Chopra who said, "Have you ever heard of a Buddhist terrorist?"

The idiot had never heard of the Sri Lankan Buddhist "monks" who raped and killed the Sri Lankan Tamil women I guess. LOL..

[Visvamitra]

Is Chopra comparable to the New Agers you find in the Western Occult community?

[sanjaya]

Is Chopra comparable to the New Agers you find in the Western Occult community?

Well that depends. You get a whole range of occultists here in the West. Some are extremely whacky, others almost seem reasonable until you talk to them for a few minutes. Deepak Chopra is a medical doctor. Whatever you may think of his philosophy and theology, he's an intelligent fellow, and isn't going to sound like the weirder people among the Western occult, because he can articulate himself and put forth some semblance of a sound argument. The problem with Chopra is that he's basically invented his own religion by trying to blend all of the world's religions together. I guess he's a Hindu because he was born that way, but you wouldn't be able to tell by listening to his views on spiritual issues. I don't know that he fits into a box.

On a sidenote, it always annoys me when these occultists start associating themselves with Hindus. They seriously need to get a real religion and stop making people think we're demon worshipers.

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: Although many of us don't like the wishy washy mishmash of the universalists who deny they are Hindu, for the most part the only religion that has the room for this is the Hindu one. So what Chopra talks about is mostly Hindu concepts. He avoids the H-word for financial gain, and also perhaps in part because he knows his message will travel further and wider because of this. Not all that unwise on either count.

Aum Namasivaya

[sanjaya]

Vannakkam: Although many of us don't like the wishy washy mishmash of the universalists who deny they are Hindu, for the most part the only religion that has the room for this is the Hindu one. So what Chopra talks about is mostly Hindu concepts. He avoids the H-word for financial gain, and also perhaps in part because he knows his message will travel further and wider because of this. Not all that unwise on either count.

Aum Namasivaya

As always, good point EM. Yet I have to wonder what value is left in such an obfuscated message. Without the wisdom of the Vedas and other Hindu Scriptures, and the merit that is obtained via puja and other Hindu rituals, what benefit remains in Chopra's message? All we're left with is someone telling us to be good people, to donate to the local charity, and connect with the divine in whatever way we feel is best. Except for the last part, I could have gotten all that from many atheists. Personally I think that Chopra merely serves to cause misconceptions about Hinduism.

But hey, what do I know? If someone out there gets some spiritual benefit from listening to him, then I can't complain too loudly. But personally I think they'd be better off picking up a Ramayana or going to a local temple.

[Eastern Mind]

If someone out there gets some spiritual benefit from listening to him, then I can't complain too loudly. But personally I think they'd be better off picking up a Ramayana or going to a local temple.

Vannakkam Sanjaya: I fully agree. We have to remember that the average westerner has to start somewhere. Obviously Deepak is that somewhere for many people. But with deeper study, I think many would move on from the simplistic version he represents. You and other Indians have started from a different place or level, and people such as me have gone beyond the universalist stage, but back in the beginning of my path for sure, it was a stepping stone. Surely it simplifies life to stick primarily to one sampradaya.

Sometimes I get to watch beginning westerners do the most 'foolish' things in temples ... the same foolish things I did myself 30 years ago.

Deepak's not for me, but on the whole , I see no great harm in his work. If a few concepts remain as vasana, chances are the soul will be reborn Hindu.

Aum Mamasivaya

[sunyata07]

Such disgraceful and shocking behaviour from those so-called "Buddhists". Not even the peace-loving barrel of Buddhism is safe from those rotten apples.

I agree with EM. Chopra, while probably one of the best known advocates of this "New Age" brand of Hinduism, is for the most part harmless. He's probably figured most people in the West have a very basic, and therefore, stereotyped knowledge of what Hindus believe in, so he's gone to considerable length to avoid explicit mention of the H word. I've also no problems with the concept Universalism, when handled competently. But in fairness, anybody with a working brain and a little bit of interest in researching philosophy and spirituality outside the bookshop/library will be able to come to the conclusion that most of what Chopra talks about in his books are Hindu principles and values.

I still live at home with my sisters, and I'm still surprised sometimes to hear them ask me if I really believe in and pray to several million gods. I am not joking about this, and I suppose it's a sad reflection about how little they really know about my beliefs. :( If people living inside the same house as me are so uninformed as to be asking that kind of question after I've been spending some time (well over a year!) practising and talking about the Hindu way of life, then you probably can begin to understand the necessity of Chopra's way of "easing" the casual reader into the real world of Sanatana Dharma. It's a necessary frustration.

Om namah Shivaya

[Sahasranama]

That's what they learn about Hinduism in schoolbooks. There will often be a few words about Hinduism in schoolbooks and they are: caste abuse of pariahs, millions of gods, cow worshippers and some words about Mahatma Gandhi. Imagine if Indian school books would convey catholicism as a bunch of child molestors, birth control antagonists and slave traders. The western world doesn't even have the decency to teach anything philosophical or contextual about Hinduism in schools, they only emphasize cultural problems that peaked around 150-50 years ago in India to describe Hinduism. Even westerners who decide to study Indology or East Asian Cultures and Languages in universities, will often get a distorted view of Hinduism.

[NetiNeti]

That's what they learn about Hinduism in schoolbooks. There will often be a few words about Hinduism in schoolbooks and they are: caste abuse of pariahs, millions of gods, cow worshippers and some words about Mahatma Gandhi. Imagine if Indian school books would convey catholicism as a bunch of child molestors, birth control antagonists and slave traders. The western world doesn't even have the decency to teach anything philosophical or contextual about Hinduism in schools, they only emphasize cultural problems that peaked around 150-50 years ago in India to describe Hinduism. Even westerners who decide to study Indology or East Asian Cultures and Languages in universities, will often get a distorted view of Hinduism.


I took a world religions course as one of my electives last semester. The view of Hinduism was very broad and lacking any scope. It focused on reincarnation and "millions of Gods", while stating that all Hindus have Vishnu as their Ishta-Deva. I did not make a fuss about it.

Ironically I am taking a philosophy course this semester and the chapter about Vedic philosophy is spot on. Very nice to see a western school teaching accurate Vedic interpretations.

In the west it is hard to avoid "New Age Hindus". They are basically hippies who are into Vedic Gods but have merged with their mystic beliefs from the 60's. Chopra is a big part in this mislead faith. I chalk it up to false statements about what the Dharma is being taken as fact.

[Sahasranama]

Deepak Chopra is a business man. He will supply whatever people demand.

@ Netineti, I was mainly speaking about school for children, like elementary school and high school.

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam:

There have been some gains, and this one was a start:

http://www.k12academics.com/education-issues/california-hindu-textbook-controversy

Himalayan Academy now has a curriculum available for use by teachers as well if they wish to delve into Hinduism in more detail. The backlash, not at all unexpectedly, is from Christian fundamentalist lobbies. But once a snowball starts rolling ... well I'll be curious what its like in 20 years. After some 30 years in the profession, I can honestly say that curriculum DOES change, both in content, and methods of presentation. I used to be a cynic on it, thinking that curriculum writers were just in cahoots with State or provincial education branches just to keep everybody (themselves) in a job, but especially in presentation, texts have become far more visual which aids tremendously in learning. There is also far more hands-on stuff in science and Math and elsewhere.

Aum Namasivaya

[TatTvamAsi]

Deepak Chopra can be summed up in two words: "Quantum Quackery".

This charlatan is a peddler of so-called philosophy to bums who don't know the difference between bindU and HindU. :rolleyes:

[Kumar_Das]

That's what they learn about Hinduism in schoolbooks. There will often be a few words about Hinduism in schoolbooks and they are: caste abuse of pariahs, millions of gods, cow worshippers and some words about Mahatma Gandhi. Imagine if Indian school books would convey catholicism as a bunch of child molestors, birth control antagonists and slave traders. The western world doesn't even have the decency to teach anything philosophical or contextual about Hinduism in schools, they only emphasize cultural problems that peaked around 150-50 years ago in India to describe Hinduism. Even westerners who decide to study Indology or East Asian Cultures and Languages in universities, will often get a distorted view of Hinduism.


Such disgraceful and shocking behaviour from those so-called "Buddhists". Not even the peace-loving barrel of Buddhism is safe from those rotten apples.

I agree with EM. Chopra, while probably one of the best known advocates of this "New Age" brand of Hinduism, is for the most part harmless. He's probably figured most people in the West have a very basic, and therefore, stereotyped knowledge of what Hindus believe in, so he's gone to considerable length to avoid explicit mention of the H word. I've also no problems with the concept Universalism, when handled competently. But in fairness, anybody with a working brain and a little bit of interest in researching philosophy and spirituality outside the bookshop/library will be able to come to the conclusion that most of what Chopra talks about in his books are Hindu principles and values.



I took a world religions course as one of my electives last semester. The view of Hinduism was very broad and lacking any scope. It focused on reincarnation and "millions of Gods", while stating that all Hindus have Vishnu as their Ishta-Deva. I did not make a fuss about it.

Ironically I am taking a philosophy course this semester and the chapter about Vedic philosophy is spot on. Very nice to see a western school teaching accurate Vedic interpretations.

In the west it is hard to avoid "New Age Hindus". They are basically hippies who are into Vedic Gods but have merged with their mystic beliefs from the 60's. Chopra is a big part in this mislead faith. I chalk it up to false statements about what the Dharma is being taken as fact.

yeah...

Very annoying. But I'd rather not make a fuss. There's no point in correcting them anyways. Because they are doing it deliberately.


Deepak Chopra can be summed up in two words: "Quantum Quackery".

lol



This charlatan is a peddler of so-called philosophy to bums who don't know the difference between bindU and HindU. :rolleyes:

[Shanti]

http://www.hindujagruti.org/news/10231.html

This just makes me sad at the state of our times. I wouldn't be surprised from some other religions, but this is seriously disturbing.


Deepak Chopra can be summed up in two words: "Quantum Quackery".

This charlatan is a peddler of so-called philosophy to bums who don't know the difference between bindU and HindU.

LOL

[TTCUSM]

Wow, this is a most unfortunate incident. What's worse is that the offenders are our fellow Indians. You'd think that Indians would have more respect for Hinduism, the common religion that unites all of us as a culture. Just one point of confusion; I'm not sure what the author means when he says that "Hindus handed the Buddhists over to them." Are the criminals in this matter Buddhists? We're truly living in crazy times when Hindus and Buddhists can't get along in a country surrounded by Muslims and invaded by Christian missionaries.

Thiru Sanjaya,

These "Buddhists" are probably members of the Ambedkarite Buddhist movement (also known as the Dalit Buddhist movement).
A good summary of the movement can be found on Koenraad Elst's site (http://koenraadelst.bharatvani.org/books/wiah/ch11.htm).

[kahanam]

It is a pity. Intolerant behaviour towards other faiths keep increasing. People will generally retaliate and the cycle will restart.Self protection and watchfulness are best.:mad: :mad: :mad: