How to Strengthen our Dharma?

[Seeker123]

I would like to use this thread to explore implementable ideas to strengthen Hindu Dharma.

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam:

1) Support forums like HDF.
2) Donate to temples, to free literature programs, to charities.
3) Wear Hinduism on your sleeve.
4) Avoid coercive of unethical proseltyzing, you give all Hindus a bad name.


I could go on, and on. So what are some of your ideas, Seeker?

Aum namasivaya

[Sahasranama]

We are living in kali yuga, so we have to be a little pessimistic about the development of dharma, but do the best we can.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté


For me, I tend to look at this in a slightly different manner. By 'doing' I create more 'doing' more actions, more binding influences that only clogs-up the system. If I do 'good', I am happy but it is still doing; If I do 'bad' it is still doing, and more boundries.

The question is what can I ~do~ that is uplifting and supports dharma ? That all the other 4 parts ( puruṣārtha¹) of dharma follow along. Like pulling a leg on a chair, all 4 legs ( and the chair) come along. For this I look to the wisdom found in the bhāgavad gītā chapter 6, 5th śloka. It says, Let a man raise (uddhā) his self by his Self; let him not debase his Self. He alone is his own friend, he alone , his own enemy.


So, the upliftment of one's full being is by raising the self to the Self-referal level.


praṇām


words
4 puruṣārtha : kāma , desire and its fulfillment, ; artha , acquirement of wealth ; dharma , discharge of duty to one's self, family, society, and mokṣa , final emancipation.

[sm78]

How to Strengthen our Dharma?
By living it. Can there be 2 answers about it?

But if you are specifically talking about the hindu society and our duty towards it, then I don't know really. I have basically given up hope on the long term chances of survival of humanity. The kali yuga theory is one good example of what's wrong with Hinduism on the other hand.

I still believe in activism very much (there is no thing like "non-doing" in the real world - one can be either be active & helpful Or lazy & selfish) , but in the current circumstances it is difficult to say what one should fight for. I currently believe disowning all religions is the best option in the west, we loose much of the foundation or rational cause to fight another religion if we take shelter of one.

As for Hindus, we can strongly emphasize the hindu culture (where the tradition is meaningful) of India as opposed to being part of another religion. Hindus can do thousands of other things to save their culture and develop it for future generations - but it needs Hindus to be united politically & socially. Unity has been elusive for better part of thousand years, so the biggest question is, how unity can be ever achieved? Now our majority in the country is also dwindling slowly, but even with overwhelming majority, the slimy politicians found it more useful to pander to the minorities to achieve power. To get elected they only had to satisfy the 20% of the population, while the remaining 80% hindus never matter (for their own faults and worthlessness, no point blaming politicians). So only activism, if any, is fight for cultural and political unity (though I don't believe it is achievable anyway).

[Sahasranama]

We do need to fear the downfall of society (tasmaatsarvaaNi bhootaani na tvam Sochitumarhasi). Eventually, bhagavan will reestablish dharma. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata. I don't see anything wrong with Hinduism having the idea of yugas with cyclical history and dharma declining as we go. I also don't see the need to reject religion as a whole. I have heard other Hindus say that Hinduism is not a religion, I can't agree with that.

[rainbowlotus]

Vannakkam:

1) Support forums like HDF.
2) Donate to temples, to free literature programs, to charities.
3) Wear Hinduism on your sleeve.
4) Avoid coercive of unethical proseltyzing, you give all Hindus a bad name.


I could go on, and on. So what are some of your ideas, Seeker?

Aum namasivaya

What do you mean by wearing Hinduism on your sleeve?

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté


It is not our job to be concerned about society.
I see this differently. 'Society' is no more then the collection of its parts, and the parts are people. If one maintains their own health, then we contribute to the overall health of society. If we are negative, this too is transferred to society. There is no independent action say the wise.

Some call this sādhāraṅa dharma - 'having or resting on the same support or basis, belonging or applicable to many or all , general , common to all , universal '

Where can we infer this idea from the ved ? The ṛṣi śamvanana¹ offers the following ( agni is devatā, the meter (chandas) is triṣṭubh):

Meet together, talk together, let your minds apprehend alike;
In like manner as the ancient gods concurring accepted their portions at the sacrifice.
Common be the prayer of these assembled worshippers, common be the acquirement, common the purpose, associated by the desire.
I repeat for you a common prayer, I offer for you with a common oblation.
Common be your intention, common be the wishes of your hearts, common be your thoughts, So that there may be thorough union among you.

praṇām

words

ṛṣi śamvanana - from the family of añgrias has a beautiful name
śam ( to prepare, arrange) +
vana (plenty, abundance) +
na (a jewel or pearl - this is the 3rd derivation of na)

[Sahasranama]

Yes, of course. That is another discussion altogether.

What will happen to society as kali yuga progresses is described well in the shastras and it is pretty accurate. I am not saying to use this as an excuse to blow up the world with all problems society is facing. There are very important concerns to deal with to keep society functioning and the shastras do put importance on this. Still there is a basic pattern of decline of dharma in society that is outside our influence. We have to face the reality of kali yuga and as religious people believe that Bhagavan will take an avatar to reestablish dharma. Kali yuga is also an opportunity according the shastras, because a little dharma will be more effective, so I am not saying this as to lose hope altogether.

[Eastern Mind]

What do you mean by wearing Hinduism on your sleeve?

Vannakkam RL: It's an expression about being confident. Because of years of ridicule from the British, and others, many Hindus think that their civilisation is inferior to the western one. So they won't dress like a Hindu, wear jewelry, and such. Not that we should be 'in your face' but neither should we say, "I believe in all religions' when asked, or refuse to answer when someone asks, "What religion are you?"

I find this is especially necessary amongst Hindus themselves. The main point is that there is nothing wrong with being a Hindu, despite what others might say.

Aum Namasivaya

[Friend from the West]

Hari Om,

Namaste and hello to everyone.

Eastern Mind, please, if you will, go on and on with your initial thoughts.

For me, think "but do the best we can" is good thought on this. Think though, resides outside of pessimism or optimism. It is something we must do and we do with attitude of happiness for this opportunity, if this makes sense.

Om Shanti

FFTW

[sm78]

We do need to fear the downfall of society
The question is not about our fear but out duty.


I don't see anything wrong with Hinduism having the idea of yugas with cyclical history and dharma declining as we go.
Well, right or wrong are relative terms. But "blame it on the yuga" attitude is now a deeply ingrained fatalism in hindus which I don't find of any good. Another is "blame it on karma". The real consequence of such fatalim is right before our eyes.


I also don't see the need to reject religion as a whole. I have heard other Hindus say that Hinduism is not a religion, I can't agree with that.
But hinduism is not a religion. Vaishnavism is. Saivism can be. Smarism is. Hinduism is not.

But my suggestion is more for those in the west and those who see the dangers of religion in form of Islamism.

[Flowing Along]

Namaste
I think personally we have to be more aware of our traditions , reject falsely perpetrated ideas about our Dharma by self -study AND most important share , discuss with our loved ones , friends and acquaintances.
Funny thing is their initial reaction may be that we have somehow become some kind of activists or " traditionalists" [ as though it were an offence by itself]
But slowly they understand , at least some of them.
Charity begins at home they say.Convincing family members and friends may sometimes be a very tough job, as they think they know you well.:)
I try to do this everyday ,not that I am more knowledgeable than them but I refuse to reject a time- tested practice as it carries a " ritual " tag .
I have stopped wearing sticker bindi at home and instead wear kumkum -this raises chuckles from friends and family [ this in TN, India] who think I have become " old-fashioned" suddenly.
Now, if I attend a new -age, high -priced Yoga program, I 'd be cool person.
But , I am "uncool "now.But one plods on .
I tell my kids that they should be proud of their beliefs, not cower like scared animals , then the World will respect them.
Electorally speaking , Indian Hindus can vote out those parties who are known offenders-who are all out to deny the rights of people practicing Dharma.

[Obelisk]

Namaste,

I think one of the most important steps one must take to strengthen our dharma is understanding and living it to the greatest extent possible. Before I discovered this wonderful place, I myself harboured many misconceptions about Hindu Dharma. Thanks to all the wonderful discussions and resource links I found here, I've now managed to clear them up. It is important to present an accurate, honest and positive view of our dharma to the others.

Similarly, I think we must be open to honest criticism from opponents. Like they say, if you want to see how strong something is, then attempt to refute it. There are certain parties in India which immediately call for book-banning and stuff in such instances, which IMO is little less than sabotage. Our great thinkers like Shankara strengthened our dharma by winning debates, and I think that's the way to go. At the same time, I think one of the intrinsic strengths of Hinduism is its tolerance - we should be respectfully tolerant of people with differing beliefs (or non-beliefs) unless they start encroaching upon our views.

Just my two rupees. :)

[Seeker123]

I think one of the key means of strengthening our Dharma is to practice religious giving.

In the past Christians had a rule called "tithe" which basically required them to send 10% of their gross income to the Church. Muslims, Jews, and Sikhs have their own versions. Even now "tithe" is practiced in many churches and in others even if it is voluntary there is general pressure to give. In 2009 the United States individual giving was $230 billion out of which $100 billion went to churches - about $3000/year for a family of 4!!.

In Hinduism even though there is no 10% rule there is many a Vedic phrase that extols contributing to religion and to those less fortunate as a means to get punya and grow spiritually. Many characters like Karna, Paari, Shibi,..... are also known for their giving.

In addition "giving" can also be an effective defensive mechanism. Armed with the huge donations churches in India do a lot of social service and use that as a platform to convert people. Unfortunately few Hindu temples are rich enough to do social service and they are under govt. control anyway. It seems that to counter "conversion" Hindus may want to channelize more of their giving through faith based charities that support growth of religion and/or do social service.

[sanjaya]

I definitely second EM's comment about wearing Hinduism on your sleeve. Hindus shouldn't have to apologize for being Hindu.

There's another issue I'd like to raise. There are several members of my immediate and extended family who've said that they don't like going to any Hindu temples regularly because other Indians there engage in gossip and feign religiosity while practicing adharmic behavior at home. This contributes to Hindu shame and self-hatred far more than British propaganda from the 40s, and really needs to stop.

[Flowing Along]

Namaste

I think personally we have to be more aware of our traditions , rejectfalsely

perpetrated ideas about our Dharma by self -study AND most importantshare , discuss with our loved ones , friends and acquaintances.

Funny thing is their initial reaction may be that we have somehow becomesome kind of activists or " traditionalists" [ as though it were anoffence by itself]

But slowly they understand , at least some of them.

Charity begins at home they say.Convincing family members and friends maysometimes be a very tough job, as they think they know you well.

I try to do this everyday ,not that I am more knowledgeable than them but Irefuse to reject a time- tested practice as it carries a " ritual "tag .

I have stopped wearing sticker bindi at home and instead wear kumkum -thisraises chuckles from friends and family [ this in TN, India] who think I havebecome " old-fashioned" suddenly.

Now, if I attend a new -age, high -priced Yoga program, I 'd be cool person.

But , I am "uncool "now.But one plods on .

I tell my kids that they should be proud of their beliefs, not cower likescared animals , then the World will respect them.

Electorally speaking , Indian Hindus can vote out those parties who areknown offenders-who are all out to deny the rights of people practicing Dharma.

[Eastern Mind]

There's another issue I'd like to raise. There are several members of my immediate and extended family who've said that they don't like going to any Hindu temples regularly because other Indians there engage in gossip and feign religiosity while practicing adharmic behavior at home. This contributes to Hindu shame and self-hatred far more than British propaganda from the 40s, and really needs to stop.

Vannakam Sanjay: Indeed that is a huge problem. I'm really glad my temple is open every day, and there are quiet times, and basically what you're indicate is a Sunday morning problem only. But I really feel for people who attend the temples who are run by volunteer priests, and are only open Sundays. So, yes, it becomes this social event.

We've tried all kinds of things here, but very little works. We tried signage, "Please be silent in temple. If you wish to visit, please go downstairs." We've tried talking to offenders, and asking them to go outside. But one of the things I've observed is that the very people who put the signs up are often the worst offenders. So others see through this hypocrisy.

Aren't you near by some temple that is open more often? Personally I go most often on Saturday mornings here.

Aum Namasivaya

[Eastern Mind]

I think one of the key means of strengthening our Dharma is to practice religious giving.

In the past Christians had a rule called "tithe" which basically required them to send 10% of their gross income to the Church. Muslims, Jews, and Sikhs have their own versions. Even now "tithe" is practiced in many churches and in others even if it is voluntary there is general pressure to give. In 2009 the United States individual giving was $230 billion out of which $100 billion went to churches - about $3000/year for a family of 4!!.

In Hinduism even though there is no 10% rule there is many a Vedic phrase that extols contributing to religion and to those less fortunate as a means to get punya and grow spiritually. Many characters like Karna, Paari, Shibi,..... are also known for their giving.

In addition "giving" can also be an effective defensive mechanism. Armed with the huge donations churches in India do a lot of social service and use that as a platform to convert people. Unfortunately few Hindu temples are rich enough to do social service and they are under govt. control anyway. It seems that to counter "conversion" Hindus may want to channelize more of their giving through faith based charities that support growth of religion and/or do social service.

Vannakkam: I tithe. I've heard that in ancient Hinduism it was one sixth. The Christians borrowed the idea from us. Over time the idea of giving was
taken over by seeing corruption. Who wants to give to a corrupt organisation? Now, in India, its hard (for some) to find a real reputable organisation. If I'm not mistaken members of BAPS also tithe.

The other problem in India is a corrupt government that likes to put their greedy little finger into Hundi boxes. :) That certainly doesn't help.

Whose body it is it? Whose mind is this? Whose money is this? The answer to these questions makes tithing easier.

Aum Namasivaya

[Seeker123]

Here are some ideas:

1. Learn about our rich heritage, follow duties, and teach our rich heritage to kids so that they will be happy to be Hindus.
2. Contribute to good religious groups that do social work and/or impart religious education - Chinmaya, Ramakrishna, Iskcon, Aim for Seva, Sewa just to name a few.
3. Write morals on outside of temple walls for passersby to read
4. Organize 1 hr lectures at 6 pm at mid to large temples every week on simple Vedanta and personal development based on Vedanta like stress reduction etc.
5. Form support groups at mid to large temples on quitting smoking, drinking, marital issues etc.
6. Work to free temples from govt. control. It is time to privatize these mismanaged entities.

[Flowing Along]

Work to free temples from govt. control. It is time to privatize these mismanaged entities.

I think this is a very important issue.

I am from TN and I see with pain how temples are misused here.

One example is the way the sacred places are abused for Tamil film shootings in recent years. When we watch movies from the sixties, we see that they used set design to show temples -now all parts of temples are accessible to movie crews except the Garba graha -but in some temples, they allow people to video/photograph even that.

Sadly , there are a lot of people who'd say that they needn't visit temples as they are good at heart .:p Some others have joined some fancy new- age yoga class and so they say they have gone beyond the need to visit temples and hence look down upon us poor, lost temple- goers.

Funnily enough , one of them recently asked me about a temple where they were supposed to do some parihara .

What EM says about hundi is very true-I actually ask people I know not to put money in the hundi as it goes straight to the Govt .coffers -on the way to God knows where else.
In TN,many temple officials are from nastika parties as well. It may be a pre -requisite for the job I think.:(

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: One of the things we miss is is a lay counsellor/ pandit. The temple priests have a very specific function. But we don't have general spiritual advisors, in the more mundane practical sense. I think communities could create a role, and elect say, a village counsellor ... an elder all respect.

Aum Namasivaya

[Eastern Mind]

Hari Om,

Namaste and hello to everyone.

Eastern Mind, please, if you will, go on and on with your initial thoughts.

For me, think "but do the best we can" is good thought on this. Think though, resides outside of pessimism or optimism. It is something we must do and we do with attitude of happiness for this opportunity, if this makes sense.

Om Shanti

FFTW

Vannakkam Friend; Just for you...:)

- Make a real effort to see the diversity within Hinduism, and then respect that. Your version of Hinduism isn't the only version.
- Read about these other versions different from yours, but just the basics, as you don't want to get confused.
- Make an attempt to go to other sampradaya temples once a year or so
- Go to temple to pray and worship, not just eat and socialise
- Work on yourself
- When pointing out problems with the faith, offer up solutions as well
- if something is misrepresented in the western press, protest, write a letter, or support groups who do
- pilgrimage once a year, taking time away from the world to
- practice yama and nyama to the best of your ability
- greet people with smiles
- observe subtleties, learn about them, such as not standing with folded arms
- don't speak negatively about other sects
- Be patient with western universalism; if fault is to be found, point it out politely and gently, fully realising universalism is a huge step beyond Abrahamism itself
- Understand Abrahamism, as portions (sorry, Naya, I stole it) who just don't get it yet, but one lifetime will
- look beyond personality to soul nature
- Obey your Guru
- take time each day to reflect
- try to leave a group of people in a happier state of mind than when you came
- be civil
- obey the laws of your land
- bite the tongue when it needs biting
- Treat your spouse and kids with utmost respect
- Bathe at least once a day
- Shun negativity, alcoholism, adharmic people, etc Choose friends wisely
- Wear something that reminds you of your Hinduism
- eat wholesome foods, try to practise sound ecological principles like not littering
- give elders rides to temples
- help newcomers to the west adapt, give personal ESL tutorials
- donate Hindu books to libraries
- check out your local hospital ... if it has a pastoral office, visit, and volunteer to visit ill Hindus with the office's permission
- if the hospital has a religion chapel room, go make sure Hinduism is represented with a Sanskrit Aum framed nicely.

...

Aum Namasivaya

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté


All the wonderful ideas offered throughout this string has been good and worthy of consideration. Yet Please consider this - dharma no doubt has its action component - who can say it does not ? Yet one must be aware dharma does not start or stop with doing. If we think we are the doer each time we have confused ice for a diamond.

Does this suggest we do nothing and just wait out our time on this good earth ? No, this would be wasting one's breath. Yet without proper actions one vascilates between thoughts of good and bad, worthy and unworthly , like-able and un-likeable, etc.

He who has no undue fondness towards anything
who neither exults nor recoils on gaining what is good
or bad, his intellect is established- bhāgavad gītā, chapter 2, 57th śloka.

What do I wish to say ? dharma comes to full bloom when one's divine consciousness ( some like to call it khecarī samatā) is fully present. Note I say 'present' and not developed. It is there , just behind some of the things that make me think 'me' is most important.

'Doing' in disparateness (vaiṣamya) does not yield maximum results. 'Doing' is for some gain. The 'doing' in khecarī samatā , one feels the presense of the Supreme everywhere; the 'doing' is not on the individual level. This then is Universal Dharma, upheld by the Supreme.

Then the actions and their qualities ( being of kāma , krodha, or sattva)¹ all come with the support of the Supreme - this is when dharma is in full bloom.

praṇām

words

vaiṣamya - diversity, inequality , oddness (as opposed to evenness) , diversity , disproportion
kāma - desire
krodha - anger , wrath , passion
sattva - perfect balance, Being; purity

[Seeker123]

Interesting discussion.

Flowing Along,

Yes, nowadays I put more money in the plate than the temple Hundi. I know the money in the plate goes to the poorly paid priest. But dont forget the numerous other organizations. It is probably worthwhile to create such a list for everyone's benefit.
How to free the temples from the government? At least how do we create the importance of that action among the public?

Eastern Mind,

Impressive list. Amazed that you can follow it all!

The counsellor is a good idea. He can lead the support groups I mentioned. In US we have expert individuals doing that at some temples. Maybe we can start that. Is that done in privately controlled Indian temples?

Yajvan,

I agree that while acting out for duties the "ego" should be sublimated. But are you suggesting one act only after one gains Jivan Mukthi?

[AmIHindu]

Namaste,

I see this from the point of view of Sadhana.

One Karma side, live the Hindu life. Live Hindu Dharma and in present day protect Hindu Dharma. we need to take necessary actions, and let other Hindus know what is called Sanatan Dharma. how do we live by the Dharma ! Hinduism is not a religion but its a way of life, so need to give education what is the way of life. To awake people about righteousness. Manay of the Hindus do not understand what is Hinduism at all, they just visit temples. Visiting temples do not fulfill our duties as a Hindu. In present day it became necessary to fight/protect for Dharma. When I say fight/protect for Dharam, I do not mean to shoot or cut throat of someone. But we live in civilized world, so fight/protect civilized way. This is a very big task so can't done single handedly and we are not a political persons so it would be difficult to fight/protect with so less of resources at our disposal. So without anything at my hand, except, library free internet and free computer, I do write emails to protect Dharma from www.forumforhinduawakening.org (http://www.forumforhinduawakening.org) and www.hindujagruti.org (http://www.hindujagruti.org). Doing some kind of voluntary work and help our community.

Above was from the Karma, next how to improve our spirituality. Follow any practice you like to bring your spirituality to the next level. Try to do rituals, karm-kands,Havan, Puja all these will keep our mind in Dharama. At the same time do not spend to much money for all these rituals. In present day situation, with so much of physical facilities, it is very hard to get out mind in the Dharama, but we can do it slowly, slowy.
We can train our mind.

Above both should be done without expecting anything. Doing our Karm is necessary, but expect results ( bad or good) is not in our hand. Do not get frustrated as you get negative result.

This should become to habit of our life then we can say that we are Hindu.

PS - I do voluntary work for above website but by posting here, I do not mean to do canvassing for these website or spamming of this forums.

[TTCUSM]

Yes, of course. That is another discussion altogether.

What will happen to society as kali yuga progresses is described well in the shastras and it is pretty accurate. I am not saying to use this as an excuse to blow up the world with all problems society is facing. There are very important concerns to deal with to keep society functioning and the shastras do put importance on this. Still there is a basic pattern of decline of dharma in society that is outside our influence. We have to face the reality of kali yuga and as religious people believe that Bhagavan will take an avatar to reestablish dharma. Kali yuga is also an opportunity according the shastras, because a little dharma will be more effective, so I am not saying this as to lose hope altogether.

It's exactly this kind of attitude that brought us to our current state.
We keep blaming all our problems on the "Kali Yuga", and then expect an avatar to come along and save us from all our problems.
This kind of attitude prevents us from taking any action. Didn't Sri Krishna tell Arjuna to fight for the cause of Dharma?

[Flowing Along]

Seeker123
Yes, a list of orgs. that should be helped should be with every SD follower.
Telling people that they shouldn't be donating to dubious international orgs for the sake of tax benefits itself is a task.

Also, as you say , in temples people should try to help poorly paid priests.Not many realise that and drop huge sums in hundi instead.Some even think the Archakas/priests benefit from that.:(

Another important point is the education of the next generation about SD. They should be taught at an early age about their traditions and philosophy.
Catch them young. They'd be harder to teach when they are older.

[Seeker123]

Yes, teaching Hindu Dharma to kids from young age is a must. There are Balavihars run by so many groups - Chinmaya, Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Saibaba to name a few. In this day of nuclear families and 2 parents working, and running around this is a MUST. I cannot stress this enough. Sunday schools, Madrassas do the job for you know who.

To summarize let me suggest me 2 ideas. Please share your views on how to implement them.

1. Have spiritual counsellor at mid to large Hindu temples who can provide emotional support and ideas to people struggling - alcohol, poverty, marital etc. In this day and age this is a MUST. Recently we employed a cook temporarily. She was a Christian who had converted. I was curious about her reason. Basically 20 years ago her husband drank heavily and she had to tend to her young kids. She got no emotional support anywhere except Church. She probably got some financial support though she said No. Her whole family converted and her husband also gave up drinking. She believes in the one True God now.....

2. Organize regular 1 hr lectures at mid to large temples every week on our rich heritage, what Hinduism teaches us, meaning of simple Hindu practices etc. This will address the basic lack of understanding about Hinduism. Many educated Hindus that I know have a limited knowledge of Hinduism. For too long Hindus have heard several Gurus say "All religions lead to the same goal" and are confused. They have heard constantly media/intelligentsia/political groups pointing out negatives such as caste divisions etc. Perhaps it is because of some of these reasons that in many inter-religious marriages involving one Hindu parent the children do not follow the Hindu faith. Some popular examples are actors like Vijay, Lara Dutta, Sharmila Tagore, her son Saif Ali Khan and sportsmen like Uttappa, Bhupathi, etc. I can name many more.

[Flowing Along]

Namaste Seeker

1. Have spiritual counsellor at mid to large Hindu temples who can provide emotional support and ideas to people struggling
SD followers do this on an individual level only, with each person doing some good deeds to those around without any institutional support.
But as you say some sort of organised effort is needed in today's World-in ancient World perhaps the village elders did that job.

I have heard of temples where people go to settle disputes -no human involved either -the faith that Amman [ Goddess] punishes those who speak falsehood took care of them. But We need help in the big city level.

I know of two Siva temples in Chennai [ Marundeeswarar and one at Koyambedu] where in the sannidhi of Sri Sarabeswara on Sundays between 4:30 pm and 6:00 pm IST people gather[ thanks to a good organiser]
read out their problems which they write on a paper and together thay all pray and sing bhajans after that. Not sure if this continues now.

I attended one such evening and though i could sense the sadness there in people, I could also sense hope. That was their last stop.
But , it is more like a "prarthana club."We need more than that.

2. Organize regular 1 hr lectures at mid to large temples every week on our rich heritage, what Hinduism teaches us, meaning of simple Hindu practices etc.
Agree. Pravachans/katha sessions are there, but people think it is only for the old! I 'd be eternally grateful to my grandmothers who took me to attend these sessions when I was a kid.The ruchi [ interest ] should be created when young.
But as you correctly say, WEEKLY sessions means bringing some structure in to people's lives.This should be targeted towards young adults and kids, not to forget noodle- headed,confused older adults.;) who try to confuse whoever they can.

[Sahasranama]

It's exactly this kind of attitude that brought us to our current state.
We keep blaming all our problems on the "Kali Yuga", and then expect an avatar to come along and save us from all our problems.
This kind of attitude prevents us from taking any action. Didn't Sri Krishna tell Arjuna to fight for the cause of Dharma?

http://stellafox84.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/obama_yes_we_can.jpg

[Sahasranama]

Various topics are being thrown into the discussion.

1) The topic of agency/ non-agency. Proponents of yoga dharshana and vishishtadvaita support agency very clearly, while sankhya and advaita vedanta proponents believe strongly in a passive self.

2) The meaning of dharma. The question orignally was about how to strengthen dharma. Anyone can understand that the context here is about dharma in the sense of morality/ good action and not some "higher meaning of the word."

3) The topic of kali yuga. This is something I brought up, but apparantly it makes some people nervous, because of their own associations with that concept. I am not saying that we should sit around and do nothing waiting until an avatar comes and saves us. I am merely saying that declining dharma is the natural development of the yugas and eventually only Narayana can stop this. That is how I look at it from a traditional point of view, even though I am aware that this idea has been hated by the progressive reform movements and has been abused severely by many self appointed avatar saviours.

It is said in the Bhagavad Gita that svalpamasya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayaat, even a little bit of dharma will save of us from great difficulties. Therefore, there is no reason to panick even when dharma is declining in kali yuga. It's good that people are brainstorming on how to strengthen dharma. Even though dharma is declining, we have to do the best we can, even if it is only a little.

[TTCUSM]

- Be patient with western universalism; if fault is to be found, point it out politely and gently, fully realising universalism is a huge step beyond Abrahamism itself
- Understand Abrahamism, as portions (sorry, Naya, I stole it) who just don't get it yet, but one lifetime will

Shri EM,

A few months ago, I came across a Canadian website called www.religioustolerance.org (http://www.religioustolerance.org/paganism2.htm). This website contains some very interesting information about the way Abrahamists view pagan Dharmas:


The term "Pagan" is sometimes used to refer to ancient polytheistic religions. The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary defines "pagan" as: "belonging to a religion which worships many gods, especially one which existed before the main world religions." 1

The Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) contain many references to the societies surrounding the Israelites -- Babylonians, Canaanites, Philistines, etc. These are commonly referred to as Pagans:

There are allegations that these societies engaged in human sacrifices:
II Kings 3:26-27: "...the king of Moab...took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall."
Psalms 106:37-38: "Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood."

This is how the Abrahamists view us. Every Hindu should know about this.

[Friend from the West]

Hari Om,

Greetings to everyone,

My apologies and gratitude Eastern MindJi, in that I missed your post (on this evening content was helpful and spirit offered in, most appreciated) and for richness of what was given. Thanks for expounding on your original post.

Om Shanti.

FFTW

[Seeker123]

1) The topic of agency/ non-agency. Proponents of yoga dharshana and vishishtadvaita support agency very clearly, while sankhya and advaita vedanta proponents believe strongly in a passive self.


I dont think Advaita suggests to be passive. As you know Adi Sankara must have been extremely active in his short life span.

One of our duties is to safeguard and strengthen our religion. Maybe all of us join together and create a ebook on simple topics like

1. Why should I remain a Hindu/Benefits of being one
2. What Hinduism teaches us?
3. Hindu contributions to world
4. Meaning of simple Hindu practices like tilak, camphor etc., and caste......
5. What is special about Hinduism - Jivanmukthi, look at everything as God etc.
6. Issues facing Hindus - temple control, minority appeasement in India, conversions, what is communalism, all religions have same goal etc.

If Hindus are convinced about the benefits of their faith they will follow it and certainly teach it to their kids. They will be more concerned about the obstacles facing our Dharma as well and will be proactive about it.

[Seeker123]

I just got done reading another old thread with multiple interesting posts identifying various issues on the same topic.

http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=527

I want to list the various issues here and then identify solution and debate how that can be implemented. The focus is what can we do about it?

Issue 1: We get approached by evangelicals at home and public places. How to react?

Solution: Many ways can work. You can politely and firmly state "not interested". You can have a discussion on why you think Hindu Dharma is good. For example they may state Christianity has one true God, they may state they have no Caste, no idols etc. All these can be intellectually debated. For this one needs to be well informed about Hinduism. How about developing short 1-2 page articles on these statements. I will try to start 1. I will look online if there is good info available as well.

Issue 2: Hindus in general have low knowledge about Hinduism. As a result they dont feel strongly about issues facing Hinduism and in the case of inter-religous marriages they tend to convert more easily since they believe all religions have same goal (This issue has been refuted by Swami Dayanananda Saraswathi).

Solution: Kids should get formal exposure to our heritage from a young age, ideally between 5 and 7 - but even if they are 15, 25 better late than never. I have found the Purna Vidya program by Swami Dayananda Saraswathi's group very useful. There is curriculum for every grade from Grade 1. I dont meant to market it. I am sure there are other similar Balavihar type groups. Adult education should come in the form of short 1-2 page essays on various things about Hindu Dharma. They should be available online, can be delivered as weekly lectures at temples, short essays in vernacular magazines, TV programs - in short educate by all possible outlets to reach the masses. I will start on developing 1 such essay and will post here. I will look online if there is good info available as well.

Issue 3: Offensive things about Hinduism

Solution: Report to www.forumforhinduawakening.org (http://www.forumforhinduawakening.org/) and www.hindujagruti.org (http://www.hindujagruti.org). Thanks AmIHindu amnd saidevo for listing it.

Issue 4: Lack of counselor in Hinduism

Solution: Can we approach temples and donate our time?

Issue 5: Poverty, lack of education leading to conversions

Solution: Ensure your donation goes to Hindu groups working in this areas. I will try to develop one such list here.