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Hinduism

Review: The Life of Yogananda by Philip Goldberg

Review: The Life of Yogananda by Philip Goldberg

by Paul Chaffee

The religions of India – Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism – are less familiar and stranger to most Americans than the Abrahamic religions, which have dominated America since Columbus.

Bede Griffiths – Interfaith's Interspiritual Pioneer

Bede Griffiths – Interfaith's Interspiritual Pioneer

by Marcus Braybrooke

Brother Bede Griffith’s (1906-1993) life of physical and spiritual exploration has been important in the spiritual journeys of many, many people, including myself. He was one of the first spiritually resonant models for those of us engaged in interfaith activities more than 50 years ago. His life suggested that one could be spiritually grounded and thriving in more than one tradition at the same time.

Sri Aurobindo: Proposing an Integral Evolution

Sri Aurobindo: Proposing an Integral Evolution

by Marcus Braybrooke

During times of violence and war, it can seem like humanity is on a downward slide. And yet there are those who look past the present state and envision something greater emerging. Such is the case with Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950).

Teaching the Divine Feminine

Teaching the Divine Feminine

by Vicki Garlock

The recent celebration of Purim – one of the most entertaining holy days in Jewish culture – provides an opportunity to reflect on the ever-present, but somewhat elusive nature of the divine feminine. Queen Esther, the heroine of Purim, is never described in terms of divinity, but her role in the miraculous deliverance of her people...

Ramakrishna and Vivekananda: Midwives of the Interfaith Movement

Although no single person, group of persons, or religious tradition can be solely credited with the emergence of the interfaith movement – a vast and complex movement to which many hands and minds have contributed – it is certainly true that the interfaith movement as it exists today would be inconceivable without the contributions of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda.

Conversion and Reconversion in India

Over the past few months, Indian and U.S. media have reported widely about right-wing Hindu groups’ plans to “re-convert” Muslim and Christians to Hinduism (and in some cases, Sikhism).

On Raising Hindu Americans in Detroit, Michigan

As a first generation American who grew up in India, it seems counter-intuitive, at first, to be writing about growing up Hindu in America. Reflecting on my experience as a parent raising two Hindu American teens, though, a 19-year old and a 13-year old, I feel emboldened to put ‘pen to paper’ and share my thoughts.

Honoring the Feminine Heart

The Story of Radha

Review: Saffron Cross … How a Christian Minister Married a Hindu Monk

A Sexless Honeymoon?

Asian Religions in the United States

How Religious Diversity Became a Reality in America

Pioneers in Hindu-Christian Interspirituality

Merton, Griffiths, and Teasdale

“How Do Hinduism and Buddhism Influence Me as a Rabbi?”

Finding Common Ground

Dharma in the Christian West

Christianity and Nonduality

In Appreciation of the Bhagavad Gita

In Appreciation of the Bhagavad Gita

A Healing Revelation

The Heart of My Grandfather

Detroit, where I was born, formed, and raised, straddles a bittersweet line between two worlds.  It is a place where the American Dream has already died four or five different times.  It is a spent shell from its days as the “arsenal of democracy.”  As I visited my family during a recent holiday trip, the starkness of this reality took on a deeper clarity.  Walking and driving through the city, I came upon the supremely haunting vision of the burnt-out yet still elegant remains of the old Michigan Central Station.  Pete and Frank’s, a grocery store my mom and her mom had scoured for bargains for nearly 50 years, is now empty and on the auction block.

Pan-Asian Participation in the 1893 Parliament

Some Jain friends at the 1993 Parliament of World Religions gave me a booklet with the title We Were There As Well. Too easily the starring role of Swami Vivekananda has obscured the significant contribution that other Asian participants made a hundred years earlier at the 1893 World Parliament of Religions, participants who deserve to be remembered.

Reconciling the Blessings and Challenges of Diversity through Ancestral Spiritual Values

In Lak’ech Ala K’in. In my Mayan tradition this sacred greeting serves to honor another and means “I am another yourself” or “I am you, and you are me.” Another meaning is “I bow to the Divine within you.” When this greeting is given, there is always an action of placing the hands over the heart. In the Hindu tradition the greeting Namaste, which I learned through my work and connection with spiritual teachers in India, corresponds and is similar to the Mayan greeting. It is a philosophical statement affirming that the doer of everything is not me but the gods. With these greetings I embrace the blessings of diversity.

Reclaiming Ashoka - An Iron Age Interfaith Exemplar

Approximately 2280 years ago, Emperor Ashoka, third regent of India’s Maurya Dynasty, ascended the throne. This Iron Age family ruled India’ first empire, stretching from eastern Iran to Burma, including most of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Scholars dispute the details but agree that Ashoka ruled for about four decades in the middle of the third century BCE.