03/14/98 - 1691

Dharma Journal 3-13-98

USA (VNN) - The Electronic Newsletter of the Sanatana Dharma Student Association
(The Hindu student and faculty organization of the University of Wisconsin)


Shloka of the Week

I am the source of all things.
From Me emanates all of existence.
Knowing this, the wise are devoted to me
with unbroken concentration.

Lord Shri Krishna
Bhagavad Gita 10:8


Welcome to the latest issue of Dharma Journal. Our family of readers continues to grow on a daily basis. So, for those are you who are with us for the first time: Welcome! We hope that our humble attempts at expressing the beauty of Sanatana Dharma will be both enlightening and beneficial for you. Please feel free to forward this electronic newsletter on to your organization's e-mail recepients. Om Namo Narayanaya.

Special Thanks

We would like to offer a special show of appreciation to Virender at Krishna Software, Inc. for offering to donate some very much needed software to the Sanatana Dharma Student Association. Virender's company offers several very impressive CD ROMs dealing with various aspects of Vedic culture and philosophy, including one on the Bhagavad Gita. His web site is located at :

http://www.krishnasoft.com

Thank you for your support, Virender!


Chicago Trip Report

A few weeks ago about ten of our members went on a trip to Chicago to visit several of the Hindu temples in the area. We visited five different temples altogether. Our first stop was at the Swaminarayana Temple in Glen Ellen, Illinois. There, the chief priest and several temple representatives were waiting for us and very graciously gave us a tour of the temple, as well as a very informative explanation of the history and beliefs of the Swaminarayana tradition. Our members were made to feel so at home and welcomed that having to finally leave felt like we were leaving our own home. The leaders of the temple were also very enthusiastic and happy to hear about the nature and activities of the Sanatana Dharma Student Association. We all acknowledged our shared commitment to the furtherance of Sanatana Dharma.

From there, we visited the Sri Balaji Venkateshvara temple. This is a temple built according to the ancient specifications of Vastu-Shastra. It was, therefore, both beautiful and alive with the soothing natural radiance of Vaikuntha Loka (the spiritual world). After having a prasada lunch, we then proceeded to the Sita-Rama temple in Lemont, Illinois. This facility was actually two temples in one. The smaller one housing the arcanas of Saiva and Shakta dieties, and the larger one dedicated to Sri Rama and other avataras (incarnations) of Sriman Narayana. From there we entered Chicago proper and stopped at the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Society for some time. Located in the academic community of Hyde Park, the center has one of the most impressive collections of books on Hinduism available in the Chicago area. We made quite a few purchases at their bookstore.

Finally, we stopped at the Hare Krishna temple in northern Chicago. There we participated in the wonderfully moving kirtana and heard a very informative talk by Shankara Pandita on the means of acquiring Krishna-bhakti, or devotion to the Lord. They also have a well-stocked store which specializes in devotional items. Our advisor, Frank Morales, was interviewed about the history of Vaishnavism by a film crew who were there doing a short piece for a project on religions in America. After having a fantastic prasada dinner, we finally made the three hour trip back to Madison having been greatly inspired, awed and spiritually rejuvenated, and having renewed our individual commitments to both practicing and helping to support this ancient and life-giving way of life known as Sanatana Dharma.



What Is Meditation?

The process of meditation is found, in one form or another, in all of the world s many religions. All religions agree that the way to attain true and lasting happiness is to come to a deep and substantial knowledge of oneself and
one s place in the world. The only way to know one s inner self is by means of the science of meditation.

The History

For as long as there have been human beings, there have been people doing what they - and only they - do best: asking philosophical questions. Such questions include: Who and what am I, really?; What is life s ultimate meaning?; Is this world that I see around me, and which I take to be so real, the only reality there is?; Or is there something infinitely greater? Inevitably, in order to help find the answers to these and similar questions, men and women throughout the ages, and in every spiritual tradition, have turned to the process of meditation. Meditation, however, is not just for a few special seekers dedicated to unraveling life s deepest mysteries. Meditation has a lot to offer everyone. Maybe even you!

The Benefits

There are many wonderful benefits that you can experience by taking up the practice of regular meditation. These include:

inner calm
peace of mind
reduction of stress and anxiety
greater control over your own mind and its activities
keener intelligence and sharper concentration
a deepening sense of communion with the Absolute
joy and happiness.

How to Meditate

There are many different techniques of meditation. Of all the various forms, however, the most popular, effective and easiest is known as Mantra Meditation . This type of meditation uses a mantra, or a transcendental sound vibration, to achieve its goal. The word mantra comes to us from the ancient Sanskrit language and is actually composed of two words. Man means the mind , and the word tra means to liberate . A mantra is thus a sacred sound which frees the mind from anxiety and illusion.

In order to practice Mantra Meditation, you first have to find a quiet and uncluttered spot to sit. Once there, put aside all negative thoughts and anxieties that may be bothering you at the moment. Listen with relaxed, yet keen, attentiveness to the rhythm of your own breathing. Feel, and even hear, the life-giving air as it enters and leaves your lungs. Then, when you re ready, begin saying the mantra over and over again. Concentrate all of your attention on nothing other than the sound and the vibration of the mantra. If your mind temporarily wanders away - and it will! - then just gently and patiently bring it back to its task of focusing only on the mantra.

The Mantra

The most powerful of mantras that one can use is known as the Tiru-mantra:

Om Namo Narayanaya

Which literally means: I offer my obeisances to the Absolute, the supreme refuge of all existence .

For Further Information

If you would like to know more about the ancient science of Mantra Meditation, or if you would like to attend a class on Mantra Meditation, please feel free to contact us. The class is absolutely free. There is never any cost or obligation involved.


Sanatana Dharma Student Association
(608) 288-0266
fmorale1@students.wisc.edu


Call for Articles


We are looking for articles, reviews, or any thing else you would like to write for us to be included in our future issues of the Dharma Journal.

Your article can be on any topic related to Sanatana Dharma - even just your personal reflections or experiences as a Hindu. We ask that you try to limit your writing to 1,000 words or less.

We also ask that you observe the following rules:

1. Keep your article positive and educational; no criticisms of people you disagree with, polemics or negative diatribes.

2. Avoid any racist, sexist or other bigoted language or sentiments, as such thoughts are contrary to the very meaning of Dharma.

3. No politics, either of an overtly ideological nature, or of a sectarian nature.

4. Dharma Journal reserves the right to not publish an article if it is deemed unfit for publication. We also reserve the prerogative of proof-reading and correcting overly sloppy texts.

Please forward your writings via e-mail attachment to:

fmorale1@students.wisc.edu

We look forward to receiving your contributions.



Letters

Date: Tue, 24 Feb 1998
From: "Yagnesh M. Patel" <ypatel2@icarus.cc.uic.edu>
To: fmorale1@students.wisc.edu
Subject: Thank you for your visit.

Dear Frank:

Jai Swaminarayan. On behalf of Bochasanwasi Swaminarayan Sanstha, and our center coordinator, Mr. Raojibhai I. Patel, I would like to thank you for visiting our Mandir on Sunday, February 22nd. It was a pleasure to meet with your organization. Once again, thank you for taking time to visit our temple and hope to seeing you in the future. May Lord Swaminarayan and His Divine Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj bless you and your association for its continued efforts in spreading the true meaning of Hinduism. Thank you and Jai Swaminarayan.

Sincerely,

Yagnesh M. Patel