10/05/1998 - 2320

Dharma Journal October 3rd, 1998

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

That Supreme is absolute perfection;
this individual self is also perfect.
This individual self has come from the Supreme.
Thus this individual self remains ever perfect.

(Isha Upanishad)

Welcome

To those of you who are with us for the first time, welcome to the latest issue of Dharma Journal. The purpose of this electronic newsletter is threefold: 1) to inform our members and friends about news and upcoming events sponsored by the Sanatana Dharma Student Association; 2) to serve as a way to contact, communicate and work with other organizations and individuals throughout the world who are committed to the ideals of Sanatana Dharma; 3) to provide our many subscribers with interesting facts and information about the nature and philosophy of Sanatana Dharma.

 The ancient heritage of Hinduism can only be preserved through the cooperation, unity and commitment of those who hold its truths sacred. Let us all unite in reverence, pride and dedication to Sanatana Dharma. Let us then share the beauty of Dharma with the world. Please forward this newsletter onto your e-mail lists; and if you have a website, please consider carrying our newsletter on your site. Jaya Sanatana Dharma!

Announcements

 There have been many developments with the Sanatana Dharma Student Association over the last month or so. Here are some of them.

1) Dharma Darshan. Frank Morales has launched a new web site containing information about the SDSA, as well as a lot of information about Hinduism generally. Dharma Darshan can be seen at:

 http://www.sit.wisc.edu/~fmorale1/index.htm

This exciting new project can only be successful with the help of people like you, people who care about projecting Hinduism in a positive and appealing way. We need contributions of materials about every and any aspect of Hinduism. If you would like to contribute articles, essays, links, pictures, photos or information about Hinduism to Dharma Darshan, please contact Frank at fmorale1@students.wisc.edu If you have a web site, please consider having a reciprocal link with us.

2) Temple Banquet. The Hindu Temple of Wisconsin will be holding its Second Annual Fund Raising Dinner on Sunday October 18th. It will take place at the Grand Milwaukee Hotel, 4747 South Howell Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Frank Morales, the SDSA's Advisor, will give a talk at this event on the importance of Hindu temples to the future of Hinduism in America. For more information please call Dr. Kumar Iyer (414) 785-0187.

3) Students for Sanatana Dharma. Hindu students at the University of California-Irvine have started their own Hindu organization called Students for Sanatana Dharma (SSD). With 45 students attending their very first meeting, this effort will definitely be another success for the presence of Hinduism in the realm of academia. If you live anywhere in the Southern California area and would like information about either joining the SSD, or about how to start a similar organization at your own school, please contact Dushyant Vishvanathan at: dviswana@ea.oac.uci.edu

 4) Puja. Our weekly Sunday puja is now held at 11:00 a.m. It's still held in Union South. Please join us each Sunday for an hour of rejuvenating calm, learning and fun.

5) Join the Family. If you know anyone who would like to be included on our Dharma Journal list, please feel free to forward their e-mail address (only with their permission, of course!) to us at: fmorale1@students.wisc.edu

6) Sri Lakshmi. Monday, October 5th, is Lakshmi Puja. On this day the feminine aspect of God is celebrated.

7) Divali. Monday, October 19th marks Divali, one of the most widely celebrated holidays in Hinduism. Among many other things, Divali is the Indian New Year. Visit a Hindu temple or association near you and celebrate!

Articles

What the Health Experts DON'T Tell You About Vegetarianism

by
Howard Beckman
(Hamsavatar Das)

  There are so many people today who have realized the health benefits of being a vegetarian. There are wonderful books about diet that no doubt you've already read, or at least heard about. Even medical doctors are propounding giving up meat-eating to reduce cancer and heart disease. We've seen amazing changes in patients with incurable or undiagnosable illnesses for the better when simply switching to a vegetarian diet. I doubt there are many alive today who would refute the health benefits of vegetarianism. We are more concerned about our physical health today than ever, as we see the futility in lifestyles that destroy our bodies. More than ever you will see that people are exercising their bodies and minds to maintain physical and mental health. The fact is when we're really healthy in mind and body we feel happy. Isn't that what it's all about? Feeling happiness? There is no amount of money or material success that will buy it. Vegetarians feel better, and live longer and less stressful lives. This amounts to more peace of mind and body. There is less disease and premature aging, as well.

  What is the further meaning of vegetarianism, though? We understand from the sages of ancient Vedic times in India that vegetarianism was a prerequisite for being eligible to learn from a bona-fide guru of the eternal spiritual side of life. There is actually a verse in the Puranas that says there is a specific part of the brain that can only be used if one is a vegetarian. They said that this part of the brain allowed them to perform physical austerities for advancement in the yoga system without the danger of prematurely leaving the body, or put plainly, so they wouldn't die from not eating or keeping their bodies in one position with a slowed heart rate for so long. These yogis would develop mystic siddhis, or powers, as a byproduct of their spiritual practice. It was not the goal of their austerities and spiritual practice.

  So there must be a very real and important reason, spiritually, for not eating meat. That reason is nonviolence. The commandment "Thou shalt not kill" does not mean only people. We have no right to take the lives of poor innocent creatures for the satisfaction of our palate. There is no one in this part of the world who could make an argument that there are not enough other foodstuffs. We have an abundance of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, beans, spices, even the milk of cows and goats. We are talking spiritually, now. It is not necessary to kill them for milk. They give it gladly and freely. In India the cow is considered one of the sacred mothers of the human race. The reason is because of nurturing us with her milk. In India dozens of products and dishes are made with milk products that delight even the most discriminating palate. So why should we kill poor animals for food unnecessarily? It is a crime, and degrades the whole of human society.

  When one realizes that he, or she, is actually a spirit soul, inhabiting this body for a short time, he thus realizes that all living entities are spirit souls, inhabiting different bodies. It is said that there are 8,400,00 species of life in the material world. There are many variations within the lower of the species, as well. Most of us have taken countless births before this one. You only identify yourself as John, Robert, Mary, George, Rajiv, Mustaffa, or whatever, due to your identifying with this incarnation. Actually you are not the person you call yourself. You are not your body. When the body ends, you will still exist. In the Bhagavad-Gita it says, "Never was there a time when you and I did not exist, nor all these kings". We are eternal sentient beings. These bodies are only temporary manifestations. When the body is old and can no longer be used, you will cast it off like an old shirt, leaving it ,ultimately, to take a new one. So in reality animals are also our brothers. It is our duty to protect those that need protection, not slaughter them. When one respects all life, then it is possible to find out the real meaning of life.

  As long as one is in the illusion that love is meant only for human beings, then there will be no realization of love at all. And that's the most important lesson to be learned in life. If you learn how to feel love, to give love, to receive love, you will become happier than you knew was possible. We human beings are meant to rule the earth, yes, but with love, not violence. Violence has it's place only because there is a lack of spiritual realization among the masses. With a spiritual awakening we can change the world to bring peace and love where before there existed war and hatred. Vegetarianism is of the most important of the true tenets of all forms of spirituality. God has many names, forms, and attributes. God is worshipped in different ways in different places by different peoples. We can see the differences and we can see the similarities. The constant similarity is the teaching of love. How can you love if you are engaged in violence? Think about it! This was the hidden secret of all advanced ancient civilizations that endured for any length of time. It shall in the future be known as the hidden secret that saved all human society in future centuries from destruction. Remember, this life is not all there is. You'll be back.

  Howard Beckman (Hamsavatar das)
 Vedic Cultural Fellowship
http://www.vedastro.demon.co.uk

***

Article II

(This article was first published in a previous summer issue of Dharma Jounal. The response to it was immense and very favorable. We therefore decided to republish it in order to share it with those who could not access their e-mail during the summer. Additionally, the author has revised and added material that was not in the previous edition)

The Post Secular Age

by
Frank Morales

  The last two centuries have been a conspicuously unique era in the history of the human race. For, unlike any other epoch in our history, the last 200 years have witnessed the systematic and seemingly unstoppable deconstruction of religion as an important element of Western society. So successful has the exorcism of religion from public life been, that many 20th Century American scholars went so far as to pronounce the imminent death of religion in our age.

 As is becoming increasingly apparent, however, religion's obituary may have been written somewhat prematurely. The latter part of the twentieth century is witnessing one of the greatest world wide religious resurgences ever recorded in the annals of human history. And America has not been immune to this trend. Rather than ushering in a new secular age, an age free of the influence of religion, spirituality and contemplation, the evidence seems to indicate that we are actually entering a Post Secular Age: an age wherein religion will necessarily fill up the vacuum created by the failure of twentieth-century secularism.

  The idea that religion would meet its eventual demise (and, according to some, should meet its demise) had been espoused by a large number of Western intellectuals in the last two centuries. Perhaps the most famous of these individuals were, what Christian theologian Martin Marty termed, ãThe Bearded God-Killersä (National Public Radio, 1996). These primarily nineteenth century figures included: Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud. Equating all human religious expression with an enslaving opiate designed to keep the proletariat in psychic chains, Karl Marx predicted both the inevitable death of religion and the subsequent emergence of a new atheistic world order. Similarly, Freud saw in religion the greatest threat to humanity'ssocial and psychic development. Indeed, to Freud religion and philosophy represented no more than a ã...black tide of mud...ä, designed solely to keep humanity enslaved in the chains of superstition (Ernest Becker, Denial of Death, p. 94). Overt atheists were not the only individuals to pronounce the imminent end of religion.

  Quite a few Judeo-Christian theologians also felt that secularism would ultimately triumph over the human religious impulse. Among these religious leaders were several who felt that the inevitable secularization of the world merely represented a coming of age for homo religiosus (religious man). Included among these were Harvey Cox (author of ãThe Secular Cityä) and Bishop John Robinson (who wrote ãHonest to Godä). Succumbing wholesale to the seemingly unstoppable secular tide seen in twentieth century history, some Christian theologians went so far as to declare the death of God in the early 1960's. If God is indeed dead, however, such ongoing phenomena as the belief in the importance of the spiritual dimension of human life and the search for God seem to be very far from it.

  As we approach the beginning of the 21st Century, it appears that religion has made a powerful comeback onto the world stage. Throughout the Third-World, nation upon nation is rejecting the current Western materialistic paradigm. Nations that were traditionally Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist and Jewish are rediscovering their ancient religious heritage and turning to these time-tested spiritual world-views for answers to today's many social, political, economic and ethical dilemmas - dilemmas, many of which were created directly as a result of the failures of secular materialism. Indigenous peoples - peoples ranging from the aborigines of Australia to the many hundreds of Native American tribes in North and South America - are reconnecting with their own, long oppressed, spiritually-based cultures: cultures which have proven themselves to be gentler, saner, and more Earth-centered spiritual outlooks than anything secularmaterialism had to offer. Moreover, with the failure and consequent collapse of Marxist regimes in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, the people of this region of the world have expressed an unprecedented resurgence of interest in more religious ways of life. Indeed, in today's Russia, two of the fastest growing philosophies of life are Hinduism and Buddhism.

 This world-wide rediscovery of the importance of religion has also had a dramatic impact on the American scene. There are several recent trends in American culture which readily reveal this fact. One of these trends has been the explosive popularity of the New Age movement in recent years. As a movement deeply grounded in the belief that personal spiritual development is essential to social and political change, New Age thought has had a deeply penetrating influence on the American public. The rebirth of interest in religion is seen on the popular stage by the amazing number of books with spiritual themes that have become run-away best sellers. These include the works of Deepak Chopra, Bernie Siegal, Thomas Moore and Marianne Williamson.

  Coupled with the success of New Age spirituality has been the growing popularity of Asian religions in America. Over the past several decades hundreds of thousands of Americans have joined various Asian religious traditions. Famous actors like Richard Gere and musical performers like Madonna and Sting, among many others, now consider themselves to be practicing Hindus, Buddhists or Taoists. To legions of college students and youth across America, nothing is considered cooler than studying and practicing Hindu and Buddhist philosophy and spirituality. Every major American city has at least several dozen Hindu temples and Buddhist meditation centers. Yoga, Tai Chi and meditation are spiritual techniques which are now practiced by millions of average, middle class Americans.

  The recent religious resurgence in America is effecting society not only on a more popular level, but within the realm of academia as well . The latter phenomenon is evidenced by the recent successes of overtly religious scholars in philosophy departments across the land. Such philosophers of religion as Alvin Plantinga and Keith Yandell have begun to make tremendous inroads into an area which, until recently, was almost the exclusive domain of Humean skeptics.

 On a more ominous note, the new religious resurgence in America has also included a rise in Evangelical Fundamentalism. This new evangelical revival has taken on increasingly political tones in recent years. Beginning with such individuals as Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell in the late 1970's, conservative Christian activists began to take their theological opinions into the partisan political realm. Through supporting politicians and ballot initiatives viewed as being pro-family values, Evangelicals have made their views forcefully known and implemented throughout the nation. The success and acceptability of Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition in the Republican Party reveals to us that this is a movement that is immensely powerful and that is here to stay.

  That religion, both in America and throughout the world, is becoming anincreasingly important factor is well established knowledge. Let us now explore some of the possible reasons for this fact. One reason is certainly the dramatic failure of the most powerful anti-religious ideology in human history: Marxism. First presented as a rational, scientific and humanistic alternative to religion, the fall of Communism in Europe in 1989 revealed Marxism to be a more repressive, inhumane and destructive system than any religion had ever been. As only one of many examples of the failure of Marxism we have the example of Cambodia. A peaceful and beautiful Buddhist nation previous to the Marxist Khmer Rouge shooting their way to power in 1975, Marxist rule led to the genocide of at least 1.5 million of Cambodia's inhabitants - over an eighth of the population - over a three year period. Interestingly, Marxists and secularists throughout our century had repeatedly accused religion of being responsible for all of humanity's many historic sufferings and injustices. As we now know, however, more human beings have been persecuted, murdered, tortured and dehumanized by Marxism in our century alone than have been harmed by all of the world's many religions combined since the beginnings of human history.

 Indeed, it could be argued that the failure of secularism, as a whole, is responsible for the new religious renaissance now being experienced globally. The omnipresent human need for meaning simply could not be adequately addressed by the cold, impersonal institutions and ideologies of secularism. Consequently, we are now witnessing an increasing worldwide reaction against all forms of Western materialism - both Marxist and capitalist. America, as we have seen, has been far from immune from this rather dramatic global shift.

  Some might argue that it is still somewhat premature to proclaim the advent of a new religious era for humanity. However, the data reveals that there is definitely a current global shift away from institutions and philosophies which have urged the abandonment of the human spirit. Additionally, the currently ongoing rediscovery of humankind's many diverse spiritual traditions reveal to all impartial observers that we are at present experiencing nothing less than the beginning of a Post Secular Age. It is quite apparent that those scholars who earlier this century had predicted - and in some cases, even looked forward to - the death of religion were exceedingly mistaken. Rather than being on the verge of extinction, as we approach the second Millennium, the natural phenomenon of human religious expression seems to have been born anew.