WORLD ALLIANCE OF RELIGIONS

A VAISHNAVA SPIRITUAL MASTER IN WORLD 
ALLIANCE OF RELIGIONS FOR PEACE SUMMIT

http://warpsummit2014.org - Last week, from 17 to 18 September 2014, a Vaishnava spiritual master, Srila Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti, direct disciple of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, participated in The World Alliance of Religions’ Peace Summit (“WARP Summit”), which was held in Seoul, South Korea. This event was hosted by Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (“HWPL”), and its two subsidiary organisations, the International Women’s Peace Group (“IWPG”), and the International Peace Youth Group (“IPYG”). 
The WARP Summit was first and foremost a meeting held between different leaders of the world, including prominent figures in both secular and spiritual sectors of society, in order to discuss and share insights on how to achieve world peace. The summit was being organised in the hopes of creating a platform for dialogue between community leaders on national, cultural, spiritual, and ethnic levels.

Such dialogue will pave the way to the creation of a universally applicable value system, reflected and implemented across all perceived social boundaries through an international law designed to eliminate war-activity from our world. In order to achieve this goal, the summit had two focal points. 
First, it took place the discussion and signing of an agreement for cooperation between leaders of essentially secular communities (countries, cultural, and ethnic groups).  Secondly, there were a discussion with religious leaders regarding the ways in which to align the fundamental value systems of each represented religious teaching such that its doctrines might no longer be used to promote violent behaviour. This unified system of values, applicable to all religious systems, is what HWPL refers to as the World Alliance of Religions, or the unification of religion.

Days ago, a Vaishnava spiritual master, participated in The World Alliance of Religions’ Peace Summit (“WARP Summit”), which was held in Seoul. Srila B. A. Paramadvaiti Swami, founder of the “Vrinda Family”, was invited to go to South Korea in order to join many other religious leaders around the world in this historic event organized by Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light ("HWPL"). This is an international organization, with headquarters in Seoul, Republic of Korea (South Korea), whose mandate it is to see the cessation of wars. It pursues this goal through a number of avenues, namely the International Peace Youth Group ("IPYG"), and the International Women’s Peace Group ("IWPG"). "Without proper and friendly discussion, the social boundaries of ethnicity, culture, nationality, religion, and language will continue to pose a threat to the security of our future, as these differences are easily exploited to encourage violent behaviour." ... "Our work is motivated by a unique vision for peace centering on the establishment of a new and universally applicable set of values. This is the heavenly culture - something which has been promised to man through every religious and ideological ideal, " explains Man Hee Lee, Chairman, of HWPL. Such an alliance of ideologies, which until now have been responsible to an untold number of conflicts, would enable us to leave a legacy of peace and life to future generations instead of the death and war which now besets our world, say the organizers of this global event for peace.  This kind of international meetings for World Peace will help cementing the bonds of unity, harmony and brotherhood. These goals can easily be achieved when we realize that we are all spiritual beings in material bodies, all children of God and we should not be forced to adhere fanatically to religious or ideological restrictions which only make humans to stay away from each other. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Every individual has his peculiar nature distinct form any other. So, obviously individuals will vary in their opinions and tastes and this is quite natural. It is an unnatural thing to attempt forcibly to engage individuals into one fold, faith or particular ideology.  ... So long as people do not understand that they are inseparably connected, and until the activities of the people are God-centered, mere sentimentalism or fictitious ideas will not be able to foster real love amongst individuals. If we know that the infliction of harm to other animate beings is detrimental to our own interest and will bring harm in return, we will not be encouraged to harm any individual, nay even any sentient being of the world. If we can love the Absolute Whole, I mean the Godhead, we cannot have the impetus to injure any of His parts. So, according to me or the teaching of Lord Gauranga, Divine Love is the best solution of all the problems of the world.

Śrīla Bhakti Dayita Madhava Mahārāja :
“Realistic Solution for Diverse Humanity”
Speech at a ‘Spiritual Summit Conference’ - 1968 Calcutta.
http://www.sreecgmath.org/scgmtimes/scgmsbdm.php

Published by dasavatara das - “Vedic Views on World News”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

HAPPY SINDHI NEW YEAR 2014

SINDHI NEW YEAR 2014
CHETI CHAND FESTIVAL

www.funbull.com - Cheti Chand is celebrated as New Year's Day by Sindhis people. According to the Hindu calendar, Cheti Chand is celebrated on the second day of the Chaitra month known as Chet in Sindhi. So it is known as CHET-I-CHAND. IT is one day after Gudi Padwa and Ugadi. The Sindhi community celebrates the festival of Cheti Chand in honour of the birth of Ishtadeva Uderolal, popularly known as Jhulelal, the Patron Saint of the Sindhis. 
This day is considered to be very auspicious and is celebrated with pompous and gaiety. On this day, people worship water – the elixir of life. There is a spirit associated with this festival which raises the hope and expectations along with the New Year. This one is a homely affair and is rich in all traditions and customs.

On this day many Sindhis take Baharana Sahib to nearby River or Lake. Baharana Sahib is a collection of sweets and accessories for a ceremony and consists of Jyot (Oil Lamp), Misiri (Crystal Sugar), Phota (Cardamom), Fal (Fruits), and Akha. Behind is Kalsh (Water jar) and a Nariyal (Coconut) in it, covered with cloth, phool (flowers) and patta (leaves). There is also a Murti (Idol) of Pujya Jhulelal Devta. Followers of Jhulelal observe Chaliho Sahab. It suggests that for forty long days and nights they underwent rituals and vigil on the bank of Sindhu. 
They did not shave, nor did they wear new clothes or shoes. They did not use soap or oil or any opulent thing. They just washed their clothes, dried them and wore them again. In the evening, they worshipped God Varun, sang songs in his praise and prayed for their solace and salvation. After 40 days of Chaaliho, the followers of Jhulelal celebrate the occasion with festivity as 'Thanksgiving Day' even till today.

Cheti Chand is the Sindhi New Year Day celebrated on the second day of Cheti month (Chaitra month). This year Cheti Chand falls on Tuesday April 01, 2014. It is the birthday’s commemoration of the Sindhi patron saint Jhulelal. This festival is to give honor the birth of Water God (Varuna Devata), popularly known as Jhulelal. Sindhis keep their shops and activities closed on this day, even food are not cooked at the home, and they gathered at Jhulelal Temple, where after a session of singing, the worship of Jhulelal is made and the procession of Baharana begins. Although the Indian National Calendar is the official calendar for the Hindus, as we have explained many times, regional variants still prevail. As a result, Hindus have a host of New Year festivities that are unique to the particular regions on this vast country. This is one significant characteristic of the Indian cultural mélange, and hence, Hindus in various states of India celebrate the New Year in their own ways. And as we have said before, the ancient spirit of India is to tolerate, accept and harmonize in order to achieve unity in diversity; therefore Indian people respect all regional festivals and religious celebrations. So, our greetings to the Sindhi community for this Hindu New Year (Cheti Chand), and along with them we say in the native Sindhi Language “Cheti Chand jyon Lakh Lakh Wadayun Athav”, which means lakhs of wishes for Happy Cheti Chand! (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

A pertinent question is often raised as to what Hinduism has to offer in regard to the emerging concepts of interfaith. Hinduism may be considered as a living link between the ancient tribal system and the organized religions of the later periods. The ancient concept of Mother Earth is also the basic Vedic theme. Reverence of nature, Earth, sun, planets, rivers, and all the cosmos are the heritage of the Hindu philosophy. The reverence to nature is then extended to family. A unified vision of the world as one family has been ingrained as Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Hindu sages have always considered different religions as divergent aspects of the same truth. The sages of the modern era, too, have repeatedly prompted us to create a liaison between the East and the West, to achieve the best possible results without compromising the essential and basic principles.

Dr. Hiro Badlani :
“Hinduism - Path of the Ancient Wisdom”
Chapter 55 - “Hinduism and Interfaith”
“The Future Trends in Our World”
http://hinduismpath.com/
http://hinduismpath.com/book-contents/chapter-55

Published by dasavatara das - “Vedic Views on World News”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

15th INTERNATIONAL YOGA FESTIVAL

ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL YOGA FESTIVAL

PARMARTH NIKETAN, RISHIKESH, INDIA

www.channelnewsasia.com - Along this current week - March 1st to 7th - has taken place the annual International Yoga Festival which is organized by Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, India. This International Yoga Festival is grounded in the authentic origin of Yoga. Participants can practise and learn from masters from the Traditional Yoga Lineages from India, as well as masters of International well known yoga schools & styles. 
During this one-week Festival, attendants have the opportunity to participate in over 60 hours of Yoga classes from world-class Yoga teachers practicing multiple styles of Yoga including Kundalini Yoga, Power Vinyasa Yoga, Iyengar Yoga and Kriya Yoga.

The participants were also blessed with the presence, satsang and divine words of revered saints and spiritual masters from within India, including H.H. Pujya Shankaracharya Swami Divyanand Teerthji, H.H. Pujya Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji, H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, H.H. Radhanath Swamiji and H.H. Pujya Mooji. Yoga is not merely for our bodies, but rather Yoga is for our bodies, minds, hearts and souls. Yoga literally means "Union" - union of breath with the body, union of the mind with the muscles, and most importantly union of the self with the divine. 
Yoga is not a religion. It does not require you to believe in a certain God or chant certain mantras. Yoga is an ancient science which leads to health in the body, peace in the mind, joy in the heart, and liberation of the soul.

At the 15th annual, world famous International Yoga Festival at Parmarth Niketan, nearly 600 participants from 50 countries have come to take part in courses and classes given by more than 50 world renowned yoga experts. Revered Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, the President of Parmarth Niketan Ashram, founder of Ganga Action Parivar and co-founder of the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance welcomed all the visitors. Among the highly respected personalities we can mention, Respected Shri Sushil Kumar Shindeji, the Honourable Home Minister of India, Respected Shri Harish Rawatji the Honourable Chief Minister of Uttarakhand; Revered Swami Madhavpriyadasji; Revered Radhanath Swami, - who heads the ISKCON Temple in Mumbai; Revered Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Swami Maharaja - founder of the Vrinda Mission; Respected Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati dd from Rishikesh; some famous musicians such as Vayasaki Prabhu and Drummer Sivamani; renowned meditation experts such as Jack Kornfield and Trudy Goodman and more than 50 yogacharyas from 16 countries. Addressing the huge audience, Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji said: “The International Yoga Festival is not only a festival OF yoga, but the festival itself IS 'yoga,' a union of North and South, East and West, a union of countries, cultures, creeds and colors, coming together to imbibe the divine nectar of Yoga on the banks of Mother Ganga and the sacred Himalayas.” If we are able to put God at the center of our efforts and spiritual pursuits we will be offering to the materialistic world the real and concrete evidence that the path of Yoga is the solution to the suffering humanity and that it is possible to act as supportive and loving  humans beings, who considered themselves brothers and sisters and sons and daughters of the Supreme Father. If we focus on God's love, and we ignore our envies, jealousies and vanities, we will be able to walk the various paths of Yoga seeing the practitioners of other sampradayas and schools of Yoga as members of a large family and we can live together in diversity without losing the unity among all. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

On the 4th Day of International Yoga Festival, the morning began with Ashtanga Series of yoga taught by yoga-teacher to the celebrities Deepika Mehta from Mumbai; Movement, Flow & Transformation with Roberto Milletti of Italy, meditation with Maa Gyan Suveera, Lila Sun Salutations by Erica Kaufman, and Sukshma Yoga taught by Swami Yogananda. The spiritual lecture series included discourses by Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati on “A Divine Balance - from Stress Management to Self Management” and “Rewire your Consciousness with Mantra & meditation: A Talk & Guided Mantra Meditation” by Chandresh Bhardwaj. … Sadhviji explained that “The problems in our lives are caused by the artificial borders we erect between different aspects of our lives - this is my spiritual time, this is my work time, this is my family time. Then we try to 'balance' those aspects and it leads us into stress management classes or onto anti-anxiety medicine. When we realize, instead, that everything is our spiritual life - whatever we do, wherever we go, whomever we're with - it's all part of the sadhana of seeing the Divine in everything, it's all a sadhana in love, peace, presence and true, divine union, then the stress disappears, the depression disappears and the Self appears.”

15th International Yoga Festival
Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh (Himalayas), India.
Report Day 4 & 5
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.375412182601741.1073741837.348769688599324&type=1
www.internationalyogafestival.com

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

SECOND WORLD HINDU SUMMIT (WHS)

WHS - HARMONY AND TOLERANCE
DOMINATED BALI HINDU SUMMIT

- As many as 500 Hindu leaders and scholars from more than 21 countries called for enhancing tolerance during the Second World Hindu Summit (WHS), held in Bali last month. “We happily announce to the world that harmony and tolerance shall prevail and that acceptance is the basic principle of our relationship, with our brothers of same faith or with our brothers of the different faiths. Hindu believes in one world, one God Supreme, and one World Family. There are no boundaries or borders in Hindu Dharma. We are all one, we share the same fate and destiny,” the summit declaration said. A similar tone was expressed by the newly elected president of the World Hindu Parisad, Ida Pedanda Gede Ketut Sebali Tianyar Arimbawa.

Tianyar Arimbawa called on Hindus to enhance tolerance. “We are calling for all Hindu devotees to always be respectful to each other and accepting of different faiths,” the Hindu high priest said. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono addressed the assembled leaders in a speech to the opening ceremony of the 35th Bali Arts Festival, attended by WHS participants. “I urge Hindu devotees from all around the world to always embody a harmonious and peaceful life,” he said. 
He also urged Indonesians across the archipelago to maintain tolerance. “We should firmly refuse any forms of violence committed in the name of a specific religion or identity because that is simply not consistent with our values and character as a nation that respects pluralism,” he said, stressing the nation's motto of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity).

The Second World Hindu Summit held in Bali last month discussed many contemporary issues including tolerance, the environment, health, science, human rights, and globalisation. Summit participants discussed increasing cases of intolerance around the world, and this is a crucial issue because tolerance is the key for creating a peaceful life. Lack of tolerance makes us sectarian and that spirit - that makes us support only the religious group which we belong to and motivates us to forcibly convert others to our belief - only has brought turmoil and unrest in the world. Instead of criticizing and being intolerant of others, why not glorify their values and strengths? (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Guru Maharaj, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Maharaj. His behavior is the absolute example of a Vaishnava. Of a Vaishnava's nature, there are four main qualities. First quality is humility. His humility was excellent. No one can compare with him. He is an example of humility. For that reason other Vaishnava were attracted to him. It would always be a nice connection. And then his tolerance. Amongst the Vaishnavas communities, societies, there are so many problems. But he was not one of these problems; he never engaged in discord. He was always in his mood, his divine mood. He felt it this tolerance. He never criticized any soul, no one at all. I never heard any criticism to others. Instead of criticism his nature was to glorify. He made a habit of glorifying the devotees.

Śrīla Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Mahārāja :
Interview on 20 May 2001 
Interviewed by Gourapriya Das (RVN)
Translated by Anuradha Dasi
http://bvml.net/SBBBM/index.htm
Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math - http://www.gopinathmath.com/

Published by dasavatara das - “Vedic Views on World News”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

PROMOTING PEACE AND TOLERANCE AMONG RELIGIONS

RELIGIOUS LEADERS GATHER TO
PROMOTE TOLERANCE, UNDERSTANDING

www.mywesttexas.com - In an effort to promote peace and tolerance, leaders from different religious backgrounds met last month in Midland, Texas, USA for an interfaith discussion. St. Nicholas' Episcopal Church played host to leaders of the Baptist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Mormon faiths, and more than a hundred listeners. All of the religious leaders explained about their faith and what role it plays in the day-to-day lives of people all over the world. 
The Muslim faith was represented on stage by Imam Wazir Ali, of Houston.  "It was the plan of God that the world is a pluralistic place," said the iman Ali. "What he wants us to do instead of looking at pluralism and diversity as a problem, is look at it as an opportunity to benefit from the genius of other human beings and other cultures." 

The leaders spoke about how the different faiths can co-exist peaceably in today's world to complex issues such as what each religion teaches about death, resurrection and an afterlife. Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, of Kauai's Hindu Monastery, explained that his faith does not teach about resurrection. The resurrection is such a foreign concept in the Hindu faith that he took time to explain the basis of it to people in the audience who might not recognize the term or know its meaning.
"This idea of the resurrection is focused on what's going to happen to the body, ... where the Hindu idea is focused on not the body, but the soul," he said. Also participating in the discussion were the Rev. Randel Everett, of First Baptist Church; Rabbi Holy Levin Cohn, of Temple Beth El in Odessa; and Jerry Zant, stake president of the Odessa Texas Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Much of the messages - from all religions - had tones of tolerance, love, acceptance and harmony. Despite differing views on the specifics, all leaders seemed in agreement on the existence of a higher power and that power's desire for humans to live peacefully and in harmony, always caring for the needs of others. The most important thing that comes from the annual Interfaith Event is the effort for “sharing of knowledge and ideas, a quest for the truth,” said Adam Syed, a member of the Muslim Association of West Texas. We should encourage tolerance and reduce misconceptions of unfamiliar religions and traditions.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

A sense of common interest can be fostered among individuals, if they know that they are inter-connected, are parts of one Organic System and are the sons and daughters of one Father.  Here is the task of all religions; to teach people that all beings of the world are closely inter-related.   Although steadfastness or firm belief in God (Nistha) according to some particular faith and eligibility of the individual is congenial for healthy spiritual growth of every individual, religious bigotry which begets enmity is condemnable, as it is against the real interest of the individual and society.  Real religion teaches love for one another.

Śrīla Bhakti Dayita Madhava Mahārāja :
“Realistic Solution for Diverse Humanity”
Speech at a ‘Spiritual Summit Conference’ - 1968 Calcutta.
Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math -  http://www.sreecgmath.org/scgmtimes/scgmsbdm.php

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

HAPPY EASTER AND PASSOVER!

RITUALS LIKE EASTER, PASSOVER
MODERN MEANING TO ANCIENT BELIEFS

www.deseretnews.com - Millions of Christians and Jews around the world this week have been performing their respective rituals surrounding Easter and Passover. In America, surveys show fewer people may attend Easter services Sunday and fewer Jews may incorporate the religious aspects of Passover than in years past. But religion scholars say those who don't participate in religious ritual are missing out on part of the human story, and that those who do participate can find modern relevance in sacred events that happened thousands of years ago. 
Much of the ritual that took place for Christians this past week on Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday and Good Friday was developed to "make alive something which otherwise would just be on the printed page," said Larry Cunningham, a retired professor of theology at Notre Dame University.

But the liturgy and ritual gestures during weekly worship and the services leading up to and including Easter still bring the story to life for an academic like Cunningham. He enjoys how the liturgy expresses different moods and tones from the triumph expressed on Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus Christ's entry into Jerusalem, to the sorrow and lament on Good Friday, when Jesus is crucified. "Then mass on Easter Sunday is an expression joy and rebirth" in celebration of the resurrection of the Lord, he said. But a decreasing number of people will have experienced the emotional liturgy of Holy Week and Easter this year. 
A March survey for the Catholic Knights of Columbus showed 58 % of Americans plan to attend church on Easter Sunday, down from 63 % in 2009. Another survey by LifeWay Research found 41 % of Americans plan to attend an Easter service, while 58 % of those who identified as Christians said they would be in church on Easter.

This year, Christian Easter and Jewish Passover, despite being reckoned by different calendars, coincide in the same week; as they did at the start, when Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover seder - ritual meals conducted in Jewish homes to commemorate the exodus of Hebrew slaves from Egypt - and the events of the Passion of Christ unfolded. Matthew Brown, author of the article, says that "Millions of Christians and Jews around the world this week have been performing their respective rituals surrounding Easter and Passover, carrying on traditions developed over centuries that religion scholars say still carry meaning today." We should realize that all of these legends, traditions,conceptions of God and forms of worship ultimately refer to the same Supreme God. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

When we look around the world, we cannot deny that there are different types of religions, cultures, and traditions. You have Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, or the French culture, British, Irish, and Chinese. These have been established according to time, place, and people. It also makes the world more beautiful and interesting. They all have something to offer. It is not that we need to think that they are foreign or weird. There is meaning behind their traditions and practices. ... When we come to the spiritual platform of recognizing who we are, such differing external principles are very superficial. These varying customs are no longer considered as items of difference between us. ... Therefore, all cultures around the world can work in harmony to make their contribution to the unity of the world. 

Dr Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“Toward World Peace: Seeing the Unity Between Us All”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/toward_world_peace_ebook.htm
http://www.stephen-knapp.com  -  http://www.stephenknapp.info/

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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CHRISTIANS TAKE TO STREETS OVER RIOTS

CHRISTIANS CLASH WITH PAKISTANI 
AFTER HOMES BURNED BY MUSLIM MOB

www.foxnews.com - Hundreds of Christians protesting the burning of their homes by a Muslim mob over alleged blasphemous remarks made against the Islam's Prophet Muhammad clashed with police on Sunday in eastern and southern Pakistan. Around 150 people have been arrested for setting dozens of Christian houses on fire in the eastern city of Lahore after a non-Muslim was accused of making offensive comments about the prophet, police said. 
Christians across the country rallied against the incident, but the main demonstrations were in Lahore, the southern port city of Karachi, the capital, Islamabad, and the adjoining city of Rawalpindi. The Christian demonstrators blocked a main highway in Lahore and police fired tear gas shells to disperse the protesters who demanded assistance from the government. Protesters damaged several vehicles, uprooted a fence along the road and burned an electricity generator.

The police, who used tear gas and batons to disperse the crowd, detained six of the protesters, while seven policemen were injured when the protesters pelted them with stones. In Karachi, more than 1,000 protesters blocked a road in a main market and damaged about 25 vehicles. Some of the protesters also attacked 10 shops and looted valuables and cash. The police beat back the protesters and fired tear gas shells to disperse them. At least two protesters were taken into custody, he said. 
The protests are a response to an incident that began on Friday after a Muslim accused a Christian man of blasphemy - an offense that in Pakistan is punished by life in prison or death. On Saturday, a mob of angry Muslims rampaged through the Christian neighborhood in Lahore, burning about 170 houses. The Christian man is in police custody pending an investigation into the allegations. Those who rioted are being investigated for alleged arson, robbery, theft, and terrorism.

Christians demonstrated in cities around Pakistan to protest after a mob torched more than 100 Christian homes following allegations of blasphemy. More than 3,000 people rampaged through Joseph Colony, a Christian area of Lahore, on Saturday after allegations that a Christian had made derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) three days earlier. Around 300 Christian protesters have been arrested, police said, for pelting them with stones and damaging public property during the protest demonstration. Civil society organizations and human rights activists demand that the now homeless Christian community of Joseph Colony be provided effective protection by the Punjab Government, along with immediate reconstruction, rehabilitation, relief goods and full compensation for all losses suffered.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

A sense of common interest can be fostered among individuals, if they know that they are inter-connected, are parts of one Organic System and are the sons and daughters of one Father. Here is the task of all religions; to teach people that all beings of the world are closely inter-related.  Although steadfastness or firm belief in God (Nistha) according to some particular faith and eligibility of the individual is congenial for healthy spiritual growth of every individual, religious bigotry which begets enmity is condemnable, as it is against the real interest of the individual and society.  Real religion teaches love for one another.  Lord Śrī Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu propagated the cult of all-embracing Divine Love which brings universal brotherhood on a transcendental plane.

Śrīla Bhakti Dayita Madhava Mahārāja :
“Realistic Solution for Diverse Humanity”
Speech at a ‘Spiritual Summit Conference’ 
1968 Calcutta - Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math -  http://www.sreecgmath.org/scgmtimes/scgmsbdm.php

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

SPIRITUAL ISLAMIC TRADITION: SUFISM

SUFISM: SPIRITUAL ISLAMIC PATH TO
PREACH LOVE, COEXISTENCE AND PEACE

www.eurasiareview.com - Morocco owes its image of a modern Muslim nation to Sufism, a spiritual and tolerant Islamic tradition that goes back to the first generations of Muslims who, for centuries, has supported religious cohesion, social and cultural Moroccan society. Sufism provides answers to some of the most complex problems facing the contemporary Muslim world, where youth comprise the majority of the population. Sufism attracts more young Moroccans because of its tolerance, due to the easy interpretation that gives to the Qur’an, its rejection of fanaticism and its embrace of modernity. 
Sufism balanced lifestyle that allows them to enjoy arts, music and love without having to abandon their spiritual or religious obligations. Sufi orders organize regular gatherings to pray, chant and debate timely topics of social and political, from the protection of the environment and social charity to the fight against drugs and the threat of terrorism. 

In addition, focusing on the universal values that Islam shares with Christianity and Judaism (as the pursuit of happiness, the love of the family, tolerance of racial and religious differences and the promotion of peace) Sufi gatherings inspire young people to engage in interfaith dialogue. Sufis distance themselves from fundamentalists (who see Islam strict and Utopian emulation of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions), with particular emphasis on the adaptation of community concerns and priorities of the modern time. Sufis neither condemn unveiled women nor do they censor the distractions of our time. For them, the difference between virtue and vice is the intent, not appearances. 
People get together to sing Sufi poetry, the primordial essence of the human being, the virtues of simplicity and the healing gifts of Sufi saints such as Sidi Abderrahman Majdub, Sidi Ahmed Tijani, and Sidi Bouabid Charki, spiritual masters revered for having attained spiritual union with God during their earthly lives.

Most Moroccans, young or old, practice one form of Sufism or another. “In addition to Moroccans, thousands of young people in Europe, America and Africa flock to sacred music festivals organized every summer by Sufi movements throughout Morocco, to sing and celebrate their enthusiasm for life and their commitment to the universal values of peace. The scene at these festivals completely refutes the kind of image that extremists seek to convey to Muslim youth. It is this fusion of Sufism and modernity that produces a unique aesthetic experience, which is attractive to Moroccan youth who reject extremism and uphold values of a shared humanity,” explains Said Temsamani, author of this article, who is a Moroccan political observer and consultant. Hinduism can be considered a living link between the ancient teachings of Islamic Sufism, Christian Gnosticism and Jewish Kabbalah.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Hindu sages have always considered different religions as divergent aspects of the same truth. The sages of the modern era, too, have repeatedly prompted us to create a liaison between the East and the West, to achieve the best possible results without compromising the essential and basic principles. Hinduism has thus carried forth the tradition of the early tribal religions, when tolerance of other religions was astonishingly high as compared with the organized religions of the later period. ... There is reason to believe that all religions have an internal bonding. Even as there are many differences, there are also amazing similarities. The Kabbalah sect of Judaism, the Sufism of Islam, and the Gnosticism of Christianity share a lot in common with Hinduism. Perhaps there is a divine purpose, both in the diversity and unity of faiths.

Dr. Hiro Badlani :
“Hinduism - Path of the Ancient Wisdom”
Chapter 55: “Hinduism and Interfaith”
“The Future Trends in Our World”
http://hinduismpath.com/
http://hinduismpath.com/book-contents/chapter-55/

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/