NELSON MANDELA DIES AT 95

NELSON MANDELA DIES; FORMER 
PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA WAS 95

- Nelson Mandela, the former political prisoner who became the first president of a post-apartheid South Africa and whose heroic life and towering moral stature made him one of history’s most influential statesmen, died Dec. 5. He was 95. To a country torn apart by racial divisions, Mr. Mandela became its most potent symbol of national unity, using the power of forgiveness and reconciliation to heal deep-rooted wounds and usher in a new era of peace after decades of conflict between blacks and whites. 
To a continent rife with leaders who cling to power for life, Mr. Mandela became a role model for democracy, stepping down from the presidency after one term and holding out the promise of a new Africa. And to a world roiled by war, poverty and oppression, Mr. Mandela became its conscience, fighting to overcome some of its most vexing problems.

He was a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who spent 27 years in prison as part of his lifelong struggle against racial oppression. Throughout this moral and political fight, Mr. Mandela evoked a steely resolve, discipline and quiet dignity, coupled with a trademark big, charismatic smile. He ultimately carried them into office as South Africa’s first democratically elected and black president. His victory capped decades of epic struggle by the African National Congress and other liberation groups against South Africa’s brutal white rulers, first under British colonialism and then under a white-run system called “apartheid,” or racial separation. 
Under Mr. Mandela’s leadership, South Africa slowly began eradicating racism from its legal canon, governmental institutions and school textbooks. A new Constitutional Court was inaugurated in 1995 as the highest court in the land.

Nelson Mandela dies at age 95. In an extraordinary life that spanned the rural hills where he was groomed for tribal leadership, anti-apartheid activism, guerrilla warfare, 27 years of political imprisonment and, ultimately, the South African presidency, Nelson Mandela held a unique leadership cachet that engendered respect and awe in capitals around the globe. The world remembers a great leader who fought to establish equality among human beings. Obviously, the lack of spiritual knowledge is the main cause of the constant competition between individuals, social groups, races and nations to control the wealth, power and prestige. The true platform for social equality and cooperation is not to declare that “we are all equal”, because although from a spiritual vision we all have the same Heavenly Father, in the material world there are many differences. Some have good qualities of life, health, education, intelligence, while others lack even the basic minimum resources to survive. Knowing that the Supersoul ( Paramatma ) is present in every soul and every material body, we must be aware of the true spiritual nature and also help all to achieve an appropriate balance between the material and spiritual life goals. It is not enough to proclaim that we are equal. We must take a step beyond that and accept that differences exist and therefore we are responsible for caring for those with less facilities. True compassion means that anyone who has more qualities or resources has to use them to protect those who do not have and also strive to give the best of all: help others awaken spiritual awareness. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Universal brotherhood is spontaneously manifested in the heart when we know our father and mother. So we find the great saints of great traditions throughout history offering respect, love, and compassion to all living beings. Social equality is only real when it’s actually from the spiritual platform. On the spiritual platform there is total equality because we are not these bodies. We are not black, white or yellow; we are not Indian, Pakistani, American, Russian, African or Chinese; we are not men or women, rich or poor; we are not brahmans, kshatriyas, vaishyas, shudras or untouchables. We understand these to be temporary designations. Through political or philanthropic propaganda, to try to create equality has many limitations. In his famous address at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, Martin Luther King proclaimed, “I have a dream that one day people will be judged, not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” He was a religious man.

Śrīla Radhanath Swami Mahārāja :
“Is it possible to achieve social equality through bhakti?”
http://leadershipandspirituality.com/
http://www.radhanath-swami.info/
http://www.radhanathswamionline.com/

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

UK ANNOUNCES CONSULTATION OF CASTE DISCRIMINATION LEGISLATION

TORY MINISTER BACKS OFF PLEDGE
TO END CASTE DISCRIMINATION

www.independent.co.uk - Landmark legislation to ban caste discrimination in Britain is being deliberately thwarted by the Conservative equalities ministers in charge of getting it on the statute book, a leaked document indicates. Discrimination on the basis of caste was outlawed in April as part of the Equality Act, after Business Secretary Vince Cable secured a last-minute amendment. 
The Act was supposed to mean the estimated 400,000 Dalits - so-called untouchables - who live in the UK would have legal protection from discrimination by other Hindus. The issue of caste discrimination divided the Coalition, with Liberal Democrats supporting the addition to the legislation and Conservatives opposed.

Equalities minister Helen Grant in a letter to the Hindu groups opposed to the legislation urges them to submit evidence against the law to an ongoing consultation “as we remain convinced” legislation is unnecessary. Liberal Democrat Lord Avebury said: “It's entirely improper that the minister who's supposed to be implementing the legislation - and initiating the consultation - is making it clear she's opposed to the whole process.” 
Meena Varma, director of the Dalit Solidarity Network UK, said: “Until this legislation is passed, the thousands of Dalits who say they are discriminated against will have no recourse to justice. Grant's tactic seems to be to kick the whole thing into the long grass until five years have passed and the Government can scrap the legislation.”

The UK Government has just published their long anticipated timetable for its consultation and implementation of caste discrimination legislation under Equality Act 2010. Hinduism - Sanatana Dharma - is like a Banyan tree which gives shade to all. Birth-based discrimination and heartless treatment of individuals and group of people which was developed in Hindu society with the passage of time as socially sanctioned practices, are in grievous violation of old Vedic teachings and philosophy. There are professional inclinations and innate tendencies, but Scripture does not support the caste system by birth. The Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya within the broad Hindu family of faiths, unequivocally opposes a birth-based caste system, and strongly condemns the use of such a system to discriminate against any person or group, and firmly believe that no one should be denied any kind of opportunity on the basis of his or her birth or caste or race. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Real advanced persons will never complicate their minds with social and caste distinction. This is merely a system people get attached to who have no qualifications, but want to claim a superior position over others in the name of birth. What is the use of having a big prestigious name when your qualities don’t support it? Those who are truly self-realized will never submit to this false claim, but rather defy and challenge those people who are trying to create trouble in society by this type of caste consciousness. ... Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur was responding to a challenge of the smarta-brahmanas regarding how somebody can become a brahmana. ... He cited all the qualifications and all the quotes from the scriptures to prove it. Then all of them understood they had been very expertly defeated and realized that what they had believed about things like caste distinction and birth rights was not true.

Śrīla Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Mahārāja :
“Sato Vritteh”
(Following in the Footsteps of Previous Acaryas)
“Qualifications for Mercy”
http://vrinda.vaisnava.hu/officebap/satto-english.pdf
http://www.vedic-wisdom.org/

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

REPORT DRAWS ATTENTION TO HINDU HATE CRIMES

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS
VIOLATIONS DIRECTED AT HINDUS

www.religionnews.com - Last month, with the release of their ninth annual report, members of the Hindu American Foundation are pushing policymakers to take action against international human rights violations directed at Hindus. The four countries the report categorized as egregious violators - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Pakistan - are all Muslim-majority countries. Samir Kalra, author of the report, titled “Hindus in South Asia and the Diaspora: A Survey of Human Rights” said the foundation included countries in which the plight of Hindus is largely overlooked. The impact of the report, he said, is twofold: It gives a voice to Hindu minorities and educates officials in the U.S. and worldwide.

The 2012 report cites Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Indian state of Jammu as countries of serious concern, while Fiji, Saudi Arabia and Trinidad and Tobago as countries where conditions for Hindus have improved. Kalra said the problem is that many of these nations sanction discrimination, creating “an atmosphere of intolerance at the top, which trickles down.” Kalra said he’s concerned the U.S. government hasn’t taken more notice of this persecution, adding that human rights often take a back seat to geopolitical issues. But he hopes the foundation’s report works to create a link between the two issues. Kalra, who urged members of Congress to sign the recommendation, said it is important that the FBI track these numbers so the issues behind these incidents can be addressed.

“When you hear about Hindus targeted for wearing a ‘bindi’ or ’tilak’ or Sikh boys and men living in fear of attack simply because they wear a turban, it’s time to say enough is enough and take action. Groups from India aren’t the only ones targeted for their faith, but I can tell you the Indian-American community is deeply disturbed by what is going on,” said Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y.  Hindu American Seva Communities (HASC) has repeatedly expressed concern over xenophobia against Hindus, as well as Muslims and Sikhs. The FBI’s Advisory Policy Board is scheduled to discuss a congressional recommendation to update its Hate Crime Statistics Act.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

People who show their love for their own religion by hating all others will spiritually stagnate and cause disharmony and quarrels between those of their religion and those of others. Someone may be a kind, generous, and devout person amongst those of his own culture, while ready to howl, insult, hate, and do injury to those of another. This is love of the lowest level, similar to the way a dog may love its master and will show it by snarling at anyone else. Only those individuals and dry forms of religion that are bereft of real spiritual knowledge look at all others with hate and suspicion. Only when one’s consciousness becomes mature does this form of fanaticism or immature enthusiasm subside. Then real love and respect for all will naturally emanate from that person.

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”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

HISPANIC EMPLOYEES SUE TARGET FOR DISCRIMINATION

TARGET SAYS SORRY FOR 'MULTI-CULTURAL'
TIPS USED IN NORTHERN CALIF. WAREHOUSE

www.bbc.co.uk - After three Target employees sued the company for discrimination, including the distribution of “multi-cultural tips” noting the “differences among Hispanic employees,” the company says it never meant to offend. The three employees who filed suit, Robert Gonzalez, 58, Bulmaro Fabian, 58, and Pedro Garcia-Ayala, 36, worked at a Target Distribution Warehouse in Woodland, Calif., about 15 miles northwest of Sacramento. 
The three men are of Mexican descent, according to the lawsuit, and were employed as warehouse workers “in manual labor positions, while Caucasian employees held nearly all management positions.” Ilija Cvetich, the attorney for the plaintiffs, declined to comment on behalf of his clients.

The three men seek unspecified punitive damages for harassment, failure to prevent harassment, age and race discrimination and retaliation. According to the suit, “The Caucasian Target managers regularly used racial slurs while addressing plaintiffs and other Hispanic employees on the warehouse floor, including, but not limited to: “You got to be Mexican to work like this.” - “What the hell, I'm already sweating like a Mexican.” - “Only a Mexican can work this hard,” and “Only a 'wet-back' can work this hard.” 
They also allege the company provided its distribution warehouse managers with a four-page document that describes “demographics of the Hispanic community” and their “cultural differences,” according to an exhibit in the lawsuit.

Three former Hispanic employees are suing Target Corp. for discrimination and retaliation, citing a training document reminding managers that not all Hispanics eat tacos and burritos, dance to salsa or wear sombreros. The lawsuit alleges that Caucasian managers at a warehouse in Woodland regularly used racial slurs when addressing Hispanic workers. It cites a document featuring common stereotypes and tips on how to manage Hispanic workers. A Target spokeswoman wouldn't comment on the lawsuit itself but says the company was sorry for the content of the document. This whole world does not belong only to certain race of people but to human society at large. Actually, we are all guests on this planet because everything belongs to the Supreme Being.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

As previously explained, in the materialistic state of consciousness one thinks, “I am an American or Russian, Catholic or Protestant, white or black. I am loyal to my country and countrymen. I work for my homeland. Everyone else is different.” This type of consciousness is established in the individual to the degree to which he or she is in the bodily concept of life. The bodily concept of life, thinking one is the body, means to focus on these designations. But real life, seeing beyond the illusion that we are only bodies, is to be without designations. When we realize that we are all spiritual beings, that our souls are all the same in nature, character, quality and identity, then we will begin reaching a level of reality. This is the only way there can be any real unity between us all.

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”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

EXPLOSION HITS MOSQUE IN CENTRAL DAMASCUS

DAMASCUS MOSQUE BLAST KILLS 42
INCLUDING SENIOR SYRIAN IMAM

www.reuters.com - An explosion at a mosque in the Syrian capital on Thursday killed at least 42 people, including a senior pro-government Muslim cleric, and wounded 84, the Syrian health ministry said. State television and anti-government activists earlier had reported 15 dead. The television said a "terrorist suicide blast" hit the Iman Mosque in central Damascus, and Mohammed al-Buti, imam of the ancient Ummayyad Mosque, was among the dead. 
"The death toll from the suicide bombing of the Iman Mosque in Damascus is 42 martyrs and 84 wounded," the health ministry said later in a statement. While attacks in the capital during Syria's two-year-long rebellion have become almost commonplace, an attack on a mosque was deeply shocking to both sides in the conflict. It was unclear if the explosion was caused by a car bomb or a mortar shell.

Buti, a government-appointed cleric reviled by the Syrian opposition movement, delivered the official weekly Friday mosque sermons on state television. In one of his televised speeches, Buti described those fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad as 'scum'. He also used his position to call on Syrians to join the armed forces and help Assad defeat his rivals in the rebellion. 
Rebel spokesman Loay Maqdad said units associated with the opposition's Free Syrian Army were not behind the attack. "We in the Free Syrian Army do not take any responsibility for this operation. We do not do these types of suicide bombings and we do not target mosques," he told Al Arabiya television. Video released by Syria's al-Ikhbariya channel showed dozens of limp bodies lying on the bloodied carpet of the mosque, as emergency workers rushed in to give survivors first aid. Mangled limbs lay among the wreckage.

A suicide bombing tore through a mosque in the Syrian capital Thursday, killing a top Sunni Muslim preacher and longtime supporter of President Bashar Assad along with at least 41 other people. More than 80 others were wounded. Mohammad Saed Ramadan al-Bouti, 84, a cleric and religious scholar who appeared often on TV, was delivering a religious lecture at al-Eman Mosque in central Damascus' district of al-Mazraa when a suicide bomber detonated himself from inside the mosque. Suicide bombings blamed on Islamic extremists fighting with the rebels have become common in Syria's 2-year-old civil war. It is crucial to avoid sectarian dogmas and opinions and the unholy tendency to commit violence against others.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

There are Eighteen Obstacles in the way of this exquisite consummation of bhava which belongs to Vraja.  ... The Sixth Obstacle has the forms of cruelty and violence. This is the demon Aghasura. It is possible for love to suffer gradual decay by the absence of kindness for all animate beings. This must be so in as much as kindness can never be a different principle from love for Krishna. There is no substantive difference between love for Krishna and kindness to individual souls. ... The Eleventh Obstacle has the form of intra-communal discord.  It is comparable to the wild forest-fire. The disposition bred by narrow sectarianism rendering its victim unable to recognize as Vaishnava one who does to assume the external marks of the theistic community, multiples the obstacles on the path of attainment of the bone fide Guru and the actual companionship of the true devotees.

Śrīla Bhakti Vaibhava Purī Mahārāj:
“Sri Krishna : The Supreme Godhead”
“Chapter 3: The Highest Worship of Sri Krishna”
Bhakti Vigyan Nityananda Book Trust
Śrī Krishna Chaitanya Mission - http://www.purimaharaj.com/

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

PROTECT BANGLADESHI HINDUS, SAYS AMNESTY

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
DENOUNCES ATTACKS ON MINORITIES

www.thehindu.com - Amnesty International has made an urgent appeal to the Bangladesh government to provide its minority better protection. “The Hindu community in Bangladesh is at extreme risk, in particular at such a tense time in the country. It is shocking that they appear to be targeted simply for their religion. The authorities must ensure that they receive the protection they need,” said Abbas Faiz, Amnesty’s Researcher. Survivors told Amnesty that the attackers were from the Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir. 
In the report, ‘Bangladesh: Wave of Violent Attacks Against Hindu Minority’, Amnesty gave the country’s war crimes trial as the context to the violence against the minority. The report said attacks on Hindus and other minorities were often reported from Bangladesh, especially from the far-flung areas.

The latest attack took place on March 6 at Daudkandi in Comilla, where a Hindu temple was vandalised and burnt down. It said on Feb 28 a minority village of Rajganj Bazar in Noakhali was set on fire by the Jamaat supporters. According to Amnesty, Bangladesh’s Hindu minority constitutes only eight per cent of the population and has historically been at risk of violence. They suffered heavily during the 1971 liberation war and again after the 2001 parliamentary elections, when BNP-Jamaat coalition came to power. The rights body urged all political parties to condemn such violence against the Hindu community. 
This week, a popular protest took place in Delhi with residents of Jamia Nagar. They expressed strong condemnation to violent attacks on religious minorities in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Protesters held a candle light vigil and peace march, exhibiting their protest against the killings of Shias and attacks on Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Amnesty International has made an urgent appeal to the Bangladesh government to provide the Hindu community and other minorities better protection. Last Wednesday, Jamia Nagar residents holding placards during a protest peace march at the tomb of Dr. Zakir Hussain near Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi against violent attacks on minority communities in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Holding placards which said “Stop Genocide of Hindus in Pakistan,” “We want Peace,” the peace marchers raised slogans against the government of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Overall, the lack of tolerance towards minorities has increased and the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) has also expressed concern over the cases of violence against Christians in Lahore last week, after an alleged blasphemy row.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

As we look back through history, there have been so many fights and wars between people of different cultures. There have been divisions drawn between Hindus and Muslims, Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Arabs, blacks and whites - the focal points of fierce battles.  In this way, due to some feeling of patriotism to a country, idea, concept, or race, one may think that a certain group of people are “my people,” or “my group or class,” based on the relationship with the body and family and national traditions.  However, as long as there is this feeling that those related to this body are “my kinsmen, my blood relatives, my countrymen,” that everyone else is a foreigner, or inferior, that I do not care for those people; then there cannot be unity or peace in 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"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

MYANMAR FOSTERS PEACE PROCESS

ETHNIC RECONCILIATION
AND PEACE PROCESS IN MYANMAR

www.eurasiareview.com - In a landmark talks between the Myanmar government and the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) held at Chiang Mai on 20 Feb 2013, the government, perhaps for the first time, officially agreed to initiate a political dialogue with the ethnics after six decades of civil war. “This is the beginning. They (ethnic groups) see that a political dialogue must be facilitated in order to solve these problems. But we didn’t manage to make it happen under the previous governments” said Aung Min, the Chief Negotiator, at a press conference after the meeting. 
Till date, the government has entered into ceasefire agreements with 10 armed groups which have only resulted in suspension of hostilities. A full-fledged war is in progress since June 2011 with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) which is the only major group that has not entered into a cease fire agreement.

The last ceasefire agreement with the KIA that lasted for 17 years was broken by the government troops in June 2011. Minor skirmishes still happen with some other groups also on some pretext or the other. The peace committee has always harped on economic development and evaded the issue of political dialogue for the reason that it was beyond the purview of the peace committee and that it is the prerogative of the parliament to initiate the political dialogue. 
The peace process has also gained momentum in the first ever Myanmar Development Co-operation Forum held at Naypyidaw on 20 January 2013 wherein a number of representatives of the International Community met with President Thein Sein to sign an agreement for a smooth process for international aid to flow into Myanmar for the next few years.

The Myanmar government has taken a welcome step to initiate political dialogue with the ethnic groups which has been their main demand. According to C. S. Kuppuswamy, the author of the article, the ethnic groups have also perhaps realised that they have to work on a common agenda despite the differences in their demands and views for achieving their goal. The reaction of the Myanmar armed forces on these developments are yet to be known. The outcome of the present initiative will very much depend upon the cooperation of the armed forces.  We should all leave our sectarian views and expand our vision of things and thus contribute to a more peaceful world than the one we live in. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Though the vocation of each individual is different, everyone’s goal is the same - the attainment of peace. If we ignore the Emperor of Peace and simply devote ourselves to worldly duties or to our work, thinking that peace will come to us through material learning, wealth or riches, then we are destined to fall into the pit of misery. The consequences of this attitude are clear - people are becoming more and more selfishly oriented and thus actually ignoring the interests of their society and country. They have forgotten that the struggle for enjoyment or renunciation is not the essential struggle in life. We achieve real enjoyment by renouncing our own selfish interest in favor of higher purposes like society, country and God.  The real struggle in life is to find a harmonious relationship between enjoyment and renunciation. ... If we do this, we can make our lives successful.

Śrīla Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Mahārāja :
“Sanatan Hindu Dharma - The Way to Harmony”
http://www.gopinathmath.com/book/export/html/53
http://www.gopinathmath.ru/katha/Sanatana%20Hindu%20Dharma%20way%20to%20harmony.pdf

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

LONDON WOMAN ARRESTED FOR RACIST RANT ON TRAIN

LONDON WOMAN CHARGED WITH A
RACIALLY AGGRAVATED PUBLIC OFFENCE

www.dailymail.co.uk - A woman has been charged with a racially aggravated public order offence, after an incident of a woman hurling racist abuse at train passengers was filmed and posted on YouTube. 
British Transport Police (BTP) launched an investigation after being made aware of a YouTube video which shows a woman taunting a group of black passengers. 
Jacqueline Williams, 47, of Slade Green, Kent, was arrested by police last night and is due to appear at Bexley Magistrates' Court this week. 
A woman, who appears to be in her 40s, is recorded saying: “Go home, go home where you belong” ... “You might have been born here, but I bet your grandparents and your great great grandparents weren’t.” ... “Yeah, go home. If yous belonged here you’d be pink-skinned, blonde-haired, blue eyes, green eyes.” ... “Go home the lot of you. You make me sick. It’s why the country’s like it f****** is.” 

And as she steps off the train at her destination, she continues her disgusting racist attack, saying: “F****** monkeys, the lot of you. Go home.” NHS worker Oliver Miller, 24, said his sister Leah, 21, was one of the victims of the rant. He said a woman got off the train at the same stop as Leah - who filmed the YouTube clip on her mobile phone - and continued to abuse her by saying she “walked like a m*****”. 
Oliver, who lives in Lewisham, south-east London with Leah, said: “My sister was working at the time - looking after a lady with learning difficulties - so was in a pretty vulnerable position. She was fuming when she phoned me up afterwards. 'You won't believe what just happened to me!' she said. She sent me the video she had filmed. She said she was on the train when an argument broke out between this woman and some other passengers, who were black.” 
“My sister was pretty upset and angry at what happened,” Oliver adds, “London is our home. Our father is Jamaican, but he's lived here since he was 14, and we were both born here.” 

London authorities have arrested a woman after video of her racially insulting Black passengers on a train was uploaded to YouTube. Jacqueline Williams, a Slade Green Kent native, has been charged with a racially-aggravated public offense order. Oliver Miller, whose sister was insulted by the woman, said “My sister got off the train at Abbey Wood - the same stop as the woman - and she said the woman continued abusing her on the platform. She said the woman kept saying: 'Look, you even walk like a monkey'. What right does this woman have to abuse my sister like that?” The 40-second film clip was posted on YouTube on October 30 and has been viewed by more than 1,100 people. If we think we are superior to others because of differences in our skin color, eyes or hair, we are showing an immeasurable ignorance in spiritual matters and reveals that our ego is drowning in the ocean of vanity and pride.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Racism is a complex of superiority and sometimes of inferiority. It is one of the great illusions of this world, because we are not this material body, ie we are not Chinese, or Germans, or even we are not men nor women, we are all subject to the same laws of the universe. ... The idea of superiority is a tremendous selfishness which souls suffer in the material world. However, the feeling of superiority over others is a reality that occurs in the same group of people, in the same race and even in the same family. To think you are superior is poison from the ego that is born of envy to God, by thinking: “I am the master”, “I am the teacher”, “I am the best.” This is the contamination of many people who often see others as objects to be exploited. The mentality of exploiting others goes against the mentality of being truly human beings. ... The language of the heart, is the most important language in the world, and besides, we just want to have relationships that are really heart to heart, and for this we must abandon pride.

Śrīla Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Mahārāja :
“Vedic Wisdom: The Language of the Heart”
“The Brotherhood of the Races”
http://bhaktipedia.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php
http://bhaktipedia.org/espanol/index.php?n=sabidurias_vedicas.el_lenguaje_del_corazon

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

BURMA SECTARIAN VIOLENCE CONTINUES

BURMA: SECTARIAN VIOLENCE BETWEEN
BUDDHIST RAKHINES AND MUSLIM ROHINGYAS

www.voanews.com - Authorities in Burma say they are working to restore calm to western Rakhine state after a week of sectarian violence left nearly 100 people dead, destroyed thousands of homes and displaced 30,000 people, the vast majority of them Muslim. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has expressed concern the instability could spread. Burma officials on Tuesday said thousands of security officers are trying to restore order in western Rakhine state, following clashes between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims. 
While hundreds of Buddhists were displaced, and dozens of their homes destroyed, more than 27,000 Muslims were pushed out and some 4,000 lost their homes. Entire Muslim villages were burned to the ground. It is still not clear what started the latest round of fighting. Many Rohingya fled the coast of Rakhine state by boat and made their way to crowded camps in the capital Sittwe. 

Satellite photos published by Human Rights Watch showed a Muslim sector in the town of Kyaukpyu levelled by what appeared to be methodical and premeditated arson - more than 600 homes and nearly 200 houseboats were destroyed. The Rohingya, who are Muslim, are not recognized as citizens by the Myanmar government, nor are they are among the 135 official ethnic groups in the country formerly known as Burma. Deeply impoverished and effectively stateless, the Rohingya are viewed by the Buddhist majority as unwelcome immigrants who have crossed over illegally from neighbouring Bangladesh.
“It is very disturbing to see that the conflict has worsened,” Zaw Nay Aung, a democracy activist said. “The Burmese, the majority of whom are Buddhists, are Islamophobic.” He said anti-Islamic pamphlets have lately been circulating in western Myanmar, stirring up fear and anger among the Buddhists there.

Violence has continued this week in western Myanmar, as an apparent campaign of ethnic cleansing is being carried out against the Muslim minority group known as the Rohingya. There have been widespread reports of razed and burning homes, gunfights and many Rohingya fleeing in small wooden boat. The Rohingya in Burma number around 800,000 but are not recognized as citizens and have few legal rights. Most people in Burma consider them illegal migrants and refer to them as Bengalis. The U.N. considers them one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. We should see our real identity, beyond the body, to accept everyone as part of our family.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

In spiritual training, perhaps the single most important point to understand is that you are not your body. You are the soul within it. The soul is completely transcendental to the body, and does not come under the same designations that we give to the body. It does not belong to a certain family name or ethnic group. The soul is not Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, etc. It is also not American, Indian, Russian, Chinese, Pakistani, or anything else. According to the Upanishads it is also not happy, sad, frustrated or content, nor does it imagine anything but what it ought to imagine. It does not take birth, grow, change or die. ... There is a saying that anything that is temporary or changes is not the eternal truth. We have to go beyond what is temporary to get a glimpse of what is real and true. And the soul exists in that field of eternity that is completely beyond the mind, body and senses.

Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“Thirty-one Days to Salvation on the Vedic Path”
“Day Twelve: You Are Not Your Body”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com  -  http://www.stephenknapp.info/
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/thirtyone_days_to_salvation_on_the_vedic_path.htm

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