The latest issue of our prow-of-the-ship journal, Hinduism Today, has gone to press and is now available.
Our Insight section, “Seven Dimensions of the Mind,” shares major excepts from a profound mystic gem from Hinduism Today founder, Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, only recently published for the first time as a small book. They range the realm of physical existencethe inside and outside of things to the inner, mystical or higher realms of consciousness. This streaming narrative lucidly describes our awareness flowing through these areas, offering guidance for our efforts to evolve spiritually. It is a deep read that you will need to return to again and again.
In his Publisher’s Desk column, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, zeros in on the meaning and importance of tolerance, offering an antidote for living in a world mired in stubborn opinion, bigotry and callousness.
In our feature story we travel high in the Himalayas to the Tons Valley with photographer and writer Dev Raj Agarwal of Dehra Dun, to marvel at a little-known legacy and tradition of carved wooden temples. From its highest villages down to its confluence with Yamuna near Dehra Dun, the valley is known for some of the most beautiful carved wood temples India. These sacred edifices are decorated with intricately carved motifs depicting scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana. This is a live tradition, with recent renovations continuing to advance the ancient building systems. The Gods, Goddesses and devas revered here are primarily of a fierce nature.
In a guest editorial, Marut Yelagalawadi, shares how he has survived as a strong Hindu throughout his stint as a student in an American university, faced with maintaining his identity and being outcasts from fellow students, or denouncing his identity to fit in.
Rutvij Holay, 15, leads off our youth writers with a dive into matchmaking. With unusual insight for a teen, he discusses the nexus of arranged, assisted and love marriages, interviewing those who deal with the intricacies involved. Another young journalist, Sanjeevani Dedge, 13, undertakes an informal survey of her fellow Hindu kids and chronicles their experiences as they mature as one among many minorities in a diverse land. A third teenager, Gunap Sriganesh, 13, shares his upanayana initiation and his adoption of the daily responsibilities it brought into his life.
Dr. Devadasen Vythelingum, MD, now serving in the UK at Royal Sussex County Hospital, explores the value of intermittant fasting. It is an ancient practice, built into the architecture of Hindu culture, and recently Western medicine has discovered its value in keeping us healthy during a long life. He maps out the various ways this kind of fasting is practiced.
In our book review section we open the pages of India’s educational heritage, revealing a glimpse into ancient India’s truly holistic systems of learning. If you aren’t already aware that the modern university originated in India, Sahana Singh’s book Revisiting the Educational Heritage of India will be an eye-opener. She explores this idea and more in great depth with a plethora of evidence, so elegantly composed as to be, as they say, “unputdownable.”
Dr. Karan Singh, former member of India’s Rajya Sabha, challenges the Parliament of World Religions to refocus their mission on the original task of bringing all faiths to the table, to create harmony and amity between religions. He notes they have strayed into social, albeit important, matters such as climate change.
The popular Quotes & Quips section is filled with humor, cartoons and sayings from the wise; Global Dharma has mini-stories from around the world; and Digital Dharma takes an unusual linguistic turn, exploring some major Hindu sites in the French language….. It’s a rich issue, with something for everyone.
