Tag: Hinduism

imperialism, philosophy, TheologyLeave a comment

Vivekananda, Letter to Mohammed Sarfaraz Husain of Naini Tal, Almora

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10th June, 1898. MY DEAR FRIEND, I appreciate your letter very much and am extremely happy to learn that the Lord is silently preparing wonderful things for our motherland. Whether we call it Vedantism or any ism, the truth is that Advaitism is the last word of religion and thought and the only position from which one can look upon all religions and sects with love. I believe it is the religion of the future enlightened humanity. The Hindus may get the credit of arriving at it earlier than other races, they being an older race than either the Hebrew … Continue reading Vivekananda, Letter to Mohammed Sarfaraz Husain of Naini Tal, Almora

Ahimsa, Art, Love, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., nandalal Bose, sarvodaya, Satyagraha, soul force, Swami Vivekananda, Theology, Truth, Year of GandhiLeave a comment

“Our Greatest National Sin” by Sw. Vivekananda

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In this essay, Swamiji enjoins Indians to unite in loving brotherhood in protection of their sisters, wives, and daughters. He emphasizes that the uplift of India is impossible so long as the nation’s leaders ignore the inherent worth of women and the poor. The causes of their ongoing oppression lie in foreign conquests, the dishonoring of womanhood (shakti), the abuse of caste, and above all, materialism. The “don’t touchism” of puritannical untouchability is the bane of India’s progress, Swamiji argued; “The chief cause of India’s ruin has been the monopolising of the whole education and intelligence of the land, by … Continue reading “Our Greatest National Sin” by Sw. Vivekananda

Ahimsa, Art, Black Athena, Free Africa, Gandhi, Gandhi 150th, imperialism, India, Jesus and the Disinherited, Nonviolence, Pan-Africanism, peace, Satyagraha, Sudan, Truth, Year of GandhiLeave a comment

Mahatma Gandhi in Sudan

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“In 1935, Mahatma Gandhi stopped over in Port Sudan (on his way to England through sea) and was welcomed by the Indian community there. In 1938, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru stopped over in Port Sudan on his way to Britain and was hosted through a function at the home of Chhotalal Samji Virani. The Graduates General Congress of Sudan formed in 1938 drew heavily on the experience of the Indian National Congress.” “British Indian troops fought alongside Sudanese in Eritrea in 1941 winning the decisive battle of Keren (Bengal Sappers won a Victoria Cross for mine clearance in Metemma, now on … Continue reading Mahatma Gandhi in Sudan

ArtLeave a comment

Observation of Vivekananda’s 157th Jayanti

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Today marks the 157th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Vivekananda was only 29 when he gave his address at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. As he put it in his lecture, “I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions; and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects…. I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not … Continue reading Observation of Vivekananda’s 157th Jayanti

Gandhi, India, Martin Luther King Jr.Leave a comment

Martin Luther King, Farewell Statement for All India Radio, March 9, 1959 (Audio)

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Farewell Statement for All India Radio Listen to Audio here Leaders in and out of government, organizations—particularly the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi and the Quaker Centre—and many homes and families have done their utmost to make our short stay both pleasant … Continue reading Martin Luther King, Farewell Statement for All India Radio, March 9, 1959 (Audio)

TagoreLeave a comment

Tagore on Scientific Inquiry and Self-Realization

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Yet no one really believes that science is the one perfect mode of disseminating mistakes. The progressive ascertainment of Truth is the important thing to remember in the history of science, not its innumerable mistakes. Error, by its nature, cannot be stationary; it cannot remain with truth; like a tramp, it must quit its lodging as soon as it fails to pay its score to the full. –Rabindranath Tagore, Sadhana Continue reading Tagore on Scientific Inquiry and Self-Realization

African-American, Gandhi, Pan-Africanism1 Comment

The Garland March: From Selma to Montgomery, 1965

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The flash and flutter of a lens can capture a moment in eternity. In the photograph below, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., second from left, and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, second from right, wear garlands in the Hindu tradition. It is 1965 and they are marching from Selma to Montgomery. I am unsure which of three marches this photo is taken from. Protestors marched 87 kilometers to the state capital, where King delivered his speech “Our God is Matching On.” In the sermon, he reaffirms the people’s faith in God as love, truth, and peace, compelling them to test their … Continue reading The Garland March: From Selma to Montgomery, 1965

Ahimsa, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Western Zionism and the Promise of Peace in Palestine

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From the time of the Balfour Declaration (during World War I) Palestine was under five British mandates, and England promised the land back and forth to the Arabs or the Jews, depending on which horse seemed to be in the lead.  The Zionists – as distinguished from the people known as the Jews – using, as someone put it, the ‘available political machinery,’ i.e., colonialism, e.g., the British Empire – promised the British that, if the territory were given to them, the British Empire would be safe forever…the state of Israel was not created for the salvation of the Jews; … Continue reading Western Zionism and the Promise of Peace in Palestine