Write for Change

Society today has problems. Economic and emotional depressions, terrorism, climate change, racism, crime, disappearing resources, increased consumerism and poverty to name but a few. As a modern thinker you know that the only way to overcome these obstacles is to change the way society thinks and acts as a whole. You know what the ideas and solutions for change are, but your voice alone goes unheard, you need a stage upon which to educate the masses. That stage is the Book for Change. A book compiled by men and women just like yourself, dedicated to opening the hearts and minds of all who read it, changing our outlook on life for a better humanity.

This is your opportunity to become one of today's new breed of thinkers, the chance for you to get published and present you ideas to the world. Visit TheBookForChange.com to get involved!

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

The monk who sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma is the story of Julian Mantle, a superstar lawyer whose fast and out-of-balance lifestyle leads him to an almost fatal heart attack in the middle of a courtroom. His physical collapse leaves him with two choices:

1. Recover and continue to live a fast and unhealthy life, fueled by material desires or

2. Confront his spiritual crisis and seek answers to life's most important questions.

Julian chooses the latter and his quest for finding happiness and fulfilment leads him to an extraordinary odyssey to an ancient culture, deep in the mountains of the Himalayas. Here he discovers a powerful system to release the potential of the mind, body and soul and learns how to live with greater passion, purpose and peace.

The book gives timeless methods in which we can all find peace, happiness and fulfillment. Many of our lives mirror that of the main character in the book, Julian. We lead such 'fast' lives and have no time to savour the important things in life - family, friends, our hobbies, dreams and just as importantly, ourselves.

How many of us are consumed with hunger? Hunger for more prestige, more glory and more money? We live in a work centred world where material gains are an illusory version of success. Our desires will never be satisfied but instead will blaze like adding fuel to a fire.

The book vividly describes the lack of fulfillment that Julian goes through despite his abundant wealth and beautifully explains the solution to his predicament, his 'personal odyssey of the self.' To aid him in his quest for fulfilment, Julian was taught by the ancient great Sages of Sivana. They taught him many techniques which if applied on a daily basis will bring great joy to our lives.

The Sages taught him countless methods, I will not discuss them all but if we try to implement the following in our lives then we will be able to lead a more fulfilling life and find our purpose in and really appreciate the smaller things in life:

1. Try doing yogasanas, pranayama and meditation every morning

2. Ensure you carry out one of your hobbies on a daily basis. E.g. drawing, painting, play football etc...

3. Read for at least 30 minutes everyday but not just any book; read one which will add value to your life and challenges you intellectually

4. Take daily walks

5. Spend time with nature, even if it's just sitting in the garden or gazing at the stars

6. Use mantras, meaning 'freeing the mind' and positive thinking to your advantage - if you're ever feeling low, constantly repeat to yourself, 'I am strong, I am confident, I am able.' Never under estimate the power of words and positive thoughts

7. Reflection - spend 10 minutes analysing your day. Note down all the good things you did in the day and all the bad things in the day. Also write down any negative thoughts you had during this time also. By doing this, we are aware of our actions and thoughts and can actively go out to improve ourselves.

The monk who sold his Ferrari is a beautifully written book which gives us countless guidance on how to improve ourselves, advance spiritually and live a life of purpose and happiness.

The Importance of Yogasanas & Pranayama

The book I'm currently reading is Yogasana & Pranayam For Health by Dr P.D. Sharma. Here is a brief summary of what yogasana is and the benefits of it.

Yogasanas are simple actions for keeping the internal & external parts of the body in good health. The body & mind are closely interrelated so both should be taken care of. There are 7 ways in which daily waste produced by the body through physical activity & functioning of the digestive system can be eliminated through: both nostrils; eyes; ears; mouth; anus & genitals and the skin. Many diseases are the result of the absence of sufficient and regular elimination of waste matter such as urine and stool from the body. Yogic exercises help the process of elimination of waste matter from the body and keep the body in perfectly sound health.

Yogasanas have a preference over other systems of physical exercises due to the following reasons:

1. In other physical exercises, the internal organs of the body do not get proper exercise, while yogasanas give sufficient exercise to the internal organs of the body.

2. Yogasanas have a greater impact on the mind & senses than other physical exercise, with the result that yogasans help to develop one's physical & mental powers to calm the mind & control the senses.

3. It eliminates waste toxins from the body. As a result, it has more resistance power to keep disease away.

4. The body becomes flexible by yogasanas which makes one more active.

5. Blood in different blood vessels is purified through different yogasanas.

6. The power of contraction & expansion of lungs is increased by practicing yogasanas & pranayama. This leads in the purification of blood to a great extent.

7. Life span, youth & health depend upon the flexibility of the spinal cord. Yogasanas keep the spinal cord flexible.

8. Yogasanas help the mind to experience tranquillity. There is a progressive intellectual development because of the calm mind.

9. They stimulate different glands of the body. These stimulated glands produce secretions in proper proportion, which having mixed with the blood helps the body to acquire a well balanced growth.

10. Diseases such as constipation, gas trouble, diabetes, blood pressure, hernia, headache etc...can be cured by practicing yogasanas & pranayam.

11. Yogasanas make possible not only physical & mental development but also intellectual & spiritual development.

The Six Glorious Epoch of Indian History

India has been subject to various invasions over the past 2,500 years. Due to the propaganda of these foreign aggressors, we have come to believe that the Hindus have been weak and folded easily at the different invasions in our history. The 6 Glorious Epoch of Indian History, by Veer Savarkar, shows that this conception is totally FALSE and from a Hindu & Sikh point of view, we should never forget the great figures who fought heroically to save our motherland from the onslaught of foreign aggression. Savarkar writes passionately about the history of his nation & blends poetry, emotion of pain, suffering & joy quite beautifully. He expresses his views quite bluntly, some of which I do not entirely agree with but his patrioism & quest of correcting facts of our history deserves nothing but admiration.

Most of you will have heard of Alexander the 'Great'. He led a massive army to India and conquered many states. However, the Hindus resisted so rigorously that he never managed to fully conquer India & was forced to retreat back to Greece, a fallen & broken man. Historians refer to him as 'great' but he never managed to conquer Bharat due to the bravery of the Indians. After his death, his successor attacked India once again. However, he was destroyed easily as the great Emperor Chandragupta had united the whole of Bharat & fought the Greeks as one nation. This ideology of unity was crucial to their success & is something that we must achieve again today. The defeat of the Greeks was the 1st Glorious Epoch of Indian History.

However, a century later, the Greeks attacked again. This time they succeeded in conquering many parts of India - the reason being a lack of unity between Hindus & the spread of Ahimsa, non-violence. This concept of non-violence is beautiful but one must remember that there is always a time & place for such virtues. The great epics of the Ramayana & Mahabharat have taught us that we must be humble & seek peace but if war is necessary to overcome evil & bring righteousness in the world then we must not shy away from war; a message that India at the time had forgotten. It took the valiant Emperor of Pataliputra, Pushyamitra to lead a revolution & defeat the Greeks once and for all. This was the 2nd Glorious Epoch of Indian History.

Around 150 BC India was surrounded by groups of barbaric tribes - the Sakas & Huns. After 100 years of war, the Sakas had gained much territory in the north of India. During this time the Pataliputra empire had been lost. It took the valour of Samudragupta, often referred to as the 'Indian Napoleon' to overthrow the Sakas & reestablish a Hindu state. After his death, his younger brother, Prince Chandragupta destroyed the Sakas for good & united the whole of India. He was given the great title, Vikramaditya. The vanquishing of the Sakas was the 3rd Glorious Epoch.

The 4th Glorious Epoch of Indian History was Yashodharma - the conqueror of the Huns. The Huns were even fiercer than the barbaric Sakas. They had occupied land & slaughtered many from China to Rome. Their first attacks on India were paralysed by Prince Skundgupta & they retreated before they attacked again 40 years later. At this time, Skundgupta was an aging Emperor but he continued to fight even though his brother was plotting to dethrone him back home. He died valiantly in battle with the ethos, 'an Emperor must die standing'. The Huns caused havoc in northern India & continued to do so until an adventurous youth, Yashodharma organised neighbouring states to unite & fight the Huns under his leadership. They did so & overthrew the Huns in 528. It is important to note at this point that the south of India was unconquered for 1300 years - only the north were subject to constant attacks; mainly Punjab & Gujarat. However, after the defeat of the Huns, India remained independent for over 500 years!

The first major Muslim attack on India came 50 years before Mohammed Bin Kasim but was put down easily. However, Kasim's invasion in 711 was successful & he initiated large scale massacres in Sindh. Most historians ignore the fact that despite this defeat, the Indian nation defended its independence for over 300 years. From the year 1000 the epic Hindu-Muslim wars began. In the early years, the Muslims won most the contests & converted, killed & destoryed many temples along their way. However, there were many heroic figures in our history who fought to protect their motherland. The likes of King Jaipal & his son Anangpal; Sambhaji; Guru Teg Bahadur & many other of our Sikh Gurus fought till their last breath. It is crucial to note that it was during these years of war, killings & mass conversions that created the present day caste system. The issue of conversion caused divide amongst Hindus & they were obsessed with 'purity'. Therefore, they did not integrate with other communities in order to stay 'pure' & this was the basis of the caste system. Thus, we must ALL remember that the caste system has NOTHING to do with Hinduism & was a social phenomena which led to the demise of the Hindu samaj.

A counter offensive began with great religious reformers & intellects such as Maharishi Deval & Acharya Madhatith. They taught the Hindus new religious thoughts, new weapons & reminded them of the bravery that lies in each in and every one of us, the soul. Maharishi Deval lived between 800-900 & abolished the ban on reconverting Muslims who were originally Hindus. He also criticised the caste system & empowered the women of the time. He was largely followed & thousands reconverted back to Hinduism - he led a political & religious triumph which was crucial to reducing the power of the foreign aggressors. Acharya Medhatith continued to spread Deval's teachings & taught of the glorious days when Bharat was united. He proposed a treaty whereby if one Hindu state was attacked, another must come to its aid. So while the north of India was under constant attack, the south was still independent & Hindu philosophy had spread in countries like Burma, Thailand & Maldiva.

In 1320, an event took place which gave much confidence to the Hindus to overthrow the Muslim empire. A young Hindu child was taken slave under Emperor Alludin & as was given the name, Kushrukhan. As he grew up he became a great warrior & political leader & eventually ran the administration. However, he did not forget his Hindu roots & along with the Sultanate of Delhi, Devaldevi, also a Hindu, they plotted the downfall of the Muslim empire & on 15th April 1320, he was declared Emperor of India & declared it a Hindu state. Although he was defeated a few years later, his exploits were not futile as he raised Hindu morale. Taking inspiration from him, a Hindu state in Vijaynagar was established in 1336 & led to great figures in our histroy such as Emperor Harihar (Maharajadhiraj), Bukka, Hemoo, Queen Durgawati & Rana Pratap Singh.

The rise of the Sikhs also added to India's conquest of national independence. It was Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Guru that militarised the Sikhs into a powerful force. To do this he wanted fearless warriors & introduced the 5 kakkas - kesh, kangha, kaccha, kara & kripan. He began to reclaim many Muslim states until a large Moghul army led to his army's retreat where both his young children were caught & cruelly buried alive - they were offered the chance to convert to Islam to spare their lives but they refused. That was the pride & love that they had of their religion; a love that was so strong that they gave up their lives for it. After his defeat, Guru Gobind Singh settled in Maharashtra where he composed lots of poetry & was later compiled as part of the Dasham Granth. Despite not liberating India from foreign rule, Guru Gobind Singh was key to forming a powerful force that India could use to oust the Moghuls from Punjab.

The 5th Glorious Epoch of Indian History was the fall of the Moghul empire & it arose largely due to the great Marathas. 4 great Heroes were born in Maharashtra & they were aglow with the fire of war & arose a whole generation of brave warriors. Shivaji was born in 1627 & during his lifetime the tide of the epic Hindu-Muslim war changed; from the 17th century onwards whenever they met in battle, the Hindus were always victorious. The great Marathas liberated India from Punjab to Kanya Kumari. The principle of their strategy was aggression & guerilla warfare tactics. Every time they conquered territory, they moved on to a different state & liberated them too. The brave Marathas fought valiantly for the freedom of Bharat & should never be forgotten.

Along with the Muslim invasion, there were also many European attacks on India including those by the Dutch, French, Portugese & British. The latter two being the most severe & brutal. After toppling the Muslim power, the Marathas ruled & fought bravely from 1818-1850 to try & hold back the British. A decade had not yet passed after the British victory when King Ranjit Singh of Punjab led a joint Hindu-Muslim revolt against them in 1857. Both sides suffered great losses but the British prevailed & Queen Victoria was proclamed Empress of India. They promised to treat all Indians equally & so offered them jobs & educated many in British schools. However, these British schools taught a perverted version of Indian history & Hinduism to 3 generations of Indians. Hence, the many misconceptions that Indians have of their own history & faith even today! Due to the British appeasing the Indian public, the period between 1860-1900 was rather stable with many believing India would only prosper under British rule. However, 1900 saw the beginning of the Lokmanya Tilak movement & millions followed the Hindutwa organisation - a movement for the solidarity of Hindus to fight an armed revolution against the British. The British realised that they were losing the support of the public who were are ready to rebel at any moment. In addition, a 50,000 army led by Subhas Chandra Bose was ready to attack & the Indian Army, which was under British command were beginning to show signs of mutiny. The British had no choice but to give back India & on 15th August 1947, India was declared an independent state.

Despite the numerous problems in India today, we must all remember that after 2,500 years of attack by foreigners, Bharat still stands strong. Which other country has had this much resilience? Taking inspiration from the great heroes in our culture will help India strengthen & realise its potential as a global super power.

Sadhana of Service

With most film or book adverts these days they all seem to say, 'must watch!' or 'must see!' Sadhana of Service by Eknath Ranade is most definitely one of those MUST read books!!

Sadhana can be translated as devotion. A simple example to illustrare devotion is the unconditional love that a mother gives to her child. When serving others, sadhana is the stage that we should all aspire to be at - we serve unconditionally.

The book covers many topics such as the urge to serve, bravery & cowardice, India as a nation, faith, organisation & individual freedom. The issues that intrigued me the most in the book, however, were the chapters on living a purposeful life and the mission of life.

Throughout the book, Eknath states that we must live a purposeful life. To do this, we all must ask ourselves, 'what is the goal of my life?' and 'what is the meaning of my life?' Until this question is recognised, we are 'like a boy who believes that it is the tap that gives water.'

As a student, these are the types of questions that we often avoid. The daily questions that we are posed with are often those like, 'we sessioning on bacardi or vodka tonight??' We are absorbed in our own little world, thinking of only going out and having fun - I admit, I've fallen into this trap to a certain degree but after reading this book, asking myself 'what is the purpose of my life?' is something that I've tried to address.

In Hinduism, the purpose of life is to become self realised - realise the divinity that is within every individual. Our scriptures clearly tell us that it is up to us as to which avenue we should follow to reach our goal. Finding my avenue is something that I've been pondering deeply. One way to live a purposeful life is to serve God by serving humanity to the best of our ability. But this begs the question, 'how can we serve others whilst living in an affluent country such as the UK?' Does it require us to move to India & do work there?

This is a question that I am still grappling with. What I've concluded so far is that if we live our lives abiding by our morals, use our conscience and faculties to discriminate between what we feel is right and wrong and always think how we can contribute to the betterment of the world then we can live a purposeful life. This can be something as small as smiling at someone who walks by; being a friend who people can fully trust & never speak ill of anyone.

The book has posed many questions and those which I will continue to probe. The last chapter finished quite beautifully with:

'You can safely rely at all times on your own self for the fulfilment of your mission. There is a power within you which will never let you down. It is your own Self. Depend on it and march ahead with unceasing prayer to God to give you strength to fulfil his will.'

RULES, RULES, RULES

As part of my project for Strengthening the Sewa Shop, I have been given the task to find out about recently implemented legislation on matters ranging from health and safety to returns policies.

The amount of law on such matters is absolutely staggering. In one sense it is beneficial. The legislation ensures that all organisations follow and abide by a given standard. This is particularly crucial for matters such as fire procedures as most people have the view, 'it won't happen to me.' Therefore, by introducing laws, it forces people to take action and try to avoid this stereotype.

However, a lot of it is highly unnecessary for example having a 'No Smoking' sign which must be 77mm in diameter. Much of the legislation is there due to the 'suing' culture we live in today. It is a sad state of affairs that the such far fetched measures must be taken just to avoid being sued. This thought led me back to the TED videos we watched at Abhyas Varg B:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

It begs the question are all of these rules and regulations stemming creativity and reducing the need for us to think? We merely follow a set of rules given to us; mainly out of fear of being sued. But why has this suing culture arisen? Do we not care about our fellow man? Do we take great pleasure in taking from them? What are the motives for taking others to court - greed, revenge, want free money? A common feature to all of these motives are that they arise from material or egotistic desires.

From interviewing and meeting many different Hindu Organisations over the past few weeks, the answer to this may lie in some of our most ancient scriptures - Lord Krishna told us that focusing our minds on God helps reduce the ego; raja yoga enables us to search within and find answers to our lives and become more spiritual. Perhaps a more spiritual society is needed to cure the suing culture that we live in today.

I'm Starving

As part of my second project, I’ve been assigned with helping improve the Sewa shop in Birmingham. Before today I had never seen the shop and after hearing many stories about it, I thought I would be in for a tedious day, but I was wrong. Today involved me helping making the store look more presentable, talking to the volunteers and listening to their stories and spending time learning about the way in which the shop’s administrative side is managed. It was very informative and will aid me greatly for my project.

However, I was not prepared for what was in store for me in the evening. Dipvandana took me to feed the homeless in the city centre. She’s been trying to get involved in more community projects and I feel this is something that all of us should do in our local area.

After getting slightly lost amidst the one way systems in the city centre and because of road blocks, we parked up on a side street and walked towards the car park where the food was to be served. When the food arrived, a swarm of people surrounded the car and I immediately thought, ‘what have I let myself into?’ but the people were courteous, kind, generous and in good spirits despite their bad luck. What struck me the most was that they were all willing to help each other out, ‘that’s the only way we survive’ Tim said. Another homeless gentleman said, ‘this is the nicest curry I’ve ever had.’ This struck me hard. The meal served was only daal, bhaat; the simplest Indian meal you can get and one which we all take for granted. It made me realise how unappreciative we all are and take the simplest things in life for granted which for others is a God send. It’s absolutely throwing it down with rain tonight, I hope Tim and the others find a safe place to stay.

Step Your Game Up

The afternoon session of Abhyas Varg B was designed to give us the tools to enable us to push ourselves further and aspire for excellence. We watched a video from the TED website – an organisation that does talks and seminars spreading innovative and creative ideas.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html

To push for excellence, he motions the idea of ‘virtue’. To illustrate his point he gave the example of a hospital janitor. His job description does not involve one aspect which requires human interaction. However, when interviewed, many janitors gave stories of how they ignored orders and parts of their job description in order to help patients such as helping them with their rehabilitation. So, despite not requiring any social interaction as part of their described role, many janitors feel it is necessary to do so and this helps the hospital run smoother and create a pleasant environment.

So values such as kindness and empathy are an essential part of their job. A wise person requires the moral will and moral skill in order to do the right thing and knows when and how to make an exception to every rule. A wise person is adaptable and changes according to the situation.

A wise man is made, not born. Wisdom comes from experience and this requires trying new things and accepting and overcoming failure. To be brilliant, you need not be wise but without wisdom, brilliance is not enough.

Applying the above to society today, we see a world full of compliance and bureaucracy. Rules are rigid and we often hear the phrase, ‘I hate to do it but I have to follow rules.’ Has it occurred to us that rules often prevent thinking and initiative? Rules and incentives are useful in the short run but in the long run they deprive thinking and discourage people from using their moral will and doing the right thing.

But this structured and regulated society we live in is rife. Today’s education system hampers creativity and promotes mediocrity. Children are losing their ability to think and their creative prowess is diminishing. I, like many other university students can relate to this. To pass our exams, all we do is memorise a few lecture handouts and read the core textbook (obviously, not just the night before the exam!) and once it is finished, we forget everything that we learnt. As a result of the current education system, we often lack initiative and struggle to adapt to working life which is fast paced and ever changing.

To address this issue, the speaker spoke of how the education system needs revamping in order to promote creativity and forward thinking. In addition, work needs to be re-moralised – people should be inspired to do the right thing and this requires moral will and initiative. Furthermore, social interaction is needed to gain a greater sense of community spirit.

In many of our lives, we will be faced with the following dilemma – do we follow the rules given or do we use our moral will and do the right thing?? What would you do??

An Inspiration, A Leader

In the morning session, we discussed greatly about the topic, leadership. We discussed the different types of leaders ranging from inspirational to spiritual. What was unique about the discussion was that we talked about how shakha creates leaders; how it identifies leadership and how it taps into this potential. Having attended shakha for many years, I had never discussed this topic and had always assumed that leadership was a quality that shakha just nourishes, without a second thought.

After being split into groups, we set about answering the questions posed. Having never examined the structure of shakha and how it develops our character, I found it difficult trying to pin point the aspects that I felt develop our leadership skills. However, with greater thought, ideas began to flow readily.

After reminiscing about my younger days as a swaymsevak (I’m still only 20 so still class myself as youngster), I realised that the whole shakha environment is aimed at nurturing our leadership skills. At first, this may sound ludicrous – for most people, the purpose of shakha is to play games, have fun and make new friends. Although this is true, there is something deeper to shakha and with further introspect these answers can be found.

Firstly, as swaymsevaks, we subconsciously learn the art of leadership by being led by others. Not only do we pick up the way in which they lead and organise activities, it also shows us the importance of respecting our elders, an ethos which our religion promotes greatly. Secondly, the environment of shakha encourages us to become leaders. Playing games such as kabadi exhibits skills such as teamwork and communication – skills which are crucial to becoming a leader. Therefore, even with no given responsibility, the seeds to becoming a leader are already being planted.

Camps and vargs such as SSV & SIP are designed to further enhance these leadership skills. Learning about the history of Sangh; gaining greater knowledge of Hinduism and being taught how to take shakha instils a sense of pride, discipline and commitment; again characteristics required of a leader. With these new profound skills, it should lead to introspection and conviction – one should realise the higher cause of shakha, uniting Hindus and emphasising the importance of serving our community to the best of our ability.

Another fundamental feature of a leader is that they must be inspiring. Shakha infuses this by having passionate baaudhiks on great figures in our history such as Shivaji. Admiring such great characters and implementing their qualities into one's life builds character. One meaning of inspiration can be, ‘to breathe life into another.’ It is a feeling or an emotion which is critical because it informs us what we value and this moves us to act. This act should be selfless and out of devotion (sadhana). A unique feature of leadership is that it is self inspired – it comes from within.

I often feel this is a quality that many Hindus lack. Looking back in Indian history, we have always had to rely on one leader, one inspiration such as Swami Vivekananda to lift us out of darkness. Why is it that we always require an individual to inspire us? Why can't we be bold and have the inspiration from within us to act? It is this area in which I feel shakha can help develop leaders by giving us the tools to search for inspiration from within. However, it is an arduous task and one that we all must ask in order to find our true inspiration.

Money Can't Buy Happiness

Today I had the privilege of speaking to Bhupendrabhai, head of Brahma Kumaris in Wellingborough. The founder of the movement, Dadaji was a diamond merchant and possessed great wealth and had all the worldly desires that he cared for. However, he was still not happy. He found that the power of meditation was the answer to achieving a peaceful and loving world. It was evident to him that money cannot buy happiness.

Therefore, the aim of Brahma Kumaris is to take a journey within ourselves to seek for answers such as, 'what is my purpose in my life?' - only once we change ourselves can the world change. Thus, there is great emphasis on self improvement. The interesting feature of this message is that it is strikingly similar to the aims of other organisations such as Swadhiya. This supports the pluralistic nature of Hinduism, that there is only one God but many different paths to it; a message that the Vivekananda Centre strongly promote. This again shows the diverse approach to our Hindu tradition but the goal for all the different organisations is the same and this is what unites us all.

After a session in the gym, I attended the Wellingborough District Hindu Association's Youth Committee's forum along with two fellow swaymsevaks. There, Kunalji gave a talk on the Guru Poornima utsav and we discussed a variety of activities planned for the youth in our area. e.g. Bal Gokulam. It was a productive meeting and the pizza afterwards made it even more worthwhile.

Finally, to end what had been a very informative day, I attended a talk organised by the Brahma Kumaris. As with all their talks, it was extremely thought provoking and reaffirmed much of what I had learnt about them earlier. What stood out most from the talk was the technique where we meditated with our eyes open! I find trying to focus with my eyes closed difficult as it is; but that is the power of Raja Yoga.

The Relevance Of Swami Vivekananda's Teachings

Despite living over a hundred years ago, Swami Vivekanand’s message is still as vibrant and relevant as it was back than.

He found that spirituality could solve the problems confronting humanity. He preached that the best and sincerest way of worshiping God was to love fellow beings, especially the poor and the weak and alleviate their suffering and distress. For a combination of reasons, I will not indulge in them; poverty and suffering is still rife throughout the world. We live in a society where we are encouraged to care only for ourselves, buy the nicest and latest products and ignore the shortcomings and problems in our world. How many of us switch the channel when reports of widespread suffering are on? How many of us desensitise ourselves so that we do not feel guilty at not helping another man’s suffering?

In order to live a purposeful life, we must decide our goals and then find a way of achieving them – Swami Vivekananda showed us the most beautiful way to achieve this goal, serving humanity with the sincerest of love and devotion. He always used to spread the message: to live for others, to conquer egoism.

Swamiji harmonized east and west, religion and science, past and present. That is why he is so great. Terrorism is a major issue today and it arises due to a misunderstanding of other people’s views and beliefs. Vivekananda promoted ideas from our scriptures and emphatically stated that, ‘people born in different religions finally reach the same God, as rivers born in different places finally reach the sea. No religion is superior and none is inferior.’ If we applied this philosophy today, it would surely lead to greater harmony between different religions of the world.

Swamiji put great emphasis on character building. He taught us to ignore the negatives of our culture and go back to the Upanishads, Bhagvad Gita and find in them the truth of our culture. I, like many others are second generation born outside Bharat. Many of us face an identity crisis. Are we British or Indian? This is a question that we must all ponder and the answer to this may lie in our scriptures – these will give us our Hindu identity and with this, it does not matter which country we are from; Hindu Dharma is universal and applicable to all.

After the inauguration of Barack Obama, the world thought that we have finally found a true leader who can bring change and lead us into a new era of peace and co-existence. However, what tools does he have to achieve this? Yes, he may have charisma but I firmly believe that it is the message of Vivekananda that can truly achieve peace in our time. He has taught us to live for others. To serve mankind, is to serve God.

Vivekananda's Mission

The sacred task of wiping the tears of his unfortunate brothers was dear to Vivekananda's heart. Travelling around India he met many and had debates and exchanged ideas with many scholars on his travels. He triumphed over every philosophical disputes. One such debate occurred when a Prince argued that worshipping idols is pointless. Vivekananda replied, 'an idol is only a symbol and not something to sneer at. Every devotee has his own way of realising God.' The prince was not satisfied with this answer & so Vivekananda told him to spit on an image of the King. He refused because it reminded him of the King; despite being devoid of flesh and blood. He realised his mistake & apologised.

As Swamiji traveled and won over the hearts of more & more people, he aspired to go to America & spread the message of Vedanta. Vivekananda decided to attend the Conference of World Religions in America after meditating on a rock in Kanyakumari. He reflected on the state of affairs in India which made him miserable - unless casteism was rooted out, there could be no salvation for his countrymen. He concluded that he must go to the west and teach them the spiritual values of India. He would then return to awaken his own slumbering land.

Swamiji arrived in Chicago in the middle of July but the Conference was some three months away. With no money and no place to stay, Swamiji moved to Boston where he was offered to stay as a guest at a lady's house. She introduced him to many scholars including Professor at Harvard University. He wrote Swamiji's letter of introduction to the Conference saying, 'a scholar who surpasses all of us professors.'

The Conference started on 11th September 1893. Thousands of delegates belonging to different religions and countries gathered. Vivekananda was the last speaker and before he spoke, his heart was pounded and his throat went dry. He began his speech by saying, 'brothers and sisters of America.' There was a thunderous applause which lasted three whole minutes. He propagated the idea of Advaita and stating that 'all religions reach the same God.' The delegates praised his speech and over night, Vivekananda had become world famous. He continued doing talks and debates in America, overcoming great adversity along his way.

Vivekananda spread the philosophy of Hinduism to the west and rectified many misconceptions of the Indian race. After four years, he returned to India and was given a hero's welcome. He continued to spread his message throughout India despite his failing health. His body grew weak but the mind and soul remained alert and active. On 4th July 1902 he attained his eternal bliss and left this world.

From Narendra to Vivekananda

Sri Ramakrishna was a priest in the temple of Goddess Kali. He was not a scholar but was a great devotee. His devotion was so great that it was said that he had realised God. Narendra and some friends went to see him in Dakshineswar one day. Memories of an earlier meeting seemed circulated around Sri Ramakrishna's mind.

He gently patted Narendra on the back and said, 'my child, why are you so late? I have grown weary, waiting for you all these days.' Narendra was puzzled by his behaviour and thought that he was mentally deranged but thought it is not proper to judge without investigating first.

At first, Narendra was highly critical of people who worshipped idols and out rightly rejected the concept of 'Advaita' (oneness). Whenever he would criticise the idea, Sri Ramakrishna would always bring him back to the right path by saying, 'there are many roads to reach a destination. No one has the right to say that the path the other man takes is not the right one.' Over time, Narendra's views changed and his hunger for realising God never ceased. He gradually turned towards renunciation, giving up all worldly desires.

In 1884, Narendra heard news of his father's death. Poverty hit the family immediately after with money lenders harassing the family. Narendra wandered far and wide looking for a job. His clothes were torn and getting a meal for the day was arduous. Many a day he would fast so that his mother, brother and sisters could eat. Despite the gloom, he never lost faith in God and Sri Ramakrishna would remind him that, 'you are here to serve mankind and do mother Kali's work. You must be brave'.

One day Narendra asked his Guru to pray on his behalf to the mother Goddess to rid him and his family of poverty. Sri Ramakrishna told him to approach her yourself. Before the deity of Goddess Kali, Narendra lost himself in meditation and was so focused on her that he forgot to ask her to rid him of poverty. Again and again whilst meditating upon her he forgot to speak about poverty but instead repeatedly asked for 'the spirit of renunciation.' Sri Ramakrishna was joyous and saw a change in his disciple and said, 'my child, you should not crave for only food and clothes. They are not the ultimate goals of man. Have faith in God and he will look after the welfare of your family.'

Later, Narendra took up teaching and taught in a school and as a result his family had at least enough food. Meanwhile, his Guru's health began to deteriorate, he had developed a tumour in his throat. Narendra gave up his job and devoted his time caring for his Guru.

Once, while meditating Narendra shouted, 'where is my body?' Others had to touch his body to convince him of its existence. On hearing this, Sri Ramakrishna was happy that at last his desire to find a worthy disciple had been fulfilled.

On his last day of living, Sri Ramakrishna called Narendra to his bedside and invested him with all his spiritual powers. He said, 'Naren, you are all powerful. All these are my children. It is your duty to look after them.' Without their Guru, the young monks continued to carry out his work. They opened a monastery and had two goals: salvation and service of fellow men. They were unmindful of a lack of food and clothing and never neglected their studies and meditation. As a sannyasi, one cannot be tied to a particular place - attachment to a particular place is wrong. It was to the great fortune of India that Narendra took to sannyasa and became 'Vivekananda'.

The Early Years of Swami Vivekananda (Narendra Datta)

Narendra Datta was born on 12^th January 1863. As a child he was very lively and naughty but one thing quality stood out even in his early years was his natural leadership qualities. Meditation, too, was a sport to him. He meditated so deeply that he was oblivious to the whole world and it helped sharpen his concentration.

Even as a child, Narendra had great respect for sannyasis. The spirit of sacrifice and renunciation was also highlighted in his youth – he would give away anything to anybody if asked for. In her spare time, his mum would tell him stories of the Ramayana which led him to have great reverence for Hanuman.

Narendra’s father was a lawyer. Therefore, everyday his house was crowded with clients all belonging to different castes. It was custom to provide the guests with hukkas (long pipes) to smoke after food. There was a different pipe for clients of each caste. Narendra always wondered what would happen if he smoked the pipe meant for people of a different class. Finally he experimented and nothing untoward happened. He concluded that caste had no meaning.

His parents had a great affect on him. His father used to always tell him, ‘you need fear no one so long as you keep to the path of truth and Dharma.’ Love of one’s religion should not mean hatred of other religions. His mother was dear to Narendra as his own life. In his eyes, there was no one as ready to make sacrifices as the mother. She must have the highest place not only in the home but also in society.

By 1880, Narendra had passed his examinations and joined college. Day by day, his thirst for knowledge increased. He would read history, science as well as western philosophy. Doubts and uncertainties overtook him. He gave up blind beliefs but could not realise the truth and had no direct experience of God. This led him in his search for a Guru….

Self improvement

My quest for finding out more about the different Hindu Organisations in the UK took me to Kettering to find out about the Swadhiya perspective. To accompany me, I brought along a fellow swaymsevak from Wellingborough in order to enhance his knowledge and just as importantly, keep him out of trouble in his summer holidays!

What struck me the most about the Swadhiya movement was their goal of living a life practicing the teachings of Krishna Bhagwan. A key part of their ethos is the notion of self improvement - we cannot change the world so instead must focus on changing ourselves. This is remarkably similar to Gandhiji's quote, 'be the change you want to see in the world.' Another way in which they practice Lord Krishna's teachings is by keeping God in the centre of all that they do. This is particularly crucial in reducing one's ego because everything we possess and do is done in the name of God.

I also celebrated Guru Poornima utsav at the Swaminarayan Mandir in Wellingborough. Like always, I thoroughly enjoyed the bhajans and prasad!! I met a number of people there who will aid me in finding out more about their organisation. Let's see what surprises tomorrow brings!

Vivekananda Centre - The Beauty of Pluralism

Namaste,

One of the projects that I’m doing for SIP is finding out about the different Hindu Organisations in the UK and trying to find ways in which we can work closer together in the community.

Today, I spoke to Krishnabhai to get the perspective of the Vivekananda centre. It was an insightful conversation. He spoke passionately about the concept of pluralism that our religion promotes – i.e. there is only God but many different paths to reaching the ultimate reality; with each path being legitimate avenues to spiritual progress. I think this is a wonderful message that our religion promotes and one which all of us need reminding of in our lives. If all thought like this then surely there would be greater harmony in the world.

Tomorrow I’ll be going to be going to the Swaminarayan Mandir to celebrate the festival of Guru Pooja and to find out more of the work that they do. I must admit my knowledge of the Swaminarayan organisation is fairly limited so I am looking forward to learning more about their practices.