The overwhelmingly successful Dharma Summit
that recently took place at Rutger’s University was arguably the largest and
most important Hindu conference ever organized on American shores. In this gathering of almost 450 Hindu leaders, gurus, and
intellectuals, a new course was outlined for the future development and growth
of the Hindu community in North America, India, and throughout the globe.
Several of the themes of the conference
included: a) the need for Hinduism to assert itself as a unique and living
religious tradition, b) the importance of referring to our religion as
“Sanatana Dharma”, c) that Hindu management and leadership needs to become
more professional, better trained, and more effective, d) that any and all
attacks against Sanatana Dharma (whether by Christian missionaries, Islamic
terror, anti-Hindu academicians, etc.) need to be combated forcefully, e) the
rejection of Radical Universalism (the false idea that all religions are the
same), f) that energetic and fired-up Hindu youth need to take charge of the
task of saving Hinduism for the future.
Some of the most important Hindu leaders in
the world were present for this event. Including:
Sri Swami Dayananda Saraswatiji (the inspiration behind the Dharma Summit, and
convener of the event), Sri Chidananda Muniji (the creator of the Hindu
Encyclopedia project), Sri Bodhinatha Veylanswami (Publisher of Hinduism Today
Magazine) and several of his sannyasis, Sri
K. S. Sudarshan (leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the largest
Hindu service organization on earth
), Dr. Pranav Pandya (leader of the several
million members of the Gayatri Pariwar), Sri Swami Jyotirmayananda (Ramakrishna
Order), Dr. David Frawley (Vamadeva Shastriji), Dr. Frank Gaetano Morales (the
well-respected American Hindu intellectual and philosopher), Sri Steven Knapp (a
prolific American Hindu author), and many others. These Hindu lights and dignitaries all filled the first row
of the auditorium. Several Jain,
Buddhist, and Sikh leaders were also present.
Many inspiring talks were given during the
three-day event. Both Sri Swami
Dayananda Saraswati and Sri Chidananda Muniji spoke on the crucial need of
defending Hinduism as a unique religious tradition, and on the importance of
fostering global Hindu unity. Sri
Dayananda Saraswati also stressed the importance of rejecting the false notion
of Radical Universalism – the mistaken idea that Hinduism teaches that all
religions are the same. “Hindus
do not teach that all religions are the same”, he assured the large audience,
“After all, we’re not idiots!”
Sri Bodhinatha, Publisher of Hinduism Today,
gave an impressive PowerPoint presentation on how to explain Hindu beliefs to
children. Sri Anuttama Prabhu of
ISKCON spoke at length on the importance of Hindu organizations adopting
professional techniques to more effectively communicate the Hindu message to the
media. Dr. Frank Morales gave one
of the best received talks of the event (even beginning his talk in perfectly
pronounced Hindi!), stressing that Hindus need to reject derogatory terminology
when referring to Hindu beliefs and practices, and need to use the term
“Sanatana Dharma” rather than “Hinduism”.
Other speakers included: Kanchan Banerji, Rajiv Malhotra, Ved Chaudhary
(the conference’s main organizer), and other Hindu leaders.
The last day of the event was devoted to
issues revolving around temple management.
It was reported that there are presently well over 700 Hindu temples in
America, with another 20 – 25 being started every year.
Overall, the mood of the Dharma Summit was
exuberant and enthusiastic. The
many Hindu leaders and delegates in attendance left Rugters University with a
renewed sense of excitement and optimism about the future of Sanatana Dharma in
America and throughout the world. The
overwhelming consensus was that the very best days of Sanatana Dharma are yet to
come!
Ms. Lakshmi Ravu was born in 1983 in New York of Telugu speaking Hindu parents. She is currently a student majoring in philosophy and law.
