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Articles By Sri Acharyaji
Published on 09-30-2011 07:40 PM Number of Views: 551- Categories:
- ISDS Information
An all-in-one guidebook to the world of Yoga, Vedanta, meditation and Hinduism. This book is a celebration of the tradition of Sanatana Dharma. In this magnum opus, Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya has provided us with a valuable introduction to the philosophy and practice of this ancient spiritual path.
Sanatana Dharma: The Eternal Natural Way is a comprehensive summary of this profound spiritual tradition. It is the first English language systematic theological and philosophical exposition of the entire world-view of Sanatana Dharma.
With an easy to follow format, detailed glossary, and style of writing that is both authoritative, yet inviting to any reader, this book is your doorway to a rarely visited realm of spiritual awakening.
PURCHASE THIS BOOK HERE
From the Introduction
Sanatana Dharma (commonly referred to erroneously as "Hinduism") is a spiritual path that has existed since before the beginning of time. It is a path that is both ancient in origin, and profound in its understanding of the nature of reality. Sanatana Dharma is completely unlike any other religious tradition in existence. Rather than reflecting the dogmatically inclined expressions of denominationalism, sectarianism, and divisive religious doctrines that are of more recent origin, Sanatana Dharma is a spiritual expression of the divine intelligence that naturally underlies the more empirical ...Published on 11-12-2010 03:17 AM Number of Views: 2138- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View,
- ISDS Information
We are happy to announce the long-anticipated release of Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya's ground-breaking new book "The Vedic Way of Knowing God". Give the gift of Dharma this holiday season. 5% Discount if you purchase now!
Author: Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Foreword: Dr. David Frawley
Preface: Professor Klaus K. Klostermaier
Publisher: Dharma Sun Media
Published: November 7, 2010
Language: English
Pages: 408
Price: US$23.99
Binding: Perfect-bound Paperback
Available for purchase here:
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-vedic-way-of-knowing-god/13555030
Revealing the profound philosophical insights of the world's most ancient spiritual philosophy, this book not only boldly answers the question "How do I know God?" from the distinctly Vedic (Hindu) perspective, ...Published on 07-08-2010 11:53 AM Number of Views: 4435- Categories:
- ISDS Information
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
We live in an age in which people have found it increasingly challenging to express the life-giving principles of spirituality and religion with as much seriousness, enthusiasm and dedication as was once the case. All around us, we witness on a daily basis all the destructive ravages that materialism, consumerism, greed, anger, lust and self-centeredness have forced upon our once saner world. Much of the war, poverty, sense of depression and meaningless, and social ills that are rampant today are directly due to the clear failures of atheism and an unsatisfying lifestyle dedicated to the pursuit of material acquisitions to the detriment of our inner spiritual growth. ...Published on 07-17-2010 12:59 AM Number of Views: 4050- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The prevalence of Dharma, under a variety of different names, has been demonstrated to exist in almost every pre-Christian civilization and culture in the world. It is thus the common heritage of a large majority of the earth’s inhabitants. As expressed in the specific tradition of “Hinduism” (properly known as “Sanatana Dharma”), the metaphysical concept of Dharma is both a spiritual path, as well as a comprehensive ideology and world-view that directly informs the realms of politics, social theory, economics, culture theory, architecture, medicine, religion, aesthetics, martial warfare, philosophy, ethics, mathematics, and every other aspect of human concern.
Though the concept of Dharma is ...Published on 07-09-2010 02:03 AM Number of Views: 3855- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
“Just try to learn the Truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the Truth.”tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah
(Bhagavad Gita, 4:34)
The concept of practicing spiritual life under the guidance of an authentic and qualified guru, or spiritual teacher, has been central to the entire Dharmic world-view from the beginning of time down to our present day. So important has the role of the guru always been in Vedic culture, that there is no Hindu tradition or sampradaya (school of thought) in all of Sanatana Dharma that does not offer the greatest of respect to the importance of the guru. The great Vedantic text known at the Vedanta-sara paints the following dramatic picture in order to convey the importance of having a guru in one’s spiritual pursuit:
janana-maranadi-samsaranala-santapto dipta-sira jala-rasim iva
upahara-panbm sotriyam brahma-nistham gurum upasrtya tam anusarati
“Just as a person whose head is on fire runs ...Published on 07-15-2010 05:50 AM Number of Views: 2914- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
The Rishi Phenomenon: How God is Revealed in Sanatana Dharma
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The following is an excerpt from Sri Acharyaji's newly released 408 page book “The Vedic Way of Knowing God.” Released November 7, 2010. To purchase this groundbreaking work, visit http://www.lulu.com/product/paperbac...g-god/13555030.
To say that many of the teachings, philosophical positions, and insights of the tradition of Sanatana Dharma are wholly unique in the history of world philosophical and theological development would be an understatement of very large proportions. The uniqueness and brilliance of Vedic philosophy is seen especially in the epistemological approach of Sanatana Dharma, with epistemology forming, arguably, the very foundation of any systematic philosophical construct. The Vedic theory of how knowledge of Transcendence is arrived at is sophisticated, complex, psychologically oriented, as well as elegant in design. More, it is unparalleled in its logical rigor. It is based upon an ultimate rejection of both empiricism and intellectualism as epistemic mechanisms capable of knowing God, in favor of the unio mystica reality of a non-mediated perception of the Absolute that can only be attained via oneness with that Absolute.
Perceiving the Imperceptible: A Critique of Shabda
Sanatana Dharma philosophers ultimately reject the idea that the processes of empiricism (pratyaksa) and intellectualism (anumana) are means that are sufficiently capable of providing definitive criteria for formulating metaphysical judgments. Reliance on empiricism and intellectualism alone are seen as being nothing more than impetuous attempts by the finite to grasp the Infinite. As such, they are ultimately ...Published on 07-18-2010 12:27 AM Number of Views: 2950- Categories:
- Bhagavad Gita
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The dramatically stirring philosophical landscape of the Bhagavad Gita has inspired the imaginations of thinkers, poets, philosophers, and spiritual seekers across the spans of both history and cultures. For over 5,000 years, the Bhagavad Gita has been considered by most scholars of religion and philosophy to be one of the most important philosophical/religious dialogues ever written in world history.
The Sanskrit word “gita" can be literally translated as “song”. The term “bhagavad” refers directly to the Absolute. The Bhagavad Gita is, therefore, known in English as the “Song of God.” This is the case because God literally sung these beautiful and profound teachings to His disciple and friend, Arjuna. This ancient work, which ...Published on 07-27-2010 09:25 PM Number of Views: 3576- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The ancient Sanatana Dharmic diet of vegetarianism has recently been gaining a great deal of popularity, both as a diet and as a way of life. Influenced by a number of different factors, millions of people worldwide have been increasingly turning to this ancient vegetarian lifestyle. In the United States alone, there are an estimated twenty-million people who consider themselves vegetarians. Their reasons for turning to the vegetarian diet are almost as diverse as are the individuals themselves. As medical data continually streams in linking meat-eating ...Published on 07-17-2010 12:39 AM Number of Views: 3532- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
President-Acharya
International Sanatana Dharma Society
Since the popularization of the term "karma" in the Western world from the 1960s to the present day, this important metaphysical and ethical concept has, unfortunately, been understood in only the most simplistic and cursory of manners by the majority of Europeans and Americans – including by scholars, by most self-professed spiritual teachers, as well as by many common spiritual practitioners. Many followers of New Age and pop spirituality have an even more speculative understanding of karma, believing that the concept of karma is somehow tied to the idea of fate or ...Published on 08-25-2010 05:11 PM Number of Views: 2341- Categories:
- ISDS Information
What is the International Sanatana Dharma Society?
The International Sanatana Dharma Society (ISDS) is a global spiritual movement dedicated to practicing and teaching the ancient Vedic religious tradition in its fully authentic and unaltered form. Our goal in spiritual practice is to accept no watering-down or compromises to the time-honored integrity of the Vedic philosophy and lifestyle. The only way to practice and truly benefit from Dharma spirituality is to practice Dharma on its own sacred terms, and not merely as a further extension of our ego (ahamkara).
Our religion ...Published on 07-16-2010 09:44 AM Number of Views: 3548- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
brahmano hi pratisthaham
amrtasyavyayasya ca
sasvatasya ca dharmasya
sukhasyaikantikasya ca
"Verily, I am the basis of the immortal Brahman, of eternal Dharma, and of the absolute bliss."
- Bhagavan Sri Krishna (Bhagavad Gita, 14:27)
Let us look at what Sanatana Dharma holds to be the Absolute. The ultimate goal and Absolute of Sanatana Dharma is termed "Brahman" in Sanskrit. The word comes from the Sanskrit verb root brh, meaning "to grow". Etymologically, the term means "that which grows" (brhati) and "which causes to grow" (brhmayati).
Brahman is not Anthropomorphic "God"
Brahman, as understood by the scriptures of Hinduism, as well as by the 'acharyas' of ...Published on 07-09-2010 12:01 AM Number of Views: 4527- Categories:
- Buddhism
This brilliant article by Sri Acharyaji on the ontological nature of the self in the Tathagata-garbha philosophy of Buddhism appeared in Volume 2 of Helios: Journal of Metaphysical and Occult Studies.
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Self as a Via Positiva Substantial Real:
An Examination of the Tathagatagarbha Theory of Buddhism
The very first verse of the Brahma-sutras - arguably the most important philosophical treatise in the history of South Asia - states, athato brahma jijnasa, “Now is the time to inquire into the nature of the Absolute.” This, in essence, seems to be the raison d’etre of every spiritual tradition throughout history: the search for ultimate reality. What, then, are we to make of the claim that Buddhism is the sole exception to this rule? Many contemporary Buddhist scholars and practitioners have attempted to present Buddhism as a way of thought free of the requisite metaphysical speculations that have enriched the development of all other religio-philosophical traditions. Not ...Published on 07-08-2010 11:00 AM Number of Views: 3392- Categories:
- Dharma Spirituality in Practice
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
...
This article by Sri Acharyaji first appeared in the February 2003 issue of “The Edge” Magazine: Madison, WI.
The basic process of meditation is found, in one form or another, in many of the world’s diverse religious traditions. All authentic spiritual paths agree that the way to attain true and lasting happiness is to come to a deep and substantial knowledge of oneself and one’s place in the world. The only way to know one’s inner self is by means of the science of meditation. As the most ancient and systematic spiritual tradition known to humanity, the process of meditation is found in its fullest form in the Yoga system of the Sanatana Dharma tradition.
The History
For as long as there have been human beings, there have been people doing what only human beings do best: Asking philosophical questions. Such questions include:Published on 03-19-2011 01:14 AM Number of Views: 1731- Categories:
- Rebirth of Dharma,
- Comparative Philosophy
“Radical Universalism” was originally published by Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya as a long philosophical essay in 2005. It was published in over a dozen magazines and journals simultaneously, including as a major featured article in Hinduism Today Magazine. His essay was destined to be read by over one-million people within only two years after its initial appearance, and to forever change the way the world understands the true nature, beauty, and teachings of Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism). In this newly revised and expanded edition of his work, Sri Acharyaji reiterates his important message that Sanatana Dharma must be understood and practiced only in its most original, unaltered, and authentic form if it is to survive and thrive into the future as the world’s most important and relevant spiritual tradition. This crucially important book philosophically positions Sanatana Dharma to become the most eminent and influential force for positive global change that the world has ever known. Even if you feel that you already know what Hinduism truly teaches, be prepared to challenge your understanding with this revolutionary and thought-provoking work of historical significance.
...Published on 07-16-2010 07:31 PM Number of Views: 4392- Categories:
- Rebirth of Dharma
Universal Hinduism: Towards a New Vision of Sanatana Dharma
David Frawley (Vamadeva Shastri)
xxiv, 214 pages, 22cm.
ISBN: 9788185990897
"Universal Hinduism" is the latest title (fall 2010) of Pandit Vamadeva Shastri (David Frawley) on the Hindu tradition and its global relevance. It follows his several best sellers in the field and his books on Hindu Dharma which have gone through more than twenty reprints in India since 1994. The book explains the relevance of Sanatana Dharma not only for the past but ...Published on 07-09-2010 02:12 AM Number of Views: 2467- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
This brilliant article by Sri Acharyaji on the ontological nature of the self in the philosophies of Buddhism, Advaita Vedanta and Vishishta-advaita Vedanta appeared in Volume 3 of Helios: Journal of Metaphysical and Occult Studies.
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The Ontology of Self in Three Systems of Dharmic Philosophy
The over five-thousand year old realm of traditional South Asian philosophy has, historically, included a very wide array of schools, concerns and philosophical positions. Many of the very same concerns that were to be discussed much later in the Western philosophical tradition found their first systematic expressions in South Asia centuries, and in some cases millennia, before their Western articulation. These include many of the issues to be found in the fields of epistemology, ethics, aesthetics, politics, ontology and psychology. Of the many topics discussed in South Asian philosophy, one of the most overwhelmingly prevalent has been the debate over the exact nature of the human self. Different schools have held very dissimilar views on this question, ranging from the notion ...Published on 08-30-2010 09:18 AM Number of Views: 2099- Categories:
- Dharma Spirituality in Practice,
- ISDS Information
Announcing a New Book by Sri Acharyaji
Living Dharma:
The Teachings of Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Second Edition - 2012
We are happy to announce the release of the new and greatly expanded Second Edition of this very popular book. This exciting new book is a collection of powerful wisdom teachings revealed directly from the pen of one of the world's foremost living Dharma Masters over a span of three years, ranging from 2008 to 2011. In these inspirational and enlightening teachings, we gain a precious and rare glimpse of the very essence of Sanatana Dharma, as well as practical guidance for how we can practice Dharma, meditation, self-realization and Yoga spirituality in an authentic, meaningful and effective way. This book is meant for the serious spiritual seeker. If you can fully understand and apply its teachings to your life, with humility, sincerity, openness ...Published on 07-08-2010 08:56 PM Number of Views: 4408- Categories:
- Rebirth of Dharma
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
1.0 Introduction
The mutual histories of both Sanatana Dharma (commonly called "Hinduism") and that of the United States of America have been intimately intertwined for the last two centuries. Though the two cultures have been so different from one another in many important ways, the profound and continuing influence of the world’s most ancient spiritual culture on one of the earth’s youngest nations cannot be denied. Vedic culture, ideas, philosophy, spirituality, and practices have found an eager audience in America since at least the early 19th Century. While today, in the dawn of the 21st Century, Hindu influence has continued to mold the American cultural psyche in many ways, surprisingly, Sanatana Dharma finds itself increasingly in danger of becoming assimilated into the greater American mainstream, and of losing its own sense of identity as a unique and vibrant religious tradition. Many important elements of Sanatana Dharma have certainly had a powerful presence in the making of American history and culture. The question now is whether or not Sanatana Dharma itself has a secure place in America’s future.
1.1 Turning East: America Discovers Dharma
The Hindu presence in America is longstanding and deeply pervasive. The first instances of these influences can be seen in the writings of several important 19th Century American ...Published on 07-08-2010 11:31 AM Number of Views: 3129- Categories:
- Meditation & Yoga
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Modern America is a land of many interesting, and often painfully ironic, contradictions. On the one hand, we supposedly enjoy more prosperity, longevity, comforts, and conveniences in the United States than any other civilization has even dreamed of in previous history. Supposedly.
On the other hand, however, America is currently going through one of the biggest mental health crises that any nation in history has ever experienced. Various forms of depression, anxiety disorders and neuroses are affecting millions of Americans. Depressive disorders affect approximately 25.8 million American adults, or about 9% of the U.S. population age 18 and older in any given year. For those cases of depression that are reported, ...Published on 07-08-2010 05:59 AM Number of Views: 3407- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
"Of all Yogis, he who always abides in Me ...Published on 07-08-2010 06:36 AM Number of Views: 2891- Categories:
- Dharma Politics
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
“Injustice results as much from treating unequals equally as from treating ...Published on 05-31-2011 08:07 PM Number of Views: 1423- Categories:
- ISDS Information
In Defense of Reality
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
When did we lose the final memory of our sustaining Reality? At what point did we relinquish our understanding of the Eternal Natural Way? When did we lose our precious connection to Dharma?
Was it when all the ancient sacred temples of the past became the archeological ruins of today? Was it when the medicinal arts, consisting of healing herbs and plants, was replaced by the synthetic poisons we now call pharmaceuticals? Was it when animals went from being our beloved companions to becoming our tortured food? Was it when ...Published on 07-08-2010 05:41 AM Number of Views: 2832- Categories:
- Dharma Spirituality in Practice
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
saktah karmany avidvamso
yatha kurvanti bharata
kuryad ...Published on 07-09-2010 03:20 AM Number of Views: 2462- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
From the very earliest dawn of religious consciousness in human beings, people have attempted to approach and know the Divine by the use of various intermediary devices. Such vehicles of worship and meditation have included divine images, sacred geometry, sound vibration, yantras, sacred relics of saints, and hallowed objects of many descriptions. The use of images as a path through which finite humanity can approach the Infinite has been found, without exception, in every traditional culture, religion, and nation on earth. The use of images as a way to know the Divine has ...Published on 07-08-2010 06:10 AM Number of Views: 4306- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Who among us has never, at some contemplative point ...Published on 07-15-2010 10:52 AM Number of Views: 2517- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Two of the most important principles of Dharma are the dual realities of karma and reincarnation. Both of these concepts are so mutually dependent upon one another that it is impossible to understand one of these concepts without understanding the other. More accurately, karma is the direct cause of reincarnation. Despite the fact that much has been written and stated about these dual principles in recent decades, there remain a great deal of misconceptions about how these two principles operate. In the following, ...Published on 07-08-2010 07:13 PM Number of Views: 3758- Categories:
- Dharma Spirituality in Practice
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The Sanskrit term “sadhana” means a systematic and disciplined path of spiritual practice under the guidance of a qualified Acharya (Spiritual Teacher). When a person feels called to devote themselves more fully to a systematic spiritual discipline to achieve self-realization and God-realization, they then begin to follow a sadhana practice. Merely having a curious interest in spiritual topics has no meaning unless one is also engaging in a dedicated spiritual practice designed to bring spiritual realization to life. Sadhana, thus, represents the very beginning of meaningful spiritual pursuit.
The following is a collection of practical, scripturally-based, guidelines from the teachings of Sanatana Dharma that will help ...Published on 06-06-2011 03:12 PM Number of Views: 1780- Categories:
- Dharma Politics
The Yogis Shall Lead Us
by Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Aum Tat Sat. Vedic India is the spiritual mother of the Earth. She was, at one time at least, the land of yogis, of sages, of philosophers and of saints. Today, sadly, after ...by Published on 07-15-2010 08:30 AM Number of Views: 2771- Categories:
- Opposing World-Views
The following is a small portion of a debate that occurred between Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya (Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D.) and a Christian professor on the nature of the soul. It is excerpted from the upcoming biography of Sri Acharyaji.
While they discussed many different theological issues, the primary area of discussion between Acharyaji and the Christian professor was on the ultimate nature of the human person. Being a Jehovah's Witness, the professor held that the soul was not independent of the physical body, but was intimately ...Published on 07-08-2010 07:34 AM Number of Views: 2649- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
"Deluded by the three gunas, the whole world does not know ...Published on 07-08-2010 09:54 PM Number of Views: 2210- Categories:
- Opposing World-Views
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
In its relatively short, and decidedly Abrahamic-centric, history, a wide variety of academic terms have arisen from within the discipline known as Religious Studies in the expressed order of assisting the field to more ably grasp the structure and outlook of religious sects and institutions. One pair of such terms that we encounter are the concepts of "Expansive" versus "Contractive". It is important to note that these two words are used, not with the intent of ascribing a superiority status to any one particular sect or religious phenomenon over another, or of denigrating any particular religious belief system, but with the aim of rationally understanding ...Published on 07-08-2010 11:38 AM Number of Views: 2742- Categories:
- Rebirth of Dharma
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
This inspiring article by Sri Acharyaji was originally published in Hinduism Today Magazine. January, 2008.
Sanatana Dharma is a religion that has faced over 1000 years of brutal battering and horrendous persecution at the hands of adherents of the Abrahamic religions - specifically Islam and Christianity. First, the Islamic conquerors attempted to quite literally physically annihilate Dharma – killing as many as 100 million Hindus, burning our libraries, universities, ashrams and sacred institutions of learning to the ground, denying us our right to worship, making us third-class citizens in our own nation, and ...Published on 07-08-2010 11:15 AM Number of Views: 2646- Categories:
- Rebirth of Dharma
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
This ground-breaking paper by Sri Acharyaji was originally written in 1996, and was later presented as an academic paper at World Association for Vedic Studies Conference, Stevens Institute of Technology, July 29, 2000. It has become legendary since 1996, and is often cited as one of the first papers in history documenting anti-Hindu bias in academia, as well as leading to the global movement against anti-Hindu bigotry.
The Power of the Word
The inherent power of the word is a phenomenon that has been both omnipresent and essential throughout the long histories of literature, philosophy, religion and politics. The power of words has always been recognized for both its potentially constructive, as well as its devastatingly destructive, force. In the ...Published on 07-08-2010 10:10 AM Number of Views: 2368- Categories:
- Opposing World-Views
This article by Sri Acharyaji was originally published in the Indian newspaper "The Telegraph " (Oct. 05 1998), "The Asian Tribune" (April 8, 2005) and many other periodicals. Since its initial appearance in 1998, it has been heralded by many scholars, writers and spiritual leaders as having been exceedingly prescient in its bold assertion that religion and spirituality are now, once again, the central factor in global social change and political discourse.
As Sri Acharyaji predicted in 1998, we are indeed now living in the Post Secular Age!
The Post Secular Age
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The last two centuries have been a conspicuously unique era in the history of ...Published on 07-08-2010 06:14 PM Number of Views: 2885- Categories:
- Dharma Spirituality in Practice
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The ultimate goal of Sanatana Dharma (the Eternal Natural Way) is to re-establish our innate relationship with God. We do this by cultivating devotion (bhakti) in meditational awareness. One of the most effective means of devotional meditation is known as puja. Puja involves the direct meditative worship of God by making various symbolic offerings to God with devotion at your home altar.
In order to perform the puja ceremony, you first have to have a home altar. An altar can be as simple as a small table or shelf in your home, or as elaborate as putting aside an entire room or a section of a room just for the purpose of doing spiritual practice (sadhana). How elaborate you want your altar to be is up to you. The most important thing to keep in mind is that, more important than how large your altar might ...Published on 07-15-2010 08:51 PM Number of Views: 2191- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Every religious tradition, philosophy and world-view claims to have the truth. In almost every case, in fact, even if it isn't stated overtly, the claim of every school of thought is that they alone are the sole possessor of the absolute and perfect truth and that, by implication, every other school of thought is wrong in their own claims to knowing truth. Rather than merely being yet one more dogmatic voice in the deafening chorus of claimants to truth, the Vedic path asks all intelligent seekers to take a step back from such fanatical assertions, and to ask the following fundamental question: By what means do you claim to even know what you claim to know? In other ...Published on 07-08-2010 11:24 PM Number of Views: 1862- Categories:
- Meditation & Yoga
By Sri Dharma Pravaraka Acharya
This article by Sri Acharyaji was originally published in the India Post newspaper, June 20, 2007.
The beginning of all spiritual life begins with asking the big questions: “Why am I here?” “Who am I?” “What is God’s will for my life?” These and other such questions form the very basis of a self-reflective life. The process of sincere inquiry, and the reciprocal receiving of real and satisfying answers is a course of action that continues all throughout one’s spiritual journey. This is one thing that, in fact, makes the path of Yoga and Sanatana Dharma very different from almost all other spiritual traditions: ...Published on 07-08-2010 10:56 AM Number of Views: 1808- Categories:
- Dharma Spirituality in Practice
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya...
The reasons for becoming a vegetarian are many. Vegetarianism makes sense from every possible perspective.
Health - Vegetarians have been shown to live longer, as well as suffer much less from such health problems as cancer, heart-disease and other illnesses. Contrary to popular belief, meat foods are not a necessary component of the human diet. In fact, evolutionarily and biologically, humans are not designed to be carnivores. Our teeth and intestinal structures are best suited for an herbivorous (vegetarian)Published on 07-08-2010 07:09 AM Number of Views: 1804- Categories:
- Opposing World-Views
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The related terms "myth", "mythology", ...Published on 08-23-2010 09:26 AM Number of Views: 2259- Categories:
- Opposing World-Views
Decalogue and Dialog:
A Comparative Analysis of Dharmic Ethics and the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
This paper was originally written by Sri Acharyaji on behalf of the Goodwin Procter Law Firm while serving as an informal consultant in an amicus brief for a Supreme Court case involving the display of the Ten Commandments in a public area. December, 2004.
Introduction
The theological claim for the existence and efficacy of a divinely revealed set of norms for ethical human behavior has been proffered by every major world religion. Moreover, the notion that there can be a trans-rational basis for ideal human behavior, in addition to being universally acknowledged, is also one of the most consistently ancient beliefs commonly held by the faithful of every religious tradition. The practical result ...Published on 07-08-2010 05:50 AM Number of Views: 1961- Categories:
- Dharma Spirituality in Practice
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Do you have friends? Of course you do! Who doesn’t ...Published on 07-08-2010 07:06 PM Number of Views: 1937- Categories:
- Meditation & Yoga
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
This article by Sri Acharyaji appeared in the editorial section of the Central Chronicle newspaper in Madhya Pradesh, India on Sunday, December 26, 2010.
The very essence of all forms of Sanatana Dharma is Yoga. And the heart of Yoga is meditation. With any activity that is done in Yoga, whether doing any of the asanas, pranayama, study of scriptures, etc., these activities are only considered to be Yoga in the true sense of the word when we are in a simultaneous meditative state while performing them. Thus, if you are performing an asana (Yoga pose) to technical perfection, but without awareness, you are not doing Yoga in any real sense. If on the other hand, your attempt to do an asana is far from perfect, but you are in complete concentration, struggling with sincerity and devotion to God as you are struggling to perform the asana, then, and only then, are you truly doing Yoga. For Yoga is meditation. Yoga is about what the mind and consciousness does...not just what the body does.
The ancient Classical Yoga tradition had ...Published on 07-16-2010 04:37 AM Number of Views: 1814- Categories:
- Dharma Spirituality in Practice
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
In our attempt to know and to live Truth, it is crucially important to try to live as ethical a life as possible. For the Dharmi (follower of Dharma), the Good, the True, the Real, the Beautiful, the Eternal, and the Absolute, in the highest metaphysical sense, are all one and the same. Thus, one cannot know the Absolute unless one also knows the Good. And one cannot know the Good unless one also is good.
There is no religious or philosophical system in the world that doesn’t hold some position on ethics. This is the case even for so-called Ethical Relativists who hold the position that ethical norms are ultimately only a matter of personal preference or the situation at hand. Even this shortsighted claim is a position on ethics. The realm of ethics, stated very simply, centers upon ...Published on 07-08-2010 12:25 PM Number of Views: 1780- Categories:
- Dharma Spirituality in Practice
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Sanatana Dharma (commonly referred to as “Hinduism”) is a spiritual path that has existed since the before the very beginning of time. Rather than reflecting the dogmatically inclined expressions of denominationalism, sectarianism, and religious doctrines that are of more recent origin, Sanatana Dharma is an expression of the divine intelligence that naturally underlies the more empirical aspects of our cosmos. Sanatana Dharma is the Eternal Natural Way. As such, this path represents the essence of all true spirituality, philosophy, ...Published on 07-08-2010 07:22 PM Number of Views: 1852- Categories:
- Dharma Spirituality in Practice
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Sanatana Dharma is a philosophy that boldly encourages human beings to strive to become noble (arya) and excellent in all their thoughts, words and behavior. Our goal is nothing less than achieving the perfection of spirit, intellect, mind, emotions, virtue, beauty and health. The ...Published on 07-18-2010 05:09 AM Number of Views: 2037- Categories:
- Bhagavad Gita
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The first Yoga that the Bhagavad Gita discusses is Jnana-yoga, or the path of knowledge. This path consists of acquiring the salvific knowledge that will assist us in attaining liberation from the material anxieties, fears and blockages that we so frequently encounter in our day-to-day lives. The term, jnana, does not refer to a mere academic endeavor, nor to a dry theoretical grasp of truth, but to that living - and life-giving! - spiritual wisdom that will best provide us with a direct understanding of the loving nature of the Absolute.
raja-vidya raja-guhyam pavitram idam uttamam
pratyaksavagamam dharmyam susukham kartum avyayam
...“This knowledge is the kingPublished on 07-17-2010 12:50 AM Number of Views: 2226- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The word “dharma” is etymologically derived from the Sanskrit verb root “dhr”, meaning “to sustain”, “to uphold”, “to support”, etc.; and it is in these verbal derivative meanings that we can begin to clearly detect the precise idea that the term “dharma” is attempting to communicate.
The denotative meaning of " dharma" straightforwardly designates an essential attribute of X object - an attribute whose absence renders the object devoid of either rational meaning or existential significance. An existent thing’s dharma is that which constitutes the thing’s very essence, without which, the very concept of the thing would be rendered meaningless.
In the ...Published on 07-08-2010 06:48 AM Number of Views: 2060- Categories:
- Meditation & Yoga
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
This article by Sri Acharyaji was originally published in the ...Published on 07-16-2010 08:57 AM Number of Views: 1720- Categories:
- Rebirth of Dharma
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Sanatana Dharma, authentic Hinduism, is a religion that is just as unique, valuable and integral a religion as any other major religion on earth, with its own beliefs, traditions, advanced system of ethics, meaningful rituals, philosophy and theology.
Unique & Original
The religious tradition of Hinduism is solely responsible for the original creation of such concepts and practices as Yoga, Ayurveda, Vastu, Jyotisha, Yajna, Puja, Tantra, Vedanta, Karma, etc. These and countless other Vedic-inspired elements of Hinduism belong to Hinduism, and to Hinduism alone.
Though they are elements of Hinduism alone, however, they are also simultaneously ...Published on 07-16-2010 06:25 AM Number of Views: 1876- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The Three Reals
Dharma addresses every aspect of philosophy - from ethics, epistemology, and aesthetics, to politics, ontology, and metaphysics. This work will deal specifically with the metaphysical concept of the Tri-tattva, or Three Reals, of Sanatana Dharma.
The term “metaphysics” was first coined by Aristotle and denotes those subject matters that lie beyond the physical world and corresponding empirical perception. Metaphysical realities may not be provable through sensory evidence, but they can be proven through logical inference and by direct experiential insight. Such inquiries as the nature of God, soul, Reality, natural law, and Being are some of the subjects ...Published on 08-23-2010 09:38 PM Number of Views: 2409- Categories:
- Rebirth of Dharma
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Anti-Dharmic Defamation in America: Foundations and Challenges
The problem of prejudice is a dilemma that American society has been forced to acknowledge and address throughout much of the twentieth century, and extending now into the twenty-first. Racial, ethnic, religious and cultural bigotry have been, unfortunately, as inherent an element in American history as have been the positive ideals of democracy, freedom, and free market economic initiative. In previous history, such minority groups as the Irish, Italians, Catholics, Native Americans, Jews, African Americans, and Spanish speaking Americans have all experienced myriad instances of defamation and persecution.
In the attempt to both understand group prejudice in a systematic and academic ...Published on 08-23-2010 04:23 PM Number of Views: 2190- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The study of folklore consists, among many other things, of the examination of those elements of human culture which have arisen from non-literary sources. Included among these elements are material artifacts - such as quilts, furniture and clothing - and oral artifacts, such as folktales, riddles, traditional stories and proverbs. The practical functions of folklore are many. Folklore has the ability to serve either the social, psychological, economic, ritualistic or didactic needs of a specific community. Sometimes a particular item of folklore will even serve all of these needs simultaneously. It ...Published on 07-15-2010 09:10 AM Number of Views: 1980- Categories:
- Bhagavad Gita
Forward to the Book "Bhagavad Gita: The Song of the Lord An American Translation in Prose" by Swami Sivadasa Bharati
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Throughout our history, a wide variety of diverse cultures and authors have created written works of such notable aesthetic grandeur that they deserve to be termed "great literature". Such illustrious names as Homer, Shakespeare and Kalidasa come to mind when we contemplate some of the authors of this literature. Within this grand literary corpus of great literature, however, a further qualitative distinction can be made. There is great literature, ...Published on 07-18-2010 05:58 AM Number of Views: 2153- Categories:
- Bhagavad Gita
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The third path of Yoga described in the Bhagavad Gita is called bhakti, or devotional consciousness. This Yoga consists of developing a loving, devotional attitude towards the Supreme. It is a path that is meditative, contemplative and worshipful in nature. Often modern commentators on Yoga mistakenly attempt describe bhakti as the “yoga of the emotions.” This Yoga is not, however, to be confused with mere emotionalism or sentimental piety. As we will see in this work, Bhakti-yoga is just as much a rigorous philosophical system as are any of the other branches of Yoga. Practitioners of bhakti (known as bhaktas) generally view the Absolute in very personal terms, as opposed to the sometimes more amorphous concept of the impersonal aspect of Brahman. Krishna, who is speaking as an incarnation (avatara) of the Divine, recommends this path throughout the entire course of the Bhagavad ...Published on 07-08-2010 10:18 AM Number of Views: 1586- Categories:
- Opposing World-Views
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
(Originally published in the Journal of Vaishnava Studies, Spring, 2005)
There are many different questions and problems with which the enterprise of philosophy concerns itself. These realms of inquiry have included attempts to ascertain the nature of reality, the existence of God, and the dictums and bounds of ethics. For Socrates, the starting point of all philosophical inquiry begins with the imperative to “know thyself”. For without knowing the nature of ourselves, as persons, how, so the argument goes, can we know anything at all?
There are two approaches to uncovering the nature of person that have been taken in the history of both Western and Asian philosophy. One is an exploration of person in the very general sense of personhood per se; the other is a purely individual approach - “Who am I as a person?”. In the following, I will concentrate on the former approach in the form of a comparative analysis of two very different schools of thought: Thomism 1 and Vedanta. I have chosen these two specific schools for two important reasons. 1) Both are recognized as systems which have been immensely influential both historically as well as in contemporary times 2. 2) Yet, despite this fact, the dissimilarities between them are extremely pronounced, in ...Published on 08-23-2010 11:04 AM Number of Views: 2208- Categories:
- Rebirth of Dharma
Bridging the Gap:
Uniting the Indian Hindu and 'Hidden Hindu' Communities
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
With over one-billion adherents globally, the ancient religion of Sanatana Dharma (also known as "Hinduism") represents the third largest religion on earth, with Christianity being the largest, and Islam the second largest. Despite its timelessness and size, Sanatana Dharma is not a monolithic religion. It is not the religion of any one specific nation, ethnicity, race, or language group. Rather, it is a universal religion that finds adherents originating from every national and ethnic group on earth. In addition to the existence of Indian Hindus, ...Published on 07-25-2010 05:26 AM Number of Views: 1772- Categories:
- Opposing World-Views
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The ancient and noble religious tradition of Sanatana Dharma (the Eternal Natural Way) , which is all too often misnamed "Hinduism", has often been the object of terrible persecution and misunderstanding in recent centuries. This persecution has taken many forms, including the use of highly inaccurate derogatory descriptions of the practices and beliefs of our religion. Worse, practitioners of Sanatana Dharma (Dharmis) have often themselves ignorantly adopted such derogatory terms into their own understanding of their religion. In the ...Published on 07-27-2010 12:08 AM Number of Views: 1985- Categories:
- Dharma Spirituality in Practice
Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
It seems that there are an infinite number of demands on our schedules today compared to even just a generation ago. People today are riddled with jobs, classes, active Internet lives, family, and an ever-increasing barrage of information coming at us at lightning speed. While adding Yoga, meditation and a satisfying spiritual life on top of all this material activity is crucial to balance out the stress and anxiety that is inexorably linked with modern life, combining our spiritual and material lives often seems to be a pretty daunting goal. By focusing on ...Published on 07-18-2010 03:36 AM Number of Views: 2153- Categories:
- Bhagavad Gita
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The Outer War
In the following work, we will explore the martial context of the Bhagavad Gita in both its concrete historical setting, as well as in the manner in which the illustration of battle serves as an apropos metaphor for the internal work necessary to progress on the path of Yoga spirituality. We will first set the scene in which this great work occurred.
The Bhagavad Gita is a small portion (only eighteen chapters, in fact) of a much larger literary work known as the Mahabharata. At over 100,000 couplets long, the Mahabharata is the longest epic poem recorded in the history of human literature - more than eight times the size of the Odyssey and the Iliad ...Published on 07-08-2010 11:47 AM Number of Views: 1687- Categories:
- Rebirth of Dharma
Originally written in 2008.
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Aum Hari Aum
By the year 2058, the following events will have occurred:
1) We will witness that Sanatana Dharma has become the preeminent world-view, religion, and philosophy of the entire earth.
2) Hindus themselves will work with unbridled dedication, energy, enthusiasm, and self-sacrifice to make the above a reality.
3) One-billion Hindus in South Asia will have renewed their personal commitment to Sanatana Dharma with an enthusiasm and sincere fervor the likes of which all of Hindu history has never seen before.
4) The world will see Sanatana Dharma as a religion that fosters strength, fearlessness, healthy assertiveness, ...Published on 07-08-2010 11:09 AM Number of Views: 1638- Categories:
- Rebirth of Dharma
...
The current document was written by Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya and unanimously approved by over 300 scholars, professors and Hindu intellectuals at the World Association for Vedic Studies conference at the Stevens Institute for Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey, U.S.A., July 30, 2000.
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Vedic Culture represents humanity's most ancient and advanced spiritual/cultural expression. FromPublished on 07-08-2010 05:10 AM Number of Views: 1752- Categories:
- Dharma Politics
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya...
On November 3, 2007 Pakistani dictator Pervez MusharrafPublished on 08-23-2010 07:18 PM Number of Views: 1734- Categories:
- Rebirth of Dharma
The following document was written by Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya in 2000 at the request of several prominent Hindu leaders in the New York Tri-state area. At the time of the creation of this historic document, Sri Acharyaji was permanently residing in Madison, Wisconsin. He only had the time to visit New York periodically, and was consequently forced to encourage the creation of this council from afar. Though the creation of this council was not destined to come to fruition, this document remains as a valuable blueprint for the creation of such Hindu councils in cities across America.
New York Area Hindu Council
A plan to facilitate closer cooperation ...Published on 07-09-2010 02:35 AM Number of Views: 1660- Categories:
- Dharma Spirituality in Practice
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Both Sri Gautama the Buddha, as well as all the many sages of Sanatana Dharma, have repeatedly instructed us that the nature of the material world is such that suffering and loss are inevitable for all beings. It is in expressing compassion toward those around us who suffer that we most express the beauty of our own true, spiritual self. The below news story quite literally made me cry when I first read it. This was the story of an entire Hindu family, a part of our greater Sanatana Dharma family, that we have tragically lost. This loss was preventable. Had our society celebrated the Eternal ...Published on 07-18-2010 04:08 AM Number of Views: 1925- Categories:
- Bhagavad Gita
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Yamuna and Ramanuja, two of the greatest philosophers of the tradition of Yoga spirituality and Sanatana Dharma, have taught that the Bhagavad Gita can be structurally divided into three separate, yet sequential and perfectly integrated, sections. Each of these three sections has six chapters.
The first division consists of chapters 1-6. This section is focused upon an exposition of the precise method and means of self-realization - or atma-jñana - to be used by the individual self. The stages of such self-realization are comprised ...Published on 07-08-2010 10:04 PM Number of Views: 1431- Categories:
- Rebirth of Dharma
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
INTRODUCTION
On this day, three hundred and twenty four years ago (November 11, 1675), one man, a fearless, selfless, spiritual giant, stood up to the wrath of a bigoted tyrant and was martyred, his visage serene and his faith unshaken. That man was the Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur, who along with his three disciples, Bhai Sati Das, Bhai Mati Das and Bhai Dayala, was executed after torture for refusing to convert under duress from the Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir. These four courageous souls stood steadfast as a bulwark against the forces of fundamentalist persecution and religious intolerance. ...Published on 08-23-2010 07:23 AM Number of Views: 2365- Categories:
- Bhagavad Gita
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
...The Bhagavad Gita is traditionally recognized as a Yoga text. In fact, even more so that the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Bhagavad Gita deals very specifically with the philosophy of Yoga. Among its other primary concerns is outlining the philosophy, goal, and means of the Yoga system in its complete sense:Published on 07-28-2010 12:02 PM Number of Views: 1603- Categories:
- Rebirth of Dharma
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Sanatana Dharma is the most ancient spiritual tradition known to humanity. Sanatana Dharma is the Eternal Natural Way. There was never a time when Dharma did not exist, nor shall it ever cease to be. ...Published on 08-23-2010 12:28 PM Number of Views: 1754- Categories:
- Meditation & Yoga
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Aum Hari Aum
It certainly is possible to achieve everything that is worth achieving through the process of meditation. The real question, of course, is what is truly worth achieving?
What is truly worth achieving is only that which is real, lasting, and that is completely fulfilling. Anything less than this, the teachings of Yoga tell us, only leads to temporary happiness, and eventual disappointment.
It is only in knowing our true selves, and in knowing God in devotion, that we can know ...Published on 07-27-2010 04:36 AM Number of Views: 2596- Categories:
- Dharma Spirituality in Practice
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
There are several natural occurrences of human life which are universally observed. Some of these intrinsically human phenomena are politics, religion and art. Included among these, we must add the less celebrated enterprise known as folklore. It is quite arguable that there is no people, nation or culture known on earth that has not produced some form of folklore. By folklore is meant those aspects of a people’s culture which arise from the common people of any given society. Folk elements tend to be oral in nature, have untraceable origins, and deal with subject matter the empirical verification of which usually proves quite challenging. In the following, I will accomplish two tasks. 1) I will discuss ...Published on 08-21-2010 11:38 AM Number of Views: 1823- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
This ground-breaking paper by Sri Acharyaji was originally presented as an academic paper at the Conference on South Asia, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Oct. 1999.
For many centuries, the Western concept of divinity has been overwhelmingly preoccupied with a decidedly masculine image of the Absolute. Indeed, it has only been in the last generation or so that spiritual and academic investigations of the feminine face of the divine has been seriously undertaken. The neglected goddesses of human religious expression are everywhere to be found. From the ancient mystery cults of pre-Christian Europe, to the sacred Shakti mandiras (temples) of today’s Sanatana Dharma, worship of the goddess has revealed itself to be a near universal phenomenon. With only a few exceptions (e.g. ancient Egypt), goddesses are routinely linked with the forces of nature and with the earth. ...Published on 07-30-2010 08:16 AM Number of Views: 2296- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
This paper by Sri Acharyaji was first published in the anthology New Perspectives on Vedic and Ancient Indian Civilization. WAVES Press, 2000. It was later presented as an academic paper at the Conference on South Asia organized at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in October, 2000.
There is hardly a Hindu in the world who is not familiar in one way or another with the figure of Lakshmi Devi. Images of Lakshmi are found in such diverse places as village shrines in rural India to the counters of Indian shops in Chicago, New York and London. Sri-Lakshmi is usually petitioned as the compassionate goddess of wealth. Unfortunately, not much more than this single aspect is usually known either about her position in the theology of Sanatana Dharma or about the nature of her many attributes. Rather than being merely one of the many goddesses of Sanatana Dharma, Sri Lakshmi represents the manifestation of the highest power of God, known as Vishnu-shakti. She is thus co-Absolute with God.
The relationship that is enjoyed between Vishnu ...Published on 07-28-2010 04:12 AM Number of Views: 1606- Categories:
- Rebirth of Dharma
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
This document was first issued by Sri Acharyaji on August 8, 1998 when he was still a fulltime graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison working on his Ph.D. It was written in response to the continuing scandals revolving around the shocking exposures of false gurus in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Though now a dozen years old, this work still serves as a systematic blueprint for salvaging the work of Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, one of the greatest and most authentic gurus of the 20th Century, and as a scholarly and remarkable exposition of Vaishnava philosophy.
A dark and troubling era has descended upon the Western branch of the great tree of Vaishnava Dharma (the technical term "Vaishnava" is a Sanskrit word that means devotion to, or a devotee of, Sri Vishnu, and/or Sri Krishna). Beginning at the time of the disappearance of the greatest Acharya of Vaisnavism in our time, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the ancient tradition ...Published on 08-03-2010 11:35 PM Number of Views: 6574- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The oldest civilization known to humanity is represented by the traditional culture of Sanatana Dharma. Stretching back at least as far at the early Indus Valley cultures of circa 3800 B.C.E., according to even the most atheistic of academicians, Vedic culture is understood to be an eternal civilizational phenomenon that transcends all materialist-oriented cultures. Traditional Vedic culture has contributed much to the development of human progress. Included among these many contributions have been innovations in the fields of medicine, philosophy, religion, mathematics, astronomy, architecture, logic, politics, economics, agrarian sciences, physics, cosmology, mechanics, nautical sciences, aesthetics, biology and surgery - to name only a few. It has been, however, within the very vehicle through which these many discoveries have been communicated that we find the most impressive aspect of Vedic cultural development, that vehicle being the realm of traditional Dharma literature. In the following work, I will accomplish several tasks. I will provide a brief over-view of the traditional Vedic literary canon. I will give a general introduction to one specific genre of literature, known as the Sutra literature. ...Published on 07-16-2010 10:11 AM Number of Views: 2575- Categories:
- Dharma Philosophy & World-View
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
I’ve often been asked about what evidence there is for the process of reincarnation. To answer this question properly, it depends on what someone means by the term “evidence”. Since reincarnation is a metaphysical reality (meta = “beyond”; physical = “material”), and not a material one, it doesn’t stand to reason that there can really be scientific “evidence” per se. A non-material, metaphysical reality or concept simply cannot be grasped by merely material physical means.
That doesn’t mean, though, that reincarnation can’t be ...Published on 08-23-2010 06:45 AM Number of Views: 1816- Categories:
- Dharma Spirituality in Practice
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The ancient Sanskrit term "Sanatana Dharma" means the Eternal Natural Way. Dharma, or Natural Law, tells us that there are organic governing principles inherent in the very structure of the universe in accordance with the will of the Absolute, Narayana, or God. Among many other arenas of concern, such natural principles are responsible for the design of the specific diets that all individual species of living beings follow, and that ensure the optimum nutritional balance of each species. According ...Published on 07-15-2010 11:15 AM Number of Views: 1663- Categories:
- Rebirth of Dharma
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The Dharmic mind - both east and west - has been such that it seems to have historically see-sawed between the ordinarily juxtaposed ideas of set destiny versus free-volitional triumph. Where the Dharmic mind sees such opposition, we often try to create a harmonious reconciliation between the two.
We know, for example, that the ancient, pre-Abrahamic Greeks believed that all occurrences ...Published on 07-24-2010 01:17 AM Number of Views: 1920- Categories:
- Buddhism
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
One of the most enduring symbolic images found throughout the history of the South Asian sub-continent - from the very earliest writings, known as the Rig Veda, down to the present day - is that of the vajra, which has been considered by both scholars of South Asian religion, as well as by many adherents of Sanatana Dharma and Buddhist Dharma to represent the thunderbolt of enlightenment. In the following work, I will examine the importance and evolution of the vajra in the history of Vedic, Buddhist and Tantric art.
The actual origins ...Published on 07-22-2010 02:30 PM Number of Views: 1732- Categories:
- Buddhism
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
One of the most important developments in the history of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition is known as the trikaya, or the “Three Bodies”, theory. As is true of other philosophical doctrines in Buddhism, this theory can be seen reflected in the sacred iconography of Buddhism.
According to this doctrine, the ultimate reality consists of the dharmakaya, the very essence of Buddhahood and of dharma. Dharmakaya is the supreme transcendent reality in its spiritually ...Published on 08-23-2010 07:01 PM Number of Views: 2085- Categories:
- Dharma Spirituality in Practice
Sri Krishna Janmashtami Benedictions to All
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
President-Acharya
International Sanatana Dharma Society
The appearance day of Bhagavan Sri Krishna, Sri Krishna Janmashtami, represents the most important holy day in all of Sanatana Dharma. For it was over 5100 years ago that Narayana (God) Himself, out of mercy and love ...
- Support ISDS
Sanatana Dharma: The Eternal Natural Way - Video
Sanatana Dharma: The Eternal Natural Way - Video
Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
In this inspiring talk, Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya discusses his magnum opus book, "Sanatana Dharma: The Eternal Natural Way".
An all-in-one guidebook to the world