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Gather together, converse together! Your minds be of
one accord, just as in harmony the Gods of old took their ritual shares
of oblation! United be your counsel, united your assembly, united your
spirit and thoughts! A single plan do I lay before you; a single
oblation do I offer!
Rig Veda 10.191.2-3. VE, P. 854

Monday
LESSON 351
Hinduism In America
Namaste to each and every one here at this Cultural
Center tonight in California. We invoke Lord Ganesha's blessings to
guide us through our evening together. We are glad to see you all
sitting on the floor on these beautiful carpets in the traditional way.
You are obviously taking pride in bringing more and more of the great
heritage of India to America.
Tonight we are going to discuss
an issue that is essential to the future of Hinduism in America, I
would even say in the world. It is a complex matter, but in brief it
may be defined as the relationship of Hindus to Hindus, of Vaishnavites
to Saivites, of northern traditions to southern. I call it Hindu
solidarity, and I can assure you that there is no single more
challenging or significant lesson that we as members of the world's
oldest religion have to learn. If we can achieve this, and we can, many
of our problems will be solved, and Hinduism will take a new place of
pride in North America.
Hindu solidarity is not a new idea.
Mahatma Gandhi literally gave his life to religious unity. Of course,
his greatest efforts were focused on the more serious conflicts between
Hindus and Muslims, but he was a man for whom unity -- but not
uniformity -- among Hindus was the rock upon which harmony between
members of all religions must be based. To him this goal was considered
a prerequisite for freedom and for prosperity. Gandhi took religious
harmony so seriously that it became for him the fulfillment, the
"ultimate triumph of Truth." Of course, from the 1982 film shown in
major cities around the world, you know that Gandhi faced many
disappointments, many setbacks. Yet he never despaired. Though we, too,
encounter obstacles in this effort, we must not lose heart, but carry
on with courage and determination.
Gandhi did not force his
will on others, but used humility, penance, prayer and purity to convey
his ideals to others, to awaken in them the same love, the same
tolerance, the same dependence on God. Gandhi followed Swami
Vivekananda in impressing America with principles of tolerance,
understanding, forbearance and nonviolence -- all Hindu ideals. While
Swami Vivekananda became known to relatively few here in the West,
Gandhi captured the imagination and hearts of all Americans, if not the
whole world. He is really a hero in this country, and our own freedom
fighters, Martin Luther King and others, took their guidance from him.
When he failed, Gandhi would say, "Let us ask for help from God, the
All-Powerful, and tell Him that we, His tiny creatures, have failed to
do what we ought to do. We hate one another. We distrust one another.
We fly at one another's throat, and we even become assassins. Let us
ask Him to purge our hearts of all hatred in us. Let us ask God in all
humility to give us sense, to give us wisdom."
The people of
America sincerely want the Hindu religion here. And all the Asian
Hindus who have come to America, now numbering in the millions, also
want the Hindu religion here. They are not all in agreement as to what
it is; nor do they even understand the deeper tenets of Hinduism. But
the general feeling among them is, "We want Hinduism here in America."
In a recent publication, I believe it was U.S. News and World Report, statistics were given showing that in American today one person in twenty-five is associated with Hinduism, yoga or
meditation. Of course, we have millions of other Americans who are
atheists, born without any religion at all. There are tens of millions
who are Jews, Muslims and Buddhists. Buddhism is very popular in the
United States, and Islam is the fastest growing religion. You can see
that we are not really a Christian country. We are a mosaic of all
races, all religions. The Founding Fathers of America arrived seeking a
new world, a new hope, freedom from unenlightened European monarchies.
They consciously did not create a Christian nation. Their freedom of
religion policy was for all the religions of the world. Much of their
symbolism and thinking was derived from the Masonic Lodge and the Deist
movement of the times.
Thomas Jefferson himself said that the
freedoms were to extend to the Hindus, the Muslims and others. He wrote
in his autobiography, "[When] the [Virginia] bill for establishing
religious freedom... was finally passed, a singular proposition proved
that its protection of opinion was meant to be universal. Where the
preamble declares that coercion is a departure from the plan of the
holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed, by inserting
the words Jesus Christ, so that it should read 'a departure
from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion.' The
insertion was rejected by a great majority, in proof that they meant to
comprehend within the mantle of its protection the Jew and the Gentile,
the Christian and Mahometan, the Hindoo and infidel of every
denomination."
Tuesday
LESSON 352
Sectarianism Is Healthy
Those who followed in the decades after the US
Constitution was ratified were divided one from another because of
language, religion and culture. They spoke different languages,
followed many different customs and promoted many different religious
beliefs. In spite of all this, they worked with and solved the
problems. They set their differences aside through the separation of
church and state and created friendships by not entering into
discussions of church and state, business and politics. They solved the
problems and decided not to talk much about religion and decided
to work together for a new world, a new nation, a new democracy that
the entire world is now beginning to emulate. This is because they came
to the conclusion that they must be united to exist, and that working
together was imperative for survival in the new world. And this is how
the American people work together today. They don't speak about
religion or politics in corporations or businesses.
There are
good lessons for Hindus in these historical happenings, for the
founding fathers of this nation did not destroy their heritage. The
Lutherans coming over here from Germany and Denmark did not forsake the
traditions of the Lutheran religion; rather, they strengthened them.
The Baptists strengthened their religion. The Methodists became strong.
The Catholics from Ireland and Italy became very strong here. That's
what they did. What they did not do is just as important. They did not
create a liberal Christianity in which everyone was expected to blend
with other creeds for the sake of unity. They did not dismantle or
dilute their religion. They did not compromise all their culture so
they could "fit in." Nor did the Buddhists, the Taoists, the Shintoists
or the Confucianists seek to combine all the sects of their faiths into
one. They did not do this. They did not take an axe to that tree. They
did not chop away at its roots. They didn't do that. They knew that
individual ways of worship are important, that individual customs are
important, important enough to preserve.
Many Hindus wrongly
believe there is just one Christianity which all Christians support.
This is simply not true. There are 33,500 sects within Christianity in
this country alone, as published by the highly regarded Dr. David
Bartlett. Imagine that! More than 33,500, each having its own separate
identity, its own individual beliefs, creeds, doctrines and ways of
worship. This is very important to remember. Of course, they are in the
ninth and tenth generation now, and everyone speaks English.
Recently,
while dedicating Flint's Pashchima Kashi Shri Vishvanatha Temple,
Congressman Riley of the state of Michigan and I were on the same
platform and he told the gathered crowd, "America is often called a
melting pot. But that's not exactly true. It is more of a mosaic, where
everyone fits together and nurtures their own individuality." Here we
have the great cultures of many countries, and we appreciate all the
cultures of every country and want the best of each culture from each
country.
Now we come to Hindu solidarity. I call it
"solidarity in diversity." Solidarity in diversity is really a better
term than unity in diversity, just like the mosaic is more accurate
than the melting pot. In America we have Saivite Hindus, Vaishnava
Hindus, Shakta Hindus, Smarta Hindus, liberal Hindus, agnostic Hindus
and anti-Hindu Hindus, all working together for Hindu solidarity, a
grand Hindu front competent to master and reform Hinduism today.
There
are different theologies, different philosophies and different
scriptures for each of the various Hindu sects. We do not have 27,000
divisions to deal with like the Christians, but we do have a few major
ones. Some liberal Hindus would like to get rid of these, but there is
no reason why in America and the other countries of the world the major
Hindu sects cannot live in harmony. Many swamis join with me in
this thinking, as do other Hindu leaders. They know that unity does not
mean sameness. Sameness in religion is not healthy, not natural.
Sameness is a most common, dull, uninspired and unenlightened solution,
for it reduces that which is vital with differences, rich in
philosophical interpretation and background, to a common denominator.
Such a solution would be very harmful to Hinduism in the world, and
many of us are firmly against that idea. Hinduism has always taken
pride in its broadness. All of history proclaims this to be true. In
this most advanced age of civilization shall we abandon that lofty
view? Shall we take a sumptuous feast with its rich variety of curries
and chutneys and dals and stir it all together into an unappealing
stew? Certainly not. I certainly hope not.
Wednesday
LESSON 353
Solidarity, Not Sameness
Hindu solidarity is not an original idea. It has
become very popular in India itself. Whatever our background, we can
and we must maintain our sectarian roots and heritage, cultivate our
differences and become strong within them, as the Christians did. There
exists a common bond between all Hindus. What is that bond? Number one,
it is the belief in karma and dharma. The Saivites and the Vaishnavites, the Shaktas and the Smartas all believe in karma and dharma. Number two is reincarnation. Number three is the all-pervasiveness of God and the sanctity of the Vedas.
If we accept these three basic beliefs -- along with tolerance for all
the religions of the world coupled with the belief that all people,
whatever their spiritual path, will one day attain to knowledge of God
-- then we can say, "Yes, we are Hindus."
Though the branches
of Hinduism are many and different, the roots are common to us all. We
share so much, and we can never forget this. Sharing a common heritage,
we can then, with confidence, follow our own path. If that path is
liberal Hindu, fine. If that path is Saivite Hindu, Vaishnava Hindu or
Shakta Hindu, fine. Let each follow his own path. Let each perfect
himself and purify himself within the context of his individual way. We
must know and get the strength from the heritage of our roots. That is
a real strength; that is a genuine Hindu solidarity. It is not strength
for us all to call out for others to be exactly as we are. A tree has
one trunk, one root system, but for survival its branches must reach in
many directions. The different directions are not a weakness in the
tree. In fact, its very life depends on this diversity. The very life
of Hinduism has always depended on a similar diversity. That is why I
say it is not uniformity or sameness that we seek together. It is
solidarity, the strength which comes from appreciating and cultivating
our differences, not denying them or trying to restrain or even destroy
them altogether.
It is a strange fact that there are temples
today that enshrine three Supreme Gods within them -- Siva, Vishnu and
Shakti. This never used to happen, because people were secure and firm
in their beliefs. Imagine, three Supreme Gods in one temple. Who can
understand such a thing? This is a new phenomenon. It is not Agamic. It
is not traditional. It is like having three prima donnas on one stage,
and the only result will be confusion, strife and unhappiness. What are
the children going to think about this? As they are growing up, they
will say, "When you make up your mind, Mom and Dad, who is Supreme God,
let us know. In the meantime, we are going to live, have fun and be
Americans. Hey, when you decide, let us know."
First we need
to know, deep inside ourselves, who is the Supreme God. Is He Siva? Is
He Vishnu, Krishna, or is She Durga? Having made that determination, we
can gather like-minded people together to design and build a temple to
our Supreme God. There is no power in a temple to more than one Supreme
God, no power at all. Better not to build such a place, which will just
be a social hall. That is not religion. That is opportunistic
compromise. That is politics trying to run religion. Rather, build a
temple to Siva and worship there with your whole heart. Build a temple
to Vishnu and worship there with your whole heart. Build a temple to
Shakti and worship there with your whole heart. But don't compromise,
don't confuse yourselves and your children by trying to please everyone
in every temple. Let there be good, strong temples to Siva and good
strong temples to Krishna and to Vishnu and to Shakti. Each devotee can
then worship God or Goddess properly, with full commitment and
devotion.
Thursday
LESSON 354
The Demise Pagan Faiths
There have been civilizations that have become
ashamed of and then abandoned their religion and their temples because
of Christian and Communist propaganda. Where is the Greek religion
today? Their temples are mere monuments. Where is the Native American
religion today, with all of its mysticism? And where is the religion of
the Native Hawaiian people today? They practiced a profound religion
that was in many respects very similar to Hinduism. They worshiped Lord
Ganesha, and called Him God Lono. They worshiped Lord Subramanya and
they called Him God Ku, who is our Kumara. Their Goddess Pele was
Parvati, whom they feared. Their Supreme God, our Lord Siva, was called
God Kane, represented by a single upright sacred stone, much like our linga.
Then,
about a hundred and fifty years ago, Christians came in force to
Hawaii. They set about to convert all of the "pagan" Hawaiians. They
set up printing presses and schools. They convinced the queens and
kings to close the temple doors, which they did. What followed is a sad
history of decline and fall. The 1,500-year-old Polynesian culture
dwindled and died. Intermarriage began. Today, 200 years later, the
language, the culture, the religion, the worship and the race are
nearly gone. Of the 500,000 Hawaiians that Captain Cook encountered in
1772, only about 500 are left today. There are virtually no pure
Hawaiians anymore, all because the temple doors were closed. Such is
the vulturism that the Christians, in their commercial, colonial,
imperial expansion, perpetuated on the Hawaiian people. We live in
Hawaii. We know all of this.
We do not want Hinduism in
mainland America to suffer that fate, and so we urge all of you to
protect yourselves from the forces that may try to demean and destroy
our Hindu temples. By protecting the temples, we protect the religion.
Proceed with confidence. With a united will, a solidarity, a Hindu
front, we are a loving fortress unto ourselves.
You are all to
be commended for your efforts to open the temple doors in this
community. I ask each and every one of you to bring your heritage, the
best you understand it, all of it, here to the United States of
America. Don't try to create a new religion here, a Neo-Indian
religion. The one you have is perfectly fine, the best in the world.
Those of you who have been educated in Christian schools, your minds
have been turned against Hinduism at a young age by the clever teachers
in the school, and thoughts have gone into the subconscious mind that
are there militating against your bringing up temples and bringing the
culture here, thinking it may be not quite right to do. Release those
thoughts from the subconscious mind and realize that we are all in a
country that grants us religious freedom through its constitution. It
is our privilege and duty to claim that religious freedom, to enforce
that religious freedom, to implement it and not be shy about our faith.
This is not a shy country.
I visited the Hindu temple in
Flint, Michigan, a few days ago. Someone had written in the sand in
front of the temple, "Jesus Saves." I inquired, "How long has that been
there?" They said a few days. I asked, "Why didn't you take your foot
and rub that out? No one has the right to come on this property and
write such things in front of a Hindu temple." Everyone was too shy. We
need strength, not shyness when these kinds of things happen. We rubbed
it out.
How do we show that strength? We have to go to the
Christian ministers in that community and tell them politely but firmly
that their children are desecrating our temple and demand that this
stop. We have to ask them to talk to their congregations, to explain
Hinduism to their congregations and tell them that we are not putting
up with this sort of nonsense and harassment. If one of the children of
the Hindu community went to the Baptist church and wrote "Hare Krishna"
or "Siva Siva" on the sand in front of the church, you would hear about
it from the Baptists. They would come right over here saying, "I would
like to talk to the spiritual leader of this organization about a very
important subject." Then you would have to tell your children not to
antagonize the Christians or desecrate their property.
We also
have to question our children as to any and all badgering by Christians
in their school. This taunting in public schools violates the First
Amendment of our Constitution, which guarantees the right to religious
freedom. Such abuse should not be allowed in the schoolyard, in the
halls, before or after class, in the cafeteria or in the bathrooms.
When a child threatens another child, saying his soul will perish or
burn forever in Hell, is that not a serious crime? After all, the soul
is more important than the body, and if it's a crime to threaten to
harm someone's body, should it also not be considered a crime to
threaten harm to another's soul, a crime which starts with the priest
or minister's speaking out hatred and bigotry from behind his pulpit?
These
are called hate crimes, and more laws are being passed to prevent them.
But until the laws are clear, parents should know that complaint is a
great power. Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Jains and Buddhists are rising up
in one voice and speaking with parents, parish priests, ministers,
school teachers, principals and boards of education to give children
release from the religious taunting and badgering which they have to
put up with day in and day out. How is it possible to study and receive
a good education under such unhealthy, antagonistic conditions? We
cannot let fear paralyze us. Go to the Christians and state your case.
Proceed with confidence. You will prevail.
Friday
LESSON 355
Strength of Commitment
What is our strength? One Supreme God and many
Gods. First we have to decide who is the Supreme God. Are you a member
of the Saivite Hindu religion? The Vaishnavite Hindu religion? The
Shakta Hindu religion? The Smarta Hindu religion? Having made that
decision, you will have hope and peace of mind. You will have solace
when you need it, and something to pass on to your children. Knowledge
is strength. Commitment is strength. Knowing where you stand and what
you are, that is strength. Worshiping many Gods is our way, but they
are not all the Supreme God. They are His helpers, His creations. There
is only one Supreme God, though we call Him by various names. The many
Gods, the Mahadevas, will help us. They are specialists created by God.
Hinduism today is a religion of today and tomorrow. It is not
just a religion of history books and yesterday. Our religion gives us
strength today. It is a religion which worships one Supreme God, with
vast scriptures that prescribe the worship and illumine our minds with
knowledge about the one Supreme God. Never forget this. Never forsake
your Vedic Hindu Dharma, but fulfill it, and you will be rewarded, generation after generation after generation.
There
is a movement from within Hinduism itself which poses yet another
threat to our religion, a threat to all the sects. I call it "liberal
Hinduism." Liberal Hinduism is a "Chellappa stew," a confused mixture
of many things thrown into a one bowl. This movement was started by
your forefathers, and it has to be corrected by us through being good
Saivites in this life.
What does liberal Hinduism teach? It teaches that it is not necessary to go to the temple, that yoga is not necessary, that all religions are one, that we need not listen to the swamis, and
that sectarianism is wrong. What the followers of liberal Hinduism
don't seem to realize is that if they destroy the temples, the sects
and the swamis, they will be destroying Hinduism itself.
Liberal
Hindus hold an idea that all religions are one. They must not have
studied the various religions, or they would have to conclude, as we
did in America after years of comparative research, that all religions
are not one, not at all alike. I was told that all religions are
fundamentally one when I was young, and I believed it until I found out
years later that it is a lie. All religions are good insofar as they
teach devotion and good conduct, but they are not one. The Christians
know that their religion is totally different from Hinduism. They live
under no illusions, because they know that the very foundations of
Saivism -- namely, karma, reincarnation, yoga, God's
existence in all things and the soul's ultimate merger in God -- these
beliefs are not their beliefs. Did you know that for a Christian to
believe in any of these things is heresy? Absolute heresy. There is
very little beyond a belief in a Supreme God and some good moral laws
that is common to nearly all religions, but there are many, many
differences.
As Saivites, we love everyone. We appreciate and
encourage all religious paths. That is our way. But that does not mean
that we should abandon our beliefs and practices to embrace Islam or
Buddhism. That does not mean that we should put Jesus on the altar in
our shrine room, which is exactly what the liberal Hindus do. I was at
a Saivite institution the other day and was shocked to find that Jesus,
Krishna and Buddha were there together on the altar in the prayer room.
There was no image of Ganesha or Murugan or Siva, yet they called
themselves Saivites. I asked what it meant. They explained, "We believe
in all religions, Swami." They were worshiping every God except their
own! That complacent syncretism is the result of faulty, liberal Hindu
thinking.
The Christians don't have Lord Ganesha presiding
over Sunday services. Of course not. It would be unthinkable. For
Saivites to put Jesus or Mary on the altar is an invitation to every
Christian missionary to enter your home, to enter the minds of your
children. It is the first sign of the breaking of your faith. That is
certainly how the Christians take it. They will see you as a prime
target, and they will say among themselves, "It won't be long now."
Saturday
LESSON 356
Liberal Hinduism
Liberal Hindus preach against sectarianism -- against
Saivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and orthodox Smartism. They teach that
sectarianism is some kind of antiquated evil, an unenlightened view of
life, a thing of the past. They are absolutely wrong. Sectarianism is
the strength of religion. If you ask a liberal Hindu what he is, he
will tell you, "I am everything. I am a Christian. I am a Jew. I am a
Buddhist." Of course, the Christians know full well that he is not a
Christian. The Jews are certain that he is not Jewish, and the
Buddhists will tell you that he does not follow the Buddha's path. In
the West they think he sounds stupid.
The liberal Hindus are
out to destroy sectarianism, to break down Saivism, Vaishnavism and
Shaktism -- all in the name of modernization or to unite the people for
some political reason. The same thing is happening in America, where
liberal Hindus are trying to coax everyone away from their sect into a
one group so they can have more political power in their lobbying in
Washington. It is a sad thing that people go right along with this line
of thinking, giving up thousands of years of beautiful tradition for no
reason at all. It is totally insidious. So, here we have the Christian
forces working against Hinduism, the Muslim forces working against
Hinduism, the atheistic forces working against Hinduism and now, worst
of all, the liberal Hindu forces working against Hinduism, which is
worse because they are working from within the religion itself.
What
is the solution? We have to define the boundaries of each sect in order
to protect and preserve this most ancient of all the world's religions.
We have to realize that the liberal Hindus are just creating another
sect, and we must refuse to join their modern sect. We want nothing to
do with those who call for the end of sectarianism. Those who abandon
Saivism to embrace this liberal Hindu path will later take the next
natural step and give up Hinduism altogether, calling themselves
nothing, or calling themselves everything, which amounts to the same
thing.
To understand how liberal Hinduism fits in, it is helpful to use the Western terms orthodox, reform and liberal, because
this is a problem that all of the great religions have had to face.
Saivism is the orthodox and original form of the Sanatana Dharma, the
eternal path. Vaishnavism and Shaktism are the reform sects which
developed later but retained most of the ancient patterns of practice
and belief. Liberal Hinduism is the liberal branch which postulates a
form of the religion which is entirely unorthodox and diverges from the
path set down by our Gods, by our scriptures, by our rishis and other holy men.
The
Tamil people should take a lesson from the fate of the Jewish religion.
The liberal Jewish movement is bringing about the end of the race,
which means the end of the religion. It is doing this through its
modernistic concepts, through its sweeping compromise of the duties and
disciplines set down for Jews to follow, through its disregard for
Jewish ethics, values and practices. We have to take heed. It is
happening in India and in Sri Lanka, too.
What is not well
understood here is that in America traditional, sectarian religious
people and groups are respected, provided they are firm in their
convictions and are really leading a religious life and not harming
others. It is human to respect strength and conviction. Saivites who
are firm and proud of their religion will be respected wherever they go
throughout the world. But people do not respect those who don't know
what they believe or those who will say they believe one thing in order
to get something, in order to fit in, or for whatever reason, while in
their heart they believe something entirely different. Liberal groups
do not receive the same respect. They are not looked up to but are
ignored and then absorbed back into society.
The American
Saivites want the true Saiva Samayam, not a watered-down, intellectual
concoction created by a few discontented Hindus in order to get along
with Western scholars. People are becoming more educated, more
enlightened, and they realize that the orthodox Saiva Dharma is far
more profound and rewarding to their soul. They love and want to
worship Lord Siva. They love Lord Ganesha and go to Lord Murugan for
help. What is the solution? We have to preserve scripture and temple
worship.
Sunday
LESSON 357
Realities Of Worship
We approach the temple in a much different way, a
humble way. We believe that the Deity lives in the temple, that He
comes from the inner worlds, hovers over the stone image in His golden
body of light and, as the priest invokes Him, blesses those present.
Everyone is elated. Everyone feels His holy presence, and an advanced
soul may even see Him there. So, we approach the Deity with a pure
mind. We approach Him in trepidation. We want to look our best, for
when He takes over the stone image in the sanctum and sends forth His
rays of blessing, we don't want to look disrespectful in His eyes. We
therefore prepare the body and the mind before going to the temple. We
get our aura looking just right. The aura is the sum of vibrations that
emanate out around the body. The colors of the aura are dark or light
depending on the nature of our thoughts and emotions. We prepare our
aura by chanting mantras, hymns and prayers. We prepare our
body by bathing and dressing simply and properly, not in the sexy way
that young girls are dressing nowadays. Then we go to the temple, and
the Deity actually comes on the inner planes and blesses us, listens to
our prayers, clears our minds and calms our emotions.
We take
that holy vibration home, back into the community, where we respect our
elders and they guide us wisely. Then culture flourishes, because
culture has its source right there in the temple. When culture is
flooding out of the temple, our actions are productive and our minds
are creative, our speech is pure, our hearts rejoice and we become good
citizens. Religion makes us good citizens, because we are peaceful
inside and want peace in our land. Peace comes first from the
individual. It is unrealistic to expect peace from our neighbors unless
we are peaceful first, unless we make ourselves peaceful through right
living, right worship and right religious culture in the home.
How
can we destroy all of this? It's simple. Stop going to the temple.
Culture will begin to go. Refinement and love will begin to go.
Arguments will be heard in the homes. Divorces will fill the courts.
Stress and mental illness will become the common experience -- all
because we stopped that one, great, mystical practice -- temple
worship.
The temple is the great psychiatrist of the Hindu
religion. When we forget that, we suffer the consequences of our
neglect, personally and as a nation. The temple has mystical powers
that surpass the greatest psychiatrists on the planet. Our priesthoods
have the tools to invoke and perpetuate this power. The temple can not
only analyze your problem, it can give absolution. You can leave the
temple wondering what it was that was bothering you on the way to seek
the help of the Deity -- so complete is the power of the temple.
We
are proud to say that we worship God and the Gods. We object to the
liberal Hindu propaganda which denies the existence of our Gods and
installs its limited knowledge in their place. We object to the notion
that all religions are one, and we believe that for us Saivism is the
greatest religion on the Earth and has no equal. I think that Saivite
leaders should rise up against liberal Hinduism and remove it from the
minds of the children and the general population. It is a cancer for
which there is no miraculous cure, so it has to be surgically removed
to preserve Saivism. That is the only solution available.
Well,
you can see that our religion is faced with a lot of serious problems.
Yet, there are good, sensible solutions if we, the united Saivites of
the world, all pitch in and work together and have a little selfless
sacrifice to offer. I feel the spirit coming up among Lord Siva's
devotees. But it is not enough. More has to be done. We need religious
leaders to come forward from among the grihastha community,
tens of thousands of men and women who have something to offer, who can
serve and teach the Saiva Dharma. We need Saivite schools of a fine
caliber to be built and managed by devout Saivites. We need all of you
to spread the religion to the next generation, many of whom are not
receiving proper religious training. We need fieldworkers and teachers
and missionaries to serve Lord Siva in His work. This is necessary in
the technological age, necessary in order that Saivism will be the
religion of the future, not of the past.
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