FROM MY DESK
Understanding and practice of my faith has made my life happier, more content, and more mindful. As I realized how Hindu practices had gradually become my way of life, I further deepened my understanding of Hindu values and beliefs. I am deeply grateful to Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and the monks of Kauai’s Hindu Monastery for providing the knowledge and resources that have helped me navigate the vastness of Hinduism.
Appreciating the Hindu teachings, I decided to share them with my peers and other teens around the world as ‘life-management tools’. While discussing this idea with my parents, my mom opened (book) Guru’s Wisdom to chapter 11 in which Satguru Bodhinatha presents Hindu concepts as ‘life-enhancing tools’ We all smiled! With Satguru Bodhinatha's permission, I gained the confidence to begin. Thus, I started blogging about some key aspects of Hinduism presenting as ‘Hindu Tools for Teens’.
My understanding of Hinduism is evolving, and I am sharing my learnings below.
Studying of Sacred Scriptures
Hinduism teaches that the ultimate goal of life is to live happily, contentedly and grow spiritually. Individuals find inner peace through various paths, such as living ethically and fulfilling their duties (dharma), meditating and practicing yoga to calm the mind, living simply and letting go of attachments, showing devotion to a higher power through prayer or rituals, or helping others selflessly.
Learning from Satguru
Hinduism teaches that the ultimate goal of life is to live happily, contentedly and grow spiritually. Individuals find inner peace through various paths, such as living ethically and fulfilling their duties (dharma), meditating and practicing yoga to calm the mind, living simply and letting go of attachments, showing devotion to a higher power through prayer or rituals, or helping others selflessly.
Worship
Hinduism teaches that the ultimate goal of life is to live happily, contentedly and grow spiritually. Individuals find inner peace through various paths, such as living ethically and fulfilling their duties (dharma), meditating and practicing yoga to calm the mind, living simply and letting go of attachments, showing devotion to a higher power through prayer or rituals, or helping others selflessly.
Reincarnation
Hinduism teaches the concept of reincarnation, which is the continuous cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. The Hindu knows that we are more than just a physical body; we are an immortal soul that never dies. Instead, it repeatedly takes on a new physical body to be born again and again until all its desires are fulfilled and karmas resolved.
Dharma
One of the greatest learning of Hindu religion is dharma. In Hinduism, Dharma broadly refers to one’s duty. It means living ethically and fulfilling responsibility with truth and righteousness towards family, those around us and the world we live in. It is the duty and the obligation to be fulfilled in order to live harmoniously and peacefully in this world. When dharma is neglected, karma is created and there will be negative consequences to be dealt with. An enlightened master Yogaswami of Sri Lanka compared dharma to train tracks and we must stay on tracks just like a train to reach our destination.
