As I reflect on my teenage years of rebellion and bouts of reject-ing Hinduism. I wish I had had more encouragement to learn more about our way of life. I would have tried to help some of my friends, who were raised as Hindus in name only, and as a result, have either become athe-ists or converted to other faiths. It dawned on me only in my early 20s that much of the way we learned Hinduism was from an external sense. Hinduism, or the very idea of living according to the Vedas, comes from within,

the rest is mostly superficial. But these are lessons learned for me and members of my genera-tion. If we raise the next genera-tion in a way that allows them to be comfortable in identifying as Hindus, may be they won’t face the same kind of cultural igno-rance and confusion we experi-enced. Moreover, they will likely better understand that Hinduism is about more than just wearing “Om” shirts, going to the temple and dropping a couple of bucks in the collection box. Lighting candles for Diwali and dousing their friends with colours of

Holi.

I am a 28 year old, self described devout Hindu whose parents moved to United States 30 years ago, I think I might be one of the last American Hindus who actu-ally does Gayatri mantras every day and reads a chapter of the Gita as part of my spiritual salva-tion. Yet my faith came as a reaction to the racism I faced growing up and my sense that, if I did not seek out Hinduism more, I would lose it from my

life altogether. But I believe I am more the ex-ception than the rule. Many young American Hindus are confused by what it means to follow Hinduism. I’ve spoken with hundreds of young people over the years who admit they have no idea why they go to pujas, and more importantly, what those pujas mean. I have also met those who claim to be “philosophical Hindus”, which is tantamount to knowing a few key concepts from the Bhagavad-Gita and may be a rudimentary understanding of the Ramayana. I have met others whose interpre-tation of Hinduism is based on biased Western scholarship. In California, Hindu parents have sued to protect their children from slanted textbooks. How-ever, I’m not so sure that young American Hindus’ ignorance or confusion about Hinduism has to do with institutional media bias.

Rather, it starts at home. Many of us have gown up in households where family cus-toms have been inaccurately

linked to Hinduism. More im-portantly, our parents’ conserva-tism when it comes to our social practices has been defended as maintaining Hindu culture. Do 9 pm curfews have anything to do with our faith? Is socializing with groups of other backgrounds a non-Hindu thing to do? Of

course not ! However, I think I speak for a great number of second-generation Hindus when I say that our parents’ unwillingness or inability to explain how to practice Hinduism has led to our collective illiteracy about our way of life. Instead of appreciat-ing the beautiful simplicity of Vedic teachings or learning more about the lives of great Hindu saints, many of us have scorned Hinduism because we have equated it in our parents’ rigid

rules. My message to Indian parents is to take time out and teach your kids about Hinduism. Don’t make it an inaccessible way of life that can only be learned through an understanding of Sanskrit. Make your kids understand that Hinduism has survived because it has been a positive force for billions of people over thousands of years. If your kids have ques-tions, try to answer them. If you don’t know the answer, get to-gether with your kids to try to find the answer. Believe me, you will alienate your kids from the faith if you merely say, “That’s

just how it is”.

Why We Are [Culturally] Illiterate INS IDE

TH I S

I S SUE :

Dressing for

a Temple

Visit

2

Editor’s Desk 2

Hinduism

Supports

Organ

Donation

3

Youth

Corner

5

Yoga is more

than just

Exercise and

Meditation

6

Canadian

hindu link

J A N U A R Y - M A R C H 2 0 0 9 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

A Free Quarterly Journal dedicated to educating the New Generation of Canadian Hindus

First-generation American Hindus failed their Children by not teaching them about their faith [This also applies to Canadian Hindus]

-Murali Balaji-

This article has been repro-duced here from the October/November/December, 2008 issue of the Hinduism Today Magazine , with the consent of its author Murali Balaji

P A G E 2

“Our primary goal

is to educate our

Canadian-born

new generation

about their

cultural and

spiritual heritage”

Traditional Indian

Dresses

From the Editor’s Desk:

A humble effort to help our youths retain their culture

Dressing for a Temple Visit When we go for swimming we put on a swimming suit and not a three piece suit or a sari. When we are invited to a wedding or a formal dinner we dress formally, in our best clothes. When we hold Pooja, Kirtan, Jagrata or any religious ceremony in our homes, all members of the host family wear traditional Indian dresses- kurta with pajama or pants and shirts with collars by men and boys, or a regional Indian dress by women and girls. Using our common sense, we dress according to the occa-sion. In Canada, all other reli-gious institutions- mosques, churches and Gurudwaras- as well as social clubs, and special events enforce a required

dress code. Then, why should dressing for temple be an ex-

ception? It has been observed that some of our devotees and guests, youths in particular, come to temple dressed inap-propriately- in T shirts, tight or short skirts and dresses, tank tops, ripped or faded jeans, shorts (Nikkar), track pants, and sportswear. It defies common sense and both In-dian and Canadian tradition of dressing according to the oc-casion. Wearing these im-proper clothes destroys the dignity and worship environ-ment of the temple and it could make the prayer meet-

ing look like a picnic. More-over, they are very uncomfort-able for prolonged sitting on the floor in the temple. It is the duty of the temple man-agement, devotees and guests to maintain the dignity and worship environment of the

temple. Therefore, it is strongly rec-ommended that all devotees and guests consider wearing pants/slacks and shirts with collars; modest dresses and skirts or traditional Indian attire, and avoid coming in ripped faded jeans, shorts, T shirts, tank tops, track pants short or tight dresses or skirts

or any sports wear.

few exceptions, who run these temples, have no vision; they think their role is limited to building and running the tem-ple, and organizing mega func-tions to raise funds. Educating our children and youths about our culture and religion is not on their priority list. To fill this void, a small group of people who are worried about the future of Hindu Dharma, is making a humble effort by launching this quarterly jour-nal. Our primary goal is to educate our Canadian-born new generation about their cultural and spiritual heritage, and to provide a forum to discuss our social issues im-portant to them, and find solu-tions. We wish to expand in

Individually, we Hindus have been very successful in Can-ada, both economically and professionally. However, col-lectively, as a community we have not made any significant gains. We have not built any viable institutions that may help our Canadian born chil-dren retain their rich cultural heritage; we have no top class Hindu publication to educate them. We have no community centres to promote our cul-ture to new generation and the mainstream society. We have no lobby groups to rep-resent and protect our inter-ests. We have built temples, but they mainly serve the wor-ship needs of the first genera-tion. Many of the leaders, with

size and scope of the Canadian

Hindu Link. We need the financial support of the Hindu business commu-nity. We also need young vol-unteers, and writers to con-tribute to the contents of the journal. We wish to develop this journal in to a voice of Hindus in Ontario. Please help us serve our Dharma and community. Comments from concerned Hindus to enhance Canaadian Hindu Link are always welcome

Ajit Adhopia Editor aainderlekh@gmail.com Tel. & Fax 905-273-9563

C A N A D I A N H I N D U L I N K

Hinduism supports Organ Donation

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

Usha Chadda, fifty-seven year old accounts clerk of Mississauga, was diagnosed of kidney failure in1988. She had to go for dialysis every other day, while waiting for a kid-ney transplant. After three years of misery and hopelessness, a perfect kidney match was found. With the kidney transplant, eventually, Usha’s life was back on track, thanks to an organ donor, an 18-year old young man who was killed in a car acci-dent. His generosity and sense of service to humanity gave her a new lease on life. Not many Canadians are as lucky as Usha. According to Health Canada [Tissue and Or-gan-information website], about 150 Canadians die every year while waiting for organ transplant. More than 3700 Canadians are on the waiting list, but no more than 450 Canadians (less than 15 per million) offer this precious gift of life to others by signing the back-side of their driver’s license. The situation is desperate. Lack of public aware-ness seems to be the major obstacle in solving this acute problem. A study conducted in 2002, jointly by the Johns Hopkins School of medicines and Bloomberg school of Public Health in the US, confirmed that religious misconceptions were one of the major reasons why more people, particularly minorities, do not become blood or organ donors. It concludes that no other field of medicine has raised so many spiri-tual, moral and ethical issues as organ transplant. This prompted me

to find the Hindu viewpoint on this contemporary important issue. After browsing some websites sponsored by health organizations, I discovered that Hinduism, like other religions, offered no direct reference to this issue, but the views expressed by various Hindu community leaders support organ donation. According to the Hindu Temple Society of North America, “Hindus are not prohibited by religious law from donating their organs. This act is an individual’s decision.” Dr. Madhu Sahasrabudhe, the founder

of the Hindu Temple of Ot-tawa-Carlton concurs, “Organ donation is an individual deci-sion…Donation of tissue or or-gans to save a life takes precedence over the require-ment that the dead should be cremated whole unmutilated from head to toe.” Pundit Gyan Rajhans of Mis-sissauga, the producer and Director of Bha-janawali, the only

non-commercial weekly Hindu Radio program in Canada, states, “Hindus’ sacred literature has sto-ries of human organ transplant, particularly of eyes. At the time of death, the departure of the Atman or the Soul, the human body is of little significance, as the true iden-tity of a person or Self is the At-man, not his body, name, nationality or religion. If the organs harvested from a dead body can save human lives, the best creation of God, so be it.”

C.P. Gupta, president and volunteer priest of the Mississauga Arya Samaj (a reform movement in Hinduism) also interfaces the organ transplant issue with Hindu beliefs and prac-tices, “Human body is a blessing from God Almighty to the Atman or soul, and is achieved as a result of our own good and virtuous Karmas or deeds during our previ-ous life spans. It is impor-tant to protect the body. Nevertheless, Yajna or giving or sacrificing for others, is the highest injunction of the Vedas [Hindus’ primary scrip-tures]. If someone wishes to bequeath the whole or parts of his or her body for the benefit of human-ity, that is Yajna in true sense.” Despite this very positive enlightening Hindu perspective, organ donation by a Hindu in Canada is totally unheard of. Dr. Pravin Bansal, a family phy-sician in Brampton, has many South Asian patients, but can-not recall any one of them ever raising this issue with him. Some mainstream patients did inform him of their decision to donate their organs, but only after signing the backside of their driver’s license. Spiritual and faith communities in Canada, including Hindus, can yield a good harvest of organs to save more human lives, if religious and moral misconceptions can be re-moved by focusing the public awareness campaign on mosques, churches and temples in collaboration with their lead-ers. —By Ajit Adhopia

At the time of death, the

departure of the Atman

or the Soul, the human

body is of little

significance, as the true

identity of a person or

Self is the Atman, not his

body, name, nationality

or religion. If the organs

harvested from a dead

body can save human

lives, the best creation

of God, so be it.”

P A G E 4

Hindu reverence for the cow has emotional & economic origins

Back home in India, our family pet was a cow called Shamo. As a young boy, I visited Shamo daily. She nourished us by providing fresh milk, cheese, butter and curd. She served other people too: Her male offspring, named Deepu, was

given to a poor farmer to plow his fields, and her waste was taken away to Parvati, a poor woman who turned it into patties that were dried and used as fuel. One afternoon. Shamo was killed in a traffic accident while returning home from a pasture. We did not turn her into juicy steaks and other beef products, nor did we sell her carcass to a pet-food plant. As vegetarians, this was unthinkable, and a sacrile-

gious act. We had become emotionally attached to Shamo. Therefore, my mother made sure she was given a proper burial. We all wept as she was being loaded on to a truck. My family was in mourning for several weeks. Shamo's death adversely af-fected my mother's emotional health; she grieved for months as if she had lost a family mem-

ber and cursed the truck driver who had killed her. She had devoted time and energy to keeping Shamo healthy. More important, as a devout Hindu, it was my mother's Dharma (moral obligation) to serve her. Lovingly, we would

call Shamo "Gau Mata," or Mother cow, as she had nour-ished us just like our own

mother. In a religious sense, we Hindus do not worship the cow as a deity or a divine being, but we hold it in special affection and reverence. This sentimentalism is routed in moral and eco-nomic reasoning. Hindus re-gard all living beings, including animals, as sacred and having souls. We must not kill or cause physical pain to any crea-ture, even an insect, unless it threatens our own life. Com-passion toward God's crea-tions is known as Ahimsa, or

non-violence. Many scholars claim that Hin-dus' reverence for the cow has its origin in India's rural econ-omy rather than in religion. In the old times, the cow was

considered crucial. To vegetar-ian villagers, it not only pro-vided milk and its by-products, but also bullocks to plow the fields and pull the carts. Dried cow dung was used as a do-mestic fuel and as cement to make mud huts. It is also be-

lieved cow urine contains healing properties, either to apply to cuts and wounds or even to drink

as a medicine. In rural India, the number of cows it owns measures the wealth of a family. It made no sense to destroy such a valuable economic resource for food, espe-cially when other sources of food were plentiful. Since a cow was consid-ered a personal asset rather than commercial livestock, she became a domestic animal and was treated as family. That's why religious leaders pro-moted the idea of protect-

ing the cow by declaring her

sacred and forbade beef eating. Over the centuries, Hindus' reverence for cows became so strong that when a family cow became ill or useless, she was sent to a retirement home called a Gaushala, which was operated by charitable organi-zations. Even today, killing a useless cow for meat is consid-ered a sinful, callous and inhu-

mane practice. So, moral and religious conno-tations added to the protec-tion of cows as crucial eco-nomic resources, preventing them from falling prey to hu-man greed. To modem Hindus, showing compassion and rev-erence toward an animal that serves society so well is not a

weird idea. -By Ajit Adhopia

C A N A D I A N H I N D U L I N K

P A G E 5

C A N A D I A N H I N D U L I N K

In late nineties, Ajit Adhopia and Kumar Agar-wal offered a six week course in Hindu heritage both at the Hindu Sabha temple in Brampton and the Vaisho Devi Temple in Oakville. The management of both tem-ples tried hard to motivate youths to attend the course, but could not get a single application. Finally, they were able to coax more than a dozen youths, aged 13 to 19, to attend it. In the first session, they looked disinter-ested and indifferent. They were asked to write down a list of questions they had about Hindu religion, rituals and customs. Their sheets were collected, and a cur-riculum for the course was developed on the basis of their questions. The course was conducted with an in-formal, participatory dialogue mode. During the subse-quent five sessions, students enthusiastically participated in lively debate and discussion. Their questions were answered and their doubts were removed. At the end of the last session, the teachers asked each student to write a short essay evaluating the course. We are pub-lishing below two of those essays.

Hinduism has freedom of speech

By taking classes regarding Hinduism at the Mandir, it enabled me to gain knowledge and better understanding about the beliefs of Hinduism. I enjoyed learning about various aspects of my religion. From this knowledge and greater understanding, I came to the realization of who I am and where I come from.

One of the most significant pieces of information that I acquired was the fact that Hinduism cannot fit into any Western definition of religion; rather, it suggests commitment to our respect for an ideal way of life,known as Dharma. By grasping greater knowledge, I was able to come to conclusion that Hinduism has no barriers or restrictions with respect to an individual’s personal views or opinions. Therefore it is evident that Hinduism is a multi-channeled religion. An individual is not restricted to a specific method of worship as he or she is free to decide as to which method suits him or her. I have gained suffi-cient information regarding Hinduism to even discuss it at school with my peers. When questions arise, such as” Who is your God”, I am able to confidently answer them. By examining these various fundamental principles of Hinduism, it has assisted me in living my life to the fullest potential. I am not only more confident about, but I am also quite proud to speak about Hinduism,

and be recognized as a Hindu. Sachin Chadha

Proud to be a Hindu

“This class has been a wonderful experi-ence. I have learned a lot. Before I came here, I always thought that Hindu religion was boring. I never understood why we did things the way we did at home. The course taught me a lot of new things. I am fascinated by the [Hindu] religion. Every day when I came home from the Hindu School, I told my parents and my relatives about what I had learned, they were very impressed. They did not know the things I told them. A few weeks ago, I did a project in school on Hindu religion. I am proud to say that I got very high marks. The [Hinduism] class helped me get the marks. The notes Mr. Kumar and Mr. Adhopia gave me helped a lot.

In conclusion, I am very impressed about the Hindu religion. I like it a lot, and I am very proud to be a Hindu. I am sure, I am coming back next year. All the questions I had are now answered. I want to say thanks to all who made this class possible for us kids.” Tina Sharma

P A G E 6

The First Vedic Hindu Cultural Centre in Mississauga

We have many beautiful tem-ples in the city of Mississauga, but no Hindu community cen-tre totally dedicated to cultural activities. Thanks to the tre-mendous efforts of the leader-ship of the Mississauga Arya Samaj, this gap is going to be filled very soon. Hindus will now have their first Vedic Hindu Cultural Centre in the heart of Mississauga. The Mississauga Arya Samaj has been serving Hindu community since 1983 under the capable guidance of its stalwarts Dr. Ravi Srivastava and Mr. Chander Prakash Gupta as-sisted by their tireless associ-ates and young volunteers.

Samaj has been holding its prayer meeting and Yajna every Sunday in a rented hall at the Mississauga Valley Commu-nity Centre. The Mississauga Arya Samaj always had a dream to build their own place. In 2004, they took the first step to turn this dream into a real-ity when they purchased .71 acre of land, located at 405 Watline Avenue, West of Highway 10 in Mississauga. Since then the management team has been working very hard raising funds for the build-ing. Thanks to the generous public support, particularly our business community, things have been progressing very well. The new centre will ac-

commodate 200 people plus kitchen and facilities for other social and cultural activities. The building plan and the appli-cation for a permit have al-ready been filed with the City of Mississauga. The construc-tion will commence as soon has the permit is issued. This is going to be the first Vedic Hindu Cultural Centre in a true sense. Of course, there will be big hall for regular prayers, Yajna and discourses, but the focus will be more on cultural activities- classes for Indian music, dance, Yoga training, learning Hindi and religious teachings- for our new generation. The new cul-

C A N A D I A N H I N D U L I N K

tural centre will also provide services to seniors and new immigrants. This Project will cost about two million dollars, and more funds are urgently needed to complete and furnish the new building. The management of the Mississauga Arya Samaj earnestly appeals to Indian community to generously do-nate to the building fund. For more information and tax-deductible donations, please contact Mr. C.P. Gupta at 905-828-0874 or Dr. Ravi Srivastava at 905-273-7774

Proposed new home of the Arya Samaj Mississauga at 405 Watline Ave., west of Kennedy, Mississauga

Yoga is more than just Exercises and Meditation

Over the past four decades, yoga has become a household word in the West. It was popularized in the 1960s by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who introduced his own style of yoga called transcendental meditation. Physicians and therapists rou-tinely recommend yoga exer-cises and meditation as treat-ment for a host of medical and psychological disorders, includ-ing high blood pressure, stress, anxiety, migraine, back pain and musculo-skeletal problems. Millions of Europeans and North Americans from all walks of life are yoga practitio-ners. Yoga means different things to different people. To some, it's a series of physical asanas or postures. To others, it involves breathing and concentration exercises. But despite its secu-lar applications and benefits, yoga is actually a spiritual disci-

pline deeply rooted in Hindu-ism. It is believed that the Hindu scriptures, the Vedas, were revealed to four highly devel-oped yogis when they were in deep meditation, or samadhi, the highest stage of yoga. The Sanskrit word yog, pro-nounced as "yoga" in the West, has the same meaning as the English word "union." The discipline, as ancient as Hindu-ism itself, was first codified by the Hindu sage and grammar-ian Patanjali (200 B.C.) in Yog Sutras, the oldest textbook on yoga. Yoga is a process, by which a person can obtain release from the cycle of the transmigration of the soul and attain eternal bliss by uniting with God, the ultimate goal of human life. This state is called moksha in Hinduism and nirvana in Bud-dhism.

Physical exercises, breathing exercises and concentration are only some of the tools for reaching the ultimate goal. Yoga involves a very rigorous physical, moral and spiritual training for the person who seeks to be a yogi. Under the guidance of a spiritual master or guru, it starts with a strict moral code of conduct, which includes non-violence, truthful-ness, chastity and avoidance of greed and jealousy. The next stage is to train your body through breathing exer-cises and rigorous physical exercises. To avoid worldly distractions, the yoga seekers would retreat to forests and caves where no medical aid was available in case of illness. This would en-able them to pursue their spiri-tual goal for years without any interruptions. Therefore, with specific, intense physical exer-

cises and postures, Hatha Yoga or yoga of force, they trained every organ of the body to cure itself. Even today, there are many yoga institutions in India that claim to cure many serious illnesses, including cancer. The next important part of yoga is the control of the mind through concentration, called raja yoga. It is reaching a state where the body and mind are supremely relaxed and cannot be disturbed by any internal or external disruptions. Only in this state can a seeker practice the spiritual aspect of yoga. The ancient mystical physiology of yoga needs further serious investigation by open-minded scientists. Their revelations may further benefit humanity. -Ajit Adhopia

P A G E 7 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

WANTED

We invite young Hindu volunteers to write letters-to-editor in response to the contents of this jour-

nal, opinion columns or essays on social, cultural or religious issue, and for other tasks.

Contact: Ajit Adhopia (T) 905-273-9563 (E) canadianhindulink@gmail.com

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Canadian Hindu Link

Publisher- InderLekh Publications

Editor: Ajit Adhopia

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Prabhat Kapur & Kumar Agarwal

Youth Advisor: Falita Chhabra

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Telephone 905-273-9563

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