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Affirming Sanatana Dharma and Recording the Mode:[R History of'a BilliON-Strong Global Religion in Renaissance

o 74470 12134 3

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> .t10I1:nc~ss, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th of Tibet, at a meeting in

Marketing poster for Martin Scorseses hit movie, "Kuhdun," 1aI;~LYaIlS1: KUnga Ter¢n as the five-year-old Dalai Lama. Page 2p . '

, . , '. .:

APRIL, 1998

~-a~.~. INTERNATIONAL Lead Stor¥: Three Movies Focus Global

Attention on Tibetan Buddhism 20 Interviews: What's Buddhism's FUture? 24 Resources: The Best Titles on Tibet 26 Philately: Saintly Stamps Are Cool! 32 Music: Mauritians Make MuSical Magic 34 Tribal Rig~ts: Reclaiming Their Culture 36

LIFESTYLE Insigh't: Exploring BoI1. the Still-Living

Religion of Pre-Btidclhist Tibet Women: I Survived Chinese Prison Pl\rf}l1tingi Why Children Test You taw: Big Tobacco's on the Run in US Boo~s:' Five Texts on Reincarnatioll ....

OPINION Publisher's Desk: The ;Briber and the

28 38 4t. 44 45

-t ~ribed-Partners in Bad Karma 10

Letters 12 My turn: Why I F/}.vo~ the Joint Fa..rnily 13 Editorial: Yogi WillS .Gold Medal at

1998 Wmter Olympics in Nagano 16 Astrology: Pitfalls of Past Life Readings 27 Healing: AIDS-AZT and mv Tests 46 Minister's Message: Parenting for Pros 50

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6

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Swami Satchidanando. is paraded to the opening ceremonies

EDUOATION

Sw~~mi's Temple of Learning

W ITH A DESIRE TO GIVE BACK TO HIS NATIVE COUNTRY,

Swami Satchitananda of the Integral Yoga Institute in Vir­ginia, USA, opened the Satchidananda Jothi Nikethan in Coim­batore, India, in mid-1997. The school-Swami calls it a "temple of learrring"-is following the traditional gurukulam model where s,tudents and teachers live and learn together. The initial 65 students are doing well. The full capacity is 810 students in 4th to 12th standard. The 45-acre site is at the foothills of the Nilgiri Mountains-wild elephants can be spotted from the campus. Each day at the multi-religious school begins with hatha yoga and meditation. Meals are all vegetarian.

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Giant poles support the tent-like a.ome.

320-meter-diame­ter Millennium Dome, has run into a religiou~ snag. The govern­ment minister re­sponsible for the -immense project, essentially a world's fair exhibi­tion, pledged to make Christianity central. Other faiths immediately

UNITED KINGDOM

Millennium Donle

ENGLAND'S GRAND PLAN TO

celebrate the year 2000 with the world's largest enclosed structure, the U5$680 million,

protested, insisting the exhibi­tion's "spirit zone" include all of England's faiths. Christians re-

, torted that it was, after all, the anniversary of Christ's birth be­mg celebrated. One Hindu, one Sikh, one Muslim, two Jews and 20 Christians belong to the group advising on the prOject's religious content.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: IYI, ABC, HAWORTH PRESS , MILLENNIUM WEB SITE

HINDUS PERUSING THEIR

local TV schedule may be bemused to encounter a show entitled "Dharma and Greg." They may be more nonplused by the show itself -a situation comedy complete with a '!laugh track," in case you miss when a joke is made. The hit ABC show stars Jenna Elfman as Dharma, the only child of hippie parents, who meets, and marries the same day, Greg, a lawyer from a rich, well-estab­lished San Francisco fam­ily. Dharma, so named by her father in honor of the Dalai Lama, works as a yoga teacher. Most jokes revolve around the con­trast between Dharma's family and Gregs, and be­tween her free-spirited life and his constrained career as a US attorney.

yoga and nonviolence figure strongly in the show, but there is also a heavy dose of sex and an unexpected crudeness. The show has no special underlying "message," beyond entertain­ment, which it does well. Bud­dhists in America seem to like it; the Chicago Tribune's re­viewer thought it trivialized the concept of dharma; and Hindus will probablj'get some full out of seeing our religious concepts in such an offbeat setting.

Eastern concepts such as karma, reincarnation, vegetarianism, chakras,

Thomas Gibson and Jenna Elfman as Dharma and Greg, Af3C's hit comedy

CROSS-CULTURAL

But Didn't You Say 'Yes'?

THE AMERICAN CHIEF

negotiator. for a multination­al company pitches his Prop9sal to his Asian counterparts. "Yes," says their chief man, and the American thinks he has a deal. But wait what did that "yes" mean? The ~kee thinks it meant "I accept your terms." But in Asia, according to the re­markably insightful Handbook of Cross-Cultural Marketing, it could mean, among other possi­bilities, only "I understand what you are proposing," with not the slightest sense of acquiescence. This book covers the mysteries of dealing with varying cul-

tures from Asia to Argentina and is as entertaining as it is in­formative about just how differ­ent we are from each other.

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Handbook ~ Cross-Cultural

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APRIL , 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 7

/

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Happy Chinmaya campers at the 1997 UK youth retreat

UNITED KINGDOM

Chinmaya Youth Retreat

WIN THE WORLD WITH LOVE" WAS THE THEME OF

September's Chinmaya YUlia Kendra (CHYK) Youth Re­treat conducted in the English countrys· de under the

@.idance of the Mission's popular Swami Swaroopananda. Reports one camper, "Swami struck a chord with all of us, immediately put us at ease and soon cleared many of my doubts. He taught us that insecurity lies only in attachment, and that confidence and true se-~ curity can be found in prema, unconditioned higher love." Campers arose for 6 AM meditation, then took solitary walks through the sprawling acreage before beginning a day full of dis­cussion groups, cultural entertainment and outdoor act~vities .

THE VEDAS

God's Word, Sages'Voices

The Deity whose name is "Helpful" dwells encom­passed by cosmic order. It is by reason of her color that these trees are green, and green their garlands of flowel"s.

ATHARVA VEDA 10.8.31

May the One God who, in accordance with his nature,

covers himself like a spider with threads spun out of mat­ter, grant us union with Brahman!

SVETASHVATARA UPANISHAD 6.10

The man who understands both the impermanent and the permanent, holding the two ill tension together, by the impermanent passes over death and by the permanent attains immortal life.

ISHA UPANISHAD 14

8 HINDUISM TODAY. AP IL, 1998

Hindu Serials •

EscaF-?e the Ax

S.S. GILL, MARXIST HEAD OF

the newly formed Prasar Bharati Board overseeing Do­ordharshan, India's state-run TV, backed down from a deci­sion to cancel the popular Hanum~ and Aum Namah Shivaya religious series. He came under particularly heavy fIre from Dr. Karan Singh, MP, who called the decisioR an ex­ample of "the sort of insensitiv­ity to religious and cultural perception that is, in fact, at the root of many of our current problems." "I personally view the two shows regularly," Dr. Singh wrote to the board, "and am particularly,impressed at the way producer Sanjay Khan has handled a Hindu mytho­logical theme. Surely the whimsical perceptions of a su­perannuated bureaucrat cannot be allowed to disturb these two excellent serials. Doing so would create widespread re­sentment in the country"

The beat of different drummers

MUSIC

T HE "MASTER DRUMMERS ·

of Nepal" from Kathmandu University will be on tour in the US from May 15 to June 15. The ensemble includes drums, shawms (double-reed instru­ments), flutes, trumpets and cymbals and will play music of Nepal's Newar communities. The university's new Depart­ment of Music, located in a temple near Bhaktapur, aims to preserve and promote the tra­ditional Nepalese forms, as well as acquaint their students with world musical traditions.

FOR SCHEDULE: GREG GRIEVE, 7.73-702-8635 IN CHICAGO OR SOUTH-ASiA-OUT­

REACH.@UCHICAGO.EDU.

Truth alone conquers, not untruth. By truth is laid out the path leading to the Gods by which the rishis who have their desires fulfIlled travel to where is that supreme abode of truth.

MUNDAKA UPANISHAD 3.1.6

SacrifIce has only one sure foundation, only one abode, the heavenly realm.

SHATAPATHA BRAHMANA 8.7.4.6 P

If he who draws near the sacrifIce were to make an im­proper utterance he would waste the sacrifIce, just as he might waste water by spilling it from a full vessel. Where the priests perform sacrifIce as described with perfect mutual understanding, however, there everything takes place properly and no trouble appears. Therefore, it is in this fashion that sacrifIce should be carefully cherished.

SHATAPATHA BRAHMANA 15.2,15

To you, most brilliant and shining God, we pray now for happiness for our friends. Listen attentively to our call; save us from every evil man.

YAJUR VEDA 3.26

The Vedas are the divinely revealed and most revered scriptures, sruti, of Hinduism, likened to the Torah (z,ooo BCE ), Bible New Tes­tament (zoo CE), Koran (600 CE) or ZendAvesta (600 BCE). They are 0Ill"y four in number, Hie, Ytqur, Sarna and Atharua and include over 100,000 verses. The oldest portions date back as far as 6,000 BOE.

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9

PUBLISHER'S DESK

Bribery.lsDisru.pti'on Of Society 'and Culture The briber and the bribed are equally guilty and bound together in the bad karma of their secret crimes

.... BY SA TGURU SIV A Y A SUBRAMUNI Y A SWAMI

YOUNG MAN IS RIDING HIS

motor scooter in busy 'Kuala Lumpur. His taillight is out, and he knows it. Hearing a siren behind him, he slows and is

pulled over by a motorcycle policeman. In Malay, the officer informs him of the infraction, pulls out his ticket book, then indicates through well-known signs that a small bribe would take care of the matter. Heart pounding, palnis sweating, the boy musters up his courage and says, ''Are you asking me to bribe you? I'm not paying you anything. What is your badge num­ber? Take me to your superior!" Visibly shaken, and seeing the youth is no easy mark, the officer spins around, mounts his bike and speeds away.

There was a bad feeling about this true incident. The cop knew he was commit­ting a crime. The youth was tempted to become the accomplice, but resisted, sidestepping, for the 'moment, one of society's most sinister prob­lems. Yes, briber and bribed are bOlffid together in their dishonest, dark deed. Reluctance, resignation, efficiency, disdain-none of these sentiments relieve a person from the guilt, the ever-aqcumu­lating kukarma, the bad karma, of the crime.

ten- in whatever of the three ways, in cash or kind-by psychological force, the arousal of greed, or by devious coercion. In many couritries, bribery has become a way of life. Bribes are demanded, and usually paid, for most any­thing, from getting a con­tract signed to buying a train ticket. A prominent politician told me he found it impossible, simply im­possible, to get anything done without it. Most, but not everyone, would agree. A successful, sophisticated Bangaloie woman, now in her for ties, swears she has never, ever, paid a bribe in her entire life.

Spiritual people and institutions sometime~ feel compelled to accept or pay bribes because the alternative is so frustrating or because their sense of mission is so strong, ·and they want it to go forward at all costs. Still, it must be ~ remembered that it is not only what you ~ do that is important but how you do it. . ~

There are three kinds of bribery. The fir st is the most common­withholding services one has been paid to perform until that addi­tional, secret compensation is paid. The seco d kind is a little more subtle. Favors- contracts, concessions, legal immUnity, etc.­are given to those who pay a bribe in cash or kind. The briber offers money, saying, "I am giving you this money, and this is what I want you to do," and if the p~uty receives it , that is what he must do. It's a purchase of secret, unauthoFized use of influence, posi­tion or authority. The third for~of bribery, even more subtle, is to provide a service and then exact a reward. This is, however, the most easily detected of all, because when asked for another ser- . vice, it is denyed-that is if the gift, after the first service was per­formed, was not given or was 'not large enough.

Bad money cannot be purified by ..: '-__ ....:....:_.....c:....::...... _ _ ---=_ ---''-__ --''-__ ----=--'=-''''''''-''-= --'=-''''''''---'''''--===__

Bribe comes from old French" meaning a morsel of bread given to'll beggar. Says Webster's Dictionary, a bribe is "1) Anything, especially money, given or promised to induce a person to do something illegal or wrong; 2) anything given or promised to in­duce a person to do something against his or her wishes.'"

Br.ibery money when received is bad money, because it is .... got-

10 HINDUI SM T O DAY AP R"IL, Igg8

spending it on good projects. Rather, bad money sours and fails them.

In our spiritual fellowship, we have a rule that we do not engage in bribery, even when it means gre'at sacrifice. In our efforts to carve a IR-anite temple in Bangalore to be shipped to Hawaii-fo; . which we established a village of a hundred workers and their families-we have been called on time and time again to hand over a br ibe. Yes, a giant project can be hampered by a small brib e. We had to ask ourselves, shall we pay the petty pittance to keep the electricity on or the phones working? It was hard some­times not to submit, but now it is known that we don't pay and the bribers no longer ,ask. One' previous bribe seeker actually apolo­gized for his earlier demands.

By not accepting or engaging in the opportunities of bribery, my devotees are telling the community that bribery is unacceptable

,

and ultimately unnecessary. If enough people are following this kind of principle in any society, ¢.en bribery will go away. If enough people are not, then bribery becomes the accepted way of doing business, and everyone will ~e bribery as a source of addi­tional income, and a means of getting things done. The acceptance of a bribe is an affirmation of the practice. Every time a family, an individual, a community, a nation disavows or rejects the practice of bribery; then bribery is diminished. To walk away from a bribe, to reject a bribe or to refuse to pay is to fulfi.'ll Hindu Dharma.

Where does bribery begin? The same place as everything else­at home, often at a young age. Mothers bribe their children to be­have and earn good grades. Fathers bribe youths to marry according to their race and fmancial position. Those who taI<e bribes and pay bribes raise a corrupt family. Mercy, through per-

, Dharma or disruptionP Three depictions of bribery, for a phone in­stallation, to make a simple purchase and to board a train. Far left: an extraordinary lijesize portrait called "Dharmasimha," lion of dharma, of Gurudeva painted by Sri Indra Sharma, in 1998. To re­~eive an 8x10" gift poster of this, write to HINDUISM TODAY, today. ,.,. ... , .... ,.", ............ _.~ ••• "' ................. n .••••••• n.n ..... ,. ............................................................... \ ........... , . .............. , .............. ..

sonal prayaschitta, sincere penance, can help relieve the bad kar­ma but that, too, is all for naught unless the practice is stopped. The power of decision rests on the character of each person in the fanIily. If that power is used rightly, the kukar7has clear. If not, the fanIily and all members go down and down and down, for bribery is stealing and being stolen from. It is similar to walking into some­one's,house~te at night, opening their cash box and taking money. Bribery has the same emotional and psychological impact. He who pays a bribe is an accomplice to the person who demands it. He who accepts a bribe, proffered to buy his favors, is likewise bound to his crafty benefactor. 'TIiere are two criminals in each case, he who accepts and he who pays. Inwardly, karmic ally, astrally they are bound together as one. Those who pay bribes for the sake of efficiency or accept gifts without examining the intent may deem themselves innocent, but they are not. Karmic law spares no one.

Bribery breeds an educated criminal generation. It blocks the free flow of business. Bribery disrupts positive projects. Bribery diverts creative energies to worries about who, if not paid, will disrupt the progress, cut the phone lines, turn off the electric pow­er or otherwise cause delay after delay after delay. Bribery is dev­astating to the economy. No one knows how much anything really costs, and since it is illegal money, black money, the recipients don't pay taxes on it. Two sets of books have to be kept. Honest compa­nies are put out of business by dishonest, bribe-giving competitors.

What can be done about bribery? On the governmental level, there are instructive examples from recent history. Twenty years ago in America, undercover FBI agents approached various politi­cians and offered them bribes to help a ficticious Arab company gain American business. A few politicians accepted the bribes and quickly "found themselves jailed. Every.politician got the message. Just this year, New Orleans hired a new police chief to reform its notoriously corrupt police force. First he demanded and got the officer's pay doubled. Then he arrested, prosecut~d and fired the next 65 officers caught taking bribes. The rest, it's said, no longer risk their now well-paying careers for bribe money.

Internationally, only the United States has a law preventing its companies from bribing foreign officials. Other countries­including all of Europe-have refused to pass similar statutes on the excuse that i t would put their business communities at it disad­vantage. In fact, the bribes so paid are even tax-deductable. Yet, the same companies paying a bribe in their own country results in prosecution. One organization, Transparency International (Otto­Suhr-Allee 97' 99, D10585, Berlin, Germany), is attempting to end, this global double standard \Yhich makes it so d ifficult for individ­ual countries to roof out the scourge of bribery.

From a psychological point of view, bribery is a criminal con­sciousness, of deceit, cheating, on the darker side of life. Guilt is always iD.volved, secrecy, and fear of b'eing caught for extorting funds, fear o( what might happen if bribes are not paid, worry over obligations incurred by accepting bribes. Such surreptitious dealings create an erosion of trust in society. A healthy society is based on honesty, openness, love, trust and good will. And correct me if I am wrong, but there is no country that has made bribery legal within its own borders, even where it is tolerated as an ac­cepted way of life. It is at the grass roots level, in the home, in schools, in the marketplace, o'ffice and factory, that bribery should fIrst be stopped. Hindu Dharma is the law enforcer. Simply don't bribe. It really is OK not to bribe. More and more, not bribing is becoming acceptable behavior.

A PRI L, I gg8 HIND UI SM TOD A Y 11

/

,

LETTERS No More Christmas importanc~ to other religions and publish THANK YOU FOR MAKING KNOWN THE such studies. However, I felt that it wotlld tiIJlely and needed practice of Pancha have been better if you had included Jain­Ga:napati [PUBLISHER'S DESK and-EDITORIAL, ism in your comparison as Jainism has Dec., '97] and for the phra!j.e of "Hindus many things in common with Buddhism. honor all religions, we don't practice all reli- Jainism is an independent religion by itself, gions." Both need to be further propagated, since ages. While it is true that Buddhism particularly to the people of Hindu faith has spread in Asia and other parts of the who have adopted other countrtes as their world much more than Jainism, i("would not homeland and to those who are feeling iso- be correct to say that Hinduism and Bud­lated andlor wanting in the midst of a ma- dhism are the only two religions originated jority of other faiths. We certainly have in India. In fact, Jainism is much, much old­started to give it a priority to spread the er than Buddhism. Much can be said about message in our part of the world through Jainism. Suffice it to mention that in the f u­various means and sources. ' ture you should print details about this im-

DR. ANAND LALCHANDANI portant religion. Sikhism is also another re­CARINGBAH, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA ligion of India. ' ..- PRAKASH MODY'

NORTH YORK, ONTARIO, CANADA " Prakash_Mod.f@tvo.org

HT is the Best I HAVE SEEN SO MANY NEWSPAPERS AND magazines on Hinduism and Indian' cuIture. Yours is by far the best. And each issue gets better. Your articles are compelling, educa­tional, inspiring and uplifting. Your artwork, layout and design is truly graceful. HIN­DUISM TODAY has really mastered the bal­ance between beauty and simplicity:

SWAMI CHIDANAND SARASWATI (MUNIJI) PARMARTH NIKETAN, RISHIKESH, INDIA

Share the Grief THE DEUKI GIRLS :ARTICLE BY DR. HARI Bansh Jha is very upsetting to me [In God's Name, INHUMANITY, Dec., '97]. Tp see Deu­ki girls treated like concubines by feudals or abandoned by families truly disturbs me. I feel such girls should be provided for. lIhey do serve many temples in Nepal. To treat young girls like things is a moral outrage. I feel such dehumanization is an affront to God. They should be cherished within our hearts and minds. Are there any sanctuaries for women? How can man.kind not be moved by her tears? It must be very painful for the Deuki women to be forced into pros­titution due to economic factors. No woman wants such a fate. No woman wants, to use her body as a commodity and be exposed to humiliation, unwanted pregnancies, STDS and AIDS. I feel gratitude toward Dr. Hari Bansh Jha for writing an article about the Deuki and making us aware of the problems they face. Through awareness comes hope! I pray someone will help them. I have en­closed a donation for the Deuki.

'" WENDY SCHULJAN CORAM;' NEW YORK, US

Jainism Needs Comparison, Too! IT WAS INTERESTING TO READ THE EDITO­rial and the insight articles on Dharmic dif­ferences, a co'mparison between Hinduism and Buddhism [Dharmic Differences, IN­SIGHT, Feb., '98~ . I am happy that you give

12 mNDuIsM TODAY APRIL, 1998

• THANK YOU FOR A VERY GOOD ARTICLE ON Buddhism. When I was young, I read that Jainism derived from Hinduism. Mahavir was a born Hindu. Can you please throw some light on Jainism, and Mahavir's birth?

,-

MAHENDRA PAREKH " J)ltulsa@webtv.net

Don't Need to Compare Paths AFTER READING SEVERAL ILLUMINATING articles in the February, '98 issue of HIN­DUISM TODAY, it appears to me that the basic difference between Buddhism and Hin­duism is merely one of semantics. How in­adequate words such as Suny a, Brahman, cleva, atman, Buddhahood, etc., are to de­sc ibe essentially the indescribable. And further it appears that there is no need for such terms once the indescribable nature is realized. So let us practice what suits us the most without having to compare with any other paths.

Elpvating Piece

SASH S. SESHADRI " seshadri@sunline.net

MANY THANKS FOR THE BEAUTIFUL ARTI­cle by Brahmacharini Maya Tiwari [Re­claiming Sadhana: Nourisher of Health, WOMEN OF VISION, Feb., 'g8]. I fdund it to be inspiring, uplifting and nurturing. To see ' a womanl): perspective about dharma and sadhanlTand the many issues that come up creates a different and deeper understand­ing fo; me, even if I cannot put my finger on it. I met Bri. Tiwari in San Francisco last year during the ":gody, Mind an,9 Spirit" workshops. She was looking for an assistant, and with my luck, I was chosen,. I feel that Bri'.""Tiwari has reached the highest state of healing. She has become the Mother of Ayurveda. I look up to her as a great teacher, a woman who has used her womanly powers

to heal herself I think this is a wonderful thipg and something to strive for.

MEENAKSHI DEVI PALANI CONCORD, CALIFORNIA, us

" spalani@flash.net

Divorce Awareness DIVORCE AND WIDOWS REMARRYING IS taboo among most Hindus. However, with the passag~ of time, these practices are slowly but surely being accepted by Hindus. In its many scriptures one will find that Hinduism does not object to divorce a.rra Widows remarrying, but traditionally Hindu widows accept the theory of "one wOnlan, only one husband and only one marriage." With changing attitudes, more and more Hindu widows are remarrying, and this is happily matched by an increasing number of educated Hindu men accepting them as brides again. Changes in our society outlook have brought a great deal of benefit to the usually tradition-ridden Hindu society. But at the same time, one cannot lose sight of the present era which Kas made inroads into the Hindu society, resulting in the break-up of families. Where one rarely heard of a di­vorce among Hindu couples in the good old days, it is now a common thing to read in the newspapers accounts of court Cases involv­ing Hindu couples. As such, I suggest HIN­DUISM TODAY publish some constructive arti­cles about divorces to stop this sad deterioration in our social structure.

s. SUNDRALINGAM TAIPING, PERAK, MALAYSIA

J " s52614@pc.jaring.my

Sankara's Touch You have covered in a very excellent manner the Ati Rudra Maha Yajna with nice pic­tures [Vedas, USA, PRIESTHOOD, Dec., '97]. Your mention about the stock index in the article was very interesting, and I showed it to a lot of my American friends who are not Hindus but who believe in Hinduism. The

"'cover page art is one of the rarest we have in the present times of.Sri Adi San~ara with the Shanmatha Murthis in the same picture. I am going to preserve it in my prayer room.

K. GURUVAYURAPPAN NESHANIC STATION, NEW JERSEt,. us

" gvkrupa@msn.com

Letters with writers name, address and daytime phone number, should be sent to:

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HINDU RENAISSANCE TEA.M

HINDUISM TODAY was founded January 5, 1979, by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, for the follOwing purposes: 1. To foster Hindu solidarity as a unity iin diversity among all sects and lin­eages; 2. To inform and inspire Hindus world­wide and people interested in Hinduism; 3. To dispel myths, illusions and misinformation about Hinduism; 4. To protect, preserve and promote the sacred Vedas and the fIindu reli­gion; 5. To nurture and monitor the ongoing spiritual Hindu renaissance. We invite our read­ers to share these purposes with us by writing letters, contributing reports and articles on events, sending news clippings and encouraging othe, s to subscribe.

Publisher: 'Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami Admin. Dir;: Paramacharya'IBodhinathaswami Editor-in-Chief Acharya Palaniswami Publisher's Aide: Acharya Ceyonswami Deputy Editor: Aqharya ~marswami Managing Editor: Sannyasi Arumugaswami GraphiCS Director: Sannyasi Natarajaswami Mauritius Editor: Sannyasi Murugaswami Mauritius Staff Writer: Sannyasi Devaswami Prod.!Promotion Manager; Sannyasi Kathirswami Managing Ed. 's Aide: Tyagi Saravananathaswami Dep. Managing Ed.: Tyagi Karttikeyanathaswami Editor-in-Chiefs Aide: Yogi Yuganatha Advertising Manager: Sadhaka Jothinatha SubSCription Manager: Sad,haka Haranandinatha Correspondents: Gowri Shankar & Anandhi Rama­chandran, Chennai; Choodamani Shivaram, ~anga­lore; ~ajiv Malik, Prab~a Prabhakar Bhardwaj, Mangala Pmsad Mohanty, Delhi; V S. Gopalakrish­nan, Kerala; Basudeb Dhar, Bangladesh; Archana Dongre, l.os Angeles; Lavina Melwani, New York; Dr. Hari Bansh Jha, Nepal; Parasram Ramoutar, Ani! Mahabir, Trinidad; Dr. Devananda Tandavan, Chica­go; V G. Julie Rajan, Philadelphia; Shikha Malaviya, Minnesota; Rajesh Janhlal, South Africa; Tara Katir, Hawaii Artists; A. Manivelu, S. Rajam Cartoonists: Barry Geller, David Lourie, Mario de Miranda, Manick Sorcar, Gary L. Stair,'Bob Thaves Photo Contributors: Thomas L. Kelly, St!lphen P. Huyler, Dev Raj Agrawal, Pha! S. Girota, Tuny Stone Images, Photobank, Art Wolfe Inc., Gordon Wiltsie, Indivar Sivamathan Web Maste1rs: Deva Seyon, Sadhunathan Nadesan Scanning: Vikram Patel, New York ' Distribution: USA: Ingram Periodicals, New Leaf, EBSCO Subscription services, Indo-US Beoks, One Source, Ubiquity, Total Circulation Services. Cana­da: Gordon and Gotch. Europe: SWETS Subscrip­tion Service. Malay~ia and Singapore: Sanathana Dharma Publications. South Africa: Atlas Printers Printer; Banta Publications Group, Kansas City

, • I

joint Family Life Is the Natural Human Way How I convinced {IlY retired parents to join me in America and live as one family again.,:

BY 1)OHINI RAMANATHAN

NORMALLY HIGH YET blood pr~ssure a bit, and the

~symJ)to:ms were not good. Her she had no ap-petite, the mouth felt dry, the body\ weak. She panicked, and remembered how her own mother, who also suffered from hypertension and died of a heart attack, had her first stroke around age 55, now her own age. I took her blood pressure. It was indeed high. I drove her to the doctor. He examined her, pre­scribing str;onger medication and rest.

A proud woman, my mother, in her mo­ment of anguish, blurted out how grateful she was with her children. She further added, "Who else but with your children can you ask at liberty to take care of you when you get sick?" I, an advocate of the merits of an extended family outweighing the mutual adjustments the members have to make, was elated by this comment.' For a woman who never felt any vulnerability that she could not h~dle herself, fmcling that we all need one another must have been hard.

In the last five ytjars, I had done every­thing I could to prove that I valued the idea Q[ my parents' living with me after retire­ment for no other reason but to be together as a family. I expressed this sentiment in • every letter I wrote to them, with strong arguments upholding the logic behind such togetherness. The tribal being ip. me reiter­ated that families ought to live togetl,ier. This is the way God meant it, I would in­sist. Modern lifestyles and ways of thinking, I believe, interfere with this yearning to stay together as family.

As part of my attempt to convince my parents that my desire to have them live with me was not for the sake of baby-sit­ting, I hired a full-time housekeeper who took care of the house, cooked and cared for my boy while I was out working. My

housekeeper tactic dispelled any doubts my parents might have had. Moreover, my children are 8 and 6 now, in school till 3 in the afternoon, and I have start­ed working from home.

Then, as f art of the same process of convincing them how important it was for me to have them with me, I responded to their need to pursue their inter­

ests. Dad, a young 58-year-old, a retired comptroller, enjoyed accounting. I took him to job interviews, and now he is on his sec­ond career. Mom, with her music education background, needed an outlet, too, and today she is a rr;tusic teacher. I thought, now I had earned the privilege of keeping them With me.

I had the added respon~ibility of making them feel at home in a foreign land, much as they praised this land of QPportunities. I even expanded the house to accommodate their more peculiar needs, and threw in a few details that bore the flavor of thj'!ir native surroundings. . No doubt, all these reminders make them happy, and at home. Yet, the emotional need to be together as an extended family was never admittea. For me, declarations , of loye are important. For all the love and affection they showered on their grandchil­dren, my children, they refused to admi,t any emotional ties to them.

I often wondered if it was my persuasive powers only that made them stay on. How­ever, I never wanted to find out. But yester­day, Mom said, "Who else do I have the privilege to ask to take care of me when I am sick?" She is right. It is a daughter's pri~lege to take care of her parents, and I was fmally awarded this privilege.

DR. ROHINI RAMANATHAN is a writer, lecturer/speaker, training consultant and singer living in New York with her family.

APRIL, 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 13

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-----------------------------------------------------------------~- ,

EDITORIAL

Tibetpn Yogi Wins at '98 Wi11ter OlympiCS! Despite soul-shaking challenges, the Tibetan . people r~main a cheerful, hopeful community

BY THE EDITOR

ly eroded Konishi's lead. The Tibetan received a 9.6 in the Hatha Yoga "manda­tory postures," then topped it with a 9.8 in the free-style finals. The Gold Medal in Breath Control went to Bikram Singh, whose average over the one-hour course was .72 IHCs (Inhalation Cycles) per minute. Gyatso Was second at .85 with Konishi breathing down his neck at .8J. The two tied in Zaz-en, long assumed by insiders to be Konishi's event. But he couldn't, or maybe he just refused to, sit still for Gyatso's guff and Gorilla dust. Af­terwards, Gyatso ratcheted up the verbal jostling: ''A tie is as good as a loss (or Kon­ishi. Everyone said he would out-Zazen

...:me, but he failed. Tell the world this: Gyat­so would have won, derriere down, if the cushions had not been so preposterously

HEN I WAS FIRST TOLD THAT THE WINTER OLYMPICS soft. They forced us to use zafu Zen pillows. Real yogis don't use Committee had used its "host nation option" to add a pillows. 1 challenge these sissies to meditate on a bare rock abc:>ve

yogic event to the 1998 Games and wanted HINDUISM Lhasa. These city boys couldn't handle it." TODAY to cover the story, 1 was skeptical. Still, they Distraction was Nagano's innovative event. Olympic rules called

convinced our editors to fly to Nagano, a modern, narrow- for each yogi to endure three distinct disturbances: noise, numbing streeted city of 350,000 n~stled in the Zenkoji Plain amid Japan's cold and, the tOl!lghest, insects. Konishi earned a 9.5 in the Decibel largest island, Honshu. Only 120 miles northwes of Tokyo, Nagano Dual, compared to Gyatso's paltry 7.9. No doubt Konishi's access lies in the midst of majestic mountains~a silk producing region during spring training to sound-polluted Japanese cities gave him and vacation spot for city dwellers looking to escape urban .sprawl. the edge. But an undeterred Gyatso brought the astonished crowd

The moment we arrived, our doubts dispersed. The Committee to their feet with back-to-back perfect lOS in the Zoological Diver-ushered the Tibetan team to our quarters along with Bikram sion-where he sat unfazed by mosquitos and even the crawling Singh, India's only entry. With the help of translators, we were in- spiders that ultimately broke Konishi's concentration- and Cold troduced to the newest sport, officially called the YAK Champion- Exercises, something he had always boasted he could achieve but ships, which 1 soon learned stood not for some exotically high-alti- which had eluded him until now. "Cool!" grinned Gyatso, turning tude ox race but for "Yoga and Kundalini." That's right, ,the old up the heat on his gelid adversaries. mystical arts were being showcased for the entire world to see, and Gyatso, 36, gained prominence on the international yoga circuit small nations whose national passions incline toward inner striving, when he captured the prized Bhara,t Padma in New Delhi in 1994, instead of baseball or soccer, would have a chance to excel. • where he introduced his abrasive style. Yoga Federation Commis-

Ten days later, on Friday, February 20th, in the packed White sioner Srila Patel told HINDUISM TODAY that no rules prohibit such Ring where earlier rounds of Figure Skating, Speed Skating and braggadocios behavior, though it is considered,"unBuddhalike." "I Ice Hockey had been held, we watched the finals, won by a don't care what critics say," Gyatso scorned. "I am who 1 am. 1 am diminutive man with. golden skin and rosy cheeks, lithe and liquid also who you are. My mind is as reflective as a IIl!rror. By turning and ever so loquacious. This was Sri ~------';;::;i.iWlii_F"'''''''~''''''''9 your mind's negative energies toward me, Khetsun Gyatso, and he had just won you only hurt yourself That's the first les-Tibet's first ever Olympic Gold Medal. son of the kindergarten karma text. Read His elation was electric. "I am the seren- it and stop whimpering about me. Change est!"<;yatso gloated when his prize was yourself ... if you can. 1 dare you." announced. It was a brazen statement, Before the Delhi meet, Gyatso had nev-clearly meant to intimidate opponents. , er placed better than fifth. Many said he

Gyatso fared poorly in the early YAK had forsaken rigorous training for the I

rounds, which, like the pentathlon, has celebrity status gained from his contro-five distinct events: Hatha Yoga, Breath versial Nike contract, which showcased Control, Zazen (stillness in meditation), him using their new line of Self-Inflating, Distractions and Timed Trans,Pendence, Ego-Deflating Meditation Mats. His which requires each athlete, without. . Nagano p~rformance will rank him Num-aids or implements, to attain SUll¥.a, Absolute Nothingness, for one ber One. th the end, the media found Gyatso's taunting as daunting full minute and return to normal consciousness in the same body. as did his foes: "I am the One. Who can compare with Sri Khetsun

On the first day, Gyatso languished behind Zen Buddhist Roshi' Gyatso? 1 am the greatest monk since time began!" I

Konishi-san in the Double-T, as it is called, which Konishi, a native of Japan and local favorite, wdn in a mind-obliterating 17 minutes and 57 seconds, a full two minutes under the world's record. Gyat­so, who took 24 minutes flat to transcend, complained that the alti­tude hampered his efforts. "This is a travesty. 1 wasn't myself today. 1 wasn't anyboay's Self 1 trained at 19,000 feet. The air here at five thousand feet is too dense for our more refined Tibetan style."

As. the days progressed, Gyatso's youthful will and intensity slow-

16 HINDUISM TODA~ APRIL, 1998 ,

This rrwnth's feature on Tibetan Buddhism is full of pathos, so it may surprise readers to'know that Tibetans remain, after all they have endured, a blithe ancLfun-loving people. As the Dalai Lama once noted: 'We Tibetans ((ive all cererrwnial and elegant dress; and, perhaps even rrwre important, as a national characteristic, we love a joke. I do not know if we always laugh at the same things as West­erners, but we can alrrwst always .find something to laugh about. "

o 0<

, ....

"He who attracts the notic'e of God may be . @ntire~y unknown to the world.JJ

... Paramahamsa Yogananda (1893-1952),founder of Self Realization Fellowship and author of Autobiograpw of a Yogi

,. .... e Birbal smiled, "The answer is simple. After God created fish, birds and animals, He still had many gifts to give away. So He decided to make man. lie wanted to-give n:.ten anything they liked, but they had to collect these gifts from Him. In one part of His court, intelligence was available. In another, beauty. In a third, wealth. 1 went immediately to get intelligence. By the time 1 finished collecting my share, it was too late to collect any beauty. But my friends in this court who are so good-look­ing were too late to collect intelligence."

Go ahead and be miserable. Whatever makes you happy. Swami Beyondananda

~~------~~=-----------~~~ It is found that people usually remember religion when they run into hard times. Otherwise, they don't even think of it. H.H.,penolr Rinpoche, revered head of the

NyingrruI lineage of Tibetan Buddhism,

now living in exile near Mysore, South In­

dia, in his rrwnastery of 1,500 rrwnks.

1 don't need movie stars to point me t(,ilward the path of enlightenment; even if they managed to push me in the right direction, r d probably head the other way out of sheer spite. CNN's Paul Tatara in his re-

view of "Seven Years in Tibet."

Muslim King Akbar had somefoolish, courtiers who said that handsome people are better than unattractive people in every way. Akbar found them tiresome, as did his Hindu chief minister, Birbal. Many were jealous of Birbal's intelligence. They railed, "Birbal is a Hindu. You cannot trust him. He will poison Akbar one day so that he can become King." One day they asked the King, "Why are we so handsome and Birbal so homely?,1 The court was shocked.

THE. HUMAN IS OBLIGEDTO MAKE

DID YOU KNOW?

The Original Doctor

11. UCR OF MODERN MEDICINE CAN

. be traced to the Hindu surgeon, Sushruta, circa 600 BCE. Best

known for plastic surgery, his other notable achievements include cosmetic surgexy, treatises on medical ethics, definitions for 121 surgical implements, control of infection through antiseptics, use of drugs to control bleeding, toxicol­ogy, psychiatry, midwifety, cataract op­erations and classification of burns. And if all this weren't enough, Sushruta was among the first to prescribe surgical anesthesia-which in his day was a healthy dose of strong wine!

APRIL, 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 17

18

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CELEBRITIES

Holy Hollywood, Tibetman! , .

The Western world' watches as Tibetan Buddhism takes center stage in the entertainment industry

ONE WANTS TO TALK ABOUT IT, ex- .. ' for those who have taken to ac­

For these, speaking out serves cause, and they do so passion­Otherwise, the spiritual seekers

ill the of celluloid make-believe want to keep secret ... well, secret. «Ther~ are many, many people interested in Buddhism and Hinduism in Los Angeles," writer and pro­ducer Richard Rutowski, who works closely with producer Oliver Stone, told HINDUISM TODAY recently. «But you will never hear anything about it, because it just becomes a subject for discussion in the media. And who wants that? It's a very personal thing."

But the secret is out-for Buddhism, at least.-thanks to three major films and some avid lobbying by Tibetan rights advocates,

20 HINDUISM TODAY A I\RIL, 1998

especially Buddhist actor-turned-activist Richard Cere. Kundun and Seven Years in Tibet (two multi-million dollar productions) focus awareness on the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan struggle [see pages 22-23]. A third movie, Ceres Red Comer, tal:<es a purely po­litical tack, aiming to reproach anQ. expose a corrupt Chinese government, in the process revealing in graphic scenes just what the Ti­betan people are struggling against. And re­ports tell of a forthcoming movie by Steven Seagal and Paul Wagner, The Wind Horse, which portrays modern-day Tibet. Wagner told CNN, «This is a movie that focuses on the value of modern Tibetan culture, and that cultute is being destroyed."

Meanwhile; critical and at times harshly cynical journalists are having a field day. It

will be a true test of endurance to see if the actors-and the Dharma-can s~vive un­scathed. After all, this is the type of hype news-hounds howl for, and the hot Holly­-wood media spQtlight has made even the boldest blush. Seven Years' star Brad ,;Pitt cQmplained, «You can sit there for an hour, and you can compliment this and feel thld way about this positive thing. But) f one thing is even borderline negative, that's what's ther-e in the final print, no matter what you say." And Rutowski adds, "I' get calls from some of the major ·magazines. But I don't talk to them anymore because they' manipulate and take out of context what you say. You can try to talk about Buddhism to Time magazine, and you can look like an id­iot.. There is responsible media out there. But many of them are not responsible."

Major magazines have published articles that question the sincerity and motivation of the actors and the very ability of anyone in­volved in the movie industry even to recog-

nize and understand a spiritual' truth. It is no wonder Holl~wood is seeking spiritual solace. «Hinduism and Buddhism both con­tain helpful roadmaps for living a lif~ with some kind of integrity," offers Rutowski. «It seems natural that people,in L.A., and par­ticularly in the film business, WQuld be in­terested in them. There is semething very practical about Buddhism-and probably Hinduism too, and about meditation. It is very helpf~, if for nothing else, for resolving stress and clarifying who you are relative to the world around you."

Still, those who have been touched and changed by the Dharma also see some dis­crepancies. Screenwriter Becky Johnston called her experiences learning about' Ti­betan Buddhism in the course of working on Seven YeQ~rs «earth shattering." Yet, in an in­terview with Tricycle magazine, she cautions not to underestimate the power of the ego. «I would never presume to say who is deluded and who isn't. However, I can tell you it looks pretty weird to me to see a big movie star walking around in Chinese satin robes. with a fat cigar in his mouth. A lot -of people here in Hollywood have egos the size of a whale. You can't fail to see the irony of putting prac­tice about diminishing the ego through the Hollywood machine, which is really about making tlle ego more grandiose. The Holly­wood machine c~ turn almost anything into a bloated example of ego running amok."

Of monlks and men: For most everyone in the entertainment capital, this is a «non-is­sue." But surely nd one feels that fhis is old new~ more than Richard Cere. He became a Buddhist 20 years ago. In April, 1997, on the popular CNN talk show, Larry King Live, he told the viewing world, «I was in my early 20S and life wasn't JIlaking sense. I had experimented with a 10t of philosophical and spiritual systems, and I felt a great pffm­ity for the Buddhist approach. I think main­ly becau~e it left responsibility totally on me for the state of my mind, and the state of my experience of myself and the world, and a very systematic approach to changing all of that-changing my mind, my heart, chang­ing, therefore, the outside world as well."

Cere is without question the most forth­right in confiding the role of his religion in his life as well as dedicating a gr~at deal of his resources to its benefit. «I met His Holi­ness in 'Ih or '82 in Dharamsala,,: India," Cere told CNN interviewer Ron Tank in 1996. '1\5 we became closer friends and had an easie; dialogue, the Dalai Lama said, 'We really need the help from yoh Western­ers.' And they obviously did."

Cere has met with the Dalai Lama count­less times and travels to Dharamsala one to three times a year. He has held rallies, is on the board of the International Campaign for Tibet and has a foundation that supports Ti­betan causes, among others. Recently, he has

been promoting his cause through exhibi­tions of photographs he took while in Tibet as well' as with a new book of these photos, Pilgrim (Bulf'inch Press, New York). The venue for this spring's exhibition, Tai:gei, it­self reveals the provocative approach he is taking. And this attitude is echoed among

-others. Rutowski comments, «The chit chat and the C:pinions about it mean nothing. I'm interested in the actions." All this has earned Cf?re-along with Brad Pitt, Harrison Ford, Melissa Mathison, Jean-Jacqu~s Annaud (di­rector of Seven Years) and Martin Scorsese (director of Kundun)-the distinction of be­ing banned from ever entering China.

.. <

Yes, the Harrison Ford on that list is the one ~ho played-among many more signifi­cant roles-Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost ArR and Temple of Doom. «I support

I

Black Hat ceremonies all over California. This is not something that's just sprouted in the last two or three years. r mean, the Hin­dus have been here forever! Paramahansa Yogananda has been here since the '30S or '40S. Back then, it was a more underground relationship, particularly with Hinduism. But iJ: was a strong influence."

And the appearance of monks in the me­dia is not limited to 'movie theaters. An episode of the hour-long TV drama Danger­ous Minds featured a group of Buddhists monks who convinced an angry high-school youth about the power of chastity and non­violence. In that show, the monks created and dissolved a Tibetan sand mandala along with the students, and one of the teachers • revealed that he was a Buddhist and taught the angry student basic meditation.

Fords in the rights ~iver: The Dalai Lama blesses Harrison Ford and his wife in Beverly Hills

Tibet publicly," Ford told George magazine's Josh Young. «I just don't make it a public is­sue. I have introduced the Dalai Lama on a" couple of occasions, and I have privately sup­ported and am involved in other efforts to re­dress the inequity of the situatiop., but I don't actively look for opportunities to 1lPvance these issues." His wife, Melissa Mathison Ford, became deeply' involved while re­searching the script for Kundun. She and her husband met with the Dalai Lama several times to check the accuracy of the story.

But the highly revered Dalai Lama is not this movement's sale support and cauSe. «Lamas have come here from many differ­ent lineages,'" Rutowski told HINDUISM To­DAY. «The Karmapa came here in the 70S and did extensive empowerments-major

Shrugging aside -the cynics, Rutowski af; firm~ that Hollywood's adherents are sin­cere. «It looks like people are just jumping on a trend," he explains. «But anyone yvho goes deeper understands that to really do a Buddhist practice takes much more dedica­tion. I don't think it is that easy a path, my­self It takes some serious commitment. It's not just going to church on Sunday. You have to be ready to really take a look at yourself Most of the people I know in L.A. are very gerfuine. Many of them have been into it for a long. time. It has just become known re­cently. But I'm not sure there is any more of a significant number of people interested here than anywhere else. Still, something has changed. It has ripened. Maybe the fruit is being borne now." .,.t

APRIL, 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 21

'" z o ... ~

~~~f:m The Presence: A young Dalai Lama is revered in Disnetjs unique and controv~rsial Kundun

EPIC S

Disn~y's Lama lJsing Tibetans, not/stars, Hollywood daringly tells a true tale of one nation's loss and its living spirit _

By LAVINA MELWANI, NEW YORK ITH A CINEMATOGRAPHIC HELPING

from noted director Martin Scorsese, Walt Disney and Touch­

stone Pictures have attempted to do for Tibet that which, years agQ, Richard At­tenborough did for India. Through the latest multi-million dollar Disney-bacl~ed motion picture, Knndun, the tragic and heroic his­torical account of the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of six million Tibetan Bud­dhists, has been brought to the attention of America's millions of movie-goers. While Disney's Kundun and Attenborough's Gand­hi differ significantly in style and content, the impact of the films in the Western me­dia and populace-spreading awareness of each. nation's struggles and generating com­passion for their millions of people and their

22 HINDUISM TODA.Y A RIL, 1998

• leaders-is identical. An important differ-ence, of course, is that the Dalai Lama lives and the Tibetan people are still in the midst of their struggle. •

Kundun, which means "the Presence," is the story of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, following his diviI).e recognition when he was just two-and-a-hal( years old up to 1959, when his holy homeland was in­vaded by the communist hordes of chair­man Mao Zedong and he was forced to seek exile in India. Told through the young eyes of His Holiness, Kundun charts his extraor­dinary growth from a giggling child into a figure who raises the world's consciousness about the Buddhist society of the spirit, the plight of Tibet and the sufferings endured by his people. It is the story of a boy imbued with the insight and wisdom of centuries,

whose will proves indomitable, spirit invio­late and compassion inexhaustible. Says au­thor Pico Iyer, "It's an inspiring and remark­ably serious film as far from Hollywood as anything I've ever seen. And yet all of us know it is a 28-million-dollar production."

Screenwriter Melissa Mathison Ford, wife of mega action-llCtor Harrison Ford and perhaps most famous for the film E. T, wrote the screenplay after-more than fifteen per­sonal meetings with the Dalai Lama. Inti­mate details of events which took place when he was a child were confided to Math­ison and were incorporated into the film. Initially, Mathison was drawn to the sheer story-telling potential. But soon sh~egan to

-.see deeper dimensions. She explains in an interview with Tricycle magazine, ''Anyone who went to work on this movie to do just another job came out of it with an expand­ed consciousness. My original intention was to write about a little boy who becomes the Dalai Lama. It's a great story. I didn't know anything about the history of Tibet. But as time went on, I met the Dalai Lama, I be­came politically active for Tibet and became more aware of Budahism and became con­scious of who His Holiness is. That changed the emphasis of the movie. It was no longer about a boy who loses his country, or even just about a people's loss. It became a story about universal loss. The movie became an act of devotion on my part."

The film is already being hyped as an Os­car contender, although there is nothing glitzy about,it. There is not a single Holly­wood star in the film! Instead, Kundun uses Tibetan refugees to play the multifarious roles. Not one of them i~ a professional actor. Yet, Mathison and Scorsese were dually im­pressed. "These people have an incredible passion for sharing their story with the world," said Scorsese. And Mathison stressed, "You could not find actors who could play these parts the way o~ cast did. The emotion that is generated from inside of them is amazing. Everyone who plays a part in the film has played a part in the history of Tibet. It's their- story, and they all ha~e a stake in it."

'The Dalai Lama is played at differeQ.t stages of his life by four actors. Tenzip Thu­thob Tsarong, who plays the 24-year-old Dalai Lam&, bears a striking resemblance to His Holiness. Three Tibetans who were part of the Dalai Lama's life in .'Fibet were con­sulted on the costume design and religious' and ceremonial matters. Since the film could not be shot in Tibet -and India de­layed permission to the point of refusal-the land.scapes of this forgotten land were recre­atea. in Morocco. The magnificent Potala palace was duplicated from scratch, and everything from the hairstyles to the intri­cate costumes are faithful to the originals.

The film will certainly inform and influ-

ence those who knew or cared -little about Tibets plight earlier. And, in a way reminis­cent of Gandhi, it will impress the wisdom and persistent power of a strictly nonviolent approach to diplomacy. Even as the Chinese armies march into Tibet, ¢.e young Kundun refuses to return violence with violence and holds firm to his dharma. B1,!t as Mathison told Tricycle, "It's very dangerous to use a movie for a political agenda, or even to think that a movie can lead to political action. But in this case, I think that if people are moved by the past, that they will be moved by the present. I would love for people to leave the theater asking themselves, 'Where is the Dalai Lama now? What's happening in Ti­bet now? And what can I do?' "

Kundu.n is a moving experieri.ce for every­one, bethey Buddhist or not. There is a uni­versality to this story, and viewers come

. away with a sense of sadness and loss, for something glorious has been interred in Ti­bet. For the Tibetans, of course, this is a film which pulls at their heartstrings, giving them a glimpse of their lost homeland, which many have seen only iIi. their dreams.

Tenzin Lodoe, who acts in the film and grew up in India, reflects, "This will proba­bly be the closest thing I'm ever going to see of the Tibet that my parents knew. It could be the closest thing to Tibet that I'll ever see in my li£e. As I left the,set on my last day, I wondered when I would walk on the real steps of the Potala." ..

Martin allld the monk: Scorsese plays with Kunga Tenzin, who played the young Kundun

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Together in Tibet ' The ~oyhood bond that reached beyond borders

• ONTHS BEFORE KUNDUNINCARNAT­

ed into US movie theaters, TriStar Pictures delivered their own drama­tized encounter with a young Dalai

Lama-Seven Years in Tibet. Although there is some overlap, the two films do not com­pete. they focus on separate histor­ical figures and tell two unique tales. Kilndun's main character is the Dalai Lama, and it's story is his life. Seven Years follows famous Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer through his arduous expedi­tion over the Himalayas, finally landing in the court of His Holiness, where he begins a deeper, spiritual and emotional journey.

In the fall of 1939, Harrer and his countryman Peter Aufschnaiter set out to climb Nanga Parbat, one of the highest peaks in the Himalayas. The self-centered Harrer, whose sole pre0ccupation was the achieve­ment of fame and glory, would ex­perience a-pain-induced emotional awakening on his fantastic journey that would take him from the heights of conquest to the depths of internment in a British prisoner-of­war camp, then from escape and a harrowing two-year trek through the Himalayas to refuge in the mys­terious Tibetan city of Lhasa.

mous, with lots of possessions, but very un­happy. He returns with no possessions but himself. And he is very happy. It was impor­tant to understand that money and success meant nothing compared to self respect."

The suspense and drama of Harrer's Hi-

As a stranger in a strange land which few Westerners had ever visited, Harrer"':"'who was expertly played by Brad Pitt in a role far

Who tutored whom?: Brad befriends the young rrwnk

from his typical teen heart-throb parts-was befriended by the young Dalai Lama and later was asked to tutor the spiritual leader of millions in English, geography and the ways of the Western world. He would even­tually spend seven years in Tibet, during a period of tremendous political _upheaval in that country, graced with the friendsQip and the spiritual enlightenment of the young Dalai Lama. As the deep and abiding bond between these two isolated, lonely people evolved, the selfish and egotistical Harrer ex­perienced selflessness for the first time, al­lowing him to complete the emotional trans­formation which began on his way to Lhasa.

To director Jean-Jacques Annaud, that quest for self-esteem and inner peace is the whole story of the film. He explains, "Harrer is a man who leaves his country very fa-

malayan trek is captivating, but the true spiritual heart of the film begins beating when Harrer begins to interact with His Ho­liness, who is played exceptionally by young Jamyang Wangchuck. Here, in the last half of the film, we feel we are in Lhasa as we witness Harrer struggle to adopt Tibetan re­ligious protocols and to adjust to the entire­ly religious approach to living. Screen-writer Becky Johnston hopes that, "people will be affected by the power of the place and by the awareness that another culture so anti­thetical to our own can exist on earth."

Seven Years is a welcome relief from Tin­seltown's usually inane offerings. Its spiritual lessons are subtle, yet compelling. They are found in the context of a fascinating tale of true adventure and a one-of-a-kind en­counter with a real-life religious legend ...

APRIL, 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 23

Will Tibet's venerable faith again prosper?

N 1997, DON FARBER TRAVELED TO and Nepal on a FUlbright schol­to photograph the religious life

refugees. Farber, whose is Tibetan, pas photographed

Buddhist life fbr over twenty years. He was fortunate to gain access to the Dalai Lama and other key leaders. He specifically sought their insights on how religion and Gulture will be perpetuated among Tibetan youth. Some excerpts:

His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, at his ;esi­dence in Dharainsala, India, July, 1997.

Children: In a typical Tibetan family, the practice of Tibetan Buddhism, is just recit­ing a few mantras and then offering some­thing. But they do not know mu$ about Buddhism. Recently, I have been telling people that parents should be the guru of their own childre:p.. l'he guru in the ordi­nary sense, that comes much later. Once parents become the guru of theiF own cliil­dren, they teach what is Buddha, what is Buddhism, what is Sambogakaya, what is Dharmakaya, Nirmanikaya, Four Noble Truths, and more, so in the whole society there can be genuine Buddhists. That's my main idea.

24 HINDUISM TODAY A, RIL, 1998

.\

Faith: There are two kinds of Buddhist faith: In the scriptures, also, this is men­tioned. One faith is faith which is com­pletely relying on someone, for example, someone saying Buddhism is good-just re­lying on that. That, the scriptures say, is not at all reliable, not genuine faith. The other faith is where in the beginning one remains skeptical. Yop study, investigate, experi­ment, then gain some understanding. Faith " which comes fr<;lm that understanding is genuine faith. We should have that kind of faith.

Science and religion: I never criticize otner religions. All of them have great potential and benefit. But you see, other religious concepts are difficult to explain through science. The interest, respect, apgreciation or faith in religions among young people is now decreasing. OUr parents consider

- Buddhism to be very important, due to blind faith. But if Tibetan youth think that Buddhism is about blind faith or supersti­tion, then they may think that Buddhism has no relevance in today's world.

Challenge of conflicting belief: In Tibet the people take it for granted that Buddhism is best. So, there is no need for argument. To-

Los Angeles, 1991: The Dalai Lama "cuts the energy" of the Wheel of Time Sand Man­dala. By ritually effacing hours of awesome­ly meticulous work done by teams of Bud­dhist rrwnks, he releases peace and healing to the planet and all beings.

day, although we are Tibetans, we live in an entirely different environment. Not only are there ancient, non-Buddhist philoso­phies, but also radical, materialist and atheist ones. In facing so many djfferent ideas and influences, Buddhist study should include learning in the original comparative way taught by the early Indi­an Buddhist masters, especially in the midst of so many different views. Then. aIpong them, one should know how Bud­dhism compares, have a deep knowledge of Tibetan Buddhist explanations, and know what is the fault of a particular phi­losophy's c6ncepts. Without that, you can't survive. .. Impact of Western respect: The younger r Tibetan generation who have turned away from Buddhism and also the Chinese must be finding it very intriguing that in the West, professors and scientists in the most respected educational institutions are showing genuine interest and taking teach­ings from some stupid, diTty Tibetan lama! (laughs). You can't say all these scholars and scientists are stupid or crazy.

r . i

H.H. Pen~'r Rinpoche, head of the Nyingma lineage, was interviewed at his rrwnastery in Bylakope near Mysore, Karnataka State, South India. This area has the largest num­ber o£Til?etan refugees in India, and his rrwnastm-y, with rrwre than 1,500 rfWnks, is , arrwng the the biggest in the country, and much larger than any Hindu rrw~astic communUy. He fled Tibet in 1959.

Ganden Tri Rinpoohe

Religious survivii l: Buddhism is not only for Tibetans, but for all sentient beings who have the karma to learn and practice it. In recent times, due to the rule and rigid con.! trol of the Chinese in Tibet, religion has al­most disappeared. Despite all this, people with faith hung on to their religion and its practice in their hearts and home. We who escaped from Tibet had a lot of hardships in the beginning, but were later able to teach and build monasteries accorditig to our respective capabilities. We used to think that after the persecution of almost all the learned religious teachers the fate of Tibetan Buddhism was sealed. But it was not to be so. Those who survived helped it • flourish with renewed fervor and devotion.

On young Tibetans hot learning Buddhism: FIrst' and foremost it depends on the karma of the people or' an individual. For those who have the karma, they will study aiid become learned. And those who don't work hard and are lazy don't have the karma.

Ganden Tri Rinpoche was interviewed at Drepung rrwnastery, at Mundgod, also near Mysore in South India. He is the head of Tibet's three largest Tibetan rrwnasteries, Sera, Ganden, and Drepung, in:. Lhasa; Ti­bet. All th-c;ee have remanifested in South India with 'thousands of rrwnks.

• On tradition: The Tibetan culture and way of life is passing through one of its most crucial times. The old Tibetan traditions are facing a slow erosion. If people fmd that this age-old Tibetan tradition is of some use to the world as a whole, then it does h ot matter whether the people who

. are striving for its upkeep are Tibetans or , not. If there is a person who truly feels that this tradition, if lost, will be a great loss to mankind, then that person should help; otherwise, there is no reason for clinging onto it like some kind of wealth or land.

On Tibetan youth: After they finish their school, they should study any of the four sects of Tibetan Buddhism for sollie time. Then they will get the essence of our tradi­tion. It need not necessarily be at a monastery. It can be any of the mafiy reli­gious or cultural institutions. If they study hard, it will be a deterrent to this erosion of our culture:":

. The vend"able Gona Tulku Rinpoche of the Sakya lineage is a respected rrwnk living in Himachal Pradesh. Especially noted for his powers of divination, he provides coufuel­ingfor Tibetans in India.

.;'

On why Tibetans lost their country: In Buddhism, we have the doctrine of karma, taught br the Buddha. The people of Tibet

, were unable to stick by these virtues preached by the Buddha, even though they have been told or taught about it. So, it was not OI;Jy that the Chinese were too strong, but it was also the karma of the Tibetans which led to losing our country. It is not du~ to one or two person's fault, but is the manifestation of our collective karma. The karma does not have a time period of one life but of many lives. Only a Buddha can understand it, not us.

On Buddhist Resurgence: Those who were devout in the past are still devout now, but those who were not, still aren't. So that will /' be so in the future.

I

200 bee: King Nyatri Tsenpo founds Yarlung Dynasty, first record of Tibet. 700 ce: Buddhism introduced to Tibet under King Songtsen Gampo, tempering the Tibetan warrior spirit. Hfs empire ex­tends into China, Nepal and north India. 800: Buddhist teachers invited from In­dJa. Tibetan written script introduced. 1000: Indian Pandit Atisa in Tibet. 1100: Uniquely Tibetan form of Buddhism emerges. 1278: Tibet sends delegation to Genghis Khan, comes under Chinese suzerainty. 1368: Tibet regains independence, first monastic government. 1447: Gendun Drubpa, first Dalai Lama. 1642: Fifth Dalai Lama becomes temporal and spiritual ruler of Tibet. Good relations with China. .1 1876: Birth of 13th Dalai Lama. 1904: British invade Tibet. . 1905: China invades Tibet, 13th Dalai Lama takes refuge in India. 1913: 13th Dalai Lama expels renmants of Chinese army, reasserts independe:q.ce. 1933: 13th Dalai Lama prophecies, "The future holds darkness and misery," dies. 1935: Birth of present 14th Dalai Lama. 1940: 14th Dalai Lama enthroned. 1942: Tibet ejects Chin~s liaison officer. 1949: People's Republic of China foull'ded. 1950: China invades Kham region of Tibet. 1954: Dalai Lama meets Mao Zedong. 1959: People of Lhasa rise up against the Chinese to prevent seizure of Dalai Lama. 100,000 killed; Dalai 4!ma escapes. 1966: "Cultural Revolution" begins in Chi­na, all but nine of s~ thousand Tibetan monasteries destroyed. 1983: Systematic inImigration of Chinese settlers into central Tibet. 1989: Dalai Lama wins Nobel Peace Prize. 1995: US Congress passes resolution that Tibet is a nation under foreign occupation. 1996: Photographs of the Dalai Lama are outlawed in Tibet.

APRIL, 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 25

Publications that honor Tibet and her people

S VAST AS ITS ROLLING HIGHLAND plateaus are the mountains of books available on Tibet, and their topics and viewpoints are as divergent as

its flora and fauna. From photos of nature to academic analyses, from historical narratives to gripping autobiographies, the market is awash with lush choices. If you are intrigued by the "Land of Snows" and its people and you hanker to know and see much more than you can imagine, read on. ,

Of the wildlife, real people and raw beau­ty of this land, My Tibet (162 pages, Univer­sity of California Press, U5$45) has it. The stUIllling photographs by Galen Rowell and the personal and absolutely disarming com­mentary by the Dalai Lama'himself make this book rare and captivating. A similar ef­for t is Tibet (192 pages, Shambllala, U5$55). Its photos, covering the same range of sub­jects, are by Kazuyoshi Nomachi. Don't wor­ry. Tibet is plenty big enough for more than one photographer, and Nomachis imagery is distinctive. Along with the descriptive text

26 HINDUISM TODAY APRIL, Igg8

and appendices, a forward by His Holiness and an interview with him make this offer­ing a well ro~ded resource.

Arguably the region's most compelling photographer, Thomas L. Kelly of Nepal, presents one of the most objective overviews of Tibetan lifestyle, culture and teligion in Tibet: Reflections From the Wheel of Life (204 pages, Abbeville Press, U5$55). This work includes rare photos of a wide range of modern Tibetans and refugees as well as powerful historical images apd colorful nar­rative text. Kelly's photos of The Hidden Hi­malayas (200 pages, Abbeville Press, U5$50) reveal the rich hidden world of the Humla district of northwestern Nepal. It's not Tibet, but the people and the landscape are indis­tinguishable, and Kelly's images are stunning.

Hopping back across the Himalayas from Humla, we land at the foot of Mt. Kailas. No tome reveals this hallowed destination more beautifully than The Sacred Mountain of Ti­bet, On Pilgrimage to Kailas (127 pages, Park Street Press,'"tJS$24.95), which documents the

Looking in: A Tibetan nomad girl wears tocha, a buttermilk cosmet­ic that protect~ her from the sun

ongoing feats of pilgrimage by Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and Bon­pos. Tibet: Enduring Spirit, Ex­plOited Land (192 pages, Hearts­fire Books, U5$29.95), just released, includes "color photographs in a sensitive exploration of Tibet's no­mads and farmers and the envi­ronmental wisdom they have ac­quired through the centuries.

Studious souls will find solace with Religiilns of Tibet in Practice (560 pages, Princeton University Press, U5$60). Professor Donald S. Lopez is the editor of this land­mark, photo-less anthology of Ti­betan spiritual practices, prayers and texts. His recent study, Pris­oners of Shangri-La, (272 pages, University of Chicago Press, U5$25) is a timely, in-depth cultur­al history of the West's fascination with Tibetan Buddhism. The Bon Religion of Tibet (155 pages, Shambhala Publications, U5$55), a fully illustrated scholarly work by Norwegian Per Kvrerne, is a rich, detailed study of the Bon tradi­tion [see page 28], focusing on the art and iconography of Bon Deities.

. Following the Tibetan refugees into India is World Peace Ceremo­ny, Bodh Gaya (249 pages, Dhar­

ma Publishing, U5$35). peared for Buddhist practitioners, it is a colorful documentation of the yearly massive gathering of Lamas in Bodh Gaya.

Haven't found what you wanted yet? Then curl up and hear His Holiness tell his own life story in his inimitably lovable and hu­morous way in Freedom in Exile: The Autobi­ography of the Dalai Lama (288 pages, Har­per Collins Publishers, U5$22.95). He'll en­chant you, as he does most everyone. But be­fore you buy anything, you must consider the absolutely riveting true-life story ofboqa fide yoga in the Tibetan tradition. You will find this as nowhere else in Tibet's Great Yogi: Milarepa (315 pages, Oxford University Press, U5$9 .95). This release, edited by W.Y. Evans-Wence, is the one to get. .,.J

Publishers OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS , 200 MADISON AVENUE, NEW

YORK, NEW YORK 11016 USA; WISDOM PUBLICATIONS, 361 NEWBURY STREET, BOSTON, :MASSACHUSETTS 02115 USA; ABBEVILLE PRESS, 22 CORTLANDT STREET, 32ND FLOOR,

NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10007 USA; UNIVERSITY OF CALIFOR­NIA PRESS , 2120 BERKELEY WAY, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA

94720 USA; SHAMBHALA PUBLICATIONS , 300 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE , BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02115 USA; DHARMA

PUBLISHING, 2425 HILLSIDE AVENUE , BERKELEY, CALI FOR­NIA 94704 USA; HEARTSFIRE BOOKS, 500 NORTH GUADALUPE

STREET, SUITE G-46S , SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO 87501 USA; PARK STREET PRESS, ONE PARK STREET, ROCHESTER,

VERMONT 05767 USA

the ascendant was Libra when Johnston died, which became the ascendant of Kelly. Johnston was born with the Moon in the wa­tery ~gn of Scorpio, in the 12th house, af­flicted by Saturn, an indication of his early dellth in water in a distant place, while Nep­tune was in Cancer, in the 8th house (of death). Kelly was reborn with the Moon in the watery sign of Cancer along with Ketu, an indication of the water phobia from the past-life horror of slowly drowning as the submarine fi~ed with water. Jupiter had traveled once around the zodiac since John­ston left his body at the bottom of the Celebes Sea near Indonesia and arrived .. back again in Taurus when he was reborn, twelve years later, in Glendale, California~ In this case, the intensity of the moment of death, along with its planetary positions,

""""~-=.IVI 'were carried forward to the next life. At .Echoes of' the Past: Fear of water can come from death by droWning in one>s last life , death the Sun, Mercury and Venus were in

ASTHOLOGY ..

In Jlnother Life ... The facts and fallacies of analyzing past lives

ATER TERRIFIED BRUCE KELLY. Even the sight of a swimming pool

caused him to tremble. He did not

... In this life, Kelly's ascendant or rising sign

is Libra, with Mars, Saturn and Neptune. This is already revealing, as Saturn relates strongly to past life characteristics, and with Mars, the planet of violence> and Neptune

Capricorn and at rebirth the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Rahu were all in Capricorn, as if Kelly was picking up right where he left off When the planets came bac'k into a similar vibration as the moment of death, the soul of Johnston was impelled to be reborn.

Actual documented case studies of rein­carnation have helped dispel many misun­derstandings aDout the process. The first is that if the past life was rather blase or very short, the present life chart may not relate to it at all, but connect to several lives back. Second, not all of the aspects of your pre­sent horoscope necessarily relate to a specif­ic past life. The choice of a new birth, along

know why, for he never was in dan­ger while swimming or boating, even as a small child. He avoided ~nclosed spaces and couldn't stand to be in an airplane. Though a natural athlete and a successful sales man­age/ of medical supplies, he simply could not shake these deep-rooted fears. Finally he sought professional therapy. By hypnotic regression, a therapist forced Kelly's memo­ries backward in this life, asking him to re­member anything related to water in his teens, then his childhood, then as an infant and thE;Il ... Kelly shouted at his startled ther­apist' "Mayday, Mayday"-Anglicized m>ai­dez, French for "Help me," the international distress call. "We'r.e hit, we>re sinking," he screamed. Suddenly-his last life and his trau­matic death on a World War II submarine had opened to his inner vision, and in that flash, the origin of all his fears was revealed. Finally, water could be his friend.

Undersea Coffin: World War II submarine like Kelly's • .J

with the horoscope that accompa­nies it, is somewhat like buying a new car with unwanted extras. We may be ~bliged to ~ccept cer­tain anomalies in life in order to acquire the basic birth pattern needed to fulfill our karmic debts. Some aspects of our present life may be simply part of a .package deal. For example, a soul may need to take birth when Mercury is in the 12th house in Pisces, to bring forward a great spiritual . and internaliz~d intellect, but the same combination could '" cause chronic feet problems. We should not presume that this person mis­

This fascinating true-life reincarnation case was showcased on the TV program "Unsolved Mysteries." Becaust! Kelly had re­searched and identified his past life, HIN­DUISM: TODAY was able td obtain the birth 'charts of both lives, as well as the horoscope for the moment of death. Upon examination we found defInite connections between both birth charts, bur many more between the death chart and the present birth chart. This is often the case when a death is traumatic.

/

the lord of the seas, we start to see a window into his past. In his previous life as James Johnston at Alabama, USA, Rahu (the moon's north node) was in Libra. Rahu is an

. indicator' of one>s dharma, where one is headed or directing energy. The unfulfilled dharma of Johnston relating to LibrJ, be­came the rising sign of his next life as Kelly. But more significant, Mars and Sat1p'n were in Ari~s when Johnston's submarine was hit by a torpedo and slowly sank, and in the next life both planets reversed to their oppo­site sign placement in Libra. To top it off,

used his feet in a past life> such as by kick­ing a cow, and is now paying the price. They have simply accepteg., a minor inconve­nience to acquire the greater asset. For this reason it is not possiple to relate every plan­etary position in a birth chart to a specific past life deed and therefore not possible to indicate precisely who you were in a past life, based purely on a birth chart. But when faced with inexplicable fear? or desires that have long puzzled you in this life, it may be helpful to look further back than this life­time for the original cause. ..

APRIL, Igg8 HINDUI SM TODAY 27

,

i

INSIGHT

The Forgotten Faith The mysterious and mountainous country of Tibet is !mown worldwide as a sanctuary of Buddhism, but the religion called Bon claims seniority there

N A SEQUESTERED SECTION OF EARTH, PRO­

tected and defined by the towering Himalayas, humankinds relationship with Gods and demons remains vibrant and real. Tibet, known as the

"Land of Snows" and the "Rooftop of the World," has borne and continues to nurture the world's most fan­tastic and other-worldy faiths. The religious land­scape of Tibet is as rich and varied as the country's terrain and as intricate as any Tibetan tangka paint­ing. As most inhabitants still do today, early Tibetans regarded the earth, air and waters as home to a spe­cific hierarchy of spirits, both helpful and harmful. In daily life, they sought to appease the wrathful "demons" and to enlist the beneficent deities. These practices were formalized in some cases. In others, they have remained isolated, private traditions or se­cret knowledge, loosely grouped together today as shamanism or animism. Modern Tibetan Buddhism shares Tibet with a religion that has uncertain links to this past. This religion is Bon. It has a limited traceable history, substantial traditional literature and detailed ritual codes. More and more, Western scholars are studying Bon, as the world slowly learns of yet another ancient way mankind seeks the Truth. The following sympathetic yet academic study is drawn from The Bon Religion of Tibet (1995, Shamb­hala, Boston) by Per Kvaerne, professor of the Histo­ry of Religions and Tibetology at the University of Oslo, Norway.

By PER KVAERNE, OSLO

SINCE THE TENTH OR ELEVENTH CENTURY AND UNTIL THE

present day there have been two organized religious traditions in Tibet: Buddhism and a faith that is referred to by its Ti­betan name, Bon. An adherent of the Bon religion is called Bonpo. A Bonpo is a 'believer in Bon,"and for him Bon signi­

fies Truth, Reality or the eternal, unchanging Doctrine in which Truth and Reality are expressed. Thus, Bon has the same range of connotations for its adherents as the Tibetan word cho (chos, trans­lating the Sanskrit term dharma) has for Buddhists. Although limit-

28 HINDUISM TODAY APRIL, 1998

ed to Tibet, Bon regards itself as a universal religion in the sense that its doctrines are true and valid for all humanity. The Bonpos also be­lieve that in former times Bon was propagated in many parts of the world (as conceived in their traditional cosmology). For this reason, it is called "Eternal Bon," yungdrung bon.

Western scholars have adopted the Tibetan term Bon together with the corresponding adjective Bonpo to refer to ancient pre-Bud­dhist as well as later non-Buddhist religious beliefs and practices in Tibet. Hence, in the context of Western scholarship, Bon has no less than three significations:

ARTIST S CONCEPTION OF TIBET BY B.B. THAPA. 1989. FROM KY TIBET; COURTE SY. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS

1. The pre-Buddhist religion of Tibet which was gradually sup­pressed by Buddhism in the eighth and ninth centuries. This reli­gion appears to have focused on the person of the king, who was re­garded as sacred and possessing supernatural powers. Elaborate rituals were carried out by professional priests known as Bonpo. Their religious system was essentially different from Buddhism. The rituals performed by the ancient Bonpo priests were, above all, con­cerned with ensuring that the soul of a dead person was conducted safely to a postmortem land of bliss, to ensure the happiness of the deceased in the land of the dead and to obtain their beneficial in-

Holy land: Artist's rendering of Tibet by B.B. Thapa aptly illustrates its holy cities as well as the mountainous nature of the country

"to.

fluence for the welfare and fertility of the living. 2 . Bon may also refer to a religion that appeared in Tibet in the

tenth and eleventh centuries. This religion, which has continued as an unbroken tradition until the present day, has numerous and ob­vious points of similarity with Buddhism with regard to doctrine and practice. The fact that the adherents of this religion, the Bon­pos-of whom there are many thousands in Tibet and in exile to­day-maintain that their religion is anterior to Buddhism in Tibet, and, in fact, identical with the pre-Buddhist Bon religion, has tend­ed to be either contradicted or ignored by Western scholars. Tibetan

Buddhists, however, also regard Bon as a distinct religion. I

3. Bon is sometimes used to designate a vast and amorphous body of popular beliefs, including divination, the cult of local deities and conceptions of the soul. Tibetan usage does not, however, tradition­ally refer to such beliefs as Bon, and they do not form an essential part of Buddhism or of Bon in the sense of the word outlined under point two above. It is only since the mid-1g60s that a more adequate understanding of Bon has emerged.

Subtle Distinctions: To the casual observer, Tibetans who follow the tradition of Bon and those who adhere to the Buddhist faith can hardly be distinguished. They all share a common Tibetan heritage. In particular, there is little distinction with regard to popular reli­gious practices. Traditionally, all Tibetans assiduously follow the same methods of accumulating religious merit, with the ultimate end in view of obtaining rebirth in a future life as a human being once again or as an inhabitant of one of the many paradisiacal worlds of Tibetan (Buddhist, as well as Bonpo) cosmology. Such practices include turning prayer wheels, hand-held or set in motion by the wind or a stream; circumambulating sacred places such as monasteries or holy mountains; hoisting prayer flags; and chanting sacred formulas or engraving them on stones or cliffs. It is only when these practices are scrutinized more closely that differences appear; the ritual movement is always counter-clockwise and the sacred mantra is not the Buddhist "Om mani padme hum," but "Om matri muye sale du." Likewise, the innumerable deities of Tibetan reli­gion, whether Buddhist or Bonpo, may at first appear to be indis­tinguishable. But again, the deities are, in fact, different (although belonging to the same range of divine categories) with regard to their names, mythological origins, characteristic colors and objects held in their hands or adorning their bodies.

Even a cursory glance at the doctrines of Bon, as expressed in their literature or explained by contemporary masters, reveals that they are in many respects identical with those found in Tibetan Buddhism. It is this fact that until recently led Western scholars to accuse the Bonpos of plagiarism. The view of the world as suffering, belief in the law of moral causality (the law of karma) and the cor­responding concept of rebirth in the six states of existence, and the ideal of enlightenment and Buddhahood, are basic doctrinal ele­ments not only of Buddhism, but also of Bon. Bonpos follow the same path of virtue and have recourse to the same meditational practices as Buddhist Tibetans.

One may well ask in what the distinction between the two reli­gions consists. The answer, at least to this author, would seem to de­pend on which perspective is adopted when describing Bon. Ritu­als and other religious practices, as well as meditational and metaphysical traditions are, undeniably, to a large extent similar, even identical. Concepts of sacred history and sources of religious authority are, however, radically different and justify the claim of the Bonpos to constitute an entirely distinct religious community.

Hidden Holy Land: According to its own historical perspective, Bon was introduced into Tibet many centuries before Buddhism and en­joyed royal patronage until it was finally supplanted by the "false re­ligion" (i.e. Buddhism) from India and its priests and sages expelled from Tibet by King Trisong Detsen in the eighth century. It did not, however, disappear from Tibet altogether. The tradition of Bon was preserved in certain family lineages, and after a few generations it flourished once more, although it never again enjoyed royal patronage.

It is claimed that before reaching Tibet, Bon prospered in a land known as Zhangzhung and that this country remained the center of Bon until it was conquered by the expanding Tibetan empire in the seventh century. Zhangzhung was subsequently converted to Bud­dhism and assimilated into Tibetan culture, losing not only its inde­pendence but also its language and its Bonpo religious heritage in the process. There is no doubt as to the historical reality of Zhangzhung, although its exact extent and ethnic and cultural iden­tity are far from clear. It seems, however, to have been situated in what today is, roughly speaking, western Tibet, with Mount Kailash

APRIL , 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 29

I

as its center. [See map, page 28.] The ultimate homeland of Bon is, however-so the Bonpos

claim-to be found even farther to the west, beyond the borders of Zhangzhung. The Bonpos believe that Eternal Bon was fIrst pro­claimed in a land called Tazik. Although the name suggests the land of the Tajiks in Central Asia, it has so far not been possible to make a more exact identifIcation of this holy land of Bon. Tazik is, howev­er, not merely a geographical country like any other. In Bon tradi­tion, it assumes the character of a "hidden," semi-paradisiacal land which latter-day humans can only reach in visions or by supernat­ural means after being spiritually purifIed.

For the Bonpos, Tazik is the holy land of religion, being the land in which Tonpa Shenrap (the Teacher Shenrap) was born in the royal family and in due course became enthroned as king. Tonpa Shen­rap is believed to be a fully enlightened being, the true Buddha (the word "Buddha" means "the Enlightened One") of our world age. The Bonpos possess a voluminous hagiographicalliterature in which his exploits are extolled. One may note that his biography is not, con­trary to what has sometimes been claimed by Western scholars, closely related to that of Sakyamuni. Thus, during the greater part of his career, Tonpa Shenrap was the ruler of Tazik or Wolmo Lun­gring and hence a layman, and it was as such that he incessantly journeyed from his capital in all directions to propagate Bon. This propagation also included the performance of innumerable rituals. These rituals, which are performed by Bonpos today, thus fmd their justifIcation and legitimation in the exemplary exploits of Tonpa Shenrap. Contrary to Buddhism, where rituals generally have no di­rect canonical basis, in Bon, as pointed out by Philip Denwood, "We have whole developed rituals and their liturgies specifIed in the mi­nutest detail in the basic canon." It was only late in life that Tonpa Shenrap was ordained, after which he retired to a forest hermitage. It was only at this point in his career that he fInally succeeded in converting his mighty opponent, the Prince of Demons.

The Bonpos have a vast literature which Western scholars are only just beginning to explore. Formerly it was taken for granted in the West that this literature was nothing but an uninspired and shame­less plagiarism of Buddhist texts. The last twenty-fIve years have, however, seen a radical change in the view of the Bon religion. This reassessment was initiated by David L. Snellgrove, who in 1967 made the just observation regarding Bonpo literature that "by far the greater part would seem to have been absorbed through learn­ing and then retold, and this is not just plagiarism." Subsequently, other scholars have been able to show conclusively that in the case of

several Bonpo texts which have obvious, even word-by-word Bud­dhist parallels, it is not, as was formerly taken for granted, the Bon­po text which reproduces a Buddhist original, but in fact the other way round: the Bonpo text has been copied by Buddhist authors. This does not mean that Bon was never at some stage powerfully in­fluenced by Buddhism. But their relationship, it is now realized, was a complicated one of mutual influence.

Those texts which were considered by the Bonpos to be derived, ultimately, from Tonpa Shenrap himself, were collected to form a canon. This vast collection of texts (the only edition available today consists of approximately 190 volumes) constitutes the Bonpo Kan­jur, forming an obvious parallel to the Tibetan Buddhist canon, like­wise called Kanjur. A reasonable surmise would be that the Bonpo Kanjur was assembled by 1450. The Bonpo Kanjur, which in turn only constitutes a fraction of the total literary output of the Bonpos, covers the full range of Tibetan religious culture. As far as Western scholarship is concerned, it still remains practically unexplored.

It is diffIcult to assess the number of Bonpos in Tibet. Certainly, they are a signifIcant minority. Particularly in eastern Tibet, as for example in the Sharkhog area north of Sungpan in Sichuan, whole districts are populated by Bonpos. Another important center is the region of Gyarong where several small kingdoms, fully independent of the Tibetan government in Lhasa as well as of the Chinese Em­peror, provided generous patronage for local Bonpo monasteries un­til the greater part of the region was conquered in a series of devas­tating campaigns conducted by the imperial Chinese army in the eighteenth century. Scattered communities of Bonpos are also to be found in central and western Tibet. Of the ancient Zhangzhung kingdom, however, no trace remains, although Mount Kailash is an important place of pilgrimage for Bonpos as well as Buddhists. An­other much-frequented place of pilgrimage, exclusively visited by Bonpos, is Mount Bonri, "Mountain of Bon," in the southeastern dis­trict of Kongpo. In the north of Nepal there are Bonpo villages, es­pecially in the district of Dolpo. In India, Bonpos belonging to the Tibetan exile community have established (since 1968) a large and well-organized monastery [in Dolanji, Himachal Pradesh] in which traditional scholarship, rituals and sacred dances of Bon have been preserved and are carried out with great vigor.

Left to right: Tantric lamas perform an elaborate funeral ritual in Humla, northwestern Nepal; Galok woman ofTa Ho Pa, Amdo, Ti­bet; Senge Tenzing Rinpoche, abbot of the Bonpo monastery Tashi Menri Ling in Dolanji, India, instructs disciples in esoteric practice.

Cards for the Dead Bon death rites reveal this livingfaith's practice and profound belief in the role of sacred priests as gUides to liberation. This account by Per KV:Erne is from Religions of Tibet in Practice (1997, Princeton University Press), edited by Donald S. Lopez.

IBETAN DEATH RITUALS, BOTH BUDDHIST AND BONPO, BASI­

cally serve to guide the consciousness of the dead person, of­ten through a succession of initiations, out of the cycle of rebirth and toward fmallibera-

tion. The consciousness of the deceased is be­lieved to pass through several stages after death, at each of which the possibility of liberation exists.

Bonpo death rites have three parts. Inlmedi­ately after death occurs, a ritual called "trans­ference of consciousness" is performed in which a Bonpo monk attempts to transfer the consciousness of the deceased directly from the cycle of rebirth to the state of liberation.

Three days after death, a second ritual is per-formed in which the consciousness of the deceased is led progressively along the path to liberation. This ritual, which lasts ap­proximately two hours, involves displaying various cards to a picture of the deceased. This takes place in the home of the deceased and is performed by a chief monk and two assistants. The corpse is present in the room but is kept be-hind a cloth screen. The ritual begins with the chief monk making an effIgy of the deceased out of dough and offering it as a "ransom" to malevolent spirits that might interfere with the ceremony. Next, the consciousness of the deceased is summoned and asked to reside in a picture of the deceased. After cleaning the picture, the chief monk writes two series of seed syllables on it. The fIrst series of six represent the six realms of rebirth, as a god, demigod, human, hun­gry ghost, animal, or hell being. The second consists of the "fIve heroic syllables," which are antidotes to the rebirth in the six realms.

The next phase of the ritual involves the presentation of various gifts. This is effected through the chief monk showing the picture of the deceased a series of cards on which the gifts are depicted. ini­tially, all the sensory faculties (sight, hearing, taste, etc.) of the de-

ceased are satisfIed symbolically by being invoked in turn, :p1d a se­ries of small, painted cards depicting the object of each faculty are held up in sequence. In this way, whatever craving for material wealth and worldly power that the dead person may have experi­enced during his or her lifetime is appeased.

With the deceased now ritually provided with satisfaction of all material needs and ritually endowed with the mental qualities nec­essary for progress toward liberation, it is time for the consciousness of the deceased to be led through the stages of the path to enlight­enment. The picture of the deceased is shown cards depicting four

groups of deities, including the teacher, Shenrap. Final­ly, the deceased is shown a ritual card showing Buddha Kuntu Sangpo, the 'J\ll Good," the essence of all the Buddhas.

The deceased, again through the use of ritual cards, is then given four initiations, after which he or she becomes an "unchanging mind hero," the Bonpo equivalent of a bodhisattva. As such ' the consciousness of the deceased now passes through the thirteen stages of the path, each symbolized with a ritual card painted with a swastika. These are placed in a row on the floor, and the picture of the deceased is moved for­ward one card as the qualities of that stage are recited. At the end of the row is a card showing Kuntu Sangpo. Before moving to that card, the chief monk takes a lighted stick of incense and

burns the six syllables symbolizing the six realms of rebirth, thus indicating freedom from all future re­birth.

Finally, to bring about the fInal union with Kuntu Sangpo, the chief monk places his robe over his head and enters a state of med­itation in which he unites his consciousness with that of the de­ceased. He then unites his consciousness with Kuntu Sangpo. At this point, the deceased achieves liberation, and when the monk emerges from meditation, the picture of the deceased is burned and the ashes retained to be made into small religious fIgurines called tsatsa. The next morning, the third and fmal part of the death rite, the cremation of the corpse, takes place.

Recommended Resources: The Bon Religion of Tibet, Per Kvrerne, Shambbala Publications, Inc, Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 USA. Religions of Tibet in Practice, Donald S. Lopez, Jr., editor, Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540- 5237 USA.

PHILATELY

India's Sacred Stamps A lesson in Hindu tradition gets delivered with your daily mail

TAMP COLLECTING IS AN IM­probable method of theological

t.. rrlqUliIy'-l~xc.ept in India. Nearly every postage stamp initially is­sued by the newly independent country in 1948 and 1949 had a

religious theme, carefully inclusive of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. Most stamps issued since the 1950S have a sec­ular theme, but about 100 are Hindu. They honor ancient sages such as Tiruval­luvar and Valmiki and saints from the medieval period, such as Dnyaneshwar, Chaitanya and Haridas. Many stamps carry modern saints, friends and scholars of Hinduism, including Ramakrishna, Swami Sivananda, Annie Besant and Ananda Coomaraswamy. Also included are temples, sacred dances and arts, scenes from the Ramayana and Indus Valley seals. Among the most striking is the double-size, five-rupee stamp issued in 1996 depicting the Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanya 'Kinnari. HINDUISM TODAY was introduced to this heretofore unknown goldmine of devotion by Pradip Jain of Bihar State, one of India's leading philatelists.

Jain started collecting stamps in 1969 with an initial investment of three ru­pees, soon augmented by a loan of Rs .100 from his grandmother. '1 live by stamps," he told the Hindustan Times in 1994. He has received many awards, especially for his unequaled collection of Indian airmail stamps, and has represented India at vari­ous international stamp shows-most re­cently in San Francisco, California.

of them made into a book would form an excellent reference.

Mail service is an old con­cept-the earliest references are in Egypt from 2000 BCE. Ac­cording to Jain, there was an or­ganized postal system during the Mauryan Dynasty in 300 BCE that was mentioned in Kau­tilya's Arthashastra, a manual on statecraft. Postage stamps are a relatively recent invention, dat­ing only to 1840. They allowed the sender to prepay the postage; previously, the recipient paid the messenger.

Stamp Lover: Pradip Jain with antique mailbox

Assembling a collection of dharma stamps need not be ex­pensive. Save for a few rare ones, like the 1948 ten rupee Gandhi stamp worth US$60, most Indian stamps have a list value of US15¢, though lack of availability may raise the price. Every stamp issued by India (and every other country) is listed in the authori­tative Scotts Catalog, available at libraries. Each stamp has a "Scotts number," used by deal­

ers to identify it. Especially for What makes the Indian stamps with a

religious theme especially useful are the "information sheets" produced by the De­partment of Posts when a stamp is re­leased. Each contains a short biography or story about the subject of the stamp, often in both Hindi and English. These synop­ses are very well done; in fact, a collection

children and teens, India's religious stamps offer an entertaining and educa­tional introduction to Hinduism's impor-tant people and places. _

STAMPS OF INDIA CAN BE PURCHASED FROM PRADIP JAIN, POST BOX 12.8, MITHAI'UR, :rATNA 800 001 INDIA, OR

FROM DOWNTOWN STAMP COMPANY, POST OFFICE BOX 3209 . WHITEHOU SE, NEW JERSEY 08888 USA

CULTURE

Mas.merizing Mauritius India's best music and dance ?Ttistes pilgrimage to paradise island

IR MAURITIUS' WEEKLY MUMBAI

flight #749 touches down at sunny Plaisance Airport on the east coast of this Hindu-majority island/na­tion 400 riles east of Africa. An excited crowd is waiting. Pop

siNger Baba Seghal struts into view, wel­comed by a herd of female fans and flashing cameras. Just behind him appears famous classical singer Shruti Sadolikar followed by five more of India's greatest living cultural artists. A Saiva Siddhanta Church of Mauri­tius welcome group greets and garlands the classicists. TV cameras turn and capture their arrival, too, for evening news. This por­trait of musical culture clash is unforget­table-Indias hottest «pop" prince landing on the same flight as six of Bharafs greatest classical superstars. .

Three months earlier, September, 1997. «This idea is not good. Guaranteed, it will fail," helpful-minded friends respectfully warned Saiva Siddhanta Church-locally kn"own as the Saiva Dharmasala-when they first heard of the plot to bring classical artists from India for a fund-raising gala. «To be honest, nobody really likes this music anymore. You should bring some popular «playback" singers if you really want to make

34 HINDUISM TODA,Y APRIL, Igg8

any money-not to mention losing an awful lot!" With doomsday fears in their ears, a small group of members nevertheless decid­ed to proceed, and began a stomach-churn­ing-at times downright harrowing-three-month ascent. '

Thursday night, December 4-showtime. Overcoming ,an unending series of fmancial crevasses and logistical avalanches, the orga­nizing team reaches the sUlllIDit. Triumph. On opening night, at the grandiose national public arts theater of Mahatma Gandhi In­stitute, a capacity crowd of 650 enters-wo­men donning a rainbow of elegant gOld­threaded saris and churidhars and men in dinner dress or embroidered kurtas. Six of India's finest talents-with. three superb Mauritian percussionist accompanists-com­mand the stage. For four and one-half hours, they stun an unsuspecting audience with the greatest of India's musical/dance magic.

«I loved them all, but I think Shruti Sado­likar was my favorite," said well-known me­dia personality Sunil Gopal. «Her voice was so amazing, so clear. I don't know how she can sing like that." Young music enthusiast Soopaya gUshed, «For me, I adored the bam­boo flutist, Mala Chandrashekar. I could hardly believe it. She seemed so relaxed, but

played such fast, complex rhythms." «I liked Jayanti the byst," said Oomavadee

Pallanee conclusively. «We never hear the veena performed in concert here, only the sitar. It was just so beautiful. I will never for­get it." Shweta Beeharee, 19, swooned, «Def­initely, it was the dancer I loved the most. I myself am studying dance, and when I heard PaolOIni was coming, I just couldn't miss this chance. She totally thrilled me and inspired me to practice harder." Others were espe­cially impressed by the drum accompanists. On stage were the best of Mauritius-Manik Munde playing the pakawaj, the North Incll.~ an drum, Veylan Armoogum, the India­trained super talent on mridangam and ac­complished' artist Naden Veerapen on tabla. A first-time experience for all was the· ethe­real sounds of the sarangi, a North Indian string instrument that looks like an oversize' violin, played by Santosh Mishra of Banaras. The sarangi's graceful sliding notes offered a welcome contrast to the South Indian fast staocato patterns.

The show was a fund-raising project for a spiritual park on the Church's Dharmasala grounds. The seven-acre site features huge ten-foot granite statues of the Gods-a five­faced Lord Ganesha, six-faced Lord Muru-

gan and an exquisite Lord Siva as Dakshina­murthi, the Silent Sage beneath a banyan tree. Key organizer S.K. Moorghen recount­ed: «Over a three-month period, we made proba,9ly 2,000 phone calls, faxes and e-mails solving so many problems." Just fmding and getting six great artists-none personally

India's best: (left) Shruti Sadolikarwith Santosh Mishra (sarangi) and Mauritians Naden Veerapen (tabla), Veylan Armoogum (mridangam). (below) Dancer Paolomi Pundit Ashwinkumar. (Not pictured: Jayan­ti Kirin, veena, Mala Chandrashekar, bam­boo flute, Manik Munde, Pakawaj drum)

known to the otlIer beforeh$d-from differ­ent cities (Chennai, Mumbai and Banar~s), representing six different art forms, on the same flight to Mauritius was' in itself a near miracle. Moorghen especially credited Sunil Gopal and Satish Ruehe of Mauritius Broad­casting Company for providing invaluable pre-concert publicity and filming the event for broadcasting on national television, the five-star mega-resort, Sofitel, where the artists stayed in style, Air Mauritius ane: dance teacher Anandhi Ramachandran'who select­ed the three artists from Chennai.

Nothing they did managed to get the in­terest of the youth, who were noticeably

mlssmg in the audience. «Most of our friends feel this kind ' of music is boring;" teens bluntly told disappointed ticket sellers. But the few dozen who did sacrifice their weekend snack money for a ticket confessed afterwards that their friends definitely missed an «awesome happening."

The concert profited US$7,200...,-a sizeable Maur. Rs. lso,ooo-which is now funding completion of a Ganesha pavilion at the Dharmasala. This architecturally rare, jew­el-like, wooden Kerala-style shrine is the first increment' of a grander park vision se­riously unfolclJng on a seven-acre seaside property on the island's".northeast coast. ,-

Opening the show, the senior Minister of Education, Hon. Kadress R. ChedumbaruIll' Pillay, praised the Dharmasala not only for the concert but for its youth programs and its blossoming spiritual park. «I wish to en­sure that the government is always ready to support religious organizations whose aims are to promote peace and harmony." Many / of the nation's major companies-including Pepsi Cola, the State Bank ~d Shell Oil­purchased advertisements in the concert's souvenir magazine.

The artists are classic examples of perfec­tion, dedication and long training-fIfteen years or more in every case, beginning at ages five or six. Genes help too. Shruti Sado­likar is the daughter of Marathi classical singer Pandit Wamanrao Sadolikar. Sarangi maestro Santosh Mishra and Jayanti Kirin's musical families go back seven generations each. He teaches at Banaras Hindu Univer­sity. She, at just 27, is considered one of the finest veena players in India. «The veena sings," she told HINDUISM TODAY, «it calms people with its sweet;' tranquilizing effect, whereas pop music just excites people."

The concert helped stem a waning respect for Hindu classical music. Local artists felt personally revitalized, and a doubting Hindu public proudly witnessed some of their old­est cultural traditions spectacularly and youtlUully represented, as well as supported by the government and private sector.

Were there lessons learned that others might benefit by? «Yes," organizer Moorghen states. «Firstly, everyonershould knoW. that good classical music is sellable, despite all one might hear to the contrary. Select the best artists you can find. Then promote the event well. Most people don't do this, just to save money. But this is demoralizing to the artists and gives events"'like this a «poor at­tendance" reputation., Regarding selling tick­ets, there is no easy shortcut. You have sell tickets the old fashioned way-person to per­son. Of our 1,100 tickets to the two concerts, 95% were sold by friends and Hindu church members. But there is hardly a greater joy than seeing the cultural retmement these events bring to a community." w/

With reports by Anand Mulloo, Mauritius

APRIL, Igg8 HINDUISM TODAY 35

• INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

Tribal" Tribulations ,---------------------------

My personal encounter with the impact of Christian conversion on Meghalaya

FIRST MET THE KHASI PEOPLE OF

in 1995. A delegation of 30 touring the state of Maharashtra

part of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's project, Bharat Meret Ghar

("India is My Home"). Previously my con­cept'of India's Northeastern States-Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Manipur, Mi­zoram and Arunachal-was that everyone had converted to Christianity and wanted to separate from Bharat. Now I was delighted to meet this delegation of Khasi Hindus who were patriotic to India ~d proud. of their heritage. I resolved to go to this state when tlie opportunity arose. By good fortune, the following year was my last in medical school and the curric~um allowed time for experi­ence outside the US. t arranged a position at a clinic with Dr. R. S. Thangkhiew, a Khasi Hindu physician in,Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya. As a medical student, I expected to learn a lot about infectious diseases and the consequences of poverty and lack of ba­sic resources on health. I saw those prob­lems, and to some extent could alleviate them through my wOFk as a physician.

As a concerned Hindu, I wanted to expe­rience this state of Bharat that so few people get to experience, l~arn about the unique culture of the people there and see first hand what Christian missionaries were do­ing. I was truly shocked by the rampant dis­crimination that Christians meted out to non-.christians (mostly Hindus, including Khasis, Sikhs, Assamese and Bengalis). Christian denominations control almost 100

percent of the state's educational ana health care institutions and resources. Most of them give discounts to those people who identify themselves with the particular Christian sect that runs that iJj.stitution. Ad­clltionally, in many hospitals if an individual cannot pay his bill at the end of Jiis stay, the hospital will offer to waive the full amount if he converts to Christianity. Most top govern­ment jobs are given to Christians, and there are barely any non-Christian members in the state legislature.

'Aprial Mon Thangkhiew, a resident of Shillong, explained how this all happened. "Missionaries got converts because of edu­cation," she told me. "Converts got admis­sion . to colleges and hostels outside the Northeast while non-Christians did not.

36 HINDUISM TOD A.Y A RIL, Igg8

Poor Khasis couldn't afford to go outside. Only Chriistians got scholarships. My cousin was a Presidency College Gold Medalist, but he didn't get a scholarship, because he was not a.,-Christian. Conversion was the price for higher education. People conv6 ted be- I

cause of educational and economic reasons initially. So, the poor, bright people convert­ed, and then the other poor followed. If these preferences were not offered, people would not have converted." .,.,

Then other people converted." The 50 percent of Kh~sis who did not

convert are one of the few communities of the Northeast that still maintains their an'­cient traditions. They believe in one univer­sal God, U Blei, who is the creator of every­thing. They do not have a written text or scripture, and the heritage verbally passes from generation to g~neration. The basic principle of Khasi religion is similar to the eternal principles of other tribal faitl}.s. It is

to earn righteousness in the world. The basic precept is that to know God, one must first know, love and respect fellow human be­ings. Prayer, song and dance are" important aspects of the culture. Throughout the year, there are community dances where vil­lagers get together. In March and April "is the most important, the Shad Suk Mynsiem, (shad means dance, suk means happiness or tranquility and mynsiem ' means soul or heart), a dance of joy, mer­riment, gratitude and thanksgiv­ing. Khasis follow a matrilineal system. The wife keeps her moth­er's last name, children keep the mother's last nam~ and;- the J'"Oungest daughter iFlherits the family property.

First Communion: Khasi girls await beginning of Mass , attired in white European cqmmunion outfits

Attempts during British times to resist the Christianization of the people generally failed. Jrin

Mon Thangkhiew recalls, "My grandfather, Babu Jeebon Roy, wanted to start a .school to promote the Khasi culture and religion and

"Christians taught uS' to hate our ciulture and religion,. If . ./

. we sang a Khasi-song, they would laugh at us. They called 'us devil wo~shippers."

.; strengthen ties with the rest of In­dia. He approached the British Government in 1875 and was told to get permission from the Welsh Calvinist Mission, which had been entrusted the task of propagating education. The mlsslonaries

--APRIAL MON THANGKHIEW ; eplied, 'We have only come to ed­ucate your people to the extent that

they can read the Bible. Anyway, your peo­ple db not have enough brains for higher studies.' " Nevertheless, in 1876, the Shillong High School opened with Roy's own money. But the Christian missionaries coula not tol­erate it because they realized'it was a threat to ·their control of education, a main tool for proselytizati"on. The government was forced to give control of the school to the Presby­

. terian missionaries, and subsequently, edu­cation about Khasi heritage was eliminated.

Thangkhiew went on, "TIie Christians and British tried to. teach ,us to hate our cul~ ture-song, dance, religion, everything. If we sang a Khasi song, they would laugh at us. They called us devil worshipers. They preached in our schools and brainwashed Khasis. The converted Khasis were just like them. They laughed at us when we went to our dances. I went to the Presbyterian school. I had many good fri~nds. However, after some of them were converted to Chris-

. tianity, they told me, 'We'll' go to heaven and you'll go to hell.' They didn't realize that they were dishonoring their apcestors. The British policy of sending missionaries'didn't do anything for lis except weaken our cul­ture. They converted all the SyJems [local rulers] except the Syiem of Nongkrum.

Christianity became the sole religion taught, and the medium of instruction was cKanged from Bengali to English.

I was shocked to discover that the latest method for gaining converts was simple fear. Missionaries were telling the people that the apocalypse-a time predicted in the Christ-

I ,

ian Bible when the world is destrdyed and only' righteous Christians are saved-will oc­cur in the year 2000. I was asked time and again by frightened local people if it was true. "Of C;;urse not," I told them, "hardly any ChJ;istians in the world believe such a predic­tion." It is a version of the old 'best bet" con­version argument used for centur.ies in the West. Dr. Sam Pamei, a Christian from Na­galand who lives in Shillong, 'gave me the Meghalaya version: "If I have a choice to be a Christian and face no bad outcome from the perspective of'my indigenous religion, or to follow my indigenous religion and face eter­nal damnation if Christianity is the true way, ... then 'the safe bet is to become a Christian." According to Sunil Deodhar, the missionaries are. resorting to sucn extreme measures be­cause, "Due to the work of Seng Khasi, Sein ·Raj and RSS, they are gaining fewer new con­verts and are actually losing many old con­verts back to the indigenous fold. Thi's threat of eternal danmation is their last-ditch at­tempt to win converts."

Many organizations have-: been dealing with these challenges. Since 1899, Seng Khasi has been working t3 maintain the in­dj.genous Khasi culture and religion and de­fend it against attacks from Christian mis­sionaries. Seng' Khasi and its sister group, Sein Raj, organize Khasi religious and cul­tural programs, hold regular prayers and meetings and publish material to educate people about the Khasi heritage. The Ra­makrishna Mission has been active for de­cades. More recently, the RSS, Seva Bharati and Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram have assisted Seng Khasi and Sein Raj with their pro­grams and set up manx schools, student and youth hostels and medical clinics. However, all these groups encounter constant opposi­tion from Christians.

When I left Meghalaya in 1996, I felt among Khasis a growing sense of pride in their religion, culture and heritage. Two hundred years ago Hindus may have been at a technological, economic and political dis­advantage. But today Hindus have all the re­so1;trces they need to support our fellow . brothers and sisters. If tjle Northeast goes, then many other tribal communities ru;e sus­ceptible to severing ties with the age-old Hindu society. Today, as tribal communities are strengthening their identities, there is a need to reaffirm to them that they are an in­tegral part of Hindu sO.,9iety and that Hindu society will neither take them away from their traditional beJiefs and culture, nor swallow them. Each time a Hindu commu­nity converts, their unique contribution to the religious and cultural melting pot is lost and Hinduism becomes less diverse. wi

By DR. MIHIR MEG,HANI, Michigan MIHIR MEGHANI: E-MAIL: MIHIR@HINDUNET.ORG . POSTAL ADDRESS.: PO BOX 2503 04, WE ST BLOOMFIELD, MI CHIGAN 48325 USA. SEVA BH ARATI MEGHALAYA, D. M . SYIEM COM·

POUND, UPPER NONGTHYMMAI, NEHU ROAD, SHILLONG, MEGHALAYA 7 9 3 019 I NDIA.

APRIL. Igg8 H I'NDUISM TOD AY 37

WOMEN OF VISION

How J'Su"rvived . . Years fn Prison One courageous Tibetan woman's powerfu} tale of faith and suffering

BY ADHE TAP'ONTSANG

HEN ADHE TAPONT8ANG LEFT TIBET

in 1987, she did sO'on the condition of never telling anyone about the atroci­

ties of her 27 years in Chinese prisons, of Tibet's subjugation. But she felt

compelled to inform the w.orld of the inhuman conditions in those prisons and the destruction oj t1ie country's Buddhist monasteries. Through nearly. three decades of malnutrition, beatings, physical labor g.nd solitary confinement, Adhe, 65, never wavered in her compassion. Her strength, determination and selflessness during those horrific years was bome of constant adher­ence to religiOUS perspectives and practices, which is what we focus on in the following ex­cerpts from her new book, Ama Adhe, The Voice That Remembers: The Heroic Story of a Woman's Fight to Free Tibet.

Throughout my imprisonment, 1 always prayed to my tutelary deity-Dolma, the Protectoress­but found it increasiI}.gly difficult to concentrate on the long, 21-vers~'prayer that my father had taught me. Perhaps due to starvation clouding the mental faculties, 1 found that my mind would go blank at certain points in the prayer. 1 simply coulqnt remember, which was very discouraging. It was alsp im­possible to pray in my free time without being interrupted either by guards or by other prisoners. One time the opportunity arose to consult an imprisoned lama, Kathong Situ Rinpoche, regarding this problem. H~ seemed quite moved to hear of my predicament, and taking my hand, he looked into my eyes and gently said, "Un­der this situation we have no time of our own to devote to tradi­tional practices, so 1 will teach you this shorter prayer, and you can recite it with the same devotiQn. 1 am glad to know that your spiri­hial practice is still of such concern to you." He then taught me an abbreviated prayer of nine verses' to Dolma, which was to become my refuge in all future times of trial and loneliness.

One time, after having worked and weakened for some months; 1 slept for a week and stopped working. 1 decided the system was such that you had to work and then had so little to eat that you'd most probably die of starvation. The only' thought 1 had was, "I am gOing to die here," so 1 tore a stI'lP of cloth from the bottom of my blouse and, making one hundred and eight knots, fashioned it into a rosary. 1 felt 'that to do some religious practice was the only thing left for me. During that period of solitary confinement, 1 recited the Dolma prayer as long as my strength held out. 1 would recite,

38 HINDUISM TODA.Y APRIL, 1998

then fall unconscious. 1 would wake up again and try to walk while reciting the mantra, then 1 would fall down. From that time until 1 decided to try working again, the guards didn't give me any food. Finally, one day, a feeling came over me that 1 should not try to force the end of my own misery, and decided to go back to work.

One time 1 was given some extra food by a family member wbo visited the prison. 1 decided to share it with all the prisoners, one of whom was Kathong Situ Rinpoche, who had taught me the Dolma prayer. He said, "In independent Tibet, we used to have many rich families sponsorin$ meals and teas in the monaSteries. We can under-

... stand that situation because of their wealth. But today, your sharing of this food with everyone has far more meaning. You have done a greatly meritorious work, and you will live. But for us, there will only be death. There will be no way to escape from this atrocity."

As 1 left Gothahg Gyalgo prison for a dif­ferent camp, we walked slowly through the places where -all the starved prisoners had been buried, and 1 realized that my own remains could easily have been left there. As we passed the graves, 1 silently spoke to my fellow prisoners, saying, "If only you had survived a little longer, you would be walking with us today." 1 prayed to all the deities of Tibet for their departed spirits, that they have a good rebirth, and promised that all through my life 1 would pray for them. It was as if one's own rela­tives were buried there because we had all endured the same suffering.

In Minyak Ra-nga GlIDg region there is a sacred mountain known as Sha Jera, tradi­tionally a place of pilgriIItage for festivals

and religious occasions. People of the region offered prayer and in­cense ceremonies. In the early 19708, over 300 prisoners were em­ployed in mining lead from the mountain. At its base is a small lake. During .... the summer of 1975, this lake was the site ~f what was regarded by us l'ibetans as a miraculous event. One day peo­ple noticed that an impression of a nomadic tent had manifested beneath the water in the middle of the lake. The Chinese took binoculars .up on the mountain to monitor whether the image w,as moving. They realized thJl.t the image was not a natural occur­rence, and it frightened them. Mter a week, the image of the tent... began to disappear and a very large green lotus began to physical­ly grow in its place. The flower continued to spread over the lake. The people said that the flower had great significance because of its size anP color: green is associated with His Holiness, the D~ Lama, who was born in the year of the Wooden Hog. Green is the color of the wooden element. Tibetans came to the shore in great ' numbers. Before long, the Chinese decided to bombard the lake. As a wall of water rose in the lake's center, people rushed to pick up the pieces of the flower that floated to the shore. Those manag­ing to preserve the flower's· fragments said the petals had the con­sistency of grass. We Tibe ans felt that the apparition and the ex­traordinarily large lotus held promise of better times to come.

TO READ ABOUT AMA ADHE'S PRISON LIFE IN VIVID DETAIL, ORDER AMA WHE t THE VOICE THAT REMEMBERS, FROM: WISDOM PUBLICATIONS,

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fo unDED In 19aO BH

pnRnmnHnnsn IIOllnnnnon

that we are one with the omnipresence of God; that we do not have to pray that it come to us, that we are not merely near it at all times, but that God's omnipresence is our om­nipresence; that we are just as much a part of Him now as we ever will be. All we have to do is improve our knowing."

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"Ughh:" This miniature mutineer tells mom she'll only

PARENTING

To t[let What They Want , Why children try to "p1).sh your buttons"

OU DON'T L OVE ME! IF YOU DID,

you'd let me stay up and watch TV! Everyone el.se's mother and father does. They love them and you don't love me!"

So opens Dr. T. Berry Brazelton's chapter on "Emotional Manipulation" in his book, Touchpoints, The Essential Reference. Bra­zeltoFl expllains how this blatant attempt at manipulation will be familiar to parents. It will be accompanied by a wretched, op­pressed expression. The lack of subtlety of such a request indicates 1;hat the child knows she hasn't a chance. BUt it will still impact parents, mlmy of whom will react angrily.

Emotional manipulation is usually thought of as an .attempt to control another person by artfui\ unfair .or insidious means. Within the parent-child relationship, it is normal, and unless parents overreact, not all that in­sidious. Children are trying out their wings.

In thinldng about emotional manipula­tion, parents should fIrst remember that they, too, manipulate their children "for their own good." They often try tq influence children's behavior-with rewards, praise, bribes and threats. Children learn tQ model themselves on their parents. Even a toddler soon learns that bringing her favorite book over to her parents is more likely to distract them from their conversation dian simply asking for attention. Looking sad or nestling next to a parent on the couch is e'tfective, too. Manipulation is involved in almost every part of a child's day, commonly through in­vidious comparisons. He might say, "You are always nicer to him than you are to me. You let him get away with it, but you always get

mad at me." To encourgge cooperation and reduce a child's attempts at manipulation, the following suggestions may help.

1) Before problems arise, discuss the is­sues. Ope~ly present the choices and the way you'd 'like the child to behave. Use times when the child is in control to di'scuss iSsues, not when she's in the midst of a struggle. 2) Respect' her for her capacity to make the choices you offer. Gear them to her age and ability to maintain control and to remember the choice. she's made. 3) Remember that provocative behavior is the child's way to test herself and her own limits. 4) E~amine your own tolerance for the child's misbehav­ior. Perhaps cer~ activities make you over­react. 5) Join her in what you want her to do. This not only giveti her a model but also gives you both a sense of communicating ¥.Qth each other. 6) Recognize that escala­tion of parental pressure and manipulations results in escalation of defIance in children; • offer alternatives. 7) If you defInitely want a child to do something, never ask, "Will you?" Instead, say, "Now it's tim!,)." 8) Praise her after cooperation is achieved.

Manipulative parents undermine trust, detracting from the child's ability to live up to a situation. When parents are direct and honest in their expectations for a child, she has the experience of being entrusted and empowered. Honest communication is the most powerful system parents can establish . • Parents are then modeling for the child an alternative to emotional manipulation. ..,,;

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Ashrams

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Ayurvedic/Health

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Home Remedies from India: Herbal and Narural by Dr. Ranvir Pahwa, Ph.D, Herbalist­Homeopath. US/Can$15 (includes shipping and handling) check or money order to: Heritage Holistic Health and Environmental Institute, 1527 A, Idylwyld Drive N. , Saskatoon S7L lA9 Canada.

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Computer

Best software, Hindi/others. US$109 +$10 s&h. VB.L., PO Box 86065, Oakville, ON L6H 5V6, Canada. Tel: 416-315-3186. Fax 905-896-7500. E-mail: dsharma@worldchat.com.

Devotional Supplies

Ganges clayfired statues for puja, meditation, immersion, other rituals. Sixty intricately hand-painted images, many hard to find. Color catalog includes 200 other deities. Send US$2 to: JBL, Box 163 H, Crozet, VA 22932-0163 USA.

Quality Incense from India. Golden Rose. Neel Kamal Pure Sandal­wood cones, and more. Tel: 970-949-6329 USA Email: vel@vailnet

Beautiful wooden puzzles. Krishna, gods and goddesses. Also two games for Hindu children: "Memory" and "Dominoes." Call Lakshmi: 209-337-2477 (USA). vrndavan@hotmail.com

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Education

Accredited Vedic astrology degree program offered by state-recognized Florida Vedic Col­lege (FVG) Also: books, workshops. Contact Shyamasundara Dasa, Dean of Astrology (FVC), Jyotish Sastri, member ICAS, fully trained by masters in India, over 20 years ex­perience, author of the pioneer Matrix Jyotish Vedic astrology program that made Vedic astrology accessible to the West. Tel 352-332-3931. E-mail: shyamasundara.acbsp@com.bbt.se

Excellent correspondence course on Vedic Astrology by Jyotish Krishnan, recipient of several awards including the recent award of Jyotish Vachaspathi by ICAS, India. Normal cost for four courses, US$558 (regis­tration through May '98: $200 off). Tel/fax: 972-783-1242 or write: PO Box 852892, Richardson TX 75085-2892 USA.

Vedic Astrology classes, workshops, tapes, books. Offered by Umananda-Stephen Quong, Ph.D., Jyotisha Vachaspati. 17513 Grizzly Den Road, Lake Shastina, CA 96094-9448, USA. Tel: 530-938-2997. Website: www.jyotisha.com E-mail: quongassoc@jyotisha.com

Free Products and Services

Free educational flow charts on all aspects of Hinduism. Write to Viswanath. Am I a Hindu? Box 56697, New Orleans, LA 70156-6697 USA. arvind-4@msn.com

Find God. "What right has a man to say that there is a God ifhe does not see Him?" Contact Dr. Aruna, 183 Jalan Besar, Bukit Tengah, 14000 Bukit Mertajam, Penang, West Malaysia.

Jewelry

Affordable gems/jewelry for ayurveda, astrology, meditation. Satisfaction guaranteed. Mail order. King Enterprises, 1305 N. H St.!A-289-T, Lompoc, CA 93436-4377 USA. Tel: 805-736-0449 (business hours.)

Astrological rings, pendants of gemstones, made to order in 14, 18, 22 karat gold or silver. Call Manju: 914-434-6630 (USA).

Music and Art

Hindu Deity paintings, notecards and prints from India. Website: http://wwwlakshrni.com. Catalog. Lakshmi International, 411 Madison Street, Boonton, NJ 07005-2051

East Indian instruments and gift items. Giant selection of instruments: harmoniums, tabla, daggas, kirtan instruments, audio/video

tapes. Also incense, spiritual books, etc. For a beautiful catalog, send US$l to Encinitas Imports, PO Box 230419-H, Encinitas, CA 92023-0419 USA. Tel: 760-436-9589

Beautiful devotional sculptures and masks. Special new-year offer-33% off classic cast stone murthies for your home, temple or retail shop. Ganesh, Shiva, Laxmi, Sarasvati, Durga, Buddha. Ht: 2 ft. (61 cm) or 4-5 ft. (1.2-1.5 m). Free catalog, tel: 800-608-8632,515-472-8115. Vedic Sculpture Studio, 607 W Broadway #136, Fairfield, IA 52556-3200 USA.

Exquisite Vedic paintings done to order. Art book, Windows to Spiritual World. For free flyer: Pushkar, PO Box 1094, Alachua, FL 32615-1094 USA. Tel: 904-462-0144.

PilgrimagelTravel

Discover the heart and mind of India/Nepal. Journey with Dr. Martin and Carol Noval. Noval TourslTreks. Brochure: 800-486-6825 (USA)

Products/Stores

Purity Farms organic traditional ghee. 100% pure, from cows raised completely free of hormones, chemicals or pesticides. A delight to cook with! Wholesale or retail. Ask about our 89-page book, Making and Using Ghee-theRoyaIOil. Call 303-647-2368, USA.

Elegant, custom-designed Hindu clothing for all occasions-kurtas, punjabs, salwar kameez, etc. Also, western. Free brochure: Palani Sewing, tel: 510-680-7278 (USA). E-mail: spalani@flash.net

Publications

Sri Aurobindo books. Ayurveda. Reiki. Classi­cal spiritual texts. Homeopathy. Aromatherapy. Alternative health. Also over 7,000 health products including ayurveda, homeopathic remedies, herbal remedies, incense, essential oils, massage oils, etc. Wholesale-retail-mail order. Free catalog. Lotus Light, Box 1008HT, Silver Lake, WI 53170-1008 USA.

Auromere: Sri Aurobindo books, classical spir­itual texts, ayurveda books, children's books from India, ayurvedic products, incense, and much more. Free catalog: 1-800-735-4691 (USA).

Palani Pan chang 1998. Trivedi's American Pan­chang available in English or Gujarati. US$9 +$2 sIh. 3 versions for NY, Chicago, San Fran­cisco times. 510-490-1533. Devendra Trivedi, 4831 Piper St, Fremont, CA 94538 USA.

Samvid and Bharatiya Vidya: quarterly re­search journals on Indian culture. Samvid (Sanskrit): US$10/year. Bharatiya Vidya (Eng­lish): $60/year (surface mail). Phone (+91-22)-363-4462/3/4. Fax: (+91-22)-363-0058. "De­mand Draft" only, payable to BHARATIYA VIDYA BHAVAN do The Editor, Samvid, or Bharatiya Vidya, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kulapati K.M.

Munshi Marg, Mumbai 400 007, India.

Vacation/Retreat

The Cave. Are you ready for the next step? Is your spirit "climbing the wall" to be free? Do you want to go deeper? Does true stillness evade you? Perhaps you are ready for Samadhi Cave, (NM, USA). Available for sadhana on donation basis, March-November. Tel/fax: 505-473-3~560. http://wwwsamadhihermitage.org E-mail: ananda@samadhiherrnitage.org.

Videos

Acclaimed spiritual videos: Sadhana-

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Yoga

Yoga in Daily Life Yoga, meditation, guest lecturers, satsang. Books, audio & video tapes and more. Free catalog. 1310 Mt. Vernon, Alexandria, VA 22301-1714 USA. E-mail:yidl@erols.com Tel: 703-299-8946 • Fax: 703-299-9051

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Joe Criminal: Leggl action and n~ laws are putting rrwre and rrwre restraints upon srr:ok­ers. Califorr:ians who light up in a restaurant now face stiff penalties.

Smoke'rs On the Run Secondhand smoke hazard leads to California ban

ITH JEERS AND CATCALLS, MANY

Californians kept right on puffing Thursday as the new year and

a new ban on smoking in ' bars ar­rived together< "It doesn't make me angry that I can't smoke. What makes me angry is that the government can dictate to a restau­rant owner what they can and can't do," said Cathy Cawley, who rang in 1998 wifh a long drag on a cigarette while partying at Bar­ney's Beanery in West Hollywood.

The law prohibiting smoking in bars gives California tqe nation's strictest no-smoking rules. But it got little respect when it went into effect at Ini~ght. As waitresses confis­cated ashtrays, many smokers went right on smoking. At San Francisco's Cafe. DuNord, Granger Davis and Peter Rossi were smoking at 1 A.M. Each had a different reason "for breaking the law. "Because I'm drunk," Davis said. "Because addiction doesn't stop at Inidnight," put in Rossi. C~fornia banned smoking in restaurants and most.: other in­door workplaces in 1995. The law is aimed at protecting employees from secondhand­smoke, which has been linked to lung cancer, respiratory problems and other illnesses.

A judge Tuesday refused to block the ban as requested by a group of bar owners and others. Owners could be fined up to US$100 for a fIrst offense and up to $7,000 per viola­tion for a series of offenses. Customers who insist on smoking could also be fmed.

The California law is the latest in a series

of legal actions aimed at reducing the in­credible impact of smoking on America's health. The state of Texas settled a lawsuit against the p.ation's major cigarette compa­nies for uS$IS.3 billion. It is the largest legal settlement in American history and will pay to treat smoking-related illnesses. "Our law­suit asserts that the hi;tory of this industry has been rooted in a concl([ted, decades-long conspiracy to conceal the truth about tobac­co," Texas Attorney General Dan Morales said, 'f\s a direct result, Inillions of Ameri­can-fathers, sons, daughters, mothers- have died horrible, preventable, premature deaths." Thirty-seven other states have law­,suits pending agqinst the tobacco industry.

Among the recent r\evelations is that, to­b~cco companies deliberately developed marketing plans to hook teenagers as young as 13 on cigarettes, especially throlJgh the "Joe Camel" ad campaign. Anti-tobacco forces responded to this adInission by threatening to thwart a proposed $300' bil­lion plus national settlement of all cases and go after the companies in court. ,

The basic strategy of the American tobac­co companies is to weather the storm of law­~uits as best they can without getting ciga­rettes banned altogether, cover their legal expenses by raising prices and in the mean­time open new markets for their tobacco products in Asia and Africa where govern­ment control is still Ininimal. -.1

from Associated Press reports

,

. REVIEWS

BOlrn-Again Books Five scholars explere the souls, repeated entries and exits into and from the physical form

By TARA KATIR, HAWAII

o REINCARNATION DESK - REPORT

for reassignment," is a signboard in an episode of the popular Frank and Ernest coInic strip. Ernest poses ques-

tions wondering how he will come back this time: As a brilliant scientist? ' A rich busi­nessman? Or maybe "just as I am?" Frank quips, "Oh, I'm sure they'll send you back as a completely different persorr""Nobody makes the same Inistake twice!"

Americans' affection for reincar­nation is burgeoning. A 1989 Gallup Poll found that S8 percent either believe completely in rebirth or consideJr it a distinct possibility­and today the fIgure is riding at 72 percent. A peek ~ any large Ameri­can bookstore reveals a plethora of books on rebirth. This law and its en­twinemenit with. the principle of kar­ma is revealed in From Death to Birth, Understanding Karma and Reincarnation (216 pages, Himal­ayan Institute Press, uS$IS.95) by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait. A disciple of the late Swami Rama, Tigunait of­fers humorous and original insights into one of life's most intriguing ques­tions-what happens after we die? And how does karma affect"the outcome of our next lifetime? I

Sometimes we get discouraged when "bad" th1ngs happen while we're working so hard ... to do good. Tigunait points out that these are the return of past Inisdeeds (in this or previous lives), and the solution is to create our future with "exceptional karmas"-positive karmas created by intense repetition of mantras, tapas (austerity), self­less service, the grace of God and the com­pany of saints, These help us override our karmic destiny and change our life. "Such loopholes in the law of karma," 1:igunait jokes, release us from its bonds.

Besides resolving to enter our next life a few steps up the human evolutionary ladder, we should equally consider how to best exit this ORe. Sh.ould we be scared of death? Not \ if it's approached with spiritual maturity. Sushila Blackman wanted to know how this is done, so she sought examples of great tran­sitions, compiling and editing the uplifting Graceful Exits, How Great Beings Die, Death Stories of Tibetan, Hindu and Zen Masters

(159 pages, Weatherhill Press, uS$IS.9S). A devotee of Swami Muktananda, BJackman tells 108 soul-elevating true accounts of the remarkable ways ancient and modern spiri­tual giants departed this world. Especially esotefic is the narrative of the passing of Gyanamata, a nun of the Ramakrishna Or­der. Just"before death she exclaimed, "What joy! What joy! Too much, too much joy!" Upon her passing, Paramahamsa Yogananda

requested close disciples to feel her feet­which were very cold. Then he asked them to feel the top of her head, which felt as if it were on fIre. Yogananda explained, "This shows she has left the body in the highest state of samadhi ... the thousand-petaled 10-tus ... she has no need to return to the world. But we'll meet again." Less than four months later Yogananda himself left his body.

While it's not.yet documented where Yo­gananda reincarnated (if he did at all), much

I

of today's world-thanks to the publicized Free Tibet movement-is fascinated to hear how Tibetan Buddhist monRs track and val­idate the reappearance of their revered leaders. Vickie Mackenzie documents this process in the death of Lama Thubten Yeshe and his rebirth in Spain as Lama Osel in Reincarnation, the Boy Lama (175 pages, Wisdom Publications, uS$I6.95), You'll follow events from the lives o f Lama Yeshe and Lama Osel through testimonies of the Dalai Lama, fellow monks, devotees and the Span­ish parents of Lama Osel. We learn just how common an occurrence it is for advanced souls of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition to be identifIed in their next birth as they re­tur-n to serve Dharma,

What about other world religions? If you've ever wondered what Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus all have in common, you may be surprised to kllow it is

reincarnation, according to Steven Rosen's The Reincarnation Controver­sy, Uncovering the Truth in the World Religions (125 pages, Torchlight Pub­lishing, US$1l.95). Guiding 'us through each religion's history, with a large bibliography at the end of each chap­ter, Rosen points out that mystical sects of Judaism and Islam both hold the belief For Christians, reincarna-

tion as a doctrine of the church was removed more for reasons political than theological in 553 BCE at the Second Council of Constantinople. Perhap" Rosen's evidence explains why today so many Westerners per-sonally feel quite comfortable with rebirth, reinspirecJ. by the age-old question popular in this "new age," "Who am I and wher, am I going?"

Amplifying the rebirth renaissance is Dan S. Wards Reincarnation Is Mak­ing A Comeback (219 pages, Vl{hitford Press, uS$I2,95, out of print, but fInd­able) in which he objectively explore!> the implicit changing paradigm caused

by more and more peoples' acceptance of reincarnation as a valid law of life. Of cour$e, reincarnation is a vast subject, so Ward shows its interconnectedness with re­lated psychic phenomena ranging from out­of-body experiences to spirit possession to numerology. 8'0, to all those who fInd that the advice, "You only go around once in life, so you have to grab all the gusto you can" doesn't seem very sagely, treat yourself to the alternatives wonderfully presented in these handy books. ..,.I ,

Publishers:

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APRIL, 1998 HINDUISM TOD A Y 45

,

HEALING

-{JIDS, Part Two: Tests '& Treatment ...

HIV tests are flawed, yet used to justify a potentially fatal course of AZT treatment . .

BY DEVANANDA TANDAVAN, M.D.

J;ST MONTH WE EXPLORED

the reasons some doctors and researchers feel the public is being mislead about the

nature and treatment of AIDS. Their position is consider~d heresy to prevailing medical opinion, and despite its potential impact, their point of view is ignored both by the medical profession and policy makers.

Central to the issue is the relationship of HIV (human immunovirus) and the condi­tion called AIDS. Since the development of a test for antibodies to HIV in Ig8S, most doctors assumed an HIV + patient would necessarily develop AIDS. But it has been documented that there are 64 diseases or health conditions that can make an HIV test positive (Continuum Sept/Oct Igg6, compiled by Christine Johnson of HEAL, Los Angeles). This list includes such simple things as flu, flu va~cine, herpes simplex I & II, recent exposure to a viral disease or viral vaccine, rheumatoid arthritis, tetanus vaccipe, organ transplants, alcoholic liver disease, hemophilia, and receptive anal sex. More serious conditions on the list include tuberculosis, malignancy and other virus infections. There are also many cross-reac­tive results in the performance of the HIV test. It is not understood how clinicians could use the criteria of HIV + to confIrm any condition, since the antibqdies can re­sillt from any of these diseases. In other words, the HIV test is not a test fQr AIDS. It is not everf specifIc for HIV

As soon as the patient is diagnosed HIV +, doctors who believe "HIV equals death" insist on prescribing tlie toxic drug, AZT, or another DNA terminator. They do tRis despite the fact there is really no dis­ease process or disease symptoms present. We must understand that AZT was in Ig84 used almost universally for the treatment of HIV, to forestall developing the recently

46 HI !'I DUI S M T O DAY A P"RIL , 1998

discovered and yet little under­stood condition called AIDS. An in~idious fear was cultivated in patients by medical institu­tions and pharmaceutical com­panies-"If you don't take k.ZT, you are going to die. Period." Most patients succumbed to the pressure-they took AZT in excessive dosage for years (at a cost ofUs$I,soo/month), pro-

gressed to a condition that resembled full­blown AIDS and died from the effects of this overdose rather than from the disease itself It was supposedly given to prevent replicatoion of HIV, and thus prevent pro­gression of the disease to full-blown AIDS.

There were -some HIV + patients who did not succumb to pressures to take AZT; many are still alive today and live comfort­ably. Unfortunately, because such a result is contrary to the prevailing medical opinion on AIDS, very little study has been done on these patients. Researchers who sought to explore the true impact of AZT have been denied, funding for their work. As a result, the evidence against AZT and relat- · ed treatments remains largely anecdotal.

AZT now is often combined in lower • dosage with the "protease inhibitor type"

drugs to produce a "cocktail." There is less death with this cocktail therapy-it seems to increase CD4 T-cell counts for awhile­but this improvement is neither consistent nor permanent. The current. slowdown in progression and fewer deaths giv~s the appearance of statistical positive changes, but they are not valid. It seems we are no closer to a "cure" for AIDS when using the HIV / AIDS model. To be continued .. .

DR. TANDAVAN, 77, retired nuclear physi­cian and hospital staff preSident, lives in Chicago, where he specializes in alternative healing arts. Visit his home page at the HINDUISM TODAY website.

EVOLUTIONS CELEBRATED: Jayanti birthday bash for Swami Bua JI Maharlij, attended by ISO devotees at his New York Vedanta Center. Though Swamiji doesn't divulge his age, devotees place it around 106. At his biggest birthday party to date, Indian instrumental and bhajana per­formances were lively. Swamiji then left for Panama on a lecture tour.

AWARDED: Legendary South Indian car­natic vocalist M.S. Subbulakshml, 8z, with the Bharat Ratna ('1ewel of In­dia"), the country's highest civilian honor, on January 14, Igg8, the only musician so honored. Taught fIrst by her mother and later music guru Shanmugavadivu, she gave her fIrst formal recital of bhajanas at age 13 and later en­thralled audi­ences around the world with her enchanting soul- A bright gem ful voice.

RETIRING: sgt. Mlij. Chaturbhuj N. Gld­wan I, 60, from a zs-year military ca­reer in the US Army Reserve. An avid supporter of HINDUISM TODAY, Gid­wani began as a private at the unusual­ly advanced age of 3S. Enduring boot camp training with a platoon of teenagers, Gidwani quickly found a nitch providing needed guidance to the youngsters and earned the nickname "grandpa." A refugee from In­dia's violent Ig47 partition and now a staunch follower of Military missionary Gandhian phi-losophy, he says, '1 believe my military contributions helped resolve conflicts without bloodshed." His career-long desire to see a Hindu chaplain in the US armed forces has yet to be realized, but he and others have successfully convinced the Department of Defense of the need (see "Call for Military Chaplains," March, 'g8). GidwaniSfam­ily, members of the Vedanta Society of Portland, Oregon, believe that "uphold­ing the sacred Vedas in the West will bring unity among all faiths."

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New this fall-God Is ... , selections from the more than one thousand books Sri Chinmoy has written in over thirty years of teaching meditation and spirituality. His intimate knowledge of God transcend~ religious dogma and scripture, shedding light on each seekers path to the divine. In simple language, he transmits an astonishing depth of knowledge that directly communicates the wisdom of the soul.

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The Expanding Ligh t retreat center offirs a wide variety of workshops and retreats in yoga and yoga teacher's training, medita­tion, Ayurveda, alternative healing, chakras and Kriya Yoga. For a free 24-page guide to programs, call 800-346-5350.

Y~oga philosophy, med itation, and "plain living and h igh thinking"are t he fo un d at io ns fo r the Ananda inten­

tional communities, which are based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda (author of Autobiography of a Yogi). . There are seven Ananda communities-in Nevada City, CA (Ananda Village); Assisi, Italy (Ananda Europa); Palo Alto

and Sacramento, CA; Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; and our newest near Brisbane, Australia. T hree of the communities have schools based on the Education for Life philosophy. Ananda's retreat facility, The Expanding Light, offers programs year-round in yoga, meditation, alternative healing, and the spiritual lifestyle. T he Ananda Course in Self-Realization is available for h ome­study in meditation and yoga. Books and music by Yogananda and Ananda's founder, Swami Kriyananda, are available from Crystal Clarity, Publishers. We also offer a healing prayer network and support to 70 Ananda meditation groups in the U.S. and abroad. Visit us at http://www.ananda.org

The Ananda Course in Self-Realizatio n is a Audio Book: Read by Swami Kriyananda, a comprehensive home-study course with instruc- close, direct discip le who lived and studied tion in beginning and advanced meditation, yoga with Paramhansa Yogananda. Th e original postures for higher awareness, breathing exercises, 1946 edition of Autobiography of a Yogi yoga philosophy, diet, nutrition and vegetarian- audio book is $29.95, includes six cassettes ism, deepening your spiritualliJe and Kriya Yoga (approx. 10 hours) of selected chapters. To preparaton. For a brochure, order or for a free catalog, please call 888-535-8160. ~A call 800-424-1055.

II . Ananda, founded in 1968 by Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, is not affiliated with Se/fRealization Fellowship.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~47

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A New Incarnation of the Bita's Truths

Paramahansa Yogananda penetrates to the Bhagavad Gita's psychological and metaphysical depths, revealing its innermost essence. Many long-lost truths come to life in his new transla­tion and commentary, illuminating the eternal questions found in every heart. God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita 1,224 pgs, two vols. w/slipcase, US$42. Self-Realization Fellowship 213-342-0247 USA (9-5 Pacific)

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48 ~~==========================================================~

BRIEflY", "WHA];.IS BI~DY CONSCIOUSNESS" and "Utility and dangers of egoism in the armea forces" , were two themes of a three-day workshop conducted for the Indian Army by the Au­robindo Ashram. This latest of five pro­grams in two years was held at the College of Combat in Mhow, Madhya PradeSh, and was iptended to boost motivational levels by imparting spiritual training to thE! officers.

LESS BEEF IS CONSUMED IN INDIA than any other country in the world, according to a 1997 consumer survey by the Roper Starch Worldwide research company. Eighty-two percent of Indians surveyed enjoy a vege­tarian main dish daily-compared to just eight percent of Americans and 27 percent of peElple worldwide. Malaysia leads the world in fish consumption.

'" THARU PRIESTS IN NEPALESE villages are renowned for saving people bitten by co­bras, which regularly kill several thousand people a year in the Indian subcontinent. The priest and a band of assistants will rush to the house of the stricken person, p~~­form prayers and ad­minister treatment until the person re­vives many hours lat­er. Mukhiya Tharu, priest of Bhakari vil­lage, has cured 70 people. Great, but how~any has he lost? Not a single one, he says. The deadly cobra

OVER 75 TRI~STEES AND HEADS of temples gathered in Udupi, Kerala, to protest the proposed "Hindu Religious and Charitable Institutions and Endowments Bill, 1997." The bill 'Would bring every Hindu temple and monastery, including the huge institp­tions of Mata Amritanandamayi and of Sree Narayana Dharma Sanghom Trust, under tight government control. Institution heads would be required to submit their yearly budget for approval by a government body. Government boards would be set up to as­sist in the administration of the monaster­ies, and "to define the powers and duties of the madhai~hipathi (abbot)." ~e proposed bill impacts only Hindu institutions, not those of any other faiths. •

NEW YORK HINDUS PARTIED from noon into the late night during Deepavali celebrations attended by 150,'000 people on October 5. New York Mayor Rudolph Guliani attended

and declared it "India Day." The ten-hour event was held at the South Street Seaport in Manhattan and included singers and dancers-notably the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble of India now on tour in America.

AT LEAST ONE MALAYSIAN HINDU is ups~t with the December cover of the UK 'Communi­cations International. It displays Lord Siva Nataraja, King of Dance, holding vari­ous communication icons in His hands, such as a microwave tower and satellite. \ He stands upon a globe and is encir­cled not by a ring of fire, but a ring of telephone re-ceivers. Irs be- Flattery or sacrilege? come common in recent years to use the multi-armed danc­ing Siva image to depict complex, interrelat­ed activities, such as high tech issues.

• I "GOD IS D~D" WROTE GERMAN philosopher Friedrich Nietzche in the late 19th century. Today, fElr the fIrst time in history, most Germans believe him. According to a poll by Der Spiegel magazine, only 45 percent believe in God, and just a quarter in Jesus Christ. Both results reflect the strong non­religious trend in West European nations. In contrast, 96 percent of Americans be­lieve in God or a Divine Spirit.

VINOD PRAKASH'S SON AND BRIDE found a unique way to support their fathers and grandfather's relief program in India. They told their wedding guests to not send pre­sents, but to give money to the India Devel­opment and Relief FUnd's orphanages, woman'(.vocational programs and medical services. The fund sends 100 percent of do­natiOIl.s to India. Contact: IDRF, 5821 Moss­rock Drive, North Bethesda, Maryland, 20852-3238, USA. , NATIONAL CURRY DAY IS NOVEMBER 10 in the UK, home to 8,500 Indian restaurants with annual saleS:of US$4.5 billion. Tops among several unusual items produced for the day,

. which included a one-ton Jalfrezi, a spicy cut vegetable dish, was a curry-flavored ale made by Firkin brewel;)'. There were no re-ports on consumer reaction. ...

WHILE INDIA STRUGGLES with the concept of a national language- anything other than English-in the European Union, reports

CLOCKWISE ~ROM TOP: COMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL, THE WEEVVINU ABRAHAM, COREL

I ,

The Eoonomist, "One in three people now spe~ English well enough to get along in conversation, making it the Union's lingua franca." Forty percent or more of the peo­ple in France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Holland speak English.

NAIMISARANYA~, a Malayalam-Ianguage magazine promoting Hinduism in Kerala seeks fmancial assistance to continue its publication, local teaching programs, car­natic music concerts and book production. Just US$80 a month is needed. Contact: Sree Hari. KK, Editor, Naimisaranyam Spiritual Magazine, P.o. Etakkad-Nadal, ·Kannur, Kerala, India 670 663.

TWO WOMEN PRIESTS have been been ap­pointed to regular temple duties by Ma Am­ritanandamayi at temples owned by her ashram in Kerala. Soumyamrifua and Nalini, brahmachari­ni residents of tJ:e ashram, where they were taught puja ritual, are the first women to of­ficiate at a public tem- Kerala's new lady priests pIe in Ker-ala. It is common for women to be priests within women's ashrams, and women served as priestesses in Vedic times. Other organi­zations, notably the Ai§a Sarnaj, have also trained women priests. Women are general­ly complemented as being more attentive to their devotional duties than their male counterparts.

AMONG A LONG STRING OF DIGNITARIES visit­ing London's ornate Swaminarayan Temple was the president of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. Personally welcomed by Swarninarayan leader Pr~ukh Swami Ma­haraj, Museveni invited Indians to res~ttle in Uganda, from which they were summari­ly ejected by Idi Amin in 1972.

THE UK WORLD COUNCIL OF HINDUS proudly announced that their t«;.xt book, Explaining Hindu Dharma: A Guide for Teachers, has sold out. The text Wc\s produced by sixteen authors over three years and is approved for use in UK schools. Hinduism is now an option for the "General Certificate of Edu­cation Examination." Thousands of 16-year-olds, many of them non-Hindus, se­lected this option in 1997- dontact: Dr. Nawal K Prinja, nprinja@aol.com.

APRIL, 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 49

\

. MINISTER'S MESSAGE

Child,ren ""+-Ire D.ivirie, Treat Them Thus

between them; and when the children see this repeatedly, they will also fight. Such a household will be filled With violence.

As kids experience growing pains, rerrtember that parents set the example by. their actions

It is important to seek the root cause of problems. Our bodies show many symp­toms of illness before the onset of disease. These early signs are a blessing because they draw our attention to the source of irritation. We become more alert and sensi-' tive. In the same wa}, you should become sensitive to your children's reactions. Ob­serve whether they are indicative of a seri­ous problem or just a normal part of growing up. Avoid sermons-nobody likes to hear sermons. That is why whenever sermons are given, people tend to tall

BY , . .

S W A M I ,T. E J 0 MAY A N .f\. N D A

EFORE WE START OUR JOURNEY OF INQUIRY INTO

topic of parenting, let me tell you that I am not to give you some kind of magical formula that

will provide you with immediate relief. We need to think together to discover how we can arrive at the best solu­tions to this situation. There are no.black-and-white rules that apply all of the time. A man confessed; "Before mar­riage, I had six theories on raising chilmen. Now, after mar­riage, ·1 have six children and no theories!"

The first thing that is required when you face any problem is that you shocld keep cool. Calm down and relax. Remem­ber that the problems you·face as a parent are not unique. They are co~on to all parents. Also, if you look at your situation more closely, you will fmd that your worries are not be­cause all children are misbehaving, but because your cpild is mis­behaving. This is possessiveness in relation to "my chih;l." Still subtler is the fact that the action of "my child" has a direct reper­cussion on me-on my image. If my child misbehaves, people.will ask, "Whose child is that?" and I will be embarrassed. So it is the ''1'' and "my" that is the cause of all this worry.

We think that our children belong to us. But remember, we ourselves belong to tpe Lord. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krish­na says, 'l\.ll jivas are my parts." In reality, everyone belongs to God. We all come together for some time, like co-passengers on a train or airplane, then depart, each to go his or her own way. Let us be. objective about our children. To quote Kahil Gibran:., "Your children come through you; but not from you, and though they are with you, they belong not to you." Each of us is an instru-, ment in the hands of the Lord. He is the real doer. Swami Chin­mayananda used to say that a parent's role i . like that of a gardener or a farmer. The farmer does not create the seed or the soil. He only provides a conducive environment for the seeds to grow. Similarly, we should do our very best for our children and leave the rest to God. • . Imparting culture to our children is most important, but we

must begin with ourselves. If wt(want our children to be pleasant, intelligent, well-behaved and cultured, we have to develop these qualities in ourselves first. In the Bhagavad Gita it is clearly stat- ' . ed, "Whatever a great man does, others follow the same." Another shastra implores, "In houses where women are honored and re­spected, the Gods dwell there. Where the women are not respect­ect-and honored, whatever one dOes is futile .... The husband must see that the wife is happy and the wife must see that the husband is happy. When both are making each other happy, there will be auspiciousness and welfare for all in that house." If this ideal is not held.by both husband and wife, there will only be fighting .

50 HINDUISM TOD A.Y A RIL , 1998

..asleep! Learn to become a facilitator. Dealing

with our children in a friendly manner is as • important as what we convey verbally. Method and approach will differ' from child to child. Take genuine interest in your chil­dren's interests. By showing concern and interest in their activities and hobbies, you will fmd that they will be more responsive to your guidance. .

Establish a rappoi t with your child. The best way to do this is by letting your child know that he or she has your full confi­dence and love. Then alone will your child confide in you. There is a Sanskrit verse that says that you should fondle your child

until he is five, educate and discipline him until his fifteenth year, and, when he reaches sixteen, look upon him as a friend.

In and through the process of parenting, always remember that you and yoUr child belong to God-;we are all His children. Invoke His blessings on yourself, your child and everyone. Since He is the "inner controller," He 'will succeed where your direct control fails. Don't look for magical solutions. Always strive for a broader vision of looking at things. I wish all the best to you and your children.

Youth, Please Just Give This a Thought

HERE ARE ALWAYS TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY. SO

while I'm talking to your parents, I might as well have a word with you. You revolt against parental pressure, but you succumb easily to peer pressure. Are you aware of

this? You talk of independent thinking. How come that inde-pendent spirit doesn't arise in front of your friend? How come you easily become one among the herd? So, please be careful. Think and act. Self-control and discipline will help you achieve your goals. ..

T~ SWAMI TEJOMAYANANDA, 48, was deSignated head of Chinmaya Mission in 1993. Based in Mumbai, India, he frequently tours the globe elaborating on the Upanishads and other Vedantic texts.

1998 Celebrations at Barsana Dham

• Holi-March 14 • Ram Navmi-April5 • Mela/Open House-May 9 • Janmashtmi-August 15 • Radha Ashtmi-August 30 • Rath Yatra-October 3 • Divali-October 17 We invite you to visit Shree Raseshwari Radha Rani Temple at Barsana Dham and receive the Divine blessings of Radha Krishn. Barsana Dham, 400 Barsana Rd, Austin, TX 78737-9075 USA • Tel: 512-288-7180 • Fax: 512-288-0447 • www.isdl.org

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51

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MISSION STATEMENT

Hindu Heritage Endowment is a publicly supported, charitable organization'recognized as tax . '

exempt by the IRS on April 22, 1994. Its ~mployer ID Ilumber is 99-0308924. FO.\,!l1deg by Satguru

Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, its philanthropic\mission is to p rovide secure, professionally man-" , .

aged financial support for institutions and" religious leaders of all lineages of Sanatana Dharma.

MA,RCH DO~NOR PROFILE

Santha Devi MUI1landy of Perak, Malaysia, has helped strengthen Hinduism in her area in countless quiet ways. Among these, she serves as secretary of the Manjung Hindu Sabha which runs various local r~ligious programs including hel(ling the poor. Discovering that other religions are taking in Hindu orphanl'.and using this as a means of conversion; Santha Devi is now working to establish a local Hindu orphanage. Hearing of Hindu Heritage Endowment, she made the decision to gift a life illsurance policy which was no longer needed for her family. She explained: "I know I'm leaving something for the future benefit of Hindus and HInduism and that I am leaving it in the

good hands of those who will manage the inoney well."

FUND OF THE MONTH

The largest known Siva lingam made of mercury (Pardeshwar jn Hindi) can be found in NeW Delhi at the modern, marble-covered ashram of Sri Swami Pragyanand. A focal point for devotees from around the world, th~ ashram is the fruition of maI)y years of dedicated work by !his tireless servant of God. Over the past 18-years, Swamiji has circled the globe numerous times, teaching, visiting devotees, performing countless Gayatri Yagnas an~ encouraging all to become vegetar­ian and follow the path of dharma through repetition of the ancient, Vedic Gayatri Mantra. Anxious that his ashram and mission are well maintained and continue to flourish, he has started the Vishwamata Gayatri Trust Fund which will continue to financially support his ' 'work decades, even centuries, from now. Swami ~ragyanaii.d Maharaj Ki Jai!

" A PROFESSIONAL'S PERSPECI'IVE: The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 phases in over nine years aI1

increase in estate exemption to $1,000,000. Maximizing the use of the estate exemption has been one of the most important estate planning strategies. In order to take full . advantage of this new provision, all taxpayers should review their estatE: documents. Additionally, the new tax law bars the IRS from revaluing a taxpay~r's prior gift for estate tax purposes if the statute of limitations for determining the value of the gift has lapsed. In order to start the running of the statute of limitations, taxpayers must file a timely gift tax return. Nitai H. Pathak, CPA MST, of Kling, ,Lee & Pathak, Artesia, California, (888) 721-5370 and (562) 924-?610.

. As a public service, HHE occasionally will offer the opinions of various financial planners. However, it endorses neither these advisor~ nor their counsel, and recommends that all individuals seek professIOnal adVice from severa! sources before mwg Important long-term deCiSIons .

. \

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RECENT DONORS

Hindu Businessmen's Association Fund Iraivan Temple Endowment Total $11.00

VeiAiahan $230.00 Mohana Sundari Gunasegaran $126.47 Mathavasi Travel Fund Easvan Pararn $87.17 Kriya Haran $179.00 Erasenthiran Poonjolai $75.00 Janaka Param $6.00 Edwin Hawk $983.41 Total $75.00 Deva Rajan $908.25 Dinesh & Sneh Jain $11.00

Total $1,231.42 Usha Devi Katir $69.20 Puri Monasteries Fund

Hindu Orphanage Endowment Fund Umah Rani Palanisamy $155.00 Ravi Chandrasekhara $20.00

Aran Sambandar $360.00 R.P. & Bharati Lathi $1,001.00 V Srikanth $100.00

Padmini Samuthiran $1,033.20 Total $1,021.00 Ramakumar & Sailaja Kosuru $20.00

Loganatha Shivam $300.00 Saiva Agamas Trust Matthew Wieczork $21.00

Palaka Shivam $300.00 Matthew Wieczork $10.00 Total $141.00

Saiva Siddhanta Church $8,559.14 Total $10.00 Hinduism Today Endowment Fund Sivaneswaran Sockanathan $78.00 Sri Subramuniya Kottam Fund Anonymous $478.82 Vayudeva Varadan $940.14

Andrew Schoenbaum $10.00 Chaturbhuj N Gidwani $250.00 Total $13,114.36 Total $10.00 Total $728.82

Kauai Aadheenam Annual Archana Fund Sundari Peruman Memorial Scholarship Hinduism Today Distribution Fund Darshani Alahan $8.50

Himalayan Academy $600.00 Rathi Devi Batumallab $110.20 Markandeya Peruman $25.00

Arjunan Ammasi $57.37 Veerasamy Batumallah $110.15 Total $25.00

Balamurali Balasupramaniam $22.65 Womana Skanda $30.60 Thank You Gurudeva Ramachandra S. Bhatt $30.00 Siven Veerasamy $60.00 Vayudeva Varadan $54.50 Ravindra Doorgiat $40.08 Total Small Gifts $51.03 Anonymous $20.00 Chitravelloo Gunasegaran $126.88 Total $370.48 Total $74.50 Kriya Haran $138.00

Kauai Aadheenam Monastic Endowment Tirumular Sannidhi Preservation Fund Renuka Kamalanathan $5.00 Kartikeyen Manick $35.66 Murugesu Kandasamy $14.27 Shyamadeva Dandapani $25.00

Ganesha Mathialagan $182.00 Sivan Murrugappa Naicken $22.29 Total $25.00

Jayaluxmee Moothoo $13.36 Kumaren Nataraja $8.91 Tirunavakkarasu Nayanar Gurukula Fund Kamala Mootoosamy $33.40 Ramsamy Natarajan $17.82 VelAlahan $47.00 Logadasan Murugesu $52.95 Dohadeva Samugam $1,812.00

Kumar Katir $150.00 Nalakini Niranjana $77.88 Sinniah Sivagnanasuntharam $106.60 Meeravadee Koothan $22.27 Chandran Param $214.60 Dhasan Sivananda $42.47 Indivar Sivanathan $10.00 Kanthasamy Pillaiyar $110.00 Total $2,024.36

Peshala Varadan $80.00 Silver Kumar Rajoo $3.10 Loving Ganesha Distribution Fund Total Small Gifts $5.40 Sarasvati Devi Ramanathan $12.12 Eric Mitchell $10.00 Total $314.67 S M Sane $101.00 Total $10.00 VlShwamata Gayatri Trust, Delhi (Reg'd) Govinden Sanjeevee $15.00

Malaysian Hindu Youth Educational Trust Swami Pragyanand $400.00 Guha Skanda $104.00 Saroja Vasudevan $9.10 Jeyasreedharan $40.00 Ram Kumar Singh $101.00

Clarence V. Williamson $100.00 Total $40.00 Total $501.00

Total $2,084.15 Mathavasi Medical Fund Unassigned

Matthew Wieczork $11.00 Anonymous $679.60 Elfriede Paoletti $108.00

Total $787.60 We especially thank those young children who gave a small amount, Total Recent Contrib. us$22,579.56 tithing from their allowance each month, creating positive patterns early in life.

INVESTMENT MANAGERS AND CONSULTANTS: Franklin Management Inc.; First Hawaiian Bank, Trust & Investment Division; Brandes In'Vestment Partners, Inc.; Pacific Century Trust (Bank of Hawaii); Alvin G. Buchignani, Esq., attorney; and Nathan palani, CPA. HPIE is a member of the Council on Foundations, an association of 1,500 foundatiohs which interprets relevant law, inte~­

national and domestic, and g.ccounting, management and investment principles.

I WANT TO PARI'ICIPATE. WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY DONATION? You can send your gift to an existing fund, create a new endowment or request information through the address below. Credit car9- gifts may be made directly by E-mail. Or, use th~ HHE tear-out card in this magazine. to join our family of benefactors who are Strengthening Hinduism Worldwide. Thank you. , ,

lIINDu HERITAGE ENDOWMENT , KAUAI'S HINDU MONASTERY

107 Kaholalele Road Kapaa, Hawa.ii, 96746-9304 USA

Tel: (800) 890-1008, Ext. 235 Outside US: (808) 822-31§2, Ext. 235

Fax: (808) 822-4351 E-mail: hhe@l:)indu.org

www.hindu.org/hhe/

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CD-ROM

Purifying Postures THE RATRA YOGA OF

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~, ~sting,back bends, fuversions and supine. Many browsers will go right to the 4Q sets of restorative poses for ailments such as dia­betes and high blood pressure. The option of customizing your own workout is one more rea­son to strike a pose in this healthful Hindu dis­cipline. Windows only. 05$20. Write to: Kir­loskar Computer Ser­vices, 5570 Malles·

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Vedanta's Vanguard THE LATE SWAMI

I Ohinmayiinanda was never known to lack Wise words- insights such as: "Out of pw;ity and silence come worils of power:" Find more of his potent sayings at the website of Chinmaya Mission (www.chinn).aya .org). Besides basic info about the Mission, you'll learn about dynamic

CHINMAY;

MISSION

THII. ,.UIltfl'O.1E 0 ... C H INM AYA I

,e TO ""OVI DII TO IN DIVI DUA L

swamis, led by Swami Tejomayananda, who lovingly inculcate Vedan­ta philosophy in today's youth, especially through Chinmaya family camps. Read reports of their ef­forts in the online newsletter, Smrithi. Or fmd out how to j0in one of over a thousand dy­namic Chinmaya study groups that meet weekly to explore Hindu scrip­tures in satsanga style.

~PRI)FIT ORGANlZATIDN

U.s. POSTFBE PAID UBERTY, 11) PERMIT NO, 275