Spirituality/Culture

I had to go and buy some tea mugs downtown. Little did I know that I would literally come face to face with my own past. Instead of ‘face off, it was more a case of ‘head off’. Browsing the shop, a survival holding out against the corporate onslaught on the high street, I notice [...]

Alcoholics and other addicts refer to it as a moment of clarity. As I stood in the police cell amidst a cacophony of sound and rising nausea the unlikely effects of such a ‘moment of clarity’ washes over me. Here I stood in a London Police station in the early hours of Sunday morning looking [...]

”Why do you worship an idol?” is a question frequently encountered by some Hindu’s. Another common question is, “Why do you worship a rock?” This is an excellent opportunity for a Hindu, or follower of Sanatana Dharma, to educate their momentary student of spirituality or religion. [...]

When the sun changes direction from one constellation of the zodiac to another, it is known as Sankranti. There are 12 Sankrantis in a year, of which Mesh (Aries) Sankranti, when the solar year begins, and Makar (Capricorn) Sankranti, when the sun begins its northward journey from the Tropic of Cancer, are of primary importance. [...]

It has often been said that much of our spiritual journey is an attempt to tame the ‘monkey mind’, as the mind is often compared with the actions of a monkey-jumping from one thing to another.  It would be true to say that the serious spiritual work does not begin until one has tamed the [...]

Just days after the news broke that a Satanic Temple in New York City is seeking to build a monument to Satan on the grounds of the Oklahoma Capitol, a Hindu organization announced this week that it, too, would like to build a monument there, to one of its chief deities. Rajan Zed, president of [...]

Inclement weather on November 17did not deter participants and guests who flocked to Redgum Community Centre to celebrate Samaskrutotsavam 2013, the annual day of the Sydney Sanskrit School (SSS). It was an event at which history was truly in the making. The SSS is the world’s first school to produce and launch a bilingual CD [...]

The United Nation’s International Court of Justice ruled on Monday that Cambodia should have sovereignty over the disputed land around the 900-year-old Preah Vihear Temple bordering Thailand. The ICJ also ruled that Thailand should at once withdraw its troops from the area, BBC reported. “A 1962 verdict by the court declared the temple to be Cambodian, but did [...]

Stylish Samantha Cameron is known for her knack of dressing impeccably, whatever the occasion, and today the Prime Minister’s wife chose a dramatic autumnal sari to take in London’s colourful Diwali celebrations. Samantha, 42, chose a russet-coloured sari edged in gold for a visit to the Swaminarayan Mandir, the largest traditional Hindu temple outside India, [...]

Hindus light lamps to celebrate the festival of light Diwali (Reuters) Diwali, India’s festival of lights, will take place on 3 November with celebrations organised across the UK. The five-day festival starts on the 13th lunar day of Krishna paksha (dark fortnight) of the Hindu calendar month, Ashwin. It is one of the most important [...]