Hinduism

Hinduism 101 – Vedanta

We invited Swami Sarvadevananda to speak from his heart and share the core spiritual teachings of Vedanta Hinduism. Vedanta is a philosophy taught by the Vedas, the most ancient scriptures of India. Its basic teaching is that our real nature is divine. God, the underlying reality, exists in every being.

Decoding Rituals and
Symbols of Hinduism

Hinduism is rich with ritual and symbolic depictions and gestures. The swamis at the Vedanta Society prepared two handouts to help  our understanding. Click below to access the handouts and photos of this beautiful day.

Three Great Powers Within Us

Swami Sarvapriyananda of the Vedanta Society shares Three Great Powers: the Power to Decide; the Power of Concentration; and the Power of Unselfishness, using ancient teachings and modern science.

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“How Indian Spirituality Changed the West”

With Author Philip Goldberg

AMERICAN VEDA: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation, How Indian Spirituality Changed the West, chronicles the history and influence of India’s spiritual teachings in America.

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Sangita Yoga

at Historic St. John’s Cathedral

An afternoon of sacred music with Naren K. Schreiner and Sangita Yoga.
Learn how this sacred music can be an effective form of yoga or spiritual discipline,
as Naren shares his understanding of the true meaning of sacred music
and how it enhances one’s yoga practice.

Dual Belonging

with Dr. James Fredericks, the Rev. Karen MacQueen, moderated by Ryan Bell

Trailblazers in religious pluralism, these
panelists share their personal Journey of
faith that embraces the essence of two
traditions on a path toward understanding
the Holy with integrity of participation in
each tradition.

Dr. Gwynne Guibord Interviews
Swami Kriyananda

In late 2012 the Rev. Dr. Gwynne Guibord sat down with Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of the yogi Paramahansa Yogananda and the founder of Ananda, a worldwide movement of spiritual intentional communities based on Yogananda’s World Brotherhood Colonies ideal. The author of over 140 books on yoga and related subjects, composer of over 400 pieces of music and founder of ten cooperative communities on three continents. Swami Kriyananda has brought Yogananda’s universal teachings to hundreds of thousands of people, serving a crucial role in carrying on his guru’s legacy. At the age of 87, Swami Kriyananda left his body and merged into the Infinite on the morning of April 21, 2013. This interview became his last in public.

Hindu Holy Days and Observances

The Panchanga (Hindu calendar) is based on lunar months. One year has twelve months of 29.5 days, totaling 354 days. As a result many Hindu festivals move back 11 days on the Gregorian calendar each year. In order to offset this difference, the Hindu calendar adds an extra month approximately every three years.

MAJOR FIGURE

Paramahansa Yogananda

is revered throughout the world for his Autobiography of a Yogi,
the most widely read spiritual autobiography of all time.
Yogananda was the first Indian master to settle in America
and brought yoga to millions.

 

MAJOR FIGURE

Rabindranath Tagore

A native of Calcutta, India, Rabindranath Tagore
wrote in Bengali and often translated his own work
into English. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature
in 1913 — the first Asian to receive the honor.