Religious Experiences in America

Since I started earning about 10 years ago I have had one very good friend, this is not any human being but an inanimate plastic card which I carry around whereever I go. Yes you guesed it right, it is my credit card. I have used the credit card for almost every purchase, little or big, daily necessity or luxury item, the plastic is always there wth me. If I encounter any business which doesn’t accept credit cards I wonder what is wrong with these people, they seem to be stuck in some time warp. I have walked out of several businesses because they don’t accept credit card and I am not carrying cash. The loser was the business owner not me, because I will buy what I am looking for at another store. But where will the shopkeeper go to get me as his customer.

Small business owners face one great problem, when and how to start accepting credit cards for their business. This is because every transaction costs the business owner in the form of fees, charges etc. So it is important to find a company which provides good service, easy access and allows you to accept credit cards. One such company is the two-decade old Online Check, they offer a uniquely different program which helps everyone make their business and service credit card friendly. The best part of Online Check service is that they don’t charge any fees, nor do they expect you to sign contracts, and of course they will provide you with a free card machine. What more do you want, just opt for a credit card machine and see your business rise.

I have not travelled to several countries in the world and most of the countries I have visited I have gone there by motorcycle. I was pretty surprised when I received this mail about a fantastically beautiful sculpture depicting the “Samudra Manthan” of Hinduism. I have been to Dubai International Airport, Singapore International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and of course our very own Bangalore and Chennai International airports. In terms of size, opulence and decor of course Singapore airport scored over everyone else. In terms of shopping Dubai airport overshadowed the rest.

But when I saw these pictures I decided even without visiting that in terms of fantastic depiction of Hinduism in a positive and respectable light, the Bangkok airport in Thailand is the best. These pictures were taken by someone else and forwarded to me through the yahoogroup of Sanatana Dharma Foundation, I would like to share it with my blog visitors.

According to the mail, the new international airport in Bangkok, Thailand is called Suvarn-bhoomi (Sanskrit name meaning “Golden Land”). The centerpiece of this airport is a beautiful sculpture of Devi Bhagavat and Vishnu Puran. Most south-east Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia have majority populations who are not Hindus. But they were Hindus once upon a time before Islam took over Malaysia and Indonesia; and Buddhism took over Thailand and Camodia. But these nations have decided to respect, honor and maintain the culture of their ancestors. They may not totally respect Hindu religion, but they are not willing to desecrate the symbols of Hinduism which continue to enjoy immense respect. Enjoy the pictures.

Can we even imagine putting up this kind of things in Air Ports in India? No way… half the country will be up in arms asking for removing these exhibits. First to protest will be the pseudo-secular politicians (Congress, Janata Dal, Communists and others), intellectuals and their chelas. Then the Islamic terror will be unleashed with violence and then the Christians will start off a media campaign against this. So I guess Hinduism will probably enjoy respect only in non-Hindu nations, if at all. Back in its home in India, Hinduism is in danger of being killed by other religions who are being aggressively supported by the ruling government headed by the Italian woman.

One of the best ways to enhance our backyards and outdoor spaces is by placing aesthetic furniture. Traditionally furniture has always been made in wood. But exposing wood to the elements in the outdoor space could have devastating consequences on the furniture. But it could be quite a pain to move furniture from indoors to the yard for every barbeque evening or for any other party setting. In my opinion, under such circumstances a great option could be to use wrought iron food court seating and other elements to create a fantastic setting.

And when you decide to buy your wrought iron furniture from the right manufacturer things could be quite different. One of the leading manufacturers of this kind of hardy furniture is Contract Furniture Company. The unique feature of this company is that their Wrought iron is aimed not only to create a beautiful atmosphere in any outdoor setting, but also offer these products in a wide array of designs. The furniture has a characteristic look and feel and adds some kind of charisma to the place.

And of course wrought iron furniture is available for all kinds of places, for homes, outdoors, restaurants, and other settings. Wrought iron furniture give any place an aesthetic and antiquarian appeal and make it appear royal. And at the same time they are not expensive, everyone can afford it and enjoy the high quality life.

I recently came across a thought provoking post on the Sanatana Dharma Foundation’s yahoogroup. The writer Sivaraman Hariharan Iyer laments the fact that even the most well-trained and spiritually educated Hindu priests find it hard to find suitable girls for marriage. It actually struck a chord when I read his passionate and moving monologue on the topic. In the same post he talked about visiting a Veda Pathashala in Kerala, India and how impressed he was about the rigorous trainig being imparted to the students.

On another note he talked about one of his acquaintainces - a Jewish businessman - who had sent two of his sons to Israel to be trained to become rabbis. Apparently the Jewish businessman felt he would be fortunate if one or both of his sons would give up business and become rabbis/ priests. But in Hinduism no reasonable educated and middle-class or rich family would allow their children to be trained to become priests.

Siva laments this disconnect and wonders if this is the reason for Hinduism to have lost out to other religions. The fact that we adherents don’t respect our religious leaders, priests and don’t want our children to become spiritually inclined or take up religion as vocation.

I kinda agree with him on this, but I believe that there are several factors responsible for this. Primarily traditionally people who took up spirituality and religion as profession and lived as per the laws and diktats of faith were known as “Brahmins”. Traditionally and ideologically anyone could become a Brahmin provided he adheres to the principles and lifestyle of what is a “Brahmin”. But during the middle ages when the “Varna Ashram Dharma” was turned into “Kula Dharma” due to certain prevailing circumstances which needs to be examined and researched, it led to a massive and destructive transformation of Hindu religion.

Before I continue let me give a brief about the difference between the two terms I have mentioned. Simply put “Varna Ashrama Dharma” means a persons “Varna” or “class” or “Place” in the society is decided by his occupation/ profession and capability. And as such people interested in religion, sciences, knowledge and who worked towards social enhancement became brahmins and so on. But “Kula Dharma” put this system into background and made it a rule such that people’s “Varnas” were decided by birth. A grossly wrong interpretation of Hindu religion.

Under either system brahmins remained poor and dependent on the largesse of the rich and powerful for their sustenance. The Kula dharma prevented business-talented or those with a flair for war and fighting from entering their chosen profession. This led to large scale frustration among youth who gave vent to it by oppressing the lower classes. But either case scenario they remained poor. And as time went on the priestly class among “Brahmins by birth” continued to lead an impoverished life.

Now who would want his sister or daughter to marry a poor man? so what if he is the most knowledgeable man in the world. Knowledge alone can’t fill stomachs or clothe people. Moreover priests became mere ritualistic practitioners rather than spiritual thinkers and became called dogmatic and stupid.

In my opinion unless there is a complete abolition of this absurd “birth-based caste system” which prevails across all religions among people of Indian origin which will empower everybody to thrive in their chosen professions and lifestyles this problem will not go away. It simply can’t be wished away or argued away.. things have to change… and we the present day Hindu youth should start the process and move towards this change.

It seems as if recession has set in the economy of United States. A large and growing number of homes are going into foreclosure because the owners are no longer able to afford to pay mortgage payments. A number of people with large credit card debts are unable to make even the minimum payment, let alone pay off the entire loan.

How can one get peace of mind in such a situation? Well my only answer to this would be debt consolidation. This is the only possible way to get out of overwhelming debt and prevent further loans from piling up. There are corporations like Fast Debt Freedom Now which help people get eliminate their overwhelming debts, credit card debts, and other sundry debts. They have a secret through no matter how much the loan is, will be eliminated in the shortest possible time.

Well you guessed it right their secret is primarily credit debt consolidation through which they will reduce your balances upto 50% and for some of those steeped in debt it can mean savings of thousands of $$$s. Once consolidated they will be required to pay one, easy and low monthly payment. This will help avoid bankruptacy and you don’t fear those pesky collection calls. And the best part of the service is perhaps the fact that you don’t need to have a great credit score to get into this programme, nor do you need to own a home for this.

If you have large loans and debts to be paid off but don’t know how to accomplish it. Here is the answer to be debt free within the next 12-30 months. Get in touch and opt for debt settlement and you will be well on your way towards eliminating debt.