Hawan Group of Central New Jersey, USA
It is the time of the year when instead of a new assignment, we stop and take stock of our year-long learning. The theme of the current year is Hinduism. At the start of the year, we set some humble goals like, build a common understanding of the basic tenets of Hinduism identify & appreciate the core beliefs and teachings
» Read moreThe topic for this month is Purushartha. ‘Purush’ means human, and ‘arth’ means goal/objective. Purushartha means human objective. Hinduism defines Purushartha as the purpose of human life. Without understanding the purpose of life on earth, one may incorrectly consider it is only for eating, drinking, growing, enjoying – and finally succumbing to death. Per Hindu religion, the human life is
» Read moreAshram System (Four Stage of Life) Another major contribution and one of the main teachings of Hinduism is Ashram System. While Ashram literally means a place for spiritual and religious retreat, Ashram System describes a way of life. According to Hinduism, the human life has four major aims: Dharma (righteousness), Arth (wealth), Kaam (pleasure), and Moksha (liberation). To achieve these
» Read moreLaw of Karma (action) In Hinduism, there is an old and potent saying, “As you sow so shall you reap”, which very aptly describes the Law of Karma (Action). What is Karma? Karma is our deeds – or misdeeds for that matter – in thoughts and physical world. The Law of Karma states that person reaps the fruits of his/her
» Read moreNamaste everybody, The topic for this month is Rebirth (Punarjanma). Before expounding on the topic, let me start by congratulating the hawan group kids and parents for an excellent job last month. Even though the last month’s topic on Trinity (Paramatma, Atma, and Prakriti) is an abstract one, the presentations, discussions, and questions/answers session confirmed that the kids have built
» Read moreGod, Soul, and Matter The topic for this month’s assignment is God, Soul, and Matter. Hindu sages have delved into the topic of three eternal entities of this world in great details. These entities are Matter (Prakrati), Soul (Atma), and God (Paramatma). The study has given birth to different philosophies: Trinity (Traitavad), Dualism (Dvaitavada), and Non-Dualism/Monism (Advaitavada). The ‘Tri’ in
» Read moreHindu Scriptures The topic for this month is Hindu Scriptures. Before we start, lets first talk about what Scriptures are and what makes a book a Scripture. Scriptures are books that contain the knowledge of our religion. They directly and indirectly guide us. That is, they tell us what we should and should NOT do. Not only do they impart
» Read moreThe assignment for this month is God. God Hindus believe in the Supreme Power that has created the entire world including all living and non-living things. He is the creator and sustainer of the universe. He existed prior to the creation of the universe. Hindus call that divine conscious power (God) by various names: Ishwar, Parameshwar, Paramatma, Brahma, Aum, Bhagwan,
» Read moreHinduism is one of the most ancient and rich religions. However, because of the plurality of gods/goddesses, rituals, discourses, beliefs and practices, sometimes, the core definition and essence of our religion gets muddled in our minds. While we can unequivocally call ourselves Hindus, we may not be able to consistently describe our religion. To ensure we and our kids are
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