vEDIK LIFESTYLE IS LIVING HARMONIOUS CO-EXISTENCE WITH ALL OTHERS BY UNIVERSAL RULES AND REGULATIONS OF DHARm....AND IS POSSIBLE ANYWHERE....
Posted by Vishva News Reporter on July 27, 2005

 

\Dharma Summit 2005\
NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY, USA

Ved Prakash, Dharma Summit 2005 General Secretary, sends the following press release:

The Dharma Summit 2005 will be held on August 13, 14 and 15 at Rutgers University, Student Center, 126 College Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ.

The objective of this conference is to bring together heads of all Devalayas, spiritual institutions, and Dharmic intellectuals in North America to exchange thoughts and ideas, and share experiences on how to impart spiritual and cultural education to our next generation and remove misperceptions about our faith traditions from the society in order to maintain our Dharmic traditions with dignity.

This conference is being organized with the support, cooperation and involvement of all major Sampradayas and institutions. Also many intellectuals will speak in various sessions.

The discussion will focus on:

  • the future of Dharma in North America.
  • How can our young generation grow with the best values from both cultures?
  • How can they learn the true meaning and concepts of Dharma and take pride in their heritage?

 

All past, present and future presidents, founders, Board members, youth program coordinators and volunteer supporters of all Hindu, Jain temples and Gurudwaras and institutions are invited.

Two sessions on Monday, August 15, will present a workshop on Temple Management, Administration and priest training, etc. that temple Board members must plan to attend.

The accomplishments of our new generation in schools, colleges, and universities are commendable. However, most of them do not relate to the temples and gurudwaras; they tend to feel that these institutions hold no relevance in their lives.

But some of our institutions have done an excellent job of training the young people. We can network, interact and learn from the successful experiences of one another in a mutually supportive environment in this conference.

Our religious institutions must focus on the needs of the new generation by organizing activities for them and presenting the correct and positive aspects of our traditions; e.g., Yoga, meditation, religious tolerance, Ahimsa/nonviolence, that continue to gain strong following and can play a major role in building a pluralistic and tolerant society in North America by virtue of our belief in "Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti" and "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam."

 

For some details on this DHARMA SUMMIT 2005, please click on the next line......and click here to visit the web site which has the full details on the summit....



\Dharma Summit 2005\

Indian Americans are successful and well represented in respectable professions like medicine, law, engineering, computer science, and academia, as well in business and industry. Generally, we are highly educated, peace loving, and law abiding citizens.

Many of us have deep connections with our spiritual heritage, and deep reverence for the legacy of Indic traditions. We cherish the desire that our future generations will proudly carry on these traditions in our adopted land. To fulfill such cherished dreams,
the first generation Indian Americans have built about 700 Hindu temples, 250 Sikh gurudwaras and 100 Jain temples in USA.

The accomplishments of our new generation in schools, colleges, and universities are exceeding those of the first generation. However, their interest in our cultural and spiritual traditions is far removed from our exalted expectations. Most of them do not relate to the temples and gurudwaras the first generation has so enthusiastically built. They tend to feel that these institutions were built by the first generation for the rituals that hold no relevance in the lives of the new generation.

Our young generation does not have the opportunity to learn about our traditions from parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and older siblings, or from festivals and celebrations in families and neighborhoods, as we did growing up in India.

They learn distorted versions of our faith, culture and traditions from their teachers and textbooks in schools and colleges. Even highly reputed and world-class reference books like the Microsoft Encarta encyclopedia have presented a distorted and maligned image of Hinduism.

They are influenced by TV and internet. Unfortunately, the media tends to present mostly the sensational and bizarre stories about Hindus and Hinduism. As a result of continuous negative stereotyping of Hinduism in North America:

  • Many Indian students feel embarrassed and ashamed with the classroom discussions on Hinduism; they feel alienated from their religion and heritage (see www.hicad.us/Essay by Trisha Pasricha.htm a 14-year old school girl from Houston, TX, about her experience in Social Studies classes)
     

  • Some of them develop resentment against Hinduism and Hindus, including their own parents and relatives. Some find it necessary (or expedient ?) to convert to Christianity in order to succeed.
     

  • Based on the negative portrayals of women in our culture, many young girls avoid marrying within the Hindu, Jain, Sikh community.
     

  •  Every temple or gurudwara has to put up a long court battle before construction is permitted.
    No one wants a temple or Gurudwara in their neighborhood.
     

  • Many intellectuals in our community have pondered on these serious issues hampering the development of our next generation and the image of our religious traditions in our adopted land.

 

Our religious institutions must evolve to meet the needs of the new generation by presenting the correct and positive aspects of our Dharmic traditions; e.g., Yoga and meditation that continue to gain strong following and can play a major role in building a pluralistic and tolerant society in North America by virtue of our belief in “Ekam Sat, Vipra Bahudha Vadanti.”

Dharma Summit is being organized to bring together heads of all Devalayas, spiritual institutions, and organizations to exchange thoughts and ideas, and share experiences on how to impart spiritual and cultural education to our future generations in North America and remove misperceptions about our faith traditions from the American society in order to maintain our Dharmic traditions with dignity.

Some of our religious institutions have done an excellent job of training the young people. We can learn from the successful experiences of one another.

The summit will bring together on one platform heads of various Sampradayas to ponder about the future of Dharma traditions in North America.

How can our young generation grow with the best values from both cultures?

How can they learn the true meaning/concepts of Dharma and take pride in their heritage?

Only those who learn and follow our traditions will be able to disseminate the correct picture of Dharma in the society as they become respected professionals like doctors, lawyers, teachers, or journalists, in their own right.

This conference is being organized with the support, cooperation and involvement of all major Sampradayas and institutions.

We cordially invite you to attend this conference to share your experience and show your support and commitment to this noble cause.

Detailed information, including the tentative agenda, registration form, directions and nearby hotels is available at this
web site. For questions, or suggestions, please feel free to contact the undersigned.

VedPChaudhary

Ved P. Chaudhary, Ph.D.
General Secretary
22 Jackie Drive
Morganville, New Jersey 07751

Tel: 732-972-1489
Fax: 309-417-5503
Email: ved.chaudhary@Gmail.com


Tel: 732-972-1489
Fax: 309-417-5503
Email: ved.chaudhary@Gmail.com

 



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