AHYMSIN-Americas Newsletter Articles

The Vasudeva Principle NOTES FROM MY PATH   by Rob Diggins   As a beginner—really, a Level II TTP student—I first read an assigned article about something called the Vasudeva Principle. At that time, I felt nothing. As a musician in a local kirtan band, I regularly chanted Sanskrit phrases, including one that contained the word “Vasudeva.” Still, skepticism lingered within me.   Faith—the practice of believing simply because of tradition or indoctrination—had been so ridiculed and denigrated during my childhood that skepticism became my default posture. Faith itself was cast as the problem, the “opiate of the masses,” and the once-popular bumper sticker Question Authority might as well have been flashing somewhere behind my eyelids, insisting that only fools accept claims without proof. Because of this, I found myself wary, even judgmental, of many of my kirtan-chanting peers—individuals who had rejected their inherited religious traditions as pat...

      My Philosophy of Life by Mariella Silva   This article was inspired by the book  God,  by Pandit Usharbudh Arya, along with numerous articles, including  Chitta Prasadana: A collection of writings  from Swami Veda Bharati. In particular, the translation and descriptions of  sattva  include wording taken directly from Swami Veda Bharati. How lucky I am, in this particular moment, to watch the snow fall during this holiday season—and to witness an expansive blanket of purity across my view. How lucky I am that I have created times in my life where I am able to rest.   While contemplating purity, I notice an interruption wanting to spring forth—my mind trying to pull me somewhere else, into worry and rushing about everything I have to do today. In moments like these, it becomes essential to remember the strength of having a philosophy of life: to declare, with clarity, that we have the ability to choose—to lean toward purity. A p...