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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00020 Feb 2005

 
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Dear Sir,

I am so pleased that you addressed this question. I have lived in this
country for over forty years and wish to express my views. I find several
difficulties in both cultures as well as some assets that each culture
offers. If we are not careful we can take bad from both cultures and a
big looser. On the other hand we can also gather 'good' from both
cultures and a be a big winner. So, it is important to know the good and
bad in both cultures! So, what are they? 

In India, we are born in that culture. So what are the possible plusses
and minuses?
Our assets are obvious: Immense availability of knowledge, temples,
culture, parents, people with real knowledge religious books everywhere.
Where else can you buy Puranas for few rupees in your own language? Where
else can you get the best Puliyodarai and Chakkera Pongal?
Difficulties are not obvious: These are:
Taking assets for granted and end up with a feeling of cultural
superiority with out earning by learning and practicing it!
Being satisfied with extremely peripheral knowledge, and feeling that we
have already achieved it.
Thinking that seeing Swamiji is all we need to do, not necessarily
studying.
Waiting for somebody to give us all of the knowledge, not exerting
ourselves.
Our prejudices of casts and reverse prejudices. Find excuses in the cast
system for our failures.
The new materialistic notions in India are worse than here. Copying west
for copying sake is leading a plastic life.
The last which I find is so difficult to put your finger on; the teachers
are also faulty, they sit in too high pedestals, they lecture and do not
come down and discuss at your level, the students are too lazy for better
communication.
What are the plusses and minuses in USA?
Lack of knowledge, temples, culture etc (being corrected slowly).
US  gives Training of regimented life and purposeful living.
Learn the value of physical and material achievement. I wonder how many
really appreciate the West and its achievement. There are too many new
comers that are enjoying the fruits of the West without any appreciation
of how it got there! How much hard work and self sacrifice went into
building this nation. There are too many simplistic answers, such as
'they have money they can do' or ' they stole from Naive Americans'
without any effort in finding who they are etc. Many Indians live here
gathering things but have no commitment to this nation or India!
There is tremendous amount of Spirituality in this nation and growing.
But it is based on self effort. Here it is hard to teach surrender.
Here one can learn to study our scriptures by using the basics of this
culture more thoroughly than India. The main problem is the excuse of 'no
time'.
Here one can practice Yama and Niyama more vigorously because of the
overall attitude of Puritanical culture here!
Going back to India is a meaningless advice because God is everywhere and
Saintliness is everywhere. It is in the person to look for it. Not even a
very small fraction of India is saintly. It appears here also in
different clothing and one can find it if it is in you to start with.
That is Swamiji's teaching! Sriman Narayana is not just in India. The
present day situation is to make that teaching come here by hard work and
real practice. We can learn a lot from the organizational ability of the
Western Religions and Spiritualists. Do we have the stamina to sustain
it? Do we have the stamina to build it and organize it and manage it. I
am afraid to say that till now it has been quite poor. We have to learn,
modify and organize in more workable ways and not preach everyone to go
back. That is silly and mot practical or a good advice. The modern world
is to expand, not to go back to be little people we have been and
complain that everybody is trying to convert us. Let us organize
ourselves better and bring the torch of our teachings everywhere!

With reverence to Vishnavas and Vishnavism
Gopi Chari

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






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