Author: Maria Wirth
There are many born Hindus who know much more about Vedic wisdom than I do, but sometimes it is easier for an outsider to see the most important aspects of an incredibly rich, an incredibly vast tradition, like the Indian tradition. I was fortunate that soon after coming to Bharat, at the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar in 1980, and in the surroundings of Sri Anandamayi Ma and other great spiritual personalities, I became familiar with this most important aspect: You are not what you think you are Sri Anandamayi Ma claimed: your senses deceive you. You are not a small…
While clearing my mail inbox, I found the following mail from 2016, written by one Subbiah and my reply to him: Dear Ms Wirth: While celebrating the glory of Hinduism, please have a heart for the millions of Dalits in India whom for millennia the Hindu society has condemned to a status below that of animals. I am sure you have read what Dr Ambedkar has said about the deleterious consequences of India ever becoming a Hindu Raj. Please see <http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/talking-terms/double-speak-the-accolades-heaped-on-b-r-ambedkar-ignore-his-strident-critique-of-hinduism/>. Hinduism is probably the only major religion that lets some of its own flock treat others as inferior…
Something big is happening in Bharat after 500 long years. Common sense says that it should have happened much earlier. Latest in 1947, when India was partitioned on religious lines and Indians who had converted to Islam got Pakistan. At that time, it would have been natural for Hindus to get back their temples which had been destroyed by invaders and mosques built on them as symbols of dominance and supremacy. But maybe, now is just the right time for Bharat and the world to get back the Mandir at the birthplace of Sri Ram. The reason is that Ram…
I was clearing my inbox from old mails. One mail was from 2016, written by someone with a Muslim name. He wrote: Seriously mam, did you think that, Hindu faiths and beliefs are correct, did you find anything good in a religion like Hinduism..? My reply: Parvez ji, Yes, for me Hindu ‘belief’ is closest to truth. It details the absolute Truth: all is one Brahman (other names are possible, like Paramatman, Satchitananda, etc.) Vedas claim Atman (individual consciousness) is one with Brahman (universal consciousness) Maybe you could see my article https://mariawirth.com/indias-wisdom-and-modern-science/ Further, Hindu Dharma gives different people different tips.…
Maria’s Wirth book is an ode to India and its wisdom. Stumbling into India on an accidental layover 1980, she got drawn into a seeker’s journey, searching for truth and encountering the many remarkable men and women, gurus and teachers, who would act as guides for her decades in India. From Sai Baba to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, from Anandamayi Ma to Amma, she records her close personal encounters and experiences. The journey will take us to secluded and unknown yogis in the Himalayas to the famous celebrity gurus, to colourful festivals and ascetic caves. But her real journey is…
Prince Siddhartha, who was later called Buddha, was a Hindu. He didn’t promote “Buddhism”. Emperor Ashoka, who was born a few centuries later, promoted Buddhism. He wanted his subjects to follow what Buddha had taught and what was compiled in some councils, long after Buddha’s death. The story goes that Ashoka felt so much repentance after a cruel war that he converted to Buddhism. This story may not be true. Another version says that, as he had killed his brother to get to the throne, he was censored by a Brahmin council. Consequently, he declared himself a Buddhist. Whatever may…
It is often said, Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life. Or is it a religion? What is true? It depends on how religion is defined. Most people probably would say that religion is: about believing in an invisible Supreme Being, which is the cause of our existence, about methods and rituals to worship it, about living according to its laws or will. In this case, Hinduism is definitely a religion. In fact, it is the Mother of all religions, because the Indian Vedas had postulated already in very ancient times the existence of such a Supreme…
By Maria Wirth At a seminar where Hinduism related topics were discussed, I asked some students during tea break, “Can you explain to me what Hinduism is about?” There was an awkward silence. After a while, a girl said “Hindus worship many Gods.” I asked, who created the many Gods?” Now the silence was permanent. Nobody ventured an answer. “Did you ever hear of Brahman?” I asked. “I do not mean Brahma the creator God, but Brahman the absolute Truth, the conscious Oneness behind this manifestation?” No, none of them had heard of Brahman. I hardly could believe it. How…
By Maria Wirth It’s finally out in the open even within India and Hindus must not ignore it: the call to eradicate Sanatana Dharma. The attitude “Sanatana Dharma is eternal. Nobody can eradicate it” is dangerous. True, the eternal Dharma, the knowledge about what is right in a given situation, cannot be eradicated. But look at the pitiful conditions of Hindus in Pakistan or Afghanistan! This fate must not befall Hindus in India, or humanity will lose its last beacon of light. What has happened? Udhayanidhi Stalin, a minister in Tamil Nadu and son of the present CM, stated what…
This is a most sensible question. But why does it not happen? Why don’t they sit together and solve their differences? The reason is that two of the three religions, Islam and Christianity, demand blind belief in only their story about the true God and his creation. Muslims need to believe what around 1400 years ago Prophet Mohammed supposedly said and what is written in the Quran. And in some verses, for example 8.39 or 9.29 the Quran says that Allah wants all to become Muslims, and Muslims even need to wage war to reach this goal. On the other…