HOW I BECAME A HINDU
My Discovery of Vedic Dharma
by
David Frawley
(Pandit Vamadeva Shastry)
My Discovery of Vedic Dharma
by
David Frawley
(Pandit Vamadeva Shastry)
The following book unfolds an intellectual and spiritual journey from the West to the East such as a number of people have traveled in recent times. This journey moves from the western world of materialism to the greater universe of consciousness that permeates India and was the basis of her older civilization. As an inner journey it is more pilgrimage to the spiritual heart of India than an outer visit. Yet it is also a story marked by meetings with important people, friends and teachers who connected me with deeper teachings and guided me along the way. This journey is not only through space but also through time, into the ancient world and its spiritual culture, such as India has maintained better than any country. It is a re encounter with the spiritual roots of humanity that we have long forgotten or denigrated. The book shows how the ancient Vedic world can come alive and touch us today, not only as a relic of the past but as an inspiration for the future. It is a return to the formative stages of humanity, before we directed our energy to the outer world and were still connected with our cosmic origins.
How I Became a Hindu – David Frawley Hopefully, the book can help reawaken this original creative vision of the species that holds the key of transformation for our present darker world. In my books to date I have written little about myself. This book is a departure and is centered on my own life-experience. The book is autobiographical in tone, but it is not so much an account of my personal life as about how certain changes occurred in my psyche. It focuses on an inner transformation that fundamentally altered who I am and changed my perception of both self and world. In my case I simply didn’t build bridges to the East, I crossed over them and left them far behind. I immersed my being in the soul of the East so completely that I almost ceased to be a westerner, not only in my thoughts but also in my instincts.
How I Became a Hindu – David Frawley Hopefully, the book can help reawaken this original creative vision of the species that holds the key of transformation for our present darker world. In my books to date I have written little about myself. This book is a departure and is centered on my own life-experience. The book is autobiographical in tone, but it is not so much an account of my personal life as about how certain changes occurred in my psyche. It focuses on an inner transformation that fundamentally altered who I am and changed my perception of both self and world. In my case I simply didn’t build bridges to the East, I crossed over them and left them far behind. I immersed my being in the soul of the East so completely that I almost ceased to be a westerner, not only in my thoughts but also in my instincts.
Contents
Introduction
Early Years
Spiritual Paths And Discovery of The Vedas
India and Hinduism, the Spiritual Traditions
Discovery Of Social And Political Hinduism
Journalistic Work
Ancient India And Vedic Knowledge
Hindu Groups In The West
Additional Studies Of Christianity And Islam
Return Of The Pagans
Debate With The Archbishop Of Hyderabad
The Debate Goes On
Systems Of Vedic Knowledge
Towards a New Western Hinduism
Conclusion
The Meaning Of The Term Hindu