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Dr. Manohar Shinde, M.D, Ph.D, Los Angeles, California, USA

Dr. Manohar Shinde, M.D, Ph.D, Los Angeles, California, USA.  Chair person, Dharma Civilaisation Foundation (DCF)  Retired from private medical practise  Clinical faculty in general and child psychiatry at UCLA & USC Manoharshinde@gmail.com Ph: 001-818-470-2666. My Theme:

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Dr. Manohar Shinde, M.D, Ph.D, Los Angeles, California, USA

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  1. Dr. Manohar Shinde, M.D, Ph.D,Los Angeles, California, USA Chair person, Dharma Civilaisation Foundation (DCF) Retired from private medical practise Clinical faculty in general and child psychiatry at UCLA & USC Manoharshinde@gmail.com Ph: 001-818-470-2666

  2. My Theme: “Wisdom traditions of India”, its relevance and challenges.

  3. What I will like to touch upon today: • What is Sanatana Dharma ? • Historical context and current scenario in academia. • Some examples of the richness of our world-view or Indian paradigm on life. • Why it is important, its relevance & applications to current context. • Today’s civilisational challenges.

  4. What is Sanatana Dharma ? • It is not one book or one prophet or one set of dogmas. • An accumulated wisdom of Rishis, in the quest of unraveling mysteries of the inner & outer world.

  5. Contd.. • Discoveries of eternal truth, laws & guiding principles, beyond time & geography (SHRUTIS) • Also provision for ever-changing systems , applications, institutions & arrangements, according to the changing times (SMRUTIS) • Why it is also called Hindu Dharma (analogy of Newton’s discovery of the law of gravity)

  6. Historical context: • Two water-shed moments: a) Lord Macaulay in 1840’s. b) Attitude of political leadership of post-independent India towards its civilisational roots. (raising standard of living, at the neglect of nurturing civilisational ethos became the guiding policies).

  7. Consequences and current scenario: • No accurate & authentic knowledge of our rich heritage nor any vision about what could be our contribution to the world. • It fostered ignorance or indifference or shame, disdain & contempt towards our past.  It created a psychology of being cut off from our roots.

  8. Illustrative examples of richness of our wisdom traditions: • We will breifly touch upon three domains: a) Economic Domain b) Clash of civilisations domain. c) Ecological domain.

  9. Economic Domain: • The concept of four-fold Purusharthas (An integral and balanced vision of human pursuits, covering both material & non-material aspects of life) • Aimed at neither a shortage nor over-valueing or dominance of material prosperity(Artha). • A metaphorical comparison between Ayodhya, Lanka & Kishkinda • Questioning of the current economic models after the 2008 global economic crisis • Aurobindo’sprespective on the goal of an economic model.

  10. Contd.. • Two different approaches to happiness: a) Western approach: “what gives happiness?” b) Eastern approach: “ what is the nature of happiness?”

  11. Ecological Domain: • Indian attitude towards environment: a) seeing an all-pervasive divinity in the creation. b) not to conquer or exploit but milking the nature. c) can provide valuable spiritual & philosophical foundations to the contemporary green movement in the west.

  12. In the domain of clash of civilisations & international terrorism: • Two differing approaches: a) Dharma perspective: “Ekam Sat, ViprahaBahudaVadanti” (pluralistic & inclusive attitude) b) Abrahmic perspective:  In religious idiom: world divided between believers & non-believers.  In the secular idiom: insisting that democracy, free market economy & capitalism are to be the only suitable models for everybody.

  13. Contd.. • A striking example: a) American prayer: “god bless America” b) Amma’s prayer: “Lokha samastha sukhino bavanthu” or praying for the well being of every body.

  14. Why this is important: • The voice of dharma & eastern wisdom is presently largely absent at most of the global discourses on vitally important issues confronting humanity & our planet. • They have a tremendous potential to make valuable contributions to the above dialogue, if a legitimate & respectable place is carved out for them.

  15. Need of the hour: • A rediscovery of this timeless treasure of insights & wisdom. • To elaborate on its relevance & applications to the current times. • A need to communicate it in a contemporary & effective idiom, language & terms. • To articulate “Yuga Dharma” in the light of “Sanatana Dharma”.

  16. The civilisational challenge: • To create a world-class community of scholars, academicians & thought-leaders, to generate a rich source of intellectual capital in the field of humanities & social sciences. • Recently announced amma’s centre on spirituality & study of Sanatana Dharma heralds an auspicious & historic beginning.

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