This afternoon a lot of the campers had fun making clay Ganeshas. At some point they manage to convince the two teachers, Muni and myself, to join them in this messy but creatively fun project. And we are very glad we did as we had lots of fun.
This Ganesha has a top hat and is holding a Kindle in His left hand.
Muni is enjoying making his clay Ganesha while Kabilan watches on
Rupa and Dandapani are putting the final touches on their Ganeshas.
Rupa's Ganesha.....almost done
Each evening after dinner we get together for bhajans/kirtan. The counselors lead the younger campers in some chants at the start then Muni concludes the evening of music by leading them through some bhajans. Here’s a video from last night showing Muni leading them in singing “Aum Namasivaya!”
Campers share some of what they learned at the SV Temple Hindu youth camp that took place in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.
We’ve been using the book “Dancing with Siva” as our class text book. It was written by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami and published by his Himalayan Academy located at Kauai’s Hindu Monastery in Hawaii, USA.
In today’s class I talked about ahimsa (noninjury). It is defined in our text book as “the first and foremost ethical principle of every Hindu. It is gentleness and nonviolence, whether physical, mental or emotional. It is abstaining from causing hurt or harm to all beings.” We looked at how this ancient timeless teaching can be applied in our modern day life.
One of the places that it can be practiced is in the Hindu home. Parents always raise their children with love, wisdom and understanding. They never, ever, physically, mentally, emotionally or verbally abuse their children. Such acts are the height of cowardliness. Parents must always take the approach of positively and constructively disciplining their children using techniques such as natural consequences and more to lovingly guide their children to be mature and insightful young adults.
The campers have been very inspiring. It is so nice to see a group of young Hindus that are encouraging and supportive. The older campers look after the younger ones with such loving care. Carrying their bags when they are tired, encouraging them, teaching them how to sing, play games and more.
Hinduism is a solution orientated religion. Hindus look at problems only as opportunities for creative solutions. These young boys and girls exemplify this. Hinduism has a bright future thanks to them.
