Category: Friends

Rama’s Diwali

Posted on November 7, 2015September 16, 2020 by user

Friends Event: Rama's Diwali

Leicester Friends Event

Saturday, 7 November 2015 – 6:30pm to 9:00pm

Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre Rothley Street
Leicester LE4 6LF  

A talk by Anuradha Dooney of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Diwali is one of Hinduism’s most inclusive festivals and is now celebrated worldwide. One of the most famous of the many Diwali stories is the story of Lord Rama. What does Rama’s Diwali tell us about community and duty, morality and social responsibility? In this talk we look at the story and then go deeper to consider what insights Diwali can bring to the contemporary world.

Organiser:

Friends of the OCHS – Leicester

A Hindu Vision of Childhood and Parenting

Posted on October 3, 2015September 16, 2020 by user

Friends Event: A Hindu Vision of Childhood and Parenting

Leicester Friends Event

Saturday, 3 October 2015 – 6:30pm to 9:00pm

Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre
Rothley Street, Leicester LE4 6LF  

A talk by Brainerd prince of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and Saloni Patel

With the global effort to protect the rights of children, have we lost a healthy understanding of the role of the family as the centre of a child’s social structure? How can Hindu approaches to children and particularly their relationship to parents offer a corrective to other modern notions – is there a Hindu contribution to the current debate on child rights?

Organiser:

Friends of the OCHS – Leicester

Conversion in Hindu Culture

Posted on August 1, 2015September 16, 2020 by user

Conversion in Hindu Culture

Leicester Friends Event

Saturday, 1 August 2015 – 6:30pm to 9:00pm

Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre
Rothley Street, Leicester LE4 6LF  

A talk by by Shaunaka Rishi Das of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

The word conversion conjures up images of determined zealots, waving their book, and haranguing a fallen soul to turn to the one true God. The issue of conversion in India has resulted in death and the destruction of sacred places. Some Hindus stand firmly by the assertion that there is no conversion in Hindu tradition. Some say you become a Hindu only by birth, and others maintain that the impure should not even be allowed into temples. In this talk we explore Hindu ways of thinking about conversion, change, and transformation, and try to explain different approaches to these ideas, and how they may apply in a modern context.

Organiser:

Friends of the OCHS – Leicester

lf@ochs.org.uk

OCHS-Talk1-Aug-2015.pdf

Friends Event: The idea of Faith in Hindu thought

Posted on April 4, 2015September 23, 2020 by user

Friends Event: The idea of Faith in Hindu thought

Leicester Friends Event

Saturday, 4 April 2015 – 6:30pm to 9:00pm

Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre
Rothley Street Leicester LE4 6LF

A talk by Shaunaka Rishi Das of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Faith is an English word with baggage. In Sanskrit there are many words that cover the ground used by the word faith, and extend beyond that ground. But the Hindu ideas of faith don’t distinguish between faith and reason, as is common in contemporary discourse, and don’t often link faith and belief. To explore the concept of faith in Hindu traditions, some of which are theistic, some atheistic, and some non-theistic, we will refer, among other things, to a paradigm of the development of faith in the Bhagavat, Hindu cultures most influential text.

Organiser:

Friends of the OCHS – Leicester

lf@ochs.org.uk

Tirath Yatra: Leicester Temple Pilgrimage

Posted on March 28, 2015October 5, 2020 by user

Tirath Yatra: Leicester Temple Pilgrimage

Leicester Friends Event

Saturday, 28 March 2015 (All day)

The Temples we will be visiting are Jalaram Mandir, Jain Centre, Hare Krishna Temple (ISKCON), Shri Shirdi Sai Baba, Geeta Bhavan, Radha Krishna Mandir, Hindu Mandir, Sanatan Mandir, Swaminarayan Mandir (BAPS), Shreeji Haveli, Swaminarayan Mandir (ISSO), Shreeji Haveli, Ram Mandir, Shree Murugan Temple & Gayatri Parivar. Start at the Jalaram Mandir on Narbarough Road

What better way to celebrate Ram Navmi then by visiting the beautiful temples of Leicester and raising money for the OCHS.

Join us on our sponsored walk that will take you to all the Temples in Leicester, marvel at the deities and the structure of the Temples themselves, understand the diversity within Hinduism.

8.00am registration, walk starts at 8.30am, Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

No age limit, we walk at steady pace so that it is enjoyable and manageable for all.

For more information & Registration details please email to leicesterfriends@ochs.org.uk or call 0116 268 0306 or 07845 286057 All the money raised goes to support the work of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. The OCHS is making a great contribution to Hindu education in the UK, offering scholarly courses in cities and online, publications based on excellent research, help and advice to students, scholars and various national bodies. It is perhaps Hinduism’s most important national educational resource for those hoping to gain a broader understanding of the faith.

Organiser:

Friends of the OCHS – Leicester

lf@ochs.org.uk

Tirth-Yatra-2015.pdf

Friends Event: The Gita in the Thought and Life of Gandhi

Posted on March 7, 2015September 23, 2020 by user

Friends Event: The Gita in the Thought and Life of Gandhi

Leicester Friends Event

Saturday, 7 March 2015 – 6:30pm to 9:00pm

Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre
Rothley Street Leicester LE4 6LF

A talk by Ramesh Pattni of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

It is well known that the Gandhi took the Bhagavad Gita as his major religious resource and constantly reflected on its message for inspiration and energy. Indeed his autobiography suggests the influence of the text in its very title: The Story of my Experiments with Truth. To what extent did the Gita form the basis of his personal and political life? What were the precepts of the Gita which influenced his decisions and direction? How was his public life shaped by one of the central ideas in the Gita: Selfless action and what about his inner struggles in attempting to live a life of discipline? We will explore some of these questions in the talk.

Organiser:

Friends of the OCHS – Leicester

lf@ochs.org.uk

Friends Event: The Gita in the Thought and Life of Gandhi

Posted on February 21, 2015September 23, 2020 by user

Friends Event: The Gita in the Thought and Life of Gandhi

Birmingham Friends Event

Saturday, 21 February 2015 – 7:00pm to 9:00pm

Meeting House of the Society of Friends,
1 Hamlet Road Hall Green, Birmingham B28 9BG

A talk by Ramesh Pattni of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

It is well known that the Gandhi took the Bhagavad Gita as his major religious resource and constantly reflected on its message for inspiration and energy. Indeed his autobiography suggests the influence of the text in its very title: The Story of my Experiments with Truth. To what extent did the Gita form the basis of his personal and political life? What were the precepts of the Gita which influenced his decisions and direction? How was his public life shaped by one of the central ideas in the Gita: Selfless action and what about his inner struggles in attempting to live a life of discipline? We will explore some of these questions in the talk.

Organiser:

Friends of the OCHS – Birmingham

Friends Event: Stepping Stones for Change

Posted on February 17, 2015September 23, 2020 by user

Friends Event: Stepping Stones for Change

Leicester Friends Event

Saturday, 7 February 2015 – 6:30pm to 9:00pm

Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre
Rothley Street Leicester LE4 6LF

A talk by Anuradha Dooney of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.

With 2015 now upon us it is we can take stock of time past. We all hope for a better world, a brighter future, improved health and happier relationships, but it is not always easy to know how to make resolutions a reality. This talk draws inspiration from Hindu sacred texts, teachers, and teachings to shape our resolve and bring about change for good.

Organiser:

Friends of the OCHS – Leicester

Friends Event: Detachment in the Gita

Posted on October 4, 2014September 23, 2020 by user

Friends Event: Detachment in the Gita

Leicester Friends Event

Saturday, 4 October 2014 – 6:30pm to 9:00pm

Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre
Rothley Street Leicester LE4 6LF

A talk by Shaunaka Rishi Das of the Oxford Centre For Hindu Studies

We are all attached to our stuff – our gadgets, our cars, our homes, our pets, our parents, our country, and our looks. Yet we know everything wears out eventually, and then we suffer. The Gita speaks about the nature of our attachments, why we want loads of stuff, why the grass on the other side looks greener, and why we are often not satisfied with what we have. In this talk we will discuss what the Gita proposes one to do when being attracted to material things seems so inevitable and being attached to spiritual things seems so distant; and how these proposals challenge our notions of religion, politics, family, and identity.

Organiser:

Friends of the OCHS – Leicester

lf@ochs.org.uk

fochs-l-oct2014.pdf

Friends Event: Is Modern Yoga Really Yoga?

Posted on September 20, 2014September 23, 2020 by user

Friends Event: Is Modern Yoga Really Yoga?

Birmingham Friends Event

Saturday, 20 September 2014 – 6:30pm to 8:30pm

Shree Ram Mandir
8 Walford Road
Sparkbrook
Birmingham, B11 1NR

A talk by Ramesh pattni of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Yoga has become a multi-billion dollar commodity with over 30 million people in the US alone practising one form or another of Yoga. Where did all these forms arise from and are they traceable to earlier scriptures? What does Patanjali have to say about what has come to be known as the Classical text of Yoga called the Yogasutra? We look at Patanjali’s text in detail and trace some of the developments in Yoga philosophy and practice from ancient times.

Organiser:

Friends of the OCHS – Birmingham