DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - A commencement speech based on Bhagvad-Gita

**Caliwany** · 01-14-2009, 12:22 AM

Hammer and others might enjoy reading this short commencement speech presented by, I presume, the #1 student in the Spring 2008 graduating class at University of Puget Sound. She talks about the meaning of "dharma" to her fellow graduating class and what it means to her and to them as they go out into the "real" world. Pretty interesting speech.

Commencement :: Class Speaker: Rachel Gross '08

To me, it is interesting that a non-Hindu Westerner can find so much meaning in Bhagvad-Gita and then be able to share it with her fellow non-Hindu Westerners. I guess it's just very rare in conservative Texas but may be more common elsewhere. I'm also ambivalent about what many Hindus say about the Gita and about other spiritual knowledge of Hinduism such as yoga, that it isn't just for Hindus and that it is a universal knowledge applicable to non-Hindus too...all that's fine from the inclusive spiritual Hindu perspective but doesn't explain the advent of Jewish yoga and Christian yoga because those religions never had yoga until now and they're much more rigid religions.

01-14-2009, 12:22 AM	#1
Caliwany Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 511 Senior Member	A commencement speech based on Bhagvad-Gita Hammer and others might enjoy reading this short commencement speech presented by, I presume, the #1 student in the Spring 2008 graduating class at University of Puget Sound. She talks about the meaning of "dharma" to her fellow graduating class and what it means to her and to them as they go out into the "real" world. Pretty interesting speech. Commencement :: Class Speaker: Rachel Gross '08 To me, it is interesting that a non-Hindu Westerner can find so much meaning in Bhagvad-Gita and then be able to share it with her fellow non-Hindu Westerners. I guess it's just very rare in conservative Texas but may be more common elsewhere. I'm also ambivalent about what many Hindus say about the Gita and about other spiritual knowledge of Hinduism such as yoga, that it isn't just for Hindus and that it is a universal knowledge applicable to non-Hindus too...all that's fine from the inclusive spiritual Hindu perspective but doesn't explain the advent of Jewish yoga and Christian yoga because those religions never had yoga until now and they're much more rigid religions.
	Quote