Research Reports 2022
Vedic Europe: Vedic life on the basis of Yoga and Yogic meditation
Global Union of Scientists for Peace
The Global Union of Scientists for Peace(GUSP) is an initiative of scientists and educators from Maharishi International University, Iowa, USA. The research at this University focuses on the theory and application of Transcendental Meditation. According to the 40-page brochure published at the GUSP website "Transcendental Meditation technique was revived from the ancient Vedic Tradition and reformulated as a systematic scientific procedure by the physicist and scholar Maharishi Mahesh Yogi." As confirmed by a large body of scientific studies conducted at academic Institutions worldwide, the practice of this meditation enriches all aspects of life - individual and collective. In the Vedic understanding, continuous progress of the individual and ideal societal development are the foundations of lasting peace. Even so, scientist are the expert thinkers in every country dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and technology, the actual direction life takes depends on the minds of all the people, expressing different degrees of destructive or creative tendencies. The first Global Peace summit organized by GUSP convened in June 2017 in Kiev and brought together scientists, educators and political leaders to discuss the nonviolent prevention oriented Vedic approach promoting progress and cultural development. Some of the main speakers and topics of the conference were John Hagelin:The Brain-Based Approach to Peace, Ashley Deans: Consciousness-Based Education, Col. Gunter Chassé: Advanced Military Science: Incorporating a Field-Tested Brain-Based Approach to National Security, Mykola Didukh: Creating a Prevention Wing of the Military in Ukraine. The full conference report including media coverage and followup projects is available at the GUSP website https://www.gusp.org/global-peace-summit (Ukraine,2017)
The Global Union of Scientists for Peace(GUSP) is an initiative of scientists and educators from Maharishi International University, Iowa, USA. The research at this University focuses on the theory and application of Transcendental Meditation. According to the 40-page brochure published at the GUSP website "Transcendental Meditation technique was revived from the ancient Vedic Tradition and reformulated as a systematic scientific procedure by the physicist and scholar Maharishi Mahesh Yogi." As confirmed by a large body of scientific studies conducted at academic Institutions worldwide, the practice of this meditation enriches all aspects of life - individual and collective. In the Vedic understanding, continuous progress of the individual and ideal societal development are the foundations of lasting peace. Even so, scientist are the expert thinkers in every country dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and technology, the actual direction life takes depends on the minds of all the people, expressing different degrees of destructive or creative tendencies. The first Global Peace summit organized by GUSP convened in June 2017 in Kiev and brought together scientists, educators and political leaders to discuss the nonviolent prevention oriented Vedic approach promoting progress and cultural development. Some of the main speakers and topics of the conference were John Hagelin:The Brain-Based Approach to Peace, Ashley Deans: Consciousness-Based Education, Col. Gunter Chassé: Advanced Military Science: Incorporating a Field-Tested Brain-Based Approach to National Security, Mykola Didukh: Creating a Prevention Wing of the Military in Ukraine. The full conference report including media coverage and followup projects is available at the GUSP website https://www.gusp.org/global-peace-summit (Ukraine,2017)
“Ramayana is the oldest epic in the world history of literature, minimum 870 000 years. The great kind-hearted saint Adi Kavi (the first poet laureate) Valmiki wrote Ramayana not only to sing the melodious glory and story of Sri Rama, the Prince of Ayodhya but to present to the posterity a practical philosophy of life, a vision of Truth, by telling how to lead a pious life, within the prevailing conditions of one’s existential conditions. A society or a community is called decent or civilized on its outer aspect, such as its outer behaviour. Our civilized manner is displayed by lifestyle, eating habits, physical development, family behaviour etc… Whereas culture determines our internal thinking, knowledge, science etc. Simply speaking, our culture dictates our behaviour. Ramayana was a deciding factor to develop a human civilization and will continue to be the deciding factor of human morality and ethical life:.” After such background information the articles presents typical traits of the Ramayana era: the "social view, great five yagyas, culture, ideal family, status of women, environment, vastu and science:”
On this basis the “Ramayana literary importance”, “Ramayana in today's World” and “Ramayana ideal format of democracy” are discussed. “It is a matter of satisfaction that Ramayana has received global recognition” in culture and spirituality “as well as part of the International Ramayana Conference… This indicates that Ramayana is a pillar for the way of life in our civilization.” The complete article is published here by permission of Shri Anantbodh Chaitanya (2022)
On this basis the “Ramayana literary importance”, “Ramayana in today's World” and “Ramayana ideal format of democracy” are discussed. “It is a matter of satisfaction that Ramayana has received global recognition” in culture and spirituality “as well as part of the International Ramayana Conference… This indicates that Ramayana is a pillar for the way of life in our civilization.” The complete article is published here by permission of Shri Anantbodh Chaitanya (2022)
Der Alpha Veda Verlag veröffentlichte von 2020 bis 2022 in fünf Bänden die Deutsche Übersetzung des Shrimad Devi Bhagavatam. Dieses umfangreiche Werk gehört zu den 18 Maha-Puranas der Vedischen Literatur. "Purana" beteutet auf Deutsch "ewig" bzw. "uralt". In diesen Texten wird gezeigt, wie die in der Welt wirkenden destruktiven Kräfte (Asura) mit den kreativen Kräften (Devas) im Gleichgewicht gehalten werden. Verfasser der Originaltexte ist Maharishi Veda Vyasa (etwa 3000 BC). Die 1921/22 erschiene englische Übersetzung durch Swami Vijnanananda(1868 – 1938) wurde von Michael Stibane ins Deutsche übertragen. Ergänzend erläutert er auf seiner Webseite, wie der Mensch Nutzen aus den uralten Darstellungen ziehen kann, die sich auf zeitlos-ewige Kräfte beziehen: Devi - die alles nährende, göttliche Mutter Natur und die kreativen Entwicklungs-Impulse - Devas, deren Wirken durch die Asura gestört wird, die dadurch jeder Stagnation entgegenwirken. Die subtile Form dieser Störungen kann als „Asura-Popaganda“ bezeichnet werden. Der Soziologe Prodosh Aich nennt das in seinen Arbeiten "Macht-Medien-Manipulation". Das Studium der Puranas ermöglicht ein viel umfassenderes Verständnis des Weltgeschehens als die streng chronologische Geschichtsbetrachtung, die nur relativ kleine Zeiträume erfassen kann. Die Gesamtentwicklung der Schöpfung wird nicht durch die Willkür einzelner Mächte bestimmt oder dem Zufall überlassen, sondern folgt einem Göttlichen Plan. Der Schlüssel zum Verständnis des Devi Bhagavata Purana ist die in der Bhagavad Gita entwickelte Lehre von den drei Grundqualitäten (Gunas) der Natur, die eine Vierfache Ordnung der Schöpfung begründet. Die praktische Anwendung der Theorie der drei Gunas zur Steuerung der Entwicklung geschieht durch die Bewusstseinsentwicklung des Menschen. Es ist lehrreich, von Swami Vivekanande(1863 – 1902) gemachten Langzeit-Voraussagen, mit den Entwicklungstrends am Beginn des 21. Jahrhunderts zu vergleichen. Als Einzeltexte zugänglich sind all diese Themen auf der Webseite von Michael Stibane (2020).
In Search of Vedic Wisdom: Forms of Alternative Spirituality in Contemporary Russia
The University of Tartu, Estonia, accepted 2020 this dissertation of Irina Sadovina for the commencement of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Literature and Cultural Research. The complete thesis is available online on an open access basis
Irina Sadovina gives the following summary of her findings: "The social climate in contemporary Russia is not particularly indulgent towards alternative spirituality. Viewed by the law as secondary to the country’s “historical religions,” such movements often appear at the center of controversies and are vilified in the media. Nevertheless, alternative spirituality in today’s Russia has not only survived but flourished. For example, the teachings of Vedic Wisdom have made successful inroads into popular psychology. How can we explain the resilience of this concept, and the alternative spirituality milieu ingeneral, given the hostile environment? Current scholarship on Russian alternative spirituality tends to approach these questions either by tracing the large-scale changes in the country’s religious landscape, or by focusing on the dynamics of single movements. I argue, however, that the picture of alternative spirituality in Russia is incomplete without a third perspective, which can capture the mutual entanglement of the milieu. In this project, I develop such a perspective by focusing on Vedic Wisdom. Based on traditional and virtual ethnographic research in Russia (2012-2019), this project shows that Vedic Wisdom is not a single teaching, but a discursive cluster that forms a distinct vernacular belief tradition within the Russian alternative spirituality milieu. In the thesis, I describe three of its most influential iterations: neo-Hindu teachings, Slavic-inspired spirituality and popular psychology. In the case studies that make up this project, I show how different actors –from spiritual seekers to feminist activists – engage in negotiation, legitimation, contestation and other discursive practices that make and unmake the Vedic Wisdom tradition. To explain the paradoxical resilience of Vedic Wisdom, I show that it is implicated in broader national and global cultural phenomena: notably, the turn towards traditional values and the popularization of neoliberal practices of the self." (Irina Sadovina; 2020)
The University of Tartu, Estonia, accepted 2020 this dissertation of Irina Sadovina for the commencement of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Literature and Cultural Research. The complete thesis is available online on an open access basis
Irina Sadovina gives the following summary of her findings: "The social climate in contemporary Russia is not particularly indulgent towards alternative spirituality. Viewed by the law as secondary to the country’s “historical religions,” such movements often appear at the center of controversies and are vilified in the media. Nevertheless, alternative spirituality in today’s Russia has not only survived but flourished. For example, the teachings of Vedic Wisdom have made successful inroads into popular psychology. How can we explain the resilience of this concept, and the alternative spirituality milieu ingeneral, given the hostile environment? Current scholarship on Russian alternative spirituality tends to approach these questions either by tracing the large-scale changes in the country’s religious landscape, or by focusing on the dynamics of single movements. I argue, however, that the picture of alternative spirituality in Russia is incomplete without a third perspective, which can capture the mutual entanglement of the milieu. In this project, I develop such a perspective by focusing on Vedic Wisdom. Based on traditional and virtual ethnographic research in Russia (2012-2019), this project shows that Vedic Wisdom is not a single teaching, but a discursive cluster that forms a distinct vernacular belief tradition within the Russian alternative spirituality milieu. In the thesis, I describe three of its most influential iterations: neo-Hindu teachings, Slavic-inspired spirituality and popular psychology. In the case studies that make up this project, I show how different actors –from spiritual seekers to feminist activists – engage in negotiation, legitimation, contestation and other discursive practices that make and unmake the Vedic Wisdom tradition. To explain the paradoxical resilience of Vedic Wisdom, I show that it is implicated in broader national and global cultural phenomena: notably, the turn towards traditional values and the popularization of neoliberal practices of the self." (Irina Sadovina; 2020)
Alliances for Peace through Vedic Culture
Modern European Culture is rather young, approximately only 500 years, but rapidly spread all over the world through colonisation, trade, imperialism, education and communication. The typical European values which developed since the 16th century rely on (1) research into the principles governing the behavior of everything in the universe, (2) technologies using the global natural resources to improve the quality of life, and (3) academic education to develop the human potential. European Culture is also called Western in contrast to the cultural values of the East. The one-sided Western emphasis on fragmentation rather than unity by neglecting the role of consciousness lead to severe problems which require an extension in methodology: (1) to correct environmental imbalances, (2) to establish a self-regenerative and self-sustaining mode of living, and (3) to develop mistake-free thinking in accord with all the laws of nature. In the 20th century it has been shown by representatives of the Vedic culture, that (1) Vedic technologies called Yagya are able to eliminate the negative effects of violations of the laws of nature, that (2) through methods described in the Upa-Vedas - Ayu, Gandharva, Dhanu and Sthapatya Veda – societal administration can be transformed to safeguard cultural integrity, invincibility and unobstructed development, so that every country contributes maximum to world harmony, and that (3) through Yogic meditation the full mental potential of every individual is developed. 5000 years ago Shri Krishna explained in the Bhagavad Gita (6,15): “Collecting himself, the yogi or disciplined mind attains to peace (Shanti); the supreme liberation that abides in Me.” The call goes to all government leaders to utilize the time tested Vedic technologies to solve already existing problems and prevent future ones. Alliance with the Vedic Heritage of India - “Land of the Veda" - to establish peace through Yagya, Ayurveda and Yoga. (B. Zeiger, Editor, July 2022)
During the second half of the 20th century, Vedic Culture became available in every country of the world through Yoga-Teachers, Meditation Centres and facilities offering Ayurveda treatments. Millions of people are taking this advantage to eliminate and prevent stress, anxiety and disease. The growth of consciousness and increased societal coherence accompanying this development stimulated progress in education, science, and politics, as indicated by the discovery of the Unified Field of all the Laws of Nature by physics, the peaceful settling of the East-West Conflict ("German Unification") and the developments toward European Union. But at the beginning of the 21st century unifying developments are faced with diversifying tendencies. A dramatic example is Russia's military invasion of Ukraine with the intention to stop the neighbour country to become part of the European Union and benefit from the NATO protection shield. This points to the importance of monitoring the availability of Vedic Culture in every country, because of its ability to balance unity and diversity.
India, where the Vedic Culture has been preserved since time immemorial, has the required Vedic experts and the necessary infrastructure of traditional centres of learning to contribute effectively to world peace. In other parts of the world such experts have to be trained and structures created to safeguard the cultural integrity, sovereignty and invincibility of every nation. The Contribution of Ukraine to Vedic Europe is expected to be very significant. (Dr. Zeiger, Editor, Summer 2022)
Vedic Europe - balancing individualistic and collectivistic cultures
At the beginning of the 21st century, globalization and increased communication calls for a balancing principle to maintain coherence among the multitude of cultures in the world. The Vedic culture has been able since antiquity to maintain unity among the cultural diversity of South Asia and still is one of the largest cultures in the world. Vedic culture is not another Religion competing with Islam, Christianity or Judaism as the term "Hinduism" might suggests, but rather is a detailed and systematically structured body of knowledge dealing in theory and practice with the evolution of consciousnesses. All European countries have access now to the Vedic cultural heritage both on the academic level and within society. Several million people of Europe are already living according to Vedic principles which have proven their effectiveness in solving basic problems of modern civilization as stress, anxiety, chronic disease and societal unrest by creating and maintaining orderliness in mind, body and behavior. Because Vedic culture emphasizes on the development of consciousness through a scientific approach, it can easily be integrated into modern education. By overcoming the one-sided objective approach to knowledge, Europe can become a balancing power in the family of nations; in particular between the individualistic American way of life and the collectivistic approach prevailing in Russia, thereby maintain peace in the family of nations. The degree in which the countries of Europe have assimilated the Vedic Heritage of India has been presented at a conference in Stockholm 2017
the material of which was extended till 2020 into a two volumed Handbook
of Hinduism in Europe.
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