SMU Adventures: Gary in India http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/ en Copyright 2011 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 18:05:14 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Lining up Gary9.jpg Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. My friend Amy said, you won't see people in the U.S. lined up like that to get into church to meet their God.











]]> http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/2011/01/lining_up.html http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/2011/01/lining_up.html Gary in India Wed, 12 Jan 2011 18:05:14 -0600 Dedicated to Shiva Gary8.jpg Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated in 1010 AD and in continuous use since then, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva (also rendered as Siva or Saiva).











]]> http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/2011/01/dedicated_to_shiva.html http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/2011/01/dedicated_to_shiva.html Gary in India Wed, 12 Jan 2011 17:53:40 -0600 Aryan invaders Gary6.jpg Srirangan Hindu temple, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India. 3000 years ago the Aryan invaders from what is now Turkey introduced Brahmanic Hinduism, the caste system, and horses to India.

The horse statues in this temple are evidence the Aryan influence extended here, quite far into the south. The caste system leads to the oppression of the untouchables, the Dalits.







]]> http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/2011/01/aryan_invaders.html http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/2011/01/aryan_invaders.html Gary in India Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:51:00 -0600 14th-century temple Gary5.jpg One of 27 entrances to the 14th-century Srirangam Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.











]]> http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/2011/01/14thcentury_temple.html http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/2011/01/14thcentury_temple.html Gary in India Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:43:05 -0600 A Christian ashram Gary4.jpg Saccidananda Ashram, Shantivanam of the Holy Spirit, a Christian ashram, is a monastery of Benedictine monks that includes study of Hindu doctrine (Vedanta) and Hindu methods of prayer and meditation (Yoga) and welcomes guests from all around the world for retreats. We had a talk with the abbot Father Martin and shared lunch, which was simple but delicious.










]]> http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/2011/01/a_christian_ashram.html http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/2011/01/a_christian_ashram.html Gary in India Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:19:15 -0600 Safe place for all Gary3.jpg These girls at a Tamil Evangelical Lutheran hostel get an education and a safe place to stay and the chance to escape grinding poverty and abuse. Hindus, Muslims, and Christians - all are welcome - live together. They are invited to pray together in church but none is forced. This Christian approach is invitational, not coercive, with love for each child at its heart.







]]> http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/2011/01/safe_place_for_all.html http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/2011/01/safe_place_for_all.html Gary in India Sun, 09 Jan 2011 17:19:44 -0600 Visiting Bangalore Gary2.jpg At Rice Memorial Christian Church, Church of South India, in Bangalore, India







]]> http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/2011/01/post.html http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/2011/01/post.html Gary in India Sat, 08 Jan 2011 17:13:19 -0600 Studying with Dalits Gary1.jpg Studying with oppressed Dalits today. Dalits rock! Jesus Christ promises us liberation from all oppression, and those who limit this liberation to eschatological realization just don't get what Jesus preached.

In photo: On January 3, at the Student Christian Movement Center in Bangalore.







]]> http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/2011/01/studying_with_dalits.html http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/2011/01/studying_with_dalits.html Gary in India Tue, 04 Jan 2011 17:06:11 -0600 On our way Made it to Frankfurt, now waiting for the flight to Bangalore. Not much sleep!

]]> http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/2011/01/on_the_way.html http://blog.smu.edu/StudentAdventures/2011/01/on_the_way.html Gary in India Sun, 02 Jan 2011 16:58:35 -0600