| Religious Centers | Internet Links |
Introduction
| Religious Centers | Internet Links |
Introduction
In Boston there are many movements generated from the spiritual ethos of Hindu India that do not take the name "Hindu" at all. There is a reluctance, even on the part of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society, to use a name like "Hinduism," which is far more a family of traditions than a "religion." Many such movements, while Indian in origin, have become international movements with a distinctively "American" flavor in their New England contexts.
The Brahma Kumaris, for example, are part of a worldwide movement based at Mt. Abu in India. Its committed members are largely women, as is the international leader, Dadi Prakashmani. The Brahma Kumaris are a small community in Boston, focused on meditation and service.
The Siddha Yoga Dham also practices meditation, carrying forward a tradition brought to the U.S. by Swami Muktananda in the 1970s. Siddha Yoga meditation courses, workshops and lectures, and the celebration of holidays -- including Christmas and Easter, Divali and Shiva Ratri -- shape the religious life of the Shree Muktananda Ashram in South Fallsburg, New York and of the many local centers such as the one in Watertown. Since Swami Muktananda's death, the movement has continued under the leadership of his spiritual heir, Chidvilasananda, also called Gurumayi.
The Dhyanyoga Center in Cambridge is affiliated with Dhyanyoga Centers, Inc., a non-profit organization headquartered in Antioch, California. The organization was founded to promote the teachings of the late Shri Dhyanyogi Madhusudandasji, who first came to the U.S. in 1976. His spiritual heir, Anandi Ma, now conducts yoga retreats and meditation programs across the country.
Transcendental Meditation movement, popularly known as TM came to the United States in the early 1960s and is still led by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, based in Rishikesh in India. TM has become widely known through its openness to investigation by the scientific and medical community. Boston doctor Herbert Benson's well known book, The Relaxation Response, was based on his research with TM practitioners on the physiological effects meditation practice.