Hindu Collective Initiative
    -North America

Dharma Summit 2005

For the first time in North America, more than 450 participants representing more than 80 Hindu temples and religious organizations came together for a Dharma Summit on August 13-15, 2005. The theme of the summit was The Future of Dharmic Traditions in North America, and its objective was to Shape the Future of Dharma in North America.

The overwhelmingly successful Dharma Summit that took place at the Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey was arguably the largest and most important Hindu conference ever organized on the American shores. In this gathering of Hindu leaders, gurus, and intellectuals, a new course was outlined for the future development and growth of Hindu community in North America. 

Some of the most important Hindu leaders in the world were present for this event, including: Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati (the inspiration behind the Dharma Summit), Swami Chidananda Saraswati of Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh (Muniji - the inspiration behind the Hindu Encyclopedia project), Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, the head of the Hindu Monastery in Kauai, Hawaii (Publisher of Hinduism Today Magazine) and several of his sannyasis, Dr. Pranav Pandya (head of the All World Gayatri Pariwar), Gurudev Chitrabhanu ji of Jain Meditation Center, NY, Swami Jyotirmayananda Puri (Ramakrishna Order, Mangalore), Dr. David Frawley (Vamadeva Shastri, head of Vedic Institute, NM), Dr. Frank Morales (the well-respected American Hindu intellectual and philosopher), Sri Steven Knapp (a prolific American Hindu author), and many others.  These Hindu lights and dignitaries all filled the first row of the auditorium. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar sent his personal message that was presented through audio-visual means.

Many inspiring talks were given during the three-day event.  Both Swami Dayananda Saraswati and Chidananda Muniji spoke on the crucial need of defending Hinduism as a unique religious tradition, and on the importance of fostering global Hindu unity.  Sri Dayananda Saraswati also stressed the importance of rejecting the false notion of Radical Universalism – the mistaken idea that Hinduism teaches that all religions are the same.  “Hindus do not teach that all religions are the same”, he assured the large audience, “After all, we’re not idiots!” 
 
 The concern that many young generation Hindus in USA are not learning and maintaining Hindu traditions was clearly evident through out the conference that brought together presidents and boards of trustees of many temples, Devalayas, spiritual institutions, and organizations together with many intellectuals and committed volunteer leaders from throughout the USA. The rich mix of swamis, intellectuals, temple trustees and youth leaders provided a unique opportunity to exchange different viewpoints, thoughts and ideas and share experiences on how to impart spiritual and cultural education to future generations. They also discussed the serious problem of distortion and misinformation about Hindu Dharma and India prevalent in schools, colleges, and in the media.

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, Spiritual Head of the Hindu Monastery, Kauai, Hawaii gave an impressive PowerPoint presentation on how to explain Hindu beliefs to children. 

HCi Sri Anuttama Dasa Prabhu of ISKCON spoke at length on the importance of Hindu organizations adopting professional techniques to more effectively communicate the Hindu message to the media.  Dr. Frank Morales gave one of the best received talks of the event (even beginning his talk in perfectly pronounced Hindi!), stressing that Hindus need to reject derogatory terminology when referring to Hindu beliefs and practices, and need to use the term “Sanatana Dharma” rather than “Hinduism”. 

A workshop was organized by the Hindu University of America which is starting a program to train Hindu priests to meet the expressed needs of temples in the USA for priests who can communicate with the younger generation and with the interfaith community. Legal aspects, media and interfaith relations, successful temple management practices, and financial resource development were key issues discussed with much sharing of ideas.

One of the significant aspects of the Summit was the inclusion of the younger generation on various panels and in all aspects of the program. HSC General Secretary Nikunj Trivedi spoke about the ways in which local temples and religious organizations and HSC can work together to meet the needs of college students.

The souvenir issue of the Dharma Summit, edited by Swami Jyotirmayananda Puri, was packed with messages from spiritual and religious leaders, insightful articles from intellectuals, and information of interest from sponsors.  Dr. Preeti Soni performed the inaugural prayer dance in classical Kathak style for Devi Saraswati. Heads of Sampradayas recited prayers for world peace before the tasty, all vegetarian food was served by the BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Edison. Talks and discussions among spiritual leaders, board members, youth and intellectuals and networking time made this a very activity-packed weekend. Perhaps most important aspect was the panel discussion on “The Path Forward: Actionable Recommendations for Follow-up Activities” moderated by Dr Sudhir Prabhu. A plan of action was proposed to follow up on the insights and recommendations generated in the earlier sessions.

The positive experience of this conference resulted in overwhelming demand for a collective initiative that will allow all Hindu religious organizations to work together to shape the future of Hinduism in North America, raise awareness of issues, and provide a platform for a united Hindu voice. Together they will address issues such as promoting changes to enhance the participation of the new generation, correcting biased and distorted views of Hindu traditions in educational institutions and the media, improving temple management, developing resources, enhancing the role of the temple, and helping temples and religious organizations to reach out to the larger community with services (seva) and education. 
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At the urging of the Dharma Summit 2005 participants, Hindu Collective Initiative of North America was launched to create a network of all Hindu temples and religious organizations to work together and help achieve the objectives set during the conference.

Hindu Collective Initiative of North America was registered as a not-for-profit corporation in New Jersey, USA on February 2, 2006 and its bylaws were adopted at a meeting of its steering committee on September 16, 2006 at Arsha Vidya Gurukul, Saylorsburg, PA.