east Asia is filled with tranquil, meditating, people, who, our sages tell us. In the Netherlands, we are doing the practice of yoga, and is adorned with a statue of Buddha in almost any garden or living room. Why do we, in the East and in the West as the source of all wisdom?
“In the nineteenth century, the interest in this”, says Victor van Bijlert, assistant professor of Indian religions and Sanskrit at the Free University of Amsterdam, the netherlands. The Indian spiritual leader, Ram Mohan Roy translated from 1815 to the Upanishads, sacred hindu texts, in the English language.
At that time, was given to the East India Company, the British trading company in India under my control. High British officers were interested in that period of time, not for the Indians, who are under the thumb is gone. But some of the exotic philosophies and found them to be fun,” said Van Bijlert.
as for The buddhism, which originated in India and later into China to spread out), it was in the middle of the nineteenth century, well-known in the West. “This was mainly due to the European theosofen, one of the founders of our new age and went on to mention,” says the assistant professor.
finally, theosophy was founded by a German and a Russian medium, a certain madame Helena Blavatsky. It has organized a rather dubious meetings, which is fake have turned out to be. But it also said they are on the posh parties all over the buddhist ideas. Like the karma, the basic idea is that a person need to have a good life, and the reward is to be born again as a more successful person. Beautiful, the intellectual, the visitors of the origin of events.
it is The Celebration of Buddha’s Birthday at the the Nieuwmarkt in Amsterdam, the netherlands. (Photo: NU.nl/Iris Zoric).
India is the hip < / p> After the Second world War, the religions of the East, is popular with the public at large. The tough, American writers such as Jack Kerouac and poet Allen Ginsberg has been explored in the buddhist religion, as well as on their travel to India.
The hindu movement, the hare krishna was established in 1966 in the United States of america was founded, and gained followers throughout the English-speaking world. In the Netherlands, wrote to the poet, Simon Vinkenoog, in the mid-seventies, several books on oriental wisdom and the station. Hippies were wrapped in oriental robes, and meditate in the wierookdampen.
self-improvement that attracts people to the
And now, the Aziëgekte is not over yet. What do we think is so cool about Asian words of wisdom? Van Bijlert has an idea. The eastern religions are often about “self-actualization”, self-improvement, then. “Do the yoga, that is also going to be the improvement for yourself. You can do it on your own. That fits in with the Western world. We are in communications with others.”
“You’re not a church, not a priest. You don’t have regular rituals to keep up.” As yet, however, very few people go to church on Sunday, the eastern religions and philosophies will only become more popular. “You can be spiritual, but the church is no longer necessary.”
