A Place of Her Own

[Guest guest]

Referring back to my lengthy new "Statement of Purpose" for the Group

(see Message #1750), I would like to invite any and all members to

freely post if they disagree with what I've written or fear that the

moderators are taking this Group in the wrong direction.

 

Already, there have been posts suggesting that I am advocating a

"dualistic" view, rather than the Advaitic approach that informs so

much of modern Hinduism. I've replied that this was not my meaning or

intent. But I am completely open to any arguments and/or corrections

if I am improperly describing the philosophy of Shaktism.

 

It's important to note that Shaktism, Shaivism, Vaishnavism, etc. are

not separated by hard-and-fast doctrinal borders, as are, say, the

Protestants and the Catholics in Christianity, or the Sunnis and

Shi'ites in Islam. Hinduism is much more free-flowing; differences are

"soft" rather than absolute. Still, there are certain characteristics

that make Shaktism Shaktism, as opposed to something else. That is

what I have tried to delineate at Message #1750.

 

I recognize that this is not a simple task, and that many will say I

am needlessly "limiting" the discussions in the Club. That is not my

intention. However, the fact is that the vast majority of Hindus are

Vaishnavas and Shaivites, and that the pure Shaktas are a relatively

small minority as this time in history (although their numbers are

swiftly growing, in India and elsewhere). As a result, the moderators

of Shakti Sadhana have determined that it is important to give Devi "a

place of her own" on the Web, where Shakta doctrine is stressed over

the teachings of the other schools of Hinduism.

 

There are a number of very large "Hinduism" groups, which are

dedicated to discussing Sanatana Dharma in all of its aspects and

diversity. We are more a "specialty" or "niche" Group, and I think we

need to maintain that focus to maintain our value and purpose to

members.

 

As a partial step in that direction, Nora and I have made the decision

to make Shakti Sadhana a "moderated" club. That means that all posts

are cleared befor they appear on the board. Our purpose is not to

inhibit discussion (we'll try to keep things moving as swiftly as

ever), but to discourage harrassing and extremely off-point posts that

might tend to divert the Group from its primary purpose, and to sully

the atmosphere of peace and friendship and inclusiveness that we

strive so hard to maintain. As always, your input, suggestions,

compliments and criticisms are welcome. We will not "censor" any of it

-- so long as it meets the basic guidelines provisionally set out in

Message #1759.

 

Aum Maatangyai Namahe