my name is yogesh patel and I am the Secretary of Sri Ram ji temple which is one of the established Hinduism organizations in maybe we can say largest in Quebec province and one of the biggest Hinduism Center and religious place in Canada so were you born in Canada no I born in India can you talk a little bit about your religion when you're growing up what your parents taught you or what the community taught you how you felt about God or the gods or Hinduism yes I born in Hinduism my parents my grandparents maybe four grandparents also they are on the same Hinduism practice the practicing and we migrated here in 1991 and we stablish this accommodation in 1992 and from there we are very actively very very actively participate participating in our religion in Cuba especially in the moonship and basically this organization is open open for everybody we have so many students from different universities different qualities different schools in different reason of cubic and Montreal they are regularly visiting our Center out of this temple and our priest they are trying their best to describe about our hinges and what is ISM teach you so really it's nowadays this is a landmark place you can say in material we always welcome other religions people also and there is no bar there is no bar in this ordination in our temple we were practicing any religion they always welcome and we always got something so was your family one particular sort of Hinduism or are all Hinduism's equal for us our our philosophies taught us that all Hinduism are equal but they have different names name in the sense i mean like i read on the poster upstairs that there's a certain branch of hinduism with these gods in a certain branches with these guys right no he leaves them it's a very vast to religion very much religion and you know what we believe that probably you know some lakhs of techies God is and gods are very existing in our oldish in our religion but we don't have that much but principally when you come in our temple we have some specials deities of God and what is this those are the main main main principles God and what isn't and we worship them because we believe in in practice in and pray in those deities now there's a there's a rumor going around that Hinduism worships one God like like in the monotheistic religion is it polytheistic no no we don't know we don't believe in one God but there are several board and vortices and we believe on this because i read upstairs that this goddess is an aspect of the other goddess exactly so there if I if I meet you and I see that you're generous right that's one aspect and if I meet you and I see you're intelligent that's another aspect xxo those are like day five years they become like we we focus on one part of her exam for exam Lord Rama with our main board and for example if we want if we want to worship of the wealth well then we must we believe that we should pray to Goddess Lakshmi for example we want get better in education so we believe that we must pray what is Saraswathi when we are looking more for the power we must pay what is Durga so these are the when we are talking about the you know main sharp when we think that our our kid should have sharp brain for his education of our education or for his or her future life so we believe that we must pray god Ganesha ok now I'm Catholic and we have Saints so there are patron saints there's the patron saint of education or health of everything I name it there's so many signs and I see a similarity there you're right yes sense we have we do in we do have some very popular since and those really existed like sai baba see if i was like like they were existing 200 or 250 or 300 years ago they existed in this holy mass volume and yes and due to their work due to their principles and due to their blessings we still pray them like a god and is there a difference between a saint and a god or all the gods Saints know that walked on the earth ain't show you the path to get blessing of God okay he will even right you will the lower God's show you how to get to the higher guards no there is no such type of category exists in in Hinduism definitely if you believe in once and so st. principles sense objectives will guide you how to get how to get closer to the god is he he basically he will be your spiritual leader if I'm if I'm close to one Saint and he brings me close to one particular God better that's just as good as if i was with another saint and another goddamn thing it's just in my path exactly it's depend on you which bad you want to choose okay based on your spirit definite so God gives humans a special characteristic or a special taste I like tomato you like potato it's just a question of different essay explaining earlier also that when we are talking about different gods but we believe in hughson believe that the creator of this world is the one oh ok that's what I believe creature of this goal is world is one is one name was nameless no matter you believe in Hinduism or you believe in Islam or you believe in Christianity but what we believe our new ISM taught us that you must realize that God is one regardless you believe in other religion also but your aim should one and this is the basic principle of individual now when when I was created by God I was created out of nothing that's what my Church teaches that I didn't exist before but I i think i understand that in hinduism your spirit can go into different lifetimes is that true no but but yes a reincarnation dissected a reincarnation but so far you know this is the believe what we believe what we believe okay but nowadays if you believe you if you if you follow the other religions sometime opinions they may declare me different it's not it's not essential to Hinduism that you believe in reincarnation yes we believe independent shocking but I don't have to do this appeal but what if we are talking about the Hinduism yeah then definitely injuries them believe in taken oh sure is there any possibility that this is your first incarnation or not it's difficult to judge that it's difficult to judge that but I don't know how far is correct but in India yes sometime is proven okay yes sometimes proven is it better is your first incarnation somehow better than your millionth incarnation is depend is depend how you are living in your present life okay so you could have a bad first in Connecticut and a wonderful thousandth international district you're going to correct as you go exactly but he's always depend on your present life what is the worst life where we go in the wrong direction every every incarnation going the wrong way that's correct what do you end up in hell like in my religion you can end up in hell forever do you have this yes we believe also we believe also so if you don't correct yourself you're going to keep going down exactly that's why that's why that's why it says whatever you have present life try to do better and better for your society for your life for your family for your country and for this world is not safe so there is also a heaven if you keep going up and up and up there and the Saints are the saints in heaven sort of speaker since basically you know you can consider them as a guru teacher teacher what did they escape out of my reincarnation yesterday desert and it's very important in this materialized world that you must have one guide you must have won that one guru or one teacher who can guide you in correct path to get to achieve your goal ultimately what a human being worn a peaceful life happiness happiness peaceful life and I think you're your teacher your guide your guru can drive you to get that goal to achieve that goal in your life and this is a very strong philosophy of Hinduism now have take Jesus Christ into their into their Saints among or saints no we do have actually if you if you recently lastly in fact now we are in 2017 in 2016 mother Teresa recognized by Vatican as a saint and she was I believe the first lady who achieved this honor you can say Julie a Catholic site that's correct no no mini okay yeah from india i believe is cos i don't think so no I don't know from india i really i don't think so no no I'm sure I can find many many from India I think so okay maybe I'm wrong maybe i'ma check I'll change definitely yeah but you know when mother tears I was working as a charity of home in kolkata in india she was a really sent and she did really well fair work for our society and at that time she never look that this person belongs to Hinduism or this person belongs to his lamb or this person belongs to Christianity know so that's why we also recognize her as a saint as a mother okay thanks you know I have I have I have full I fully respect for her and she did a wonderful job in this world and still have charity of mission is working wonderful jobs in India why why are so many atheists today talking against Mother Teresa in particular they talk against her christopher hitchens is a famous atheist who is dead not only against her y know that she liked money no no no no no no no no I really no it's not that it's not that we have to accept that fanaticism he's always there okay you know was there no matter you believe in Hinduism or the slam or Christianity fanaticism you got me there and the same fanaticism is in Hindu as well what happened in India and it's a 2 is a real fact that there are so many Christian missionaries working in remote part of and towards section of the society in remote areas in India and they try to change the religion of the poor people by offering them good life good education good service social service and sometime you can say money also and this type of things you know Hinduism never allow you to do a rhythm is not allowed to do that so if somebody is doing try to do that basically then people will think you know then why why these poor people are attracting by the Christianity or by the Christian missionaries in rural areas especially so there are so many reasons behind it too earnest is number one factor less education in the society is the second factor and lack of work unemployment those are the main regions but Mother Teresa as long as charity of missions is concerned she never did life she only loved people exactly and whoever is blaming now I think they're far away from reality or they don't know you know they don't know about the react or maybe they hate love possibly is it possible sively yes that would be a rare form of mental illness acne this way that's why I told you that if an item is always even an atheistic if another yes oh ok do you know any atheist in the Hindu community or no no your your tradition is very strong a very strong video I believe if you consider Hinduism I think is one of the largest one of the oldest religion in desert what is the connection between family Family Values and your religion can you talk about that yes family we believe our family values is a very good questions as long as in dsm is concerned is give you a very great value of the United family we believe in United Family people even big family big families and United for example if we are fro brothers in India still joint family system is exist what is that means let's say father and mother and they have four children four brothers so you will found so many families that four products are living in one roof do you mean that the four brothers marry the four sisters like that no no no no poor mother of four brothers Mary with four different girls okay okay but generally they live together okay oh maybe you say it's a family of 40 or 45 or 50 people k okay that's what we believe in united family in a big house or a small house beat house is you know house is a not a criteria but normally when we are living in the one roof whatever obviously that house will be baked but here matter is matter is not household or house there is a big the important is principles because if your father believes that no my force and we'll live together means this is a final point okay it's a final points and there are so many benefits so many advantages if you live together if you get there are so many advantages so many benefits and not only they're your responsibility will be less okay you share you share your responsibilities your family responsibility not only family responsibilities you are sharing your family's responsibility your community responsibilities you're earning responsibilities okay is there a strict monogamy one man one woman they don't they don't they don't tell you no no no we believe in single marriage that's it yeah how do you believe we believe in single night it's the Hindu tradition since a descrip that since a long one let's see for example for unfortunate incidents happened there or husband or wife died for some reason or they become separated for some reasons that's different yeah different but as long as we want to be merry with one girl I mean that's it is this forever you don't know how to verse normally not okay but circumstances if circumstances compelled you to do that then it's a different thing and there is a legal way to do that okay now I want to talk a little bit about feminism because very popular today and there's a maybe a good feminism but there's a bad feminism to extreme feminism I want to get your perspective a Hindu perspective on the difference between man and woman are they different and what are the roles of men over here yeah this is very important to clarify basically we we believe equal ism our Indu religion taught us about dick ilysm there is no there is no comparatively there is no rights of comparison between men and women but if i go to my word if i go to my mother or i go to my father who am i going to listen to fight in the last word if they disagree no you it that could be your choice oh that will be your choice if you if you realize that your father is guiding you in the right path ok and your mother is guiding you not in right but so choice will be yours true you can and yeah and you can choose your yacht but with the consulting with them and you can explain them why mother's right is not in favor of you favor for a favorable for you and why your dad's advice is favorable for you so the head of the family is the one who's right who's profession who exactly but nowadays you know in society if although if we are talking all over in the world now what is talking about the more standardization for the women no matter in which religion and we think I think so this is the correct procedure this is a correct we are correct move in in good society to make a good society was I I know that worldwide there's been an exploitation of women throughout history of me and we need to correct that but so but this is not a big issue in Hinduism things over here and no i will not one hundred percent say that in Hinduism everything is right still still the Hindu society is dominant by men professionally professionally no no no no professionally by education nowadays in the Newman Indian girls are you know far ahead in education ok you know so it's not that but now society is getting changing you know all society is getting changing and now people are talking about and now people are working on this direction let us make women more about now that's awful there's a perception in the west of India and certain places in the East that there's a caste system the upper class middle class lower many cast yes yes can you talk a little bit about that the good stuff and the bad stuff actually wherever if you are talking about the cast ISM if you ask my personal opinion it's not good no it's not the fast ISM is not good you know we all are equal no matter in which family you born okay but he say you know we all are equal and there should not be bar of the cost when we believe in the same religion why there will be a cost basic principle of religion we both are agree on that and we both have following on that so why there is a cost difference not really money money is not really but but but it's a social system you know it's a social system which is coming forward from so many decades is it changing in India now yes in some part yes now in some part yes but still lots of work should be done in this school who would be resisting this change would it be the upper classes yeah normally yes especially in the villages upper class no matter there in few numbers but but they dominate the society they have the opportunity they control the means of introduction s not like that so there's another comparison I know you don't like comparing things but I'm a Western mind and you're an Eastern mind how do people of the East View the sort of rational Western philosophical journal yes know if you if you if you if you follow the recent rains the Western world is emphasized by Indian society here the Western world is look for look towards India okay about their about their diversity of the culture about the diversity of the religion and definitely there are so many things who can attract you from west to India for example I have for you simple yeah widget ain't fist okay number two you can consider as a Yoga Yoga Yoga is worldwide now you know basically clear yoga is created in India okay this to all the spiritual gurus of the yoga's they belongs to India okay so these are certain things who can make a you can say i can say India can make a copyright on that nowadays in this materialistic world he's become a profession is becoming way to generate the money but basically if you go in remote areas in in hilly areas where the yoga's Saints are coming from where the yoga ashram shore there believe me you will found a different different fillings then then you realize that oh I mean I am living in the Western world but this world is completely different in the Sun we can't reproduce it here no no there are so many awesomes they're respectable here for you guys oh yes are some of them considered a little bit like a joke because they don't capture the eastern no this is yeah you can consider as a joke but once you entered in this philosophy then only you will realize that is in order to even if it doesn't look the same inside the philosophy is going to be there that's right then lastly definitely you will you will feel it the way of thinking exactly you're completely your way of thinking will change is the eastern way of thinking more mystical and more do you understand what I mean basically Hinduism believe in the simplicity ok we don't believe is in luxurious luxurious in a long believe that its austerity or asceticism that's correct but don't get attached to stuff no no it's not that it's not that what I'm trying to say that our religion taught us that make as simple as your life and try to if you have more wealth if you are wealthy person try to share your wealth with poor and needy people who really need it and try to make your life simple and try to share your belongings today with them so if you have oh that so that they can also bring happiness in their life through you through your efforts so if you have three coats and he has no coat you give him one court if you can give one it's not a required to normal you don't require three hey so I I just do us to want to press you on this east/west divide how do people in the West in the East Sea generally see the philosophies and religions of the West do you see them as very rigid or known as the no no we don't go but you understand there's a difference right definitely differ difference but my religion into this region is gives me his advise me no matter the religion is complicated or not but you must respect it you must respect them also in the East you see the Westers may be more complicated no no no matter because you know we came from east we are in West yeah but there is no way that i disregard your religion no no I respect your religion of course I will respect your religion and I respect your religion by day there's a certain there's a certain difference which i find difficult to articulate and I'm wondering if if how you see it in the east for example when you look at Christianity what do you see as I explained earlier during this interview for us Christianity is same like my religion okay maybe you see the love of mother teresa and you say that's Christianity that's what you see yes not only that we you know we we believe in the principle of Jesus we believe that because if you go through in the Hinduism principles in the same lessons is much much much very much similar with the Christ so for me this am respecting the Christ and my hand reason is on the same way because I'm honoring I am honoring my religions principles and same time I am leaving your Christianity religion this for also so for me for me we both have the same i think is it Mahatma Gandhi who said that he is a Muslim and Christian and a Jew and a Hindu and it I think that he said something like that that he sees the truth in all the village that this is basic basically him this is the pillar of the hidden ISM what Gandhi Ellen was Gandhi a good hindu man he wasn't in doing his own thing he was like you he was Hindu that's right ok that's it and that's what he he added so many things and we followed their principal before / thurs means well and that's why we believe that all religions are the same and we must respect we must respect we cannot we shouldn't criticize slam for this reason we shouldn't criticize both ism for certain reasons know if you if you don't agree with that so whether you keep quiet no I'm sure I'm sure that everybody don't agree with each and every things if you are not agree with that better we keep quiet but don't criticize but Gandhi was a lawyer he must have known how to find the truth or Gandhi was a different personality and that's why you know we put we salute his efforts to get a freedom from british empire but he's not a saint after know till today you know we respect hyundai accent ok ok the way the way he show this world that you can get freedom without any violence yeah and india did that no and history itself he says he says a witness the whole world have a witness that yes you can get a freedom without anyone is speaking of violence you are vegetarian is all right personally I am NOT but ok but Hinduism believes they believe in the way a vegetarian it's optional of course it's optional yes ok nobody forced wound would you eat cow no why is cow special for you because how is we believe that cow is our mother when when you bond and sometime you know for some reason let's say you're mother your own mother cannot feed you at that time house will be free ok so when cows make free to a child they say it's a second mother for ok ok right ok so how can you keep your mother haha yeah yeah we believe in their philosophy is that the general explanation for why the cow is sacred no no this is this is only that's the only reason only reason that's why we believe cow as a mother okay and she's little and simplicity this way we can put that you cannot kill your mother on any circumstances so it's not don't kill King you cannot eat yeah yeah I read upstairs that the monkey is also a sacred animals at true yes yeah yeah please leave him we believe monkey they're the same okay yeah and the elephant or not elephant also and are there many other animals that are not so hard these are them common okay animals we play them so what are demons for you dimension demons because i was reading upstairs some of the oculata fighting against in ok Minson using a pied-à-terre yes do this they are also let's say let's put this way that they are also human beings but but doing their activities in bad manner oh ok so we shouldn't free them no we just ignore them we just ignore them we shouldn't follow their policies or their pets no too dangerous if you listen to them that's right okay are their stories of the good versus evil in your holy books yeah what are the names of the holy books is there are plenty but mainly like bhagwat gita kept from ana Vedas I know there's a famous story of Arjuna yeah this belongs to my water Geeta okay mom other than diva so do these stories are do this story are these stories meant to be taken very literally or in a poetic way or yes even port agree okay and the God's you worship are they meant to be seen and also in a poetic away yes okay okay so what is the difference between a god of wisdom and just focusing your your intentions on the principle of wisdom there's an abstract Atlanta is no difference okay there's no difference in these two things basically it's depend on your wisdom and just you have to realize that your wisdom is coming from your my bottom of your heart and that will connect and that will connect you with the spirituality those feelings will connect to spirituality this place is meditation a part of hindu light yes this administration basically come from in recently okay now we can hear the music in the background can you explain a little bit about what the chanting is or what it might mean it's a what soup of Lord Hanuman oh you see the monkey one today hey this is a worship of and almost you know is 440 paragraphs when you shine 40k paragraphs once we'd give you a complete one point and we are sending today 51 times same same same the same same boy at the same point deal 50 more times and each at least it will take four to five minutes each year each now the number is 40 and 50 1 signify something for you oh that is the power mean worship of lord hanuman and higher labor yeah yeah we know we believe if you shine Lord Hanuman this point once a day it will it will you know it will keep away from all medical tests okay yeah yeah we have in Catholicism we have the rosary different and we're doing repetition of prayer and when we pray the rosary we are meditating and we're thinking about the life of Christ okay from his conception to his death and ascension into heaven so there's a whole meditation taking place do you picture things when your mentor yes if you have to concentrate your mind went well you are doing the meditation you have to concentrate your mind towards almighty then only you can do meditation otherwise if you are sitting in front of him and your mind is surrounding with the some other thoughts it doesn't work you know and the feeling should be come by it must come by your heart of bottom over now they're really you connect there were a lot of there were a lot of there was a popular movement in the 60s in the west to go to transcendental meditation is that is that something that you do not know that was just one passing that's bad okay so what is the name of your meditation or do you have a name for it meditation you know you can put in different several several there is a several method of methods of meditation and you can consider yoga up one of that okay so do you personally do you practice one particular school of yoga personally we are off of me I am if I am far away from these things oh yeah yeah why I don't know I never generate a interest towards these activities it's optional yeah it's optional for everyone but but so far i know is always helpful for yourself okay is it something in the back of your mind where maybe one day you'd like to i hope i hope so in like I must do that actually okay yeah it's important it is important yes we believe is important what percentage of people here today practice yoga I have no idea about that because this is a matter of personal laughs it might be one percenter might be 115 animals I know I cannot answer this question because it's totally personal you know I don't know who is known and who I don't know who is but these are you know principal teachings and definitely your life can change by doing the meditation represent now when you wake up in the morning when you have your meals and when you go to bed at night and different special times of the day are you raising your thoughts to your Creator yeah of course because due to due to his blessings I'm recapping I mean trying okay due to his blessings I'm having my food due to his blessing I am having my work due to his blessing my life is going on with my family so I must thankful to him every day we must remember him if you like it will do if you think it's got some questions at the end hotel all you got to do is all you got to do is to do is all you got to do is