- Shree Hindu Swaminarayan Temple ISSO EDMONTON Place Title
International Swaminarayan Satsang Organisation (ISSO) is a national charitable organisation that builds, looks after and advances the Nar Narayan Dev satsang outside of India. Its prime objective is “to advance the Sanatan Dharma, in accordance with the principles and teachings of the Swaminarayan Sampraday, founded and ordained by Lord Shree Sahajanand Swami”.
It is a global interdependent network of young and old across the globe. Its structure ensures that each mandir works closely with the others within its umbrella body, each national body works closely with each other and is under the direct constitutional command of the Acharya of the Shree Nar Narayan Dev Gadi, and Shree Swaminarayan Mandir, Kalapur, Ahmedabad.
Through the interdependent structure, the infallible adherence to the motto of its youth, “One God, One Leader, One Vision” to advance its objective: ISSO continues to blossom into a lotus with ever expanding petals.
His Holiness Acharya 1008 Shree Tejendraprasadji Maharaj (Retired) established ISSO in North America on Vijya Dashmi in 1978. From then on it has expanded through the development of Chapters (satsang mandals) which have blossomed into mandirs. The first ISSO mandir in the world was inaugurated in Weehawken (NJ) in 1987. ISSO has gone on to establish further mandirs in Boston (MA), Chicago (IL), Los Angles (CA), Houston (TX), Detroit (MI), Lakeland (FL), Edison (Central NJ), Cherry Hill (NJ), Cleveland (OH) and Toronto (Canada). Thousands of devotees participate in regular satsang sabhas in the remaining Chapters, which include New York (NY), San Francisco (CA), Cincinnati (OH), Atlanta (GA), Byron (GA), Washington (DC), Parsipanny (NJ), and Raleigh (NC).
Guru Purnima 1989 saw the establishment of ISSO Europe by His Holiness Acharya 1008 Shree Tejendraprasadji Maharaj. ISSO Europe has gone onto establish mandirs in Leicester (UK), Mariestad (Sweden), London (UK), Brighton (UK) and Gatwick (UK). In addition it also currently runs satsang sabha’schapters in Nottingham (UK), Edinburgh (UK), Coventry (UK) and Birmingham (UK).
Australasia established its first Shree Swaminarayan Temple, in Sydney (NSW) in 2006. This was also the first mandir established by His Holiness Acharya 1008 Shree Koshalendraprasadji Maharaj, the seventh heir of Almighty Lord Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan Himself. Chapters also run in Perth (WA), Melbourne (VIC), Brisbane (QLD) and Adelaide (SA).
Without a doubt ISSO New Zealand holds the jewel in the ISSO crown. The mandir established in Auckland in 2008 is a truly divine abode and can be matched in its grand architecture only by the great temple’s of India. It is set amongst the beautiful green natural landscape of this splendid country. Inside, one can discover remarkable handcarved sculptures, artwork and design adorning the walls and ceilings.
ISSO continues to implement its objective to promote satsang through various means of service and help to millions worldwide. NNDYM (Nar Narayan Dev Yuvak Mandal), the youth body of ISSO, was officially setup by His Holiness Acharya 1008 Shree Koshalendraprasadji Maharaj in India in 1994 as a way to unite the youngsters of this generation to spread the greatness and glory of Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan and His philosophy. This is carried out by holding various camps, seminars and shibhirs hosted by holy saintsswamis, academics and industry professionals. ISSO adopted this divine vision to capture the essence of our youth today and promote NNDYM within ISSO temples across the world. Today, NNDYM is fully active in North America, Europe and Australasia under their respective ISSO bodies.
Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan not only re-established the reign of dharma and satsang on earth, but He also served as a great humanitarian; providing food and shelter for the needy, and helping eradicate crime. Keeping true to ISSO’s objective of promoting the values as Ordained by Shree Sahajanand Swami, ISSO-Seva was established in 2001 as a way to focus efforts of humanitarian aid and service to the world’s needy.
Today, under the guidance and instruction of His Holiness Acharya Maharajshree, ISSO is fully committed to bringing the divine teachings of Bhagwan Swaminarayan to followers all over the world.
Nar Narayan Dev Yuvak Mandal ( NNDYM) was created to help young people to confront the challenges of human life. It operates both in India and the world outside.
In India NNDYM has over 200,000 members that regularly meet in their local areas and contribute to both humanitarian and spiritual causes. Outside of India it strives to help the youths to integrate traditional Indian values into the lifestyle present in today’s modern society.
NNDYM aims to nurture its members to firstly become good human being and then arouses feelings of responsibility, spiritual consciousness and dedication. To achieve these goals, youths are encouraged to:
participate in humanitarian efforts
seek cultural awareness
welcome guidance through personal spiritual development
NNDYM was founded by His Holiness 1008 Acharyashri Koshalendraprasadji Maharaj in 1994 with its headquarters at Shree Swaminarayan Mandir, Kalupur, Ahmedabad. His Holiness has acted proactively by setting into motion various initiatives to build a solid foundation of young people across the globe. He has set the highest standards for responsibly propagating dharma (duty), bhakti (devotion), gnaan (knowledge), and vairagya (detachment from maya). Firm in His commitment to bringing the Swaminarayan religion to people all over the world, His Holiness understands today’s generation. ‘Be human first, then religious’ is a principle He has shared with youth all over the world. As a member of the human race, we have a responsibility to mankind to be a good person above all else. In doing so, the concept of religion has the proper pasture in which to graze and nourish the soul. There is compassion in His Holiness and He has inspired and blessed youth worldwide.
History
Generally speaking, in today’s modern world, religion is merely a slice of the pie that is life. At one time, religion was the whole pie for people and it was the inspiration for their lives. Being human back then meant being either religious or being lost. There were not many other options for an individual. People worshipped one form or another of God in order to survive. Religion’s influence from the earliest point of ancient history is reflected in the architecture, writings and traditions that still exist to this day. People were inclined to follow the traditions of their forefathers without question. The idea was to live life according to a plan. Everything a person needed to know to survive was derived from religious teachings. Hence, people followed the principles of religion ( dharma ), expressed love to God ( bhakti ), understood their inner selves ( gnaan ), and implemented this understanding to prepare the soul for an eternity of service and loyalty to God ( moksha /salvation). This divine happiness was a lifelong journey. Religion was the only map.
Today’s world is different, but how different is it really? Are the needs of people these days so different that religion now has less importance? What explanation is there for the decline in popularity of religion, especially among young people?
‘A good friend can be the best mirror.’ Today’s Indian youth all over the world face many obstacles and challenges. Among the many distractions that challenge today’s youth, bad associations and poor selection of friends echo as most dangerous. Poor associations can lead a person down many wrong roads and ultimately get them lost entirely.
NNDYM gives youths the opportunity to be valued, appreciated, respected and loved without having to deal with the pressures that come along with being an adolescent. The spiritual significance of positive influences is a huge building block to the success of a society and a people. Protecting youths from the perils of negative influences helps preserve their innate understanding of right and wrong; good and bad; moral and immoral. It will motivate them to be positive influences on others and help spread goodwill.
NNDYM now boasts more than 200,000 members in India and over 30,000 overseas, with each member firmly committed and devoted to its activities.
Being part of NNDYM is predicated on the concept of ‘being human first, then religious.’ NNDYM is a forum for youths to learn the principles of religion as preached by Shree Swaminarayan Bhagwan so that they can implement those teachings into their everyday lives in an effort to be the best person they can be.
Please sign in to see contact details.
Leave a Reply