Hindu Samaj Bala Vihar conducts weekly Sunday classes and summer camps that reach out to children and adults in the Hudson Valley area.
Bala Vihar Curriculum
Chinmaya Bala Vihar Curriculum includes various devotional, philosophical & ethical texts and topics. For elementary years the focus is on learning & practicing value-based living, and in the teenage years on understanding spirituality and fundamental Vedantic principles. The syllabus covers topics and texts from Hinduism’s Vedas, Puranas, and Itihasas. It is child-friendly and taught on age-appropriate levels. A typical curriculum includes ABC of Vedanta, Ramayana, Introduction of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Shrimad Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, Symbolism in Hinduism, Hanuman Chalisa, India and Festivals of India, Values from Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and Ramacharitamanasa Hindu Culture. Additional topics are developed and taught at the Chinmaya Bala Vihar camps.
Chinmaya Yuva Kendra(CHYK)
Students in grade 9 and above are enrolled in Yuva Kendra. CHYK strives to unite young adults by providing a forum to explore, discuss and practice Vedanta while strengthening their lives in every endeavor. It provides a spiritual forum for the age group ranging from high school to young professionals and gives them a platform to become future leaders and role models through various volunteering activities.
Adult Study Group
This group is designed specifically for the parents of Balavihar and Yuva Kendra students. This group meets at the same time as Balavihar classes to study and discuss Vedantic texts. Setting aside blind beliefs, they discuss scriptural teachings, deepening their personal philosophical understanding. Study Group members are those who study the scriptures because they have a thirst to imbibe and benefit from the perennial wisdom of the saints. What is read or heard, in order to take root, must be thought over (tat chintanam) or reflected upon. The test of clear thinking is in the ability to express our thoughts clearly (tat kathanam). Again, whether our understanding is correct and proper, is brought out in the rational and mutual discussion of the Study Group members (anyonya prabodhanam). Thus, the sincere and diligent student gains a better perspective of our scriptures through this process. Additionally, this forum, in the atmosphere of satsanga, also fosters and develops brotherly understanding and cooperative thinking among the members, and affirms the wisdom of Oneness.