Hindus need to spread Hinduism more....

[Guest guest]

 

By this reasoning it wouldn't matter Who or what you worship, you could just whimsically worship any god to the same result. The scriptures do not agree to this concept.

 

Ganesha is Lord Shiva's son. And he is one of the most important gods that is invoked by Hindus of many different sects.

 

Saivites worship both Ganesha and Shiva. How does worshipping Shiva and Ganesha lead their devotees to different lokas?

 

Can someone cite some puranic references that speak of Ganesha and Shiva having separate lokas, where their devotees go to and are able to cross inbetween? I am not saying these references don't exist, but that I have not heard of them.

[Guest guest]

Author Beatrice Pitney Lamb has noted: "Recently, increasing numbers of Westerners in revolt against what they have found to be the shallow, gadget-dominated, spiritually empty civilization of the West have turned to "Hinduism" in search of greater meaning or purpose in life. There is no doubt that the great Hindu tradition offers profound spiritual insights, as well as techniques for attaining self-realization, detachment, and even ecstasy."

[Guest guest]

 

Secondly, In none of my post am I distancing Gaudiya Vaisnavism from "hinduism", ... there has never been any intention to separate any sect from any supposed denomination, I have simply been trying to make clear that Hinduism is not a single religion, and therefore it is not possible to spread hinduism as hinduism, because it is just a collective noun for so many different religions. This is my own opinion...

 

As such I have merely been asking what exactly you would want to spread. It was just a friendly question.

 

 

The Mother Religion from our context is called Hinduism. We may give it life and call it "religion", or we may call it a banner or label. Either is fine, but the least we want is to stress is the sense of family. The term Hinduism should at least stress the sense of one family of religions and when we represent Hinduism, it means we are representing our family and that we are proud of belonging to that family: that sense of greater identity. So calling ourselves Hindus reflects religious patriotism.

 

When I walk in a foreign country, I am very aware of my national identity of "being Indian": it is a label and banner, no doubt, but it forms of the basis of much of my life and consciousness and is real to that extent. I also have a global religious identity and that is definitely of being Hindu; I am proud of that and will take care not to compromise or undermine it in a global setting. And of course, I have my personal religious identity which is that of a Smarta or Advaitin, etc., which I stress (in an authoritative manner) in circles where the common sense of Hindu identity is well understood.

 

To spread Hinduism means to spread that global religious identity that we possess, where our personal/individual identity is seen as representing/reflecting the greatness of the family. A great way to begin this is to answer "What is your religion?" with "Hinduism"; if needed, go into the details.

[Shaktidevi 0]

 

Author Beatrice Pitney Lamb has noted: "Recently, increasing numbers of Westerners in revolt against what they have found to be the shallow, gadget-dominated, spiritually empty civilization of the West have turned to "Hinduism" in search of greater meaning or purpose in life. There is no doubt that the great Hindu tradition offers profound spiritual insights, as well as techniques for attaining self-realization, detachment, and even ecstasy."

 

As a westerner I can affirm that this is happening, and although not many will go to the full extent of accepting Hinduism in its cultural clothing, they do go into the philosophical and yogic aspects. In my case, though, I was impressed that the earliest recorded human speculations on the nature of life and the universe, as found in the vedas 6 or 7 thousand years ago, and which probably reflect thinking from deep in the prehistoric past, are still the most profound thoughts on those themes. Nothing produced by anyone since has been able to go one step beyond them, and they are still the first and supreme authority. Yes, there are "cultural" aspects -- modes of worship, sacrifices, etc. -- but this is how humans respond to the eternal truths.

[Guest guest]

 

As a westerner I can affirm that this is happening, and although not many will go to the full extent of accepting Hinduism in its cultural clothing, they do go into the philosophical and yogic aspects. In my case, though, I was impressed that the earliest recorded human speculations on the nature of life and the universe, as found in the vedas 6 or 7 thousand years ago, and which probably reflect thinking from deep in the prehistoric past, are still the most profound thoughts on those themes. Nothing produced by anyone since has been able to go one step beyond them, and they are still the first and supreme authority. Yes, there are "cultural" aspects -- modes of worship, sacrifices, etc. -- but this is how humans respond to the eternal truths.

 

Namaste Shaktidevi,

 

I, too, am a western convert to Sanatana Dharma. Infact, convert might be the wrong word, as it's not like one day I woke up and said I think I will become a Hindu. Rather in my spiritual exploration I found that which was becoming Realized within me, were the Eternal Truths spoken by the ancient Rishis and Avatars of Hinduism. I remember when I read the Bhavagad Gita for the first time, I was so blown away. It was like no spiritual writing I had ever read. The same can be said when I read the various Upanishads.

 

The Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, etc, speak forth TO ALL who have their Inner ear open to hear their profound declarations.. No religion gives more knowledge of the Self (atman) than Hinduism. No religion has such vast metaphysical/spiritual knowledge as Sanatana Dharma. The Universal Truths contained within Hinduism are unparalled. So it's certainly no surprise that westerners seeking real-knowledge of their eternal Self (Atman) and the metaphysical questions we all ponder, will be drawn to the Vedic traditions and their related spiritual practices.. and they will be lead to enlightened Gurus who can help them in their spiritual journey.

 

Thankfully, several Gurus have come west, to shine the Light of Sanatana Dharma, starting with Swami Vivekananda. May many more come to bless our shores and help hungry seekers.

[Shaktidevi 0]

Namaste, Guest,

 

You are right, although it is easy to speak of conversion to Hinduism, I really believe that the thoughts and practices that originated in the ancient east are the heritage of all, and we really return to them. In a sense, Hinduism is the default religion of the human race.

 

I felt as you described when I read the Devi Mahatmya, which is a basic Shakta scripture.

[Shaktidevi 0]

Also, which seems more logical:

that since the appearance or evolution of the human mind, humankind has always known, perceived and directly experienced the ultimate truths of life and the universe;

or

that humanity had to wait thousands of years for a "savior" to arrive, meaning that those who lived before the "savior's" time are doomed or need special afterlife treatment, and only those born since have a chance at "salvation"?