Guest guest Posted November 2, 2006 Report Share Posted November 2, 2006 Om Namah Sivaya By Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami A: To the more uneducated people who are not able to understand high philosophy, Hinduism is taught in story form. Those of the higher philosophy know that each God is complete within Himself, neither male nor female. Longer Answer: Hinduism is taught on many different levels to many different people, and to the more uneducated people who are not able to understand the high philosophy, Hinduism is taught in story form. These stories, called Puranas, are the basis of dance, plays, storytelling around the fire in the homes to children as they are growing up to amplify how they should live. Because the temple is the center of every Hindu community, and everyone is focused on the temple and the Gods within the temple, the Gods are the major players in these stories. Hindus who understand the higher philosophy seek to find God on the inside while also worshiping God in the temples. Simple folk strive to be like a God, or like a Goddess. The stories illustrate how a family should live, how they should raise their children, and much, much more. Explanation: Those who are privileged to the higher philosophies know that Gods are neither male nor female, which is the yoga of ida and pingala blending into sushumna within each individual. They know that Gods do not marry, that they are complete within themselves. This unity is depicted by Ardhanarishvara, Siva as half man and half woman and in the teaching that Siva and Shakti are one, that Shakti is Siva's energy. Hindus are very peaceful people, they believe in ahimsa, not hurting physically, mentally or emotionally, but in times of war, the stories become violent, stimulating young men to get out and fight, showing how the Gods killed the demons, and how battles were won. Before the printing press, there were few books and these were owned only by a few families. Hinduism was conveyed through stories and parables. Therefore, Hindus are a visual community, holding pictures in their mind on how they should behave in peacetime, how they should behave in wartime. Some modern swamis now urge devotees not to pay any attention to the Puranic stories, saying that they have no relationship with the world today -- that they are misleading and confusing. Instead, they encourage followers to deepen themselves with the higher philosophies of the Vedic Upanishads and the realizations of Hindu seers. Sivaya Namah Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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