The Hinduism I know

[barney 0]

As Shri Shankara, the great Hindu sage who propounded Advaita, once said : “one must forget all notions of caste, creed, religion, race and nationality and only then will the search for Brahman be fruitful”.

 

(Don't take the quotation out of context, but understand its implication: religion/spirituality/mysticism goes way beyond the outer shell. Isn't Hinduism all about the temporal nature of the body and mind and call for a realization of Divinity of One's Soul, either through self-discovery or Love of a Manifestation of Brahman (in the form of Deities)?)

 

Vedanta and Yoga between them thus constitute both a comprehensive philosophy of life as well as practical means for divine realization. The subtle concepts involved have been articulated and elaborated by great thinkers and realized souls through the centuries down to our very day. These men and women have been drawn from all castes and creeds within and outside Hinduism and, in the case of Bhakti, have also included a number of Muslim saints and poets. In India alone, there have been remarkable men who epitomized the four yogas – Sri Ramana Maharshi was par excellence the Jnanayogi; Swami Vivekananda the Karmayogi; Sri Auriobindo the Rajayogi; and Sri Krishnaprem the Bhaktiyogi. It is against this rich and noble background that Hindus have to judge certain developments that are taking place in Hinduism today.

And as Joseph Campbell put it:

 

"It is ironic that our great western civilization, which has opened to the minds of all mankind the infinite wonders of a universe of untold billions of galaxies should be saddled with the tightest little cosmological image known to mankind? The Hindus with their grandiose Kalpas and their ideas of the divine power, which is

beyond all human category (male or female). Not so alien to the imagery of modern science that it could not have been put to acceptable use.

"There is an important difference between the Hindu and the Western ideas. In the Biblical tradition, God creates man, but man cannot say that he is divine in the same sense that the Creator is, where as in Hinduism, all things are incarnations of that power. We are the sparks from a single fire. And we are all fire. Hinduism believes in the omnipresence of the Supreme God in every

individual. There is no 'fall'. Man is not cut off from the divine. He requires only to bring the spontaneous activity of his mind stuff to a state of stillness and he

will experience that divine principle with him."

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Your post is most inspring ! Thank you.

[Guest guest]

That's also the Hinduism I know, though we should point out about how the different branches of Vedanta - Advaita to Dvaita are for different people with different outlooks although the principls of Hinduism are the same, in the end will lead to the same Ultimate Reality - God.

 

Just remembered, when you mentioned Joseph Campbell - this was the guy who you could say 'invented' the 'Jedi' religion for the 'Star Wars' films, which is a combination of Vedanta teachings and Samurai Bushido code. He was an admirer of the Hindu religion and helped translate some texts into English with Swami Nikhilananda of the New York branch of the Ramakrishna mission.

[Ganeshprasad 0]

Jai Ganesh

 

One I know is to follow the Dharma Followed by our ancestor.

What i see today in India is the opposite.

young people are more interested in following the west.

 

Jai Shree Krishna

[Guest guest]

Barney...It appears that you are a well-read and knowledgable in "Hinduism".....as a born "Hindu" and not knowing practically anything about Hinduism.........do you suggest any education path for me? (from kindergarten to grade 5!)

 

thanks

[Guest guest]

I respect Barneyji. but i want to make a note to you that all of barnerji's post are related to "Adi-shankara" & his philosophy only. Hinduism is much more than that.

 

if u want to learn hinduism you should approach a person who has sufficient knowledge about most of hindu philosophies rather than just advaitam alone.

 

i suggest you to read "Bhagavath-Gita" first. then you will automatically decide what to do.

 

/images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namah Shivaya

/images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namo Venkatesaya

[Guest guest]

Any suggestion on an English version ? Any other sources of info one should read when one starts into trying to understand Hinduism ?

 

Thank you

[yasodanandana 0]

http://www.asitis.com/

 

of course there's also the book not only the online version

[Guest guest]

just like Yasodanandaji suggested visit www.asitis.com . i think you can even download the gita from there. but in the site it only carries "Bhagavath gita" translated by Srila Prabhupada.

 

if you want to read "Bhagavath Gita" translations given by many scholars. then visit http://sanskrit.gde.to/doc_giitaa/doc_giitaa.html

there u will find many bhagavath gita translated & commented by diffrent scholars. pick up ur choice & download it & enjoy the nectar.

 

After reading Bhagavath Gita, if you get desire to give eternal service to Supreme God, then contact me, i will guide you.

 

/images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namah Shivaya

/images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namo Venkatesaya

[Guest guest]

Thank you, I will and I will (go to the site and contact you, that is). It is most kind to suggest it.

[barney 0]

Although my parents were Hindus I was an atheist till I married my sweetheart who is an Eurasian and Catholic my birth. From the age of 27 I began to study various books on Hinduism and that helped me alot. Being born in a country of multiracial and multi religious society I was destined to be atrue Hindu and so is my wife who followed my path giving up her own religion. I had stuied the bible and Quran too. But if you are destined to be a true Hindu than God will show you the way as I was. Do not worry soemone will come your way to direct you.

 

I am not an expert in Hinduism as I am still learning and I know I cannot achieve it in this life time mastering the vedas. So, I pray to God so that after this life I would be given a second chance in my next life to be able to master the vedas. Because I am now nearing my sixties and have difficulty in remmembering what I have studied and every now and than I have to refer to the text and this is my disadvantage over those who can remmember an quote the text.

 

Anyway, with the internet I am sure you would not have any difficulty in learning more about the Sanathana Dharma. Whereas during my younger days it was either the library or the book stores for information. So, youngsters naow a days are very lucky and have the advantage. Most important you must learn comperative theology in order to understand your own religion.

 

Barney.

[Kali_Daughter 0]

I think that you made an important point about studying other faiths. To me that is the onluy way one can truly know if a religion is right for themb y being exposed to as many as possible. I know so many people who are devout Christians,Muslims,etc but who do not know anything aobut other faiths besides their one,and I think that that is narrow.

 

I also agree with Hinduism being the religion of freedom.

[ranjanbhandari 0]

Yes, kali daughter....you are true.

ITH UTMOST RESPECT TO KALI MATA.

 

[Guest guest]

I know so many people who are devout Christians,Muslims,etc but who do not know anything aobut other faiths besides their one,and I think that that is narrow.

..many socalled hindus think in that way.. see also in this forum

 

I also agree with Hinduism being the religion of freedom.

..freedom of what or by what?