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Can one convert to Hinduism?

Aupmanyav

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
Lord Krishna tried a hundred ways but Duryodhana would not listen before he advised war with Kauravas. I hope Barack Obama and Cameroon have made it sure that their wars are with no biases (forget existence of Israel and continued oppression of Palestinians, the creation of their countries, etc.).
 
ShivaFan

ShivaFan

Satyameva Jayate
Premium Member
There are stages in life where your DUTY in Dharma changes. Krishna told Arjun to fight. But Arjun was in His prime and in a situation where He needed to do His Duty at that moment.

That was his stage of life then... but at a later stage of life His duty may not be to fight, but something else.

I have a daughter. I suppose it would be fun to just walk away from my family and go to India and lurk around Varanasi doing Hindu things like meditation on the Ganga, go to temples, yoga, then an occasional withdraw of rupees from my BOI account...

But maybe that is betraying my Duty... perhaps at a later stage in life.. when I am old(er). Then go full time to Varanasi.

But not at this stage in life. I have a daughter. She is inclined to medical science and practice. God had her come to me. She may help many Hindus in the future. So for now, I cannot abandone the "battlefield". My Duty in Dharma is to make money to pay for her education. To be there. At this time...

Now later in life, my Duty won't be the same. My Dharma is all the duties in the stages of my life ... I think that is what Krishna was saying. Do your duty. You will know what that is with self-knowledge and God knowledge.

But none of THAT has to do with "converting to Hinduism". You are probably ALREADY a Hindu if that is where you are finding yourself going.
 
Shantanu

Shantanu

Well-Known Member
Aupmanyav said:
Lord Krishna tried a hundred ways but Duryodhana would not listen before he advised war with Kauravas. I hope Barack Obama and Cameroon have made it sure that their wars are with no biases (forget existence of Israel and continued oppression of Palestinians, the creation of their countries, etc.).
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Do you not accept that western dharma is different from Hindu dharma which is different from Buddhist dharma?
 
Aupmanyav

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
Many say Buddhism is different from Hinduism. I do not think so. If anyone is following his /her 'dharma' in the west, I have no problem with that. I will only appreciate that.
 
Shantanu

Shantanu

Well-Known Member
Aupmanyav said:
Many say Buddhism is different from Hinduism. I do not think so. If anyone is following his /her 'dharma' in the west, I have no problem with that. I will only appreciate that.
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Do Hindus truly have something called sanatan dharma Aup?
 
Amrut

Amrut

Aum - Advaita
Namaste,

Our sanAtana dharma is blending of culture + philosophies + certain duties that we are expected to do (which most of people do not do it today)

Here the word dharma is understood by many as doing humanitarian work, being good human being, etc, while Sureshwacharya ji in Tai. Up. 1.11 explains dharma as agnihotra - this we do not do it. So the vedic rituals part and vedic study part, oblations to pitr-s etc which is expected is not done by most brAhmaNa-s (brahmins). Similarly, the varNa dharma for xatriya-s (kshatriya-s) is to learn martial arts and administration in addition to veda-s and dharma smriti. Similarly, the ASrama dharma i.e. brahmacharya, etc is also not observed by Hindu-s. In this case how can we ask outsiders to adopt varnASrama (varNa and ASrama) dharma?

To add to it, most westerners would like to continue living according to their culture and progress spiritually. In order to progress spiritually, they adopt the philosophical portions of our SAstra-s i.e. upanishads or yoga sUtra-s, thirumandiram, et al. No doubt they try to change their life style and personal beliefs like believing in reincarnation, etc, but asking them to adopt a varNa dharma would be non-practical, the way they live, as we will need a gurukul and guru-SiShya paramparA.

When we know that 100 % sanAtan dharma cannot be practised, then we should ask them to follow as much as they can follow considering the place, time, situation, etc they live in.

OM
 
Shantanu

Shantanu

Well-Known Member
Hinduism♥Krishna said:
There's no Dharma after dissolution of this world. So how it becomes literally Sanatana?
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Sanatan dharma is the advice given by Sri Krishna on how we humans should lead our lives in tune with the environment and the needs of future generations of human beings. That advice from God is updated by God from yuga to yuga depending on changing circumstances of the yuga. Even when the Universe is withdrawn back into God on what you call the dissolution, God would still exist. When He recreates the Universe again, He will again give the advice of sanatan dharma to the human beings or similar beings that evolve into existence. So sanatan dharma as modified by God from time to time will always be there if human-type animals are born whether in this cycle of the universe or in the next cycle and the cycle after that. That is why it is known as sanatan dharma.
 
Don Penguinoini

Don Penguinoini

Modi.
Aupmanyav said:
It is not because of Abrahamic religions that Hinduism was 'organized' (in various darshanas, philosophies and sects). It was always like that from time immemorial. Charvak, hjivakas, Buddhism, Jainis and Sikhism are examples, there are many more. It was non-suppression of individual views. That is why you and me, both atheists, are still Hindu.
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I don't quite mean it like that, I mean in the sense of 'copying' the fundamentals that all Abrahamic religions share which, in my opinion have found a place among Hinduism today. Fundamentals such as a single supreme God, Central text, prophet (or guru of godly status) and a narrative to support their monotheism. I refer to groups like ISCKON, Swaminarayan and various groups of sadhus who are raised to the level of God.

I feel that this is a systematisation of sorts borne out of some kind of insecurity to parrot the finality of Abrahamic faiths. These type of beliefs are primitive in my eyes, but also have the strongest hold in the world on people.

It doesn't refer to schools of thoughts which have always existed.
 
Aupmanyav

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
I get your point. But I do not think it was copying from Abrahamic religions. It was an independent indigenous development and much older. Even RigVeda mentions the Hiranyagarbha or the Purusha. Advaita also accepts one unless it is of our type, atheistic.
 
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ratikala

ratikala

Istha gosthi
namaskaram H♥K ji

There's no Dharma after dissolution of this world. So how it becomes literally Sanatana?
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of course there is no svadharma , as after dissolution there is no individual persons , ......but Sanatana Dharma is embodied in the eternal law that there will be an eternal cycle of dissolution and creation , ....we should not forget that Dharma is Law as well as duty , ....
 
ratikala

ratikala

Istha gosthi
Namaskaram
Goon said:
Hi !


Is it possible to convert to Hinduism, i am extremely interested in doing so, however im not sure how to go about it? I live in Finland and there is little to no hindus here (atleast at the moment), so i have to rely on internet and books for information.

IF it is possible to convert to Hinduism, PLEASE tell me how :)
.
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in my opinion it is so much simpler than the Idea of conversion , ...

if you keep Hindu observances , and have faith in Hindu principles , ...then one is a Hindu , ...

to me becoming Hindu is like waking up , becoming inteligent , realising the true nature of this existance , the temporary existance of the body and the eternal nature of the soul and the souls relationship to the supreme .

becoming Hindu can never be a ceremony that changes one from non Hindu at one moment and makes one Hindu at the next , ..it is a gradual process , ..... read and explore , then when you find youself naturaly agreeing with what you read , when you find your self living by the princiles then you will realise that awareness has allready cased you to become Hindu .
 
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Kirran

Kirran

ॐ
Premium Member
Out of curiosity, what beliefs do you think would be required for one to be accurately labelled as a Hindu? Obviously these views may vary widely, but I'm interested to hear.
 
Vinayaka

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
Kirran said:
Out of curiosity, what beliefs do you think would be required for one to be accurately labelled as a Hindu? Obviously these views may vary widely, but I'm interested to hear.
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Kirran, we discussed it at length here... What makes a Hindu a Hindu - Version 2 | ReligiousForums.com There is another thread by the same name. The linked one is the second version as the first one had deteriorated ... you will see a wide variety of opinions in both, if you have the time to read them through. Good luck!
 
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