Hindu fasting questions please?

Cool, will look into those over the w/e and report back, thanks.

Meantime, I remember meeting a guy from India many years ago who had said that "western" Indians are not true hindus. Can anyone possibly shed some light on this for me please?

Might it be that because someone is not born in the Motherland that native Indians see them as not being ethnic enough to say such a thing?

Like @Vinayaka and @SalixIncendium I do not eat until after my daily puja, even if that means 11:30 am. I strive for 7:00-7:30 but weekends are a crapshoot. I have only coffee or juice before puja. Actually I could probably dispense with those too. After puja I drink the water from a small silver cup I offered, and eat the fruit and naivedya (food, which is usually dried fruit and nuts). Then I eat whatever I'm going to eat.

Vaishnavas, probably like most Hindu sects, have a **** ton of fasting days. The main one for Vaishnavas is Ekadashi, the 11th day of the lunar fortnight. That is, 11 days out from the full or new moon. In the beginning I was quite diligent about keeping the fast, but I find I don't survive them all that well. I think the last fast I did was Janmashtami (Krishna's birth last summer), but I was really out of it. It wasn't a good experience at all. It's all quite individual.

seeking the truth said:

Meantime, I remember meeting a guy from India many years ago who had said that "western" Indians are not true hindus. Can anyone possibly shed some light on this for me please?

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I think I'd rather unscrew the bulb than shed more light on it. Yeah, I've been called a "white western half-Hindu". It's bull****, and while not common, it's not unheard of. It's an ethnocentricity bordering on racism that rustles my jimmies in the worst way. Especially given that it is possible and probable that in previous lives we western Hindus were Indian-born Hindus and are coming home, as the saying goes. I don't know how many Indian Hindus privately think I'm just a poser (oh yeah, called that too once) but every Indian Hindu I've engaged with either at temple or at work (and I'm up to my armpits in Indian friends at work ) are flattered and thrilled.

seeking the truth said:

I had thought I would tell my friend who does the drinking on those days to make the effort to read the Gita instead of relying on everything his Pundit is telling him to do, thinking the Gita was like the Bible for Christians with it's do's and dont's.

So if there is any one resource which states the do's and don't of a true Hindu lifestyle then please refer me to that resource?

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Your first friend is tool much in religion and your second friend is too much out of it. Both of them should have some balance. Our books say "Ati Sarvatra Varjayet" (Excess at all places is to be avoided). I would expect a Hindu to at least respect the holy days. The shortest guide line to a Hindu is "Paropakaram Punyaya, papaya Parapeedanam" (Helping others is merit, giving pain to others is sin). That is minimum that I would expect from a Hindu.

Vinayaka said:

I would recommend the yamas and niyamas, although they tend to be for the very serious. They are translated as restraints (don'ts) and observances (dos). They are the first two stages of the 8 stages of Patanjali's yoga sutras. Just google 'yamas and niyamas' and you'll get quite a few variable translations.

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Yama:
Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (non-falsehood, truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Mitahara (non-excess in food, moderation in food), Kṣamā (non-agitation about suffering, forgiveness), Dayā (non-prejudgment, compassion) are among the widely discussed Yamas. The Yamas apply broadly and include self-restraints in one's actions, words and thoughts.
Niyama:
Śauca: purity, clearness of mind, speech and body, Santoṣa: contentment, acceptance of others and of one's circumstances as they are, optimism for self, Tapas: austerity, self-discipline, persistent meditation, perseverance, Svādhyāya: study of self, self-reflection, introspection of self's thoughts, speeches and actions, Īśvarapraṇidhāna: contemplation of the Ishvara (God/Supreme Being, Brahman, True Self, Unchanging Reality), attunement to the supreme consciousness.

Not authority, but suggestions for a happy life. Follow it if it suits the person.

seeking the truth said:

Meantime, I remember meeting a guy from India many years ago who had said that "western" Indians are not true Hindus.
Might it be that because someone is not born in the Motherland that native Indians see them as not being ethnic enough to say such a thing?

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We do not mind change, but change also will have its limits. There is great leeway, but still the boundaries are there. How much change?
There are a whole lot of Hindus born in other countries, settled in other countries, etc. Most still keep to their traditions.

seeking the truth said:

Cool, will look into those over the w/e and report back, thanks.

Meantime, I remember meeting a guy from India many years ago who had said that "western" Indians are not true hindus. Can anyone possibly shed some light on this for me please?

Might it be that because someone is not born in the Motherland that native Indians see them as not being ethnic enough to say such a thing?

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That guy is of a rare and dying breed. I've also been told that by westerners. It's silliness.

Appreciate all of the help guys. I was thinking of something last night, I did not ask the most basic questions regarding this topic, sorry. What is the big deal about meat and fasting in the first place, I understand about beef but why the extreme focus on meat in general?

Also, in the Yama, are the 10 Commandments of Moses covered? Are there laws like loving thy neighbor as thyself and forgiving people which are "commandments" in the Yama please?

seeking the truth said:

Appreciate all of the help guys. I was thinking of something last night, I did not ask the most basic questions regarding this topic, sorry. What is the big deal about meat and fasting in the first place, I understand about beef but why the extreme focus on meat in general?

Also, in the Yama, are the 10 Commandments of Moses covered? Are there laws like loving thy neighbor as thyself and forgiving people which are "commandments" in the Yama please?

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I see all life as sacred, and I'm not an advocate of killing for food,.

seeking the truth said:

Are those Yamas and niyamas the Authority on true Hindu do's and don'ts though or only maybe relating to just one sect of Hinduism?

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Yama and Niyama are a part of the eightfold (astaungha) yoga path.
Without following Yama & Niyama it is not possible to develop well in Yoga.

Practising Yoga or following Yama & Niyama as part of Yoga does not make you a Hindu.
Although you can of course choose how seriously you practise astaungha yoga, the more strict and regular you are, the better it is.

One of the Yama/Niyama is Shaoca (maintaining alround purity). This purity can be the purity of your surroundings, your body as well as of your mind. Not taking static foods, drinks or drugs is also part of Shaoca. That is why yoga practitioners are often vegetarians who don't take drugs or alcohol.

seeking the truth said:

Appreciate all of the help guys. I was thinking of something last night, I did not ask the most basic questions regarding this topic, sorry. What is the big deal about meat and fasting in the first place, I understand about beef but why the extreme focus on meat in general?

Also, in the Yama, are the 10 Commandments of Moses covered? Are there laws like loving thy neighbor as thyself and forgiving people which are "commandments" in the Yama please?

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Ahimsa is a core teaching of Hinduism, and that would mean abstaining from all meat, not just beef. Fasting has many reasons. One is the principle of self-denial, a form of penance, which reminds us that we can't always get what we want, and is a form of discipline, or self-control. Hindus practice self control, and over time would try to increase their ability in that. Not eating meat is a mild form. Also, in ayurveda, it has been demonstrated that fasting has health benefits. It's sort of like how athletes know they have to rest aching muscles to give them a chance to regenerate. So fasting can be seen as giving the digestive system a break.

There have been comparisons of the yama/niyama to the Christian 10 commandments, and indeed there is some overlap, but its certainly not a one to one match. For example, if you take the Christian commandment 'thou shall not kill' and take it a step further to meaning not to kill any animal, then indeed it's a perfect match for yama 1. The law of karma, and monism is comparable to 'love they neighbour as thyself' as in monism, the neighbour is thyself, and in karma, all action towards the neighbour will return to you anyway.

All religious systems have ethical statements. Some of them do overlap.

GREAT answers to my 2 questions, thank you very much.

I was thinking in terms of scriptures but if I understand correctly Hinduism is not based based on scriptures [direct written commandments from God] but rather Hinduism is more based on "principles", is this correct please?

Yeah, and the scriptures are discussing principles. Of course, there is variance of opinion. But again, not very much. It is like the fundamental principles of Indian Constitution. The judicial interpretations may vary, but remain within the principles. So, if one's tradition is non-vegetarian (like in my community), we are allowed to have non-veg. food, but vegeteranianism still remains the goal - Ahimsa, non-violence, not paining any life-form.

seeking the truth said:

GREAT answers to my 2 questions, thank you very much.

I was thinking in terms of scriptures but if I understand correctly Hinduism is not based based on scriptures [direct written commandments from God] but rather Hinduism is more based on "principles", is this correct please?

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Hindus will also accept the authority of certain scriptures because they contain the words, the teachings and instructions of certain realised personalities.
In that sense it is not that very different from the Christian belief that the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit (God).
But in Hinduism there is less dogma, less forced belief and of course there is far more freedom of choice (there is not just one limited so-called "holy scripture", there is a whole library with scriptures).
Most Christians will read more or less the same Bible (well, at least since about the fifth century), but Hindus differ in which scriptures they prefer to read. That's another reason why I don't see Hinduism as a religion but more as a culture. Christians are another type of Hindus, they just cornered themselves off too much, just like the Muslims. It can't last, it is unnatural.

seeking the truth said:

GREAT answers to my 2 questions, thank you very much.

I was thinking in terms of scriptures but if I understand correctly Hinduism is not based based on scriptures [direct written commandments from God] but rather Hinduism is more based on "principles", is this correct please?

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Yes, but those principles, for many, did come from God. A good father can guide his children into right conduct, whereas a father who lays down commandments would probably lose his children sooner or later.

To conclude on this topic. My cousin-in-law was never a religious man by any measure but last year my cousin stopped cooking meat on Thursdays and some months afterwards her husband told me "things have gotten better" for them since they started doing this, My first instinct hearing this was "mind over matter" situation but.......

Thank you all so very much for educating me on these questions with Hinduism guys. I have learned a heck of a lot from these many posts. Many blessings all!

Vinayaka said:

I would recommend the yamas and niyamas, although they tend to be for the very serious. They are translated as restraints (don'ts) and observances (dos).

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So what's the difference between the Gita and those two books above please?

seeking the truth said:

So what's the difference between the Gita and those two books above please?

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The yamas and niyamas aren't books. They're short statements on avoiding certain actions or thoughts, and practising other actions and thoughts. Very direct. They are the first 2 sections in a book entitle Patanjali's Yoga Sutras.

The Gita would most likely have all of these same concepts, but they would be scattered throughout.

https://www.himalayanacademy.com/site/search/category/Yamas+and+Niyamas