• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Search results

  1. Vinayaka

    Busy temple.

    Kasi Viswanath is getting busy ... Kashi Vishwanath Dham Sets a New Record; Welcomes 600,000 Devotees on Non-Festive Day – Hindu Press International 600 000 is a fairly busy day. What's it like on a festival day?
  2. Vinayaka

    Happy New Year

    Happy Tamil (and any others for whom today is the day) New Year to those who celebrate it. We're going over to koyil to socialise.
  3. Vinayaka

    Destruction?

    Every time I see my beloved S(h)iva described as the God of destruction, I cringe. There are so many better words that this process of His could have been translated to, but sadly, the translators were generally from way outside the dharmic paradigm .... dissolution, dismantling, absorption...
  4. Vinayaka

    Reclamation of Temples

    During the Islamic and later invasions, 100 000 temples were demolished. Each one is different today. Some might be simply farmland, overgrown, had houses built on them, or, in many cases, mosques or churches constructed over them. There is talk about reclamation, restoring them to their...
  5. Vinayaka

    How long will you stay in a thread going nowhere?

    Once you encounter the 'I'm right and you're wrong' mindset, how long will you stay in that thread? Has your endurance with that increased or decreased over time? Thoughts?
  6. Vinayaka

    Daydream pilgrimages

    So, if you had no limits, which places would it be? Here's my silly list. - Punta Arenas, the southernmost temple on the planet. - Trondheim, Norway, the northernmost temple on the planet - Kedarnath, because Boss always wanted to go there - Varanasi, just because it's Varanasi - Siddhi Vinayak...
  7. Vinayaka

    Becoming a Sannyasin

    For some reasons, becoming a lifetime monk (sannyasin) has become out of style with perhaps the exception of the BAPS sampradaya. They are large in number and somehow seem to attract new monks regularly. I'm wondering if anyone has insights about how you would encourage somebody to consider it...
  8. Vinayaka

    Toxic positivity

    Here's an article on it, for those who don't know what it means, or what actions indicate it's happening. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-toxic-positivity-5093958 Personally, I try, not always successfully, to be neither overly optimistic, nor pessimistic, but plain old realistic. I've...
  9. Vinayaka

    Tirupati to make it easier to revert or convert, by setting up new program

    https://www.deccanherald.com/india/andhra-pradesh/tirumala-tirupati-devasthanams-to-establish-system-to-initiate-people-from-other-religions-into-hinduism-2879284 One of the challenges for many non-Hindus wanting to 'get in' on their own volition, is finding a method. The famous temple in AP is...
  10. Vinayaka

    Video introduction to visiting a Buddhist temple

    The Oberoi Foundation, same group who sponsored the excellent 'History of Hindu India' series, have produced 3 more videos on temples of our 3 dharmic cousin faiths. Enjoy.
  11. Vinayaka

    Darshan

    How would you describe darshan, if you've experiences it? What emotional or physical effects does it have on you?
  12. Vinayaka

    Reading other religion's scriptures.

    I know that in some interfaith circles it's suggested, or recommended to read scriptures other than your own, to get a better sense of who they are. And therein lies the challenge . Does this really work, or does it backfire? Suppose you have a kindly friendly neighbor who you get along with...
  13. Vinayaka

    Cold Thai Pongal

    Tomorrow is Thai Pongal. We're currently at -36C, tonight it's supposed to set records at -45 or so, and tomorrow, starting at 8:30, Thai Pongal goes on. Mainly it consists of starting a fire outside, and boiling a pot of 'pongal' (a mix of grains) over to ensure good harvests. The priest then...
  14. Vinayaka

    I went to my shrink and ...

    I went to my shrink, and he asked, "What's troubling you, Vinayaka?" I said, "I get the idea that every time I talk to you, no matter what it is, you think that you're right and I'm wrong." He said, "Well, Vinayaka, I'm pretty sure you're wrong about that."
  15. Vinayaka

    The elevator

    Since I actually got more than one response to my other hypothetical, here's another one. For JG Suppose as an act of God, you get stuck in an elevator with one other person. 1) Who would that person be in your daydream? What would be your first words, if any? 2) Who would it be in your worst...
  16. Vinayaka

    The acceleration of technology and knowledge

    How fast will it get? Doctors, car mechanics, teachers, computer guys, and many other industries have ever quickening change in the knowledge and new technology. It's hard to keep up. Every time I rent a car, I have to re-learn new gadgetry. Fifty years ago, you could train to be a doctor, and...
  17. Vinayaka

    Update on self-publishing

    So I finished the two books, got them approved for Indigo Canada, and then set up a book signing at a local book store. It brought back trauma from 20 years ago, the first time I self-published. I realised just how much that aspect of it went against my personality. I quit. Hung it up. I'm 70...
  18. Vinayaka

    Six foods.

    I generally hate hypotheticals, but on occasion they might provide fodder for fascinating conversation, a solution to certain bored individuals, or humour. This is for JG. Nuclear fallout has been announced. You get to choose six foods, unlimited supply, to keep you in your bunker for five...
  19. Vinayaka

    Defining 'hate'.

    From your POV, how would you define hate? I see the word used in practically multitudinous ways.
  20. Vinayaka

    Tools, not Rules

    For me, a simple way of remembering the dharmic way of life is to think of our guidelines, such as those given in the Yoga Sutras, Tirukkural, or other scripture is to mentally think they are tools, not rules. Vegetarianism is a simple example. It's a tool to keep my consciousness in a higher...
Top