Hinduism: Ask your Questions

[Wannabe Yogi]

Really? I know that my understanding of these definitions is faulty but when reading about panentheism it seemed to equate more thoroughly with the simultaneous oneness/difference belief. And isn't panentheism a type of monotheism?

(Honestly I'm not compeltely confident with my understnading so feel free to correct me!)

Please do not assume that I am right on any subject, but this is how I see it.

Panentheism is the belief that all reality is a part of the being of God.

Nimbarka is seen as the biggest proponent Dvaitadvaita philosopy. He did say that difference and non-difference or equally true. Nimbarka also believed that God was personal and possessed a celestial body full of beauty . That souls retain their individuality even when liberated or the dissolution of the cosmos. Due to his firm belief in the concept of individuality, I would but this school of thought slightly more on the side of monotheism. It just feels closer to the definition of Monotheism then panentheism on this philosophical spectrum.

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

Hinduism, Islam and Christians say that God created the Universe but can anyone tell who created that God. If there is no creator of God then what is the need of assuming the creator of human,earth, etc?

Not all Hindu schools of thought believe in God. I can even think of one that rejects the concept of creation.

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

That one sounds very nice to me!
Why is this philosophy not more common? (Rhetorical, I know )

And what about the difference between Dvaita and Dvaitadvaita? Would Dvaita be similar to the creation of the spider?
Would you say dvaitadvaita is kind of like panentheism and/or panentheisto-monism or something?

Dvaitadvaita is a popular view both in India and the west. In the west it seems like Advaita gets the most attention because it is more popular among the Intelligencia.

Dvaitadvaita is very similar to Visistadvaitavada. Dvaitadvaita is slightly more on the Monotheistic side of things. Visistadvaitavada is called qualified non dualism in the west so its more on the Monist side of the spectrum.

Both schools of thought have big followings in the Vaishnava community in India.

 

[Andal]

Dvaitadvaita is a popular view both in India and the west. In the west it seems like Advaita gets the most attention because it is more popular among the Intelligencia.

Dvaitadvaita is very similar to Visistadvaitavada. Dvaitadvaita is slightly more on the Monotheistic side of things. Visistadvaitavada is called qualified non dualism in the west so its more on the Monist side of the spectrum.

Both schools of thought have big followings in the Vaishnava community in India.

I agree. Both Dvaitadvaita and Visistadvaitavada are important philosophies to the Vaishnava community. Dvaitadvaita is a popular view especially among Krishna devotees. We believe that we are not different from God in quality but we are different in quantity. Also upon reaching moksha, the individuality is maintained. It is closer to monotheism then other Hindu philosophies.

I think it's unfortunate that other philosophical schools don't get as much attention, even at the university level I've seen so many people teach Advaita as being whole of Hinduism.

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

I agree.

One of the great things about Hinduism is how all the Darsanas (Religious sects or schools of thought) lived in peace. Communities had may different faiths in the same village yet all people were able to get alone. Atheist, Buddhist, Christian, Jew and Hindu were all living in harmony. All that mattered was that you were a good neighbor. It was not until the foreign invasions that the religious problems began. One of the great gifts of Hinduism to the world is the proof that people can live in harmony no matter what faith you follow. The whole spectrum of Hindu belief should be given it's proper attention. If you took Christianity Islam and Buddhism and put them in a box The contents of that box would still be less diverse then the container that held Hinduism.

 

[SniggleFritz]

I came to Hindu studies after exhausting western religions and finding them empty of meaning for me -- there are just too many "leaps of faith." I find a lot of universal wisdoms in all religions, but I keep coming back to the Upanishads for TRUTH.

Having read those teachings a few times now, though I think I could continue to read them forever, I would like to explore the teachings of the Vedas. Can you recommend a good English translation?

Thanks, in advance.

 

[Madhuri]

I came to Hindu studies after exhausting western religions and finding them empty of meaning for me -- there are just too many "leaps of faith." I find a lot of universal wisdoms in all religions, but I keep coming back to the Upanishads for TRUTH.

Having read those teachings a few times now, though I think I could continue to read them forever, I would like to explore the teachings of the Vedas. Can you recommend a good English translation?

Thanks, in advance.

Hi there!
I would be happy to recommend anything but you may need to be more specific about what you are looking for. Hindu scripture isn't like the Abrahamic religions which their small amount of scripture. The Vedas consist of many, many writings. Are you looking for a particular Veda ie/ Rig. or the Srimad Baghavatam or Baghavad Gita?

Also, what kind of ideas do you favour? Personal/impersonal? Monism/atheism etc.

 

[Riverwolf]

I came to Hindu studies after exhausting western religions and finding them empty of meaning for me -- there are just too many "leaps of faith." I find a lot of universal wisdoms in all religions, but I keep coming back to the Upanishads for TRUTH.

Having read those teachings a few times now, though I think I could continue to read them forever, I would like to explore the teachings of the Vedas. Can you recommend a good English translation?

Thanks, in advance.

For a good start to studying Hinduism, pick up "Am I a Hindu?" by Ed. Viswanathan. In this book, a fourteen year old son is asking his Hindu father about the religion, with most of the questions and concerns that the author could think of. I do have a few problems with it, one of them being the fourteen year old calls his father "daddy." The other one is that he does tend to read Hindu teachings into Christian beliefs, which, while his arguments are plausible, is inappropriate in my opinion. Otherwise, it's a wonderful book.

Another book you might want to check out is "Essential Hinduism" by Steven J. Rosen. He gives a good rundown of many Hindu beliefs and practices based on subject, and despite being a scholarly book, is fairly easy to read.

But if you want to just dive right in....

The only unabridged translation of the Vedas that I know about is a hundred years old, and can be found here: http://www.hinduwebsite.com/vedicsection/vedaindex.asp

For the Bhagavad-Gita, I recommend trying out an unannotated versions, such as Eknath Easwaren's.(Which is the one I use.) This is because all the annotations tend to have personal bias based on which school is doing the translating. Another good translation of the Gita is subtitled "The Song of God" by Swami Prabhavananda, which doesn't so much translate the Gita, but make it easy to understand at the basic level. Once you've become somewhat familiar with the contents of the Gita, then you can start reading various annotated versions to get an understanding of what Hindus read in it.

I'm afraid I cannot help you any more than that, as I do not know much about the other Hindu Scriptures, with one contemporary exception: "Dancing With Siva," which is a catechism of Saivism, the worship of Siva as the Supreme Reality. (The school of Hinduism I'm considering.)

 

[Peggy Anne]

It makes perfect sense to me. Thank you !

 

[SniggleFritz]

The Vedas consist of many, many writings. Are you looking for a particular Veda ie/ Rig. or the Srimad Baghavatam or Baghavad Gita?

Also, what kind of ideas do you favour? Personal/impersonal? Monism/atheism etc.

Thanks, Madhuri, already you've taught me something.

I would say that I would like to read the works that the yogis studied to know the Supreme Self, Paramatman. It is not Indian mythology I seek to understand; I wish to gain Enlightenment.

Thanks, again.

 

[Madhuri]

Thanks, Madhuri, already you've taught me something.

I would say that I would like to read the works that the yogis studied to know the Supreme Self, Paramatman. It is not Indian mythology I seek to understand; I wish to gain Enlightenment.

Thanks, again.

I recommend the Bhagavadgita and Srimad Bhagavatam (start with first volume at least). You can in fact find these online although I recommend that with the Gita you study more than one translation. For instance, if you were to choose Prabhupad's gita, accompany it with Yogananda's. That gives you a literal and an allegorical context with which to understand. I also suggest that if you do read Prabhupad's gita, or any scriptural purports, keep in mind that the author is probably writing from the context of his culture and time.

Something else. I don't know how developed your understanding of Hinduism is and that could be important. If a person is introduced to the philosophy with very technical explanations it won't do much for him/her. If you are very new, I would recommend first to read some of Yogananda's books or even Osho.

The most important thing is to always keep an open mind. Vedas can be interpreted in many ways and the people presenting it are always only giving their own view. In the end it is you who takes what makes sense and develops your own path to enlightenment.

I hope that helps somewhat. Don't be overwhelmed by the immense amount of literature. Just start with one and go from there. It's a gradual process and requires patience. I recommend meditation

 

[SniggleFritz]

I would recommend first to read some of Yogananda's books or even Osho.

Are you refering to Paramahansa Yogananda? I found his works a couple of years ago, and have been reading them out of sequence. Currently, I am studying his "Autobiography of a Yogi."

The most important thing is to always keep an open mind. Vedas can be interpreted in many ways and the people presenting it are always only giving their own view. In the end it is you who takes what makes sense and develops your own path to enlightenment.

Truer words were never spoken -- for any topic! :yes:

Just start with one and go from there. It's a gradual process and requires patience. I recommend meditation

No worries. At 23 I was eager to steam roll through life; at 53, I know that sureness of footing and ease is more conducive to MY path.

Thank you, again, for your continued guidance.

 

[Madhuri]

No problem. I'm always willing to help out!

 

[Onkara]

*bump* Good idea this thread.

Why is Orange a special colour, for clothes for example? Should we wear Orange?

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

*bump* Good idea this thread.

Why is Orange a special colour, for clothes for example? Should we wear Orange?

Only if it matches your skin tone.

 

[Onkara]

hahaha No way then, it will clash with my artificial suntan from a bottle.

 

[mohasalah]

What do u worship and what are the basis of the Hinduism ??

 

[Breathe]

What do u worship and what are the basis of the Hinduism ??

Complex and varied question.

I speak only for myself, here, though. Others may disagree with me and chime in when they like.

I believe in one God--THE One. The One is absolutely everything and more, in a sort of panentheistic monist way. All of the devas of Hinduism are personalised aspects of the One, such as creation, destruction, preservation, and so on and so forth. There is nothing except the One. Icons are used, but they are not sentient, they do not act, they are not alive, and we do not worship them--but they are spiritually powerful things. They are similar to a telephone, in effect. They help me concentrate easier.

A commonly asked question is "What if you smashed the icon?" - what would happen? You would have smashed an icon. It's disrespectful to do it. I treat the icon in the way I would wish to do to God, so if someone smashes an icon, to me it says they would harm God, if they could, because of something they disagreed with.


I believe in reincarnation, and we are rewarded and punished in this life and the next one according to what karma we create. Heaven and Hell are temporary and are distractions as opposed to the goal. We can come back as a myriad of different things, and many do. Our ancestors may not have been so lucky. The goal is to go beyond them and join with God, this is moksha.

I believe all entities are inherently divine, from man and woman, to animal, from insect, to tree, from atom to the multiverse. I see people as equals to one-another, regardless of race, creed, gender, anything.

We should strive for ahimsa - non-injury, and attempt to be as peaceful as possible. I believe it is possible for anyone to join with God regardless of the path they follow, so long as they follow their path faithfully, love God and others, and do not injure others.

That's my $0.02.
I'm actually going on holiday tomorrow, so if you respond after today I won't get it for about a fortnight.

 

[Riverwolf]

What do u worship and what are the basis of the Hinduism ??

Great question that everyone will have a different answer to.

The bases of Sanatana Dharma is the Veda, the collected Spiritual Wisdom of mankind. The beginning of the Veda is the glorification of God, through various aspects, which is followed by instructions for worship. This is Yoga: the path of action. This is the ideal for the common man: all things are performed as if they are offerings and glorifications of God.

The other parts of the Veda deal with Samkhya: contemplation. This is comprised of philosophical treatises, which are connected to the Upanishads. These are the most popular parts of the Veda, comprising of wisdom so great that the Sages wonder at these words. One who follows the Upanishads lead a life of contemplation and meditation.

The ideal is to combine both Samkhya and Yoga in life, as they are different paths to the same goal. One who can combine both of them will be wise indeed.

Traditionally, there are four Vedas: the Rig Veda, the root Veda dealing with hymns; the Sama Veda, dealing with songs; the Yajur Veda, comprised of chants; and the Atharva Veda, dealing with magic.

However, I believe that the Veda extends beyond the four traditional ones, based on the fact that the word "veda" comes from the root word "vid," which means, "to know." ("Vidya" = "knowledge.") Therefore, I believe that any collection of spiritual knowledge can be Vedic, if its essence is not contradictory to others. The words of the various Vedas contradict each other left and right, and they will sometimes contradict what we know about the world.

However, the words of the Vedas aren't important; what's important is the essence, which for Hinduism was beautifully summarized in the Bhagavad-Gita.

We worship the One God, who is One Without a Second. Many of God's aspects are glorified in different names, but we are not polytheistic in the same way that the Greeks and Norse were. Many will give different names to the One God (such as Vishnu, Shiva, Krishna, etc.), but each are just different names and forms to describe what is ultimately the same.

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

What do u worship and what are the basis of the Hinduism ??

Hinduism is a big tent with many differing beliefs and sects. Over all it seems to me that Dharma is the most universal idea in Hinduism.