Treasure Hunter
Well-Known Member
Question: Is there any branch of Hinduism that encourages the worship and devotion of Para Brahman specifically? Have any of you here devoted yourselves to Para Brahman? If not, why not?
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I have always heard people use the term "realization' and not 'worship'. As we are Brahman, then 'who would be worshipping who?' is what I've heard. Our goal then becomes 'realization' of this truth; Self-Realization/Brahman Realization.Question: Is there any branch of Hinduism that encourages the worship and devotion of Para Brahman specifically? Have any of you here devoted yourselves to Para Brahman? If not, why not?
Not that I know of, but I don't get out much.Question: Is there any branch of Hinduism that encourages the worship and devotion of Para Brahman specifically? Have any of you here devoted yourselves to Para Brahman? If not, why not?
You can say we are Brahman, but you cannot say we are Para (Nirguna) Brahman right? If I asked you to realize Para Brahman in this moment could you do it? If I instead asked can you devote yourself to Para Brahman can you do that?I have always heard people use the term "realization' and not 'worship'. As we are Brahman, then 'who would be worshipping who?' is what I've heard. Our goal then becomes 'realization' of this truth; Self-Realization/Brahman Realization.
We are para Brahman already but our minds do not realize it.You can say we are Brahman, but you cannot say we are Para (Nirguna) Brahman right?
No, but I am not a Self-Realized saint (yet)If I asked you to realize Para Brahman in this moment could you do it?
No, the gods we devote ourselves too, like Shiva or Krishna, have some form that we can focus on and imagine in our minds. The gurus I have heard say we need nama and rupa (name and form) to concentrate our devotion on..If I instead asked can you devote yourself to Para Brahman can you do that?
Pranam Treasure Hunter ji, In Vaisnavism Para-Brahman is Vasudeva, the nectarean Supreme Lord. Vaisnavas are Bhaktas, and highly encourage the worship and devotion of Him, to attain moksha, thus attaining His abode.Question: Is there any branch of Hinduism that encourages the worship and devotion of Para Brahman specifically? Have any of you here devoted yourselves to Para Brahman? If not, why not?
Bhaktas like this?Pranam Treasure Hunter ji, In Vaisnavism Para-Brahman is Vasudeva, the nectarean Supreme Lord. Vaisnavas are Bhaktas, and highly encourage the worship and devotion of Him, to attain moksha, thus attaining His abode.
A Bhakta is one who has devotion to God, one who thinks of Him always and sees Him everywhere. Hanuman was a bhakta, he devoted himself to Lord Ramachandra (An avatara of Lord Maha-Visnu) Kamsa was a bhakta in a way, he hated Lord Krsna, and thought of Him everyday, saw Him everyday with hatred, and he attained moksha.Bhaktas like this?
http://www.sivanandaonline.org/public_html/?cmd=displaysection§ion_id=1006
Are there any guidelines Bhaktas have for how they practice their devotion to Him or is there an expectation that we all inherently know how to do it?
Hinduism is an umbrella term. Hinduism refers to the many many religions in Bharat (India) Usually, to know Him, one should love him dearly, see Him as the Origin of all Beings, and worship His lotus feet.Maybe a better question:
How does Hinduism teach its followers to know Para-Brahman? How do Bhaktas know Him in order to worship and devote themselves to Him?
The most direct way is Jnana Yoga.How does Hinduism teach its followers to know Para-Brahman?
It is not meant to be limiting but presents the most helpful pathsI have no doubt this is a majority belief among Hindus. Is our faith really so limited?
I'm curious to hear how you would see that happening beyond the methods taught in Jnana Yoga.Is there anyone here who believes they can devote themselves to Para Brahman?
It is like a king and an emperor. King will pay obeisance to the Emperor. Brahman and Para-Brahman. Brahman and the Greater Brahman. But then, I am a non-dualist ('advaita'). Therefore, I can have only one - Brahman and nothing beyond that or even before that. Just one, which is all. "Ekameva adviteeyam" (Verily One, without a second).
I just completed some research in RF at other threads you have initiated, Treasure Hunter. Are you misrepresenting yourself in the Hinduism DIR as one of "our faith" or are you speaking of faith in general? Perhaps it was only a typo and you meant "your" faith. I am not usually a stickler for these kinds of things and I could be wrong but it feels like you want to instigate argument and that's not allowed in a DIR. We're a peaceful bunch here. Take your stuff to the debate/general discussion areas where you started from, won't you please? I'm certain some Hindus will be happy to feed you in those arenas--where it's more appropriate.
Brahman is not a God.In the same way, two people can be devoted to different aspects of God, ..
Many Hindus do refer to Brahman as God. Some do, some don't. But the key is that whether Brahman is called God, or not it remains a very different concept than the Abrahamic God. That difference lies in the notion of permeating versus separate.Brahman is not a God.
Many Hindus do refer to Brahman as God. Some do, some don't. But the key is that whether Brahman is called God, or not it remains a very different concept than the Abrahamic God. That difference lies in the notion of permeating versus separate.
I agree with you, as do most Hindus I think. If you google it, you find lots of Hindus referring to Brahman as God.We'd have to ask Aupji, but that could be what he meant by using the article "a" in front of the word God, i.e., to denote a sense of individuation. If he did, I agree with him: Brahman is not a god, Brahman is God, like that.
I agree with you, as do most Hindus I think. If you google it, you find lots of Hindus referring to Brahman as God.
http://www.hinduwebsite.com/brahmanmain.asp
I've had this discussion personally with Aup before, before you came by. Because he is a 'staunch' atheist, he can't agree to Brahman being God, although he believes in Brahman. I partly agree, as I think Brahman to God is a poor translation, and you see it being misused a lot by those who like to think the conceptualisation of God is the same through all religions. So I would have reworded it to say 'Brahman is not the Abrahamic God'. Of course within both Dharmic and Abrahamic faiths, we do have people leaning towards the other, mainly in western Abrahamic mystical lineages, and in the Dharmic strong dualists.
I wouldn't be surprised if Brahman wasn't one of the words on Rajiv Malhotra's untranslatable words list.