What makes a Hindu a Hindu - Version 2

[Jainarayan]

They rot if you get them repeatedly wet and dry, It's wood. Wood riots. Basic science.

Yep, I learned. The string rots too. In fact, that's what broke. I didn't lose any beads but I'm not sure if there's a way to join the two ends of the string. I don't know why I thought they'd have some kind of divine insurance on them. I can be such a dolt.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Stop being so conscious about it. There is nothing on me to indicate that I am a Hindu. I was a medical representative at that time. During the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war, I was at a small railway station and somehow people got the idea that I am a Pakistan spy. I was surrounded by a few people and had to show them my identity card. Nothing untoward happened though they were a few frightening minutes. I do not/did not wear at that time also my Yajnopavita, though my grandfather spent a lot of money on the occasion.

 

[Aupmanyav]

They rot if you get them repeatedly wet and dry, It's wood. Wood riots. Basic science.

Jai, check with Hare-Krishnas. I think you might take it off when you take bath and put it back after drying yourself. During the time either you have to keep mum or chant Vishnu mantras. We can take off Yajnopavita but have to keep quite till we wear it again (as far as I think). Better Hindus will probably comment on that.

How do you tie the two end of a string - by a knot. The divine wants to see how well you take care of beads, kanthis, etc.

 

[Jainarayan]

How do you tie the two end of a string - by a knot. The divine wants to see how well you take care of beads, kanthis, etc.

What I mean is that the two ends are very short and may not be able to be tied. It's a knotted mala, so it's not a simple matter of just restringing the beads. I would do more harm than good in trying to do the knots. If I can't repair it I'll keep it aside with the rest of the malas that have broken over the years. I think proper disposal is in a river or stream.

 

[Jainarayan]

Stop being so conscious about it.

You're right, and as I've mentioned occasionally, the problem is in my head. I've just always been self conscious about things, with a degree of social anxiety. It took me forever to go to temple the first time. When I did, that was a very big step for me.

 

[Vinayaka]

Whether or not you do japa with correct intent is far more important than the beadsm in my view. I have a medium rudraksha mala in the shrine room for daily sadhana but I don't wear it ... for japa only, but in a cloth bag Boss made. At koyil if I do japa it's the finger method. Nobody notices. It takes a while for them to wear out, but I'll just buy another. Got this one from mini-mela, but I'm biased.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Have no experience with Kanthi (but they are beautiful), coming from a Shaiva family. Grandpa has a rudraksha mala which is now a heirloom and with us, small beads. Another was a coral mala, very nice. I do not know which of the four branches of the family has it now, but it does not matter.

 

[Marcion]

It's in the center of Murugan's yantra. It should be there at Skanda vale.
From Dancing with Siva it says ... two interlocking triangles, upper stands for Siva, purusha and fire, the lower for Shakti, prakriti, and water. Their union gives birth to Murugan, whose sacred number is 6. You can google it for more info too.

The explanation for the swastika in the Pratik is that the vertical spoke stands for Shiva or the Supreme Consciousness, the vertical spoke for Shakti or Prakrti (which creates or brings forth) and the 4 smaller strokes stand for the dynamism that the two combined cause in the creation.

 

[atanu]

Yeah, just be a human being trying to follow his or her dharma. That is enough.

The term or label 'Hindu' or 'Tantra yogi' serves the purpose of a functional identity, just like your name Marcion.

If you had no name you would not have been able to have RF membership, as they require a name .

The term 'Marcion' is just a label for your person, created by your parents for functional purposes. 'Marcion' is not engraved in your body from birth or anything of that sort. It is an artificial man-made identity, but it serves a purpose.

Similarly the terms 'Hindu', 'Japanese','muslim' , 'heterosexual', 'female', 'transgender' and so on. You use them for functional purposes but not emotionally identify with them as your true identity as it is a false identification leading to creation of the ego, reactivity and psychological suffering. That is where the label trouble erupts, and all conflicts arise from these dualistic divisions due to the emotion invested in them by false identification.

The true identity as per Vedanta is the Self, which is awareness or pure consciousness, and there are no dualistic divisions in this state of being.

Yes.

If one pays lots of attention to where boundaries are, one pays less attention to complete pictures, which is an important, if not the main, purpose of dharma.

 

[ajay0]

Yes.

If one pays lots of attention to where boundaries are, one pays less attention to complete pictures, which is an imortant, if not the main, purpose of dharma.

This is very insightful and elegantly put.

It is a conceptual centre ( ego) created by false identifications ( other than the Self) , that creates conceptualised boundaries which prevents perception of the bigger or complete picture, leading to erroneous perceptions and actions, which is adharma.

Dharma arises from proper perception of the complete picture , through identification with the Self, leading to proper actions.

 

[Shantanu]

Dharma arises from proper perception of the complete picture , through identification with the Self, leading to proper actions.

Dharma is the balancing of ones material needs for survival in this world with ones spiritual needs of paying devotional reverences to God.