How to become a Hindu

[Colorblind Genius]

Moksha doesn't mean you go somewhere else. Once you attain moksha you can now clearly see what is real and whats not. In its epistemological and psychological senses, moksha is freedom from ignorance: self-realization, self-actualization and self-knowledge (Wiki). I would add self-transcendance.

No one said it is easy. It just requires one moment for awakening but it takes lifetimes of work to remove conditioning to come to that moment. I will not call it theory because you can actually experience this bliss state. I have many encounters with many great teachers and sages who are in this trance bliss like state. And I was fortunate enough to have a peak at this state once in my life.

The good service/ deeds you are talking about is called called Karma Yoga. It's the the yoga of action and selfless service. Its a yoga which is applied to human beings. There is law of karma and karma yoga. You do karma yoga to slowly burn/ tame your ego. According to Gita,

And what happens after you achieve Moksha and you die?

 

[Sidilicious]

Looks like one fairy tale vs another fairy tale. With zero evidence to support either claim. But to each his own I guess

indeed. Each religion seems just made up fairytale to make kids behave. I just prefer the Gabbar Singh one

 

[PakLFC]

Show me the evidence of Sati during Buddha’s time?
Sati is mentioned in Shiv Purana. Written after 10th century AD. Buddha’s time is 500BC.

Now you are being silly. Buddha lived centuries back when Sati the ancient Hindu practice was normal. So if Sati is not practiced anymore then obviously there was a time when it was.

 

[PakLFC]

Show me the evidence of Sati during Buddha’s time?
Sati is mentioned in Shiv Purana. Written after 10th century AD. Buddha’s time is 500BC.

So Sati may have been called something else during Buddha's time. You do realize that officially up until 2019 sati was practiced in India. Perhps it is even today. Names and titles may change to suit the times.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/she-ceased-to-be-a-woman-was-a-goddess-6016915/

 

[IndoorCricket]

And what happens after you achieve Moksha and you die?

Let me achieve both first. I will let you know. AFAIK, a realised being is same as any other human being in terms of physicality. We go back to the source aka soil. If you ask about where the "I"/ consciousness/ soul goes. Its always there it never goes away.

 

[IndoorCricket]

So Sati may have been called something else during Buddha's time. You do realize that officially up until 2019 sati was practiced in India. Perhps it is even today. Names and titles may change to suit the times.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/she-ceased-to-be-a-woman-was-a-goddess-6016915/

Sati as we know came into existence during 500 AD. Rajputs used to follow them during Mughal era and existed until recent times. Before that It was more of a symbolical practice.

 

[Champ_Pal]

So Sati may have been called something else during Buddha's time. You do realize that officially up until 2019 sati was practiced in India. Perhps it is even today. Names and titles may change to suit the times.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/she-ceased-to-be-a-woman-was-a-goddess-6016915/

Bro, you are talking about things you have no clue about. Hinduism did not exist during Buddha's time. There were only various cults which shared a lot of commonality.
There is no evidence of Sati during Buddha's time. Caste system was also fluid during his time. Anyone can become one of the 4 castes depending on their attributes. This is why Buddha was never against caste system.

Only Sikhism rejected caste system and meaningless Brahmin rituals. This is because Hinduism had become very rigid by then and caste was decided by birth rather than their Gunas (attributes).

 

[happydavy]

So Sati may have been called something else during Buddha's time. You do realize that officially up until 2019 sati was practiced in India. Perhps it is even today. Names and titles may change to suit the times.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/she-ceased-to-be-a-woman-was-a-goddess-6016915/

2019? It was abolished in 1829. However after the Rajasthan sati case that you referred to in the link posted was in 1987 and post that the Bill was passed that made even the glorification of sati punishable by law.

 

[Kroll]

Believe it or not .... nobody gives a toss whether you have gone through some religious process/ceremony. You tell you are a Hindu and they will take your word for it. Nobody will stop you and ask you a certificate even to visit the most sacred Hindu temples. They are open for everyone. Hinduism is not a proselytizing religion therefore there is no such thing as equivalent to say a Baptism in Hinduism. Different matter if you want to actually practices its teachings.

And there it is, congratulations [MENTION=48620]Cpt. Rishwat[/MENTION] - you can now become Hindu and eat whatever you like.

PP to the rescue yet again.

 

[SalimBhai]

And there it is, congratulations [MENTION=48620]Cpt. Rishwat[/MENTION] - you can now become Hindu and eat whatever you like.

PP to the rescue yet again.

Congrats Captain sahib. You can now return to your ancestors religion. Ja Hind...

 

[Champ_Pal]

2019? It was abolished in 1829. However after the Rajasthan sati case that you referred to in the link posted was in 1987 and post that the Bill was passed that made even the glorification of sati punishable by law.

While India banned Sati by law, Arabs did not ban slavery until 1970's when British forced them to do so.

No society is better than the others. Every society has skeletons in its closet.

 

[NishanKonar]

On a different its funny how many Pakistanis think Hindus are only vegetarian. Probably bcoz most British Hindus are Gujarati and Punjabis who tend to be mostly vegetarian

But in eastern India or South India - 90% Hindus are non vegetarian

Just like Islam has many sects like Barelvi, Deobandi, Sufi, Ismaili, similarly Hindu have many sects like Arya Samaj, Vaishnav, Shaivites, Shakto etc

ps : if you really want to become Hindu & eat meat - join the Shakto tradition. It allows eating meat ( except for beef ). Animal sacrifices are very important part of this sect.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Congrats Captain sahib. You can now return to your ancestors religion. Ja Hind...

Why bother? If I can eat what I like, and also call myself Muslim or Buddhist, then it makes sense to just stay put. Only one thing I find slightly jars with this happy scenario, if Hinduism is inclusive, then why is there such a fuss about love jihad? If I'm not wrong, there is recently laws enshrined to stop conversion from Hinduism to other faiths via marriage.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

On a different its funny how many Pakistanis think Hindus are only vegetarian. Probably bcoz most British Hindus are Gujarati and Punjabis who tend to be mostly vegetarian

But in eastern India or South India - 90% Hindus are non vegetarian

Just like Islam has many sects like Barelvi, Deobandi, Sufi, Ismaili, similarly Hindu have many sects like Arya Samaj, Vaishnav, Shaivites, Shakto etc

ps : if you really want to become Hindu & eat meat - join the Shakto tradition. It allows eating meat ( except for beef ). Animal sacrifices are very important part of this sect.

Don't know about anywhere else, but in Britain I would say a large chunk of Brits believe Hindus are vegetarian, maybe because the initial wave of Indian immigrants was from north India. Now we are seeing increasing numbers from South India so perceptions may change.

Also remember reading in the news here that McDonalds opened a totally vegetarian restaurant in India due to large demand for it: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19479013

A spokesman for McDonald's in northern India, Rajesh Kumar Maini, told the news agency: "There is a big opportunity for vegetarian restaurants as many Indians are vegetarian.

 

[NishanKonar]

Don't know about anywhere else, but in Britain I would say a large chunk of Brits believe Hindus are vegetarian, maybe because the initial wave of Indian immigrants was from north India. Now we are seeing increasing numbers from South India so perceptions may change.

Also remember reading in the news here that McDonalds opened a totally vegetarian restaurant in India due to large demand for it: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19479013

A spokesman for McDonald's in northern India, Rajesh Kumar Maini, told the news agency: "There is a big opportunity for vegetarian restaurants as many Indians are vegetarian.

North India & Gujarat is about 50% vegetarian. More so in Punjab and Haryana. But rest of India is mostly non vegetarian

Also I am yet to come across a MacDonalds in India that's only vegetarian. But I agree Macdonalds, KFC, Subway have lot more vegetarian options in India compared to those in USA or UK

But like I said the initial wave of migrants in UK were mostly Gujaratis and Punjabis ( like Rishi Sunak ) and that probably created this stereotype of vegetarian Hindus !

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Moksha doesn't mean you go somewhere else. Once you attain moksha you can now clearly see what is real and whats not. In its epistemological and psychological senses, moksha is freedom from ignorance: self-realization, self-actualization and self-knowledge (Wiki). I would add self-transcendance.

No one said it is easy. It just requires one moment for awakening but it takes lifetimes of work to remove conditioning to come to that moment. I will not call it theory because you can actually experience this bliss state. I have many encounters with many great teachers and sages who are in this trance bliss like state. And I was fortunate enough to have a peak at this state once in my life.

The good service/ deeds you are talking about is called called Karma Yoga. It's the the yoga of action and selfless service. Its a yoga which is applied to human beings. There is law of karma and karma yoga. You do karma yoga to slowly burn/ tame your ego. According to Gita,

I think there are similar mystic traditions in other religions as well, Rumi is probably the best known from the Islamic world. Definitely Hinduism has a rich tradition for it, and it could be argued it was recognised there first. Although the traditional view as far as I know it is that it was always there, just different people from different regions called it by another name. In essence it is the same thing.

 

[dildilpak]

Fascinating discussion. So Hinduism has no rules, no entry or exit points?

But do the rules differ in different castes/sects? Asking because I had a South Indian Brahmin room-mate, and the way he would describe made it sound very regimental & rule based. He had & still has very strict dos & donts that he and his family follow - vegetarianism for one, prayers/rituals on holy days, visiting temples etc. So is that not same for everyone then?

 

[Colorblind Genius]

Let me achieve both first. I will let you know. AFAIK, a realised being is same as any other human being in terms of physicality. We go back to the source aka soil. If you ask about where the "I"/ consciousness/ soul goes. Its always there it never goes away.

So you don't even know the answer, theoretically.
You are trying to achieve "Moksha", but then you don't know, for what? And what's gonna happen after that? There doesn't seems to be an ultimate goal.

 

[NishanKonar]

Fascinating discussion. So Hinduism has no rules, no entry or exit points?

But do the rules differ in different castes/sects? Asking because I had a South Indian Brahmin room-mate, and the way he would describe made it sound very regimental & rule based. He had & still has very strict dos & donts that he and his family follow - vegetarianism for one, prayers/rituals on holy days, visiting temples etc. So is that not same for everyone then?

Actually Hinduism have many strict rules, regulations and rituals. Those who say Hinduism has no rules are basically non practicing Hindus who have little idea about the religion

Only thing is Hindus or Indians in geeneral are lot less rigid in enforcing their religion. Like in India you can be openly atheist or agnostic but nobody cares. Unlike say Pakistan where publicly acknowledging that you are atheist is very risky. In India there are many celebrities who openly say they are atheist but you never see that in Pakistan. Again this is probably more due to the secular ethos established by Nehru after 1947 - not necessarily bcoz of Hinduism per se. Lot of Muslims in India are also openly atheist ( like Javed Akhtar , even Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan regularly worships Hindu deities which is considered Shirk in Islam )

But those who follow Hindusim rigorously - they live very regimented lives just like practicing Muslims. But again eating vegetarian food is not necessarily a requisite to be Hindu. Many Hindu sects allow eating non vegetarian. Example my sect Shakto. We even sacrifice goats and buffalo on ur major festivals for meat ( just like Muslims do on Bakr Eid )

 

[NishanKonar]

Let me give an example

I live mostly like an atheist. But my parents are very strict Hindus. They follow strict diet rules, pray daily, fast regularly on auspicious days, and follow all festivals and rituals as necessary. Every Tuesday and Saturday they visit the local temple.

Few years back my sister joined ISKCON sect and became pure vegetarian as per their sect. But my parents are still following Shakto - so they are still non vegetarian

But I am atheist. So I live life as per my rules and choices

 

[IndoorCricket]

So you don't even know the answer, theoretically.
You are trying to achieve "Moksha", but then you don't know, for what? And what's gonna happen after that? There doesn't seems to be an ultimate goal.

They say once you are realized there are no more questions. For unrealized there are only questions and questions. I am sincere enough to say I don't know cause I have not experienced it yet. I can answer for things which are in my experience. Again once in self-realization there is no "I". There is no "you" essentially. "I" consciousness dissolves into cosmic consciousness. There is no "I" for questioning. If there is no "I" there is no problems, troubles or sorrow. Only eternal bliss.

 

[jeetu]

Fascinating discussion. So Hinduism has no rules, no entry or exit points?

But do the rules differ in different castes/sects? Asking because I had a South Indian Brahmin room-mate, and the way he would describe made it sound very regimental & rule based. He had & still has very strict dos & donts that he and his family follow - vegetarianism for one, prayers/rituals on holy days, visiting temples etc. So is that not same for everyone then?

- Given how much variation of beliefs it tough to encompass Hinduism in strict set of rules. My way of following Hinduism can be vastly different from my neighbor. The most common thread would be rituals and festival commonalities. The most common festival pretty much celebrated all over India would be Diwali.
In my case presently i follow quite liberal way as compared to generation above me. My wife despite being in same caste as me follows more stricter with more stricter rules.
In my childhood i use to enjoy reading lots of comics with had religious stories. This curiosity to know more about characters lead me to read actual religious books namely different versions of Ramayana Mahabharata. This leads to learn more about interesting figures who were briefly mentioned in them. However getting to college my interest in religious book waned and i have rarely touched them in over 30 years.

 

[KingKhanWC]

- Given how much variation of beliefs it tough to encompass Hinduism in strict set of rules. My way of following Hinduism can be vastly different from my neighbor. The most common thread would be rituals and festival commonalities. The most common festival pretty much celebrated all over India would be Diwali.
In my case presently i follow quite liberal way as compared to generation above me. My wife despite being in same caste as me follows more stricter with more stricter rules.
In my childhood i use to enjoy reading lots of comics with had religious stories. This curiosity to know more about characters lead me to read actual religious books namely different versions of Ramayana Mahabharata. This leads to learn more about interesting figures who were briefly mentioned in them. However getting to college my interest in religious book waned and i have rarely touched them in over 30 years.

Ive tried to learn about Hinduism but its very complicated, mainly due to so many varied opinions.

Is it actually a religion? Its not universal, mainly located in India.

The first question which comes to mind is what is the definition of God? Please answer.

 

[NishanKonar]

Ive tried to learn about Hinduism but its very complicated, mainly due to so many varied opinions.

Is it actually a religion? Its not universal, mainly located in India.

The first question which comes to mind is what is the definition of God? Please answer.

Concept of God in Hinduism : In general Hinduism considers God not just as the Supreme All-powerful Gigantic One, Who commands the humanity to tread the way He/She/It says

 

[KingKhanWC]

Concept of God in Hinduism : In general Hinduism considers God not just as the Supreme All-powerful Gigantic One, Who commands the humanity to tread the way He/She/It says

As you wrote God, its fair to assume there is only ONE God?

He/She/It? What does this mean? Why would God a supreme being be subjected to human traits such as male/female?

 

[Colorblind Genius]

They say once you are realized there are no more questions. For unrealized there are only questions and questions. I am sincere enough to say I don't know cause I have not experienced it yet. I can answer for things which are in my experience. Again once in self-realization there is no "I". There is no "you" essentially. "I" consciousness dissolves into cosmic consciousness. There is no "I" for questioning. If there is no "I" there is no problems, troubles or sorrow. Only eternal bliss.

It seems like you are talking something similar to be being in heaven, which is fair enough.
But then again, one of your fellow Hindu says, there is no narak and swark in Hinduism, and these are decoy terms.

 

[rickroll]

Why bother? If I can eat what I like, and also call myself Muslim or Buddhist, then it makes sense to just stay put. Only one thing I find slightly jars with this happy scenario, if Hinduism is inclusive, then why is there such a fuss about love jihad? If I'm not wrong, there is recently laws enshrined to stop conversion from Hinduism to other faiths via marriage.

I think it could be because those idiots professing love jihad are not practicing actual Hinduism but their own distorted (and flawed) views of what Hinduism means to them (my 0.02, Indian/Hindu posters please correct me). This is similar to idiots in Pakistan misusing Blasphemy laws, idiots among right wing Christianity misusing original good concepts in Christianity etc etc.

I also believe you (among some others here) are comparing apples-oranges here. You are comparing on-paper theoretical concepts of one (your) religion with real life implementation of other religions so in your mind the "other" is not stacking up against your own. Every faith seems noble from this conceptual POV and every faith has major holes/flaws in its real life implementations of its noble concepts.

It is a classic personal bias many religious adherents have to compare their own faith's noble conceptual stance with other faiths' flawed real life implementations of their concepts (hence my calling your comparison apples-oranges). We can see similar traits in Islam with senseless implementations of blasphemy laws, suppression/violence against other sects, and so many more real world actions going against the original noble tenets of Islam. You name any other religion and it can be the same for those religions as well.

 

[NishanKonar]

As you wrote God, its fair to assume there is only ONE God?

He/She/It? What does this mean? Why would God a supreme being be subjected to human traits such as male/female?

Like in Abrahmic faiths God send his messenger or prophets - Moses , Abraham, Jesus to explain God's path to humans

Same with Hinduism. God sent us his several devas or avatar o deities like SHiva, Vishnu , Kali , Shakti to explain different facets of God. Example Shiv represents the destructive power of God. Vishnu represents the creative powers of God. Ganesh represents wealth and prosperity

Each of these deities represent a certain aspect or pathway of Hinduism which is adopted by that particular sect. Like Shaivites worship Shiva. Vaishnavas worship Vishnu. SHakto worship Kali etc

Bit like Christians follow path of Jesus Christ and Muslims follow path of Prophet Muhammad

 

[NishanKonar]

I think it could be because those idiots professing love jihad are not practicing actual Hinduism but their own distorted (and flawed) views of what Hinduism means to them (my 0.02, Indian/Hindu posters please correct me). This is similar to idiots in Pakistan misusing Blasphemy laws, idiots among right wing Christianity misusing original good concepts in Christianity etc etc.

I also believe you (among some others here) are comparing apples-oranges here. You are comparing on-paper theoretical concepts of one (your) religion with real life implementation of other religions so in your mind the "other" is not stacking up against your own. Every faith seems noble from this conceptual POV and every faith has major holes/flaws in its real life implementations of its noble concepts.

It is a classic personal bias many religious adherents have to compare their own faith's noble conceptual stance with other faiths' flawed real life implementations of their concepts (hence my calling your comparison apples-oranges). We can see similar traits in Islam with senseless implementations of blasphemy laws, suppression/violence against other sects, and so many more real world actions going against the original noble tenets of Islam. You name any other religion and it can be the same for those religions as well.

Yes love jihad is more like right wing conspiracy theorists. They are like those British Muslims who think Salah commits Shirk by celebrating Christmas. Or French Arabs who think black guys are stealing their girls !

To be honest Muslims are no different. Most Muslims strongly oppose their women marrying non Muslims. Same with right wing Hindus / Sanghis

ps : Ur last para is correct. Most people judge other religions basis their own religions and hence think other religions must be wrong. Same with Hindus when they look at other religions

 

[KingKhanWC]

Like in Abrahmic faiths God send his messenger or prophets - Moses , Abraham, Jesus to explain God's path to humans

Same with Hinduism. God sent us his several devas or avatar o deities like SHiva, Vishnu , Kali , Shakti to explain different facets of God. Example Shiv represents the destructive power of God. Vishnu represents the creative powers of God. Ganesh represents wealth and prosperity

Each of these deities represent a certain aspect or pathway of Hinduism which is adopted by that particular sect. Like Shaivites worship Shiva. Vaishnavas worship Vishnu. SHakto worship Kali etc

Bit like Christians follow path of Jesus Christ and Muslims follow path of Prophet Muhammad

Thank you. Makes sense now.

So there is ONLY ONE supreme power but 'he' has sent his messengers with powers.

You've given the name of the avatars but what is the name of the supreme power/God?

 

[Champ_Pal]

So you don't even know the answer, theoretically.
You are trying to achieve "Moksha", but then you don't know, for what? And what's gonna happen after that? There doesn't seems to be an ultimate goal.

Attaining Moksha means breaking the circle of life and death. With each birth, you get a chance to do good deeds and rectify the previous life's and current life's bad deeds. Once you break that circle, you will become one with Brahman(supreme soul). That means eternal peace. That is the ultimate goal.

 

[NishanKonar]

Thank you. Makes sense now.

So there is ONLY ONE supreme power but 'he' has sent his messengers with powers.

You've given the name of the avatars but what is the name of the supreme power/God?

The Supreme God is Brahman

 

[Champ_Pal]

Thank you. Makes sense now.

So there is ONLY ONE supreme power but 'he' has sent his messengers with powers.

You've given the name of the avatars but what is the name of the supreme power/God?

As per Vedas, the supreme God also represented as OM has several other Gods too. Even Vedic religion is polytheistic in nature.
As Vedic people spread to all parts of India, they incorporated the local aspects and formed what we know as Hinduism today.

 

[Kroll]

The Supreme God is Brahman

Where does Vishnu come in all of this, I thought he was the highest?

 

[jeetu]

Ive tried to learn about Hinduism but its very complicated, mainly due to so many varied opinions.

Is it actually a religion? Its not universal, mainly located in India.

The first question which comes to mind is what is the definition of God? Please answer.

Hinduism developed in India over the course of time. One of oldest form can be traced during Rig Veda (oldest among Vedas) time. Rigveda was written around 1000 to 2000 BC. With time it got more complex as seen by successive Vedas then Ramayana and Mahabharata were developed which became mainstay. It was more or less finalized during Gupta Empire (250 - 500 AD).

Hinduism mainly developed from Indian subcontinent to South Eastern Asian nations like Thailand , Malaysia etc. These countries have many temples. Many have their own interpretation of Ramayana. Regarding why Hinduism did not develop towards west of subcontinent , my guess would be no Hindu ruler bothered to spread it around. Also those areas had their own well established religion like Greeks , Romans etc already.

Definition of God varies from person to person among Hindus. My personal belief is that its not much different from Abraham religion when looking at true source.

The Supreme Divine Power or number 1 hindu god is the ultimate supreme being which is formless and genderless.
After that the difference comes in terms of following God. According to my version of all further gods/goddesses take birth from that divine energy only. Most famous among them are Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. So most Hindus takes religion guidance by following them.

 

[Major]

I think it could be because those idiots professing love jihad are not practicing actual Hinduism but their own distorted (and flawed) views of what Hinduism means to them (my 0.02, Indian/Hindu posters please correct me). This is similar to idiots in Pakistan misusing Blasphemy laws, idiots among right wing Christianity misusing original good concepts in Christianity etc etc.

I also believe you (among some others here) are comparing apples-oranges here. You are comparing on-paper theoretical concepts of one (your) religion with real life implementation of other religions so in your mind the "other" is not stacking up against your own. Every faith seems noble from this conceptual POV and every faith has major holes/flaws in its real life implementations of its noble concepts.

It is a classic personal bias many religious adherents have to compare their own faith's noble conceptual stance with other faiths' flawed real life implementations of their concepts (hence my calling your comparison apples-oranges). We can see similar traits in Islam with senseless implementations of blasphemy laws, suppression/violence against other sects, and so many more real world actions going against the original noble tenets of Islam. You name any other religion and it can be the same for those religions as well.

very good post

 

[jeetu]

Where does Vishnu come in all of this, I thought he was the highest?

There is a trinity of Hindu gods: "Brahma" the creator, "Vishnu" the preserver and "Shiva" the destroyer.
All 3 have different purpose. But otherwise considered as equals.

 

[KingKhanWC]

The Supreme God is Brahman

As per Vedas, the supreme God also represented as OM has several other Gods too. Even Vedic religion is polytheistic in nature.
As Vedic people spread to all parts of India, they incorporated the local aspects and formed what we know as Hinduism today.

Hinduism developed in India over the course of time. One of oldest form can be traced during Rig Veda (oldest among Vedas) time. Rigveda was written around 1000 to 2000 BC. With time it got more complex as seen by successive Vedas then Ramayana and Mahabharata were developed which became mainstay. It was more or less finalized during Gupta Empire (250 - 500 AD).

Hinduism mainly developed from Indian subcontinent to South Eastern Asian nations like Thailand , Malaysia etc. These countries have many temples. Many have their own interpretation of Ramayana. Regarding why Hinduism did not develop towards west of subcontinent , my guess would be no Hindu ruler bothered to spread it around. Also those areas had their own well established religion like Greeks , Romans etc already.

Definition of God varies from person to person among Hindus. My personal belief is that its not much different from Abraham religion when looking at true source.

The Supreme Divine Power or number 1 hindu god is the ultimate supreme being which is formless and genderless.
After that the difference comes in terms of following God. According to my version of all further gods/goddesses take birth from that divine energy only. Most famous among them are Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. So most Hindus takes religion guidance by following them.

Appreciate the responses.

The traits are very similar to what Islam defines God or more accurately what Allah(swt) says about himself.

"Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him." Surah Al-Ikhlas

 

[NishanKonar]

Where does Vishnu come in all of this, I thought he was the highest?

The Supreme God Brahman is a trple deity or Trimurti = basically consists of 3 forms

1. Brahma - the creator
2. Vishnu - the preserver
3. Shiva - destroyer

Now Vishnu has many avatars like Krishna, Ram

 

[SalimBhai]

One thing that is astounding is total lack of knowledge from many people about their ancestral religion. Everyones ancestors on this message board were hindu or buddhist just a few generations ago.V.S Naipaul the Nobel prize winner touches on this phenomenon in some of his books.

 

[NishanKonar]

Appreciate the responses.

The traits are very similar to what Islam defines God or more accurately what Allah(swt) says about himself.

"Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him." Surah Al-Ikhlas

A fundamental difference is Muslims directly pray to God. Hindu pray to God by worshipping his deities or avatars like Shiva, Vishnu, Kali, Durga, Ganesh, Krishna etc

 

[KingKhanWC]

A fundamental difference is Muslims directly pray to God. Hindu pray to God by worshipping his deities or avatars like Shiva, Vishnu, Kali, Durga, Ganesh, Krishna etc

Yes. Although some sects have similar 'saints' who they believe intercede on their behalf.

How many Avatars are there in total? IS there a number or not known?

 

[sweep_shot]

A fundamental difference is Muslims directly pray to God. Hindu pray to God by worshipping his deities or avatars like Shiva, Vishnu, Kali, Durga, Ganesh, Krishna etc

Why are there needs for deities or avatars? Why can't prayers be made directly to God? Just curious.

 

[Champ_Pal]

Why are there needs for deities or avatars? Why can't prayers be made directly to God? Just curious.

That is because the Avatars or local deities are local beliefs which got incorporated into Vedic Religion. With each local deity, a new story was created. That is how Hinduism evolved. The locals did not have to change their deity or tradition while becoming a Hindu. Stories and legends were created accordingly.

After incorporating all the local deities, the original Vedic gods became either obsolete or only mentioned when reciting Vedas by Brahmins. An ordinary Indian might not even know who the God Mitra or other Vedic Gods. Only some upper caste or Brahmins might know them.

 

[NishanKonar]

Yes. Although some sects have similar 'saints' who they believe intercede on their behalf.

How many Avatars are there in total? IS there a number or not known?

That number varies

As per the Vedas , Vishnu has 10 avatars. But Vedas were written 4000 years back. After that many new avatars got added. Example some Hindu texts consider Gautam Buddha as a avatar of Vishnu as well. Now whether Buddha is avatar of Vishnu is matter of debate. This is also why in India Buddhism is considered a part of Hindu fold. Buddha's birthday is celebrated by most Hindus as Buddha Purnima

Similarly other deities have their own avatars. So the total number of deities and avatars may be in thousand

But today only a few are worshipped - like Vishnu, Shiv, Ganesh, Krishna, Ram, Durga, Kali. But nobody worships deities like Indra , Rudra or Pawan any more

 

[NishanKonar]

Why are there needs for deities or avatars? Why can't prayers be made directly to God? Just curious.

Bcoz Hinduism is taught by narrating the story of these deities or avatars. These were normal humans who made mistakes and therefore their life story is life lesson for us. We are taught to learn from what they did and avoid the mistakes they made. In a way its easier to relate than teach difficult metaphysical concepts

 

[Kroll]

[MENTION=48620]Cpt. Rishwat[/MENTION], which caste will you be assigning yourself to?

 

[KingKhanWC]

That number varies

As per the Vedas , Vishnu has 10 avatars. But Vedas were written 4000 years back. After that many new avatars got added. Example some Hindu texts consider Gautam Buddha as a avatar of Vishnu as well. Now whether Buddha is avatar of Vishnu is matter of debate. This is also why in India Buddhism is considered a part of Hindu fold. Buddha's birthday is celebrated by most Hindus as Buddha Purnima

Similarly other deities have their own avatars. So the total number of deities and avatars may be in thousand

But today only a few are worshipped - like Vishnu, Shiv, Ganesh, Krishna, Ram, Durga, Kali. But nobody worships deities like Indra , Rudra or Pawan any more

Its interesting as Islam believes 124,000 messengers were sent to all people at all times in history. Many Muslims believe Buddha and some Hindu avatars were Islamic messengers but over time their message was corrupted. They all came to deliver one main message, there is ONLY ONE all powerful , all knowing creator.

 

[jeetu]

Yes. Although some sects have similar 'saints' who they believe intercede on their behalf.

How many Avatars are there in total? IS there a number or not known?

There no clear physical count and even then there is debate who should be in the list.
However the most famous are Dashavatara of Lord Vishnu.
1. Matsya - Half fish/half man avatar.
2. Kurma - Tortoise avatar.
3. Varaha- Boar avatar.
4. Narasimha - Half lion-half man avatar.
5. Vamana - Human monk avatar
6. Parshurama - Sage with an axe avatar.
7. Rama
8. Krishna
9 Balarama - brother of Krishna
or Buddha - Siddhartha Gautama
10. Kalki - prophesied tenth avatar.

 

[Champ_Pal]

Its interesting as Islam believes 124,000 messengers were sent to all people at all times in history. Many Muslims believe Buddha and some Hindu avatars were Islamic messengers but over time their message was corrupted. They all came to deliver one main message, there is ONLY ONE all powerful , all knowing creator.

Except that none of the Avatars taught about the oneness of God or knew about Kaaba or Adam. At best, You can say that Allah can be added to the pantheon of Hindu Gods and Prophet Muhammed can be an avatar of Vishnu. Even that would be difficult as Mecca and Kaaba means nothing in Indian traditions of Sanatana Dharma.

 

[NishanKonar]

Its interesting as Islam believes 124,000 messengers were sent to all people at all times in history. Many Muslims believe Buddha and some Hindu avatars were Islamic messengers but over time their message was corrupted. They all came to deliver one main message, there is ONLY ONE all powerful , all knowing creator.

Every religion was basically a constitution which helped to create law and order and ensure a stable and just society. Now humans everywhere were mostly the same. So religions have same core concepts everywhere

Of course there were some differences to incorporate local issues and customs. Example beef in Hinduism and pork in Abrahamic faiths. Pork was health hazard in ancient ages. It resulted in many diseases and led to bad health and deaths. That's why pork was banned in Abrahamic faiths. Now pork is no longer a health hazard and is a popular food choice across the world. But bcoz it was banned in Old Testament - devout Jews and Muslims avoid pork even today.

Its similar story with cows in Hinduism. When Vedas were written 4000 years back - cattle was most important source of wealth of the Aryans as they were nomadic pastoralists. Aryan clans often fought among themselves to capture cattle. To end this non stop internecine warfare, cattle was declared as sacred and its slaughter and theft was banned. Now cattle is no longer as valuable in modern times but bcoz it was mentioned in the Vedas, most Hindus still consider it sacred

 

[jeetu]

Its interesting as Islam believes 124,000 messengers were sent to all people at all times in history. Many Muslims believe Buddha and some Hindu avatars were Islamic messengers but over time their message was corrupted. They all came to deliver one main message, there is ONLY ONE all powerful , all knowing creator.

Reminds of few years back when Zakir Naik said prophet Muhammad was Kalki Avatar as mentioned in Hindu scriptures.

 

[Varun]

Genuine question. If I don't live in India, but I like many Buddhist philosophies, how could I actually become a Hindu while still enjoying the taste of meat?

Are you of Punjabi heritage? Go down to the local pub and down 10 pegs and report back here. That will complete Stage I - we'll worry about taste of food later.

 

[NishanKonar]

[MENTION=48620]Cpt. Rishwat[/MENTION], which caste will you be assigning yourself to?

This is another misconception - that every Hindu must have caste

Many Hindu sects have no caste like ISCKON, Arya Samaj , Gaudiya Vaishnav. Most Western converts belong to these sects !

 

[Colorblind Genius]

Its interesting as Islam believes 124,000 messengers were sent to all people at all times in history. Many Muslims believe Buddha and some Hindu avatars were Islamic messengers but over time their message was corrupted. They all came to deliver one main message, there is ONLY ONE all powerful , all knowing creator.

Did you watch this video? Even the Jewish history indicates the same

 

[jeetu]

Why are there needs for deities or avatars? Why can't prayers be made directly to God? Just curious.

I think its how pre-judaism religion worked. Apart from Hinduism , you can look at Roman , Greeks , Egyptian or even Sumerians. They might taken inspiration from Stone age humans.

 

[jeetu]

That is because the Avatars or local deities are local beliefs which got incorporated into Vedic Religion. With each local deity, a new story was created. That is how Hinduism evolved. The locals did not have to change their deity or tradition while becoming a Hindu. Stories and legends were created accordingly.

After incorporating all the local deities, the original Vedic gods became either obsolete or only mentioned when reciting Vedas by Brahmins. An ordinary Indian might not even know who the God Mitra or other Vedic Gods. Only some upper caste or Brahmins might know them.

Sad but true fact. Only handful of people know whats even written in Rig Veda. Most Hindu's know and can recite Gayatra Mantra but don't know what its source is.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Reminds of few years back when Zakir Naik said prophet Muhammad was Kalki Avatar as mentioned in Hindu scriptures.

He is only copying what many Islamic scholars have been saying for centuries.

The problem is ALL other faiths and ALL scriptures form those faiths have been changed/corrupted by man. Quran is the only text which cannot be altered.

In your opinion which Hindu sacred text is the most authentic, not changed since it came down?

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

[MENTION=48620]Cpt. Rishwat[/MENTION], which caste will you be assigning yourself to?

I touched on this in the previous thread I raised on this subject which romali _rotti referenced. I asked if I could assign myself a high caste, and I'm not sure I got a clear reply.

Anyway with me being a Captain, and in uniform, it has to be a soldier right? So I'm thinking I'll get myself a Kshatriya badge and stick it on with the rest of the baubles.

What's that you say? There's a Major here who would outrank me? Pfff, everyone knows he's a fake, a chaprasi badge will do for him.

 

[IndoorCricket]

One thing is common among major faiths is that there is one eternal truth.

One has to check fasinating life story of ramakrishna paramahamsa. He practiced all three major religions and experienced bliss like states and had union with God.

His words when following islamic ways for some time

Ramakrishna said that he

"devoutly repeated the name of Allah, wore a cloth like the Arab Muslims, said their prayer five times daily, and felt disinclined even to see images of the Hindu gods and goddesses, much less worship them—for the Hindu way of thinking had disappeared altogether from my mind." According to Ramakrishna, after three days of practice he had a vision of a "radiant personage with grave countenance and white beard resembling the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and merging with his body"

After same experience with christianity too he proclaimed all religions end up at the same goal. He is also guru of famous Swami vivekananda.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

I touched on this in the previous thread I raised on this subject which romali _rotti referenced. I asked if I could assign myself a high caste, and I'm not sure I got a clear reply.

Anyway with me being a Captain, and in uniform, it has to be a soldier right? So I'm thinking I'll get myself a Kshatriya badge and stick it on with the rest of the baubles.

What's that you say? There's a Major here who would outrank me? Pfff, everyone knows he's a fake, a chaprasi badge will do for him.

From the stuff posted here, I think you should start with Sudra, and work your way up by doing good deeds and be reincarcerated as Vaishyas, and then Kshatriyas to eventually become Brahmin before getting the Moksha and become part of earth.

You've got at least 4 lives guaranteed.

 

[Champ_Pal]

From the stuff posted here, I think you should start with Sudra, and work your way up by doing good deeds and be reincarcerated as Vaishyas, and then Kshatriyas to eventually become Brahmin before getting the Moksha and become part of earth.

You've got at least 4 lives guaranteed.

You have it wrong again. Clearly you did not understand the reincarnation concept. You will not be born a Sudra and work your way up. You can be born any caste or no caste (Dalit) and still get Moksha. Just make sure your deeds are good.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

You have it wrong again. Clearly you did not understand the reincarnation concept. You will not be born a Sudra and work your way up. You can be born any caste or no caste (Dalit) and still get Moksha. Just make sure your deeds are good.

OK Thanks, And do we know how many chances you get in the reincarnation process?

How many times you are reborn? Or, there is no end to it, and you get unlimited chances; like you are reborn a million, trillion times and keep doing bad deeds till you start doing good deeds and get moksha during another million lives?

 

[Champ_Pal]

OK Thanks, And do we know how many chances you get in the reincarnation process?

How many times you are reborn? Or, there is no end to it, and you get unlimited chances; like you are reborn a million, trillion times and keep doing bad deeds till you start doing good deeds and get moksha during another million lives?

Countless chances. Life is full of miseries. The idea is to escape from the cycle of birth and death to get Molsha and be one with God. Pretty much same concept in Buddhism. Except in Buddhism, there is no God.

 

[IndoorCricket]

OK Thanks, And do we know how many chances you get in the reincarnation process?

How many times you are reborn? Or, there is no end to it, and you get unlimited chances; like you are reborn a million, trillion times and keep doing bad deeds till you start doing good deeds and get moksha during another million lives?

Atman (Soul) is immortal. It will reincarnate until its realised itself as Brahman. One thing is that reincarnation cant be proven or can have subjective experience. There are some cases of yogis knowing their previous birth but these people are very rare. You can also get moksha not only from good deeds (Rajya Yoga). You can also get moksha from

Bhakti Yoga – the yoga of devotion
Rāja Yoga – the yoga of meditation.
Jñāna Yoga – the yoga of will and intellect.

Gita recommends Bhakti yoga for simple minded and for the masses. The way of Bhakti and hinduism is very well put to some extent in this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e03w6qABqZw

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I sometimes wonder if reincarnation is misunderstood. When a body dies it will eventually decompose and at some point it will be consumed either by the earth or by other life forms in the vicinity. This itself is reincarnation of a sort. Maybe this has been aggrandised down the years into being reincarnated as a worm, dog, monkey or different person.

 

[Champ_Pal]

I sometimes wonder if reincarnation is misunderstood. When a body dies it will eventually decompose and at some point it will be consumed either by the earth or by other life forms in the vicinity. This itself is reincarnation of a sort. Maybe this has been aggrandised down the years into being reincarnated as a worm, dog, monkey or different person.

Body rots. Only soul gets reincarnated. Of course there is no evidence for it. Its a belief.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

I have heard the Abrahamic message and I rejected it because it does not awake the spirituality within me, if I lived a sinless but I still go to hell because I rejected the Abrahamic faith makes zero sense to me.

At the end of the day, whichever you are happy and in peace with you should stick to.

No religion has given any scientific proof, we could all be wrong or some could be wrong or we all could be right in different ways. So best to leave each other to the belief system you are happy with.

Countless chances. Life is full of miseries. The idea is to escape from the cycle of birth and death to get Molsha and be one with God. Pretty much same concept in Buddhism. Except in Buddhism, there is no God.

Atman (Soul) is immortal. It will reincarnate until its realised itself as Brahman. One thing is that reincarnation cant be proven or can have subjective experience. There are some cases of yogis knowing their previous birth but these people are very rare. You can also get moksha not only from good deeds (Rajya Yoga). You can also get moksha from

Bhakti Yoga – the yoga of devotion
Rāja Yoga – the yoga of meditation.
Jñāna Yoga – the yoga of will and intellect.

Gita recommends Bhakti yoga for simple minded and for the masses. The way of Bhakti and hinduism is very well put to some extent in this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e03w6qABqZw

OK.
Do we know what happens to the person or his soul (after death)who does NOT want to seek Moksha? For example those who leave Hinduism for Atheism? And those who are not Hindus to begin with, and they have no interest or believe in reincarnation.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Body rots. Only soul gets reincarnated. Of course there is no evidence for it. Its a belief.

What does the body turn into eventually? It's bio-degradable so eventually will be recycled through new life in some form. Unless it's cremated of course, not sure if ashes also become recycled, I'm guessing probably not.

 

[SalimBhai]

What does the body turn into eventually? It's bio-degradable so eventually will be recycled through new life in some form. Unless it's cremated of course, not sure if ashes also become recycled, I'm guessing probably not.

What matters is the soul. Soul gets reincarnated . Nobody cares about the physical body.

 

[Romali_rotti]

What matters is the soul. Soul gets reincarnated . Nobody cares about the physical body.

People of Abhrahamic faith struggle to understand this belief because their faith is not as deep/complex as Hinduism...

I guess it is fair enough, the Abhrahamic faiths are fairly new when compared to Hinduism, being the oldest religion in the world, you can say all other religion are a byproduct of Hinduism....

 

[jeetu]

He is only copying what many Islamic scholars have been saying for centuries.

The problem is ALL other faiths and ALL scriptures form those faiths have been changed/corrupted by man. Quran is the only text which cannot be altered.

In your opinion which Hindu sacred text is the most authentic, not changed since it came down?

Nope , religious text tend to evolve. All religious text are man made. They do represent works by great people of the past. Islam , Sikhism religious scriptures etc came at a time when writing became a common place , so they remained untouched from alteration.

The most sacred among Indian scripture which i am pretty sure was unaltered is "Ramcharitmanas" written in 16th century.

 

[SalimBhai]

All scriptures are man written. You can believe whatever you want. It does not make it true.

 

[IndoorCricket]

I think the Vedas and Upanishads are sacred. But Gita is the song from God himself.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

People of Abhrahamic faith struggle to understand this belief because their faith is not as deep/complex as Hinduism...

I guess it is fair enough, the Abhrahamic faiths are fairly new when compared to Hinduism, being the oldest religion in the world, you can say all other religion are a byproduct of Hinduism....

How about Zoroastrian?
Isn’t that oldest practicing religion?

Also, what exactly are the complexities you talking about in Hinduism?

I notice that is this very thread we have a few different and conflicting answers that seem to throw off the core of Hinduism.

You also took refuge under the notion of “I don’t know” to very simple questions that Abrahamic faiths easily answer.

 

[Romali_rotti]

From Romali Roti’s explanation, it seems that the believers of Abrahamic faiths (half of world’s population) is also going to burn in hell.

You also took refuge under the notion of “I don’t know” to very simple questions that Abrahamic faiths easily answer.

To the first point, I said all ppl of Abrahamic belief will go to hell ? Can you show me where I said this ?

To the second point, what are you on about ? Me indicating there is no scientific proof in what any religion says, is this what you are alluding to ? or if it is something else, can you be more specific about the 'I do not know'

You seem to be getting upset, relax, just because I do not have any interest in the Abrahamic faith, it does not mean I am attacking it, its just not my cup of tea...

 

[Romali_rotti]

How about Zoroastrian?
Isn’t that oldest practicing religion?

.

'Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism

'Hinduism is the oldest living religion on Earth.'

https://www.smp.org/resourcecenter/resource/2671/

Zoroastrianism could possibly be older than Hinduism however from what I know it is not, so my belief will be that Hinduism predates it... You can disagree, doesn't bother me...

 

[NishanKonar]

OK.
Do we know what happens to the person or his soul (after death)who does NOT want to seek Moksha? For example those who leave Hinduism for Atheism? And those who are not Hindus to begin with, and they have no interest or believe in reincarnation.

They will keep getting reborn again and again untill they get Moksha

Its like Catholics believe that non believers will burn in hell after death

Now I am not catholic - so all this will sound funny and weird but all religions are like that. They believe they are most perfect and non believers are less perfect - like Kafir / Dhimmi / Mushriq in Islam or Malechha in Hinduism

 

[Mirpuri Don]

Hinduism is not a missionary religion from what I understand because it's tied to a particular civilization, a bit like Judaism (religion of a particular race, the Jews), thus not universalist.

And like Judaism, you might have a few converts here and there but apart from ISKCON (which is seen negatively by mainstream Hindus), which got few White converts during the hippie years mainly, you don't get many missionaries pushing for conversions to Hinduism.

I guess with Hinduism there's also the question of the caste (which caste you'll belong to after conversion).

 

[NishanKonar]

Hinduism is not a missionary religion from what I understand because it's tied to a particular civilization, a bit like Judaism (religion of a particular race, the Jews), thus not universalist.

And like Judaism, you might have a few converts here and there but apart from ISKCON (which is seen negatively by mainstream Hindus), which got few White converts during the hippie years mainly, you don't get many missionaries pushing for conversions to Hinduism.

I guess with Hinduism there's also the question of the caste (which caste you'll belong to after conversion).

This is partly correct. Many Hindu castes like Jats, Gujjars , Rajputs were descendants of foreign tribes like Kushans, Huns , Scythians, Sakas who became Hindus when they settled down in India

Give you good example - The Jadeja clan of Gujarat ( like Ajay Jadeja and Ravindra Jadeja ) - they were originally a Muslim tribe called Saama from Baluchistan / Persia. They settled in Gujarat and became devotees of Shiv

Or look at Jats of North India like Bajwa, Cheema , Dhillon. They were nomadic pastoralists from Iran / Baluchistan who embraced Islam / SIkh / Hindu as per local customs

Just like there are groups like Tablighi Jamaat who proselytize for Islam , you also have groups like Arya Samaj and ISCKON who proselytize for Hindus