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  1. S

    Bahai is correct about God in my opinion

    Were you born into an Abrahamic religion? If yes, do you believe this background influenced your agreement with Bahai ideas? On your question, I disagree because per my limited understanding, all Abrahamic beliefs come with exclusivity clauses. For instance, what is the fate of the idol...
  2. S

    Buddhism

    Buddhism is atheistic. There is no deity (or deities) recognized by the Buddha - which meets the dictionary definition of the english word atheism. In Sanskrit, the word used for atheism is nastika. However, nastika is more vague as it mean non-believer. Over times, this has been interpreted...
  3. S

    Every Hindu has a Family Goddess

    For my family - since multiple generations - the Kula Devathai is Murugan (Tiruttani) It is not always female. Here is the list of all family gods in Taminadu. I am sure there are a lot more than listed here - Kuladevata - Wikipedia
  4. S

    Reincarnation

    My answer is, you never had past lives. Speaking for myself, I like this answer because it eliminates a number of open questions. Logic says the simplest answer is the one that does not raise more questions than it answers - and usually the simplest answer is the right answer. If you go to the...
  5. S

    Aham Brahmasmi

    1. It is an intellectual inference 2. The search ends at that point
  6. S

    Ganesh Chaturthi

    It depends on the geographic location. In American time zones, it is today (Aug 30), but in India, it is tomorrow. So Europe could go either way. Drik Panchang (online) is a good location based Hindu liturgical calendar.
  7. S

    So-called 'Brahman' that has no gunas, is that even possible?

    Of the three systems (Advaita, Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita), modern scholarship commonly considers Vishishtadvaita to be the closest to the traditional interpretation (by authors such as Upavarsha and others who lived before Shankara) of the Upanishads and the Brahma sutras.
  8. S

    So-called 'Brahman' that has no gunas, is that even possible?

    The speaker is a Sri Vaishnava who follows Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita doctrine. They reject the Advaita concept of Nirguna Brahman as a false idea. In their system, Narayana (Vishnu) has an uncountable number of auspicious gunas and is the supreme entity. This would be Saguna Brahman in Advaita.
  9. S

    Is Brahman unchanging?

    The short answer is yes. The long answer is more involved. I would ask you to read up on Parinamavada and Vivartavada. The latter is specific to Advaita, but it is generally seen as a later (13th Century CE) theory that is incorrectly attributed to Shankara.
  10. S

    Atheism and Materialsm

    There is nothing modern about it. Skeptics and atheists have always been around. Or to put it differently, as long as there has been common sense, we have had one or more atheists walking the Earth.
  11. S

    Self-Realization

    I missed this message. What people call Samadhi is simply stilling the mind for sometime. There is nothing mystical about it and it is *always* temporary. This state can feel blissful to some people as it is a form of escapism. But once you return from this temporary, meditative state, all...
  12. S

    Drishti-Srishti vada in Advaita

    There is only one "you". No idea what these sheaths are. But I see you are are viewing time as linear and real. That is not Advaita.
  13. S

    Drishti-Srishti vada in Advaita

    Drishti-srishti originally comes from Buddhism (particularly Vijnana-vada). It eventually became a part of Advaita. No. But your description of Drishti-srishti is not correct. It means everything seen has you as the origin. This includes everything in space and time. You are the the basis, you...
  14. S

    Awareness v. Consciousness in Advaita?

    I would ask these Advaitins for the original Sanskrit words. Until then, I would not take anything seriously. Unfortunately, with Advaita, everyone has an opinion on what it actually means and most of these opinions cannot be traced back to common scripture.
  15. S

    How do we know a Prophet is a Prophet and sent by God?

    Billions agreed on one figure? Most people are born into the religions they follow. These prophets started out with a small group of followers and subsequent military expansions helped grow them. There was never a case where a billion people simply agreed to follow someone. Who do some...
  16. S

    Accepting our Fate

    This is ancient Greek/Roman Stoicism - without the redundant theistic element. Accept/Realize/See that only certain things are in our control and focus on the controllable. Also Stephen Covey's circle of concern vs. circle of influence
  17. S

    100% lack of evidence to God

    It is relevant. It is the exact same logic. The reasons for denying Santa Claus apply to God too and answers your OP.
  18. S

    100% lack of evidence to God

    @firedragon what is your take on Santa Claus? If you disbelieve in the concept, how do you justify it?
  19. S

    Self-Realization

    Good questions, @Greg Levenski! You are asking for two things - a deep mystical experience and realization. For the latter, close terms are Jnana and Nididhyasana (both are intellectual). But for mystical experiences, you are unlikely to find anything in the main Upanishads and early Vedanta...
  20. S

    Skepticism about Gurus

    Skeptics cannot have Gurus - in my opinion. Non-skeptics are capable of faith and trust. This allows them to accept Gurus and overlook their flaws. This does not work for skeptics.
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