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  1. Devaki

    Bindi customs

    I wear a simple black bindi, medium size, almost always. The woman I bought it from asked me "red or black?" , those were the only options. I have also worn ones to match my outfit in the past, but due to lack of availability of colourful ones, I decided to stick with the black ones. The Hindu...
  2. Devaki

    Fasting advice

    I rarely do full fast, like no food at all or even no food and no water, but I do generally stick to fruit/milk only for one-day occasions like Mahashivratri and I try to keep a more "relaxed" fast (no grains and stuff) during Navratri. What helps me with the fasts where I do eat, but not...
  3. Devaki

    The curse of "converts"

    Vanakkam, it's me again. I posted here a while ago about travelling to India, but for some ..technical reasons, we are now actually going to the north after all, because the trip we originally wanted was fully booked, the next one didn't have any flights left... so yeah anyway, we're going to...
  4. Devaki

    What makes a Hindu a Hindu - Version 2

    I used to really struggle with the H word, because well I'm a white German girl. So for the longest time I went with "spiritual but not religious" or "interested in Eastern religions", but that only worked till lunch, when I had to explain what all the beef with beef was about :P No but in all...
  5. Devaki

    Does it matter at what time of the day one does puja?

    Thank you everyone for the replies thus far. So what I gather is that routine matters more than specific times. In that case I'm good, I do my pujas like clockwork, just a clock that runs on Indian time and is always late :P I just wanted to hear from others when they do theirs and stuff...
  6. Devaki

    Does it matter at what time of the day one does puja?

    Vanakkam, I'm having a mini mental breakdown right now, because a friend of mine (who refers to himself as a proud beef-eating atheist, but that's another matter) asked me why I do puja "so late at night" and not "in the evening like normal (sic) Hindus". For convenience's sake I got into the...
  7. Devaki

    Where to Start?

    Okay so I might be stating the blatantly obvious here but: many temples have websites or youtube channels, especially bigger ones where they will also upload videos of pujas and other stuff especially on special occasions. So if you want to "see" how it is actually practised, just head to...
  8. Devaki

    Belief starts young

    What I've always found more interesting is the question why some people don't stay in the religion they were raised in. Either convert to another one or reject religion altogether. What makes those people different from the ones that stay? Any ideas?
  9. Devaki

    The curse of "converts"

    This is actually a brilliant idea, I will do that. I'm definitely one for "authenticity" so that would be perfect. Right I'll try my best to appear confident and ready myself for helpful aunties. Thank you again so much Vinayaka, you've been most helpful.
  10. Devaki

    The curse of "converts"

    Thank you so much for your reply. Yeah I'm not sure if Swamimalai would be doable, thought I'd love to go there. I'm definitely planning on Tiruparankandram, due to its proximity to Madurai, so I'm very glad to hear there likely won't be any problems. I read about Meenakshi not letting...
  11. Devaki

    ஓம் முருகா

    ஓம் முருகா
    • Devaki
    • Profile post
  12. Devaki

    The curse of "converts"

    Right, so because I didn't want to spam the DIR with yet another thread about temple entry, I've decided to post here first. I'll finally be going to India, albeit on an organized tour, with my dad around Christmas. We probably won't have all that much free time, but still I'd obviously love to...
  13. Devaki

    Misconceptions about Hinduism

    The other day a girl at college asked about "the dot" and when I explained she said: "Oh I didn't know they were non-permanent, I thought they burnt them into their skin (!)" presumably with a branding iron.... now I never heard that one before. But she was genuinely surprised and curious, so...
  14. Devaki

    What, if Anything, is Universal to All Hinduism?

    The thing about atma might be important in distinguishing Hinduism from related religions such as Buddhism, but really there is little that all Hindus agree on except that probably all orthodox schools acknowledge the Vedas and yeah, roughly a belief in dharma and karma probably but the latter...
  15. Devaki

    If the supernatural claims of your religion were refuted, would you still adhere to the ethics?

    I've often wondered about that when I heard people claim that "atheists have no morality". Like why does morality require faith in a (particular) deity? For me personally that IS what religion is primarily about. A set of values/ethics, a lifestyle. Now of course I follow my religion because...
  16. Devaki

    I'm so hardcore religious

    I am curious about those holy cereals. Where would one buy those and do they taste...heavenly?
  17. Devaki

    What Keeps You on the Straight and Narrow?

    I don't think morality is dependent on religion or any deities. If you've ever observed teenagers, peer pressure works just fine without religion. So what I'm saying that while beyond a certain level of innate empathy and compassion, most humans would probably "stray", any type of punishment...
  18. Devaki

    The Form of God

    I think God can take any form that suits the worshipper, but is fundamentally formless/beyond form. As for what purpose anthropomorphizing God serves ... for me it helps maintain focus on the divine and in particular if one wants to focus on specific aspects of it, I guess. Like I believe that...
  19. Devaki

    Multiculturalism vs. Cultural Appropriation - say what??

    Okay, as a white chick who is a practising Hindu and eats more curry than some of the Indians I know, here are my two cents: Cultural appropriation is only a problem if it is done in a disrespectful completely out of context manner and that imho is when it becomes cultural appropriation, rather...
  20. Devaki

    Right and Wrong Reasons for being (A)theist

    Well I was an atheist for a while in my teens for "the wrong reasons". I had been bullied rather severely for my religion, among other things and thus decided that if I only stopped believing in it and practising it, I would be popular/accepted. So I figured the two mainstream options where I...
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