Anyone to guide?

[Aupmanyav]

For me, Hinduism is a physical and cosmological world-view. Its 'scripture' was written by Einstein, Heisenberg, Bohr, Hawking, Everett, &al.

The 'goal' of Hinduism is to short-circuit the brain and directly perceive the Objective Reality described by physics.

My Hinduism is about expanded awareness. My Yoga is experimental and pragmatic - whatever works, Sanskrit optional.

Should I show you the secret handshake?

100% with you for the first and the third sentence. What is that in-between the two? I don't think brain or any other electrical thing should be short-circuited.

 

[Vinayaka]

I gave you two links. They are excellent, simple and unbiased, and suit a western person (if you are one) - BBC and About.com, before you go to the more difficult ones.

Indeed. Both great links. As did I give links. I don't know what else we can do now, so I'm out of this thread.

 

[willy1590]

One more question,and thank you for the links but,do you know how to worship the main gods/goddesses?(not devotions,like prayers)

 

[Sb1995]

One more question,and thank you for the links but,do you know how to worship the main gods/goddesses?(not devotions,like prayers)

Of course, many Hindu's perform what is called Puja, and Aarti. Both are done by chanting prayers and can be very simple to highly complex. Jai Shri Ram.

 

[Vinayaka]

One more question,and thank you for the links but,do you know how to worship the main gods/goddesses?(not devotions,like prayers)

First you make a simple shrine using a picture of God or Gods, or Goddesses, or a statue. Ganesha would be a good place to start. Then you get some basic puja materials like incense and a deepa lamp (for waving). I'll try to find a link to a simple puja video for you. Here's one that will get you started. http://www.howcast.com/videos/117058-How-to-Have-a-Puja-at-Home

 

[Vinayaka]

Hey there

preferably from an actual Hindu .

Hello Poeticus: There has always been a conundrum with syncretists and Hindus. I won't post in the syncretic section Syncretic Religions DIR - Religious Education Forum because I'm not syncretic. Nor will I post in any other blue DIR other than the Hindu one. I'm Hindu, only Hindu, nothing but a Hindu. I can't even describe myself as a Vedantin, because I'm not.

Yet a self-proclaimed syncretric can be anything they want on any day of the week, and therefore post in any DIR they want to. It seems like a double standard to me, but hey, that's just me.

The OP placed this in the Hindu DIR, I presume with the assumption that he would get answers from Hindus. Otherwise he could have put questions in the syncretic DIR, I suppose.

With Hinduism it is more complicated that with other faiths, mostly because many Hindus themselves are syncretic ... sort of ... but it's all within Hinduism. The lines between Saivas and South Indian Smartas with ishtas with Saivism is mighty vague. Liberal Hinduism and neo-Vedanta are both smatterings of this, and smatterings of that. But that's different than how how I see the syncreticism is here on these forums. In that case it's still Hinduism.

But I really don't know the solution. Maybe some insights would be gained from a thread or book titled, "What's not Hinduism" instead of 'What is Hinduism?"

 

[Vinayaka]

For me this thread is about helping our OP find his way. He's asked some legitimate questions about Hinduism. At least that is how it seems to me. Derailing it into some ego-based argument or vague Advaita statements about whose version of Hinduism is better is totally unproductive, and may well send him skittering off to some other thread.

So Willy, if you have any more questions, I and some other Hindus would be more than pleased to try to address them. I apologise for assisting in the derailment of this thread. I hope you're getting something out of some of our answers, beyond the basic stuff you're know doubt found on line or in the links we gave.

 

[willy1590]

Thank you

could you tell me more about Smartism and Shiva?
and could anyone tell me why they are a Hindu,and why they think it is the right faith for them?

Hope to hear soon .

 

[Vinayaka]

He didn't end the thread silly, nor do I think he was angry; from my perspective, vinAyaka is merely stating that talking about ahaMkAra is kind of off-topic in regard to what the thread creator was asking.

Thank you. I have no idea how or why the insinuation of anger comes into it. A person can hardly even make any point of disagreement at all, and suddenly he's accused of being angry? I guess you're all mad for writing in blue or something. However, I'd hate to derail this thread any further, so shall await the next question from willy, if and when it ever comes.

 

[Vinayaka]

Thank you

could you tell me more about Smartism and Shiva?
and could anyone tell me why they are a Hindu,and why they think it is the right faith for them?

Hope to hear soon .

Not sure if you mean how Smartism and Siva are related, or do you mean them separately as in more about Smartism, and more about Siva?

Smartism as a sect has been around a long time, but the great Adi Sankara codified it in more modern times. It's the idea that you can choose any form you wish as your ishta, and that all representations of God are actually the same. So Siva, Vishnu, Ganesha, Murugan, any form of a Mother goddess (within Hinduism of course) are all actually representations of Brahman. It's quite popular throughout India, but isn't the most populous sect, that being Vaishnavism.

Siva is God to Saivites ... period, the Supreme God. There is nothing that isn't Siva. (This is my tradition) For Smartas, he's just one of several choices, and many Smartas do see Siva as their favorite form of Brahman.

I'm a Hindu because it makes the most sense of any religion to me. I don't think about it, it just is. Most likely I was a Hindu in the past life times. When I first entered a Hindu temple, I felt at home, or as if I'd never left. It was just ridiculously obvious. I prostrated full out within seconds because I couldn't stand due to the mystical vibration. Not everyone gets hit cross the side of the head with a baseball bat so obviously. So it never was about philosophy as much as an incredibly strong gut feeling.

 

[Aupmanyav]

could you tell me more about Smartism and Shiva? and could anyone tell me why they are a Hindu,and why they think it is the right faith for them?

Willy1590, 'Smarta' derives from 'smriti' (lit. remembrance; history, law, tradition), so those who go according to the law, sort of. Wikipedia says:

"Generally Smartas worship the Supreme in one of six forms: Ganesha, Siva, Sakti, Vishnu, Surya and Skanda. Because they accept all the major Hindu Gods and Goddess, they are known as liberal or nonsectarian. They follow a philosophical, meditative path, emphasizing man's oneness with God through understanding. It is not as overtly sectarian as either Vashnavism or Saivism and is based on the recognition that Brahman (God) is the highest principle in the universe and pervades all of existence."
Smarta Tradition - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As Vinayaka says, the Smarta tradition (Shanmata - worship of six deities) was strengthened by Adi (the first) Sankaracharya in the 8th century, and generally follow 'advaita' (non-duality).Those who worship Vishnu, Shiva, and Shakti (Mother Goddess - Durga, Kali, or her various other forms) nearly exclusively are termed as Vaishnavas, Shaivas, and Shaktas. Adi Sankaracharya wrote most beautiful hymns for Vishnu, Shiva, and Shakti.

Of course, if any Hindu thought that his/her path was not the best and most satisfying, why would they remain Hindu? A Hindu has all the freedom to change his sect any time or more than one time. I have been a Shaiva, Vaishnava, and a Shakta at various times in my life before finally becoming an atheist 'advaitist' (believer in non-duality) Hindu.

 

[willy1590]

Thank you for the info ,I appreciate it as the Internet can be well,misguiding .

Does Hinduism have a hell? and when it comes to Reincarnation,do any teach that one can be released from the cycle forever?

 

[Vinayaka]

Thank you for the info ,I appreciate it as the Internet can be well,misguiding .

Does Hinduism have a hell? and when it comes to Reincarnation,do any teach that one can be released from the cycle forever?

There is no permanent hell in Hinduism. Some sects believe in some temporary hells, others believe that hell is just a state of mind. Anger, anguish, depression, etc. are all hellish states of mind.

Hindus all believe that all souls will eventually reach moksha, (moksha is defined as release from the cycle) and that is the final destiny of all souls within mankind. The definition of moksha itself does vary from sect to sect. Some see it as a total merger with God, no individuality left at all, while others see it as becoming in the likeness of God, or in God's presence permanently. The path to moksha also varies from sect to sect.

BTW, I'm glad you're appreciative.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Does Hinduism have a hell? and when it comes to Reincarnation,do any teach that one can be released from the cycle forever?

Most Hindus believe in heaven and hell. The point to note is that there is no squaring off of bad deeds against the good deeds. The fruits of both come separately. When the person is to be punished for x bad deeds, the person stays in hell for x times. When the person is to be rewarded for y good deeds, the person stays in heave for y times. At the end of these rewards and punishments, the person is sent back in a new life, basically to accumulate + points. Now it is the person's choice to act in a particular way, before the he/she is assessed for another life. The final emancipation is absence of - points. Then as Vinayaka said, the person may stay in presence of God or merge with God, as is his view.

However, in my minimalist views, there is no creation, no rebirth, no death, no judgment, no heaven, no hell, no soul, and no Gods or Goddesses, just the existence of one eternal entity without a second, Brahman. But, it seems my views work only for me among the one billion or so Hindus, extremely exclusive.

 

[Poeticus]

Most Hindus believe in heaven and hell.

Scripture-me...or
it didn't happen.​

 

[John Doe]

Scripture-me...or
it didn't happen.​

Not a matter of scripture. Aupmanyav was describing what he sees.

If you say that what he sees didn't happen because you can't find scriptural confirmation - then ...

* diplomatic silence *

 

[John Doe]

btw, poeticus,

thank you for you kind and supportive words and frubal from that other thread. I just saw that. I appreciate deeply that you took the time to respond that way.

Namaste

 

[Maya3]

Most Hindus believe in heaven and hell. The point to note is that there is no squaring off of bad deeds against the good deeds. The fruits of both come separately. When the person is to be punished for x bad deeds, the person stays in hell for x times. When the person is to be rewarded for y good deeds, the person stays in heave for y times. At the end of these rewards and punishments, the person is sent back in a new life, basically to accumulate + points. Now it is the person's choice to act in a particular way, before the he/she is assessed for another life. The final emancipation is absence of - points. Then as Vinayaka said, the person may stay in presence of God or merge with God, as is his view.

However, in my minimalist views, there is no creation, no rebirth, no death, no judgment, no heaven, no hell, no soul, and no Gods or Goddesses, just the existence of one eternal entity without a second, Brahman. But, it seems my views work only for me among the one billion or so Hindus, extremely exclusive.

I don't agree that most Hindus believe in Hell.

I don't believe in Hell at all.

Maya

 

[willy1590]

Well do any of the four major denominations of Hinduism have views of the afterlife?(that differ from one another)

 

[Vinayaka]

Well do any of the four major denominations of Hinduism have views of the afterlife?(that differ from one another)

Not vastly different like comparing Eastern to western. The afterlife is twofold:
1) life between physical births where the soul continues to evolve on other planes (astral) until moksha is attained, we've all been there many times.
2) after moksha, and this is where the sects differ, as in the final relationship to god
no individuality, some individuality, etc. I can only explain monistic Saivism well, and perhaps others can explain from other schools
In monistic Saivism, the soul has total merger with God, as in water to water.