Are Hindu Deities real or just concepts??

[Desert Snake]

Are the hindu Deities real, or just concepts/ideas?


And by real I mean actual Deities......not just 'real concepts'..

 

[psychoslice]

I think they are metaphors, but beautiful metaphors.

 

[Vinayaka]

Are the hindu Deities real, or just concepts/ideas?

And by real I mean actual Deities......not just 'real concepts'..

Depends on the school, so I can only speak for mine.

They are absolutely real. God is God, he's real and the Gods are divine beings living in the inner planes, and able to communicate with this plane. Our sages and mystics (and occasionally 'regular' folk) have had visions of them in their etheric bodies of light.

 

[LuisDantas]

I don't see how any god can be more than a concept.

 

[Vinayaka]

I don't see how any god can be more than a concept.

If you've seen them, felt them, noticed them, communicated with them, heard them, how is that any different than saying another person is 'just a concept' ?

 

[psychoslice]

I love Krishna but I don't even think he really excited which doesn't worry me at all.

 

[Vinayaka]

But generally, just as the intellect cannot explain the mystic, the mystic cannot explain the intellect. So disciple, which part of your mind asks this question, the intellectual part, r the intuitive/mystic part?

 

[Desert Snake]

But generally, just as the intellect cannot explain the mystic, the mystic cannot explain the intellect. So disciple, which part of your mind asks this question, the intellectual part, r the intuitive/mystic part?

I'm trying to figure out what people believe them to be, as it often isn't clear whether Deities are being referred to as real or merely concepts.

 

[Vinayaka]

I'm trying to figure out what people believe them to be, as it often isn't clear whether Deities are being referred to as real or merely concepts.

Who are these 'people'? If you're referring to Hindus, most believe similarly to me. Hindus don't go to temples to sit around and talk, they go to commune with God, and inherent in that is a belief, not as a concept, but as a reality.

But if these 'people' are non-Hindus, there would be absolutely no reason whatsoever for them to believe in Hindu deities.

 

[Jainarayan]

This people believes they are real. I can't intellectualize it, but I feel it. I toyed with Pure Land Buddhism, but did not feel any reality in the buddhas and bodhisattvas I feel with Krishna, Hanuman, Shiva, et al. I've had experiences that re-inforces my belief in them.

 

[Vinayaka]

I've had experiences

I think this is the key to belief actually. Experiences. I could write several books probably on experiences with God and Gods.

But at the same time, its fully understandable that not all people have had these experiences, or even ones that are close.

Thank goodness for differences. (Else we'd have nothing else to talk about.)

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

Are the hindu Deities real, or just concepts/ideas?

And by real I mean actual Deities......not just 'real concepts'..

You will get many answers depending on the school and Darshan of the individual.

Me personally i would look at it in these ways. My personal Hindu view.

For me the concept of a deity is different to what we term Deva/Devi/Brahman ect ect.

As for their (Deva/Devi/Brahman) existence.
Yes, they are real physically, and exist in this world. Why? because it depends on the individual of what they truly consider a Deva/Devi. e.g: "Mata devoh bhava", mother is Deva, My mother in human form, Mother earth or a concept which can be termed as motherly are all real.

Even Brahman itself is real physically, as it is this entire existence, and if this exists then so does that, you don't have to look far to see Brahman.

So i think Brahman/Deva/Devi do exist in physical reality as well as concepts and ideas.

 

[LuisDantas]

If you've seen them, felt them, noticed them, communicated with them, heard them, how is that any different than saying another person is 'just a concept' ?

I have no idea.

 

[Quintessence]

Are the hindu Deities real, or just concepts/ideas?


And by real I mean actual Deities......not just 'real concepts'..

These types of questions honestly perplex me, though I'll grant I have an unconventional ontology with respect to my culture.

I don't see how the question even matters. I don't understand why people would fuss over whether or not something is "just" a concept. Concepts are not "just" anything. Ideas and concepts have tremendous power, and as far as I'm concerned, that makes them very, very real. In many cases, even if something is "literally real" in our realm, our ideas and concepts about it are the thing that actually has power and governs our understanding. From a certain point of view, one could say that polytheistic, immanent gods are ideas or concepts about something that is "literally real;" it's a map to make sense of territory, and it's the map that governs our relationship with the territory.

 

[Desert Snake]

These types of questions honestly perplex me, though I'll grant I have an unconventional ontology with respect to my culture.

I'm not sure what you mean here.

I don't see how the question even matters.

I think it does matter. It matters very much whether someone is referring to a an actual Deity or just an idea...so, that's your opinion, but I disagree.

 

[Quintessence]

I'm not sure what you mean here.

I mean I never ask the question "is it real." The answer is always yes, if you're even asking the question. The question should always be "in what way do I perceive this as real."

I think it does matter. It matters very much whether someone is referring to a an actual Deity or just an idea...so, that's your opinion, but I disagree.

In what way, specifically, does it matter? Does it matter with respect to the practices, rituals, and experiences of the polytheists who worship these gods, and if so, why? Does it matter to outsiders and academics studying the phenomena, and if so, why? Does it matter with respect to something else entirely? Why does it matter?

I'd also like to point out that in at least some cases, you're presenting folks with a false dichotomy. Some of the gods I worship are ideas or abstract concepts that don't have tangible substance. The Four Elements are a prime example of this and a central part of my path. The Four are actual deities. They are also an idea. I suppose I'm trying to help you to understand why your questions may not make sense to some of us.

 

[Desert Snake]

I mean I never ask the question "is it real." The answer is always yes, if you're even asking the question. The question should always be "in what way do I perceive this as real."

I explained in the OP what I meant.

In what way, specifically, does it matter? Does it matter with respect to the practices, rituals, and experiences of the polytheists who worship these gods, and if so, why? Does it matter to outsiders and academics studying the phenomena, and if so, why? Does it matter with respect to something else entirely? Why does it matter?

So there is a context of meaning...if I say, i'm eating an apple right now, and it's actually an imaginary apple, that's the same thing to you??

I'd also like to point out that in at least some cases, you're presenting folks with a false dichotomy. Some of the gods I worship are ideas or abstract concepts that don't have tangible substance. The Four Elements are a prime example of this and a central part of my path. The Four are actual deities. They are also an idea. I suppose I'm trying to help you to understand why your questions may not make sense to some of us.

No, I'm not, actually. I'm referring to a specific aspect of one religion, getting peoples opinions, they are free to respond and explain as they wish.
You're not "explaining" anything. You're creating a false picture of my beliefs and what I'm asking in the OP actually, and it's insulting.

 

[LuisDantas]

Quintessence seems to be presenting the notion that deities are supposed to be "just" ideas, but that this in no way implies that they are not "real", or less real than they "should".

That is a wording that I would agree with, anyway.

 

[Desert Snake]

Quintessence seems to be presenting the notion that deities are supposed to be "just" ideas, but that this in no way implies that they are not "real", or less real than they "should".

That is a wording that I would agree with, anyway.

O.k., but that is not what some people have stated on the thread, so, it's just an opinion.

 

[LuisDantas]

Of course. But do you expect to find any statement about the existence of deities that is not an opinion?