Can you mingle Hinduism with Christianity?

[Desert Snake]

Hmm?

Not this syncretism, other concepts.

I'm saying, it can work.

 

[atanu]

Here's a few more specifics then. Not all are either/or, but could be both. Some simplyu cannot be both.

Heaven/hell, or reincarnation

Many christians believe in rebirth.

Burial, or cremation

Many Hindus are buried.

Vedas or Bible

Then we must go deeper and find 10 schools of Rig Vedic rishis.

Jesus, no specific prophet

Many avatars and gurus.

God is outside, or God is inside

Many Hindus believe in external God.

Vegetarian, or non-vegetarian

Dharma shastra-s do not prohibit consumption of non vegetarian food. Many Hindus, particularly Kashmiri and Bengali Brahmins are non-vegetarians.
...................

The above are all external-cultural aspects that have very little to do with the commonalities that Shri Yoganada or Shri Ramana point out.

 

[Philomath]

It depends on the sect of Christianity.

 

[Vinayaka]

It depends on the sect of Christianity.

And on the sect of Hinduism. Orthodoxy in both faiths see the value in not mixing.

 

[John Martin]

Again this can be seen as a layered thing, IMO.

In Hinduism itself not much mixing is favoured. For example, a Vaisnava will always worship or meditate with Vishnu's form but not with any other Deity. Similar with Saiva devotees and Durga devotees. It is to strengthen attention and concentration.

Arjuna alone received Shri Krishna's upadesha because Arjuna alone had unbeatable concentration. The meaning of devotion, I think, is this only... Undivided attention.

So mixing of methods may not be advisable fot sadhakas-seekers.

OTOH, going by accounts of realised jnanis, the situation is not same. Most of these teachers have taught that all paths lead to the same summit. That there is no difference in teachings of Buddha, Krishna, or Christ.

I do think that it is best to follow one's Guru.

There is only one goal of life. That is to experience God. There are three ways people can experience God. Dualistic way: I and God are essentially different and we remain separate even after our death. Qualified non-dualistic: I am the manifestation of God and I can experience 'I am in God and God is in me'. Non-dualistic way: I and God are one.
There is only one way: there is only one way to God. That is the purification of our ego. Again there can be three types of purified ego: dualistic ego that says I am separate from God; qualified non-dualistic ego that says I am in God and God is in me and non-dualistic ego that says I and God are one. If we use the analogy of climbing a hill, dualistic way stops at the middle of the hill.Qualified non-dualistic way takes very close to the top of the hill. Non-dualistic way takes to the top of the hill. The question is up to which level where my spiritual way takes me.
There are many paths of purification: The purpose of all religions, all scriptures and all spiritual practices is to help human beings to purify their ego or to get rid of their ego. The way each religion approaches may be different but the purpose is the same. For example a person may have an head ace: This person can go an allopathic doctor, an Ayurveda doctor, a homeopathic doctor, an unani doctor or a naturopath, or an acupuncturist or an acupuncturist or native doctor. Each practitioner is trying to cure the head ache. The most important thing is whether the head ache has been cured or our head ache has become incurable like diabetic and we need to take the medicine regularly.
If the head ache has been cured then there is no need any doctor or medicine.
The question is whether religions or spiritual practices are purifying our ego(curing the ego) or sustaining our ego or continuing our ego? Whether our ego has become incurable like diabetic and we need to take daily dose of medicine with regular tests.
A person who has no ego lives in a land without boundaries. He or she does not need a religion, a scripture or a technique or a spiritual guide. He or she has no enemies. Everyone belongs to him or to her or he or she belongs to everyone. There is only essential unity.
There is no need to bring religions together and inter-religious dialogue has no place. There is no need of mixing of religions. Mixing of religions is like mixing of different systems of medicines which can create complications,confusion and inner conflict.
Where there is division there is a boundary and where there is a boundary there is an ego. Purifying the ego means breaking down all barriers and creating one God, one creation and one humanity. This is the test to see if we have an ego or not.

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram

jai jai , an amazingly clear simple and succinct post , ...

There is only one goal of life. That is to experience God. .....

There is only one way: there is only one way to God. That is the purification of our ego. ....

There are many paths of purification: The purpose of all religions, .....

as it is only ego ...the false sence of self that seperates us from God


the analogy of mixing medical cures is perfect if one is going to go to a doctor , one has to place ones faith in his methods and go through with the treatment from start to finish , mixing methods can be extremely dangerous ...

it dosent mean that we canot appreciate the principles of other religions but to try to overlay practice from one and another if anything it could seriously slow up the process of pureification .

 

[himvani]

We all are same people and we have made hinduism and christenism... so in this case we can mingle both.

 

[Vinayaka]

We all are same people and we have made hinduism and christenism... so in this case we can mingle both.

Himvani, It's dangerous, like having two wives, but if people want to check it out, they can, because it's a free world. But they should always proceed with extreme caution. You can lose your original faith for a new one, encounter extreme contradictions, and more.

Besides that, there is no need. Each faith already offers enough for it's followers already.

 

[Asha]

We all are same people and we have made hinduism and christenism... so in this case we can mingle both.

If this is so then you are considering Jesus and Krishna to be ordinary beings?
I cant speak for Christians, but I can speak for Hindus, Our scriptures are considered to divine revelation, therefore Not Manmade.

As far as I am concerned it would be a foolish presumption for us as unenlightened beings to meddle with Divine revelations.

These are two distinctly different sets of instructions given to differnt peoples in diferent cultural circumstances.