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Essential basic Hindu beliefs?
- Thread starter LostKiera
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Shantanu
Well-Known Member
Just call yourself a Hindu and then find the right beliefs from Hindu scriptures like the Vedas, the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, etc. Learn and appreciate Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and the other gods and goddesses and do not denigrate any of them. Go to the temple to offer puja/worship rituals if you feel this gives you solace. Take up yoga of different kinds to intensify your Hinduism. If you believe in a personal God, surrender to Him. If you do not believe in a Personal God, meditate on the Brahman, the impersonal energy of the universe. Live ethically according to the Yamas and Niyamas (dos and don'ts). Oh yes, there is a lot to being a Hindu. Depends on how you mature as a Hindu.
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
There is no equivalent because if you have faith in Vedas, then you are Hindu, if you do not have faith in Vedas, then also you can be Hindu. If you worship Shiva then also you are a Hindu and if you worship Vishnu or Mother Goddess, then also you are Hindu. If you are vegetarian then you are a Hindu but if you are non-vegetarian then also you are Hindu. If you are a theist then you are Hindu but if you are an atheist, then also you can be Hindu (I am one). So, what is common in Hinduism? What is common and required is to be humane, i.e., to follow dharma. If any one does that and does not claim to belong to any other religion, then the person can be Hindu.
Yes, @Raahim, we have many Gods and Goddesses, perhaps a thousand. Noone has ever counted their numbers,.
Yes, @Raahim, we have many Gods and Goddesses, perhaps a thousand. Noone has ever counted their numbers,.
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I know this is DIR, but how can one be Hindu & atheist? I'm not trying to debate on that topic, just seeking answer to the question.
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
I understand your question, but it is possible. I go by a philosophy known as 'Advaita', which does not believe in the duality of God and people. We believe that there is just one substance/entity which constitutes all things in the universe. Whether it is a human or an animal, or a tree or even a stone, just one thing/entity constitutes them all. This we designate as Brahman. See, whether it is a human or an animal, or a tree, or a stone, they are all constituted by atoms. In that case, if I am Brahman, the same as what constitutes all other things in the universe, then whom do I worship? In this way I can be an atheist as well as a Hindu. 'Advaita' philosophy is popular among Hindus as well as among non-Hindus.
No genuine Hindu has to justify calling him- or herself one. We might even argue that one can't "be" a Hindu. By the same token, one can't "be" a Christian (or Muslim, etc.). One is. Period. Being is. Being does not come in denominations. In Hinduism, there might be a billion different takes on the details but on one thing there is no argument. The phenomenon of reincarnation. So you might be a Christian this time around, or Hindu or whatever, but the odds are very, very good that you "were" another denomination in a past life and will take up the delights of another denomination in a future birth.
With respect to a Christian's acknowledgement of Jesus as one's saviour (nice British spelling there, eh wot?
), the equivalent might be a Hindu's reverence for his Satguru, who takes a form, has a name and like Jesus, initiates the devotee into the mysteries of Divine Law and Love. Used in this context, Jesus is the name of the form manifesting the Wisdom and Power of Truth (Satguru) and Christ is the consciousness through which it is accomplished. Christ is Krishna-, Allah-, Buddha et al consciousness. Same consciousness, called by a different Name.Really good question, I hope Hindus will actually answer it.
Hindus do not believe in many Gods, capital G. Sometimes it helps to picture the Hindu pantheon of gods (Guruji used to say 330 million, I dunno!) as facets belonging to a single Gem (God). So these facets are depictions of the infinite qualities and powers of OneGod such as Beauty, Truth, Wisdom, Compassion, Wealth, etc., etc. One God, though. One God only for everybody. Different Names is all.
RoaringSilence
Active Member
Hi Rahim,I know this is DIR, but how can one be Hindu & atheist? I'm not trying to debate on that topic, just seeking answer to the question.
Hinduism is more about self realization and a personal relationship with god , more than anything else. Even tho there is one supreme in Hinduism, there are many demi gods and each of them are a valid path towards the same goal. One can be a true devotee of a demi god and progress his soul towards his ultimate journey. Some souls are ripened some are unripe , since god is timeless and all souls go thru many births there is no pressure for all to follow one path. Your path pulls you automatically. Some may find that there is no god but self , that also happens to be a valid conclusion , like buddha and jainism have.
So basically , every soul is free to choose and follow whatever appeals to them in this life. Because we don't have a YOLO concept like in Abrahamic religions. We have re-incarnation , (if you wish to learn more about re-incarnation Look up for Dr. Ian stevenson-3000 cases of reincarnation documented almost scientifically . )
Also, a link for details on hinduism i suggest you watch this vid if you have patience for 4 hours
PS-He uses a lot of hindi in mid but be patient because all info that is important will be also repeated in english.
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Hi Rahim,
Hinduism is more about self realization and a personal relationship with god , more than anything else. Even tho there is one supreme in Hinduism, there are many demi gods and each of them are a valid path towards the same goal. One can be a true devotee of a demi god and progress his soul towards his ultimate journey. Some souls are ripened some are unripe , since god is timeless and all souls go thru many births there is no pressure for all to follow one path. Your path pulls you automatically. Some may find that there is no god but self , that also happens to be a valid conclusion , like buddha and jainism have.
So basically , every soul is free to choose and follow whatever appeals to them in this life. Because we don't have a YOLO concept like in Abrahamic religions. We have re-incarnation , (if you wish to learn more about re-incarnation Look up for Dr. Ian stevenson-3000 cases of reincarnation documented almost scientifically . )
Also, a link for details on hinduism i suggest you watch this vid if you have patience for 4 hours
Thanks for the answer, I'll check out the video when I get 4 hours of free time.
Hmm, I heard some seminars from a (modern Orthodox) rabbi about reincarnation in Judaism and they accept it far as my conclusion was made, I need correction of this information if it's wrong. It really depends I guess from individual in Abrahamic religions, but I know Hinduism has it accepted. Since this is DIR this is my last post here, thanks once again for the answer.
RoaringSilence
Active Member
you are most welcome , we are not debating , so asking for info here is allowed As far as i think. If yu watch that vid for 20mins , the basics will be cleared so i suggest you give it 20minsThanks for the answer, I'll check out the video when I get 4 hours of free time.
Here's a list of beliefs that where most Hindus would agree to most of them. So there are some consistencies between sects.
http://www.himalayanacademy.com/readlearn/basics/nine-beliefs
Besides the basics that 90% of most Hindus do believe, after that we get quite divergent. Monotheism, polytheism, henotheism, even atheism are all within the umbrella. What moksha looks like, feels like, how restrictive we are on behaviour, diet, ... much of this varies between sects. geographic regions, and more. This is when it gets tricky trying to learn about Hinduism. A lot of Hindus only know their own sect, and aren't really up on other sect's beliefs. As a consequence, they present their sectarian beliefs AS IF it represents all Hindus, when it really doesn't. So then you get newcomers repeating that information as if it were true. "Well, I met a Hindu, and he/she said "___________", so therefore it must be true. This is both a challenge and a wonder. A challenge when you're trying to figure it all out, and a wonder at how people so diverse can still agree to getting along.
If any of the various religious, meditative, yogic or philosophical practice within Hinduism appeals to you and becomes one of your primary pillars of self-expression then you are a Hindu.
Recycling an old post I made about this question in the DIR.I know this is DIR, but how can one be Hindu & atheist? I'm not trying to debate on that topic, just seeking answer to the question.
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Hinduism is not necessarily based on believing a set of doctrines and/or Gods. Just as the classical Greek and Roman polytheistic religions, the Greek philosophical schools (Cynics, Stoics, Platonists, Epicureans, Aristotelians) and a few of the more established mystery religions will all recognize each other as belonging to "Greco-Roman"-ism [I made up the term] and will talk to each other within the shared context of their civilization, same too goes for Hinduism (with Hind being a term that designates South Asia). Hellenistic Judaism notwithstanding, there is a clear sense in which Judaism did not belong to the family of Greco-Roman religions and philosophies, and this was understood by the people of that time too. Thus Hinduism (as well as Jainism, many forms of Indian/Sri-Lankan/Thai Buddhism, Sikhism) are all speaking within the same tradition, despite their essential differences on how they seek to move it forward.
Next regarding my particular stance. I fall somewhere within what will be called the Nyaya-Vaisesika school of thought of classical Hinduism and the Abhidhamma-Madhyamika school of thought of classical Buddhism. They were to some extent antagonistic schools regarding the nature of reality (to some extent rehearsing the Einstein-Bohr debate on the status of objective reality and how one can know about it...in a different context of course) and I am not entirely sure whether I should choose the phenomenological-nominalism of Abhidhamma-Madhyamika or the substance-property realism of Nyaya-Vaisesika. I am still reading up their works and it will take me a while. I have rejected (tentatively) the strong idealistic emphasis of the Vedanta and Yogacara schools of Hinduism and Buddhism as incommensurate with my experiences and reasoning about the world.
Frequently asked Questions:-
1) Reincarnation is a theoretical model that seeks to explain the behavioral differences that continue to exist between people and animals despite being brought up in the same environment. It is an attempt to explain why people and animals are not born as a psychological "blank slate" and have innate habits and tendencies. The recognition of these facts form a very important part in the rational discourse of ethics in Indian thought. I do not see any theoretical need for continuing to use the model given that those aspects are well explained by modern cognitive psychology, hence the effects that the reincarnation model was supposed to explain can now be explained using cognitive psychology. Regarding the claimed experiences of people (including Buddha) of seeing themselves born in other lives, I will make no comment. There is no injunction on me to believe or disbelieve in the personal private experiences of others within the Hindu tradition unless they can come up with good rational argument for me to believe like them.
2) Karma in indian philosophical and theological literature is the theory of ethical consequentialism and the psychological impact of acting in a certain manner through life. The theory is obviously true as far as this life and the impact of the person on society is concerned (and vice-versa). Since I am yet to hear why I should believe in reincarnation, I have no reason to take it farther than that. I am a minimalist, but even so, Karma is a very effective way of thinking about ethics, meaning and purpose within this observable life...so I see no reason for rejecting it.
3) Hinduism does not require you to believe in gods. Hinduism speaks of 4 correct means that are equivalent in their ability to help a being lead a dharmic life. They are
a) Gnana:- Deep reflection, including systematic reflection on subjective life experiences and philosophical and scientific analysis of objective phenomena. The path of wisdom.
b) Karma:- Way of Self-less action for the greater good as well as striving towards perfection or mastery in any discipline. Path of action.
c) Yoga :- Continued practice of inner meditative experiences to gain insight and realization of the true nature of self. Path of meditation
d) Bhakti :- Loving self-less devotion to an external deity. Path of religion.
One is free to choose and combine them in any way one likes . Crucially since Hinduism does not believe that human beings are in mortal danger in any transcendental sense (yes rebirth can lead to suffering, but it may not and even if so there are literally trillions or second chances in an universe that is eternally existing...and a Hindu may point out that it may be preferable to be born as a pet cat than its harried owner in the 21st century) its not hell-bent on forcing a religious cure to a problem that you personally may not think to be imminent. So it acts as a local pharmacy, you go and ask advice if and only if you have a problem, and not otherwise.
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I would also balance this analytical take with my own subjective experiences as well the valuable guide works like Mahabharata, Gita, Upanisads, Nyaya philosophy and Vivekananda has been in my life.
I concur, but still there are millions of people who subscribe to one of the above who take great pains to avoid the word 'Hindu' all together.
Satyamavejayanti
Well-Known Member
Namaste,
I would say these following principals are required:
1) Dharmah - over Adharmah is to be practiced at all times. Dharmah such as holding Satya and Ahimsa as the highest Dharmah
2) Karma - Is to be recognized in daily life and not being attached to the Phalla.
3) Reincarnation/rebirth - That explains the nature of our birth in this world is to be believed.
4) Atman as Sat-Chit-Annand
5) Atman is Universal - not just humans have Atman.
Other things such as recognizing the Universe is cyclic, practicing technologies such as Yoga, respecting elders/parents, trying to follow the Purushastras, Accepting that the Divine can be/is feminine, Not being too History centric, not being exclusive in your truth claims, respecting all forms of worship and also critically examining all claims are also essential to some degree.
Dhanyavad