Hinduism - What Are the Core Tenets?

[Sirona]

I'm not sure I'm seeing what you are in that list. Can you explain which concepts cater to people of Christian cultures and how?

I object against "Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest Reality."

I could live with Brahman characterized as an "Unmanifest Reality", but I definitely wouldn't call Brahman a "being". Moreover, Brahman (depending on the school) is often described as going together with his counterpart, "Shakti", which is a dynamic energy and often imagined as female Goddess(es). I am an autodidact, but I haven't found anything comparable in Abrahamic religions. It is found in Hinduism, Tantric Hinduism and religions which developed from it, namely Tantric Buddhism. I think Shakti is something very characteristic to Hinduism.

In the definition of one, all-pervasive Supreme Being, polytheists and atheists are not covered.

Creation isn't given the same value in Hinduism as it is given in Christianity. Creation was performed by a "minor" god (Brahma) who sat on a lotus flower which had grown from the navel of Vishnu, and Vishnu isn't personally involved in Creation the same way Jahwe is. IMHO, the goal of right-hand Hinduism is to get away from "Illusion" / the material world, not "to assume lordship over the earth and rule the world of plants and animals." (Christian connotation of "Creator") That's why I wouldn't call God a creator in Hinduism.

You may well go ahead and correct me, I am a convert.

 

[Marcion]

Even people who go to temples aren't often part of any community. There is a 'community' sometimes, that runs the temple, but it won't dominate. Individuals go mostly just for communion with God. They're not interested in the 'people' stuff, just the God stuff. Many people come in silence, and leave in silence.

That sounds similar to people attending church or church masses without joining in the social service part of their local Christian community.

I wonder, do some hindus go to collective meditation retreats or to collective group meditations (on a regular basis) like some buddhists do?

 

[Vinayaka]

That sounds similar to people attending church or church masses without joining in the social service part of their local Christian community.

I wonder, do some hindus go to collective meditation retreats or to collective group meditations (on a regular basis) like some buddhists do?

Not regularly. Hindus do go on pilgrimages though. Sometimes it's collectively, like a group of villagers walking together for several days to a temple. You see a lot of that in TN ... mostly to Sabrimalai, and to Palani.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I object against "Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest Reality."

I could live with Brahman characterized as an "Unmanifest Reality", but I definitely wouldn't call Brahman a "being". Moreover, Brahman (depending on the school) is often described as going together with his counterpart, "Shakti", which is a dynamic energy and often imagined as female Goddess(es). I am an autodidact, but I haven't found anything comparable in Abrahamic religions. It is found in Hinduism, Tantric Hinduism and religions which developed from it, namely Tantric Buddhism. I think Shakti is something very characteristic to Hinduism.

In the definition of one, all-pervasive Supreme Being, polytheists and atheists are not covered.

Creation isn't given the same value in Hinduism as it is given in Christianity. Creation was performed by a "minor" god (Brahma) who sat on a lotus flower which had grown from the navel of Vishnu, and Vishnu isn't personally involved in Creation the same way Jahwe is. IMHO, the goal of right-hand Hinduism is to get away from "Illusion" / the material world, not "to assume lordship over the earth and rule the world of plants and animals." (Christian connotation of "Creator") That's why I wouldn't call God a creator in Hinduism.

You may well go ahead and correct me, I am a convert.

I have no intention of correcting you. Your view is yours. I gain nothing my attempting to alter it.

While I appreciate your perspective, I see what you’re objecting to as none other than Brahman in both its Saguna and Nirguna aspects.

Also, I think you may be making some Abrahamic presumptions about creation and inadvertently assuming some Biblical lore into the narrative.

 

[Valjean]

Can I partake in this discussion if I don't self-identify as a Hindu? Do people who identify as Hindu object to my partaking?

If Hindus took exception to everyone with a different religious outlook, every family in India would be at odds with every other family.

Feel free to participate -- but we must insist you wear your Tulsi beads while posting.

This I could subscribe to (but not to the ideas that the Vedas are the ultimate authority and that idividual souls are immortal (rather they come from and return to Brahman, so they don't last forever)). Does that make me a Hindu? The Indian High Court thought so, but that is only the legal side for India.

The soul's individuality is only an illusion -- as is time, for that matter

Don't worry about loosing your little, blinkered, pinched off speck of consciousness. Expanded consciousness -- the ultimate goal of Hinduism -- is just that, Not so much absorption into, but an aggregation and accumulation of consciousness.[/QUOTE]

 

[Marcion]

Creation isn't given the same value in Hinduism as it is given in Christianity. Creation was performed by a "minor" god (Brahma) who sat on a lotus flower which had grown from the navel of Vishnu, and Vishnu isn't personally involved in Creation the same way Jahwe is. IMHO, the goal of right-hand Hinduism is to get away from "Illusion" / the material world, not "to assume lordship over the earth and rule the world of plants and animals." (Christian connotation of "Creator") That's why I wouldn't call God a creator in Hinduism.

You may well go ahead and correct me, I am a convert.

God or Brahma creates through His Shakti or Prakrti and observes through His Purusha (Shiva).
Shakti is the power aspect of Purusha which makes creation (the projection of qualifications or guna's) possible.

Parama Purusha does not depend on Shakti, but is its master.
So the Abrahamic God as supreme creator seems to neglect the witnessing aspect of God/Brahma.
Shakti and Shiva (or Prakrti and Purusha) are two sides of the same coin (Brahma).
I hope I explained that in the correct way.

 

[Valjean]

If I had started a similar type of thread, I would have asked the question 'Tantra - What Makes Someone a Tantric rather than a Vedic or Religious Person?'. And the question would have been directed at all people of the world, not just people who self-identify as Hindu.
I don't necessarily feel closer to someone who identifies as Hindu as compared to let's say someone who is a Sufi, a practising Buddhist or a mystic Christian.
I know that people feel the need to belong to a community, but for me that community is not a religious group.

A Hindu would say that there are many different paths up a mountain, but all come together at their common goal.

 

[metis]

The reality is that there are literally so many variant views within what's called "Hinduism" that it's almost impossible to establish what are the "core tenets". However, there are some views that are more commonly believed than some other views.

 

[Marcion]

A Hindu would say that there are many different paths up a mountain, but all come together at their common goal.

That is also what my path says. But we would not call any of them hindus, just travellers or spiritual aspirants.

 

[Jainarayan]

Well


Well, I didn't want to do it ... but I disagree. I think the list Basics of Hinduism caters more to people of Christian cultures who can't do without their "Good Lord" regardless of whether such a concept exists in Hinduism. In fact, Hindu "missionaries", in translating Hindu concepts cross-culturally, may resort to such steps in order to string a religious chord in their audience by presenting them something "familiar".

Are you not familiar with concept of an iṣṭa-devatā?

Iṣṭa-devatā (Hinduism) - Wikipedia

 

[Sirona]

Are you not familiar with concept of an iṣṭa-devatā?

Iṣṭa-devatā (Hinduism) - Wikipedia

Thanks for pointing this out. Yes, of course I do know it. I just believe that the ishta-deva emanates from Brahman and goes back into Brahman. As I said before, I am not so strong on philosophy, but what always resonated with me was Advaita Vedanta. Don't know whether this fits here.

 

[Valjean]

That is also what my path says. But we would not call any of them hindus, just travellers or spiritual aspirants.

Hinduism's a hodgepodge of religious traditions with no official church, doctrine, dogma or organized clergy.

 

[Marcion]

Hinduism's a hodgepodge of religious traditions with no official church, doctrine, dogma or organized clergy.

Indeed and that is so vague that anything could be considered as Hindu, even Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism and all the rest.

Looking at it purely from the family tree of traditions (their origins), the old sjamanic type traditions of the America's, Australia, Africa, Asia and Europe cannot be seen as originating in India.
Hinduism itself however has somewhat been influenced by the sjamanic type of tradition of the area where is now southern Russia. This became the Vedic side of Hinduism several thousands of years ago.

The (tiny) Tantric core of Christianity may have originated in India and so may the Tantric core of Islam and perhaps even Judaism.
Buddhism and Jainism also originated in India which are also quite Tantric.

So the Vedic side of Hinduism was introduced from outside of India and the Tantric side originated and developed inside of India. India would have had its own stone age types of sjamanic traditions also, these can e.g. still be seen in the lingam (penis) worship and the worship of the tribal leader in the form of a powerful animal (such as Ganesh).

India is the most ethnically diverse (rich) nation in the world, all the main ethnic types of people are found in India (of course very mixed after thousands of year of mixing). In the same way India is the most diverse in its spiritual traditions from very Tantric to less Tantric (more Vedic) in all kinds of mixtures.

I would say that India has been the world's powerhouse of Tantric spirituality in giving birth to Buddhism, Jainism, Sikkhism, Christianity, Islam and exporting Yoga and spiritual guru's and their missions. This influence will only increase in the future since the wealth of Indian spiritual and social philosophies is incomparable to what is found in the rest of the world.
To characterize Indian spirituality as a mere religion (called Hinduism) is diminishing its importance to the whole world. There are some dogmatic evangelical christians who warn against practising yoga and meditation because people who do so would be "importing Hinduism". This is precisely that all too limited mentality of artificially dividing up the world into so-called religions that the world could do without.

There are no religions, there are only people on their spiritual paths practising more Tantric or more Vedic types of worship. Spirituality is a practical intuitive or introspective science, artificial religious boundaries are something of the past.
This forum should be renamed.

 

[SalixIncendium]

This forum should be renamed.

I've been lobbying for them to rename it "Fred" but the rest of the staff don't agree. But maybe with you on my side, we can convince them.

So what do you say? Are you with me??!

 

[Marcion]

I've been lobbying for them to rename it "Fred" but the rest of the staff don't agree. But maybe with you on my side, we can convince them.

So what do you say? Are you with me??!

Anything without the word religious or any other word that stands for an outmoded limiting idea is ok with me.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Anything without the word religion in it is ok with me.

Then I think we’re good. The word “religion” does not appear in the forum name.

 

[Marcion]

That's settled then, any idea with which you will replace 'Religious'?

 

[SalixIncendium]

That's settled then, any idea with which you will replace 'Religious'?

As I said, I’m campaigning for “Fred.”

 

[atanu]

@SalixIncendium Here's the 9 basic beliefs summary that my sampradaya came up with many years ago, after a lot of research, and years of writing articles on the many different sects. Note that in the introduction it says 'most' not 'all'. There is no compulsion in Hinduism to believe anything really.

Basics of Hinduism

That, indeed, seems to be a good summary of the core concepts of Hinduism, and probably a better and more comprehensive list than the one I posted above.

Does anyone else have any thoughts on the list @Vinayaka linked or do you agree that this is a pretty accurate assessment?

I agree.

However, as we had discussed earlier, cultural and dharmic orientations will be different. For example, my father was a communist and not a Hindu in terms of belief or practise, yet he was a Hindu by default.

 

[Vinayaka]

I agree.

However, as we had discussed earlier, cultural and dharmic orientations will be different. For example, my father was a communist and not a Hindu in terms of belief or practise, yet he was a Hindu by default.

Namaskaram ... for @SalixIncendium and others, I just want to clarify something about my sampradaya. That is, we operate on two levels. One is Hindu Solidarity, and the other is monistic Saiva Siddhanta. The first is general to all Hindus, and a service to Hinduism and seekers. The main tool for that is the magazine Hinduism Today. So as the service to Hinduism in general, we print documents like what I gave here ... 9 shared beliefs of Hinduism. We don't necessarily believe all of that either, but it is something that has been well researched, and hopefully suits all.

The other teaching, that of monistic Saiva Siddhantha, is far more school specific, and we also have a set of beliefs for that. It has some overlap, but a lot that isn't. For example, any talk of God is replaced by Siva, cause we're Saivites. So if anyone became interested in our specific school, we'd share that too.