Shantanu
Well-Known Member
Hinduism is polytheistic alright but not all polytheists are Hindus.
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puzzled by Durga
- Thread starter trablano
- Start date
I have never understood how offering up a different POV gets perceived as hate.
For example:
Person A."I personally don't believe Jesus existed."
Person B: "I get it. So you hate all Christians."
Are people really that insecure within their own faiths that if another person offers a differing perspective, it means hate?
or ... :I've never been to London,"
"So you hate London then."
It's false logic, false assumptions.
For example:
Person A."I personally don't believe Jesus existed."
Person B: "I get it. So you hate all Christians."
Are people really that insecure within their own faiths that if another person offers a differing perspective, it means hate?
or ... :I've never been to London,"
"So you hate London then."
It's false logic, false assumptions.
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Hinduism is a very vast and complicated array of very different belief systems. The Sathyia Sai organisation for example (which is a modern liberal school) is a universal school which does accept Jesus, Allah and Buddha. But this is not a mainstream view. The Universal approach is found within Hinduism but only in certain schools or among certain individuals.
My mother is in said Sathiya org and I am a very liberal Hindu so we both share your views. But this does not represent all Hindus. Just our own personal beliefs.
But that's just how Hinduism rolls.
I don't think anyone here hates Jesus or Christians. But due to the Colonial hangover there perhaps is a defensiveness or a slight distrust by default. This is not intolerance, merely a mechanism born of years of underhanded conversion tactics.
Some just don't believe in Jesus, that's fine too.
Just take a breath. You nor I can decide what it means to be Hindu for others. Only ourselves. Others are free to define their own path.
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Hinduism is monotheistic for some, henotheistic for others, polytheistic for others, atheistic for still others. Its vastness can never be underestimated. Hindus, having practiced their entire lives, generally just know one sect's practices in any detail, and have poor knowledge about other sects. A Tamilian living in a village in TN wouldn't know much about a Bengali Vaisnavite.
So for an outsider to come by, read a couple of paragraphs in some introductory book, which also will have a bias, well ... what can we say?
As for intolerance, I think many need to take a better look at what that means. Historically, India has been a safe haven for many groups. Early Christian and Jews, Buddhists, the Baha'i', etc. have all found safe ground in Mother India. Why? the overriding belief system, Hinduism, is so tolerant. But that doesn't mean we need to accept all these diverse and foreign concepts as our own. It just means we can allow them to exist, without interference from us, which, by the way, is the definition of tolerance. It means a unity in diversity. Again, the overriding concept for that POV is ahimsa.
So for an outsider to come by, read a couple of paragraphs in some introductory book, which also will have a bias, well ... what can we say?
As for intolerance, I think many need to take a better look at what that means. Historically, India has been a safe haven for many groups. Early Christian and Jews, Buddhists, the Baha'i', etc. have all found safe ground in Mother India. Why? the overriding belief system, Hinduism, is so tolerant. But that doesn't mean we need to accept all these diverse and foreign concepts as our own. It just means we can allow them to exist, without interference from us, which, by the way, is the definition of tolerance. It means a unity in diversity. Again, the overriding concept for that POV is ahimsa.
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
Definitely not. And who is this Ananda? Perhaps someone angling for the favor of Westerners, a charlatan yogi?
Polytheists also have their limits, what to accept and what not to. They are quite particular about that.
@trablano; I can say without a doubt that many Hindus do not accept Jesus as any sort of deity. Or Allah (Ma forbid!) or Yahweh. They are antithetical to what most of Hinduism stands for; acceptance and tolerance as the religions that have sprung up around these deities claim that you're going to hell if you don't accept or that if you don't convert we're going to kill you. For a religious concept like dharma to spread as it has it was done peacefully and through example rather than force.
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
Or cunning. And what do I gain or how my 'dharma' will be different even if I subscribe to any other religion, fully or partly? My 'dharma' is described in just one sentence, "Fulfill your duties and engage in righteous action". Is there anything better than that. One does not even need a God to do that.*
* Yeah, I am a strong atheist and a (orthodox) Hindu.
You know this how? Were it true I suspect there would be Hindu temples fairly bursting with Jesus murtis. However, it is not and they are not. I daresay most Hindus are indifferent to Jesus, and that he's irrelevant.
You know, I have personally been to about 50 Hindu temples in Canada and the US, and I have yet to see a single Jesus picture. I guess I'm just going to the wrong temples.
I have seen one a couple of times on home shrines ... one is a Sai Baba person, the other a Kerala Hindu.
Bahahahaha
We just got a new temple here, bringing the city's total to 11. It's in a warehouse currently, but plans are afoot to buy land and build a traditional Venkateswara temple. I haven't been yet, but maybe there will be Jesus picture there. They have a big event coming up, maybe we'll go have a look see.
The Shirdi Sai group did buy land and are using the house that came with it temporarily, until they build. BAPS has land too, but no building yet. One day I'll rent a bus, charge everyone 10 bucks and see them all in one day. No booze on the bus. I've never been to either Sai temple.
A few weeks ago I mentioned the new temple going up near my job. Apparently it's two temples, Sri Balaji/Venkateshwara and Sri Sai. My guess it's Shirdi Sai Baba but I really don't know.
Shantanu
Well-Known Member
This is a very good post, very thoughtful and knowledgeable. The one thing however to bear in mind is if someone defines himself or herself as a Christian, Muslim or Jew, he stops being a Hindu because of the vastness of Hinduism that you have described. So it would be wrong to bring Jesus, Allah or Yahweh into the Hindu pantheon.
Why? Hindus don't technically separate the deities, our man made lines do. If God chooses to appear as Jesus or Odin to someone and that person wishes to remain Hindu, I don't see why they can't still be Hindu if that is what they wish for themselves.
Hinduism is a way of life, it is not so vulgar as to be just a religion, bound by the limitations humans set for it. If it really is as vast and profound as it claims, then it can accommodate these people as well, if that is their wish.
Umm Ananda is actually the cousin of the Buddha and one of his 10 principle disciples.
Ananda - Wikipedia
Shantanu
Well-Known Member
We do separate the deities into those who are sattvic, rajasic or tamasic. Beyond the guna consciousness gods is Sri Krishna the Supreme.
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Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
Treblano was not talking about Venerable Ananda, Lord Buddha' cousin. Venerable Ananda could not have accepted any Jesus. Remember Anatta? There was no Jesus.
Oh, yeah I googled the alleged connection. Apparently some new age charlatan is using Ananda's name. How rude.