Question for Hindus only, 'what in your eyes makes for a real Hindu?'

[Dawnofhope]

I come only when Hinduism, Krishna is mentioned, otherwise you would never encounter me.

Then I am blessed to have continued association with you. When a man loves another it is hard to remain silent for long and refrain from mentioning the name of His beloved. How can I remain silent about Krishna?

A person is considered still further advanced when he regards honest well-wishers, affectionate benefactors, the neutral, mediators, the envious, friends and enemies, the pious and the sinners all with an equal mind.
BG 1-6

 

[Aupmanyav]

God cannot "incarnate" Himself. How would someone Who is already One and Whole be able to "incarnate" within a part of Himself? So what then is the huge part of Himself "outside the so-called incarnation"? Would that then not also be Him?

Then you could perhaps speak of an incarnation of Vishnu, but then what is the meaning of that for you as a monotheist if this Vishnu is not the same as God the Absolute?

So I am interested to find out why and how they see themselves as being Hindu rather than just people trying to follow Bhagavad Dharma.

It is quite simple Marcion. Either you do not accept God, and if you do, then do not put limits to what he can do and what he cannot.

I do not believe in Gods and Goddesses. I believe in existence of one entity which constitutes all things in the universe, all humans, all animals, all vegetation, all non-living things, nothing being excluded (You know that very well, that is the 'Advaita' belief). God would have no problem in being everything as well as an avatara. 'Wa Mā Dhālika `Alá Allāhi Bi`azīzin' (And that is no great matter of Allah) Surah Ibrahim, 'lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh' (There is no change or power except in Allah).

For some Hindus, Vishnu is God the Absolute. Those who follow the Bhagawad Dharma (The Eternal Sanatan Dharma), identify themselves as Hindus. Yes, there are others who do not follow the Sanatan Dharma, They are known variously as Zoroastrians, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Bahais, Ahmadiyyas, etc.

 

[Aupmanyav]

How can I remain silent about Krishna?

A person is considered still further advanced when he regards honest well-wishers, affectionate benefactors, the neutral, mediators, the envious, friends and enemies, the pious and the sinners all with an equal mind.
BG 1-6

In that case you are going to have my exalted company.

Perhaps you know, Adrian, according to 'Advaita', we have two realities in the world - The Absolute and the Pragmatic (Parmarthika and the Vyavahrika). What Krishna mentions above belongs to Absolute reality. But in Pragmatic reality, there are honest well-wishers, affectionate benefactors, the neutral, mediators, the envious, friends and enemies, the pious and the sinners, all cannot be treated in the same way, though we know that they are not different from us.

 

[Dawnofhope]

In that case you are going to have my exalted company.

Perhaps you know, Adrian, according to 'Advaita', we have two realities in the world - The Absolute and the Pragmatic (Parmarthika and the Vyavahrika). What Krishna mentions above belongs to Absolute reality. But in Pragmatic reality, there are honest well-wishers, affectionate benefactors, the neutral, mediators, the envious, friends and enemies, the pious and the sinners, all cannot be treated in the same way, though we know that they are not different from us.

With Krishna consciousness the distinctions evaporate as we realise the illusion of such thinking. Of course we must be pragmatic. If someone hurts another through violence we must take steps to prevent him from continuing.

We could see each other as enemies or we could see ourselves as friends. Best to keep our minds free from worldly passions such as anger and ego.

Our paths have inevitably collided. I know my love for Krishna as I know His love for me. Like attracts like and so I seek out my own kind. You see a wolf in sheep's clothing intent on the flock. You must warn the others and chase me away.

Krishna teaches two types of intelligence.

“There are two classes of intelligent men. The one is intelligent in material activities for sense gratification, and the other is introspective and awake to the cultivation of self-realization. Activities of the introspective sage, or thoughtful man, are night for persons materially absorbed. Materialistic persons remain asleep in such a night due to their ignorance of self-realization. The introspective sage remains alert in the “night” of the materialistic men. The sage feels transcendental pleasure in the gradual advancement of spiritual culture, whereas the man in materialistic activities, being asleep toself-realization, dreams of varieties of sense pleasure, feeling sometimes happy and sometimes distressed in his sleeping condition. The introspective man is always indifferent to materialistic happiness and distress. He goes on with his self-realization activities undisturbed by material reaction.”
Bhagavad-gita As it is Purport to 2.69

Though lower than dust, I reach for the stars.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Nice, I appreciate.

 

[Marcion]

God would have no problem in being everything as well as an avatara.

Sure, God could upset the whole of His creation by doing the impossible and thereby destroying the whole universe which always functions through natural (His) laws. But obviously He has never done so, so we have to be more rational about what actually happens if God somehow expresses Himself in one single very special human form.

Of course I am not just making this up by my own reasoning, but how my preceptor explains things sounds to me most reasonable.
You as an atheist Hindu would not believe in such divine Personalities Who can know everything there is to know just through their intuitional capacity as Taraka Brahma.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Perhaps not just you, but your preceptor also needs to learn not to put limits to God's might.

 

[ajay0]

I agree totally with you and my preceptor also stated that Dharma does not mean a religious or Hindu dharma. However on this forum and elsewhere there are people who identify themselves as Hindu. So I am interested to find out why and how they see themselves as being Hindu rather than just people trying to follow Bhagavad Dharma.
It starts to feel like they define themselves as Hindu by what they are not and they perceive as "outsiders".

You can use the term 'Hindu' as a functional identity in this world for practical purposes, just as you use your name-identity, nationality, professional qualification, gender, sexual orientation, and so on.

However to misuse one's functional identity as one's true self is the cause of mischief, sorrow and evil.

One's true self is the Self as taught by Vedanta.

The Self, our Being, is Awareness. - Sri Muruganar

Knowledge and 'I' ( Self ) are both one. - Sree Narayana Guru

Your true nature is awareness and not what your mind is producing. - Burt Harding

Awareness is who we are and forgetting that leads to suffering. - Vicki Woodyard

So you can see here eastern and western enlightened masters talking about the Self as one's true identity, and not the transient content of the mind which has a beginning and an end.

Because of lack of self-knowlege or knowledge of their true identity of the Self, people start using their functional identities as their true identity and holding onto it firmly with great emotional energy. After all, without a sense of identity, people can feel confused, uncertain and fearful. Without a sense of identity, one can end up as a psychological wreck. An identity, no matter how ridiculous or manmade it may be, gives them a sense of psychological security.

Obviously this can spell trouble because the beliefs and corresponding thoughts and actions of a certain belief system can vary with others, leading to potential reactivity,conflict and violence.

And hence the remedy for all this is self-knowledge.

 

[Jainarayan]

This is an excellent question. I’m really interested to hear how Hindus respond and if they don’t, why not?

I believe Lord Krishna was an incarnation of the supreme Deity Vishnu. Do I get to join the ‘Hindu’ club?

If you live as a Hindu, believe at least the basic tenets of Hinduism, i.e. the most common and basic beliefs that bind Hindus despite all the sects, and you think you are a Hindu, then you are a Hindu. As I pointed out in another thread, I think being Hindu hinges on where you believe your heart and soul belong.

 

[Jainarayan]

Tulsi beads.

Mine keep breaking. Not my mālā-s for japa, but my kanthi mālā-s. I can't keep one intact for love or money. I think it's a message.

 

[Roshan]

Hi guys, hinduism explains how reincarnation happens. The already departed soul who is heaven comes back to earth by rain and then they attach with crops or animals then come to womb when woman feed. But this phenomemon doesnt match with present medical revolution. What is true?

 

[Valjean]

That's what Hinduism says? First I've heard of it.
I have an entirely differen't view of reincarnation.

 

[Marcion]

You can use the term 'Hindu' as a functional identity in this world for practical purposes, just as you use your name-identity, nationality, professional qualification, gender, sexual orientation, and so on.

Indeed, but some people don't like a gender being stuck on them because they don't in their heart belong to any gender or some Catalans don't like to be called 'Spanish'. So you have to be very careful how you stick a lable on what. When I think of Sikhs, Buddhists or Jains, to me they seem Hindu, but they themselves may not think so. In some parts of Europe they are considering to no longer register people as male or female. People should perhaps be free to make up their own minds about how they define or not define themselves. And how others see them is also their own business.

Perhaps not just you, but your preceptor also needs to learn not to put limits to God's might.

Perhaps you could respectfully ask Him to change His mind?

 

[atanu]

You are a Hindu if,

1. You are born into a Hindu family and have not explicitly disavowed the religion.

Yes. But what is that ‘religion’?

 

[Vinayaka]

Hi guys, hinduism explains how reincarnation happens. The already departed soul who is heaven comes back to earth by rain and then they attach with crops or animals then come to womb when woman feed. But this phenomemon doesnt match with present medical revolution. What is true?

Nothing is 'true'. There are only beliefs, and those vary by sect and sampradaya. Some base it on personal experiences.

 

[ajay0]

Indeed, but some people don't like a gender being stuck on them because they don't in their heart belong to any gender or some Catalans don't like to be called 'Spanish'. So you have to be very careful how you stick a lable on what. When I think of Sikhs, Buddhists or Jains, to me they seem Hindu, but they themselves may not think so. In some parts of Europe they are considering to no longer register people as male or female. People should perhaps be free to make up their own minds about how they define or not define themselves. And how others see them is also their own business.
Perhaps you could respectfully ask Him to change His mind?

Yeah, how people define themselves with labels is their choice. Only thing is not to emotionally identify with the label as one's true identity which is false and creates erroneous perceptions and distorted actions. This is how religious, sectarian and nationalistic chauvinism comes about.

The 'male' and 'female' labels are perhaps not needed as well, but they do serve their functional purposes at times, especially with respect to washrooms or toilets.

 

[Roshan]

Nothing is 'true'. There are only beliefs, and those vary by sect and sampradaya. Some base it on personal experiences.

Ok. No no source is reliable is that u mean? Even famous religions dont have teachings in common. They differ. But the origin is one origin. The reality is one and unchanged. So what heppens? R they man made to comfort others?

 

[ajay0]

Ok. No no source is reliable is that u mean? Even famous religions dont have teachings in common. They differ. But the origin is one origin. The reality is one and unchanged. So what heppens? R they man made to comfort others?

Here is a thread with a list of books and articles on reincarnation.

Reincarnation/Past Lives


You might be able to get the needed information from it.

 

[Vinayaka]

Ok. No no source is reliable is that u mean? Even famous religions dont have teachings in common. They differ. But the origin is one origin. The reality is one and unchanged. So what heppens? R they man made to comfort others?

That's on the deepest level. In outward levels there are differences.

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

Hi guys, hinduism explains how reincarnation happens. The already departed soul who is heaven comes back to earth by rain and then they attach with crops or animals then come to womb when woman feed. But this phenomemon doesnt match with present medical revolution. What is true?

Namaste,

Some parts of that explanation is true, we can observe that it does Rain, Rain is consumed by the earth, earth is consumed by Plants and animals, the same plants and animals are consumed by Humans, when humans die the the Bodies are consumed by animals and plants, everything dies and is consumed by the earth, earth is dissolved by water, water is evaporated via the suns rays into the "heaven', or clouds and clouds pour rain and the cycle continues.

All our ancestors observed this simple fact, and applied it to Jiva Atman (life), as nothing is wasted then why should life be wasted?