The Pagan, Buddhist, and Hindu Thread

[mangalavara]

Please, how does this differ from simply Advaita? I ask because your description sounds just like Advaita (without qualifications) as I understand it.

I know that you are asking Jainarayan, but I would like to mention what I think one difference is. In Adi Shankaracarya’s Advaita, the idea that we are individual jivas is a misperception whereas in Ramanuja’s Vishishtadvaita, the individual jivas have reality to themselves. What both philosophies have in common is that all of it is Brahman.

My apologies for anything incorrect in this post.

 

[The Hammer]

A blog post on a take of forgiveness within the realm of modern Paganism.



Forgiveness is not something we find in our ancestors myths, whether by design or accident. But it is still a human concept, and an option in our toolkit.



I often liken forgiveness to reciprocity. When someone changes their hurtful ways, we reciprocate with forgiving them if the relationship has any meaning left.

A Pagan (and Realistic) Perspective On Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a good and necessary thing, but some misguided people tell us we must always forgive in all situations, “for our own good.” Those people are wrong. Fortunately for us, there are several alternatives in between revenge and forgiveness.

www.patheos.com

What do you think?

I have to agree with the authors take that forgiveness can be necessary, but it can also be exploitative (see Christianity).

That we only forgive those that have shown the willingness to change and amend their ways.

And that there are other methods besides forgiveness that can be used for those undeserving.

Edit: Decided to also post this here as there are few regularly posting Pagans in the DIR.

 

[JustGeorge]

A blog post on a take of forgiveness within the realm of modern Paganism.

Cool! John Beckett's got some good stuff in his blog.

Forgiveness is not something we find in our ancestors myths, whether by design or accident. But it is still a human concept, and an option in our toolkit.



I often liken forgiveness to reciprocity. When someone changes their hurtful ways, we reciprocate with forgiving them if the relationship has any meaning left.

A Pagan (and Realistic) Perspective On Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a good and necessary thing, but some misguided people tell us we must always forgive in all situations, “for our own good.” Those people are wrong. Fortunately for us, there are several alternatives in between revenge and forgiveness.

www.patheos.com

What do you think?

That's an interesting idea. It seems fair.

I have to agree with the authors take that forgiveness can be necessary, but it can also be exploitative (see Christianity).

I do, too. And I don't think 'forgiven' is a button that can just be pushed without thought.

When I was in high school, I had an ex that when we broke up, I felt pressured to stay friends with. I remember calling him up a week or so after the downgrade to friendship and saying "I'm sorry, but I don't really forgive you, this is disingenuous, and I don't really want to be friends with you. Actually, I think I hate you." He seemed a little surprised but said "Oh, okay. Yeah, I get it" and we ended the call. (Its kinda funny how calm we both were about the topic lol) I tried to make myself forgive him, but I couldn't. I wasn't ready.

Have I forgiven him now? Hm. I'm not sure. I don't really dwell on it now; it was a long time ago. I have few feelings towards him at all; either positive or negative.

I think there's something to be said for moving along. Maybe one doesn't have to forgive, but just not dwelling on it, or stewing in it works just as well.

That we only forgive those that have shown the willingness to change and amend their ways.

That makes good sense. I think I feel the same. I would add that I'm more tempted to fully forgive those I'm interested in rekindling a friendship with. If its not worth the trouble, I might simply 'move along'.

And that there are other methods besides forgiveness that can be used for those undeserving.

Edit: Decided to also post this here as there are few regularly posting Pagans in the DIR.

 

[Angelical]

Hinduism gets into a lot of the Reality of the Ancient Religious World. Before Jesus.

If we just look at the kind of Structure, Varun is Neptune, is Poseidon, is Loki, is Moses. Look at all the Planet based Gods of Hinduism. So then that’s the Chakras, the Planets, the Chakras, the Gemstones, the Gods, the Months, the 7 Days of the Week. 12 Hours of the Day. So then those are Gods, which is to Ignore the Titans. In Egypt and India, Giants and Titans are Gods, in Greek there was Titanomachy so we think “Chronos and the big bad Titans were defeated by Zeus”. So then there is Gigantomachy and Zeus kills the Giants.

Jesus said, “Ignore the Jots and Tittles” because the Greek mind did not really grasp the Giants and Titans. So Jesus brought back Light, the Titan Theia, Light is Wadjet, the Wadj, or the Djed, Wadj-et. Then Jesus locked a bunch in the Heart Chakra, reminded us to Love, reminded us of Death, Remembrance, he taught us how to Pray, etc, etc. Moses becomes Mercury in Jesus, but also the Sun, this all is in Christianity.

So if we look before Jesus, the Jews had Moses, David (King David is like King Arthur, and comes when Hercules, Melqart, etc, do) there was Alexander the Great who came after Homer wrote the Poems about the Gods, like Beowulf or the Bagavad-gita. And Alexander takes Egypt and Phrygia after David in Israel, after Philip II father of Alexander read the Poems and hired Aristotle to Tutor Alexander.

After his young Death, Ptolemy replaced Alexander and compared the Egyptian Gods to the Greek Gods, he was trying to line it all up. He took 72 Jewish Scholars and Housed them and fed them and had them write their Oral Tradition. We now have the Dead Sea Scrolls but at the time of Ptolemy the 72, the “Septuagint” as it was called, was declared to be the Word of God because the 72 all wrote the same thing. This included Macabees, which is a Bible Book including Alexander, and other Books. Another example would be that the way Kings and Chronicles are similar, Enoch and Genesis are similar. So this Ancient 72, the Septuagint, that Book was the Holy word passed down eventually hidden in Latin, in the hands of Kings to organize them like King James.

Then Aristotle wrote Classification, Physics, Metaphysics. The Classical Civilization and then Rome came, they agreed with the Greeks, “Hercules founded our Towns, and buried the Giants in Italy”. Then Jesus comes. And reminds everyone about the bigger picture. Angels, Malach. Sons of God, Nephilim, Samuel and his Mom. Sisera and the Stars. The Ancient Scriptures about a Flood, Azazel and a Breastplate, fallen Angels, Sodom and Gamorah. The Book of Jude is very short and goes through it all very quickly.

 

[rocala]

What do you think?

I have to agree with the authors take that forgiveness can be necessary, but it can also be exploitative (see Christianity).

Yes, I believe that it is necessary. Humans are social animals and I doubt that is possible without forgiveness of some kind. I suspect that this started very early in our evolution - people do not tend to bear lifelong grudges against naughty children or siblings, they forgive them. It is not hard to imagine that over time, this ability spreading through the clan, tribe and then wider population.

I doubt that any particular faith invented the concept but I think that certain teachers recognised and emphasised the social and spiritual value of practising it.

 

[Aupmanyav]

I have to agree with the authors take that forgiveness can be necessary, but it can also be exploitative (see Christianity).

I do not agree with what magical prescriptions the author gives. I am a pagan, Hinduism is a pagan religion. But I agree that forgiveness is not always possible, is not always advised, and that the forgiveness that Abrahamic religions profess is fake, and to drum it is evangelism. Even their God does not forgive if they do not accept him, his son or his prophets and messengers. God holds humanity eternally responsible for the sin that Adam and Eve committed. Christians think that the sin is still with us.

 

[Angelical]

I do not agree with what magical prescriptions the author gives. I am a pagan, Hinduism is a pagan religion. But I agree that forgiveness is not always possible, is not always advised, and that the forgiveness that Abrahamic religions profess is fake, and to drum it is evangelism. Even their God does not forgive if they do not accept him, his son or his prophets and messengers. God holds humanity eternally responsible for the sin that Adam and Eve committed. Christians think that the sin is still with us.

You don’t think we have knowledge? That’s the Sin.

 

[mangalavara]

‘[O]ne is to meditate and worship the Blissful, Higher than the Highest, the Devī . . . Whose colour is red like the rising Sun, Whose beauty overtops to the full, Whose all the limbs are exquisitely beautiful, Who is the sentiment of Love Incarnate, Who feels very much for the mental pain of Her Bhaktas, on Who being pleased, manifests Herself before the Bhaktas.’ (Devī Gītā 9.38–47, translated by Swami Vijñanananda)

 

[mangalavara]

This is a public domain photo of a centuries old Javanese sculpture of Durgā.

Jaya Mā!

 

[ChieftheCef]

What makes a pagan ritual a ritual?

 

[JustGeorge]

I would say it kinda falls into the same category as any ritual: its a set of repeated actions.

In this context, the actions are religious/spiritual.

 

[Callisto]

What makes a pagan ritual a ritual?

The specifics depend on the given tradition but, as with most religions, the basic definition applies: a ritual is a set of actions performed according to a prescribed order.

 

[ChieftheCef]

The specifics depend on the given tradition but, as with most religions, the basic definition applies: a ritual is a set of actions performed according to a prescribed order.

Thank you!

 

[mangalavara]

Today (Sunday, Nov. 19) is the first day of the seven-day week of Wayang on the Wuku Calendar used in Bali, Indonesia. Every seven-day week or saptawara has a deity attached to it. Wayang has Batari Sri. She is also known as Dewi Sri. Not to be confused with Lakshmi, she is the goddess of rice.

Not only is she the goddess of rice (and thereby the mother of life), she is also a goddess of fertility, success, prosperity, and protection of the family.

The public domain photo below is of a statue of Dewi Sri.

 

[Orbit]

In another thread, I told someone I feel that us Buddhists, Pagans, and Hindus get swept under the rug around here.

So, I'm making a thread devoted to these three(very vast) worldviews. Any and all may participate, but this thread may not delve into discussions of Abrahamic viewpoints, scriptures, or their God.

Anyone have anything interesting to share or ask?

Can I simultaneously be atheist, pagan, Buddhist, and Hindu? Because I want to.

 

[Quintessence]

Can I simultaneously be atheist, pagan, Buddhist, and Hindu? Because I want to.

Go for it.

While the religious traditions that dominate in the West seem to obsess about membership cards (maybe because many of them are also a bit obsessed with that whole afterlife thing) none of these traditions do. According to some scholars, Hinduism is a type of Paganism (see: Michael York) though that can be a bit controversial. And while I personally find atheistic Paganism a contradiction in terms, that hasn't stopped it from being a thing in the minds of others. Then Buddhism is a bit like Druidry in that it can be layered on top of other traditions depending on if you treat it as an all-encompassing religion or more of a philosophy or practice.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Go for it.

While the religious traditions that dominate in the West seem to obsess about membership cards (maybe because many of them are also a bit obsessed with that whole afterlife thing) none of these traditions do. According to some scholars, Hinduism is a type of Paganism (see: Michael York) though that can be a bit controversial. And while I personally find atheistic Paganism a contradiction in terms, that hasn't stopped it from being a thing in the minds of others. Then Buddhism is a bit like Druidry in that it can be layered on top of other traditions depending on if you treat it as an all-encompassing religion or more of a philosophy or practice.

I am not sure if the site would allow it. How many DIR's can a person sign up for? It is no skin off of my nose if they do that.

 

[crossfire]

Can I simultaneously be atheist, pagan, Buddhist, and Hindu? Because I want to.

Yes you can. I'm a transtheistic Mercuræn Buddhist Feminist and ordained Pastafarian and who also likes Jesus.

 

[Quintessence]

Yes you can. I'm a transtheistic Mercuræn Buddhist Feminist and ordained Pastafarian and who also likes Jesus.

Do you have a cool acronymn? Please tell me you have a catchy acronym. That would be so fun!

...

Wait.

I don't have an acronym. Can't very well ask you for one if I haven't made one! What can be smashed together to spell T.R.E.E.H.U.G.G.E.R. somehow? Hmm....

 

[crossfire]

Do you have a cool acronymn? Please tell me you have a catchy acronym. That would be so fun!

...

Wait.

I don't have an acronym. Can't very well ask you for one if I haven't made one! What can be smashed together to spell T.R.E.E.H.U.G.G.E.R. somehow? Hmm....

LHP pretty much sums it up.