What Makes a Hindu a Hindu?

[Kalidas]

He is one of those non veg Hindus heck he eats beef lol. But he recently started going back to temple. And I owe him a lot and would never judge him. He is a good friend of mine and an all around cool guy.

To be honest now that I think of it. I think he was trying to keep things simple for me. He is an advaitan viashnava and so its what he knows. I appreciate his attempts to keep things simple for me.

 

[Vinayaka]

To be honest now that I think of it. I think he was trying to keep things simple for me. He is an advaitan viashnava and so its what he knows. I appreciate his attempts to keep things simple for me.

I rarely have a problem if there is humility involved, and they keep it to themselves with no proseletyzing directed at me, or any condescending tone. But there is a point where one has to bark. It's our duty.

 

[Kalidas]

I rarely have a problem if there is humility involved, and they keep it to themselves with no proseletyzing directed at me, or any condescending tone. But there is a point where one has to bark. It's our duty.

Sorry you lost me lol

 

[Vinayaka]

Sorry you lost me lol

Haha ... I don't know how I can lose YOU? What I meant was that a traditionalist can only take this stuff sitting down, and not saying anything for a certain amount of time, and then, for the sake of newcomers, and for the sake of keeping tradition, we are obliged to say something. To call it out and say directly, if necessary. "But that's NOT Hinduism."

Same with the younger enthusiastic members of ISKCON who like to claim Siva is a demigod. We can sit and let it go through our personal ears for awhile, but eventually, for the sake of just giving a more accurate picture to anyone listening in, we are obliged to say, "But Saivites don't believe that."

I guess what I'm saying is that at some point we have to stand up and be heard.

 

[Kalidas]

Haha ... I don't know how I can lose YOU? What I meant was that a traditionalist can only take this stuff sitting down, and not saying anything for a certain amount of time, and then, for the sake of newcomers, and for the sake of keeping tradition, we are obliged to say something. To call it out and say directly, if necessary. "But that's NOT Hinduism."

Same with the younger enthusiastic members of ISKCON who like to claim Siva is a demigod. We can sit and let it go through our personal ears for awhile, but eventually, for the sake of just giving a more accurate picture to anyone listening in, we are obliged to say, "But Saivites don't believe that."

I guess what I'm saying is that at some point we have to stand up and be heard.

And now you found me lol. I'm allowed to be lost sometimes.

Agreed. Its fine and dandy to let people believe how they want, until thet start.speaking for you. My friend.was.pretty good he told me what he thought and knows (which is fairly neo advatian) but recomended I do my own searching. Which I would have done anyways.

 

[ratikala]

Lol AWESOME! Great use of the Gita friend

jai jai , without doubt the gita is my most AWESOME friend :namaste

and deffinatly Laughing is as good as rasbery pie , ....

....have you had damsons ? ....damson pie made with an almond frangipan is the deities favorite prasad for october ....they grow wild here and I have to bribe an old farmer freind to bring me some every year ...

appologies vinayaka ji for corrupting your thread to talk about prasad

 

[Contemplative Cat]

Someone can intellectually realize there must be a primary substance or Mona's, without being genuinely liberated, the yoga practice that leads to liberation is a lot like sankya yoga.

One needs to focus and calm the mind through yoga and worship.
Abeda bhakti.

Your ideas about advaita is obviously based on deluded Neo advaitins, the lip service
Vedatins.
There are great yogis who have made it. don't lack faith in saints just because of some stupid kids

 

[Contemplative Cat]

Only Gurus teach. If you teach and your not ready to then your a faker not a fakir.
But that said it is up to the Guru on how to present Hinduism to a pupil.
Homogeneity breeds degeneration.

 

[Vinayaka]

don't lack faith in saints just because of some stupid kids

Many aren't exactly stupid kids.

That (lack of faith in saints) is funny. You obviously don't know me very well. So have you been to the Ganesha temple in Flushing?

 

[Vinayaka]

Only Gurus teach.

And then only if someone asks them to.

 

[Kalidas]

Only Gurus teach. If you teach and your not ready to then your a faker not a fakir.
But that said it is up to the Guru on how to present Hinduism to a pupil.
Homogeneity breeds degeneration.

My kingdom for a guru . Some days I think I should be looking and other days I think I should just sit and wait and be patient for the right time.

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram vinayaka ji :namaste

I rarely have a problem if there is humility involved, and they keep it to themselves with no proseletyzing directed at me, or any condescending tone. But there is a point where one has to bark. It's our duty.

just trying to follow your conversation with kalidas ji ...

simmilarly me with other traditions I dont have a problem untill the humillity slips and reveals some indoctrinated superior tone ....

and to set the record streight is most definately our duty ....

Same with the younger enthusiastic members of ISKCON who like to claim Siva is a demigod. We can sit and let it go through our personal ears for awhile, but eventually, for the sake of just giving a more accurate picture to anyone listening in, we are obliged to say, "But Saivites don't believe that."

even as a vaisnava I cant hold with that , it is a missinturpretation , but as with most youngsters they enthusiasticaly repeat what they have heard .... which makes one mindfull that one must be very carefull what one says .....

 

[Contemplative Cat]

Oh, no. i hung around Manhattan.
no car, never been to flushing.

The Brahmins are cool but the devotees always look at me, and want to ask me about how I get by.
So I prefer woods to temples. Which is why i don't always stay in the big city.

I would like to clarify that the me is not perfect, to much ignorance arises on a daily basis to be "fully enlightened"

 

[Contemplative Cat]

Iskon is like any other religion, not really mystic. Thus certainly can get preachy.

 

[Vinayaka]

Oh, no. i hung around Manhattan.
no car, never been to flushing.

The Brahmins are cool but the devotees always look at me, and want to ask me about how I get by.
So I prefer woods to temples. Which is why i don't always stay in the big city.

I would like to clarify that the me is not perfect, to much ignorance arises on a daily basis to be "fully enlightened"

I could have easily taken the subway to Manhattan. I was staying with friends (about 1982 or so) but just before leaving here, karma gave me a twisted ankle, so I had to hobble about.

So which temples there have you been to, or was it Brahmins in India?

I get stared at a bit in strange temples for the first time but generally it dissipates quickly as I have learned the 'moves' so to speak.

 

[Vinayaka]

Iskon is like any other religion,

I don't understand this comment. Sorry.

 

[Vinayaka]

but as with most youngsters they enthusiasticaly repeat what they have heard ....

Indeed, and that's why generally one can forgive them. New converts to anything tend to be that way. I suppose I was too. But we all mellow out after awhile.

 

[Vinayaka]

My kingdom for a guru . Some days I think I should be looking and other days I think I should just sit and wait and be patient for the right time.

No hurry, no worry. You seem to be doing just fine, if you ask me. Common sense will take you a very long way.

 

[punkdbass]

To give a brief summary from Swami Sivananda's All About Hinduism book, someone who is Hindu: believes that the Vedas contain self-evident/axiomatic truths; believes in a religion which has originated in India; has Faith in karma, reincarnation, Vedas and existence of God.

I find this thread interesting because I find myself relating to Hinduism so easily. The way I understand it, Hinduism is a very much a Universalistic religion - it is like a giant tree that contains within it many different branches/sects but all of which essentially share core commonalities. I feel like with Hinduism there is an Avatar or mindset that is suitable in helping almost any type of human being imaginable obtain Self Realization (find God).

Sometimes I ask myself.. what about my own beliefs right now should prevent me from calling myself a Hindu? Aside from the fact I'm born Jewish and feel immensely connected with the Jewish people, I cant think of anything that would make me feel uncomfortable identifying with Hinduism. My core belief is that everything is one and connected, that we are all one in God.. there is no "us" and "them" we are all one and equal in God.. and this seems to be a very strong principle of Hinduism. I love exploring different world religions and find it so amazing when I discover core commonalities within them all - often times between cultures that are very much isolated from one another. All of this further convinces me that there is indeed an all pervading Truth or Spirit (God) - whatever you want to call it.. and my exploration of Hinduism has been an absolute Treasure on my spiritual journey thus far.

 

[George-ananda]

Sometimes I ask myself.. what about my own beliefs right now should prevent me from calling myself a Hindu? Aside from the fact I'm born Jewish and feel immensely connected with the Jewish people, I cant think of anything that would make me feel uncomfortable identifying with Hinduism.

Don't forget the word I told you about: HinJew