What Makes a Hindu a Hindu?

[Jainarayan]

dear zenzero ji ,

jai jai , that one deserves frubals :bow:


paralells ?

bhagavad gita ...ch 4 ..v 22

He who is satisfied with gain which comes of its own accord , who is free from duality and envy , who is steady in sucess and failure , who is never entangled , allthough performing actions .

so the question now is how many of these things are our dharma , our duty , and the question is why we do them ?
to fullfill our dharmic obligations ?
or to obtain some result ?

I look at it this way: "There are no accidents". A friend impressed that upon me. Things happen for a reason, though we may or may not ever know the reason. If I come upon someone who is hurt, and in helping them I myself become hurt, well, it was my dharma to help, regardless of the risk to me. But I must not think anything of it; I can't go around saying "I'm a hero!" I think those people who do heroic things anonymously, rejecting credit for it, must accrue a lot of good karma. Remember, we are entitled (required?) to perform actions, but we can't claim the results as our own. Gee, now I wonder who said that!?

 

[Vinayaka]

And even still, I pluck a few flowers from other gardens to see if they'll grow in mine, i.e. reading the Dhammapada, the Tao Te Ching, the Dalai Lama, Vivekananda, Sivananda, Yogananda, Ramakrishna, Jesus, etc.

Just to learn, if nothing more. Not syncretism,

Really now? Not syncretism? Some might differ.

But we can go on discussing this forever, so I will bow out of this particular line of thought here.

 

[Vinayaka]

I think they think they know what it means... ethnicity.

This I disagree with, it seems. You think the aforementioned Julia Roberts, thinks she converted to the common ethnicity of Hindus?

 

[Jainarayan]

Actually I think the line of thought is relevant. After all,the thread is "what makes a Hindu a Hindu?" But as it's your thread, I won't take it to other places; I'd just like to qualify that by "not syncretism" I mean that I don't incorporate other religious traditions in my worship. That is, Jesus and Mary are not on my altar and I don't pray to them; I don't chant Buddhist mantras, or have a gohonzon, or say the Lord's Prayer or Hail Mary... that sort of thing. I see nothing wrong with reading and studying what other traditions have to offer, but it's true that other people may take a narrower view. And that's OK.

Remember, "ekam sat ... ".

 

[Jainarayan]

This I disagree with, it seems. You think the aforementioned Julia Roberts, thinks she converted to the common ethnicity of Hindus?

No, I don't mean everyone. And I should hope that Ms. Roberts doesn't think she's any more Indian because she practices Hinduism than I think I'm Greek because I have a Greek phrase tattoo and say "tikanis! kalimera, eisai kala? eimai polikala" because I go to a Greek diner (I know "Greek diner" is redundant ) and made friends with them.

However, I think, and it's just my view, that many westerners equate Hinduism with being Indian. There are Indian-born Hindus at another site that cannot separate socio-political and religious thought. To them, if you are not Indian, you cannot possibly be Hindu, only a pretender.

 

[Vinayaka]

cannot separate socio-political and religious thought. To them, if you are not Indian, you cannot possibly be Hindu, only a pretender.

But the two, in many ways are quite intertwined. For example, some would say going to a temple is a social expression. In pure religious thought, we have the belief in God. Going to the temple (some would say it is a social or cultural event) is just an action based on the philosophy ... a natural outcome of your belief in God.

Similarly with the 'culture' of food. Indian food (at least in the vegetarian spectrum) is clearly directly associated with the philosophy of of ahimsa. So if someone says he believes in ahimsa, and then goes out and eats meat, it can be assumed by some that he doesn't actually believe in ahimsa.

Similarly with the Jesus thing. If you speak of him, doesn't that, by logical inference say you believe in him?

So the two or more (sociol Hindu, cultural Hindu, philosophical Hindu) are, in my opinion, all intertwined in some sort of complex way. You have to remember that many of those socio-political Hindus use the Gita, probably the most commonly read Hindu scripture out there, as direct support for their cause. So if that isn't a philosophical to political connection, I sure don't know what is. Albeit, I personally think they have selected particular verses to support their agendas.

I am familiar with 'that other site' and there are many western contributors there who are fully accepted by all the born Hindus there. I have met even westerners who felt that you have to be born in India, but those types (Indians and non-Indians alike) are just incredibly rare.

 

[Me Myself]

Spoiler: There I go!

Do you do a daily puja?

I do not. I do it when I feel it. Frecuency varies a lot.

Do you attend temple once a week?

No temple in guayaquil. If we had one, I doubt I would atend so much, I am sure I would visit it ocassionaly though, when I feel the need for some special comunion or enlightment in that way.

Do you have a Hindu name?

No that I am aware of

Have you been had the equivalent of a baptism, or formal entrance?

Nope


Do you meditate daily?

Again, frecuency varies wildly. but I´d say most days of the week.

Do you pilgrimage near of far at least once a year?

Never have pilgrimate

Are most of your friends Hindu?

You mean Shiva, Ganesha Krishna and all the gang? Yeah they are Hindu

Do you listen to Hindu music primarily or exclusively?

neither primarly nor exclusively. I listen ocassionaly. though I rarely listen to music of any kind anyways.

Have you been initiated or taken diksha from a bonafide Hindu teacher?

*googles it*

Nope

Are you a vegetarian, or at least realise you should be one?

I am a vegetarian

Do you dream about Hindu stuff?

I don´t remember. I htink once or twice, but maybe I am nuts.

Will you call yourself Hindu in public?

I tend to say I have hinduistic tendencies or worship hindu gods. If someone asks something the like.

Will you consult an ayurvedic doctor?

Free of charge? sure

Will you consult a Hindu astrologer?

Probably not

Do you know your nakshatra?

*googles nakshatra*

I still didn´t understood it. But the moon is nice

Do you believe fully in reincarnation?

Yes.

Do you believe in karma?


Yes

Do you believe in a divinity within all things?

Yes

Do you avoid wearing leather?

Not at all, but I know I should. Someday maybe I´ll try to better that aspect of my morality.


Do you know at least a few bhajans?

Very simple but melodicaly appealing ones

 

[Vinayaka]

MM, it would be tough to do much of anything on the cultural side there, so true. Wondering what karma got you there? Any clues?

 

[Me Myself]

idk, that´s why I say I have hindu beliefs. I relate "hindu" to a nationality AND a religion. So I don´t tend to bother much for the label.

I simply share a good bunch of views with it, and worship the gods. I leave the labels for others to decide what they are gonna call me

 

[Astravalon]

We have staunch traditionalists claiming basically nobody is a 'true' Hindu except for anyone on that narrow little group they happen top belong to.

On the opposite end, we have people saying everybody is a Hindu.

So from my own POV, whatever definition works for you is the correct definition for you, But if someone else's definition varies from that in either of the aforementioned directions, so what? Let it be. That's the spirit of tolerance ... it goes both ways. Liberals tolerate the traditionalists, and traditionalists tolerate liberals.

So many definitions - so many variances - so many paths within it.

Something occurred to me regarding this not long ago.

Some say this world is supposed to be under the influence of maya. Wouldn't
it be something if the whole exercise in religious labeling were a symptom of
maya's influence? That would explain why it gets so confusing.

I mean, just within one religion, there are about as many definitions of what it
means to be a [insert religious title here] as there are people claiming that
title. I'd not be the least bit surprised if it's an effect of maya. Like in a
dream-state, where something appears to be one way, but then, five seconds
later, it's something totally different.

This is why, not long ago, I changed my Religion-description to "No, a
relationship", because I have found more clarity on a path that's
carved out through interacting with God directly, as I treat it as an
interpersonal relationship rather than by trying to nail down this ever-elusive
(not to mention illusive) concept of "proper religious practice".

You know that part of the Gita where Krishna says, "Abandon all varieties of
religion and just surrender unto Me" (BG 18:66)? It's great advice. I'm going
for that.

So far, so great!

 

[Vinayaka]

Iridescence,I agree it is maya. ... and anava.

 

[Jainarayan]

But the two, in many ways are quite intertwined. For example, some would say going to a temple is a social expression. In pure religious thought, we have the belief in God. Going to the temple (some would say it is a social or cultural event) is just an action based on the philosophy ... a natural outcome of your belief in God.

Yes, many things are intertwined. I'm referring to some Indian-born Hindus I've interacted with who can't, don't or won't separate "Indian-ness" from Hinduism. That Indian-ness extends to "if you don't understand Indian politics, you can't be Hindu". To them it's not intertwined, it's melded.

Similarly with the 'culture' of food. Indian food (at least in the vegetarian spectrum) is clearly directly associated with the philosophy of of ahimsa. So if someone says he believes in ahimsa, and then goes out and eats meat, it can be assumed by some that he doesn't actually believe in ahimsa.

Ahimsa is not an absolute. Some would say that cattle roaming the streets, emaciated and scrounging for food are not being shown ahimsa; is it ahimsa to treat gomata this way? Some rail against how dairy cows are farmed. If we practiced total ahimsa there would be no hunger, but there is. Ahimsa has many facets. It's a slippery slope. All one can do is minimize himsa. In this day and age, whether it's because of kali yuga or some other reason, the genie is out of the bottle.

Similarly with the Jesus thing. If you speak of him, doesn't that, by logical inference say you believe in him?

No, because I can talk about Bilbo Baggins; it doesn't mean I believe in him. One can talk about a literary figure and not believe in them.

So the two or more (sociol Hindu, cultural Hindu, philosophical Hindu) are, in my opinion, all intertwined in some sort of complex way. You have to remember that many of those socio-political Hindus use the Gita, probably the most commonly read Hindu scripture out there, as direct support for their cause. So if that isn't a philosophical to political connection, I sure don't know what is. Albeit, I personally think they have selected particular verses to support their agendas.

I agree with that. Shakespeare said that "even the devil can quote scripture to his purpose".

I am familiar with 'that other site' and there are many western contributors there who are fully accepted by all the born Hindus there. I have met even westerners who felt that you have to be born in India, but those types (Indians and non-Indians alike) are just incredibly rare.

Yes, there are westerners who are accepted. My view may be slanted, I'll admit; but because of my background and p.o.v. I don't believe I'm one of those westerners accepted by all... to the point of being called a western half-Hindu and a poser. But this isn't about me in particular, but people like me in general.

The westerners who think you have to be born in India to be Hindu are the ones I was referring to earlier... the ones who don't know that religion and ethnicity can be separate.

 

[Jainarayan]

I simply share a good bunch of views with it, and worship the gods. I leave the labels for others to decide what they are gonna call me

Iridescence,I agree it is maya. ... and anava.

I nominate these comments for the Two Best Comments of the Thread.

 

[atanu]

Friend atanu,

Could you explain??
cause in sleep one dreams and dreams are of the mind!
Only in deep sleep one is in tune but unconsciously and that is that? what you are referring to??

Love & rgds

I am referring to deep sleep. I wrote the following in another thread.

Desire makes a man restless. When a desire is fufilled for a short time the mind remains desireless and the underlying peace is experienced. That is peace. Peace is not any mental state.

So, we get a hint of what our real nature is from the experience of deep sleep -- which is desireless, timeless, infinite, without contrast, ...........

 

[Poeticus]

Namaste,

In my opinion Tesla was a Hindu.

Also, this thread is pretty awesome. It reminds me of the book "Who Is A Hindu" by Koenraad Elst.

M.V.

 

[Vinayaka]

Namaste,

In my opinion Tesla was a Hindu.

Also, this thread is pretty awesome. It reminds me of the book "Who Is A Hindu" by Koenraad Elst.

M.V.

And it definitely highlights one of the problems of forums. As you can see here, many of the concepts being discussed 'anew' have already been discussed at length before.

 

[Sb1995]

I'll try this out!

Do you do a daily puja? No
Do you attend temple once a week? Of course
Do you have a Hindu name? Yes
Have you been had the equivalent of a baptism, or formal entrance? Yes
Do you meditate daily? Yes
Do you pilgrimage near of far at least once a year? Nothing is close to me
Are most of your friends Hindu?No (Not a large Hindu population in my area, I only know 1 Hindu..)
Do you listen to Hindu music primarily or exclusively? Mixed
Have you been initiated or taken diksha from a bonafide Hindu teacher? No
Are you a vegetarian, or at least realise you should be one? No, yes I realize
Do you dream about Hindu stuff? All the time
Will you call yourself Hindu in public? Of course
Will you consult an ayurvedic doctor? Not sure where to find one..But of course
Will you consult a Hindu astrologer? Of course
Do you know your nakshatra? No
Do you believe fully in reincarnation? Yes
Do you believe in karma?Yes
Do you believe in a divinity within all things?Yes
Do you avoid wearing leather? Only my belt is leather and maybe my wallet (probably fake leather)
Do you know at least a few bhajans? Of course

 

[Poeticus]

And it definitely highlights one of the problems of forums. As you can see here, many of the concepts being discussed 'anew' have already been discussed at length before.

Namaste,

Well said. Before I create newer forums in the HinduDIR, I will behoove myself and search for a thread that is similar to my intent and post there.

My concern is only this: do I post in a thread that is a year or more older? It doesn't matter, right? Since, we are pretty lenient here in the Hindu DIR?

M.V.

 

[Vinayaka]

Namaste,

Well said. Before I create newer forums in the HinduDIR, I will behoove myself and search for a thread that is similar to my intent and post there.

My concern is only this: do I post in a thread that is a year or more older? It doesn't matter, right? Since, we are pretty lenient here in the Hindu DIR?

M.V.

It doesn't matter, as far as I know. Not really sure, though. I haven't read the rules lately.

 

[StarryNightshade]

Do you do a daily puja? No. I don't feel I'm quite ready yet.

Do you attend temple once a week? Yes. I try to attend a few times a month.

Do you have a Hindu name? No.

Have you been had the equivalent of a baptism, or formal entrance? No.

Do you meditate daily? No. I do at temple once a week.

Do you pilgrimage near of far at least once a year? No. Don't have the funds and I've only been practicing for a few months.

Are most of your friends Hindu? No. Most are atheist or pagan.

Do you listen to Hindu music primarily or exclusively? No. I like all kinds.

Have you been initiated or taken diksha from a bonafide Hindu teacher? No.

Are you a vegetarian, or at least realise you should be one? I'm trying to become one.

Do you dream about Hindu stuff? I don't dream that often.

Will you call yourself Hindu in public? I don't discuss religion often in public, but when I do I either say Hindu or that I practice Dharma.

Will you consult an ayurvedic doctor? I would, but not as my primary source of healthcare.

Will you consult a Hindu astrologer? Sure, but I'm skeptical of astrology.

Do you know your nakshatra? No.

Do you believe fully in reincarnation? Yes.

Do you believe in karma? In a cause and effect sense, yes.

Do you believe in a divinity within all things? Relatively, yes.

Do you avoid wearing leather? Yes.

Do you know at least a few bhajans? Yes.