Where to Start?

[Podo]

Hello everyone,

I'm actively attempting to experience different religious traditions, and Hinduism is of particular interest to me. I've read the Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, Upanishads, and the Ramayana. However, I'm wondering what another good source would be for the actual religion as it is practiced in the modern day. There is a massive amount of literature on the subject, but I want to avoid wasting my time with outdated or discredited material.

Furthermore, what would everyone's advice be for beginning practice? My city does not have a temple so I'm sort of at a loss as to how to engage.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[Vinayaka]

I would recommend a more practical 'basic' general overview called 'What is Hinduism?" Himalayan Academy Publications - What Is Hinduism?

 

[Devaki]

Okay so I might be stating the blatantly obvious here but: many temples have websites or youtube channels, especially bigger ones where they will also upload videos of pujas and other stuff especially on special occasions. So if you want to "see" how it is actually practised, just head to youtube, you will find plenty of visual material there.

As for daily practice, this blog post has a nice compilation:

Daily Puja Video Round Up (Hindu Worship)

She also has a post on how to do puja generally I think and generally a lot of advice for newcomers because she speaks from her own experience. So I'd definitely recommend checking out her blog.

 

[Aupmanyav]

I'm actively attempting to experience different religious traditions, and Hinduism is of particular interest to me. I've read the Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, Upanishads, and the Ramayana. However, I'm wondering what another good source would be for the actual religion as it is practiced in the modern day.

Furthermore, what would everyone's advice be for beginning practice? My city does not have a temple so I'm sort of at a loss as to how to engage.

You have studied the most important books of Hinduism, although one does not understand them so quickly - that takes time. If not the temples, then there might be a few Hindus in your city. Perhaps you can indicate your interest to them.

Don't start on practice unless you feel the need for it. I mean there is no need to hurry. Understanding is more important. There is a practical problem. Have you chosen your deity? Whom would you worship? If you have not, then you can begin as a polytheist like most Hindus. Worship them all.

The Youtube channel that Devaki linked to is interesting, and so is Vinayaka's link. Hinduism has many flavors and they are all correct. There is nothing like "this is better than that" in Hinduism. It is solely a personal choice. BTW, I am an atheist Hindu.

 

[sayak83]

Hello everyone,

I'm actively attempting to experience different religious traditions, and Hinduism is of particular interest to me. I've read the Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, Upanishads, and the Ramayana. However, I'm wondering what another good source would be for the actual religion as it is practiced in the modern day. There is a massive amount of literature on the subject, but I want to avoid wasting my time with outdated or discredited material.

Furthermore, what would everyone's advice be for beginning practice? My city does not have a temple so I'm sort of at a loss as to how to engage.

Thanks for your advice!

If you tell me your city, I can try to find something close by.

 

[Podo]

I would recommend a more practical 'basic' general overview called 'What is Hinduism?" Himalayan Academy Publications - What Is Hinduism?

I will check this out, thanks very much.

Okay so I might be stating the blatantly obvious here but: many temples have websites or youtube channels, especially bigger ones where they will also upload videos of pujas and other stuff especially on special occasions. So if you want to "see" how it is actually practised, just head to youtube, you will find plenty of visual material there.

As for daily practice, this blog post has a nice compilation:

Daily Puja Video Round Up (Hindu Worship)

She also has a post on how to do puja generally I think and generally a lot of advice for newcomers because she speaks from her own experience. So I'd definitely recommend checking out her blog.

I have come across her material before, but I wasn't sure of the veracity of it. I'll spend some more time on it, now that it has the RF seal of approval.

You have studied the most important books of Hinduism, although one does not understand them so quickly - that takes time. If not the temples, then there might be a few Hindus in your city. Perhaps you can indicate your interest to them.

Don't start on practice unless you feel the need for it. I mean there is no need to hurry. Understanding is more important. There is a practical problem. Have you chosen your deity? Whom would you worship? If you have not, then you can begin as a polytheist like most Hindus. Worship them all.

The Youtube channel that Devaki linked to is interesting, and so is Vinayaka's link. Hinduism has many flavors and they are all correct. There is nothing like "this is better than that" in Hinduism. It is solely a personal choice. BTW, I am an atheist Hindu.

Well, I haven't really decided on one in particularly, though I will say that I rather like Saraswati, as her purview seems to mesh well with my values. Your atheist views interest me, as I find myself having difficulty believing in actual deities, but I have no issues with archetypes and mental constructs. If you don't mind, could you expand on what you get out of Hinduism, as an atheist?

 

[Aupmanyav]

Well, I haven't really decided on one in particularly, though I will say that I rather like Saraswati, as her purview seems to mesh well with my values. Your atheist views interest me, as I find myself having difficulty believing in actual deities, but I have no issues with archetypes and mental constructs. If you don't mind, could you expand on what you get out of Hinduism, as an atheist?

All hail Mother Saraswati. I have been able to overcome exactly what you mention (believing in actual deities). It also removes all hurdles in aligning my belief with science - Cosmogony, evolution and even Quantum Mechanics. No conflict with science. After all, all the various things that we observe in the universe (and even what we have not been able to observe, dark matter and dark energy) began with a small ball of energy (one science site said about 25 cms in diameter).

"We are connected to the last tiny fraction of a second of inflation, somewhere between 10 (raised to) -30 and 10 (raised to) -35 seconds worth of it. Whenever that time happens to be, where inflation ends and the Big Bang begins, that's when we need to know the size of the Universe.

The smallest conceivable answer -- 17 centimeters -- is about the size of a soccer ball! The Universe couldn't have been much smaller than that, since the constraints we have from the Cosmic Microwave Background (the smallness of the fluctuations) rule that out. And it's very conceivable that the entire Universe is substantially larger than that, but we'll never know by how much, since all we can observe is a lower limit on the true size of the actual Universe.

So how big was the Universe when it was first born? If the best models of inflation are right, somewhere between the size of a human head and a skyscraper-filled city block. Just give it time -- 13.8 billion years in our case -- and you wind up with the entire Universe we see today."
Ethan Seigel, https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2017/03/24/how-big-was-the-universe-at-the-moment-of-its-creation/#4eba72c14cea
https://www.google.com/search?q=siz...n+big+bang&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b

A hymn for Sarasvati: Rig Veda: Rig-Veda, Book 6: HYMN LXI. Sarasvatī.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Saraswati Mantras (prayers):
Ya Kundendu Tushar Har Dhavala: http://www.indianhindubaby.com/uncategorized/goddess-saraswathi-prayer-with-meaning/attachment/saraswathi-1-2
Saraswati Mahabhage: Saraswati Mantra | Mantra In Bengali Hindi Assamese

Saraswati Mntras - Google Search
https://www.google.com/search?q=Sar...WWbn0KHZZuA00Q_AUICigB&biw=1600&bih=786&dpr=1

 

[Podo]

I have been able to overcome exactly what you mention (believing in actual deities).

Thank you for your links! I'm reading through them, it's all very informative. However, I'd like to focus on the quoted bit, above. Do you mean that as an atheist you DO believe in actual deities? Or do you mean that you have managed to make Hinduism work for you without the need for actual deities? Either way, I'm curious to hear more about how you accomplished either one. Thanks very much for your time!

 

[Aupmanyav]

Do you mean that as an atheist you DO believe in actual deities? Or do you mean that you have managed to make Hinduism work for you without the need for actual deities? Either way, I'm curious to hear more about how you accomplished either one. Thanks very much for your time!

I am a strong atheist, deny even the possibility of there being a God or Gods. Yeah, Hinduism works for me perfectly even without the deities. Hinduism is 'dharma' - Fulfilling of my duties and engaging in righteous actions. I do not need a God for that since I do not need any salvation or heaven. I am Brahman, the substrate which constitutes all things in the universe (I am unchangeable and eternal - the change that one perceives is ignorance only, not seeing the real). That is 'Advaita' Hinduism - 'non-duality'. Gods and Goddesses are characters of my mythology around whom we have created many stories for guidance of our people.

 

[Podo]

I am a strong atheist, deny even the possibility of there being a God or Gods. Yeah, Hinduism works for me perfectly even without the deities. Hinduism is 'dharma' - Fulfilling of my duties and engaging in righteous actions. I do not need a God for that since I do not need any salvation or heaven. I am Brahman, the substrate which constitutes all things in the universe (I am unchangeable and eternal - the change that one perceives is ignorance only, not seeing the real). That is 'Advaita' Hinduism - 'non-duality'. Gods and Goddesses are characters of my mythology around whom we have created many stories for guidance of our people.

Interesting, thanks for sharing that. So you're looking at your existence as eternal on the basis of the Law of Conservation of Mass, basically? Your energy can never be created or destroyed, merely changed. Do you view your dharma as something that is its own reward, then? A self-justifying statement, as it were?

 

[Aupmanyav]

Interesting, thanks for sharing that. So you're looking at your existence as eternal on the basis of the Law of Conservation of Mass, basically? Your energy can never be created or destroyed, merely changed. Do you view your dharma as something that is its own reward, then? A self-justifying statement, as it were?

Right. 'Dharma' is symbiosis, I can live only if I am in tandem with my society and people. These are rules of the society. For my benefit and of that of all humans, I must live in 'dharma' (do my duties towards family, society, nation and all humans engaging in action which does not harm anyone, righteous action). The reward of 'dharma' is a happy life.

 

[Podo]

Right. 'Dharma' is symbiosis, I can live only if I am in tandem with my society and people. These are rules of the society. For my benefit and of that of all humans, I must live in 'dharma' (do my duties towards family, society, nation and all humans engaging in action which does not harm anyone, righteous action). The reward of 'dharma' is a happy life.

This is an interesting view of things, and I will admit that it appeals to me. Do you view the hindu texts as philosophical frameworks, then? Do you view puja as necessary, or an unnecessary aspect of your belief?

 

[Aupmanyav]

Podo, I am a strong atheist and a follower of 'advaita' philosophy (non-duality). Non-duality by definition, does not allow a God or Gods/Goddesses and humans. That will be a duality or multiplicity. That is why I am an atheist. I do not ever do 'pujas' or any other kind of worship, except paying homage to ancestors according to Hindu regulations. I am not an anti-theist. If the theist boats sail with a belief in Gods, they are welcome to believe in that. The rest of my family are theists and so are nearly all my relatives. I respect their view and will bow to idols because the deities that they represent are part of my culture. I like to sit alone in an uncrowded temple because it connects me to my culture.

Yeah, Hindu scriptures are frameworks. All kinds of views are mentioned in them ranging from polytheism to atheism. We know atheism as 'Nirishwaravada' (the doctrine of absence of God or Gods - Samkhya - Wikipedia). It is part of the Samkhya philosophy. It is not revolt but a position in philosophy. In Hinduism, a person chooses his deity/deities (or may deny them, such people will constitute a very small number and will include myself) and their philosophy of life. Till a person follows his/her 'dharma', Hinduism will have no problem with that.

 

[ajay0]

Hello everyone,

I'm actively attempting to experience different religious traditions, and Hinduism is of particular interest to me. I've read the Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, Upanishads, and the Ramayana. However, I'm wondering what another good source would be for the actual religion as it is practiced in the modern day. There is a massive amount of literature on the subject, but I want to avoid wasting my time with outdated or discredited material.

Furthermore, what would everyone's advice be for beginning practice? My city does not have a temple so I'm sort of at a loss as to how to engage.

Thanks for your advice!

\

It is good that you have gained intellectual knowledge through the study of the scriptures. However in Hinduism, experiential knowledge through meditation is considered much superior to mere intellectual knowledge.

It is through experiential knowledge that intellectual knowledge becomes complete, or else one will be running in intellectual circles in confusion and disorder tragically. Worse, one may even fall prey to delusions and egoistically start preachings one's delusions to others as well and compounding the ignorance.

Precise study and practice of meditation is three-quarters of the battle against avidya or ignorance won in Hinduism.

Meditation brings about self-awareness, and as per the enlightened sage Nisargadatta Maharaj, "Self-awareness is yoga."

Here is a pdf copy of Nisargadatta's classic book, ' I am That'.

 

[Shantanu]

Hello everyone,

I'm actively attempting to experience different religious traditions, and Hinduism is of particular interest to me. I've read the Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, Upanishads, and the Ramayana. However, I'm wondering what another good source would be for the actual religion as it is practiced in the modern day. There is a massive amount of literature on the subject, but I want to avoid wasting my time with outdated or discredited material.

Furthermore, what would everyone's advice be for beginning practice? My city does not have a temple so I'm sort of at a loss as to how to engage.

Thanks for your advice!

Have you thought of stopping reading and get practicing?

 

[Podo]

Have you thought of stopping reading and get practicing?

Have you considered reading my original post to completion and not posting condescending responses? I clearly call out that I'm actively looking for advice on beginning practice, which I have received much helpfulness in this thread.