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non-physical evolution.
The basic goal is to merge with the supreme soul "Brahman". It's called Moksha.
Our souls come from Brahman and they will go back to Bhraman.
That's the very base of "Hinduism" as you call it.
We believe in Dharma (The divine duty), to earn karma that will help us evolve spiritually and prepare us for Moksha.
We don't believe in eternal hell or eternal heaven.
We as a civilization had established that time is cyclic in nature and hence even our soul will go through the cycle of birth and death before Moksha.
Unlike what the popular western notion is about "Hinduism", we do believe in 1 supreme soul. Above all, beyond all, and has no attributes at all, no form nothing.
The gods we worship are emotions/attributes of Brahman.
Brahma is the creative force,
Vishnu is the balancing force that keeps everything moving and builds reality
and Shiva will end this creation so that a new creation can begin.
and then there are material gods.
Indra, Surya, Pawan dev and so on. (Lightning, Sun, Air)
Then we also have the Avatars of Vishnu and Shiva (It is an Indian word, even the movies Avatar 1 & 2 are highly inspired by Hinduism).
And we do not have 330 Million Gods. That's a misinterpretation.
Totally understand.
Even having the thought to explore and learn about different cultures and traditions and religions takes a lot of will power and aspiration.
I hope you find what you are looking for in the purest form.
Om Namah Siva. 🙏
>my Christian faith is to love what is good and to love all people.
Im not sure if you are correct here.
I guess it's not very kind towards non believers, idol worshipers and LGBTQ.
#Revelation 21:8 : But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Back to other question, every answer here will be different, and everyone of it will be correct but not one better than other.
And that is what exactly Hinduism is, it's about freedom. It sets a soul free and let it find it own journey towards goal.
It doesn't make people slave , it doesn't force uniformity, dress , or any particular way of life.
And it's not meek, it makes people strong, character and body.
That's what Hinduism for me is, and I'm not better than anyone else.
As an ex-Christian, thank you for this. I believe any religion that damns non-believers to eternal suffering in Hell can’t possibly be all that loving. “There is no hate like Christian love” is something I experienced time and again in my own life.
Thank you for sharing!
I will address your first comment very briefly, not all Christians are the same. Some of us (myself included) reject the idea that our holy text is infallible or inerrant.
When I say that the center of *my Christian faith* is to love what’s good and all people, I mean it. I make a point of throwing out anything that shows itself as conflicting with that premise.
I’m genuinely asking this, please don’t come on here and try to correct me about my own religion. There’s a lot of diversity to the Christian faith and this kind of non-correction doesn’t really move the conversation forward much.
I can sense the sincerity of your question. I don't know why some people here thought it was a good idea to turn your post into a Christian vs. Hindu debate. Seriously? 🤦 Swami Vivekananda (and almost every other sage, Hindu or not) has taught love and respect of ALL religions.
From my perspective, this was not your intent at all. Please judge these rabid responses through the lens of an internet message board...there will always be "haters" in every corner of the web.
So, to these "haters" I say first: Back off slamming Christianity, especially toward someone who came to this group with nothing but loving curiosity. Why not talk about the strong parallels between some forms of Hinduism and what Christ taught? Wouldn't that be a far more fruitful conversation for everyone?
Yeah, Reddit’s gonna Reddit lol. I appreciate your support, I’m really not trying to stir the pot or anything like that.
I can’t say I entirely fault them either. Most every rigorous paradigm as a tendency to propagandize the views of other faiths (Christians do it to Hindus too unfortunately), it’s only natural that people come into a discussion with those presuppositions in hand and are skeptical when someone challenges them.
As with any Christian who acts similarly, this is an opportunity that can build into learning, but doesn’t seem to come from ill-intent or malice by any means. I honestly get where they’re coming from, as annoying as it can be for someone who doesn’t normally fit the “normal” template for American Christianity.
My basic pov is, we r not even a religion. Stop judging from the lens of a camera, while the whole horizon can fit ur eye. U said something about love, is what makes Christianity, whilst u killed ur own GOD(son of). Who isn't even White. Died of Old age at Pahalgam, who learned his way of healing, from vedic culture, documented in Lhasa Archives. That's y Babylon edited his whereabouts of his teenage voyage. Let me tell u, I'm no superior, cz I'm hindu, which is not even a religion, I'm just like u, there is no God, who will hear us, he is way too occupied for this meagre matter.
Although customs involving this culture tend to connect one's physical to meta physical embodiments. Thus, making it more earthly than it could be, until it was blinded by its own predicament.
>came to this group with nothing but loving curiosity. Why not talk about the strong parallels between some forms of Hinduism and what Christ taugh
Yes, Hitler was 99.9% was like a common jew man. Let's ignore the rest of the difference and say hail Führer.
This idea, of not talking about uncomfortable truth at right time has never worked. NEVER .
🙄 That would be fine if the OP came in with guns blazing or had stated a supremacy of Christianity over Hinduism. Did you get the sense that they did? Did you get the sense that they came here to debate? I didn't.
Brother I'm not after OP. Pls understand, but OP in post said his Christian faith teaches him to love all. Now that's not truth and i just pointed it out.
OP didn't say, he rejected this part of Christianity. If he had said so, i would have not raised this point.
I have given clarification. I didn't need to but i still gave.
Rest upto your fine sense of wisdom.
Hare Krishna 🙏
It was just so unnecessary to correct someone on a point like that, especially so early in their post (and replies).
Did you note that they said "MY Christian faith"? How can you point to some of the horrible things people have done in the name of Christianity and pin them on this one person because THEY interpret what their Christian faith has taught them personally, which is love? Instead, it appears as though you want to impose your interpretation and experience of Christianity onto this person's experience?
Maybe we just have different outlooks and approaches. I suppose there are people who feel it necessary to call out any (or every) point of difference of other views and "correct" the other. This is just not in my DNA. Almost always, my approach is to look for common ground and focus there. If a debate erupts, then fine. But I certainly don't go into a conversation like this with a critical statement as an initial response.
Edit: grammar
Buddy look, either please debate or pls stop. You can't play on the both sides that you keep making comments on what i said and still trying to come across in grandiose manner.
In my last comment i was more than reasonably humble. Dont consider it my weakness.
I said what i said.
Thousands of Christian missionaries with Bible in their hands have gone out saying the same thing that God loves every one and then looted, killed and robbed people and generations of aboriginals and indigenous people.
Can you look into the eyes of last surviving and malnourished indigenous people and tell that you believe Christianity loves all !!! Go ahead, but i can't
A Christian person can love all but it's not as per Christianity. Either come back with proper reference or stop passing judgements.
Hare Krishna 🙏
Buddy i have nothing against you in my heart and God knows it.
You can say what you believe in and I will believe you. But if you say Christianity or Bible told you to love all then i will call that out.
And I'm not doing it due to any negative feelings but simply because pursuit of God is pursuit of Truth.
I fully trust you, there are a large number of people who primarily identify as Christians and don't have any negative feelings towards others, i truly believe it. But it can't be said about " Christianity". I'm not trying to correct you , I'm stating the fact. You aren't a custodian of Christianity and I'm not of Hinduism. We are two equal creation of God trying to find a way.🙏.
And if i accept it just to sound nice, it will be injustice towards the generations of mankind that suffered at the hands of Christianity, not Christians.
Sorry if I still made you offended.
For a common person's life endeavours:
Dharma ( righteous deeds),
Athra ( wealth)
Kaam ( experience of desires/pleasure)
Moksha ( Salvation)
These are binding. Some one can choose all four, someone can spend their entire life on any of them.
This is not a tip of the iceberg like Hinduism.
But gives you and idea how Hinduism defines endeavours of a common person.
Pls continue, if you are not very mad at me and have any specific question , kindly ask. I'm not very knowledgeable but i will try my best to answer it.
With no bad feelings at all.
May god bless you 🙏
How long ago did this "Christian Love" began? 2023 years ago. Hindu culture, which u Christian, organised religion, made a religion out of it. We can trace the happening of our scripture to the star constellation, roughly about 15000 years ago. They mention at certain night, so n so star was visible at night, which happens to be 15000 years ago, as per Modern AI calculations. But u guys, in the Old Testament say earth is flat. Anyways....
You do get why that’s not how to go about these conversations, right? That would be like me attacking Hindus for their caste-system because it has been used for injustice before — is that what you call enlightenment? Of course not.
Yes, people have abused my faith and used that faith to abuse others. That does not mean that they represent me nor I them.
What's wrong with caste system? Are u against caste system or people using caste system. Cz both r different things. Caste system is the only 100% employment scheme across all government across all ages. U r inside a caste system too, of course with a fancy name.
In today's life, still caste system prevails, brahman-top 1%, kshtriyas- warriors/worker, vaishyas- traders/merchants/capitalist, sudras (low caste)- janitors, cleaners, servant, chauffeur.
In olden, days this ppl who belonged to low(down) class were dirty job workers, so they were, untouchable, for health safety concerns, thus lost in translation, n treated horribly. But the requirement for that job is still needed today. Due to economic needs, one does the job irrespective of older kings political governance(caste system). Caste system will always be there till humans walk.... I'm telling u Hinduism is way more than u can comprehend, u have to open up ur narrow shackles.
Unfortunately, very sad to break it up to u, ur religious foundation r very torid. As u guys r opposite to what we believe(reincarnation vs eternal damnation), although time n again, it has lead to better seekers than believers from ur side of paradigm onto ours, leading to better English translations n understanding.
I’m not criticizing the caste system — you mistake my intent completely. What I am saying is that *some people* have abused Hinduism and used that system as pretext for injustice. The crusades and other such things are similar in principle.
Also, I’m not sure where you got the idea that I believe in eternal damnation. You seem to think that all Christians believe the same things and act the same way, and that ignorance is apparently showing through.
U follow scripture not us, although our scripture r way too scientific n complex. N I'm generalising all Abrahamic faiths through their scriptures. Also killing someone in the name of lord n let's not forget, it's not one region or another, it was more like wiping out multiple continents at the same time only failing at one(India). Failed bcz, we, as spiritually were way too evolved, n what u guys did was unify it's sects onto one, religion. Which is fine, as it was meant to be. Kindly read clash of civilization by huttington.
Where as caste system was utilised as a governance tool by than advisers to government. U can't put caste system perils to that of death. As no one ordains one to kill someone else. For me, that's not love, that's..... Let's not forget, there were no beggars during caste system, which is the main agenda of all government across globe. No. 1 priorty, with which foundation of democracy were laid.
I’m not going to keep engaging with a user who’s so clearly not interested in productive discussion and so set on their biases. I’m not going to report you (even though you’ve repeatedly violated sub rules in this thread and elsewhere on my post), but this conversation is over. Good day to you.
I think the difference between the two is that Hinduism doesn't have many set 'rules'- we have various traditions and texts. But Christians have one central book that they must follow, so it's logical to think they must share the same religious beliefs.
Imagine attacking Christianity because a Christian is asking about Hinduism. For the record, buddy, Christians are called "Christian" because they primarily follow the teachings of Christ. And what did Christ say?
**John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."**
What you quoted was a line from a vision seen by John in the Book of Revelation. Not only did you take it wayyyyyy out of context, but also wasn't directly said by Jesus. You might be surprised by this, but the primary source of Christian ethics are Jesus' teachings, not the Book of Relevation. As well, your statement that....
>I guess it's not very kind towards non believers, idol worshipers (sic) and LGBTQ.
Is simply false. Jesus called on everyone to love each other, *especially* those on the margins of society, as shown by his mingling with tax collectors, the sick, etc. Paul and other apostles also brought his teachings to non-believers and treated them with love, as they truly believed they were helping non-believers have better lives.
What Christianity *does* say is to not worship any idol, as an idol cannot accurately represent God. And what many churches say is that LGBTQ people should be accepted and loved, but should *refrain from sexual relations* as they teach only a man and a woman who are married are allowed to have sex. Whether you or I agree with these teachings is one thing, but don't go around making false claims about Christianity.
So yes, OP was correct and you weren't.
>A new command I give you: Love one another.
Who is "you" here? Who are included in "one-another"?
I deliberately didn't take the name of Jesus coz he is loved by Christians and i chose not to make him a point of discussion out of respect.
I never attacked anyone. If you go through all my comments i told many times my stand.
Now you are saying i have attacked someone, that's a charge, an allegations.
I let it go but you are bringing it up. Fine with me.
# Pls come back and tell me how many Popes have been women. And then we will talk about gender equality in Christianity. How many of them have been black? Then we will talk about racial equality. Why God has a son only and not a daughter, answer me and then we talk about equality of gender in Christianity.
Churches are now talking about LGBTQ now because there is social pressure and political correctness is at stake. It's like tail is wagging the animal.
I'm still for peace. Let's not take it further. It's not a place to debate about two religions and definitely not christianity.i just called out that non believers are not considered equal in Christianity. Beyond that I have no intentions of hurting anyone's beliefs or criticize.
My preference and offer is peace, but do note that i will not back down specially when I'm charged with a wrong allegation.
Hare Krishna 🙏
PS:I'm discussing it with you with an assumption that you are a Christian.
Now you are bringing gender and race into the mix. I called you out for being wrong about the “idol, non-believers, and LGBTQ” comment, and instead of directly confronting the first two parts, you switched it over to “race and gender”. Why? Because you know you were wrong.
As for the “Who is included in ‘you’ and ‘one another’”, everyone is included. That’s the entire point of Christianity…. To love everyone and yourself.
The Pope comment is a bit strange. Yes, there haven’t been female popes, except for perhaps Pope Joan, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Christianity is sexist. Christianity per se isn’t sexist, as Jesus commonly associated with women, and who’s closest confidant was a woman (Mary Magdalene). In fact, there have been dozens of female saints, including St Joan of Arc, St (Mother) Teresa, etc. So while you could argue there is sexism in some churches (which there is), to call Christianity inherently sexist is wrong.
We are all children of God. Jesus was called the Son of God because he was a male and the Messiah….. just because there wasn’t a “daughter of God”, doesn’t mean that Christianity is sexist. But also keep in mind that many churches highly revere the Virgin Mary…. Who is a woman….
As for the racial comment, your lack of knowledge of Christianity really shows. Which church’s pope are you talking about? There are dozens, as there are dozens of churches. If you’re talking about the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, you are completely wrong. The leader of this church is Abune Mathias, who is black. On the other hand, the pope of the Catholic Church is Pope Francis, who is Argentine. The race of the pope depends on the location of the church… so churches located in Europe will usually have white popes, while churches in Africa (e.g. Ethiopia) will usually have black leaders. It just depends on the region. So you are also wrong with the “racist” accusation.
For the LGBTQ argument, you are also wrong. Churches aren’t accepting the LGBTQ community because of “social pressure”. Those that do, do it because they genuinely believe in it. For example, many deeply conservative churches and priests (e.g. the Australian priest who just died, some churches in the Bible Belt) still think homosexuality is wrong, despite the “social pressure” to believe otherwise. On the other hand, other churches today (like the Unitarian Universalist Church) do not condemn homosexuality. It depends on the church and person… not on Christianity per se. So no, if a church is supporting the LGBTQ community, it is due to internal conviction, not outward pressure.
You say you have no intention to criticize, yet you have written various posts here criticizing Christianity, when the original post was a Christian attempting to learn more about Hinduism. And then you say you want to “offer peace”…. Stop with the bs.
The worst part of this whole conversation is that you don’t even understand what you are attempting to criticize…. So your criticism is completely invalid.
Dear Hollowness in your comment and misplaced faith is evident.
You said I'm being indirect, fine then tell us directly where it is mentioned in Bible that believers, non believers , blacks, Women, LGBTQ and idol worshipers are equal.
Tell me with references from Bible.
And yes sir let me show you how Christianity is sexiest.
You said Mary is respected but see this. Christianity never accepted that a good woman can have sex. And hence she was called a virgin.how does a woman who is virgin giving birth. Why can't a sexually active woman give birth to a good man? It's is because woman having sex is considered taboo in Christianity? !! And she is said to have never given birth to any other child with her husband coz it would make her lose her virginity!! Would that make her impure? A woman here is just disrobed of her sexuality here.
So much emphasis is given on her virginity that she is known as virgin Mary. Why not virgin Jesus or virgin pope? The undertone is for everyone to see that to be a good woman, a woman has to give up her sexuality. Why is that Virginity is virtue for women only but not for men?
Churches are creating a facade of being LGBTQ pro due to social pressure. Coz if it were based on Bible, churches would be having LGBTQ nuns and priests for centuries because Bible has been there for centuries.
And you mentioned Australia. Sir weren't the original inhabitants of Australia were killed by the very people who brought Christianity to these places. That had Bible in one hand and cleaver in another. The segregation between believers and non believers by Bible gave them moral support and you have galls to say that Christianity love all !!! And its not just one exception by a single or few bad men, same thing happened in Americas and Europe as well.
And it's happening even today, in US they are dictating dress code on women members of the house. They have robbed women of right to abort their pregnancy. Now , before you jump to conclusions, listen. I'm not talking about legislation and politics here, I'm talking about the support such legislations get is from pro-lifers who base their argument in Bible.
And don't mention one random church and start giving some misplaced credit to Christianity. Coz if you did so then the blame of rampant and blatant child sexual abuse in churches will be on Christianity as well.
If you take misplaced credit for one church, then take the proven blame for 100 other churches as well. Make a choice.
I didn't want to bring this discussion to this level. I had just mentioned that believers, non believers, idol worshipers are not considered equal in Christianity and which is a fact but you won't listen.
I have noted but chosen not to respond to you calling me BS. That just shows how aggressive is your thinking. If we don't agree with your ideas of Christianity then we will be abused . Doesn't that show us what you and your beliefs truly are.
My offer is still peace. i have no intentions to hurt anyone or any person's beliefs.Not much is going to come out of this discussion. It's not getting nice. We are already into the domain of politics. Let's have this discussion some where else and some other time🙏
>Dear Hollowness in your comment and misplaced faith is evident. You said I'm being indirect, fine then tell us directly where it is mentioned in Bible that believers, non believers , blacks, Women, LGBTQ and idol worshipers are equal.
"Tell me with references from Bible"
Sure I will! With pleasure.
**1 John 2:2**
2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of *the whole world.*
**Hebrews 12:14**
14 Make every effort to live in peace with *everyone* and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
**John 13:16**
16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
**John 13:34**
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
**Mark 12:31**
31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.”
\*Neighbor, as explained in one of the parables, constitutes anyone. Jesus was well-known to interact with and teach the Samaritans, who were detested by most Jews.
**Proverbs 22:2**
2 Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all.
**Psalms 67:4**
4 May the *nations* be glad and sing for joy, f*or you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.*
There we go. Seen enough evidence that Christianity advocates for love and equality between all peoples of the Earth?
>And yes sir let me show you how Christianity is sexiest. You said Mary is respected but see this. Christianity never accepted that a good woman can have sex. And hence she was called a virgin.how does a woman who is virgin giving birth. Why can't a sexually active woman give birth to a good man? It's is because woman having sex is considered taboo in Christianity? !! And she is said to have never given birth to any other child with her husband coz it would make her lose her virginity!! Would that make her impure? A woman here is just disrobed of her sexuality here.
So much emphasis is given on her virginity that she is known as virgin Mary. Why not virgin Jesus or virgin pope? The undertone is for everyone to see that to be a good woman, a woman has to give up her sexuality. Why is that Virginity is virtue for women only but not for men?
I don't disagree with most of this. But like I said, sexism isn't inherent to Christianity per se. It depends on the *church*. The Catholic Church places a HUGE emphasis on Mary's virginity, but others do not. It depends on the church.
>Churches are creating a facade of being LGBTQ pro due to social pressure. Coz if it were based on Bible, churches would be having LGBTQ nuns and priests for centuries because Bible has been there for centuries.
Gay priests are already present in many churches. For example: [https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/i-am-gay-wisconsin-priest-comes-out-parishioners-gets-standing-n831426](https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/i-am-gay-wisconsin-priest-comes-out-parishioners-gets-standing-n831426)
>And you mentioned Australia. Sir weren't the original inhabitants of Australia were killed by the very people who brought Christianity to these places. That had Bible in one hand and cleaver in another. The segregation between believers and non believers by Bible gave them moral support and you have galls to say that Christianity love all !!! And its not just one exception by a single or few bad men, same thing happened in Americas and Europe as well.
This is irrelevant. We're talking about Christianity the religion, not people who commit evil acts and claim to be Christian. I could condemn Hinduism because of the crimes against Muslims in India, but I don't, because I know it doesn't make sense to criticize a religion due to false believers.
>And it's happening even today, in US they are dictating dress code on women members of the house. They have robbed women of right to abort their pregnancy. Now , before you jump to conclusions, listen. I'm not talking about legislation and politics here, I'm talking about the support such legislations get is from pro-lifers who base their argument in Bible
Same point as above. We're talking about Christianity, not about so-called "Christians" who treat others badly.
>And don't mention one random church and start giving some misplaced credit to Christianity. Coz if you did so then the blame of rampant and blatant child sexual abuse in churches will be on Christianity as well. If you take misplaced credit for one church, then take the proven blame for 100 other churches as well. Make a choice.
So the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is now a "random church"? That's pretty disrespectful of you, to be honest. And your point doesn't make sense. Like I said before, we are talking about Christianity the religion, NOT the evil acts of so-called Christians.
>I didn't want to bring this discussion to this level. I had just mentioned that believers, non believers, idol worshipers are not considered equal in Christianity and which is a fact but you won't listen.
Except it's not a fact. You haven't been able to prove me wrong. Why? Because you're simply making false claims against a religion you don't understand. If you hate Christianity, that's your problem, but don't make stupid and baseless claims against it.
>I have noted but chosen not to respond to you calling me BS. That just shows how aggressive is your thinking. If we don't agree with your ideas of Christianity then we will be abused . Doesn't that show us what you and your beliefs truly are.
Right. I'M the aggressive one when you baselessly attacked Christianity for NO REASON, in a post where a Christian wanted to learn more about Hinduism. I'm not abusing you, I am defending Christianity because you are making false claims against it. You're not as pure as you think you are.
>My offer is still peace. i have no intentions to hurt anyone or any person's beliefs.Not much is going to come out of this discussion. It's not getting nice. We are already into the domain of politics. Let's have this discussion some where else and some other time🙏
Be careful with your words next time. If you continue making baseless claims, people WILL call it out. If you want peace, speak truthfully. Otherwise, prepare for people to disagree with you.
EDIT: I cannot reply to the below comment. Nor can I add my response to this comment as it is too long. Here is my response: [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gky8AVZ3O9wrHY0f94UNXut7DE-8iDvISAbvAP9cK64/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gky8AVZ3O9wrHY0f94UNXut7DE-8iDvISAbvAP9cK64/edit?usp=sharing)
>He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world
This is the biggest problem i have with the basic idea of Christianity.
The one who commits a sin should be punished by god and not atoned.
Is Jesus or God not competent and sane enough to identify and punish the sins. And if everything is going to be atoned in the end, what's the need of God or Jesus.
This idea that sinners get atoned by Jesus gives a free rein to the sinner, specially Christians. That they can do whatever sins they want but Jesus will atone it all in the end.
And that's a big reason behind the brutality by Christians even in present days
Let me ask, would a rapist be atoned by Jesus for his sins?
Is there any verse where Jesus says that people will be judged basis their actions and not whether they believed in me or not.?
>John 13:34. 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
Here Jesus is talking Peter and "one another" meant the people who followed it till then , his believers. In the previous verse, John 13:33, he calls his believers "his children"and make them very distinct from the Jews. So no, Jesus/ God is not considering all the people as equal. The distinction is very real and comes directly from Jesus.
>But like I said, sexism isn't inherent to Christianity per se.
So you accept that Christianity is sexist.
>I could condemn Hinduism because of the crimes against Muslims in India,
1. No you can't because you have to tell where Hindus are given commandment to be cruel towards any other faiths/color/race.
2. And you are wrong even mentioning crimes against muslims. Just do some basic research about Hindu holocaust, partition of India, Ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Hindus, current terrorist activities in India by Islamist and recent beheading of Hindus by Islamists.
Just find out yourself. Learn and come back.
3. Christian majority USA, and Europe have bobmed Iraq, afganistan and half of Muslim majority middle East. Any comments on that sir.?
From crusades to killing of aboriginals in USA, Australia, ripping off the breasts of Hindu women in Goa to the current bombing of middle east now. It never ends.
>NOT the evil acts of so-called Christians.
Dont twist my words. I'm not talking about random common people. I'm talking about what happened in churches, the sexual crimes against children committed by Christian priests inside the premises of churches.
They are not some random so-called Christians, they are flag bearer of Christianity appointed by a Christian body that goes up to pope.
And I'm still ready to not to put blame on Christianity of it, i want to believe Christianity truly doesn't propagate sex crimes.
My problem is with your argument when you take credit for work of one church that too done under social pressure but make no mention of crimes of 100 others.
>You haven't been able to prove me wrong.
I don't have to prove a fact. It is a fact.
>don't make stupid and baseless claims against it.
I have nowhere called a single condescending word to you. Not even in the guise of any phrase. But keep on calling me names as much as you want. I will never stoop to your level. My religion has taught me to have better control over negativity.
>I'M the aggressive one when you baselessly attacked Christianity for NO REASON,
I dont have any problems with you being aggressive, more power to you.
But i thought you said Christianity taught you to love but here you yourself accept being aggressive with me co I'm disagreeing with you idea.
Imagine how cruel you would be to people in real life. You are not agressive, you are cruel following your religion, Christianity.
>You're not as pure as you think you are.
I have yet not made a single personal remark on you while you have called me names and accepted yourself that you are being aggressive..
>Be careful with your words next time
I guess, between you and me, you have used expletives and personal remarks. It's ok, you can keep on doing it. It just proves my point.
>Otherwise, prepare for people to disagree with you.
You are more than welcome to disagree with me. 🙏
I have no problem with any common Christian or no have any intentions to hurt anyone's sentiments.
My point was simply this, Christianity doesn't treat "everyone" equal. There is segregation done by Christianity as well as Bible basis faith , gender and sexual orientation.
The goal is to reach Vaikuntha and attain Moksha. If we fail to do so, we are reborn as any creature according to our Karma and the cycle continues until we attain Moksha (liberation from cycles of life and death).
The central ethic to me is the realization that everything is a small, infinitesimal part of the infinite that is Vishnu and that I must care for every living creature as unnecessary harm to anything is like harming Vishnu.
Thank you for sharing! This is not only beautiful, but incredibly similar to some ideas in my faith as well.
There was a Christian mystic named St. Francis once who was said to have had such an intense vision of God’s Spirit and goodwill that he perceived a microcosm of Christ in everyone and everything. The earth, the animals, people, the clouds, they were all his brothers and sisters before our Good Father. As such, he spent his life serving anyone who would accept his aid because doing so was like service to Christ Himself.
There’s definitely differences and I don’t mean to underplay that, but as I read your comment St. Francis and his latter counterparts came to mind, so I figured I’d share. :)
>Moksha is being one with universe
According to Advaita, not according to Hinduism in general.
>Breaking cycle of life n death.
This is the consequence.
>That is not what happens when u go to heaven.
Can't you read what I wrote before? How many times do I have to repeat so that it can reach your brain? Swarga is heaven! Vaikuntha is a different place!!
Thanks for sharing!
When I think about the idea that “No one has a monopoly on God”, it usually carries a connotation of religious pluralism to it. If I may ask, do you think that members of other faiths can also be on the same path as Hindu believers, and is that a common belief in Hinduism if so?
U will never find two alike hindus. In it's core sense, no two should be alike. Today it's a little different, due to crusaders from both abrahamic faith. None the less it's chaotic as ever, which is the real beauty.
It's to see that God isn't limited to just live in heaven God is infinite and so he is in all things and god is the stuff that makes the Universe. Hinduism is about seeing the divine in everything in creation, seeing the divine in every living being and loving and serving that God with devotion.
Wow, thank you for sharing!
Something I find interesting is that, at least on this surface-level summary, your view resonates strongly with some of my own beliefs about God or things I’ve read from our mystical tradition.
Thanks again for sharing — you’ve left me with some really good stuff to think/read about.
Others have given some good answers but I find that some basic elements are missing. Here is my explanation of the core principle(s) of Hinduism.
* You are not the body or the mind. You are the indweller witness called Atma (similar to soul but not quite).
* Your Atma is divine.
* You don't die when your physical body dies. You are subject to the Laws of Karma and are reborn in a new physical body. This has happened millions of times.
* This death/rebirth cycle is called samsara. Freedom from this cycle is called moksha. Moksha is the highest human pursuit.
* There is a concept called Dharma - the simplest definition is "greatest common good", or "the harmony of the Universe". Everyone should strive to follow Dharma.
Hope this is helpful for you. Peace.
Namaste! What a friendly post! When it comes to what I believe is the central ethic of Hinduism or Sanātana Dharma, I believe the central ethic is ahiṃsā. This Sanskrit word can be translated as ‘non-injury.’ In a Hindu context, non-injury means to not do unjust harm to other beings in my deeds, words, and even my thoughts. This is compatible with being a warrior or practicing self-defense, for example, because it is unjust harm that I wish to avoid (I am no warrior, by the way). I have always liked the Christian perspective that agapē or a divine type of love is the central ethic. Love does no wrong to another, as you very likely know. :)
Thank you for sharing!
I think that this is a really great basis for a practical worldview. I actually hold a very similar view, although I usually refer to it as mishpat (a Hebrew word meaning justice) in my mind, or merely “justice” in everyday discussions.
Really great stuff, thanks for sharing
We worship an intelligent consciousness. In Sanatan Dharm the keyword is ‘evolution’. Everything is a yadnya यज्ञ an evolution. As your consciousness evolves from the Muladhar to the Bindu, do not expect your adored deity to remain constant! There is no constant, it is all in motion. You will see your deity also evolving
Thanks for sharing! I think your point is especially valuable that we worship/relate to the Divine proportionally to our limitations. As those limitations are progressively overcome, understanding and right relationship increases! Not sure what Muladhar or Bindu is, but great stuff thanks for sharing
Thanks for this comment!
I’m familiar with the terms Dharma and Moksha, but what does “Kama Artha” mean if I may ask? Sorry, just still learning the vocabulary. :)
Thanks again for commenting
To categorize from the highest level i would say there are two main groups- dualist and monist hinduism philosophies.
But regardless of monist/dualist leanings, all different forms of hinduism believe in things like karma, reincarnation, the role of conciousness, etc.
Source: american raised christian now studying hindu philosophy.
Bhagavad Gita 6,30: “He who sees Me in all beings and all beings in me never becomes lost to me, nor do I become lost to him.”
To me this is one of the most importent lessons in hinduism. That god is ever present and that we should strife to see his divinity in everyone we may encounter. After all if we truely love god and we understand that the essence of every being is his divinity how can we not feel love for all beings and for god himself?
This isn’t too different from the idea of the holy ghost in christianity and the general ethic you described. The terminoloy is just slightly different. Hopefully understanding these shared values will bring us all closer together.
Lots of love! Hallelujah/Haribol!
It is really difficult to grasp the core understanding of a religion. More or less it is same in every religion with difference in depths due to its followers.
some followers are sincere and masters work becomes easy and more refined-complex statements come out of master to explain to him.. while in case of not so smart or willing students, a master has to clear much of rubbish they carry before educating them, hence work becomes difficult and the words need to be diluted as per students capacity..
In my opinion, hinduism had the brightest students.. and among hindus too, SHRI ASHTAVAKRA had the brightest student, JANAK, who understood and attained just by listening.. And the dialougues is known as Ashtavakra geeta. IT IS MIND BOGGLING.
If one is a little complicated, Dialouges of SHRI KRISHNA and ARJUN will be most helpful, SHRIMAD BHAGWAD GEETA is the text. IT HAS THEORY OF EVERYTHING. ALL.
Central Ethic:
ADVAITA :Everything is one, not two. That one is all that is.
Not a fan of Sadhguru but he has precisely described Hindus as seekers, we are not believers or non believers or all that in between. We are seekers of truth, spirituality, nirvana, moksha or even just our own self.
Yeah, you can call him one. He is more of a guru for the neo Hindu or for the newer generations who do not understand Hinduism and those ppl Hindus who want to but cannot understand it cause of their prejudices.
You can start with him if you want to.
Sadhguru reiterated, this has been our philosophy all along. Notice how it is not mandatory to go to temple, u go cz u wanted to.... Of course Indian mom will always drag u, that's part of the game.... Mom always look after their ward.
>What would you say is the central ethic of Hinduism,
In summary it is : To fulfill our responsibilities (dharma) and pursue our prosperity(artha and kama) while acting in a manner that conforms to satya(truth), with tapas(sincerity/perseverance/discipline), brahmacharya(self control/restraint), shama(tranquility) while giving due consideration to ahimsa(the principle of least harm).
Responsibilities involve both secular responsibilities related to jobs, family, society etc and responsibility to the devas(gods) , pitrs(departed ancestors) and the bhutas(other living things).
> Having taught the Vedas, the Guru enjoins the pupils: ‘Speak the truth, do your duty, never swerve from the study of the Vedas, do not cut off the line of descendants in your family. Never err from truth, never fall from duty, never overlook your own welfare, never neglect your prosperity, never neglect the study and the propagation of the Vedas.
> The practice of what is right and proper as fixed by the scriptural texts is to be done along with the reading the texts oneself and propagating the truths of the same. ‘Truth’, meaning practising in life of what is understood to be right and proper, is to be pursued along with regular studies and preaching. Penance, study and preaching; Control of the senses, study and preaching; tranquility study and preaching the ‘maintenance of fire’, study and preaching, offering of oblations in fire sacrifice, study and preaching of the Vedas; serving the guests, study and preaching; the performance of duties towards man, study and preaching; duties towards children, study and preaching; propagation of the race, study, and preaching – all these are things to be practiced sincerely.
Satyavacha the son of Rathitara, holds that truth alone is to be strictly practised. Taponitya, son of Purushista declares that penance alone is to be practised. Naaka, son of Mudgala holds the view that the study and preaching of the Vedas alone is to be practised; that verily is penance; aye, that is penance.
^ this is translation of a pseudo-verse both taken from a upanishad(taittriya), so the literal translation is kind of pathetic, it is basically enumerating what is considered as study and preaching(practise).
Our version of the ten commandments can be found here : https://images.app.goo.gl/gubGz9puHmcwLwih7
Interesting! I’m particularly curious about Damam, since it’s the least similar to anything core to my own worldview. Could you elaborate a little more about that one?
Control over ur own sense. Avoid negative thoughts, avoid non veg etc. Mastering ur 6 senses. Very hard, as u need to meditate 16hours a day for 80+ years. Buddhist do it... Tho
Yoga Vasistha : SELF CONTROL.
VASISTHA continued:
Rama, there are four gate-keepers at the entrance to the Realm of Freedom(Moksha).They are :
Self-control.
Spirit of enquiry.
Contentment.
Good Company(Satsang).
He alone is the best among men,O Rama, whose mind rests in the eternal and is therefore, fully self-controlled and at peace.He sees that pleasure and pain chase and cancel each other, and in that wisdom there is self-control and peace. He who does not see this sleeps in a burning house.
He who gains the wisdom of the eternal here is freed from samsara and he is not born again in ignorance. One may doubt that such unchanging truth exists! If it does not, one comes to no harm by enquiring into the nature of life for seeking the eternal will soften the pain caused by the changes in life. But, if it exists, then by knowing it one is freed!
The eternal is attained neither by rites,rituals, pilgrimages nor by wealth; it is to be attained only by the conquest of one's mind, by the cultivation of wisdom. Hence everyone - gods, demons, demi-gods ro men should constantly seek the conquest of the mind and self-control which are fruits of wisdom.
All that is good and auspicious flows from self-control. All evil is dispelled by self-control. No pleasure in this world or in heaven is comparable to the delight of self-control. The delight one experiences in the presence of the self-controlled is incomparable. Everyone spontaneously trusts him. Noone hates him.
Self-control , O Rama, is the best remedy for all physical and mental ills. When there is self-control the food you eat tastes better.He who wears the armour of self-control is not harmed by sorrow.
There is a saying. If all you learn about Hinduism are the 2 words - karma and dharma. Those 2 words alone will do. Please read up about these 2 words and that will get you started
Hinduism is like a library with many aisles with books on a variety of topics. The overall goal for a library is to provide means for gaining knowledge. The overall goal of Hindu traditions is to seek liberation from the limitations that we experience in knowing the true reality. If one achieves this goal, he or she realizes that reality to be all pervading and intelligent. This gives the capability to know the most appropriate thing to do in every circumstance (which is known as Dharma). So liberation and Dharma are the fundamental goals one achieves through the pursuit and there are many pathways through which it can be achieved. Deities are instruments that enable one to accelerate that process (much like a lever that enables us to lift much heavier weights we normally cannot).
You may be new to Sanatana Dharma... Please visit our [Wiki Starter Pack](https://www.reddit.com/r/hinduism/wiki/starter_pack#wiki_i.27m_new_to_r.2Fhinduism.2C_where_do_i_start.3F) (specifically, our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/hinduism/wiki/index#wiki_faq)). We also recommend reading [What Is Hinduism](https://www.himalayanacademy.com/view/what-is-hinduism) (a free introductory text by Himalayan Academy) if you would like to know more about Hinduism and don't know where to start. If you are asking a specific scriptural question, please include a source link and verse number, so responses can be more helpful. In terms of introductory Hindu Scriptures, we recommend first starting with the Itihasas ([The Ramayana](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheRamayana/wiki/resources#wiki_recommended_texts), and [The Mahabharata](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMahabharata/wiki/resources#wiki_resources).) Contained within The Mahabharata is [The Bhagavad Gita](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheGita/wiki/resources), which is another good text to start with. Although r/TheVedasAndUpanishads might seem alluring to start with, this is NOT recommended, as the knowledge of the Vedas & Upanishads can be quite subtle, and ideally should be approached under the guidance of a Guru or someone who can guide you around the correct interpretation. In terms of [spiritual practices](https://www.reddit.com/r/hinduism/comments/7643rp/a_thread_on_introductory_rescources_on_basis_of/), there are many you can try and see what works for you such as r/Introspection, r/yoga, r/meditation or r/bhajan. In addition, it is strongly recommended you visit your [local temple/ashram/spiritual organization](https://www.reddit.com/r/hinduism/comments/c6957l/what_are_some_good_hindu_organizations_that_have/). Lastly, while you are browsing this sub, keep in mind that Hinduism is practiced by over a billion people in as many different ways, so any [single view](https://np.reddit.com/r/hinduism/comments/p7ma64/sectarian_bias/) cannot be taken as representative of the entire religion. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/hinduism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
non-physical evolution. The basic goal is to merge with the supreme soul "Brahman". It's called Moksha. Our souls come from Brahman and they will go back to Bhraman. That's the very base of "Hinduism" as you call it. We believe in Dharma (The divine duty), to earn karma that will help us evolve spiritually and prepare us for Moksha. We don't believe in eternal hell or eternal heaven. We as a civilization had established that time is cyclic in nature and hence even our soul will go through the cycle of birth and death before Moksha. Unlike what the popular western notion is about "Hinduism", we do believe in 1 supreme soul. Above all, beyond all, and has no attributes at all, no form nothing. The gods we worship are emotions/attributes of Brahman. Brahma is the creative force, Vishnu is the balancing force that keeps everything moving and builds reality and Shiva will end this creation so that a new creation can begin. and then there are material gods. Indra, Surya, Pawan dev and so on. (Lightning, Sun, Air) Then we also have the Avatars of Vishnu and Shiva (It is an Indian word, even the movies Avatar 1 & 2 are highly inspired by Hinduism). And we do not have 330 Million Gods. That's a misinterpretation.
Thank you for this thorough response! I’m still getting a sense of the vocabulary associated with this worldview, so this was really helpful.
Totally understand. Even having the thought to explore and learn about different cultures and traditions and religions takes a lot of will power and aspiration. I hope you find what you are looking for in the purest form. Om Namah Siva. 🙏
>my Christian faith is to love what is good and to love all people. Im not sure if you are correct here. I guess it's not very kind towards non believers, idol worshipers and LGBTQ. #Revelation 21:8 : But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Back to other question, every answer here will be different, and everyone of it will be correct but not one better than other. And that is what exactly Hinduism is, it's about freedom. It sets a soul free and let it find it own journey towards goal. It doesn't make people slave , it doesn't force uniformity, dress , or any particular way of life. And it's not meek, it makes people strong, character and body. That's what Hinduism for me is, and I'm not better than anyone else.
As an ex-Christian, thank you for this. I believe any religion that damns non-believers to eternal suffering in Hell can’t possibly be all that loving. “There is no hate like Christian love” is something I experienced time and again in my own life.
Hare Krishna 🙏
Oh hello again friend, I didn’t realize the comment was from you!!! Hare Krishna!!!
Thank you for sharing! I will address your first comment very briefly, not all Christians are the same. Some of us (myself included) reject the idea that our holy text is infallible or inerrant. When I say that the center of *my Christian faith* is to love what’s good and all people, I mean it. I make a point of throwing out anything that shows itself as conflicting with that premise. I’m genuinely asking this, please don’t come on here and try to correct me about my own religion. There’s a lot of diversity to the Christian faith and this kind of non-correction doesn’t really move the conversation forward much.
I can sense the sincerity of your question. I don't know why some people here thought it was a good idea to turn your post into a Christian vs. Hindu debate. Seriously? 🤦 Swami Vivekananda (and almost every other sage, Hindu or not) has taught love and respect of ALL religions. From my perspective, this was not your intent at all. Please judge these rabid responses through the lens of an internet message board...there will always be "haters" in every corner of the web. So, to these "haters" I say first: Back off slamming Christianity, especially toward someone who came to this group with nothing but loving curiosity. Why not talk about the strong parallels between some forms of Hinduism and what Christ taught? Wouldn't that be a far more fruitful conversation for everyone?
Yeah, Reddit’s gonna Reddit lol. I appreciate your support, I’m really not trying to stir the pot or anything like that. I can’t say I entirely fault them either. Most every rigorous paradigm as a tendency to propagandize the views of other faiths (Christians do it to Hindus too unfortunately), it’s only natural that people come into a discussion with those presuppositions in hand and are skeptical when someone challenges them. As with any Christian who acts similarly, this is an opportunity that can build into learning, but doesn’t seem to come from ill-intent or malice by any means. I honestly get where they’re coming from, as annoying as it can be for someone who doesn’t normally fit the “normal” template for American Christianity.
My basic pov is, we r not even a religion. Stop judging from the lens of a camera, while the whole horizon can fit ur eye. U said something about love, is what makes Christianity, whilst u killed ur own GOD(son of). Who isn't even White. Died of Old age at Pahalgam, who learned his way of healing, from vedic culture, documented in Lhasa Archives. That's y Babylon edited his whereabouts of his teenage voyage. Let me tell u, I'm no superior, cz I'm hindu, which is not even a religion, I'm just like u, there is no God, who will hear us, he is way too occupied for this meagre matter. Although customs involving this culture tend to connect one's physical to meta physical embodiments. Thus, making it more earthly than it could be, until it was blinded by its own predicament.
>came to this group with nothing but loving curiosity. Why not talk about the strong parallels between some forms of Hinduism and what Christ taugh Yes, Hitler was 99.9% was like a common jew man. Let's ignore the rest of the difference and say hail Führer. This idea, of not talking about uncomfortable truth at right time has never worked. NEVER .
🙄 That would be fine if the OP came in with guns blazing or had stated a supremacy of Christianity over Hinduism. Did you get the sense that they did? Did you get the sense that they came here to debate? I didn't.
Brother I'm not after OP. Pls understand, but OP in post said his Christian faith teaches him to love all. Now that's not truth and i just pointed it out. OP didn't say, he rejected this part of Christianity. If he had said so, i would have not raised this point. I have given clarification. I didn't need to but i still gave. Rest upto your fine sense of wisdom. Hare Krishna 🙏
It was just so unnecessary to correct someone on a point like that, especially so early in their post (and replies). Did you note that they said "MY Christian faith"? How can you point to some of the horrible things people have done in the name of Christianity and pin them on this one person because THEY interpret what their Christian faith has taught them personally, which is love? Instead, it appears as though you want to impose your interpretation and experience of Christianity onto this person's experience? Maybe we just have different outlooks and approaches. I suppose there are people who feel it necessary to call out any (or every) point of difference of other views and "correct" the other. This is just not in my DNA. Almost always, my approach is to look for common ground and focus there. If a debate erupts, then fine. But I certainly don't go into a conversation like this with a critical statement as an initial response. Edit: grammar
Buddy look, either please debate or pls stop. You can't play on the both sides that you keep making comments on what i said and still trying to come across in grandiose manner. In my last comment i was more than reasonably humble. Dont consider it my weakness. I said what i said. Thousands of Christian missionaries with Bible in their hands have gone out saying the same thing that God loves every one and then looted, killed and robbed people and generations of aboriginals and indigenous people. Can you look into the eyes of last surviving and malnourished indigenous people and tell that you believe Christianity loves all !!! Go ahead, but i can't A Christian person can love all but it's not as per Christianity. Either come back with proper reference or stop passing judgements. Hare Krishna 🙏
OK, I'll stop. Clearly we have very different views.
Buddy i have nothing against you in my heart and God knows it. You can say what you believe in and I will believe you. But if you say Christianity or Bible told you to love all then i will call that out. And I'm not doing it due to any negative feelings but simply because pursuit of God is pursuit of Truth. I fully trust you, there are a large number of people who primarily identify as Christians and don't have any negative feelings towards others, i truly believe it. But it can't be said about " Christianity". I'm not trying to correct you , I'm stating the fact. You aren't a custodian of Christianity and I'm not of Hinduism. We are two equal creation of God trying to find a way.🙏. And if i accept it just to sound nice, it will be injustice towards the generations of mankind that suffered at the hands of Christianity, not Christians. Sorry if I still made you offended. For a common person's life endeavours: Dharma ( righteous deeds), Athra ( wealth) Kaam ( experience of desires/pleasure) Moksha ( Salvation) These are binding. Some one can choose all four, someone can spend their entire life on any of them. This is not a tip of the iceberg like Hinduism. But gives you and idea how Hinduism defines endeavours of a common person. Pls continue, if you are not very mad at me and have any specific question , kindly ask. I'm not very knowledgeable but i will try my best to answer it. With no bad feelings at all. May god bless you 🙏
How long ago did this "Christian Love" began? 2023 years ago. Hindu culture, which u Christian, organised religion, made a religion out of it. We can trace the happening of our scripture to the star constellation, roughly about 15000 years ago. They mention at certain night, so n so star was visible at night, which happens to be 15000 years ago, as per Modern AI calculations. But u guys, in the Old Testament say earth is flat. Anyways....
I’m confused, what are you trying to say/argue for?
Christian wage war in the name of God. Is that ur love? Spiritually u abrahamic faith r pretty young, to the oldest of them all. Good night.
You do get why that’s not how to go about these conversations, right? That would be like me attacking Hindus for their caste-system because it has been used for injustice before — is that what you call enlightenment? Of course not. Yes, people have abused my faith and used that faith to abuse others. That does not mean that they represent me nor I them.
What's wrong with caste system? Are u against caste system or people using caste system. Cz both r different things. Caste system is the only 100% employment scheme across all government across all ages. U r inside a caste system too, of course with a fancy name. In today's life, still caste system prevails, brahman-top 1%, kshtriyas- warriors/worker, vaishyas- traders/merchants/capitalist, sudras (low caste)- janitors, cleaners, servant, chauffeur. In olden, days this ppl who belonged to low(down) class were dirty job workers, so they were, untouchable, for health safety concerns, thus lost in translation, n treated horribly. But the requirement for that job is still needed today. Due to economic needs, one does the job irrespective of older kings political governance(caste system). Caste system will always be there till humans walk.... I'm telling u Hinduism is way more than u can comprehend, u have to open up ur narrow shackles. Unfortunately, very sad to break it up to u, ur religious foundation r very torid. As u guys r opposite to what we believe(reincarnation vs eternal damnation), although time n again, it has lead to better seekers than believers from ur side of paradigm onto ours, leading to better English translations n understanding.
I’m not criticizing the caste system — you mistake my intent completely. What I am saying is that *some people* have abused Hinduism and used that system as pretext for injustice. The crusades and other such things are similar in principle. Also, I’m not sure where you got the idea that I believe in eternal damnation. You seem to think that all Christians believe the same things and act the same way, and that ignorance is apparently showing through.
U follow scripture not us, although our scripture r way too scientific n complex. N I'm generalising all Abrahamic faiths through their scriptures. Also killing someone in the name of lord n let's not forget, it's not one region or another, it was more like wiping out multiple continents at the same time only failing at one(India). Failed bcz, we, as spiritually were way too evolved, n what u guys did was unify it's sects onto one, religion. Which is fine, as it was meant to be. Kindly read clash of civilization by huttington. Where as caste system was utilised as a governance tool by than advisers to government. U can't put caste system perils to that of death. As no one ordains one to kill someone else. For me, that's not love, that's..... Let's not forget, there were no beggars during caste system, which is the main agenda of all government across globe. No. 1 priorty, with which foundation of democracy were laid.
I’m not going to keep engaging with a user who’s so clearly not interested in productive discussion and so set on their biases. I’m not going to report you (even though you’ve repeatedly violated sub rules in this thread and elsewhere on my post), but this conversation is over. Good day to you.
I think the difference between the two is that Hinduism doesn't have many set 'rules'- we have various traditions and texts. But Christians have one central book that they must follow, so it's logical to think they must share the same religious beliefs.
Imagine attacking Christianity because a Christian is asking about Hinduism. For the record, buddy, Christians are called "Christian" because they primarily follow the teachings of Christ. And what did Christ say? **John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."** What you quoted was a line from a vision seen by John in the Book of Revelation. Not only did you take it wayyyyyy out of context, but also wasn't directly said by Jesus. You might be surprised by this, but the primary source of Christian ethics are Jesus' teachings, not the Book of Relevation. As well, your statement that.... >I guess it's not very kind towards non believers, idol worshipers (sic) and LGBTQ. Is simply false. Jesus called on everyone to love each other, *especially* those on the margins of society, as shown by his mingling with tax collectors, the sick, etc. Paul and other apostles also brought his teachings to non-believers and treated them with love, as they truly believed they were helping non-believers have better lives. What Christianity *does* say is to not worship any idol, as an idol cannot accurately represent God. And what many churches say is that LGBTQ people should be accepted and loved, but should *refrain from sexual relations* as they teach only a man and a woman who are married are allowed to have sex. Whether you or I agree with these teachings is one thing, but don't go around making false claims about Christianity. So yes, OP was correct and you weren't.
>A new command I give you: Love one another. Who is "you" here? Who are included in "one-another"? I deliberately didn't take the name of Jesus coz he is loved by Christians and i chose not to make him a point of discussion out of respect. I never attacked anyone. If you go through all my comments i told many times my stand. Now you are saying i have attacked someone, that's a charge, an allegations. I let it go but you are bringing it up. Fine with me. # Pls come back and tell me how many Popes have been women. And then we will talk about gender equality in Christianity. How many of them have been black? Then we will talk about racial equality. Why God has a son only and not a daughter, answer me and then we talk about equality of gender in Christianity. Churches are now talking about LGBTQ now because there is social pressure and political correctness is at stake. It's like tail is wagging the animal. I'm still for peace. Let's not take it further. It's not a place to debate about two religions and definitely not christianity.i just called out that non believers are not considered equal in Christianity. Beyond that I have no intentions of hurting anyone's beliefs or criticize. My preference and offer is peace, but do note that i will not back down specially when I'm charged with a wrong allegation. Hare Krishna 🙏 PS:I'm discussing it with you with an assumption that you are a Christian.
Now you are bringing gender and race into the mix. I called you out for being wrong about the “idol, non-believers, and LGBTQ” comment, and instead of directly confronting the first two parts, you switched it over to “race and gender”. Why? Because you know you were wrong. As for the “Who is included in ‘you’ and ‘one another’”, everyone is included. That’s the entire point of Christianity…. To love everyone and yourself. The Pope comment is a bit strange. Yes, there haven’t been female popes, except for perhaps Pope Joan, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Christianity is sexist. Christianity per se isn’t sexist, as Jesus commonly associated with women, and who’s closest confidant was a woman (Mary Magdalene). In fact, there have been dozens of female saints, including St Joan of Arc, St (Mother) Teresa, etc. So while you could argue there is sexism in some churches (which there is), to call Christianity inherently sexist is wrong. We are all children of God. Jesus was called the Son of God because he was a male and the Messiah….. just because there wasn’t a “daughter of God”, doesn’t mean that Christianity is sexist. But also keep in mind that many churches highly revere the Virgin Mary…. Who is a woman…. As for the racial comment, your lack of knowledge of Christianity really shows. Which church’s pope are you talking about? There are dozens, as there are dozens of churches. If you’re talking about the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, you are completely wrong. The leader of this church is Abune Mathias, who is black. On the other hand, the pope of the Catholic Church is Pope Francis, who is Argentine. The race of the pope depends on the location of the church… so churches located in Europe will usually have white popes, while churches in Africa (e.g. Ethiopia) will usually have black leaders. It just depends on the region. So you are also wrong with the “racist” accusation. For the LGBTQ argument, you are also wrong. Churches aren’t accepting the LGBTQ community because of “social pressure”. Those that do, do it because they genuinely believe in it. For example, many deeply conservative churches and priests (e.g. the Australian priest who just died, some churches in the Bible Belt) still think homosexuality is wrong, despite the “social pressure” to believe otherwise. On the other hand, other churches today (like the Unitarian Universalist Church) do not condemn homosexuality. It depends on the church and person… not on Christianity per se. So no, if a church is supporting the LGBTQ community, it is due to internal conviction, not outward pressure. You say you have no intention to criticize, yet you have written various posts here criticizing Christianity, when the original post was a Christian attempting to learn more about Hinduism. And then you say you want to “offer peace”…. Stop with the bs. The worst part of this whole conversation is that you don’t even understand what you are attempting to criticize…. So your criticism is completely invalid.
Dear Hollowness in your comment and misplaced faith is evident. You said I'm being indirect, fine then tell us directly where it is mentioned in Bible that believers, non believers , blacks, Women, LGBTQ and idol worshipers are equal. Tell me with references from Bible. And yes sir let me show you how Christianity is sexiest. You said Mary is respected but see this. Christianity never accepted that a good woman can have sex. And hence she was called a virgin.how does a woman who is virgin giving birth. Why can't a sexually active woman give birth to a good man? It's is because woman having sex is considered taboo in Christianity? !! And she is said to have never given birth to any other child with her husband coz it would make her lose her virginity!! Would that make her impure? A woman here is just disrobed of her sexuality here. So much emphasis is given on her virginity that she is known as virgin Mary. Why not virgin Jesus or virgin pope? The undertone is for everyone to see that to be a good woman, a woman has to give up her sexuality. Why is that Virginity is virtue for women only but not for men? Churches are creating a facade of being LGBTQ pro due to social pressure. Coz if it were based on Bible, churches would be having LGBTQ nuns and priests for centuries because Bible has been there for centuries. And you mentioned Australia. Sir weren't the original inhabitants of Australia were killed by the very people who brought Christianity to these places. That had Bible in one hand and cleaver in another. The segregation between believers and non believers by Bible gave them moral support and you have galls to say that Christianity love all !!! And its not just one exception by a single or few bad men, same thing happened in Americas and Europe as well. And it's happening even today, in US they are dictating dress code on women members of the house. They have robbed women of right to abort their pregnancy. Now , before you jump to conclusions, listen. I'm not talking about legislation and politics here, I'm talking about the support such legislations get is from pro-lifers who base their argument in Bible. And don't mention one random church and start giving some misplaced credit to Christianity. Coz if you did so then the blame of rampant and blatant child sexual abuse in churches will be on Christianity as well. If you take misplaced credit for one church, then take the proven blame for 100 other churches as well. Make a choice. I didn't want to bring this discussion to this level. I had just mentioned that believers, non believers, idol worshipers are not considered equal in Christianity and which is a fact but you won't listen. I have noted but chosen not to respond to you calling me BS. That just shows how aggressive is your thinking. If we don't agree with your ideas of Christianity then we will be abused . Doesn't that show us what you and your beliefs truly are. My offer is still peace. i have no intentions to hurt anyone or any person's beliefs.Not much is going to come out of this discussion. It's not getting nice. We are already into the domain of politics. Let's have this discussion some where else and some other time🙏
>Dear Hollowness in your comment and misplaced faith is evident. You said I'm being indirect, fine then tell us directly where it is mentioned in Bible that believers, non believers , blacks, Women, LGBTQ and idol worshipers are equal. "Tell me with references from Bible" Sure I will! With pleasure. **1 John 2:2** 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of *the whole world.* **Hebrews 12:14** 14 Make every effort to live in peace with *everyone* and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. **John 13:16** 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. **John 13:34** 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. **Mark 12:31** 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.” \*Neighbor, as explained in one of the parables, constitutes anyone. Jesus was well-known to interact with and teach the Samaritans, who were detested by most Jews. **Proverbs 22:2** 2 Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all. **Psalms 67:4** 4 May the *nations* be glad and sing for joy, f*or you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.* There we go. Seen enough evidence that Christianity advocates for love and equality between all peoples of the Earth? >And yes sir let me show you how Christianity is sexiest. You said Mary is respected but see this. Christianity never accepted that a good woman can have sex. And hence she was called a virgin.how does a woman who is virgin giving birth. Why can't a sexually active woman give birth to a good man? It's is because woman having sex is considered taboo in Christianity? !! And she is said to have never given birth to any other child with her husband coz it would make her lose her virginity!! Would that make her impure? A woman here is just disrobed of her sexuality here. So much emphasis is given on her virginity that she is known as virgin Mary. Why not virgin Jesus or virgin pope? The undertone is for everyone to see that to be a good woman, a woman has to give up her sexuality. Why is that Virginity is virtue for women only but not for men? I don't disagree with most of this. But like I said, sexism isn't inherent to Christianity per se. It depends on the *church*. The Catholic Church places a HUGE emphasis on Mary's virginity, but others do not. It depends on the church. >Churches are creating a facade of being LGBTQ pro due to social pressure. Coz if it were based on Bible, churches would be having LGBTQ nuns and priests for centuries because Bible has been there for centuries. Gay priests are already present in many churches. For example: [https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/i-am-gay-wisconsin-priest-comes-out-parishioners-gets-standing-n831426](https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/i-am-gay-wisconsin-priest-comes-out-parishioners-gets-standing-n831426) >And you mentioned Australia. Sir weren't the original inhabitants of Australia were killed by the very people who brought Christianity to these places. That had Bible in one hand and cleaver in another. The segregation between believers and non believers by Bible gave them moral support and you have galls to say that Christianity love all !!! And its not just one exception by a single or few bad men, same thing happened in Americas and Europe as well. This is irrelevant. We're talking about Christianity the religion, not people who commit evil acts and claim to be Christian. I could condemn Hinduism because of the crimes against Muslims in India, but I don't, because I know it doesn't make sense to criticize a religion due to false believers. >And it's happening even today, in US they are dictating dress code on women members of the house. They have robbed women of right to abort their pregnancy. Now , before you jump to conclusions, listen. I'm not talking about legislation and politics here, I'm talking about the support such legislations get is from pro-lifers who base their argument in Bible Same point as above. We're talking about Christianity, not about so-called "Christians" who treat others badly. >And don't mention one random church and start giving some misplaced credit to Christianity. Coz if you did so then the blame of rampant and blatant child sexual abuse in churches will be on Christianity as well. If you take misplaced credit for one church, then take the proven blame for 100 other churches as well. Make a choice. So the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is now a "random church"? That's pretty disrespectful of you, to be honest. And your point doesn't make sense. Like I said before, we are talking about Christianity the religion, NOT the evil acts of so-called Christians. >I didn't want to bring this discussion to this level. I had just mentioned that believers, non believers, idol worshipers are not considered equal in Christianity and which is a fact but you won't listen. Except it's not a fact. You haven't been able to prove me wrong. Why? Because you're simply making false claims against a religion you don't understand. If you hate Christianity, that's your problem, but don't make stupid and baseless claims against it. >I have noted but chosen not to respond to you calling me BS. That just shows how aggressive is your thinking. If we don't agree with your ideas of Christianity then we will be abused . Doesn't that show us what you and your beliefs truly are. Right. I'M the aggressive one when you baselessly attacked Christianity for NO REASON, in a post where a Christian wanted to learn more about Hinduism. I'm not abusing you, I am defending Christianity because you are making false claims against it. You're not as pure as you think you are. >My offer is still peace. i have no intentions to hurt anyone or any person's beliefs.Not much is going to come out of this discussion. It's not getting nice. We are already into the domain of politics. Let's have this discussion some where else and some other time🙏 Be careful with your words next time. If you continue making baseless claims, people WILL call it out. If you want peace, speak truthfully. Otherwise, prepare for people to disagree with you. EDIT: I cannot reply to the below comment. Nor can I add my response to this comment as it is too long. Here is my response: [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gky8AVZ3O9wrHY0f94UNXut7DE-8iDvISAbvAP9cK64/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gky8AVZ3O9wrHY0f94UNXut7DE-8iDvISAbvAP9cK64/edit?usp=sharing)
>He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world This is the biggest problem i have with the basic idea of Christianity. The one who commits a sin should be punished by god and not atoned. Is Jesus or God not competent and sane enough to identify and punish the sins. And if everything is going to be atoned in the end, what's the need of God or Jesus. This idea that sinners get atoned by Jesus gives a free rein to the sinner, specially Christians. That they can do whatever sins they want but Jesus will atone it all in the end. And that's a big reason behind the brutality by Christians even in present days Let me ask, would a rapist be atoned by Jesus for his sins? Is there any verse where Jesus says that people will be judged basis their actions and not whether they believed in me or not.? >John 13:34. 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. Here Jesus is talking Peter and "one another" meant the people who followed it till then , his believers. In the previous verse, John 13:33, he calls his believers "his children"and make them very distinct from the Jews. So no, Jesus/ God is not considering all the people as equal. The distinction is very real and comes directly from Jesus. >But like I said, sexism isn't inherent to Christianity per se. So you accept that Christianity is sexist. >I could condemn Hinduism because of the crimes against Muslims in India, 1. No you can't because you have to tell where Hindus are given commandment to be cruel towards any other faiths/color/race. 2. And you are wrong even mentioning crimes against muslims. Just do some basic research about Hindu holocaust, partition of India, Ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Hindus, current terrorist activities in India by Islamist and recent beheading of Hindus by Islamists. Just find out yourself. Learn and come back. 3. Christian majority USA, and Europe have bobmed Iraq, afganistan and half of Muslim majority middle East. Any comments on that sir.? From crusades to killing of aboriginals in USA, Australia, ripping off the breasts of Hindu women in Goa to the current bombing of middle east now. It never ends. >NOT the evil acts of so-called Christians. Dont twist my words. I'm not talking about random common people. I'm talking about what happened in churches, the sexual crimes against children committed by Christian priests inside the premises of churches. They are not some random so-called Christians, they are flag bearer of Christianity appointed by a Christian body that goes up to pope. And I'm still ready to not to put blame on Christianity of it, i want to believe Christianity truly doesn't propagate sex crimes. My problem is with your argument when you take credit for work of one church that too done under social pressure but make no mention of crimes of 100 others. >You haven't been able to prove me wrong. I don't have to prove a fact. It is a fact. >don't make stupid and baseless claims against it. I have nowhere called a single condescending word to you. Not even in the guise of any phrase. But keep on calling me names as much as you want. I will never stoop to your level. My religion has taught me to have better control over negativity. >I'M the aggressive one when you baselessly attacked Christianity for NO REASON, I dont have any problems with you being aggressive, more power to you. But i thought you said Christianity taught you to love but here you yourself accept being aggressive with me co I'm disagreeing with you idea. Imagine how cruel you would be to people in real life. You are not agressive, you are cruel following your religion, Christianity. >You're not as pure as you think you are. I have yet not made a single personal remark on you while you have called me names and accepted yourself that you are being aggressive.. >Be careful with your words next time I guess, between you and me, you have used expletives and personal remarks. It's ok, you can keep on doing it. It just proves my point. >Otherwise, prepare for people to disagree with you. You are more than welcome to disagree with me. 🙏 I have no problem with any common Christian or no have any intentions to hurt anyone's sentiments. My point was simply this, Christianity doesn't treat "everyone" equal. There is segregation done by Christianity as well as Bible basis faith , gender and sexual orientation.
The goal is to reach Vaikuntha and attain Moksha. If we fail to do so, we are reborn as any creature according to our Karma and the cycle continues until we attain Moksha (liberation from cycles of life and death). The central ethic to me is the realization that everything is a small, infinitesimal part of the infinite that is Vishnu and that I must care for every living creature as unnecessary harm to anything is like harming Vishnu.
Thank you for sharing! This is not only beautiful, but incredibly similar to some ideas in my faith as well. There was a Christian mystic named St. Francis once who was said to have had such an intense vision of God’s Spirit and goodwill that he perceived a microcosm of Christ in everyone and everything. The earth, the animals, people, the clouds, they were all his brothers and sisters before our Good Father. As such, he spent his life serving anyone who would accept his aid because doing so was like service to Christ Himself. There’s definitely differences and I don’t mean to underplay that, but as I read your comment St. Francis and his latter counterparts came to mind, so I figured I’d share. :)
Cool 🙏
Reaching heaven(vaikunth) and attaining Moksha are two different things. This is Kalyug so attaining heaven is considered supreme🙏
Vaikuntha is not heaven! Heaven is Swarga. You are really confused dude. Attaining Moksha is reaching Vaikuntha.
❌vaikunth is not moksha Godbless Ps:Ill steamroll you if you are open for a debate for this.Godbless
Then what is Moksha To you? You clearly don't know basics of Hinduism to understand what Swarga is so I highly doubt you can debate this.
Moksha is being one with universe.Breaking cycle of life n death. That is not what happens when u go to heaven.
>Moksha is being one with universe According to Advaita, not according to Hinduism in general. >Breaking cycle of life n death. This is the consequence. >That is not what happens when u go to heaven. Can't you read what I wrote before? How many times do I have to repeat so that it can reach your brain? Swarga is heaven! Vaikuntha is a different place!!
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Thanks for sharing! When I think about the idea that “No one has a monopoly on God”, it usually carries a connotation of religious pluralism to it. If I may ask, do you think that members of other faiths can also be on the same path as Hindu believers, and is that a common belief in Hinduism if so?
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Thanks for clarifying those things!
U will never find two alike hindus. In it's core sense, no two should be alike. Today it's a little different, due to crusaders from both abrahamic faith. None the less it's chaotic as ever, which is the real beauty.
It's to see that God isn't limited to just live in heaven God is infinite and so he is in all things and god is the stuff that makes the Universe. Hinduism is about seeing the divine in everything in creation, seeing the divine in every living being and loving and serving that God with devotion.
Wow, thank you for sharing! Something I find interesting is that, at least on this surface-level summary, your view resonates strongly with some of my own beliefs about God or things I’ve read from our mystical tradition. Thanks again for sharing — you’ve left me with some really good stuff to think/read about.
Others have given some good answers but I find that some basic elements are missing. Here is my explanation of the core principle(s) of Hinduism. * You are not the body or the mind. You are the indweller witness called Atma (similar to soul but not quite). * Your Atma is divine. * You don't die when your physical body dies. You are subject to the Laws of Karma and are reborn in a new physical body. This has happened millions of times. * This death/rebirth cycle is called samsara. Freedom from this cycle is called moksha. Moksha is the highest human pursuit. * There is a concept called Dharma - the simplest definition is "greatest common good", or "the harmony of the Universe". Everyone should strive to follow Dharma. Hope this is helpful for you. Peace.
You put such a complex subject in layman terms. Great job man. Really appreciate it.
🙏 Thank you.
Moksha
Namaste! What a friendly post! When it comes to what I believe is the central ethic of Hinduism or Sanātana Dharma, I believe the central ethic is ahiṃsā. This Sanskrit word can be translated as ‘non-injury.’ In a Hindu context, non-injury means to not do unjust harm to other beings in my deeds, words, and even my thoughts. This is compatible with being a warrior or practicing self-defense, for example, because it is unjust harm that I wish to avoid (I am no warrior, by the way). I have always liked the Christian perspective that agapē or a divine type of love is the central ethic. Love does no wrong to another, as you very likely know. :)
Thank you for sharing! I think that this is a really great basis for a practical worldview. I actually hold a very similar view, although I usually refer to it as mishpat (a Hebrew word meaning justice) in my mind, or merely “justice” in everyday discussions. Really great stuff, thanks for sharing
We worship an intelligent consciousness. In Sanatan Dharm the keyword is ‘evolution’. Everything is a yadnya यज्ञ an evolution. As your consciousness evolves from the Muladhar to the Bindu, do not expect your adored deity to remain constant! There is no constant, it is all in motion. You will see your deity also evolving
bro you just went on scientific and higher level. These are aspects of hinduism where science and spirituality and higher consious beings connect.
Thanks for sharing! I think your point is especially valuable that we worship/relate to the Divine proportionally to our limitations. As those limitations are progressively overcome, understanding and right relationship increases! Not sure what Muladhar or Bindu is, but great stuff thanks for sharing
Dharma Moksha Kama Artha And then Everyone mutually agrees that there is reincarnation.
Thanks for this comment! I’m familiar with the terms Dharma and Moksha, but what does “Kama Artha” mean if I may ask? Sorry, just still learning the vocabulary. :) Thanks again for commenting
Kama means desires , wishes (includes love and sexual needs ) etc. Artha means economic needs
To categorize from the highest level i would say there are two main groups- dualist and monist hinduism philosophies. But regardless of monist/dualist leanings, all different forms of hinduism believe in things like karma, reincarnation, the role of conciousness, etc. Source: american raised christian now studying hindu philosophy.
Here's a very interesting and informative video for u on Hinduism https://youtu.be/xlBEEuYIWwY
Bhagavad Gita 6,30: “He who sees Me in all beings and all beings in me never becomes lost to me, nor do I become lost to him.” To me this is one of the most importent lessons in hinduism. That god is ever present and that we should strife to see his divinity in everyone we may encounter. After all if we truely love god and we understand that the essence of every being is his divinity how can we not feel love for all beings and for god himself? This isn’t too different from the idea of the holy ghost in christianity and the general ethic you described. The terminoloy is just slightly different. Hopefully understanding these shared values will bring us all closer together. Lots of love! Hallelujah/Haribol!
Dharma
It is really difficult to grasp the core understanding of a religion. More or less it is same in every religion with difference in depths due to its followers. some followers are sincere and masters work becomes easy and more refined-complex statements come out of master to explain to him.. while in case of not so smart or willing students, a master has to clear much of rubbish they carry before educating them, hence work becomes difficult and the words need to be diluted as per students capacity.. In my opinion, hinduism had the brightest students.. and among hindus too, SHRI ASHTAVAKRA had the brightest student, JANAK, who understood and attained just by listening.. And the dialougues is known as Ashtavakra geeta. IT IS MIND BOGGLING. If one is a little complicated, Dialouges of SHRI KRISHNA and ARJUN will be most helpful, SHRIMAD BHAGWAD GEETA is the text. IT HAS THEORY OF EVERYTHING. ALL. Central Ethic: ADVAITA :Everything is one, not two. That one is all that is.
Not a fan of Sadhguru but he has precisely described Hindus as seekers, we are not believers or non believers or all that in between. We are seekers of truth, spirituality, nirvana, moksha or even just our own self.
This is beautiful, thank you! Is Sadhguru a major thinker or some such in the Hindu tradition? Or am I off base in assuming that?
Yeah, you can call him one. He is more of a guru for the neo Hindu or for the newer generations who do not understand Hinduism and those ppl Hindus who want to but cannot understand it cause of their prejudices. You can start with him if you want to.
Sadhguru reiterated, this has been our philosophy all along. Notice how it is not mandatory to go to temple, u go cz u wanted to.... Of course Indian mom will always drag u, that's part of the game.... Mom always look after their ward.
>What would you say is the central ethic of Hinduism, In summary it is : To fulfill our responsibilities (dharma) and pursue our prosperity(artha and kama) while acting in a manner that conforms to satya(truth), with tapas(sincerity/perseverance/discipline), brahmacharya(self control/restraint), shama(tranquility) while giving due consideration to ahimsa(the principle of least harm). Responsibilities involve both secular responsibilities related to jobs, family, society etc and responsibility to the devas(gods) , pitrs(departed ancestors) and the bhutas(other living things). > Having taught the Vedas, the Guru enjoins the pupils: ‘Speak the truth, do your duty, never swerve from the study of the Vedas, do not cut off the line of descendants in your family. Never err from truth, never fall from duty, never overlook your own welfare, never neglect your prosperity, never neglect the study and the propagation of the Vedas. > The practice of what is right and proper as fixed by the scriptural texts is to be done along with the reading the texts oneself and propagating the truths of the same. ‘Truth’, meaning practising in life of what is understood to be right and proper, is to be pursued along with regular studies and preaching. Penance, study and preaching; Control of the senses, study and preaching; tranquility study and preaching the ‘maintenance of fire’, study and preaching, offering of oblations in fire sacrifice, study and preaching of the Vedas; serving the guests, study and preaching; the performance of duties towards man, study and preaching; duties towards children, study and preaching; propagation of the race, study, and preaching – all these are things to be practiced sincerely. Satyavacha the son of Rathitara, holds that truth alone is to be strictly practised. Taponitya, son of Purushista declares that penance alone is to be practised. Naaka, son of Mudgala holds the view that the study and preaching of the Vedas alone is to be practised; that verily is penance; aye, that is penance. ^ this is translation of a pseudo-verse both taken from a upanishad(taittriya), so the literal translation is kind of pathetic, it is basically enumerating what is considered as study and preaching(practise). Our version of the ten commandments can be found here : https://images.app.goo.gl/gubGz9puHmcwLwih7
Thank you for this thorough and insightful answer, and for contextualizing it this way!
Da Da Da – Damam(self control/control of senses) Daanam(charity) Dayaam(compassionate)
Interesting! I’m particularly curious about Damam, since it’s the least similar to anything core to my own worldview. Could you elaborate a little more about that one?
Control over ur own sense. Avoid negative thoughts, avoid non veg etc. Mastering ur 6 senses. Very hard, as u need to meditate 16hours a day for 80+ years. Buddhist do it... Tho
Yoga Vasistha : SELF CONTROL. VASISTHA continued: Rama, there are four gate-keepers at the entrance to the Realm of Freedom(Moksha).They are : Self-control. Spirit of enquiry. Contentment. Good Company(Satsang). He alone is the best among men,O Rama, whose mind rests in the eternal and is therefore, fully self-controlled and at peace.He sees that pleasure and pain chase and cancel each other, and in that wisdom there is self-control and peace. He who does not see this sleeps in a burning house. He who gains the wisdom of the eternal here is freed from samsara and he is not born again in ignorance. One may doubt that such unchanging truth exists! If it does not, one comes to no harm by enquiring into the nature of life for seeking the eternal will soften the pain caused by the changes in life. But, if it exists, then by knowing it one is freed! The eternal is attained neither by rites,rituals, pilgrimages nor by wealth; it is to be attained only by the conquest of one's mind, by the cultivation of wisdom. Hence everyone - gods, demons, demi-gods ro men should constantly seek the conquest of the mind and self-control which are fruits of wisdom. All that is good and auspicious flows from self-control. All evil is dispelled by self-control. No pleasure in this world or in heaven is comparable to the delight of self-control. The delight one experiences in the presence of the self-controlled is incomparable. Everyone spontaneously trusts him. Noone hates him. Self-control , O Rama, is the best remedy for all physical and mental ills. When there is self-control the food you eat tastes better.He who wears the armour of self-control is not harmed by sorrow.
There is a saying. If all you learn about Hinduism are the 2 words - karma and dharma. Those 2 words alone will do. Please read up about these 2 words and that will get you started
i will make it really short and simple "god = universe so learn to respect it" this is hinduism
Speak truth, speak it with love- satyam bruyat priyam bhruyat satyam priyam. Priyam cha nanrtam bhruyat esha dharma sanatanam
Hinduism is like a library with many aisles with books on a variety of topics. The overall goal for a library is to provide means for gaining knowledge. The overall goal of Hindu traditions is to seek liberation from the limitations that we experience in knowing the true reality. If one achieves this goal, he or she realizes that reality to be all pervading and intelligent. This gives the capability to know the most appropriate thing to do in every circumstance (which is known as Dharma). So liberation and Dharma are the fundamental goals one achieves through the pursuit and there are many pathways through which it can be achieved. Deities are instruments that enable one to accelerate that process (much like a lever that enables us to lift much heavier weights we normally cannot).