Hinduism!

[Nimph]

I am writing a book and it has a religious philsophical part in it. I was wondering if anyone here could help me by explaining me what hinduism is about and what the belief system has in it!

[Jay]

Hinduism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism)

long live Wikipedia ;)

[Logos]

Nimph, you can peruse Hindu texts here: sacred-texts.com/hin/index.htm

[Madhuri]

Hinduism -- Is more than a religion, its a way of life. It is also considered as Sanatan-Dharma or Eternal religion, something that has existed forever. It believes in only one God, but, it has several manifestations, hence so many deities.

I think since you are writing a book, you should do more extensive research on this topic. In addition to the links mentioned above you can read more here (http://www.hindunet.org/).

[miss tenderness]

Hinduism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism)

long live Wikipedia ;)

I'm checking this , interesting:thumbs_up

[symphony]

Not that i know much, but i happen to come from a hindu family background(though i dont follow any particular religion myself), so i may have a say in the topic. :)

Hinduism is an ancient religion, or rather- a mode of life, often considered the oldest religion alive today(that's where the word "Sanatan", meaning 'ancient', comes). It goes all the way back to the Vedic ages, and naturally, the basis of Hinduism is the vedic tenets. One of the major features of Hinduism is the belief in the doctrine of rebirth. People often think of this religion as the religion of many gods, but basically hinduism supports and believes in one formless God. But this conjecture about 'many gods' comes from the hindu faith in various manifestations of Ishwara, as incarnations, or avatars. The Veda is the main scripture of the hindus, but there r other scriptures such as the Upanishad, Purana, Geeta, etc. Among these,the Purana & Bhagbath Geeta are known for their great literary caliber.

Oh and the basis of Yoga lies in here, + there are the concepts of karma(deeds) and moksha(salvation). Another important feature of Hinduism is the caste system(Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisha, Sudra).

Well these arent all i can think of, but discussing "all i can think of" will take quite a while so....
:D

[Madhuri]

Hi Symphony, just a clarification Sanatan means Eternal (not ancient), which means it has existed forever, even before what is now known as ancient.

Hey, tell me when you said this
One of the major features of Hinduism is the belief in the doctrine of rebirth

Do you mean the various yoni's that a person has to be in before finally attaining moksha?

There is another thing that I would like to add, there is no founder of Hindu religion.

[JGL57]

I always recommend the book "Hinduism" by R.C. Zaehner to those who express interest in the subject (long out of print, I think, but perhaps available on Amazon and other on-line used book sites).

Zaehner was not a follower of the Vedanta by birth, but was a scholar (Oxford) who spent his adult life studying Hinduism, Islam, etc. and attempting to translate and interpret such so that those of us raised in other traditions could best understand them.

[quasimodo1]

A key text for Hindus is the Upanishads, an expression whose derivation means to sit next to a teacher. They are very old lessons, originally about specific rites and were writen around 300bce and continued being compiled for centuries. Some of the earliest written religous concepts. Contemporary Hindu teaching has migrated from these sources but still includes them. RJS

[billyjack]

a nice book to take a gander at would be, "the way of zen" by allan watts. its talks of the basics of hinduism and zen, and taoism. another good book would be "the hindu way of life" by Radiskrishnan (my spelling of his name is probably wrong)...

[JGL57]

a nice book to take a gander at would be, "the way of zen" by allan watts. its talks of the basics of hinduism and zen, and taoism. another good book would be "the hindu way of life" by Radiskrishnan (my spelling of his name is probably wrong)...


Any books by Alan Watts (or talks on tape or video), will be educational regarding Eastern Wisdom traditions. He articulates an understanding of what I would call mystic monism, i.e., all is ultimately one (the Non-Dual), but the exact nature of such is beyond any human ability to conceptualize.

I think this is compatible with western agnostic atheism, or western physicalism/materialism - as opposed to monotheism, which is just a sophisticated form of animism, i.e., a form of superstitious paranoia. :D

[billyjack]

Any books by Alan Watts (or talks on tape or video), will be educational regarding Eastern Wisdom traditions. He articulates an understanding of what I would call mystic monism, i.e., all is ultimately one (the Non-Dual), but the exact nature of such is beyond any human ability to conceptualize.

I think this is compatible with western agnostic atheism, or western physicalism/materialism - as opposed to monotheism, which is just a sophisticated form of animism, i.e., a form of superstitious paranoia. :D

yes. watts is the master of conceptualizing eastern principles into a western mind. he goes beyond words like non-other. and yeah, non-dual is a hindu word that contains no opposite (you would think the duality would be its opposite, but i guess in actuallity, hindus don't consider this its opposite since non-dual is word the transcends linguistic conventions). and yes, non-dual can't be conceptualized, but it can be felt. and you can use conceptions to get past conceptions kind of like we use alcohol the day after a hard night of drinking to get rid of a hangover. watts calls this, "the hair of the dog that bit ya" writing style.

help me out here. typically, atheist are valueless (because they rejected christian values and didnt replace them with new ones--nietzche paraphrased) but non-dual or what watts discusses is full of value: value for life and value for death and everything in between. so are the western agnostics atheist similar to this? interesting...

[quasimodo1]

Dear Billyjack: Just considering one of your tenets, i.e., atheists become valueless. Patently untrue. They must re-evaluate their motivations and their ethics, that is to say, they mostly have ethics, in my experience, in the extreme since traditional morality is not a working concept for them. This truism needs to be extinquished. Most people fear re-evaluation but really you must embrace that process. RJS

[billyjack]

Dear Billyjack: Just considering one of your tenets, i.e., atheists become valueless. Patently untrue. They must re-evaluate their motivations and their ethics, that is to say, they mostly have ethics, in my experience, in the extreme since traditional morality is not a working concept for them. This truism needs to be extinquished. Most people fear re-evaluation but really you must embrace that process. RJS

point taken.

and hindus tend to affirm it. people think eastern traditions negate life in that they see the senses as false. really, i reckon, they see our rationalization of the senses as false. the sense itself is good, the afterthought is bad.

[JGL57]

And Vedanta is based on the reality of evolution, whereas apparently somewhere around half of Americans are still groping in the dark with their "I ain't kin to no monkey" egomania - in Vedic terms they are fully taken in by the dream of the Divine Self. ;)

[Felixstowe]

my post was erased. I speak Deutch, English is hard for me, but I am learning.

[billyjack]

And Vedanta is based on the reality of evolution, whereas apparently somewhere around half of Americans are still groping in the dark with their "I ain't kin to no monkey" egomania - in Vedic terms they are fully taken in by the dream of the Divine Self. ;)

yes, samsara is a tricky bugger. made even trickier with the invention of divinity. sort of like getting stuck in a maze (thought), and then putting a blindfold on (divinity) to find your way out. but ah, maybe the blindfold makes the game of samsara even funner?

[JGL57]

yes, samsara is a tricky bugger. made even trickier with the invention of divinity. sort of like getting stuck in a maze (thought), and then putting a blindfold on (divinity) to find your way out. but ah, maybe the blindfold makes the game of samsara even funner?

Or more entertaining. And it gives a whole new perspective on the concept of being "far out", as in "Far out, dude!" :D

[Dante Wodehouse]

I would like to know how Hinduism and the caste system relate. Would some Hindu on here please explain that?

[Triskele]

Oh and the basis of Yoga lies in here, + there are the concepts of karma(deeds) and moksha(salvation). Another important feature of Hinduism is the caste system(Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisha, Sudra).

:D


here i am with my semantics and my detail oriented self and i couldn't help but be forced to point out that moksha is not at all equivalent to salvation, it is in fact nearly the opposite, once you reach the point when you realize your divinity you hit a point at which you are out of the system and no longer have to participate in the cycle of birth, death and rebirth called sanyasin. the concept of redemption and the concept of soul are both greco-roman concepts found only in western culture. there is however an eternal essance called i believe atman, as in atman equals brahman, self equals all, or all equals god. but this eternal essance is compeletely different from the concept of soul

[Triskele]

a nice book to take a gander at would be, "the way of zen" by allan watts. its talks of the basics of hinduism and zen, and taoism. another good book would be "the hindu way of life" by Radiskrishnan (my spelling of his name is probably wrong)...


or dharma bums by jack kerouac, to offer a unique view on buddhism, which holds similar, but not at all equivalent beliefs.

[Triskele]

I would like to know how Hinduism and the caste system relate. Would some Hindu on here please explain that?

i am not a hindu, but i do know a little bit about the caste system. it origiinated with a culture of lighter skinned peoples, i believe that they were the aryans, but am not sure. anyway, they invaded present day india and their descendants number among the brahman and the kshattrya. in deference to the religious beliefs of these people, you are born in a caste, usually coupled with a family proffession. your goal in life is to live out your dharma, or your divine duty, in order that you might go up to the next level. in the eyes of the brahman, the lower castes are farther behind, but in the same cycle (samsara). only the brahman can achieve moksha, but the others along with the brahman parcipate in a four-fold life style, of student, householder, forest dweller and holy man. the student learns, the householder builds a faimily, once the first grand child is born the person goes into the woods for solitary meditation, and the holy man is some one who has achieve the mental holiness and emptiness to go on to the next stage in life. does that at all answer your question?

[Madhuri]

I would like to know how Hinduism and the caste system relate. Would some Hindu on here please explain that?

I am a Hindu, but not a scholar. I will explain to you what I know from general practices that have been followed.

Caste system is more like a social custom that was followed.

Basically, traditionally Hindu society has been divided into four casts (which later over several years of practice became heriditary).

-- Brahmins were the teachers and priests studies the religious scriptures and were considered learned people.

-- Kshatriyas were warriors, nobles, and kings and rulers.

-- Vaishyas were the trading class including farmers, merchants, and businessmen

-- Shudras were the servants and labourers and those who did menial jobs

The scriptures do have references about the class to which a person can belong to, but it is entirely based on the actions and the behaviour of the person. For example -- If a person born in a Brahmin family has a business mind will come under Vaishya class and likewise.

But later on when this class became a practiced custom, it was assumed that by default a person born in a Brahmin family will be a learned person. It may or may not be so.

The Hindu scriptures say that it is the actions of an 'individual' that determine the class to which he/she may belong. It no where says that a person born in a Shudra family has no right to read the Vedas, Upnishads and all. A person is Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya or Shudra based on an 'individual's' actions, but these classes later became a caste system and a social custom. Later, it took a negative turn where some people believed that Shudras have to be shunned and not be allowed to enter temples etc. It all resulted from the mindset some people had. I hope you get the distinction / relation between Hinduism and the caste system.

[weepingforloman]

here i am with my semantics and my detail oriented self and i couldn't help but be forced to point out that moksha is not at all equivalent to salvation, it is in fact nearly the opposite, once you reach the point when you realize your divinity you hit a point at which you are out of the system and no longer have to participate in the cycle of birth, death and rebirth called sanyasin. the concept of redemption and the concept of soul are both greco-roman concepts found only in western culture. there is however an eternal essance called i believe atman, as in atman equals brahman, self equals all, or all equals god. but this eternal essance is compeletely different from the concept of soul

I don't think Zeus or Jupiter ever offered redemption...

[Nightshade]

the concept of redemption and the concept of soul are both greco-roman concepts found only in western culture.
Ummm what about the Ancient Egyptians? They predate 'western culture' although I do suppose you could argue that since the greeks adopted some of the ancient egyptian ways and Got themselves declare Gods man on earth and the sole perosn who could offer redemtion ( smart people those Tholomites) you could I suppose argue that the egyptian religion played some part in the buildig of 'westen conceptof redemtion'. Only I dont think so somehow. But Like I was saying the concept of aftr lives wiith redemtion and punishment were not 'western' really.
And didnt the native American religion have similar concepts??


I don't think Zeus or Jupiter ever offered redemption...

Actually Im pretty sure that they did in a way, which is what the story of whats her name persoperone is about isnt it?

[Triskele]

I don't think Zeus or Jupiter ever offered redemption...

no, but the concept of redemption comes from imperialist christianity, which is based on the rigid law-structures of roman era christianity, as well as the greek gods, primarily apollo, the first minted symbols of christ were just copies of apollonian coins.

[Triskele]

Ummm what about the Ancient Egyptians? They predate 'western culture' although I do suppose you could argue that since the greeks adopted some of the ancient egyptian ways and Got themselves declare Gods man on earth and the sole perosn who could offer redemtion ( smart people those Tholomites) you could I suppose argue that the egyptian religion played some part in the buildig of 'westen conceptof redemtion'. Only I dont think so somehow. But Like I was saying the concept of aftr lives wiith redemtion and punishment were not 'western' really.
And didnt the native American religion have similar concepts??

yeah, the ancient egyptians did predate the greek culture, and many of their beliefs and motifs were adopted by the greeks and the romans. so yes, that culure did have a huge influence on the founding of christian theology. and i think that one, there are thousands of native american religions, and i don't know of any that hold even similar beliefs to us, they follow similar cyclical life views as the hindu's did, albeit much differently.