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connyxoberst
06 August 2009, 02:38 PM
hello, my name is nichole. my story is fairly long, but i promise to keep it entertaining :)
my whole life i've categorized myself as an atheist or agnostic. described myself as spiritual but not religious. i as any other american have had christianity shoved down my throat since birth. little known fact about me: i was born a jehovah's witness. going to church every sunday and thursday and bible study tuesday. knocking on doors on saturday. i remember at 6 laying in my bed at night angry at the world and realizing that there was no god. ever since then i had no religion. i've read the bible cover to cover. i know more about chrisianity than any christian i've met. and i made it a point to be able to argue intelligently when they try to 'prove' to me that their god is real. history disproves christianity. you just need to look for it. relgions became almost a hobby for me. i've studied judiasm, scientology, and mormonism. i know the jist of almost every western religion. i always thought that the very idea of heaven and hell was just asinine and impossible. reincarnation always seemed to make more sense the more i thought about it.
i always believed in science. what could be proven, what i could see and touch. i believed in evolution, and the big bang, and the laws of nature. what goes up must come down, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. i was in awe of the perfect balance it had. the simple, even, emotionless, constant movement of time. the way the planets moved in a perfect circle every moment of its existence around the same sun. how this movement affected our own planet. every piece of it. how the insects balance out the plants that balance out the animals that balance us out. its beautiful in the way that it has every single base covered.
about 19 years old is when i was in the thick of completely sorting out and cleaning up my head. i was done with the outward craziness but inside things were still chaotic. i began a new way of life. a life of inward thinking. constant contemplation. when a feeling would start welling up inside of me i would think 'why am i feeling this way?, what lead to it? what will it do if i allow myself to feel it?'. i forced myself to look at the consequences of my actions so that i may avoid more negativity. the more i did it, the better my life got. the healthier i felt and the clearer my head got. i can remember one night in particular when i was thinking about my dad. trying to solve the biggest puzzle in my life : how could one man hate his own daughter THAT much? i know who i am. i know that i am a genuinely good person. i know that there is nothing inside of me that could make a normal person have that much black hatred for me. and i began thinking about what about HIM that made him that way. and just then i saw all the connections between everything. i saw the connections from his childhood that lead to his young adult years that lead to having me that lead to his adulthood and my childhood. i saw how it connected to me and all of my life experiences. i saw how my experiences lead up to the life that i was currently living. i could actually 'see' the energies of the universe being released from one being or action or thought and going out into the universe to affect something or someone else.
for the first time in my life i felt as though i had my own 'higher power'. i was filled with a sense of peace and love and comfort like i have never felt in my life. i loved my newfound mentality of the world. i had a purpose. everything did. it allowed me to have the precious gift needed for mental health : acceptance. i could accept all of the horrible moments that i had to endure. i could accept the terror and the sadness and everything else that weighed me down. my life was darkness. and nothing is able to grow in the darkness. nothing good and pure anyway.. mold, not flowers. i say that my life didnt begin until i was 17 for two reasons. because thats when i finally escaped my dads house and its when my son was born. until i was 12, my dad beat me on average 3 days a week. but even more than that, he mindfcked me 24 hours a day. i was so out of control, so emotionally stunted that i actually threw a 2 hour full blown temper tantrum almost every single night... until i was 13. yeah. seriously. he would flip from horribly black to sickly sweet. i was fat, stupid, worthless, annoying, a drain on his life, a burden, ungrateful, and no man could or would ever love me. when i would bring the abuse up, i was delusional. didnt know what i was talking about. crazy. in need of mental help. and then on the rare moments of 'sweetness' i would get "nichole, i love you so much. you are my first born so you always have a special place in my heart, (cue tears in eyes) no one could ever take that away from you. you're my baby and i've always wanted the best for you. i gave EVERYTHING to you. your fat mom couldnt even do [insert random event] for you. but i did. because i love you, because i'm your father and that's what i'm supposed to do. i wish my father would have done half the things i've done for you or half the things i've given to you. my dessert was katchup bread. and still you treat me like garbage. when the rest of the family says bad things about you, i ALWAYS stick up for you. because you're my daughter. but when they talk bad about me, you're right there with them. it hurts my heart nichole." and so on and so forth. every suicide attempt was because of him. i would wish that he would die in a car crash on the way to work... at 7. when i went to school, i was socially retarded. i didnt know how to connect with people. i thought everyone was supposed to hate me. i didnt think i was worth talking to. i carried it with me my entire life. but once i was able to leave him. to remove him and his cancerous energy from my life, i was able to start growing. i was able to become a PERSON and not a shadow. and with emery i was able to know what love actually was. pure love that wants nothing in return but more love. the barren land of my soul had the black mold cleared out. replaced with the start of something beautiful. i had light in my life for the first time.
now i am exactly who i've always wanted to be. i'm a good, kind, trustworthy person who has the most loving family in the world. i think before i act [still not when i speak.. progress is slow] and for the most part, my life is good. i'm able to enjoy myself even under the worst conditions. i'm able to look at ALL of me and love myself. even the parts that i hate. because its a part of me, and only with love can change occur. i started this new existential life, this state of constant contemplation. looking at every situation like a math problem figuring out what caused it and what will happen next. i can read people like no one else i know. every eye twitch, hand or mouth movement, tone and reflection of voice.. i know exactly how they feel about everything. i can tell a lie from the truth. i have an awareness of the world that few my age have. i was taught lessons by the universe the hard way, the way that REALLY nails it into your brain. i am wise beyond just one lifetime. and once i was able to take focus off myself, i was able to apply my constant contemplation to this new spirituality i had found.
my beliefs in reincarnation and the energies and balance of the universe was the jumping off point. from there i was able to realize the answers to all of the great WHYS in the world. why do children get beat and killed? because in their past life they beat and killed someone more helpless than themselves. why do bad things happen to good people? the bad needs to balance out the good. there are some lessons and realizations that are necessary for that persons personal growth that can only be taught through grief and loss and pain. i started to think about death. i've been dead twice in this life. both times i went to a blackness that wrapped itself around my soul, bringing a feeling of total peace and comfort that took away every ounce of pain i ever felt. i was suspended in nothingness and it was beautiful. i thought about how this tied into reincarnation. i realized that there has to be a midway point between death and life. a sort of 'incubative' state where all the pain and memories from one life is stripped away so that you may move to the next carrying with you only the energies that rule the universe. i believed that i alone am my own god. that i create the life i have. i make the decisions that effect myself and my life. i am in control and no one other. i cannot control what happens to me in the universe, but i can control what i do about it after it happens.what my reaction is. i believed that every thought, word, and action i made is what created the energies that ruled my world. the complete foundation of my 'own' religion, my own set of spiritual beliefs were laid.
and then last night after watching slumdog millionaire with my husband he asked me about the names of the hindu gods. i never read much into this religion so i went to the best website ever created WIKIPEDIA and looked it up. it would be a decision that would alter my life forever. the more i read, the more goosebumps i got. waves and waves of realization hit me harder and harder over and over again. i just stared at the screen in complete and utter disbelief. right there. right there in front of me was everything i believed in. everything i thought was my own beliefs. i was reading my own brain written by another hand. i'll show you what i mean.
*note, the following is copied and pasted from wikipedia. not just from the hindu page, but also from related pages.
[I]A key distinctive feature of Sikhism is a non-anthropomorphic concept of God, to the extent that one can interpret God as the Universe itself. God is omnipresent (sarav viāpak) in all creation and visible everywhere to the spiritually awakened. Nanak stressed that God must be seen from "the inward eye", or the "heart", of a human being: devotees must meditate to progress towards enlightenment
when ever i was asked who my god was, i always replied 'the universe'
Six Bardos
Shinay bardo (Tibetan): is the first bardo of birth and life. This bardo commences from conception until the last breath, when the mindstream withdraws from the body.
Milam bardo (Tibetan): is the second bardo of the dream state. The Milam Bardo is a subset of the first Bardo. Dream Yoga develops practices to integrate the dream state into Buddhist sadhana.
Samten bardo (Tibetan) is the third bardo of meditation. This bardo is generally only experienced by meditators, though individuals may have spontaneous experience of it. Samten Bardo is a subset of the Shinay Bardo.
Chikkhai bardo (Tibetan): is the fourth bardo of the moment of death. According to tradition, this bardo is held to commence when the outer and inner signs presage that the onset of death is nigh, and continues through the dissolution or transmutation of the Mahabhuta until the external and internal breath has completed.
Chönyid bardo (Tibetan): is the fifth bardo of the luminosity of the true nature which commences after the final 'inner breath' (Sanskrit: prana, vayu; Tibetan: rlung). It is within this Bardo that visions and auditory phenomena occur. In the Dzogchen teachings, these are known as the spontaneously manifesting Thödgalthod-rgyal) visions. Concomitant to these visions, there is a welling of profound peace and pristine awareness. Sentient beings who have not practiced during their lived experience and/or who do not recognize the clear light (Tibetan: od gsal) at the moment of death are usually deluded throughout the fifth bardo of luminosity. (Tibetan:
Sidpai bardo (Tibetan): is the sixth bardo of becoming or transmigration. This bardo endures until the inner-breath commences in the new transmigrating form determined by the 'karmic seeds' within the storehouse consciousness.
this describes the 'incubative' state that i believed in. i was frustrated all the while in this belief because i couldnt think of a better word for it. a better way to describe it.
Originally bardo referred only to the period between one life and the next, and this is still its normal meaning when it is mentioned without any qualification. There was considerable dispute over this theory during the early centuries of Buddhism, with one side arguing that rebirth (or conception) follows immediately after death, and the other saying that there must be an interval between the two. With the rise of mahayana, belief in a transitional period prevailed
For the spiritually advanced the bardo offers a state of great opportunity for liberation, since transcendental insight may arise with the direct experience of reality, while for others it can become a place of danger as the karmically created hallucinations can impel one into a less than desirable rebirth.
here's my belief on what determines your next life. or what determined your current one.
According to these religions, one's karmic "account balance" at the time of death is inherited via the state at which a person is reborn. During the course of each worldly life actions committed (for good or ill) determine the future destiny of each being in the process of becoming (evolution or devolution)
also,
the foundation of Hindu beliefs, which primarily include dharma, karma, ahimsa and reincarnation.
dharma is the 'religion' itself. having the beliefs of karma and reincarnation. they say that dharma is the the correct understanding of these teachings and those who follow it will reach nirvana sooner and will be able to feel the complete release in the bardo state.
karma
is the concept of "action" or "deed" in Indian religions understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect
In these systems, the effects of all deeds are viewed as actively shaping past, present, and future experiences.
A person himself is the sole doer and enjoyer of his karmas and their fruits.
According to Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, we produce Karma in four ways:
through thoughts
through words
through actions that we perform ourselves
through actions others do under our instructions
Ahimsa is a rule of conduct that bars the killing or injuring of living beings. It is closely connected with the notion that all kinds of violence entail negative karmic consequences.
when i was younger, i always wanted to go hunting with my dad. i would practice for hours and hours my skill with a bow and arrow. i was really. really. good. bulls eyes almost every shot. but when it came time to shoot a turkey for a kids contest, i missed 7 shots. i went with my dad to track a doe and we found her laying screaming in pain in the forest. i cried the whole night after my dad went over and cut her throat to end her pain. i realized that night that i could never hunt. i never could imagine myself taking the life of someone else. being in the presence of a gun terrifies me. just seeing one brings a feeling of death. i wont let kyle get one. i wont have one in my house.
reading all of this... its so much for me to process. i have never in my life met a hinu. i've never been influenced by the religion in any way in any point of my life. the beliefs i came up with were mine alone. i do not believe in coincidence. and i certainly dont think that if ANYONE meditated alone on what actually rules the universe and ourselves and the afterlife, that someone would come up with there being a god, and a son of god, and a heaven and a hell. i just dont logically see it happening. i've always had a logical brain. thinking about what makes sense. and the fact that my own spirituality is actually the 5th largest religion.. blows my fricken mind. it makes me feel special. it makes me feel like i'm absolutely right and not crazy after all. when i would try and explain my way of thinking to anyone, they'd look at me like i was a crazy hippie. i am not. i am hindu.




i wrote that about a month ago. i really would like to know a true hindu's perspective on what has happened. what does this mean? how did this happen?




ever since coming to this realization i've had the same reoccurring dream: that i went to visit holy temples in india and when i got to a village with a group of very religious men and i sat and talked to them. when they first saw me their eyes got wide and they looked at eachother in disbelief. they later told me it was because of the colour of my aura. when i try to leave to go back to the hotel where my family is one of them grabs my arm and tells me that i dont understand. that i was there for a reason. that this is where i have come every lifetime and this is where i shall stay for the remainder of this one. they start to teach me the history of the religion. and once i learn it they begin to write down every word i say, following me where ever i go for fear of missing something. then i wake up.


its starting to scare me a little bit. what does this all mean?

Eastern Mind
06 August 2009, 03:10 PM
Welcome to this site, and welcome to the eastern way of life. I'm sorry you had to live the western way of life for a while, but in the big picture, its just all karma. That was water under (over?) the bridge. Now is now, and you have an exciting adventure ahead of you. There are plenty of newbies (to the religion) here that can share with you their experiences. Trust me, most of us (the westerners on here) have been in the spot where when we first had those 'aha' moments. When you were writing about thinking " Wow, this is what I already believe in." It gave me deja vu, and an wonderful feeling because one of my personal defining moments on the path was a hitched ride with a JW and our discussion. That was almost 40 years ago, and I've never looked back. He almost kicked me out of his car on a lonely mountain road but he didn't. So have fun. Enjoy. This is the place for you at this moment.

Aum Namasivaya

connyxoberst
06 August 2009, 03:13 PM
thank you very much for such a warm welcome. i am very excited to learn anything that is to be taught.

Sherab
06 August 2009, 03:40 PM
thank you very much for such a warm welcome. i am very excited to learn anything that is to be taught.

So, you have been researching (tibetan) Buddhism and Sikhism as well?

connyxoberst
06 August 2009, 04:32 PM
yes, i have tried to read up on as many faucets as possible. i dont believe in any one organized religion, everyone gets a few things wrong, thats why i really like hinduism. as a whole it seems to blend them all and different people follow different paths along the same general journey. i've been identifying what i thought were my own beliefs in each.

i am very curious as to what my dreams mean in particular. they make me almost scared to visit such places now. i've always planed to visit as much of the earth as possible. i've had many dreams that ended up either coming true, or strongly pointing towards something that is about to happen symbolically. they're obiously not nightmares, but they scare me more each time.

Eastern Mind
06 August 2009, 05:35 PM
Namaste: In my particular sect (Hinduism is very vast. If you're disaitisfied with organiised religion, you've come to the right place. Hinduism is about as disorganised as you can get ... no hierarchy etc. lol) we are taught not to analyse or even remember dreams. But basically there are two kinds... those that come from the subconscious, and the more inner ones from the superconscious. (soul's mind, intuition) |Unless you have had previous dealings with Indian men, have read a lot, or something like that, you are having the second kind.

For you, the only fear would be the conflict that might arise between JW programming and Hindu programming, The two are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Otherwise, there is nothing to fear except the loss of your ego.

Aum Namasivaya

Spiritualseeker
06 August 2009, 05:55 PM
Namaste,

Welcome to the forums. I am also a westerner dipping my toes in the ocean of Sanatana Dharma (hinduism). Some dreams are workings of our karma and some dreams are visions of the future or insights. Others are memories of past lives. Paramahansa Yogananda would sometimes have true dreams that would give him insights into the future.

I suggest you learn a bit of meditation and practice daily.

OM
-juan

connyxoberst
06 August 2009, 07:42 PM
Namaste: In my particular sect (Hinduism is very vast. If you're disaitisfied with organiised religion, you've come to the right place. Hinduism is about as disorganised as you can get ... no hierarchy etc. lol) we are taught not to analyse or even remember dreams. But basically there are two kinds... those that come from the subconscious, and the more inner ones from the superconscious. (soul's mind, intuition) |Unless you have had previous dealings with Indian men, have read a lot, or something like that, you are having the second kind.

For you, the only fear would be the conflict that might arise between JW programming and Hindu programming, The two are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Otherwise, there is nothing to fear except the loss of your ego.

Aum Namasivaya


yes i noticed how vast it is and adore it all the more for it. time and the universe is vast and should not be contained in one book or "saint" i also loved reading about how in one family all members might follow a different spirituality path. thats so special. as for JW programming, they never got me! ;) as i said, i stopped believe in 'god' when i was 6. and before then i remember questioning every aspect of it. in church i'd colour the whole time. :D
but no, no dealings with indian men, and while i DO devour books, it almost makes me ashamed to say the closest thing i ever read to an 'indian' book is the darn disney's jungle book! this will change very soon of course, but thats why realizing i was a hindu was so insane to me. i've never been influenced by eastern religions by anyone or anything. i've always been drawn to it though. i used to wear the bindis when they were popular, and a week before my discovery, i bought a pair of slippers from an antique shop that are indian. my son calls them my 'genie' shoes.
ever since i was born i felt as though i was meant for greater things. i would try to get my mom to take me to LA so i could be famous and influence the world. when i walk into a room and sit next to someone, i've always been able to feel their emotions. if someone cries in front of me, i cry. if someone is very happy, i smile. if someone is angry, i become irritable. as young as i am, my best friend is 53. and even SHE calls me the wisest person shes met. when i see someone for 5 minutes, their body language, how they speak [how fast, what tone, how their mouth moves etc] where their eyes look to, what they talk about, i can tell almost their entire life story. i've said to people things that happened to them growing up and they look at me like 'who is this girl??' because i'm always spot on. i can read people and the universe very well. but despite all these feelings and ways of thinking, i've been a very humble and modest person. until recently i had no self confidence or self esteem due to my father, and i've always felt like everyone is better than me. but now with this dream that keeps happening with these holy men who look to me as if i'm a prophet, or a reincarnation of someone very holy, its frightening to me. and jeez i dont know.
i'm just so confused and i'm trying so hard to meditate and internalize everything. try and work it over and over in my brain until it makes sense and i have clarity. but i dont even know where to begin. its definitely a stage of growth and transformation for me. i have been reading as much as i can but as much as i love how vast hinduism is, it makes it hard that there is no one holy book. from what i've tried to research the vedas [am i spelling that right?] seem to be the general opinion for the closest thing to a 'the holy book' is that true? i feel like i should get some dumbed down version or a childrens book on hinduism to start? i dont want to start with the wrong book and be even more confused than i am already. thank you so much for giving me this great resource of this board. you are all very kind.

Star
06 August 2009, 07:49 PM
Namaste! :)

To quote SS above me, "I am also a westerner dipping my toes in the ocean of Sanatana Dharma". I trust it you'll like it here, and learn a lot.

Spiritualseeker
06 August 2009, 08:29 PM
Namaste,

You may want to check out the Gita. Also you can try to get an explanation of the Bhagavad Gita. Dancing with Siva has scriptural quotes here and there.

You can try the Audio book "The path of the Upanishad"

Sherab
06 August 2009, 09:01 PM
I wanted to add, the best way to explain Sikhism is a fusion between islam and buddhism.

They ppray 4 times a day, not 5, and also contain writings of hindu and islamic saints in their holy book, the sri guru granth sahib.

Sagefrakrobatik
06 August 2009, 09:51 PM
Ive spent a considerable amount of time studying religion, come to think of it i might visit the Ahmaddiya mosque tommrow, I digress. Anytime i would want to know about a paticular religion i would go straight to the primary source; scriptures. I read, the Mormon bible, Tao Te Ching, books from the Talmud, Quran, Gita, I Ching, Gnostic Gospels, The Jain's Kalpa Sutras, Zorastrian's Avesta etc. I even made time for the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

Although it will be overbearing i suggest starting with Hindu scriptures so you have a more legitimate point of refrence. Both epics Ramayana and Mahabarat are quite long but should give you some indication of the history of Hinduism. In addition, there are approximately 18 major puranas, which are stories about the gods, Upainshads, four?? Vedas, and other books in the Hindu scriptural cannon.

A good website for listening of Hindu scriptures is Sacred-text.com. It manages to have an excellent database for all the world religions. Be wary of indologists such as Wendy Doniger who are heavily cricized in the Hindu community for her negative portrayals of hinduism. But if you want all perspectives then you should look into what she has to say. He also might want to check out some literature from Stephen Knapp, a hindu convert. On the otherside is a book "Death of a Guru" about a Hindu from Trinidad who finds Jesus.

As for me, I am going through the whole bible, serendipitiously The JW version, and i am underlying everything i find interesting, the good, the bad, the werid. I am also reading a book on RamaKrishna i got while in India last month.

Just stay focus. Start with one area first like Upainshads and then read other holy doctrines.

connyxoberst
07 August 2009, 12:20 AM
As for me, I am going through the whole bible, serendipitiously The JW version, and i am underlying everything i find interesting, the good, the bad, the werid. I am also reading a book on RamaKrishna i got while in India last month.



thank you i will go to that website tomorrow and see what i can find. you have also confirmed for me certain books that we're on my mental 'to read' list.
as for the JW bible.. its the one that turns my stomach the most.
every sect of Christianity was formed to be able to change certain rules of the religion to suit certain needs, and therefore the bible was rewritten each time to accommodate the 'new take' on an old religion. none is more obvious than the JW bible. it changes simple words and phrases that seem to be changed for no purpose whatsoever. its a complete watered down, dumbed down version of a book that wasnt right from the start so that they may follow even stricter rules than the original christians. the main differences between traditional christianity and JW is this : absolutely no gambling or drinking/drugs is ever ok. neither are celebrations. not even ones related to god. no brithdays, no easter, no christmas. they also believe that jesus was born in the summer, not winter. also they only believe in heaven as a place for god, angels, and the 'chosen' 144,000. that after death you sleep until the earth becomes a heaven. plus unlike every other sect, they do not ever ever ever use the cross as a holy symbol. they wont even allow you to wear a cross necklace. 'to celebrate his life, and not his death' is their reasoning. and if you break these rules, they will cut all ties with you forever. 'dis-fellowshipped' is what they call it. get hit by a car and sent to the hospital unconscious and your dr gives you a blood transfusion? dis-fellowshipped. its really a bunch of nonsense with standards no one can live to.
when i made it a point to read the entire bible cover to cover, i read the king james version. my father was pretty unhappy about that.

devotee
07 August 2009, 02:42 AM
Namaste Connyx,

Welcome to the forum ! I hope you would find it spiritually lifting. :)

It was sad to hear your troubled past. It is all work of our own "karma" and that shows us that our own "karma" are the way out of the mess. So, things are within our control. You already have crossed the unhappy phase ... May God show you the Truth which is beyond all worldly unhappiness & even happiness !

The whole universe is very intelligent .... even the electrons know how they should behave .... a piece of stone knows where the other piece of stone is .... etc. etc. The matter is energy & energy is matter & there is consciousness which is inseparable from anything in this universe. So, this entire universe cannot be simply a random phenomena. .... You must have heard all this earlier too. Why am I saying this to you again ? Because you must realise that your existence is not a random phenomena. It is not that you are here & there is no one who is not taking care of you. This Infinite Consciousness KNOWS everything. You are as special as anyone on this earth is. Have no doubts ! The Church got it wrong. Only Jesus was not the son of God ... you too are son/daughter of God .... no real difference at all ... Jesus realised it ... you have yet to realise. That is the only difference.

Vedas proclaim, " That Thou Art ! ". Think of all our restlessness, unhappiness, looking always for something to make ourselves "happy" ... and we are only momentarily happy once we get the worldly thing we were seeking .... again restlessness .... again looking for something else .... this cycle shows that we are actually looking for what actually we need in the wrong place. You are restless because you have "lost" (not in reality) your "paradise" of blissful connection with the source. The waves have forgotten that any separate identification with the a separate entity as "wave" is ignorance ... the Sea is the reality & That we are ! There is just ONE .... you are not separate from anything in this universe.

God is not in everything ... It is God only, the One without a second which is apparently seen as many. We all have to realise that. That is the whole game of this cycle of life & death. That is what Hinduism teach.

Hinduism, as EM has rightly pointed out, not an organised religion. There are many paths ... having even some seemingly contradictory beliefs. However, all true paths lead to the same destination. Respect for all religions , respect for all types of life, respect for even contradictory doctrines ... is what Hinduism teaches.

By going through account of your life & dreams, I guess that you might have a strong relation with Hindu way of life in your previous births ... you may actually be pious person who had to undergo troubled phase in early life due to strong influence of some past Karmas but otherwise you are spiritually at a higher plane.

OM

mukunda20
07 August 2009, 05:04 AM
Namaste Connyx,

God is not in everything ... It is God only, the One without a second which is apparently seen as many. We all have to realise that. That is the whole game of this cycle of life & death. That is what Hinduism teach.

OM

Namaste Nicole,
Welcome to HDF,
to support the above said words by Devotee,
there is a very good poem(Sukta) in all the four Vedas(Rg Veda,Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharvana Veda) which clearly decribes the concept said above. it is called as the Purusha Sukta. the whole Sukta in Sanskrit with its English meaning and Translation can be found here
http://www.ramanuja.org/purusha/sukta-intro.html
this Purusha sukta describes how everything is GOD.

You seem to be a wise person who never accepts anything without questioning. this is the first step of growth.
As Bertrand Russel quoted
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts."

Hope this helps,
mukunda

sunyata07
07 August 2009, 07:22 AM
Namaste Nichole,

First of all, welcome to the forum. The people here are very kind and will answer any questions that you have about Sanatana Dharma. :) Along with a few others here, I myself am also new to Hinduism (I'm a former Catholic). I was also pulled in by how vast its perspective was, how it seemed to encompass every belief without being bound by any single religious doctrine. It also seemed like a path that was wholly embracing, without being overly aggresive or imposing in its message.

I'm sorry to hear about how much you suffered growing up. I'm not all that experienced with Jehovah's Witnesses, but I do know they're quite fundamentalist in their approach. I had no idea that they actually believed in there being only 144,000 spaces in heaven! It seems almost like a race to secure your place in paradise! :/

I think you'll be happy learning about Hinduism here. For the newcomer, there is a lot to learn, but you appear eager, without being totally unquestioning or accepting of what you hear. While this trait may be frowned upon in Christianity, it's considered a valuable trait in the East - the ability to perceive for oneself and to use the intellect you were born with to probe around for answers.

RamaRaksha
03 September 2009, 03:48 AM
Truly glad to see that you do not believe in the concept of Hell and heaven. I have posted some threads on this subject - A few threads below yours - Hell=Abuse;Karma=Teaching - I have since come up with better meanings - Hell=Violence;Karma=Non-Violence. Also see my other thread - Karma the better way. I would love to know what you think of them.

I am glad that you are showing an interest in Hinduism. But if you don't follow Hindu values you can never become a true Hindu. A few thoughts:

1. The only major faith to pray to a female form of God. God is woman, God is man, God is neither and God is both.

2. Hinduism is an inclusive religion, not an exclusive one. God's love is not limited to people of one religion, but to all souls, be they may be Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians, Muslims, Atheists, Agnostics, Gays, Plants, Animals whatever.

3. It is your character that determines your path to Moksha, not your religion.

4. If the Buddha had been born in Europe or the muslim lands in the middle ages he would have been branded a heretic and put to death! It is not an accident that while western and muslim lands are barren except for one religion each, Hindu India has always been a polyglot of hundreds of religions.

5. God is to be loved and respected, never feared. Never Kneel to God.

6. Hinduism/Buddhism are Teacher relgions. Abrhamic religions are King religions.

7. God is Truth and Truth is God.

8. Rejoice, you now will receive the gift of life over and over again. Muslims and christians have but one life, but we Hindus receive the greatest gift of all, the Gift of Life over and over again.

connyxoberst
06 September 2009, 09:59 AM
8. Rejoice, you now will receive the gift of life over and over again. Muslims and christians have but one life, but we Hindus receive the greatest gift of all, the Gift of Life over and over again.

thank you very much for your kind words & suggestions. i however have to disagree with you saying only hindus recieve reincarnation. if t hats what happen to people and animals when they die, it will happen to all animals and people, not just a few. reading up on the bardo, i remember it saying that for someone who is aware of where they are and what is happing, it is a peaceful enjoyable experiance, for someone who doesnt understand, it is terrifying. all hindus would know what is happening, so why the second option? for the followers of other religions.

bhargavsai
07 September 2009, 10:42 PM
8. Rejoice, you now will receive the gift of life over and over again. Muslims and christians have but one life, but we Hindus receive the greatest gift of all, the Gift of Life over and over again.

Isn't it wrong to assume that only Hindus get reincarnated? I mean in Bhagavadh Gita and in every other holy text it is said that every soul, right down from small blade of grass to the giant elephant get Reincarnated irrespective of belonging to any religion?

Everyone gets Reincarnated, let it be Hindu or Muslim or Christian.

RamaRaksha
08 September 2009, 02:48 AM
I remember sitting outside enjoying the summer weather of chicago, and this christian proselytizer came around handing out pamphlets, and he informes me that i am going to hell because i was not christian. I was quite upset, how dare this man impose his religious rules upon me?

It would not be right of me, to do the same to christians and muslims. Their religion does not teach rebirth or karma, they believe in eternal hell or heaven, and i need to respect their teachings.

In a way you are also right, i do believe that what we believe in will happen. If a christian believes in rebirth, then it will happen to him, although for a Hindu, the reason we are being reborn is because we are not ready for Moksha as yet, our knowledge is incomplete, that is not the case with a christian or muslim. They simply seem to like the idea of being reborn, though who wouldn't? Personally i am not interested in a flesh-happy heaven.

But for the majority of christians and muslims, who are being taught that going to heaven or hell are their only options, i believe that is what is going to happen.

urasay
04 December 2009, 05:09 AM
hi! a bit about myself- i was born in a vaishnav Brahman family, my family is not even close to being religious. my sister is an atheist, i still eat meat occasionally, i almost never go to a temple, i have worn a sari only once in my 23 years, never apply a bindi and well the list could go on. i am practically a westerner.
my father has been a member of RSS for a long time now, almost 40 years so we had ppl glorifying Hinduism coming to our place all the time. my sister found it disgusting especially after some communal riots and started calling herself an atheist. i somehow could never stop calling myself a Hindu, i felt like i was betraying myself when i called myself agnostic (lasted less than a day). i don't subscribe to a lot of things the RSS says (i hope you have an idea what RSS is about) but i don't see why i should turn away from Hinduism just because i don't like RSS.
my sensibilities, my thought process is all influenced to a great extent by my religion and also caste. take it out of me and i will feel like i am solving a jigsaw puzzle with more than half the pieces missing. what i really like about Hinduism is the acceptance it has for everything and the scientific approach to things. yes i acknowledge that some unscientific practices have gotten in over a period of time but they are not the things that define Hinduism.
Hinduism accepts ppl who worship the creator and also ppl who worship the destroyer.
Hinduism called kaNada a sage even when he refused to take gods name on his death bed but said 'aNu' the atom.
Hinduism gives me the space to be me.
Hinduism might say that i am 'bad' but it wont kill me for it.
Hinduism accepts me despite my inadequacies.
Hinduism is my belief system that gives me strength when i hit rock bottom and helps my head stay on my shoulders when i am happy or achieve something.
from my post you might see that i am a confused person, i need to discover myself. i hope this forum will help me with it.

Eastern Mind
04 December 2009, 05:29 PM
urasay: Welcome to HDF. You say you're confused? We're all confused just that some are more confused than others. There are many on here similar to you, Hindus momentarily gone into the world, and now returning with a more questioning aura. Even the sages and saints might be confused if you asked them some sort of geography trivia. There is no shame in that. I can tell you are on the true path, because of one thing alone. You question. That's an essential part of the path. Its not just some dogma to follow without thinking just because others do. May I ask which part of India you hail from? (not that it matters). It does help a bit to understand where you may be coming from.

Aum Namasivaya

Harjas Kaur
04 December 2009, 07:16 PM
RSS is a political organization and is neither all bad or all good but has all kinds of people in between. If you look at the stated aims of RSS, they are good things. How people get distracted by political problems should have no blame or reflection on Hinduism a noble and beautiful ideal.

So just keep this in mind that you aren't always getting the full story. RSS is not about riots is it? But that's it's media image. Are you saying RSS doesn't have food kitchens or outreach to tribals? Are you denying RSS supports good causes as well? Even still, what have any of these political problems to do with the innate beauty and purity of Hindu religion? Nothing. Again it is manipulative powers in the media which are atheistic, communistic, pro-missionary and anti-Hindu which create the terrible blame and impression that Hindu religion is something ugly and to be discarded in favor of secularism and consumerism. In truth, there are real political problems but that is not what Hindu religion is about.

One thing secularism and atheism and even politics can never give anyone...peace of mind. But Hindu religion can give you that. Hindu religion isn't fighting against anyone, isn't rejecting anyone. Politics is doing that. But in justice to politics, it is a sansaara, a world of delusion and suffering where everything is tainted with wrong to some degree. But on spiritual level? Sanatana Dharma is absolutely pure and untouched and unbiased by politics. Isn't it so? To be a Hindu is synonymous with the ugliest excesses of political movements? How so? Who invented this lie? And to support human rights and fairness is to reject Hinduism? This is not even honest. Who made Hinduism to be something ugly?

Do you read the scriptures directly? Read them and introduce yourself to ideals of nobility, beauty, happiness, wisdom and peace.

http://www.krishnasmercy.org/dotnetnuke/Portals/0/Templates/webimages/radha_krishna.jpg

RamaRaksha
06 December 2009, 07:04 AM
Urasay: I would really love to ask your sister why the actions of a few Hindus should reflect on the faith. Is she then saying that Islam is responsible for the terrorists actions? How about the pedophiles in the christian church? Is she willing to blame these religions for the actions of their followers?

You have to study the religion and see what it is teaching - one can't use current events to judge a religion. My favorite example is that of corruption. Hinduism teaches Karma & Rebirth - basically if someone took unearned money, ie corruption, he will have to pay it back, if not in this life then the next. It teaches us to take responsibility for our actions, yet how many Hindus actually follow this great teaching? We all know about the level of corruption in India. Hinduism is saying that it is wrong to take unearned money, we won't profit from it, we will suffer the consequences of that action if not in this life then the next - a powerful message not to be corrupt!

Ask your sister why is that pakistan and India born at the same time took such divergent paths? How come India remains a democracy while pakistan lurches from one despot to another? The only diff is faith!

Ask your sister what if the Buddha had been born in europe or the muslim lands in the middle ages - he would have been branded a heretic and tortured to death! His teachings consigned to the fire - there would be no Buddhism today! No Sikhism, Jainism, Zoarashtrism either!