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Nick
27 April 2010, 01:46 PM
Hi.

This intro is long. If I shouldn't have posted some of this in the intro, I apologize.

I am a seeker, someone who hasn't yet found a religion that matches what I believe in. Don't worry. I am not looking to "convert" to another's religion. I feel that God has set before me a path that I refuse wholeheartedly to turn from. Whether or not others follow that same path matters not. All paths lead to the same Creator. Should others share my faith and have gone on that path before me, then there should be scriptures and traditions which hopefully should help me navigate that path.

I was raised Christian, but I could never agree with certain aspects and the dogma didn't stick. I looked into Judaism and Islam, but neither of those matched my faith. I studied for a few years with a small neopagan fellowship, the only other local religion. What they teach is closer to what I believe in, but still is off. For example, I don't agree with duality, among other things. But since what they taught was closest to my faith, I stayed with them, as I did enjoy the religious companionship and spirituality. But ultimately, after a few years, I could not justify staying in a religion, practicing rituals and dogma that was not for me. Their rituals had less and less meaning for me. My heart wasn't in it anymore, so I left. I miss that companionship and spirituality, but I knew that I was a distraction to them with my other points of view. Even when I was with that fellowship, I still did my own rituals at home every morning and evening. Since I left, I have basically practiced my faith alone.

A relative was recently staying with me, and I included him in my morning ritual and prayer, and told him certain aspects of my faith. He said I should look into Hinduism. He also said that my morning ritual looked a lot like puja, if altered a little bit. I watched a video of a puja ritual, and my shrine and morning ritual does indeed look a lot like what I saw in the video. I have prayed like this since I was a child and my grandmother would buy me candles; it seems almost instinctual. (She thought I was praying to Mary. I was praying to God, whether one of her names was Mary didn't really matter much to me then. Still doesn't.) I even press the tip of my middle finger into my forehead above the bridge of the nose (don't know what that spot is called) when I am praying for protection in the morning. It also seems instinctual. Maybe I was Hindu in a previous life? I don't know, and I don't think it really matters. And it has to be the middle finger of my right hand. Any other finger seems somehow "wrong," though I was told that the ring finger is used by Hindus to apply kumkum. I have even developed a noticable permanent spot there on my forehead, I've been doing it so long and repeatedly. I use candles and incense, rather than a lamp and incense as was in the video. I don't know much about the Hindu faiths, nor what constitutes a "real" puja ritual.

I joined this forum basically to learn about Hinduism from its adherents, and find out if a Hindu or Dharmic sect agrees with what I believe in. The closest Hindu temple that I know of is over 200 miles away, and with no car, I figured it would be easier to ask online.

Here's a tiny fraction of what I believe in. If someone could tell me whether it matches a Hindu or Dharmic faith, or other faith, that would be great.

- I consider God to be God the Mother. In nature, the life of every child comes from his/her mother. Since all life comes indirectly from the Creator, I consider God to be the Divine Mother.

- I believe in one God, and all other Gods are simply aspects, names, and titles of her.

- I believe that God is love. To be closer to God, one must give and show love to all. The path of righteousness is giving love in good deeds without thought of reward.

- I believe that God is panentheistic in nature. There is a spark of Divine Love in all. Every living creature is a child of the Creator and brings a piece of God's love to share with the world. As one gives love, the spark of Divine love grows and multiplies, and the closer one is to God.

- I believe that all life is connected spiritually together through God's love.

- I believe that God is omnipresent.

- I know that God is personal, not impersonal.

- I believe that prayer, rituals, and fasting can help bring one closer to God, but none of those can compare with sharing love with others.

- I believe that there are spiritual entities (both good and bad) that inhabit the spiritual realm, and occasionally cross over into this realm.

- I believe that God is not only the Creator, but also the Destroyer. All things are recycled, and destruction of the old is required for creation of the new.

- Some people believe in a single truth, and everything else is false. i.e. The One True God. I believe in multiple truths. Multiple points of view. All true.


If my faith does sound Hindu or otherwise Dharmic, I have some other questions to ask. I may ask them anyway, as there seems to be very knowledgeable people here.

Thank you,

-Nick

Eastern Mind
27 April 2010, 07:50 PM
Vannakkam Nick:

Welcome to these forums. If you've been reading much on here, you've come to realise that Hinduism is a vast array of varying beliefs.

As far as your list gores, I would only consider one of them to be non-Hindu, and that was the one with the spiritual entities in it. I personally believe in them, but not in the context of good and bad. Other than that, sounds prety Hindu to me.

One of the things old souls watch for is action upon entering a Hindu temple for the first time. By close observation, you can pretty well tell who's a Hindu and who isn't. Two hundred miles isn't far in the west to get to a temple. I know people here (Edmonton, Canada) who travel further than that to come to the temple I go to. Unless you're really broke.

Aum Namasivaya

Ashvati
27 April 2010, 10:00 PM
Unless my understanding is flawed, your beliefs sound very much like the shakta sect. Even the way you touch your forehead reminds me of the sect marking of the shakta sect, which I'm fairly certain is a simple short red vertical line between the eyebrows (can anyone correct me if I'm wrong about that one?).

sambya
27 April 2010, 11:34 PM
your beleifs are indeed quite close to hinduism . except some minor variations as eastern has pointed out . yes you are certainly a shakta by instinct . stick around with hinduism and you might find what you are searching for . god bless

Onkara
29 April 2010, 07:52 AM
Welcome to the forum!

NayaSurya
29 April 2010, 09:01 AM
This is the bread crumbs I so often speak of. The little things that you do without knowing this is actually the way it is done.



May you find many more such crumbs within these virtual pages of vast knowledge.

Welcome.<3