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charitra
04 December 2011, 08:24 PM
Any Hindu had a fleeting moment of Self doubt about faith ?: what do YOU DO then?

Predictably a serious moment of disbelief engulfs everyone on occasion, especially might happen to all you very intelligent wo/men on this forum. How do you, should that happen, find your way back to the hindu dharma? Since we don’t have the threat of getting tossed into eternal hell as a certain prospect ( the scare thatholds abrahamics hostage to their faith) whats that binds one to Hinduism..

As for myself,I look at the sky( preferably a clear blue one that reminds me of the blue hued Krishna) and ponder on my oneness with brahman, the one without shape or gender, who has no beginning or end; clearly it is the advaita doctrine that pulls me back quickly towards Hinduism.Would be nice to hear how others handle this uncomfortable situation. Namaste.

Eastern Mind
04 December 2011, 08:47 PM
Vanakkam Charitra et al: Personally, I go to this quote (Tirukkural I think) : "One of man's greatest follies is to view the temporal as permanent."

But in all honesty its been just over ten years now since I had any serious (greater than a couple of hours) doubt whatsoever. There's plenty of room for periods of doubt in Hinduism. Some might say its very common, even necessary. One needs to take the occasional step back and have a good honest look at himself to see if he really believes in all this.

Aum Namasivaya

Believer
04 December 2011, 09:54 PM
Namaste,

If you eliminate Plan B, then you have nowhere to turn to if you have doubts about the Plan A. You just have to double up and make Plan A work. Maybe too simplistic, but why make it complicated when the KISS (keep it simple stupid) principle works fine.

Pranam.

wundermonk
05 December 2011, 04:44 AM
Any Hindu had a fleeting moment of Self doubt about faith ?: what do YOU DO then?

Predictably a serious moment of disbelief engulfs everyone on occasion, especially might happen to all you very intelligent wo/men on this forum.

Can you explain your thoughts during these moments of self doubt?

The only reason I can think of for harbouring a doubt about Hinduism would be having doubts about reincarnation/after life.

I dont worry about an after life of an eternal hellfire for not believing in Jesus/Allah. Gods that cast nonbelievers into eternal hellfire for the simple "crime" of not recognizing such Gods as Gods are unworthy of worship. Plus, if Xity/Islam is true, I am going to be cast in eternal hell. I never met my grandfather in my life here. By all accounts, he was an exceptional human being. He was a lifelong Hindu. He is also bound to be in eternal hell. The only chance I have of meeting him is if I remain a staunch non-Xian/non-Muslim. :p
Plus, Abrahamic hell is going to be full of interesting people. I have no interest of spending an eternity in Abrahamic heaven. I may get tired of 72 virgins after a while. :p I prefer Abrahamic hell over heaven.

Now, what if reincarnation is hogwash? What if there is no afterlife as the atheists claim?

The only answer I can think of in this case is different strokes for different folks. I like Hinduism. I like its philosophy. I like the various cultural aspects associated with it [functions, holidays, different anthropomorphic deities that have inspired legions of artists and singers, etc.] Life for me seems simply more enjoyable believing in Hinduism rather than not. Note that this is a value judgement and is not a statement claiming to be true. In fact, to believe in something just because it has a pleasing consequence is a logical fallacy. But hey, what the heck, the best things in life [love, affection, tears, joy, etc.] are brute facts and not arrived at upon by reasoning. We are humans and not robots.

Keep in mind that reincarnation/Karma are possibly the only metaphysical construct that rescue God from having created evil. I made a post on why this is so here (http://hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=75540&postcount=4).

JaiMaaDurga
05 December 2011, 04:56 AM
Namaste,

I find there is some of all three replies, in the inner dialogue that has taken place during times of doubt- charitra, I too have gazed at the sky, sometimes noticing the vast and ceaselessly shifting forms of clouds; I am reminded at that time that thoughts and feelings are like these clouds, ever-shifting, and though the sky may at times become filled with a thunderstorm, or even a cyclone's massive energies, the sky remains unchanged by them... the sky is not the atmosphere, for the concept of "sky" contains every star, the planets, the sun, the moon, and the atmosphere, within its scope.

This also is a way in which the truth contained in EM's quote is reinforced: without mindfulness, perception becomes dominated by ego, and the notion of incomplete understanding becomes fear-inducing or threatening, with the corresponding endocrinological response. I mean this both in the illogic of, "The Truth is not conforming to my expectations, therefore I am angry due to having been deceived" as well as the equally illogical "The Truth is not conforming to my expectations, therefore I am terrified of being fundamentally incapable of correct understanding."

In short, the Panic button get pressed, though there is no emergency.

I would be one of those who say doubt is necessary; much pain and destruction has occurred in history due to leaders who have become incapable of self-doubt- who then garner followers due to the seductive nature of reductionism, followers who mistakenly judge the truth of a belief by how boldly it is declared, how passionately it is practiced, how zealously it is defended, and of course... how often it is repeated.

Some of the unhappiest people have been those who were never told "no"- whose every word was agreed with, whose every whim was indulged... despair is such a common symptom of this type of life. Doubt is my friend; an ally of Truth, provided it is not paralyzing, or turning me into a "jellyfish" ;)

Of course, as Believer says, the K.I.S.S. principle is quite effective and useful for someone like myself, who is quite capable of thinking far too much for far too long about anything plonked in front of my attention.

Sometimes, it is best to simply wait.

I picture myself planting an acorn- then pacing around the spot, maybe distractedly eating a snack, or going for a walk... but after a few hours, I am seen right back where the acorn's buried; digging it up, examining it for signs of germinating, finding none... and repeating this process ad nauseam. That poor acorn will certainly never become an oak tree, with such a fool for an arborist ;)..

I will learn, what I learn, when I learn it... no more, no less.

JAI MATA DI

c.smith
05 December 2011, 06:52 AM
Hari Om!

Without doubt, could there be any belief or certainty?

In my own life, there have been very few times that I've had doubts about my faith. They are usually short lived and pertain to a crisis situation.

What I do know is that my mind plays tricks on me, "tests" me per se. There is however no passing the test, its more like passing time as in "this too shall pass" when I have serious concerns.

Despite the tricks and tests, I keep my daily sadhana. I may not keep all of it during the difficult period, but there is a minimum that I always do - rain, snow or whatever.

I leave the rest to Lord Shri Hanuman, knowing that there is some benefit in this for me at this time in my life. I trust Him and know that I will be restored to full faith by His grace and with His blessings.

All the best

Om Namah Sivaya
Jai Hanuman!

BryonMorrigan
05 December 2011, 07:33 AM
Just read Sita Ram Goel's "How I Became a Hindu" (again). Worked for me recently. And remember that Ramakrishna converted to both Islam and Christianity before coming back to Sanatana Dharma.

It happens to the best of us.

charitra
05 December 2011, 10:01 PM
Great explanations, very illuminating.


Wunder, after reading (again) the cited link of yours, I am tempted to add a fifth point: By creating an eternal hell, poor God indeed shot himself in the foot !! Namaste.