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cuddledkitty
19 April 2012, 07:16 PM
Ok i am told Hinduism is the open source software of religion, the most diverse and open of all religions and theological teachings. Am i wrong? I hope not or else it ruins my purpose of being a Hindu. But is it right of me to combine Islamic ritual and practices like salah (5 daily prayers) and replace Hindu gods like Surya and Chandra with Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi? Many say this is dumb and i should just be a Shintoist but as any person would know there arent any actual text of worship regarding Shinto as its just a mythology. Hinduism is very rich in actual teachings and philosophies which is why i call myself a Hinduist. I have decided on the idea of doing 7 prayers/meditations/ a day that last 7 minutes (which is not alot considering my life style). Why 7? It is the holy number in my native country simply and it feels important to me for personal reasons that need not be mentioned. My husband in all his glory does roughly 3 hours of various martial arts and exercises a day along with meditation and he has the body of an Olympic god because of it, then again he doesnt have much of a social life :D . But he is worthy of all my worship and submission to him:naughty::bowdown:
as his dedication always surprises me and i really want some sort of dedication in my life other then trying to finish Final Fantasy XII. I want a routine and very ordered life and this is why i like Islamic salah and wish to fuse this into my possible abominable fusion of beliefs. i ask this simply.....

A) is it possible to still pray and worship my cultural gods?

B) is prostration such as sujud, dogeza or panchang pranam acceptable as worship within Hinduism?

C) Can i still call myself a Hinduist?

D) Does prostration alone count as worship? I dislike materialistic worship or rituals.

PARAM
21 April 2012, 09:26 AM

Bhagwan Ganesh is the main to worship, all works start after worshipping Sri Ganesh.

Perhaps you are from Japan, and Ganesh is also popular in Japan.

Shinoism itself was a part of Hinduism in large but Islam sucks it is just a terrorist organisation.


http://www.johnlund.com/Cafepress/ImagesCp/ganesha-Symbols.jpg

yajvan
21 April 2012, 11:02 AM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté & hello cuddledkitty,


Ok i am told Hinduism is the open source software of religion,

One part of our custom is to greet and welcome the reader with some saluation or hello... perhaps you wish to practice this in our community ?

Our approach is quite open but it is not a free-for-all. Just as you wish to eat pure foods, we do not over mix so many ingredients that one loses the taste and value of the original dish one sets out to make.

The purity of sanātana dharma comes from our understanding that there may be many forms of the Supreme taking different names and shapes there is only One ( tad-ekaṁ). Just as the sap of a tree takes on the look and feel of flowers, the branches, the bark, the limbs, etc. the Supreme does the same with its diversity of the devatā, humans, the animal kingdom and the like. We see many, but understand their source.

praṇām

charitra
21 April 2012, 11:26 AM
Start reading the science section of this forum and keep reading many philosophical threads as well. Dont make any decisions as of yet, it is too soon now. No one imposes any restrictions and no one will give you prescriptions here, you can make the journey more pleasnat by gathering the wisdom encrypted in the sentences posted by some wise men. Understand the concept of advaita and Brahman. Good luck and namaste.

McKitty
22 April 2012, 12:32 PM


Islam sucks it is just a terrorist organisation.



Hello Cuddlekitty, as you seems to be a very open minded person, please ignore those kinds of comments that are only generalizing and discriminating some cultures.

I hope the best for you, it's really good to see open minded and interested persons here ^^ I hope to learn from you too !

cuddledkitty
22 April 2012, 07:08 PM
Thank you for your display of ignorance because i was a Muslim once as is half of my family. Your aware Hinduism has as much blood on it as Islam and and Islam has been around for thousands of years and just in the last decade is declared a terrorist organization. Ill leave your comment be, but do not spend your time insulting me or others as it makes you look ignorant and just as bad a terrorist. But if your only words are about hate then please do not contact me again because i will not argue with you so i wont taint the dignity of this forum.

Eastern Mind
22 April 2012, 07:09 PM
Vannakkam: What's with the feline invasion? :)

Aum Namasivaya

cuddledkitty
22 April 2012, 07:33 PM
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cuddledkitty
22 April 2012, 07:47 PM
Namaste, Guten tag, Bonjour, Hej, Ni Hao and Konnichiwa. Which ever greeting you prefer the most :D

I understand fully your words, but I also understand that Hinduism isn't a strict doctrine though unlike Abrahamic faiths. I wish not to taint Hinduism with ideals of foreign religions but to use those foreign religion in a non theistic manner. I am very anti materialistic meaning i prefer to make any act of worship without item. I believe it should be your body and god (whichever it may be) only. No rosary beads, idols nor special items. This i why i liked Islamic prayer and the idea of prostration as an act of worship. I really just want to know if this is an act of worship by itself in Hinduism

charitra
22 April 2012, 09:19 PM
. I really just want to know if this is an act of worship by itself in Hinduism
You dont need to have any physical structure in front of you to worship as a hindu. Many Hindus worship and meditate on just om or without any word. In fact once you enter deeper realm of worship, then as a hindu you stop seeing any physical object in your mind, for Brahman (nirguna Brahman) has no physical form or gender. The divine forms are just representations of formless Brahman. Some people of different faith circumbulate around a black stone, some kneel in front of a cross, these outwardly rituals are not the most important aspect of accomplishing salvation. The Meditation researched and propagated by hindus is nothing but a deeper degree of worship. You have a part of god (brahman) in you, you have to uncover it yourself, by peeling off the andhakaara (darkness) and avidya (ignorance). Hinduism looks from outside complicated but is very loving, forgiving and inclusive. The hindus declare that there is no hell for non hindus for example. Namaste.

charitra
22 April 2012, 09:34 PM
No rosary beads

Did you know Rosary beads or some type of beads are very very common to all major faiths, including that of your mothers. I lived in a muslim nation and I saw the beads in the hands of many men. Check with them again.;)

wundermonk
22 April 2012, 10:38 PM
I am very anti materialistic meaning i prefer to make any act of worship without item. I believe it should be your body and god (whichever it may be) only. No rosary beads, idols nor special items. This i why i liked Islamic prayer and the idea of prostration as an act of worship.

Welcome to HDF.

There are no issues if YOU PERSONALLY prefer one form of worship over another.

But I am curious...do you think GOD would care what form of worship we choose to engage in? Is God likely to respond less than favourably to idol worshippers?

wundermonk
23 April 2012, 12:27 AM
Your aware Hinduism has as much blood on it as Islam

Hello cuddlekitty:

What are the instances that you can cite in support of your claim that Hinduism has blood on it?

What are the instances that you can cite in support of your claim that Islam has blood on it?


Islam has been around for thousands of years and just in the last decade is declared a terrorist organization.

Islam has been around for 1300 years per my understanding.

Who has declared Islam a terrorist organization? I am not aware of any. Since you mentioned it, do you agree/disagree with the declaration?

cuddledkitty
23 April 2012, 02:42 AM
well ironically my mom wasnt a muslim, she believed all people needed to die including all religions. She was a hateful person whose death made everyone in my family happily. But i am family with the spread of beads :D

cuddledkitty
23 April 2012, 02:50 AM
Well it is not god but more so me, i am no fan of any form of idolatry although i am not against it (as long as your not worshiping the item itself). I just believe any prayer or worship shouldnt be materialistic as tome it ruins the aspect of worship and prayer. I want it to be person and feel detached from all outside or unnatural things. My husband is not hindu but he meditates and has gotten to the point he does all of his exercises, martial arts or meditation without clothes. He has even fought a few times competitively in this form because he hated the judogi and hakama, it wasnt crowd pleasing i will admit but it didnt go against rules so he got away with it. I believe meditation or general worship can be done nude done also as its the ultimate form of materialistic detachment.

It is just you and God and nobody or nothing else.

cuddledkitty
23 April 2012, 03:07 AM
Hello.....

I didnt mean that in a literal aspect but all im aware of is the thieves in India strangling travelers to offer to the goddess Kali. This happened hundreds of years ago, these men were called the Thuggee and American obtained the word thug (meaning criminal) from them. The Thuggee strangled their victims so no blood was left so all of it could be drained and offered to Kali, this has also influenced American films. The word Kali in the America is associated with the Harrison Ford movie and to Americans it means "human sacrifice". I also worked in the prison section in Nippon for a while and knew a female bosozoku (a biker criminal) who did the similar with with a sword. She killed a girl offering her blood to Kali but nobody knew about this and she killed another criminal so police didnt care about it. This girl is a devote Hindu i may add and took a vow of peace some years ago before getting arrested again for assault . Hinduism is like Islam it doesnt teach violence but you have people who do it regardless. Although Hinduism of all religions has the least blood associated with it. So technically it is the most peaceful religion next to Buddhism.

The US and its people have declared Islam a terrorist organization out of ignorance. Many groups in the US teach Islam is a evil trying to convert the world with out them knowing it was a main American influence in the 1930's. This is just racism simply and i have received plenty of it. All these accusations on Islam declare it as a cult, which it is not. A cult that America and many countries liked until 15 years ago. Islam specifically mentions to not wage war against the people of the north (the Israelites) nor your neighbors who do not believe in Allah. Yet people do it anyways. The violence started over religion is by atheist and more people have been killed in the name of secular ideals then god. And Islam is not a terrorist organization it is a religion and second largest in the world. They could have easily taken over the world by now if that was their goal lol

wundermonk
23 April 2012, 04:05 AM
Hello.....

I didnt mean that in a literal aspect but all im aware of is the thieves in India strangling travelers to offer to the goddess Kali. This happened hundreds of years ago, these men were called the Thuggee and American obtained the word thug (meaning criminal) from them. The Thuggee strangled their victims so no blood was left so all of it could be drained and offered to Kali, this has also influenced American films. The word Kali in the America is associated with the Harrison Ford movie and to Americans it means "human sacrifice".

Did the thugees kill non-Hindus specifically? I am not condoning their actions but it should be clear what exactly we talk about when we say "Religion X has blood on its hands". The angle I am coming from is the following - If people of religion X kill people of religion Y then is when I will say "Religion X has blood on its hands."

If people of religion X kill other people of religion X, it is of course bad, but that is likely to be more due to the human condition itself rather than the virulence of religion X.



The US and its people have declared Islam a terrorist organization out of ignorance.

I think you are generalizing here. President Obama goes out of his way to proclaim ''Islam is a religion of peace.''


This is just racism simply and i have received plenty of it.

This is also untrue. Islam is not a race. So, accusing Islam of terrorism does not amount to racism.


All these accusations on Islam declare it as a cult, which it is not.

How would you differentiate between a cult and a religion?


Islam specifically mentions to not wage war against the people of the north (the Israelites) nor your neighbors who do not believe in Allah.

I would love the Quranic reference to this. From what I understand, people quote Quran 2:256 to say that Islam is a religion of peace. But that seems abrogated by 9:5 and 9:29. What are your thoughts on this? Are 9:5 and 9:29 not relevant in today's context?


The violence started over religion is by atheist and more people have been killed in the name of secular ideals then god.

We do have a few non-religious people post here on HDF. I will let them take this up with you.


And Islam is not a terrorist organization it is a religion and second largest in the world. They could have easily taken over the world by now if that was their goal lol

But "they'' still do not allow non-Muslims to preach in their countries. Apostasy is punishable by death per their Hadiths. What are your thoughts on that? If they are so confident of their religion, why dont they allow a free market place of ideas and let all religions compete on equal footing in their lands and let the best religion win?

McKitty
23 April 2012, 04:06 AM
Hello (or Meow :D)

I have to agree with Cuddlekitty. About what ? About Hindu being the same as other culture.
Being Hindu does not mean you are superior in any way to other people.
Christianity have blood on it's hands. Islam have blood on it's hands. Jews have blood on their hands. It's the same for Hindus. We all, in every culture, face or have faced problems involving bad acts and stuff. Hindu culture is not THE ULTIMATE perfect culture of all the world. It's a beautiful culture. It's a beautiful country. Sanatana Dharma is beautiful. But everything is not paradise.
Drugs, parents killing their own child, husbands burning their wives, yes, Hindu people have blood in their hands too.

The purpose of this forum is to exchange ideas about Dharma, to discuss about Sanatana Dharma, eventually to debate about news or abrahamic faiths (this is a big fail each time because of the intolerance of some here. Shame on you.)
The purpose of this forum is not to over-glorify Hindu culture and spit on other's.
Because this is what you are doing when saying those things. Spitting on others. I come from a christian family, I have JEWS and MUSLIMS friends everywhere around me, hell, my boyfriend is even Paganist ! I am a meat eater from a christian family, waow, how did you not censored or BANNED me already ?
Each topic, each questions, each insult is like a sword in me and in others like me that are no Hindu, or more open minded than you.

You wanna talk about Ahimsa ? I will talk about Ahimsa with you !
The simple being is vegetarian for not hurting animals is Ahimsa !
The intellectual watch out for what he says for not huring others, this is Ahimsa too !
The sage watch out for what he thinks for not hurting God, this is Ahimsa !

Ahimsa is the greatest virtues, it's not only in your food, it's in your acts too ! What you type is what comes out of your mouth ! What comes out of your mouths is always swords and hurt to others ! Hate is not Ahimsa ! Words can hurt more than a weapon, words can kill people, words can drive people away from Sanatana Dharma !

What is wrong with you ?

How do you consider yourserlf a good follower of Sanatana Dharma with those kinds of words and though ?

You think constantly showing your hate and racism to others will make you looks cool ? "Hey looks, Christians are ALL stupids whore!" "Oh Heu, ALL Muslims are cold heartred terrorists ! Sanatana Dharma rules!"

You are not looking cool. You are not looking clever. You are not different to the stupids ones in Christianity saying you are bound to hell. NOT. DIFFERENT. Because you are as narrow minded and stupid looking as they are !

How can people like me, Cuddlekitty and many others from the same background can ask questions and knowledge without the fear of being judged, of being insulted ?

Yesterday all my christian family were here, yes, they are ALL practicing CHRISTIANS. I said in font of everyone that I was following Sanatana Dharma ! You know what everyone said ? "It's good, we respect your choice, you have chosen your way and we have ours." my aunt, the super christian one, even said : "You know, your god and my god are the same !"

You know what the muslims friends said ? You wanna know what my pagan boyfriend said ?

You wanna see who is the most intolerant people here ?

Stop hurting people, stop hating this much, stop glorifying yourself and start acting like a TRUE follower of the supreme. Because all this hate, all this hurt, it become very difficult to even ask something here.


Aum~

wundermonk
23 April 2012, 04:08 AM
Well it is not god but more so me, i am no fan of any form of idolatry although i am not against it (as long as your not worshiping the item itself).

So what if someone is worshipping the item itself? I dont see anything wrong with it.


I just believe any prayer or worship shouldnt be materialistic as tome it ruins the aspect of worship and prayer. I want it to be person and feel detached from all outside or unnatural things.

Again, in Hinduism, the way a person approaches a religion/performs worship is personal. We do not pass judgements on how another person perceives the divine. The above view is ok for you, but you should not generalize.


It is just you and God and nobody or nothing else.

Right. Do you have any reason to believe that God will respond unfavourably to idol worshippers or those who use beads, etc?

wundermonk
23 April 2012, 04:12 AM
@McKitty:

I should request you not to blow over the top.

My questions to cuddlekitty were politely addressed. She made very specific claims and I just want to engage in discussions with her.

devotee
23 April 2012, 04:51 AM
Namaste Mckitty, Cuddelkitty and WM,

I request all of you to please stop arguing. I can see it is going to end in a bitter taste for all.

BTW, CKK and Mckitty, may I request you both not to compare Hindu Dharma with Islam or any other religion. Saying that Hinduism has as much blood on hands as Islam or Chritianity has, is too much of an audacity and outrightly mischievous. Our scriptures teach us to see God in everyone and respect everyone. Our scriptures and Gurus don't teach us that Muslims, Christians etc. worship false Gods and so those are non-believers and will burn in hell. Our scriptures and Gurus don't teach us to hate but to love all irrespective of their faiths. You can see a Hindu going to Mosque or a Church and bowing to God with reverence. Can you imagine a Muslim going to Krishna temple and bowing to Lord Krishna's image in the temple ?

Which Abrahimic religion teaches this ?

Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti ===> The Reality (God) is one but the worshippers describe It in different ways.

Vasudhaiva kutumbakam ===> The whole earth/world is a family.

I have read Q'uran (teaches killing of idol worshippers, anyone who doesn't believe in Q'uran and Mohammad is going to hell for eternity etc.). I have also read Deuteronomy 13 (paints idol-worship as evil and advocates destruction of everything associated with the idol worshippers). It is not only that it is written in the scriptures but it has been interpreted by a large majority of followers of these religions literally which resulted in killing in the name of religion. The Pakistan has eliminated most of the Hindus/Christians who stayed back in Pakistan. The same thing has happened in Afghanistan. It is spreading menacingly all over the word. Anyone who says anything against Islam or Mohammad must be killed (there are a number of Fatwas). Who started killings of innocents by planting bombs in dolls ? Can this evil thought arise in a Hindu's mind ? Have you seen any Hindu trying to convert people from any other religion ? Hindus are not all saints but they don't practise hatreds in the name of religion.

Please keep in mind that this is a Hindu forum and by saying all these you are simply opening a can of worms as a number of forum members may react not-so-friendly over such statements.

OM

Eastern Mind
23 April 2012, 07:44 AM
Vannakkam: Thank you Devotee for attempting to bring common sense to an accelerating debate. But somehow I feel like i`ve seen this movie somewhere earlier ...:cool1:

Aum Namasivaya

Jainarayan
23 April 2012, 07:53 AM
But somehow I feel like i`ve seen this movie somewhere earlier ...:cool1:

Aum Namasivaya

US cable TV? ;) They show the same movies over and over and over... much like these discussions.

charitra
23 April 2012, 07:54 AM
Hello (or Meow :D)

The purpose of this forum is to exchange ideas about Dharma, to discuss about Sanatana Dharma, eventually to debate about news or abrahamic faiths (this is a big fail each time because of the intolerance of some here. Shame on you.)

How can people like me, Cuddlekitty and many others from the same background can ask questions and knowledge without the fear of being judged, of being insulted ?
Stop hurting people, stop hating this much, stop glorifying yourself and start acting like a TRUE follower of the supreme. Because all this hate, all this hurt, it become very difficult to even ask something here. Aum~

Yes i agree that hinduism has some shortcomings as well, a very old faith it is , it strived to attain perfection al along, and the goodthing is it always made progress. Outsiders can identify our imperfections easier, but they may please give us a chance to explain how we see the alleged imperpection ourselves.

It is sad you are hurt, but the intention was not to hurt you but to explain hinduism to you. If a hindu says there is no hell, then it is not to be critical of other faiths, rather it is to assure everyone that one does'nt have to live in fear, and you (and I) have a second / third chance to attain moksha (salvation). But then the karma accrued in previous janmas (births and lives) will be carried along with the atman that transcends. Thats what Krishna says in Gita. When hindus say something in relative terms to other faiths they are not insulting other faiths, but are only trying to make the issue easily understood. So therfore please go ahead and ask and share anything( by the way your english is as good as mine).

Say CK was talking about beads- in Iran, i was surprised to see so many men having beads in their hands and rolling them while talking etc., and I never ever saw a hindu with beads in all my life (well some rare swamis may have them, but never witnessed by me ever). So there it is we can explain what we saw and we learnt during our lifetime and make the planet a better place to live in. Hindusim encourages inquiry so questions are welcome. Namaste.

charitra
23 April 2012, 10:48 AM
I believe meditation or general worship can be done nude done also as its the ultimate form of materialistic detachment.
It is just you and God and nobody or nothing else.


Why not, this is not new to hindus.;) The hindu nanga sadhu which means ‘renunciate who wanders naked’ lives (most) life naked. This tribe has shrunk so much we don’t see themever nowadays/ police politely ask them tokeep away from towns . Thus you can meditate this way in your private dwelling and I don’t see why hindus should have any serious objection from religious stand point. I have this feeling you like meditation but this name may not be what you call it. The emphasis should be on meditation but not about the surroundings or clothing, these are immaterial, hope this helps.

On a side note, this reminds me of a story. When I was training in England in 90s, one morning while sipping coffee with the Prof. in the lounge, a colleagues walks in and announces ,’ prof, I want to research on this subject from this and this angle’. The Prof looks up and quietly enquires,’ did you search the literature’. Colleague answers, ’yes, I did, no published data,none.’ Then the Prof smilingly concludes, ’Look up the German and French lit. first before you waste all your time on this !! ( by repeating what has alreadybeen studied and reported by others)’.

Namaste.
.

arp1
23 April 2012, 11:45 AM
//This i why i liked Islamic prayer and the idea of prostration as an act of worship. I really just want to know if this is an act of worship by itself in Hinduism//
This is a real comedy.. "ISLAMIC PRAYER" where your are not supposed to look above (otherwise your eyes will be snatched away) . you need to face Kaaba(Saudi Black stone) otherwise Allah will not accept the prayer. My friend . First know about Islam & other theology fully then you can mix those and insult Hinduism.

cuddledkitty
23 April 2012, 10:07 PM
The thuggees killed people travelling into the empire and they were mostly Europeans so yes they killed mostly non-Hindu's. And i dont mean it literally when i say a religion has blood on its hands, but the people of the religion i should say. And even then those people are not obeying their religious doctrine.

And yes Obama is right saying Islam is a religion of peace as he wants to stop hatred.

And Islam is not a race but people who hate Islam think this. They think all Arabs are Islamic and they call Kurds and Persians Arabs also without knowing there is a difference.

A cult is often a corruption of a religion that is based on bias and not theism.

Those scriptures from my understanding are referring to the native religions there at the time which were considered witchcraft to many people. Many of these scriptures are by word of mouth not by writing so it often referenced a question with the following answer (that answer being the scripture). . But the pre-Islamic religions were mainly idol worship and somewhat violent religions to my understandings. The entire surah basically repeats "the idolaters" declaring them as an enemy since idolatry is the only thing god will not forgive. Its not a personal attack on any religion but the pre-Islamic idolatry that went about. This was deemed as detrimental to the Arabian lands by many Muslims and still today.

Sharia ruled theocracies of course will not allow unIslamic teachings, this owuld apply for any theocracy. Quran specifically mentions "leaving other religions alone", to avoid conflicts of religion and theistic beliefs that differ from Islam. This isnt done from hatred but more like self preservation of the Islamic faith. Nobody wants their religion to compete wih another i wouldnt ant any religion to do suchas this creates war and even this is mentioned int he Quran and Haddiths. Also as for apostasy, its in a haddith not the Quran. The Quran is your doctrine of salvation not Haddiths or teachings.

cuddledkitty
23 April 2012, 10:43 PM
So what if someone is worshipping the item itself? I dont see anything wrong with it.

Well i personally dont think anything is worthy of worship but god or a living being. I literally worship my husband and this is called anthropolatry but the issue is that he has a spirit and is living. The only form of idolatry i approve of is the act of worshiping a deity but using the idol or object as a representative of that entity. I do not support the direct worship of an object signifying it is literally a god.


Again, in Hinduism, the way a person approaches a religion/performs worship is personal. We do not pass judgements on how another person perceives the divine. The above view is ok for you, but you should not generalize.





Right. Do you have any reason to believe that God will respond unfavourably to idol worshippers or those who use beads, etc?

i dont believe in god favoring others for how they do their duties unless they are committing acts of violence or ill deeds to others. I believe any person worshiping god should do it in a more personal matter and learn to not rely on things like prayer beads as to truly worship you should learn to do so completely free of physical distraction and reliance. God should be between you and him/her and nothing else. I dont consider this "superior" but i consider it a more devout and honorable way of worship. We shouldnt rely on materialistic forms of worship when we are praying to something spiritual and un-materialistic . Its just a more "pure" form of worship, i dont think its the only or true way to worship i just think it is more honorable.

cuddledkitty
23 April 2012, 10:49 PM
Hi

Sorry if i seem mad but im not arguing nor trying to start an argument. Nor do i think anyone else is (i think). And i dont man to make Hinduism look bad but im trying to say all religions have been corrupted for personal or evil gains. I also have no ill intent on Hinduism also. So please understand that im not trying to start an argument but i am often a bad writer. I speak 3.5 languages after all =P

cuddledkitty
23 April 2012, 10:53 PM
Why not, this is not new to hindus.;) The hindu nanga sadhu which means ‘renunciate who wanders naked’ lives (most) life naked. This tribe has shrunk so much we don’t see themever nowadays/ police politely ask them tokeep away from towns . Thus you can meditate this way in your private dwelling and I don’t see why hindus should have any serious objection from religious stand point. I have this feeling you like meditation but this name may not be what you call it. The emphasis should be on meditation but not about the surroundings or clothing, these are immaterial, hope this helps.

On a side note, this reminds me of a story. When I was training in England in 90s, one morning while sipping coffee with the Prof. in the lounge, a colleagues walks in and announces ,’ prof, I want to research on this subject from this and this angle’. The Prof looks up and quietly enquires,’ did you search the literature’. Colleague answers, ’yes, I did, no published data,none.’ Then the Prof smilingly concludes, ’Look up the German and French lit. first before you waste all your time on this !! ( by repeating what has alreadybeen studied and reported by others)’.

Namaste.
.

Namamamamaste! :D

THATS CUTE! :D My husband has a belief of "immaterialiation" as do i. My husband was brave enough to strip naked in front of a crowd in Japan and fight another man starch naked in a Shinshinkai. If that doesnt show power, devotion, a relaxed mind and utter spiritual confidence i dont know what will. And this is Japan, a country were the penis is as unholy to be seen as sewage water lol. My husband's decision on this was simple, to become more stronger, better, relaxed, and strong willed you must make humiliation, self awareness, shame and physical awareness non present. You must be detached from all distractions and outward influences. I myself bath in the morning and pay worship to two beings Surya/Amaterasu and my husband. I make an 8 minute worship to a deity and 7 minute to my husband, 8 is the holy number and 7 is the lucky one. And yes i do this nude often and to stop false accusations, my husband has "social issues" (lets leave it at that note) that prevent him from having a strong "romantic desire", so no perverse intentions come from him and no perversions are intended by me.
And to me my husband is a lucky demigod as blasphemous as that may sound but even that can be found in the laws of Manu.

devotee
23 April 2012, 11:04 PM
Namaste CK,


The thuggees killed people travelling into the empire and they were mostly Europeans so yes they killed mostly non-Hindu's. And i dont mean it literally when i say a religion has blood on its hands, but the people of the religion i should say. And even then those people are not obeying their religious doctrine.

You have no idea what you are saying. Please read unbiased history of the Thugs. They killed anyone who had money. It was their profession to rob and kill people. It was not against non-Hindus. Please don't distort the historical facts.

Hindus committed most of the atrocities on their own people in the name of caste. So, if there is blood on their hands, it is their own brethren's blood.


And Islam is not a race but people who hate Islam think this. They think all Arabs are Islamic and they call Kurds and Persians Arabs also without knowing there is a difference.

My dear friend, I would not argue on this, as you are blissfully unaware of the bloody history of Islam. These people destroyed almost the entire race and their scriptures of Zoroastrians in Iran. These fire-worshipers found their home in India after driven out from their own land. The entire Iran, Afghanistan and today's Pakistan was inhabited by people who were in many aspects similar to Hindus. The entire Kandahar was Buddhist. However, the Islamic invadors destroyed everything.

Their hatred is unparalled in the history. How the Pagans were deceived with so-called "Satanic verses" by Mohammad when his army was weak against the Pagans ? How the Christians were deceived and the land of Madina was soaked in the blood of unsuspecting people including women and children is known to everyone. How Mohammad and his army destroyed all idols in Mecca is known to everyone. What did he achieve by burning everything which was sacred to all the pagans living there ? Can you cite any historical fact which can prove that the Pagans were violent tribes ? Have you seen a Afghan Muslim cutting the throat of a white man ? This is called violence.

Compare this with the way Hindus lived with Muslims for thousands of years in India. The Muslims in India have increased in geometrical progression whereas Hindus in Pakistan have decreased in geometrical progression - why ? because the Muslims are as peace-loving as the Hindus are . The Muslims in Afghanistan destroyed the giant statues of Buddha which was a heritage of everyone in this world ... was it done because Muslims are a peaceful lot ? Muslims invaded India and destroyed thousands of temples because they were peace-loving people ? Some days back, a politician in Pakistan was killed brutally because he was against "Insulting Allah (to be punished with death)" rule - is it the case of sanity ?


Those scriptures from my understanding are referring to the native religions there at the time which were considered witchcraft to many people. Many of these scriptures are by word of mouth not by writing so it often referenced a question with the following answer (that answer being the scripture). . But the pre-Islamic religions were mainly idol worship and somewhat violent religions to my understandings. The entire surah basically repeats "the idolaters" declaring them as an enemy since idolatry is the only thing god will not forgive. Its not a personal attack on any religion but the pre-Islamic idolatry that went about. This was deemed as detrimental to the Arabian lands by many Muslims and still today.

Please don't draw your own conclusions. Please see how the Muslims in general understand the meaning of these excerpts of Q'uran. I have underlined the sentence which shows your bias and absurdity of such scriptures. If idol-worship was so abominable to God, why He didn't destroy them ? Why was He incapable to instill this belief into the minds of the Hindus that idolatory was a sin ? Why God suddenly realise this thing many thousands years after creation ? Moreover, if these tribes/nations/society are to be destroyed, why God is incapable of doing it all Himself ? Why does He seek help of humans in waging a Jehad and killing innumerable innocents in the process ? The reason is that it is all absurd and grown out of societal enemity between the tribes (who had differing faiths) which was carried into the scriptures.

OM

cuddledkitty
24 April 2012, 12:04 AM
Namaste CK,



You have no idea what you are saying. Please read unbiased history of the Thugs. They killed anyone who had money. It was their profession to rob and kill people. It was not against non-Hindus. Please don't distort the historical facts.

Hindus committed most of the atrocities on their own people in the name of caste. So, if there is blood on their hands, it is their own brethren's blood.



My dear friend, I would not argue on this, as you are blissfully unaware of the bloody history of Islam. These people destroyed almost the entire race and their scriptures of Zoroastrians in Iran. These fire-worshipers found their home in India after driven out from their own land. The entire Iran, Afghanistan and today's Pakistan was inhabited by people who were in many aspects similar to Hindus. The entire Kandahar was Buddhist. However, the Islamic invadors destroyed everything.

Their hatred is unparalled in the history. How the Pagans were deceived with so-called "Satanic verses" by Mohammad when his army was weak against the Pagans ? How the Christians were deceived and the land of Madina was soaked in the blood of unsuspecting people including women and children is known to everyone. How Mohammad and his army destroyed all idols in Mecca is known to everyone. What did he achieve by burning everything which was sacred to all the pagans living there ? Can you cite any historical fact which can prove that the Pagans were violent tribes ? Have you seen a Afghan Muslim cutting the throat of a white man ? This is called violence.

Compare this with the way Hindus lived with Muslims for thousands of years in India. The Muslims in India have increased in geometrical progression whereas Hindus in Pakistan have decreased in geometrical progression - why ? because the Muslims are as peace-loving as the Hindus are . The Muslims in Afghanistan destroyed the giant statues of Buddha which was a heritage of everyone in this world ... was it done because Muslims are a peaceful lot ? Muslims invaded India and destroyed thousands of temples because they were peace-loving people ? Some days back, a politician in Pakistan was killed brutally because he was against "Insulting Allah (to be punished with death)" rule - is it the case of sanity ?



Please don't draw your own conclusions. Please see how the Muslims in general understand the meaning of these excerpts of Q'uran. I have underlined the sentence which shows your bias and absurdity of such scriptures. If idol-worship was so abominable to God, why He didn't destroy them ? Why was He incapable to instill this belief into the minds of the Hindus that idolatory was a sin ? Why God suddenly realise this thing many thousands years after creation ? Moreover, if these tribes/nations/society are to be destroyed, why God is incapable of doing it all Himself ? Why does He seek help of humans in waging a Jehad and killing innumerable innocents in the process ? The reason is that it is all absurd and grown out of societal enemity between the tribes (who had differing faiths) which was carried into the scriptures.

OM

look your distorting everything i say. The Thuggees killed people with money yes i said that and i also said they killed mostly European merchants which i would assume werent Hindu as they were Europeans, ineevr said they killed non Hindu's just wealthy merchants. They killed people with money and murdered them offering their blood to Kali, which many believe was a way of luck or blessing for when they steal again. I never said they targeted non Hindu's to murder as a form of religious cleansing.

I have never said Islam was peaceful and made acts of peace, i am aware of all the actions that have been performed in the name of Islam. I have never showed ignorance period. You are not making a point also. And i have no idea how to begin answering your statements as it doesnt even relate to my posts. I know your a good person but i will not argue with you because you have just repeated everything i am aware of and know about.

:offtopic:
As for idol worship i am not saying i think idolaters should die, because i have not drawn my own conclusion. I am mentioning the basic understanding from a teacher i met in Saudi when i was trying to be a muslim (for 2 months). And my words are not bias and are the total opposite. I am telling the words of fellow muslims i know and not my own words. I never said God should destroy idol worshipers or anything of the like, i am again quoting the words of fellow Muslims. Have you not wondered why i became a Hindu and left Islam after 2 months? So obviously i am not bias and not protecting Islam. God never demanded any country or tribe to be destroyed nor death to come to idolaters. I agree with everything your saying and i am not going against you, i dont know if you have misread my mesage but i am NOT supporting Islam and i am simply being fair and as i have told other's i am not a Muslim and know little about Islam and the Quran because i was only a Muslimah for 2 months. So please stop arguing with me because i have said nothing you have accused me of. I am fully aware of Islamic bias and its enemies at the time it was founded.



Those scriptures from my understanding are referring to the native religions there at the time which were considered witchcraft to many people. Many of these scriptures are by word of mouth not by writing so it often referenced a question with the following answer (that answer being the scripture). . But the pre-Islamic religions were mainly idol worship and somewhat violent religions to my understandings. The entire surah basically repeats "the idolaters" declaring them as an enemy since idolatry is the only thing god will not forgive. Its not a personal attack on any religion but the pre-Islamic idolatry that went about. This was deemed as detrimental to the Arabian lands by many Muslims and still today.

Those are words of non bias and note i mentioned the surah saying this NOT ME. So please understand i am not declaring Islam and the Quran as the ultimate truth or supporting its ideals because i know its violent history.

devotee
24 April 2012, 01:30 AM
Namaste CK,

Sorry, if I sounded hostile in anyway. I started with an intention of stopping meaningless argument which is sure to lead us to creating bad blood and perhaps landed myself into one ! May be I misread your posts but I am human and certainly prone to making errors.

Let's concentrate on discussing spirituality and stop arguing over different faiths in the world. All faiths exist on this earth because God wanted it that way or perhaps He has left it all to people to decide their own ways. Hindu Dharma is a mixture of so many different varying beliefs and paths which all merge at some point which binds us all as Hindus.

I look forward to reading your posts on spirituality. :)

OM

cuddledkitty
24 April 2012, 02:07 AM
Namaste CK,

Sorry, if I sounded hostile in anyway. I started with an intention of stopping meaningless argument which is sure to lead us to creating bad blood and perhaps landed myself into one ! May be I misread your posts but I am human and certainly prone to making errors.

Let's concentrate on discussing spirituality and stop arguing over different faiths in the world. All faiths exist on this earth because God wanted it that way or perhaps He has left it all to people to decide their own ways. Hindu Dharma is a mixture of so many different varying beliefs and paths which all merge at some point which binds us all as Hindus.

I look forward to reading your posts on spirituality. :)

OM

May a thousand cute cuddly kittens lick your feet! :D

Its ok if you made a mistake but i know my writing is poor even if its my first language. I wasnt trying to put a bad name on Hindu's but simply pointing out that ANY religion can be corrupted by people and their own goals, people do this very often and go against their own religious teachings. Anyways i understand your point of view but i was just reciting others lol I also agreed with what you said also and hold no harsh feelings to any religion as i was a Christian, then Muslim now Hindu so i have tried a few :D

rog
24 April 2012, 12:26 PM
A) is it possible to still pray and worship my cultural gods?

B) is prostration such as sujud, dogeza or panchang pranam acceptable as worship within Hinduism?

C) Can i still call myself a Hinduist?

D) Does prostration alone count as worship? I dislike materialistic worship or rituals.

Namaste cuddledkitty,

I am almost as new to being a Hindu as I am to this forum but I feel I wish to answer your questions with whatever I can offer. I am not being false with humility its just that I have realised there is so much more for me to learn........but here are my understandings which I offer in the hope that they might just spark one tiny realisation of truth for you.....

A. I think that you could use your cultural 'god' as a focus for worship of the divine as long as you are using that to worship or contemplate some aspect of the one true reality. Every god and every name for god are ultimately just aspects of oneness. The danger may be that the pathways in your brain which relate to that name or concept are so fixed now due to the cultural and religious attachment that it becomes a struggle to use it as a focus for worship in light the new realisations which are hopefully coming to you through contemplation of the Hindu way.

B. ditto

C. Yes if you are clear in your mind as to the true nature of what you are focussing on.

D.ditto

Like I said my understanding is new to me and maybe at this stage I am over simplifying. I am a 'white english man from a christian background' ( on the outside:D )

Ironically since I have had the realisations in my mind provoked by reading the Bhagavad Gita, I can see so much more truth in the bible;

for example, "god made man in his image" I never perceived any reality in this when I heard it in the christian context but now I can see this is self evidently true because our bodies and this material world are made of atoms which are just energy. This energy moment by moment as we experience it must be generated, held together and manifest into matter by intelligent consciousness or else the energy, unharnessed would just be released in an huge energetic explosion. As for our mind / soul this too is a tiny part within that same consciousness expressed by itself in a different way, therefore we are not made by god like a boy makes a sandcastle and then walks away, we are god, persistently manifest in our bodies temporally and souls eternally as an infinitely tiny part of that one consciousness.

Even though I can see so much more truth in the bible now it is only because the veil of delusion has been blown away by the light of the Gita therefore to focus on christ for example is possible if I use it as an expression of truth but culturally the image and name are so linked with a different construct that I would making life unnecessarily hard for myself.

I cannot yet commit to worshipping Hindu deities with my heart because the instant concepts they are meant to represent don't flow easily in to my mind but I am starting to study them as I realise that they are meant to help me contemplate different aspects of oneness and truth. I hope that as these concepts become stronger in my brain I can start to use them from my heart in the way they are meant.



On your feelings on the current negative presentation of Islam as synonymous with terrorism, I feel utterly as disgusted as you.

I grew up in West Africa and as a child I saw the real face of Islam which is the same face as mankind everywhere. I saw loving everyday people trying to find a context for the truth in their heart like anyone seeking a spiritual path. Within every culture there is a dominant religion which always gets blamed for the misdeeds of the society around it.

I am not deluded by any propaganda but sadly so many refuse to see the absurdity of accusing 'Islam'. Its all just an excuse by the western powers to pursue evil policies.

I see Islam the same as any other worldly 'religion' - Lots of truth clothed in lots of misdirection. That's why I'm now proud to call myself a Hindu as I see its not a religion, as the Bhagavad Gita says so simply its just 'As it is'

I hope you can find a way forward,

these thoughts are offered with love and if anyone reading this sees wrongness, please teach me anything about what I have said.

Rog

shian
24 April 2012, 09:00 PM
Om Sarasvatyai Svaha

Hello cuddledkitty (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/member.php?u=3930)

very simple, you can walk on the whatever path you believe to come to God
and what your style to worship God, be you

and the most important is to respect other believe , like you also want others respect your own way :)

Tāṇḍava
25 April 2012, 06:02 AM
look your distorting everything i say. The Thuggees killed people with money yes i said that and i also said they killed mostly European merchants which i would assume werent Hindu as they were Europeans, ineevr said they killed non Hindu's just wealthy merchants. They killed people with money and murdered them offering their blood to Kali, which many believe was a way of luck or blessing for when they steal again.

I have two issues with this. First is that there is a lot of evidence that much of what was blamed on the thugee was made up by the British in order to gain support for laws. Some schollars believe that they were non-religious, and there were Sikh and Muslim (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuggee#Religion_and_Thuggee) gangs, as well as Hindu.

Secondly, if you count the Thugees as examples of Hindu violence then you would need to count the actions of Satanists, Voodoo practitioners, and those African churches that kill children (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/18/african-children-denounce_n_324943.html) as Christian violence. Their actions are completely opposed to mainstream teaching (though still using the same worldview).

This is very different from the situation with Islamic violence, where the argument between moderates and extremists is not over whether Muhammad commanded his followers to subdue non believers and kill them if they resisted, but only whether it is still applicable today.