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Thread: unless being born and raised in Hinduism?

  1. #1
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    unless being born and raised in Hinduism?

    It seems that one will be mostly standing outside looking in unless they are born and raised in Hinduism...and even with those that are it would seem that a great many lifetimes of study and practice would be needed to get a good understanding of it vastness...(per the Vedas, it's very long and complex history, culture and present forms of manifestation related to human affairs) Granted many outsiders can appreciate the basic teachings and guru's of the various sects, and also the traditions and culture but that does not mean their mind, heart and soul are wired, so to speak as a worshiping Hindu. Many westerners like myself who are wired differently can not make a full adjustment to Hinduism, I also find it sad that many Hindus are making to big of an adjustment towards western ways and thus compromising or weakening their religion.

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    Re: unless being born and raised in Hinduism?

    Namaste,

    Dilution of Hinduism by Hindus in the West because of social and financial pressures or out of sheer ignorance is sad and some day maybe they will see it and turn the tide.

    Many people born outside of Hinduism, when introduced to it, become overwhelmed and bewildered. They want to become familiar with each sect and scripture and some even go to the trouble of learning Sanskrit - language of the Gods - in order to be able to read the scriptures in their original form. There is no need for that. One does not have to learn the Lilas of each and every deity and about His place in the grand family of celestial beings to start the spiritual ascent. The magic of crossing the threshold to become an insider rather than being an outsider looking in is to practice with devotion. With time one may or may not become familiar with the intricate relationships between various deities and the social and cultural aspects of the Hindu community, but one should not put the practice of spirituality on hold while doing the mundane research.

    Various swamis reached the pinnacle of awareness in one lifetime. An outsider could do it all in one lifetime too, if there is devotion in practice. Don't merely be an eternal student of various sects and traditions and deities. Stay focused on the essence and practice it.

    Pranam.
    Last edited by Believer; 18 December 2018 at 05:37 PM. Reason: Improved readability.

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    Re: unless being born and raised in Hinduism?

    Well said Believer, thank you.

    I do believe that after many lifetimes a person may then put all of those lifetimes together into a present lifetime of attainment. I also feel that the practice of devotion or devoted practice goes along with other aspects of life on the way. I say that because of or in the context of being devoted to a being or god projected outside oneself can be problematic, for instance the upanishads do not point to a goal of a god outside the "Self", other than they too are that which springs from the Self.

    Om Tat Sat

  4. #4

    Re: unless being born and raised in Hinduism?

    Very wise words, Believer!
    "One who makes a habit of prayer and meditation will easily overcome all difficulties and remain calm and unruffled in the midst of the trials of life." (Holy Mother Sarada Devi)

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    Re: unless being born and raised in Hinduism?

    Namaste handy guy,

    You might have been born as a Hindu the last 500 times. This time you were incarnated into a different social and religious set up but your past is pulling you back to where you belong.

    A wise man said, 'A tree does not bother about flowers that fall; it is always busy making new flowers blossom.'

    There is no point in thinking about what you lost or what you are not. Do all that you can with what you have without any regrets. Life moves forward. Rear view mirror has no relation to your future destination.

    Pranam.

  6. #6

    Re: unless being born and raised in Hinduism?

    Quote Originally Posted by handy guy View Post
    It seems that one will be mostly standing outside looking in unless they are born and raised in Hinduism...and even with those that are it would seem that a great many lifetimes of study and practice would be needed to get a good understanding of it vastness...(per the Vedas, it's very long and complex history, culture and present forms of manifestation related to human affairs) Granted many outsiders can appreciate the basic teachings and guru's of the various sects, and also the traditions and culture but that does not mean their mind, heart and soul are wired, so to speak as a worshiping Hindu. Many westerners like myself who are wired differently can not make a full adjustment to Hinduism, I also find it sad that many Hindus are making to big of an adjustment towards western ways and thus compromising or weakening their religion.
    namaste
    there is very simple answer to this question in 3/35 of Gita shloka as every religion is good to follow .
    now come to shloka 47/18 and 48/18 where again it is said .
    to my understanding there must be Shreyan swakarmo vigunah parkarmat .. means our deeds should be performed as per directions of own shashtras .
    why because swabhava niyatam karma kuru .
    what is swabhava then ?
    it is personal in case of human and nature for Prakriti balance .
    jai Sri Krsna

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    Re: unless being born and raised in Hinduism?

    Namaste Believer,

    I really appreciate the Upanishads that point to the Self, still the Self is not Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Jain, etc...best wishes to you.

  8. #8

    Re: unless being born and raised in Hinduism?

    Quote Originally Posted by Believer View Post
    Namaste,

    Dilution of Hinduism by Hindus in the West because of social and financial pressures or out of sheer ignorance is sad and some day maybe they will see it and turn the tide.

    Many people born outside of Hinduism, when introduced to it, become overwhelmed and bewildered. They want to become familiar with each sect and scripture and some even go to the trouble of learning Sanskrit - language of the Gods - in order to be able to read the scriptures in their original form. There is no need for that. One does not have to learn the Lilas of each and every deity and about His place in the grand family of celestial beings to start the spiritual ascent. The magic of crossing the threshold to become an insider rather than being an outsider looking in is to practice with devotion. With time one may or may not become familiar with the intricate relationships between various deities and the social and cultural aspects of the Hindu community, but one should not put the practice of spirituality on hold while doing the mundane research.

    Various swamis reached the pinnacle of awareness in one lifetime. An outsider could do it all in one lifetime too, if there is devotion in practice. Don't merely be an eternal student of various sects and traditions and deities. Stay focused on the essence and practice it.

    Pranam.
    Believer,

    How much of this dilution is the result of attempts to make Hindu teachings relevant to an advanced industrial environment?
    Eknath Easwaran used the banking system as a metaphor for Sraddha in chapter 17 of his book To Love Is To Know Me. He talks about banks lending out so much money that they can't fulfill withdrawal requests. He then raises the possibility of bank failures, even though countries like the United States have organizations like the FDIC to protect banks from this kind of failure. It may be slightly more relevant now after the global financial crisis, but this book was published during the Cold War, and people at the time may have seen his point as alarmist.

  9. #9

    Re: unless being born and raised in Hinduism?

    Quote Originally Posted by Believer View Post
    Namaste,

    Dilution of Hinduism by Hindus in the West because of social and financial pressures or out of sheer ignorance is sad and some day maybe they will see it and turn the tide.

    Many people born outside of Hinduism, when introduced to it, become overwhelmed and bewildered. They want to become familiar with each sect and scripture and some even go to the trouble of learning Sanskrit - language of the Gods - in order to be able to read the scriptures in their original form. There is no need for that. One does not have to learn the Lilas of each and every deity and about His place in the grand family of celestial beings to start the spiritual ascent. The magic of crossing the threshold to become an insider rather than being an outsider looking in is to practice with devotion. With time one may or may not become familiar with the intricate relationships between various deities and the social and cultural aspects of the Hindu community, but one should not put the practice of spirituality on hold while doing the mundane research.

    Various swamis reached the pinnacle of awareness in one lifetime. An outsider could do it all in one lifetime too, if there is devotion in practice. Don't merely be an eternal student of various sects and traditions and deities. Stay focused on the essence and practice it.

    Pranam.
    Namaste Believer,

    How much of this dilution is the result of attempts to make Hindu teachings relevant to an advanced industrial environment?
    Eknath Easwaran used the banking system as a metaphor for Sraddha in chapter 17 of his book To Love Is To Know Me. He talks about banks lending out so much money that they can't fulfill withdrawal requests. He then raises the possibility of bank failures, even though countries like the United States have organizations like the FDIC to protect banks from this kind of failure. It may be slightly more relevant now after the global financial crisis, but this book was published during the Cold War, and people at the time may have seen his point as alarmist.

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