Can one blend Hindu and Buddhist beliefs?

[shian]

Yea,

But i , everyday chant Holy Names of Lord Ganesh, Lord Shiva and Sarasvati Maa

Then this practice absolutely not against my lineage in Buddhism, even the scripture said is very good and numerous merit for who chant it with pure devotion and hope sentient beings in auspicious and peace.

Well as i have chant these names everyday, i also can called myself as HINDU !

It is not ? If someone said i not Hindu,
I ask, how about old lady who cannot read and dont care anythings about religion politic and she oinly chant Shivaya Shivaya Shivaya everyday ? Is she not Hindu ???

I simply dont care with religion political between Hindu and Buddhist
Also between Buddhist sect with Buddhist sect
Between Hindu sect with Hindu sect

I just care about devotion to God
Then i never blend anythings

So look it, this is fact ! Acctually they are one
One ! But we no need to blend them
Just doing your Guru instruction and practice it diligently
Then dont joined in the behaviour of slander another of sect of Mother India
She have open to us many door , we can enter from which one suitable for us.
Then just simple practice Her teaching from this mantra :

"Om Shanti Shanti Shanti"
Yes She want we bring Shanti to all consciousness

[Amrut]

Yea,

But i , everyday chant Holy Names of Lord Ganesh, Lord Shiva and Sarasvati Maa

Then this practice absolutely not against my lineage in Buddhism, even the scripture said is very good and numerous merit for who chant it with pure devotion and hope sentient beings in auspicious and peace.

Well as i have chant these names everyday, i also can called myself as HINDU !

It is not ? If someone said i not Hindu,
I ask, how about old lady who cannot read and dont care anythings about religion politic and she oinly chant Shivaya Shivaya Shivaya everyday ? Is she not Hindu ???

I simply dont care with religion political between Hindu and Buddhist
Also between Buddhist sect with Buddhist sect
Between Hindu sect with Hindu sect

I just care about devotion to God
Then i never blend anythings

So look it, this is fact ! Acctually they are one
One ! But we no need to blend them
Just doing your Guru instruction and practice it diligently
Then dont joined in the behaviour of slander another of sect of Mother India
She have open to us many door , we can enter from which one suitable for us.
Then just simple practice Her teaching from this mantra :

"Om Shanti Shanti Shanti"
Yes She want we bring Shanti to all consciousness

i am not trying to make this issue political.

You are free to do what you want and chant any God's name and there is no need of labeling yourself or nor care about anyone's comment or bashing.

What I mean is that if the ultimate goal is moksha and nirvana, then the path you follow should lead you to it. What if you are stuck up somewhere?

You can chant Ganesha. No problem, but then is not Ganesha capable of giving his divine vision and free you from cycle of birth and death?

Karma kaand i.e. worshiping of Ganesh for removal of obstruction is different and doing japa to have his divine vision and to stay at his lotus feet is a different thing.

People get inspirited by a deities ability in a particular field like Maa Laxmi to give money or Hanuman to give courage, remove fear and protect from Ghosts, etc.

You say if all God are same, then all are equally potent and equally capable, then why not just chant any one God's name? Is one not enough?

Think again. I am not trying to bash you or anyone. You are free to do what you want and I respect all paths, Gurus and Saints.

One-pointedness is necessary for success in any field. If you keep digging up soil and keep changing seeds, then even though you give good fertilizers, give water and have ample sunlight. Will the plant grow?

Seed had potential, mango seed can grow mango tree, provided you do not keep removing it again and again from soil. This by no means indicates that mango seed is useless.

you chant the mantra of deity that suits you. guru knows what is better for you. Which god's name should you chant. I found a person who could calm his mind easily by chanting Ram's name, then other God's name and there is vice-versa. for some Mahadev suits them, so better chant his name and than say that Mahadev is THE BEST (that suits him). For formal guy you say RAM is THE BEST (that suits him).

I hope you are getting my point.

Doing puja, karma kand, going to temples respecting other gods and invoking Gods and goddesses before beginning any work is different and chanting God's name just to have divine vision of God and to be at his lotus feet are different.

I have not heard of any person who has got divine vision of 3-4 gods and is chanting 3-4 God's name. It's not mentioned in any shastras or any puranas. If it's said, please point it to me, no matter if you cannot pin point verse and chapter no. It's only enough to just say that it's mentioned. I will trust you.

I humbly request you to please take it positively. No offenses please.

Aum

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: I think that a lot of what you believe comes from the culture you grow up in. When the culture is mixed, and everyone in it goes in all directions, and that is what you learn, that that's what you become. Some 'Hindu' cultures are just so foreign to others. The way Hinduism is generally practiced in Bali, Trinidad, amongst western adoptives, in Punjab, etc. varies a lot.

Is there a right way, or a wrong way? According to some, yes, there is. I'm absolutely not so sure.

Anyone living in a state where there is a mixture of Hindus and Buddhists will be quite comfortable there. The Hindus of Punjab are quite comfortable with Sikhs.

Here in the west, I live in a mixed culture. I am equally happy eating in a raw food totally organic vegetarian restaurant having an avocado salad with alfalfa sprouts, as I am in an Indian one eating rice and curry. Yet, for the most part, the other customers in each would have difficulty crossing over to the other. Its what you have learned.

Aum namasivaya

[Amrut]

Vannakkam: I think that a lot of what you believe comes from the culture you grow up in. When the culture is mixed, and everyone in it goes in all directions, and that is what you learn, that that's what you become. Some 'Hindu' cultures are just so foreign to others. The way Hinduism is generally practiced in Bali, Trinidad, amongst western adoptives, in Punjab, etc. varies a lot.

Is there a right way, or a wrong way? According to some, yes, there is. I'm absolutely not so sure.

Anyone living in a state where there is a mixture of Hindus and Buddhists will be quite comfortable there. The Hindus of Punjab are quite comfortable with Sikhs.

Here in the west, I live in a mixed culture. I am equally happy eating in a raw food totally organic vegetarian restaurant having an avocado salad with alfalfa sprouts, as I am in an Indian one eating rice and curry. Yet, for the most part, the other customers in each would have difficulty crossing over to the other. Its what you have learned.

Aum namasivaya

Namaste,

I understand what you say. Bonding and living in harmony in others is a different and our spiritual progress is a different thing. To accept things as they are, live in harmony, respect others are all good things and appreciated, but it's not an end of spirituality. It's just a part of it.

Aum

[shian]

Indiaspirituality,

Yes offcourse doing one practice and sadhana from one Guru and have one Istadevata is very important.
But as i said before, i dont blend anything

Ok, in practical i have chant some names and mantras,
But i not blend it. Why ?

See the sadhana of Hindu Shakta,
In one sesion of sadhana, they will chant some (multi) mantra and invoking multi deities.

Then, in my sadhana
in the rule, also invoking and chant some names and multi deities. But offcourse in the point of sadhana, we point on one istadevata.

How about if i is practicioner of Vishnu sahasranama ?
There is so many names of God.

I think what we mean is same,
I respect all manifestation of God everyday
And i not blend anything

Then this ( i not talk about you ) :
Some extreme of Hindu and Buddhist will say that only their sect is the TRUE PURE HInDU, or only their sect is the TRUE PURE Buddhist.
Anyway this is normal.
But this absolutely not my way of thinking

[Amrut]

Indiaspirituality,

Yes offcourse doing one practice and sadhana from one Guru and have one Istadevata is very important.
But as i said before, i dont blend anything

Ok, in practical i have chant some names and mantras,
But i not blend it. Why ?

See the sadhana of Hindu Shakta,
In one sesion of sadhana, they will chant some (multi) mantra and invoking multi deities.

Then, in my sadhana
in the rule, also invoking and chant some names and multi deities. But offcourse in the point of sadhana, we point on one istadevata.

How about if i is practicioner of Vishnu sahasranama ?
There is so many names of God.

I think what we mean is same,
I respect all manifestation of God everyday
And i not blend anything

Then this ( i not talk about you ) :
Some extreme of Hindu and Buddhist will say that only their sect is the TRUE PURE HInDU, or only their sect is the TRUE PURE Buddhist.
Anyway this is normal.
But this absolutely not my way of thinking

Namaste,

I completely agree with you.

Our's is a demanding mind, a monkey mind. It cannot stay still for long time.

Sahastra nama has it's purpose, like,

1. It's difficlut to chant om namah shivaya for 1 hour, but one can easily read and even sing sahastra nama for 1 hour.

2. It recalls god's glories and bring faith in God. e.g.

OM Mahamrutyanjaya Namah.

Mrutyunjaya means victory over death. So Lord Shiva has conquered death. Mind accepts and ego bends. Faith is increased.

It also recalls the story, if one has read puranas. how a young boy later to be know Rishi Markendaya was saved by this mantra.

I daily meditate for minimum 3 hours. Even now, when I stop writing and be aware, mantra pops up and chanting continues. This indicates that mantra is going continues through day. Again when I wake up next morning, first thing that comes to mind mind is the mantra. It continues. This indicates that mantra has continued whole night. So it's going on 24 hours in subconscious mind except when meditating.

This is my personal experience. Now when you chant 2 mantras, which one will be continued.

I do not deny what you say. I agree with you. But what I am trying to say is that if you want divine vision of God, then mantra has to be carried 24 x 7 in mind. How can this happen? If you ask this question to me, my answer is chant only one mantra and dedicate whole live to your beloved God,

Path, faith way of worship is a different issue.

Rest it depends upon God to give his darshan, as it is his will and in this capacity to give dharhan, so God is the final authority

Invoking God and chanting mantra for hours is a different thing. That is what I am trying to say.

I agree with you - dont blend anything

Aum

[Shuddhasattva]

I have not heard of any person who has got divine vision of 3-4 gods and is chanting 3-4 God's name. It's not mentioned in any shastras or any puranas. If it's said, please point it to me, no matter if you cannot pin point verse and chapter no. It's only enough to just say that it's mentioned. I will trust you.

Namaste.

The Vedas themselves consist of the worship of almost 100 deities, of which 33~ are principle, arrayed in their respective threefold mandala. Richas (hymns of invocation; rg vedic mantras) are performed for all of them.

It is really worship of 1 god. Who is this God? Ka? He is also three fold.

So though we may choose to use more than one name or form, especially for those of us in the yantric traditions, we are never worshiping more than 1 god.

To use your metaphor, the nutritional requirements of a plant are complex. A good fertilizer contains many macronutrients, micronutrients, phytohormones, other semiochemicals, carbohydrates to feed the soil biota, symbiotic microorganisms, enzymes, amino acids, etc.

You are not changing the seed itself, you are rotating the fertilizer as per the need of the seed, which is one's own divine inclination.

In all cases, the guru's command is the way to victory (Amrtanubhav). If guru says worship X, you worship X. Guru says worship Y now, you worship Y. Guru takes you through an internal pilgrimage, a divine odyssey, visiting many gods, absorbing them, absorbing yourself into them, so that they are never gone from you as you move on.

Until eventually you are Mahapurusha.

Namaste

[philosoraptor]

I'm an Agnostic whom is delving into Buddhism. I believe that it is a great thing to live by and, upon looking into its various philosophical teachings, I'm starting to believe in things I never really did before; like Karma and Rebirth.

However, I visited a local Hindu temple and attended a Shiva puja. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and I felt a sense of enlightenment after it was over.

Even though there are similar teachings between Hinduism and Buddhism (Karma, reincarnation/rebirth), a lot of their core beliefs differ greatly.

However, is there a way to be both? To reach a compromise between the two beliefs?

Pranams.

You can do anything you want. You have free will. The real question is whether your actions will achieve the desired result. To know whether some spiritual action will achieve a certain spiritual (suprasensory) result, you need an authoritative source of knowledge which is not confined to the limited perceptions of human authorship, and which can thus give knowledge about suprasensory actions and entities.

Traditionally, Vedaantic Hinduism and Buddhism were as different as night and day. Buddhists rejected the Vedas as authority and were basically non-theistic. Subsequently, Buddhism has transformed and there are many Buddhist traditions which have their own deities, some imported from Hinduism while others coming from elsewhere. Hinduism also has transformed, with much of what is today described as "Hinduism" having strayed far from its Vedic roots and basically being adulterated with human opinions.

The question you should ask yourself is, what are you really looking for? If you have accepted that happiness is not to be found in this world, and that liberation should be sought out, then you would be best served by not trying to "compromise" between two religions and instead seeking out a genuine, unauthored path to moksha. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a religion just for the sake of having a religion, then it really doesn't matter what you do.

regards,

[Jainarayan]

Namaste.

I may be speaking out of turn, and on something which I know little, but I found this a while ago, wondering about using more than one mantra or nama. I do not know who actually wrote this.

http://www.mailerindia.com/slokas/ma...php?mantrasfaq

Q:I want to work with more than one mantra at a time, because I want to work on several things at once. Is this a good thing to do?

A:For your first experiment with mantras, I recommend you work with only one mantra for a full forty-eight day discipline. After that, work with any combination that makes sense to you. Remember, mantras work with energy - both yours and what you bring in from the universe - so if you work on more than one thing, try to keep them at least in the same general area.

I have also read that one should not keep mixing mantras or nama. i.e. bouncing around with chanting. It's like wandering aimlessly on roads not knowing where you are going or where you will wind up. That makes sense.

I myself have used only two mantras, Om namah Shivaya and Om namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya on a recommendation that appealing to Lord Shiva will increase the spirituality and devotion to Lord Vishnu who grants liberation. I did not feel any negative effects; rather, it was a nice feeling.

This is all just an observation, not an endorsement or discouragement of this way.

[Amrut]

Namaste.

The Vedas themselves consist of the worship of almost 100 deities, of which 33~ are principle, arrayed in their respective threefold mandala. Richas (hymns of invocation; rg vedic mantras) are performed for all of them.

It is really worship of 1 god. Who is this God? Ka? He is also three fold.

So though we may choose to use more than one name or form, especially for those of us in the yantric traditions, we are never worshiping more than 1 god.

To use your metaphor, the nutritional requirements of a plant are complex. A good fertilizer contains many macronutrients, micronutrients, phytohormones, other semiochemicals, carbohydrates to feed the soil biota, symbiotic microorganisms, enzymes, amino acids, etc.

You are not changing the seed itself, you are rotating the fertilizer as per the need of the seed, which is one's own divine inclination.

In all cases, the guru's command is the way to victory (Amrtanubhav). If guru says worship X, you worship X. Guru says worship Y now, you worship Y. Guru takes you through an internal pilgrimage, a divine odyssey, visiting many gods, absorbing them, absorbing yourself into them, so that they are never gone from you as you move on.

Until eventually you are Mahapurusha.

Namaste

Namaste,

There are 33 crore devatas. What you say is for karma kand. Thats what I am repeatedly saying.

What you are saying is that all worship goes to one God. Technically that is true, but one pointedness is necessary. Will your mind become stable. You may logically say yes, as all Gods are one and the same. To me the answer is no, as for mantra to continue 24 x 7, only chanting of One God helps.

Maybe somethings cannot be explained. They need to experience. But still I have not found anyone who has got vision for 4 Gods as he / she was chanting name of 4 Gods or even the Vision of any one of 4 God, as all Gods are same or even he / she has got experience of formless aspect of God.

Please understand that having divine vision of god as goal is different thing and doing karma kand is different. If you want Maa Laxmi, for money, then you may need shri yantra, but if you just chant her name for divine vision, then there is no need of shri yantra.

Does Vedas say, you HAVE TO worship all 100 gods or 33 crore Gods. or you can chant multiple mantras a a time or one one day for Self Realization or divine vision of God.

One form of God is enough. All Gods are same. That is write. Does that mean that each day, you chant a different Gods name. There are 33 crore devatas, more than days in your life span.

Swami Nikhinanands of Chinmaya mission says, 80 % vedas contain karma kand, 16 % upasana, and only 4 % Jnana.

Even if you chant 3-4 Gods, still it's one God at a time and that too only one mantra and not 1001 names of same deity or chalisa, nor sahastra nama. Like Asuras did penance for super natural powers for their own benefits. Rishis doing yagna may have 100 mantras in a particualr order. But thats yagna and nor chanting.

Prahlad, parashuram, Ravan, Druva, Valmiki, Hanuman, etc chanted only One God's name. Even Sri Ramakrisha, who worshipped and had divine visions of many Gods and goddesses was worshiping one God at a time. For common man, only one God is enough. But Sri Ramakrishna was avatar and wanted to set an example by practice that all Gods are same and God can be achieved by many bhavas and paths and that all religions are true and lead to same destination. He never said chant many mantras.

If someone believes in Rama, he would encourage him to chant Rama's name and sign Rama's Glories. Similarly, if someone was chanting Krishna's name, then encourage him to chant Krishna mantra.

Only one mantra suits our mind most than other mantras, though all are leading to same destination. One mantra can calm down mind easily than other mantras.

Some like OM Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Some like Sri Krishna Sharanam Mama

Both are Sri Krishna's mantras, but one will have deeper impact on one person and otehr one another person. This is what I am trying to say.

there are beej mantras, the most powerful and have deeper impact on mind and heart than puranic mantras

Like

Om Shri Ramchandraya Namah - Beej Mantra
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram - Puranic Mantra.

Both are good, it depends upon what suits you. Thats the best for you.

Upasana has to be done of any one. If you find any example of or a story in Vedas, do let me, so that I can correct my perception and belief.

It depends upon you how you interpret things. This is my personal interpretation and opinion.

I completely agree with you that one must follow Enlightened Guru's advice. There is no second thought.

If you are yourself realized, then no need to meditate

Rest depends upon you.

Aum