Ask a Hindu/Ask an Indian

[Winner]

Also, we will NEVER be part of the NPT.

And the reason for that is...?

(I mean if NPT granted India the status of "nuclear weapon state" like it grants to the US, Russia, France, China and Britain)

 

[silver 2039]

fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

 

[oagersnap]

Rajasthan is the most uber tourist place in the entire country. I went into multiple orgasams of historical delight when I went to Rajasthan. A must see place.

True, I've been to Jaipur and Pushkar, both are very nice, I especially like the observatory of Jaipur.

Delhi is an incredible city also, though it's very overcrowded.

 

[GenMarshall]

Apologies for bumping an old thread, but suddenly I have a whole lot of questions in regards to Hinduism (Mainly due to moving into the topic of Hinduism in the Comparative World Religions Class I am taking)

In both cases, however, it requires the active efforts of Hindus to spread the religion - it does not spread on its own. The only way it can spread on its own is if it is opened up again, the way open source software (or, more accurately, Free Software) is. The values and ideals that go with it are quite tempting even if they are very tough.

So in a sense, Hinduism can be spread on it's own by the Internet or through Comparative World Religion Classes?

Hinduism has always been free as in freedom (to use the FSF's example), for anyone to use and edit. So Indonesia has its own versions of Hindu myths, and their own ways of culturally expressing them. Their architecture, art, music, everything is unique, and different from what is found in India. You do not have to give up your culture to become a Hindu - this is another great positive, IMO.

So one does not give up one Culture for another? So for instance, one can still have American, Japanese, and Greek-Roman cultures and arts and still remain a Hindu?

Not sure how I could reconcile Christianity and Hinduism, Eventhough the Gospel of Thomas (A Gnostic Gospel not reconized in Biblical Canon) contains much Eastern Thinking (Exerpt from the Gospel of Thomas of what I am talking about:
"When you come to know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will realize that you are the children of the living Father. But if you do not come to know yourselves, then you exist in poverty, and you are poverty." (Thomas 3:4-5)), yet I am not sure if its possible how to reconcile with the two even though I am starting to agree with the Eastern thought.

 

[CCA]

How is the Communist Party of India faring?

 

[Elrohir]

That's a very, very tough question to answer. Probably the first tenet which I can think of is the appeal to personal experience. According to Swami Vivekananda, you are not required to believe anything except that which you have experienced.

The ultimate goal is the liberation of the soul from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, and from its attachment to the world. We must BECOME the supreme.

I've never understood why this is desirable. Why do you want to lose your identity and become part of some faceless supreme spirit thing? I'd rather slog around in the mud here on Earth for eternity, myself. I find the Heaven promised in Christianity or in the other Abrahmic religions attractive, but I've never understood the Eastern concept of Nirvana or merging with God. Why do you want this?

 

[punkbass2000]

Not sure how I could reconcile Christianity and Hinduism

Strictly speaking, you can't. Christianity requires you to take none other than Jesus (and the trinity) as your lord and saviour. You could be a Hindu who worships Jesus specifically, I think, though.

 

[punkbass2000]

I've never understood why this is desirable. Why do you want to lose your identity and become part of some faceless supreme spirit thing? I'd rather slog around in the mud here on Earth for eternity, myself. I find the Heaven promised in Christianity or in the other Abrahmic religions attractive, but I've never understood the Eastern concept of Nirvana or merging with God. Why do you want this?

.

 

[Bill3000]

What's your ethnicity?

 

[Truronian]

What's the story behind holi?

 

[aneeshm]

Apologies for bumping an old thread, but suddenly I have a whole lot of questions in regards to Hinduism (Mainly due to moving into the topic of Hinduism in the Comparative World Religions Class I am taking)

No need for an apology. Coincidentially, I was just idly wondering about the probability of this very thread being bumped.

So in a sense, Hinduism can be spread on it's own by the Internet or through Comparative World Religion Classes?

To some extent, yes. But that can only happen if a person is

a) Truly interested
b) Open minded
c) Comes across the Hindu literature which is most suited to his temperament (for instance, if you are the faithful type, you should go for "Bhakti Yoga", or the Path of Devotion; if you are the questioning, intellectual type, who has does not subscribe to the idea of faith, or are temparementally incapable of having faith, then you should go for Jnana Yoga, or the Path of Knowledge; if you are very social and people-oriented by nature, then you can go for Karma Yoga, or the Path of Karma; and so on)

So one does not give up one Culture for another? So for instance, one can still have American, Japanese, and Greek-Roman cultures and arts and still remain a Hindu?

Of course! Does it affect in the smallest amount the efficacy of meditation if the object of meditatio is an image of Jesus instead of an image of the Lord Krishna? Does it matter if, in your artistic and literary tradition, you have a different way of representing a certain emotion or concept?

Let us take the example of Indonesia. As I said before, their art, architecture, literature, drama, everything is indigenous to Indonesia. It is only in the broad, overarching generalities, in the universal principles, that they have anything in common with Indian Hinduism.

It is because Hinduism did not impose itself on India that there is such mind-boggling cultural diversity within India itself. The traditions of the far north and the far south are as different as chalk and cheese when it comes to specifics. Different language, different customs, different attitudes, different everything.

Not sure how I could reconcile Christianity and Hinduism, Eventhough the Gospel of Thomas (A Gnostic Gospel not reconized in Biblical Canon) contains much Eastern Thinking (Exerpt from the Gospel of Thomas of what I am talking about:
"When you come to know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will realize that you are the children of the living Father. But if you do not come to know yourselves, then you exist in poverty, and you are poverty." (Thomas 3:4-5)), yet I am not sure if its possible how to reconcile with the two even though I am starting to agree with the Eastern thought.

There is a simple way to reconcile Hinduism and Christianity divide the bible up into four parts (and expand each part until it is exhaustive) - the historic and epic (which will become an itihaas, or "history", in the form of a new epic, maybe with the name like the "Yeshu Katha"), the ritualist (which will become the Yeshu Agama, dealing explicitly and only with the ritualist portions of Christianity, such as all the details of Church construction, the details of how to worship, how to pray, rules for the clergy, all the ground-level implementation stuff), the devotional (which will sing the praises of Jesus through the means of small stories about his life, called the "Yeshu Purana"), and the philosophical (which will contain a complete theology and philosophical base for the other three works, and will be remorselessly logical).

 

[aneeshm]

What's your ethnicity?

Indian. Why do you ask?

 

[Sidhe]

Why are cows holy, and does that mean many people don't eat beef?

Why is Indian food so good?

 

[Heretic_Cata]

Hi

Could you tell me about this symbol:


A friend of mine had it drawn on a small piece of stone and wears it around her neck. What does that mean ? Is it supposed to bring good luck ? Or is it just like wearing a cross.

Either way, it looks cool.

 

[TheDervish]

I've never understood why this is desirable. Why do you want to lose your identity and become part of some faceless supreme spirit thing? I'd rather slog around in the mud here on Earth for eternity, myself. I find the Heaven promised in Christianity or in the other Abrahmic religions attractive, but I've never understood the Eastern concept of Nirvana or merging with God. Why do you want this?

Your question is a valid concern, but it doesn't apply to every practicing "Hindu". As you may know, Hinduism is not really a word native to Indian followers of Varnashram dharma. It was either synthesized by Muslim colonial influence or British colonial influence, I can't quite remember. I believe Muslim, since they needed a word to use for believers of the religion found beyond the Sindhu river, which somehow became Hindu. Correct me if I'm wrong here, anybody.

So as I was saying, "Hindu" is a very broad set of beliefs. This loss of identity and merging with a faceless supreme being (a/k/a Moksha)? This is a "Brahmavadi" belief. Not all "Hindus" believe that Moksha is the best destination for spirit souls.

The Vaishnavas (those who believe Vishnu a/k/a Krishna to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead) believe the ultimate destination is to be with Krishna on the Vaikuntha planets (think of them as the ultimate heaven of Vaishnavism, for the lack of a better term to explain to an audience with a largely Christian background [even if a lot of you are athiest ] ).

There are Brahmavadis, Vaishnavites, Shaivites, etc. are all under this so-called "Hindu" umbrella. They all have a distinct concept of what the supreme destination should be.

 

[Bill3000]

Indian. Why do you ask?

I was afraid you'd say that. You don't identify as anything besides being Indian? I would have thought you would, given how diverse India is. I guess a better question is, What's your first language?

 

[Fox Mccloud]

Hi

Could you tell me about this symbol:


A friend of mine had it drawn on a small piece of stone and wears it around her neck. What does that mean ? Is it supposed to bring good luck ? Or is it just like wearing a cross.

Either way, it looks cool.

One of my favorite symbols.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aum

 

[Masquerouge]

I have a very specific question regarding Indian emigration. Are Indians moving to a foreign country for job opportunities more likely to be from a specific caste, or is it something that's completely indedendent from your caste?

 

[CartesianFart]

I was afraid you'd say that. You don't identify as anything besides being Indian? I would have thought you would, given how diverse India is. I guess a better question is, What's your first language?

Maybe he doesn't understand the differences of the question of ethnicity and nationality.

 

[Perfection]

Can I have my job back?