Hindusm ... what do you understand about it?

Sephiroth

"whatever you do, make it offering to me
- the food you eat, the sacrifices you make, the help you give,
even your suffering.

In this way, you will be freed from the bondage of Karma,
from its results, both pleasent and painful."

- Bhavagad Gita


Hmmmm ... Just thought this could be a proper verse for a starting thread. :bgrin:

Hinduism is rather vague to me. I heard from an Indian colleague (India's Indian not Malaysian Indian) that there are a family of people they regard as God. Perhaps that's just a small portion of the vast mystery about Hinduism.

My understanding of Hinduism is that it is the world's third most popular religion. It is over 3000 years old. However, some elements of the faith may well extends over that period. Not sure Ayurveda has anything to do with Hinduism which is 5000 yrs old. Perhaps someone can explain the difference if there is.

Hindus believe in cycle of birth, death and rebirth governed by Karma. Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism draws some concepts from Hinduism.

Early population in SEA are Hindus & Buddhists. Hinduism still survive in Bali Indonesia and was the largest at 95% in that island.

[ Last edited by Adm_Cheng_Ho on 19-6-2004 at 09:09 AM ]

Sephiroth

by Adm_Cheng_Ho

Hinduism is rather vague to me. I heard from an Indian colleague (India's Indian not Malaysian Indian) that there are a family of people they regard as God. Perhaps that's just a small portion of the vast mystery about Hinduism.

God have no heirs, period.
God do not need Man to represent Him, period.
God do not need Man to do anything for Him, period.

However, the family which considered itself as God (related to God) could be similar to those of Chinese monarch and Japanese monarchs who considered themselves to be descend of God.

My understanding of Hinduism is that it is the world's third most popular religion. It is over 3000 years old. However, some elements of the faith may well extends over that period. Not sure Ayurveda has anything to do with Hinduism which is 5000 yrs old. Perhaps someone can explain the difference if there is.

Ayurveda is medical practice, stated in Mahabratha (which is about 5,000 years old). It has nothing to do with Hindusm as a religion.

Hindus believe in cycle of birth, death and rebirth governed by Karma. Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism draws some concepts from Hinduism.

Yeah ...

Early population in SEA are Hindus & Buddhists. Hinduism still survive in Bali Indonesia and was the largest at 95% in that island.

Actually, Indonesian people still governed by pagans rituals and understanding. They still hold onto their nature worshipping methods and add Hindusm into it.

fleurzsa

What i know about Hinduism is that it is one of the world oldest religion.  Is it a religion or is it a culture?  

Then the hinduism believes in multiple Gods.  I like to learn more just for the knowledge.

hinduism believes in multiple Gods

Hmm...I am also baffled at times. I gather that Hindus believe in a universal soul or God called Brahman. The rest are deities such as Krishna, Siva, Rama and Durga.

Sephiroth

by fleurzsa

What i know about Hinduism is that it is one of the world oldest religion.  Is it a religion or is it a culture?  

Culture can be created from religion, but religion cannot be created from culture.

Culture can be said as how a society lives in relation to each other. Religion is how one lives within a society.

In a society which accepts adultery, gambling and immoral activity, will it accept a person who seeks God? No ... it will ridicule him/her for what they consider as foolish attempt to seeks something which he/she cannot get. In this context, who is correct and who is wrong?


Then the hinduism believes in multiple Gods.  I like to learn more just for the knowledge.

Materialistic people believe in various "gods".

In Hindusm, there is only three entities - each corresponds to three accept of Life - Birth, Life and Rebirth. Birth - Brahma (a Creator of physical objects, NOT the Soul), Vishnu - One who maintains the Universe and source where the Souls was created and one who commands Brahma what to create and when and finally Shiva - One who manage the Souls of the dead and bring them back to circulations.

And also, note that Hindus don't call this multiple "Gods" Gods but Devas and Devi. It is a term to use to call someone who is above them, like one who achieved higher spiritualism, knowledge or wisdom.

The word for God in Hindusm is Brahmana (NOT Brahma) which literally means God.

fleurzsa

I also heard about the Hindu Trinity - Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

This board is a new one, so i will read the other posts before try to understand anything.

Sephiroth

by fleurzsa

I also heard about the Hindu Trinity - Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

This board is a new one, so i will read the other posts before try to understand anything.

Brahma is creator of physical world - EVERYTHING one can touch, feel, smell, taste, measure and weight. Everything that can be created and destroyed is created by Brahma.

He sits on a Lotus flower held by Vishnu and on Vishnu's orders, Brahma will commence His duties. But Brahma has a life span also. He will continue to create for a long time till one day, He will stop and the lotus flowers will close. He will sleep and all creations will dissolve like some sort of dream.

A day later (who knows how long is that in human years), the Lotus flower will open again and Brahma will continue His work once again from scratch.

Brahma is writer of Fate (Takdir) which is created due to a person's action in past lives and also his own time. That is why for a Hindu, Fate can be changed IF one believes in Brahmana and work hard to strive for the best. Brahmana will change Fate for you SHOULD YOU prove to Him that you are worthy of the change.

Shiva can be considered the Earth itself ... the very lifeforce from which all life resolve from. Shiva is a Destroyer aspect of the Earth - Wind, Fire, Earth and Water which rise and destroy other creations. His consort, Paravathi is the female concept of Earth - the healing and life of the Planet. In Chinese term, they are Yin and Yang of the world, one cannot exist without another and one is compliment of the other but at the same time, they are separate as night and day.

Why I consider Shiva as the Earth? Because in one famous story in Shiva Puranas, there were struggle between Wisdom and Knowledge (Ganesha and Muruga) on who will get a Fruit. The way to overcome this - circle around the world as fast as possible.

Ganesha (being an elephant and slow) were wiser and circle around his parents by stating that circling around his parents are equal to circling around the world.

And that leave Vishnu ... Maintainer of the Universe. He gives moksha (release for Life and Rebirth) and lay down the Laws for all creation.

[ Last edited by Sephiroth on 19-6-2004 at 11:46 AM ]

fleurzsa

Sephiroth,

Your explanation of this Hinduism God fascinates me.  The people who created this religion were genius.

Sephiroth

by fleurzsa

Your explanation of this Hinduism God fascinates me.  The people who created this religion were genius.

Humans create lifestyle which situates them. Overtime, it become a culture. And since culture usually have a root of spiritualism into it (due to birth, life and death), they will change it to religion.

When that happens, religion usually will start evolving separately from culture. Over time, it will go through trial and error and finally, those elements which a society considered as evil will be pushed out and those which a society consider good and meritful will be enhanced with logics.

And where does God come into play? He will watch silently and now and then, directly be responsible in some way to inject a new elements into a fragile religion to drive it toward His cause.

Coming of prophets in Abrahamic religions, Sages in Hindusm, Miracles which people experience (either personal ones or those which is recorded in some text) and so many such activities will be His action to drive the society toward a way where they will be closer to Him then before.

Here's a interesting qoute I have read in a book, I will leave it for you to ponder :

"You have your own experiences, you have unique perspective
        that no one else can give to this work.
        You write it from here, you work from there,
and when or where it manifest, that is His Concern."

by Sripada Baba.

Seraphim

Originally posted by Sephiroth at 19-6-2004 11:20 AM:
And also, note that Hindus don't call this multiple "Gods" Gods but Devas and Devi. It is a term to use to call someone who is above them, like one who achieved higher spiritualism, knowledge or wisdom.  

They are some sort like Boddhisatvas(sp?) right??

Originally posted by fleurzsa at 19-6-2004 12:00 PM:
Sephiroth,

Your explanation of this Hinduism God fascinates me.  The people who created this religion were genius.

his explaination fascinates me too and I have to agree that people who created this religion were genius the only thing I dont really agree is about the caste system. If the caste system is related to religion, I think there's no way to cease the system but if the system is about culture I think this kind of culture should be changed because we can see the sociology gap between people and because of this gap some people are not satisfy with their living standard. bribery cases always happen in India maybe because of this factor where you see rich people become richer and poor people become poorer.

Sephiroth

by Seraphim

They are some sort like Boddhisatvas(sp?) right??

The term Bodhisattva refers to someone on the path to Awakening.

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/b_fbodi.htm

which means anyone - humans or otherwise are considered to be Boddhisatvas. In most cases, they come with their own problems.

Truth.8

Originally posted by fleurzsa at 19-6-2004 11:29 AM:
I also heard about the Hindu Trinity - Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

This board is a new one, so i will read the other posts before try to understand anything.

i aslo noticed that this three gods has wife....the wife name is lak, sara, paravathi......am i rite.....

hmmmm god has wives:hmm:

Sephiroth

by Truth.8

i aslo noticed that this three gods has wife....the wife name is lak, sara, paravathi......am i rite.....

hmmmm god has wives  

Not wives, consort.

In everything that exists, there's always two - negative and positive. Then only there will be balance.

And besides, Hindus in the past believe that God play well-orchestrate plays with them to show certain truth, like how a family should be, what is Man's role in a family, in the world around him and toward God.

Truth.8

Originally posted by Sephiroth at 22-6-2004 09:52 AM:
Not wives, consort.

In everything that exists, there's always two - negative and positive. Then only there will be balance.

And besides, Hindus in the past believe that God play well-orchestrate plays with them to show certain truth, like how a family should be, what is Man's role in a family, in the world around him and toward God.
...

not wives but consort;) negtitve and postitive. yup but GOD has HIS purpose for creating such but it was human mind believed negtitve and positive believing that god has consorts, am i rite:hmm:

God create this earth with various things to multiply so does men and women...so that the hummans, animals and plants all will multiply. in eartly life we married and has kids that is GOD plan. but if u says negatitive and  postitive why not ur god multiply hving consort. why three gods of yours  do different mission....for example , brahma create earth, shiva is destroyer vishnu preserver

i think it will be logic to think One God can do all that rite???

[ Last edited by Truth.8 on 22-6-2004 at 11:51 AM ]

WLIO

Originally posted by Truth.8 at 2004-6-22 11:49 AM:

i think it will be logic to think One God can do all that rite???

You are right One GOD can do all that thing - But your GOD is one or two?

kharrrrr kharrrrr kharrrrrr

Sephiroth

by Truth.8

not wives but consort negtitve and postitive. yup but GOD has HIS purpose for creating such but it was human mind believed negtitve and positive believing that god has consorts, am i rite

God create this earth with various things to multiply so does men and women...so that the hummans, animals and plants all will multiply. in eartly life we married and has kids that is GOD plan. but if u says negatitive and  postitive why not ur god multiply hving consort. why three gods of yours  do different mission....for example , brahma create earth, shiva is destroyer vishnu preserver

i think it will be logic to think One God can do all that rite???

There not three Gods, there's only one. Brahma creates physical object but He cannot do anything without the Soul.

Created objects must face death and again, what do you do with the souls you take out from the body? You must return it back to a new body which is what Shiva does.

Continues life and death without a purpose is meaningless, unless your souls can be released and return back to somewhere where there is no live and death. That's where Vishnu comes in.

The issue of the Soul handled by Vishnu, He lays down the laws and way to live and the soul lives through one life after another in attempt to find the final destination.

I ask you? Why is more important? Mother? Father? or God? Without your mother, you cannot born, without your father, you cannot grow but without God, you are nothing. Same here.

And you asked why One God cannot handle all? I ask you ... Why can't One General in an army cannot handle everything and have to distribute the work to others (Devas) to do specified task?

Even in Islam and Christianity, it is not God who come down to give the Bible and Al Quran, it was Jibrail (for Al Quran) and Jesus (A Son of a God). WHY? God was too busy? ;)

Duriant

I still remember what a hindu friend of mine said.
He said "I like hinduism because it gives me second third and so forth chances to redeem myself through rebirth until I reach the final destination..."

Sounds interesting isnt it?

But I did said to him in a jest.. "Hope you are the first birth for the soul and not the 12th thousand... must be tiring.. " hehehe

Truth.8

Originally posted by Sephiroth at 22-6-2004 01:13 PM:

[There not three Gods, there's only one. Brahma creates physical object but He cannot do anything without the Soul.

Created objects must face death and again, what do you do with the souls you take out from the body? You must return it back to a new body which is what Shiva does.

Continues life and death without a purpose is meaningless, unless your souls can be released and return back to somewhere where there is no live and death. That's where Vishnu comes in.

The issue of the Soul handled by Vishnu, He lays down the laws and way to live and the soul lives through one life after another in attempt to find the final destination.

I ask you? Why is more important? Mother? Father? or God? Without your mother, you cannot born, without your father, you cannot grow but without God, you are nothing. Same here.

And you asked why One God cannot handle all? I ask you ... Why can't One General in an army cannot handle everything and have to distribute the work to others (Devas) to do specified task?

Even in Islam and Christianity, it is not God who come down to give the Bible and Al Quran, it was Jibrail (for Al Quran) and Jesus (A Son of a God). WHY? God was too busy...

very confusing lah....just like the tamil & hindi movies.....masalah punya....how can one god....when hindus prays vishnu, braham and shiva

i also heard these three gods flight each other to show their greatness.... i also heard hindu believed mother god create these three gods....why so confusion in ur faith:hmm:

then who is krishnan??? hindus believed krishnan will come in last day riding a horse:hmm:

p/s: if u think one god...as well pray to Bhrama only why must pray to shiva & vishnu:cak:

[ Last edited by Truth.8 on 22-6-2004 at 02:14 PM ]