Ask the Hindu

[MichaelNZ]

Namaste (greetings) everybody,

Since there are several other "Ask the...." threads on this forum, I thought that I'd start one where people can ask questions about Hinduism and I will answer them.

So, fire away!

Hare Krishna!

 

[Druweid]

Namaste (greetings) everybody,

Since there are several other "Ask the...." threads on this forum, I thought that I'd start one where people can ask questions about Hinduism and I will answer them.

So, fire away!

Hare Krishna!

Namaste'

Tell me a little about the (former) practice of Hare Krishna proselytizing, when all other branches of Hinduism forbade such a practice.

Blessings,
-- Druweid

 

[Celticflower]

*learning

 

[MichaelNZ]

Namaste'

Tell me a little about the (former) practice of Hare Krishna proselytizing, when all other branches of Hinduism forbade such a practice.

Blessings,
-- Druweid

Proselytizing is not forbidden by other branches of Hinduism - they just see no need for it. We believe that any religion will lead one to God. It is not therefore necessary to convert to Hinduism. Most proselytization (typically Christian and Islamic) takes part because they believe that only their religion is true, and all others are false. The Vedic scriptures enjoin that there is no activity as holy as spreading the name and teachings of God.

Gaudiya Vaishnava Hinduism (the Hindu sect to which ISKCON or the Hare Krishna movement belongs) does proselytize, you are right. But it isn't done for the same reason that the Christians do it. ISKCON has the basic belief that God consciousness is universal and all major religions are bona fide. We believe that if you call God Jehovah, Allah or Krishna, you are praying to the same God. There is only one religion, and that is serving God. "Hindu", "Christian", "Muslim" - these are just outward labels. A Christian may become a Muslim, or a Hindu may become a Christian, but they are still serving God. That has not changed.

One of the reasons that Krishna devotees proselytize is that many people are dissatisfied with traditional religions such as Christianity and are searching for something else. Many people are sincerely searching, and if it was not for the ISKCON preachers, they may have very well gone on searching their entire lives and remained unsatisfied. ISKCON does not have a mission to proselytize members of other faiths. There are fully practicing Christians and Moslems who are active members of ISKCON, and that is fine.

 

[Chesterton]

Does your user name refer to archangel Michael?

 

[MichaelNZ]

Does your user name refer to archangel Michael?

My name is Scott Michael. My username is a hangover from when I used to be Christian. I want to change it to Krishna Bhakta (devotee of Krishna) but I can't with the new CF.

 

[MrGoodBytes]

AFAIK, Hindus believe in Brahman, a kind of supreme spirit, or the ultimate reality (correct me if I'm wrong). My question is: are the Hindu gods considered to be manifestations of Brahman, or are they seen as independent entities?

 

[MichaelNZ]

AFAIK, Hindus believe in Brahman, a kind of supreme spirit, or the ultimate reality (correct me if I'm wrong). My question is: are the Hindu gods considered to be manifestations of Brahman, or are they seen as independent entities?

The view you are quoting is the Mayavada or Advaita view, invented in the 9th century CE. According to this view, then the impersonal Brahman, without form, attributes or activites, is considered to be the Supreme Being. The various Hindu devas and devis (gods and goddesses) are different forms of the Impersonal Brahman. The Mayavadis further go on to state that ultimately, we are God as well - our soul is actually non-different from God and it is just illusion that we perceive ourselves to be independent from God. Such a view is contradicted by the authorative scripture Bhagavad-Gita (Song of God).

However, the Mayavada view is a later addition to Hinduism, and it is condemned in the Padma Purana. The original position according to the Vedic literature, which dates back thousands of years, is that the Supreme Lord is personal. One of His Names is Krishna, meaning "the all-attractive one". The impersonal Brahman is actually the light radiating from Krishna's eternal spiritual form. The various gods and goddesses are actually Krishna's servants, much like ministers under a Prime Minister or President.

 

[Alizera]

You stated that you used to be Christian. What changed and made you want to be Hindu? Was the conversion difficult?

 

[MichaelNZ]

You stated that you used to be Christian. What changed and made you want to be Hindu? Was the conversion difficult?

I had already been interested in Hinduism and called myself a Hindu before I became a Christian. It was hard to be a Hindu in the city where I lived as there was no temple there, just a Sunday evening programme at the university Clubs and Societies centre where we would chant Hare Krishna (kirtan) and a Hindu devotee would talk about Lord Krishna.

I decided to convert to Christianity (actually Catholicism) for several different reasons. A friend had given me a Bible and it had touched me and made me want to be Christian. It was also more convenient - there were Catholic churches in my city. I was baptized in the Catholic Church later joined the Eastern Orthodox Church, fleeing the modernism of the modern Church and the modern Liturgy.

I later got involved with Islam, even going so far as to make a declaration of Islamic faith which I now know to be invalid as I had doubts.

I married my wife, a Malaysian Indian from a Hindu family, and it was because of her family that I returned to Hinduism. However, I am a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu (follower of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Lord), while they are non-religious Saivites (followers of Lord Shiva, who is actually the greatest devotee of Krishna, but the Saivites errorneously believe him to be the Supreme Lord) who know very little about their religion.

 

[Alizera]

Do you have religious differences with your wife?

I honestly know next to nothing about Hinduism so this is really interesting to me.

 

[MichaelNZ]

Do you have religious differences with your wife?

I honestly know next to nothing about Hinduism so this is really interesting to me.

Sometimes.

My wife was brought up with very little instruction in the Hindu faith. She remembers at one point her mother telling her that all the Hindu gods and goddessses are just different forms of God (this is not actually Scriptural but stems from the teachings of 9th century guru Sri Shankara; the Padma Purana condemns such a view). She does go to Bhagavad-Gita class when it is on, and she is interested in it, but she is just not as enthusiastic about it as I am. That is our main difference - she is not as enthusiastic about the Hindu religion, especially the practices, as I am.

 

[Zstar]

Namaste (greetings) everybody,

Since there are several other "Ask the...." threads on this forum, I thought that I'd start one where people can ask questions about Hinduism and I will answer them.

So, fire away!

Hare Krishna!

Thanks for the topic! Something I'm curious about is the spelling of Brahma in contast to Brama minis the h. I know this is significant.

 

[Eudaimonist]

What is the typical attitude of Hindus towards atheists (nonbelievers in gods)?


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[awitch]

Namaste (greetings) everybody,

Since there are several other "Ask the...." threads on this forum, I thought that I'd start one where people can ask questions about Hinduism and I will answer them.

Hi, MichaelArchangelos!

A Hindu temple is opening soon a few miles from my home. I am not a Hindu, but I would be thrilled to sit in on services and see what it's like and learn more about Hinduism.

Would it be considered disrespectful for a non Hindu to attend and participate? If not, what is the protocol regarding dress code, customs, and format of a typical service?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Chesterton]

I'd like to ask about Hindu art - can you explain anything about "color-ology"? What is the significance of the color blue? Why are both gods and men often depicted in art with blue skin color?

 

[LightSeaker]

Namaste (greetings) everybody,

Since there are several other "Ask the...." threads on this forum, I thought that I'd start one where people can ask questions about Hinduism and I will answer them.

So, fire away!

Hare Krishna!

Do Hindu's see our soul as an activity of God? If so, how does Hinduism awaken a person to the Light that shines from ones Soul. Along the same track, talk more about the Light that shines from ones soul and how does Hinduism explain why that Light is not as bright in some as it is in others? And how may we live in the awareness of that Light even more than we already are?

.

 

[baobobtree]

Namaste Michael (I think I know you from another forum. Is your real name Scott?)

Saivites (followers of Lord Shiva, who is actually the greatest devotee of Krishna, but the Saivites errorneously believe him to be
the Supreme Lord) who know very little about their religion.

I suggest you read the Svetasvatara Upanishad before you make such statements. Skim through just a couple of verses and you will see the God called Shiva, Hara, Rudra, Mahadeva etc. is being praised as supreme here.

Aum Namah Shivaya

Edit:
Namaste Lightseaker.

Do Hindu's see our soul as an activity of God? If so, how does Hinduism awaken a person to the Light that shines from ones Soul. Along the same track, talk more about the Light that shines from ones soul and how does Hinduism explain why that Light is not as bright in some as it is in others? And how may we live in the awareness of that Light even more than we already are?

I'm not too sure what you mean here, by "activity of God"? There, are various views about the relation of the soul and God. Some believe that God indwells in the soul, yet is distinct from the individual being, others hold God and the soul are completely sepeate, and still yet others actually hold we have sprung forth from God, are (though unaware of it) identical with God, and eventually will become aware of this, and fuse back into God. Likewise, I don't know what you mean here by "awaken a person to the light that shines from one's soul.

Aum Namah Shivaya.

 

[MichaelNZ]

Thanks for the topic! Something I'm curious about is the spelling of Brahma in contast to Brama minis the h. I know this is significant.

Sanskrit, the language from which these names originate, is an incredibly complex language. The reason that there is an 'h' in Brahma is that is how it is pronounced - with a vowel-less 'h' between the 'bra' and 'ma'.

 

[MichaelNZ]

What is the typical attitude of Hindus towards atheists (nonbelievers in gods)?


eudaimonia,

Mark

It depends, really. If a Hindu no longer believes in God or in the divinity of the Vedic Scriptures, then he is still considered a Hindu. He is still considered a Hindu even if he converts to another religion, e.g. Christianity.

However, in the stories of Lord Krishna's advent and birth, we see that Krishna's uncle, the wicked King Kamsa, was an atheist. It is stated that an atheistic person cannot be firm in his word of honor (since he believes in no higher power over him). So it was something that was looked down upon.

It is also stated that one who believes that God is impersonal (without form, activities or attributes) is also a kind of atheist, as he is indirectly denying the existence of God by denying that He is a person.