Welcome to StephenMerritt

[Guest guest]

advaitin wrote:

 

 

 

 

--- StephenMerritt wrote:

> Introduction for membership

> I am 37 and live in Nashville, Tennessee. For most of my

> adult life I have been drawn the spiritual

> traditions of India. the hindu view

> of God makes so much sense And are there any particular introductory books

you

> can recommend (there are SO many).

 

 

 

= Dear Stephen,

 

 

Welcome to the Group. Hinduism is not just one or two

Gods or idols or even temples. These are but sign posts on the road to self

realization. I presume, you are not just researching Hinduism but seriously

seeking union with Godhead.

 

 

For a western audience, I think Swami Ashokananda's book " The Soul's Journey to

its destiny" is a good starting point as it is free of jargon and covers the

full landscape of most peoples' query suh as:

 

 

The concept of God, Realtionship to man, How our mind works (as religion is

essentialy a mental phenomenon to explain the physical world we encounter), how

all of us can reach back to God head-step by step and how can you know where you

are.

 

 

The extracts from the book- about 12% of original text, have been posted in 8

chapters in Dec 2001 & Jan 2002 in this list and you may choose to access it

in the archives of this list, before buying a book.

 

 

Apart from what the book says, I think the best test of a religion is how the

people who claim to be practising a religion actually behave in any scoiety. So

I welcome you to visit India and make it as another input. In the meantime, pl

visit the Hindu Temple in your town, there are no formalities, you do not have

to anything before entering any Hindu temple. There is no dress code, or no need

to know any special prayers. The God is not a beauracrat who insists on this or

that procedure, the temple is just a meeting point for the like minded.

 

 

Incidentally if you read the "Books" and visit Hindu temples, you may not find

much co-relation. The books are essentially philosophical, where as the idols

and worship are more ritualistic. The practices of worship vary as per

geographical area of the temples and worshippers. Different formalities are

followed, but these are only as recommendations, but nothing is insisted upon as

mandatory except the usual civilites as required in any public place. So pl

visit the temple with your family and give some inputs.

 

 

I visited Nashville (not the temple) about 15 years back and it was then a

lovely place with woods and a meeting point of two rivers where there was a

quite restaurant. I hope the place maintains its pristine beauty.

 

 

Hari Om and Namaste

 

 

P.B.V.Rajan

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