A question for all regarding Hindu concept of Divinity

[Guest guest]

Namaste

 

 

Swami Vivekananda has said, "Each soul is potentially divine. The

goal is to manifest the divinity within "

 

 

I have been corresponding with a expert on Christian theology who

posed the following questions about Hindu concept of Divinity as

below:

 

Question:

===============================================================

But I have a question, If you are divine why do you sin, why do you

get sick, how is it that you don't have assurance about your

destiny, and how is it that there are such differences in answers to

these questions among those of you who are divine?

=====================================================

 

 

Could you please point me to a link or message where this question

may be answered. Dont want to reinvent the wheel :-)

 

regards

Sundar Rajan

 

advaitin, ken knight <anirvacaniya>

wrote:

> --- Sundar Rajan <avsundarrajan> wrote:

>

>

>

> > THE RED PHONE

> >

> > This is a joke that I often tell, with

> > my own

> > embellishments, while on lecture tours in India.

>

> Namaste,

>

> It seems as if the person who wrote this story/joke

> suffers from the same problem as the Pope!

>

> Here is a Ramakrishna story:

> 'A man kept a solution of dye in a tub. Many people

> came to him to have their cloth dyed. He would ask the

> customer,' What colour should you like your cloth

> dyed?'

> If the customer wanted red, then the man would dip the

> cloth in the tub and say, 'Here is your cloth dyed

> red.'

> If another customer wanted a cloth dyed yellow, the

> man would dip his cloth in the same tub and say,' Here

> is your cloth dyed yellow.'

> If the customer wanted his cloth dyed blue, the man

> would dip it in the same tub and say,'Here is your

> cloth dyed blue.'

> Thus would he dye the clothes of his customers,

> dipping them all in the same solution.

> One of the customers watched all this with amazement.

>

> The man asked him, 'Well! What colour do you want for

> your cloth?'

> The customer said, 'Brother, dye my cloth the colour

> of the dye in your tub.'

>

>

> 'These things do not become clear until one has

> realised (God). He assumes different forms and

> reveals Himself in different ways for the sake of His

> devotees.' Ramakrishna

>

> Maybe such a story as this could be included in your

> lecture tours,

>

> Happy travelling

>

>

> ken knight

>

> =====

> `From this Supreme Self are all these, indeed, breathed

forth.'

>

>

>

>

>

> New and Improved Mail - Send 10MB messages!

>

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "Sundar Rajan" <avsundarrajan>

wrote:

>

> I have been corresponding with a expert on Christian theology who

> posed the following questions about Hindu concept of Divinity as

> below:

>

> Question:

> ===============================================================

> But I have a question, If you are divine why do you sin, why do you

> get sick, how is it that you don't have assurance about your

> destiny, and how is it that there are such differences in answers to

> these questions among those of you who are divine?

> =====================================================

>

>

> Could you please point me to a link or message where this question

> may be answered. Dont want to reinvent the wheel :-)

 

Namaste Rajanji,

 

Swami Vivekananda's Complete works are on-line at:

 

http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_1/vol_1_frame.htm

 

This is one excerpt:

 

....."And another fact I find in the study of the various religions of

the world is that there are three different stages of ideas with

regard to the soul and God. In the first place, all religions admit

that, apart from the body which perishes, there is a certain part or

something which does not change like the body, a part that is

immutable, eternal, that never dies; but some of the later religions

teach that although there is a part of us that never dies, it had a

beginning. But anything that has a beginning must necessarily have an

end. We — the essential part of us — never had a beginning, and will

never have an end. And above us all, above this eternal nature, there

is another eternal Being, without end — God. People talk about the

beginning of the world, the beginning of man. The word beginning

simply means the beginning of the cycle. It nowhere means the

beginning of the whole Cosmos. It is impossible that creation could

have a beginning. No one of you can imagine a time of beginning. That

which has a beginning must have an end. "Never did I not exist, nor

you, nor will any of us ever hereafter cease to be," says the

Bhagavad-Gita. Wherever the beginning of creation is mentioned, it

means the beginning of a cycle. Your body will meet with death, but

your soul, never.

 

Along with this idea of the soul we find another group of ideas in

regard to its perfection. The soul in itself is perfect. The Old

Testament of the Hebrews admits man perfect at the beginning. Man made

himself impure by his own actions. But he is to regain his old nature,

his pure nature. Some speak of these things in allegories, fables, and

symbols. But when we begin to analyse these statements, we find that

they all teach that the human soul is in its very nature perfect, and

that man is to regain that original purity. How? By knowing God. Just

as the Bible says, "No man can see God but through the Son." What is

meant by it? That seeing God is the aim and goal of all human life.

The sonship must come before we become one with the Father. Remember

that man lost his purity through his own actions. When we suffer, it

is because of our own acts; God is not to be blamed for it....."

 

Scattered over the 8-10 volumes, are numerous answers to every

question that pertains to this subject. (Unfortunately, the Index is

not on-line yet.)

 

 

Regards,

 

Sunder

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "Sundar Rajan" <avsundarrajan>

wrote:

> Namaste

>

>

> Swami Vivekananda has said, "Each soul is potentially divine. The

> goal is to manifest the divinity within "

>

>

> I have been corresponding with a expert on Christian theology who

> posed the following questions about Hindu concept of Divinity as

> below:

>

> Question:

> ===============================================================

> But I have a question, If you are divine why do you sin, why do

you

> get sick, how is it that you don't have assurance about your

> destiny, and how is it that there are such differences in answers

to

> these questions among those of you who are divine?

> =====================================================

>

>

> Could you please point me to a link or message where this question

> may be answered. Dont want to reinvent the wheel :-)

>

> regards

> Sundar Rajan

>

>

 

Namaste

 

Sundar Rajan-ji I appreciate your point of not wanting to reinvent

the wheel. But naive questions such as these cannot get a complete

answer unless we start by reinventing the wheel. In Hinduism, which

is a complex religion, where everything is based on a fundamental

philosophical note, the expert on Christian theology cannot expect

to have quick answers in one paragraph. The answer to his questions

has to deal elaborately with the following basics of Hindu religion:

 

1. The distinction between what is ordinarily understood to be

oneself and what Hinduism knows as The Self within.

2. The distinction between the mind which succumbs to sins and

the 'person' behind the mind.

3. The distinction between sickness of the body and mind and the

non-sickness of that within, which has nothing to do with the body

and mind.

 

Answers to questions on Hinduism will differ from person to person

because of the difference in the spiritual evolution of the person

who is asking the question. Duryodhana and Yudhishtira would not get

the same answers, though their question might be the same, for

instance, something like: "What is Dharma?".

 

Tell the questioner that he should be prepared to read quite a lot

before he makes any conclusions. Maybe, he may, if he likes, just

make a beginning -- only a beginning -- by reading the following

article (13 web pages) entitled "What it is to live as a Hindu" at

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/HNG/hindulife.html

 

The questioner seems to have picked up just a sentence from

Vivekananda's voluminous ocean of literature. Wherever he picked it

from, there itself is bound to be the set of answers to his

questions. I am sure he did not have the patience to read through.

 

It is easy to throw a question, just like that. But is he prepared

to sit for the answers -- which would take at least a semester

course in Hinduism?

 

PraNAms to all questioners.

profvk

[Guest guest]

My profound namaskarams to all divine souls here,

 

Profvk promptly repied the question. I agree to him throwing is a

question is easy, but really for understanding Hinduisam one must

devote his time. For example the link Profvk suggested is itself a

big explanation if we read in between the lines.

 

Sorry for involving in this big intellegentia.

 

Devotee

 

 

advaitin, "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk>

wrote:

> advaitin, "Sundar Rajan"

<avsundarrajan>

> wrote:

> > Namaste

> >

> >

> > Swami Vivekananda has said, "Each soul is potentially divine. The

> > goal is to manifest the divinity within "

> >

> >

> > I have been corresponding with a expert on Christian theology who

> > posed the following questions about Hindu concept of Divinity as

> > below:

> >

> > Question:

> > ===============================================================

> > But I have a question, If you are divine why do you sin, why do

> you

> > get sick, how is it that you don't have assurance about your

> > destiny, and how is it that there are such differences in answers

> to

> > these questions among those of you who are divine?

> > =====================================================

> >

> >

> > Could you please point me to a link or message where this

question

> > may be answered. Dont want to reinvent the wheel :-)

> >

> > regards

> > Sundar Rajan

> >

> >

>

> Namaste

>

> Sundar Rajan-ji I appreciate your point of not wanting to reinvent

> the wheel. But naive questions such as these cannot get a complete

> answer unless we start by reinventing the wheel. In Hinduism, which

> is a complex religion, where everything is based on a fundamental

> philosophical note, the expert on Christian theology cannot expect

> to have quick answers in one paragraph. The answer to his questions

> has to deal elaborately with the following basics of Hindu religion:

>

> 1. The distinction between what is ordinarily understood to be

> oneself and what Hinduism knows as The Self within.

> 2. The distinction between the mind which succumbs to sins and

> the 'person' behind the mind.

> 3. The distinction between sickness of the body and mind and the

> non-sickness of that within, which has nothing to do with the body

> and mind.

>

> Answers to questions on Hinduism will differ from person to person

> because of the difference in the spiritual evolution of the person

> who is asking the question. Duryodhana and Yudhishtira would not

get

> the same answers, though their question might be the same, for

> instance, something like: "What is Dharma?".

>

> Tell the questioner that he should be prepared to read quite a lot

> before he makes any conclusions. Maybe, he may, if he likes, just

> make a beginning -- only a beginning -- by reading the following

> article (13 web pages) entitled "What it is to live as a Hindu" at

> http://www.geocities.com/profvk/HNG/hindulife.html

>

> The questioner seems to have picked up just a sentence from

> Vivekananda's voluminous ocean of literature. Wherever he picked it

> from, there itself is bound to be the set of answers to his

> questions. I am sure he did not have the patience to read through.

>

> It is easy to throw a question, just like that. But is he prepared

> to sit for the answers -- which would take at least a semester

> course in Hinduism?

>

> PraNAms to all questioners.

> profvk