boricua Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 ''you can't be a Hindu unless you are born into it'' i hear this from a person in a web is it true?! a friend of mine help me understand a lot about Sanatana Dharma teachings and he's Hindu Shaivism from Malaysia and he told me that was not true...I don't now But is it true?? NOT that i belive him, but i still wanna be sure?! and i heard and i have see Vishnu,Shiva,shakti Devotees in Europe places and America to i just wanna now again and fell 100% sure that anyone can enter or have a slap in the faces right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kali_Upasaka Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 The answer is NO. NO. No. Definitely not. Hinduism is not a proselytizing religion. So we never had any system for conversion. But that does not mean there is a ban on conversion as some people interpret. This interpretation is wrong. From a Hindu born a Vaidic Hindu Brahmin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sambya Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 hinduism didnt have any method of conversion . but in history we do find many instances where other people of foreign lands adopted hinduism without opposition from the hindus . just like the greek generals of alexander adopted to hindu religion and finally got merged in the society ! all this happened because of the broad accomodating nature of this religion. and by the principle of 'sanatana dharma' true dharma is eternal and irrespective of place and nationality . when hindu emperors from south india colonised south east asia they brought the culture , texts ,gods and brahmins of india with them to those lands . and slowly the native people got 'converted' to hinduism . many of them remains a hindu till this day . and they are also counted as hindu even in most orthodox places in india . a group of balinese hindus were given admission into jaggannath puri !! this is also an indication of being a hindu without having born into it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hindustani Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 If you are seeing moon raising and setting down on horizon,you are hindu coz My Shiva carries moon on his head. If you see ocean around you my Maha Vishnu lives inside it. and if you see a life around you,its due to Shri Brahmaji. All in all,all living creatures in this universe are Hindus internally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronin Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 To boricua Hindu means born in "Hindustan" or India. Your friend is right. You can't be a hindu unless you are born into it. Even if you adopt hinduism at this stage in your life, you will have to learn hindi & sanskrit to practice the daily rituals, which i believe you want to do....why else you would be interested in becoming a hindu? All daily worships ritual & even advanced worships are in hindi & sanskrit. But there has to be a start somewhere. You can go ahead & start learning & astonish your friend. Try to become spiritual, rather than hindu. Spirituality has no boundries. I know of many non- Indian who have been successfully initiated into spirituality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melvin Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 aren`t we all hindus in the 1st place even if we were not born in india? the culture in goloka vrndavan in the spiritual sky is hindu. the reflection she gave the planet on earth when it fell got in contact with matter. the one reflection that passed through the screen/filter reached that part on earth we call india. so its just a matter of time to realize that those who were not born in india they, too, were hindus after they have shed off matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sambya Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 you will have to learn hindi & sanskrit to practice the daily rituals, hindi ?????!!!!!! what for ? why not tamil which is the second classical language of india ? why not bengali , assamese , punjabi , prakrit , pali and other apabrahmsa dialects ?? why not kahsi , garo , and santhali mothertongues ? do you know that hindu was not a language in proper sense and how much effort has gone into it to give it a language status ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kali_Upasaka Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 To boricua Hindu means born in "Hindustan" or India. Your friend is right. You can't be a hindu unless you are born into it. Even if you adopt hinduism at this stage in your life, you will have to learn hindi & sanskrit to practice the daily rituals, which i believe you want to do....why else you would be interested in becoming a hindu? All daily worships ritual & even advanced worships are in hindi & sanskrit. But there has to be a start somewhere. You can go ahead & start learning & astonish your friend. Try to become spiritual, rather than hindu. Spirituality has no boundries. I know of many non- Indian who have been successfully initiated into spirituality. Beliefs and rituals have neither regional nor language boundaries. It is like saying that you have to know Latin or English to follow Christianity. Learn about Hinduism and its ideas. If you like them go ahead. You will be joining millions of people from the West who have done it. Hear it from people who have converted to Hinduism and lived happily thereafter. http://www.peopleforever.org/nfhomepage.aspx?nfid=1049 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satguru_Sivaya_Subramuniyaswami But then beware? We have an old Indian story of five blind men trying to describe an elephant. http://www.robinwood.com/LivingtreeGrove/Stories/StoryPages/Elephant.html So no web site, no book can give you the basis of entire Hinduism as a whole. Lot of material is available on the net. Read the material from different Philosophies. But neither knowledge of Sanskrit/Hindi nor any ritual is necessary to become a Hindu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshama Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 Respected Boricua Ji, You have asked that should one be born Hindu to be Hindu? Well the answer is NO. It is not necessary. What is a Hindu? One who practices Hinduism, by logical thinking, called a Hindu. But what is Hinduism? Hinduism is nothing, but a way of life. So in this context anyone can become a Hindu. Respected seniors and blesssed members of the forum, please do correct wherever necessary and add in some input to help Boricua Ji and even myself to learn. I am sorry for any confusion caused. Namaste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haridasdasdas Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 ''you can't be a Hindu unless you are born into it'' i hear this from a person in a web is it true?! a friend of mine help me understand a lot about Sanatana Dharma teachings and he's Hindu Shaivism from Malaysia and he told me that was not true...I don't now But is it true?? NOT that i belive him, but i still wanna be sure?! and i heard and i have see Vishnu,Shiva,shakti Devotees in Europe places and America to i just wanna now again and fell 100% sure that anyone can enter or have a slap in the faces right now. Please ask him what his basis for saying that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theist Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 The question, "Do you have to born a Hindu to be a Hindu", has no relevance to spiritual life because being a'Hindu' is not the goal of a transcendentalist. To realize oneself as the servant of the Supreme Self is the supreme spiritual goal. Krishna tells us to abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender to Him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melvin Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 The question, "Do you have to born a Hindu to be a Hindu", has no relevance to spiritual life because being a'Hindu' is not the goal of a transcendentalist. To realize oneself as the servant of the Supreme Self is the supreme spiritual goal. Krishna tells us to abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender to Him. but that last statement " surrender " was made before the advent of lord caitanya. i am more interested what krsnah said thereafter. lord caitanya is krsnah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adiyen Dasan Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 I believe "Hinduism" is the term coined to the religion which is in accordance with the Vedic Scriptures. Since the people beyond Indus were the only ones to practice it, the religion got the name. I don't know if its right and admissible for acceptance(not conversion, Hinduism is not a proselytizingone). But adhering to is completely allowed and is encouraged I would say. There would still be the problem of varna during acceptance, though unfortunately Varnashrama Dharma is not in practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sambya Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 The question, "Do you have to born a Hindu to be a Hindu", has no relevance to spiritual life because being a'Hindu' is not the goal of a transcendentalist. To realize oneself as the servant of the Supreme Self is the supreme spiritual goal. Krishna tells us to abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender to Him. how do you know that he wants to be a transcendentalist or just a practising hindu ? in the original post he just asked the truth about what he heard , not the ways to be a transcendentalist !!! also , if realizing oneself as a servant(dasya)is the only supreme goal then what about man who realizes oneself in any other rasa - say madhurya or shanta ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adiyen Dasan Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 Please forgive me if I said something wrong, elders! And do correct! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theist Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 but that last statement " surrender " was made before the advent of lord caitanya. i am more interested what krsnah said thereafter. lord caitanya is krsnah. Oh? Lord Krsna as Lord Caitanya is in the topmost mood of devotion to Krishna in the mood of Srimati Radharani. In this mood He does not only show us the mood of surrender but the most intimate aspect of that mood. It is the the same message as Krishna gave in the Gita. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theist Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 how do you know that he wants to be a transcendentalist or just a practising hindu ? in the original post he just asked the truth about what he heard , not the ways to be a transcendentalist !!! also , if realizing oneself as a servant(dasya)is the only supreme goal then what about man who realizes oneself in any other rasa - say madhurya or shanta ? So if one wants to pretend to be a hindu there may or may not be such a rule. But my point is that is not spiritual. One can have many goals but I spoke of the supreme goal. Also one can never truly be 'a hindu' because one can never really be something that he is not. The self has always been a part of Krishna. That is unchangable. One can live as a hindu and have a spiritual life just as one can be a truck driver and have a spiritual life. But it is the surrendered service aspect that is integral to the soul. Rasa doesn't matter as long as one's consciousness is surrendered to Krishna and not matter. Conscious of Krishna is Krishna consciousness. Hinduism (whatever that is) is not synonomous with Krishna consciousness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theist Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 I believe "Hinduism" is the term coined to the religion which is in accordance with the Vedic Scriptures. Since the people beyond Indus were the only ones to practice it, the religion got the name. I don't know if its right and admissible for acceptance(not conversion, Hinduism is not a proselytizingone). But adhering to is completely allowed and is encouraged I would say. There would still be the problem of varna during acceptance, though unfortunately Varnashrama Dharma is not in practice. Surrender is the essence of religion. All God authored religions have this as the ultimate goal. As that goal becomes more defined in our minds the non-essential things become cumbersome and are seen as a waste of time. Worship of demigods in an effort to receive some temporary benefit like going to heaven for example are left aside in favor of pure bhakti to the Supreme Lord. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melvin Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Oh? Lord Krsna as Lord Caitanya is in the topmost mood of devotion to Krishna in the mood of Srimati Radharani. In this mood He does not only show us the mood of surrender but the most intimate aspect of that mood. It is the the same message as Krishna gave in the Gita. wrong. it was krsnah who surrendered to srimati radharani by becoming lord caitanya. not the other way around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theist Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Yeah OK. It's too high for me to understand either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melvin Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Yeah OK. It's too high for me to understand either way. only a pure devotee can conquer krsnah. but a pure devotee is a conquered-krsnah devotee. you can`t be a pure-devotee if you are not conquered by krsnah. but once you become a pure-devotee, krsnah surrenders to you. ( the conquered conquers the conqueror?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theist Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 but that last statement " surrender " was made before the advent of lord caitanya. i am more interested what krsnah said thereafter. lord caitanya is krsnah. Perhaps surrender and become a pure devotee first. But right now pretending to have interest only in conquering Krishna like Srimati Radharani will not help you. Be honest with yourself. As materialistic devotees our real interest is in getting Krishna to make our material life better and at best to gain liberation from suffering. First liberation comes. Then one can engage in pure bhakti. Then one can develop or rather awaken within oneself the higher rasa's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sambya Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 So if one wants to pretend to be a hindu there may or may not be such a rule. But my point is that is not spiritual. One can have many goals but I spoke of the supreme goal. thats okay ! i agree to you . im only saying that it was not something that was asked by the original poster . he inquired whether what he has heard is true . Hinduism (whatever that is) is not synonomous with Krishna consciousness. what does that mean ? krishna consciousness(whatever that means) ....................or i would prefer to say vaishnavism.............. exclusive from hinduism (as it it is understood today ) ???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronin Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 hindi ?????!!!!!! what for ? why not tamil which is the second classical language of india ? why not bengali , assamese , punjabi , prakrit , pali and other apabrahmsa dialects ?? why not kahsi , garo , and santhali mothertongues ? Because Hindi is more easy & spoken country wide. do you know that hindu was not a language in proper sense and how much effort has gone into it to give it a language status ? Hindi is derived from Sanskrit which is the language of Gods. Why do you think those people effort ed so much? were they jerks ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronin Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Beliefs and rituals have neither regional nor language boundaries. It is like saying that you have to know Latin or English to follow Christianity. I do not know about rituals & beliefs of other countries but it isn't true about Indian system. Yes you need to know the language of the country of the religion you ought to follow. If i keep before you a "Koran" in Urdu & you don't know that language , how will you conceive the book. Its easy to get a translated copy but its like eating canned food when fresh food is available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.