Nirguna Brahman is not unique to Judaism or Islam but Hinduism too

[Guest guest]

" All of us are striving for universal collectivity that is far more

important than local collectivity. By universal collectivity i mean

all the great souls, sages and seekers around us, not just SYs.

There are millions of such compassionate and enlightened humans out

there and our attention and desire should encompass them too. i have

realized that the only way to attract Hindus, Jews, Sikhs,

Christians, Buddhists, Muslims and others is to:

 

i) always tell the truth upfront;

ii) use the holy scriptures to back Shri Mataji's teachings;

iii) free seekers of all rules, regulations, and conditionings;

iv) make an excellent detailed database for future seekers and;

v) prevent the domination of WCASY and management over SYs. "

 

http://adishakti.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=552

 

 

It appears that Exodus 36:35 " And he made a veil of blue, and

purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubim made he it

of cunning work " is evidence enough to show that Exodus 20:4 Thou

shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any

thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or

that is in the water under the earth is not to be taken literally -

indeed that it is laudable to make likenesses of cherubim for

instance, so long as one does not make the mistake of worshipping

them rather than YHVH. In Exodus 20:3 there is reference to false

gods, reinforcing the non-plural stance of the Abrahamic religions.

 

So, though the Philonic interpretation of the Decalogue splits

Exodus 20:3-4, the other standard interpretations do not do so. In

this case, it seems just to say that the term idolatry is a misnomer

(or blind) in that even a simple interpretation of Exodus makes it

clear that it is not so much the graven image or idol, but the

worship of anything other than YHVH which is condemned. In a broader

sense, a reasonable interpretation of this portion of the Decalogue

would be Do not be heterodox, or as mentioned in the etymology

above, Do not practice " avodah zarah " (foreign worship), more

simply, for Abrahamics, idolatry is the worship of anything or being

other than YHVH.

 

It follows that the non-abrahamic religious (Hindus, Sikhs,

Buddhists, Shinto and so on) are idolaters (according to

Abrahamics), not for having statues in their temples, but for

worshipping or revering beings that are not YHVH. Even Buddhists are

deemed idolaters (though they have no god to worship) not because

they have statues in their temples, (which they do not worship,

having no object of worship), but merely because Buddhism is

heterodox to Abrahamics, and outside of the Abrahamic religious

project.

 

Common responses to the idolatry badge are generally focused on

the 'graven image' blind, rather than the more general instruction

against foreign worship. Typically, the responses focus on the

identification of representations of God within the Abrahamic

traditions: in statue, painting, text, word, or thought. However, as

it is quite apparent that Exodus 20:4 must be accepted

interpretively, most responses are rendered inapplicable.

 

For those that do not accept the need to interpret Exodus 20:4,

there are many problems to do with attaching the term 'idolatry' to

the claim of, for instance, Hindus who respect beliefs of Jews and

Muslims as viewing God without form, which they characterize as

Nirguna Brahman; more so those Buddhists, who claim that

representing the ineffable in any sense - even conceptually - cannot

lead to liberation; (Buddha was famously silent about the existence

or non-existence of God, and asserted that worshipping God is not a

method to achieve Nirvana).

 

Hindu views of idolatry

 

Hinduism is not one religion, but rather is the set of indigenous

religions that together constitute the religious heritage of people

from India and nearby regions. Ancient forms of Hinduism were

polytheistic. This is not so different from charactertizations in

the Bible. Jews initially held Yahweh as a tribal god before

elevating Yahweh to be the God of all. The Vedas had many hymns to

devas, (i.e., gods in Western terminology) which are not to be

confused with God. Furthermore, some Hindu sects focus on the Hindu

Agamas, another form of sacred literature, which instead focus on

monotheistic forms of God such as Vishnu, Shiva or Devi.

 

Over time, many of these forms of Hinduism slowly evolved into

henotheistic, monist and monotheistic forms. Eventually most forms

of Hinduism taught that a singular entity, i.e., Brahman is the

source of all creation. Contemporary Hinduism really focuses on

worship of either Vishnu or Shiva (whom adherents venerate as God)

or God's power personified, Shakti or Devi. These personal aspects

of God or His power are the only means to attain mukti or moksha.

Moksha, unlike the Buddhist counterpart of nirvana, is not a state

of non-being but union with God. The Bhagavad Gita condemns worship

of demigods or deities as such worship is limited and does not lead

to moksha.

 

Early Rig Vedic monism was realized in the Upanishads and Hinduism

has multiple streams of thought that range from monotheist to

monist. The multiple Hindu divinities ( " divine aspects " ,) represent

different aspects of one natural power, or more accurately, a

singular being-non-being Brahman. The concept of God without form or

Nirguna Brahman is not unique to Judaism or Islam and is in fact

held in Hinduism. However, human beings are sensory beings and have

a need to visualize God with form. The personal forms of God (i.e.,

Saguna Brahman) is expressed through Vishnu or Shiva. For this

reason, murti, or icon worship, is very much a practice for most

Hindus, who choose to connect through bhakti, loving devotion, with

God. Some Hindu sects like Arya Samaj do not believe in veneration

or worshipping statues. Other sects argue that the human mind needs

an Ishta Deva (chosen deity) to help him to concentrate on the

divine principle during sadhana (spiritual excercise). Some Hindu

sects like ISKCON will only consent to worship of icons that they

consider the supreme God (i.e., Vishnu or Krishna) or His avatars.

 

From a Hindu point of view, Hindus would consider the Abrahmanic God

(Yahweh) to be the same as Narayana. Furthermore, Muslims,

Christians and Jews all supposedly worship the same God yet Jews

wouldn't consider Allah to be equivalent to Yahweh even though

Muslims believe that Yahweh and Allah are the same God. The same

goes with Christians and Jews. All paths to God are different but

equivalent. As the Vedas state, " Truth is one, the wise call by

different names. "

 

Additionally, Sikhs are not idolaters either as they have

similarities with Abrahmanic religions as their religion has both

Muslim and Hindu influences even though Sikhism is a separate and

independent religion. Many in fact state that Sikhism is an

Abrahmanic religion and Sikhs would be offended to be labeled

idolaters. No one in contemporary times have seen God so it appears

pretentious to accuse others of being idolaters for worshipping a

supposedly different Supreme Being.

 

A growing number of theologically liberal Jewish theologians accept

the condemnation of idolatry, but argue that most religions that

appear idolatrous are not, and thus ought to be accepted as

legitimate. They argue that modern day Buddhists, Hindus and others

(a) do not literally worship " sticks and stones " , as the idolaters

in the Tanakh were described doing. Their beliefs have more

theological depth than ancient pagans, and are well aware their

icons are only symbols of a deeper level of reality, (b) they do not

practice child sacrifice, © they are of high moral character, and

(d) they are not anti-Semitic. As such, some Jews argue that not

only does God have a relationship with all gentile monotheists, but

that God also maintains a relationship with Hindus, Buddhists and

other polytheists. (Idolatry - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

 

Nirguna Brahman is not unique to Judaism or Islam but also held by

Hinduism and Sikhism. Nirguna Brahman exists within all humans as

God Almighty (Light) and His Spirit (Shakti). Nirguna Brahman can be

worshipped within anywhere, anytime and without any external images.

This concept of God without form or Nirguna Brahman is the only way

to attract Hindus, Jews, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Muslims and

others to the Divine Message. That is why it is necessary to:

 

i) always tell the truth upfront;

ii) use the holy scriptures to back Shri Mataji's teachings;

iii) free seekers of all rules, regulations, and conditionings;

iv) make an excellent detailed database for future seekers and;

v) prevent the domination of WCASY and management over SYs.

 

Jai Shri Mataji,

 

 

jagbir