FAQs re Hinduism

July 28, 2009

Dear Members

I have wanted to respond to Devi Gokhale's doubts re Hinduism much earlier. But I was very caught up in work. But I managed to compile some useful inputs in Hinduism, which will come to the aid of any Hindu who is confronted by non-Hindu mockers. Hope you find it useful.

Idol worship in Hinduism:

Because God has got infinite forms. He/She can assume any form - material or otherwise.

Because its hard for us to visualise God in the Infinite, Formless mode, we need to relate to him as a formful personality. And God does not mind it one bit!

The Mocker So you visualise God as an animal!!??

The confident Hindu You can CHOOSE to visualise God in an animal form also. But the wise tell us that God will assume the qualities of whatever form you worship Him/Her in. So we have recommended forms to visualise the Supreme Lord. These are Ganesha, Skanda Muruga, Shiva, Vishnu, Parvathi, Lakshmi, Saraswati etc.

The Mocker So your God is your toy?

The confident Hindu Other faiths say that we are human beings and we should aspire for spiritual evolution. But in Hindu philosophy, we already spiritual beings. We have chosen to experience life in a human dimension.

So you yourself are God in the form of Gokhale, Stinger, Patricia, Meyappan, Sarma and so on. The kind of karma we commit determines the kind of dimension we will be born in.

If you do good karma, you will be reborn in a higher dimension - human or other.

The Doubter You worship trees and stones?

The confident Hindu All life forms are a manifestation (Kriya Shakti) of the Divine. Hinduism does not say that life forms like trees, animals, insects etc are inferior to human form. Yes, the human form has got far more advantages than other life forms.

So if a tree is useful to you (ask any environmentalist!!), it IS God in the form of a tree, with the qualities of a tree. Some trees are more holy than others. So Hindus show their respect and appreciation by "praying" to the tree. It is a Hindu practise to show reverence, respect, appreciation by offering flowers, incense, red powder etc. This does not mean praying in the same sense as many non-Hindus believe.

The Ultimate Truth Very highly evolved sages visualise God as the Infinite, Absolute, All Merciful, Pure Biss Consciousness and so on. It requires enormous - even a lifetime - of practice.

For the common man, this is not feasible. It is also not possible. It is easier for him to visualise God as someone he can relate to. So we worship God in the image that we feel comfortable with. (If you see pictures of the Virgin Mary, She is draped in garments Middle Eastern style. In Calcutta, you can come across pictures where The Holy Virgin is draped in a sari, with the pallu covering her head).

Now, get this right. You are NOT worshipping a picture or an idol. You are a physical being. You wish to connect with One who is above Material Realm. But you can express yourself only thru physicall expression.

Eg. If you love someone, do you stop at feeling that powerful emotion inside you? You give it physical expression. You physically hug and kiss the loved one. You try to do services for that person. You shower the loved one with gifts.

Same with God.

Because you cannot see God with your physical eyes, touch Him/Her with your physical body, you give physical expression of your love thru the physical medium of picture of idol. Dont you keep a picture of your loved ones on your desk? But when you see your loved ones in person, you do not need to look at their picture.

So also, when you finally realise the Divine inside you (which is the ultimate goal), there is no need for idols any more.

Dealing with the bigots, zealots and other aggressive people (because they are all around you!)

Perhaps the most challenging to your patience and decency is the Christian zealot. I do NOT disrespect Christians or Christianity. But I have often encountered Christian zealots who have been so disrespectful and insulting, that its been a challenge to keep cool (as Lord Jesus Himself kept his peace!).

To them I say: Jesus was tortured, made to wear a crown of thorns, spat on the face and crucified on the cross on Good Friday. Who were his tormentors? The Jews? Yes, but they were not just Jews. They were people who refused to respect Jesus' views. Simply because Jesus said that He was the Messiah, they murdered Him.

Dont you learn from Jesus' experience any lesson in tolerance of another's beliefs and faith? If you mock and insult other faiths, how are you different from the Jews who murdered your own Messiah?

I'm thankful to all those really good Christians (they came in different forms) who have enriched my life and made a great difference. I cannot remember all the names, but let me say this: Thank you Father Augustus, Thank you Augustus Mallier, Thank you Chelly George, Thank you Allan Sequeira, Robby Gonsalves and Thank you all whose names that evade me right now!

Patricia

July 28, 2009

Dear Patricia,

Most of what you have written here is eloquent and moving. However, I am very saddened and hurt when you say that the Jews murdered Jesus. That falsehood has been the source of the murderous anti-Semitism that Chrisitianity has perpetrated wherever it has gone in its 2,000 year history. Jesus was tried by the Romans and he was crucified by the Romans. Read the Gospels. Because the two dominant churches of the first 1,500 years of the Christian religion, the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox, saw themselves as the heirs of the Roman Empire, they blamed the Jews for what their Roman forbears did. In the time of Pope John XXIII, the Roman Catholic Church apologized for the horrors perpetrated on the Jews because because of this myth of the murder of Jesus. However, the current pope, Benedict XVI, has chosen to step back into the Middle Ages and reverse the

policy of his enlightened forbear. People of good will should reject this revival of hate-mongering ignorance.

Yogendra

To learn about yoga practice,living and philosophy, please visit my website --- On Tue, 7/28/09, patriciajay2000 <patriciajay2000 wrote:

patriciajay2000 <patriciajay2000 FAQs re Hinduism"dhandapani" <dhandapani >Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 5:20 PM

Dear Members

I have wanted to respond to Devi Gokhale's doubts re Hinduism much earlier. But I was very caught up in work. But I managed to compile some useful inputs in Hinduism, which will come to the aid of any Hindu who is confronted by non-Hindu mockers. Hope you find it useful.

Idol worship in Hinduism:

Because God has got infinite forms. He/She can assume any form - material or otherwise.

Because its hard for us to visualise God in the Infinite, Formless mode, we need to relate to him as a formful personality. And God does not mind it one bit!

The Mocker So you visualise God as an animal!!??

The confident Hindu You can CHOOSE to visualise God in an animal form also. But the wise tell us that God will assume the qualities of whatever form you worship Him/Her in. So we have recommended forms to visualise the Supreme Lord. These are Ganesha, Skanda Muruga, Shiva, Vishnu, Parvathi, Lakshmi, Saraswati etc.

The Mocker So your God is your toy?

The confident Hindu Other faiths say that we are human beings and we should aspire for spiritual evolution. But in Hindu philosophy, we already spiritual beings. We have chosen to experience life in a human dimension.

So you yourself are God in the form of Gokhale, Stinger, Patricia, Meyappan, Sarma and so on. The kind of karma we commit determines the kind of dimension we will be born in.

If you do good karma, you will be reborn in a higher dimension - human or other.

The Doubter You worship trees and stones?

The confident Hindu All life forms are a manifestation (Kriya Shakti) of the Divine. Hinduism does not say that life forms like trees, animals, insects etc are inferior to human form. Yes, the human form has got far more advantages than other life forms.

So if a tree is useful to you (ask any environmentalist! !), it IS God in the form of a tree, with the qualities of a tree. Some trees are more holy than others. So Hindus show their respect and appreciation by "praying" to the tree. It is a Hindu practise to show reverence, respect, appreciation by offering flowers, incense, red powder etc. This does not mean praying in the same sense as many non-Hindus believe.

The Ultimate Truth Very highly evolved sages visualise God as the Infinite, Absolute, All Merciful, Pure Biss Consciousness and so on. It requires enormous - even a lifetime - of practice.

For the common man, this is not feasible. It is also not possible. It is easier for him to visualise God as someone he can relate to. So we worship God in the image that we feel comfortable with. (If you see pictures of the Virgin Mary, She is draped in garments Middle Eastern style. In Calcutta, you can come across pictures where The Holy Virgin is draped in a sari, with the pallu covering her head).

Now, get this right. You are NOT worshipping a picture or an idol. You are a physical being. You wish to connect with One who is above Material Realm. But you can express yourself only thru physicall expression.

Eg. If you love someone, do you stop at feeling that powerful emotion inside you? You give it physical expression. You physically hug and kiss the loved one. You try to do services for that person. You shower the loved one with gifts.

Same with God.

Because you cannot see God with your physical eyes, touch Him/Her with your physical body, you give physical expression of your love thru the physical medium of picture of idol. Dont you keep a picture of your loved ones on your desk? But when you see your loved ones in person, you do not need to look at their picture.

So also, when you finally realise the Divine inside you (which is the ultimate goal), there is no need for idols any more.

Dealing with the bigots, zealots and other aggressive people (because they are all around you!)

Perhaps the most challenging to your patience and decency is the Christian zealot. I do NOT disrespect Christians or Christianity. But I have often encountered Christian zealots who have been so disrespectful and insulting, that its been a challenge to keep cool (as Lord Jesus Himself kept his peace!).

To them I say: Jesus was tortured, made to wear a crown of thorns, spat on the face and crucified on the cross on Good Friday. Who were his tormentors? The Jews? Yes, but they were not just Jews. They were people who refused to respect Jesus' views. Simply because Jesus said that He was the Messiah, they murdered Him.

Dont you learn from Jesus' experience any lesson in tolerance of another's beliefs and faith? If you mock and insult other faiths, how are you different from the Jews who murdered your own Messiah?

I'm thankful to all those really good Christians (they came in different forms) who have enriched my life and made a great difference. I cannot remember all the names, but let me say this: Thank you Father Augustus, Thank you Augustus Mallier, Thank you Chelly George, Thank you Allan Sequeira, Robby Gonsalves and Thank you all whose names that evade me right now!

Patricia

July 28, 2009

Dear Stinger

My profuse apologies. You're right, I have not read the Gospel. What I learnt was from other Christians or even non-Christians sources. You appear to have read the Gospels, and I can take your word on this.

Again, my apologies for hurting your feelings. It was unintentional, even ignorant. To borrow from Christ: Forgive me, for I know not what I did.

Patricia--- On Tue, 7/28/09, Stinger <stinger9oh wrote:

Stinger <stinger9ohRe: FAQs re Hinduismdhandapani Date: Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 8:19 PM

Dear Patricia,

Most of what you have written here is eloquent and moving. However, I am very saddened and hurt when you say that the Jews murdered Jesus. That falsehood has been the source of the murderous anti-Semitism that Chrisitianity has perpetrated wherever it has gone in its 2,000 year history. Jesus was tried by the Romans and he was crucified by the Romans. Read the Gospels. Because the two dominant churches of the first 1,500 years of the Christian religion, the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox, saw themselves as the heirs of the Roman Empire, they blamed the Jews for what their Roman forbears did. In the time of Pope John XXIII, the Roman Catholic Church apologized for the horrors perpetrated on the Jews because because of this myth of the murder of Jesus. However, the current pope, Benedict XVI, has chosen to step back into the Middle Ages and reverse the

policy of his enlightened forbear. People of good will should reject this revival of hate-mongering ignorance.

Yogendra

To learn about yoga practice,living and philosophy, please visit my website --- On Tue, 7/28/09, patriciajay2000@ <patriciajay2000@ > wrote:

patriciajay2000@ <patriciajay2000@ > FAQs re Hinduism"dhandapani" <dhandapani@gro ups.com>Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 5:20 PM

Dear Members

I have wanted to respond to Devi Gokhale's doubts re Hinduism much earlier. But I was very caught up in work. But I managed to compile some useful inputs in Hinduism, which will come to the aid of any Hindu who is confronted by non-Hindu mockers. Hope you find it useful.

Idol worship in Hinduism:

Because God has got infinite forms. He/She can assume any form - material or otherwise.

Because its hard for us to visualise God in the Infinite, Formless mode, we need to relate to him as a formful personality. And God does not mind it one bit!

The Mocker So you visualise God as an animal!!??

The confident Hindu You can CHOOSE to visualise God in an animal form also. But the wise tell us that God will assume the qualities of whatever form you worship Him/Her in. So we have recommended forms to visualise the Supreme Lord. These are Ganesha, Skanda Muruga, Shiva, Vishnu, Parvathi, Lakshmi, Saraswati etc.

The Mocker So your God is your toy?

The confident Hindu Other faiths say that we are human beings and we should aspire for spiritual evolution. But in Hindu philosophy, we already spiritual beings. We have chosen to experience life in a human dimension.

So you yourself are God in the form of Gokhale, Stinger, Patricia, Meyappan, Sarma and so on. The kind of karma we commit determines the kind of dimension we will be born in.

If you do good karma, you will be reborn in a higher dimension - human or other.

The Doubter You worship trees and stones?

The confident Hindu All life forms are a manifestation (Kriya Shakti) of the Divine. Hinduism does not say that life forms like trees, animals, insects etc are inferior to human form. Yes, the human form has got far more advantages than other life forms.

So if a tree is useful to you (ask any environmentalist! !), it IS God in the form of a tree, with the qualities of a tree. Some trees are more holy than others. So Hindus show their respect and appreciation by "praying" to the tree. It is a Hindu practise to show reverence, respect, appreciation by offering flowers, incense, red powder etc. This does not mean praying in the same sense as many non-Hindus believe.

The Ultimate Truth Very highly evolved sages visualise God as the Infinite, Absolute, All Merciful, Pure Biss Consciousness and so on. It requires enormous - even a lifetime - of practice.

For the common man, this is not feasible. It is also not possible. It is easier for him to visualise God as someone he can relate to. So we worship God in the image that we feel comfortable with. (If you see pictures of the Virgin Mary, She is draped in garments Middle Eastern style. In Calcutta, you can come across pictures where The Holy Virgin is draped in a sari, with the pallu covering her head).

Now, get this right. You are NOT worshipping a picture or an idol. You are a physical being. You wish to connect with One who is above Material Realm. But you can express yourself only thru physicall expression.

Eg. If you love someone, do you stop at feeling that powerful emotion inside you? You give it physical expression. You physically hug and kiss the loved one. You try to do services for that person. You shower the loved one with gifts.

Same with God.

Because you cannot see God with your physical eyes, touch Him/Her with your physical body, you give physical expression of your love thru the physical medium of picture of idol. Dont you keep a picture of your loved ones on your desk? But when you see your loved ones in person, you do not need to look at their picture.

So also, when you finally realise the Divine inside you (which is the ultimate goal), there is no need for idols any more.

Dealing with the bigots, zealots and other aggressive people (because they are all around you!)

Perhaps the most challenging to your patience and decency is the Christian zealot. I do NOT disrespect Christians or Christianity. But I have often encountered Christian zealots who have been so disrespectful and insulting, that its been a challenge to keep cool (as Lord Jesus Himself kept his peace!).

To them I say: Jesus was tortured, made to wear a crown of thorns, spat on the face and crucified on the cross on Good Friday. Who were his tormentors? The Jews? Yes, but they were not just Jews. They were people who refused to respect Jesus' views. Simply because Jesus said that He was the Messiah, they murdered Him.

Dont you learn from Jesus' experience any lesson in tolerance of another's beliefs and faith? If you mock and insult other faiths, how are you different from the Jews who murdered your own Messiah?

I'm thankful to all those really good Christians (they came in different forms) who have enriched my life and made a great difference. I cannot remember all the names, but let me say this: Thank you Father Augustus, Thank you Augustus Mallier, Thank you Chelly George, Thank you Allan Sequeira, Robby Gonsalves and Thank you all whose names that evade me right now!

Patricia