Difference between Hinduism and Other Religions ( By Swamy Vivekananda) .

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NamasteSwamy Vivekananda said: >>>>>>Hinduism is God centred .> Other religions are prophet centred .>>>>>>>I think Swamy fully did not elaborate here. Elsewhere he has been more subtle.I would like to see one correction to the above statement. That is " Other religions are God and Prophet Centred. But , Hinduism is Truth and realization centred. Also, in other religions, the God is the pivot. In Hinduism , the practitioner is the pivot.We may have so many religions inside Sanatani framework, but scrach the surface, you find a single thread in all of them that point to self realization as the only purpose of life.All the semitic religions prattle about heaven as the highest achievable whereas the Hindu rejects that as another aspect of prakriti which is a created item and hence a bondage.Hare KrishnaVenkat , "srikrishnadasa_rajeev" <srikrishnadasa.rajeev wrote:>> > Hare Krishna ! Pranams to Bhagavan Sri Krishna and Bhaktas ,> > Swami Vivekananda wrote about Sanatana Dharma ( Hinduism) :> > Vedas> > By the Vedas no books are meant. They mean the accumulated treasury of> spiritual laws discovered by different persons in different times.> > The Hindus have received their religion through revelation, the Vedas.> They hold that the Vedas are without beginning and without end. It may> sound ludicrous to this audience, how a book can be without beginning or> end. But by the Vedas no books are meant. They mean the accumulated> treasury of spiritual laws discovered by different persons into> different times. Just as the law of gravitation existed before its> discovery, and exist if all humanity forgot it, so is it with the laws> that govern the spiritual world. The moral, ethical, and spiritual> relations between soul and soul and between individual spirits and the> father of all spirits, were there before their discovery, and would> remain even if we forgot them.> > The discoverers of these laws are called Rishis, and we honour them as> perfected beings. I am glad to tell this audience that some of the very> greatest of them were women.> > Conversion> > The Hindus, like the Jews, do not convert others; still gradually, other> races are coming within Hinduism and adopting the manners and customs of> the Hindus and falling into line with them. Hinduism is God centred .> Other religions are prophet centred .> > > > Toleration?> > Our watchword, then, will be acceptance, and not exclusion. Not only> toleration, for so called toleration is often blasphemy, and I do not> believe in it. I believe in acceptance. Why should I tolerate?> Toleration means that, I think that you are wrong and I am just> allowing you to live. Is it not a blasphemy to think that you and I are> allowing others to live? I accept all religions that were in the past,> and worship with them; I worship God with every one of them, in whatever> form they worship Him.> > Defining the Idea of God> > With the Hindus you will find one national idea- spirituality. In no> other religion, in no other sacred books of the world, will you find so> much energy spent in defining the idea of God.> > Pythagoras and Kapila> > There is no philosophy in the world that is not indebted to Kapila.> Pythagoras came to India and studied this philosophy, and that was the> beginning of the philosophy of the Greeks. Later, it formed the> Alexandrian school and still later the Gnostics. It became divided into> two; one part went to Europe and Alexandria, and the other remained in> India; and out of this, the system of Vyasa was developed.> > Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya!!!> > SriKrishnaDasa Rajeev>