Hindu Dichotomy Questions

[Guest guest]

Dear

List,

 

Namaste!

 

My

first post…J

I am again trying to eliminate some confusion, and sort out (in my mind) the different

branches of Hinduism…so please excuse both me, and my questions, if they seem

elementary and inappropriate for this list…I am not new to Jyotish, but I am quite

new to this list. Jyotish and spirituality go hand in hand, in my mind. When on

the path to enlightenment, in order to fully understand and absorb one teaching,

I think we also need absolute clarity, with respect to the other. I am just

looking to get closer to the Truth.

 

Being born and raised a Roman Catholic

girl in the USA, the Eastern teachings are somewhat foreign to my native land of

birth, however, none the less totally fascinating to me, and have been for some

time. I have danced around over the years between practicing Theravadin Buddhism

at Vipassana with S.N. Goenka, to reading about different branches of Hinduism,

to following the teachings and Self-Realization Lessons of Paramahansa

Yogananda. In my search for both the truth and the secrets, I have gathered

books written by several authors on different branches. So I guess what I do

not understand, is why Hinduism contains so many divisions? It is very

confusing to this westerner, as those of us brought up in Catholicism in the

west are taught that there is one God by one name, which is God. And his son is

named Jesus Christ. There are saints that can be prayed to, but only one God

Almighty. So I remain in square one with respect to attaining clarity over time

about branches of eastern religion, and as confused as ever.

 

So

I have a few questions if I may…

 

For

those of you well versed in the subject, what are your thoughts on the trilogy

written by the late Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, Dancing With Siva, Living With Siva, and Merging With Siva? He

passed away last year from cancer – (his birth data is Jan. 5, 1927 8:25 AM,

Oakland, CA). Anyway, his voluminous writings are so enjoyable to read from an

American’s perspective - as far as an American’s ability to truly understand, in an English manner, the writings and beliefs

that Hinduism offers, as English translations to these concepts are readily comprehensible

within the writings by this author, and therefore leave the western reader with

an ability to both better understand the teachings, and relate. So I guess my

question is, are these writings intellectually and spiritually supportive, or

at a complete dichotomy, as far as relevance and beliefs to Vaisnaivism? In

other words, will the Saivite teachings totally spiritually contradict the

teachings of Vaisnaivism, or will they be supportive to learning Hinduism?

 

I

have always been confused about the “differences”

in branches of Hinduism, and WHY there are even differences and different teachings to Hinduism,

and I therefore remain totally confused about what reading material to defer to

for the real Truth. And how many names are there for One God? I really also

enjoy the writings of Stephen Knapp, as he also has a gift of writing about an

Eastern subject with clarity. I realize that much of what I am asking is

probably largely based on individual personal preferences, but I am interested

in knowing the overall preferences for this list. What about Buddhism, and the

teachings of Osho and Eknath Easwaran? And what are the list thoughts on who authors the best translation of the

Bhagavad-Gita?

 

Also,

would anyone know where I could purchase a copy of Sanjay’s book on Vimshottari and Udu Dasas in the United

States? I have checked with several jyotish vendors online, and they don’t seem

to carry the title. Thanks…

 

 

~

Sincerely ~

Sandy Crowther

http://www.jupitersweb.com/