Guest guest Posted November 23, 1999 Report Share Posted November 23, 1999 Dear Madhava, At 07:35 PM 11/22/99 +0300, you wrote: > " Madhava K. Turumella " <madhava >> Hindus are flexible because a true Hindu knows that there is no >> difference. Of course, this flexibility has caused a lot of displeasure to >> some people who felt that Hinduism is declining because of conversion blah >> blah... Their fear is baseless. How can a true Hindu can ever be >> converted? A person, who thinks that he had been a Hindu and getting >> converted, will remain a Hindu for ever. By the conversion he may be >> embracing another God. Mind you, Hindus do this in their regular life... >> We are not surprised about a person who adores Lord Venkateswara, one day >> wakes up and starts adoring Goddess Lalita. But we get surprised at >> somebody who adores Lord Venkateswara and one day wakes up and starts >> adoring Jesus. We get concerned and worried. Why! Because we think that >> we lost a Hindu. Where as a true Hindu can never be lost, because >> Hinduism by allows the followers the choice of a personal God. I think Hinduism is the universal religion. Although I am American by birth and have never been to India, and do not speak Sanskrit, I consider myself a Hindu (specifically, a follower of Advaita Vedanta). And by the very tenets of Hinduism, all that a person has to do to 'convert' to Hinduism is to consider himself as such. By birth, my mother is Jewish and my father is Muslim (although neither of them practice). The surprising thing is that according to the Jewish religion, it is passed down by the mother. And according to the Muslim religion, it's passed down by the father. So there is a conflict :-)... yet deep in my heart I am a Hindu and will always be a Hindu. Hinduism is not passed down by being born into a culture or a particular mother and father, it is adopted by free choice. Ramakrishna and Vivekananda recommend that each remain with the religion they were raised by. Yet I was raised in no religious atmosphere at all, and that gives me the freedom to choose! And of all the world's religions, I choose Hinduism, and I glory in that choice. >> I would never recommend anybody to brand Hinduism. For me, Hinduism is >> more than a religion, it is like an ocean, and all the so-called religions >> are nothing but waves in Hinduism. That's one way to look at it, but Hinduism encompasses many faiths, even Dvaita. I do not believe in Dvaita. Advaita is the only philosophy that makes any sense here. >> Like the waves never can get separated >> from the ocean, the world religions can never get a separate identity >> beyond Hinduism. That seems a little unfair to the other religions of the world. For example, there is Quabalah in Judaism, and Gnostic Christianity, and there is Sikhism and other religions that have the view of Advaita. They are not Hindu but respected religions in their own right. I respect any religion that reflects the viewpoint of Advaita, and even the religions that see only Dvaita, at least they draw attention to things beyond getting, spending and the pleasures of the senses! Hari OM, Ti ----- " Many paths -- One truth " Visit " The Core " Website at http://coresite.cjb.net - Music, Poetry, Writings on Nondual Spiritual Topics. Tim's other pages are at http://core.vdirect.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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