Guest guest Posted November 24, 1999 Report Share Posted November 24, 1999 Namaste friends Once a Swamiji asked his disciples, " Why are you proud to be a Hindu? " . Then one of them answered, " Because it teaches you to be a Hindu and makes you lose that identity as well eventually. " To me, this is one great aspect of the Hindu Dharma. It is a human religion. The only qualification we need to be a Hindu is the human intellect. As long as we have that intellectual faculty, we automatically become part of the Sanatana Dharma. Thanks to Madhava-ji and Tim-ji for their valuable opinions. I just wished to add on. Om Shanti Kathi > > Tim Gerchmez [sMTP:core1] > Tuesday, November 23, 1999 4:01 PM > Ramakrishna > [ramakrishna] Re: Questions by PBV Rajan > > Tim Gerchmez <core1 > > > 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 > > > Sri Ramakrishnaye Namah > Vivekananda Centre London > http://www.btinternet.com/~vivekananda/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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