Re: Followers of Hindu philosophy
Thank you for the detailed responses. I'm a little busy at the moment; however, I'll most certainly go through them asap (either today or in the next few days).
Re: Followers of Hindu philosophy
you know what sadiyah...all this talk of religion and stuff makes everyone sick....it's your personal matter. Just take the philosophy of your religion and keep the rituals average. this is just my suggestion and be happy in life.
Re: Followers of Hindu philosophy
ssn, thank you for sharing a detailed introduction to Hinduism. It was a very nice read.
From what I can gather, the Hindu holy books are written by the ancestors of those residing in the South Asian region. There was no one author of the book, but several people contributed towards it. In addition, these books contain wisdom, parables, events, and likely the rulings that should be abided by according to the time they were written.
I've also noticed that at many occasions, it's been said that it's also a way of life. Do these books contain information on how to live one's life from waking up to going back to sleep? If so, could you please quote some examples from the book? I'd be very interested to read.
Patanjali's Yoga Sutra - its last bit 'sutra' reminded me of Kama Sutra. What exactly does the word 'sutra' mean? Also, while at it, what's the relevance and importance of Kama Sutra? I know people relate it to Hinduism. Is it true or is it a common misconception?
The information on The Ramayana and The Mahabharata was very limited in the article. I've heard about them in general quite a lot and I'm curious to find out more about them. Please do share something that could provide further insight and knowledge about them.
I also learned that Manusmitri talks about governing one's life. Could you please give examples from the book illustrating what sort of message it contains on governing one's life. I'd be very interested to read.
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Last word: Only a pervert mind could have coined the phrase “Hindu Fundamentalist”
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I fail to understand what could possibly be wrong with someone being a Hindu fundamentalist. To the best of my knowledge, fundamentals are basically the essentials, foundation, or base of something. I know the word 'fundamentalist' has been taken out of context by people in general these days, but I fail to see what could possibly be wrong with a Hindu fundamentalist, as I believe a Hindu fundamentalist would be someone who strictly adheres to the fundamentals of Hinduism.
** Nikhil**, what are these 6 philosophical schools really about? Are these the same schools mentioned in the article above? If so, then from what I can gather, these schools tell you how to live your life, deal with daily affairs, government issues, economics, and the like. Why is it that these are ignored or not strictly followed?
** Mograkali**, Ii think I hear what you're saying. Basically Hindus are allowed
to pick, choose, and follow that which is in accord with them or what they can
apply and leave the remainder. Is this the case? Please shed some light.
** ssingh**, all this talk about religion shouldn't make people sick. If we follow something or believe something to be true, then I believe there's nothing wrong with discussing it in a civil manner. The least it does is help us understand each other better and make us more tolerant.
In conclusion, from what I can gather Hinduism is based on philosophy. This philosophy has been written down by various individuals in the past. Some of it talks about God, while other bits talk about how to live one's life or deal with things. Some of it is still applicable, while the remainder may not be, as it could be outdated. Followers are perhaps required to go through the philosophy and form their own ideas and understanding from it. They are free to follow that which makes sense to them and deal with the remainder in a manner they deem fit.
Lastly, one of the preceding posts talked about avatars. What I understood is Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahmin were present in human forms and their activity, events, and the like have been written down and some of it is celebrated or remembered in the form of Hindu festivals. Are they considered God or that part of God that has been sent down in human form? Is God considered to be part of humans and vice versa? Please shed some light on it.
Feel free to correct me where I've understood wrong. I'd appreciate it.
Re: Followers of Hindu philosophy
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For me avataars are only that of vishnu. of the 10 avataars , 9 have appeared. Of which the narrator of bhagavad geetha, krishna is one them. This yuga or age is called kali yuga. So the last or final avataar of vishnu or krishna is kalki avataar which will happen at the end of this age "when there will be no topics of god left". that's what hindu philosophy says. For hindus, avataar means god.
Zakir naik (i think you know him), has his own interpretation of the above, Which i dont believe.
Re: Followers of Hindu philosophy
Sadiyah, first let me say that I am thrilled at the open discussion without name calling, in this thread. Islam and Hinduism have very different philosophies, in terms of rules, the literal word of a supreme being and social controls. It is very hard for a Muslim to understand and appreciate the freedom of interpretation in Hinduism and equally hard for Hindus to appreciate the adherence to the written word that Islam advocates.
I am not learned in the scriptures, and not an advocate of quoting from websites and making a pretence to being learned. I give you the layman’s and specifically my version and understanding of Hinduism. Other Hindus may see it all from a completely different perspective. Hinduism in essence is accepting of all perspectives.
From what I can gather, the Hindu holy books are written by the ancestors of those residing in the South Asian region. There was no one author of the book, but several people contributed towards it. In addition, these books contain wisdom, parables, events, and likely the rulings that should be abided by according to the time they were written. .
Yes the scriptures were written by many, many people over the ages. Who actually wrote the earliest treatises is a matter of controversy. Some argue that the earliest came with the mythology of the earliest nomadic Aryan wave. Others say the first were written after the settlement started keeping in mind the indigenous culture in place before the Aryan nomads arrived. A cultural anthropologist will be able to answer this specific question.
In any case there have been scriptures written for thousands of years. They were written in context of the social conditions at the time of writing. They have also been interpreted and reinterpreted over the ages sometimes to suit the social conditions at the time of the interpretation. It is always acknowledged that the writing and interpretation is done by man and the words are not direct from any supreme entity. There are prayers and parables and philosophical treatise in these scriptures. Interpretations of what constitutes "sacred" also varies. Individuals are given the freedom to follow previous interpretations (which may be strict or unyielding or unpopular in today's day and age) or to reject these and to do their own thing so to speak.
Some of the scriptures contain what can be loosely termed as rules and some do not. Remember the rules are open to interpretation. These are not the words of any supreme entity, so over and over in the scriptures (except perhaps in the Vedas) the names of authors or interpreters are LIKELY to be found (not in all cases though.. readers....don’t get on my case and quote scripture to me from websites that you come across with anonymous authors!)
The rules are sometimes explained as parables with a moral (Ram was a good son to his father and showed him respect by such and such action) and sometimes in plain language (you show respect to your father by bowing your head in front of him etc). There is no book that tells you what to do from when you wake until you sleep. There are so many interpretations of the rules, which if you have a philosophical bent of mind you are encouraged to seek answers for yourself. If do not wish to do that, you can follow the rules you find in the scriptures you like, in the interpretation you like.
However, for the masses through the ages due to economics, lack of understanding about natural phenomenon, paucity of time, resources or social conditions the most common option has been to just follow what everyone else does. This last option seems the easiest way out but it has also served as a means of social and economic control by the "haves" over the "have nots" and has led to social problems in the past like casteism and treating women badly.
Kamasutra is just another ancient book. It is a treatise on human love by the author Vatsyana. It is possibly not all original material by him and he just complied what was known into book form . In any case Vatsyana finally penned the words and put his name to it. It was written sometime between 1st and 6th century AD.
Kama is a Hindu version of Cupid (yes he even has the same bow and arrow... perhaps an indication of common ancestry with Greco roman/ European mythology). Love and lovemaking is acknowledged as a very important factor in our lives and its connection with making us whole and content human beings is highlighted. It is a cross between a self help book and Dr. Kinsey’s report on sexuality, a social commentary on the sexual mores of the time it was written, and a sexual etiquette rule book for that particular time. I think it is a great read and very interesting. Most people would not consider it a sacred book, but you are free to do so if you wish.
Ramayan and Mahabharata are essentially stories and philosophy in written form. There are several versions of them and as many interpretations of them based on who wrote and rewrote them through the ages.... e.g.. Valmiki’s Ramayan and Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas and now even comic books and TV serials give their own spin to the stories. These stories and philosophies are based on our collective mythology and social experiences (not the literal words of a supreme being). The characters in these have been given super hero status for poetic license but they still embody the trials and tribulations of the human collective conscious. It serves some aspects of society to give divine status to these superheroes and that is also perfectly in keeping with the freedom of interpretation. These superheroes have also been used over the ages as catch points for political purposes, but then the other face of religion is also often political. Besides which the human condition allows religion to be used a tool for social and economic as well as political control. So all is fair in love and religion!
Mahabharat is also celebrated as being the world’s longest poem to date. Please read these books which are widely available to get a sense of the stories, philosophies and parables in them.
Please read my earlier message about Laws of Manu. I will leave this one to people more learned in the scriptures than me. (NO, quoting from websites does not count as being learned in the scriptures).
In a literal sense what you say is true..."Hindu fundamentalist would be someone who strictly adheres to the fundamentals of Hinduism". However the rules of Hinduism are open to interpretation. It lays open the possibility that a certain interpretation if held very strictly can be used as a political, social or economic weapon to control others. In that most Hindu's are very suspicious of "fundamentalism".
I am sure Nilkil will be able to explain best.
Please read the message above.
I am thrilled that this thread is allowing for open discussion.
Something like that.. Nice précis!
Hinduism acknowledges that there is divine in all things, natural and otherwise. The fact that the universe exists means that there is a reason for being and that everything is a manifestation of a supreme being. In a philosophical sense, the Avatars are divine manifestations of our collective social conscious and are used to keep us on the straight and narrow, by jogging our conscience when we are out of line! They live very human like lives, very similar to our regular lives and they resolve problems the way we do. We are meant to look at their problem resolution as a guide to our lives and foibles. So whether the Avatars are god or god in human form or humans in superhero form… it is entirely up to you and how you worship.
For anyone trying to understand Hinduism…. keep an open mind and do not hung up on rules and regulations and the literal word. There are no absolute answers for everything!
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Re: Followers of Hindu philosophy
^ Thank you. I haven't had the chance to read it, but I'll get back as soon as I'm done reading it.
Re: Followers of Hindu philosophy
Personally, I would rather spend time learning about Islam than hinduism. We as muslims do not even have enough knowledge of our own religion and our own prophet:saw: and his life.
But then again, someone who is knowledable enough to learn about other religions for comparitive study and to come up with rebuttal strategy for daawah, it’s a good excercise. I, on the other hand, still think myself is far from coming close to the real knowledge of Islam.
Good thread but above my level. 
Re: Followers of Hindu philosophy
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1. Uttar Mimansaa (of Vyasa) 2. Jaimini Purva Mimansaa 3. sage Vasishtha’s Nyaya Shastra (system of justice) 4. Sage Kanada’s Vaishashikha which proposes “parmanu-vaad”. A philosophical doctrine that engages in understanding the properties of manifested form by dividing matter into smaller and smaller particle till further division is not possible. 5. Sage Kapila & Sage panchashikh’s Sankhya Shastra: This involves epistemology of existence and holds enquiry into creation/destruction of the universe, true nature of God and anatomy of human sorrow. (Large part of Bhagvad Gita is based on Sankhya Shastra. For details see my paper on 6. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra (now famous Indian Yoga) a philosophy that engages with facilitating relief from physical and mental trauma.
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Who is Vasishtha? I was taught that Askpada Guatama created the nyaya sutras? Also, don't you think its unfair to call it a major philisophical school when its largely stamped out during islamic rule of india? Or is their some neo-modern revival movement?
Re: A convert to Christianity
people dont convert to indian ,chinese or japanse faith since it represent more
local culture
Re: Followers of Hindu philosophy
He was one of the greatest sages of India.
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I was taught that Askpada Guatama created the nyaya sutras?
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Were you "taught" or was it a quickie visit to wikipedia ? You dont know who Sage Vashishtha was and then say "I was taught that Askpada.....".
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Also, don't you think its unfair to call it a major philisophical school when its largely stamped out during islamic rule of india? Or is their some neo-modern revival movement?
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But now that the Islamic Rule has been dumped (self-dumped) to Pakistan and Bangladesh, you can call it a major philosophical school, whereas it was just a philosophical school during those times.
Re: Followers of Hindu philosophy
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He was one of the greatest sages of India.
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Would you be kind enough to give more information about him.
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Were you "taught" or was it a quickie visit to wikipedia ? You dont know who Sage Vashishtha was and then say "I was taught that Askpada.....".
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I have to admit, the first time I read about Askpada, it was on Wikipedia, but after that I did some searching about him on my own. I should have wrote read, or self-taught:D . Anyways, isn't it true that the nyaya sutras were written by Askpada?
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But now that the Islamic Rule has been dumped (self-dumped) to Pakistan and Bangladesh, you can call it a major philosophical school, whereas it was just a philosophical school during those times.
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I'm just asking if their is a revival movement going on to bring back Nyaya hindus, or is it completely dead? I don't understand why your so hostile to my queries pagan:D , unless you feel more comfortable answering questions from people who use dalitstan.org as a source for hinduism?:D
Re: Followers of Hindu philosophy
all, especially Mr.SSN - I am truly very happy to read about this. Is there some book available for this? very interesting I am sure.
It is funny and ironic - I live all this time go to temple etc but learn good basic stuff about my own religion from this Muslim website! Thank you. I am so happy I joined