What exactly do hindus worship?
ZZ hello...hello..ZZ
Man made gods...and usually they mal-function. ;)
Jaawan
Till next time**Keep_It_Simple_Stupid**©
Scarface
This question has been discussed many times on this forum. Since you are a newcomer I will answer your question very briefly without going into too much detail.
Idols represent God they are not God and by worshipping them you are thinking of the creator or spirit that made the universe. This is something similar to facing Kabba and praying or throwing stones at the pillars (pillar representing satan).
Hinduism teaches toleration and acceptance of all religions and life. It believes in Karma (you reap what you sow) and soul, which never dies and can be reunited with the creator if one does good deeds.
If you want further explanation, please do a search on this forum, or read a book about Hinduism, you can get one from your local library.
I bet the other Indians are keeping away from your question because they have dealt with this kind of questioning many times and don't want to go into full details for the benefit of each and every newcomer.
[This message has been edited by Rani (edited May 04, 2000).]
Rani
Long time no gupshup from you; good to see you're back!
Guys,
The answer to Scarface question can be found in this quote from Muhammad Ibn 'Arabi --mystic, philosopher, poet, sage and, one of the world's great spiritual teachers.
"If the believer understood the meaning of the saying 'the color of the water is the color of the receptacle', he would admit the validity of all beliefs and he would recognise God in every form and every object of faith."
What does Ibn'Arabi mean:
'the color of the water is the color of the receptacle'
Any ideas - Scarface?
scarface,
When Rani says,
"Something similar to facing Kabba and praying....".
I think she uses a very appropriate point of reference...as close as one can get to a good example.
By the way, I am a bit confused as to why you only mention the "Hindus" when exploring what an "idol" signifies,
because other great religions such as Buddhism, use an idol as well..
My religion Islam doesn't have idols,
however, I do find myself looking up at the sky, as if talking to or addressing Allah, and at times clutching hard to my Quran....
Because I guess they are symbols for me, where my Allah is...?
In my opinion, these are just different form, means and methods to reach the same Higher Power.....
If you can understand, for example, the Respect and Reverence you Feel and Extend to Holy books and Holy sites of your religion,
you shouldn't have much difficulty in answering your question,
"What exactly do hindus worship?"...smile
Abdul,
Thanks, I went for a visit to India for three weeks and had a great time; on my way back I stopped in Singapore for a few days.
"If the believer understood the meaning of the saying 'the color of the water is the color of the receptacle', he would admit the validity of all beliefs and he would recognise God in every form and every object of faith." <<
This is Great, something I believe in. I come to this forum because of people like you.
Dahatan,
Great post. It is true that Buddhists also worship idols because of the initial question posed and title of the post, I talked about idols in the context of Hinduism only.
[This message has been edited by Rani (edited May 04, 2000).]
Dehatanjee,
thanx and congratulations on being able to see it so well. :)
symbolism is a part of most religions - hindus certainly have it in a very obvious way in their nature worship, worship of fire, worship of the seasons and heavenly bodies, worship of idols. christians consider the cross to be sacred, then there is the sacred water, sacred biscuit-kinda-thing..; muslims have the kaaba'h, the hazratbal shrines, the practice of facing the direction of mecca for namaz; sikhs too worship some sort of shrine.. not to forget the holy bible, the Qur'an, the guru granth sahib, which are revered. isnt the practice of going to a temple/church/mosque/gurudwara/synagogue also some form of symbolism/idol worship? after all, we all believe that God is omnipresent. :)
btw, buddhism didnt have idol worship or rituals and sacrifices initially, they crept in later on from local customs.
Not only idols, but land, water, trees, mountains, rivers, animals, parents, teachers. (How much of the reverence is actually practiced is another issue). Hinduism was the first 'green party' of the world.
queer,
Hi!
Pleasure being able to touch base with you again.....seems like a century!
Actually it literally is!!! laugh!
Thanks for correcting me about Buddhism.
When I was young, my father was the boss to a "lot" of Hindu, Buddhist and Christian employees and was invited to Pujaas regularly.
But it was me who was sent to attend,
and sitting in the front row, Best Mithais being offered, my fascination with the Kaali Maata and the Durgha Maa...!! don't ask! laugh!
By the way, I use the Bengali names for them, I know they are called differently in for example, Punjab, etc.
So my point is, that Hinduism comes very natually to me....
I have grown up surrounded in that religion and I can't thank my parents Enough, for teaching us that there is our religion, which is Islam and then there are these other religions...
Never, did I know or feel, that one was better than the other, or that there was Any difference among the people who belonged to these different religions.
By the way, the reason Buddhism came into my discussion about Idols is because my brother-in-law recently got me a Buddha from Bangkok, a city I have visited umpteen times beckoned by the serenity of the temples....but just couldn't pick that Buddha! laugh! which he did! laugh again!
Anyhow, the mystery about this statue is that it is Buddha, However, it is itself in a Prayer position, with the arms extended and hands held together....
SO, you could interpret it, as Buddha or a Mortal being, praying to the Almighty....whatever, name you chose use for the Higher One...
It is a fascinating piece for me, since I can interpret it the way I want to, and when I look at it, I can FEEL the Calm, the Surrender, the Reverence, the Devotion, for the Almighty....
It is not Islamic and I am not Buddhist, but what this Idol represents, when I go past the, "it is an Idol", Haraam or whatever, I see the SAME feeling which I get everytime I connect with my Allah....
What does my mother think of the Buddha and how long will the Buddha be arround...?
Well, since I am not treating it just as a piece of decor and go on this Spiritual Analysis Mission, I am....worried!
ZZ,
Thanks for mentioning Teachers!
I think that is where I learnt the Word Reverence and what it means...I have the "need" to experience that type of Reverence...
In fact, Teachers is what I miss about back home. I am not a social person so I don't miss People in general, but my Teachers....YES!!!
Their Wisdom was food for my Soul..this is something you can only experience in the East...
queer, Definitely, not in California!! smile
[This message has been edited by Dehatan (edited May 29, 2000).]
Dehatan jee,
kaali and durga :) bengalis favourite gods. they are called the same elsewhere too, but each region has it's own favourites - like the elephant headed God ganpati in bombay, krishna in gujarat, ram in UP..
i'm not an expert on Islam, but i dont think you need to worry about the buddha idol - after all it's not the idol that you revere, but the peace and tranquility of the Almighty that it depicts.
teachers? i havent had any teachers i've been very much attached to after high school. in my opinion, most college teachers need to be more friendly with their students - not many are openminded enough to see their students as friends... but some of my high-school teachers are as affectionate towards me as my own mother. i've even promised one of my mathematics teachers half of my first salary :)
Rani
I think that there is a huge difference between Muslims facing the Kabah and Hindus worshipping idols.
There is only one Kabah but there are many idols. Muslims don't worship the Kabah we only face the kabah when we pray.
"Hinduism teaches toleration and acceptance of all religions and life. It believes in Karma (you reap what you sow) and soul, which never dies and can be reunited with the creator if one does good deeds."
We believe in something similar. We believe all actions (good or bad) have consequences and the consequences will either be shown to you in this world or the next i.e. after death.
I know that you believe in re-incarnation so how do you believe karma affects you? Are you scared of dying and what do you think of suicide?
I have to admit that Islam is more tolerant of Christianity and Judaism which we believe are earlier versions of Islam than it is of other religions, even still, Islam forbids mistreating anyone regardless of religion.
We also believe that the soul is eternal. We believe that everyone has their own place in heaven and it is a place where our soul meaning us will be given a new body where we will enjoy the fruits of our good actions.
You used the word "re-united" does that mean the end of your existence?
Abdulmalick
I've thought hard about "the colour of the water is the colour of the receptacle" but I can't figure out what Ibn arabi could have meant by that.
Dehatan
I didn't mention buddhism because then the question would be too open maybe we could start a new topic for buddhism after this one.
Also I think that my question should be more about worship of the created rather than the Creator like marvelling the machine instead of the engineer.
"In my opinion, these are just different form, means and methods to reach the same Higher Power....."
Surely there is a huge disagreement between the religions about The Higher Power. Our religions show us completely different endings of the same film.
Our religions disagree on what exactly is a good action. Hindus do not eat meat and for them eating meat is a sin. But for Muslims not eating meat might be considered a good action because some of the companions of the Prophet (SAW) were vegetarian but eating meat is not a sin and can also be considered a good action. You are only sinful if you eat forbidden meat.
I think that the opinion that you hold completely forgets about the Will of the Creator.
Islam means submission of our will to the Will of Allah not submission of Allah's Will to our desires.
queer?
In Islam we don't believe that God is omnipresent. We believe that God is Omnipotent and The All Seeing and All Hearing but not omnipresent.
I think that symbolism is wrong . I disagree totally with the usage of 786 or the moon and star which some Muslims are using. I think this takes people away from the real message of the religion and has no basis in Islam.
The Quran shouldn't just be revered It should be read and understood and followed.
Our Holy water, ZamZam, flows from directly under the kabah. It is a pure mineral water but not because we revere it.
ZZ,
I know it sounds like a nice idea but is it really practical. How would you build your house without hurting anything, animal or plant. Would you let weeds grow next to your flowers or vegetables.
Is it wrong to test products on animals to make products which make human life better? what if the same product would make animal life better also?
how would you treat an animal. Would you take it into your house out of its natural habitat in an attempt to look after it better. Would this be wrong on the basis of religion or your own mind.
I know i've asked a lot of questions so please be patient with me because I have a lot to learn
for everyone
Isn't is wrong to substitute the Creator for the created.
thanks everyone :)
Why do Hindus worship erect penises?
A good reasoning of that can be given and is given innumerable times in this forum (if you care to look at some of the previous postings on hinduism, because it comes again and again) but first tell me why does allah has to use an erected penis to make this world go around. Why didn't he made all animal beings as asexual (multiplying on their own like earthworms). And b.t.w. what's wrong in worshipping an erect penis?
whats up with drinking the piss theory!!!
what about the world is holding onto MATA JEE's head!!!
what about brahmans are elite and shudars are lowlife untouchables by birth theory?
Right.. there is a strict quality control on this site. The quality of discussion is not allowed to go up.
ZZ,
Good point. Coming on this forum is great learning experience.
Please ask your fourfathers why they were worshiping ideols? then you will get the correct answer