Post by admin on Feb 29, 2004 15:40:08 GMT -5
G-- TANTRAS
Started during Vedic age. consists of cosmology, erotic exercises etc Tantra is very important and very vast. Sanskrit word Tantras means to EXPAND. Tantrism researched into ASTRONOMY, ASTROLOGY, PALMISTRY, COSMOLOGY. Chakras and Kundalini power etc are the contributions of Tantras to the world. Of course Tantras also states SALVATION THROUGH SEX. In any other religion scriptures like Tantra literature will not be tolerated. In Christianity, the first person William Tyndall who translated Holy Bible into English was mercilessly burnt at stake, and copies of his Bible burnt, since church did not like his version of the Holy Bible!! That is why I take my hats off to Hinduism.
H--CHARVAKA ---HINDU MATERIALISM
Just like Tantras, Hinduism tolerated Chrvaka philosophy. Its founder was Charvaka. The most important book was BRIHASPATI SUTRA. I am stating things in past tense since I am not aware copies of this book is available in India. According to this world, MATERIAL WORLD ALONE EXISTS AND OUR KNOWLEDGE COMES FROM SENSE PERCEPTION. This philosophy openly propagated THERE IS NO GOD...THE LAW OF KARMA HAS NO BASIS...THE VEDAS WERE WRITTEN BY CLOWNS..It adds " Enjoy life while you can, for once cremated, you will never return to earth." There are still a lot more scriptures in Hinduism. I should say that there are more than 1000 scriptures in Hinduism.......We will now start discussing about each individual scripture....
WHAT IS THE HINDU CONCEPT OF GOD?
Hindus believe in ONE AND ONLY GOD-- BRAHMAN which expresses itself in trillions of forms. Hindus do not believe God has human form or any other form. God is nameless and timeless. But there is nothing wrong to worship a God with name and form [nama-roopa], since man cannot conceive anything without any name and form. In fact, in the Sruti scriptures of Hinduism, God or BRAHMAN has been described as SAGUNA BRAHMAN [ God-Brahman with attributes]; as well as NIRGUNA BRAHMAN [ God-without attributes]. In the Upanishads, God is described as NETI-NETI [not this-not that] method. So first Hindus worshiped 33 natural gods in the Rig Veda. Then Hinduism came to the realization that THERE IS ONE AND ONLY GOD BRAHMAN. Just like ONE AND ONLY SUN shines over the mountains of Afghanistan, dry deserts of Saudi Arabia; Penthouse of New York, there is ONE AND ONLY GOD which present in the Hindu temple, Christian church, Moslem Mosque, Jewish synagogue, Buddha Vihars, Sikh Gurudwara.
IF THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD, WHY HINDUS WORSHIP MANY GODS? During the time of Upanishads, when the Hindu Rishis [scientists of that day] said THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD, BRAHMAN they found out that laymen could not understand that concept. So they wrote ITHIHASAS [epics] and Puranas [mythological stories] filled with many gods, with the concept that WHEN YOU WORSHIP ANY GOD, YOU ARE ACTUALLY WORSHIPING ONE AND ONLY GOD BRAHMAN. Lord Krishna reiterated that point by saying, " Call me by what ever name you like; Worship me in any form you like; All that goes to One and Only Supreme Reality." So a Hindu when worshiping any God, he is actually worshiping One and Only God Brahman. In Christianity ONE GOD EXPRESSES HIMSELF IN THREE FORMS; FATHER; SON AND THE HOLY GHOST.
In Hinduism ONE GOD EXPRESSES ITSELF IN TRILLIONS OF FORMS. That is the reason why Hindus have no problem in calling Jesus and Buddha avatars [ incarnations] of God, even though Buddha did not reorganize the authority of Vedas or belief in Brahman.
Believe it or not there is no word TRINITY in the entire Holy Bible and it originated only after emperor Constantine became a Christian. He did that to fuse PAGAN ROME to CHRISTIANITY. Only mention of TRINITY concept of God in the Bible, is in the St. Matthew's account of Christ's last command to the apostles, GO THEREFORE, AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF FATHER, AND THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT [MAT 28:19] According to SCHAFF-HERZOG ENCYCLOPEDIA, TRINITY doctrine was not established until 363 A.D. It says that TRINITY is the result of three or four centuries of theological development. The New Catholic Encyclopedia also states that devotion to Trinity had begun in monasteries at Aniane and Tours, during 8th century.
WHY HINDUS WORSHIP IDOLS? Show me any person [except may be Jews], who does not believe in an idol, image, or symbol and I will show you the greatest liar on earth. All religions have some concept of God with name and form, but Hindus alone have the courage to admit that fact.
The Cross in the Christian church, the picture of Jesus Christ, the statue of Mary, statues of patron saints, are all idols. If anyone bow in front of any of them, they are breaking laws of Old Testament [LED . . . 26:1, and EX 20:2-5.] Idol worship is every where and I never ever met a man who does not worship something or someone. In fact, the first sculpture of Christ was in the form of a small boy holding on to a sheep. Now, everywhere in the world, people have pictures of Christ according their culture. A loving young white man in USA, a tough man looking like a judge in Russia, a nice black man in Africa and a man looking like a typical man from China with a sheepish beard in China.
I RESPECT ALL THOSE PICTURES. Believe it or not, ALL OF THEM ARE IDOL WORSHIPS. Once again, God is spirit...NO WORD OR IMAGE CAN DESCRIBE OR DEPICT GOD OR CAN ENCOMPASS THE GREATNESS OF GOD. God is neither the father nor the mother.
Since man cannot conceive anything without NAME AND FORM, man has the right to worship God with a form. At the same time, every worship leads to a GOD without any name and form in course of the development of the seeker in spirituality.
WHAT ARE THE HINDU MORAL CODES?
Hindu moral codes are written a collection of books called DHARMA SUTRAS. Hindu moral Codes are the integral part of Hinduism and they come under the big umbrella called DHARMA. it is very difficult to translate the word DHARMA.. Some of the codes are AHIMSA [NON-KILLING], SATHYA [TRUTH], DHARMA[DUTY], KARUNA [COMPASSION], VIRYA[FORTITUDE] , DAMA[SELF-RESTRAINT], SAUCHA[PURITY]
WHAT IS THE NAME OF HINDU HOLY BIBLE?
Hindus actually do not have a Holy Bible like Christians. Hindus have many scriptures and all of them are equally important. But many consider the Bhagavad Gita to be the Holy Bible of Hindus. It appears in the middle of the epic poem MAHABHRATA. Bhagavad Gita has 700 verses in 18 chapters. It is in the form of a conversation between warrior king Arjuna and Lord Krishna, in the middle of the battle field at the outset of Mahabharata war
.
WHAT IS AN AVATAR?
An AVATAR is an incarnation of God. Whenever God come down to earth in any form then Hindus call that an AVATAR. According to that definition, Christ can be considered as an AVATAR, even though there is no mention about Jesus Christ in any of the Hindu scriptures.
WHAT IS SALVATION ACCORDING TO HINDUISM?
Hindu salvation concept is different from Christian salvation concept. Hindu salvation is known as SELF REALIZATION.
In Hindu salvation a person realizes that HE IS NOT THE BODY, BUT THE IMMORTAL SOUL [ATMAN] WITHIN. That is the reason why Hindu salvation is known as SELF REALIZATION or "Realizing that he is the IMMORTAL SELF and NOT THE PERISHABLE BODY.
In Hindu salvation THE IDENTITY OF THE SOUL IS LOST when it attains salvation. Hindu salvation can be compared to a pinch of salt trying to find the bottom of the ocean. The moment the pinch of salt touches the surface of the mighty ocean, it becomes part and parcel of the Ocean. Similarly, when a person seeks after God according to Hinduism, becomes ONE WITH GOD when he attains salvation. Hinduism never ever boasts monopoly on salvation. In fact, as per Hinduism, any one even an atheist can attain salvation. A Jew, Christian and Moslem can attain salvation, irrespective of whether they read any Hindu scriptural book.
Started during Vedic age. consists of cosmology, erotic exercises etc Tantra is very important and very vast. Sanskrit word Tantras means to EXPAND. Tantrism researched into ASTRONOMY, ASTROLOGY, PALMISTRY, COSMOLOGY. Chakras and Kundalini power etc are the contributions of Tantras to the world. Of course Tantras also states SALVATION THROUGH SEX. In any other religion scriptures like Tantra literature will not be tolerated. In Christianity, the first person William Tyndall who translated Holy Bible into English was mercilessly burnt at stake, and copies of his Bible burnt, since church did not like his version of the Holy Bible!! That is why I take my hats off to Hinduism.
H--CHARVAKA ---HINDU MATERIALISM
Just like Tantras, Hinduism tolerated Chrvaka philosophy. Its founder was Charvaka. The most important book was BRIHASPATI SUTRA. I am stating things in past tense since I am not aware copies of this book is available in India. According to this world, MATERIAL WORLD ALONE EXISTS AND OUR KNOWLEDGE COMES FROM SENSE PERCEPTION. This philosophy openly propagated THERE IS NO GOD...THE LAW OF KARMA HAS NO BASIS...THE VEDAS WERE WRITTEN BY CLOWNS..It adds " Enjoy life while you can, for once cremated, you will never return to earth." There are still a lot more scriptures in Hinduism. I should say that there are more than 1000 scriptures in Hinduism.......We will now start discussing about each individual scripture....
WHAT IS THE HINDU CONCEPT OF GOD?
Hindus believe in ONE AND ONLY GOD-- BRAHMAN which expresses itself in trillions of forms. Hindus do not believe God has human form or any other form. God is nameless and timeless. But there is nothing wrong to worship a God with name and form [nama-roopa], since man cannot conceive anything without any name and form. In fact, in the Sruti scriptures of Hinduism, God or BRAHMAN has been described as SAGUNA BRAHMAN [ God-Brahman with attributes]; as well as NIRGUNA BRAHMAN [ God-without attributes]. In the Upanishads, God is described as NETI-NETI [not this-not that] method. So first Hindus worshiped 33 natural gods in the Rig Veda. Then Hinduism came to the realization that THERE IS ONE AND ONLY GOD BRAHMAN. Just like ONE AND ONLY SUN shines over the mountains of Afghanistan, dry deserts of Saudi Arabia; Penthouse of New York, there is ONE AND ONLY GOD which present in the Hindu temple, Christian church, Moslem Mosque, Jewish synagogue, Buddha Vihars, Sikh Gurudwara.
IF THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD, WHY HINDUS WORSHIP MANY GODS? During the time of Upanishads, when the Hindu Rishis [scientists of that day] said THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD, BRAHMAN they found out that laymen could not understand that concept. So they wrote ITHIHASAS [epics] and Puranas [mythological stories] filled with many gods, with the concept that WHEN YOU WORSHIP ANY GOD, YOU ARE ACTUALLY WORSHIPING ONE AND ONLY GOD BRAHMAN. Lord Krishna reiterated that point by saying, " Call me by what ever name you like; Worship me in any form you like; All that goes to One and Only Supreme Reality." So a Hindu when worshiping any God, he is actually worshiping One and Only God Brahman. In Christianity ONE GOD EXPRESSES HIMSELF IN THREE FORMS; FATHER; SON AND THE HOLY GHOST.
In Hinduism ONE GOD EXPRESSES ITSELF IN TRILLIONS OF FORMS. That is the reason why Hindus have no problem in calling Jesus and Buddha avatars [ incarnations] of God, even though Buddha did not reorganize the authority of Vedas or belief in Brahman.
Believe it or not there is no word TRINITY in the entire Holy Bible and it originated only after emperor Constantine became a Christian. He did that to fuse PAGAN ROME to CHRISTIANITY. Only mention of TRINITY concept of God in the Bible, is in the St. Matthew's account of Christ's last command to the apostles, GO THEREFORE, AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF FATHER, AND THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT [MAT 28:19] According to SCHAFF-HERZOG ENCYCLOPEDIA, TRINITY doctrine was not established until 363 A.D. It says that TRINITY is the result of three or four centuries of theological development. The New Catholic Encyclopedia also states that devotion to Trinity had begun in monasteries at Aniane and Tours, during 8th century.
WHY HINDUS WORSHIP IDOLS? Show me any person [except may be Jews], who does not believe in an idol, image, or symbol and I will show you the greatest liar on earth. All religions have some concept of God with name and form, but Hindus alone have the courage to admit that fact.
The Cross in the Christian church, the picture of Jesus Christ, the statue of Mary, statues of patron saints, are all idols. If anyone bow in front of any of them, they are breaking laws of Old Testament [LED . . . 26:1, and EX 20:2-5.] Idol worship is every where and I never ever met a man who does not worship something or someone. In fact, the first sculpture of Christ was in the form of a small boy holding on to a sheep. Now, everywhere in the world, people have pictures of Christ according their culture. A loving young white man in USA, a tough man looking like a judge in Russia, a nice black man in Africa and a man looking like a typical man from China with a sheepish beard in China.
I RESPECT ALL THOSE PICTURES. Believe it or not, ALL OF THEM ARE IDOL WORSHIPS. Once again, God is spirit...NO WORD OR IMAGE CAN DESCRIBE OR DEPICT GOD OR CAN ENCOMPASS THE GREATNESS OF GOD. God is neither the father nor the mother.
Since man cannot conceive anything without NAME AND FORM, man has the right to worship God with a form. At the same time, every worship leads to a GOD without any name and form in course of the development of the seeker in spirituality.
WHAT ARE THE HINDU MORAL CODES?
Hindu moral codes are written a collection of books called DHARMA SUTRAS. Hindu moral Codes are the integral part of Hinduism and they come under the big umbrella called DHARMA. it is very difficult to translate the word DHARMA.. Some of the codes are AHIMSA [NON-KILLING], SATHYA [TRUTH], DHARMA[DUTY], KARUNA [COMPASSION], VIRYA[FORTITUDE] , DAMA[SELF-RESTRAINT], SAUCHA[PURITY]
WHAT IS THE NAME OF HINDU HOLY BIBLE?
Hindus actually do not have a Holy Bible like Christians. Hindus have many scriptures and all of them are equally important. But many consider the Bhagavad Gita to be the Holy Bible of Hindus. It appears in the middle of the epic poem MAHABHRATA. Bhagavad Gita has 700 verses in 18 chapters. It is in the form of a conversation between warrior king Arjuna and Lord Krishna, in the middle of the battle field at the outset of Mahabharata war
.
WHAT IS AN AVATAR?
An AVATAR is an incarnation of God. Whenever God come down to earth in any form then Hindus call that an AVATAR. According to that definition, Christ can be considered as an AVATAR, even though there is no mention about Jesus Christ in any of the Hindu scriptures.
WHAT IS SALVATION ACCORDING TO HINDUISM?
Hindu salvation concept is different from Christian salvation concept. Hindu salvation is known as SELF REALIZATION.
In Hindu salvation a person realizes that HE IS NOT THE BODY, BUT THE IMMORTAL SOUL [ATMAN] WITHIN. That is the reason why Hindu salvation is known as SELF REALIZATION or "Realizing that he is the IMMORTAL SELF and NOT THE PERISHABLE BODY.
In Hindu salvation THE IDENTITY OF THE SOUL IS LOST when it attains salvation. Hindu salvation can be compared to a pinch of salt trying to find the bottom of the ocean. The moment the pinch of salt touches the surface of the mighty ocean, it becomes part and parcel of the Ocean. Similarly, when a person seeks after God according to Hinduism, becomes ONE WITH GOD when he attains salvation. Hinduism never ever boasts monopoly on salvation. In fact, as per Hinduism, any one even an atheist can attain salvation. A Jew, Christian and Moslem can attain salvation, irrespective of whether they read any Hindu scriptural book.