I've formulated my own (or what I thought was my own) philosophy on life throughout the past couple of years, once I began paying attention to religion and realized that Christianity is just not for me. So slowly, through many meditations and reflections and realizations and awakenings, I constructed my own beliefs. I had no idea what to call it, though, so I began researching religion. Lo and behold, everything I believe is encompassed in Hinduism. However, I do not necessarily believe in 'worshiping' Brahman, or any other devas. I believe in the concept of Brahman, Nirvana, karma and reincarnation, but I find devas unnecessary and worship (anything beyond appreciate/gratitude, anyway) just doesn't seem necessary to me either. All of life is a prayer, in my view. I don't take time out of my day to specifically pray or worship, I pray with every action I make. Does that make sense? Hinduism appears to have a very wide range/scope of beliefs, and I am of course very new to the concept, but I would like to put a name to what I believe, it makes it easier to explain. It's possible I will just stick with keeping my philosophies unnamed, since organized religion seems a bit skeptical to me to begin with.... However most of what I hear in Hinduism rings true in my heart, and I would like to know more about it. :] Any thoughts? On the worshiping issue or anything else? EDIT: Forgive me if any of this sounds ignorant, like I said I am completely new to these concepts and am only trying to gather information so I can make my decisions.
Hi - just a few thoughts on this. In Hinduism there is the concept of karma yoga (the yoga of action), which means pretty much what you're talking about here - offering one's actions to the Divine as a kind of 'prayer'. Certainly within the Hindu tradition there are approaches which are based very much on devotion, and also traditions and paths of realization through various forms of yoga, meditation and so on. In some ways, there is a kind of blurring here - for example, japa, or repitition of divine names, might look quite similar to Christian ideas of prayer, but IMO it isn't so much about 'worship' as about 'tuning in', coming to have some perception of the divine. It's about realization really. Cultivating consciousness of the divine. or divine consciousness... Of course, one has to have respect, both for the divine and for other beings. A devotional type of person might select a mantra such as the famous Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, because they seek to realize through a process of devotion to a personal conception of God. This could be Krishna, or others such as Shiva or Devi under some form. An Advaitin (non-dualist) would probably be more comfortable with a mantra such as 'Aham Bhrahamsi' (I am Brahman, or spirit), or just the famous 'Om'. I hope this is helpful. If you have any more questions or would like to discuss further, I'd be happy to do so. Love & Peace.
Thanks so much :] So worship is more like consciousness or realization? Because I believe in spending every second of your life thinking consciously, instead of stumbling forward like a zombie. I consider "God" the energy that ever was and wasn't, and flows throughout the earth and the cosmos. So in essence, he IS us, but he is also apart from us, experiencing himself through us. I hope this makes sense, haha. I just want to know if there's anyone else who agrees with me, I guess, and maybe if it turns out these are Hindu ideas then that can be a start.
Well, there are certainly ideas very similar to what you propose in Hinduism. Just as well to mention though that there are elements within Hinduism (which is a very wide thing) which are concerned with ritualistic worship. These are mainly what are called 'vedic rites' and are generally part of the traditions which have come down from ancient times. It's also fair to say that this aspect of it is somewhat narrow to our western ways of looking at things, as only members of the Brahmin caste can officiate at such ceremonies. Many modern Hindu saints and sadhus have spoken out against the caste system. However, in the wider picture, there's a lot that is open to anyone who is interested. The main aim is always realization of the divine, or God. This can also be termed 'self-realization', as the idea is that the deepest Self within us is a spark of the divine, or Brahman. This is not the ego, but what is termed variously the Atman or the Jiva. As you suggested, God 'knows through us'. (Although not only through us - God knows whether we exist or not. Our existence is said by some to be merely God's 'Lila' or divine play. He hides from Himself in this universe for the bliss of finding Himself...) There are many ways, it is said, to realization, which suit people with different tempraments, on different levels of development, etc. There really isn't a kind of 'one size fits all' type of mentality which unfortunately seems to dog much of western religion. I'd generally advise reading up on some Hindu philosophy if you are interested. There are many different schools, with different methods. There are many different gurus and saints, and it can be hard to find what one is looking for among all of this immense body of knowledge. Personally, I'd recommend works by Vivekananda as a good overview. A little bit old fashioned in expression (late 19th early 20th c.) but hard to think of anyone else off hand who gives such a wide perspective. There are also major scriptures, such as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita which you might check out. However, a word of caution: it can often be that translations of the Gita in particular, of which there are a large number, reflect the views of a particular school to which the translator belongs. For someone just starting on all this stuff, the Gita as translated by Prabhavananda and Isherwood is, I think, a good one with which to start.It is easy to understand, and has a brilliant introduction written by Aldous Huxley. Others may disagree and have other suggestions. Just for the record, my own personal 'favorites' are Vivekananda, Ramakrishna, and Sri Aurobindo - all of whom represent what we can call 'modern' Hinduism. Anyway, just a bit of a ramble there...
I'm sure he'll explain but he might mean it depends on your mind approach to your school work, and how much you devote to that. I mean if we are to show devotion through action we'd be able to reap the mental rewards of such devotion and it will feel like you're doing good for yourself. Because you are, you are doing things for brahman which is the foundation of your true self. Devotion in Hinduism is interesting because there are so many paths for one to take. No you don't have to have the devotion you speak of in Hinduism, but devotion can be seen as so many lights, in the ways that have been brought up in this thread. The five yogas concept in Hinduism is based on the realization that as much as we are all the same, we are all different, and there must be more suitable paths to the same health of spirit for people with different backgrounds or ways of understanding. Hinduism is also divided up by which Deva you worship. There are those solely devout to Krishna or Shiva. If I had to chose I'd be devout to shiva. I think you might also find interest in Mahayana Buddhism. It is a much wider and spiritually open form of Buddhism compared to the traditional form that is pretty much agnostic almost nihilist. Some forms encompass much of the text and teachings in hinduism and some don't. So many different schools of thought are under Mahayana (including Zen).
read the bhagavad gita, worship is not really required, and in hinduism everything is based on karma( action and reaction) so your are not forced to do anything.....
I don't subscribe to karmic beliefs in the way they are presented in hinduism, and I wouldn't suggest others do so either. It's a boxed in mindset as far as I see it, but instead karma plays with your mind instantly. It's really just a reflection that will shadow or lighten the path you walk on through your own eyes and conscious awareness.
In general the idea is that if you work for your own satisfaction or advantage you get bound to the results of action - karma. What you said in your original post isn't far off the mark - to see all of life as a 'prayer'. In other words, offering one's actions to the divine. There's a lot about this in the Bhagavad Gita, especially chapter 3 'Karma Yoga'.
Hare Krishna! How can one be a Christian or a Hindu ? How can one worship to be a Christian or a Hindu ? How can I worship myself to become anything else ? If talk about energy then why think of separate identities ? Love.
Hare Krishna ! "You are the endless sea In whom all the worlds like waves Naturally rise and fall. You have nothing to win, Nothing to lose. Child, You are pure awareness, Nothing less. You and the world are one. So who are you to think You can hold on to it, Or let it go? How could you!~ Ashtavakra Gita 15: 11-12" Love.
