A little help with Hinduism

I've just recently gotten into Hinduism.Ivreadthe Bhagavad Gita, read up on/practice the chanting of Hare Krishna, and I've taken Yoga for a while now, but I still don't know much about the religious practices. Does Hinduism have a place of worship such as other religions (church, synagouge, mosque, etc.) or is it more of a personal, practice anywhere thing. What are some Hindu practices? And can someone please explain what Dharma is. I've read up on it but the concept evaded my grasp. Thanks.

 

Dharma is duty, if you are a student, your dharma is studying. If you are a teacher, your dharma is teaching . If you are a friend your dharma is doing what is right- morally and helping a friend make the right choices.

If you are a citizen , it is to do social work, help others find God.

In Hinduism, you look for God inside you, inside others, inside everything. How do you accomplish this? - Chant hare krishna? - Yes, and also do seva- service.

Service to the Lord is the most important dharma for you, so what is service to God? - Doing what you do the best way you can .

If you are a student, study hard and help others study hard. If you are a doctor- save some lives. etc. Do it for God, then God will be pleased. By this type of service you will gain an understanding by which you can go to him.

In Bhagavad Gita, krishna says , whatever you do , do it for him. If you eat a veggie burger- do it for him, if you want to drink some soda, offer it to him and do it for him. if you want to watch TV. stop watching porn and watch some good movie about a man like martin luther king- do it for God .

Do it for God and be in bliss.. this is what Hinduism is about- by this you will gain an understanding by which you can go to him. Don't get lazy in the process and always try to see how your actions help people in the future . Like for example, - If I am going to be a businessman, my actions will help the people in that - it will provide more jobs, I will have enough money to help the poor, If I get really rich maybe I can place a hospital for the sick for free and do service to God that way.

I know people say " oh you can go to a temple" , " you have to chant 16 rounds of the mahamantra " , or "you have to realize the one reality of brahman". .. Forget those things my friend. Chant if you want- if your consciousness tells you do it. If your consciousness says - get that chemistry book and read- then do it! because you are doing that for God. Don't be lazy in doing your duty.. always do your duty and God will be on your side and where God is, where Krishna- the all attractive one is, there is victory.


Do your duty, your dharma is your duty. Surrender unto God this way, and you will be in bliss.

 

That is exactly what I wanted to hear. Being, existing for God. Wonderful. Thank you Jedi.

 

Thank you , for liking what I said

 

Jedi...that was absolutely wonderful.

 

The ultimate goal of hinduism, as it is in all religions (when correctly understood) is to cleanse the mind and sublimate it eventually, so that you become one with god.
What is God?
God is not some great divine light being residing above the clouds. God is in us, in everything. In every man, woman, animal and plant, God alone functions. God blows in every gust of wind and flows in every river. And, this is the secret, that God, is you. Everything is God.

Our own true nature is that of the divine, however due to our mental blocks caused by desire and the false sense of ego, we are unable to live in that divine state. This is why we have religion, this is why we have spiritual practises, this is why we have gurus to lead us on the many diverse paths that lead to the realisation of the divine.

This infinite God, who is nothing but the conciousness in us, whose very nature is existence, knowledge and bliss, is called brahman. The end goal of all spirituality is to reach the state of oneness with brahman.

All other deities, all other forms and names of the lord are only symbols, as it is difficult to imagine or pray to infinite and while we are still in the limited state, bound ot our body, mind and intellect and dictated by the desires genrated within, we do need to have an external symbol of perfect divinity, to invoke and pray to, thereby the mind is purified and calm and becomes suitable to understand brahman.

 

It would appear that my own personal philosophy and beliefs are very similar to that of Hinduism. Thanks to all who helped.

 

A couple of useful links



www.btinternet.com/~vivekananda

www.iskconirm.com/

http://www.dlshq.org/home.html

http://links.krishna.org/

http://www.narayanamaharaja.com/sbnm/index.php?meid=2&POSTNUKESID=3c94209814bae9a50c30d8802e753353

shanti

 

hey Jedi and Bhaskar. They need a little help with Karma in the Buddhism forum. I don't think the Buddhism experts really understand the concept. Maybe they do. I don't know.


Anyways, Peacefulwind, allow me to put my two cents in. Dharma is one of the most important (and confusing) aspects of Hinduism and I'm glad That Jedi and Bhaskar have been able to explain it so well. Jedi's explaination was pretty much perfect. It brought tears to my eyes. Now I finally understand the concept of Dharma.

Being from a Hindu Brahmin family I learned to pray and meditate at a very early age which in my opinion is the most important aspect of daily Hindu practice. Chanting is great but if you haven't already gotten a mantra you should definately do so. You can go down to any Hindu or ISCON temple and get your mantra I think. Here in Tennessee the local Ganesha temple charges about one hundred dollars. You will go through a standard ritual that lasts for about half an hour and then they will teach you proper posture, breathing technique, principles of meditation, so on and so forth. You can also do the ritual yourself. If you are interested in doing this let me know. Also I can teach you all the principles of meditation. They are very simple

when you are a little more experienced in Hinduism you will be ready to set up a shrine, alter, prayer room, etc. Usually every Hindu family has a prayer room with a main or focus diety. I'm Bengali so obviously ours is the Goddess Shakti/Kali. Anyways when you are ready to get more into it let me know. I'm here to help. Also Jedi and Bhaskar are definately experts on this subject. They will be able to expound a bit more on my post.

Hinduism is a great religion because it allows you to get involved. There is no middle man to interpret it for you. It's the most open religion and can take you to unimaginable heights. Hold on to your hat! Jai guru

 

Actually, you don't need to go and pay for a mantra, and certainly not for the Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra - this is a short quote from Srila Prabhupada, founder of ISKCON


Free vs. High-priced Mantras



Recently, an Indian yogi came to America to give some "private mantra." But if a mantra has any power, why should it be private? If a mantra is powerful, why should it not be publicly declared so that everyone can take advantage of it? We are saying that this Hare Krsna maha-mantra can save everyone, and we are therefore distributing it publicly, free of charge.... The devotees are preaching without charge, declaring in the streets, parks, and everywhere, "Here! Here is the Hare Krsna maha-mantra Come on, take it!"



Path of Perfection



Hare Krishna
Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna
Hare Hare
Hare Rama
Hare Rama
Rama Rama
Hare Hare

 

ofcourse any mantra is and should be free of charge. Mantras belong to God and are free for the taking. It is the ritual/puja that they charge you for. Why is this ritual/puja so important? Because in a ritual/puja it is the Guru that sanctifies you and gives you the mantra, not some man or Hare Krishna disciple on the street. With the mantra the Guru also transfers some spiritual power that he has built up by meditating on said mantra ever since he was a child as he privately whispers it into your ear. It is a very spiritually uplifting process. And also a very delicate process. Ofcourse you can get said mantra from a book but to me it is not the same.


Hare Krsna Maha-Mantra is wonderful! But along with that it is good to also have a private mantra for yourself in Hinduism. Maha-Mantra is for everyone

Remember Hinduism and Hare-Krsna are different but essentialy the same.

I chant Hare Krsna (silently ofcourse) but also have Shaiva (Shiva) Mantra and Gayatri Mantra.

 

The chances of finding the right Guru in the west are not high, and there are many cheaters. I posted a quote here from Srila Prabhupada, a recognized saint and Guru - He says you don't need to recieve a private mantra, chanting Hare Krishna is sufficient in this age.

I'm interested in what you say about Hare Krishna and Hinduism not being the same thing, whilst they are the same thing. This seems illogical. It might be better to say Gaudiya Vaishnavism is only one school within 'Hinduism'.

If we charge for a mantra, then we are excluding those who can't pay.

Myself, I have practiced Japa (repitition of the Divine Names) for thirty years, but I have never felt the need to recieve any kind of 'private mantra' from anyone.

 

I think you are having trouble understanding me Billy. Again it is the ritual/puja that is not free. The mantra is definately free.


Hare Krsna and Hinduism are the same. Swami Prabhupada simplified the philosphy part of Hinduism a bit so that westerners could have an easier time understanding.

 

OK - but in my opinion, it shoul be free. Divine Consciousness ia not a comodity to be bought and sold.

As to Prabhupada - He presents only one line of Vedic philosophy, that is very true. It is simple in some ways, and yet very complex in others. Indeed, this is one of the great stregnths of Vaishnavism - it caters for the intellectually developed person, and those with less developed minds. It is very easy for anyone to chant Hare Krishna! It is, I think, a very good introduction to Hinduism for anyone born in the west - if they chant with sincerity and devotion, then God, situated in their hearts, will direct them to any further teachings they may need.
The thing is, there is really no such thing as 'Hinduism' in the sense of one system of philosophy which can claim to represent the manifest diversity of belief and practice that it represents. If there is, then it would have to be stated in terms that are so wide and general that it would amount to no explanation at all. One can study something so vast only a bit at a time - and I think Prabhupada is a good place to begin, esp. for the average western person.
Also, in many parts of the west, there are no temples which people could attend for puja.This isn't to say they can't make real progress,it is really all a question of sincerity, aspiration and devotion. With that, anything is possible!

Love,

BBB.

 

First of all, no ritual or pooja is required to recieve a mantra from a guru. True gurus give the mantra in many ways, sometimes they just tell you to use it straight out, sometimes they repeat in in your presence, things like that. If you are talking about the holy thread ceremony, the upanayana that again is quite unnecessary (I have had it).

Also, the purpose of mantra japa is to make the mind single pointed, focussed on that one mantra, always, all the time. Therefore to use 2 or 3 mantras is really defeating your own purpose. Once you have found a mantra, and it is not at all necessary for the guru to give it to you, sometimes you find one that really appeals to you and stick with that, which is fine (its what I did) but if you keep changing then it acts contrary to your purpose, for again it is just the mond jumping from one thing to another, be it mantras or external sense objects. The idea is to bring what is called ekagrata in Hindi, the closest meaning is single pointedness. For this reason the same mantra must be repeated constantly.

 

That is so cool! I see that here you are talking about the sacred thread initiation. I have seen it three times now, I wonder when I will get my chance. But anyway, if you are initiated in that way and you are in America congrats! such an initiation here is very rare.

 

Hey Jedi. Actually I had my sacred thread ceremony done in India as well as getting my saiva mantra. I have been going back to India (Kolkata) every summer since I was born.

Hey Bhaskar. I hope you are not saying that the way I practice my religion is wrong. This is the way my family and ancestors have been doing it for who knows how long. And the way in which I practice has helped me in many ways.

It is the Guru who decides whether or not a ritual/puja is neccesary before he gives the mantra to his desciple. (let me go ahead and tell you I was fortunate to recieve my mantras from my guru. Most people are not so lucky as they get their mantras from a regular priest. There is a world of difference) He tells the desciple how to chant it in seclusion. The mantra's main purpose is to help you master the mind and no longer be a slave of the mind. I totally disagree with you on the unimportance of Upanayana. Upanayana is a great thing and it cannot be described in a nutshell!

For Brahmins (atleast orthodox Bengali Brahmins like myslef) it is customary for every male to get the Brahma Gayatri(upanayana). This mantra is very powerful eventhough it may take several years to unlock the power if you are able to at all. It is impossible to visualize Brahma- that is one reason why it is so difficult.

Later it is customary to get the Diksha mantra which all orthodox Hindus get. That includes Ishtha Gayatri and Ishtha Mantra. Most Gurus usually choose which one (there are five I think) you will get but mine let me choose for myself. The Ishtha Gayatri is for visualizing your Ishtha (diety). The Mantra is repetious chanting of your Ishthas name and is for offering yourself and your day to your Ishtha.

That is my religious culture in a nutshell. And it is only one way of practicing Hinduism and meditation.

 

so what do you think?

 

I for one am not criricizing the way you practice. But the thing is that as one from an Indian family, you start out in this life from a different position from we westerners. In the west, is a great need for the Spiritual message, and many are eager to recieve it. As you say, Gurus such as Prabhupada have simplified the thing to some extent (although not too much) for the simple reason that it has to be presented to people with no prior knowledge of Hindu philosophy or practice.
In general, there are very few reliable Gurus in western countries, and hence the practice has to be flexible; it is better for people to start chanting etc NOW than to await some initiation that is very difficult to get. And IMHO such initiation is really only a formality - some Gurus in modern times, Sri Aurobindo for example, did not offer the sacred thread ceremony, or any formal initiation ceremony. Even Srila Prabhupada said it is only a formality - if one is serious about it, and spreading the message to others, then that is sufficient. True Guru is God Himself, and for Him, everything is possible.

Much Love.

Om Shanti!

 

Dear Jezemund,

I never ever said it is wrong to have upanayana ( I have had it myself ) and I never undervalued it. Your practise is prescribed in karma kanda of the atharvana veda and other texts dealing with rituals.

All i was saying is that upanayana is NOT necessary. Yes it is wonderful having a guru or priest give you the mantra, but it is no less effective if you choose one to your liking and practise with it. Its all in the mind.

Adi Shankara himself insisted (as do most gurus) that mere performance of rituals alone will never culminate in liberation. There must be understanding, study, meditation and direct experience of truth.