Ways to cleanse the soul.

Yeah so much for that freedom of speech and expression in the Indian constitution.

You are free to make fun of or lampoon everything except the one thing which incidentally has the most material to make fun of or ridicule and often says the most ludicrous stuff.

Nearly every nation has a clause or two that protects freedom of expression - even including People's Republic of China; Having said that, most of the "liberal" countries have Acts and legislation that override those freedoms in the name of protecting or restricting one's right based on a) security b) terrorism c) English Drunks d) disparaging living leader(s) e) hate speech f) French cuisine g) insult the court h) ... i) ... z) Sex; Be it US, UK, France, Canada, Germany, CatnMouse Island etc etc..

So much for freedom.

I like the reference to the Four Apostles

One of my posts on the eating habits of vedic gods and post vedic prophets went missing last week and i put it down to some extra cautious 'moderation' here - going by this exchange i guess it was probably an error

thank you carcorodon, for this much needed dose of sanity - i don't agree with everything you say but i stand by the need to say it, especially on IM.

because even here, it may still be possible to talk of what was the buddha's last meal but try asking what hindu gods ate - on the evidence of the vedas - or try asking why there're so many newspaper reports about cattle transportation in jammu and kashmir , a state where cow slaughter is banned - or 'why' is it banned? we're a 'liberal' country but some questions are just not asked, for fear of starting a riot.

I was amused and alarmed to see a thread here with someone enquiring about jain food in leh. Being 99 percent vegetarian myself I understand his concern but i hope the day never comes when leh gets a jain restaurant because that will be the beginning of 'spiritual' fascism - the kind that has taken root in upper class jain areas of bombay where meat eaters are denied housing in 'pure vegetarian' neighbourhoods or restaurants that serve steak are forced to close down.

So, like paleface, while i may have an issue with carcorodon's tone, I'm glad for the much needed puncturing of the dharma-karma-guru-soul bubble..hinduism today - hindutva, its ugly cousin - is not a religion i recognise or would want to call my own - but the hinduism that i do like, like the buddhism that i know of, work for me because in these systems doubt and questioning are not bad words - they're in fact integral to the search

I cannot deny that Indians and arabs did develop forward the numerical values...and are masters at it....

but anyone with limited understanding can look at plants and assume such theories...doesn't make it the truth or anything tangibly real....

and quite frankly don't draw a similarity to comprehensive well defined modern laws of science to some loosy goosy mumblings of lesser uneducated men from the past...who paint a very abstract catch-all picture instead of something detailed....

THAT is the difference between "enlightenment" and the truth....

What are you on about, be straight and fair sunshine - where have i been doing any sort of religious evangelising?

Disagree by all means, invective by no means. I did not pass any comment about your pov of anything actually. I'm no apologist for Indian cultural heritage and really don't mind if you think anything is or isn't nonsense, you're entitled to it as are others to discuss your pov; the difference is that most others discuss without disparagement, which is what it is when someone says to another in public, you, or your culture, or your ideas/whatever is full of shit - just seems to me to be the cause of so much of the fussin’ and fightin’ in the world, it's difficult to get along.

Agree - it is easy to shout down someone or put them down. A civil discussion is supposed to respond to the argument / reasoning and not personalise things (or stereotype as a group / community) - but that spirit of discussion is rarely seen on any posts on spirituality here. Though some of the arguements made are clearly out of line with any rational thought but one can only be patient in such a case.

If someone glorifies Indian traditions (there are many in that camp)and someone else feels it does not merit such distinguished comments -a counter-arguement is not a must (afterall this is an open India forum, which has threads on what you don't like about India as well).

The earlier we realise that people differ because of the circumstances they have been raised in and fundamentally they are not all that different, lesser will be the glorification and corresponding denigration.

exactly...just con-men and fraudsters cold reading things for fame and glory...

say they attained enlightenment...and when asked they are the same..offer something entirely catch all as "evidence"...

there is no such thing as being enlightened...the human mind does not work that way...

Ways to refresh the soul.

A spot of partridge fighting maybe?

I agree Fight Club
"How much can you know about yourself if you've never been in a fight?"

Being at sea in a bit of a blow is quite revealing too

i'd rather have that partridge for dinner....why waste a couple of good roosters....

Billy90 - There is nothing to be cleansed in the soul for it is ever pure. It is only the mind which gets impure by various negative actions. Cleansing the mind of its impurities is called as "Chitta Shuddi".

The are hundreds of ways of doing it and not all of them necessarily involve coming to India. A few of them are
1) Social service done without any expectations
2) Meditation
3) Mantra chanting provided you get initiated from a qualified Guru. There are people who says that you can never find a true Guru, nowadays. This is not true. True guru wont advertise themselves. So the onus is on you to search and find them.
4) Pilgrimages to holy places and taking bath in holy rivers like Ganga will also help provided it is done with faith and a resolution of not repeating one's mistakes.
5) Direct self enquiry methods like the one's taught by Sri Ramana Maharishi - Observing one's breath and mind
6) Advanced yoga practises along with shat kriya and meditation.