To what extent did Hinduism influence your religious beliefs?

ddevadatta

It seems you have a problem with that. But what if it is true? In other words; what if it is true that when you peel all layers at the heart of the human condition (leave the various religions out for a second) it has to do with one's relationship to land, property, etc. Rather that describe it as a sanction what if it is the best description of the human condition.

Land is what not only allows for human life, it also spurs human exploration (I think of expansion into space) discoveries, trade, interaction etc.

If land is crucial to the human condition then the question becomes who possesses the land (any piece of land)? How one answers this second question then has to do with history, religion, politics, power, etc etc. not just religion. Could the Bible (Others can & should use other books as well) explain this human condition? This is how I read it and with this set of lens, it explains far more that reading it through another particular (and not the only by any means)lens which can be termed "sanctioned."

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chanakya2

Because it is the third largest religion (http://www.adherents.com/adh_predom.html#Hinduism) in the world after christianity and islam, even if not counting jains and sikhs.

abracax

The core philosophy of Hinduism is non-theistic (Samkhya), as is that of Buddhism and the Jainas. But in India and Asia, as in the old Christian world, the public face of religion is devotional (e.g. bhakti yoga in Hinduism) and revolves around depictions and images of gods, heroes, saints, bodhisattvas, etc. To me these images are like old friends, and I miss them when I go home to a land where images are exclusively used to sell things (ideas, products). So I guess rather than religious stirrings, Hinduism's main effect on me is to tickle a sort of nostalgia for something I can't quite put my finger on - but I suspect that it's important.

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chanakya2

I don't believe that is correct. Samkhya is just one philosophy in Sanatan Dharma/Hinduism. It also contains Vedanta, Dvaita, Advaita Vedanta, Vishishtadvaita etc.

icetea

Lugubert

Where do you find the founder of for example the old Scandinavian beliefs, that gave us most of the names of the days of the week? Tell me who started Shintoism! To whom do you attribute Murugan?
Don't forget that Christianity and Islam promise another life to their faithful followers.

The concept of God walking on earth is very literally present in the Old Testament, and is the foundation of the New Testament and all of Christianity.

Nothing unique there. Try again.

Nick-H

...Umm, this isn't a competition, you know.

But, as I said in an earlier post, I don't think people realise how diverse Christianity is. Even Christmas is celebrated on different dates by different churches.

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Digital Drifter

Taking it further, shouldn't there something fair to the division of the land? or you'd prefer people fight over it instead of negotiating over it? (as you say, let's leave religion out of it)
If Land is the crux of everything( completely wrong IMO) then shouldn't there be some rules to who owns, sells or grabs it?


So what happens when there is a contradictory stand on the same land by 2 different Books? In fact, every religous cult deems theirs as the ONLY way which leads to conflicts, which is why religion should NEVER be used as a basis for resolving conflicts such as land.

There is an ethical and moral stand irrespective of any religion, why people don't give that credence but to an invisible wnaker in the sky is beyond me.

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icetea

hello...let us not get entangled in discussing which belief (including atheism) is the grandest and the only path to truth (OR which has supremacy over land partitioning ). Nobody is trying to convert anybody here...(although I must admit that for a change atheists here seem to be the most aggresive "missionaries" )

oh well....how naive of me to hope for a nice and informative discussion on hindu beliefs...

robotvoice

sorry icetea! i have been trying to hold my tongue because i know my original statement was off topic.
btw, i am not an atheist, i just said religion leads to war. i believe in god, but i would never use god to justify an invasion of one country over antoher. it's great if people can get a positive moral lesson or some historical perspective from holy books, nevertheless scripture has been used over and over as the fuel that fires these conflicts. if i had the power i would rewrite all the holy books and edit out all the "us vs. them" mentality

Nick-H

If you took "us v. them" out of all the books would there be much left?

capt_mahajan

told you metaphysics was better.

oh, one question. wondering if a born hindu turned atheist can vote here.

dont panic, i didnt.

ambika

I voted - it does speak to me - as do many faiths - i have learned a lot about myself when studying Hinduism and Vedanta has challenged me. However i have not concluded and don't think i ever will - i'll keep reading and studying and exploring all possibilities which is what i try to teach in all of my Yoga classes.

robotvoice

i don't know if i would go that far!

in the bhagavad gita for instance, the setting is a battlefield, but krshna is not really speaking of the battle per se, except so far as it is to be transcended by arjuna. in that respect the book has had a tremendous influence on me.
but i also feel the presense of the more "political" dimensions of hinduism, like armed men gaurding the larger temples which are "hindu only" which i could technically enter but chose not to.
at the same time, most of the people i spoke to in india agreed that all the different religions were basically the same, because its the same god. in general hinduism seems quite accepting of varying beliefs, customs and forms of gods. i also found this open mindedness with the muslim and buddhist people i spoke to. i was nearly overwhelmed sometimes by the natural kindness of people in general as compared to the west.

yeah! i'm finally on topic.

batistuta

The principle of detachment and doing the work for the sake works sake only and not for any results is a nice teaching from the Bhagavad gita .
The thing i dont like abt Hinduism is not allowing women to enter a few temples and also not allowing westerners to enter Lord jagannath temple in puri.
But it was home to some original thinkers like J.k and Nisargahdatta maharaj.