[QUOTE=thomas;50337]I haven’t read the Vedas yet. And maybe they WOULD resonate with me, and I too could consider myself to be on the higher rungs of spirituality, and could look down on the lowly less spiritual masses. I’ll have to see if I can find a copy. I could use an ego boost.[/QUOTE]
read the original sanskrit texts. Your vibrations will render the string theory obsolete !
As far as I am aware, I don’t think there is a formal conversion rite or ritual. If you want to become Hindu, simply start…believing. 
[QUOTE=thomas;50333]Obviously your brand of spirituality does not see humility as a virtue. ;)[/QUOTE]
Humility isn’t a Christian virtue anyways. It is the product of being a HUMAN BEING. Besides, most Christians don’t exhibit this virtue at all. Even you Thomas, perhaps the most open minded Christian I have ever met, do not since you have reservations about the superiority of your religion (as do all Christians).
[QUOTE=Nietzsche;50383]As far as I am aware, I don’t think there is a formal conversion rite or ritual. If you want to become Hindu, simply start…believing. :D[/QUOTE]
Since there is no clergy in Hinduism, and therefore no conversion rites, the general view is that while you may follow Hinduism, you can only be born a Hindu. A distinction is drawn between being born a Hindu and accepting /following Hinduism.
[QUOTE=reaswaran;50386]Since there is no clergy in Hinduism, and therefore no conversion rites, the general view is that while you may follow Hinduism, you can only be born a Hindu. A distinction is drawn between being born a Hindu and accepting /following Hinduism.[/QUOTE]
No this is a belief of one of the minority sects of Hinduism. Most Vaishnavites and Shaivites, which constitute the majority of Hindus, do not believe this.
[QUOTE=Nietzsche;50390]No this is a belief of one of the minority sects of Hinduism. Most Vaishnavites and Shaivites, which constitute the majority of Hindus, do not believe this.[/QUOTE]
N, Could you quote an authority for this view ?
I don’t know what you think of Wikipedia but ample references are provided in case you are leery.
Just so you know, the reason I said most people of those groups do not believe in this “born into” idea is due to their largely liberal ideas and Bhakti oriented nature. Most derivatives of Bhakti Hinduism do not make any restrictions based on birth-related issues. That is what I meant when I said “believing.” If someone wants to start praying to Vishnu/Shiva and believing in the core tenants of Hinduism, then that is OK with them.
Of course, like anything else, there are regional variations, but most of the time, you will find the above to be the case.
You can convert to any religion you like. They’re all invented by men who had no idea anyway.
Since there is no clergy in Hinduism, and therefore no conversion rites, the general view is that while you may follow Hinduism, you can only be born a Hindu. A distinction is drawn between being born a Hindu and accepting /following Hinduism.
Yeah, but without there being a clergy, there is nobody to enforce this requirement on anybody.
There are several cases of Hindus who were not born Hindu, who have attained the highest posts in Hindu society. Hindusm, being a cosmological religion, does not contain any limitations based on time or place. In fact, in Hinduism it is presupposed that everybody is really Hindu, but they have degrees of amnesia. When one evolves they automatically become more and more Hindu. This is why I said that to gauge the spiritual development of somebody, you simply need to expose them to Vedic teachings, and see how well they resonate.
Erwin Schrodinger, Arthur Schopenhauer became Hindu simply by being exposed to Vedic teachings and resonating with them. Many of my friends, who are more spiritually developed than the average person, automatically resonate with Vedic teachings.
I have spoken to strangers before and floated Vedic teachings by them, and immediately noted how they responded to them. Some were not interested at all, but some were very keen and had a glint in their eye as if they listening to something that they always knew was true unconsciously. So to an extent it is true, they were born more Hindu. They are more spiritually developed souls.
Hindus cannot be humble on the matter of truth of religion. Our religion is true and all other religions are false.
[QUOTE=Surya Deva;50501] Our religion is true and all other religions are false.[/QUOTE]
Yep… that sums up religion in a nut shell.
Hindus cannot be humble on the matter of truth of religion. Our religion is true and all other religions are false.
You totally misunderstand the meaning of humility. You can certainly believe your religion is THE religion and still be humble. What is not humble is to look down on others who do not believe as you do, or to feel personally superior.
And even though I believe my religion is true, that doesn’t mean all others are false.
It is very shallow and simplistic to say your religion is true and all others are false, since there are many elements in other religions which would be in agreement with yours. Even though I believe my religion contains the fullness of the Truth which God reveals to man, I could not say another religion is “false,” since other religions share much of the same truth.
Also, aren’t there conflicting doctrines within Hinduism? Are they all true?
[QUOTE=thomas;50556]You totally misunderstand the meaning of humility. You can certainly believe your religion is THE religion and still be humble. What is not humble is to look down on others who do not believe as you do, or to feel personally superior.
And even though I believe my religion is true, that doesn’t mean all others are false.
It is very shallow and simplistic to say your religion is true and all others are false, since there are many elements in other religions which would be in agreement with yours. Even though I believe my religion contains the fullness of the Truth which God reveals to man, I could not say another religion is “false,” since other religions share much of the same truth.
Also, aren’t there conflicting doctrines within Hinduism? Are they all true?[/QUOTE]
No you cannot. Humility is humility in thought, words, or deed. You cannot express humility in one area and cheat yourself out of it in another. This is what most Christians do. They believe their religion is superior and try to give off the impression that they are humble when they are truly not humble.
It still means that you believe your religion has more of the “truth” and “ways” in it than [B]any other[/B]. These feelings of superiority are what lead to conversions, subjugation, and wars. Obvious supremacy is obvious, no matter how you like to disguise it (and wrong, not to mention).
There is quite a difference between “tolerance” and “mutual respect.”
Well, it seems at least one Hindu not only believes his religion has more truth, but that all other are false. Of course that’s ok, right–Since Hinduism is right and everything else is wrong…
One can convert to anything one likes, except satanism because i simply won’t allow it…lol. I expressly discourage it. It could be outlawed .
[QUOTE=core789;50622]One can convert to anything one likes, except satanism because i simply won’t allow it…lol. I expressly discourage it. It could be outlawed .[/QUOTE]
Actually a true yogic aspirant, I would think, would try to be beyond religion.
[QUOTE=Surya Deva;50320]As Hinduism has no clergy, how can there be any formal conversions? Who is going to do it and how is it going to be decided?
Hinduism is simply a religion you accept. I was born Sikh, but I accepted Hinduism. Nobody converted me or even tried to convert me. I discovered it, got attracted to it, and finally accepted it. I began first by dabbling in the new age, especially my interests in ufology and parapsychology. I then started to do meditation taught to me by the Brahma Kumari sect. I left them and started to get very interested in quantum physics. I then realised all roads were pointing to Hinduism so I finally became Hindu.
I have followed a similar path that many Western converts to Hinduism have such as Erwin Schrodinger, Stephen Knapp, David Frawley, the transcendentalists, Arthur Schopenhauer and to some extent, Lotusgirl and Kareng. All you need is a glimpse of the Vedas, and if you are spiritually developed enough, you will resonate with it.
As controversial as this may sound the best test to see how spiritually developed you are is to read the Vedas and see how well you resonate with it. If you don’t, then you are on the lower rungs of the spiritual ladder.[/QUOTE]
I’m glad you included us SD
[QUOTE=reaswaran;50654]Actually a true yogic aspirant, I would think, would try to be beyond religion.
:p[/QUOTE]
To fortify this view point I quote the Bhagwad Geeta:-
“Yavan artha udpadane sarvatah sampludoke
Tavan sarveshu vedeshu brahmanasya vijanatah”
To the one who knows, all the vedas are as of much use as a pond when the village is flooded by water.
[quote=reaswaran;50654]Actually a true yogic aspirant, I would think, would try to be beyond religion.
:p[/quote]
They are beyond religion…even beyond mind …beyond concept …beyond beyond.
[quote=reaswaran;50687]To fortify this view point I quote the Bhagwad Geeta:-
“Yavan artha udpadane sarvatah sampludoke
Tavan sarveshu vedeshu brahmanasya vijanatah”
To the one who knows, all the vedas are as of much use as a pond when the village is flooded by water.[/quote]
Yes the greatest holy scriptures are found within one’s own nervous system and their authority is the highest and authentic & trumps any book out there be it the bible, the upanishads or the Gita.
It’s just a matter of investing the time & energy in exploring for oneself,validatng written truths through direct pereception and experience.Some folk can’t be bothered doing this for themself,findinig the prooof for their own so they look to other’s for personal accounts or authorities like the church or organised religion for answers.But the keys are within of course.
I guess it’s like a road map.You look on google for directions and you read a few comments how to get to St Paul’s Cathedra, how majestic it maybe looks etc.But who can be bothered actually doing it for real.Some investment of time & energy is usually involved but the journey is good.
Most folk need a few pointers, or perhaps a gentle nudge from someone more enlightened out there, before realising the ocean is right there…Or should i say here…within oneself.
The beauty of yoga is to discover that the inner connections bring outer connections & harmony.So we take care of our inner life and the outer finds greater balance, happiness,peace and harmony. Like scientific laws of Resonance that can be observed,understood and charted and ultimately applied…Micro-cosmic----> Macro-cosmic.
The Vedas are like useful bits of archaeology that illustrate yoga’s ancient origins and part of our quest to understand ourselves.On the mundane level we usually try out “yoga” start out just be to get more out of life improve our health, be happy and content get more than we already are doing or getting but it can expand to much more.
[QUOTE=Nietzsche;50384]Humility isn’t a Christian virtue anyways. It is the product of being a HUMAN BEING. Besides, most Christians don’t exhibit this virtue at all. Even you Thomas, perhaps the most open minded Christian I have ever met, do not since you have reservations about the superiority of your religion (as do all Christians).[/QUOTE]
and what of your superiority Billy?
Where have you put poor Thomas’s body? What have you done with him?