Truth about yoga (a article for discussion)

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#101

Great comments made by Bryon Morrigon! It’s good to see an actual historian dispell the darkness on this board.

[QUOTE=TonyTamer;59385]My only point about India , as I said , was that Christianity is influenced by Hindu beliefs, that there were cross currents. and I don’t care about Historical Monotheism being intolerant as it pertains to today.[/quote]It is as relevant today as it has always been. Christian aggression in the form of terrorism and proselytisation is still prevelant throughout the world. South India is being destroyed by Christian missionaries and corrupt politicians who support them. Christian terrrorism is prevelant in East India in places like Tripura/Nagaland. You say you don’t care?

It is a good thing that religion (=monotheist abrahamic religion) is declining in the west, but still Christians are trying to take control in politics which is hurting everybody. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LACyLTsH4ac

This is undeniably linked to Abrahamic Monotheism as is evident from history. Christians who are moving away from this biblical paradigm under influece from more tolerant humanistic ideas and eastern influences, should only be applauded. They won’t be tolerant as long as they believe everyone else is going to burn in hell for the rest of eternity and are minions of the devil. Hindus do not believe in eternal damnation for heathens, so tolerance and pluralism is inherent in our religion.

I also don’t [B]believe[/B] in the statement that polytheistic religions were tolerant of other religions. T
It is good that you said believe, because this is simply a historical fact. You are of course free to believe whatever you want.

#102

[QUOTE=TonyTamer;59385]I also don’t believe in the statement that polytheistic religions were tolerant of other religions.[/QUOTE]

Ah, I see… You’re one of those guys who doesn’t study history or read history books…but is somehow privy to “knowledge” debunking the world’s foremost experts in the field. I was unaware that I was in the presence of such a luminous figure.

To quote Sir Edward Gibbon, the 18th century author of [I]The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire[/I], [I]“The various modes of worship which prevailed in the Roman world were all considered by the people as equally true; by the philosophers as equally false; and by the magistrate as equally useful.”[/I]

Or how about the aforementioned Jonathan Kirsch? [I]“The core value of paganism was religious tolerance – a man or woman in ancient Rome was at liberty to offer worship to whatever god or goddess seemed most likely to grant a prayerful request, with or without the assistance or priests or priestesses, as long as he or she didn’t do it in the streets, as a Victorian-era wit once said of woman preachers, and scare the horses.”[/I] ([I]God Against the Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism[/I], p.7)

Oxford historian Robin Lane Fox, while musing about the Roman attempts to incorporate the Judeo-Christian “Yahweh” into the Pantheon, as “IAO,” lamented the way that the polytheists just could not understand the essential intolerance that is a the core of Biblical Monotheism: [I]“At its heart, therefore, pagan theology could extend a peaceful coexistence to any worship which, in turn, was willing.” [/I]([I]Pagans and Christians[/I], p.261)

Even the founder of psychoanalysis has weighed in: [I]?Religious intolerance was inevitably born with the belief in one God.?[/I] (Sigmund Freud, [I]Moses and Monotheism[/I], p.2)

Here’s one of my favorites, from much further in the past:
[I]
“And so we ask for peace for the gods of our fathers, for the gods of our native land. It is reasonable that whatever each of us worships is really to be considered one and the same. We gaze up at the same stars, the sky covers us all, the same universe compasses us. [B]What does it matter what practical systems we adopt in our search for the truth. Not by one avenue only can we arrive at so tremendous a secret.[/B]” [/I](Quintus Aurelius Symmachus (C.E. c. 340-402), Roman senator. Letter, written 384, to the Christian Emperor Valentinian II, pleading for religious tolerance.)

Notice how similar that bolded sentence is to the following:

[I]“As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pritha.”[/I] (Bhagavad Gita, 4.11)

[I]“They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, and he is heavenly nobly-winged Garutman. To what is One, sages give many a title, they call it Agni, Yama, Matarisvan.”[/I] (Rig Veda, 1.164.46)

Now…compare those words of wisdom and tolerance to these:
[I]
"Of this you can be certain and convinced beyond all doubt, not only all pagans, but also all Jews, all heretics and schismatics will go into the everlasting fire which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels.? [/I](Christian Bishop Fulgentius, C.E. 468-533)

Or how about these paraphrased passages from Judeo-Christian scripture?

[I]“You must kill those who worship another god.”[/I] (Exodus 22:20)

[I]“Kill any friends or family that worship a god that is different than your own.”[/I] (Deuteronomy 13:6-10)

[I]“Kill all the inhabitants of any city where you find people that worship differently than you.”[/I] (Deuteronomy 13:12-16)

[I]“Kill everyone who has religious views that are different than your own.” [/I](Deuteronomy 17:2-7)

[I]“Kill anyone who refuses to listen to a priest.”[/I] (Deuteronomy 17:12-13)

[I]“Kill any false prophets.” [/I](Deuteronomy 18:20)
[I]
“Any city that doesn?t receive the followers of Jesus will be destroyed in a manner even more savage than that of Sodom and Gomorrah.”[/I] (Mark 6:11)
[I]
“Jude reminds us that God destroys those who don?t believe in him.” [/I] (Jude 5)

#103

Sarva,

“It is a good thing that religion (=monotheist abrahamic religion) is declining in the west, but still Christians are trying to take control in politics which is hurting everybody.”

The East is no exception. Whether East or West, in spite of man’s beliefs, religions, traditions, and philosophies - still he is not living any more in harmony with existence than he was centuries ago.

“This is undeniably linked to Abrahamic Monotheism as is evident from history”

You are pretending as though members of other religions have not been violent, or that religion is even something which is the essential matter. Even if you managed to remove religion completely from the world, it is not going to be of any help. As long as man clings to his identifications, then conflict is inevitable. This is the basis for most of the problems in the world - that one person is identified with one belief system, one philosophy, another person is identified with another belief system, and another philosophy - both are clinging strongly, certainly when these two cross paths conflict is going to be inevitable. Whether you are identified with a religion, a tradition, or whether it is in the name of nationalism, or politics- it makes no difference. That is why even if religion was removed, people would still be fighting over politics, nationalism, philosophy, or just about anything whatsoever. Even over something as simple as a game of sports, people are aggressive and willing to hate each other. All of this could have only been possible if man is still living out of his ancient animal nature - which is not interested in anything else except self-preservation. As long as man lives according to self-preservation, then he is going to try to enforce his ego at almost any cost.

The root cause of the problem lies not in religion or any of these things which outwardly are just superficial. The problem lies within the very mind of man himself. Unless there is a transformation of consciousness at the level of the individual, there can be no transformation of the society. These two cannot be separated, they are as mirror reflections of each other.

#104

[QUOTE=BryonMorrigan;59377][I]
Also, you could [U]try[/U] to claim that Yoga or Buddhism do not originate in Hinduism…but that would be ridiculous, as the historical record clearly says otherwise.[/QUOTE]

Too much time has passed to verify anything accurately?Hinduism is ancient compared to Siddhārtha Gautama who seems to have been educated by yogic gurus of his time, yogic influence in Buddhism is obvious with a mystic twist, Hinduism may have evolved similarly since yoga can operate independent both these religions. The religious flaws of Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Muslim, Judaism and all other religions are not there when examining yoga. It doesn?t matter if the gift of yoga came from space monkeys since its comprehensive independent of Buddhism or Hinduism.

#105

[QUOTE=AmirMourad;59401]The root cause of the problem lies not in religion or any of these things which outwardly are just superficial. The problem lies within the very mind of man himself. Unless there is a transformation of consciousness at the level of the individual, there can be no transformation of the society. These two cannot be separated, they are as mirror reflections of each other.[/QUOTE]

I agree and is there a better system then yoga to achieve this? Like I said many times before “So much trouble in the world” and if it’s to be resolved it will happen one person at a time.

#106

I agree and is there a better system then yoga to achieve this?

You have not understood the concept of pluralism which is inherent in Bharata Dharma. There are plenty of people who don’t need a yoga practice to be non-violent. A true yogi would never impose his own path on the rest of humanity. This type of imperial mindset is a huge stumbling block for abrahamics even after they have adopted a Hindu practice like yoga.

#107

[QUOTE=ray_killeen;59404]The religious flaws of Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Muslim, Judaism and all other religions are not there when examining yoga. It doesn?t matter if the gift of yoga came from space monkeys since its comprehensive independent of Buddhism or Hinduism.[/QUOTE]

What do you consider religious flaws?

Yoga, a process of self-realization, an introspective quest, reflects indeed the best aspects of religion, that should be taken within, no doubt.

Religion, a wise choice (as it was viewed in pre-written down parampara) tends to become a hard rule whenever it is written down and enforced outside (in society, for example).

However, even when preached and propagated the Advaita sects of Hinduism, let’s say Ramana Maharsi’s teachings, tend to be less presented as a hard theology, but more like a wise view of life.

Yoga certainly CAN be comprehensive within itself, based on its treatises, like Patanjali sutras. But the references to Hinduism and the other facets of Vedic thought are definitely there.

When Patanjali states:

yogas citta vrtti nirodhah

There’s a profound understanding of the nature of the mind, material nature, happiness and sadness being only [I]avasthas[/I] (states) of jnana (example, being hit by a punch and being stroked, acting on the same receptors, but with different vibration patterns) underlying there that can be found in Samkhya and several other schools of Vedic thought. I personally find important to consider Yoga’s roots within Hinduism mainly because it’s enriching for someone seeking more knowledge about it.

From the top of my head I can think of a book named “Yoga’s forgotten foundation”, it’s from the perspective of the Shaiva Siddhanta (I’m not sure people are familiar with them), should be an interesting read nonetheless: himalayanacademy(dot)com/download/resources/books/yff/yff_complete.pdf

Om Tat Sat

#108

[QUOTE=BryonMorrigan;59377]As someone who has actually studied history a great deal(*), let me just stop you right there. There has actually been a lot of scholarship on that matter, and anyone who studies it can see that that is certainly NOT the case. It was only with the advent of Biblical Monotheism ([I]which differs from other traditions in that it, and its variants, believe in not on “one god,” but that their god is the [U]only[/U] god[/I]) that religious intolerance was created. Sure, Romans fought Greeks, who fought Celts, who fought Egyptians…but not because they each thought they had the “one true religion” or that the other peoples’ religions were “false.”

The respected Egyptologist Dr. Jan Assmann coined the term the “Mosaic Distinction” to describe the shift between the more “universalist” views of non-Biblical religions, to the “join or die” weltanschauung that begins in the Old Testament, and has clouded human history for the past few thousand years.

[I]“These new religions can therefore perhaps be characterized most adequately by the term ‘counterreligion.’ For these religions, and for these religions alone, the truth to be proclaimed comes with an enemy to be fought. Only they know of heretics and pagans, false doctrine, sects, superstition, idolatry, magic, ignorance, unbelief, heresy, and whatever other terms have been coined to designate what they denounce, persecute and proscribe as manifestations of untruth.”[/I] – Jan Assmann,[I] “The Price of Monotheism,”[/I] Stanford University Press, p. 4

Another good book to read is, [I]“God Against the Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism,”[/I] by Jonathan Kirsch. Essentially, when a Roman entered a Gaulish temple and saw a Celtic deity like Alator…or spoke to a German about Tyr…he simply said to himself, “Oh, you’re talking about Mars!” There was never any idea that Zeus was “better” than Jupiter or vice-versa. They all knew that they were worshiping the same deities.

Furthermore, in regards to “Jesus,” let me point out, before even bothering with these myths about him going to India or whatever…that there is no evidence (unless you consider the Bible “evidence”) proving his existence whatsoever. Check it out: Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius, etc…They were all written DECADES after 33CE. In fact, none of those authors were even BORN at the time that “Jesus” is alleged to have existed. Sure, there may have been a Christian sect in existence at that time. I’m not saying Christianity as a religion didn’t exist. What I’m saying is that, for all we know…it could’ve been made up by Paul or any of the other apostles, or just been intended as a mythological allegory. [I](This was not unheard-of in this time…You’d know that if you studied ancient Rome…)[/I] Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. Such proof is amazingly absent, and much of the Jesus myth appears to have originated long after his alleged death.

Furthermore, a lot of the “Eastern” influence on the Jesus myth comes from Mithras/Mitra, whose worship was immensely popular (far more so than Christianity) when Theodosius I declared Christianity the official state religion of Rome (and started executing those who would not convert). In fact, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a couple essays on the importance of Mithraism in defining early Christianity. Google search if you want to read one, as I can’t post URLs yet.

So if you can’t even prove that “Jesus” existed…why should I even give the slightest bit of credence to the idea that he traveled to India, particularly when it is not referenced in the Christian Bible? You might as well be talking about theories of “Atlantis” or “Hyperborea” really…

Also, you could [U]try[/U] to claim that Yoga or Buddhism do not originate in Hinduism…but that would be ridiculous, as the historical record clearly says otherwise. Furthermore, many of the Christian “saints” and “martyrs” have been debunked as the medieval inventions of bored monks, or direct appropriations of local deities from various non-Christian religions.

In conclusion, if you want to believe in some fable about “Jesus” traveling to India, or Yoga sprouting fully-formed from the head of Zeus(**), or whatever you want…fine. But don’t expect it to survive the light of historical scholarship, as it does not…and don’t expect anyone else to believe it either.

P.S.: Anything that I stated above, but did not cite, was only because of haste, and the fact that I don’t have “linking privileges” at the moment. Everything I have typed can be backed up by reputable, scholarly sources, should anyone doubt anything that I have typed.

Cheers.

(*) I have an MA in History, and am currently working on a Ph.D.
(**) Yes, I’m conflating it with the myth regarding the birth of Athena, for hilarity’s sake…[/QUOTE]

Brilliant. It is great to see another Dharmic warrior on this board.

Swaagatam

#109

The article in question on this thread present some fallacies that are indeed hard to digest.

“Yoga wants to get students to the point of complete numbness in their minds. God, on the other hand, wants you to be transformed by the renewing of your mind through his Word,”

This for example, is a classic extroverted prejudiced view from Yoga, self-awareness and [I]abaissement du niveau mental[/I] is a tool to delve into the unconscious. However, Christians with the mindset that [I]the savior is outside and we really don’t have to do much[/I] have a resistance to it. Actually, anything that contradicts the supreme authority of Christ as the ultimate savior of mankind is discarted, even though teachings of reincarnation could be taken out of the Bible, it is chosen not to based on this.

The sound “om,” chanted in many yoga classes, is meant to bring students into a trance so they can join with the universal mind. And the “salute to the sun” posture, used at the beginning of most classes, pays homage to the Hindu sun god.

This also shows shortsightedness regarding how Hinduism view God. There isn’t a tribal vision of merely a Sun God. Hindus are not pagans in the bad sense of the word as proposed by Christians. Since Hindus don’t create a dichotomy between God and the World, metaphors for God (and the Goddess, let’s not forget the feminine aspect of the divine!) are found in the universe too (universe itself is God’s energy).

For example, Sun, the great father, the great source of enegy is keeping us alive (metaphorically, religiously and scientifically), but in our current form we can’t keep up with all that energy, thankfully, we have a loving mother, she is embracing us with her womb and filtering the great power of the father, in our example, it’s Bhumi, the Earth. One can’t ignore the feminine presence and not worship it, because without her, we would get obliterated by sun radition in seconds. Without delving much more, sun is seen as Narayana, a manifestation of God itself (specially to the Vaishnavas) on the universe.

Om Tat Sat

#110

[QUOTE=Sarvamaṅgalamaṅgalā;59420]You have not understood the concept of pluralism which is inherent in Bharata Dharma. There are plenty of people who don’t need a yoga practice to be non-violent. A true yogi would never impose his own path on the rest of humanity. This type of imperial mindset is a huge stumbling block for abrahamics even after they have adopted a Hindu practice like yoga.[/QUOTE]

I was asking the question not imposing a belief. Beliefs are worthless.

#111

Sarva,

“There are plenty of people who don’t need a yoga practice to be non-violent.”

I cannot agree. Because my own understanding of non-violence is not the mere non-harming of others. You be of no harm to others, and still be very much violent. Because to be non-violent does not exclude being violent with oneself. If you are doing all kinds of things unknowingly which are creating so many sources of suffering for yourself - how is this not violent ? Certainly if you are manufacturing your own suffering, you will be contributing to suffering in the world. There is not a single action which arises from man’s being which is not a reflection of his inner awareness. If, day by day, you continue living the field of your delusions as though the whole universe depended upon it, how is this not violent ? Violence need not necessarily mean that you are running around killing millions of people - it can manifest in ways which are far more subtle. As long as the mind is identified with the ego, which is by nature possessive, territorial, interested only preservation of the self - then one is going to be violent.

The other thing is that if you mean “non-violence” the mere non-harming of others, that does not necessarily mean that one is compassionate. You can follow a whole list of rules and regulations because that is your tradition, your religion, or the customs you have grown up to believe - but that does not mean you are compassionate. If it were not for the fact that the society imposes consequences for killing another human being, most people who have killed somebody a long time ago. Only the fear has prevented oneself from doing such a thing. Particularly with the organized religions - the fear of God’s judgement is an even more penetrating fear, because it means not just social condemnation, but universal condemnation. And societies have known how to use religion as a method to invoke fear into their people so that they can settle down and not step outside of line.

You can follow are kinds of rules and regulations which can qualify you as “non-violent”, but compassion is of a totally different quality. When one’s consciousness is integrated with existence in such a way, that one realizes that everything is none other than the same energy manifesting in different forms, then compassion becomes inevitable. If you are living with a sense of being interrelated with the whole existence, not just as an idea or a belief, but as a living reality - then it becomes very natural to be non-violent. It has nothing to do with morality - morality is as relative as relativity can be. It is just that one is emenating a certain quality in the same way that the sun emanates light, it is simply one’s own nature. Once compassion becomes part of your own nature as a living experience, only then can true non-violence arise. This non-violence has nothing to do with actions in themselves. Because outwardly, you can act in a way which appears to be violent, but inwardly you are absolutely grounded and without even a particle of the intention to be violent. Just as there is no humbleness in bowing down, similarly there is no violence in actions themselves. It is one’s inner awareness which determines their quality.

Yes, Yoga is definitely needed in order to be compassionate. When I say Yoga, I do not mean a particular practice or a discipline. The word simply means Union, that is, Union at the level of one’s experience where one’s consciousness is in communion with the whole existence.

#112

[QUOTE=Pietro Impagliazzo;59425]What do you consider religious flaws?

Yoga, a process of self-realization, an introspective quest, reflects indeed the best aspects of religion, that should be taken within, no doubt.

Religion, a wise choice (as it was viewed in pre-written down parampara) tends to become a hard rule whenever it is written down and enforced outside (in society, for example).

However, even when preached and propagated the Advaita sects of Hinduism, let’s say Ramana Maharsi’s teachings, tend to be less presented as a hard theology, but more like a wise view of life.

Yoga certainly CAN be comprehensive within itself, based on its treatises, like Patanjali sutras. But the references to Hinduism and the other facets of Vedic thought are definitely there.

When Patanjali states:

There’s a profound understanding of the nature of the mind, material nature, happiness and sadness being only [I]avasthas[/I] (states) of jnana (example, being hit by a punch and being stroked, acting on the same receptors, but with different vibration patterns) underlying there that can be found in Samkhya and several other schools of Vedic thought. I personally find important to consider Yoga’s roots within Hinduism mainly because it’s enriching for someone seeking more knowledge about it.

From the top of my head I can think of a book named “Yoga’s forgotten foundation”, it’s from the perspective of the Shaiva Siddhanta (I’m not sure people are familiar with them), should be an interesting read nonetheless: himalayanacademy(dot)com/download/resources/books/yff/yff_complete.pdf

Om Tat Sat[/QUOTE]

Ok you?ve presented this somewhat differently than others on this Forum, there are different sects in Hinduism similar as Buddhism? Investigation is warranted by your comments thank you, I?ll take your advice and research.

#113

I am very new to yoga and from the little reading that i did, i found yoga teaching similar to Buddhism. I will appreciate if anyone can discuss more on those statements that I have bold. thank you.[/QUOTE]

My opinions:

  1. This being spiritual thing has gone to extreme extent in some people now-a-days. Just by practicing yoga asanas one can not be spiritual. There are other things like selfless service, learning from scriptures (or from internet:D), prayer are all part of yoga. The above mentioned Laurette just focussed on one part of life and neglected others. That might have led to depression/loneliness.

  2. The expectation from practicing Yoga are too much to believe. Just like any marketing executive at a company, Yoga teachers and gurus went onto promise miracles. Yoga is just a way to purify body and mind and NOTHING MORE !! One will not get united (unified) with Universe or GOD. However, by practicing Yoga one can feel better mentally and physically and will be a pleasing person.

  3. Yoga is rooted in Hinduism. Asking a devoted Christian to practice Yoga is like asking an Indian Hindu to survive on Burgers and Pizzas.

  4. The idea of Christian Yoga is good. Yoga is added to Hinduism as part of its evolutionary process. Same kind of evolution can happen with Christianity as a religion. In fact, Christian Yoga can further improve upon the existing Yoga and be a better Yoga. There can be new Yoga postures as designing one is not a difficult task.

  5. I am really amazed to see how people of different nations are following one another. In India, the land of Yoga, most young urban Indians are going to Gym and practicing Western (Christian?) methods, people of west are interested in new-age (which is some 2000-3000 years ago) Yoga, Zen and Budhism. Truly, this world is a global village !!!

#114

[QUOTE=ray_killeen;59446]Ok you?ve presented this somewhat differently than others on this Forum, there are different sects in Hinduism similar as Buddhism? Investigation is warranted by your comments thank you, I?ll take your advice and research.[/QUOTE]

I’d say that Advaitic schools would be more close to Buddhism, more in approach than in its core philosophy though.

Research away!

#115

ray,

“I agree and is there a better system then yoga to achieve this? Like I said many times before “So much trouble in the world” and if it’s to be resolved it will happen one person at a time”

I do not consider “Yoga” as referring to any particular system. The word itself simply means Union. When one comes to know of a state of being which is in absolute communion with existence, then one is in a state of yoga. Fundamentally, it is a state of consciousness. Any method which leads towards this state of consciousness can also be called a method towards yoga. So yoga has very little to do with such well known practices as bending the body in various different ways and the practice of breathing exercises. If you are using your intellect as the method for the expansion of consciousness, it is known as Jnana yoga. If you are using emotion, Bhakhti yoga. If you are raising certain energies from the base of the spine and bringing them to the top part of the brain between the two brain hemispheres, it is Kundalini yoga. If you are using the repetition of sound as the means, it is Mantra Yoga. If you are using the development of your inner sense of hearing, then it is Nada Yoga. If you are using an understanding as to the science of how the breath alternates from one nadi to another, and the various psychological tendencies that happen when the energy of the breath moves through different nadis, then it is Swara Yoga. If you are using meditation, it is Raja Yoga. And one can continue on and on about the different approaches towards the same end.

So I do not consider yoga as a particular system. Any method which leads towards this is a method towards Yoga, though it may not be called as such.

#116

You have just described Hinduism with the different methods of yoga, now we just need someone to claim that Hinduism isn’t Hindu.

#117

haha :smiley:

#118

“You have just described Hinduism with the different methods of yoga, now we just need someone to claim that Hinduism isn’t Hindu”

No, Yoga has nothing whatsoever to do with being Hindu anymore than the Big Bang theory is Christian because the scientist who discovered it was a Christian, or the Albert Einstein is Jewish. There is nothing Hindu about learning how to access your own system anymore than concentration is Hindu, or controlling your breath is Hindu, or Samadhi is Hindu. Samadhi has nothing whatsoever to do with Hinduism, although it may have been discovered by Hindus’. Samadhi is a state of consciousness. When we are referring to yoga, we are not referring to any particular belief system or philosophy. It is simply a technology for the expansion of human consciousness towards the realization of one’s true nature. That is why the same technology has been used by the Buddhists, Jain’s, the Sikh’s, - although their belief systems are different, their interpretations are different, but all have made use of the same technology. Technology is simply technology, it is neither Eastern nor Western, American or Japanese. Just as there is a technology for the outer world, similarly there is an inner technology for the expansion of consciousness which is not the property of any tradition. That some have said that yoga is “Hindu” is just an attempt of certain dogmatic minds to nourish their ego through one’s identification with religion, it is trying to give your belief system a seal of approval.

#119

Don’t listen to this clown on what he has to say about Hinduism and India. In the “Clash of civilisations” thread he said India has always been a materially poor country. His “knowledge” is based on nothing more than stereotypes from poor reading - which he likes to think is insight emanating from the core of his being :wink:

Hinduism refers to a collection of a body of knowledge from the Vedas and practices they prescribe. What we call spirituality today is basically Hinduism. So of course it is Hinduism.

It is obvious why Buddhism has the same philosophies and practices - because it an off-shoot of Hinduism.

It is obvious why Christianity does not have these philosophies and practices - because it is not an off shoot of Hinduism.

#120

“What we call spirituality today is basically Hinduism.”

LOL.

That is quite a monopoly. You must be very proud.

And fearful, that it may be taken away.

How unfortunate.