IN ESSENCE, HINDUISM, THE VEDIC SYSTEM, OPENS THE DOOR TO THE REAL MEANINGS OF LIFE.
After practicing and living by the principles of the Vedic philosophy, you can bring a perceptive and obvious change in your life, as well as into your own sphere of influence. By beginning to awaken your awareness of your spiritual identity and your relationship with the Supreme, you can easily feel a new level of happiness, peace, and contentment. You will have a clearer understanding of who you are, where you have come from, and your purpose in life. You will have a better focus on why we are here and what needs to done while living in this material world. Little things that you may have taken so seriously, that may have bothered you will no longer have the same affect on you. You will see with a clearer view of what really matters in life, and the superficialities that are not important. You will see that there is only one universal religion, and that is Sanatana-Dharma, awakening the natural proclivity and needs of the soul, and regaining our real spiritual identity and relationship with God. It is merely a matter of learning how to love and serve God. That is the heart of the Vedic path.
WITH OR WITHOUT A CHURCH OR INSTITUTION, HINDUISM SHOWS AND ESTABLISHES THAT EVERYONE HAS A PERSONAL AND INDEPENDENT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, WHICH ONLY NEEDS TO BE REAWAKENED.
This is an important point. There are other religions that teach that your only connection with God is through the church, or the institution, without which you are excommunicated or eternally damned. Unlike this, the Vedic system teaches that everyone is a spiritual being, and, thus, automatically a part of a loving God with an eternal relationship with Him. This relationship only has to be reawakened, which is the purpose of the many instructions given by God in the Vedic texts. It is also the purpose of the spiritual teachers who try to help everyone revive this eternal but dormant relationship. To rejuvenate such a relationship simply depends on one's sincerity to advance by following these instructions. It is not subject to an institution or a pope who alone claims to be in touch with God and knows the ultimate truth, upon whom we all are dependent, and who can dictate restrictions as he likes. In fact, any spiritual teacher is only as good to the degree in which he is at being a representation of God's love for us, or at being a transparent medium for the spiritual instructions of God and the previous acharyas or authorities.
The church or institution also is only good to the degree in which it represents the genuine spiritual tradition, as found in the Vedic system. If there is any blockage or ulterior motive in the spiritual teacher or institution in this transference of love and knowledge, then it may actually misrepresent God's true message and mislead people in their search for God's love.
In this way, a church or establishment is meant to provide the proper facility and opportunity for people to advance and experience God's love. Without a connection to a church or organization does not mean that a person is eternally condemned or will never have a chance of revitalizing one's relationship with God. An organization is not, nor can it ever be, the controller of whether a person has a relation to God, or goes to heaven or hell. This is completely dependent on the individual soul and his or her consciousness or sincerity. The fact is that since we are all spiritual beings, everyone has a personal relationship with God, and no one else can interfere with that. It only needs to be revived, which is the purpose of the Vedic process.
HINDUISM PROMOTES THE CAUSE OF REAL CARE AND CONCERN FOR OTHERS.
By understanding our spiritual nature, and being able to perceive that nature in all other living beings, we naturally care for and are concerned about all others. This does not only mean the material benefits, such as making sure the hungry are fed, or the poor are clothed. But this also extends to the care for the soul. Naturally, it can be difficult to take care of the material or bodily needs of all other living beings. However, the point is that as long as we have these material bodies, there will be a constant drive to care for the problems that our material body will create for us. Therefore, by giving everyone the chance to advance spiritually can also help each person to solve this problem. Once a person has made enough spiritual advancement that they no longer need a material body and become free from any continued rounds of birth and death, then all such problems will naturally be solved. This is the true care and concern of the Vedic system.
Some people may nonetheless criticize Hinduism for what appears to be the issue of the untouchability of the low castes, the disrespect for widows, poverty, etc. However, these issues are not so much the problem or product of the Vedic system in as much as they are social issues that have developed because of society falling away from the Vedic path. To explain briefly, the caste system as we see it today is a perverted remnant from the varnashrama system of the Vedic culture. Varna is a legitimate Vedic system by which a person is recommended for a type of work and social service according to his or her mental and intellectual caliber, ability and tendencies. Thus, if a person showed a proclivity for study and religious pursuits, then he may be trained to be a Brahmin. If he exhibited a talent for business, then he may be trained to be a Vaishya. A child of feeble intellect that preferred performing menial tasks would then be trained in the ways of serving those in the higher varnas, as a Sudra. Nonetheless, his dignity was preserved and he had full rights as any other person.
However, the caste system we see today is that if you are born in the family of a Brahmin, then you are accepted to be a Brahmin. And if you are born in a Sudra family, then that is where you remain. Thus, through the years, the higher castes have shown an attitude of exclusivity above the lower castes. There is no justification for this, since it is clearly taught in the Vedic literature, such as the Bhagavad-gita and Bhagavat Purana that everyone is born in ignorance. Thus, everyone is at first a Sudra until it is determined what mental or intellectual tendencies and abilities a person has. Only then may it be determined what varna or caste a person is likely to belong. In other words, just by being born in the family of a doctor does not mean that you are automatically a doctor. You must be trained, tested and qualified. If you do n
HINDUISM ADVOCATES A UNIVERSAL RATHER THAN A SELF-CENTERED CONSCIOUSNESS.
As explained earlier, the Vedic philosophy is a universal philosophy. It asserts that every individual is a part of the universe and in microcosm represents the macrocosm. A thorough study of Vedic astronomy will reveal that the universal form is also inside our body, and that the body represents the cosmos in miniature. In such a light, it can also be understood that man cannot be separate from family, society, country, or the universe itself. In other words, he or she is a multidimensional being who is connected in many ways to the multidimensional universe. A universal consciousness means that we perceive this connection, and how we are related to each and every being in some way. Therefore, our actions are connected to those around us, even to the plants and animals. Thus, it is recommended that we act as proper caretakers of all other living entities so that we do not do anything that will wrongly effect or create harm, even unknowingly, to others, which would only be reflected back on ourselves. Therefore, whatever we do will have a direct or no less than subtle effect on all and everything around us. This understanding also promotes the fact that we need to remember that we are all stewards and caretakers of the planet, the land, each other, and all creatures.
In Western countries people are brought up in the idea of consumerism. This is the basis in which people tend to think of themselves and their own happiness first. In Vedic society, people are raised to see things differently, to see that everyone shares in the results of other's actions, and that everyone shares in looking after the needs of others before considering one's own. However, this is not as noticeable as it used to be due to the people falling away from the Vedic system and being more attracted to the principle of consumerism of the West.
THE VEDIC PROCESS OFFERS THE EASIEST PATH BACK TO GOD.
Of course, this point may seem like it is merely a matter of opinion, but if we analyze things we can see that the Vedic system can be very easy and trouble free. It is merely a matter of love. That is the main thing.
Love is the most natural emotional need and longing any of us have. Simply dovetailing and realigning our love toward God is the easiest process for spiritual development. All religions explain this. However, the most personal aspects of the Vedic teachings go into the greatest details of how to develop this loving tendency toward God, and how such an eternal loving relationship with the Supreme Being is manifested and maintained. The Vedic descriptions of the pastimes of the Supreme Lord are like none found anywhere else, along with explanations of His friends and relatives, His personality, His dress and appearance, and so much more, all of which are provided to invoke our loving attraction to this Supreme object of our affection. The easiest part of the Vedic system that helps us accomplish this is through the process of bhakti-yoga (the yoga of awakening our loving devotion to God) and harinam (associating with God through the chanting of the Lord's holy names). It has been shown many times, and by many great sages, and through the instructions in the Vedic scripture, that our natural and continuous loving propensity, when directed toward God, is not only the means but also the end of the path. Such love becomes the impetus to always think of God, which is the easiest and most constant form of meditation. This is what purifies our heart, delivering us to the freedom from the cycles of repeated birth and death, and to our eternal home in the spiritual sky. The spiritual world is that place wherein our natural spiritual love can manifest to its fullest and most unlimited degree.
RE:RE:PATH TO TRUTH
by An Indian on Mar 31, 2007 05:52 PM Permalink
Mike Gandhi
Who are you ancestors, are you aware? You or your ancestors have converted by force (mostly), by lure or otherwise. Why should we should become your brothers and sisters, why not you come back to your roots, after kicking what had been forced to you or your ancestors. Why should I leave my originality, as I or my family never gone for such dirty conversion. Otherwise also belong to the original, whatever it was and is, right from the beginning and much before the Islam has erupted, and much and much before the Islamic terrorism (or your Jihad) had invaded our country. You might have forgotten your ancestors, your Islam might be teaching to pit and urinate to your ancestors but not mine. I am not Brahmin, and is without any conversion and worship to Almighty and not to Prophet. Otherwise also what Islam has given to the world, cruelty, illiteracy, arrogance, you people never treat your icons (Muslims) as Muslims like, great leader Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, Sehani Maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan, our present President H.E. APJ Abdul Kalam, the list is endless, only because they are not fundamentalist, hey are true Indian, never come under the clutches of your dirty unscrupulous religious leaders. When some of your sisters, who are really the icon of this great like Sania Mirza, Shabana Azmi etc. are bashed by your Maulana, Mufti etc. you people never come for their rescue. Few among are anti-country terrorists, few support them through shelter, logistics and other help, rest do not utter and disclose their identity under the cover of religion, legitimize the polygamy under the cover of shariat or personal law.
Forget me or so called your horror RSS, VHP and just go to your own root, your ancestors, whose blessing you are and feel their agony, if you have some details, at least to your ancestors.
One of my known progressive Muslim family (wife and husband both are Muslim) who were quite worried about the spouse of their children, as they never wanted anyone from fundamentalist family. When their elder daughter could found her love, somewhere during her study, the family put their best efforts to materialized the relationship and the convinced the other family that they are not fundamentalist and ultimately their married and later on I came to know the mother of the boy was Sikh and father was Hindu. Now there is very happy (it is now more than 3 years) and they pray God everyday that their son also gets someone so that at least their next generation comes out from the clutches of vulnerable society.
My dear Mike, I do not know what compulsion you have to stick to such barbaric society and introspect yourself. If you embrace Christianity or Buddhism, it would salvage your and your coming generations.
It is ironical in your community that first you invade, then you create dispute, convert by force or by lure few fool, then use them like dirty towel. What a mockery?
