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By M S Vidyanandan. Now we are on Telegram too. Follow us for updates. India Matters. Third Covid jab to counter another wave? There are Indians of light skin.
There are Indians of dark skin. Think Kashmir. Think Manipur. Think Kerala. Some Indians look European. Others look East Asian. And even others look African. Clearly, Hinduism is not just for Indians nor is it just for people of a certain color. English Translation is also available in plenty. I am Hindu and i am proud on it and now all and every things of hindus , worship there no confusion ………………why u people have problem i dont now why.
This confusion is created by those who try to convert people from Hinduism by giving wrong interpretation or by false informations. First, Hinduism is spreading throughout the world. Second, Lord Shiva created the whole Earth with his cosmic dance. He did not create only India. After studying yoga and Indian classical dance, I started praying to Ganesha and Lord Shiva, and they answered my prayers. I then started praying to the other Hindu Gods and Goddesses, and they have been answering my prayers.
Lokam the whole world includes black-brown-yellow-white human beings. Those who can understand and follow the same as a minimum requirement can also live as a hindu irrespective of color or background. Stop trying to project yourselves as Indian Hindus to degrade us. To others: Caste system is unfortunately still present in india but fading away. Hope we could remove impurities which seeped into hinduism. Chandra gupta maurya,the greatest king, was a shudra who was made a kshatriya by the brahmin Kautilya.
Cont: Valmiki was a hunter. I heard many times from my shudra friend too that even the surgeons belonged to shudra since others avoided touching human flesh,even kshatriya,to the possible extent. Many brahmins more than half, since probably a millenium say that the Manusmriti is corrupted not the original, but heavily edited. Even sikhs were pushed further away by brits.
Its our hindu white, brown, black, yellow, or pink, blue, green to throw away the evils that got in. I can understand why Tandava is upset. I would be upset too if people of very light skin color converted to Hinduism, were allowed to be of the Bhraman caste based on their light skin color, and got special privileges based on their skin color. But the answer is not to disallow conversions. The answer is to stop discriminating based on caste.
I do agree with you on this with some caveats. They award the sacred thread to anyone who is pious and has a good understanding of the Gita, whether they are white, Indan born Shudra, or born Brahmin. I particularly impressed by a comment by Sita:. All of us have to draw salaries now adays. So in that respect we are all Shudras. This apart, I find that the present situation calls us to be of ALL varnas simultaneously,viz. So What are We? Hindu, I have nt seen a lot of your posts here before so tell me why do you love hinduism over and above other faiths.
Explain in detail. Want to know your perception of the faith. Northeast Indian, I have nt seen a lot of your posts here before so tell me why do you love hinduism over and above other faiths. Surprizingly it is the Australian clergy thats supporting them materially and ideologically. Its not just mullahs that want hinduism out of India. That was question to all who insult the new hindus: Why do you love hinduism over and above christianity and Islam? Their true colors will show quickly. Thanks for the support.
I think people who say non-Indians cannot convert to Hinduism do not understand that it is not up to them. Once someone has found the path to Hinduism, it can not be taken away from them. I have seen this all over the web world. Ask them simply why the haters love hinduism and also how hinduism is sueprior to abrahamic faiths. Their cover will be blown that much more quickly.
Tandava is right as usual: Humor is essential on religion centric blogs, which are usually very serious in tone. Hinduism is for all those who believe in karma siddhanta. But most North east indians are christians. But most North east indians are mostly christians according to my info. No need to apologise. There is no evidence that this person is of Indian origin, they are posting from canada. It was pointed out to me that North East Indian also posting as Hindu and colonial Killer is probably abusing other bloggers as well as me.
Though it may seem amusing to someone living in another continent, if they are doing the same thing to people living nearby it could be really frightening. I want to worship Shiva and take the pilgrimage to Mt. I am a westerner but this is my dream. Varanasi is also a great destination, BTW lot of westerners chronicle their travel to indian pilgrimage centers and other tourist places in indiamike. Explore the blog and get more info. Good luck. Hinduism is quite clear in its reference to the doctrine of cycles of births and deaths, hence establishes the re-birth theory based on karma or actions performed by persons.
As can be seen in this universe, everything happens in cycles governed by time periods: like the seasons, eclipses etc. Being born as a living creature or a human being is related to the past karmas of a soul as there can be no other plausible explanation for the basic differences between various living entities.
This religion apparently, is structured for getting salvation from the cycles of births and deaths, which perhaps, is the ultimate goal of any existence.
The features of hindu religion is therefore unknown in other religions as they do not profess re-incarnation. Our sages and seers of the yore toiled to know the absolute truth.
As re-incarnation is god ordained, birth in a particular form or species human or animal has been made unchangeable by any means since it is linked to the previous births of a soul.
The four recognized castes of Hinduism are therefore acquired by a soul as a result of previously afflicted karmas alone. This phenomena is verifiable by self realized souls only. As the basic guna nature of a soul is related to the castes in which it takes birth and the subsequent nature of karma that it has to perform is as stipulated for that caste by the scriptures.
These include following strictly religious rituals, especially by the first three twice born castes known as Bramhana, Kshatriya and Vysya apart from his designated profession. Whether one likes it or not he should perform these duties to the best of his abilities failing which he is punished by god by de-grading him into a lower birth or sending him to hell.
The innate qualities called gunas come first and the ordained duty karma next. It is not vice versa. He shall also not forsake his swadharma inherent duty prescribed for a caste and try to follow the duties of another caste which can only yield adverse results. This principle is called varnashrama Dharma which position cannot be altered by reasoning as it is not valid as per scriptures. Conclusions coming out of such efforts will only remain as mere conceptions.
God can only be pleased by following this path. Some skewed misinterpretations have been given by self styled swamis propagating Hinduism with meanings of varnas being arrived at by the profession chosen by a person according to his aptitude. The meaning of castes could only be understood against the background of re-birth effected by karmas which is explained in the shastras and therefore belief in shastras is a pre-requisite for following Hinduism.
The phenomena is quite subtle as it refers to inner layers of consciousness of the body. Anyone without access to higher spiritual knowledge which is beyond senses, trying to argue on this aspect will not arrive at the truth as they would be unaware of past and future lives of any living being.
Anything judged by seeing the actions and reactions thereof on a person in a particular life does not give the total scenario to know the persons past or future. By common sense, we notice that a tree planted to day do not yield fruits tomorrow itself, so also with every other phenomena in nature.
Our brains are created by an unseen power, unknown to us and whatever created by this brain belongs to its creator. Therefore it is a fallacy to think that science which is derived from brain work can take us above the creator and to mistakenly depend on scientific revelations happening in the world of today to negate religion. From this point of view, an endeavor to keep science away from religion in the mind will help immensely to choose the right path. As re-birth is not accepted in religions other than Hinduism, no comparisons with them can be drawn.
Conversion to Hinduism is not approved by the scriptures, therefore, anyone outside hinduism can adopt a hindu way of life but refrain from performing vedic rituals or chanting of mantras which cause scriptural injunctions and might cause even adverse effects as it is prohibited in the scriptures. For anybody trying to approach and understand Hinduism, it is worthwhile to know the above ideas as a background.
Hinduism is quite different from Christianity and Islam. It is not an orthodox religion, on the contrary its quite liberal,…………here there is no single god , no single book……. You only needs to believe in its core philosophy and principles to become a Hindu. No harm if you join some Hindu organisation. It is the duty of every hindu to follow the Dharmaic scriptures as prescribed for him as meticulously as possible, lest harmful things befall him.
The karmic theory is definitely not a joke to be taken light-heartedly. There is a thinking prevalent among modern hindus, now a days, that due to western education all hindus have given a go by to the tenets of Hinduism and do things as they please.
This is not true as some percentage of hindus still follow traditional Hinduism and reaping good results. There are varied interpretations of shastras by unauthorised gurus and persons with vested interests as per their whims and fancies which when followed might lead to undesirable effects. Therefore, it is the duty of hindus having knowledge of shastras to explain to foreigners of the intricacies of Hinduism to avoid harm. You are commenting using your WordPress.
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Email Address:. Western Hindu. Skip to content. Can a Westerner convert to Hinduism? Posted on September 23, Comments. Rate this:. Like this: Like Loading Learn the proper asanas , or meditative yoga motions, to supplement prayer and ritual offerings. In the Hindu religion, meditation can be performed either from a resting position, as it is done conventionally, or through the practice of yoga, which is essentially a form of moving meditation.
Traditionally, yoga involves transitioning through a series of strenuous postures that serve to purify the body and make the mind and spirit receptive to the blessings of enlightenment. Though it's become a trendy form of exercise in the West, the practice of yoga is considered an integral part of of the spiritual duties of the Hindu follower.
Yoga requires you to be supple, which promotes proper breath control and circulation, strengthening your body and enhancing your ability to focus. Commit to improving your karma. Seek to live a good live, to be mindful of the suffering of the world, to show kindness to others and to implement the wisdom of the Vedas, or classical scriptures.
Karma is a tenant central to Hindu philosophy and lies at the heart of all human interaction. It is effectively an inventory of one's moral character, and through the cultivation of pure karma comes the possibility of freeing oneself from the cycle of reincarnation. But if your karma meter is full, if you've always acted with good intentions and devoted yourself to lessening the suffering in the world, you stand a chance of attaining liberation and thus being freed from Samsara.
Part 2. Become a member of a temple. See if there are any Hindu temples or community centers where you live that would allow you to join their congregation. The widespread acceptance of the major world religions has made finding places of worship in unlikely locations more common. As a member of a temple, you will be guided through puja and be given advice on yoga meditation and understanding the Vedas scriptures , which will help you on your spiritual journey.
If this happens to you, keep looking until you find a temple that will accept you, or continue your study and worship on your own. Take part in ritual practices. Learn about different ritual activities from the leaders of your temple or community and incorporate them into your practice.
In addition to puja and yoga, there are many other rituals that encompass important aspects of Hinduism. While most of these are spiritual in nature and center around paying tribute to divinity, others are more personal and practical, and function almost as good-luck rituals or reminders of the need to excel in your station of life.
Other important rituals for the Hindu follower to observe include making offerings and sacrifices symbolic in meaning to the various deities of the pantheon, decorating the body with markings that represent spiritual aims and sitting in meditation of the truths of the Vedas. Other more sophisticated rituals, collectively identified as a yajna , require the oversight of qualified holy men and typically entail systematic group offerings and blessings.
These rituals are more akin to what you might expect to find in churches where Abrahamic religions are practiced. If you belong to a Hindu temple or spiritual community, a yajna is likely to be conducted by the group's most prominent leaders. Attend Hindu celebrations and festivals. Hindu festivals are based around the seasons and usually commemorate or symbolize important events in Hindu theology.
Some of these celebrations, such as Makar Sankranti, require visiting cultural landmarks like the Ganges river, but many holy events can be honored anywhere with prayers and offerings particular to the day.
In becoming immersed in the Hindu religion, make an effort to learn the significance marking these occasions and take part in observing them. Undertake a spiritual pilgrimage. If you have fully committed yourself to following the Hindu religion, you might plan a pilgrimage to visit holy sites in India and its outlying regions and pay your respects. Embarking on a pilgrimage will offer you a rare opportunity to see the shrines of deities and saints, refocus your spiritual devotion and purify yourself of sins and impurities.
Pilgrimages are time-consuming and expensive undertakings and may not be feasible for all practitioners, but they are venerated tradition in Hinduism nonetheless.
A small percentage of larger Hindu organizations that are funded by local communities may offer all-expense-paid group pilgrimage opportunities for those who could not otherwise afford them. Check and see if your temple or organization is one of these. Part 3. Accept your differences. If you come from a place with vastly different religious background, not all Hindu beliefs and precepts will make sense to you at first. You may also encounter some opposition to your becoming a follower of the religion if you were not born into it.
Be patient with these differences and try to see beyond them. You have a right to pursue your own spiritual path, and nothing should hold you back once you have decided to devote yourself to the Hindu religion. Much of the cultural exclusion of Hinduism stems from the Indian caste system, in which people are born into certain social classes from which they can neither raise or lower themselves.
Because non-Indians are outside of the sacred caste, they are also thought to be necessarily outside of Hindu spirituality. If you cannot find a temple or group to join and are forced to continue your practice from home, don't despair. There are many modern gurus who are willing to share their teachings with followers through recorded content like books and audio recordings, and communal interaction can be found through chat rooms and international conventions.
Recognize the dharma. These notions form the fundamental principles of Hinduism. Even though you may not understand their meaning or application right away, strive to extract as much practical wisdom as you can from the scriptures you study. As you progress in your practice, the connectivity of these concepts will open up to you. Rather than getting caught up in the more fantastic elements of the scriptures, concentrate on understanding what they offer in terms of truth and knowledge.
Know the significance of karma. Be mindful of the notion of karma at all times and consider how your actions influence your own morality as well as the well-being of others. Your karma should be at the center of every decision you make. Auditing your actions brings you closer to realizing moksha, or spiritual liberation, but it also ensures that you're making the right choices at any given time. It is a common thread that runs through consecutive rebirths.
Introspection of one's karmic state creates a kind of feedback system for evaluating the goodness of one's lives. Bad karma is thought to follow an individual through their different lifetimes, accounting for the seemingly random nature of misfortune in the world. Strive for spiritual liberation. Meditate often on salvation and the means to attain it. The ultimate purpose of any religion is to transcend the struggle of human existence and come to actualize the divine aspects of the self.
This can be achieved through a focused approach to spiritual learning. Try to apply the wisdom that you gain to your everyday life. You'll find that through enlightened consciousness, the quality of your own life will improve, which will allow you to positively affect the lives of the people around you.
Can someone who doesn't convert to Hinduism still follow Hindu ideals, such as karma and reincarnation? Anyone can still follow Hinduism's beliefs even if he or she doesn't convert. Not Helpful 17 Helpful
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