Sorry friend ! I have to share many things with you but I was not getting proper time. finally I am here with a new topic.
The ecstasy of being a hindu !
Last month I got a new friend in my life 'Aditi'... she is an amicable girl but she made me thought of something which we all must think. She is a Hindu girl by birth but loves Islam and performs theirs rituals regularly. When I asked her reason for doing so she shared her past life with me, she told me that her boy friend was a Muslim so she thought of converting herself in to Islam. Then we had a long discussion that this type of conversion is right or not? I let her knew an incident which happens to me last to last year during deepawali. Finally after a long discussion I won and she agrees to me that one must respect every religion but must not convert our selves to other at any cost.
I would like to share that same incident with you all.
A year ago, I was traveling in train from new Delhi to Gaya (my home town) at deepawali . An American girl was sitting on the right side, near window seat. It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly eighteen hours. I was surprised to see the young girl (18-19 yrs) reading a Bible. After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances talk. Her name was fabiane. She is a very lovely girl from America and was going to Kanpur.
When I told her that I am from Bihar then suddenly the girl asked: 'What's your faith?
‘‘What?' I didn't understand the question..
'I mean, what's your religion? Are you a Christian or a Muslim?' – she said.
'No!' I replied, 'I am neither Christian nor Muslim'. Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that.
'Then who are you? ‘‘I am a Hindu', I said.
She looked at me as if she was seeing a caged animal. She could not understand what I was talking about.
She told me that a common man in Europe or US knows about Christianity and Islam, as they are the leading religions of the world today. But a Hindu, what?
Then I explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother.
Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.
'Who is your prophet?' she asked.
'We don't have a prophet,' I replied.
'What's your Holy Book?'
'We don't have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of philosophical and sacred scriptures,' I replied.
'Oh, come on at least tell me who is your God?'
'What do you mean by that?'
'Like we have Jesus and Muslims have Allah - don't you have a God?'
I thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief.
According to her (or anybody who doesn't know about Hinduism), a religion needs to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God. The mind is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that anything else is not acceptable. I understood her perception and concept about faith. You can't compare Hinduism with any of the present leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of god.
I tried to explain to her: 'You can believe in one god and he can be a Hindu... You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a Hindu. What's more - you may not believe in god at all, still you can be a Hindu. An atheist can also be a Hindu.'
This sounded very crazy to her. She couldn't imagine a religion so unorganized, still surviving for thousands of years, even after onslaught from foreign forces.
'I don't understand but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?' What can I tell to this American girl?
I said: 'I do not go to temple regularly. I do not make any regular rituals. I have learned some of the rituals in my younger days. I still enjoy doing it sometimes.. .’
'Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?'
'God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made any compulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly.'
She thought for a while and then asked: 'Have you ever thought of converting to any other religion?'
'Why should I?. Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu allows me to think independently and objectively, without conditioning. I remain as a Hindu never by force, but by choice.' I told her that Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by any one person or does not have a single organized controlling body like the Church or the Order, I added. There is no single institution or authority.
'So, you don't believe in God?' she wanted everything in black and white.
'I didn't say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture, or Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this universe.'
'Why can't you believe in one personal God?'
'We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers, demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense. I don't think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him.' I told her that such notions are just fancies of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that generally ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal gods. The entry level Hinduism has over-whelming superstitions too. The philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions...
'Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray. What is your prayer then?'
*'Loka Samastha Sukh ino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,'*
'Funny,' she laughed, 'What does it mean?'
'May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Om Peace, Peace, Peace.'
Hmm ..very interesting.. I want to learn more about this religion. It is so democratic, broad-minded and free' she exclaimed.
The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the individual and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita. It is all about an individual approaching a personal God in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution - it is as simple as that.'
Anybody can convert me to Hinduism?' she asked
'Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not only a religion, but a set of beliefs, practices and a way of life and culture. Everything is acceptable in Hinduism because there is no single authority or organization either to accept it or to reject it or to oppose it on behalf of Hinduism.'
For a real seeker, I told her, the Bible itself gives guidelines when it says ' Kingdom of God is within you.' I reminded her of Christ's teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you can find the meaning of life.
Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real. 'Isavasyam idam sarvam' Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here and everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things as God. That's what Hinduism teaches you.
Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas.- It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless and formless entity.
Ancestors of today's Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them. But there is a section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to make this an organized religion like others. The British coin the word 'Hindu' and considered it as a religion.
Further I said: 'Religions have become an MLM (multi-level- marketing) industry that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion. The biggest business in today's world is Spirituality. Hinduism is no exception'
I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharma' - Non violence is the highest duty. I am a Hindu because it doesn't conditions my mind with any faith system.
A man/ woman who change 's his/her birth religion to another religion is a fake and does not value his/her morals, culture and values in life. Hinduism may or may not be the first religion originated but be proud of your religion and be proud of who you are.
Om Namah shivay!
God gives cloth, wood and fire even to a dead man,
It is so sad that the living man keeps worrying...
"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned."-Buddha
A good way to change someone’s attitude is to change our own, because the same sun that melts butter, also hardens clay!
Life is as we think it, so think beautifully.
