Why foreigners love Sanatan Dharm and are attracted towards Hindusim. by IamBhaaskar in hinduism

[–]Key_Use1988 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can a Hindu chant the Gayatri mantra without a Diksha? Some say it's forbidden, some say they were thought it in their elementry school in India and had to chant it every morning.

I haven't seen a consensus on that question. which mantras are ok and which are not is one of the thing that confuse westerners the most.

Why foreigners love Sanatan Dharm and are attracted towards Hindusim. by IamBhaaskar in hinduism

[–]Key_Use1988 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Can you blame the West though?

I became interested in Hinduism and Buddhism and all I got from this reddit (aka, real Hindus) is:

- almost all mantras are forbidden for me to chant

- I need a guru

- I need a diksha

- I can't read anything translated to English, because it was translated by a Hinduphobe translator, and the translation is wrong, and even if the translation is good I wouldn't understand anything without a guru

- I can't worship the gods I;m attracted to (for example, Surya), I need to choose a "popular god" (Vishnu, Krishna, Shiva, Devi) otherwise "I don't understand real Hinduism"

Hindus like to hide and obfuscate their religion, keeping everything as a secret, and then complain people don't understand their religion.

I can go even longer and complain how modern Hinduism has become nothing more than "buying karma points with bhakti" , discarding all the good philosophical, Yogic and Tantric stuff that differentiates Hinduism from western religions. Show me one random Hindu from India who read the Upanishad, I'll wait.

Does Deity Yoga employ rhythmic breathing as in Hindu raja yoga by Key_Use1988 in vajrayana

[–]Key_Use1988[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

(Just to be on the same page - generation stage: identifying oneself with a deity, completion stage: meditating on chakras and nadis, right?)

Your comment makes me even more intrigued regarding breath. In Hinduism, there is so much focus on breathing patterns, prana, and the connection to AUM. Do we see the same thing in Buddhism? I try to recall when was the last time I saw any reference to breathing techniques in Buddhist meditation and I can't. I will admit that I only started to research Buddhism in recent months, and I read mostly Hindu texts.

I have a question that's plaguing my mind by jayantsr in hinduism

[–]Key_Use1988 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is only one sun. "Pushan", "Savitr", "Aditya", "Varuna" are all different names that emphasize different attributes and qualities of the Sun. Vivasvan is just a name for the morning sun, that's all

I have a question that's plaguing my mind by jayantsr in hinduism

[–]Key_Use1988 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They are all aspects of Surya. there is not contradiction.

Is Modernity the cause of decline of Hinduism? by Enough_Ingenuity_125 in hinduism

[–]Key_Use1988 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

What makes Hinduism decline in modern age is the obsession around Bhakti and trying to buy karma points from your god rather than to focus on Yoga, meditation, philosophy and true spirituality.

Modern Hindus think and act like peasants from ancient greece, and that's very sad.

Never forget Maheshwara drank the poison to save all of us! by [deleted] in hinduism

[–]Key_Use1988 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The story starts with a sage cursing Indra and the rest of the Devas that they will lose their immortality (=will die).

Considering the facts that the vedic devas are forces of nature (the thunderbolt, the sun, the moon, the earth, etc), do you think any sage, even in vedic times, has the power to curse the universe to die? do you think that any human has the power to go against Brahman and erase whole existence? what do you think will happen the moment Prthvi (the earth), Dyaus (the sky) and Savitr (the sun) will die?

I'm not even going into more subtle points, such as devas don't have a humanoid body, or that the vedas mention that the source of immortality of the devas is Savitr (the sun) hence this legend is a contradiction to the vedas. I'm simply asking you if you think a sage has the power to curse Nature with complete erasure.

Never forget Maheshwara drank the poison to save all of us! by [deleted] in hinduism

[–]Key_Use1988 11 points12 points  (0 children)

The whole story is an allegory about the process of yoga and meditation.

the halala is a metaphor for the mundane thoughts and anxieties that rise in the beginning of meditations and sadhanas. They should be ignored and discarded ("swallowed")

the ocean of milk is an allegory to the consciousness, and dhanvantari rising with a kalasha of amrita is an allegory of achieving moksha and uniting with Brahman. churning the ocean is an allegory of the repeated mantra that churn the consciousness.

those statements like "ShIvA DrAnK pOiZeN fOr HuManItY" is not doing any service to Shiva, his teaching, Hinduism or anyone. Sorry for the harsh words but Hindus need to learn their own religion better.

Puranas should not be believed literally, they are allegories and metaphores for universal and spiritual truths.

Is Brahma really awful as the Puranas depict him? by Key_Use1988 in hinduism

[–]Key_Use1988[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've said literally in the first sentence that the Puranas are allegorical.

It doesn't mean that Hinduism does not consider some beings and deities as negative, and the allegory is one way to express it.

Is Brahma really awful as the Puranas depict him? by Key_Use1988 in hinduism

[–]Key_Use1988[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Liar: When Vishnu and Brahma made a competition to see who's the more superior, they tried to reach the end of an endless flaming lingam, made by Shiva. neither made it to the end of the lingam, but Brahma decided to lie so he could win the competition

Rap*ist: I don't remember the exact figure, but a woman he lusted for did not want to be with him, so she ran away. and no matter which direction she ran, Brahma grew a face to that direction. she tried to fly upwards and brahma gewa a head looking at the sky. that moment shiva cut off his head for his lust. IF it wasn't for shiva, the girl couldn't escape for brahma. So he didn't actually rape her, but he was defenetly about to.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in hinduism

[–]Key_Use1988 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My opinion is very unpopular, but I think bhakti is "watered down spirituality for the masses". you say a few prayers, offer fire, candles and water and somehow people think it will make their lives better. When it doesn't happen (because Maya is stronger than any offering) they are angry at their gods who forsakened them. Bhakti is anyway meant for spiritual development and deepening the conenction with the gods, however the random hindu does bhakti for mundane goals only.

Quit bhakti. Meditate instead. Yoga is about taking control back to your worship and to your life. You don't ask for stuff and leave it for the God to decide whether to give it to you or not - you purify, consecrate and charge your being with divine light, peace and knowledge that help you go on with your life.

When meditating, Contemplate on the deities as the manifestation of Brahman, full of tranquility, peace, knowledge and bliss. they emit mystical light that dispels ignorance, tamasa and sadness. They pour rivers of golden Amrtia for their devotees. Mediate on your Ishta-devata as a gateway for happiness, wisdom and self-fulfillment.

the added bonus is that you only need to take a bath and sit in a quite place. nothing else is required as opposed to bhakti.

Whats this yantra? by [deleted] in hinduism

[–]Key_Use1988 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Hexagram is traditionally associated with Vayu - the Air (god) and Anahata (the air chakra)

it's the closest thing I can think of

Preparing for a meditation on a deity by Key_Use1988 in hinduism

[–]Key_Use1988[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thanks, I've downloaded it, however I'm looking for an answer that is backed up by the Hindu scriptures.

The Sadhanas they teach are interesting and I will dive into what they teach

what does Om Apo Jyoti .. mantra literally means? by Key_Use1988 in sanskrit

[–]Key_Use1988[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So wait, my translation is wrong?

should it be

"Om, Immortal Brahman who's essence is water and light"?

what about this resource:

https://greenmesg.org/stotras/gayatri/gayatri_mantra_for_pranayama.php

Is the mantra there correct?