I never understood Hinduism.

@dattaswami you do not comment with half knowledge and your christian background. It is very difficult to understand. So with your limited knowledge don't spread falsehood and nonsense. First Tell me what are you and what is your status before you try to explain us with your truncated knowledge.

@Vimala Yes, Reality is very democratic, without favorites.

Hee-Jin Kim on the zen master Dogen:-

[i]Mystery, in Dōgen’s view, did not consist of that which was hidden or unknown in darkness or that which would be revealed or made known in the future. Rather, it consisted of the present intimacy, transparency, and vividness of thusness, for “nothing throughout the entire universe is concealed” (henkai-fuzōzō). Nevertheless, the mystery of emptiness and thusness had to go beyond this: intimacy had to be ever penetrated (tōkamitsu).[/i]

Good stuff. But so many prefer exclusive "only ways" (i.e. their own - which is often the one they were brought up in)

@Vimala You are not God, you are soul alone. Soul is not God. Soul becomes God , when God charges that soul by entering into it as in the case of Human incarnations of God like, Krishna, Rama, Jesus, Muhammad, Shankara , Sai Baba etc etc, such human incarnations alone is God and not all the souls in the world!
When the disciples of Sankara thought that they are also the Lord, Sankara swallowed the molten lead and asked the disciples to do the same. Then they fell on the feet of Sankara. Then Sankara told "Shivah Kevaloham", which means that only He is Shiva.

If every man is already God what is the use of all this ‘Sadhana’? Who is to get salvation? If you are already God, do you mean that God gets salvation? If there is no salvation, why all this sadhana, (effort)? Why Prahlada did not accept his father as God? Narasimha killed Hiranya Kashipu. Both of them are Gods. Then God killed God, which means God committed suicide!

Then Shankara preached them that He alone is God (Shivaha kevaloham). The word ‘kevala’ denotes that Shankara alone is God and not everybody. Then, the disciples realized the true knowledge and surrendered to Him by falling on His feet (Bhava Shankara deshika me sharanam). Every advaita philosopher should realize this truth from the practical incident performed by Shankara. One should know that practical knowledge is more valid than theoretical knowledge, which can be easily misunderstood. The misunderstood theory is always rectified by practical demonstration.

The human incarnation is a direct proof of the unimaginable God. In the case of miracles, which infer the unimaginable source, the proof is indirect as inference. The unimaginable power of God is exhibited in three ways, which are seen in knowledge, strength and activity as said by the Veda (Jnana bala kriyaacha). The unimaginable knowledge is seen in the Gita, the unimaginable strength and activity are seen in lifting the huge mountain by the tender finger. The knowledge is more important for any human being because it clarifies all the doubts giving the correct concept and correct guidance to achieve the grace of God. The strength and activity denote only the existence of unimaginable God.

The concept of human incarnation should be isolated from the forcible entry of God in to the world through worldly logic since God enters the world by His free will in the case of human incarnation. No human being can become human incarnation by His aspiration because God enters a human being whenever He likes to do the activity that guides the humanity. In fact, as long as the aspiration to become God exists, one can never become human incarnation. Hanuman is the best example in this concept.

Shankara also clearly stated that a specific human being becomes God by the free will and grace of God alone (Eshwaraanugrahaadeva...). The word ‘alone’ (Eva) indicates that the free will of God is the only cause. Once God decides to enter this world through a human form, the selection of a specific devoted human being is based on the deservingness of such devotee. The fundamental basis of the deservingness is not to have the aspiration to become God but to have the aspiration only to serve the God. Your proposal is always disposed by God. This concept can be very clearly realized through the example of Hanuman.

When God enters the human being as human incarnation, not only He is unimaginable but also the process of His entry is unimaginable. The entry of God is not only in the soul (awareness) to give unimaginable knowledge to the humanity but also in the body as seen in the unimaginable process of lifting the mountain by the tender finger (Antar bahishcha... Veda). This concept of monism (Advaita) indicating the oneness of God and human form is important for the devotees, who worship the human incarnation as God. In this angle, Shankara stands. The human being in which God exists should not think that it is God. It should always think that God is in it for the sake of humanity. If it thinks that it is really God, the human part of the human incarnation is insulted like Parashurama.

The human part should be always in dualism (Dvaita) as preached by Ramanuja and Madhva. Both these angles should be maintained separately since one angle spoils the other. The devotees and human part are human beings only and therefore, both these angles are for the welfare of the humanity only. The Veda states this point very clearly by saying that God remained in His original form (Sat) and simultaneously became the medium (Tyat) in to which He entered (Satcha tyatcha). This can be understood by the example of electrified wire. The electricity in the electrified wire is in its original form of stream of electrons (Sat), which is totally different from the chain of metallic crystals or wire and at the same time, the electricity is identified with the wire because the wire exhibits the property (shock) of the electricity anywhere touched.

@dattaswami Ah, so definitive!

😀

@Vimala i have big respect for hindu culture. It's ancient. My only problem is how it is evolved right now. I look at visarjanam of ganesha and all i can see are drunk people dancing on the roads, firecrackers, loud music. I mean why all this nonsense? Is this how you please Gods? I don't have to be a hindu to point this out.

@Vimala Certainly, neither idol is God nor God is in idol. The idols are in the human form indicating that alive human form of God must be worshipped and every idol to be worshipped is initiated with the special ritual called as Praanapratishthaa (initiation of life), which doesn’t mean that the idol becomes alive by this ritual.
It means only that if the idol is added with life, it becomes alive human form and you should finally catch the human form of God (Satguru), which is relevant to humanity. The Veda says that God is not in idol and the secondary scripture says that idol worship is for beginners only. It is only the worship of a representative model.

The national flag is a representative model of the nation and saluting the flag is saluting the nation since you can’t take an aeroplane to move around the nation in order to salute it! Why people criticizing idol worship are keeping the idols and photos of Jesus on cross in churches and houses? Why are they keeping the albums of photos of their kith and kin staying far to see those with feelings of love?

The idol worship definitely improves the theoretical devotion, which is the mother of practical devotion (service and sacrifice). But, you shall not sit in this beginning LKG class only throughout your life and waste food materials in the worship of idols and rituals (By pouring milk on idol, by burning ghee in fire, by burning sticks used for cooking in the name of Dhuni, by burning oil lamps, candles and fuming materials even if there is no necessity etc.,), which can be offered to God and distributed to beggars dying with hunger.

Idol worship means worshipping the representative models of God to improve theoretical devotion even though God is not directly present in idols. It is just like satisfying the theoretical love on seeing the album of dears. God enters only a human being on this earth for propagation of true spiritual knowledge and can be directly worshipped as Sadguru.

The inert statue is associated with life initiation (Praanapratishthaa), which doesn’t mean that the inert statue becomes alive! It only means that the inert statue shall be associated with life for direct worship, which is the contemporary human incarnation as worshipped by the top most devotees like Hanuman and Gopikas. They didn’t worship the statues of energetic incarnations like God Vishnu or the statues of past human incarnations.
Idol worship is not recommendable if the true concept is analysed.

But, it is inevitable to the human devotees in the beginning, who can’t accept human incarnation due to ego and jealousy towards an alive co-human being. The Gita says that every beginning is inevitably defective. In order to remove this jealousy towards co-human beings, it is advised to serve the humanity as God to remove the repulsion between common media and to recognize the alive human incarnation or God in the common human body. The worship of the statues must not involve wastage of food materials except bath and external decoration for attraction.

@Vimala

@Bumbles you fool you. Don't talk nonsense.