Religion of Peace

[Tropic]

The largest number of Hindus live in the Sub-continent Country of India living as I do in the neighbourhood I have often thought the Hindu religion is the most ancient, peace loving and peace sustaining religion there is.
Almost all the countries in the world have histories of invading their neighbouring States and attempting take overs.... except India.

That is not to say war did not take place among the ancient independent kingdoms within the sub-continent, they fought all the time among themselves but never ventured to take over the neighbours, outside the sub-continent.
Hinduism I believe does not preach forceful propagation of the religion or military force, that is why I feel it is the most peace abiding religion.
Anyone feel the same way about this ?

[inya]

I see people that tell me they are Hindu yet when the talks of others (another race, another religion - does not matter) comes into play the talk turns less about tolerance and more about "I am better than them".......I take it this is not common correct?

[Tropic]

Every basket has its share of rotten apples.
The Hindu who follows his religion is at odds with the Hindu who preaches it. The latter imagines he knows best and so deserves to be heard above the rest. The picture you will get is... I know better.
But then isn't this what you will find with every person, we all like to think we know best.

[Venu Nair]

Beloved angels Tropic and Inya,

To this humble one, it seems that as soon as anything what-so-ever takes the shape of a religion, it gets caught up in a sort of comparison. Please do not misunderstand, the remak is about religion, not about spirituality. Religion holds certain beliefs, precepts, practices, norms, codes, do's, don'ts so on and so forth that give it its identity. And the insistence to preserve thaat identity forces it to be separate fro others. That is one of the many reasons for being exclusive, and opposed to Oneness.

Spirituality, on the other hand, is the individual's own search into the unknown which has all the scope in the world to include anything what-so-ever the individual seeker wishes to.

If at all Hinduism has any speciality, it is because it is not a religion. It is a conglomeration of various and widely varied systems of beliefs and all that. It consists of atheist ascetics too among them. By definition, Hinduism is just a way of life, not a religion. As it is highly inclusive of so many divergent views it helps you to break loose from the grip of a single thought that is exclusive. It also helps one to easily tune oneneself for Oneness.

This humble one was born a Hindu and has just stepped out of religions, but still can be considered a Hindu, though it is not a matter of concern now for this one.

Lots of love to you all!

Venu

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[LoLo113]

Tropic, I have to agree with what you said, I could've wrote that. After visiting India, I found the people to be very peaceful.
I don't know much about Hinduism, but like Venu said it is a way of living (from what I have seen) I'm fascinated by this culture, it is something I've never known about before and having seen it first hand, it's amazing!

[inya]

Originally Posted by Venu Nair
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Please do not misunderstand, the remak is about religion, not about spirituality. Religion holds certain beliefs, precepts, practices, norms, codes, do's, don'ts so on and so forth that give it its identity. And the insistence to preserve thaat identity forces it to be separate fro others. That is one of the many reasons for being exclusive, and opposed to Oneness.

Spirituality, on the other hand, is the individual's own search into the unknown which has all the scope in the world to include anything what-so-ever the individual seeker wishes to.

I fully get that, but the person I was thinking of stating they were Hindu and practiced, but they still showed a full "hate" for certain people. And to me that seems kind of wrong from what I know (little mind you) of Hindu practices.

[Venu Nair]

Beloved angels,

This humble soul would definitely say that religions are all different perceptions of the same truth. And the perceptions, when translated into words, pose the greatest threat of getting diluted or misunderstood or not fully comprehended. And it gets distorted or twisted, at times to suit the interests of those who use it for purposes other than spiritual gains.

The fact is as follows.

1. The absolute offers little scope for full understanding, hence all religions have limitations.

2. A partial understanding of a master, when translated into words provides enough scope for making it diluted, language being a very weak medium to convey such mystical and spiritual experiences.

3. The later day religious authorities and teachers are liable to give distorted interpretations either due to their lack or vested interests.

When this is the fact about those who are considered to be holding high and responsible positions in religious heirarchies, what can be said about the lacunae in ordinary followers of faiths! It is quite meaningless to expect any religion to be better than others, given the low consciousness level of man today.

All comparisons, low ratings of other faiths, proclaiming one's own religion as the best, so on and so forth all rise from the low consciousness of humanity resulting in lesser understanding/awareness as far as other faiths are considered. Yes, but appreciation for other faiths, that stems from a realistic understanding of the values of their founders and/or followers is a great virtue that has to be encouraged too.

Today, the great masters try to give experiences rather than teachings to their sincere disciples. This gives first-hand awareness to those disciples better than verbal explanations. That is where this humble one should express deepest gartitude to beloved AmmaBhagavan!

What results is a high level of awareness about "being", in the disciples who then start talking like sages! Their hallmark will surely be acceptance for all with no discrimination towards any.

Please don't feel offended, my beloved ones, when facts are stated this way! This is how things seem now to the one here.

Sweet ones, forgive this one, if any of the words or the ideas expressed above have hurt your sentiments.

Lots of love and blessings to all!

Venu

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[EarthKat29]

Here is a weblink of a website you can research on Hinduism.

Here's the link for a better understanding...
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[kingskid]

Originally Posted by inya
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I fully get that, but the person I was thinking of stating they were Hindu and practiced, but they still showed a full "hate" for certain people. And to me that seems kind of wrong from what I know (little mind you) of Hindu practices.

Intolerance is always wrong. Many times a person becomes so overcome by their own enlightenment, and in their excitement they want others to share in the joy they have found, that they forget that everyone's path is different.