deeksha: (Sanskrit) "Initiation."

Solemn induction by which one is entered into a new realm of awareness and practice by a teacher or preceptor through the bestowing of blessings and the transmission of pranas. Denotes initial or deepened connection with the teacher and his lineage and is usually accompanied by ceremony. Initiation, revered as a moment of awakening, may be conferred by a touch, a word, a look or a thought.

Most Hindu schools, and especially Saivism, teach that only with initiation from a satguru is enlightenment attainable. Sought after by all Hindus is the diksha called shaktipata (shaktipat), "descent of grace," which, often coming unbidden, stirs and arouses the mystic kundalini force. Central Saivite dikshas include samaya, vishesha, nirvana and abhisheka.

See: grace, shaktipata, shakipat, sound.

(See also: Deeksha , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Hinduism Dictionary

faith: Trust or belief. Conviction. From the Latin fides, "trust." Faith in its broadest sense means "religion, dharma." More specifically, it is the essential element of religion-the belief in phenomena beyond the pale of the five senses, distinguishing it sharply from rationalism.

Faith is established through intuitive or transcendent experience of an individual, study of scripture and hearing the testimony of the many wise rishis speaking out the same truths over thousands of years. This inner conviction is based in the divine sight of the third eye center, ajna chakra.

Rightly founded, faith transcends reason, but does not conflict with reason. Faith also means confidence, as in the testimony and reputation of other people. The Sanskrit equivalent is shraddha. Synonyms include astikya, vishvasa, dharma and mati.

(See also: Faith , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Hinduism Dictionary

What is the process of reincarnation?

Carnate means flesh. The word reincarnate means to "reenter the flesh." We Hindus believe the soul is immortal and keeps reentering a fleshy body time and time again in order to resolve experiences and thereby learn all the lessons life in the material world has to offer. To hindus, it explains the natural way the soul evolves from immaturity to spiritual illumination. I myself have had many lives before this one and expect to have more. Finally, when I have it all worked out and all the lessons have been learned, I will attain mukti. This means I will still exist but no longer be pulled back to incarnate in a physical body.

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KARMA and REINCARNATION

The twin beliefs of karma and reincarnation are among Hinduism's many jewels of knowledge. Others include dharma or our pattern of religious conduct, worshipful communion with God and Gods, the necessary guidance of the Sat Guru, and finally enlightenment through personal realization of our identity in and with God. So the strong-shouldered and keen-minded rishis knew and stated in the Vedas.

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Islam and Hinduism: Symbiotic Mysticism In Devotional Poems

Few have heard of the mystic poems Brahma Prakash or Dasa Avatar by the mediaeval Muslim saint Pir Shams. Both are famous ginans of South Asia's Ismaili community, sometimes also known as Khojas or Aga Khanis in popular parlance.

Ginans are hymn-like poems of spiritual import. They are revered by the faithful in deep veneration as repositories of wisdom and spiritual knowledge, and as transmitting the essential teachings of the Holy Qur'an in the vernacular. Composed in Sindhi, Gujarati, Hindustani and Punjabi among other subcontinental languages, the oldest are ascribed to the pirs or saints who first preached Ismaili Islam in India nearly 1,000 years ago.

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I am a Hindu because I was born in a Hindu home. The Hindu way of life appeals to me because it gives me freedom to think and act. It does not bind me to rigid codes or to some particular book, but only requires that I try to follow the first two parts of the eight-fold ashtanga yoga, namely, yama or abstentions and niyama or observances, expecting me to do nothing more than being a good member of society. Practice of the next six parts is optional.

(See also: Hinduism , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Hinduism: Why I'm A Hindu, And Other Thoughts  

Indologist and scholar of Hindu jurisprudence, Gunther Dietz Sontheimer focused on living folk cultures and traditions. He created his own delicately balanced working model for the study of what the world identifies as 'Hindu’ civilisation.

His sophisticated approach avoided reductionist 'fundamentalism’ and positivistic 'simplification’ and was open to new findings and novel interpretations. His views are relevant not merely for their academic import; they are equally important in the context of the rise of Hindu fundamentalism and revivalism.

(See also: Hinduism , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Hinduism: Retelling Hinduism In Six Chapters  

Hinduism: Why do Hindu women wear the dot on the forehead?

Not only women, but Hindu men also wear a dot on the forehead, indicating their third eye. The pottu is a very auspicious symbol, reminding those who ear it of their spiritual heritage and ideals, wherever they may be. It also serves to identify a Hindu among the members of all other religions.

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dosha: (Sanskrit) "Bodily humor; individual constitution."

Three bodily humors, which according to ayurveda regulate the body, govern its proper functioning and determine its unique constitution. These are

• vata, the air humor;
• pitta, the fire humor; and
• kapha, the water humor.

Vata has its seat in the intestinal area, pitta in the stomach, and kapha in the lung area. They govern the creation, preservation and dissolution of bodily tissue. Vata humor is metabolic, nerve energy. Pitta is the catabolic, fire energy. Kapha is the anabolic, nutritive energy.

The three doshas (tridosha) also give rise to the various emotions and correspond to the three gunas, "qualities:" sattva (quiescence- vata), rajas (activity- pitta) and tamas (inertia- kapha).

See: ayurveda, kapha, pitta, vata.

(See also: Dosha , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Hinduism Dictionary

Hinduism and Buddhism Compared

Similiarities and differences between Hinduism and Buddhism.

Read more here: » Hinduism vs Buddhism: Hinduism and Buddhism Compared

Hinduism and Death: The Hindu view on Death

Hinduism believes in the rebirth and reincarnation of souls. Death is therefore not a great calamity, not an end of all, but a natural process in the existence of soul as a separate entity, by which it reassembles its resources, adjusts its course and returns again to the earth to continue its journey. In Hinduism death is a temporary cessation of physical activity, a necessary means of recycling the resources and energy and an opportunity for the jiva (that part which incarnates) to review its programs and policies.

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Hinduism Lexicon on B

From backbiting to buddhi chitta.

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In the Indian tradition there are seven immortals: Aswathama, Bali, Vyas, Hanuman, Vibhishana, Kripacharya and Parashuram. They symbolise certain higher ideals.

These seven immortals exemplify certain basic truths, laws and standards of ethical behaviour which transcend time, locale and generation. They are universal and immutable. Their immortality is therefore not mere deathlessness - it is more the immortalising of each divine principle they stood for and upheld even in the face of adversity and pressure.

(See also: Seven immortals , Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Seven immortals: The Seven Eternal Values  

Shanidev is Partly Shiva's Avatar

Shani or Shanichar (Saturn) is believed to be the son of Surya the Sun-god and Chhaya. So he is also called Saura. His other names include Kruradris and Kruralochana (the cruel-eyed), Mandu (dull or slow), Pangu (physically challenged), Saptarchi (seven-eyed) and Asita (dark). Shani is believed to wield evil influence, so anyone born under his influence is at risk. Hence the day named after him, Shanivara, is considered inauspicious to begin any new venture.

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Hinduism vs Christianity: Hindu beliefs compared with Christian beliefs

Read more here: » Hinduism vs Christianity: Hindu beliefs compared with Christian beliefs

Basics of Hinduism: Why do many Hindus wear a dot near the middle of their forehead?

The dot worn on the forehead is a religious symbol. It represents divine sight and shows that one is a Hindu. For women, it is also a beauty mark.

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Hinduism versus Islam: Hinduism and Islam Compared

Similarities and differences between Hinduism and Islam.

Read more here: » Hinduism versus Islam: Hinduism and Islam Compared

Hinduism versus Christianity: Hinduism and Christianity Compared

Similarities and differences between Hinduism and Christianity.

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Basics of Hinduism: Do Hindus believe in reincarnation?

Yes, we believe the soul is immortal and takes birth time and time again. Through this process, we have experiences, learn lessons and evolve spiritually. Finally we graduate from physical birth.

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Nothing captures the paradigmatic ambiguity of Hinduism - its liberating intellectual plurality and its equally restricting social construction - more than the life of the 14th century 'untouchable' saint-poet of western India, Chokhamela. The voice that speaks in his poetry is perhaps one of the first marginalised voices to be heard in the history of India.

Chokhamela belonged to a community of devotees called the varkaris whose traditions and forms of worship survive in a practice that is an almost unbroken continuum from the late 13th century.

(See also: Chokhamela , Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Chokhamela: Divinity's Endless Wait For Its Bhakt  

What makes a place sacred? A place where meditation is practised over many years automatically acquires certain powers. The place gets charged with the energy and vibrations from peaceful thoughts. Depending on the intensity of meditators, the sanctity and power of a particular place can thus remain charged, exuding powerful vibrations, for thousands of years.

The Parshvanath Hills is one such place. Twenty-two of the 24 Jain Tirthankaras attained nirvana on this hill, and these enlightened persons were separated by thousands of years.

(See also: Sacred places in India , Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Sacred places in India: Mystical Powers Of the Ganga