What is Hinduism?

I will answer it simply, first by first asking if you ever heard of a religion called Jordanism? No, you haven't. But let us juxtapose it to Hinduism. Along the Jordan River Christianity, Islam and Judaism came up. Jordanism could become a modern word to name all three of these religions, which do have similar beliefs and practices. But, like the denominations now under the banner name of Hinduism, they are also three separate religions.

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Subramuniyaswami: Current and 162nd satguru (1927-) of the Nandinatha Sampradaya's Kailasa Parampara. He was ordained Sivaya Subramuniyaswami by Sage Yogaswami on the full-moon day of May 12, 1949, in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, at 6:21 pm. This was just days after he had attained nirvikalpa samadhi in the caves of Jalani. Yogaswami, then 77, ordained the 22-year old yogi with a tremendous slap on the back, saying, "This will be heard in America," and conferring upon him the mission to bring the fullness of Saivism to the West. Local devotees called the initiation a coronation.

That same year, while still in Sri Lanka, Subramuniyaswami founded the Saiva Siddhanta Yoga Order and Saiva Siddhanta Church at the Sri Subramuniya Ashrama in Alaveddy. Returning to America, he spent the next six years preparing for his teaching mission through intense sadhana and tapas. He began actively teaching in 1957 when he founded the Himalayan Academy. In 1970, he established his international headquarters and monastery complex, Kauai Aadheenam, on Hawaii's Garden Island of Kauai. Five years later, he designated a portion of the 51-acre holy site as the San Marga Sanctuary, future site of Iraivan Temple, carved of white granite stone in Bangalore, India. To spearhead a growing Hindu renaissance, he founded Hinduism Today in 1979, an international monthly, full-color magazine acclaimed the world over as the the greatest advent in Hindu publishing this century. In August of 1986, the World Religious Parliament in New Delhi honored Subramuniyaswami as one of five Hindu spiritual leaders outside of India who had most dynamically promoted Sanatana Dharma in the past 25 years. He was given the title Jagadacharya, "World Teacher." In 1995 the Parliament bestowed on him the title of Dharmachakra for his remarkable publications. In April of 1988, he was selected to represent Hinduism at the five-day Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders for Human Survival, held in England at Oxford University, and again in Moscow from January 11 to 15, 1990; and in Brazil, June 5­7, 1992. At Chicago's historic centenary Parliament of the World's Religions in September, 1993, he was elected to the Presidents' Assembly, a core group of 25 men and women representing the world's faiths. In late 1996 Gurudeva transformed "Hinduism Today" to a magazine, a quantum leap that extended its global reach and impact in Hindu communities. In 1997 he responded to President Bill Clinton's call for religious opinions on the ethics of human cloning and spearheded the 125th anniversary and diaspora pilgrimage of Sri Lanka's Sage Yogaswami. In Kerala, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad honored him as "The Hindu Voice of the Century." Throughout that same year he was a key member of Vision Kauai, a small group of indigenous and political leaders meeting to fashion the island's future based on ethical values.

Over the years Subramuniyaswami has written hundreds of tracts and books, which have been distributed in the tens of thousands in many languages. Especially in the 1980s, he lectured worldwide and established the worship in numerous Hindu temples. Gurudeva teaches the traditional Saivite Hindu path to enlightenment, a path that leads the soul from simple service to worshipful devotion to God, from the disciplines of meditation and yoga to the direct knowing of Divinity within. His insights into the nature of consciousness provide a key for quieting the external mind and revealing to aspirants their deeper states of being, which are eternally perfect, full of light, love, serenity and wisdom. He urges all seekers to live a life of ahimsa, harmlessness towards nature, people and creatures, an ethic which includes vegetarianism. From his ashrama in Hawaii, Gurudeva continues to follow his satguru's instruction to bring Saivism to the Western world by teaching others to "know thy Self by thyself" and thus "see God Siva everywhere." Through the ordained swamis of the Saiva Siddhanta Yoga Order, he trains young men in the ancient path of brahmacharya, enlightenment and service to humanity. Over 30 full-time monks, along with extended family groups in eight countries, have joined to fulfill this parampara's mission to further monistic Saiva Siddhanta and Hindu solidarity.

The name Subramuniya is a Tamil spelling of the Sanskrit Shubhramunya (not to be confused with Subramanya). It is formed from shubhra meaning "light; intuition," and muni, "silent sage." Ya means "restraint; religious meditation." Thus, Subramuniya means a self-restrained soul who remains silent or, when he speaks, speaks out from intuition.

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

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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Hinduism: Do Hindus worship idols?

No, Hindus are not idol worshippers in the sense implied. They are intelligent people, and intelligent people do not worship stones or statues. Hindus invoke the presence of great souls living in higher consciousness into stone images so that we can feel the presence of God. Though we may have a stone image of a God, we are invoking the physical presence of the God into the stone image to bless us. Invocations of this nature can be performed by invoking God's presence in a fire, or in a tree, or in the enlightened person of a Sat Guru.

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Hinduism: Why do Hindus regard the cow as sacred?

Yes, the cow is considered very sacred in our religion and for very good reason. It's good qualities are those that we can emulate.

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Is the memorization of slokas and mantras essential to being a good Hindu?

Most mantras and slokas are in the Sanskrit language, and your knowledge of Sanskrit is probably like my own. Nil! We must realize that slokas are like affirmations and are spoken in the language the speaker understands. Though Sanskrit has a tremendous value because it is a spiritually powerful language, we should combine two languages, English and Sanskrit, when we are learning slokas.

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Hinduism: Is there a rule about Hindus eating meat?

Basically, there is a rule, an overlying rule, which gives the Hindu answer to this query. It is called ahimsa, refraining from injuring - physically, mentally or emotionally - anyone or any living creature. The Hindu who wishes to strictly follow the path of non-injury to all creatures naturally adopts a vegetarian diet.

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What is karma in Hinduism?

Karma is one of the natural laws of the universe. It simply means "cause and effect." Our religion is made up of many natural laws of the universe. Karma is just one of them. (This is a simple answer for a casual seeker. After you have said this, smile and ask if they want to know anything more.)

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What is the Hindu definition of God -monotheistic or polytheistic?

There is much confusion about this, not among Hindus but among those on the outside looking in.

Hinduism is both a monotheistic and a henotheistic religion. Hindus believe in one supreme God who created the universe and who is worshipped as Light, Love and Consciousness. Hindus were never polytheistic, but were always henotheistic. Henotheism is defined by Webster's as "the belief in or worship of one God without denying the existence of others."

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Nine Questions About Hinduism

Prepared for the July 4th, 1990 meeting of the youth of the Hindu Temple of greater Chicago, by Gurudeva, Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

1) What is the Hindu definition of God-monotheistic or polytheistic?

2) Could you describe the process of reincarnation?

3) What is karma?

4) Why do Hindus regard the cow as sacred?

5) Are Hindus idol worshippers?

6) Is there a rule about Hindus eating meat?

7) Why do Hindu women wear the dot on the forehead?

8) Is the memorization of slokas and mantras essential to being a good Hindu?

9) How can we use scriptures and the Bhagavad Gita or religious books as a practical guide to growing up in the United States?

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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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Mauna: Silence Please, It's Mauni Amavasya

Indian tradition emphasises the concept of mauna or silence as an ideal trigger for introspection and reflection. Derived from the word muni , an ascetic who practises silence, mauna ideally symbolises a state of oneness with the Self.

Mauna has been described by Sankara as one of the three essential attributes of a sanyasi , along with balya or childlike state and panditya or wisdom. According to Ramana Maharshi, mauna is a state beyond speech and thought, it is "living without the ego-sense". He made silence the medium of spiritual instruction.

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God and Gods of Hinduism

The most prevalent expression of worship for the Hindu comes as devotion to God and the Gods. In the Hindu pantheon there are said to be three hundred and thirty-three million Gods. Hindus believe in one Supreme Being. The plurality of Gods are perceived as divine creations of that one Being. So, Hinduism has one supreme God, but it has an extensive hierarchy of Gods. Many people look at the Gods as mere symbols, representations of forces or mind strata, or as various Personifications generated as a projection o of man's mind onto an impersonal pure Beingness.

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Kailasa Parampara: (Sanskrit) "Crystaline lineage."

A spiritual lineage of 162 siddhas, a major stream of the Nandinatha Sampradaya, proponents of the ancient philosophy of monistic Saiva Siddhanta. The first of these masters that history recalls was Maharishi Nandinatha (or Nandikeshvara) 2,250 years ago, satguru to the great Tirumular, ca 200 bce, and seven other disciples (as stated in the Tirumantiram): Patanjali, Vyaghrapada, Sanatkumara, Sivayogamuni, Sanakar, Sanadanar and Sananthanar. Tirumular had seven disciples: Malangam, Indiran, Soman, Brahman, Rudran, Kalanga, and Kanjamalayam, each of whom established one or more monasteries and propagated the Agamic lore.

In the line of Kalanga came the sages Righama, Maligaideva, Nadantar, Bhogadeva and Paramananda. The lineage continued down the centuries and is alive today- the first recent siddha known being the Rishi from the Himalayas, so named because he descended from those holy mountains. In South India, he initiated Kadaitswami (ca 1810 - 1875), who in turn initiated Chellappaswami (1840 - 1915). Chellappan passed the mantle of authority to sage Yogaswami (1872 - 1964), who in 1949 initiated the current satguru, Sivaya Subramuniyaswami.

See: Chellapaswami, Kadaitswami, Natha Sampradaya, Patanjali, Subramuniyaswami, Tirumular, Vyaghrapada, Yogaswami.

(See also: Kailasa Parampara , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

asana: (Sanskrit) "Seat; posture." In hatha yoga, asana refers to any of numerous poses prescribed to balance and tune up the subtle energies of mind and body for meditation and to promote health and longevity. Examples are the shoulder-stand (sarvangasana,"whole body pose") and the lotus pose (padmasana). Each asana possesses unique benefits, affecting the varied inner bodies and releasing energies in different parts of the nervous system.

While the physical science of hatha yoga can dramatically influence health and general well-being, it is primarily a preparation for the deeper yogas and meditations. Sivaya Subramuniyaswami has provided a system of 27 asanas to tune the nervous system for meditation and contemplation and to mitigate the burdensome karmas, known by the modern term "stress," built up through the interaction with other people. His 27 asanas are performed in a meditative sequence, not unlike a serene dance, accompanied by certain visualizations and pranayamas.

See: hatha yoga, raja yoga, yoga, yoga positions

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

Pancha Ganapati Utsava: (Sanskrit) "Five-fold Ganapati festival." A modern five-day festival observed from the 21st through 25th of December. Pancha (five) denotes Ganesha's five faces, each representing a specific power (shakti). One face is worshiped each day, creating

1)   harmony in the home,

2)   concord among relatives, neighbors and friends,

3)   good business and public relations,

4)   cultural upliftment and

5)    heartfelt charity and religiousness.

The festival, a favorite among children, was conceived in 1985 by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami along with elders of various Hindu sects. It is a time of sharing gifts, renewing ties of family and friendship while focusing inwardly on this great God of abundance.

See: Ganesha.

(See also: Pancha Ganapati Utsava , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Jnanaguru Yogaswami of Jaffna was Sri Lanka's most renowned contemporary spiritual master (1872-­1964), a Śivajnani and a natha siddhar revered by both Hindus and Buddhists. Yogaswami was trained in and practiced kundalini yoga under the guidance of Satguru Chellappaswami, from whom he received guru diksha (initiation). Sage Yogaswami was in turn the Satguru of Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, subsequent preceptor of < ...

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Since the late 1970's, Hinduism has been going through what the Hindu community calls a "Hindu Renaissance". British rule in India and western cultural influence had weakened the faith, but the popularity of Hinduism in the West and activism of certain influential leaders, such as Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, reversed this trend. Instead, today Hindus who live in foreign countries are building temples for G ...

See also:

Contemporary Hindu movements, Contemporary Hindu movements - The Hindu Renaissance

Read more here: » Contemporary Hindu movements: Encyclopedia II - Contemporary Hindu movements - The Hindu Renaissance

Some interpretations of Hinduism can be seen as panentheistic. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, said that "panentheism is the view that the universe is part of the being of God, as distinguished from pantheism ("all-is-God doctrine"), which identifies God with the total reality. In contrast, panentheism holds that God pervades the world, but is also beyond it. He is immanent and transcendent, relative and Absolute. This embracing of opposites is called dipolar. ...

See also:

Panentheism, Panentheism - Ancient Panentheism, Panentheism - Panentheism in Christianity, Panentheism - Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christianity, Panentheism - Other Christian Panentheists, Panentheism - Panentheism in Judaism, Panentheism - Panentheism in Hinduism, Panentheism - Panentheism in Ayyavazhi, Panentheism - Opposing views

Read more here: » Panentheism: Encyclopedia II - Panentheism - Panentheism in Hinduism

Among the manifestations of Devi most favoured for worship by Shaktas are Kali, Durga, and Parvati. Durga is an epithet of Mahadevi, or "Great Goddess," who is celebrated in the Devi Mahatmya. Kali is the goddess of destruction and transformation, as well as the devourer of time, as her name implies (kala means "time," and also means "black"). Parvati is the gentle wife of Shiva, one of the most popular gods of modern Hinduism, and is strongly assoc ...

See also:

Shaktism, Shaktism - Philosophy, Shaktism - Origin and History, Shaktism - Roots in Hinduism, Shaktism - Worship, Shaktism - Shakta Upanishads, Shaktism - See Also

Read more here: » Shaktism: Encyclopedia II - Shaktism - Worship