Marathaman
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- Jul 30, 2007
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That's interesting even though it just means that there's no clear definition of a Hindu other than a set of lifestyle.
True. There is no clear way to define the beliefs of a hindu. But the various schools within hinduism have very clear definitions of their beliefs and ideas.
But the lifestyle becomes meaningless as long as there's no clear objective, purpose of your life.
Each hindu knows his beliefs very well, so he does have a clear objective and purpose.
For example in the Islamic faith, the purpose is basically to get into heaven and thus prove yourself to be worthy of getting there by struggling to live a good life.
Yes, similarly the purpose of a buddhist is to attain nirvana, the purpose of a hindu is to either attain nirvana, go to heaven, or be reborn as a better person, depending on his/her beliefs.
Now if an atheist calls himself Hindu and believes there's no God, thus no Heaven or hell, then why follow a set way of life?
Atheism doesn't mean that the person has no purpose in life. An atheist definitely did some thinking to get to where he is. He might believe very strongly in a lot of other ideas like humanism, ethics, secularism and science.
We openly call our religion the best religion because its plain stupid to not do so. Yes we don't diss on any other religion, but we do believe that ours is the best! And so do you, otherwise you'd not be a Hindu. You have to follow what you believe is the best.
I can understand why you consider your religion to be the best one. It is devoid of the usual myths and complexities and contradictions of hinduism and the dilemmas of christinanity.
It appears to be very simple on the surface. But as you know, even Islam is fractured into many different schools of thought...and in this case, the people of one school cannot accept the existence of any other school...so they fight.
Hinduism has this tradition of humility. A hindu might consider his sect to be the best, but he also acknowledges that he might be wrong. After all...what do we know of the universe....the more we study about it...the more we realize that we know nothing at all.
Read the following lines from Rig Veda:
hen even nothingness was not, nor existence,
There was no air then, nor the heavens beyond it.
What covered it? Where was it? In whose keeping
Was there then cosmic water, in depths unfathomed?
Then there was neither death nor immortality
nor was there then the torch of night and day.
The One breathed windlessly and self-sustaining.
There was that One then, and there was no other.
At first there was only darkness wrapped in darkness.
All this was only unillumined water.
That One which came to be, enclosed in nothing,
arose at last, born of the power of heat.
In the beginning desire descended on it -
that was the primal seed, born of the mind.
The sages who have searched their hearts with wisdom
know that which is is kin to that which is not.
And they have stretched their cord across the void,
and know what was above, and what below.
Seminal powers made fertile mighty forces.
Below was strength, and over it was impulse.
But, after all, who knows, and who can say
Whence it all came, and how creation happened?
the gods themselves are later than creation,
so who knows truly whence it has arisen?
Whence all creation had its origin,
he, whether he fashioned it or whether he did not,
he, who surveys it all from highest heaven,
he knows - or maybe even he does not know