| The 7 most frequently asked questions on Hinduism |
| 1) Do gods and goddesses have a gender? |
| Theoretically, gods do not have a particular gender. The Mahadevas who live in the Third World cannot be likened to men and women who live on the Earth. They exist in perfectly evolved soul bodies, bodies which are not properly differentiated by gender. The are pure beings made of pure consciousness and light; they are neither male nor female. To better understand these Divine Gods, we sometimes conceive them as being the man if they are strong in expression, or the woman if they are gentle and compassionate. |
| 2) God seems to be known by many different names. Are any of them justified? |
| Among the many thousands of names of god, no name actually suits god, who abides in the Heart, devoid of thought, so truly, aptly, and beautifully as the name 'I' or 'I am'. Of all the knon names of God, the name of God 'I' - 'I' alone will resound triumphantly when the ego is destroyed, rising as the silent supreme word in the Heart-space of those whose attention is selfward-facing. Even if one unceasingly meditates upon that name 'Him' with one's attention on the feeling 'I', it will take one and plunge one into the source from which thought rises, destroying the ego, the embryo, which is joined to the body. Basically, this means that although God may have many names, it is the form 'I', or 'Him', that is widely used. Also, this name is agreed upon by the millions of believers, who may belong to different religions. Instead of giving the name, 'Allah', or 'Christ', we say 'Him', even though we have other names. Also, since we have so many names, it is best to use a term that will be accepted worldwide. |
| 3) Exactly how many Hindu Gods are there? |
| How many gods and goddesses does Hinduism have? The figure 330 million is sometimes quoted, so is the figure one. And as strange as it may seem, both numbers are correct. At the heart of Hinduism is the belief of Brahman, the World Soul, formless and everlasting. However, Hinduism also recognizes that many people need a god they can feel close to, a god they can picture in their minds and worship. The faith's many gods and goddessed fill this role. But each of them, for most Hindus, is simply one facet of the Supreme. Beyond these many gods there is really only the One. Many Hindus apply this way of thinking not only to their religion, but to all faiths. Therefore, a Hindu may tell you, "I worship all the Gods - not one god in particular. But I feel God is One, whether he is Rama (the Hindu god), Allah (the word used by Muslims), or Jesus (the Christian 'God made man'). While many Hindus offer prayers to several deities, most belong to two great sects. For one of these sects, Shiva is the main god. The other sect sees Vishnu as the centre of their faith. Vishnu is often worshipped in the form of one of his avatars, or incarnations - forms he has taken on earth. Whenever evil has threatened to win over good, Vishnu has come to the aid of the human race. Most Hindus recognize ten avatars, but by far the most important are the gods Rama and Krishna. There is also a third group that sees the goddess as being more important and powerful than any of the gods. |
| 4) What is Reincarnation? |
| There are no husbands or wives in the vast, superconscious realm of the Third World. The husband/wife notion is a puranic myth. The term Goddess can refer to a female perception, or depiction, of a Third World being in its natural state, which is genderless, or to a Second World being residing in a female astral-mental body. For example, Lakshmi and Saraswati are not wives of Vishnu and Brahma, but personified powers of a genderless Deity, who extends abundance and learning through the motherly empathy of a female form. |
| Reincarnation, known in Sanskrti as samsara, is a very openly discussed subject these days. Yes, 'carnate' means flesh. The word 'reincarnate' means to "re-enter the flesh". We Hindus believe the soul is immortal and keeps re-entering 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 us, Reincarnation explains the natural way the soul evolves from immaturity to spiritual illumination. Many lives must be fulfilled until all the lessons have been learned. The soul will then attain mukti. This means that it will still exist, but no longer be pulled back to incarnate in a physical body. The process of reincarnation is when the soul leaves the physical body never to return. The soul does not die, but lives on in another subtle body called the 'astral body'. The astral body lives on another plane of consciousness called the astral plane. Here we continue to have experiences until we are reborn again in another physical body as a baby. The soul choses a home and a family which can best fulfill its next step of maturation. Hindus understand the natural growth of all humans as they experience evolution because they know all these facts. After enlightenment however, we do not have to re-experience the baseness of human existence, but go on in evolution in our other bodies. As an example: After we graduate from school we don't have to (nor do we want to) enrol in the fifth grade. We are beyond that in understanding. Reincarnation is a vast subject, and there are many books written about it. You should also know that most of all the worlds religions believe now or once believed in reincarnation. Even the early Christian church believed in reincarnation, but King Justinian took it out of the bible to attain better control of the people. |
| 5) What is Karma? |
| Karma is another word we hear about quite often on television. 'This is my karma', or 'It must have been something in a past life to bring such good karma to me'. In more liberal schools of Hinduism, karma is looked upon as something bad. Karma actually means 'cause and effect'. Here is an example: I have a glass of water sitting in front of me on a table. Because the table is not moving, nor is the glass, therefore the water is calm. Shake the table, the water ripples. This is action and reaction, the basic law of nature. The process of action and reaction on all levels - physical, mental and spiritual - is karma. Here is another example: I say kind words to you, so you are peaceful and happy. I say harsh words to you and you become ruffled and sad. This is karma. It names the basic law of motion of energy. An architect thinks creative, productive thoughts, and draws plans for a new building. But were he to think destructive, unproductive thoughts, he would soon not be able to accomplish any kind of positive task, even if he desired to do so. This is karma, a natural law of the mind. We must be very careful about our thoughts because thought creates and thought also makes karmas, both good, bad and mixed. Karma is basically energy. I throw energy out through thoughts, words, and deeds, and it comes back to me (in time), through other people. We Hindus look at time as a circle. Karma is a very just law too, as it is equal in repayment. Like gravity, it treats everyone the same. It gives back what was initially said or done, but in a different form. God does not give us karma. We create our own. Bad karma is because we have done something bad in the past to someone, and now someone is doing something bad to us. Good karma means that we have done something good in the past and now others are doing something good to us now. Because we Hindus understand karma, we do not hate or resent the people who do us harm. We understand they are giving back the effects of the causes we set in motion at an earlier date. At least we try not to hate or hold hard feelings, by reminding ourselves of the law of karma. |
| 6) Why do Hindus regard the cow as sacred? |
| Who is the greatest giver on planet earth today? Who do we see on every table? At every country of the world? It is the cow. The generous cow gives milk and cream, yoghurt and cheese, butter and ice cream, ghee, buttermilk, sirloin, ribs, rump, quarterpound, porterhouse, and beef stew. Its bones are the base for soup broths. It gives us our leather belt, leather sheats, leather coats and shoes, beefjerky, cowboy hats, you name it. The cow is the most prominant giving animal in the world today. And now the question. Why do Hindus regard the cow as sacred? Firstly, people who ask if cows are sacred should understand that Hindus regard all living creatures as sacred - mammals, fishes, reptiles, birds and more. The cow symbolically represents all other creatures to the Hindu. The cow represents life and sustainance of life to the Hindu. It represents our soul, our obstinate intellect, our unruly emotions, but the cow overtakes us because it is so giving, taking nothing but grass and grain. It gives and gives and gives, as does the soul. The cow is so vital to life, the virtual sustainer of life for humans. In a society, if you only had cows and no other domestic animals or agricultural pursuits, you could still survive, even without killing them. The cow is complete ecology, a gentle creature and a symbol of abundance. It is because of this that Hindus refuse to eat beef. If you travel to India, you would see many cows wandering freely on the streets, without harm. Yes, the cow is considered very sacred in our religion, and for good reason. It's good, pure qualities are those that we try to emulate. |
| 7)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. Stictly speaking, there is no rule laid down that Hindus must follow about killing animals for their meat. When the time is right, they will realize that it is time to stop; however, this realization must come from within. You will not be called a 'bad' Hindu if you eat meat. There are good Hindus who eat meat and there are bad Hindus who are vegetarians. Eating meat does not neccessarily imply that you are bad. Hinduism has very few rigid "do's and don'ts". Rather, its injunctions are called restraints and observances. Vegetarians are more numerous in the south of India than in the north. This is because of the climatic conditions and the islamic influence within the north of the country. Our religion has no commandments, but gives us the wisdom to make up our own mind on what we put in our body, for it is the only one we have, in this life at least. All of our priests and religious leaders are definitely vegetarian, because they have to awaken the more refined areas of their nature in order to perform their work. Our soldiers and law-enforcement people are generally not vegetarians. This is because they have to keep alive their aggressive forces in order to perform their work. To practice yoga and be successful in spiritual life it is advisable to become a vegetarian. It is a matter of wisdom. Wisdom is the application of knowledge at any given moment. Families who are vegetarian have fewer problems than those who are not. This is because when we eat meat, fish, fowl and eggs, we absorb the vibration of the instinctive creatures into our nervous system, and this amplifies our own lower nature. Our lower nature is prone to fear, anger, jealousy, confusion, resentment, and the like. Those who are vegetarians tend to live a longer, healthier life. Many feel a certain moral obligation to their own conscience, which they wish to fulfill. Today about twenty or thirty percent of all Hindus are vegetarians and the rest are not. |
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