People ask me my religious label all the time. There is no way to describe what I am, so for the sake of simplicity I say Pagan. Because it is the elements I am closest with in this dimension. However, the Taoists, and the Hindus and the Buddhists have a lot to say about the way the world works. I am in the process of manifesting something very large for myself. The material object itself is not important. It’s symbolism and the hope it brings however is. In a personal way it represents self achievement and preservation for only me, not for status significance. Because I cannot tie myself to material things in this lifetime [albeit still love them from time to time-everyone loves a luxury]. I read something in one of Deepak Chopras books about Hindu manifestation and found some fascinating items I’d like to share. Special thanks to G. Beesley for the following information and sharing it with the world.
Hindu Attitudes Towards Suffering
Because Hindus believe that all experiences are the result of their karma, or actions, they are more able to accept their suffering. For them all suffering is an inevitable consequence of their being reborn into samsara and the material world. From a positive point of view, the experience of suffering can act to spur the Hindu on towards practising virtue and therefore creating good karma, as well as abandoning non-virtue by refraining from creating bad karma. Finally, for those with higher religious aspirations, suffering causes Hindus to seek liberation (moksha) from the cycle of birth and death.
From a negative perspective, a belief that suffering is the result of karma can lead to a cynical attitude to the suffering of others: ‘He deserves everything he gets; he created the cause of his pain’.
Hindu Attitudes Towards Wealth and Poverty
Generally speaking, Hindus see wealth in a positive light, viewing it as the result of previously created good karma. Artha, one of the four aims of Hindu life, encourages Hindus to earn an honest living, a sentiment echoed in theLaws of Manu. Varnashramdharma rules state that those at the householder or grihasta stage should provide for their family via an honest living through wealth accumulated in a way appropriate to their social class or varna.
While those in the upper varnas are encouraged to practice generosity as a means of karmically maintaining their status, the poorer varnas are encouraged to maintain their practice of artha in order to purify the causes of their poverty and create the cause for wealth in their future lives.
Hindu Attitudes Towards the Created World
a) Animals
Animals often experience great suffering. As with humans, Hindus have a duty to practice ahimsa or non-violence towards them in order to try and relieve their suffering. However, while an animal rebirth may be inferior to a human one from the viewpoint of the amount of pain experienced, this does not mean that animals are inferior to humans: both are worthy of ahimsa, both are beings that have been reborn into samsara, both are subject to karma, and both have an atman or True Self within them. For a Hindu, all that separates animals and humans is time!
In some cases, animals may even be considered superior to humans: because gods often appear in animal forms in the Hindu pantheon, those animals are considered to be manifestations of the particular deity they are associated with. For example, monkeys are seen as the god Hanuman, elephants are seen as Ganesha. Again, the cow is highly revered in Hindu religion, its body being seen as the dwelling place of the gods. Because the god Shiva’s mount is the bull Nandi, they are also seen in a divine light.
b) The Natural World
The natural world is treated with respect by Hindus because it, like themselves, is part of god or Brahman, the Supreme Spirit. As a result, if they damage their environment, Hindus believe they are creating negative karma. And so, before a building project is started, for example, Hindus will perform a puja to ask the god’s permission. During the puja, they will make offerings to the gods and ask for their blessing that the project is successful.
Mountains such as Kailash in the Himalayas are believed to be the home of the gods and are therefore important places of religious pilgrimage. Again, just as the river Ganga (or Ganges) runs from the Himalayas, the river is considered to be a manifestation of the god Shiva and is sometimes shown in pictures of the god, sprouting from his crown. Bathing in the Ganges is said to purify bad karma and its water is said to have miraculous healing properties.
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