Comments on: Hinduism, There is No -ism, by Sai Santosh Kolluru

By: SEO

SEO — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:53:06 +0000

Hi, this a great comment.

By: Sai Kolluru

Sai Kolluru — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 23:37:47 +0000

Thanks Swathi!

By: Swathi Katta

Swathi Katta — Sun, 23 May 2010 02:30:19 +0000

Great article. I agree with Sandeep in that believing in a higher being is significant enough. Other details are secondary. I also feel with Hinduism the true beauty of the religion is the diversity it can create. I believe it is one of the view religions a person can really define for themselves. Well written Santosh. :)

By: Ravi

Ravi — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 08:13:22 +0000

In today’s world, your statement. “the kind of Bhakti (devotion), that has been developed in today’s world is one in which the only way of loving one’s own ideal is by hating every other ideal.” is REALLY TRUE! I have noticed some of my friends who follow different faith (Muslim, Christianity) tried to impose their belief upon me citing wrong quotes about Hinduism. I politely clarified their wrong assumptions (as my basics about my religion is clear) and offered them to question if they have any doubts. I pity on those individuals who change faith before understanding it’s true essence and their individual duty/responsibilities towards attaining Peace of Mind & Self-Fulfilment. I have gone through the books of other religions as well and the general emphasis in those is Love, Peace & Discipline. I fully agree to your point that the parents/individuals who have NO answer by themselves will find it difficult to clarify others when questioned. I really do not think it is a “rocket-science” to know the basics of “The Way of Life” but to self-realize upon their own.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

By: Sai Kolluru

Sai Kolluru — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:19:19 +0000

“looking at the comments, authors falls into his habit of many hindus, equating Rama, Krishna., jesus, Allah, in other words all religions are same.”

Madhuhebaar Ji you say this, I state this through the Advaita Philosophical point of view. “Brahma satyaṃ jagat mithyā, jīvo brahmaiva nāparah,” this is the view that there is no difference between the Brahman, the Absolute Truth and the Individual Self. MadhuhebaarJi, in my point of view Rama, Krishna, Jesus are all manifestations of the Absolute Truth that help us try to understand our origin. They are all together the Paramatma, the Padama Brahman. We goto the temple and pray hoping that our prayer goes to the Absolute Truth through these representatives of Rama, Krishna or if you goto a Chruch, Jesus Christ or a Mosque, Allah. The point is that the Absolute Truth, the Macro Brahman is so beyond our sense-perception that His Representatives help us understand the point of life through their stories.

Such a philosophy as you can see is a part of the Hindu Way of Life, it is through heavy logical questioning also known as Vichara, that we come to understand this philosophy. Thus, those who practice is philosophy incorporate it automatically in their lives by seeing all living creatures and the material world as One and the Same, unique in its own way with the Divine in it all (Note-I’m not an Enlightened Being, I cannot make this claim but I believe in it and I am pursuing the path to enlightenment in an attempt to not just believe but KNOW it as a fact). What do you ask is the result of this kind of a view? Respect, qualities and characteristics that help us all look at each other and respect and love each other. The creation of a Religion limits us to looking at the world in limiting way when the real point of “Religion” is to Love God as I have mentioned before.

By: Sai Kolluru

Sai Kolluru — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 19:47:14 +0000

Madhuhebbar Ji, you absolutely got my point. This article is not based on the point of what “ISM” or what it does to a name but what I am trying to say is that there, nowadays if there is one thing people want to make of their own and seperate themselves from the society, they isolate themselves in this so called “ISM(S)”. These ISM(S) have such a negative connotation that I wanted to provide the right perspective of the Hindu way of life and how its not the “ISM” we follow. Ism is defined as a Doctrine, a system, a theory. Clearly not what “HINDU-ISM” is. Maybe I did not do my job to bring the view across in the case that before this 5,000 year old creation of the word HINDU-which was a title given by a group of people, there was a way of life. This way of life has been continued and is continuing till this day but what I’m trying to say is that by giving the title “HINDU” we are limiting ourselves, putting walls up and so much more with Hinduism. Unlike Christianity and Islam what I am trying to say is that SANATANA DHARMA has been carried out for thousands of years through out the Yugas. This Dharma which is also the way of life needs to continue and keep going in every heart of this second-generation of Indian- Americans. Living in the Kali Yuga, we have become so blinded by what we are pursuing, we are so materialistic in every way that we forget the real value of Dharma…no way of life in today’s world that has continued for thousands of years better explains the Self than the Hindu Way of Life. This article is a mere attempt to urge those second generation Indian-Americans to understand this way of life and continue it thousands of miles away from home.

Namaste, Sai Kolluru

By: Sai Kolluru

Sai Kolluru — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 19:37:06 +0000

Ravinder Nath Watts Ji, ABSOLUTELY agreed. This is why I am saying that those things like Ahankara and Lohh, respect for elders and teachers, samskara, padatis, sampradayas NEED to come back. Our immigrant parents have had all these and they have brought it to this country but through my observation and the things I say in this article, it is being lost so much so that it is being eradicated with the mix of the culture that has already established here. For therefore, my argument or point is that such culture should not be mixed. We can equate things in general terms of respect and honor towards others but at the same time there is a fine line between “this is my way of life” and that is your way of life. This is what I am saying here, that this Hindu Way of life by the same principles and values that our parents have raised with should continue in this country, in our second generation indian-americans. This is what I’m saying, Thank you for putting it more bluntly. Well-Said Mr. Watts.

-Sai K.

By: Ravinder Nath Watts

Ravinder Nath Watts — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 07:27:37 +0000

The main problem with Hindus is that they had not been able shed the fear complex instilled intheir genes and failed to realize their Dharma. They are confusing Dharma with t religion. Their gentlemanliness, forgiveness and tolerance is not understood by the rogue religions. Kshama( Forgiveness) is exploited as the weakness of the Hindus. Shaucham( (medical Sterilization or cleanliness) is messed up and beauty of untouchability has become a creime because the leader like mahatama Gandhi had to preach to join the society under the British Raj. Vedas were misinterpreted by the foreigners. Samskrit Language was ignored. Result of many out of one has errupted. One race is weakened by the socalled modern and scientific thoughts. Vigyan which is spsritual knowledge is treated as modern science. Ahankar( Ego) and Lohh (Greed) has overpowered the young mindSpecially in America respect for the Elders and Teachers has no place in the younger generation. The lack of very fundamentally important thing (Samskaar) had weakened the Hindus. Awakening is required to call the Hindu Nation. R.N.Watts California

By: madhuhebbar

madhuhebbar — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:53:14 +0000

I clicked on the article since I was thinking about this issue for time.
But on scanning through it, i was disappointed. May it is because in my thinking, there is NO ism in Hinduism but there is so much “ism” in chrisatinity and Islam but are not called “isms”
May be this was not an article to evaluate what is an”ISM” and show how there is no ISM in Hinduism.

looking at the comments, authors falls into his habit of many hindus, equating Rama, Krishna., jesus, Allah, in other words all religions are same.

To really understand we should go into what is religion and what is dharma. Religions contains “ISM” because they have prescription to their followers. commandments, restrictions on way of worship enmitywith /urge to convert others who are different all are part of it. Thus communism has DA Kapital and there were different variations, just like there are baptists, Adventists, shias and sunnis. What they all have in common is the “ISM” part.

With Dharma, comes darshana, the vision, philosophy. This vision/philosophy will have as many variations as people who are proposing/expanding. Before the advent of English there was no such thing as budhdhism or jainism. They were darshanas, one was free to follow his own or none.

having no ISM is also beneficial in the sense it can transcend place and time. there would come a time there would be Hindus would consider missisippi river as holy and distribute ashes of the departed and may be a time where there would be a shloka similar to Gange cha , Yamuneshaiva ” (Missisippi, colarado chaiva….)

It is possible because there is no ISM and it will need some time to establish the link locally and time to loosen the links back to Bharat. With ease of modern travel/communication, this may take some time….

By: anvesh

anvesh — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 06:11:20 +0000

i liked your article well done

By: Sai Kolluru

Sai Kolluru — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:08:20 +0000

Meena, in my opinion, Jesus, Allah, Krishna are all One and the Same. Muslims say “Allah”, an imageless God because it is difficult to wrap our heads around the concept of God, God is beyond our sense-perception, our Mind and Body simply cannot understand this Allah. That is why as Humans we are so lucky to have been given the opportunity to achieve that Self-Perfection in life, that Perfection is nothing but achieving Self-Realization that that Supreme Being is nothing but a cosmic manifestation and that He is nowhere but in your Heart, from which all great work comes from. That atomic soul we are given is One and the Same with the Parabrahma. It is up to us to make the choice whether or not to achieve that Self-Realization and Perfection in life, which has through out the history been represented by our various Avataras and Incarnations. Through the stories of Ramayana and Maharabarata, Shri Rama and Krishna have shown us how to live a valuable and meaningful life. These direct teachings carry the same message through those great Yogis and Saints like Paramahamsa Yogananda, Paramahansa Nithyananda, teachings of Self-Inquiry by Ramana Maharshi, those Advaita Vedanta teachings by Adi Shankaracharya and etc,.

By: Meena

Meena — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:48:33 +0000

I liked how you addressed that love for God seems to have been replaced with fear. Also how you state that in the end, love for God is the “Real religion”. Although i do not agree that it is wrong that parents accept their child’s choice of life partner, I do understand the point that it is difficult for a child raised by two different religions to choose one religion over another. Which is why I agree with you when you said that religion should not have any boundaries between people, as all religions generally represent the same values.

By: Sai Kolluru

Sai Kolluru — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:18:59 +0000

You should definitely write about it Jayant garu :)!

By: Jayant Avva

Jayant Avva — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:30:51 +0000

Sai - this is well written. I like your concluding paragraph particularly, and using Sri Aurobindo’s integral viewpoint to sum up. In fact writing an essay on the particular nondual viewpoint espoused here may not be a bad idea.

By: Sai Kolluru

Sai Kolluru — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 06:59:44 +0000

Agreed. This is merely a perspective of one way of life. As I have mentioned earlier in the article, religions are only boundaries we have created between each other to help us understand with our differences, religions are only those lines we draw with a “title” or a “brand name”.

As the great Muslim Saint Kabir Das would say, “Sky, Ground, Water, Fire, Air have none of these Religions or Social Systems (Kula Matalu). In order to show Bhakti and Devotion to the Supreme Being and the Absolute Truth, are we really going to have the boundaries we create come in the way?”

The idea is to pursue what you want not just by belief but my practice, a practice that works for you, that your soul desires and attracts. True religion teaches as said over and over again is How to Love God. The Real religion is to Love God.

Shishur Vekti, Pashur Vektii, Vekti Gana Rasampanihi -Sri Ramadasu

By: Sandeep

Sandeep — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 06:23:27 +0000

First, I just want to say that I personally am not Hindu, I really do not mean to hurt anyone’s feelings, and I am not trying to insult anyone’s religion.I agree with the fact that we need to look beyond personifying our “own” gods and look more towards there being a single divine being. I personally think religion provides a person with hope and a sense of belonging, it should be a path to betterment of the self. I mean i am not going to go against anyones religions but practice what you believe, but look beyond just attending your religious institutions once a week and act upon the words of your God.

By: Shreya Arumugam

Shreya Arumugam — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 05:49:43 +0000

I really liked how the article diagnosed all the problems with varying perception of religion, and also how we need to act now before ‘the torch burns out’. I did not agree with how you said we have 18 years before college to figure out what our religion means to us. Its natural to question it in my opinion but then later in the article you stated that one should not just question but must seek the answer in order to understand, the answer never falls onto your lap - which is when it occured to me that you were absolutely right. Some things you just need to work for. It is extremely importante for our generation to understand our culture and traditions in order to preserve it.