Mas antom telah memberi contoh yg baik. Bagaimana kalau dalam millis ini kita
lebih banyak menjelaskan agama/keyakinan masing2 (Hindu, Budha, Islam, Nasrani
dll) daripada mencari kelemahan/kejelekan agama/keyakinan orang lain. Dengan
demikian kita akan memahami keistimewaan & kekhususan masing2 agama/keyakinan
(orang lain) dan juga dapat menjelaskan kekeliruan penafsiran orang lain
(masyarakat) terhadap agama yang kita yakini. Karena, bagaimana pun menurut
saya , penganut suatu agama (misal agama X) pasti lebih tahu seluk beluk
mengenai agamanya sendiri (X) daripada penganut agama lain (walaupun ilmuwan)
terhadap agama X tersebut. Tq mas anton. Semoga pemahaman kita atas
agama/keyakinan2 yang ada didunia ini akan makin bertambah, tanpa mengurangi
keimanan kita masing2.
antonhartomo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: ---
HINDUISM, THE WORLD'S OLDEST RELIGION
A SIMPLE INTRODUCTION TO A COMPLEX RELIGION
Introduction
Hinduism is also known as "Sanatana Dharma" to Hindus. In Sanskrit,
the original language of India, 'Sanatana' means Everlasting
and 'Dharma', by a crude translation, means Religion. The
Everlasting Religion, Hinduism was founded, exists and flourishes in
India.
What is Hinduism? Is it a religion or is it a culture? The truth is -
it is both a religion and a way of life. India gave to the world
the original, oldest and most profound philosophy of life. The
brilliant ancestors of present-day indians explored the Truth behind
our existence and gave several philosophies and theories to define
the Truth. At the same time, they created a set of rules for "good
living" on this earth. The philosophical concepts that Indians gave
to mankind are eternal and constitute no religion by themselves.
However, the rules for good or "Dharmic" living that they laid down
constitute the Hindu religion. This article will refer to "Hinduism"
for both the philosophy and the religion, for purposes of
simplicity.
Sanatana Dharma does not have a starting point in history, does not
have a founder, and has no Church. The sages who shaped the Hindu
religion merely reiterated the teachings of the Vedas, the Hindu
scriptures (most of which is unwritten). The Vedas are believed to
have no origin. In ancient India, the Vedas formed the educational
system and broadly comprised all the different spheres of life, such
as spiritual, scientific, medical and so on.
Purpose
The purpose of this web page is not to "sell" Hinduism or to seek
conversions. As a matter of fact, Hinduism does not believe in
conversions. More on that topic follows later. The purpose of this
page is to simply try and give a high-level overview of the religion
and the culture that continues to fascinate a lot of people in the
West and in America.
The Mother of All Alphabets
Click
The symbol is an Alphabet in the Sanskrit language and is the most
important symbol in the Hindu religion. It is pronounced - OM - and
signifies God Almighty. Om means "That which hath No Beginning nor
End". The chanting of Om and meditation on the symbol are believed
to bestow good health, peace, and prosperity to the spiritual
aspirant.
Important Concepts and Misconceptions
In the following sections, I have attempted to highlight popular
misconceptions about important concepts in the Hindu religion and
Hindu philosophy, while avoiding controversial topics, debate over
which will not serve the main objective of this web page.
The Religion
God or Gods?
Misconception
A popular misconception is Hinduism is polytheistic - believes in
multiple Gods.
Truth
The Vedas tell us this about God - "OM Poornamadah Poornamidam
Poornaad Poornamudachyate; Poornasya Poornamaadaaya
Poornamevaavashisyate". Translated in English, this verse
means "What is Whole - This is Whole - What has come out of the
Whole is also Whole; When the Whole is taken out of the Whole, the
Whole still remains Whole". The essence of this verse is that the
Infinite cannot be measured arithmetically - God is Infinite. The
Infinite can be represented in Infinite ways and does manifest in
infinite ways. This, in short, is the essence of the Hindu belief in
God. That He is everywhere, aorund us and within us. Infact,
Hinduism takes the bold step of proclaiming that "we are God".
At the end of the day, Hinduism is monotheistic (Believes in One
God). However, Hinduism believes not only in One God, but also in
His Infinite manifestations around us and within us perpetually.
Realizing that it is impossible for mankind to visualize the
Infinite, Hinduism presents us with His forms to help us visualize
him. This belief of Hinduism is often confused with polytheism.
To illustrate this point - We all observe the unending processes of
birth, existence and death, which seem to be continually taking
place around us. We constantly witness these processes and are yet
ignorant of them, living as we do in the comfort of our illusory
lives. Hinduism gives form and shape to these "works" of the
Infinite with the Hindu Trinity - Brahma, Vishnu, and
Shiva. "Brahma" creates, "Vishnu" sustains, and "Shiva" destroys or
consumates everything in the Universe.
That the Supreme can be worshipped in any form is a concept unique
to Hinduism. Such worship is truly a tribute to His greatness.
Idol Worship
Misconception
Another popular misconception is that Hinduism promotes idol
worship.
Truth
Hinduism does not promote idol worship. To the contrary, Hinduism
urges us to transcend all physical aids to worship, in our spiritual
pogress. Realizing that it is impossible for the mortal human to
visualize the Infinite and instead of sustaining false hopes of such
achievements, the religion urges us to slowly and steadily continue
our progress in pursuit of the Truth. For such steady progess, the
religion asks us to start with physical aids such as temples and
idols, and through practice and devotion, ultimately succeed in
visualizing God without the aid of temples and idols.
We are asked not to worship idols, but worship God in the form of
idols. This is done to facilitate contemplation of the Infinite with
our finite capabilities. To quote none other than the great
intellectual, Swami Vivekananda on this matter - "If a person wants
to drink milk, he uses a cup as he cannot drink it directly. For the
quivering and unsteady mind, there should be a visible form or a
symbol, the idol, so that it becomes a foundation for his adoration.
The idol form of God is akin to a vessel which enables a man to
drink the milk. Through the instrumentality of an idol, a devotee
comprehends divinity."
Vegetarianism
Misconception
Another popular misconception is that all Hindus are vegetarians and
Hinduism prohibits meat eating.
Truth
Kshatriyas (one of the Hindu castes) are allowed to eat meat, as
long as it is offered to the Almighty first before consuming
it. "Follow your Dharma perfectly instead of following another's
Dharma imperfectly", say the Vedas. At the same time, a Brahmin's
Dharma is education and pursuit of knowledge. He is asked to refrain
from killing and is encouraged to eat simple food in order to
maintain equanimity. More on the topic of castes follows, but
suffice to say that this is the "religious" or social perspective of
Hinduism.
>From a philosophical perspective, a "Yogi" or one who has known and
seen the Infinite cannot and will not kill to eat meat. Why? Because
he sees God in every form of life. How can he hurt anything or
anyone when he loves everything and everyone?
The Caste System of the Hindus
Misconception
Hinduism promotes stratification of society under the "caste system"
and encourages discrimination against the less fortunate.
Truth
The caste system, originally described in the Vedas, but much abused
and maligned over the years, is nothing but a representation of an
efficient human society. The four castes described in the scriptures
are - the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas, and the Shudras.
According to the Vedas, an efficient human society is based on the
strength of its educational/knowledge-pursuit system (Brahmin), its
military and defense system (Kshatriya), its economical and business
system (Vaishya), and a strong, happy, productive workforce
(Shudras).
This noble representation was misinterpreted, exploited, and abused
by a few in the Indian society, leading to the indiscriminate
creation of thousands of castes and sub-castes, including the so-
called "upper" castes. Fortunately, the caste system has been more
or less abolished since Indian independence and the distinctions are
beginning to disappear, although not significantly.
The Importance of Devotion to God in Hinduism - Bhakti Yoga
Devotion to God is presented as one of the several ways to
achieve "Moksha" or oneness with the Infinite, but perhaps the
easiest. This idea is expressed in the "Bhagavad Gita" (Hindu
scripture), ``Whosoever offers to Me with love a leaf, a flower, a
fruit or even water, I appear in person before that devotee of
sinless mind and delightfully partake of that article offered by him
with love. Arjuna, whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you
offer as oblation to the sacred fire, whatever you bestow as a gift,
whatever you do by way of penance, offer it all to Me.'' Again, ``To
those devotees who worship Me, thinking of none else, who devote
their mind to Me and are ever perseverent in My service and in My
contemplation, I confer that permanent heavenly abode from which
there is no return to life.''
Such devotion can be towards any form of the Infinite. A devotee
of "Rama" will not spend a minute without thinking of Him and the
Divine Mother. A "Shiva" devotee will spend his time eulogizing
His "Lingam". If looked at more analytically, a "Karma Yogi" (one
who serves the Infinite through service to society) immersed in the
service of the poor and destitute sees God in them and hence cannot
bear separation from them.
What is devotion? In short, it means submitting totally to God,
discharging His obligations at His behest. How do we cultivate
devotion? ``Concentrate and fix the mind on Me''. This sounds simple
but in practice one knows how tough it is to tame the mind. When we
sit in prayer, our minds are naturally unsteady, impetuous,
powerfully defiant and unrelenting. To keep the mind subdued is as
difficult as to control wayward wind. Concentration requires
discipline and constant practice. So, ``If you cannot steady the
mind, then seek to realize Me by practice which consists in constant
retraction or withdrawal of the mind from worldly affairs. If you
cannot discipline yourself, dedicate all your actions to Me."
(Chanting His names all the time). "If you cannot do this either,
take refuge in Me, renouncing all fruits of your actions." (Do
everything as a service to God - looked at analytically, this will
lead you into pious actions. Why would you do something evil if you
wanted to do everything in the service of God?)
The Philosophy
Who are we?
The entire cosmos is subject to the vicissitudes of time and hence
whatever has an origin at a point of time has to come to an end.
According to Hinduism, everything is conditioned by time. The
process of creation (Srishti) and dissolution (Pralaya) of the
Universe is a periodic cycle in which the entire Cosmos manifests at
the time of creation and withdraws at the time of dissolution. The
Infinite alone is beyond time - beginningless and endless.
This endless cycle of births and rebirths that all "souls"
experience is called "Transmigration". All souls are cursed to
experience transmigration, except the Infinite, which is beyond
creation or destruction. This Absolute Truth or Ultimate Reality
does not perish even though all beings are subject to decay. This
unmanifest being is spoken of as the Indestructible, the Supreme
Being, God, Almighty. "Yogis" strive to become one with the Absolute
Truth, and this oneness is called "Moksha". In other words, it is a
state of mind where we are free from encumbrences, where we are
indeed the One. "Tat Twam Asi", proclaim the Vedas, meaning "Thou
Art That". We simply fail to realize that. It is not this web site's
goal nor is it possible for this site to prescribe the method for
attaining "Moksha".
A good analogy to transmigration of the soul is provided by the
former Shankaracharya of Kaancheepuram in India. A person retiring
to sleep wakes up the next morning in the same place. During sleep,
the person is unaware of what happens to him. Similarly, the
transmigrating soul at birth does not remember its state prior to
coming into existence. So, death is also nothing but return to the
same state from which one has come to this world. "Adi Shankara"
believes that we are indeed the Absolute Truth, but that the
illusion of our worldly lives prevents us from realizing this Truth.
Others believe that we are "bonded souls" that merge with the Truth
once we achieve the Truth. A discussion of these concepts follows
later. In brief, however, this transcendental state that we are all
asked to strive for is called "Moksha" in Hindu philosophy
and "Nirvana" in Buddhist and Jain philosophies.
According to Carl Sagan, the distinguished Cornell University
astronomer and Pulitzer Price-winning author of the book "Cosmos",
the Hindu philosophy on the creation and dissolution of the Cosmos
is the only philosophy that comes closest to the scientific idea
that the Cosmos itself undergoes deaths and rebirths.
Karma
Hinduism believes in transmigration of the soul. Such transmigration
is what results in reincarnation. This, in short, is the popular
theory of Karma.
Clearly, all forms of life on earth do not undergo the same
experiences and are not at the same level of existence. Man is the
most superior form of life, but there are also billions of life
forms which are far less superior than him. Even among us humans, we
constantly witness differences in our modes of existence. Some of us
are billionaires and some are paupers. Some of us are extremely
healthy and some are always disease-prone. There must be a reason
for these different experiences that all forms of life go through,
even within their own species. Hinduism's answer to this question is
the theory of "Karma".
Karma and rebirth are interrelated concepts in Indian philosophy.
According to the theory of Karma, we are all part of a cycle of
births and rebirths. This cycle has no beginning nor end. We are
simply experiencing the results of our own actions in our journey
through this cycle. Each spoke in the cycle is a predecessor to the
next spoke. When a cycle moves, all spokes move one after the other
in a never-ending chain. Similarly, in the cycle of "Samsara", life
forms are spokes that evolve from one experience to another, and
from one form to another according to their actions. Good actions
cause good effects (Law of Cause and Effects), while bad actions
cause bad effects. It is as simple as that.
Our actions bind us to this world, and such bondage-causing action
is known as "Karma". The bondage refers to the confinement to
this "samsara" just as spokes are confined to the wheel of the
cycle. While good actions cause us to be reborn to experience the
good effects, bad actions cause us to be reborn to undergo pain and
suffering. "Yogis", however, are free of karmic actions and
reactions, therefore not bound by the cycle of transmigration. Such
a state of everlasting freedom from "samsara" is known as "Moksha".
Again, the means to achieving such a state of mind cannot be
presribed in a "cook book" manner. There is no specific prescription
either. If it were that easy, all of us would be free from "samsara"
now. Again, some of us probably wouldn't want to be freed from
rebirths, even if given the choice. Remember, this is philosophy and
not religion. Religions have doctrines, prescriptions and cook books
for happiness; philosophy does not. It is what it is!
'Vedanta' - 'Dwaita', 'Adwaita', and 'Vishishtadwaita'
'Vedanta' refers to all of the intellectual wealth of the Vedas, as
well as all individual "enlightenment" that is achieved through
severe Yogic experiments. An explanation of Yogas and what they
stand for follows later.
There are three Major shools of thought in Hindu philosophy about
the relationship between humans and the Truth - Dwaita, Adwaita, and
Vishishtadwaita. Translated into English, the three mean - Dualism,
Non-Dualism and Conditional Non-Dualism - in the same order as
above. The three great Hindu Sages who contributed these three
concepts were Madhwa Acharya, Shankara Acharya, and Ramanuja Acharya
again in the same order. (Acharya in Sanskrit means Teacher and it
is a respectful title given to a deserving few. When written, it is
usually written as a part of the person's name. Hence, Ramanuja
Acharya becomes Ramanujacharya and so on).
Dwaita
Dwaita means "Dualism". This theory states that man and God are
distinct entities and yet share a relationship between them.
According to it, man, the finite element, is constrained by the
cycle of births and rebirths. The Infinite element (God) is free
from all these constraints i.e., He is free from births and
rebirths. The Infinite element in this relationship is referred to
as 'Paramatman' and the finite element as 'Jivatman'. Through
devotion, 'Jivatman' attains 'Paramatman'. Madhwacharya founded the
Dwaita school of thought. According to him, God is an ``Independent
Being'' possessing unrestricted powers, He is all-knowing and
controls all sentient and insentient objects in this universe.
According to Madhvacharya, the entire universe is divided into
``Independent'' and ``Dependent'' souls. The former is Infinite in
His attributes. According to Madhva's philosophy, all souls except
the Lord are under bondage, which prevents them from knowing their
identity. This ignorance is responsible for the selfish, violent and
unjust activities of man. Not knowing his nature, he identifies
himself with the body and seeks the pleasure of the senses.
Adwaita
Adi Shankara propounded the "Adwaita" or Non-Dualistic theory. He
proclaimed that the finite and Infinite elements are not distinct
elements but are indeed One and the Same. According to him, there is
a screen of illusion ('Maya') which separates man from God. As soon
as man realizes his folly and comes out of his illusion, he is one
with the Infinite.
Adi Shankara
>From time to time great spiritual leaders appeared in India whenever
there was a threat to the religion of Sanatana dharma, to re-
establish its eternal principles for the benefit of humanity. Among
them, Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada ('Bhagavatpada' means one with
Divine Feet) played the pivotal role of not only reinstating the
Vedantic religion but also reorganizing the religion on the lines of
systematic worship, known as 'Shanmata', thus establishing that
philosophy and religion complement one another in the tradition of
Sanatana dharma.
It was very long ago (Since there is unending controversy about
Shankara's birth date, I will avoid mentioning any date) that a
village by name Kalady neighboring the holy city of Trichur in
Kerala State, south of India, was chosen for a divine happening. To
a blessed couple, Sivaguru, a scholarly Brahmin, and Aryamba, his
pious wife, was born the godly child Shankara, later to be known as
Adi Shankara BagavatPada to the world.
The period of Shankara's birth was witness to the spiritual
degradation of India and a mass adoption of atheistic philosophies
by Indians. Atheistic forms of Buddhism were rampant and were slowly
diverting people away from the Vedas drawing them into atheism.
People started denying the existence of God and adopted "Nihilistic"
philosophies.
Buddhism and Jainism
Buddhism and Jainism are both believed to have appeared in India at
around the same time thousands of years ago. It is wrong to consider
Buddhism and Jainism in their original forms as religions. They were
both philosophies propounded by two great Hindu seers, Gautam Buddha
and Mahavir Jain. To this day, both Buddha and Mahavira are revered
by Hindus in India. Both Buddha and Mahavira preached that all life
forms on earth experience pain, pleasure, sorrow and happiness due
to their bondage to Samsara. They urged mankind to renounce all
earthly attachments in order to achieve liberation from rebirths and
attain Nirvana. According to both seers, we are the sum of our
thoughts. When we realize this and give up attachment to "bondage-
causing" thoughts and resulting actions, we free ourselves of the
shackles of "Karma" and attain "Nirvana". Both teachers therefore
corroborated the Hindu premise that the Truth manifests itself as us
and we continue to manifest as long as we identify with this
illusory world and fall into the trap of desires. Unfortunately,
both Masters' silence on the topic of God was misconstrued to signal
a denial of His existence. This led to a brief period in Indian
history that witnessed the growth of atheistic philosophies,
questioning the very existence of God. God therefore incarnated as
Adi Shankara to convincingly defeat such philosophies and
reestablish faith in God and the superiority of Vedic philosophy.
Although Adi Shankara's earthly sojourn was very short- barely 32
years - he traveled the length and breadth of the subcontinent of
India, preaching his philosophy of 'Adwaita', and defeated all forms
of atheistic philosophers - Buddhists, Jains, Nihilists - in every
nook and corner of India, thereby reestablishing the superiority of
Sanatana Dharma and the Vedas. Many eminent scholars from all
corners of the country became his disciples. He restructured the
various desultory Hindu religious practices into six ways of worship
or six sects - 'Ganapathyam' (The worship of Lord Ganapathy, the son
of Lord Shiva), 'Kaumaram' (worship of Lord Kumaran, the second son
of Lord Shiva), 'Sauram' (worship of Lord Surya, the Sun),' Shaivam'
(worship of Lord Shiva, the Destroyer) 'Vaishnavam' (worship of Lord
Vishnu, the Preserver) and 'Shaktham' (worship of Mother Shakthi,
the feminine power of God). He is hence hailed as the 'Shanmatha
Sthapanacharya' (The Teacher who established the Six Sects). During
his trek across the country, he held debates with several scholars
and defeated all of them, establishing the superiority of Hinduism.
He also authored several immortal philosophical treatises. Chief
among them is the concept of 'adwaita', besides commentaries on the
Brahma Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, and the ten principal Upanishads.
The unique, ineffable, absolute reality of "Brahman" or "Paramatman"
or God was Shankara's theme. And his mastery of the scriptures
enabled him to establish this doctrine. Shankara's youth was spent
in extraordinarily swift mastery of the sacred scriptures following
his 'Brahmopadesa' (a ceremony in the Preistly Hindu Caste of
Brahmins, wherein a Guru initiates his disciple into the hallowed
years of Brahmacharyam (Celibacy) for mastering all the Vedas in
their entirety) in his fifth year. Shankara became a 'sanyasi'
(monk) at the tender age of eight. Becoming a recluse at such an
early age is something altogether unique and unusual. Shankara
wandered forth on foot across India.
By the end of his short but remarkable life, the greatest Acharya
India has ever known, had successfully eradicated
Buddhism/Jainism/Atheism from the face of India and reestablished
Hinduism firmly.
Adi Shankara is my greatest and most inspiring idol and hero of all
times, and I sincerely believe that his Adwaita philosophy is the
most outstanding and the best of all (Although I am totally
unqualified to make a statement on such supreme philosophical
concepts). Salutations to this great seer, who in a span of just
thirty-two years of a hectic life, achieved so much so powerfully
and so incredibly.
Vishishtadwaita
Vishishtadwaita or "Conditional Non-Dualism" was propounded by
Ramanujacharya. His system is known as Vishishtadwaita, which refers
to three Realities viz. God, soul and matter, the first alone being
independent, and the other two being dependent on Him. The Acharya
pointed out that we experience temporary separation from the Lord,
which can be overcome through the method of devotion.
Ramanuja was born in Sriperumbudur, to the south of India, in 1017
A.D. According to him, "All creation is the body of the Lord. There
is nothing illusory about this world and our experience of the same.
Salvation is but the beatific permanence in the presence of the
Supreme where such closeness leads to the transformation of the
mortal being into a likeness of the Divine". Countless are the ways
to attain the Divine but the easiest is the path of devotion,
according to Ramanuja. However, this is also a severe discipline and
hence a "Yoga". The starting point as well as the final movement in
Ramanuja's 'Bhakti yoga' is faith in a loving God. At the same time,
Ramanuja cautioned that the personal God must not become a fetish
leading to intolerance.
Please continue for MORE on Hinduism.
---
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Lebih Baik, in Commonality & Shared Destiny.
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