Buddhism from my point of view is the most sensible and the least dogmatic of all religions and can really help humans to get away from mental suffering (which leads to elimination of most physical suffering also!). But unfortunately it failed to make any inroads in the land where it originated. I am trying to list the reasons below and as always they are debatable!
1) After Dr. Ambedkar embraced Buddhism, the buddhists only tried to target the so called lower caste populations. This plan is not the most suitable for Buddhism because unlike the monotheistic religions Buddhism is not all about accepting a savior and attending a friday or sunday service and carry on. It is about thinking and thinking very deeply about life's suffering. Firstly the target should be educated at least a little bit and secondly the target should have the minimum prosperity to feed his family. Leave alone kapda (cloth) and makan (home). Also the target should have been brought up in a family where the elders thought about religion and morality at least a little bit. Other wise the target will have no interest in anything Buddha's teachings have to offer. If you notice from the Buddha's stories also, majority of his followers were brahmins!
2) The real targets for Buddhist teachings in modern Indian society are the educated great Indian urban middle class irrespective of caste. They are the bankers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, people from armed forces, merchants of the Indian cities. These people will be the most receptive audience for Buddhist teachings. Because they have the education and an ability to think deeply and have the problems and suffering which is common to everyone. If these people get influenced by Buddha's teachings they can make life better for themselves as well as for the so called lower caste and rural populations.
3) Though Buddhism had the greatest advantage in India, they alienated the real targets by portraying themselves more like monotheistic religion rather than a Dharmic religion. Hindu middle class already share the concepts of reincarnation/rebirth, karma and dharma though there are subtle differences. Also fortunately Hindus do not cling passionately to their gods unlike their monotheistic counterparts. But I saw that in India if one has to "accept" Buddhism they have to reject Hindu gods, practices etc. There is a list some where on wiki and it seems to be endless. There is nothing like "accepting" Buddhism. There is only benefiting from the ideas and realizing the truths spoken. I think it is just the arrogance of the Mahayana Buddhists (may be some theravada ones also). When you can take Buddha without dropping a savior in France or the United States, why should one drop Krishna to take up Buddha. Do not Hindus consider Buddha to the be the 9th avatar? Hindus do not destroy Buddha's statues like in South Korea!. The savior and Buddha have more distance between each other compared the distance between Krishna and Buddha. As long as Buddhists have this attitude, Buddhism will be a failure in India once again.
4) Think about the influence of Buddhism in Africa. Then you will understand why Buddhists targeted the wrong guys in India. Buddhists please show some consideration to the educated brown guy, because it was a thinking brown guy who gave you your philosophy and religion 2500 years ago ! and also gave Dalai Lama his Dharamshala !
Monday, November 2, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Weaknesses of Hindu religion #4
Weaknesses of Hindu religion #4
4) Beggar Gurus and No Charity
One of the greatest misconception of Hindus is that the gurus or spiritual leaders should live like beggars and not have any worldly belongings. I think this concept has originated from the ancient sadhus and rishis who gave up all their wealth, other belongings and attachments and went to live in the forests. They were either naked or wearing dead animal skins. Buddha also did this initially but he found that this path is not really useful or is even a hindrance for achieving enlightenment. He came up with the middle path where there is no extreme indulgence nor extreme austerity and poverty. His idea is "Not letting go of things but letting go of clinging to things". False idea that is indoctrinated in almost all Hindus is that only beggars can live enlightened lives. But the problem is they do not realize that the beggar could be attached to the small piece of cloth that he is wearing whereas a millionaire could be unattached to his/her millions. Buddhism would not have spread to East Asian countries without the help of kings and emperors who spent lot of money erecting monuments and sending missionaries.
Because of this concept, a hindu religious or spiritual organization has failed in charity and social work. So only non guru landlords did charity if any. But obviously they were doing it for their own fame and political power in society. In modern times there are many gurus around whom organizations have been built and they have become capable to participate in social work and charity. And organizations need not be doing charity directly. They can also help by waking up more and more people to follow a path which in turn will lead to more charity and social work. But if an organization is getting rich, the doubting hindu mind wakes up and tries to defame and demonize it. There is no need for any other religious groups to do it. Hindus are capable of doing the damage needed!
Charity has to come from an organization. Individuals can do charity on their own but it is not going to be very effective. In India, I think the only charities that will survive are those who will call themselves secular or those from well organized monotheistic religious groups.
4) Beggar Gurus and No Charity
One of the greatest misconception of Hindus is that the gurus or spiritual leaders should live like beggars and not have any worldly belongings. I think this concept has originated from the ancient sadhus and rishis who gave up all their wealth, other belongings and attachments and went to live in the forests. They were either naked or wearing dead animal skins. Buddha also did this initially but he found that this path is not really useful or is even a hindrance for achieving enlightenment. He came up with the middle path where there is no extreme indulgence nor extreme austerity and poverty. His idea is "Not letting go of things but letting go of clinging to things". False idea that is indoctrinated in almost all Hindus is that only beggars can live enlightened lives. But the problem is they do not realize that the beggar could be attached to the small piece of cloth that he is wearing whereas a millionaire could be unattached to his/her millions. Buddhism would not have spread to East Asian countries without the help of kings and emperors who spent lot of money erecting monuments and sending missionaries.
Because of this concept, a hindu religious or spiritual organization has failed in charity and social work. So only non guru landlords did charity if any. But obviously they were doing it for their own fame and political power in society. In modern times there are many gurus around whom organizations have been built and they have become capable to participate in social work and charity. And organizations need not be doing charity directly. They can also help by waking up more and more people to follow a path which in turn will lead to more charity and social work. But if an organization is getting rich, the doubting hindu mind wakes up and tries to defame and demonize it. There is no need for any other religious groups to do it. Hindus are capable of doing the damage needed!
Charity has to come from an organization. Individuals can do charity on their own but it is not going to be very effective. In India, I think the only charities that will survive are those who will call themselves secular or those from well organized monotheistic religious groups.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Weaknesses of Hindu religion #3
Weaknesses of Hindu religion #3
3) Vegetarianism presented from a moral high ground
India is the country where the concept of vegetarianism has originated. I do not think the ancient Hindus were vegetarian. But it seems to have taken root only after Siddhartha Gautama or the Buddha. Vegetarianism might have sprung up as an offshoot of the concept of showing compassion to all living beings. Some of the buddhist monks in the far east are also vegetarian. Even after buddhism was driven out (due to various reasons which I will discuss in a different post later) from India, many of its ideas and concepts have been incorporated into the Hindu religion by various teachers like Adi Shankaracharya because they might have seemed very logical for them. One of them is vegetarianism and it has been adopted mostly by Brahmins and Vaishyas. May be it was logical for them to take it up because of the sedentary occupations they do. Vegetarian diet might have helped them to live more healthy lives. Whereas for a farmer working in the fields or a soldier defending the country, it was logical for them to get the extra protein by eating meat.
But the problem lies not in vegetarianism but in the way it has been presented from a moral high ground. This gave rise to the "touch me not" attitude among the brahmins especially and it has isolated them more and more from the other sections of the society. This is long gone now in the present day. The brahmins and vaishyas tried to isolate themselves socially where as the land lord classes committed real atrocities on the dalits by using their labour and sexually exploiting their women. But because of the "touch me not" attitude of the past, brahmins are the ones who are blamed even to the present day. Finally I feel if some one likes vegetarianism, it should have been presented in a more scientific manner instead of an isolating manner.
Now turning to some aspects of vegetarianism, you can try searching the internet for interesting facts and thoughts. These are some that I found.
1) You need 10 times more land and water to produce the same amount of nutrition/calories from meat compared to say soy bean or lentils. (obviously it is more green!)
2) If the west can stop eating meat for one day, malnutrition in the world can be eliminated.
3) Good for health of people with sedentary life styles ?
4) Do not need to raise poultry and animals in hellish conditions.
Also one thing you will notice if you are Indian is that people who eat meat also eat it like a specialty only one day of the week. Obvious with so much population and so little land (comparatively) Indians cannot afford to get their protein from meat sources. May be meat should be imported from places like Australia. Also lot of people in the west are also reducing their meat intakes for health and ethical purposes.
3) Vegetarianism presented from a moral high ground
India is the country where the concept of vegetarianism has originated. I do not think the ancient Hindus were vegetarian. But it seems to have taken root only after Siddhartha Gautama or the Buddha. Vegetarianism might have sprung up as an offshoot of the concept of showing compassion to all living beings. Some of the buddhist monks in the far east are also vegetarian. Even after buddhism was driven out (due to various reasons which I will discuss in a different post later) from India, many of its ideas and concepts have been incorporated into the Hindu religion by various teachers like Adi Shankaracharya because they might have seemed very logical for them. One of them is vegetarianism and it has been adopted mostly by Brahmins and Vaishyas. May be it was logical for them to take it up because of the sedentary occupations they do. Vegetarian diet might have helped them to live more healthy lives. Whereas for a farmer working in the fields or a soldier defending the country, it was logical for them to get the extra protein by eating meat.
But the problem lies not in vegetarianism but in the way it has been presented from a moral high ground. This gave rise to the "touch me not" attitude among the brahmins especially and it has isolated them more and more from the other sections of the society. This is long gone now in the present day. The brahmins and vaishyas tried to isolate themselves socially where as the land lord classes committed real atrocities on the dalits by using their labour and sexually exploiting their women. But because of the "touch me not" attitude of the past, brahmins are the ones who are blamed even to the present day. Finally I feel if some one likes vegetarianism, it should have been presented in a more scientific manner instead of an isolating manner.
Now turning to some aspects of vegetarianism, you can try searching the internet for interesting facts and thoughts. These are some that I found.
1) You need 10 times more land and water to produce the same amount of nutrition/calories from meat compared to say soy bean or lentils. (obviously it is more green!)
2) If the west can stop eating meat for one day, malnutrition in the world can be eliminated.
3) Good for health of people with sedentary life styles ?
4) Do not need to raise poultry and animals in hellish conditions.
Also one thing you will notice if you are Indian is that people who eat meat also eat it like a specialty only one day of the week. Obvious with so much population and so little land (comparatively) Indians cannot afford to get their protein from meat sources. May be meat should be imported from places like Australia. Also lot of people in the west are also reducing their meat intakes for health and ethical purposes.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Weaknesses of Hindu religion #2
Weaknesses of Hindu Religion #2
2) Division of Caste and Priests
Division of caste in Indian society has two different causes. First is the two different waves of human migration into India that I have discussed in Mixed race. This is a racial difference. Second is the division of society depending on the occupation. I say Indian society because caste system is not limited to Hindu religion alone.
The racial difference has dissolved over a long time. Now it is difficult for anyone to tell what caste a person belongs to just by looking at him or her except may be in some parts of the deep south.
The second one is division of occupation. The argument goes like this. Son of a farmer is a farmer, son of a priest is a priest, son of king is a king, son of a soldier is a soldier, son of a businessman is a businessman. Thank goodness, monarchies are gone and there are no kings or princes! The above argument is very illogical because the son of a priest may not be interested in priesthood. He might aspire to be a soldier instead. And the son of a soldier might want to be singer or an artist! No one can be forced to do something. One has to take up an occupation that interests him or her. Fortunately even this difference has dissolved in the modern society.
This dynastic succession is the main reason for Hinduism not being able to produce good religious leaders who can inspire 100% of the population. The son of a brahmin or a priest may not be interested in religious books but might want to be a businessman instead. If such a person is forced to be a priest, the quality will be lost.
And because the brahmin caste were caretakers of the religious books and teachings, others slowly lost interest in them and do not really care even if they are lost! It is like if you do not own something, even if it is destroyed you don't care.
Though brahmin caste is marginalized in modern society and are barely trying to survive and make a living, others still blame them. No one talks about the landlords who have really oppressed the common people because they still have lot of power. Other castes do not take ownership and think that brahmins are the custodians of Hindu religion and culture.
If we see either ancient history or modern history of India, most of the persons who inspired people were not brahmins. Rama, Krishna, Gautama were not. Gandhi, S.C.Bose, Vivekananda, Ambedkar were not! Lot of modern Gurus are not. If every section of Hindu society does not take collective ownership, Hinduism will soon be wiped out!
2) Division of Caste and Priests
Division of caste in Indian society has two different causes. First is the two different waves of human migration into India that I have discussed in Mixed race. This is a racial difference. Second is the division of society depending on the occupation. I say Indian society because caste system is not limited to Hindu religion alone.
The racial difference has dissolved over a long time. Now it is difficult for anyone to tell what caste a person belongs to just by looking at him or her except may be in some parts of the deep south.
The second one is division of occupation. The argument goes like this. Son of a farmer is a farmer, son of a priest is a priest, son of king is a king, son of a soldier is a soldier, son of a businessman is a businessman. Thank goodness, monarchies are gone and there are no kings or princes! The above argument is very illogical because the son of a priest may not be interested in priesthood. He might aspire to be a soldier instead. And the son of a soldier might want to be singer or an artist! No one can be forced to do something. One has to take up an occupation that interests him or her. Fortunately even this difference has dissolved in the modern society.
This dynastic succession is the main reason for Hinduism not being able to produce good religious leaders who can inspire 100% of the population. The son of a brahmin or a priest may not be interested in religious books but might want to be a businessman instead. If such a person is forced to be a priest, the quality will be lost.
And because the brahmin caste were caretakers of the religious books and teachings, others slowly lost interest in them and do not really care even if they are lost! It is like if you do not own something, even if it is destroyed you don't care.
Though brahmin caste is marginalized in modern society and are barely trying to survive and make a living, others still blame them. No one talks about the landlords who have really oppressed the common people because they still have lot of power. Other castes do not take ownership and think that brahmins are the custodians of Hindu religion and culture.
If we see either ancient history or modern history of India, most of the persons who inspired people were not brahmins. Rama, Krishna, Gautama were not. Gandhi, S.C.Bose, Vivekananda, Ambedkar were not! Lot of modern Gurus are not. If every section of Hindu society does not take collective ownership, Hinduism will soon be wiped out!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Weaknesses of Hindu Religion #1
Weaknesses of Hindu Religion #1
1) More Ritual, No teaching
Despite having its roots in the deep thoughts of enlightened beings (the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita), the Hindu religion that we see today is highly ritualized and lacks any basic moral teaching at temples other than the "do good" boards you see when you visit temples. Most of the moral teaching comes only by reading mythological books (puranas). Most children used to get their knowledge at home and the source was most likely their grandparents. Now children no longer live along with their grandparents and most Indian middle class parents are too busy trying to make a living. So far, I have only talked about educated families. But what about children with uneducated grandparents or parents? They are the most vulnerable to religious conversion because they must have not heard of any teaching in their lifetime except for a few lessons about inspiring persons at school. Unfortunately the priest has failed to do his primary job of imparting moral education from sutras and sastras to the common man. If generations are brought up like this, they do not even show any interest even if such a teaching is available to them. I have seen in ISKCON temples in the US where most Indians stay for the ritual and prasad but they walk away as soon as someone starts to give a talk or read from the Bhagavad Gita. This lack of teaching creates misunderstanding and varied and differing opinions about the great law of Karma.
But the biggest ray of hope today lies in the emerging Gurus who are imparting teachings to the great Indian middle class. They are creating a better understanding of the ancient teachings to the common man, giving techniques to make life happier for oneself and for the sangha as a whole. These are the real Buddhas and Krishnas of modern age and I offer my respects to all of them. The "age of priest is fading away and making way to the age of the guru". The guru can come from any class or caste! (no reservations here). I urge all the priests to start looking for something else to do. Even if you don't your governments will make sure you go ! I will talk about endowments departments later!
1) More Ritual, No teaching
Despite having its roots in the deep thoughts of enlightened beings (the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita), the Hindu religion that we see today is highly ritualized and lacks any basic moral teaching at temples other than the "do good" boards you see when you visit temples. Most of the moral teaching comes only by reading mythological books (puranas). Most children used to get their knowledge at home and the source was most likely their grandparents. Now children no longer live along with their grandparents and most Indian middle class parents are too busy trying to make a living. So far, I have only talked about educated families. But what about children with uneducated grandparents or parents? They are the most vulnerable to religious conversion because they must have not heard of any teaching in their lifetime except for a few lessons about inspiring persons at school. Unfortunately the priest has failed to do his primary job of imparting moral education from sutras and sastras to the common man. If generations are brought up like this, they do not even show any interest even if such a teaching is available to them. I have seen in ISKCON temples in the US where most Indians stay for the ritual and prasad but they walk away as soon as someone starts to give a talk or read from the Bhagavad Gita. This lack of teaching creates misunderstanding and varied and differing opinions about the great law of Karma.
But the biggest ray of hope today lies in the emerging Gurus who are imparting teachings to the great Indian middle class. They are creating a better understanding of the ancient teachings to the common man, giving techniques to make life happier for oneself and for the sangha as a whole. These are the real Buddhas and Krishnas of modern age and I offer my respects to all of them. The "age of priest is fading away and making way to the age of the guru". The guru can come from any class or caste! (no reservations here). I urge all the priests to start looking for something else to do. Even if you don't your governments will make sure you go ! I will talk about endowments departments later!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Status of Women
I was looking on the internet for a quote relating to society respecting women and prosperity dwelling thereupon. I have heard it before. I thought there would be a sanskrit quote. But looks like there is none. If anyone of you know let me know by posting a comment. But I found one by Sathya Sai Baba. Here it is.
"Wherever women are honored there is prosperity and happiness. Women should never be slighted or treated with disrespect. A home in which the housewife sheds tears will be bereft of all prosperity. This is the ancient conception of the role of women in the home”.
It looks like in ancient India, women enjoyed more respect and freedoms than what we see today. It is evident from the concept of female goddesses and the existence of many literate and great women in the puranas (mythological stories). This concept is not seen in the west. It looks like the status of women was reduced because of invasions from middle eastern countries. Some people say that the practice of child marriage that was prevalent even to the early 1900s started because the invading armies were kidnapping young unmarried girls but were not taking away those who were married. To avoid their girls being taken away, people started marrying girls before puberty! Anyway, history is of not much importance to me but I would like to stress the problems faced by women and the Indian society as a whole in the present day.
1) Dowry
No one knows who in history came up initially with the concept of dowry, but that person or persons are responsible for a lot of ugly karma that happens today because of dowry. This practice has created a great frustration and unease in the society. It is one of the traditional practices or parampara that needs to be dropped immediately. It is prevalent among almost all sections of the Indian society irrespective of religion, caste, language. The severity varies among different castes with the maximum amounts seen in landlord or feudal castes.
Dowry system is one of the major factor that is hindering the people in the society from living happily and without worries. It is the major reason for peoples preferring a male child over a female child and the cause of the most evil practice of female foeticide that seems to be happening in India. People are worried right from the birth of a female child. Because the female child is seen as a liability, it gets lower status in home and gets lower priority in getting nutrition, education etc. This practice is causing misery for lots of parents with girl children. Also because of the lower status, a girl child is expected to be very obedient and disciplined by restricting her wishes and dreams and carry on like this so that she will be easily accepted as a bride by an other family even though her parents cannot afford to pay a big sum in dowry. I have to clarify that not every section of society is involved in receiving dowry. But the percentage is big. The progressive percentage is lower.
2) Female Foeticide & Dharmic religion take on abortion
Though India has banned the determination of a baby's gender before it is born, the modern techniques can show this and some people are taking advantage of it and terminating pregnancies with female fetuses. Again please do not jump at me. This is a very small percentage but it is being reported in news. Here I have to talk about dharmic religions take on abortions. A soul or consciousness chooses its parents from the very many choices available to it according to its karmic baggage. The intention of the consciousness is to take up the body to work out its karma. Selective to gender or not, abortion is ugly ugly ugly karma. I think abortion can be justified only in the cases of rape (where the rapist accumulates the bad karma) or if there is a major flaw in fetus formation. But if a couple do not want kids, they should take the proper precautions available to them.
3) Eve Teasing
To some extent boys and girls teasing each other is natural and fun as long as it is consensual. But there is a term called eve teasing in India which is only one way and done by force. It takes up ugly proportions and go as far as rape and throwing acid! Yes, it is true throwing acid! The ugly practice has its roots in mans lust and it is magnified by the separation of genders culture (which has eased a lot now). Boys and girls do not get to interact much thanks to the middle eastern invasions again. Also we see in the news that most of the worst eve teasers are boys of politicians and police officers who abuse power.
4)The Monsters in Law
To end this in a comedic note again, mother-in-law and father-in-law are a big problem not only in Indian society but everywhere I guess. They are literally monsters. This problem has its roots in ego and this problem is the most difficult to solve! Father-in-law can be excused because he is not a woman but I have no sympathies with a bad mother-in-law. If she suffered due to her in-laws it is not good thinking on her part to carry that parampara. It is just accumulating bad karma. If you really had issues with your bad mother-in-law, give her a hard time when she is a old woman and about to die if you really really cannot forgive her. If you did not get a chance to settle scores, I pity you. (But remember forgiveness is always the best karma.) But don't take it on your daughter-in-law. You will be accumulating more bad karma. This women problem is very difficult to solve and I think the male chauvinist Manu guy recognized it well. Ditch the Manu and let Buddha or Krishna help you.
Because of the large percentage of stereotyped in-laws prejudices are built up and the new daughter-in-law also is very cautious from the beginning and could give a hard time to in-laws also.
I might be expanding this post more or add a follow up post after you send in your comments.
"Wherever women are honored there is prosperity and happiness. Women should never be slighted or treated with disrespect. A home in which the housewife sheds tears will be bereft of all prosperity. This is the ancient conception of the role of women in the home”.
It looks like in ancient India, women enjoyed more respect and freedoms than what we see today. It is evident from the concept of female goddesses and the existence of many literate and great women in the puranas (mythological stories). This concept is not seen in the west. It looks like the status of women was reduced because of invasions from middle eastern countries. Some people say that the practice of child marriage that was prevalent even to the early 1900s started because the invading armies were kidnapping young unmarried girls but were not taking away those who were married. To avoid their girls being taken away, people started marrying girls before puberty! Anyway, history is of not much importance to me but I would like to stress the problems faced by women and the Indian society as a whole in the present day.
1) Dowry
No one knows who in history came up initially with the concept of dowry, but that person or persons are responsible for a lot of ugly karma that happens today because of dowry. This practice has created a great frustration and unease in the society. It is one of the traditional practices or parampara that needs to be dropped immediately. It is prevalent among almost all sections of the Indian society irrespective of religion, caste, language. The severity varies among different castes with the maximum amounts seen in landlord or feudal castes.
Dowry system is one of the major factor that is hindering the people in the society from living happily and without worries. It is the major reason for peoples preferring a male child over a female child and the cause of the most evil practice of female foeticide that seems to be happening in India. People are worried right from the birth of a female child. Because the female child is seen as a liability, it gets lower status in home and gets lower priority in getting nutrition, education etc. This practice is causing misery for lots of parents with girl children. Also because of the lower status, a girl child is expected to be very obedient and disciplined by restricting her wishes and dreams and carry on like this so that she will be easily accepted as a bride by an other family even though her parents cannot afford to pay a big sum in dowry. I have to clarify that not every section of society is involved in receiving dowry. But the percentage is big. The progressive percentage is lower.
2) Female Foeticide & Dharmic religion take on abortion
Though India has banned the determination of a baby's gender before it is born, the modern techniques can show this and some people are taking advantage of it and terminating pregnancies with female fetuses. Again please do not jump at me. This is a very small percentage but it is being reported in news. Here I have to talk about dharmic religions take on abortions. A soul or consciousness chooses its parents from the very many choices available to it according to its karmic baggage. The intention of the consciousness is to take up the body to work out its karma. Selective to gender or not, abortion is ugly ugly ugly karma. I think abortion can be justified only in the cases of rape (where the rapist accumulates the bad karma) or if there is a major flaw in fetus formation. But if a couple do not want kids, they should take the proper precautions available to them.
3) Eve Teasing
To some extent boys and girls teasing each other is natural and fun as long as it is consensual. But there is a term called eve teasing in India which is only one way and done by force. It takes up ugly proportions and go as far as rape and throwing acid! Yes, it is true throwing acid! The ugly practice has its roots in mans lust and it is magnified by the separation of genders culture (which has eased a lot now). Boys and girls do not get to interact much thanks to the middle eastern invasions again. Also we see in the news that most of the worst eve teasers are boys of politicians and police officers who abuse power.
4)The Monsters in Law
To end this in a comedic note again, mother-in-law and father-in-law are a big problem not only in Indian society but everywhere I guess. They are literally monsters. This problem has its roots in ego and this problem is the most difficult to solve! Father-in-law can be excused because he is not a woman but I have no sympathies with a bad mother-in-law. If she suffered due to her in-laws it is not good thinking on her part to carry that parampara. It is just accumulating bad karma. If you really had issues with your bad mother-in-law, give her a hard time when she is a old woman and about to die if you really really cannot forgive her. If you did not get a chance to settle scores, I pity you. (But remember forgiveness is always the best karma.) But don't take it on your daughter-in-law. You will be accumulating more bad karma. This women problem is very difficult to solve and I think the male chauvinist Manu guy recognized it well. Ditch the Manu and let Buddha or Krishna help you.
Because of the large percentage of stereotyped in-laws prejudices are built up and the new daughter-in-law also is very cautious from the beginning and could give a hard time to in-laws also.
I might be expanding this post more or add a follow up post after you send in your comments.
Mixed Race
This post might not fall either in Cool Dharma or Ugly Karma category but I would like to post it.
Indians are definitely a mixed race. Some people refute this but just by looking at the different skin colors and nose shapes, we can easily tell about a mixed origin. Look at people from China or Africa or Europe and notice that there is not so much diversity.
I feel there were two waves of human migration into India. First one from Africa and the second one from somewhere in Caspian Sea area or Southern Russia. Those people would have brought the cows and horses along with them and this could be one of the reasons why cow is sacred!
We are what we are and we need to accept it and integrate much more.
Indians are definitely a mixed race. Some people refute this but just by looking at the different skin colors and nose shapes, we can easily tell about a mixed origin. Look at people from China or Africa or Europe and notice that there is not so much diversity.
I feel there were two waves of human migration into India. First one from Africa and the second one from somewhere in Caspian Sea area or Southern Russia. Those people would have brought the cows and horses along with them and this could be one of the reasons why cow is sacred!
We are what we are and we need to accept it and integrate much more.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Corruption and Ugly Karma
The greatest evil that has been plaguing Indian society is corruption. Corruption is the main cause of the high poverty level in India and has been the cause of misery, despair and frustration of the common man. Corruption is prevalent almost everywhere and the root cause for this is the greedy politicians and public officials who want to make money through every possible resource available to them while they are in power.
The greatest extent of corruption will be seen the public sector or the government services. One has to keep paying more than the prescribed fees ( 2 to 3 times or more!) to get anything done. For example get a drivers license, permit for building, extension of current dwelling, getting a passport, a birth or death certificate, obtaining a clearance for manufacturing, getting a new power connection, getting a transcript / marks list from a public university, getting an income tax clearance, and the list is endless! The extra money collected is distributed from the big bosses to the clerk who collects the money. It extends to law enforcement where criminals can get away with anything (even terrorism) and to judiciary. I am not saying that 100% of the public officials and politicians are corrupt, but according to my experience it is a majority. I think the honest minority will be ridiculed everyday and their lives will be miserable. I pity them.
Corruption does not stop there. It shows its ugly face in the private businesses like real estate, health care, education and many other places like this. The reasons are high demand and low supply due to overpopulation or connection to government permits for building etc. What I have personally observed is that though lot of people do not like this practice (both taking bribes and giving), they are led helplessly into the system. If an individual tries to resist it, that person will be ruined economically, socially and mentally by hook or crook. The rule to survive is though you are honest, do not protest and play the game for your safety!
I have the fortune of speaking to my grandfather (who was a 28 year old young man in 1947 when India got independence) regarding his opinion about corruption in the early 1990s. His opinion was, though the British had an agenda of exploiting the vast natural resources of the country and using its strategic position in trade between Europe, Africa and East Asia, they did not let corruption to be seen in public services. They hired the best and honest among Indians, built good infrastructure in the big cities. Some people say that even today the big cities in India like Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata are running on the same sewage systems and public transportation systems that were built by the British for 1/4 th of their current populations! After independence the new found freedoms saw avenues for making easy money in public services. Also the quality of people who were recruited has degraded so much due to various reasons and corruption mushroomed. All the money earned by corruption is being stored in Swiss banks and some unofficial figures tell that Indians have the largest reserves in Swiss secret accounts. It is ridiculous for a country like India where almost 25% of the population is below poverty line to has such money hidden away.
The way this problem has been built up and penetrated every aspect of the society, it is hard to untangle it just by passing more laws (by the same politicians who indulge in corruption?) , agitation or protests by a few people. The solution for this problem lies in an increased level of moral values and discipline of the future generation. And this can be achieved either by believing in the wrath of a higher being like the monotheists do or by understanding the destructive power of bad karma. Ones accumulated karma can be a good friend or ones worst enemy. The Law or Dharma is neutral that does not show favoritism but one should realize that it is unforgiving when dealing with ugly karma. The individuals who indulge in such actions should realize how much physical, mental and emotional harm they are committing on others and to the sangha or society as a whole by indulging in corrupt practices.
Buddhism asks us to seek the sangha as a refuge. Corruption ends up making the sangha impure and one who corrupts cannot take refuge in the same sangha in times of need. Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita about the demoniac nature as follows. "They believe that to gratify the senses is the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus until the end of life their anxiety is immeasurable. Bound by a network of hundreds of thousands of desires and absorbed in lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification."
My advice for people for now is try to avoid getting involved, but if you find yourself in a situation where you have to give a bribe to get things done, please play safe and play along. I strongly feel that the solution does not lie in protesting and getting into trouble but by correcting it in a long term fashion.
The greatest extent of corruption will be seen the public sector or the government services. One has to keep paying more than the prescribed fees ( 2 to 3 times or more!) to get anything done. For example get a drivers license, permit for building, extension of current dwelling, getting a passport, a birth or death certificate, obtaining a clearance for manufacturing, getting a new power connection, getting a transcript / marks list from a public university, getting an income tax clearance, and the list is endless! The extra money collected is distributed from the big bosses to the clerk who collects the money. It extends to law enforcement where criminals can get away with anything (even terrorism) and to judiciary. I am not saying that 100% of the public officials and politicians are corrupt, but according to my experience it is a majority. I think the honest minority will be ridiculed everyday and their lives will be miserable. I pity them.
Corruption does not stop there. It shows its ugly face in the private businesses like real estate, health care, education and many other places like this. The reasons are high demand and low supply due to overpopulation or connection to government permits for building etc. What I have personally observed is that though lot of people do not like this practice (both taking bribes and giving), they are led helplessly into the system. If an individual tries to resist it, that person will be ruined economically, socially and mentally by hook or crook. The rule to survive is though you are honest, do not protest and play the game for your safety!
I have the fortune of speaking to my grandfather (who was a 28 year old young man in 1947 when India got independence) regarding his opinion about corruption in the early 1990s. His opinion was, though the British had an agenda of exploiting the vast natural resources of the country and using its strategic position in trade between Europe, Africa and East Asia, they did not let corruption to be seen in public services. They hired the best and honest among Indians, built good infrastructure in the big cities. Some people say that even today the big cities in India like Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata are running on the same sewage systems and public transportation systems that were built by the British for 1/4 th of their current populations! After independence the new found freedoms saw avenues for making easy money in public services. Also the quality of people who were recruited has degraded so much due to various reasons and corruption mushroomed. All the money earned by corruption is being stored in Swiss banks and some unofficial figures tell that Indians have the largest reserves in Swiss secret accounts. It is ridiculous for a country like India where almost 25% of the population is below poverty line to has such money hidden away.
The way this problem has been built up and penetrated every aspect of the society, it is hard to untangle it just by passing more laws (by the same politicians who indulge in corruption?) , agitation or protests by a few people. The solution for this problem lies in an increased level of moral values and discipline of the future generation. And this can be achieved either by believing in the wrath of a higher being like the monotheists do or by understanding the destructive power of bad karma. Ones accumulated karma can be a good friend or ones worst enemy. The Law or Dharma is neutral that does not show favoritism but one should realize that it is unforgiving when dealing with ugly karma. The individuals who indulge in such actions should realize how much physical, mental and emotional harm they are committing on others and to the sangha or society as a whole by indulging in corrupt practices.
Buddhism asks us to seek the sangha as a refuge. Corruption ends up making the sangha impure and one who corrupts cannot take refuge in the same sangha in times of need. Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita about the demoniac nature as follows. "They believe that to gratify the senses is the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus until the end of life their anxiety is immeasurable. Bound by a network of hundreds of thousands of desires and absorbed in lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification."
My advice for people for now is try to avoid getting involved, but if you find yourself in a situation where you have to give a bribe to get things done, please play safe and play along. I strongly feel that the solution does not lie in protesting and getting into trouble but by correcting it in a long term fashion.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Great Indian Modern Ongoing Injustice
There have been many injustices done to individuals or to certain sections of society throughout history. I would like to talk about the "The Great Indian Modern Ongoing Injustice" which is ruining the Indian society by dividing and corrupting it and making things worse day by day for the past 62 years! Well you must have guessed by now what I am talking about. The Indian Reservation System or the Affirmative action system.
Here I list facts, ills and oddities of this system. I might add more points after reading a few times.
Please post your comments and thoughts.
1) It has been put in place to help certain sections of the society and was intended to be active only until 10 years after independence in 1947.
2) But politicians kept it alive till now and grew it from a small weed to a big monster (in terms of the extent of reservations). Now they want to keep adding different sections of the society for vote bank politics.
3) Instead of taking the venom out of the wealthy land lords who have oppressed the weaker sections of the society, the reservation system attacks the economically poor so called forward castes.
4) The system ensures entry into public as well as private educational institutions for certain individuals ahead of others who scored better in the entrance examinations.
5) It does not stop there, it ensures securing jobs in government and public sector organizations. Well it does not even stop there. It ensures them to get promoted ahead of others who perform better than them.
I think you can see why the public, municipal and government services and the public sector are pathetic and under performing.
6) I think though this system has been created with an intention of providing social justice to certain sections of the society, it is doing long term injustice to the Indian nation as a whole by promoting under performance, corruption and lower morality.
7) If the deserving people were given the right opportunities, they would have created better opportunities and lifestyle for the society as a whole.
8) The emergence of the private sector came as a boon for many deserving candidates. Private sector does not discriminate (as of now! But some politicians are trying to force this system into the private sector also after eying its successes.) and created many opportunities and avenues for exhibiting brilliance. Hiring a person with a science degree (B.Sc) who could not utilize reservation proved better for a private organization rather than hiring a person with a more sought out degree (B.Tech/B.E) who got entry through reservation.
9) The politicians should work on trying to provide a better and free public education system for all rather than putting this reservation system in place. There should be a time line to end this system forever.
9b) Even if it is not ended completely at least there should be a rule making sure that if a person has already taken advantage of this unfair reservation system, his or her children and grand children will not be eligible for reservations. The person who has taken advantage of this system should have made provisions for his children to get a good education and compete in the "open market".
10) People talk about injustices done long time back and try to justify this system. Injustices were also done by invading armies from the middle east as well as by occupying imperial forces. Can we ask them compensation now?
11) The real injustice was done by the land lords and even now they cannot be touched! because they are the dominant castes in politics. Only the poor forward castes are targeted.
12) One great thing is the politicians did not want the armed forces (army, navy and air force) to have reservations! May be they were fearing disloyal officers who can indulge in coups and take over the so called democratic government that they run. They want honest and moral people there! and fortunately it has been that way in India.
13)To end this with a comedic note, I think politicians should force reservation system into the music and entertainment industries of bollywood, kollywood, tollywood, punjabiwood, bengaliwood etc also. The high caste Kapoors, Khans, Bachchans, Mangeshkars, Mukherjees of Bollywood and Kammas from Tollywood are making too much money ;-)
Here I list facts, ills and oddities of this system. I might add more points after reading a few times.
Please post your comments and thoughts.
1) It has been put in place to help certain sections of the society and was intended to be active only until 10 years after independence in 1947.
2) But politicians kept it alive till now and grew it from a small weed to a big monster (in terms of the extent of reservations). Now they want to keep adding different sections of the society for vote bank politics.
3) Instead of taking the venom out of the wealthy land lords who have oppressed the weaker sections of the society, the reservation system attacks the economically poor so called forward castes.
4) The system ensures entry into public as well as private educational institutions for certain individuals ahead of others who scored better in the entrance examinations.
5) It does not stop there, it ensures securing jobs in government and public sector organizations. Well it does not even stop there. It ensures them to get promoted ahead of others who perform better than them.
I think you can see why the public, municipal and government services and the public sector are pathetic and under performing.
6) I think though this system has been created with an intention of providing social justice to certain sections of the society, it is doing long term injustice to the Indian nation as a whole by promoting under performance, corruption and lower morality.
7) If the deserving people were given the right opportunities, they would have created better opportunities and lifestyle for the society as a whole.
8) The emergence of the private sector came as a boon for many deserving candidates. Private sector does not discriminate (as of now! But some politicians are trying to force this system into the private sector also after eying its successes.) and created many opportunities and avenues for exhibiting brilliance. Hiring a person with a science degree (B.Sc) who could not utilize reservation proved better for a private organization rather than hiring a person with a more sought out degree (B.Tech/B.E) who got entry through reservation.
9) The politicians should work on trying to provide a better and free public education system for all rather than putting this reservation system in place. There should be a time line to end this system forever.
9b) Even if it is not ended completely at least there should be a rule making sure that if a person has already taken advantage of this unfair reservation system, his or her children and grand children will not be eligible for reservations. The person who has taken advantage of this system should have made provisions for his children to get a good education and compete in the "open market".
10) People talk about injustices done long time back and try to justify this system. Injustices were also done by invading armies from the middle east as well as by occupying imperial forces. Can we ask them compensation now?
11) The real injustice was done by the land lords and even now they cannot be touched! because they are the dominant castes in politics. Only the poor forward castes are targeted.
12) One great thing is the politicians did not want the armed forces (army, navy and air force) to have reservations! May be they were fearing disloyal officers who can indulge in coups and take over the so called democratic government that they run. They want honest and moral people there! and fortunately it has been that way in India.
13)To end this with a comedic note, I think politicians should force reservation system into the music and entertainment industries of bollywood, kollywood, tollywood, punjabiwood, bengaliwood etc also. The high caste Kapoors, Khans, Bachchans, Mangeshkars, Mukherjees of Bollywood and Kammas from Tollywood are making too much money ;-)
Friday, August 14, 2009
Dharmic Vs Monotheistic religion : A logical comparison # 11
Dharmic Vs Monotheistic religion : A logical comparison # 11
11) Reaching the unwilling Vs Un-conditioning the willing
Mono-theistic religions try to "reach the unreached" without considering if one is willing or unwilling. It used to be done forcibly before and now it is done by offending and associating other beliefs and practices with evil.
Dharmic religions on the other hand do not try to reach unwilling people. They try to un-condition the conditioned minds of willing individuals to see the reality. Buddhism can do a great job at this because it states the problem statement first, works towards eliminating the problem and can be practiced with least amount of paraphernalia.
11) Reaching the unwilling Vs Un-conditioning the willing
Mono-theistic religions try to "reach the unreached" without considering if one is willing or unwilling. It used to be done forcibly before and now it is done by offending and associating other beliefs and practices with evil.
Dharmic religions on the other hand do not try to reach unwilling people. They try to un-condition the conditioned minds of willing individuals to see the reality. Buddhism can do a great job at this because it states the problem statement first, works towards eliminating the problem and can be practiced with least amount of paraphernalia.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Dharmic Vs Monotheistic religion : A logical comparison # 10
Dharmic Vs Mono-theistic religion : A logical comparison # 10
10) Religious Conversion
Mono-theistic religions try to convert others into their religion. This stems from the built in intolerance of any other views that oppose theirs. In the medieval period wars were waged and people were converted by force. In the modern world religious groups try to convert the most vulnerable from any society by promising them better future/social status and by demonizing and ridiculing the native belief and practices. But they seem to forget the atrocities committed by their own like waging wars, keeping slaves and eliminating native populations in conquered lands. They also offer a helping hand during calamities in the pretext of gaining more followers.
Dharmic religions on the other hand do not make efforts to convert people into their religions. This is because of the idea of reincarnation or rebirth. The individual soul or consciousness chooses a particular birth according to its free will that is allowed by its past karma baggage. But the belief is no birth (into whatever religion) is useless. Every birth leads that soul or consciousness towards the goal of nirvana or moksha.
10) Religious Conversion
Mono-theistic religions try to convert others into their religion. This stems from the built in intolerance of any other views that oppose theirs. In the medieval period wars were waged and people were converted by force. In the modern world religious groups try to convert the most vulnerable from any society by promising them better future/social status and by demonizing and ridiculing the native belief and practices. But they seem to forget the atrocities committed by their own like waging wars, keeping slaves and eliminating native populations in conquered lands. They also offer a helping hand during calamities in the pretext of gaining more followers.
Dharmic religions on the other hand do not make efforts to convert people into their religions. This is because of the idea of reincarnation or rebirth. The individual soul or consciousness chooses a particular birth according to its free will that is allowed by its past karma baggage. But the belief is no birth (into whatever religion) is useless. Every birth leads that soul or consciousness towards the goal of nirvana or moksha.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Dharmic Vs Monotheistic religion : A logical comparison # 9
Dharmic Vs Mono-theistic religion : A logical comparison # 9
9) Exit from cycle of suffering
Mono-theistic religions ridicule the idea of re-incarnation or rebirth. I have already said in one of my posts that proving the existence of God or the idea of re-incarnation is impossible. I have also why re-incarnation is more logical that one unequal birth. Mono-theistic religions argue that they can provide a faster path to heaven in one life whereas the dharmic religions talk about an endless cycle of birth and death.
This is not true. Firstly heaven is a place and is not premanent. Exit from cycle of birth, suffering and death (samsara) is NOT ONLY when one has earned enough positive karma though that is one way but a very long way to get to Nirvana. Both Buddha and Krishna have reiterated that exit from the cycle of samsara is possible right now and in the present moment. The knowledge to overcome the illusion and delusion is enough to burn all the negative karma that has been accumulated over countless births and lead one to nirvana / moksha. This has been stated in Bhagavad Gita as well as Buddha's sutras. For some, the complete understanding of the first noble truth stated by Buddha is enough for enlightenment! For others following the noble eight fold path or following one of the yogas stated by Krishna is prescribed to reach the ultimate goal.
9) Exit from cycle of suffering
Mono-theistic religions ridicule the idea of re-incarnation or rebirth. I have already said in one of my posts that proving the existence of God or the idea of re-incarnation is impossible. I have also why re-incarnation is more logical that one unequal birth. Mono-theistic religions argue that they can provide a faster path to heaven in one life whereas the dharmic religions talk about an endless cycle of birth and death.
This is not true. Firstly heaven is a place and is not premanent. Exit from cycle of birth, suffering and death (samsara) is NOT ONLY when one has earned enough positive karma though that is one way but a very long way to get to Nirvana. Both Buddha and Krishna have reiterated that exit from the cycle of samsara is possible right now and in the present moment. The knowledge to overcome the illusion and delusion is enough to burn all the negative karma that has been accumulated over countless births and lead one to nirvana / moksha. This has been stated in Bhagavad Gita as well as Buddha's sutras. For some, the complete understanding of the first noble truth stated by Buddha is enough for enlightenment! For others following the noble eight fold path or following one of the yogas stated by Krishna is prescribed to reach the ultimate goal.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Dharmic Vs Monotheistic religion : A logical comparison # 8
Dharmic Vs Mono-theistic religion : A logical comparison # 8
8) Conflicts / Agreements with science
Mono-theistic religions have always had and continue to have disagreements with science because they try to impose their views about creation, evolution, age of the earth and its location in the universe.
Dharmic look inwards and not outwards. So they do not have conflicts with science. They try to incorporate the new findings into their teachings. Also here are a few examples to show that ancient hindus and buddhists got it right.
1) Age of the Earth: There is a story about a monk asking Buddha about the duration of a kalpa which is a measure of time the ancient hindus used. Buddha told the monk that there is really no use for him to think about this but he went on to explain as follows. "There is a mountain that is 7 km high and has a 7km radius at the bottom. A man comes along every 100 years and tries to ware away the mountain using a silk cloth. (may be works on it for a day) It will take a kalpa to wear away the entire mountain." From this example it looks like he is talking millions or billions of years!
2) Sun at the center of the solar system: Even today if you will find the "Nava Graha" (9 planets) idols in Indian temples with "Surya" (Sun) is placed at the center. No more explanation required.
3) Evolution : The avatars or incarnations of hindu God Vishnu or Krishna are said to appear whenever there is a decline in Dharma and it needs to be supported. The avatars are
1) Matsya(Fish), 2) Kurma(tortoise/turtle) 3) Varaha (boar) 4) Narasimha (half man-half lion) 5) Vamana (short man) 6) Parasurama(hunting man?) 7) Rama (refined man) 8) Krishna (intelligent, fun loving naughty, enlightened) 9) Buddha (shows path of enlightenment and end of suffering to modern world) 10) Kalki (yet to come!)
It looks like the concept of evolution is considered here because we see life forms originating in the sea and slowly evolving to become more and more intelligent!
8) Conflicts / Agreements with science
Mono-theistic religions have always had and continue to have disagreements with science because they try to impose their views about creation, evolution, age of the earth and its location in the universe.
Dharmic look inwards and not outwards. So they do not have conflicts with science. They try to incorporate the new findings into their teachings. Also here are a few examples to show that ancient hindus and buddhists got it right.
1) Age of the Earth: There is a story about a monk asking Buddha about the duration of a kalpa which is a measure of time the ancient hindus used. Buddha told the monk that there is really no use for him to think about this but he went on to explain as follows. "There is a mountain that is 7 km high and has a 7km radius at the bottom. A man comes along every 100 years and tries to ware away the mountain using a silk cloth. (may be works on it for a day) It will take a kalpa to wear away the entire mountain." From this example it looks like he is talking millions or billions of years!
2) Sun at the center of the solar system: Even today if you will find the "Nava Graha" (9 planets) idols in Indian temples with "Surya" (Sun) is placed at the center. No more explanation required.
3) Evolution : The avatars or incarnations of hindu God Vishnu or Krishna are said to appear whenever there is a decline in Dharma and it needs to be supported. The avatars are
1) Matsya(Fish), 2) Kurma(tortoise/turtle) 3) Varaha (boar) 4) Narasimha (half man-half lion) 5) Vamana (short man) 6) Parasurama(hunting man?) 7) Rama (refined man) 8) Krishna (intelligent, fun loving naughty, enlightened) 9) Buddha (shows path of enlightenment and end of suffering to modern world) 10) Kalki (yet to come!)
It looks like the concept of evolution is considered here because we see life forms originating in the sea and slowly evolving to become more and more intelligent!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Dharmic Vs Monotheistic religion : A logical comparison # 7
Dharmic Vs Mono-theistic religion : A logical comparison # 7
7) One chance and Inequality
Mono-theistic religions talk about only one life everyone lives. And depending on if you have surrendered yourself and accepted a particular God you go to heaven to enjoy for eternity. Else you go to hell for eternity!
If it is this way
1) why did God make it easy for some to achieve heaven (born into the "right" religion, born into a rich family or a religious family)
2) why do some have to suffer a lot (born into poverty, bad parents, "wrong" religion!)
3) If the above mentioned people are judged in the same way, it is not like giving a PhD level mathematics test to a kindergarten student?
4) If you are born into the wrong religion, does this mean that God showered less grace on you compared to others? If it is true, then why?
5) If there is only one life, everyone should have been equipped the same way to face judgement.
6) Even if one fails a driving test, they will be given one more chance. Why does God give only one life and one chance.
Dharmic religions give not one chance but many chances or lives to progress towards the goal of Nirvana or Moksha. It is up to the individual soul or consciousness to take the fast path and end the suffering of samsara (the cycle of life and death) and enter Nirvana. The inequalities are explained in the form of past accumulated karma baggage. Some are born into rich families, well educated religious families if their past good karma allowed them. Also the soul gets what it aspires (to be born into a mono-theistic religion or as an atheist could be some of the aspirations). The individual soul or consciousness chooses a particular re-birth to work on improving certain aspect of its personality (for example becoming more generous). A soul could also fall in the animal kingdom if its past karma is not good but will eventually be born as a human again after the bad karma is exhausted by suffering an animals life. So every consciousness is brought under the umbrella of the LAW or Dharma.
7) One chance and Inequality
Mono-theistic religions talk about only one life everyone lives. And depending on if you have surrendered yourself and accepted a particular God you go to heaven to enjoy for eternity. Else you go to hell for eternity!
If it is this way
1) why did God make it easy for some to achieve heaven (born into the "right" religion, born into a rich family or a religious family)
2) why do some have to suffer a lot (born into poverty, bad parents, "wrong" religion!)
3) If the above mentioned people are judged in the same way, it is not like giving a PhD level mathematics test to a kindergarten student?
4) If you are born into the wrong religion, does this mean that God showered less grace on you compared to others? If it is true, then why?
5) If there is only one life, everyone should have been equipped the same way to face judgement.
6) Even if one fails a driving test, they will be given one more chance. Why does God give only one life and one chance.
Dharmic religions give not one chance but many chances or lives to progress towards the goal of Nirvana or Moksha. It is up to the individual soul or consciousness to take the fast path and end the suffering of samsara (the cycle of life and death) and enter Nirvana. The inequalities are explained in the form of past accumulated karma baggage. Some are born into rich families, well educated religious families if their past good karma allowed them. Also the soul gets what it aspires (to be born into a mono-theistic religion or as an atheist could be some of the aspirations). The individual soul or consciousness chooses a particular re-birth to work on improving certain aspect of its personality (for example becoming more generous). A soul could also fall in the animal kingdom if its past karma is not good but will eventually be born as a human again after the bad karma is exhausted by suffering an animals life. So every consciousness is brought under the umbrella of the LAW or Dharma.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Dharmic Vs Monotheistic religion : A logical comparison # 6
Dharmic Vs Mono-theistic religion : A logical comparison # 6
6) Concept of God
Mono-theistic religion has a concept of a partial God who takes care of only those who believe in him and expects everyone to surrender to him. I say him because God in mono-theistic religions has a gender and is male. He has a plan and is constantly engaged in conflict with the bad guy (satan or shaitan).
1) But looks like he is not powerful enough to eliminate Satan or Shaitan completely!
2) nor powerful enough to have prevented his own creation to be born into other religions. If that God is the cause of creation and all knowing and all powerful, why would he allow other religions and all the ugly karma that happens everywhere?
3) By ensuring only one religion he could have saved the suffering of his own followers trying to convert others!
Dharmic religions are governed by the "LAW" or Dharma. The law is logical and does not discriminate any religion, sex or belief etc. It has the concept of karma points either positive or negative that determines the state of a particular soul or consciousness. And free will of that individual soul or consciousness determines its own state. Also Dharma or law does not have conflict with any bad guy. It is the soul or consciousness that constantly fights with the 6 enemy elements that have been discussed earlier.
Buddhism has no concept of God and does not place importance in trying to find out if there is a God or not. It gives importance only to end the suffering of an individual consciousness. Hinduism and other dharmic religions have concept of Brahman or a God but the God described there has the characteristics of the "LAW" and not that of a person. More of a neutral God, not partial and does not expect all beings to surrender to IT.
The other aspect you could see in Dharmic religions is the divine or Brahman manifesting itself in different forms (avatars) in different ages when the society forgets Dharma. It is like the enlightened beings (bodhisattvas) coming back again to help others reach enlightenment. Some of the gods in Hinduism are the ones that have been integrated from old religions and tribal religions that have been around. Even in Hinduism where you see many gods, you can rarely see clinging to God.
One more interesting thing you see in Hinduism is the inclusion of new Gods. For example the great sufi/hindu saint Sai Baba of Shirdi is worshipped as a God and his teachings have inspired many Hindus. So most of the Gods might have come this way!
6) Concept of God
Mono-theistic religion has a concept of a partial God who takes care of only those who believe in him and expects everyone to surrender to him. I say him because God in mono-theistic religions has a gender and is male. He has a plan and is constantly engaged in conflict with the bad guy (satan or shaitan).
1) But looks like he is not powerful enough to eliminate Satan or Shaitan completely!
2) nor powerful enough to have prevented his own creation to be born into other religions. If that God is the cause of creation and all knowing and all powerful, why would he allow other religions and all the ugly karma that happens everywhere?
3) By ensuring only one religion he could have saved the suffering of his own followers trying to convert others!
Dharmic religions are governed by the "LAW" or Dharma. The law is logical and does not discriminate any religion, sex or belief etc. It has the concept of karma points either positive or negative that determines the state of a particular soul or consciousness. And free will of that individual soul or consciousness determines its own state. Also Dharma or law does not have conflict with any bad guy. It is the soul or consciousness that constantly fights with the 6 enemy elements that have been discussed earlier.
Buddhism has no concept of God and does not place importance in trying to find out if there is a God or not. It gives importance only to end the suffering of an individual consciousness. Hinduism and other dharmic religions have concept of Brahman or a God but the God described there has the characteristics of the "LAW" and not that of a person. More of a neutral God, not partial and does not expect all beings to surrender to IT.
The other aspect you could see in Dharmic religions is the divine or Brahman manifesting itself in different forms (avatars) in different ages when the society forgets Dharma. It is like the enlightened beings (bodhisattvas) coming back again to help others reach enlightenment. Some of the gods in Hinduism are the ones that have been integrated from old religions and tribal religions that have been around. Even in Hinduism where you see many gods, you can rarely see clinging to God.
One more interesting thing you see in Hinduism is the inclusion of new Gods. For example the great sufi/hindu saint Sai Baba of Shirdi is worshipped as a God and his teachings have inspired many Hindus. So most of the Gods might have come this way!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Dharmic Vs Monotheistic religion : A logical comparison #5
Dharmic Vs Mono-theistic religion : A logical comparison #5
5) Coverage! for unconverted ancestors, animals and people born before prophets!
For example you converted to follow a mono-theistic religion. You might be saved and go to their heaven after your death. But what happens to your ancestors who were either atheists or followed an other religion. They would have gone to hell right? Is it OK with you to go and enjoy heaven while the parents or grandparents who lovingly brought you up have gone to hell to suffer? Mono-theistic religions only cover those who have converted in their lifetimes. Also animals have no way to get to heaven because they cannot understand anything to convert :-)
What happens to all the people who were born before the religions were born? For example the romans, the egyptians, the greeks, aztecs, ancient indians, chinese. Mono-theistic religions cannot explain the above.
Dharmic religions have universal coverage. Every life form has found itself in that state due to the karma of the consciousness that owns the particular body. Depending on one's karma and what one aspires, they will be born to such circumstances. (Mind it, only if their good karma allows it). For example, if a consciousness has a very bad karma baggage it will find itself in the body of an animal to be slaughtered for food though it aspires something else! A particular consciousness or soul could take up many bodies and follow different religions to satisfy its desires and aspirations. But it is always on the path towards the final goal. Some may need thousands of life times to reach the goal (nirvana or moksha) while some might need very few.
Secondly for those people who were born before the current Buddha or Krishna, they had other avatars / previous Buddhas who could have helped them to to get to nirvana!
5) Coverage! for unconverted ancestors, animals and people born before prophets!
For example you converted to follow a mono-theistic religion. You might be saved and go to their heaven after your death. But what happens to your ancestors who were either atheists or followed an other religion. They would have gone to hell right? Is it OK with you to go and enjoy heaven while the parents or grandparents who lovingly brought you up have gone to hell to suffer? Mono-theistic religions only cover those who have converted in their lifetimes. Also animals have no way to get to heaven because they cannot understand anything to convert :-)
What happens to all the people who were born before the religions were born? For example the romans, the egyptians, the greeks, aztecs, ancient indians, chinese. Mono-theistic religions cannot explain the above.
Dharmic religions have universal coverage. Every life form has found itself in that state due to the karma of the consciousness that owns the particular body. Depending on one's karma and what one aspires, they will be born to such circumstances. (Mind it, only if their good karma allows it). For example, if a consciousness has a very bad karma baggage it will find itself in the body of an animal to be slaughtered for food though it aspires something else! A particular consciousness or soul could take up many bodies and follow different religions to satisfy its desires and aspirations. But it is always on the path towards the final goal. Some may need thousands of life times to reach the goal (nirvana or moksha) while some might need very few.
Secondly for those people who were born before the current Buddha or Krishna, they had other avatars / previous Buddhas who could have helped them to to get to nirvana!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Dharmic Vs Monotheistic religion : A logical comparison #4
Dharmic Vs Mono-theistic religion : A logical comparison #4
4) The Bad guys
Mono-theistic religions have a personified concept of evil or the bad guy. Called satan or shaitan etc. Some times it is unfortunate to see that any philosophy or thought that does not agree with the native thought of the religion is pushed over to the evil or satan side. ( Many thoughts are associated with evil or satan though they may be very neutral thoughts that do not create any harm to the society or any individual. They might be just different opinions.)
Dharmic religions look inside oneself for the evil. Hinduism for example has the "Ari-shad-Varga" literally six enemy elements. They are 1) Kama (Bad Desire) 2) Krodha (Anger) 3) Lobha (Miserliness) 4) Moha (Delusion) 5) Mada (Pride, Arrogance) & 6) Matsarya (Envy, Jealousy). All these have to be defeated completely to achieve Nirvana. I think even if one can reduce the influence of these six enemies to some extent, that person can live more peacefully. Sometimes they are personified as Maya or Mara but this personification is within oneself and not an external entity. This concept can be seen in the Buddha's complete defeat of Mara before enlightenment.
4) The Bad guys
Mono-theistic religions have a personified concept of evil or the bad guy. Called satan or shaitan etc. Some times it is unfortunate to see that any philosophy or thought that does not agree with the native thought of the religion is pushed over to the evil or satan side. ( Many thoughts are associated with evil or satan though they may be very neutral thoughts that do not create any harm to the society or any individual. They might be just different opinions.)
Dharmic religions look inside oneself for the evil. Hinduism for example has the "Ari-shad-Varga" literally six enemy elements. They are 1) Kama (Bad Desire) 2) Krodha (Anger) 3) Lobha (Miserliness) 4) Moha (Delusion) 5) Mada (Pride, Arrogance) & 6) Matsarya (Envy, Jealousy). All these have to be defeated completely to achieve Nirvana. I think even if one can reduce the influence of these six enemies to some extent, that person can live more peacefully. Sometimes they are personified as Maya or Mara but this personification is within oneself and not an external entity. This concept can be seen in the Buddha's complete defeat of Mara before enlightenment.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Dharmic Vs Monotheistic religion : A logical comparison #3
Dharmic Vs Mono-theistic religion : A logical comparison
3) My way or the highway
Mono-theistic religions have the "my way or the highway" attitude. It is difficult for any religion either to prove the existence of God or the existence of re-incarnation/re-birth. Religion is not science. It is only a belief. It is quite illogical for some religions to claim that their God, book etc are the ultimate authority. Earth is a small speckle of dust in the entire universe that we are part of. How can one claim that a belief that originated in a tiny strip of land on the Mediterranean or in a desert is the ultimate truth. There is no proof and there can never be one unless their God appears to the entire humanity and makes a claim (like in a prime time conference!).
Dharmic religions on the other hand do not make any claims of authenticity. They have the "try it and see if it works for you" attitude. Here is one of Buddha's quotes. "Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it."
Dharmic religions preach un-conditioning from any conditioned state/tradition to escape the clutches of illusion and ignorance and achieve nirvana/moksha.
3) My way or the highway
Mono-theistic religions have the "my way or the highway" attitude. It is difficult for any religion either to prove the existence of God or the existence of re-incarnation/re-birth. Religion is not science. It is only a belief. It is quite illogical for some religions to claim that their God, book etc are the ultimate authority. Earth is a small speckle of dust in the entire universe that we are part of. How can one claim that a belief that originated in a tiny strip of land on the Mediterranean or in a desert is the ultimate truth. There is no proof and there can never be one unless their God appears to the entire humanity and makes a claim (like in a prime time conference!).
Dharmic religions on the other hand do not make any claims of authenticity. They have the "try it and see if it works for you" attitude. Here is one of Buddha's quotes. "Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it."
Dharmic religions preach un-conditioning from any conditioned state/tradition to escape the clutches of illusion and ignorance and achieve nirvana/moksha.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Dharmic Vs Monotheistic religion : A logical comparison #2
Dharmic Vs Mono-theistic religion : A logical comparison #2
2) Ultimate Goal/Destination
Mono-theistic religions have one goal called heaven or the preferred place. Only those who believe in their God have entry into it. Every one else (even other mono-theistic friends !) have to go to hell for eternity irrespective of how they lived. Who knows our mono-theistic friends might find themselves in each other's hells ! BTW even those who make it to heaven will be placed unequally depending on how strong their faith or belief is.
The goal of Dharmic religions is ultimate peace or bliss (nirvana or moksha). Fortunately this state (not place) is open to followers of other beliefs too. And progress towards this can be achieved by living many lives (may be following different faiths). One who attains Nirvana or Moksha is one with it. There is no inequality or different levels in it. As a word of caution, dharmic religions also talk about heaven or hell but they are not ultimate goals nor they are permanent. Every thing or place is impermanent except for Nirvana or Moksha. Also a God or gods do not bestow this on anyone. They only help you to get there by their teachings. eg. Buddha's eight fold path.
2) Ultimate Goal/Destination
Mono-theistic religions have one goal called heaven or the preferred place. Only those who believe in their God have entry into it. Every one else (even other mono-theistic friends !) have to go to hell for eternity irrespective of how they lived. Who knows our mono-theistic friends might find themselves in each other's hells ! BTW even those who make it to heaven will be placed unequally depending on how strong their faith or belief is.
The goal of Dharmic religions is ultimate peace or bliss (nirvana or moksha). Fortunately this state (not place) is open to followers of other beliefs too. And progress towards this can be achieved by living many lives (may be following different faiths). One who attains Nirvana or Moksha is one with it. There is no inequality or different levels in it. As a word of caution, dharmic religions also talk about heaven or hell but they are not ultimate goals nor they are permanent. Every thing or place is impermanent except for Nirvana or Moksha. Also a God or gods do not bestow this on anyone. They only help you to get there by their teachings. eg. Buddha's eight fold path.
Dharmic Vs Monotheistic religion : A logical comparison #1
I think there are 5 types of religions
1) mono-theistic (God clinging)
2) dharmic with God concept
3) dharmic without God concept
4) tribal religions
5) atheism (though it is not one!)
Dharmic Vs Mono-theistic : A logical comparison #1
1) Deed (Karma) Vs Belief, Faith
Mono-theistic religion does not recognize other paths. One has to believe in a particular God and a particular prophet figure and a particular book etc. Others who do not believe the above are literally bad, unholy infidels irrespective of their deeds and behavior. So belief or faith is very essential and there is conflict with others who do not believe in the same.
Dharmic religion is deed based. Belief and faith are not very important. Ones merit or demerit is based on what one does (karma) and how he behaves in the society rather than what one believes. Also dharmic religions recognize other paths as various paths to get to the same preferred destination. So conflict does not exist with other beliefs.
1) mono-theistic (God clinging)
2) dharmic with God concept
3) dharmic without God concept
4) tribal religions
5) atheism (though it is not one!)
Dharmic Vs Mono-theistic : A logical comparison #1
1) Deed (Karma) Vs Belief, Faith
Mono-theistic religion does not recognize other paths. One has to believe in a particular God and a particular prophet figure and a particular book etc. Others who do not believe the above are literally bad, unholy infidels irrespective of their deeds and behavior. So belief or faith is very essential and there is conflict with others who do not believe in the same.
Dharmic religion is deed based. Belief and faith are not very important. Ones merit or demerit is based on what one does (karma) and how he behaves in the society rather than what one believes. Also dharmic religions recognize other paths as various paths to get to the same preferred destination. So conflict does not exist with other beliefs.
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