Why am I a Hindu?

I wish to share a wonderful article that I received from my friend that changed my perspective to look at religion. 

Disclaimer: This post doesn't intend to create any hatred among people, nor intends to hurt anyones sentiments. Read and share if you like.... or stop reading further! 

I was flying from Mumbai to Delhi to attend a meeting.

An American girl was sitting on the right side, near window seat. It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly 2 hours.

I was surprised to see the young girl reading a Bible- unusual of young Americans. 

After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances talk. 

I told her that I am from Mumbai. 

Then suddenly the girl asked: 'What's your faith?' 'What?' I didn't understand the question.

'I mean, what's your religion? Are you a Christian? Or a Muslim?'

'No!' I replied, 'I am neither Christian nor Muslim'.

Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that. 'Then who are you?'

“I am a Hindu”, I said.

She looked at me as if she was seeing a caged animal. She could not understand what I was talking about. A common man in Europe or US knows about Christianity and Islam, as they are the leading religions of the world today.

But a Hindu, what?

I explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother. Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.

'Who is your prophet?' she asked.'

We don't have a prophet,' I replied.

'What's your Holy Book?'

'We don't have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of philosophical and sacred scriptures,'I replied.

'Oh, come on at least tell me who is your God?

'What do you mean by that?'

Like we have Jesus and Muslims have Allah - don't you have a God?'

I thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief. According to her (or anybody who doesn't know about Hinduism), a religion needs to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God. The mind is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that anything else is not acceptable.

I understood her perception and concept about faith. You can't compare Hinduism with any of the present leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of God.

I tried to explain to her: 'You can believe in one God and he can be a Hindu. You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a Hindu. What's more - you may not believe in God at all, still you can be a Hindu. An Atheist can also be a Hindu.'

This sounded very crazy to her. She couldn't imagine a religion so unorganized, still surviving for thousands of years, even after onslaught from foreign forces.

'I don't understand but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?'

What can I tell to this American girl?

I said: 'I do not go to Temple regularly. I do not make any regular rituals. I have learned some of the rituals in my younger days. I still enjoy doing it sometimes'.

'Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?'

'God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made any compulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly.'

She thought for a while and then asked: 'Have you ever thought of converting to any other religion?'

'Why should I? Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu allows me to think independently and objectively, without conditioning. I remain as a Hindu never by force, but choice.' 

I told her that Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by any one person or does not have an organized controlling body like the Church or the Order, I added. 

There is no institution or authority..

'So, you don't believe in God?' she wanted everything in black and white.

'I didn't say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture, or Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this universe.'

'Why can't you believe in one personal God?'

'We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers, demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense.

I don't think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him.' I told her that such notions are just fancies of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that generally ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal Gods.

The entry level Hinduism has overwhelming superstitions too. The philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions.

'Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray. What is your prayer then?'

'Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,'

'Funny,' she laughed, 'What does it mean?'

'May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Let there be Peace, Peace, and Peace everywhere.'

‘Hmm ...very interesting. I want to learn more about this religion. It is so democratic, broad-minded and free' she exclaimed.

'The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the individual and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita. It is all about an individual approaching a personal God in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution - it is as simple as that.

'How does anybody convert to Hinduism?'

'Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not a religion, but it is a Culture, a way of living life, a set of beliefs and practices.

Everything is acceptable in Hinduism because there is no single Authority or Organization either to accept you or to reject you or to oppose you on behalf of Hinduism.'

I told her - if you look for meaning in life, don't look for it in religions; don't go from one cult to another or from one Guru to the next.    

For a real seeker, I told her, the Bible itself gives guidelines when it says ' Kingdom of God is within you.' I reminded her of Christ's teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you can find the meaning of life.

Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real.

'Isavasyam idam sarvam' Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things as God.

That's what Hinduism teaches you. Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas. It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless and formless entity.

Ancestors of today's Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them. But there is a section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to make this an organized religion like others. The British coin the word 'Hindu' and considered it as a religion.

I said: 'Religions have become an MLM (multilevel- marketing) industry that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion.

The biggest business in today's world is Spirituality.

Hinduism is no exception- 'I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharma' means - Non-violence is the highest duty.

I am a Hindu because it doesn't condition my mind with any faith system.

A man/woman who changes his/her birth religion to another religion is a fake and does not value his/her morals, culture and values in life. Hinduism was the first faith/way of life/dharma....

Rubic Cube

Life is like a Rubik cube full of colours as problems. Solution faster the better!!!

The Cockroach Theory

Learning from the nature is an age old custom in India.  I would like to introduce you all something new. I call it: 

THE COCKROACH THEORY

 The most disgust creature for many, but a teacher for me. I admire its way of movement, stop look and proceed. Make an observation if you find one, it always stops by making a small move, scans for the threat, and then proceeds....

At Life's Roundabouts...Stop, Think, & Proceed, and be cautious when changing the lanes

Like cockroach if you don’t make a calculated move. You could miss out on life.

How Commited are you?

A wise man commits himself to whatever he does where as a fool complains about it. Ones commitment to his works includes accountability and immense responsibility.  This mantra should be followed by every individual. But in reality one has responsibility but does not have accountability. This is a man’s weakness and this results to disappointments.

‘Commitment’ the energy of one’s life and brings in excellence in whatever he does. He should not deviate from his path he has decided.  “One always finds his destiny on the way he tries to avoid it”.

But we should never forget commitment never means 'Stuck' We should always try swimming in new waters.  Without challenges life is shallow.

Dudo has always fascinated to observe nature and learn from the surroundings and read about animals. And has written so many observations and life lessons on it. 

Commitment should be learned from an eagle.

• It soars high, way above the clouds almost 5kms, but it still focuses on its prey lurking on earth.

Can’t we focus on our life and our goals?

• It never eats a dead prey    

Can’t we not rely on dead and outdated information?

• During storms it glides on the strong breeze… it tests its mighty wings and enjoys the challenges associated with it.

Can’t we  enjoy difficulties and convert them into challenges?

A lovely song by Miley Cyrus: “The Climb “ which is one of my favorites and is highly motivational and increases high spirits. It has wonderful lyrics.

 I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

One question you need to ask yourself "How committed am I?"

Hope you all have committed days ahead…:)

Gravity vs pride!!!

Sir Issac Newton said "What goes up must come down!!!"

But someone asked me  (a very close friend of mine) "Dude I'm no 1 in this world at the moment, Y do i feel m put down always. I have not reached great heights, why do i feel i have come down? N y do people treat me like this?"

DuDo- "Buddy its not you nor your feelings, what has come down, the one who said all this to you has his ego n false pride up at the periphery which is gonna come down any moment" 

This Too Shall Pass

DuDo was very depressed about his life.. But one day at his philosophy class his sensei told him a story. A Story about great KING SOLOMON who inspired him to move on.

It is dedicated to the extremely depressed souls and happy ones too. :)

The story goes like this:

One day Solomon decided to humble Benaiah ben Yehoyada, his most trusted minister. He said to him, "Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to wear it for Sukkot which gives you six months to find it."
"If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty," replied Benaiah, "I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?"

"It has magic powers," answered the king. "If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy." Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world, but he wished to give his minister a little taste of humility.

Spring passed and then summer, and still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring. On the night before Sukkot, he decided to take a walk in one of he poorest quarters of Jerusalem. He passed by a merchant who had begun to set out the day's wares on a shabby carpet. "Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrows?" asked Benaiah.
He watched the grandfather take a plain gold ring from his carpet and engrave something on it. When Benaiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile.

(DuDo's this too shall pass ring)

That night the entire city welcomed in the holiday of Sukkot with great festivity. "Well, my friend," said Solomon, "have you found what I sent you after?" All the ministers laughed and Solomon himself smiled.

To everyone's surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared, "Here it is, your majesty!" As soon as Solomon read the inscription, the smile vanished from his face. The jeweler had written three Hebrew letters on the gold band: _gimel, zayin, yud_, which began the words "_Gam zeh ya'avor_" -- "This too shall pass."

At that moment Solomon realized that all his wisdom and fabulous wealth and tremendous power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust.



Lesson That DuDo learned:

It means that when your heart is broken, and you feel like you've been punched in the stomach... this moment will soon be in the past and you will find relief in the next moment. Basically, no matter how bad things get, we as human beings have the opportunity to take something from the situation and move forward. We can make positive, healthy choices and overcome difficulties, pain, loss, sadness, grief, negativity, hurt... anything.... and we can have tomorrow. As long as we are alive, then we have the opportunity to turn anything around with the right attitude and course of action. Whether you have a terrible flu; a really bad day at work; or problems knee deep - "This too shall pass" is a powerful mantra that can empower and transport a horrible moment in time into something hopeful and dynamic.

Nothing lasts forever, even misery or joy.

Life Lessons

You dropped by to learn life lessons,
few manuscript to live your life,
I ain't a saint, but i scribble few words that i know;
Life is busy its not a game to play with.
Pretend to be a honest man,
even if you are the the most crooked.
Don't drink and drive,
you will spill it over by changing gears.
And you will loose your head,
and make it worse.
When going gets tough
remember that this too shall pass.
These are the only blank thoughts
As u can see Dudo is not that wise.
Remember its about the performance not the size
even a screw can bring down the whole factory
I wouldn't ask for a fee for the tips,
Coz there is no charge for awesomeness or attractiveness.

PS: Poem is inspired by quotes, So its also a dedication to the original authors.

Life Is A Spicy Lemonade - A Recpie

Recipe

Ingredients / Life

• 1 Lime - Your 100% commitment
• 2 tblsp Sugar - Happiness
• Pinch of Salt - Sorrows
• Pinch of cardamom - Friends
• Pinch of Cinnamon - Enemies
• 1 bottle Soda - Your life time.
• Mint leaves - luck and Adventure

Procedure

1. Squeeze the Lime and extract to the max
2. Add a pinch of Cardamom and Cinnamon
   
3. Sweeten it with Sugar /Honey
4. Won't taste better without a pinch of Salt
5. Shake it well with a bottle of Soda
6. Garnish it with a Zing of Mint leaves
   

Man vs Dog

Man is always compared with the dog. This is my attempt to write the qualities to learn from them.

I love to write about my lil monstor n wht i learn from his life n share it with u...

Never ever pretend who you are not.

As a food enthusiast love to "eat with gusto" like he does.

"Take naps when tired and stretches before u rise." It is said the yogasana - surya
namaskar is been inspired by the canines.

"Meet and greet the loved ones when they visit home". This shows them respect to others
and indian culture says "Athithi devo bhava" Visitors are god!!

"Let others always know when they are invading your territory." Tell others directly if
they are crossing there limits

But remember to "be loyal" to others. Never give a chance to loose trust on you.

"Practice obedience." Never say no to others if you can help them.

Always observed he "digs and digs the earth deep", guess he wants wht lies beneath. we should learn to find out the root cause of the problem. get enough information about the matter.

"When someone is having a real bad day, be silent and sit close by and nuzzle gently".
Give a few consoling and show empathy.

"Avoid biting when a simple growl will do." Deal every situation with patience, never show your anger to others it reveals your weakness.

"When you're happy, dance around and wag your tail and entire body" rejoice every victory
you deserve it. Through a party to your loved ones.

"No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout....run right back and make friends" remember the scoldings are the advices, always be open to others views.

"Keep your ears and eyes open" you may not know from where you learn something new and see interesting things.

"Go for a long walk with joy" Go out socialise meet others, and even go for a walk literally it keeps you healthy.

Bow Wow :-P

Stop comparing!!!

I'm writing this based on the recent happenings with me. I'm not describing the incidents, but writing this in general

We live in a pathologically dissatisfied world and I'm going to tell you why because we love to compare. Go around the world and you will discover that people aren't happy with their bodies.

Indians want to be fair complexioned like westerners and so buy beauty enhancement stuffs, westerners want to own bronzed bodies like ours and so purchase tanning lotions.

Those with moles have them removed, while who don't surgically implant beauty spots. Some people want to shed some pounds ans some to put on some baby fat to look like a model.

When are we going to stop and simply be happy with how we look? I tell you, we live in a sick world. Yes that sickness is comparison. Take a look at wealth. when we drive our old car, it really suits us fine. In-fact are blessed when the rain pours outside. But the moment we see our own office mate or neighbors, drive his classy 4 wheel drive, we automatically feel like we are third class children of god. Next time we drive our noisy , rusted bumpy car, notice how the defects come out all of a sudden? We feel deprived, dishearten and dispossessed.

Listen carefully. Billgates total assets are worth billions of dollars. Thats more thab the GNP of somesome small countries. Amithabh and Sachin earns Lakhs n lakhs by simply smiling on the TV commercial and other stares just in thousands. MY POINT?

No matter how hard you work, there are people who will be richer than your are. And there will be some people who will be more beautiful, have more money and have more problems.

Try it for once, Stop looking around and don't compare.

Dont compare her nose with yours, don't compare his money with yours, Don't compare friens girlfriend or wife with yours. Stop comparing and start living and you will be happy with your life.

This is crucial, the most difficult thing in the world is to be who you are not. Pretending and trying to be some one else is the official passtime of the human race since history. I don't think dogs, cats and other animals have this problem and the easiest thing in this world to be YOU.
BE HAPPY

There must be a reason why god made you tall or short or thin or bumpy all over.

LOVE WHO YOU ARE!!!!

Simple facts of Life

I thought of writing this from a long tym... here i go..

1. You will get a body weather you may like it or not & it will be yours till you exist in this shitty world.
2. You will learn lessons; you may like these lessons or think them as irrelevant and stupid. You have to accept it as you are enrolled in a full-time informal school called life.
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth in your life is a process of 'trial and error' as a new program coding. The "errors" in the coding are very much important coz you find different ways that don’t work.
4. A lesson (errors in life) is repeated until noticed. When you have rectified it you can go on to the next lesson.
Remember "Errors aren't ever solved, they're just rearranged."
5. Rectifying errors does not end. There is no part of life that does not contain its errors.

the next fact is really the one to ponder on....

6. "There" is no better than "here." When your "there" has become a "here" you will simply obtain another "there" that will, again, look better than "here".
7. Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the softwares and tools you need, freeware (books, teachers and good friends) Viruses (a bad company), Antivirus (ethics and values) Shareware (your knowledge) and so on... When you install them is up to you. The choice is yours.
9. The answers to your life's questions and errors lie within your body's harddisk and processor. All you need to do is search and save as a new file name so that you don't loose again when needed. Do as your processor says if you think it right, go on....
10. Always think that: "Life is for my own, to live my own way."
11. You will forget all this mentioned above coz god gave a very tiny harddisk space for good things...

Chicken or Egg???

I've finally got the ultimate response to the which came first: the chicken or the egg question.
Ask the person whether they are speaking on a creationist value or evolutionary value, because if creationist God would naturally create the chicken first, but if evolutionary, it would be the egg, as whatever evolved into the chicken would first need to have laid the egg holding within it the genetic coding holding the result of the chicken, therefore, either answer can be interchangeably correct or incorrect dependent upon the askers personal beliefs.

A night with the Cupid!!!

(characters here: me, the cupid, the words in brackets are voices in my head)
This place, i knw u wont believe i visited the heaven last night, It was magical really, it was my dream, lol.

It's, well, I reminded myself is the fantasy of my mind. Fairies n angels passing me by. But wait!! WOW whoz

this??? guess whom did i meet????

Met the love guru "the cupid" himself. I hesitated a bit to go and talk to him... but gathered up a bit of courage

and approached him.

here it goes....

me: Greetings my lord!!!!(i can't believe i'm saying it)

Mr. Cupid: hmmm Dudo, What brings you here???? oh let me guess... your life is boring, You are single, why don't u have any girlfriend..

Blah blah blah....


me: (My mouth wide open while he said that, then i finally spoke) ye..ye.. yeah you are right??? whtz wrong with me? Don't i deserve any one?

Mr. Cupid: Nah its not that... You do deserve my child!!!

me: (Child ???? he looks more like a cute little child, how is he a god?) oh yeah den??

Mr. Cupid: Don't worry, Its just this....

me: (now what?? is he gonna say i'm not ready??? duh)

Mr. Cupid: I was on my regular rounds on earth.. den i heard a cute lady praying to me..

me: a cute lady (Hope she has brains)???

Mr. Cupid: yes!!!

me: what was she saying???

Mr. Cupid: its nothing she, your partner was praying to keep you single.

me: aaaa... wht?

Mr. Cupid: yes she prays every day. i can't ignore dat!!!

me: where is she??? when will i meet her???

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
this is when my stupid phone rang....

it was my friend on the phone.... me: for gods sake man its 3:00 am in the morning!!! i knw u work on night shifts,

that doesn't mean u wake me up from a beautiful dream, where i get my address of my future partner...


well i think its more philosophical too "you should be happy with what you have... god knows when to give what"

The joy of selfless giving

Time is not measured by the years that you live. But the deeds that you do and the joy that you give...

Each day as it comes brings a chance to each one that would brighten the life or lighten the load of weary traveller on the life's road.

So what does it matter how long we may live? As long as we live we selflessly give...

You will ever wait for It. – Beautiful loser

Everyone waits for a perfect timing. Duh!!! A perfect timing never exists, it’s just a myth. Don’t just give excuses, creating mental obstacles. There are many people who have thousands of complaints about their life that includes me, I’m not spared even, and we rant about everything that’s causing stress but never take corrective actions.
Stop waiting for the “PERFECT TIME” make your own move, Perfect time is a fiction, If you love someone say it don’t hesitate. If you don’t like someone’s attitude say it it might help them improve their life. If you don’t like something u want to change it, so be a part of that change. Try to be on your own don’t wait you are losing on your precious time.

Life in a fast-track!!!

Life is hurrying at an overwhelming pace and we are trying hard to catch up with it “JUST DONT ADJUST, MOVE ALONG WITH IT”. If you are thinking, the world around you will slow down somewhere in future you are wrong, our life will never will. Seize control of your life this very moment you get while the opportunities are still within your reach.

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it”
- Mathew Broderick, Ferris Beuller’s day off.

Learn from the most disgust creature for many, but a teacher for me, THE COCKROACH. I admire its way of movement, stop look and proceed. Make an observation if you find one, it always stops by making a small move, scans for the threat, and then proceeds....
Like cockroach if you don’t make a calculated move with the present scenario. You could miss out on life.

A thought which I picked from the movie “Kung-fu Panda” – Yesterday was HISTORY... tomorrow is a MYSTERY... today is a GIFT that is why it’s called “THE PRESENT”