05-02-2007, 04:14 AM
Most Hindus find it difficult to say what a Hindu is or what Hinduism is about.
For a typical Hindu who has not thought about it will usually describe his home knowledge and traditions as the hallmarks of being Hindu. But Hindus have such great variety in tradition that a description of some tradtions as "Hindu" may sound alien to a Hindu from another area.
Hinduism itself requires (IMO) two types of explanation, depending on the audience.
One type of explanation is for the person who is traditionally and instinctively Hindu in the manner of having been taught Hindu tradition at home. This person often needs an education in the nuances and finer details of Hinduism. He does not usually need an explanation of "glaringly obvious Hindu details" like Ishwara, Ganesha, Rama, Sita, Arjuna etc.
The other type of explanation is for the non-Hindu (or Hindu brought up in a non-Hindu environment). it is necessary to write a "Hinduism for dummies" or an ABC of Hinduism for this group and this dummies book has to be "instantly recognizable" and "instantly palatable" to the first group - the traditional, "instinctive" Hindu.
When I speak of Hinduism for dummies - I must point out that Hinduism by nature is not a simplified beast like Islam (or Christianity)- "Read this book, follow these rules, this is your god, this is your prophet and that's it - congratulations and welcome brother"
For the second "uninitiated" group, an explanation of what Hindus are and what Hinduism is, needs to be made separately.
Hindus follow a certain moral code - a code of life. This code of life has not been dictated by god to Moses or Mahomet. There is no god in Hinduism sitting on your head and shouting commands down at you or else....
Hinduism is a mixture of the moral code followed by Hindus and Hindu knowledge of astronomy and other sciences as well as philosophy and the nature of God, life and death and existence.
Since the knowledge, traditions and philosophy of Hinduism are so vast and so complex, it makes sense to leave an introduction to them as lesson 2 in Hinduism for dummies, while lesson 1 just says what a Hindu is. That lesson 1 is important because any Hindu who reads it should be able to identify himself in it and not dispute it.
I will - in due course - write some words on what I think lesson 1 ought to be and would welcome inputs on what others feel or what others have already written.
For a typical Hindu who has not thought about it will usually describe his home knowledge and traditions as the hallmarks of being Hindu. But Hindus have such great variety in tradition that a description of some tradtions as "Hindu" may sound alien to a Hindu from another area.
Hinduism itself requires (IMO) two types of explanation, depending on the audience.
One type of explanation is for the person who is traditionally and instinctively Hindu in the manner of having been taught Hindu tradition at home. This person often needs an education in the nuances and finer details of Hinduism. He does not usually need an explanation of "glaringly obvious Hindu details" like Ishwara, Ganesha, Rama, Sita, Arjuna etc.
The other type of explanation is for the non-Hindu (or Hindu brought up in a non-Hindu environment). it is necessary to write a "Hinduism for dummies" or an ABC of Hinduism for this group and this dummies book has to be "instantly recognizable" and "instantly palatable" to the first group - the traditional, "instinctive" Hindu.
When I speak of Hinduism for dummies - I must point out that Hinduism by nature is not a simplified beast like Islam (or Christianity)- "Read this book, follow these rules, this is your god, this is your prophet and that's it - congratulations and welcome brother"
For the second "uninitiated" group, an explanation of what Hindus are and what Hinduism is, needs to be made separately.
Hindus follow a certain moral code - a code of life. This code of life has not been dictated by god to Moses or Mahomet. There is no god in Hinduism sitting on your head and shouting commands down at you or else....
Hinduism is a mixture of the moral code followed by Hindus and Hindu knowledge of astronomy and other sciences as well as philosophy and the nature of God, life and death and existence.
Since the knowledge, traditions and philosophy of Hinduism are so vast and so complex, it makes sense to leave an introduction to them as lesson 2 in Hinduism for dummies, while lesson 1 just says what a Hindu is. That lesson 1 is important because any Hindu who reads it should be able to identify himself in it and not dispute it.
I will - in due course - write some words on what I think lesson 1 ought to be and would welcome inputs on what others feel or what others have already written.