Shaivite
|
|
guru
|
|
|
|
Reged: 11/06/02
|
|
Posts: 2999
|
|
|
|
|
I believe that Brahman is all that exists. When I say all, I mean more than just what you see, touch, taste, smell, and hear. You can feel Brahman. God is both spiritual and physical. Even concepts that are discovered by humans through science, mathematics, and philosophy are all part of God. I think that science is a path of learning more about God and how Brahman's creation works.
I don't believe that Brahman is one, two, three, or zero, but infinity. Or maybe Brahman is all of that! Everything is a part of Brahman including people. Brahman exists in you and your soul is a part of Brahman. The three most noticable things that happen every single day are creation, preservation, and destruction. Brahma can be seen when a mother gives birth to a baby. Vishnu can be seen when a sacred tradition or place is preserved for thousands of years. Shiva can be seen when a person dies. It is a circular process where something is created, preserved, and then destroyed and then created again and so forth. A tree grows up from a seed, gets tall, dies, and the new seeds create more trees. Souls simply find new bodies. It's a remarkable process that is responsible for all of existence. These are all aspects of Brahman.
About other gods, they are all just different ways of worshipping the one God. Since everything is a part of God, it doesn't matter which rituals you perform, which gods you worship, or which tradition you follow. You are going to the same direction but from a different side. Everyone will meet at the center of the sphere, so to speak.
What does everyone think?
Post Extras:
|
|
Akshara
|
|
initiate
|
|
|
|
|
Reged: 12/05/02
|
|
Posts: 189
|
|
|
|
|
Well cc, now that you have asked this question, let me tell you that I do not know Brahman. if I had known, then I would not have been here. So, if I tell you the answer, it is like a blind person leading another blind person. So, let me tell you first that I am not trying to answer your question here. Then what am I doing? Dont know. How can I express the inexpressible? The least I can tell you are some general vague ideas. Dont think that they are right. Dont think that they are wrong.
Brahman is Sath(existence), Chith(awareness), Ananda(bliss). Sath implies that Brahman is omnipresent, and nothing has an existence apart from Brahman.
Quote:
I believe that Brahman is all that exists. When I say all, I mean more than just what you see, touch, taste, smell, and hear.
You are more or less correct here. But the only question is this. Does the world have an existence at all, or is it an illusion? Some say that the world that you see is actually Brahman which is appearing as this world due to maya. The vedic thinking goes like this-Take an object, remove its name and form, what remains is the Reality.
Chith is awareness or knowledge. Brahman is aware of Itself. It knows Itself. It is not a consciousless object but It is pure Consciousness Itself.
Ananda implies that Brahman is always absorbed in Its own bliss. When this aspect of Brahman manifests Itself on the earth, it results in various avatars like Rama, Krishna etc. Ever wonder why people are magnetically attracted to Krishna. It is because of the Infinite Ananda aspect of Brahman in Krishna which hypnotises people and gives them happiness the moment they see Krishna or Rama. But again what I told need not be true as Saguna Brahman is Nirguna which appears as Saguna due to maya.
Hope I have explained something. But there are many people here who can do the job much better.
--------------------
I prostrate myself before Govinda, the perfect teacher who is always absorbed in the highest state of Bliss. His real nature cannot be known by the senses. May Govinda lead me out of the darkness of samsara to the Bliss of Brahman.
Edited by Shaivite (06/04/04 05:48 AM)
Post Extras:
|
|
Akshara
|
|
initiate
|
|
|
|
|
Reged: 12/05/02
|
|
Posts: 189
|
|
|
|
|
CC, Brahman is so great a mystery that even vedic philosophy has not been able to answer what exactly is Brahman. Here are a few statements from the vedic philosophy about Brahman.
Brahman can be unknown to the one who knows it and can be known to the one who doesn't know it.
Brahman is not that which the eye can see, but it is that by which the eye sees. Brahman is not that which people worship as an object.
Brahman is the eye of the eye, the ear of the ear etc.
The mind cannot reach It. The speech cannot express It.
Neither by reading the scriptures, nor by a 1000 good acts, nor by elaborate rituals, can one know Brahman. To know Brahman one must have absolute faith and must be free from all desires.
He whose desires have been burnt in the fire of Knowledge, is eligible to know Brahman.
What lies in the front is Brahman. What lies at the back is also Brahman. Brahman is also above, below, to the left and to the right.
The Brahman is the real Self which shines in its true glory after the destruction of ego.
--------------------
I prostrate myself before Govinda, the perfect teacher who is always absorbed in the highest state of Bliss. His real nature cannot be known by the senses. May Govinda lead me out of the darkness of samsara to the Bliss of Brahman.
Edited by Shaivite (06/05/04 03:08 AM)
Post Extras:
|
|
Akshara
|
|
initiate
|
|
|
|
|
Reged: 12/05/02
|
|
Posts: 189
|
|
|
|
|
There is an analogy here about name and form.
Consider the space. There is an empty jar in space. The space inside the empty jar is in no way different from the space outside the empty jar. But the space inside the empty jar is a subset of space. Why is it a subset? Because of the constraining nature of the jar itself. Now if the jar is destroyed then we cannot differentiate the space that was formerly inside the jar and the one that was outside. The jar is like a name or a form which is trying to bind the space inside. The name and form are a result of maya. When this maya is destroyed, then the realization that the Atman is the Brahman truely dawns on us.
--------------------
I prostrate myself before Govinda, the perfect teacher who is always absorbed in the highest state of Bliss. His real nature cannot be known by the senses. May Govinda lead me out of the darkness of samsara to the Bliss of Brahman.
Post Extras:
|
|
Shaivite
|
|
guru
|
|
|
|
|
Reged: 11/06/02
|
|
Posts: 2999
|
|
|
|
|
Great arguments. As I stated there is more than one way to view God. Interesting analogies, too.
Post Extras:
|
|
anveshan
|
|
member
|
|
|
|
|
Reged: 12/19/01
|
|
Posts: 319
|
|
Loc: New Delhi, India
|
|
|
1. (Meditate upon that) Effulgent One, of myriad heads and myriad eyes, from whom has come forth all the good in the world, who is this universe, Narayana, the Great Deity dwelling in the ele-ments, the Changeless, the Supreme Lord.
2. (Meditate upon Him who is) Superior to the whole world, at once He is also the whole world (in being the soul of everything in it), the Eternal, the main Stay, Support of all individual souls, (mighty) Dispeller of Ignorance……. the whole world is that Great Being. He makes use of the world, and its existence depends entirely upon Him.
3. (Meditate upon) the Lord of the world, the Atman, the Ruler of all Creatures, the Ever-existent, the Auspicious, the Im-mutable; the Narayana (who is) the Great Object to be Known, the Soul of the Universe, the Supreme Refuge.
4. Narayana is the Supreme Brahman; Narayana is the Supreme (beyond all forms), the Supreme Enlightenment, and the Supreme Self.
5. Whatever there is in this Universe, seen or heard, pervading all that, in and through them all, Narayana reveals.
6. The Infinite, the Immutable, the Omniscient, the Self, who is the end of creation; from Him has proceeded all that is good, and He shines in the heart, the inner cavity of which resembles the calyx of a lotus-bud with its face pointed downwards.
7. Below the neck, and a twelve digits figures breadth above the naval, is situated the heart; know that to be the Great Receptacle of the whole universe.
8. Wrapped with sinews, (the heart) hangs like a lotus bud ; inside the same there is a fine hole and in that all resides!
9. In that shines the Great Fire (Consciousness) myriad of myriad flames whose rays illumine all, and which therefore appears in manifold forms. He, the Imperishable, the All-knowing, eating, everything fresh, divides the food to all other parts of the body.
10. The Subtle Flame (Consciousness) rising upwards inside; It keeps the body warm, from head to foot.
11. The Bright Golden Flame, fine as an ear of corn, and comparable to the subtlest, shines like a streak of lightning amidst a dark blue cloud.
12. In that Flame sits the Great Being; He is Brahma and Siva and Indra. He is the Supreme, the Imperishable; He shines by His own nature.
13. Obeisance to Him, who has become the universe of varied forms. Who is the Supreme Brahman, the Truth Unconditioned, the Being of dark colour and also of fawny hue and with terrible eyes, and who is beyond all desire for creation.
(Titrya Aranyakam)
Post Extras:
|
|
|
|
Some of the replies to the question is very good. You have asked the same question, that swami vivekananda asked Guru Sri Parahamsa. This means that you are in a right path to find the brahman. But the fact remains that, it is diffcult to explain Brahman in a line or two. Even Vedas which is difficult to digest for a common man, in his life time, has not been able to explain Brahman 100%.
Only self realized person can explain to your question better than anyone else. To put it in one line, there is nothing in this world which does not contain brahman. You do not need to find him. HE will find you. Develop that urge to find HIM. He will find you.
Post Extras:
|
|
|
|
you wrote:
"You are going to the same direction but from a different side."
True. The eastern Hinduism goes in circles, very analytical. But western semitic religion, esp christianity goes linear.
it can not meet in the middle. LOL:)
"Everyone will meet at the center of the sphere, so to speak".
Not True at all. Please read above note. In hinduism, we have so many choices to meet that GOAL of REALIZING BRAHMAN someday, which is not there in any other religion/s. So, you can't say that everyone will meet at the center someday! may not happen w "very restricted approach" like christianity or Islam at all.
There are only 4 religions in this world to represent four Yugas. hinduism represents Golden age, judism the silver, the christianity for Bronze and Kaliyuga came w Islam. Every other faiths or doctrines came out of these four only.
Hinduism from Golden age now gets watered down, mainly because of the other religions. Times changed and people changed. And you can never go back to that Arya Tribal Vedic culture Golden times at all. It is sad, but true. This is what I have learned and it is very interesting how it really fits the current time realities.
--------------------
I love hinduism the best.
MAY Almighty BRAHMAN bless you all every day!
Post Extras:
|
|
|
|
OMNI POTENT< OMNI SCIENT AND OMNI PRESENT.
SAT-CHIT-ANANDA for 24/7 at Global level under the term
BRAHMAN, our concept of DIVINITY is present.
BRAHMAN never ever dies. Not even for a fraction of a second. Our Trinity is complete w all these aspects w male and female gender representation. All powerful, all Blissful and all beautiful, NEVER A DEADFACE to look at or pray to.
In short, OUR BRAHMAN IS ALIVE all the time. ATMAN is the life principle that BRAHMAN has endowed us w to live. ATMAN is samw in quality w BRAHMAN, but varies in quantity from time to time as it depends upon the number of "living organisms" that exist as "LIVES".
BRAHMAN and ATMAN represent a "LIVE" power that gives
impetus to all our freewill based KARMAS.
W/o ATMAN, you are a deadmeat only. In other words, ATMAN is a concept as in soulspark applies only to "LIVING people" and living creatures, at a personal level.
I hope this helps.
--------------------
I love hinduism the best.
MAY Almighty BRAHMAN bless you all every day!
Post Extras:
|
|
|
|
you wrote:
"As I stated there is more than one way to view God"
But remember that BRAHMAN is depicted as SAT_CHIT-ANANDA!
This is mainly because all social realities of suffering and pain etc applies only to mortal people. Not to a Divine supreme BOSS of the world. BRAHMAN is not or never ever subjected to human conditions of anything. Human conditions exist due to the materials that we are made up of.
" Interesting analogies, too".
Yeah, I think so too.
--------------------
I love hinduism the best.
MAY Almighty BRAHMAN bless you all every day!
Post Extras:
|
|
0 registered and 1 anonymous users are browsing this forum.
Moderator: bbadmin, Shaivite, ashs, satay
Print Thread
|
Permissions
You cannot start new topics
You cannot reply to topics
HTML is enabled
UBBCode is enabled
|
Rating:
Thread views: 14616
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Previous
Index
Next
Flat
Threaded
What really is Brahman?
Edit
Reply
Quote
