How does Hinduism/Hindus view Enlightenment?

[Honza]

What is the general opinion amongst Hindus about Enlightenment or Self Realisation? How do many Hindus view the path of trying to unite with God by meditation?

Does anyone have any feedback from Hindus about this? I have stated before that I thought Hindus were mystics. I thought all Hindus were trying to unite with God by meditating. I thought they were all trying to reach enlightenment.

[HITESH SHAH]

Originally Posted by Honza

What is the general opinion amongst Hindus about Enlightenment or Self Realisation? How do many Hindus view the path of trying to unite with God by meditation?

While Hindus of current genre may not have clear idea on this , Hinduism is very clear on this . Enlightenment by associating /aligning with God ,by serving the God , by merging with God and finally becoming one with God - is very real and its a journey in itself.

Hinduism is liberal/tolerant with people /devotees with their preferences for enlightenment so long as it results in a desirable conduct and helps one develop holistically.

Meditation though is inseparable part of the journey - it alone is not sufficient without its real impact on our life 24X7 365/6 days. Actions of people are the litmus test of the quality of meditation .So when everything combined is improved , one can be on path to enlightenment.

[Honza]

Many thanks. That is very interesting.

[kralaro]

Hey Honza, i've grown up in India. Hindus in general don't care at all about things you've mentioned. They will do their pujas (worshiping their favorite deities), will visit temples, few would even keep fasts on special dates; almost everyone doing it as a bribe to God to solve their problems in this world. Some are recommended by astrologers to go to certain holy places to do some particular worships in order to solve problems in their astrological charts; many wear gemstones recommended by astrologers.
We do have ISKCON here which believes that having a loving relationship with Krishna is more important than materialistic benefits; but i don't resonate with them as they think that only their path is valid. Hindus do celebrate some holy festivals which they think they should celebrate. Let's take Diwali for example, people would clean their homes, do their worships which i think goes along with spirit of Diwali; but then some consider polluting the air by mass burning firecrackers as part of their Diwali celebration.
So if you want to know what Hinduism is about then you can read the actual scriptures like a scholar. Various scriptures, belonging to various schools of thought within Hinduism.
So for e.g. if someone is a devotee of a particular deity then they can read the scripture having stories of that deity. Here in India, hindus do have sense of surrender to their deity, relying on their deity to take care of them, which is nice. This i'm telling about a common hindu. If someone wants to go into exceptions then even extreme occult practices are there.

[Honza]

Interesting thanks.

[HITESH SHAH]

Originally Posted by kralaro

; almost everyone doing it as a bribe to God to solve their problems in this world.

Indeed substantial majority deals with God in this manner . While what u say is reality i agree with , this is not just situation with Hindus , its in all places in all religions at all times - maybe in varying degrees.

Further the word 'bribe' seems more harsher to people /seekers . While you may really not have any derogatory connotations, just I am clarifying this for other readers who may understand it in derogatory manner and my background for observation is as below.

According to me God and world under the influence of God works in 3 modes or frequencies .
1. Dealing with perversity (Vikruti in Sanskrit) - This is outright sin committed against others (like cheating,theft,burglary,rape,murder) and world we know (various laws /rules/customs / institutions /safeguards ) has in-built mechanisms to detect/prevent/mitigate/punish/eliminate such perverseness . If at all sinner escapes somehow worldly detection/prevention/punishment , God has in-built mechanisms to take care off it in its own way in its own time and He is extremely adept at its mechanism for dealing with such kind of behaviors. Hardly minuscule fraction of people (less that 1% ) people fall into category . And naturally no-one likes this mode of operation though this is very much required to maintain decorum and decency in this world.

2.Dealing with nature (Prakruti in Sanskrit) - This natural / normal exchange/commerce/business/give and take which we all do day in day out . There is nothing wrong .Majority of people (more than 98%) do this only through out their life . There is nothing wrong here. So if they do this honestly even with God , its nothing wrong . It can be termed bribe only if its accompanied with laziness,wilful intentions , unfair to the detriment of others . In most cases it is not the case . Genuine give and take even with God devoid of any bad intentions is not bad . God being versatile is extremely adept it this mode also. Nobody can win Him without his knowledge, consent and wish . While there is nothing wrong with give and take approach , its not even great/sublime also . Its not the mode of operation most loved by God .

3.Dealing with Culture(sanskruti in Sanskrit) - This mode of operations is where God's heart is because this is how His entire universe runs/sustains . It's a pure language of unadulterated love without any consideration . Sometimes we may have opportunity see glimpses of such love in mother-kid / wed-lock / master-servant/nation-citizen relationships. Though very few people may really have known/mastered this mode of operation and the world we know may ignore / mock/ridicule this mode of operation, it does not matter to God and He has His own unique ways dealing with it .

We being children of God ,we too may understand all these modes of operation and we too have elements of all these . Only the proportions / degrees of it differ vastly . God deals with everyone according to their real makeups.

[kralaro]

Hey Mr Shah, after posting, this thought came to me too that i should have used some other word, so thanks for bringing this up. I agree with you, nothing wrong in it, we are simply trying to get out of our problems.

Adding another point to my post, chanting is also a common practice for Hindus.

[peteyzen]

Englightenment or realisation is usually a many stepped process. Meditation along with prayer and mantra, and living a good life, one of service particularly, are the main tools for humans making the way themselves.
However, the swiftest way is to ally your self to an Avatar of the divine. beings like Mother Meera, Sai baba, Krishna, Jesus, Mother Mary and connect with them. Their divine influence will speed up your progress far more quickly and safely than any other method.

[Unseeking Seeker]

In my view faith does not really matter. The non-dual realisation would be same for one and all. Faith requires belief, addressing mind, whereas the realisation of truth is in the heart. In my view, all concepts and beliefs must be dropped.

This said, I had a friend, who has since crossed over, who could visit the highest domains, at the level of the holy trinity, in Hinduism represented as Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, respectively called the destroyer, sustainer and creator. Shiva and Vishnu flank the trinity, while Brahma is in the centre. My friend was told that Moksha*(*liberation) is attained when we merge with Brahma.

My own understanding of non-duality however, in as offered by the universe so far, does not have any such images or forms. By the way, I’m a Hindu too, by birth.

[Miss Hepburn]

International Society for Krishna Consciousness, abbreviated as ISKCON.