November 18, 2009 by Chris
There are plenty of delicious foods I can eat!
Today I went to the Mandir and took the Shakahara Vrata or vow to eat vegetarian foods only. To many people who know me this might not seem like a big deal, I have been a vegetarian for many years, not eating any meat, fowl, or fish. However it has been something I have had to consider very carefully. The reason why is eggs. Up until today I ate eggs, as themselves occasionally but much more frequently as an ingredient in prepared food and baking. I don’t find it difficult to avoid eggs., but that is one of the reasons I have had to think about the vow so much. The vow will actually be harder for my wife than for me. She enjoys re-creating vegetarian versions of her mother’s recipes, and has found that one of the best meat substitutes to use for this is Quorn, which contains eggs. She also uses eggs in baking, and has found egg replacements don’t rise as well. As she is a Texan, her corn bread is very important to her. Of course I will be happy to just eat what she prepares that doesn’t include egg, but I know that she will often change her recipes and menus or even cook more than one dish. She is very considerate and would not leave me without what she would consider a proper meal. I have had comments on an egg-free diet, which I will discuss here.
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Posted in hinduism, religion | Tagged egg-free, shakahari, shiva, vegetarian, vow | 8 Comments »
November 1, 2009 by Chris
The Himalayan Academy master Course Books
Nearly a year ago I wrote about my initial impressions of the Master Course. I am now completing the last few weeks of the “stage one Master Course“. I have looked at the final worksheet and it contains an application for the second year “stage two Master Course”, which I fully intend to follow.
The course so far has greatly increased my knowledge of Hinduism in general and of the Shaivite Shiva Siddhanta Church in particular. The daily lessons from the three books have helped add a spiritual dimension to my life. Each day a reading from “Dancing With Shiva” gives a clear teaching of Hinduism with a detailed explanation. The lesson from “Living With Shiva” describes the Hindu way of life, and how to fit the lessons into your daily living. Finally, “Merging With Shiva” describes Saivite Hindu philosophy. The lessons from the last book can be esoteric, and I am sure that there is far more to them than I have understood in the “stage one” course. In a way it is a nice reminder that I still have much to understand.
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Posted in hinduism, religion | Tagged himalayan academy, master course, saiva siddhanta, saivism, shiva | 3 Comments »
October 29, 2009 by Chris
An open-air Hindu Lingam from Lepakshi
The shivalingam is probably the most important Shaivite symbol. The symbol may take many forms, most usually a post with a rounded top. This form makes the pouring of sacred fluids such as milk or water easy. Though many shivalingams are man-made, some are natural. Naturally occurring oval stones from the Narmada River are often used in worship. Some temples also have natural shivalinga, among the most famous being the Amarnath temple, which has a natural ice lingam.
There are many symbolic meanings to the shivalingam. The oval shape represents the universe. The shivalinga is sometimes depicted with four faces. This form is known as the Panchamukha, or five faced shivalingam; the fifth face is said to be invisible and looks directly upward to the heavens. The panchmukha Shiva is a form of sadashiva or eternal Shiva.
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Posted in hinduism, religion | Tagged hindu, lingam, shaivite, shiva, shivalingam, symbol | 13 Comments »
October 22, 2009 by Chris
Shiva's Drum, the Damaru
Shiva is often depicted with an “hourglass drum” or Damaru. The Damaru symbolises the sound of creation, the mystic ॐ, or Aum.
In the Nataraja Shiva holds a damaru in one hand to represent creation and fire in another to represent destruction. The drum beats out both the heartbeat of the smallest animal and of the aeons long cycle of the creation and destruction of the universe.
The drum, when viewed from the side has the appearance of two overlapping triangles, which like the shatkona represents the masculine and feminine aspects of God, the Shiva-Shakti.
Posted in hinduism, religion | Tagged damaru, drum, shiva, symbol | 1 Comment »
October 20, 2009 by Chris
- The Shatkona
The Shatkona is a symbol for Shiva and Shakti. It is made from two trikonas, Shiva is represented by the upward pointing triangle (△) and Shakti by the downward pointing triangle (▽). Shiva represents the masculine side of God and the parashiva, the all pervasive mysterious form of Shiva without qualities. Shakti represents the feminine side of God and the parashakti, the power of Shiva. The upward-pointing triangle can also represent purusha (the supreme being), and the downward-pointing one Prakṛti, or the world seen as mother nature.
Overlapping they remind us that all these are qualities of one God, neither male nor female but encompassing both (✡). This symbol appears in the twelve-petalled Anahata chakra, or heart chakra. In the West this symbol is more commonly associated with Judaism, where it is known as the Star of David.
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Posted in hinduism, religion | Tagged hindu, shatkona, shiva, star of david, symbol, trikona | 1 Comment »
October 14, 2009 by Chris
Statue of Lord Shiva holding the trishula
A blog commenter recently suggested that I write about the symbols of Shaivism, the sect of Hinduism which sees Lord Shiva as God. Many of the symbols are not known or misunderstood by Westerners, so this is a good idea. In writing these posts I will also understand the symbols better myself.
I will start with the trishula (त्रिशूल), Shiva’s trident. Shiva’s trishula is the three pointed spear or trident, which Lord Shiva carries. The trishula has many symbolic meanings. As a weapon the trishula represents Shiva’s ability to destroy evil. The three points represent the acts of creation, preservation and destruction. To Shaivites, Lord Shiva fulfils all three of these roles. The three points also represent the three gunas or qualities which are exhibited in the physical world, rajas (dynamic enerjetic), tamas (negative, inactive, stagnant) and sattva (uplifting, balanced, perceiving).
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Posted in hinduism, religion | Tagged god, romani, saiva, shaivism, shiva, symbol, trident, trishula | 3 Comments »
October 11, 2009 by Chris
The Swastika Stone on Ilkley Moor
India has many holy places. In addition to man made temples. rivers such as the Ganges and mountains such as Mount Kailash are considered holy. Like the temples, these are considered as places where the physical world is closer to the domain of the Devas and of God. For Hindus outside India visiting such places might be a once in a lifetime pilgrimage. I hope that I will one day be able to visit these sacred sites, but I have not been in a position to do so yet.
However there may be holy places nearer to home. Some of these places may have been recognised as holy in ancient times. Originally the message of the Vedas was known through the world. Symbols such as the Swastika stone on Ilkley Moor show that these places were revered by our ancestors. The atmosphere of sacredness and the closeness to the spiritual world is still present today.
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Posted in environment, hinduism, religion | Tagged holy places, Ilkley Moor, Janet's Foss, River Aire, Swastika Stone | 3 Comments »
September 14, 2009 by Chris
Seaside Holiday
Amba was getting her things together ready to go in the car with her family to the seaside town of Seaport, when her friend John called. He said that he was going to Seaport with his family, and would she like to see them off at the station.
“Sure”, said Amba, “I’ve got time. I’ll probably see you in Seaport”. John didn’t answer but looked glum. Amba wondered what could be wrong.
When she got to the station her friend John looked at her seriously.
“Look”, he said, “I know that your parents said that you were going to the seaside, but they were lying. Can you see the sign there”.
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Posted in christian right, hinduism, other religions, religion, stories | Tagged allegory, god, salvation | 6 Comments »
September 3, 2009 by Chris
Kabir
Last week the Pandit in our mandir told me of a poem by Kabir, a 15th century Indian saint. I later found the poem online (in both Hindi and an English Translation). The poems of Kabir are symbolic, using the imagery of a lover to represent God. A similar type of symbolism is used in the Song of Songs in the Jewish Tanakh/Christian Old Testament.
Our Pandit drew my attention to the last two lines of the following verse:
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Posted in hinduism, religion | Tagged god, himalayan academy, Kabir, poetry, shiva, Song of Songs | 1 Comment »
Shiva as Dakshinamurthy, the Guru
In my previous post I wrote about my forthcoming meeting with the Satguru of the Nandinatha Sampradaya, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami. At the time I did not know what to expect. As you can probably tell from my post I was prepared for the meeting be just talking to a wise and holy man. I was not sure that I would feel any connection with him as a Guru. My spiritual path has involved more searching than finding, and I did not want to build up hopes or expectations that might not be met. Continue Reading »
Posted in hinduism, religion | Tagged guru, hindu, nandinatha sampradaya, Shaiva Siddhanta, shiva | Leave a Comment »
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