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Thread: What is Brahman? Does it think? Why is it the reason for everything in Hinduism?

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    Default What is Brahman? Does it think? Why is it the reason for everything in Hinduism?

    Discuss please.

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    Brahman are latecomers to the Hinduism. They mixed their Vedic language and the IE culture into the existing South Asian Megalithic and IVC (Megalithic mixed with Iran_N and MiddleEast)
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    Quote Originally Posted by tipirneni View Post
    Brahman are latecomers to the Hinduism. They mixed their Vedic language and the IE culture into the existing South Asian Megalithic and IVC (Megalithic mixed with Iran_N and MiddleEast)
    Interesting. Do you consider yourself a monotheist? How do you think Hinduism was back then?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Methuselah View Post
    Discuss please.
    There are several different theological schools in Hinduism. Brahman is translated as the 'Absolute'. It may correspond to something like 'The One' (monad) and/or the 'Good' (ton Kalon) in Platonism. In the Upanishads, Brahman with qualities (gunas) is called saguna Brahman (this is, I suppose, a personal God possessing qualities) and Brahman without qualities is called nirguna Brahman. The latter would be more an abstract impersonal conception of the Deity.

    Quote Originally Posted by tipirneni View Post
    Brahman are latecomers to the Hinduism. They mixed their Vedic language and the IE culture into the existing South Asian Megalithic and IVC (Megalithic mixed with Iran_N and MiddleEast)
    I think he is referring to Brahman, the Absolute Principle in Hinduism (esp. the Upanishads), not the Brahmin priestly caste.


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    Quote Originally Posted by Óttar View Post
    There are several different theological schools in Hinduism. Brahman is translated as the 'Absolute'. It may correspond to something like 'The One' (monad) and/or the 'Good' (ton Kalon) in Platonism. In the Upanishads, Brahman with qualities (gunas) is called saguna Brahman (this is, I suppose, a personal God possessing qualities) and Brahman without qualities is called nirguna Brahman. The latter would be more an abstract impersonal conception of the Deity.



    I think he is referring to Brahman, the Absolute Principle in Hinduism (esp. the Upanishads), not the Brahmin priestly caste.
    Thank you Ottar! It seems that Hinduism holds so many different views (we might call this cheating and buying all lottery tickets but let's forgive this since we talk about spirituality) so it's hard to get something super clear out of it.

    Do you think the ultimate reason for our existence could be purely of mechanical origin or you'd rather put your money on some sort of spirit/ cosmic mind? It's hard not to bring quantum physics here if we talk about this from a scientific point of view as well. But quantum physics might not build universes just like that. More might be needed. I'm asking personal questions, sorry if this feels weird.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Methuselah View Post
    Thank you Ottar! It seems that Hinduism holds so many different views (we might call this cheating and buying all lottery tickets but let's forgive this since we talk about spirituality) so it's hard to get something super clear out of it.
    This is the nature of pre- and most non-Abrahamic religion.

    Quote Originally Posted by Methuselah
    Do you think the ultimate reason for our existence could be purely of mechanical origin or you'd rather put your money on some sort of spirit/ cosmic mind? It's hard not to bring quantum physics here if we talk about this from a scientific point of view as well. But quantum physics might not build universes just like that. More might be needed. I'm asking personal questions, sorry if this feels weird.
    There are several schools of Hindu philosophy which we could call atheistic. The most clearly atheistic (these particular ones are considered highly unorthodox which is why they didn't survive) were the Charvakas and the Lokayatas. The latter term means 'Those for whom *this world* is all there is.' from Sanskrit Loka "world." The Lokayatas did not believe in gods, God, the efficacy of rituals, karma, the afterlife, or reincarnation.

    I have made peace with the fact that there may be no afterlife. I tend to view the world as objectively and rationally as possible. That said, there are times when I will recite texts, or perform devotional rituals. If you believe that there is divinity within everything, then you tend to see all life as possessing a divine nature. I derive some comfort from the fact that every person who has ever lived, or who ever will live in the future has experienced, or will experience death. In this way, I share in the same essence as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, my ancestors, the Buddha, etc. Anything which survives after me, I may, in some sense, be identical with That.

    Hinduism since the Upanishads, says that the Self (atman) which one could identify with the soul, is ultimately identical with Brahman. Like I said, there are several different schools which have differing beliefs on the relationship between the soul and 'God', so I'm just trying to keep this very simple. Buddhism on the other hand, says that the ultimate nature of everything is Anatman or "not-Self." The only thing which is constant is change itself. My friend in high school once asked me, 'What would you say is the main difference between Hinduism and Buddhism?' I said, 'Hinduism says that all is essentially One.' 'The Buddhists on the other hand, say that all is essentially None.' He laughed at this.


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    Quote Originally Posted by Óttar View Post
    This is the nature of pre- and most non-Abrahamic religion.



    There are several schools of Hindu philosophy which we could call atheistic. The most clearly atheistic (these particular ones are considered highly unorthodox which is why they didn't survive) were the Charvakas and the Lokayatas. The latter term means 'Those for whom *this world* is all there is.' from Sanskrit Loka "world." The Lokayatas did not believe in gods, God, the efficacy of rituals, karma, the afterlife, or reincarnation.

    I have made peace with the fact that there may be no afterlife. I tend to view the world as objectively and rationally as possible. That said, there are times when I will recite texts, or perform devotional rituals. If you believe that there is divinity within everything, then you tend to see all life as possessing a divine nature. I derive some comfort from the fact that every person who has ever lived, or who ever will live in the future has experienced, or will experience death. In this way, I share in the same essence as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, my ancestors, the Buddha, etc. Anything which survives after me, I may, in some sense, be identical with That.

    Hinduism since the Upanishads, says that the Self (atman) which one could identify with the soul, is ultimately identical with Brahman. Like I said, there are several different schools which have differing beliefs on the relationship between the soul and 'God', so I'm just trying to keep this very simple. Buddhism on the other hand, says that the ultimate nature of everything is Anatman or "not-Self." The only thing which is constant is change itself. My friend in high school once asked me, 'What would you say is the main difference between Hinduism and Buddhism?' I said, 'Hinduism says that all is essentially One.' 'The Buddhists on the other hand, say that all is essentially None.' He laughed at this.
    Thanks, very informative. How did you end up practicing Hinduism by the way?

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