Shivling - A Productive Power Worthy of Worship?
What is behind all creation of life? What is the real truth behind the productive power? Is this productive power worthy of worship? How is it possible that Hindu believe in this spiritual duality. These questions were asked by many curious foreigners concerning the Hindu belief on their spiritual indication. Some were disgusted while there are those who were stunned for it was beyond their perception. This productive power is none other than Shivling, or Shiva Linga. In Hinduism, the spiritual power behind the heart of all life is Shivling. It is the symbol of regenerative power of creation. The word “Linga” means a symbol or a mark, in addition “Shiva” means great or outstanding. When put together it means “Magnificent Symbol.” Shivling is a form of power representing Shiva, the Destroyer. Why is Shiva, who is the God of destruction, being worshipped as the generator of this world? Why not Brahma? It is because Shivling represents the duality of the consciousness and the soul. Shiva protrays the
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The worshiping of shivling is like that of the devotion to a God. Shivling is the representative the universe Shiva has created. Everything originated from Shiva no matter what they are. Shiva devotees believed that worshipping Linga will help induce concentration of the mind. It is not just a stone or rock for a Linga is a medium in communicating with Shiva. Shiva is believed to be in any form, for he is infinity and beyond all. Thus he is worshipped in the form of a Linga. Those who follows the idea of Sat Chitta Ananda will uncover the actual meaning behind nature and human beings. The unity of cosmic and the duality of men and female are unified spiritually as the symbol of creation and the existences of all life. Shivling is highly thought of in India, in Hinduism it contains the underlying truth of the duality of the pure one and the empowerment or sacred
First, when considering dualism, is it conceivable to have a physical drug that can kill something that has no physical attributes? Is it possible to have to have a physical drug that can kill something separate from the body? It seems such a drug would be impossible in principle regardless if you’re a dualist. Perhaps not as much to someone who believes that the mind is wholly separate from the body (still seems a little absurd) but it is important to note that dualism does not require that the mind and body be independent as the story suggests but just merely separate. If dualism truly entailed that a body without a mind could operate exactly as though it had a mind there is definitely something a little wrong with it however it
“In the West, we think of each human life as solid and discrete, beginning at conception and ending at death. The Buddhist view is of waves appearing and disappearing endlessly on a great ocean of life energy. When cause and effect combine in a certain way, a wave arises, appearing...
The Question of Meaning/Purpose: Hinduism is more of a dream of illusions that life has no meaning and does not truly exist. Were here for the purpose of nothing and in a state lower then Nirvana. In text (Hindson &Cancer Pg.387 and Weider & Gutierrez Condsier. Pg70) this is that if one does not concept the growth of themselves they will remai...
...onsibility in life which is decided by the caste they are born into. However, living amongst other people, one’s soul might become “forgetful of the Lord” which leads to “[attaching] itself to pleasure” which would make it “bound” to the wheel of the universe. For a soul to escape this cycle birth, death, and rebirth, it is necessary to connect with this god. The Hindu people believed that “by uniting oneself with him…one ceases to be ignorant” and this means “Birth, death, and rebirth will be no more.” This credence of rebirth and karma highly influenced the way the Hindu society developed.
Throughout the history of humankind, man has always searched to find answers to the many existential questions. Numerous different religions and denominations have developed around the world over time. Though, most wonder about the origin and purpose of our existence. Buddhism was founded on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama about 2,600 years ago in India. After he had experienced that everyone was subject to “birth, sickness, death, and old age”, he tried to find a way to break from the cycle of rebirth (Bloom).
He has a human body that is blue, and has four arms. Shiva is the destroyer of the world. Hindu’s believe that Shiva is a good and bad source. They believe that even though Shiva destroys what has been created, good effects come out if. Shiva looks like a blue normal man.
Man fears God. God created all life and all matter, he maintained it, and he can very easily take it back. Man realizes this, and those of the purest faith must pay a lifetime of homage and servitude. At least this is the key behind all God-believing religions. In a part of the Hindu faith, there is a God called Shiva. He is believed to be the "restorer and destroyer of worlds." Shiva is one of the most temperamental gods of any faith, he'll destroy the world on a simple whim. At one time, he even cut off his son's head and turned it into an Elephant face. One example of the type of faith Shiva requires is found in the story of a man who desired power more than anything. In order to obtain this power, he had to get sacred weapons created by Shiva. He began a deep meditation to obtain the weapons. This went on until his meditation clouded the heavens and angered Shiva himself.
Hinduism is unlike many other religions in that it does not have a single founder or text, but is more like an umbrella in ways of life. In death and life for the Hindu, “The ultimate goal of the soul is liberation from the wheel of rebirth, through reabsorption into our identity with the Oversoul (Brahma)-- the essence of the universe, immaterial, uncreated, limitless, and timeless” (Leming & Dickinson, 2011, p. 134).
Hindus believe that when a soul expires, it acquires rebirth in a new body. This cycle is called samsara. To be set free from the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth one must discover their true nature in order to be with the Brahman in Nirvana. In figure G a picture of a Cambodian statue of the A.D. 900 of Brahma meditating is presented. Nirvana is a state where pain, worry and the outer world do not exist. When a person in Hindu religion has bad Karma, they must take rebirth multiple times. The sacred source of all existence is divided among three gods. Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the preserver, and Shiva is the destroyer. All three contribute to a person’s life and death and afterlife. In figure H a picture of a Vishnu sculpture is shown, and in figure I a picture of a sculpture of Shiva is
Although Daoism and Hinduism are two completely separate religions with the former indigenous to China and the latter to India, both of them encompass striking similarities that undeniably make it seem that one influenced the other. However, no known relations between the two religions exist. Comparing the small, but contextually vital part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata known as Bhagavad Gita with the central text to Daoism, Tao Te Ching offers an unparalleled journey of knowledge and understanding. Tao Te Ching emphasizes the crucial concept of Dao, which is translated as the “Way” while Bhagavad Gita stresses the all-encompassing Brahman. Since no sufficient language can express the full meaning of Dao, the most suitable example that shows its operations is the movement of water (TTC 8). Water simply flows with unity with nature – it can transform itself into whatever form is needed to flow. Dao is essentially an indescribable eternal energy and origin of the entire universe. Fully arriving at the Dao is the main goal of Daoism. Similarly, Brahman is the ultimate end to everything in the universe. In the Bhagavad Gita, Brahman is described as the source from which all beings originate from and eventually return. The fundamental principle of both concepts is, therefore, one and the same. I will specifically focus on vital parts of the two concepts in order to illustrate the parallelism of the eventual goal of the Dao and the Brahman. The emphasis on action with no desire for the “fruit” of the action, Dao and Brahman’s inexpressible essence, and following one’s own duty in order to complement the movement of the universe. These concepts illustrate the similarity between Dao and Brahman and ultimately demonstrate that they are ide...
Hindu mythology has evolved from the times of the Indus Valley; already in the Vedic Period a sophisticated pantheon of gods and rites (was described). The main body of Hinduism narratives is contained in Sanskrit literature such as the Vedas, ...
Upon reading about the historical and religious background of Ancient India, one can clearly assume that the country was strongly influenced by three main religious teachings: Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. These three sects in religious thinking have many similarities as all recognize the life-cycle and the need of liberation, they worship one central deity that used to be a human who gained enlightenment and they all recognize the existence of the eternal soul and after-death re-incarnation. However, they also share a lot of differences that mark the underlying principles of practicing them. I will identify the scope of differences and similarities in these ancient religions in an attempt to understand why each attracted followers, why each was shaped a certain way and how they preserved the interest of followers on into the modern times as well.
The original Vedic texts were mostly comprised of hymns to gods and rules of sacrificial rituals; the purpose of which was to provide ancestors with food and means of sustenance in the kingdom of Yama (the afterworld). As a result of their devotion people expected certain favorable influences in their lives, such as good fortune and yet better life in the kingdom of Yama after their death. Sacrifices were supposed to be a means of survival in the kingdom of Yama. As the Indian philosophies evolved, Hindus developed the concept of reincarnation. The essence of that concept lied in the belief that no one is able to remain in the afterworld forever and eventually should return to the cycle of life, death and rebirth. As transcendent as the concept of reincarnation was, it did not provide Hindus with an ultimate salvation from suffering. Thus every living thing must eventually suffer and die. Such views resulted in further development of Hindu religion, Hindu philosophers such as Manu questioned the concepts of Vedas and laid the foundation for a philosophy that transfo...
...is a huge part of the Hindu culture and many people make the choice to worship him. He plays many different roles and is relatable to numerous people due to his roles and personality traits. The people who worship Shiva devote themselves to him and spend their lives understanding him and trying to grow in order to prosper in eternity.
In Hinduism some of the things I found most fascinating is that the idea of God in Hindu is compounded and how they worship. There is one Supreme God and his form is unlimited. The Supreme God’s qualities and forms are represented by the numerous deities that stem from him. The deities God can form can be either male or female, allowing Hindus to pray to a god or goddess.