what does OM signify to Hindus ?
472216
Om is the divine syllable, which is in itself God.
348719
I'm a Hindu.  To me, all life is sacred.  All sentient beings deserve our respect.  But the cow in particular is of special importance in Indian culture for various historical and cultural reasons.  \n\nThe cow is seen as a symbol of the Mother.  The cow gives, and asks for nothing in return.  It is gentle and itself a vegetarian.\nIndians have used the products of the cow for their livelihood.  They drink its milk, and they use ghee (clarified butter) in much cooking, and paneer (cheese) is an important nutritional element in a predominantly vegetarian diet that most Indians keep.\nBesides these foods, the dung is a traditional source for fuel.  The cow's urine is an antiseptic.\n\nThe cow was an ancient measure of wealth.  When there were no coins, people traded in cows and such.\n\nThe cow is a national emblem for India, and there is much pride associated with it.\n\nThe cow is not really worshipped, in the same sense that one worships God.  But it is definitely respected and appreciated, and protected.
206066
"Do looking at pictures/statutes of favored deities help sharpen your focus on an issue that is bothering you, even if some of you may not believe in the existence of this deity?"\n\nYes, when I look at an image of my Ishta Devata (personal image/name of the Divine) that alone can sometimes calm me and help me focus my mind on the Divine itself and start to consider how to resolve the issue. Sometimes it is just calming to know that I have a place I can go to in peace, look at the image on the altar, and know that this space is sacred in my home and is the window by which I can talk to the Divine (not that I have to go their to pray, but there are times when trying to resolve a problem and you are at home that going to this space, seeing the image, it helps you).\n\n"Do looking at pictures-statutes of a deity bring peace, inspiration, meditation?"\n\nDepends on the image I suppose. Most Hindu murtis (the picture or stature) they have lots of meaning in them. Hinduism teaches that there is only the One (Brahman) and that we can use whatever images, names, etc to call upon the One. Meditation is the technique of learning to focus your mind on a single point. Focusing your mind on an image, a sound (like a name), etc are all forms of meditation. Inspiration can come through all the meanings within the images. Peace can come, not through the image directly, but how we use this tool.\n\n"If a agnostic or atheist, do you equate looking at pictures of deities as a "belief" in that deity?"\n\nI'm not agnostic or atheist, but there are some Hindus who would, in western categorization, be considered "atheist" in a sense based upon that philosophical school's beliefs. Overall, Hindus constantly emphasize that the images, names, etc are mere representations of the many aspects of the One and that we use the names and images to help us, if necessary, worship and focus our mind on the One. Thus, Hindus fully admit to the fact that there is no elephant headed god in the sky, but that in fact it represents Brahman, the One and that their worship is really directed to that. They are like electrical outlets that allow us to plug-in to the One...which hinduism equates as being pure-consciousness. \n\n"Or do you feel that looking at pictures-statutes can be a powerful way to meditate?"\n\nYes, it is a very simple form of meditation (the same with using sound like Aum or just repeating the name..if one does not have an image). Both are considered very powerful forms of meditation, not only in HInduism, but also in Jainism, Sikhism, Taoism, Buddhism, and many other religions where meditation is a central practice.\n\n\nMy Ishta Devata (personal form/name of the Divine) is Ganesh. Some of my other favorites are Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, Rama and Sita, Hanuman, Narasimha, Garuda, Gayatri, Ayyappa, Murugan, Surya, Apollo, Antinous, Mary, Jesus, Mata Bharat (Mother India), Ganga, Isis, Thoth, Horus, Anubis, and Ahura Mazda.
1047000
Linga (or Lingam) is used as a symbol for the worship of the Hindu God Shiva. While its origins are debated, the use of this symbol as an object of worship is a timeless tradition in India; mainstream scholars connect the origin of the lingam to the early Indus Valley civilisation. Lingam is usually found with Yoni, the pedestal. As such, Lingam represented the male entity of the universe, while Yoni represented the female; it was natural togetherness of the male (Shiva) and female (Shakti) (Lingam and Yoni) as the point of energy, point of creation, and point of enlightenment. Such revelation was later enriched by many philosophies and theologies as man's knowledge of God widened with civilization.
158507
Every element of the body of Ganesha has its own value and its own significance:\n\nThe elephant head indicates fidelity, intelligence and discriminative power; \nThe fact that he has a single tusk (the other being broken off) indicates Ganesha’s ability to overcome all forms of dualism; \nThe wide ears denote wisdom, ability to listen to people who seek help and to reflect on spiritual truths. They signify the importance of listening in order to assimilate ideas. Ears are used to gain knowledge. The large ears indicate that when God is known, all knowledge is known; \nthe curved trunk indicates the intellectual potentialities which manifest themselves in the faculty of discrimination between real and unreal; \non the forehead, the Trishul (weapon of Shiva, similar to Trident) is depicted, symbolising time (past, present and future) and Ganesha's mastery over it; \nGanesha’s pot belly contains infinite universes. It signifies the bounty of nature and equanimity, the ability of Ganesha to swallow the sorrows of the Universe and protect the world; \nthe position of his legs (one resting on the ground and one raised) indicate the importance of living and participating in the material world as well as in the spiritual world, the ability to live in the world without being of the world. \nThe four arms of Ganesha represent the four inner attributes of the subtle body, that is: mind (Manas), intellect (Buddhi), ego (Ahamkara), and conditioned conscience (Chitta). Lord Ganesha represents the pure consciousness - the Atman - which enables these four attributes to function in us; \nThe hand waving an axe, is a symbol of the retrenchment of all desires, bearers of pain and suffering. With this axe Ganesha can both strike and repel obstacles. The axe is also to prod man to the path of righteousness and truth; \nThe second hand holds a whip, symbol of the force that ties the devout person to the eternal beatitude of God. The whip conveys that worldly attachments and desires should be rid of; \nThe third hand, turned towards the devotee, is in a pose of blessing, refuge and protection (abhaya); \nthe fourth hand holds a lotus flower (padma), and it symbolizes the highest goal of human evolution, the sweetness of the realised inner self.
119551
Tibetan Buddhists believe that saying the mantra (prayer), Om Mani Padme Hum, out loud or silently to oneself, invokes the powerful benevolent attention and blessings of Chenrezig, the embodiment of compassion. Viewing the written form of the mantra is said to have the same effect -- it is often carved into stones, like the one pictured above, and placed where people can see them.  \nSpinning the written form of the mantra around in a Mani wheel (or prayer wheel) is also believed to give the same benefit as saying the mantra, and Mani wheels, small hand wheels and large wheels with millions of copies of the mantra inside, are found everywhere in the lands influenced by Tibetan Buddhism. The mantra originated in India; as it moved from India into Tibet, the pronunciation changed because some of the sounds in the Indian Sanskrit language were hard for Tibetans to pronounce. \n\nThe Meaning of the Mantra \n-------------------------------------------------------------\n"There is not a single aspect of the eighty-four thousand sections of the Buddha's teachings which is not contained in Avalokiteshvara's six syllable mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum", and as such the qualities of the "mani" are praised again and again in the Sutras and Tantras.... Whether happy or sad, if we take the "mani" as our refuge, Chenrezig will never forsake us, spontaneous devotion will arise in our minds and the Great Vehicle will effortlessly be realized." \nPeople who learn about the mantra naturally want to know what it means, and often ask for a translation into English or some other Western language. However, Om Mani Padme Hum can not really be translated into a simple phrase or even a few sentences.  \n\nAll of the Dharma is based on Buddha's discovery that suffering is unnecessary: Like a disease, once we really face the fact that suffering exists, we can look more deeply and discover it's cause; and when we discover that the cause is dependent on certain conditions, we can explore the possibility of removing those conditions.  \n\nBuddha taught many very different methods for removing the cause of suffering, methods appropriate for the very different types and conditions and aptitudes of suffering beings. For those who had the capacity to understand it, he taught the most powerful method of all, a method based on the practice of compassion. It is known as the Mahayana, or Great Vehicle, because practicing it benefits all beings, without partiality. It is likened to a vast boat that carries all the beings in the universe across the sea of suffering. \n\nWithin the Mahayana the Buddha revealed the possibility of very quickly benefiting all beings, including oneself, by entering directly into the awakened state of mind, or Buddhahood, without delay. Again, there are different ways of accomplishing this, but the most powerful, and at the same time the most accessible, is to link ones own mind with the mind of a Buddha. \n\nIn visualization practice we imagine ourselves to be a Buddha, in this case the Buddha of Compassion, Chenrezig. By replacing the thought of yourself as you with the thought of yourself as Chenrezig, you gradually reduce and eventually remove the fixation on your personal self, which expands your loving kindness and compassion, toward yourself and toward others, and your intelligence and wisdom becomes enhanced, allowing you to see clearly what someone really needs and to communicate with them clearly and accurately.  \n\nIn most religious traditions one prays to the deities of the tradition in the hopes of receiving their blessing, which will benefit one in some way. In the vajrayana Buddhist tradition, however, the blessing and the power and the superlative qualities of the enlightened beings are not considered as coming from an outside source, but are believed to be innate, to be aspects of our own true nature. Chenrezig and his love and compassion are within us. \n\nChenrezig: Th
1065742
ok Krazy cat 5, listen to me carefully because I have the correct answer unlike the rest of these bozo's, Om, means peace
1095133
In Hinduism its called upavasa i.e upa = near ; vasa = live;\n\nthe purpose of upavasa is to forget everything and think only about god...did u get it? sit near god..and think of nothing else..\n\nobviously in time, this principle is lost and it has become a meaningless tradition....\n\nthough, it is good for digestion, to fast, to not eat anything for a day, it refreshes the digestive system...\n\nalso, religion comes from renunciation, by controlling passions , by controlling the senses..\n\nand it is said that the tongue is the greatest organ to control...there is a story about shiva the hindu god saying that tongue is the most difficult organ to control..\n\nexcess food and luxury in food gives rise to sexual desires the yogis say..\n\nu see that monks dont eat things like chocolates or drinks or meat or any such lavish food...coz it ignites passion...\n\nso control of tongue, periodically puts it under check...\n\nthe actual meaning of fasting is forget everything and think about god...for a day when its repeated periodically, people will remember god in their lives..\n\nwhile the muslims fast..so as to remember all those people who dont have anything to eat....\n\nthis reminds them of all the people who are suffering of povery and other problems, and reminds them that they should help those people out...
943947
The Shiva Lingam is a symbol used to represent Shiva...mostly by the Lingayat sect of Saivism. It represents God (Shiva) in an unmanifested state....to remind the observer that while the entire universe is a manifestation of God, God also remains unmanifested, too. In some traditions the Lingam is placed in a base that is often called a Yoni. Here the symbolism is then merged as the unity of male and female (Shiva and Shakti). In Saivism and Shakta denominations God is both male and female and yet neither and this is strong emphasized (while other traditions in Hinduism acknowledge this there is less emphasis usually). Shiva is the unmanifest God and Shakti is God manifested. The unmanifest is masculine in nature and the manifested (the active component) is feminine in nature.\n\nI'll admit that when I first learned about Hinduism that I was often confused about the Lingam, too. This is a great question and I hope I answered it well for you.\n\nPeace be with you.
1087207
Lingam (also, Linga; Sanskrit लिङ्गं liṅgaṃ, meaning “mark” or “sign,” is used as a symbol for the worship of the Hindu God Shiva. While its origins are debated, the use of this symbol as an object of worship is a timeless tradition in India; mainstream scholars connect the origin of the lingam to the early Indus Valley civilisation. Lingam is usually found with Yoni, the pedestal. As such, Lingam represented the male entity of the universe, while Yoni represented the female; it was natural togetherness of the male (Shiva) and female (Shakti) (Lingam and Yoni) as the point of energy, point of creation, and point of enlightenment. Such revelation was later enriched by many philosophies and theologies as man's knowledge of God widened with civilization. [citation needed]
627145
the hindu religion is basically a very conservative religion. It involves several gods,festivals,prayers,rituals and other such stuff. It is actually quite a fun religion too. I am hindu, and i love my religion.
524684
In one sentence, \n\n"The divinity of man"\n\nHinduism teaches that all religions are good and are valid paths to god...\n\njust like different ppl wear different clothes, eat different food, but are all the same "humans", so also different religions use different methods to reach the same\n"God"\n\nIt says that everything in the universe is god, you are god.\nI am god, \n\nall the suffering humanity goes through is because we forget our own divine nature, and think that we are nothin but bodies...\n\nThe goal of life is to realize our own divine nature,\n\nso hinduism shows 4 paths to that realization\n\nthey are\n\n1.bhakti yoga (through workship)\n\n2.karma yoga (through selfless work)\n\n3,raja yoga ( by psychic control, meditation and pranayama etc )\n\nand\n\n4.jyana yoga ( through philosophical discrimination of what is real and what is not real.)\n\nThe watch word of hinduism is\n\n"Truth alone triumphs"..........\n\nhinduism teaches us to be fearless...
432897
av·a·tar [ávvə tr]\n(plural av·a·tars) \nnoun \n1.  incarnation of Hindu deity: an incarnation of a Hindu deity in human or animal form, especially one of the incarnations of Vishnu such as Rama and Krishna  \n2.  embodiment of something: somebody who embodies an idea or concept  \n3.  online image of somebody in virtual reality: a movable three-dimensional image used to represent somebody in cyberspace  \n4.  computer games computer game persona: in computer games, a character or persona of a player with a graphical representation  \n\n\n[Late 18th century. < Sanskrit avatāra "descent" (of a god to earth)]\nMicrosoft® Encarta® 2006. © 1993-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
659471
linga is the sacred phallus and principal symbol of the Hindu god Shiva and nearly always presented in connection with the yoni. i don't know where you're getting the anal orifice thing from
7069
This is called the Maha-mantra or the most sacred mantra and it is composed of 16 names of God and they have very specific meanings. Rama means 'He who performs wonderful pastimes' etc.
610828
Reservation, awaken ur self, the parents make love and the seed is sowed, the seed of Love-Lord, fed by the mother earth in the form of food provided. This form-body keeps growing, cosuming the mother earth and the mind (ideas, inputs from others) keeps growing, but we do not know the soul, seed, as we never accessed it. When u start clearing ur mind of all the ideas and go to find the truth, about who u r, u will find what Jesus, Nanak, Muhammad, Buddha, Krishn, Ram, Sai Baba, Mahaveer and many others found, the truth.The truth is we are all powerful, complete, in-dependant. Now this is what u get when u find ur self or become self-realised.\n\nBut who do we learn from normally, unrealised people, incomplete people. Look at the politicians, beauraucrats, teachers, gurus, religious heads, parents, etc, these are unrealised people, incomplete people. They are playing the game of control, control on outer world, converting people to their faith, playing the number game to be in power, as they do not have access to the power within. That is what reservation game is all about. Vote bank politics, divide and rule.\nFools r people who r supporting the RESERVATION thinking that they will benefit. We need to learn from history, only politicians have benefitted.\n\nYes I am proud to be Indian, Bhaarat Bhaagya Vidhaata. The predictions r that India is the next super power, believe it, it is, and with a difference, it will be by healing the mother earth and re-uniting the people, faiths.\nLove
598956
My religion is Hinduism. It does not condemn people to hell because they are not Hindu. It does not declare that it is RIGHT over any other religion. It says that all religions are also "truth", too. They are just approaching the divine differently. The reason they approach it differently is twofold: 1) because each of us grasps different aspects of the divine which is so vast and large...infinite...that no one person can fully grasp it all and 2) because each of us are different and have different lives and experiences and we translate our grasp of the divine within the context of our experiences and lives.\n\n"Truth is one, though humanity calls it by many names." Rig Veda. These are the words of one of the sacred texts of Hinduism that sums up this idea.\n\nThere is a story in Hinduism about three blind men. Each is from a different village and each is out walking in the forest one day. Each comes across an elephant that is passing by them. Each goes back to their village and tells the villagers, who've never seen an elephant, about their experience. One blind man only got to touch the ears of the elephant as it passed. Another only got to touch the tail. And the other felt only it's body as it passed by. Each had a different experience and goes back to relate it to others. So whose experience is right? Whose elephant is true and whose elephant is false? Which of the three blind men is right and which ones are wrong? Hindus say we are like those blind men and God is like that elephant. We all only touch briefly a small part of God and then go around relating our experiences to others. Sometimes we find others who happen to have similar experiences (who are touching the same part of God) and others who are hanging on to a completely different part. Yet, Hindus stress that it is important for us to realize that we are all touching the same elephant, the same God, but that we are all just experiencing God differently. For me to claim that I'm the only one who is right is completely ignorant of the reality that God is bigger than me and it invalidates the experiences of others. For me to claim I'm the only one whose right, well that's just the ego talking.