Hindu "death education" process?
825373
I studied Hinduism as a Subject of Comparative Religion and have lived in India, too, for awhile.\n\nI think the name of the place that you mentioned is Banares, not Barnas; and only people who live in that vicinity go there.\n\nTo the best of my knowledge, Hindus don't have anything like Death Education.\n\nTechnically speaking, Hindus are supposed to Celebrate Death as the Release of the Soul that has now attained Freedom and gone back to God; but I didn't see many people doing that, because they were too busy mourning.  They did reply all the condolences they recieved with the standard "Well, he[or she] has gone on to the Better Place." which, really, isn't too different to our own funerals.\n\nThe Crematoria are now Electric Furnaces, since Pollution Laws forbid burning wood pyres; so there's not much difference between them and us, really.\n\nWhoever has to lead the funeral, be it the Husband, Wife,  Son or Daughter, really don't do much "Learning".  \n\nWhen the cremation is to be done, the Governmental Priest reads out the last rites rather mechanically, because he's been doing that for a long time, and the conveyor belt takes in the coffin and then, after awhile, you get the ashes.\n\nThis is what I saw in a couple of funerals I had to attend there.\n\nBanares is more of a Tourist kind of thing than really "holy".\n\nAt least that's what my Hindu friends there told me.\n\nIt's impractical to try taking the body there because [a] there's the Law about how long you can keep the body reposing in State. [b] Airlines will not accept even the ashes being brought aboard on Health Grounds. [c] Hearses will not undertake such a long journey.  And [d] Most people cannot afford this luxury.\n\nFacts are, unfortunately, very mundane.\n\nSorry if I pricked your balloon of Imagination.\n\nPS,\n\nI'm not surprised that you couldn't find any material on this; because it doesn't exist.
922605
The ultimate aim is to gain the Supreme Knowledge and become one with the Supreme Being.\n\nSeveral spiritual paths have been prescribed to achieve this transformation. Love, nonviolence, good conduct and the law of dharma define the Hindu path. Hinduism explains that the soul reincarnates until all Karmas are resolved and God realization is attained.\n\nAt the Heart of Hinduism is the monotheistic principle of Brahman. The entire universe is basically a representation of the Supreme Soul, and He is present in each and every thing, human and animal, animate and non-animate.
897776
You know - this is a lot like whisper down the lane.  Let's stop for a minute and think about this stuff rationally.\n\nFrom where I am sitting, I have found that there is no devil beyond our own worst emotions - and there is no hell beyond being steeped in our own worst emotions.  As far as I can see, we humans are running the show - but more like a bunch of college students on our own independent course of study.  We come, we learn, we go - we very likely come back again.\n\nSome deaths are tragic - and some have far reaching implications like nothing else in this world.  Some deaths are welcome - there comes a time when the journey is over, don't you think?\n\nGod is a little easier to understand if you think of it as the energy that powers this existence more than some old guy in the sky using us like Barbie dolls.  We all come here of our own choosing to learn something specific, not to be coddled and live in a paradise and do nothing.  It's meant to be a challenge.\n\nPeace!
907982
Hinduism.  Try www.wikipedia.com for more info.
684114
A person with strong faith does their sadhana (spiritual practices), keeps their dharma (does their duty...to their family, job, society, etc), and they seek to learn from spiritual teachers and to find a their guru. It is normal and acceptable to have doubt, to even go and look into other paths to see if perhaps these are better for you. It is common to return to the faith and again be at the same level of belief. It is said that some of us who have entered Hinduism now in this lifetime were at one time Hindus in past lifetimes...we have just come home now. So "longer absences", yes there can be very long absences. :)
468714
I'm almost done with getting my funeral directing degree in Texas. I'm gonna copy a list of links to various national organizations that can help, both in deciding if it's right for you and where the nearest school is.\n\nNational Funeral Director's Association - organization for funeral service professionals\nhttp://www.nfda.org/\n\nThe American Board of Funeral Service Education - accredits college programs in Mortuary Science, can help you find a school.\nhttp://www.abfse.org/\n\nThe International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards - administers the National Board Exam (which i'm about to do a couple of weeks, wish me luck)\nhttp://www.cfseb.org/\n\nThere's also a Yahoo Group for Apprentice Funeral Directors, but we have people who are not in it yet, just interested.\nhttp://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Apprentice_Funeral_Directors_Support_Group/\n\nLook around and see what you find out.\n\nGood luck,\nHelen.
1095538
Your bias is classic. Get some education, now. \n\nReally what is your problem with hindus?\n\n Afraid of their deep philosophical thoughts?\n\n Are they are not converting to your beliefs fast enough?\n\n Will it work if I sprincle some of that holy water on you along with a prayer to christ? Will anti hindu sentiments which possess you will leave you alone and let your brains take hold again?
29339
Yes, it gets as close as possible. \nGo to amazon.com and buy a book called "Chariots of God" \nNext, to know more on Hindu philosophy, go to blog of Harshad Joshi at agneya2.blogspot.com to know about Hinduism. It contains mysterious hymns from ancient Indian culture.
571763
yOU HAVE TO CHECK YOUR LOCAL MUSLIM PERSONAL LAW. tHE PERSONAL LAW BOARD LOOKS AFTER THIS. THE HINDU SUCCESSION ACT DOES NOT APPLY TO YOU IF YOU ARE IN INDIA.
1003845
I recently remembered a month ago my first past life recall. I remembered living in India as a woman from another country. I had studied many religions and spirituality. I ended up chosing Hinduism as my religion to study seriously on my spiritual path.\n\nWhile living in India, I studied under a woman guru named Parvati. I remembered this temple that had this giant monkey statue on the outside.\n\nI had to leave the ashram for a couple of days, Parvati was asking me some medicine-related questions if I was prepared and had them.\n\nOn the way travelling, I got horribly sick with a dreadful disease. It was smallpox. My entire body was mummified. A man carried me to the doctor's. It was not modern at all. Kind of primative. This was during WWI. He poured water on my body that was wrapped up in white cloth, I screamed like bloody h*ll. Blood seeped through the cloth. I was above watching the whole thing.\n\nI did not feel anything, but I felt a lot of compassion for my past self and for the horrible suffering she was going through. I felt it was so unnecessary. They also put me against the wall to circulate my blood. My eyes were covered up too. Parvati, my guru, came to visit me as she was given word that I was dying.\n\nMy last words spoken were "Brahman of all things". I had my mind focused on God when I died which is very important for your next life.\n\nThis life, I'm just a white girl from CA but I ended up feeling at home with Hinduism after studying spiritualy and religions for 17 years. I am picking up where I left off. Amma is now my Satguru in this life. She is helping me finish my journey to God-Realization in this life. I do eventually want to live the rest of my life in India in her ashram. This past life recall helped me understand who I am in this life by explaining how I ended up on this journey and plus that disease helped wipe clean some bad karma as I hardly have any more bad karma to deal with this life. It was quite insightful.\n\nThere is a very interesting site http://www.johnadams.net This guy Walter Semkiv, M.D. had some some research on many cases of past lives and wrote a book called "Return of the Revolutionaries" which I have read. It is fascinating to read and there were many stories of how people can to find out who they are in their past life and became shocked at how identical the looked like in their former life. It is a known fact that our Soul would retain very similiar facial features life after life. There are many examples on that website. Take a look!\n\nI also wrote two posts about past lives on my 360 blog, the first about the above recall and the second about how people look like their past lives:\n\nhttp://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-O50H77Iib6fVzcbXCb1eO_cIAk0-?cq=1&l=46&u=50&mx=111&lmt=5&p=263\n\nhttp://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-O50H77Iib6fVzcbXCb1eO_cIAk0-?cq=1&l=21&u=25&mx=111&lmt=5&p=356
309113
LONG POST.  Skip if want to.   I have been there once.  I am agnostic.  I am not sure how much weight that will carry in helping you but hope my few words might get the thought process in you motorizing.   Just let me talk about my personal experience.\n\nI don't worry abou the afterlife aspect.  I have pretty much made peace (tho, not 100%...more like 85% to 90%) that my soul will rot along with my body.  My soul is made purely of synapses that happen in my brain matter.\n\nYES, I do still wonder at times what death will be like, and how I might die.  Just natural curiosity and a small fear of simply "not existing" anymore.  That fear or wonderment is perfectly natural.   It is not eternal bliss or eternal damnation or reincarnation that I look forward to to establish my selfish "immortality".  (Imo, it is selfish to me)\n\nI am of the belief that it's the HERE and NOW that matters so much.  I am thinking that my self-assigned purpose is to affect as many people as I can during my --and ours-- lifetime as possible.   I have made others laugh, learn to respect humanity's differences, to be more compassionate.  I attritube some of that success to my being deaf.  In turn, perhaps SOME of them might teach others --their children?-- what they learned.   THAT is my "immortality", Heron.  THAT is my "eternal bliss".  I know in my heart and head that SOME people actually passed it on to their loved ones about being compassionate.  \n\nHeron, Love, I have already had a hard childhood and a hard life.  Part of me is actually looking forward to death as the final escape and a welcome relief from my pains and sorrows of this life.  When I am OLD, when I am OLD!!!!!  :-p  I don't want to committ suicide!  :-p  Relax, peeps!  ;-)\n\nI am also no longer as afraid of simply blinking out of existence.  It's inevitable.  The future that Star Trek espouses, I so badly want to be there, but know I may not live to see it.  I accept that reality.  I just turn my fear of the non-existence into a focus on the HERE and NOW.  I just gape in wonderment of TODAY's science and my imagination SOARS on where it may lead......\n\nA smile at a sad child at Tim Horton's can brighten her whole day.  Years later, when Child is a old woman, she may remember this friendly stranger with the loving smile long after I turned to dust.  In turn, she may return the favor to another sad child she sees at a restaurant.  It's the MEMORY of me that I know will establish my "immortality".  I am hoping in the future, my second cousins or future unborn nieces/nephews will take my poetry (1,000+ already!) and try to publish some of them.  That is also my hope for immortality---just like my beloved poet, Emily Dickinson.\n\nCivilizations come and go.  A thousand years hence, our civilization may not be here anymore.  Religions may no longer exist.   We will no longer be remembered excepting for our own pottery and "ancient items".   Heron, my love, everything comes to an end, just as everything has a beginning.   Both the good and the bad.\n\nWhat is important is to accept your fear as natural....and to gain courage from that fear to take a leap where this may lead you.  All people of faith go through this.  Who knows, Heron, I may "return" to Wicca in the future.  Or be drawn to another religion.  Unpredictability is the magic of life.  :-)   The sooner I accepted that reality, the less I was afraid.  \n\nI was wiccan.  I believed in some of the gods/goddesses.  One day, I was doing the Full Moon ritual.  A thought just popped up out of nowhere that kind of shocked me----"If you are not getting anything out of this praying, hon, STOP doing it.  You are disrespecting the "god" if you pray and don't feel anything out of it!"    After that, I stopped if I felt it would be a "hollow ritual", void of feeling.  Eventually I had to question my wiccan
126079
Many religions incorporate some sort of circle in their traditions and ceremonies usually indicating the cirle of life.  Check the link for more info...
470122
This belongs in a Social or Government category, not "special education."\n\nThe county clerk for the location of death should have death certificates available for legitimate executors and heirs.
164560
Travel and Preach people and teach them thae values to stick themself to.\n\nLove, humanity, extend a helping hand, doing a favour without expecting one back... You can find one of the persons these days is Shri Satya Sai Baba ..\nhttp://www.srisathyasai.org.in/\n\nAsoka  (an Indian Ruler , once upon a time) was on path of preaching Bhuddism after he saw devastation.
184587
Hey :)  \n\nTry checking out their website http://www.anandamarga.org/ - it should answer any questions you may have :)  \n\nGood luck!
613180
Try this site:\n\nhttp://adishakti.org/subtle_system/kundalini.htm\n\nYou might find this one interesting too:\nhttp://www.al-qiyamah.org/forum/age_when_the_holy_breath_will_testify_anew_for_christ_12-14-2004.htm
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.