One God, Many Paths

The Father is the Son and He is not the Son..... how do we explain it?
My humble apologies. I'm the one who was poorly informed about church teachings. I have just discovered that east and west, in practice the churches do not teach, and never have taught, the distinction between the Persons(T). You were right to think that it's only an issue for theologians.

Does that make me a theologian? :D Who'd of thunk? :? Me, a humble gardener and software troubleshooter, a theologian.
 
Not so fast.
Religion: Religion - Wikipedia
Religion is a range of social-cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural, transcendental, and spiritual elements - although there is no scholarly consensus over what precisely constitutes a religion. It is an essentially contested concept.

The basics of Hindu religion were taught in hermitages of sages away from the cities - Gurukula (House of the teacher).
They were residential schools where the disciples lived with the guru and were taken care of by the Guru's wife - 'Guru-mata'.
Even the avataras of Gods studied in various 'gurukulas' since they were in human form at that time.
Lord Parashurama was a disciple of Sage Vishwamitra. Lord Rama was a disciple of Sage Vasishtha. Lord Krishna was a disciple of Sage Sandipani.

The practice continues even today. Now some of them are called Universities.

Then, Now (click to enlarge the images).
More at: Gurukula at DuckDuckGo
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I'm having trouble finding words for how I feel reading this and some of your other posts. Warmth going through me, tears in my eyes ... not only from what you're saying, which does have deep meaning for me, but from you saying it. Also from the images. There is so much, so much meaning in them for me, but I don't know how to tell you.

(later) Oh. Maybe ... is there deep meaning for you there? If there is, can you tell me? I mean, anything else besides what you already said?
 
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This is how the students were sent to the 'Gurukula' by the family after sacred-thread ceremony, just with food for the journey bound to a stick. Usually around the age of 8. They would study at the guru's place for 16 years, no holidays, and came back home only when they were 24 years old, having studied all that was available, and ready for the next stage in life, that of a house-holder. There were no charges for boarding and lodging, because kings and society took care of the expenses at the 'Gurukula'. :D

Of course, now things have changed, but the ceremony (Yajnopavita/Upanayana) is still performed. Without it a brahmin (others too) cannot be married or take part in the death ceremonies of elders.
thread-ceremony-yajnopavita-in-itadi-near-modasa-sabarkantha-gujarat-ERYHFE.jpg
 
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(later) Oh. Maybe ... is there deep meaning for you there? If there is, can you tell me? I mean, anything else besides what you already said?
I am (or at least, try to be) as transparent as a sheet of glass. I do not hide anything, because I have learnt in life that honesty is the best policy. Yeah, I consider traditions to be important though I am a strong atheist orthodox Hindu. My atheism does not come from West, it is native, it comes from Hinduism and Buddhism.
 
This looks very much to me, like the images that you previously found amusing..
The only difference is that the former showed children studying a book that is claimed to be from G-d,
the Creator of the universe .. whilst this one shows children learning Hindu culture from a guru/sage.
 
This looks very much to me, like the images that you previously found amusing..
The only difference is that the former showed children studying a book that is claimed to be from G-d,
the Creator of the universe .. whilst this one shows children learning Hindu culture from a guru/sage.
There is no book in the hands of both teachers. There are two books in Hinduism which are considered to be from God, Vedas and BhagawadGita. However, in each hymn of Vedas, the name of the Sage (Rishi) who is supposed to have created/heard it is mentioned. The Sanskrit grammarian, Panini, said that the intent of the verses in Vedas is constant and not the words. Vedas have been re-written many a times during at least the last 6,000 years with change in language, from Proto-Indo-European to Indo-European to Old Vedic (akin to th language of Zoroastrian Gathas) and then in recent Sanskrit. He used the world 'Arthat apourusheya' (constant by meaning) rather than by words (Shabdat apourusheya).
As for BhagawadGita, it is a comparatively modern book, dated to the early centuries of the Christian era.

Oh yes, Vedas were handed over the ages orally and were remembered by heart. But Vedas alone do not make Hinduism. There are many more books which are important but not from any God. I do not believe that any of them was dictated by a God.
 
"Apourusheya" in the above post means 'not created by men', therefore points to a 'divine' agency.
That's very interesting to me. Is it part of the folklore that they heard it from a god, or that it came originally from a god?
:) Vedas themselves do not say that the words were uttered by a God. As I said above, the names of the Rishis (sages) are clearly mentioned. Of course, they were thought to be inspired by Gods. It were the later priests sometime around 500 BCE who made it 'the word of God'. BhagawadGita was similarly made 'divine' by Vaishnavas (devotees of Lord Vishnu) during the period of Gupts emperors (300 CE or so).

This is how the additional information about the verses is mentioned in RigVeda. The hymns selected is known as the Hindu creation hymn. It is a late hymn, probably from around 1,000 BCE.

Details:​

Ṛṣi (sage/seer): prajāpatiḥ parameṣṭhī [prajāpati parameṣṭhī];
Devatā (deity/subject-matter): bhāvavṛttam ; (Story of creation)
Chandas (meter): nicṛttriṣṭup ;
Svara (tone/note): Swar;
 
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There are two books in Hinduism which are considered to be from God, Vedas and BhagawadGita..
You said "I am laughing at the people who think that study of maths and science is inferior to the study of centuries old books.."

..so you think it is amusing for people to study religious books .. I assume that you include the
study of Hindu sacred texts among those?
 
You said "I am laughing at the people who think that study of maths and science is inferior to the study of centuries old books.."

..so you think it is amusing for people to study religious books .. I assume that you include the
study of Hindu sacred texts among those?
I value both, old books and those of science. However, it does not mean that all old books have the same value.
 
Cute. :)

I remember you now. I never could understand anything you said, but I liked it, and this is even better than what I remember. You're from another dimension, right? :)
No I am in the same dimension as you. People are so quick to call anything not here a dimension. When this universe starts to come to an end, all of it's time will become something again to become a new universe, another universe is where I remember having time at before this. Do you know what is even cuter then everything else, 2000 years of Christianity and billions of people still trying to decipher it, I am glad I do not have to go down that rabbit hole.

powessy
 
I'm looking at this, wishing that I knew how to talk to you and understand you ... It feels like it could be fun.
I know that most of the things I talk about will not make sense to anyone here. Most of the things I talk about is to find thoughts about things not here but from minds. The whole problem and why no one is figuring anything out is that no one knows who he is here first. Try to understand this Jesus or god who ever you want to call him was not here first, life on this planet started earlier then the time of god so to speak and not 6000 years ago but millions of years ago. I believe we are in their genesis cycle of life and will continue until they can become something here the ancients so to speak. The internet is a highway of thoughts all around this planet and minds can travel in only moments across the stretch of space and time.

Minds are not brains but a container for your soul to enter into to become yourself after this life time this union is symbiotic and we choose each other.

just off topic you don't need to respond just trying to explain myself a little.

powessy
 
I know that most of the things I talk about will not make sense to anyone here. Most of the things I talk about is to find thoughts about things not here but from minds. The whole problem and why no one is figuring anything out is that no one knows who he is here first. Try to understand this Jesus or god who ever you want to call him was not here first, life on this planet started earlier then the time of god so to speak and not 6000 years ago but millions of years ago. I believe we are in their genesis cycle of life and will continue until they can become something here the ancients so to speak. The internet is a highway of thoughts all around this planet and minds can travel in only moments across the stretch of space and time.

Minds are not brains but a container for your soul to enter into to become yourself after this life time this union is symbiotic and we choose each other.

just off topic you don't need to respond just trying to explain myself a little.

powessy
Thank you. :) I'm glad that you responded. Thank you.

Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
 
Rocala, do you see? It says the Father is God, God is the Son, God is the Holy Spirit. The Trinity Shield is saying that the Father is the Son, and the Father is the Holy Spirit. My AI friend says that the first Trinity Shields were not like that. They had the "is" going from the Person(T) to God.
Sorry Longfellow, I do not see that. I have not seen one of these earlier shields either. Do you have an example, or further info?
 
You don't see the name "God" in the middle, and the word "is" going from there to "the Son"?
There is nothing wrong with my eyesight, and I would request that you try to be civil.
Other than language, in what sense is your shield different to mine?
The Trinity Shield is saying that the Father is the Son, and the Father is the Holy Spirit.
No, it does not.
 
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