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to the next page to the Indian projects of my parentsHere a little about my Indian journey and the Indian culture. To understand a culture it is important to know his predominant religion.
Therefore I divide it into three parts:
1. the religion
2. the people there
3. about myself in India
1. the religion:
Hinduism
First I would like to tell you that I neither studied Hinduism nor I belive in Hinduism as an incontrovertible truth. However since I have lived five years in India, I have studied much about this religion. I also hurry to say that usually there is a big discrepancy is between the life of the founder of a religion and that of his followers hundreds or thousand years later.
For example was the original meaning of the caste system, that the influence of a man to the society should grow with the measure of his selflessness. It needs hadtly to be mentioned, that this caste system has become an instrument of suppressing today. Although it has arisen in the Hinduism, it is also practiced by other religions there. So for example in churches in which the lower castes must sit behind.
Contrary to the first impression the Hinduism is a monotheistic religion. Brahma is the highest divine. The is one without a second. It is the totality. Neither male nor female but also both of them at the same time. The creation and the creator at the same time. It is the very basis and the last reality. Brahma is never represented in temples, because it has no forms. It is everything that is. Brahma isn't adored because it includes the adorer. Brahma can only be recognized in everything.
The man who sees himself separated from God is a victim of the deluding power called "Maya". Maya creates the illusion of the duality. But: Maya doesn't hold us tight but we hold Maya tight. We can let off any time. And the deception has different depths. In its highest level it can lead a man who believes in it to nihilism. In the most subtle form of deception it lets us recognise ourselves as "individual souls" which stands before the total divinity "Isvara". This is the topmost form of the duality before the unity.
Shiva-Shakti is also established here: The consciousness aspect of Shiva and the divine energy Shakti. Shakti is the equivalent to the holy spirit or in Jewish religoin to the Shechina.
Both powers are interdependent, just as important and equal. It is represented as a person with the half from the male Shiva and with the other half from the female of Shakti.
If we go one step further we come onto the level of the trinity (ad so one step further into the illusion):
Bramah, Vishnu and Shiva.
All three divine aspects are interdependent, just as important and equal.
Bramah (not mistake for Brahma) is the creating aspect of God. He has four heads. Every head looks into a direction. To this creator God only two temples are dedicated to whole India.
Vishnu is the sustaining aspect of God.
He is the sustainer of the universe and the avatars come out of him. In the faith of the Hindus an avatar is the divine that comes onto the earth to save it from the chaos and resurrect the divine order (charity). Shiva has besides his aspect of consciousness in the duality the aspect of the dissolving and renewal (reincarnation) in the trinity. Parvathi is Shivas wife. Parvathi (nature) is Shaktis lower aspect. Shiva-Parvathi is frequently represented at temples in the sexual intercourse:
The consciousness penetrates in nature and offers her the direct contact to the divine.
By the way: the cow Nandi is Shiva's vehicle. That's why the cows are sacred. And caution: The cows know they are sacred!
Now a colossal potential would come to mythology, that would blast every frame now. It is referred to the Mahâbhâratha.
Nahmaste! (God in me greets God in you!)
2. the people there:
India is a country of contrasts. Most millionaires of world live in India (tested on the dollar). In immediate neighbourhood of glass palaces there are slums. The people of the slums try to be dressed correctly and cleanly as far as this is still possible for them. Indians are children. This isn't meant condescendingly. On the contrary! Our adults have to hide such intentions. Indians have it for a lifetime. The people there take fate as it comes. Of course this has two sides: On the one side none quarrel with the destiny. On the other side little effort to the improveme the life situation, particularly at the lower castes. Of course the upper castes have an interested, that the lower castes remain the lower. I asked a Bramahn (topmost caste) what he thinks of the caste system. I got the answer: He wouldn't have thought about this yet. The different religions to 99.9% coexist peaceful and celebrate even the feasts of the others side by side.
3. about myself in India:
I spent my first night in India with stomach cramps since I was not used to the hot meal. The whole time I was never robbed. If I was cheated then deceived only about small amounts. If one looks for something in India it is better to ask ten people and if seven say go to the left, then to go to the right. Shortly: Indians can rarely admit that they don't know it. The distance less of the same sex and the gigantic distance to the other sex is strange to us. So e.g. in the bus if a man leans on you and you may not sit down next to a woman. Ashrams are worth-while for longer remaining. They are usually seperating the sex, like in Indian culture. There you can work without work visa for meal and accomodation. Some maintain projects like free hospitals and schools for the poor. This is been called "Narayan Seva" (God service). I personally would never go to such as the Osho ashram with its decline "aids free zone" at the entrance. My time in India has enriched me very much. People without a donkey patience have very much difficulties in this country.
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