Brahman means different things to different people. The Upanishads reads, “All other beings are but an expression of Brahman,“ Hopfe, pg. 87). At different points of your life you may need different parts of Brahman. For instance, if you are sick you would call upon Brahman as your healer. If you are in battle, you would call for Brahman as your protector. I think the names for Brahman are just different parts of yourself. Just as there are three parts of humans — spirit, soul, and body. Maybe Brahman has these different qualities in him. ‘The Upanishads say, We are part of the great ocean of souls that make up Brahman,” (Hopfe, pg. 88). Maybe God is experiencing human life through us.
There are systems that represent the “way of knowledge.” The Sankara system acknowledges no personal gods and may be thought of as an atheistic method to life. The Yoga system teaches that one should attempt to attach or join the individual spirit to god, the Atman, to Brahman, (Hopfe, pg. 102). The most important part of yoga is meditation, (Hopfe, pg. 103). The Mimansa system is all about the prevention of re-birth. This is done by obeying the laws and performing rites. The Vaisheshkia system that there is no reality except Brahman, (Hopfe, pg. 104). The Nyaya system is all about being involved with logical analysis as a means of reaching truth about the world, (Hopfe, pg. 105). The Vedanta system holds that this world doesn’t exist, only Brahman. Human’s problem is ignorance.
Some of Hindu’s devotional practices are: worshiping at the temples, offering sacrifices, praying, and supporting priests at the temple, (Hopfe, pg.98). This means that Hindu’s give a lot of their time to their gods and goddesses and it is fundamental to them.
Three important gods in the Hindu deities are: Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu.
Brahma is the least one acknowledged to. There are only two temples in honor of him. Shiva is the god of death, destruction, disease, and dance. Not only is he all of those things but he is also the god of vegetable, animal, and human reproduction. (Hopfe, Pg. 98). The third god is Vishnu the god of love, benevolence, and forgiveness. Vishnu has tenderness for humanity which he showed by coming to the earth in nine forms. (Hopfe, pg. 100)
They have some valid points. The idea that there is only one God makes sense. But can One God govern the universe all by himself? Maybe that is why there are angels, to be his messengers, since the appearance of angels have been seen in all cultures. Can one God be in charge of trillions of souls and still be personal and answer your prayers? I wonder if God has a quota of the day to meet of responding to human’s needs. Maybe that is why there are healing crusades, those healing evangelists are like God’s way of heaven meeting earth.
It reminds me of Bruce in Bruce Almighty. God must get billions of prayer requests a day! Does God ever have slow days? If the individual is truly unimportant and the world an illusion, what are we doing here? Why should we bother with the physical if none of it will even matter in the long run? Are we just like a game of chess, where God moves us wherever he pleases? There seems to be some sort of order in the universe and some certainties, but if the world does come to an end like major religions predict, then what’s the point? I guess Brahman or God won’t let things get too out of hand, which is why Brahman or God may have incarnated in different religious forms to get humanity back on track. Is life just a dream?
I think we are here to learn and that it is ok to enjoy physical things because after all we are in a physical body. Some of us though, lose sight of our real nature, and become too attached to the physical. People who are too physical minded may need a rude awakening to help them be less concerned about the materialistic world. I think our spirits are from God and all return to him. I wonder if Brahman knows what he is doing by sending us to earth with all of its pain. I think there is a universal plan for the earth, but people make their own choices, so that is why we have pain. If we really do forget our true nature, I think Brahman gives us glimpses of who we are, through nature, our conscience, dreams, and spiritual experiences. If life is a dream, or an illusion, or just a passing thing, I want to make the most of it.
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