Many Rishis are mentioned in the many scriptures/histories of Hinduism. They were the path-blazers in many areas of knowledge that have come down as Hindu heritage. Rishis range from founders of ‘mantras’ (language in seed form that those who meditate use to navigate their way to higher truths) to pioneers of secular arts including, even, sex. (Vatsyayana Rishi wrote the world-famous Kama Sutra). They are people who have achieved extraordinary knowledge through long periods of meditation (sometimes lasting many lifetimes). Why, there is one Rishi called Charvaka Rishi who not only did not believe in God but made fun of the idea of God!
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
So how does a person get recognized as a rishi.
Well – you can’t hide light under a bushel.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
How do you know a person is a real rishi or not? (they could be lying)
“Rishi-hood” is largely a matter of reputation. Since Hinduism is more a religion of experience than belief, its teachings are all a matter of experience. If some teachings work for you or sound true to you, you accept the teachings, not bothering whether a Rishi was its source or someone else.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
Do you still get rishis, or have all the ones who were going to come, arrived.
The ancient Rishis have achieved such a high reputation that such a title is not easily given to anyone now. In the 20th century lived two men of religion – Aurobindo Maharshi and Ramana Maharshi, who were called so by their followers because they were convinced that the knowledge they had were Rishi-like. (Aruobindo ‘s poem Savitri is said to be the longest epic poem in the English language. It is the story of a young wife whose husband dies and how she pursues the God of death and reclaims the life of her husband. The poem actually unravels the different levels of consciousness that man can pass through.)
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
Does he announce that he is one, or do people, impressed with his knowledge and wisdom, give him the title (like Catholic saints)? Can it be given after his death?
Again, as I said, it is all a matter of reputation. It is the experience that can be derived from the teachings that are important, not the imparter of the teachings.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
Manu's laws, do you believe that he, having achieved a greater level of wisdom, invented them, or do you believe that having achieved a greater spiritual reality, he could converse with the gods, who gifted him with them?
It would be interesting to note that when Philippines drafted its Constitution, it placed the statue of Manu in the National Assembly Hall with this inscription on its base: "The first, the greatest and the wisest law-giver of mankind." However, Manu is not very relevant in the Hindu scheme of things today and therefore a study of him would only be of academic interest.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
How do Hindu's worship (I mean physically)?
About how Hindus worship - they normally sit on the floor and pray before an idol if at home. If in temples, they stand in a queue that passes an idol in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and when in front of the idol, they bow, maybe recite a short prayer, and pass on. Many prefer to sit in special poses on the floor (one such is called Lotus pose) shut their eyes and recite “mantras” (language in seed-form) silently. All have its own benefits and progress for a person in spiritual quest.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
What are the spiritual benefits of worshiping or not?
Worship happens when you posit that God is outside you and you try to reach out to Him. Later on, if you progress sufficiently in your spiritual quest, you will realize that what you are worshipping is actually within you - then you drop worship and take to meditation till you realize your oneness with that which you were worshipping.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
Does Hinduism consider itself a way of life or a method of worship?
I can’t say anything about its being a way of life because, though I have heard it often, I still have not understood what that phrase means. Hinduism can be said to have innumerable methods of worship, the choice being left to the worshipper.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
(considering that you have no religiously defined civil laws)
Civil laws are always in the secular realm. You don’t have to necessarily be religious to have to obey the rule that you have to keep left (or right) in traffic.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
What is the reward for being a good/devout Hindu?
If it is about being a good Hindu like as a member of a community - that is not the ultimate aim of Hindu teachings. It has actually very individualistic teachings where the benefit is freedom from all sense of want.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
I heard somewhere that some Hindu gods (particularly Kali) demand human sacrifice and that sort of thing. Is this true? How do present day Hindus reconcile with that sort of thing?
Well, as I said before, Hindus have all sorts of Gods (meaning, different expressions of the one underlying truth) and they respond to their understanding in different ways. Hindus, always, have been able to reconcile themselves with all sorts of things. But this particular thing of human sacrifice took place (and even now sometimes take place, as per newspaper reports) because of the greed of some worshippers. I suppose the devilish in man has always kept popping up in many ways and we have to live with the fact – otherwise Allah would have had no need to prepare hell awaiting!
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
Do you have anything equivalent to Jihad?
If by Jihad you mean fighting the debilitating tendencies in us, then all Hinduism is an attempt at Jihad. But if you mean by Jihad fighting your religious opponents, then such a concept is furtherest from Hinduism.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
And what about cows? What is their relationship to the religion. Are they gods?
Gods? Remember Hinduism understands that all existence is God. Cows, traditionally, have had a pride of place in Hindu society as a symbol of a provider – milk, cow-dung as cleansing agent, cow-urine as medicinal ingredient etc.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
Also, your pictures of your gods, (with many arms and legs), where did they come from?
These are all expressions of the various powers of God.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
Are they from visions your rishis saw, or are they just the artists rendition of what a properly Hindu god of these qualities ought to look like?
You could say they are both.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
What about priests? Where do they come from?
Mostly Hindu priests have come from the Brahmin caste but now qualified priests from other castes also perform rituals at temples.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
What are their duties?
In temples, their duties are to carry on with established rituals. (There are also other people, apart from priests, involved in the running of temples. One of them is called ‘tantri’. May be we will talk about tantris later.)
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
Do they learn under each other? What form of religious schools do you have?
There are religious schools dedicated wholly to scriptural matters and there are nowadays religious schools that also teach secular subjects. They are traditionally called “Gurukul”.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Faye
I would like to emphasize that any preceived insult to you or your religion by my admittedly crass and ignorant questions, was not intended. I am just curious about Hindus, as all the tales we hear about them in Pakistan are ... well ... weird I would like to gain some actual, factual knowledge about Hindus, to counterbalance the tall tales I have heard about them.
I must say, on my part, that all the answers given by me are on the strength of my own convictions and not as representative answers of any Hindu community. I only speak for myself and I think that is appropriate, because Hinduism is all about individual freedom. It is not about forming any community but being capable of living harmoniously in the whole of existence.