Hindu Samskriti – Hindu Ethics Hinduism’s Code of Conduct -2
Posted in Labels: Hindu Samskriti – Hindu Ethics Hinduism’s Code of Conduct -2
Hindu
Ethics
Hinduism’s Code of Conduct
The Ten Vedic Practices,
Niyama
- Remorse, Hri
Allow yourself the expression of remorse,
being
modest and showing shame for misdeeds.
Recognize
your errors, confess and make amends.
Sincerely
apologize to those hurt by your words or
deeds.
Resolve all contention before sleep. Seek out
and
correct your faults and bad habits. Welcome
correction
as a means to bettering yourself. Do not
boast.
Shun pride and
pretension.
- Contentment, Santosha
Nurture contentment, seeking joy and serenity
in life. Be happy, smile and uplift others.
Live
in constant gratitude for your health, your
friends
and your belongings, Don’t complain about what you
don’t possess. Identify with the eternal You,
rather than mind, body or emotions. Keep the
mountaintop view that life is an opportunity
for
spiritual progress. Live in the eternal now.
3. Giving, Dana
Be generous to a fault, giving liberally
without
thought of reward. Tithe, offering one-tenth
of your
gross income (dashamamsha), as God’s money,
to temples, ashrams and spiritual
organizations.
Approach the temple with offerings. Visit
gurus with
gifts in hand. Donate religious literature.
Feed
and give to those in need. Bestow your time
and
talents without seeking praise. Treat guests
as God.
- Faith, Astikya
Cultivate an unshakable faith. Believe firmly
in God,
Gods, guru and your path to enlightenment.
Trust in
the words of the masters, the scriptures and
traditions.
Practice devotion and sadhana to
inspire
experiences that build advanced faith. Be
loyal to
your lineage, one with your satguru.
Shun those who
try to break your faith by argument and
accusation.
Avoid doubt and despair.
- Worship, Ishvara-Pujana
Cultivate devotion through daily worship and
meditation.
Set aside one room of your home as God’s
shrine.
Offer fruit, flowers or food daily. Learn a
simple puja
and the chants. Meditate after each puja.
Visit your
shrine before and after leaving the house.
Worship
in heartfelt devotion, clearing the inner
channels
to God, Gods and guru so their grace flows
toward you and loved ones.
- Scriptural Listening, Siddhanta Shravana
Eagerly hear the scriptures, study the
teachings and
listen to the wise of your lineage. Choose a
guru, follow
his path and don’t waste time exploring other
ways.
Read, study and, above all, listen to
readings and dissertations
by which wisdom flows from knower to seeker.
Avoid secondary texts that preach violence.
Revere and
study the revealed scriptures, the Vedas and
Agamas
- Cognition, Mati
Develop a spiritual will and intellect with
your
satguru’s guidance. Strive for knowledge of God, to
awaken the light within. Discover the hidden
lesson
in each experience to develop a profound
understanding of life and yourself. Through
meditation,
cultivate intuition by listening to the
still,
small voice within, by understanding the
subtle
sciences, inner worlds and mystical texts.
8. Sacred Vows, Vrata
Embrace religious vows, rules and observances
and never waver in fulfilling them. Honor
vows as
spiritual contracts with your soul, your
community,
with God, Gods and guru. Take vows to harness
the
instinctive nature. Fast periodically.
Pilgrimage
yearly. Uphold your vows strictly, be they
marriage,
monasticism, nonaddiction, tithing, loyalty
to
a lineage, vegetarianism or nonsmoking.
9. Recitation, Japa
Chant your holy mantra daily, reciting the
sacred
sound, word or phrase given by your guru. Bathe
first, quiet the mind and concentrate fully
to let
japa harmonize,
purify and uplift you. Heed your
instructions and chant the prescribed
repetitions
without fail. Live free of anger so that japa strengthens
your higher nature. Let japa quell
emotions and
quiet the rivers of thought.
- Austerity, Tapas
Practice austerity, serious disciplines,
penance
and sacrifice. Be ardent in worship, meditation
and pilgrimage. Atone for misdeeds through
penance
(prayashchitta),
such as 108 prostrations or fasting.
Perform self-denial, giving up cherished
possessions,
money or time. Fulfill severe austerities
at special times, under a satguru’s guidance, to
ignite the inner fires of self-transformation
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My
humble salutations to Sadguru Sri Sivaya
Subramuniyaswami
ji, Hinduism Today dot com for the collection)
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