6 ms·

I am not going to be scolded into changing my opinion about an internet article. But I see that you like the article and the author. Cheers. Thanks.

rramadass 5y ago
Your comment wasn't an "opinion based on facts" but a needless rant which distracted from the purpose of the post.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- jelliclesfarm 5y ago
  is the purpose of the post = agreeing with you?
  - rramadass 5y ago
    No, purpose of the post is to read the article and discuss the merits/demerits of its contents.
    - jelliclesfarm 5y ago
      - rramadass 5y ago
        The aim of this forum is to submit and discuss interesting topics with the implicit understanding that you stay on the topic. Your "opinion" was totally irrelevant to the topic at hand and was just a needless rant. From https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html - Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something. Q.E.D.
        jelliclesfarm 5y ago
        It was not shallow. It was made after very deep contemplation of current affairs. I made some very valid points. I encourage you to consider that before dismissing other points of view as shallow. Have a nice day.
        rramadass 5y ago
        >It was not shallow. It was made after very deep contemplation of current affairs. I made some very valid points. Anybody can read this chain of comments and can judge for themselves as to the "Truth Value" of your comments.
        jelliclesfarm 5y ago
        Ok. Fine. The article is literally by someone who studies European philosophy alongside Bhedabheda Vedanta. Did YOU read it??? I can take it down the cacophonous ISKCON route because that’s what this is…it doesn’t warrant any discussion. These are offshoots of cults that are built upon Hinduism. It has nothing to do with Hinduism or Hindu philosophy because it is peppered with certain words meant for a western audience. I take it as a personal affront as a Hindu for this pamphleteer for the future commoditization, commercialization and corruption of my faith. At least this particular article is penned by someone who is more simple minded about Hindu philosophy than malicious. But it is insulting nevertheless. The reason most western theologians flock to Hinduism is because due to the long history of colonialism, Indian Hindus adore being validated by westerners even if it’s insulting claptrap like this one. [..] Experts in the old Vedic ritual boasted skills in linguistics, geometry, anatomy, astronomy and poetry, and they had been observing the forces of nature for centuries – but to what end? How could they earn their keep in the new climate?[..] “To earn their keep”????? I ask you again, Sir..did YOU read that article?
        rramadass 5y ago
        First off, no "Ad Hominems" please; The article has got nothing whatsoever to do with ISKCON or Cults or whatever you imagine. If you have a problem with some groups this is not the place to vent it. The author (whose website i had already pointed out but which you have apparently never bothered to read) is a well-known scholar and part of the "Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies" and has done more for Hinduism Studies than most people. I highly recommend a study of her book Hindu Worldviews: Theories of Self, Ritual and Reality. >At least this particular article is penned by someone who is more simple minded about Hindu philosophy than malicious. But it is insulting nevertheless. The reason most western theologians flock to Hinduism is because due to the long history of colonialism, Indian Hindus adore being validated by westerners even if it’s insulting claptrap like this one. This is plain ranting. By no stretch of imagination can a rational reader arrive at the above conclusion after reading the article. So you obviously have NOT read the article. Coming to the excerpt you posted, you have conveniently left off the full context which is where it makes sense; here it is; Early Indians had pleaded with the gods for rain and cattle, sons and warriors, health and wealth; we still have their words in the Vedas, some of the world’s oldest texts. Theirs were precisely the prayers we would expect of any early community struggling to survive. But by around 600 BCE, the ability to perform rituals was no longer enough to win favour at the royal courts of the Gangetic Plain. Atheists, gnostics and sceptics were increasingly vocal in the kingdoms further east. Experts in the old Vedic ritual boasted skills in linguistics, geometry, anatomy, astronomy and poetry, and they had been observing the forces of nature for centuries – but to what end? How could they earn their keep in the new climate? The answer lay in the public’s growing worry about existential problems. Mortal life seemed little more than a flame struck over the open ocean at night; our minds shine but a brief, faint spotlight on the immensity of the world before sputtering into darkness again. From "Rituals" the focus had shifted to more "Abstract Existential" questions and this where the "Philosophers" had to prove themselves again i.e. "earn their keep" (which is just a turn of phrase). This is exactly what happened in the transition from Vedic Rituals to philosophical ideas in later Upanishads and later on gave birth to "Nastika" schools of philosophy. The author's research interests are in trying to interpret both Hindu and European Worldviews to see where they are similar/dissimilar and what can be applied to current times. Her book that i mentioned elaborates more on this theme. PS: See also https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

rramadass 5y ago

Your comment wasn't an "opinion based on facts" but a needless rant which distracted from the purpose of the post.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
jelliclesfarm 5y ago
is the purpose of the post = agreeing with you?
- rramadass 5y ago
  No, purpose of the post is to read the article and discuss the merits/demerits of its contents.
  - jelliclesfarm 5y ago
    - rramadass 5y ago
      The aim of this forum is to submit and discuss interesting topics with the implicit understanding that you stay on the topic. Your "opinion" was totally irrelevant to the topic at hand and was just a needless rant. From https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html - Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something. Q.E.D.
      - jelliclesfarm 5y ago
        It was not shallow. It was made after very deep contemplation of current affairs. I made some very valid points. I encourage you to consider that before dismissing other points of view as shallow. Have a nice day.
        rramadass 5y ago
        >It was not shallow. It was made after very deep contemplation of current affairs. I made some very valid points. Anybody can read this chain of comments and can judge for themselves as to the "Truth Value" of your comments.
        jelliclesfarm 5y ago
        Ok. Fine. The article is literally by someone who studies European philosophy alongside Bhedabheda Vedanta. Did YOU read it??? I can take it down the cacophonous ISKCON route because that’s what this is…it doesn’t warrant any discussion. These are offshoots of cults that are built upon Hinduism. It has nothing to do with Hinduism or Hindu philosophy because it is peppered with certain words meant for a western audience. I take it as a personal affront as a Hindu for this pamphleteer for the future commoditization, commercialization and corruption of my faith. At least this particular article is penned by someone who is more simple minded about Hindu philosophy than malicious. But it is insulting nevertheless. The reason most western theologians flock to Hinduism is because due to the long history of colonialism, Indian Hindus adore being validated by westerners even if it’s insulting claptrap like this one. [..] Experts in the old Vedic ritual boasted skills in linguistics, geometry, anatomy, astronomy and poetry, and they had been observing the forces of nature for centuries – but to what end? How could they earn their keep in the new climate?[..] “To earn their keep”????? I ask you again, Sir..did YOU read that article?
        rramadass 5y ago
        First off, no "Ad Hominems" please; The article has got nothing whatsoever to do with ISKCON or Cults or whatever you imagine. If you have a problem with some groups this is not the place to vent it. The author (whose website i had already pointed out but which you have apparently never bothered to read) is a well-known scholar and part of the "Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies" and has done more for Hinduism Studies than most people. I highly recommend a study of her book Hindu Worldviews: Theories of Self, Ritual and Reality. >At least this particular article is penned by someone who is more simple minded about Hindu philosophy than malicious. But it is insulting nevertheless. The reason most western theologians flock to Hinduism is because due to the long history of colonialism, Indian Hindus adore being validated by westerners even if it’s insulting claptrap like this one. This is plain ranting. By no stretch of imagination can a rational reader arrive at the above conclusion after reading the article. So you obviously have NOT read the article. Coming to the excerpt you posted, you have conveniently left off the full context which is where it makes sense; here it is; Early Indians had pleaded with the gods for rain and cattle, sons and warriors, health and wealth; we still have their words in the Vedas, some of the world’s oldest texts. Theirs were precisely the prayers we would expect of any early community struggling to survive. But by around 600 BCE, the ability to perform rituals was no longer enough to win favour at the royal courts of the Gangetic Plain. Atheists, gnostics and sceptics were increasingly vocal in the kingdoms further east. Experts in the old Vedic ritual boasted skills in linguistics, geometry, anatomy, astronomy and poetry, and they had been observing the forces of nature for centuries – but to what end? How could they earn their keep in the new climate? The answer lay in the public’s growing worry about existential problems. Mortal life seemed little more than a flame struck over the open ocean at night; our minds shine but a brief, faint spotlight on the immensity of the world before sputtering into darkness again. From "Rituals" the focus had shifted to more "Abstract Existential" questions and this where the "Philosophers" had to prove themselves again i.e. "earn their keep" (which is just a turn of phrase). This is exactly what happened in the transition from Vedic Rituals to philosophical ideas in later Upanishads and later on gave birth to "Nastika" schools of philosophy. The author's research interests are in trying to interpret both Hindu and European Worldviews to see where they are similar/dissimilar and what can be applied to current times. Her book that i mentioned elaborates more on this theme. PS: See also https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html