[Advaita-l] Conversion story

[Satish Arigela]

namaste
 
>Yes, for that matter, even geographically Bharatvarsha was a greater
area than current India. We can't go on grabbing those back
for that reason, can we? Apologies for this parallel, but the logic
>seems similar.
 
No. That is not what I had in mind. If you read carefully, I said their religions were something similar to ours.. since that is the case.. I was asking "wont it be more appropriate for them to approach(if they are dis-satisfied with christianity) a religion(like hinduism, buddhism, jainism or shamanism/pagan) which more or less share the same beleifs, world view etc"
 
I am unsure how you read that I suggesting we go and grab those lands back into our fold....
 
> It is self-defeating
>to convert from other religions into Hinduism.
 
No. It is not. I already explained why.
 
>What varNa will
>that person be in?
 
 He/She does not need a varNa.
 
>At that age, what will he learn in the traditional
>Hindu following which is bred into one's bloodstream through his
>bringing up? 
 
They can be learned at any age.. it is most effective if learnt from young age. But that does not mean you should not learn later.
 
 
>What kind of institutions will encourage him in religion
>and spirituality? 
 
 Why is this a question in the first place? There are many who accept. Just look around
 
>Where will that person find himself in some
>more years after conversion? 
 
In Hinduism - in one of its branches. Is it so hard to see?
 
>Won't he be lost between two religions?
 
No. Why this assumption?
 
>And who is to say that they were spiritually benefited, progress-wise?

With reference to that upAsaka: Now you are really talking like someone who is alien to the Hindu traditions. I am actually surprised. When mantra siddhi happens there is tAdAtmya with that devata..In traditional vedAntic circles upAsana is done to acheive this.. did you not go through detailed narrations on how various AchArya-s performed mantra japa for prolonged periods to acheive siddhi in that? why this question then? The capability that I mentioned is not something non-spiritual people are capable of.. Only one in a thousand acheives that state.
 
>>In a conversion competition, perhaps you'd be right and so, found my
narration irrelevant. To me, it was to-the-point story. IMO, a
better effort would be to stop the conversion from Hinduism if you can
instead of going about converting others into Hinduism. svadharma is
>>underestimated.
 
Again putting words into my mouth! I said when a westerner shows interest do not discourage him.. I did not say that you should go about converting people into Hinduism.
 
How can you convert by the way?: There is nothing that can convert one into something called Hinduism.
However, one(here I mean any westerner) can become a shaiva, vaiShNava, shAkta, kaula,etc by dIkSha into the respective systems. Even a person born into normal Hindu family becomes a shaiva only through this dIkSha. 
 
>! If all men
are not born equal due to their past karma, where is the scope for one
to convert one's faith from what he is born into due to his
>karma?
 
I find this somewhat silly.

Regards