For all who want to know about Hinduism. I would like your opinion. Thanks?

This is an introduction to Hinduism for mainly non Hindus. It is a well produced video. I think it should be shared by all law enforcement agencies world wide as an introduction to Hinduism.








Superb Video on Hinduism Produced by Chicago Police Department





CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, April 4, 2008: Several years ago Hinduism Today learned of a training video produced by the Chicago Police Department to educate its officers about each major religion in the Chicago area, including Hinduism. Today, we stumbled across a link to the video (URL above) and it is an excellent presentation.


======================================...








Hinduism





Video at :





http://www.archive.org/details/gov.doj.n...











Running time 9m 29s











The following Transcript is available at :





http://bja.ncjrs.gov/diversity/rel_07_hi...





(Kevin Dean) It is the oldest religion in the world, and predates Christiantity by 4,000 years.





(Dean) Still, the basic tenets of this faith have withstood the test of time and human evolution.





(Dean) It is Hinduism, a faith rooted in concepts of good will, tolerance, and harmony.





(Dean) Hello, I'm Chaplin Dean with the Chicago Police Department.





(Dean) This is the fifth in a series of videos to expand your knowledge and understanding





of the many diverse communities within our city.





(Dean) Having even a basic knowledge of a person's customs and culture enables





police officers to conduct their duties in a more efficient and respectful manner.





(Dean) Today, we explore Hinduism.





(Dean) [Swame vivakananda] introduced Hinduism to Chicago in 1883, during





the parliament of religions.





(Dean) Since then, more than 80,000 people of the Hindu faith have settled





in the Chicago area.





(Dr. Shyam L. Bhatia) Most of them have migrated from India since the middle '60s; they came





as engineers, professors, doctors; they got education here.





(Dean) But not all Hindus are Indian.





(Swami Varananda) No, not necessarily: I am American, for example.





(Varananda) It's basically what you believe in that determines it.





(Dean) And what do Hindus believe?





(Dr. Sudha Rao) We all believe in one supreme lord; we believe in a cabinetry, if you will, of





multiple gods and goddesses who are in charge of different cabinets, of kearning, of wealth, and this and, that.





(Rao) But ultimately, every Hindu believes there is only one God, one creator.





(Rao) And some choose to consider this creator a feminine gender; some consider





this a masculine gender.





(Varananda) Hindus believe in reincarnation; they believe that after this life, you go





to some celestial realm, heaven or maybe a hell, but that's a temporary thing.





(Varananda) Then you come back; you're born again, take on another body.





(Dean) And Hindus respect all religions as a path to God.





(Dean) Hindu gods are honored in temples, whether those be the elaborate





community temples, or simple temples within the home.





(Dean) Hindus don't go to temple on a specific day of the week, Sunday, for example;





temples are open every day, and get quite crowded on Hindu holy days.





(Varananda) But a Hindu doesn't go to temple to hear a sermon or to get a talk;





he goes primarily to have [darshan], which means "to see God," bow down,





pay your respects, offer something, just kind of say hello to God.





(Dean) Hindu priests are typically the only people allowed to touch statues





of the deities within the temple.





(Dean) Photographing deities is not allowed.





(Dean) It is not necessary for males to remove hats or for females to cover their heads





inside a temple.





(Dean) However, all visitors and worshippers are asked to remove their shoes.





(Dr. K.V. Reddy) The significance of taking off the shoes is keeping the place clean.





(Reddy) This is practiced in all of the east: India, China, Japan.





(Dean) Cleanliness of mind and body is important in Hinduism.





(Dean) The left hand was traditionally used for hygiene, and many Hindus still use





the right hand for handling food or sacred objects.





(Dean) It may be considered rude to offer a Hindu something with your left hand.





(Dean) Hindus who have recently immigrated to Chicago, or who are here to visit family,





may appear uncomfortable or fearful when approached by a police officer.





(Dean) One reason is that they are not used to seeing people with guns.





(Reddy) In India, at the constables level, they do not wear weapons.





(Reddy) The police system in India is similar to in England.





(Dr. R.S. Rajan) That's also attributable to the fact that the incidents





of gun ownership in India is rather low.





(Rajan) Guns are very costly; guns are not affordable; you cannot go out and buy





a Saturday-night special anywhere.





(Dean) Many Hindus are accustomed to the Western habit of handshaking.





(Dean) Others, however, prefer to press their palms together, and give a simple bow.





(Reddy) In the East, you always greet in a non-contact way, so that in Hinduism,





the method is "Namaste," then bow, and already you brought the good will of the person.





(Rao) What basically "Namaste" means is, "I worship the divine within you."





(Dean) Hindu women often wear saris.





(Dean) These are dresses made of one long piece of cloth wrapped around the body.





(Dean) Scarves may also be worn as a measure of modesty.





(Dean) Women should not be asked to publicly remove a scarf or unwrap any portion





of a sari.





(Dean) Hindu women may also strongly oppose the removal of a marriage necklace.





(Rajan) A woman won't remove it because it symbolizes marriage; it symbolizes the fact





that she is into the sacred state of matrimony.





(Rao) Clearly, if you meet someone from my group who will be wearing this,





this is a very private and sacred thing to ask, and in fact, the olden tradition taught





that this should not even be seen by others.





(Dean) As with other Eastern religions, it is preferred that male police officers avoid





any physical contact with Hindu women.





(Reddy) In Hinduism, very much, the best an officer can do is don't touch the ladies.





(Reddy) That's one of the things -- you never see, in the Hindu, in public, a man





touching a lady, even his wife.





(Dean) The same applies to female officers having contact with Hindu males.





(Dean) This is especially true for Swamis, who are Hindu monks recognized by





their orange-colored robes.





(Dean) Interviews should be conducted in view of others.





(Swami Chidananda) It ought to be free from all the scandals; the best thing,





if a lady comes, keep the door of the room open, everything open, so that nothing





is hiding; nothing's hiding there.





(Chidananda) So that's (inaudible).





(Dean) Many Hindu women, and some men also, wear forehead markings called





[bindis] or [telaks].





(Rao) There is a definite religious, or a sacred component to it.





(Rao) Much of the time, we come to the temples, we take our red powder here,





we take and apply; the men call it [telak] and women call it [bindi].





(Rao) So this is applied on the forehead, and it represents almost your third eye,





through which you can see the world better.





(Dean) Within a Hindu home, officers may be asked to remove their shoes.





(Dean) Most Hindus are vegetarians, and do not smoke cigarettes.





(Dean) It would be disrespectful to smoke or bring meat products into a Hindu home.





(Dean) Hindu homes have rooms or special areas used for worship.





(Dean) In a nonemergency, always ask permission before entering that area,





and handling any objects.





(Rajan) Every family has, on some degree or some scale, a place set apart for worship.





And devotion to the Lord calls for a higher standard of cleanliness than just a normal thing.





(Rajan) We take a bath, we change our clothes, we (inaudible), and then we sit down before the Lord and pray.





(Bhatia) Because it's a question of purity; we just feel that everything should be





pure and clean.





(Dean) Something else officers may encounter in a Hindu home is the swastika symbol.





(Dean) Centuries before Adolf Hitler adopted the swastika as the symbol





of the Nazi Party, Hindus used the swastika as a religious symbol.





(Dean) In fact, "swastika" is a Sanskrit word that translates to "let goodness prevail."





(Dean) It is still found on many Hindu articles of faith.





(Bhatia) It symbolizes power; it symbolizes [sharti], it symbolizes the goodness





of the divine being.





(Dean) As with all religions, Hinduism has many different subsets, hundreds of them





around the world.





(Dean) Still, there are some basic cultural courtesies officers can observe.





(Dean) In nonemergencies, remove your shoes when entering a Hindu temple





or home.





(Dean) When practical, ask permission before entering a sacred area within a home.





(Dean) Statues of deities within a temple or home should not be touched unless





absolutely necessary.





(Dean) Handshakes may be refused.





(Dean) A traditional hello involves a slight bow, and the greeting "Namaste."





(Dean) It is preferable to hand objects to Hindus using the right hand.





(Dean) Most Hindus are vegetarians.





(Dean) Marriage necklaces are considered sacred, and should not be touched





or removed by police.





(Dean) Hindu men and women may be more comfortable dealing with officers





of their own sex.





(Dean) All of the people we encounter on a daily basis expect to be treated with dignity





and respect.





(Dean) Those who practice Hinduism are no exception.





(Dean) It is our hope that this video will serve to enlighten and foster a new awareness





and understanding.





(Dean) Thanks for watching, and as always, stay safe.

For all who want to know about Hinduism. I would like your opinion. Thanks?
All paths lead to he same destination.


Religion should be LOVE, shared %26amp; practised by the human race.
Reply:its very lengthy to read.. but I will see the video..


and yea I beleive in Hinduism
Reply:You ever heard of TLDR?