u/Vignaraja

In your house of worship, what material is the floor made of? Is there a reason, or tradition for it? (In Hinduism the ancient temples are stone floors. In modern American ones, they can be tile or carpet. I have yet to enter a wood one, other than a repurposed old church, and cost was a factor. Are there designs on the floor?

Most older Christian churches I've been in for wedding or funerals are hardwood.

Along the same lines, are there designs on the ceiling?

As far as I can tell from my bit of research, only Christianity and Judaism use a standard sitting arrangement in their houses of worship. The other main ones like Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism all sit on the floor. Some discussion questions ...

If you have tried both, which do you prefer?

Is there a scriptural or functional reason to sit this way? What is the history?

Is there a sitting arrangement, like gender separation, for example? Why is that?

Is there a time to stand, and a time to sit?

We all know what an ishta devata is, even if our own tradition doesn't follow it. But I'm curious if anyone else has a specific murthy in a specific temple that has been your more direct guardian/helper/deity. As an example, perhaps your prayers were answered by Lord Ganesha at the famous Pillaiyarpatti temple, or at an obscure small temple.

Have you incorporated hatha yoga into your practice? Also, what do you think of the 'controversy' of western yoga studios appropriating Hinduism?

If you can remember, what was that first visit like? Also, are there things about a temple you think others should know?

How important do you consider scriptures, and which ones have you studied, if any? I'm currently studying Patanjali's Yoga Sutras art the rate of one verse a day, then second day review that one.

Since switching paradigms, has your approach to personal anger changed at all? If so, how so?

What is your view on the use, or purpose of a murthy?

I've come to know there are two general views. The first is that the murthy is a symbol for something greater, much like a picture is. It's a great reminder. This is similar to a family picture of loved ones, or deceased loved ones. Not the real thing, but certainly a reminder.

The other view is that the murthy is a conduit for the energy that is God, just like copper is a conduit for electricity. This is the view I personally hold.

In my sampradaya, and in some others, pilgrimage at least once a year to a temple near or far is obligatory. Of course, 'obligatory' in Hinduism is interpreted differently that in some dogmatic religions. A better terminology might be 'highly recommended'. So, in your country, or close to your country, where would you go? And for India, where would you go?

For puja, what do you use, especially in winter? Here, we have a backyard, so summer is crazy ... shrub roses, hollyhock, petunias, nasturtiums, clematis. In winter it's mini-carnation, and Costco.

Happy Guru Purnima to those who celebrate. Today is the day of the year designated not only the Guru, but the process of passing dharma from teacher to student.

I think there is a point in time for those of us who adopted or converted to Hinduism where we switched from 'being interested in Hinduism' to 'I'm Hindu'. I'm interested in your story. If you're yet to get there, why, and if so, what are the main considerations or events that lead to you being able to say that? Or does it matter to you at all? TIA for any contributions.

As we transition to Hinduism, we let go of the past. If that's how you see it, then what did you keep, and what did you leave?

Personally, just as an example, even after being Hindu for 50 years, I still have a rural subconscious. I enjoy open spaces, and see Siva there too. As to religion, since I was raised agnostic, I didn't have much to keep or to leave. But I know people who did make choices.

I think there is a place for this, but right now I'm the only person starting any threads. A few days back someone else started a subreddit for European Hindus, but I looked recently and it seems it's dying a natural death, just like many subreddits of the past that catered to only a few people. I encourage anyone who wants this to be active. That's the only way it will go.

Meanwhile, we will always have the general Hinduism subreddit which I post on a lot also, and it can help us in many ways.

Meanwhile, I'll keep adding a topic a day as I have been. This is the topic for today. If you want some other choices, please post a new topic.

Most of us have managed to narrow down the wide spectrum of beliefs that follow under the Hindu umbrella. How about you?

What do you eat? Did you become vegetarian? How much Indian style food do you eat? Do you have a philosophical stance on food?

In my case, I'm vegetarian now for around 50 years, ever since we converted, and we eat a huge variety of cuisines including Mexican, Italian, western vegetarian, Thai, and of course Indian. Indian is about 2 days a week. Philosophically, we try to eat mostly sattvic food, as it's supposed to support spirituality.

Everyone starts somewhere. Since you consider yourself Hindu, and you weren't born one, what was that first event that got you to thinking about it, or was it more a series of events?

If you've been to India, please tell your story.

I've been twice, and it would be a long story. Basically, we only went to Tamil Nadu to see the ancient Saiva stone temples.