Post by The Lost One on Mar 15, 2017 22:57:51 GMT
I like the centrality it puts on consciousness. Whatever you think of the mind-body problem, there's no denying that consciousness is the most fundamental aspect of the human experience. The idea of consciousness at the centre of reality and as the uniting factor for all of humanity appeals to me greatly.
I like that it is deterministic in nature, unlike other religions that argue for an incoherent libertarian free will.
The pantheistic nature of Brahman strikes me more as what God would be like if there were such a thing than the Abrahamic concept of God.
The idea of a never-ending cycle of creation-maintenance-destruction of the universe has an interesting parallel with the Big Bang and Big Crunch theory.
It seems to be far less prescriptive than Western religions with some Hindus viewing God as something spiritual but impersonal, others having time for a personal God and others believing this personal God sometimes walks among us as various avatars.
Ethically, it is not about the avoidance of sinful deeds but acting out of duty, which appeals to my Kantian sensibilities.
I like that rather than deny the self as Buddhism does, it acknowledges its centrality and asks that we broaden our concept of the self rather than dismiss it as a fiction.
It seems egalitarian at heart (though I accept historically it was often far from it) - everyone is Brahman though we all have different journeys to realise this.
I see parallels between Maya and Brahman and the phenomenal and noumenal worlds - again this appeals to the Kantian in me.
And it seems at heart much more gender and sex positive than the Abrahamic religions.
Your mileage of course may vary, I'm not trying to convince anyone else here.