Where did the idea that India is a spiritual country come from?

[savoloysam]

Gandhi and a couple of Beatles on holiday does not make a country "spiritual"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...mir-all-girl-rock-band-forced-to-disband.html

 

[Gromit]

The billions there who believe in gods mayhaps? Dur!

 

[TruXta]

Oh, I dunno, 5000 years of recorded religious history?

 

[Gromit]

Subliminal signals broadcasted to you every time you contact a call centre?

 

[DrRingDing]

Thousands of gods?

 

[savoloysam]

The billions there who believe in gods mayhaps? Dur!

And all girl rock groups.

 

[DrRingDing]

Dope smoking monks?

 

[TruXta]

I know, it's all the drugs.

 

[TruXta]

 

[mao]

Bhang! and the dirt is gone!

 

[Gromit]

And all girl rock groups.

Believing in music groups does not make you spiritual no matter what 1D fans may say.

 

[savoloysam]

Believing in music groups does not make you spiritual no matter what 1D fans may say.

True. But what about rights and freedom of expression?

 

[Belushi]

The idea of India as a spiritual country comes from idiot westerners projecting their fantasies on to the sub continent. They're a religious bunch but also enthusiastically materialistic and with some massive social problems.

It's a great country but anyone expecting some kind of spiritual nirvana is in for a rude awakening.

 

[Voley]

True. But what about rights and freedom of expression?

Why are you trying to link these things to spirituality?

 

[Voley]

If anything, this has happened because of spirituality. The imam stuck a fatwa on them because they were behaving in a way that offended his religion.

 

[Gromit]

True. But what about rights and freedom of expression?

The enemies of spiritualism. Do what god says end of discussion etc.

Spiritual Catholics are against a freedom defended by pro-choice etc.

 

[Frances Lengel]

Dunno but India isn't a place I'd ever want to visit.

 

[Gromit]

Its definitely an experience. One I'd like to try again at a more leisurely pace.

 

[DrRingDing]

Dunno but India isn't a place I'd ever want to visit.

It's not for all.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Dunno but India isn't a place I'd ever want to visit.

To each his own, obviously. I loved India, and look forward to taking my family there someday.

 

[Thimble Queen]

Dunno but India isn't a place I'd ever want to visit.

It's massive and so diverse.... i reckon theres something for most there...

 

[Idris2002]

Sexy Sadie, what have you done?

 

[gmac]

Gandhi and a couple of Beatles on holiday does not make a country "spiritual"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...mir-all-girl-rock-band-forced-to-disband.html

I'd guess the idea comes from the people who have travelled to India and returned home with tales of the myriad of deities and temples for all the religious beliefs that exist there.

 

[fredfelt]

The idea of India as a spiritual country comes from idiot westerners projecting their fantasies on to the sub continent. They're a religious bunch but also enthusiastically materialistic and with some massive social problems.

It's a great country but anyone expecting some kind of spiritual nirvana is in for a rude awakening.

I disagree to some extent. British culture has its roots in religious beliefs. To an extent the UK is a religious country. However in the UK practice of religion is more of a private thing. Celebrations, such as Christmas, which are linked with religious beliefs rarely have a spiritual significance to people who celebrate them.

In India religion seem to be more on display. There's plenty of public holidays where ceremony and shared belief shape how the festival is celebrated. In many, perhaps most, homes and businesses there's shrines and public worship / devotion to these deities is a regular part of daily life.

If you are looking to learn more about yourself there's plenty of routes to do it. Immersing yourself into a very different culture will make you question and see things from a different perspective. It may not be a spiritual nirvana but if you are open to new experiences observing a more spiritual way of living will surely make an impression.

 

[Lemon Eddy]

"Geographically massive country of 1.2 billion people with a huge range of beliefs and backgrounds not conforming to a simplistic stereotype" shocker.

 

[eatmorecheese]

I think the route of my irritation with the word "spiritual" as a descriptor for an individual or groups of people comes from self-styled hippie travellers I've encountered all over India.

"Yah, I'm not religious but I am a spiritual person"

"The ghats at sunset...so spiritual"... etc.

Makes me wince. Loved India, worked there and visited as a tourist a few times. Hated it a lot of the time too. It is too diverse a place and too full of contradictions to nail down easy definitions. And things are changing rapidly. A Kashmiri girl rock group? Brilliant, and even better that they received public support in the media despite how they were broken up.

The recent horrific rape case in Delhi was not remarkable for the events themselves (sadly all too common experiences for Indian women) but for the protests and collective media interest that may, slowly, change attitudes and practices. At least, in cities like Delhi.

 

[8ball]

I think having a shitload of people who are absolutely fucking dirt poor is the thing that comes to mind when I think of those countries that people call 'spiritual'.

 

[Gromit]

Spiritual belief does not remain the sole province of organised religion and for that I'm truly grateful.

One is often linked to a desire to lead a good meaningful life and the other is often telling people what to think and not to question it as god said so.

 

[Belushi]

.

 

[Pickman's model]

28 replies and not a single reference to british buddhism, to theosophy, or even to british rule in india. florence farr, out of the hermetic order of the golden down, moved to ceylon, now sri lanka, for spiritual reasons. francis younghusband, who was in the expedition to lhasa in 1904, turned buddhist from his experiences in south asia. it's disappointing that there seems to be a belief that british interest in spirituality from the east began with the beatles, when it began a considerable time earlier.
for people who thought that the beatles were the first to tread the path to eastern spirituality, a book worth reading is gary lachman's 'turn off your mind'