Kabir

Kabir ( Hindi, कबीर, Kabīr, * 1440, probably in Varanasi / Kashi, † 1518 in Maghar ) was an Indian mystic, who represented the ideal of a unified humanity. He was a weaver and was the consistent condemnation of religious distinction, as it was widely used in the intellectual elite of the Muslims and the Hindus of his region famous. In his monistic philosophy of a single origin of all things and the loving humility to God ideas flowed from the Vedanta and the Bhakti Hinduism with one, just from the Sufism and the ( Islamic ) mysticism.

Life

According to legend, he was said to be the son of a Brahmin widow in Varanasi, the maiden received him after visiting a Hindu shrine and gave up for adoption. Thereafter Kabir was brought up by a Muslim weaver couple. He never called himself a Muslim and was also with the dogmatic Islam unfamiliar. Greater impact had the teachings of Nath's that his father might be heard. As these currents also practiced Kabir criticism of the Brahmins and their customs and the popular worship of images.

Kabir was a wandering ascetic. He probably has never heard a Asketenorden, however, was a charismatic preacher. His Weber workshop was also a place for worship and Kirtan of many ordinary people. Each intent on externals form of religiosity and Asketenbräuche he refused. He exhorted his hearers to a strict monotheism. " Hindus and Muslims is a way pointed [ ... ] ye may him Allah or Ram call". He laid emphasis on inner experience as a means to higher cognition. Only the still speaking God, he evaluated as true revelation, the writings he found worthless.

Work and philosophy

Kabir's main work is the Bijak (or Seedling ), in which he outlines the idea of the One Absolute. This is a collection of poems in which he processed ideas of Brahman ( absolute world soul), Karma ( Law of fact ) and reincarnation as well as the understanding of God bhakti ( loving devotion to one God) and ideas of the Sufis. His Hindi was, as well as his philosophy, very down to earth and straight forward. He was of the opinion that one should not live according to the Koran or the Vedas, but better emulate the ideals of Sahaij or should find a simple, natural way to God. The caste system of orthodox Hindus he refused.

Only from a single guru, the Vaishnavite saint Ramananda, Kabir speaks itself; from him he had received his initiation in the form of Rama mantra. His student Dharam Das Kabir designated as the " guru of the Hindus " and the " Pir of the Muslims ".

Kabir was a Hindu or a Muslim?

Kabir himself had an assignment to one of the religious currents of the Hindus, Muslims, Sufis ( Islamic mystics ) or bhakti always rejected. Many legends about his life revolve around this point.

So it is said that Kabir grew up in a Muslim weaver family, but in reality the son of a Brahmin widow was, which had been adopted by a childless couple. After his death, should be involved in a dispute over the question of the funeral rite his Hindu and Muslim followers. As if they had taken away the shroud, the body was but replaced by flowers. They were distributed among the groups; Muslims buried their half, while the Hindus burned hers. In Maghar today are his ( Muslim ) and his grave ( Hindu ) memorial stele (symbol of his Samadhi ) side by side.

According to another legend, bathed Kabir shortly before his death in both the Ganges and in the Kamarshna to redeem himself by his good and his bad deeds.

It is clear in his works, however, that Kabir no dichotomy between " Hindus " and " Muslims " manufactures. Rather, he turns against a general worship that happens only on the outside.

Of great interest is Kabir's attitude towards the Hindu and Muslim Its also for a different question. For example, it plays a major role in David N. Lorenzen. In his essay "Who Invented Hinduism? " 1999 Lorenzen deals with the statement that Hinduism is an "invention " of Western, particularly British scholars and administrators of the colonial rule of the 19th century. This, he called the " design argument " contradicts Lorenzen, claiming that it had also given (in the sense of today's Hinduism concepts) before 1800 Hinduism, he was so therefore have been no British "invention". As an authoritative reference in support of his thesis leads Lorenzen a legend Kabir on, written by Anantadas, is in the Kabir subject of an indictment, which accuses him of having " beliefs and practices of Hindus " (David N. Lorenzen: Who Invented Hinduism, 650 ). rejected. These particular ideas takes Lorenzen now an opportunity to adopt a uniform Hinduism concept, which is found well before the 19th century. Michael Bergunder has noted, however, that Lorenzen overlooks the fact that there are Brahmins who make an accusation in their own right here. The ideas and practices are of Brahmin origin. The Brahmans are, however, Anantadas legend " at no point pars pro toto for the Hindus ' " (Michael Bergunder: Religion Comparison, 75 ). Lorenzen's concern to find a reference to support his thesis of Hinduism prior to 1800 with Kabir, thus runs into space and even talk again about it. Only the distribution of Brahmin ideas can be stated which are not questioned as such a " design " argument. Interestingly, this case is because Lorenzen's thesis does not occupy a marginal position. He has given ear to His reasoning and it has received wide acclaim. But she lives by a strong dichotomy that a Hindu identity only against the background of a " contrasting Muslim others" (David N. Lorenzen: Who Invented Hinduism, 648 ). considers possible. Such a dichotomy is not found, however, in thinking of Kabir.

Other literary works of Kabir

• Kabir: In the garden of God's love, translation of the English edition of Tagore, Kristkeitz Verlag, Heidelberg, 2005, (ISBN 978-3-932337-17-8 )
• Kabir: I have my house burned. Selected sense and aphorisms, translated from Hindi by Lothar Lutze. Salzburg, Müller- feeders, (ISBN 3-85145-057-4 )
• Kabir: How God created the worlds. The Indian creation myth by Kabir, transfer and commented by Wulfing von Rohr. Sophia Publishing Bergen ( ISBN 3-935698-03-8 )
• Kabir: Kabir found himself in song. The verses of the Indian poet and Bhakti mystic, from the Hindi translated by Shubhra Parashar. YinYang Media Verlag, Kelkheim 2006, ( ISBN 3-935727-11-9 )
• Kabir Yoga of happiness - " In this vessel the Eternal heard ". Poetic texts of the great Indian mystic, by Ralph Skuban, Peter Berg, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86616-253-2