In the last posting we looked at some features of Hinduism – that it has no personal founder and its extreme diversity and variety. Now we will look at a few more aspects:
Hinduism is non-sectarian and non- exclusive. It does not belong to any “chosen” group of people. As it is based on universal principles, it is also a universal religion.
At the same time, Hinduism has been a non – proselytizing religion. No attempts have been made to induce, either by coercion or other incentives, persons of other faiths to convert. In fact, I know of no ceremony or any other method of “certification” that converts a person of another faith to Hinduism. No one can become a Hindu, but everyone is free live the Hindu way of life.
Through the centuries, Hindus have been open minded about other faiths. Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism coexisted peacefully in India for centuries. Zoroastrians (Parsees), Jews, and others who faced religious persecution in their own lands, found safe haven in India. More recently, we have seen that the Dalai Lama and thousands of his Tibetan followers, have been welcomed and given sanctuary in India, and live peacefully without interference. This attitude goes beyond mere tolerance; Hindus have respected and accepted all other faiths as valid. This catholicity of outlook and open mindedness has been expressed in the scripture and by the sages. Here are some quotations:
“O Partha!. Whosoever worships Me through whatsoever path, I verily accept and bless them…” Bhagavat Gita, Ch 4, Verse 11.
“Whichever devotee desires to adore whatever aspect (of Me in other forms/names and methods of worship) with faith, in all such devotees I make that particular faith unshakable.” Bhagavat Gita, Ch7, Verse 22.
“The Truth is one - sages have called it by various names.” Rig Veda
“As many faiths, so many paths.” Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
With this brief background on Hinduism, the next posting will look at the scriptures.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Sanatana Dharma (Part 2)
Hinduism has been likened to a centre of gravity doll. However much one may try to push or pull it down, the doll regains its original position. Hinduism has survived for thousands of years, in spite of many onslaughts, external aggressions and internal upheavals. This speaks of its inner strength and resilience. How did this happen? Even though it has no formal organization and no single religious leader or figures of authority, how does it manage to retain its inherent strength? Here are some key features of Hinduism which I feel have contributed significantly.
Unlike most of the major religions, Hinduism has no personal founder or beginning date. Religions that trace their beginnings to a personal founder usually have their teachings, tenets and doctrines built around the life of the founder, from whom they get their sanction and authority. Much of this is based on the historicity (historic authenticity) of the founder’s life.
In Hinduism, there is no such personal founder; no person can claim to have created the Vedas. Historicity has little importance in Hinduism, its beginnings are lost in antiquity, and the religion is based on eternal principles and a perennial philosophy. These truths were discovered by the ancient rishis (sages and mystics), who passed their knowledge down from generation to generation. Now and then the name of a rishi may be mentioned, we do not know who they were or when they lived. They sought no name or fame, the sanatna dharma was their priceless gift to humanity.
Just as Hinduism has no founder, it also does not have a single set of scriptures or a bible that everyone follows. It is a huge mosaic of ideas, philosophies, beliefs, scriptures, spiritual practices, teachers, avatars, mantras, yantras, tantras and even gods and goddesses. The sheer variety can be quite minded boggling. It is a constantly evolving religion where the last word has not been said. It is like an open book to which pages are being added constantly by the great teachers and mystics, who have been appearing through the ages and will continue to appear.
People often wonder at this extreme diversity. Why is it so? A simple way to look at this is to imagine a buffet lunch – a wide variety of food preparations, prepared by expert chefs to satisfy all tastes, is laid out on the table. You are free to choose those dishes that you find palatable, suits your constitution and does not give you a belly ache! No two individuals are identical; we all have different personality traits and intellectual capacities – we stand on different rungs of the ladder of spiritual evolution. So you are given the freedom to choose the religious recipe that suits you best.
In my next posting I will continue this discussion on some other basic features of Hinduism.
Unlike most of the major religions, Hinduism has no personal founder or beginning date. Religions that trace their beginnings to a personal founder usually have their teachings, tenets and doctrines built around the life of the founder, from whom they get their sanction and authority. Much of this is based on the historicity (historic authenticity) of the founder’s life.
In Hinduism, there is no such personal founder; no person can claim to have created the Vedas. Historicity has little importance in Hinduism, its beginnings are lost in antiquity, and the religion is based on eternal principles and a perennial philosophy. These truths were discovered by the ancient rishis (sages and mystics), who passed their knowledge down from generation to generation. Now and then the name of a rishi may be mentioned, we do not know who they were or when they lived. They sought no name or fame, the sanatna dharma was their priceless gift to humanity.
Just as Hinduism has no founder, it also does not have a single set of scriptures or a bible that everyone follows. It is a huge mosaic of ideas, philosophies, beliefs, scriptures, spiritual practices, teachers, avatars, mantras, yantras, tantras and even gods and goddesses. The sheer variety can be quite minded boggling. It is a constantly evolving religion where the last word has not been said. It is like an open book to which pages are being added constantly by the great teachers and mystics, who have been appearing through the ages and will continue to appear.
People often wonder at this extreme diversity. Why is it so? A simple way to look at this is to imagine a buffet lunch – a wide variety of food preparations, prepared by expert chefs to satisfy all tastes, is laid out on the table. You are free to choose those dishes that you find palatable, suits your constitution and does not give you a belly ache! No two individuals are identical; we all have different personality traits and intellectual capacities – we stand on different rungs of the ladder of spiritual evolution. So you are given the freedom to choose the religious recipe that suits you best.
In my next posting I will continue this discussion on some other basic features of Hinduism.
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