I was flying from New York to San Francisco - a long journey, nearly 7 hours. An American girl was next to me. I was surprised to see the young girl reading a Bible, unusual for a young American. After a while, she smiled and we started talking. I told her that I am from India.
She asked: What's your faith? I did not understand the question.
- I mean, what's your religion? Are you a Christian or a Muslim?
- I am a Hindu.
She looked at me as if she was seeing a caged animal. A common man in Europe or US knows about Christianity and Islam, the leading religions of the world today, but a Hindu?
I explained: I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother. I am a Hindu by birth.
- Who is your Prophet?
- We don't have a Prophet.
- What's your Holy Book?
- There’s no single Holy Book. We have thousands of philosophical and sacred Scriptures.
- Oh, come on! Tell me who your God is. Like Jesus and Allah, don't you have a God?
I thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male) who created the world. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief -- a religion must have one Prophet, one Holy Book and one God.
I tried to explain: You may believe in one God and be a Hindu. You may believe in multiple deities and still be a Hindu. You may not believe in God and still be a Hindu. An agnostic may also be a Hindu.
It sounded crazy to her. She could not imagine a religion so unorganised, surviving for thousands of years, even after onslaught by foreign forces.
- I don't understand but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?
What can I tell this American girl? I said: I do not go to temple regularly. I do not perform regular rituals. I learned some rituals in my youth, and enjoy performing them sometimes.
- Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?
- God is a friend. No, I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made any compulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly.
She asked: Have you ever thought of converting to any other religion?
- Why should I? Even if I challenge some rituals and tenets, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Being a Hindu allows me to think independently and objectively, without conditioning. I remain a Hindu not by force, but by choice. Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It was not founded by any one person. It has no organised controlling body like the Church. There is no institution or authority.
- So, you don't believe in God? She wanted everything in black and white.
- I didn't say that. I do not discard the Divine Reality. Our Scriptures -- Shrutis, Smritis, The Vedas, Upanishads, The Gita -- say that God may be there or may not be there. We pray to that supreme abstract authority -- Parama Brahma -- the creator of the Universe. We do not have a God who hides behind clouds of secrecy, tells us irrational stories through a few men who claim to be His messengers, and demands worship or else! I don't think that God is an autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him. Such notions are just fancies of less enlightened human imagination. At some level, Hinduism has superstitions, but the philosophical side of Hinduism transcends them.
- Good that you agree God might exist. You said that you pray. What is your prayer?
- Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
- What does it mean?
- May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Let there be peace everywhere.
- Hmm...interesting. I want to learn about Hindu. It is so democratic, broad-minded and free.
- Hinduism is a religion of the individual, with its roots in the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita. It is all about an individual approaching God according to his inner evolution.
- How does anybody convert to Hinduism?
- Nobody can convert to Hinduism. It is not a religion, but a culture, a way of life, a set of beliefs and practices. Everything is acceptable in Hinduism because there is no single authority or organisation either to accept you or to reject you. If you look for meaning in life, don't look for it in religions; don't go from one cult to another or from one guru to the next. For a real seeker, the Bible gives guidelines when it says 'the Kingdom of God is within you'. Remember Christ's teaching about the love that we have for each other.
Loving every creation of the God is a tenet of Hinduism. 'Isavasyam idam sarvam' Isam (the God) is present everywhere. God (Brahma) is manifest in everything.
Hinduism is Sanatana Dharma, The Eternal Faith. Dharma is the code of life. An important part of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas. It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God expressed in different forms. God is a timeless and formless entity.
Ancient Hindus believed in eternal truths and cosmic laws. These truths are open to any seeker. But there is a section of Hindus who are superstitious and fanatic to make this an organised religion. The British coin the word 'Hindu' and considered it as a religion.
Religions have become an MLM (multi-level-marketing) industry, trying to expand market share by conversion. Spirituality is big business.
I am a Hindu primarily because it professes non-violence - 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharma' – non- violence is the highest duty. I am a Hindu because it doesn't condition my mind with any faith system. A man/woman who changes his/her birth religion is a fake and does not value his/her morals, culture and values. Hinduism was the first religion. Be proud of your religion and be proud of who you are. Om Namah Shivaya!
As i’ve always told my friends in the West:
- Hinduism is a philosophy (a way of thought) more than a religion (a way of life).
- It has been “organically” grown – no Prophet, no Holy Book, and no Church. It grew out of the worship of Nature and the Elements (Rigveda).
- It is a very open religion, and allows space for debate, even dissent.
- Some of the pillars of Hindu philosophy are:
- God is manifest in everything and in every being.
- Unlike in some other religions, we are not born sinners and sufferers, and we do not have to constantly redeem ourselves, nor do we have to constantly pray to the Saviour. The concept of Anandam (Bliss) is unique to Hindu philosophy and religion. You should strive for Anandam while living your life.
- The soul is immortal (na jayate mriyate va kadachin
nayam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah
ajo nityah shashvato 'yam purano
na hanyate hanyamane shareere)
- Your ultimate quest is to know yourself (atmanam biddhi).
- God only loves, never punishes.
- The labels Hindu, Hinduism or even India, are alien imports. The indigenous philosophy (or religion if you may) never had a name. Europeans, not able to understand such a confused, loose religion, had to give it a name. They borrowed the word from the Arabs, who, in turn, had learnt it from the Persians. The name actually denotes a place (the River Indus, called Sindhu in Sanskrit).
- Sikhism, Jainism, even Buddhism borrow heavily from Hinduism, and may even be considered sects.
- The modern phenomenon of the holy man or the guru as a wealthy marketeer (the double ‘e’ is intentional, just like in ‘buccaneer’ or ‘profiteer’) is an aberration. it has no connect with Hindu philosophy.
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