Hinduism: Religion or Way of Life? and IN M Y O P I N I O N How I Became a Hindu

Posted by gopalakrishna




















Hinduism: Religion or Way of Life?


Our publisher confronts a long-standing misapprehension about our faith, showing us why Hinduism is more than a way of life
 
B Y   S A T G U R U   B O D H I N A T H A   V E Y L A N S W A M I

“ISN’T HINDUISM SIMPLY A WAY OF LIFE?” This is a question I am frequently asked at satsang gatherings. It invariably makes for spirited discussion, as there is avid interest and a lively diversity of opinion. Years ago, Swami Chinmayananda, founder of Chinmaya Mission, gave a dramatic lecture on the subject. Here are key excerpts: “‘Hinduism is not a religion. It is a way of life.’ You can today hear it in every drawing room wherever youngsters are sitting and discussing Hindu culture and India. You can hear them blabbering this quotation: ‘Hinduism is totally different; it is not a religion. Then what is it? It is a way of life.’ This is a false statement! No thinking man will accept it or give it any credit at all. What an abominable stupidity is wrapped up in such an attractive sentence! ‘Hinduism is not a religion; it is a way of life.’ Oh! I see! And Christianity? It is a religion? Oh! So it is not a way of life? What is religion without a way of life? How can there be a way of life without religion? Think! It is a self-contradiction to say it is not a religion; it is a way of life. If Hinduism is not a religion, it is only a way of life; then Christianity is a religion and therefore no way of life. What is religion without a way of life? Does not a religion guide us in our world, in our life? So, it is an empty, high-sounding statement.”
Swamiji goes on to explain that the notion originated with German Indologists who, in the late 1800s, translated the word mata as religion: “The Germans, who first tried to translate our Sanskrit literature, unfortunately made a great mistake. They used mata for religion: ‘Buddha mata,’ the religion of Buddha; ‘Chraistava mata,’ the religion of Christ; ‘Muhammediya mata,’ Islam. Then they came to Hindu mata, and the poor Germans got confused, because in the Hindu religion there are very many mata. It is a composite mata. Mata comes from the Sanskrit word mati, meaning ‘buddhi,’ ‘intellect.’ That which is crystallized in the intellect is called a mata. Mata only means an opinion! Hindu religion contains Shankara mata, Ramanuja mata, Madhva mata. Various acharyas who have given various viewpoints of life, and the attitudes or the thoughts of the Upanishads—they are all called mata, mata, mata. So [the Germans] they came to the conclusion that Hinduism is not a religion. Then, what is it [they wondered]? It is ‘the way of life!’”
Hindus inquiring about the merits of this infamous statement are generally not immersed in the practice of Hinduism. They may have in mind that the sum total of Hinduism is to follow dharma, to live virtuously and fulfill one’s duty, and that there is no need to do more.
Hinduism is a way of life, but it is a spiritual way of life, encompassing good conduct, worship, selfless service, scriptural study and meditation. And what is the definition of a spiritual way of life? Religion!
While Sanatana Dharma is, as the Germans observed, a family of faiths, it also stands strong and proud as a religion in its own right. These faiths all share certain common elements of culture, liturgy, scripture and basic philosophy as reflected in the core beliefs: karma, dharma, reincarnation, all-pervasive Divinity and more. Hinduism gloriously fulfills all the qualities of a religion in every sense of the word.
Remember, the Germans were no friends of Hinduism. Their redefinition of our faith as a non-religion was a powerful criticism, one that unfortunately Hindus themselves adopted. It is intellectual suicide and a global public relations disaster to deny that our faith is a religion. Hinduism stands proudly with the great faiths of the world, and it does this not because it is a way of life. Vegetarianism is a way of life. Nonviolence is a way of life. But neither is a religion and neither will be invited to a parliament of the world’s religions, as Swami Vivekananda was back in 1893. He was invited and he spoke to the world from that Chicago podium precisely because he was a Hindu.
Yes, there are those who think using the “H-word” demeans something. But they are wrong. They are neglecting the import of the word religion on the global stage as well as in the local community, among other faith groups. Standing together under the banner of Hinduism, we enjoy the many protections given to religions, and we have a respected, unified voice to the media, to government, to boards of education and planning departments. We have known quasi-Hindu groups who normally refuse to use the H word, but eagerly adopt it when they seek credibility in the broader community, such as in court cases.
Hinduism’s finest future is to stand side-by-side with other religions, not other ways of life. Hindus who parrot the notion that Hinduism is not a religion are not serving Sanatana Dharma well. They have failed to see how wrong-headed this posturing looks in the eyes of the world. What if the Muslims claimed Islam is not a religion but just a way of life? Or Christianity? Judaism? They don’t do that. They are proud of their spiritual identity. But for various reasons, including the persistent nuisance of the colonized mind, Hindus hold on to this self-destructive fallacy. Numerous swamis who established movements in the West in the mid 20th century perpetuated this idea as a means to teach Vedanta, yoga and meditation to Christians and Jews without provoking religious objections. As a result, such concepts have become household words but without being acknowledged as Hindu. Swami Chinmayananda said it so well: “It is an empty, high-sounding statement.” One we can all avoid.
Happily, this is changing in small but important ways. The Hindu youth we encounter today are proud of their religion, eager to learn more about it. In universities the world over, Hindu students want to stand proudly side-by-side with students of other religions. The Hindu American Foundation’s “Take Back Yoga” campaign, which works to reestablish the practice as having its roots in the world’s oldest faith, is a bold indictment of the “way of life” argument.
In each satsang I hold, one basic question invariably arises: “How can I make Hinduism practical in daily life?” I stress that to know and practice Hinduism in the fullest sense, one should engage in all the areas it encompasses: dharma, worship, selfless service, philosophical study and meditation. Together these five make for a complete physical, mental, emotional and spiritual regimen to follow throughout life.
Devotional practice without philosophy can easily turn into superstition. Philosophy without devotion and selfless service can devolve to mere intellectual argumentation and speculation. Taking Hinduism as only a way of life, one misses out on the inner benefits of devotion and philosophy. And without meditation, one has no way to experience the oneness of atman and Brahman, of jiva and Siva, which leads to illumination and liberation. Let’s look at these five layers more closely.
Dharma is the foundation of Hindu religion, as capsulated in the code of conduct called yamas. Yama means “reining in” or “controlling” the base, instinctive nature, such as the tendency to become angry and harm others, to lie or manipulate events in our favor, and to steal to acquire something we desire and otherwise could not have. Such expressions of one’s instinctive nature need to be harnessed, as actions based on them create negative karma and keep one constantly in an upset state of mind. Dharma also includes a wide array of cultural observances.
Seva, selfless service, is the next facet of Hindu practice. Many individuals serve through giving a monetary donation to a religious or other nonprofit organization. While it is easy to open your wallet or purse and give, say, $50, selfless service offers a more serious commitment, requiring the sacrifice of one’s time. Selfless service need not be limited to the temple; it can be done at work, at school, wherever we are in the world.
Devotional practices, such as attending puja at a temple, going on pilgrimage, conducting puja in one’s home shrine and repeating a mantra on japa beads, deepen humility and raise the subtle energies to the higher chakras of cognition and divine love.
Scriptural study builds a firm foundation of philosophical clarity, an accurate understanding of God, souls and world that enhances and informs every aspect of one’s life. Such study includes the Vedas, Agamas, the texts of one’s denomination and the teachings of the saints and sages of one’s guru lineage. Choice of study material should be in consonance with one’s sectarian philosophy. For example, if one’s lineage is advaitic, that study should reinforce the idea that we are already one with God, that nothing has to happen for this to be true.
Meditation and other yogic sadhanas, the fifth aspect of Hinduism, are the doorway to personal realization. Meditation can propel the individual beyond philosophical concepts about Divinity to actual experience of those truths. This can be compared to reading about the taste of a ripe, juicy mango versus actually taking your first bite. Which would you prefer? There are two primary approaches. The first, raja yoga, consists of regulated breathing, sense withdrawal, concentration and meditation. The second, jnana yoga, is a path of scriptural study, reflection and constant, profound meditation.
These five religious dimensions are found in all of Hinduism’s diverse lineages, with each sect and sampradaya treasuring and preserving its own cultural, devotional and philosophical uniqueness.










IN   M Y   O P I N I O N

How I Became a Hindu



My search for a religion that would bring me to a confrontation with Truth has led me to Hinduism

B Y   P A R T H A  J .   M I L L E R

MY FAMILY’S HISTORY IN America can be traced back to 1643. I am an American of British, German and Polish descent, with roots that delve deeply into Christian Anglo-America. Now, however, I am a Hindu.
I was baptized in the Methodist church of my maternal grandparents but raised in a largely secular home. From early on I was aglow with the innate longing for something transcendent. This was evident in my many teenage studies, sifting through the world’s manifold religious and mystical traditions. I spent my young adulthood as a committed atheist, but my longing for the transcendent returned as I matured into adulthood. I concluded that my quest must occur within an established religion and under the guidance of a spiritual authority from an unbroken lineage. I wasn’t looking for a religion that would simply comfort me, but one that would bring me into a confrontation with Truth, forcing me to face myself.
Having set this criteria for my pursuit, it was Hinduism to which I turned. As fate would have it, there in my own town was a Chinmaya Mission temple. Swami Siddhananda, our temple acharya, along with the temple members, welcomed me with great warmth. As I entered this new world with childlike ignorance, Swamiji patiently answered all my questions. He showed me the very basics, including participation in puja and arati. I held the philosophy of Hinduism close to my heart and felt it easy to assimilate, but I did have difficulty learning the most basic cultural acts and behaviors, those that the children at the temple performed so naturally.
After attending the temple for a year, I decided to make a more concrete commitment. I asked Swamiji if there was a formal ceremony that could be done to mark my conversion. He and Pandit Ekambaram Prasad, our temple priest, performed the initiation. During the ceremony, Swamiji gave me the name Partha.
A few Christians and others criticized me. They argued that one must draw on one’s own heritage. They said Hinduism is an ethnic religion for Indians only, and I would not be able to fully engage in an “alien” faith. I’d ask, to which heritage of mine should I turn? The Methodism of my grandmother’s family? Or perhaps the Mennonites they had previously been? Or the Lutheranism of my paternal grandfather? My ancestors were many things, converting from one religion to another in the face of change.
Hinduism is not as alien to Westerners as one might suppose. American conceptions of the Self and God have been evolving since the early nineteenth century. The writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and other members of the Transcendentalist movement introduced Hindu concepts to the broad American public. Theosophists later popularized, however inaccurately, many Hindu concepts and paved the way for the arrival of Swami Vivekananda and Paramahansa Yogananda. Today increasing numbers of non-Hindu Americans accept reincarnation, some simplified version of the Advaita philosophy, the non-duality of Self and God, and the belief that there are countless paths to Truth.
What I needed from a religion was a context and worldview through which I could work towards a direct experience or perception of the Self, God, and the Supreme Truth. Hinduism offers the means to attain these goals. Although the temple I go to is suffused with an Indian culture distinct from my own, Hinduism allows me to pursue eternal principles, transcending the categories of Indian, Western or American.

(PARTHA J. MILLER, 37, is a history professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia.)








Om Tat Sat
                                                        



(My humble salutations to Sadguru Sri Sivaya Subramuniyaswami ji, Satguru Bodhianatha Velayanswami ji, Hinduism Today for the collection)


(The Blog  is reverently for all the seekers of truth, lovers of wisdom and   to share the Hindu Dharma with others on the spiritual path and also this is purely  a non-commercial blog)

Category: 0 comments

C U L T U R E - Diwali Deep in the Heart of Texas

Posted by gopalakrishna

















C U L T U R E

Diwali

Deep in the Heart of Texas

 
Each year at the University of Texas at Austin, the Hindu Students Association puts on a grand celebration of light that is a perfect fit for the Lone Star State

BY SIVAGAMI NATESAN, AUSTIN
THE TOWER GLOWS ORANGE LIKE THE flame of a lamp illuminating the Austin skyline. On the campus of the University of Texas, one of America’s finer public institutions, the iconic UT Tower serves as a temple of higher learning. Today the tower has literally been converted into a temple—a Hindu temple—the three arches at the base serving as shrines for Ganesha, Lakshmi and Saraswati. The steps are decorated with little lamps forming the shapes of an Aum and a swastika. It is a cloudless, moonless, starlit night. The flame of the tower glows orange today in honor of the festival. The stage is set for Diwali, Texas-style, hosted by the Hindu Students Association. This is one of the largest campuses in the United States, and approximately 3,000 of its 51,000 students are of Indian origin.
Celebration of faith is central to all cultures in all times. Adapting these celebrations to suit a different place and time is central to the sustaining of a culture. Here at UT, a dynamic group of students make this possible each year with their celebrations of Diwali, Holi and Navaratri. “It helps us tie back to our roots and express Hinduism in our own student way,” says Eesha Gulati, a fourth-year undergraduate in communications and South Asian studies. Kokila Priya Muthu raman, a graduate who served on the executive committee of the Hindu Students Association during her four years here, explains, “The intent of this celebration is to share our culture with people who are not familiar with it. We want to share a part of who we are and increase awareness of Hinduism on campus.”
The steady stream of guests entering the mall are greeted by students wishing them “Happy Diwali” and putting tilak on their foreheads. Each person is given a small plate decorated with Indian motifs, holding a bag of akshata (unbroken, turmeric-stained rice) and a bookmark with the dearly familiar Ravi Varma rendition of Lakshmi standing on a lotus. On the bookmark is a verse from the Devi Bhagavatam: “We meditate upon that principle of sentience reflected in all living beings that is the cause of the universe. May that Goddess, in the form of consciousness, inspire our thoughts.”
The guests remove their shoes at the lower level of the south mall and walk up steps decorated with painted pots upturned to serve as bases for a line of diyas (lamps). The floor of the upper level has been lined with tarpaulin and white sheets designating the seating area. In front of the temporary temple, facing the havan kund (ceremonial fire pit), sits Brahmachari Girish Chaitanya, the acharya of Chinmaya Mission Austin. Four students are seated around the havan with him: Naveen Pattisapu, Tara Sharma, Atul Gupta and Jennifer Chou. Arjun Adapalli and Vishaal Sapuram lead bhajans, Arjun strumming his guitar, as people flow in to join the event.
As on any campus, the rainbow of students from many backgrounds is well represented. Some are perfectly dressed in impeccable, traditional Indian clothes; others come straight from their lab or study group wearing shorts and t-shirts. Troy Johnson, a construction planner with the university and part-time student, is attending for his second year. “It gives me the opportunity to experience a different culture without going to India,” he says.
A few families bring their young children. Neha Patel is attending with her brother Paras and his wife, their two children and a cousin. “We are not very active in the community, and we have moved to Austin, away from our home in Houston, so this event gives us an opportunity to participate.” Sreenivaas, a graduate student in electrical and computer engineering, bows intently at the shrine. He is away from his home in Chennai for the first time. “I have been so connected to my roots in India for 23 years. I do my daily puja. It is special to have a havan for Diwali.”

While India remains the spiritual substratum for us all, the homes of the Indian diaspora are all over the world. That each of us has managed to make and sustain our homes retaining the Indian ethos is a testament to the strength of this culture that pervades our being socially, religiously and culturally. This was brought home by young Puja Patel, a first-year student working in the rangoli booth that the students have set up. “Each year my family meets for Diwali, and we do a big puja. I treasure the job of decorating the front of our home with rangoli. This year, for the first time, I am away from home. Working in the rangoli booth at this event is my way of connecting what I did at home with where I am on campus.”
In the storytelling booth, Parth Bhatt, a jun ior in economics and mathematics, enacts the story of Bali and Sugreeva, inviting fellow students to join in. In another booth the students craft thorans (hanging decorations) for the thresholds of their dorm rooms. At the bazaar booth, the students purchase small trinkets with tokens earned from participating in the other booths. This is a labor-intensive event, with over 60 volunteers carefully programmed into half-hour slots.
Dr. Soncia Reagins-Lilly, Senior Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and the Dean of Students at UT, explains that student events on this campus are entirely student- driven: “If the students are willing to advocate for what they want, the university is willing to support it.” The students must work with various university offices and private sponsors to come up with funding for the event. They are also responsible for all logistics— audio-visual, furniture, tents for the booths and activities, etc.—and for obtaining the required permits from the university, fire marshal and police department.
In 2002, when Varun Mehta came to UT, Navaratri was the more public event on the campus. On the weekend closest to Diwali, some 150 students would gather in a covered area on campus and sing bhajans. “I come from a tradition where Diwali is huge,” says Varun, a co-founder of the Hindu Students Association. “It was important to me that Diwali be celebrated on the actual date rather than on a convenient weekend. Here we were, students on a campus with nowhere to celebrate on Diwali day. On the weekend most students went home anyway.”

For Varun and his fellow students this festival meant a puja, fireworks and new clothes. Today the students hand out custom-printed T-shirts for publicity prior to the event. They arrange for a professional fireworks display that is shot from the school’s famed clocktower, lighting up the night sky and the faces of the delighted crowd—celebrating the victory of light over darkness, of knowledge over ignorance. The university only permits fireworks to be shot from the tower on one other occasion, and that is graduation night in May.
Amulya Aradhyula is a third-year student who bicycled to the event in her traditional ghagra outfit. She deeply appreciates the unifying nature of the event. Harold Wardlaw, a physics student, recounts, “I was first exposed to India only after coming to this campus. Now I cannot get enough of it. After coming here, I have worked in Delhi and am currently looking at internships in Pune. I cannot wait to go back!” Tara Boggaram, a student of anthropology and German, grew up in a small town in Texas. “I was not plugged into things Indian,” she shares. “A celebration like this brings young Indian students and their friends together to celebrate on campus.”
Accessibility is the key to sustaining Indian culture and sharing it confidently and proudly with the general public. While most families attend local temples for their Diwali celebrations, Vijay and Pratima Kumar choose to bring their two daughters to this celebration each year. “We delight in our children knowing that their celebrations are so accepted on an American university campus,” they explain. They have been sponsoring the cost of the havan at this event for the last few years. The Gujarati Samaj of Austin and the Dodia family, whose son attends the university, sponsored the bookmarks given out to the guests.


Brahmachari Girishji welcomes the gathering and thanks the Hindu Students Association for inviting him to preside over the havan. He explains the perspective of Indian students growing up in America, providing a brief explanation of Diwali: on this, the darkest night of the year, we seek to make sense of the world around us with the light of understanding. “Today in your classroom it is possible that the lecture went over your head.” A few knowing giggles ripple through the crowd. “After class you turned to your friend and asked, ‘Can you please shed some light on what happened in class?’ It is this light in the form of knowledge that we seek to dispel our ignorance.”
Vice President Joe Biden spoke beautifully of that light in his address this year at the White House celebration of India’s Festival of Lights: “Folks, one thing that Diwali reminds us of is that there is a light within all of us, a light of knowledge and compassion, a light that empowers us to do good—to, as Abraham Lincoln said, respond to our better angels.... Every year, Diwali reminds us of the fundamental human bonds that unite us, which are much more powerful than those things that divide us. Right now people of four major faiths are celebrating Diwali. Millions of Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists in India and here in America are lighting lamps in their homes, reflecting on a year gone by and praying, as we all are here, for a good year to come.”
Beginning the rites, Brahmachari Girishji methodically explains the procedure and philosophy of each step of the havan to the audience. Any auspicious beginning starts with Ganesha, the elephant-headed Remover of Obstacles. We cannot proceed with any activity and expect success without removing the obstacles in our own mind. Next we pay respect to our lineage of teachers. He asks the audience to seek the blessings of each one’s lineage of teachers, a step whose importance is underlined on a university campus. He pays respect to his guru, Swami Chinmayananda, by quoting him: “Religion without philosophy is superstition. And philosophy without religion is sheer madness.”
He explains why Lakshmi havan is performed for Diwali: “Some people may look at Mother Lakshmi as just the green stuff in our pockets. She is much more than that. Lakshmi must be seen as the true prosperity of human life, the prosperity of wisdom.”
Each part of this universe is invoked in this havan. The planets are represented in betel nuts placed next to the kund. The embodied soul is represented by the kalasha (copper pot) filled with water; the human body is made up of the five elements, predominantly water. The thread tied around the kalasha represents the connection between the gross and the subtle bodies; it has at least 72 lines appearing with a prescribed number of intersections, representing the 72,000 subtle nerves in a human body—the channels through which the pranas, or vital forces, flow. It is into this kalasha of our own being that we welcome Lakshmi as the true prosperity of the human body and mind.
After describing and then chanting the ceremonial sankalpa (expression of intent), Brahmachari Girishji explains, “Together we resolve to bring prosperity to the professors, students and staff of the university, represented by these four yajamans (officiants) seated here on either side of the havan kund.” He instructs, “When I say ‘swaha,’ you guys take a piece of dry coconut and place it in the fire. For those of you participating in the crowd, you guys take a few grains of akshata and place it on your Lakshmi bookmark.” His casual lingo reveals his own background of having grown up in the United States. Through his personal experience, he understands the mindset of a Hindu student on an American campus.


The fire grows steadily as he chants and explains the Purusha Suktam, an ancient hymn from the Rig Veda. He describes how the universe came out of fire and that the flames are responsible for conveying the prayers and offerings of the havan from this manifest world to the unmanifest world. As the fire peaks during the purnahuti (final offering), he directs the crowd to come forward, offer small pieces of dried coconut and accept prasad from the yajamans. The arati song, signaling the end of the rites, is played over the public address system while people young and old take turns offering arati at the three shrines at the base of the tower.
The crowd moves down one level to the lower part of the mall, clearing a stage for the cultural program. Pooja Raman, a secondyear student in the Business Honors program, performs a traditional Ganesha Vandanam, saying later that she couldn’t believe she was dancing under the university tower, looking directly across at the State Capitol dome. Dhivya Manogaran dances the glory of Shri Rama, befitting the event of Diwali. Vishaal Sapuram, a young classical singer and chitra vina player who graduated in December, performs a beautiful song.
Then it is time for the much-anticipated fireworks. “We completed our puja at home and then came here for the fireworks,” says an Indian graduate student who brought his American wife and two young children, dressed perfectly in dhoti and ghagra. Their eyes reflect the scintillating fireworks.
The crowd mills around the tent where dinner is being served. There is a nominal charge, since the students were unable to get the food sponsored. The menu is representative of the celebration, Indian in essence but with a twist of imagination: paneer tikka burritos, jeera rice, naan, raita and chilled Mexican-style cucumber drinks made by a team of students. On a college campus, many people show up primarily for the cheap food!
There are so many ways to celebrate Diwali, even right here in middle America. Inspired students like those at the University of Texas have brought the celebrations right into the campus mall, the center of their university community. Brahmachari Girishji puts the event in perspective for the guests: “This is the land of the free and the home of the brave. What is true freedom? Knowledge is the greatest freedom we have.” His words echo the line etched in stone above him on the base of the tower in giant, bold letters: “Ye Shall Know the Truth and the Truth Shall Make You Free.”
Events like this Diwali celebration are held on campuses big and small all over the world where the Indian diaspora has extended. More and more, Americans and those of other cultures are coming to realize that their own deepest convictions have been expressed in Hindu thought since time immemorial. The world is truly one.




Om Tat Sat
                                                        
 


(My humble salutations to Sadguru Sri Sivaya Subramuniyaswami ji, Satguru Bodhianatha Velayanswami ji, Hinduism Today for the collection)


(The Blog  is reverently for all the seekers of truth, lovers of wisdom and   to share the Hindu Dharma with others on the spiritual path and also this is purely  a non-commercial blog)

Category: 0 comments