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)
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