Date Given: 2008-03-27
Given By: Bodhinatha
Category: Soul
Duration: 20 min
Description: Bodhinatha gives a talk on inter-religious harmony at the University of Arkansas at a conference put on by the Hindu Student Council and Muslims of the University.
No Audio Files Available
Transcript:
Introduction
We wish to express our thanks to both the Hindu Student Council and the Muslims of the University of Arkansas for hosting this event and for giving me this opportunity to share some thoughts on the important topic of the role of religion and spirituality in bringing harmony and peace amongst people who follow the Hindu religion and those of other religions. Before focusing on how Hindus can relate harmoniously and peacefully with those of other faiths, let me present an introductory section that applies to all religions.
Eight years ago there was an important event involving all of the world's religions held in New York city. It was the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders convened by the United Nations. Secretary-General Kofi Annan gave the opening address from which I will quote a few portions.
"Religion can be a realm of extraordinary power. It can offer solace in troubled times. It can make sense of the seemingly senseless because that's the world we live in. It can give us strength to meet the physical and spiritual challenges of life. Religion helps us find our place in the cosmos; it knits families and communities together; it endows individuals with compassion and morality. Whether one believes without question or wrestles with doubt, whether one is part of a religious community or worships in the privacy of the soul, religious practices and beliefs are among the phenomena that define us as human. For many of us, the axiom could well be: "We pray, therefore, we are." "Of course, the practice of religion differs widely. But at heart we are dealing in universal values. To be merciful; to be tolerant; to love thy neighbour; no religion can claim a monopoly on such teachings. "There is no mystery here. Such values are deeply ingrained in the human spirit itself. It is little wonder that the same values animate the Charter of the United Nations, and lie at the root of our search for world peace..."
Secretary-General Annan also spoke about the problems within religion: "Religion is frequently equated with light. But we all know that the practice of religion can have its dark side, too. Religious extremism has too often oppressed or discriminated against women and minorities. Religion has often been yoked to nationalism, stoking the flames of violent conflict and setting group against group. Religious leaders have not always spoken out when their voices could have helped combat hatred and persecution, or could have roused people from indifference. Religion is not itself to blame: as I have often said, the problem is usually not with the faith, but with the faithful.
"So I humbly suggest that today's meeting is also an opportunity for religious, spiritual and political leaders, as well as their followers, to look within, and to consider what they can do to promote justice, equality, reconciliation and peace. Men and women of faith are a strong influence on group and individual conduct. As teachers and guides, you can be powerful agents of change. You can inspire people to new levels of commitment and public service. You can help bridge the chasms of ignorance, fear and misunderstanding. You can set an example of interfaith dialogue and cooperation."
As the UN Secretary-General states so well, the challenge that faces each of the world's religions is for the moderate voices within it to take a more aggressive role and to speak up more often and share the peace-loving, high-minded principles contained within the religion to counterbalance and influence the more extreme voices advocating intolerance and violence.
To illustrate this concept, I would like to share two examples in the US which I am familiar with, one of the extreme and the other of the moderate, both from the Christian tradition. In 1995 the Christian evangelical Baptist leader Pat Robertson, as part of his goal of making the United States a Christian nation, made the statement on his television show that Hindus should not be allowed to immigrate to the United States. His exact statement was: "We're importing Hinduism into America. The whole thought of your karma, of meditation, of the fact that there's no end of life and there's this endless wheel of life, this is all Hinduism. Chanting too. Many of those chants are to Hindu Gods-Vishnu, Hare Krishna. The origin of it is all demonic. We can't let that stuff come into America. We've got the best defense, if you will-a good offense."
Contrast this approach with the Christian groups, such as the Episcopal Church, who participate in the leadership of interfaith initiatives such as the "United Religions Initiative" based in Northern California which promotes enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings.
Correct Understanding of the Hindu Religion
Let's turn now to the Hindu approach to inter-religious harmony. Our first point is the importance for Hindus to correctly understand and accept the diverse nature of Hinduism itself. In other words, inter-religious harmony is based upon intra-religious harmony.
Hinduism is often misunderstood as worshiping many Gods, none of which is supreme. Let me share a story on this point. A few years ago we hosted at our Hawaii monastery a professor from a Texas University who teaches a class in world religion. He is a non-Hindu who was on a one-year sabbatical. His visit to our monastery was for the purpose of learning more about Hinduism. He was familiar with our magazine Hinduism Today and felt he could communicate effectively with our editorial staff.
We soon discovered that the professor had actually been teaching his college students that Hindus believe in a trinity of separate Gods: Brahma, Vishnu and Siva none of which is the Supreme Being. The professor was truly amazed to find out that this was not the case and promised to change his course syllabus for the coming year to state that Hindus actually worship a Supreme Being.
Fortunately, he will now convey the correct understanding of Hinduism to his students. Unfortunately many other teachers of classes in world religions are still continuing to teach that Hinduism believes in many Gods none of which is Supreme and thus is a primitive and pagan religion inferior to the monotheistic religions of the West.
There is a famous Vedic verse that brings clarity to the idea of Supreme Being in Hinduism. It is: Ekam Sat Vipra Bahuda Vadanti, which is translated as, "Truth is one, sages express it variously." Hindus all worship the Supreme Being, though by different names. This is because the peoples of India, with different languages and cultures, have understood the Supreme Being in their own distinct way.
Through history there arose four principal Hindu denominations:
Saivism
Shaktism
Vaishnavism
and Smartism, also known as Shanmatam.
Each of the four denominations has a different name and concept for the Supreme Being
For Saivites, God is Siva.
For Shaktas, Goddess Shakti is supreme.
For Vaishnavites, Lord Vishnu is God.
For Smartas--who see all Deities as reflections of the One God-- the choice of Deity is left to the devotee. Six Deities are commonly chosen from: Siva, Sakti, Ganesha, Vishnu and Kumara.
Let me share story from a trip I made a few years ago to Toronto, Canada. After a talk at one of the temples, devotees were coming forward for blessings. One man who came forward asked the question:
"Should I call myself a Saivite or a Hindu?" What do you think my answer was? Of course the answer I gave was "both!"
The Saivite denomination of Hinduism is a complete faith in itself. In fact so are Hinduism's other three primary denominations: Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism. All four denominations hold such divergent beliefs that each is a complete and independent religion. Yet they are all contained within Hinduism because of the vast heritage of culture and belief they share: karma, dharma, reincarnation, all-pervasive Divinity, temple worship, sacraments, manifold Deities, the many yogas, the guru-shishya tradition and a reliance on the Vedas as scriptural authority. In this regard, Hinduism can be described as a family of myriad faiths.
In the USA for the last few years, I have been invited to speak at a number kumbhabhishekams at Vaishnava temples, all of which were temples to Lord Venkateshwara. I developed a standard talk for such visits and always liked to challenge the devotees by this question. "Have you ever heard a discussion between two or more Hindus as to who is Superior, Vishnu or Siva?" Of course many of those present immediately think I will say Siva is superior because I am a Saivite! My answer surprises them in that it states "They are equal," and the reason they are equal is because each is the Supreme Being to a different Hindu denomination.
My guru, Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, gave two useful keys as to how inter-denominational harmony within Hinduism can be maintained.
The first: Devotees of one denomination, with hearts as big as the sky, love and accept Hindus of other denominations as brothers and sisters, even if not accepted by them and keep harmony by not discussing differences.
They main idea here, of course, is to not discuss differences, or said another way to focus on and discuss what we have in common. The talk I that I give at Vaishnava temples, in fact, does just that. It points out the similarities of the Saivite and Vaishnavite approach to devotional worship--bhakti yoga.
My guru's second key about Hindu interdenominational harmony is: Hindus do not speak disrespectfully about other Hindu lineages, their beliefs, Gods, sacred sites, scriptures, or holy men and women. Nor do they disparage other religions. They refuse to listen to such talk.
They main idea here, of course, is to always be respectful of the other denominations within Hinduism, even of the aspects of their tradition that you do not understand.
Understanding of the Other World Religions
Our second point is the need for Hindus to correctly understand the other world religions.
As we have just explained, knowledgeable Hindus are accustomed to the existence of many different traditions and viewpoints with Hinduism itself. Thus they are naturally inclined to be tolerant of other religions, respecting the fact that each religion has a different concept of the Truth as well as refers to it by a different name
Hindu Tolerance of other religions is a great strength. Sometimes the phrase, "Truth is One, Paths are Many" is used to make the assertion that all religions are the same. However, if it was making that assertion, would it not say, "Truth is One, Paths are One?" Truth is One, paths are many, simply indicates that the world's religions, the paths, have a One Truth, all believe in a Supreme Being. The beliefs and practices of the world religions are, in fact, quite different. The God they worship is One but each of the many paths is quite distinct
Hindus do not proselytize, meaning they do not try to convert members of other religions to Hinduism. Proselytizing is based upon the belief that one's religion is the only true religion and therefore everyone in another religion should join it. Hindus hold the opposite point of view, which is that all faiths are good and the members of those religions are just fine remaining in the religions they are in. Each religion has its unique beliefs, practices, goals and paths of attainment, and the doctrines of one often conflict with those of another. Even this should never be cause for religious tension or intolerance. Hindus respect all religious traditions and the people within them. They know that good citizens and stable societies are created from groups of religious people in all nations.
However, it is important to understand that while Hindus do not proselytize, Hinduism does, and always has, accepted new members into the religion who seek to participate at its deepest levels. It is simply not true, as uninformed commentators too often say, that you have to be born a Hindu to be a Hindu. When asked by a devotee about this idea, Swami Vivekananda responded, "Why, born aliens have been converted in the past by crowds, and the process is still going on." Hindus who marry a non-Hindu spouse who is interested in the Sanatana Dharma wisely encourage him or her to study and eventually enter the faith so they can together raise their children as devout Hindus, rather than being torn between two faiths.
Interfaith Dialogue
Our third point is the benefit of interfaith dialogue. Unfortunately, in many communities there is little dialogue between religious groups. Lack of dialogue readily leads to tension and misunderstanding. Dialogue can take many forms such as formal interfaith groups that meet regularly, forums where various religions can present their teachings to members of other religions, activities that bring the youth of different religions together, and so forth.
There is an excellent quote from Mahatma Gandhi on the need to understand other religious traditions: "It is the duty of every cultured man or woman to read sympathetically the scriptures of the world. If we are to respect others' religions as we would have them respect our own, a friendly study of the world's religions is a sacred duty."
We participate in a small interfaith group in our community in which the concept of respect and tolerance was discussed a few years ago. In developing its mission statement the group started with the phrase tolerance of other religions but a few months later felt it should read respect of other religions as it conveys a deeper sense of support than does the word tolerance.
A prominent spokesperson for Hinduism is Dr. Karan Singh, son of the late Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir. He and my guru became good friends and thus we have become familiar with his many activities and in fact I just visited him in his New Delhi home in January, 2008. For the last thirty years, for example, Karan Singh has participated in what is called the Temple of Understanding, a major worldwide interfaith movement with its headquarters in New York city, an organization that strives to bring people from different faiths and religions into harmonious dialogue. He is currently the International Chair.
My Guru on occasion would attend major interfaith gatherings such as the Parliament of World religions held in Chicago in 1993. In fact he was chosen as one of three presidents to represent Hinduism at the prestigious Presidents' Assembly, a core group of 25 men and women voicing the needs of world faiths. Gurudeva wrote the following advise about interfaith activity:
"God Siva's devotees properly respect and address virtuous persons of all religious traditions. They may support and participate in interfaith gatherings from time to time with leaders and members of all religions."
Certainly one of the roles of interfaith dialogue is for a religion to dispel any misconceptions that other religions have about it. Another way incorrect concepts can be replaced by correct ones is through exhibits on Hinduism, both permanent and temporary. Certainly one of the most famous is the 'Understanding Hinduism' exhibition at the Swaminarayan Temple in Neasden, London. School children, for example, visit it on a regular basis. The temple website describes it as follows:
"For novice or the scholar the exhibition is simulating and enlightening. Hinduism's broad-mindedness has encouraged a high level of social and scientific advancement in almost every field. In a pavilion of peace, the array of visual effects has brought Hinduism to the doorstep of the West who can now appreciate what lofty ideals Hinduism stands for; what it has given in science, medicine and arts, and what is being contributed now to carve a better world for all."
Still another way incorrect concepts can be replaced by correct ones is through Hindu organizations holding an annual open house to which local community leaders, leaders of other religious groups and neighbors can be invited. For example, Bharsana Dham in Austin, Texas has been doing this for a number of years and has told us that it has been an effective way of sharing correct knowledge about Hinduism in general and their own particular beliefs practices with the local community.
The People of Other Religions
Our fourth point about Hindu religious tolerance relates to the members of other religions, to individuals of other races and nationalities. The Hindu belief that gives rise to tolerance of differences in religious affiliation, race and nationality is that all of mankind is essentially good, that we are all divine beings, souls created by God. Hindus do not accept the concept that some individuals are evil and others are good, that one group is special and other groups don't matter. In the Hindu scriptures the Upanishads it states that each soul is emanated from God, as a spark from a fire, then begins a spiritual journey, which eventually leads back to God. All human beings are on this journey, whether they realize it or not. So when a Hindu sees a person whom others call bad or evil, he thinks to himself, "This is a young soul, acting in terrible ways, but one day, in the course of many lives, he will realize his errors and adhere to dharma." The Hindu practice of greeting one another with "namaskara," worshiping God within the other person, is a way this philosophical truth is practiced on a daily basis. Ayam atma Brahma, "The soul is God."
This is taken one step further in the adage Vasudhaiva kutumbakam, "The whole world is one family." Everyone is family oriented. Most of what we do is for the purpose of benefiting the members of our family. We want them to be happy, successful and religiously fulfilled. And when family is defined to be the whole world, it is clear that we wish everyone in the world to be happy, successful and religiously fulfilled. Concern is not limited to just the Hindu community but extends to all other religious communities as well. The Vedic affirmation that captures this sentiment is Sarve janah sukhino bhavantu, "May all people be happy."
Albert Einstein once observed, "A human being is a part of the whole, called by us Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty" Einstein's statement is in accord with the Hindu viewpoint and is stated quite eloquently--the need to widen our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures.
Of course, this doesn't mean we should gaze naively at everyone through rose-colored glasses, especially those who have been taught to hate others because of their particular religion, race or nationality. It means not looking at people through distortive lenses of malice, bigotry or bias. Hatred is a reality in this world and needs to be responded to realistically. While being aware of the prejudices of others and the philosophies they have been taught, we can still choose to see their Divinity and hold no prejudice--no ill-feeling or hatred--toward them.
We/They Problem
Certainly one of the most challenging times in the United States in recent years was the few months following the 9/11 terrorist bombings of the World Trade Center in New York. To counter the instinctive response of striking out at fellow Americans of Middle Eastern decent, a national television campaign was initiated. It focused on having individuals of a wide variety of ethnicities say "I'm an American." In other words, it enouraged Americans to look at what they have in common, rather than to look at how they are different ethnically. On my January, 2008 visit to India I encountered a similar idea. On the back of the bus we were behind, there were pictures of three boys. By how they were dressed, you could tell one was Christian, another Hindu and another Muslim. There were two words along side the pictures: "All Indians."
This example highlights a fundamental challenge of human nature which is the tendency to divide the world into "we-they" rather than maintaining the inclusive "we" perspective. In the "we-they" perspective, "they" are different than we are, and we tend to emphasize all of their unseemly or negative qualities. If we strive to keep everything as a "we" and maintain the principle of inclusiveness, then we minimize that tendency. All groups have the tendency to polarize and split. Even a large family often splits into "we-they." It is a natural tendency of humankind to divide into two groups that have problems with one another. "We" consciousness is strengthened by focusing on what is held in common. "We-they consciousness is strengthened by focusing on differences.
I encountered an interesting example of this recently of encouraging "we consciousness" in talking with a swami, Hindu renunciate monk, from Mumbai. He was talking with some Hindus from India and encouraging them to say I am from the South of India rather than saying I am from South India. The idea, of course, is to emphasize what they have in common which is being citizens of India through their choice of words.
Of course an ultimate "we" consciousness has been experienced by several astronauts when looking at Earth from outer space, seeing mankind's commonality rather than dissimilarity. Sunita Williams' experience during her 195 days on the International Space Station in 2007 radically altered her perspective of life. From 350 km in orbit, the earth appears a magnificently beautiful whole. She says: "It is hard to imagine people arguing down there, not to mention fighting. It looks so peaceful... so calm down on Earth. From space, there are no borders that you can see. We are lucky to live on such a planet and we should not take it for granted. After my space experience, I am a lot more tolerant of people and opinions, of everything."
How do we solve, or at least minimize, the we/they tendency? Through persistently teaching the opposite. My guru took a simple step by creating large granite signs for the island of Kauai on which we live that say, "One Island, Many Peoples, All Kauaians." These were installed by the county at prominent locations to emphasize the unity of all the many peoples of Kauai. He created similar signs for the country of Mauritius to strengthen unity, because, as we mentioned, in every community there is the tendency to split. In the Kauai community the tendency is to divide according to ethnic background.
Prejudice Free Consciousness
Gurudeva was inspiring acceptance of one another and counteracting the force of prejudice. He knew that prejudice toward those who are of a different religion, race, or nation can start simply as distrust and then deepen into dislike and deepen further into hatred, which can turn into a compulsion to inflict injury.
Are children born with attitudes of prejudice and hatred? No. They learn such things at home, from their family and friends, and at school from teachers and classmates. Prejudice toward other religions, ethnic groups, or nations is unfortunately even taught in some religious institutions.
People who are older are set in their ways and unlikely to change. But each new generation starts out with a blank slate. Children can be taught tolerance, acceptance and openness toward those who are different. With each new generation, we have an opportunity to teach positive, unifying beliefs. And one of the biggest changes that can take place in society occurs as members of a new generation mature into positions of influence and power. If they are imbued with unbiased, spiritual attitudes, conditions in the nations they serve in will improve.
This is where opportunity lies, in encouraging parents to raise their children in such a way that they are free of prejudice. And then do it again with the next generation, and then do it again and again. Do that for enough generations and we will change the world in a major way. But it takes time. We can all help in our own spheres of influence--family, friends, work, community--doing our part to instill a prejudice-free consciousness in youth and thus transform attitudes that divide peoples, neighbors and nations.
The famous civil rights activitist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. expressed the goal eloquently, "I have a dream that one day my children will be perceived for the content of their character rather than by the color of their skin." That is the point, to see the person, not their ethnicity or their religion and impose negative generalizations on them. Even positive generalizations and preconceived notions should be avoided, as they, too, obscure this genuine interaction. For example, some say the Chinese are industrious. But, in truth, not all Chinese are hard-working; and even thinking in such positive stereotypes prevents you from seeing an individual as he or she is.
How is a prejudice-free consciousness developed? It is, as we mentioned, through teaching our children that the whole world is our family and all human beings are divine beings. It is through complete avoidance of remarks that are racially or religiously prejudiced. It is through discussing with our children any prejudice they hear from others at school and elsewhere and correcting it. It is by teaching children to avoid generalizations about people and, instead, to think about specific individuals and the qualities they have. Television and movies can provide useful situations to discuss. It is through having our children meet, interact and learn to feel comfortable with children of other ethnicities and religions, to be open to different ways of life, different beliefs, different customs of dress and language. We need to stop teaching them to fear those who are different from themselves, stop teaching them hatred for peoples of other colors and other religions, stop teaching them to see the world as a field of conflict, and instead instill in them an informed appreciation and a joyous reverence for the grand diversity we find around us. Instead of teaching children to be intolerant and to dislike and distrust, hate and inflict injury on those who are different, we can teach them to be tolerant, to like and trust, befriend and help. Tolerant individuals help communities function with less friction and misunderstanding.
Hindutva
Turning to a new subject, there is a movement within Hinduism which is called Hindutva. The Hindutva concept is to promote a strong or aggressive sense of Hindu identity and sometimes includes the idea of creating a Hindu state.
In general, Hindutvavaadis (followers of Hindutva) believe that they represent the well-being of Hinduism, as well as Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism.
Hindutva often emphasizes the historical oppression of Hindus in India by invading forces like the Muslims and the Christians and the call to "reverse" the influence resulting from these intrusions.
It also often denounces both British colonialism and Communism for a perceived weakening of Hindus.
To us, there are two distinct aspects of Hindutva which we will label negative and positive. The negative one is that focusing on past injustices against Hindus can easily become inflammatory and lead to Hindus striking out against the groups who committed these acts. Intercommunal religious violence can end up as the result.
The positive aspect of Hindutva is increasing the pride of Hindus in being a Hindu. A serious problem Hinduism faces is that many Hindus have a lack of pride in Hinduism, some even to the point of being reluctant to call themselves a Hindu. Have you ever heard the statement, "I believe in all religions."? You can be 99.99% sure that the person making that statement is a Hindu who doesn't feel enough pride in his religion to say "I am a Hindu."
An insightful article on the lack of Hindu pride was published in the Hindu Voice, a UK publication, in February, 2007. The author ascribes this problem to two causes.
The first cause is the mind set of Indian intellectuals which has been strongly influenced to be anti-Hindu by the British occupation as well as communist ideology.
The second cause is the trend for the gems of Hinduism to be pulled out of the tradition and looked at as not having any relationship to the tradition in which they developed.
In other words, unfortunately many teachers of various Hindu traditions are reluctant to label what they are teaching as Hindu. In fact I know of one prominent swami who when asked if he was a Hindu said, "No, I am an Undo. I am trying to teach people how they can undo the patterns that cause damage to their minds and bodies so they can begin to heal."
Some of the common Hindu gems not labeled as Hindu are:
Yoga, many who teach yoga claim it has nothing to do with Hinduism. I am sure you know some of these teachers yourselves!
Jyotisha, Hindu astrology labeled as Vedic rather than Hindu
Ayurveda, labeled as Indian rather than Hindu
Vastu, the great science of space and architecture, labeled as a Vedic science rather than Hindu.
And Vedanta standing as a philosophy that transcends religion rather than being a philosophy within the Hindu tradition
Understanding that all of the subjects just mentioned are integral parts of Hinduism helps Hinduism be perceived with the respect it deserves.
This positive aspect of Hindutva focuses on better understanding the beliefs and practices of Hinduism and thereby feeling more pride in being a Hindu. And certainly, one of the core beliefs in Hinduism is nonviolence. The beliefs of Hinduism do not support the idea that past injustices should be corrected through retaliation. In modern times, the most well known Hindu spokesperson for nonviolence is Mahatma Gandhi. Here are a few of his quotes:
"I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.
"Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
My guru also stressed how understanding Hindu beliefs naturally leads to a nonviolent approach: "Every belief creates certain attitudes. Our attitudes govern all of our actions. Belief in karma, reincarnation and the existence of an all-pervasive Divinity throughout the universe creates an attitude of reverence, benevolence and compassion for all beings. The natural consequence of this belief is ahimsa, nonhurtfulness."
[End of transcript]
