INTRODUCTION TO HINDUISM I

WHAT is Hinduism? This simple question arises in the minds of Hindus as well as others. But a straight and simple answer to this question is very elusive, to say the least. Many historians and thinkers have opined that Hinduism is very complex, has everything for everybody and has allowed every kind of belief to grow within its highly tolerant field, consequently making it impossible to capture its essence in simple terms. Let us cut through this morass and consider a simple four-point working description of Hinduism which will cover Hinduism well and distinguish it from all other religions. To some scholars and thinkers it is almost heretical to think that Hinduism can be reduced to a simple formula in just four points. On the other hand, the need to have a clear and workable characterization of Hinduism is paramount. Hence, this four-point proposal.

LET us list the four points in four short statements and then consider them in some detail.
1. One spiritual ineffable ultimate being underlies the universe.
2. There are many ways of speaking about it, the leading one being "Existence, Consciousness and Bliss".
3. There are many ways to realize it in experience, with those of love, service, knowledge and meditation leading.
4. Humans are accountable for their actions, for there are fair consequences of all actions that affect others.
These four short statements are of course highly compressed. Let us unpack them to yield some clarity and detail.

FIRST of all, there is the belief or, better, an intuitively held spiritual conviction, that there is only one being behind the entire multi-faceted and highly diverse universe that unfolds before our eyes every day and every moment. Incredibly complex though the world is, it is hard to negate the deep feeling in our hearts that there is just one being behind it all. Hinduism is not materialistic, so this being is not a material being but a spiritual being. The word "being," together with its adjective, "spiritual," includes a highly prevalent belief that this being is a person, a spiritual person, who can be approached with feelings of love for him or her and, in turn, is also one who relates with us with love and care for all of us. Commonly, we call such being "God". In Hindu literature it is called Ishvara, Parameshvara, Paramatma, Bhagavan, among many other terms.

OR, the term "one spiritual being" can also indicate another widely held concept of the deepest or highest entity that we can find within as well as beyond ourselves. It would be more like our own deepest identity lying inside us that we can call our ultimate home. When we find it, we feel the most comfortable as if we have come to our final home or destiny. We feel one with it and can call it our own self at the most profoundly felt intuitive level. Hindu sages have called it Brahman, Atman, Paratpara or Purushottama, among many other terms.

IRRESPECTIVE of whether we regard this one spiritual being as a person or a spiritual home, there are two things about it that draw our attention. One, that it is ultimate or final and, two, that it is ineffable or beyond words in any language. There is not going beyond it to anything higher or deeper. It is the end point of all of our life's concerns. If we get there, our life stops there not because it ends like in death but because it finds total fulfillment beyond which there is no further to go. It is for this reason that we cannot describe it fully or adequately. We follow myriad goals in life but this is the final goal. We cannot, for that reason, describe it in terms of other goals for which we can of course find and use so many words. When we get to this, however, all language falls short. No words are sufficient or efficient in fully conveying all that it means to be with or within this final ultimate being that uplifts our spiritual sense and makes us feel terminally fulfilled.

IN brief, the first point tells us that there is just one spiritual being behind the universe and it is as final as we can think of or feel and it can never be described in routine day-by-day words.
This brings us to the second point or statement. Even though it is not possible to describe this being adequately or efficiently, let alone fully or completely, we will want to describe it any way. We want to understand it and communicate what we feel it is to our fellow beings and to our community. A bird cannot get to the end of the sky but it ends up taking a flight anyway. So, we naturally want to talk about it even knowing in the heart of our hearts that the language will fall short of its intention. In the process, if we can convey even a faint idea of what is involved, it will be a useful exercise. The idea is not to give a precise definition or description but a rough approximation so that we know more or less what is involved or what we are aiming at.

HINDU seers have said that trying to talk about this one ultimate spiritual being is like some blind people trying to describe an elephant. Some who hold the tail would call the elephant to be like a rope. Those holding a leg of the elephant would say the elephant is like a pillar. And so on and so forth. Simply, there would be many ways to characterize the ultimate spiritual being. This being is bound to be infinite too, making the description even more vulnerable. Still, the Hindu sages and seers who have made significant progress in their spiritual journey have left some signs that are useful and come as close as we can to getting a fair glimpse of the ultimately indescribable being behind the universe.

THE idea is not that any description is a legitimate partial view as good as any other. A description of the ultimate in terms of geographic location or historic periods, for example, would be less adequate than one that says that this being is omnipresent and eternal. So, while there are many ways to speak about it, not every way is as good as another. Among many that are fairly good, one has gained valuable currency in Hindu literature. It is one that says that this being has or even is three features: Existence ("Sat"), Consciousness ("Chit") and Bliss ("Ananda") in their purest, infinite, ultimate and most intimate forms. In other words, this being is Existence, Being or Reality in its purest, infinite, most ultimate and intimate form. Similarly, it is also Consciousness or Awareness in its purest, infinite, most ultimate and intimate form. Finally, it is Bliss, Fulfillment, Happiness or Joy in its most intimate, final, pure and endless form.

EXISTENCE, Consciousness and Bliss cover three of the most general, universal, final and deep concerns of all human life. They are also the most valued features that we can bring to our minds. Existence, being or reality is of the utmost importance in all our dealings. We do not have great use for something that may be very attractive but has no reality and is no more than just fancy or imagination. Also, all of us are conscious beings with intellect, information and knowldge that we prize. All information and knowledge is a part or function of consciousness. We think all the time and exhibit consciousness accordingly. It is impossible to think or feel without being conscious. Finally, we pursue joy, pleasure, satisfaction, happiness or fulfillment in one form or another thoughout our life, regardless of whether and in what measure we actually obtain it. Bliss, in one form or another, is our goal at all times, whether we seek it in delicious food, a comfortable dress, a great shelter, beautiful music, a loving relationship or whatever that we think holds the prospect of fulfillment in our life at any given time. So, the sages had it very convincingly right that existence, consciousness and bliss in their pure, ultimate, infinite and intimate form are the best terms with which to describe the highest or deepest being that underlies our universe.

NOTE: The next post in the "Introduction to Hinduism" series will look at the remaining two features in our working description of Hinduism. Your comments and questions are invited. Please post them here or, alternatively, email them to me at hinduismfortoday@sbcglobal.net. OM TAT SAT!

Ramesh