INTRODUCTION TO HINDUISM II

THE third point in our working description of Hinduism is that there are many ways to realize the one spiritual being behind our universe. An important point here is that it is not enough to have an idea of this being or to form and feign a belief in it. If this being represents the ultimate being, awareness and bliss, most naturally we want to be as close to it as possible. This closeness has to be actual. We cannot be really convinced of it unless we experience it. As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Hinduism, for this reason, is committed to actually experiencing this being. Given the previous description of the being, this, of course, would be the highest goal of life. Hindu sages experimented with various ways of reaching the being in living experience on this earth rather than in some other world, like heaven, for example. Reaching or meeting a divine being in heaven can only be a promise. A true religion should help us get there in this very life. Also, the way to the being should not be exclusive to a privileged class only. It should be universal and accessible to all. That is what they have provided. That is why they are credible.

SAGES found that there are many ways that lead to the experience of the ultimate spiritual being. Four of these ways have become more crystallized in the Hindu tradition. There is no claim that these are the only ways that work. Hundreds, or rather thousands, of years of spiritual work by countless sages, any way, has shown that most other seemingly different ways would be variants or combinations of the basic four. Let us glance at the four briefly.

ACCESSING the one infinite and universal spiritual being would involve preparing the individual spiritual aspirant for the ultimate encounter with that being. This preparation may take the form of a lifetime of disciplined spiritual work. In any case it requires total dedication to the cause. Most of us are not even ready yet to embark on the project. Regardless, it is useful to have an idea of what is involved so we can hope to start our spiritual journey at some future point in our life. To meet the spiritual being that covers and sustains everything we should, first of all, need to extend our identity, concern or compass to life beyond our individual egos. Most of us are heavily committed to furthering our own personal goals and agendas. Some of us are more concerned with the well-being of others than some others. You may want to call some very selfish. There are others, though, may be very few, who go out of their way to help others. We may cynically look down upon them as do-gooders or doormats that would be stepped upon and taken advantage of. If we know that they are not stupid or weak, what keeps them going, however, is that they obtain deeper fulfillment from their acts of kindness that run-of-the-mill self-centered people cannot even imagine. A mother sacrificing her comforts, time and resources selflessly for her children is a ready example. Yes, we can look down upon her too by saying that she is just driven my the maternal instinct. But that is not what she feels about it. That is what we feel about her in our cynical mood. What she feels is deep fulfillment by extending her identity to her children. Whenever we expand our identity in actuality in our life, we can expect to obtain this inner fulfillment which is the beginning of experiencing the highest or deepest spiritual being.

THE further we expand our identity to include in its embrace as many beings as possible, the deeper we will experience closeness with the ultimate spiritual being that sustains every being. If we extend our identity to all, the experience of closeness would be as intimate as it can be. Total involvement with the entire universe and regarding it as one with oneself, hence, is a highway to realizing the ultimate spiritual being in our experience. But a natural corollary of such extended identity is an equal contraction of our ego. Our concentration on personal wants has to be diluted at the same time that we expand our identity. So, any way that can help us expand our identity and contract our ego is the spiritual highway. We do not have to act out our expanded identity in terms of actions. If we persuade and fill our minds with care and concern beyond our egoistic penchants, our spirit will begin to transform and get ready to move closer to the infinite spiritual being.

WE are all made differently, with different styles and tastes, different persuasions and personalities. Some of us may want to try out the way of selfless actions. These are people with strong altruistic will. The more they act for others and the more selflessly they do this compared to what average people do, the closer they get to the spiritual being. The Hindu sages called this way Karma Yoga. One who works on this path is called a Karma Yogi. Karma Yogis typically do their duties or do acts of goodness or kindness without expecting rewards. This goes against common sense. But common sense will get us common things. Closeness to the universal spiritual being is not a common thing for common folks. It takes real doing. Many of us may not ever even begin to understand selfless action and its spiritual efficacy. If you are one of them right now, you are not, for that reason, bad or sinful. If you are fair and honest in your dealings with others and expect only just rewards, you will get common goods that will give common pleasures and probably, and hopefully, with no obstructions thrown at you by others.

HOW about looking at some other spiritual ways or yoga’s? Of course you have heard about the word yoga. Yoga workouts are quite popular. In the Hindu tradition, however, the word yoga means joining oneself or the way toward joining oneself with the ultimate spiritual being. We have looked at Karma Yoga briefly. Another, more common, yoga is called Bhakti Yoga. If it takes a strong will to be a Karma Yogi, it takes a large heart to become a Bhakti Yogi, more commonly called a Bhakta or a devotee. In this path, one falls in love with God. All your thoughts, feelings, actions are then guided by what you can do for God. Again, this involves getting less concerned with one’s own selfish desires and more concerned with doing God’s work. Because God loves all equally, a devotee who loves God tends to or wants to love all. This is, therefore, yet another way to expand one’s identity. It also helps contract one’s ego because one moment’s thought on the nature of God can dispel tons of pride and vanity.

REMEMBER the second point about many ways to talk about the one spiritual being? It applies to Bhakti Yoga in two ways. Bhakti Yoga is about falling in love with God. The one spiritual being as God can be spoken of in many ways, which means that it can be visualized in many forms. That is why there are so many gods in Hinduism with different forms. Hindus have the choice to love, pray and worship any of these forms that their heart gets attached to. All of these different forms, however, are different just in form. Any and all of them lead to closeness to the one spiritual being which is ultimately beyond all descriptions.

VERY often Karma Yoga or path of service actions and Bhakti Yoga or path of love of God go together. Many religions like Christianity, Islam and Judaism are combinations of these two. You love, pray and worship God on the one hand and do as much good to others as you can at the same time. That in brief summarizes these religions, minus the peculiarities of their beliefs about the nature of divinity. You may notice that these religions, including the large number of Hindus who follow Bhakti Yoga, regard the one spiritual being as a person, more commonly known as God.

THE other two ways do not regard the one spiritual being as a person or God. They regard it as the highest or deepest Self rather. Or as pure consciousness. They combine with each other too. These ways are called Jnana Yoga or path of knowledge and Dhyana Yoga or path of meditation. Jnana Yoga is suitable for those who have a keen intellect. Intellectuals prefer this path, generally speaking. In this path one makes logical distinctions between self and not-self, real and apparent, permanent and transitory. One also focuses on the great statements in the scriptures, called maha-vakyas in the Upanishads. They proclaim identity between the inmost self and the essence of the universe. Intuitive knowledge of this being is gained through an arduous intellectually oriented discipline which often involves giving up material possessions and becoming a monk or recluse. Takes quite a doing!

THE fourth way, called Dhyana Yoga, also known as Raja Yoga or the royal path, is the direct path, using an intensive course of meditation. You may notice that while Karma Yoga uses will as a ladder to reach the ultimate spiritual being and Bhakti Yoga uses the emotion of love as a ladder, Jnana Yoga uses intellect as the ladder. Well, Dhyana Yoga does not use any ladder. That is why it is direct. Sort of high jump variety! But, beware, it is the hardest though fastest. It can break your leg, with no ladder to step on. It trains the mind and focuses on consciousness with one-pointed attention through meditation. Its physical variety has become very popular. But the physical yoga is meant just as a prerequisite because a healthy mind works best in a healthy body. The real focus, however, is on the spiritual aspect which here is concentrated on meditation.

YOU may be aware that human mind or personality has three major aspects or functions: intellect, emotion and will. Can you think of a fourth aspect? Virtually, everything that the mind does falls under these three. All of us have one or the other of the three dominant in us. If intellect dominates in your mind, you are probably more suitable for Jnana Yoga. If emotion is dominant, you would find Bhakti Yoga more efficacious. With will strong, you would tend toward Karma Yoga. That is, if and when you turn really spiritual. Underlying all three, that is, intellect, emotion and will, there is consciousness. If you gain a very strong spiritual drive, you may want to embark on the Dhyana Yoga path which addresses consciousness directly. So, one can see now why the four basic paths of Hinduism practically cover the entire gamut of psycho-spiritual field.

BUT what do we do if we are not yet energized by any of the spiritual paths? Well, we can hold our spiritual endeavors in abeyance until we are ready for embarking on a spiritual path, just taking only baby steps in the spiritual direction as and when our heart so propels us. Meanwhile, we can do what we ought to do. In the next segment in this series, called Introduction to Hinduism, we turn to the primary principle that can guide our moral life from day to day.
--Ramesh