WELCOME TO HINDUISM FOR TODAY!

A DIFFERENT BLOG ABOUT HINDUISM!

NAMAS-TE !


GREETINGS!  Welcome to Hinduism for Today, a blog dedicated to explaining and constructing Hinduism for today's world. I approach this task from the background of an intense training in Sanskrit in India and extensive experience in teaching Hinduism, world religions and Eastern and Western philosophy at half a dozen institutions of higher learning in the U.S.A.  I want to share my information, experience and thought on the subject through this medium. 

THIS BLOG is organized to read like a small book, from beginning towards the end.  The different posts that form parts of the blog as a whole are like mini-chapters.  It would be advantageous to read them one by one sequentially, to maintain linked focus.  Skipping some sections may leave you missing out on terms which are explained when they occur for the first time.  

THE BLOG is designed as a serious reading for all who want to think on their own or also engage in a constructive dialog on the form Hinduism should take in this day and age.  An undertone of informality is sustained throughout.  Even so, intellectual rigor is not allowed to be diluted on account of this informal tone bypassing academic protocol.  Intellectual rigor?  Yes!  Academic formalities?  No!  

I WOULD love to discuss any points you raise on the material presented here.  Please join the dialog from whichever viewpoint you hold, for all serious viewpoints must be treated with respect for the benefit of all who want to join the issues.

THIS WELCOMING POST will include a sort of "Contents", a kind of "Preface", and some introductory material.  First a few more words related to welcome, before we move into these items.  At any rate, many thanks for visiting this blog.  Please leave your impressions and remarks that I can count on to improve the blog's offerings.


I WILL APPRECIATE responses from all perspectives. If you choose to be critical, however, I would request you to be constructive rather than just destructive, even though I will try to learn from well-reasoned destructive critique as well. The aim here is to determine a form of Hinduism that is relevant for today's world in terms of both living and thinking. In this I plan to draw basically from the primary sources of Hinduism and secondarily also from major alternative views and ways of life.


IN THE ABOVE ENTERPRISE, aiming at an open and serious discussion of Hindu view and way of life, I propose to minimize using personalities inside and outside of Hinduism, with a view to attaining a focus rather on ideas with potency. There is no explicit or implicit goal to convince anyone of all my views, let alone convert anyone to them. In the same vein, in my responses to the reader feedback, I will not be fazed by attempts to force any view on me. 


LET US RESPECT each other at all times so that we can maximize mutual learning. I respect all world religions and would want to do justice to them. Given this, it would be appropriate to expect feedback that is friendly rather than hostile to Hinduism. Being fair to different religions, however, does not mean accepting them in toto. I hope, any way, that all of us will keep an open mind and will seriously consider all thoughtful views that find their way here. 


RIGVEDA, the most ancient and greatly revered scripture of Hinduism, proposes this wonderful maxim: a no bhadrah kratavo yantu visvatah.  It means: "Let beneficial thoughts come to us from all directions!" We will work our way toward an amicable understanding of alternate views and incorporate their positive points in what is hoped to be proposed as a relevant form of Hinduism for today's life and thought.  True to the Rigvedic maxim we want to learn from all corners of life and world.

CONTENTS OF THE BLOG:

Welcome to Hinduism for Today!

News, Events and Recommended Readings

Hinduism in Western Language: A Brief Outlook

Hinduism in Western Language: A Panel Discussion

Hinduism in 108 Words

Bhagavad-Gita in 108 Words

Satya Sanatana Dharma: A Hindu View and Way of Life for All Humans

Foundations of Hinduism in 16 Statements

Introduction to Hinduism I

Introduction to Hinduism II

(At the end of this post, please click on "Older Posts" in order to get to the next part of the blog.)

Introduction to Hinduism III

Discussion Points: Points raised and themes discussed at Hinduism class meetings (The "Discussion Points" related here, seven of them, are like appendices at the end of this blog or informal booklet)

On Writing a Book Called Hinduism for Today (A work-in-progress, since completed and published)


A FEW NOTES on the above contents and the structure of the blog won't be out of place.  They may help you get the most out of your visit here.  This is a rather extensive and intensive blog, dealing with Hinduism in a comprehensive way.  Hence, a few notes will, hopefully, help you navigate what it offers.  This welcoming post is immediately followed by a brief description of my book called Hinduism for Today published in 2012.  Of course, I highly recommend it to every serious thinker of Hinduism.  I also plan to add here items like news, events or other blogs relevant to this blog site.

FOLLOWING THIS, the blog proper begins with two posts that were designed primarily for a Western audience.  I delivered a talk called "Hinduism in Western Language" on March 1, 2011 to the Centerville Library's Great Religions Program.  On March 30, 2011 I made an encore presentation at the Dayton Hindu Temple.  The post that follows this welcoming post is a version of these two talks.  The next post presents my response to the seven questions posed to me at the panel discussion of the weekly presenters at the Centerville Library Great Religions Program on April 5, 2011.  Together, these two posts offer a very helpful eye-view of Hinduism in general at the same time elucidating my perspective on the subject.


THESE TWO POSTS are then followed by a brief but comprehensive look at Hinduism just in 108 words.  This is followed by a summary of Hinduism's most popular scriptural text, the Bhagavad-gita, also in 108 words.  These two "summaries" compress the wide range of Hindu thought in few words and are presented as a compact preview of Hinduism in a nutshell.  A post called "Satya Sanatana Dharma" comes next.  It articulates the essence of Hinduism in ten segments.  It is designed to make Hinduism accessible and useful to all concerned, teasing out its essential points for the entire humanity from the vast Hindu literature.


A BRIEF VIEW of Hinduism is then developed into sixteen concise statements which are highly compressed in meaning and content.  Hinduism is widely held to be indefinable because of its diversity and complexity.  But a working description, if not a strict definition, is provided in four statements proposed within this sixteen-fold summary of Hinduism.  These four statements are expanded and explained in the three posts that follow, called "Introduction to Hinduism."  The sixteen-fold narrative of Hinduism, along with the introductory expansion, should go a long way in having Hindu philosophy and thought discussed in a terse but comprehensive way.


A NUMBER of posts follow.  These sample some of the discussions we have had in my classes on Hinduism at different times at the Dayton Hindu Temple.  They range widely on a variety of topics relevant to today's life and concerns.  They together give a flavor of what happens in the lively spirit of discourse I try to promote and encourage in the meetings.  It also gives an idea of a wonderful group of Hindus and friends of Hinduism engaged in developing Hinduism for today and in applying it to their life.


WHILE Hinduism is a great religion and even greater spirituality, it can certainly withstand changes and adjustments necessary for it to become a prime instrument to fulfill today's spiritual needs of humankind.  Working for such a refined and renewed Hinduism will be a continuing journey that will not be finished here.  Therefore, we will go on.  Please participate and share your thoughts.


I want to end this welcome with a wish for the reader I composed decades ago in Sanskrit in the Vasanta-tilaka meter: Jyotir-mayi bhavatu jivan-madhuri te.  It means: May sweetness and light pervade your life!


AND, may you reach your highest spiritual goal! 


OM TAT SAT !
Sincerely,
Ramesh

NEWS, EVENTS AND RECOMMENDED READINGS

HINDUISM FOR TODAY BOOK

Check out this new book on Hinduism.  It's a refreshing new way of narrating Hinduism, in the form of a dialog by eight committed but very diverse Hindus.  Four men and four Women, having practiced Hinduism in their own way, talk about Hinduism very knowledgeably.  They compare their experience and thinking to other world religions and philosophies.  They pursue and arrive at the form Hinduism should take in this day and age.  The book is accessible to general reader who is serious about the subject.

HINDUISM FOR TODAY: 
A Seminar in the Philosophy of Hindu Thought and Spirituality

by Ramesh N. Patel

Publisher: Abiding Publications, 
                 Wasteland Press
Pages: xvii + 403
Trim size: 6.0" x 9.0"
Type: Paperback

Published: 2012

Just click on this link at Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Hinduism-For-Today-Philosophy-Spirituality/dp/1600477941

Or, type in "Hinduism Seminar" at amazon.com under books.  Alternatively, check out BarnesandNoble.com and Books123.org among other major book distributors online.

Please post your comments and reviews here on the blog and at these fine bookstores.

There is a book description on the back cover of the book, accessible at the book exhibit at the above websites.  Tim Renfrow designed the beautiful cover and provided editorial assistance.  Thanks to many friends and well-wishers who made the book possible!

Ramesh was presented with the community service award by the India Club of Greater Dayton on November 10, 2012.  Again, this was made possible by the always sharply questioning participants of his classes in Bhagavad-gita, Hinduism, Vedic philosophy and Upanishads.  Many thanks!

RECOMMENDED FOR FURTHER READING AND STUDIES:

PHILOSOPHY OF THE GITA, Peter Lang, New York, 1991:  This book is for the advanced reader who wants to challenge oneself!  It is meant for Indological scholars and professional philosophers.  If you go through this blog and like the book "Hinduism for Today," this is the next step.  If you have questions, you can address them to me at aumtatsat108@att.net.  Thanks!

HINDUISM IN WESTERN LANGUAGE: A BRIEF OUTLOOK

     
    Quite a few thinkers, even inside Hinduism, believe that it is not possible to define Hinduism.  This is evidently not the case with other world religions like Buddhism in the East and Christianity in the West.  Complexity of Hinduism is daunting.  Diversity of Hinduism is overwhelming.  Tolerance of differences and assimilation of alien influences have further added to the state where trying to define Hinduism has become a veritable challenge.
     Yet, this brief outlook on Hinduism will include a definition of Hinduism.  The definition has four points each of which can be found in other religions but, together, they form a unique and salient characterization of Hinduism.  It will be seen that the four points are finely blended and carefully nurtured within the fold of Hindu tradition.  Thus, they encompass the distinct structure and essence of Hindu thought and show that some insightful thinking is not out of place in achieving a workable definition of Hinduism.
     The following brief outlook of Hinduism offers a view of Hinduism that is comprehensive enought to cover all major aspects of human life.  Of course it does it from the Hindu point of view.  The outlook encompasses values and goals of life, recommended virtues and basic standpoints nurtured by the Hindu tradition in its own
salient way.
     The outlook aims at bringing out what is relevant today and it attempts to do it in an accessible language that is familiar to Western thought and culture.  It offers a view of Hinduism that steers clear of two extremes.  It avoids the extreme of conservatism which is afraid of change and the extreme of liberalism which would change Hinduism out of shape.  In sum it proposes a formulation of Hinduism that is moderate, relevant, accessible and comprehensive.
     First, we will take a look at the four values of life that a Hindu seeks to achieve, followed by the fourfold definition of Hinduism.  Next, we will consider the four universal virtues to be practiced by all Hindus and four basic standpoints peculiar to the Hindu tradition.  At the end of this brief outlook we will briefly indicate the chief sources of Hinduism and a short list of recommended readings.

A.  VALUES OF LIFE

     The Hindu view of life takes life to be movement of consciousness toward fulfillment.  It indicates four values of life, called purusharthas.  The four blend together to form an integrated whole meant to provide a balanced and all-round satisfaction to any human being both as an individual and as a member of society.  The Hindu view of the society is that the best arrangement of society occurs where all the four objects of life are made accessible to all its members in harmony with each other.  The four purusharthas or objects of human effort are briefly as follows.
     1.  Kama or physical needs:  These include the individual's immediate needs and desires that do not hurt anyone.
     2.  Artha or social values:  Here are included socioeconomic values that an individual can acquire without shortchanging anyone and, at least making sure that it is earned and paid for.
     3.  Dharma or moral fulfillment:  This ensures that each individual achieves meaningful and mutually fulfilling relationships with everyone that one interacts with.
     4.  Moksha or spiritual freedom:  This is the most important value of life.  While the other values provide a measure of fulfillment, this one is defined as terminal fulfillment and is the ultimate that human life can offer in spiritual and qualitative terms.  It is achieved by following a disciplined spiritual path that leads to the experience of the ultimate.

B.  UNIVERSAL VIRTUES OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS

     Our relationships with those around us should enhance our happiness.  To this end we all need to cultivate certain universal virtues, called samanya dharmas in Hindu scriptural texts, that would make the relationships secure and satisfying for all involved.  These are affirmed and validated by each individual's conscience rather than by an external source.  Four such virtues stand out to construct our basic obligations or responsibilities toward our community:
     5.  Dama or self-restraint:  Cultivating this virtue means respecting everyone and controlling our behavior accordingly.  A person without self-restraint obviously is not ready to enter into a mutually fulfilling relationship.
     6.  Satya or truthfulness:  Developing this virtue implies striving to promote everyone's well-being by being truthful in thought, speech and action.
     7.  Ahimsa or nonviolence:  Minimally this involves not harming anyone but, optimally, it involves loving everyone and respecting everybody's right to difference.
     8.  Shuchi or purity:  This can be said to mean keep our body clean, mind open and heart pure.  Taken as cleansing it includes both internal as well as internal pufification.

     It would be seen that the four recommended virtues are well-balanced in that two of them, or satya and ahimsa, are directed toward others while the other two, that is, dama and shuchi, improve one's own character.  These four are articulated by Swami Shivananda as basic samanya dharmas.  It is well known that Mahatma Gandhi enshrined satya and ahimsa as cardinal virtues in his thinking.

C.  DEFINING PRINCIPLES

     Now we come to the definition of Hinduism promised earlier.  Four core principles define Hinduism as a distinct religion and spiritual philosophy.  Each can be found in other religions, b ut the four as a whole give Hinduism its defining ground on which each Hindu can stand and proclaim his or her salient individuality and nexus with the human world together with its environment.  Anyone largely sympathetic to the quartet can call oneself a Hindu with moral, spiritual and metaphysical legitimacy.  The four defining principles are as follows.
     9.  One spiritual being (ekam sat, tad ekam, ekam eva advitiyam) underlies the universe, manifesting as a deep bond between all humans that extends to all living beings and beyond to the planet and even the universe.
     10.  There are many ways of speaking about the one spiritual being, such as Ishvara or God that can be viewed as the creator and sustainer and Brahman or Godhead which can be regarded as cosmic consciousness.  In any case the being is ultimately ineffable (neti, neti) because of its ultimacy, infinity and intimacy.  It also is the ground of all existence (sat), consciousness (chit) and bliss (ananda).  Further, not only the distinctly Hindu Brahman, Vishnu, Shiva and Shakti but also the Jewish Yahweh, Christian God, Muslim Allah, Buddhist Shunya, Confucian Heaven and Lao Tzu's Dao are valid ways of speaking about this being.
     11.  There are many ways to realize the one spiritual being in experience.  If viewed as God, the way of love, devotion and worship is proper.  If viewed as Godhead, the way of knowledge, contemplation and meditation is appropriate.  If viewed as ground of human action, selfless service of humanity is legitimate.  All these ways can also be combined to suit invidiual aptitude.
     12.  Humans are accountable for their actions, for there are fair consequences of all actions that affect others.  This is called the law of karma, variously understood as "as you sow, so do you reap" and "what goes around comes around."  Since we do not usually end up reaping the consequences of all our deeds  in this life, we need to reincarnate after death to reap the unrealized consequences.  Since we experience effects we cannot link to, we see that we lived different lives before our birth here.  When we realize the one spiritual being in our experience and feel the impact of the terminal fulfillment it involves, we have broken the cycle of karma and won't have to return in another body.

D.  BASIC STANDPOINTS

     A few basic standpoints that have emerged in the Hindu tradition deserve mention because of their uniqueness and vitality.  They affect the Hindu ways of living, relating and regarding the ultimate.  They also constitute distinct contributions in the development of religion in world history.
     13.  Reconciliation of the universal and the relative:  Universal virtues or samanya dharmas are supplemented and enriched by relative morality or vishesha dharmas.  The latter arise in diverse ways from differences in places, times, subcultures and their needs within Hinduism.  Included also are elements creeping into Hinduism from outside and adapted by Hinduism in its mother-fold.
     Universal virtues are common to all lhuman beings everywhere, while the relative virtues are specific to a person's place in society, time in history and the community to which one belongs.  For example, a Hindu places great priority on the needs of community over one's own liking when it comes to career choice.  A Christian, choosing a life mate based on emotional feeling called love, is also laboring under vishesha dharma or relative morality of one's culture which may not be available in, for example, a Confucian culture.
     14.  Anchoring of ethical in the spiritual:  Ethics is anchored primarily in the spiritual and is a prerequisite for spiritual progress.  If one prefers to look at the one spiritual being as God, one has to regard all humans as God's children and, therefore, as one's brothers and sisters.  If, on the other hand, one regards the one spiritual being as Godhead, one sees the same essence of God or ground of being in all other human beings.  In any case, one must regard all of one's fellow beings equally with respect and friendly concern.  Without this basic ethical attitude, one would not embark meaningfully on any spiritual path toward God or Godhead.
     15.  Spiritual panentheism:  Spiritual is both immanent and transcendent.  Whether viewed as God or as Godhead, the one spiritual being is both immanent or within us and transcendent or beyond us.  It is within us because we can feel it deep down in our hearts. It is beyond us because it is infinite and does not just belong to us.  In the Western language, this position is called panentheism which accepts God as pervading the universe and at the same time exceeding far beyond the perceptible world.
     16.  Compatibility of monism and dualism:  Both monistic and dualistic languages are valid in expressing and approaching the ineffable infinite.  Believers in God, seeking communion, usually maintainthemselves to be small, finite and created beings in comparison to the great, infinite and creator God.  This is dualistic language of the I-Thou type.  Seekers of Godhead, on the other hand, working toward union rather, think themselves as part and parcel or even one with the ultimate spiritual being.  They speak the monistic or non-dualistic language.  The ultimate spiritual experience, whether that of Moses or Meera or of Jesus or Meister Eckhart, is beyond all words and concepts and cannot be neatly boxed in a monistic or dualistic language.  As Meister Eckhart put it so well, "The eye with which I see Him is the eye with which He sees me."  If you disagree, go figure!

E.  SOURCES

     1.  Shruti: Primary scripture, being directly heard by or revealed to the sages of yore.  This includes the Vedas and the Upanishads.
     2.  Smriti: Secondary scripture, being remembered by the sages.  These include the various law books written by different sages in different places and at different times.  Well-known examples are: the Bhagavad-gita, Manu-smriti.
     3.  Itihasa:  Historical narratives.  The most celebrated is the great epic called the Maha-bharata.
     4.  Purana:  Creation narratives.  Includes the Bhagavatam.
     5.  Darshana:  Philosophies or metaphysical visions.  Most notable are Yoga and Vedanta.

F.  RECOMMENDED READINGS

     1.  Bhagavad-gita, bhy Eknath Eashwaran
     2.  My Experiments in Truth, by Mahatma Gandhi
     3.  Window of the Infinite, by Barbara Powell
     4.  Hinduism, by Linda Johnsen
     5.  Philosophy of the Gita, by Ramesh N. Patel
     6.  www.hinduismfortoday.blogspot.com

MAY ALL ACHIEVE THEIR HIGHEST SPIRITUAL GOALS!

HINDUISM IN WESTERN LANGUAGE: A PANEL DISCUSSION

      On Tuesday, March 1, 2011 Ramesh made a presentation on Hinduism at the Great World Religions Program of Centerville Library in Centerville, Ohio.  On April 5, 2011 there was a panel discussion of all the weekly presenters at the Program.  Ramesh and his co-panelists were asked seven questions on the religions they represented.  Ramesh's Hindu responses to the questions are presented below.

GREAT WORLD RELIGIONS

PANEL DISCUSSION:

A HINDU RESPONSE

Ramesh N. Patel

Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and Religion

Antioch College

Centerville Library

Centerville-Washington Diversity Council

Hithergreen Center

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Question 1:  Does your faith believe in God and if so, how would you describe him or her?

Hinduism is “my faith” just in the sense in which I articulated it in my talk on March 1, which I would call a moderate version of Hinduism for today.   For more details please visit my website at www.hinduismfortoday.com.

This Hinduism does believe in God.  It also has its own concepts of God, often overlapping but not always coinciding with those in other religions.  Basically, it recognizes a single infinite, ultimate and intimate spiritual being underlying the whole universe.   Humans with their limited means are incapable of describing this being with accuracy and completeness.  No bird can fly to the end of the sky and yet each likes to fly according to its bliss.  We humans too seek to describe God, each in its salient way.  It should be our pride that we can think of God and try to describe him or her.  But it should also make us humble that even collectively we can never reach the end of such an infinite being.

Those who have experienced this being or God are called sages in Eastern faiths and prophets in Western faiths. Their descriptions of God carry more weight than of others.  Their intimations, though, understandably vary because of the differences in their backgrounds and approaches.  However, a threefold core emerges when we look for similarities in their descriptions.  It is that this cosmic spiritual being is existence, consciousness and bliss in their pure, ultimate, infinite and intimate forms.

This being, called Brahman in Hinduism, is envisaged in both personal and impersonal forms.  Its impersonal form transcends gender distinction.  But its personal forms embrace both male and female forms.  So, God is viewed as male and also as female.  And this in many different forms.  Though being one without a second, God can appear to its devotees in their desired forms.   Don’t you appear as fatherm mother, brother, sister, friend, son or daughter to others, not to speak of rival or benefactor to some? 

Also, Hinduism believes that God can incarnate in times of utter human need.  Hindus, however, do not limit such incarnations to an exclusive single instance.  For, many such incarnations are accepted as having occurred inside and even outside the Hindu fold.  Hinduism has accepted even Mahavira and the Buddha as divine incarnations even though they opposed Hindu scriptures.  Many Hindus accept Jesus Christ as an incarnation of God even as missionaries keep insisting that they should admit him alone and throw all others out.

The apparent diversity of God’s forms should not be misunderstood as polytheistic.  If anything, this God is panentheistic, being both within us and beyond.  Hinduism does not confine itself to the internal diversity of God’s forms.  For, it has no problem in recognizing Jewish Yahweh, Christian Trinity, Muslims’ Allah, Buddhist Shunya or Tathagata, Lao Tzu’s Wu-wei or Dao and Confucian Heaven as eminently divine.

It should be noted that belief in God is not an absolute necessity to achieve the highest spiritual experience.  The spiritual paths of knowledge, selfless service and meditation can be practiced without belief in God.  Only the path of devotion requires belief in God.  Still, belief in God can greatly facilitate all four spiritual paths.

Question 2:  Does your faith have an end time and can you describe what that would entail?

Anyone or anything that is born in time will have a time when he, she or it will end.  Just as the earth goes through its daily rounds of days and nights, the cosmos also does the same.  The cosmic days and nights of the universe, however, are huge in length, stretching over billions of years. Hindu sages describe the universe as lasting billions of years after a Big Bang.  The universe experiences a Big Crunch at the end and will remain dormant for an equally long period.  It will manifest again at the new daybreak and this cycle of universal origination, sustenance and deconstruction continues indefinitely.

Besides, our universe is not the only universe.  There are numerous and potentially different universes.  Each one is called a brahmanda.  Our present universe that we see around us is also very vast with both superior and inferior species inhabiting it.  If we envisage a mammoth cosmic tree with its roots deep in the space and leaves all around beneath, we can picture ourselves as living on just one branch of the cosmic tree.  This branch has five orb-like junctures called mandalas.  Total dissolution will end the entire branch.  Partial dissolutions, which are more frequent, would have just three orbs left in the branch.

In this light, the end time, which will end the present universe, is just relative.  Over zillions of years there is continuity of the cycle.  But for the next millions of years there is no danger of dissolution.  While total dissolution occurs over billions of years, partial dissolutions take millions.  We are not close to even a partial dissolution for the next millions of years.  Sorry to disappoint those looking for an imminent apocalypse!

Incidentally, the late Carl Sagan, the creator of the celebrated series called Cosmos, called Hinduism as the religion that comes closest to science in delineating its theory of the origin of the universe.

Question 3:  What about people who have never been exposed to your faith?  Are they simply lost and condemned to being outcast?

Anyone who deems life as nothing but self-aggrandizement and pursuit of selfish pleasures of the flesh is doomed to being born again and again, chasing material consumption and suffering karmic consequences of actions that hurt other people in his or her pursuit of the hot chase.  This happens to Hindus and others in equal measure.

It is said that even if you win the rat race, you still remain a rat.  But one can get out of this rat race or vicious cycle, regardless of whether one is a Hindu.  Recognizing the futility and transience of the materialistic chase is not a monopoly of the Hindus.  In fact, many Hindus who remain captive of the chase are doomed too.  But those thoughtful and sensitive individuals, Hindu or otherwise, who turn a spiritual page in their life can overcome the vicious cycle and be released from it.  The blissful state of this liberative experience is called moksha in Hinduism.  But its glimpse is found in other religions under terms such as nirvana, kaivalya, salvation, redemption, jannat, heaven or the like.

Hinduism recognizes many paths to such terminal experience, which it regards as the final goal of human life.  These paths are basically focused on intellect, will, emotion and direct consciousness.  So, they are universal and are made available in other religions in various combinations and emphases.  One can follow a path that suits one’s personality.

But mere belief in the goal or the path is never enough.  Belief is just the first step in a thousand mile journey.  One needs to practice the arduous path to the end in order to find the terminal bliss.  Belief by itself, however strong, is just the first step, albeit an important first step.

It should be remembered that all paths are not spiritual paths and all concepts are not divine.  There are fakes and traps within Hinduism, because of charlatans wanting to take advantage of the careless and gullible.  The same goes for all religions.  As they say, buyer beware!  No one is doomed by not being exposed to some belief structure, even the Hindu belief structure.  Turning to any spiritual path is enough to avert doom.  How to recognize a spiritual path?  Every spiritual path, at the minmum, helps to conquer the ego and expand one’s identity.

Question 4:  Is war ever justified?

If “war” must include large-scale wrongful violence, it can never be justified.  But then war would be wrong because it is defined to be wrong.   Often it is not possible to determine the goals and motivations behind a war, at least not to the satisfaction of all involved.   Even historians may take years to decide if a war was just on a particular side.  So, a general formula to determine the justness or unjustness of all wars is not attainable.

That does not mean that no war can be just.  Wars in measured self-defense are generally just and those in wanton aggression are patently unjust.  France declaring war against German occupation is justified; so also Nelson Mandela’s followers waging war against apartheid in former South Africa.

In sum, wars against injustice are justified, specially if they involve atrocities on civilian population and if all peaceful alternatives have been tried and have failed.  A good example of a just war is Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent war of civil disobedience against the British rule in India.

Question 5:  With the advents of high technology and space travel, what happens if life is discovered on other planets?  Does this concept work with your faith?

As indicated in preceding responses, Hinduism has no problem with discovery of life forms in outer space.  Not only that spiritual paths of knowledge, devotion, selfless service and meditation will always be relevant.  We should have an open mind to learn something about spiritual ways from possibly more advanced species outside the earth.

Hinduism’s comfort with this question is because of its thoughtful inclusivism and basic openness.  A self-righteous exclusivism based on nothing but a narrow creedal dogma would of course have a hard time with the question.

Question 6:  Could you talk about the role of women in your faith?  Are they allowed in leadership positions?  Why or why not? 

After gaining independence in 1947 India has had a woman prime minister, a woman president, a Muslim president and several Muslim vice-presidents.  It also had former untouchables as cabinet position holders and as vice-presidents.  We here yet have hard time electing a woman vice-president, let alone even nominating a woman president after more than two hundred years from independence. 

However, women still have ways to go to achieve full equality.  Hindu scriptures praise women and their roles but also traditionally have not allowed them to hold many religious positions usually held by men.  Things are changing slowly.  But similar situations prevail in all other religions and their cultures.

To Hinduism’s credit, many customs and laws, which were patently discriminatory against women, have been changed.  More reform is due but Hindu women are also debating whether a blind imitation of Western norms about gender roles is what is needed.  A healthy questioning of Western feminism and white feminism, together with greater sensitivity toward Hindu culture and its values and needs is leading to more thoughtful exploration of alternatives and options.

Western experience with pushing individual freedom to licentious levels and then struggling with easily foreseeable consequences like high rates of divorce, child abuse, broken families, drug abuse and the like is not a tempting achievement in the eyes of Hindu men and women of the twenty-first century.  Hence, they are reassessing Western values at the same time that they are reconsidering their own traditional values.

Many Hindus increasingly believe that a time tested practice of individual responsibility in the style of traditional Hinduism should not be thoughtlessly diluted away in favor of a Western style worship  of rampant individual freedom without regard to its actually producing sufficient good to justify all the heavy price that the West does not mind paying for it yet.  In other words, respect for duties and obligations must find some place in our values, to balance overindulgence in the name of rights and freedoms.

Question 7:  Please take a moment to talk about how your faith relates to those of other faiths.  Does your faith have a specific doctrine about those of different faiths?  Accepted or lost?  All part of the body of the faithful if they strive to be close to God?  To be defeated?  Please try to explain.

The preceding responses already speak to this question.  A careful look at the four major spiritual paths accepted by Hinduism shows that the spiritual paths in other religions are, largely speaking, combinations of these paths.  For example, Judaism, Christianity and Islam seem to be advocating combinations of what Hindus call the paths of devotion to God and selfless service of humanity.  Path of meditation, on the other hand, seems to combine well with the path of selfless service in Buddhism and, to an extent, Daoism.

Hinduism has historically underplayed mere creedal structure and doctrinal differentiation.  It has always emphasized spiritual cultivation instead.  In this vein it has no problem recognizing, validating and appreciating the spiritual content of other religions.  Its doctrinal repertoire, on the other hand, is vast and diverse, making room for all kinds of religious beliefs.  Hinduism is sometimes regarded as a congragaton of religions than a single religion.  That is because it has room for almost all categories of religious belief unless, of course, they are scandalously particular, tribal, personalistic or cultish.

Moral and spiritual values of Western religions do not bewilder Hinduism.  In fact they reinforce its adoption of perennial philosophy, which holds that all major time tested religions of the world contain valid spiritual paths whose differences enrich and similarities reinforce. 

But one thing that dismays Hindus is exclusivism in any religion, even if it shows up uncharacteristically and rarely in some corrupt forms of Hinduism itself.   We can reach the top of a mountain in many ways. There are many ways to reach Dayton, Ohio, even from the same place.  There are many ways two numbers can add up to twelve.  Why then in God’s name there should be just one way to spiritual truth and bliss?  If God really wanted us to have only one faith, he could have easily arranged it.  On top, when such a way happens to be a convenient and self-righteous claim with little spiritual content and plenty of doctrinal baggage in it, it creates even greater suspicion about its validity.  If a religion is great, it will spread by its own merit and example.  Surely not by tooting its own horn loudly, which any pedestrian can do with gusto.

What is really involved is a confusion between two aspects of every world faith. One aspect, to be called spirituality, is the inner, individual, uplifting and blissful aspect of faith.  It consists of being good, doing good and finding bliss for an individual.  A good Hindu in this regard is not very different from a good Jew, Christian, Muslim or Buddhist. 

The other side of the coin of faith, however, is its opposite in many respects.  It can be called religion and it consists of outer, social, legalistic, invasive, doctrinal aspect which has done more harm than good.  Good Hindus will censure it in Hinduism itself as in other religions.  Generally it is not prominent in Eastern religions as much as it is in Western religions.  This is due to the tendency in Eastern faiths to emphasize spirituality and in Western religions to emphasize religion.  It appears that the outer or religious aspect of faith is more emphasized in Western faiths and the inner or spiritual is more emphasized in Eastern faiths. 

Hence it is that Hinduism suffuses all aspects of individual life with spiritual seeking and cultivation and because of this it tends to accept and tolerate doctrinal differences with unusual ease and obvious openness.  Orthodox and fundamentalist Hindus even decry the too-familiar feature of a Hindu saying “all religions are same”. 

Different faiths may not be saying exactly the same thing.  But they help us reach the same place, even as people keep describing the place in different words from their different perspectives.  Much harm is done trying to find differences among faiths.  It’s time to find similarities instead. 

Hinduism is confident that a friendly dialog of world religions will find that all faiths are saying different things about the same spiritual place and trying to reach the same place through apparently different routes and pathways.  And this profound underlying unity of all faiths is one great testimonial for the deep and identical humanity throbbing in all human hearts.   Or, is it the same divinity calling all of us?

Ramesh N. Patel

www.hinduismfortoday.blogspot.com

HINDUISM IN 108 WORDS

HINDU religion, called Sanatana Dharma, is based on four principles: Karmic law of moral accountability, one spiritual being, many ways to speak about it and many ways to reach it. Manusmriti asks all humans to cultivate fortitude, forgiveness, temperance, not stealing, purity, sense control, reason, learning, truth and control of anger. Hinduism recognizes four aims of life for all human beings: physical needs, social values, moral fulfillment and spiritual freedom. Highest spiritual experience can be reached through paths of selfless action, love of God, knowledge and meditation. Ultimate spiritual being is both within and beyond, imbibing infinite existence, pure consciousness and deepest bliss. May everyone attain the highest!

Note: The number 108 is regarded as holy and complete. The beads in a Hindu rosary are 108. One way to understand it is this. The Vedic zodiac is divided into 27 nakshatras or constellations instead of the more common 12 signs. So, each sign gets 2.25 nakshatras. Each nakshtra is divided into four quarters called navamshas. This way there will be 108 navamshas which cover the entire universe! The above is my attempt to summarize Hinduism in 108 words.

BHAGAVAD-GITA IN 108 WORDS

THE song of God, called Bhagavadgita, makes God’s message accessible to all human beings in simple language and friendly tone. God incarnate, Lord Krishna, bids us to rise above a life of licentious sensuality and to build a life of morally incorruptible actions. God says we can choose to worship the divine in any form. We can choose from several paths to attain liberation and bliss: selfless service of God’s creation, love of God, knowledge and meditation. Above all, we should do our duties at all times and leave the consequences to God. Just reach out to God, God will bend more than half way to meet you.

Note: Bhagavad-gita, often simply called the Gita, is a foremost scripture of Hinduism.  For an explanation of the number 108, please see note to the previous post called "Hinduism in 108 Words."

SATYA SANATANA DHARMA: A HINDU VIEW AND WAY OF LIFE FOR ALL HUMANS

What is Hinduism?  What is the Hindu dharma?  We often get various confusing answers.  This presentation attempts clear and straightforward answers, acknowledging the fact that Hinduism is as vast, rich and complex as life itself.  Knowledgeable Hindus are divided and scattered between two extremes.  At the orthodox extreme dharma is said to be cows, castes and karma.  This view is supported by a selective reading of certain passages from the shruti or the Vedas and from the smritis like those of Manu and Yajnavalkya.  At the reform extreme dharma is said to be what is desirable for today's age.  According to this view we should accept from the shruti and smritis what is good and reject what is not good.  This view is supported by a selective reading of the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-gita.

The orthodox would say that deciding what is good and what is not good should be left to the rishis or the sages who have already determined for all what is eternally good.  In this view, our wisdom is insufficient to judge and challenge the wisdom of the sages.  The reformists reply that we are not playing sages in adjusting the ancient wisdom;  we are just interpreting it to make it meaningful for our times which are different from anything the sages could have experienced.

Hindus are not the only people who are torn between these extremes:  Jews, Christians and Muslims also face similar divisions.  The challenge is to forge a moderate middle between the two extremes and preserve the best of both and ignore what is not useful in each.  To interpret Hinduism as a rigid code of conduct and beliefs is against the very spirit of Hinduism which has survived for thousands of years by being adaptable, open-minded and tolerant of differences.  On the other end it would not be wise to be carried away by the reformist zeal and throw the baby away along with the bathwater.  The moderate middle way is to identify those ideas of the sages that are applicable to all humans at all times and take them to be the core of the Hindu dharma.  This can be called the satya sanatana dharma, because it is always good for all.  The rest can be left to individual Hindus as something that they may decide to choose according to their personal wisdom. 

From this view the following ten principles are proposed as satya sanatana dharma or the core of Hindu dharma or the foundations of Hinduism.  Anyone who accepts them should be regarded as a Hindu even if choosing not to call oneself a Hindu.  Anyone who rejects them cannot  be called a Hindu even if  insisting on being called a Hindu.

1. There is one spiritual being underlying the entire universe.  This being is sat, chit and ananda.  As sat it is pure existence that is infinite and ultimate.  As chit it is pure awareness which is also infinite and ultimate.  As ananda it is pure bliss which is the same as infinite joy and ultimate fulfillment.  Sat is the source of all reality, chit is the basis of all knowledge and ananda is the ground of all that has value.

2.  This infinite being can be spoken of by finite beings like us in many different ways.  In the Hindu tradition itself it has been variously called Brahman, Atman, Ishvara, Bhagavan and Paramatma, not to speak of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Sarasvati, Lakshmi and Shakti.  The Rig-veda states categorically that ekam sad vipra bahudha vadanti or it is the same being that the wise call in many ways.

3.  This spiritual being can be approached and realized in life by following any of the many paths that lead to it.  The Bhagavad-gita states clearly that ye yatha mam prapadyante tanstathaiva bhajamyaham or whichever way people approach God, God serves them accordingly.  Traditionally, the sages and saints have laid down paths like bhakti-yoga or the way of loving God, jnana-yoga or the way of contemplative knowledge, karma-yoga or the way of selfless service of humanity and raja-yoga or the way of focused meditation.  A guru or a personal spiritual guide can prescribe a customized way to a spiritual seeker. 

4.  The infinite being is at once both inside the world and stretches far beyond it.  As the Rig-veda says it:  pado'sya sarva bhutani tripad asyamritam divi or its one quarter encompasses the universe and the remaining three quarters extend beyond it.  It also graces the earth and the humans by incarnating in appropriate forms from time to time.  Rama and Krishna are its purna avataras or complete incarnations.

5.  The sages and saints have recognized two seemingly different ways of understanding the infinite being.  Both are equally valid ways of speaking about what is ultimately ineffable.  The monistic spirituality speaks about the infinite being as nirguna brahman or featureless unity beyond which nothing exists.  In the monistic mode of experiencing it we become one with it and realize the unity of everything.  The theistic spirituality speaks about the ultimate being as saguna brahman or cosmic person.  In the theistic mode of experiencing it one realizes it as God.

6.  Ethics and morality are not just matters of social arrangement.  Their purpose is not  merely to facilitate economic growth and expand material comforts but to lead every human being toward the ultimate spiritual being.  If all is grounded in or created by this being, being in harmony and peace with all becomes our sacred duty.  Hence any ethic or morality that brings about unity and harmony enhances spirituality even if it does not look particularly religious.  Any ethic or morality which leads to division and strife detracts from spirituality even if it is proposed in the name of religion.

7.  Each human can achieve all four types of fulfillment, called the purusharthas, which are kama or physical and aesthetic, artha or economic and political, dharma or ethical and interpersonal and moksha or ultimate and spiritual.  Kama and artha, which are egoistic and hedonistic values, should be pursued under the surveillance of dharma and moksha, which are ethical and spiritual values.

8.  The fundamental principle of ethical life is that of fairness of the consequences of human actions.  All of us output energy in order to sustain and fulfill ourselves.  Every output should be matched by an input that is fair and appropriate.  Our legal system should be as close to this principle of fairness as possible.  Positively understood, this principle of karma means that hurting others does not become acceptable by invoking individual rights or freedom.  It also means that there should be incentive for helping others as there should be disincentive for hurting others.  A person who is obstructed or injured by another has a right to fair compensation.  An individual is always free to chose one's actions, but once an action is chosen, one is responsible for it. 

9.  The smritis provide great many details concerning vishesha dharma dealing with specific duties of particular groups at particular times.  Their tremendous and mutually conflicting variety leads to the conclusion that they were meant to be specific laws good for their time and localities.  This means that vishesha dharma has only relative and secondary value compared to samanya dharma which is the universal ethic applicable to all.  Rules regarding social classes, castes, houesholders, women, children, marriage, succession, adoption, maintenance, etc. are part of vishesha dharma and should be regarded as relative, flexible and in need of change according to time and place.  At the same time they should always be in accord with samanya dharma.  This position avoids both the orthodox insistence on rigidly following outmoded rules and the reformist zeal seeking to replace everything in sight.  Take the caste system, for example.  This position would recommend  greater mobility and individual freedom in accord with the principle of  fairness.  It would fight prejudice, discrimination and exploitation based on caste differences.  But it would not support uprooting the security network and the excellent support system within a caste that protects and benefits disadvantaged groups, such as the elderly and the jobless, who are unable to fight for their fair and humane share.

10.  Samanya dharma or the universal attitudes are essential to any meaningful and fulfilling relationship among humans.  They are described as the four legs of Nandi, the vehicle of Shiva.  The first leg is dama, or self-restraint, temperance or moderation.  It means controlling oneself in order to live harmoniously with the members of the human community.  The second leg, satya, or truth, means acting, speaking and thinking in order to benefit the entire humanity or all living beings.  Ahimsa, which means nonviolence, compassion and love, is the third leg.  Shuchi, the final leg, means purity:  clean body, house and environment for external purity;  self-examination and cleansing of one's conscience for internal purity.


OM TAT SAT !

FOUNDATIONS OF HINDUISM IN 16 STATEMENTS

Note: This post is a highly compressed snapshot of Hinduism in sixteen statements.  The first four statements form a condensed but unique definition of Hinduism.  They are expanded in the three posts in the series called "Introduction to Hinduism" that follow.

DEFINING PRINCIPLES

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

UNIVERSAL VIRTUES OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS

5. We should respect everyone and control our behavior accordingly
6. We should strive to promote everyone's well-being by being truthful in thought, speech and action
7. We should love everyone and should refrain from harming them
8. We should keep our body clean, mind open and heart pure

BASIC STANDPOINTS

9. Universal virtues are enriched by relative morality of different cultures and their needs
10. Ethical is anchored in the spiritual and is a prerequisite for spiritual progress
11. Spiritual is both immanent and transcendent
12. Both monistic and dualistic languages are valid in approaching the ineffable ultimate

VALUES

13. Individual: Immediate needs and desires that do not hurt anyone
14. Socioeconomic: Social values which ensure paying for all receipts
15. Interpersonal: Meaningful and mutually fulfilling relationships
16. Spiritual: Following a path leading to the experience of the ultimate

(SOURCES: SHRUTI, SMRITI, ITIHASA, PURANA AND DARSHANA)

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

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