Am I a Hindu?
Four years ago, I was flying from JFK NY Airport to SFO to attend a meeting at Monterey, CA.An American girl was sitting on the right side, near window seat.It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly seven hours!
I was surprised to see the young girl reading a Bible - unusual of young Americans! (Later I came to know that September 11 has changed mind-set of lot of US citizens. They suddenly turned religious, it seemed.)After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances talk. I told her that I am from India.
Then suddenly the girl asked: “What’s your faith?”“What?” I didn’t understand the question.“I mean, what’s your religion? Are you a Christian? Or a Muslim?”“No!” I replied, “I am neither Christian nor Muslim”.Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that.“Then who are you…?”“I am a Hindu”, I said.She looked at me as if she is seeing a caged animal.She could not understand what I was talking about.
A common man in Europe or US know about Christianity and Islam, as they are the leading religions of the world today.
But a Hindu, what?I explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother. Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.
“Who is your prophet?” she asked.“We don’t have a prophet,” I replied.“What’s your Holy Book?”“We don’t have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of philosophical and sacred scriptures,” I replied.“Oh, come on…at least tell me who is your God?”“What do you mean by that?”
“Like we have Yahweh and Muslims have Allah - don’t you have a God?”
I thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief.
According to her (or anybody who doesn’t know about Hinduism), a religion need to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God.
The mind is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that anything else is not acceptable. I understood her perception and concept about faith. You can’t compare Hinduism with any of the present leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of god.
I tried to explain to her: “You can believe in one god and he can be a Hindu. You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a Hindu. What’s more - you may not believe in god at all, still you can be a Hindu. An atheist can also be a Hindu.”This sounded very crazy to her.
She couldn’t imagine a religion so unorganized, still surviving for thousands of years, even after onslaught from foreign forces.
“I don’t understand…but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?”What can I tell to this American girl?
I said: “I do not go to temple regularly. I do not make any regular rituals. I have learned some of the rituals in my younger days. I still enjoy doing it sometimes.”“Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?”
“God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made any compulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly.”
She thought for a while and then asked: “Have you ever thought of converting to any other religion?”
“Why should I? Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu allows me to think independently and objectively, without conditioning… I remain as a Hindu never by force, but choice.” I told her that Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by any one person or does not have an organized controlling body like the Church or the Order, I added. There is no institution or authority.
“So, you don’t believe in God?” she wanted everything in black and white.
“I didn’t say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture, or Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this universe.”
“Why can’t you believe in one personal God?”
“We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers, demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense.
I don’t think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him.” I told her that such notions are just fancies of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that generally ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal gods. The entry level Hinduism has over-whelming superstitions too. The philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions.
“Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray. What is your prayer then?”“Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,”“Funny,” she laughed, “What does it mean?”
“May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Om Peace, Peace, Peace.”
“Hmm…very interesting. I want to learn more about this religion. It is so democratic, broad-minded and free…” she exclaimed.
“The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the individual and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita.
It is all about an individual approaching a personal God in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution - it is as simple as that.”
“How does anybody convert to Hinduism?”
“Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. Everything is acceptable in Hinduism because there is no single authority or organization either to accept it or to reject it or to oppose it on behalf of Hinduism.”
``
I told her - if you look for meaning in life, don’t look for it in religions; don’t go from one cult to another or from one guru to the next.
For a real seeker, I told her, Bible itself gives guidelines when it says “Kingdom of God is within you.” I reminded her of Christ’s teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you can find the meaning of life.
Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real. ‘Isavasyam idam sarvam’ Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things as God. That’s what Hinduism teaches you.
Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas. It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless and formless entity.
Ancestors of today’s Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them. But there is a section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to make this an organized religion like others. The British coin the word “Hindu” and considered it as a religion.
I said: “Religions have become an MLM (multi-level-marketing) industry that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion. The biggest business in today’s world is Spirituality. Hinduism is no exception…”
I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - “Ahimsa Paramo Dharma” - Non violence is the highest duty. I am a Hindu because it doesn’t conditions my mind with any faith system.
Uday
uday@udaypai.in
http://www.udaypai.in/?tag=hinduism
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Only among Hindus Women are worshiped
Nooyi, Williams, Lahiri women role models: PM
Even as India salutes the achievements of its diaspora in a wide variety of fields, it is particularly happy with the strides made by women of Indian origin globally, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Tuesday.
"We in India take pride in the achievements of the people of Indian origin in diverse fields of human endeavour in different parts of the world," the prime minister told the 6th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in New Delhi on Tuesday.
"I am particularly happy at the strides made by our women. Indra Nooyi, Sunita Williams, Kalpana Chawla and Jhumpa Lahiri are role models for our society seeking to give women a rightful place," he said.
While Nooyi is the chief executive officer of the US food and beverages giant PepsiCo, Williams set a new women's space walking record last year during the course of her 195-day stay in space.
And while Karnal-born Chawla, also an Indian American astronaut, perished during the 2003 Columbia space shuttle disaster, the teacher-turned-author Lahiri won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=ebd103ca-758a-4a78-a499-851056ae2936
© Copyright 2007 Hindustan Times
Even as India salutes the achievements of its diaspora in a wide variety of fields, it is particularly happy with the strides made by women of Indian origin globally, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Tuesday.
"We in India take pride in the achievements of the people of Indian origin in diverse fields of human endeavour in different parts of the world," the prime minister told the 6th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in New Delhi on Tuesday.
"I am particularly happy at the strides made by our women. Indra Nooyi, Sunita Williams, Kalpana Chawla and Jhumpa Lahiri are role models for our society seeking to give women a rightful place," he said.
While Nooyi is the chief executive officer of the US food and beverages giant PepsiCo, Williams set a new women's space walking record last year during the course of her 195-day stay in space.
And while Karnal-born Chawla, also an Indian American astronaut, perished during the 2003 Columbia space shuttle disaster, the teacher-turned-author Lahiri won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=ebd103ca-758a-4a78-a499-851056ae2936
© Copyright 2007 Hindustan Times
PM Daugher Amrit Singh Fighting For terrorist
Amrit Singh v. White House, the FBI
With reference to the article in India Tribune, dated December 29, 2008, re: PM’s daughter puts White House in the dock, I would like to state that Ms. Amrit Singh is definitely a highly talented girl coupled with dedication and passion to fight injustice and cruelty against human beings.
However, I feel that her drive and zeal is highly misplaced and egregiously erroneous. In her quest to denounce Bush Administration for atrocities and miscarriage of justice, she has wittingly or unwittingly fallen in the trap laid down by pro-terrorists groups.
The manner in which Ms. Amrit Singh is defending the dangerous terrorists like Abu Zubaida and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri gives wrong signals and creates a doubt about the bona fide of Ms. Singh. One thing about which I am not sure is whether this woman, under the guise of civil liberties, is ideologically committed to the diabolical Far Left in this country or hired by Islamist lobbyists to tarnish the image of Bush Administration and degrade and discredit her adopted land.
Bush Administration has, indeed, done a fantastic job by deracinating the pernicious Jihadi culture from Afghanistan and Pakistan. Had Bush Administration not taken military action against Talibans, all the Jihadists from Pakistan and Afghanistan would have pounced on India, unleashing a corrosive covert war, and mercilessly murdering thousands of innocent Hindus and Sikhs.
Because of their ignorance about the Islamic atrocities on our Sikh brothers in the last three hundred years, most of our young Indian Americans like Ms. Singh are groping in the darkness and espousing the cause of those whose co-religionists were responsible for the genocide of Sikhs. It is very difficult for these ignoramus to fathom the Islamic psyche.
It is a well-known fact of history that Fifth Sikh Guru Arjan Dev Saheb was made to sit on a hot plate (Tawa) with fire burning underneath and hot sand poured over his head by Muslim rulers of the time. Tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh Saheb, his four sons and his father Guru Teg Bahadur Saheb, were also tortured and killed by Muslim tyrants. It is a paradox that Ms. Singh feels elated in espousing the cause of the same marauders who are trigger happy in killing innocent women and children in the name of Allah!
According to Mr. Fitzgerald of the “Jihad Watch,” 60 to 70 million Hindus (including Sikhs) were killed by Islamic Jihadists during the long period of Islamic rule in India. (www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/ and click on 015399.php of 04-June-2007.
Instead of wasting her energy on Bush bashing, Ms. Amrit Singh could have rendered a valuable service to her society by writing something about a tragic episode of Indian history called the Minor Holocaust of June 1746 wherein more than ten thousand Sikhs were murdered in a Moghul attack. She could have also written about another shameful episode popularly known as the Major Holocaust of 1762 in which, again, over twenty thousand Sikhs were butchered by the Islamists.
There are many things Amrit Singh could have done to awaken her people. Instead of blindly siding and collaborating with brutes who raped our women, and mercilessly vandalized the whole of India (including Punjab), Amrit Singh could have written something about how in 1947 Sikh men, women, and children were singled out, chased, and killed by Islamic fundamentalists in the newly created Pakistan. She could have, as well, talked about how the Sikhs were ethnically cleansed by Islam over the decades and centuries from Lahore all the way to Peshawar.
It is truly a disgrace and an irony of fate that Ms. Amrit Singh has come out openly in support of the virulent Islamic fundamentalists who extol violence and bigotry as sanctified religious tools, and firmly subscribe to randomly blowing up the innocent
With reference to the article in India Tribune, dated December 29, 2008, re: PM’s daughter puts White House in the dock, I would like to state that Ms. Amrit Singh is definitely a highly talented girl coupled with dedication and passion to fight injustice and cruelty against human beings.
However, I feel that her drive and zeal is highly misplaced and egregiously erroneous. In her quest to denounce Bush Administration for atrocities and miscarriage of justice, she has wittingly or unwittingly fallen in the trap laid down by pro-terrorists groups.
The manner in which Ms. Amrit Singh is defending the dangerous terrorists like Abu Zubaida and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri gives wrong signals and creates a doubt about the bona fide of Ms. Singh. One thing about which I am not sure is whether this woman, under the guise of civil liberties, is ideologically committed to the diabolical Far Left in this country or hired by Islamist lobbyists to tarnish the image of Bush Administration and degrade and discredit her adopted land.
Bush Administration has, indeed, done a fantastic job by deracinating the pernicious Jihadi culture from Afghanistan and Pakistan. Had Bush Administration not taken military action against Talibans, all the Jihadists from Pakistan and Afghanistan would have pounced on India, unleashing a corrosive covert war, and mercilessly murdering thousands of innocent Hindus and Sikhs.
Because of their ignorance about the Islamic atrocities on our Sikh brothers in the last three hundred years, most of our young Indian Americans like Ms. Singh are groping in the darkness and espousing the cause of those whose co-religionists were responsible for the genocide of Sikhs. It is very difficult for these ignoramus to fathom the Islamic psyche.
It is a well-known fact of history that Fifth Sikh Guru Arjan Dev Saheb was made to sit on a hot plate (Tawa) with fire burning underneath and hot sand poured over his head by Muslim rulers of the time. Tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh Saheb, his four sons and his father Guru Teg Bahadur Saheb, were also tortured and killed by Muslim tyrants. It is a paradox that Ms. Singh feels elated in espousing the cause of the same marauders who are trigger happy in killing innocent women and children in the name of Allah!
According to Mr. Fitzgerald of the “Jihad Watch,” 60 to 70 million Hindus (including Sikhs) were killed by Islamic Jihadists during the long period of Islamic rule in India. (www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/ and click on 015399.php of 04-June-2007.
Instead of wasting her energy on Bush bashing, Ms. Amrit Singh could have rendered a valuable service to her society by writing something about a tragic episode of Indian history called the Minor Holocaust of June 1746 wherein more than ten thousand Sikhs were murdered in a Moghul attack. She could have also written about another shameful episode popularly known as the Major Holocaust of 1762 in which, again, over twenty thousand Sikhs were butchered by the Islamists.
There are many things Amrit Singh could have done to awaken her people. Instead of blindly siding and collaborating with brutes who raped our women, and mercilessly vandalized the whole of India (including Punjab), Amrit Singh could have written something about how in 1947 Sikh men, women, and children were singled out, chased, and killed by Islamic fundamentalists in the newly created Pakistan. She could have, as well, talked about how the Sikhs were ethnically cleansed by Islam over the decades and centuries from Lahore all the way to Peshawar.
It is truly a disgrace and an irony of fate that Ms. Amrit Singh has come out openly in support of the virulent Islamic fundamentalists who extol violence and bigotry as sanctified religious tools, and firmly subscribe to randomly blowing up the innocent
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