Today in his lecture at the Vedanta Society, Swami Tyagananda spoke about “Overcoming Greed.” To me, one of the most interesting ideas in his lecture was an observation of the different ways in which we attempt to overcome greed. As Swami Tyagananda said, some religions (for example, Christianity) try to get their followers to overcome greed by making them fear it (for example, by making it one of the Seven Deadly Sins). Other religions, like Hinduism, encourage followers to overcome greed via introspection.
Interestingly, this approach (external vs. internal motivators) seems to be the major difference amongst religions, and it seems to extend far beyond just this example of overcoming greed. Perhaps this is why different religions suit different peoples’ needs — for those who would rather search and seek answers for themselves (for the most part…), religions like Hinduism may suit them better, whereas for those who need external motivation, or who would prefer mandates or a strict code to follow, religions like Christianity and Islam might be a better fit.
I know for me, the freedom to think for myself (or at least the illusion that I am thinking and searching for answers myself) is what draws me to Hinduism — how does this freedom play a role in your perception of Hinduism?
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I liked when he quoted his teacher:
It’s hard to make judgments about the effectiveness of the different approaches, partly because humanity has done a pretty lousy job of overcoming greed! All we can do is speculate.
Confucius: “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”
Personally, I agree with you, Sonali. The freedom to struggle for answers and come to an understanding myself is a powerful thing.
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