When discussing various issues related to Hinduism, it is good to stop and appreciate our common backgrounds which allow us to draw analogies and make points that we all can understand. At the same time, we do not want our backgrounds to be so common that all we ever do is nod our heads in agreement. So what is our common background, and how is it conducive to discussing issues facing Hinduism here on campus?
Most Hindu students in Dharma to whom I’ve spoken were raised in families that participated in Hindu tradition — going to temples, performing pujas, among other things. Whether or not we actually know the details of the different pujas, most of us can connect on knowing what a puja is, as well as having a sense of its general purpose. Where we differ is on the specifics. As another aspect of common background, most are familiar with the canonical stories associated with the Hindu tradition — the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and various subtales in both.
One area where we differ is in theism — belief in god-ness, whether manifested in one or multiple forms. Dharma is home to both atheists and theists, and this fact is extremely surprising when we think about it in a general religious way — if theism isn’t what binds us, as is the case for almost every other major world religion, what is it that does?
I don’t want to generalize too much about the very people who are reading these posts — what do you all think we share in common? And where do we differ?
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What we all share in common is most likely to be our belief in the messages from the Mahabharat, the Ramayan and the Gita. Where we differ is most probably our different preferences of worshipping god. However, the beauty of our religion is that no matter which path(s) one takes, the result is still attaining oneness with Brahman. This idea had been mentioned in an earlier post by Sonali in her post titled, ‘Are we blind to blind faith?‘, where Sonali discusses how her religious beliefs differ from those of her parents. Despite the differences in the religious beliefs, both methods are proper and viable ways to worship god.
As Saketh had mentioned, it’s good to have some common backgrounds with others as well as to celebrate the differences, however minor or major they be. I feel that the binding component is the fact that we celebrate our differences as opposed to argue over which method is correct.
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