Swadharma » Gauri

Graduating?

Gauri — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:53:15 +0000

I’m home right now for my sister’s college graduation, and we’re all really excited about it. She’s going on to grad school, but a lot of her friends are starting to work and are probably done with school FOREVER, which is very weird for them. I was hanging out with my sister and her friends yesterday, and they were talking about how different it will be to not be students anymore. I feel like I don’t realize how integral being a student is to my identity, and without that, I’d be a little confused.
However, from a Hindu perspective, we’re always students. Even if one has a certain kind of education, like a college degree, the pursuit of higher knowledge like a deeper understanding of oneself and of Brahman is always there. I think this sloka demonstrates the idea nicely:

Om, Sahanavavatu; sah nau bhunaktu;
saha viryam karavavahai;
Tejasvinavadhitamastu; ma vidvisavahai.
Om shantih, shantih, shantih.

The translation is:

`Om. May Brahman (the one divine Self in all) protect us both (student and teacher); may Brahman nourish us both; may we both acquire energy (by this education); may we not hate each other. Om. Peace, Peace, Peace.’

Congratulations to this year’s graduates, even if you’re not done with finals yet!

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Seeing poetry in religion, and vice versa

Gauri — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:04:09 +0000

This semester, I’m taking an English class which is basically focused on analyzing poetry. I didn’t actually plan on taking this class — I didn’t get into all the classes I wanted, and this seemed to be a class to fill my first year writing requirement that fit into my schedule nicely. However, I’ve had one of those stereotypical ‘oh my gosh I love this class I’m going to major in this’ college breakthroughs and (much to my father’s dismay), I may possibly major in English.

Anyway, Darshana, the Hindu Students’ Group at Wellesley, has also started a Bhagavad Gita study group this semester, and for the first time I’m actually reading the Gita. What really struck me about a lot of the verses is how poetic they are and how much I see in common between them and some of the poetry that I love. Although we read exclusively Western authors in my class, and all religious allusions are Christian, I feel like some of the poems are religious on a universal level.

This passage from Chapter 2 of the Gita, in which Krishna addresses Arjuna, reminded me a lot of a poem by George Herbert, who was a Welsh poet and clergyman:

“Oh mighty Arjuna, even if you believe the Self to be subject to birth and death, you should not grieve. Death is inevitable for the living; birth is inevitable for the dead. Since these are unavoidable, you should not sorrow. Every creature is unmanifested at first and then attains manifestation. When its end has come, it once again becomes unmanifested. What is there to lament in this?”

This is the Herbert poem, titled ‘Life’:

I made a posy, while the day ran by:
“Here will I smell my remnant out, and tie
My life within this band.”
But Time did beckon to the flowers, and they
By noon most cunningly did steal away,
And wither’d in my hand.

My hand was next to them, and then my heart:
I took, without more thinking, in good part
Times gentle admonition:
Who did so sweetly death’s sad taste convey,
Making my mind to smell my fatal day;
Yet sug’ring the suspicion.

Farewell dear flowers, sweetly your time ye spent,
Fit, while ye lived, for smell or ornament,
And after death for cures.
I follow straight without complaints or grief,
Since if my sent be good, I care not, if
It be as short as yours.

If you like ‘Life’, some of my other favorite Herbert poems are ‘Affliction’, ‘The Flower’, and ‘Love (III)’, and they all deal with religion in an interesting way. Also, you might want to take a look at Wordsworth’s ‘Lines composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey’. It’s a little long but there are a lot of idea that echo Hindu philosophy so beautifully.

I’ve read some poems that absolutely blow my mind in terms of how they deal with religion; or even if they don’t directly address religion, I think they speak to a lot of what being human means, and to me that’s very spiritual. There are also awesome poems that blur the line between romantic love and divine love, but those of you who don’t like poetry are probably put off enough for today, so I’ll stop here.

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The social aspect of religion

Gauri — Fri, 01 May 2009 07:51:46 +0000

Today at Wellesley, we had our Darshana (our Hindu student’s group) Spring Mela, which basically consisted of food, music, dances, and a lot of fun. It reminded me that although I think there’s a lot of value in the ideology of Hinduism, the thing that keeps me engaged in religion is the social/cultural aspect. I don’t think this is a bad thing — I’ve met some really good friends through Darshana, and I generally feel like we’re able to connect over the fact that we share a similar foundation.

If to me, religion is a mainly social thing, does that undermine the basis of Hinduism? Earlier this week, Sonali posed the question of whether religion is basically a mental balm that we use as a defense mechanism. Although I don’t think that emphasizing the social aspect of religion twists theology in the same way, it’s probably a shift from the intended focus of religion. Is that wrong?

I think that this is probably a stage for me; I don’t think my primary involvement with religion will be social after college, and I think this is probably true for a lot of college students.

So for now, I’m thankful to have the friends I’ve made through Darshana, and I’ll try to keep in mind the reasons why I call myself a Hindu.

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Gender and Misperceptions

Gauri — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 04:19:54 +0000

I was procrastinating and I happened to see this article online: “Hindu Miss Great Britain says ’sexism’ spurred her success”. There’s a lot that can be discussed about the article, but a couple things stood out to me. I think it’s cool that an Indian/Hindu woman has been so successful in a pageant which, historically speaking, has generally been Anglo-Saxon dominated. I also think it’s interesting that the article identifies her first as being Hindu and implies that the sexism and problems her mother encountered were a result of this background. My initial reaction was to disregard this as bad journalism, because I’ve grown up being taught that Hinduism is a religion that values equality among all people. My parents always emphasized the importance of Shakti, the female creative power, and the multitude of powerful female gods. However, I know that they made an effort to do this because they were aware that if I was exposed to sexism, I could have been turned off completely from Hinduism.

I know there are examples of sexism in Hindu stories (like Sita’s treatment in the Ramayana) that have always irked me, but I mostly ignored them because I didn’t think about it. Reading this article led me to think about a few things- first, what are the implications for women in Hindu texts? It seems like there are conflicting representations of women as figures of power and subordinates depending on the context. I don’t have a deep knowledge of this, and what I know is fairly one sided because of what my parents (selectively) told me.

Also, I couldn’t help but notice how poorly written the article was. It blurs the line between religious and cultural practices — I don’t think arranged marriages are uniquely Hindu as much as they are South Asian — and it made me think about how little most people know about Hinduism, which makes it possible for articles like this to seem completely logical to them.

So I guess this boils down to a few things — what have you learned about gender and the role it plays in Hinduism? Does that have any relevance in today’s world? And also, given the public ignorance or misinformation with regards to Hinduism that most of us probably deal with, what do you think is an appropriate way to respond?

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Meditation and musings about attachment

Gauri — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 04:18:21 +0000

Over winter break, a friend and I attended what can basically be called a meditation camp, and it really made me think about my life and Hinduism differently. The camp is a ten day course in Vipassana meditation, and it’s pretty intense. During the ten days, participants follow a strict schedule from 4:00pm till 9:30pm, and everyone is supposed to maintain “noble silence,” or silence of mind and body. This meant that for the entire time, we couldn’t talk to anyone other than the teacher in case of a problem. The point was to get rid of all external stimuli — I wasn’t allowed to bring my cell phone, computer, music, or anything to write with. I had decided to attend on a whim a few months earlier, and I wasn’t sure what to expect of my experience. Thinking about it now, I can honestly say that it has changed my perspective on life.

Although the meditation technique is non-religious, Vipassana is a historically Buddhist technique, so much of the philosophy that’s espoused shares common ideas with Hinduism. One of the main things we were taught from the first day was that we spend our lives being controlled by our cravings and aversions. The technique of meditation is supposed to provide a way to come out of the cycle of attachment and accept things as they occur. As abstract ideas, these were not new to me, but what the technique of meditation provided me with that religious teachings had not was a straightforward explanation of how to change my thinking.

This was interesting to me, as the secular method of meditation actually gave me a better understanding of what it is that Hinduism values so highly. Before, it was difficult for me to realistically understand what it meant to minimize attachments, because it seems like such an unattainable goal. However, after over a hundred hours of meditation, I had spent so much time thinking that it was easier for me to look at my life objectively.

I’ve found that it’s hard to explain what my experience was like because so much of it was mental and I had more time than I ever have to contemplate everything — including things I didn’t necessarily want to think about. This gave me the chance to really evaluate my thoughts and actions, and then I was able to better understand what it meant to avoid attachments. It doesn’t mean that I can’t have friends or that I can’t enjoy experiences, but rather that I need to avoid becoming dependent on these things. Obviously, this is a lot harder to do than it is to comprehend, and I’m still only at the stage of understanding. Still, the increased sense of peace that I have has made me understand why gurus encourage their students to minimize their attachments within the world.

Given that not everyone can (or wants to) spend ten days silently meditating, there have to be other ways to make small changes that can help us get out of this cycle of craving and aversion. I thought that the introspection that was prompted by isolation was very, very interesting. I realized how much we use other people as a gauge, and we depend on others for constant advice and support. While this isn’t a bad thing, sometimes it’s not necessary to share things with others — I don’t need to be texting my friend saying “I’m bored” when I don’t want to study. It’s important to learn how to rely on ourselves as a resource; of course, other people are always there as well. I found that I actually know more about myself than I credit myself with knowing, and usually I can figure out what the right thing to do is when I’m making a personal decision. Although I’m still attached to my friends and loved ones, I’ve learned to appreciate the value of giving myself primary responsibility for my actions. What it comes down to is that I need to be comfortable with my thoughts and my behavior, because in the end I am accountable for what I do.

Do you think this is a valid way of minimizing attachments? Or is it just a personal development that doesn’t really have any bearing on my attachment to the world and other people?

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