Their questions are designed to make us think critically about our experience as Hindus in America (which, coincidentally, is one of the purposes of Swadharma!), so I thought I’d share them now, so we can ponder this food for thought:

I. What is your current relationship to Hinduism and current religious practice?
II.     To what extent has your relationship to Hinduism changed or stayed the same since coming to college/grad school?
III.    How does your practice and conception of Hinduism differ from your parents’?
IV.     How do you or do you not present yourself as a Hindu to your friends, colleagues, professors and the university community?

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One interpretation is that being religious is equivalent to being a practicing Hindu — being aware of and following the many rich traditions and rituals our culture has to offer. I’ve learned much about this aspect of Hinduism since coming to Harvard, but I still know little, so it is not what I had in mind.

Another interpretation is that being religious is believing in God. My belief in God wavers because I do not consider it central to my beliefs. This, too, is not what I had in mind.

The most reasonable interpretation is that, for me, being religious is having faith. Defining faith as “belief that is not based on proof” (Dictionary.com), I see that this is what I had in mind when I answered my friend. Religion and conviction are inseparable in my mind, and because conviction is the firm belief that point A will lead to point B, this naturally expands into a faith in destiny. Conviction is at its most effective when it is operating in an environment where proofs are impossible — an environment where one has to take things on faith.

Life is an example of such an environment — after all, life does not furnish us with any meaning, any purpose. It is up to us to create meaning from the nothingness, a nothingness in which proofs of meaning are impossible. Religion — specifically, the conviction that comes from faith in a transcendent destiny — is my way of creating meaning from this nothingness.

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Despite growing up in a community with a relatively sizeable Hindu minority, I rarely discussed issues of faith outside my immediate family. Religion was mostly a cultural phenomenon. Becoming a part of Harvard Dharma marked the first time that I engaged in a discussion of philosophical issues surrounding my faith with Hindu peers. Both the Hindu community, and the Harvard community at large, have affected my conception of faith, and my perspective on the world around me.

I can think of at least two ways that the Harvard experience has influenced my perspective on spirituality. I feel the atmosphere at the college impels one, perceptively or imperceptively, to develop more rigorous intellectual foundations for one’s beliefs than society in general expects. As a result, I’ve thought not only about what I believe, but also the reasons for that belief. Of course, my beliefs are in an inchoate state, and I’d love to hear not just what you believe, but especially why you believe it.

A second, equally powerful influence, has been the dialogue I’ve been able to engage in with other Hindus. Being able to discuss moral issues with people who all share, to a reasonable extent, a common set of values has given helped me learn more about my own sense of faith. An oft-overlooked impact of this community is a certain level of awareness that affords us the luxury of not constantly having people question our beliefs simply because they are unfamiliar with them. However, the social pressures from outside the community are often replaced by pressure from within the community. What are your thoughts on the relative roles of external & internal social pressure?

The event organizers want us to think about ways in which the Harvard experience has either bolstered or challenged our faith. The best answer I can think of is this: Harvard makes you ask more questions about your religious beliefs. Whether this experience strengthens or weakens the foundations of your faith is up to you.

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For this week, I wanted to start with a Deepak Chopra passage, but I was led to share something else I ran across earlier this month. Dr. W. Dyer, in his book “Inspiration,” comments on a topic he entitles “creating and holding on to our vision.”He states:

“the desire to find our way to inspiration involves creating a vision of living in spirit 100% of the time, even if we don’t have a clue what we should be doing or what our mission is, we need to practice creating this vision anyway. Our inner picture has to be based on our intention to feel good which is, of course, synonymous with feeling God.”

With the advent of this school year, this little passage seemed to stand out strongly amidst the hustle and bustle — especially for me as I transition quite excitedly and quickly into my first year here at Harvard as an undergrad. We (or at least I) are setting goals, holding visions for a future that lies in a vague area we have not reached thus far. At some moments, I may feel I know exactly what direction I should be moving in, and at others, I feel a lot less secure in that knowledge. Perhaps this rings even more strongly for many of you, particularly you seniors!

Nevertheless, it’s quite easy to get lost in this hustle and bustle, and to forget about creating and holding on to our visions, and of consciously making an effort to live and move through the Spirit every single day. It’s been more than gratifying to be able to remind myself of Dyer’s words, and to ground myself in the Spirit and in God (or whatever name/form that energy takes on for you.) It has been helpful to re-immerse myself in this Spirit and in the knowledge that all things are and always will be as they should be. It’s comforting to know that I can create a vision, whether for myself or for others, and to hold tightly to this vision, despite what the world says; despite what the world expects. I feel that with a focus centered “100% of the time” on living an open, loving, spirit-filled life, maintaining our focus on the mystery of the heavens, and keeping our visions alive in our hearts, we can never “go wrong.”

How powerful can we become if we choose to hold tight to our visions and strive against all odds to uphold and bring them to fruition? And how much knowledge can we attain by letting go of our lower selves — letting go of our worries, self-doubts, judgments, and pity when the future, life, relationships, jobs, and things of the present seem off-base and out-of-whack — in order to succumb to the wisdom that flows and moves freely, without fail, all about us, bringing to us exactly what our innermost selves desire when the time is right? Can we trust this energy, or spiritual presence (if you so choose to see it as such)? Can we make an effort to be-in-spirit on a daily basis, making this our full-time jobs? You tell me.

Hold tight to those visions of yours!

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Hinduism has many proscriptions for familial relations — the rakhi festival is one example, and filial piety in general is another. It is said in Hindu mythology that when Lord Ganesha was asked to race against his swifter brother thrice around the universe, that he instead walked around his parents three times, hands clasped in reverence.

There are also many examples in mythology of friendship — for instance, in the Mahabharata, there is the bond between the warrior Arjuna and Lord Krishna. In the other great Hindu epic, the Ramayana, the brotherly love and friendship between Rama and Lakshmana is deep and profound.

But most important to our lives as college students in a co-ed school is the subject of romantic relationships. It’s a touchy subject, especially since the vast history of Hinduism seems to consider marriage as the only legitimate romantic interaction. Lord Vishnu may be married to Lakshmi, but I doubt that prior to marriage they went on a first date, followed by a candlelit dinner. And even the most romantic courtship in the epics, that between Sita and Rama, was just a matter of stringing a bow.

It’s not clear how this old attitude about romantic relationships as solely marriage translates into the present — the more important question is, should they? Or should we disregard them and pursue what we want? I’m inclined to disregard them, since today’s society is different from that of the epics. But at the same time, there’s a feeling of obligation to considering what our ancestors thought and felt. Considering how much time college students spend thinking about romantic interactions, this is clearly an issue that Hinduism has left unaddressed.

Family, friendship, and romance — how do you feel about the relationships in your life, and how do your personal beliefs affect that?

P.S. I’m not familiar with any scriptural advice on any of these matters, so do comment if you feel you’ve read something relevant.

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