In our daily life, many of us interact with a Hindu in one way or another. Either your doctor, a coworker, a classmate, a close friend, a neighbor, a teacher, a business owner, or even a spouse. Some of us have witnessed a caricature of a Hindu in a TV serial or a cartoon. If you have ever wondered what the Hindu faith is, or you are curious to know more about your fellow Hindu Americans, there is a golden opportunity close to you.
We all want to be happy. All our endeavors are in that direction. We seek material goods, pleasant experiences, power over others, suitable mates, and many other things which give us fleeting moments of happiness. But is it possible to have everlasting happiness? The ancient Hindu sages meditated on this question and came to this answer. Yes, it is possible. We can be permanently happy by discovering our true divine nature. How do we do that?
Hindus believe that the entire creation is made of pure consciousness. Our true nature is pure consciousness. Unfortunately, we have forgotten our true nature. The entire purpose of Hinduism is to get back to our original selves and be permanently happy in our divine state.
The first step is to base our life on an ethical foundation which is called Dharma. To live ethically, there are a few qualities that are described in the Hindu scriptures. The main ones are Ahimsa, which is non-injury, Satya which is truth, and Brahmacharya which is a disciplined life of nonindulgence. These are not commandments but are nuanced guidelines. The guidelines are context-based. Our Dharma depends on our social situation. Dharma for a policeman will be different than that of a teacher. In the same person, the Dharma today is not the same as the Dharma tomorrow. It is different depending on our role at that moment. Our Dharma as a child is different than our dharma as a husband or as a parent. Dharmic living is doing our duty at the present moment, thereby pouring our heart out every time we do something, all the time and without attachment. There are lots of Hindu scriptures that help us decide what is ethical in a given situation. Dharma is the true internal nature of everything. On a more profound scale Dharma is what sustains everything, including us individually, our family, our community, our country, our earth as well as the cosmos. Dharma has a much more nuanced definition which the actual exhibition will illustrate.
The second step is Sewa which is selfless service. Also called karma yoga. For many of us, yoga equates to a contortion of body parts into postures. This aspect of yoga is just a small portion of the concept of yoga. The word yoga means union. It is the union of ourselves with our divine nature. Karma yoga is the action that unites us with our divine nature. We should do our duty because it is the right thing to do and not be result-oriented. Do everything as if it is an offering to the Divine. Hinduism understands that the path of connecting with divinity is difficult. It needs mastery over oneself. It takes a long time which can span this life but also may need multiple lifetimes. In each life, you reach a particular point. In the next life, you begin where you left, and move forward or backward based on your action (karma) in the past birth. Everyone will get there at the end. How long it takes will depend on your actions. What you do now affects the future either in this life or in the next life. There is accountability and consequence for everything you do. The flip side is that I accept what happens to me, hence I am able to accept sorrows and calamities. What I do and how I deal with my calamities affect my future. This way we accept what is happening to us and do our best to handle it.
The third step is the choice of three spiritual paths. Hinduism recognizes that people are different. So there are different paths suited for different people based on their different temperaments.
- The first path is called Raj yoga. In this path, there are eight steps of which the first two deal with practicing ethical restrains, and ethical observations. The next three are physical postures and breathing exercises as well as control of senses., The rest of the steps deal with meditation. This path requires consistent practice and great discipline.
- The second part is Dnyana yoga which is the study of scriptures. Hindus have a massive library of scriptures describing the different paths. This path is intellectually strenuous, and a seeker needs a subtle mind to grasp the concepts.
- The third path is Bhakti yoga, which is the path of Devotion. Essentially, we rest our minds and hearts in God. Anybody can do that as there are no prerequisites.
This raises the question, Which or what God? In Hinduism, there are varieties of ways in which divinity or God is conceptualized.
- The first concept is pure consciousness which is described by the symbol pronounced as Om. Pure consciousness had no attribute and is infinite. This is a difficult concept to wrap their minds around for many people.
- The second concept is Ishwara which is divinity with attributes. The all-knowing, all-powerful all-controlling supreme being. This has no physical form, and our mind is open to the abstract.
- The third concept is the Divine in a personal form. People can connect much more easily to a personal form. With forms comes a personality and a story. If you know a story you felt intimate with that form. You develop a close personal connection with that particular form of God. This tangible form is called a murti. This is represented by statues, photos, and physical symbols or objects. The mind stays easily focused on the physical form away from distractions. Although there are many physical forms of God, there is only one supreme being. Hindus worship one supreme being who can appear in many forms. We can use whichever form of divinity that the divinity chooses to manifest itself.
Choose any of these paths. Take part of this and part of that. Mix and match. Let’s find the divinity within ourselves and recognize it in the whole creation. Let us be happy.