The Hindu Way of Life
“It is already becoming clear that a chapter that has a Western beginning will have to have an Indian ending if it is not to end in the self-destruction of the human race...At this supremely dangerous moment in human history, the only way of salvation is the ancient Hindu way. Here we have the attitude and spirit that can make it possible for the human race to grow together into a single family.” - Arnold Joseph Toynbee (1889-1975) British historian.
Knowledge I believe, should be given freely to all deserving students interested in learning. The thoughts presented here have been around for millennia and there is nothing original in this presentation. These are for people to read, analyse, accept or reject if they have a better alternative.
So let us first look at the word Dharma. The word “Dharma” has no equivalent word in English. It takes many English words to describe Dharma. The word “religion‟ is commonly used but a religion is a specific system of institutionalized faith or worship.
“Sanātan Dharma” or “Mānav Dharma” is not a religion but a way of life. Everything we do in life, including preaching, praying, eating and sleeping, are done according to our own dharma. This is our way of life and living and we get used to it as we grow older and mature in our thoughts.
The Sanskrit word Dharma is derived from the root word “Dhri” which means to hold together or support. Dharma supports or holds together everyone and everything. It supports and holds the person, the family, the community, the society and the country.
Dharma is also described as “duty‟ - ones duty towards oneself, ones family, community, country, and the world. Knowledge about our Dharma or what is right and wrong in our life will help and guide us through our lives. This knowledge should be learnt by every righteous person if an acceptable way of life has to be attained and accomplished.
Dharma is the universal code of behaviour towards all living creatures and nonliving things. It is in the best interest of all and includes all the virtues like truth, goodness, beauty, nobility, justice, non-violence, compassion, faith, duty, modesty, steadfastness, and control over senses, our loyalty, our honesty and many other human traits.
Dharma is also absence of negative tendencies like selfishness, lust, greed, envy, anger, arrogance and similar feelings. A life according to Dharma is necessary for success in meditation. Dharma sustains and supports life in general, and helps to hold the community together.
Dharma has two parts –
All these duties are described in ancient Indian literature but what happens when “Dharma” is not followed? There are many examples in history of societies and civilizations that have fallen apart when the people have not followed the righteous path.
Even today we can see so many individuals, communities, countries wasting their valuable time, resources and thoughts after unethical projects, unnecessary traditional beliefs, and obsolete cultural practices and leading themselves, their families and people to disaster and confusion.
The word “Hindu‟ is not found in the ancient scriptures of India. It was the name given to the group of people by invaders. People living along the river Sindhu were called “Hindus‟ by foreigners. River Sindhu flows from Himalaya Mountain in the North and through North Western part of what was India.
Most of the foreign invaders came to India from the North-West. The religion followed by people of India was called “Hinduism” by the foreigners.
This is similar to how the original people of North America were called “Indians‟ by Europeans who were looking for “India‟ and when they first arrived in America thought they were in India.
The original people of India were called Āryans and Dravidians and the country was “Āryāvarta‟. The people did not come from anywhere but had lived there for millennia and had developed a well advanced civilization. Other names for their religion were –Sanātan Dharma (eternal religion), Védic Dharma (religion of the Védas), Ārya Dharma (religion of the Āryans), or Mānav Dharma (religion of mankind).
The name of the country “India‟ was also coined by foreigners. The Indian names for India are “Āryāvarta‟ (the land of Āryans) or “Bhāratvarsha‟ (the land of king Bharat).
Culture has been defined in different ways. “A characteristic way of life inspired by fundamental values expressed through art, religion, literature, social institutions and behaviour”. It may also include education, scientific and technological advances, customs of the people, and the way in which people interact with each other and live in a civilized society.
“Indian‟ culture is one of the very few cultures that have continuously survived for quite a few millennia in spite of multiple invasions, brutal occupations by foreigners, and systematic attempts to destroy it.
How did it survive in India? A system of “Gurukul‟ or schools, strong family traditions, and the unique system of dividing the society into four classes with assigned duties for education, defence, trade, and service that helped maintain the knowledge and culture in India. The people with vested interest extended this division of labour into distasteful caste system that made the Hindu religion loose its core values and progress.
Knowledge of one’s cultural heritage is important for one’s self-esteem. When people loose their self-esteem and self- respect, they do not do well in life. It is very important for the welfare of our future generations that they learn the positive aspects of our culture and heritage and do not dwell in the negatives and unnecessary, obsolete and unwanted traditions that make us hypocritical.
We cannot possibly learn and pass on to our children all that can be included in our “culture‟. Not all of us may agree what is essential and what is not. The choice lies with the individual. Hinduism provides that freedom to pray, practice and perform whatever tradition and ceremonies suit us. There is no need for lavish and obsolete ceremonies. A belief in the essence of truth, beauty and goodness of living and a belief in the power of the Supreme Creator can give a person all that is needed to live a healthy and fruitful life.
Our culture shows us how to live our life whether we are in India, Australia, USA or anywhere else. It is therefore important to teach our children and grandchildren at the earliest age about their acceptable culture and heritage before their brains are filled with negative ideas about our “culture” and they begin to follow unacceptable ways and methods of praying and beliefs.
Second reason for preserving cultural heritage is for the children to grow up having positive self-esteem, a good feeling about them. If children know that they are coming from a good, strong, and stable background, they will have the confidence to handle any situation and do well in life. If children learn at an early age that their culture, heritage, ancestors, were of inferior quality or that “they will burn in hell for eternity‟ because of their religion and their out dated religious practices then they are likely to have many problems.
I feel that one does not have to declare himself Hindu to conduct prayers. There is no system of conversion to Hinduism because we are born Hindus. Since there is only one God and we are all human, it should be logical to pray in our own homes or in any house of religion anywhere. The early Hindus had no temples or mandirs but just found a peaceful place in their homes or environment to conduct their prayers.
Maybe this is the reason why Doctor Radhakrishnan told us that there was no need for any temple or specific place to conduct our prayers because the real place of prayer was our home and heart.
We all know that “God lives in everything” (omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscience). We as good human beings should freely and peacefully love God in our homes and hearts without any interference from anyone. There should be no requirement of any specific language or methods for our prayers. We should be able to conduct our prayers ourselves peacefully.
There is an “energy‟ that forms the basis of all that exists in the universe, a “force‟ that keeps us alive. Something that cannot be described nor can it be experienced by our senses (touch, smell, sight, hearing, and taste); an “entity‟ that can be addressed by any name or imagined to take up any form, and “that‟ which has no beginning or an end. I define this as my God.
For good human beings there are four goals in life:
1. Kāma (desire) – fulfilling desires to satisfy senses e.g. thirst, hunger, sex and others. These are common to all in the animal kingdom.
2. Artha (wealth) – earning money to buy food, shelter, clothes and other essential items. This goal is considered higher than Kāma because it is not found in animal kingdom.
3. Dharma – Kāma and Artha are achieved according to Dharma. It is higher than both of them.
4. Moksha – liberation from the cycle of birth and death or merging of Ātmā (soul) with Paramātmā (God). This is the highest goal in life. All activities in the fields of Kāma and Artha give temporary pleasure. Moksha is permanent bliss.
I firmly believe that all human beings can achieve these goals. One does not have to pray to a specific “God‟ or belong to a specific religious sect to attain these.
Hindus believe in many things – from one all pervading God to many Gods and even no God. All views are accepted. Everyone has the freedom to choose and nobody is permanently denied Moksha (salvation).
Following beliefs are some of the important ones:
Ātmā (Self, soul, Jivātmā) and Paramātmā (Brahma, God).
The force or energy that keeps us alive is called Ātmā. Our body becomes life-less when it leaves our body. This energy can not be damaged or destroyed. It is the same in all living things. Paramātmā is the ocean of life-force from which all forms of Ātmā originate. After a process of evolution, all Ātmā merge with Paramātmā (God).
God can be worshiped in any form we wish and any name by which we want to call Him. All our prayers are heard by one and the same Supreme Reality (God).
Karma- Literal meaning of Karma is action. However, Karma includes the intentions behind the action, the means used in performing the action and the consequences of that action (Karma-phal). An “action‟ is good if the intention is unselfish and methods used are non-violent (according to Dharma).
We do not have any
control over what follows the “action‟ (the consequences). Every act or even a thought has similar consequences. “Good‟ thoughts and “good‟ actions have “good‟ consequences.
We have choice only over our intentions and the means used to perform any action. If we do something for others with good intentions and without expecting anything in return for ourselves, good things will eventually happen to us. It is essential that we analyse our intentions continuously, do our best, work hard, persevere and leave the results to Him.
c. Punarjanma - (Rebirth). Just as we discard old clothes and take on new clothes, in the same way we discard old bodies and we obtain new bodies.
We believe that the soul leaves the body at the time of death and takes up another body (reincarnates) or becomes part and parcel of the Supreme Being, God Almighty. We are all evolving spiritually and take many births until we have no desires and all karmas are successfully resolved. Then our ātmā (soul) merges with Paramāatmā (Brahma, God) and attain liberation from the cycle of birth and death (Moksha).
Everyone is entitled to moksha. If at the time of death we have any unfulfilled desire or unresolved karma then we take birth in a new body. We are born in a family and under circumstances according to our unresolved karmas and unfulfilled desires. This gives us the opportunity to progress spiritually.
Satya (truth), Ahimsā (non-violence), and Brahmacharya (discipline, self-control) are some of the important values for people who follow Mānav Dharma.
There are three meanings of the word “truth‟:
1. Satya or Truth:-
The dictionary meaning of truth is “what is real‟.
b. Second meaning of truth is “when our speech and actions are the same as our thoughts‟.
c. In Védas, “Truth‟ means what is real today, what was the same yesterday, a hundred years ago, and even a billion years ago; what will be the same tomorrow, a hundred years from today, and even a billion years from now. In other words, they are the things that do not change over time.
To put it in better terms we say that “Truth‟ is changeless, beginning less, endless and everlasting.
The first two (a and b) are to be practised. The third one is a goal to be achieved.
2. Non-violence (Ahimsā):-
“Ahimsā paramo dharma”, Non-violence is the supreme dharma.
If we believe that God lives in all, how can we hurt anyone? Non - violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution.
Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages. After slaughtering so many animals for food I am guilty of this trespassing but repentance may be one of my answers. The practice of ahimsā includes not harming anyone in our thoughts, by words, or by our actions. We can see all over the world that once the cycle of violence is started it is very difficult to control. Ahimsā and universal love go together.
However, the greatest practitioner of non-violence, Mahātmā Gāndhi, said that:
“My creed of non-violence is an extremely active force. It has no room for cowardice or even weakness. There is hope for a violent man to be some day non-violent, but there is none for a coward. I have, therefore, said more than once.....that if we do not know how to defend ourselves, our women and our places of worship by the force of sufferings, i.e., non-violence, we must, if we are men, be at least able to defend all these by fighting.”
3. Self-discipline (Brahmacharya):-
Brahmacharya means search for Brahma or moving towards Brahma, the changeless, beginning less, endless, God. It can also mean moving around in the field of Brahma or behaviour of some one who wants to attain Brahma.
Brahmacharya is learnt during first 25 years of life and practised all through the life. The main goal during this stage of life is to learn. To achieve this we give up all the comforts and pleasures of life and concentrate only on our studies. This training is like a ride in a hot air balloon. To go up you need to get rid of all unnecessary baggage and just carry what is absolutely necessary. The student learns to control all the five senses namely taste, smell, touch, vision and hearing.
It does not mean that later on in life, we do not enjoy good food or relationship between husband and wife but we try not to become slaves of these enjoyments and forget our duties or the ultimate goal in life. The training during Brahmachary āshram helps adults to control all their senses and set a good example for their children.
Life according to these values and virtues are useful for our progress on the evolutionary path to experiencing the “Devine‟ or “Self Realization‟.
Of course, there are many more values for Manav or human beings.
4. Fearlessness (Abhayam):- Fear interferes with good decision making.
5. Purity of thoughts (Satva-shamshuddhi):-
6. Yoga of knowledge (Gyan)
Decisions and actions are based on the knowledge of morals & ethics, and right and wrong.
7. Charity (Dāan).
People and institutions doing work for the good of the society are supported by generous donations of money and time.
8. Etiquette (Shistachaar). How courteous or modest people are in their day to day dealings.
9. Mastery over all senses (Dambh, Brahmacharya). If our senses take control over our actions then we do not have time for worthwhile projects and our energies are diverted towards “fun” activities.
10. Personal sacrifices (Yagya). Desires for personal pleasures, power, prestige, possessions, etc. are given up for the good of the family, community & country.
11. Study of scriptures Regular study of useful and acceptable scriptures is necessary for our spiritual development and to keep us on the right track.
12. Disciplined effort (Tapa) towards a selfless cause.
For all sentient human beings it is also recommended the removal of the following impurities or weaknesses of the mind:
1. Hypocrisy (Dambh), pretending to be better than one really is.
2. Arrogance (Darp) of knowledge, colour of the skin, family, wealth, physical strength, etc.
3. False or excessive pride, hostile intention (Abhimaan).
4. Anger (Krodh).
5. Bullying nature (Pārushyam).
6. Ignorance (Agyaan) about one’s place in the universe and relationship with other creatures, someone who thinks he is the most important person in the world.
These six are considered as devilish (Āsuric) characteristics or impurities in the mind of a person. Everyone has to try and remove these from their personality.
The ancient society in India was divided in to four groups according to their capabilities, aptitudes, education, personal effort (sāadhanā), and function they performed in the society. These were like the four pillars in four corners of a building supporting a roof overhead.
All four groups were equally important and none was respected more than the other. People were able to move freely amongst the four groups according to their qualities. Everyone was expected to live according to the dharma of their category. However, this idea was distorted and over simplified by the people with specific stake.
In the end do what you think is appropriate.
You can lift yourself up (but) do not degrade yourself.
You only are your (true) friend and you are your enemy.
In the last chapter, Shri Krishna in Bhagawad Gitā tells Arjun:
Think about all that I have said and then do as you please. The choice is yours. That is the essence of Hinduism.
“Do not accept what I have said because it has been so and said in the past;
Do not accept it because it has been handed down by tradition;
Do not accept it thinking it may be so;
Do not accept it because it is in the Holy Scriptures;
Do not accept it because it can be proven by inference;
Do not accept it thinking it is worldly wisdom;
Do not accept it because it seems to be plausible;
Do not accept it because it is said by a famous or holy monk;
But if you find that it appeals to your sense of discrimination and conscience as being conducive to the benefit and happiness of all;
Then accept it and live up to it.” Buddha.
