Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Hinduism is not an 'ism'


I was a happy Brahmin as a child. Rather, happy to be a Brahmin child. It has got nothing to do with my caste. But it has everything to do with my parents. My parents were really unconventional, broad-minded, service-oriented(with limitations, of course), never-say-go to a temple(never-not-say-go to a temple either). We'd travelled a lot as a family. We have visited most important temples in India. But never once did my father or mother insist that I should pray or do any of the things they believed in(or not believed in). So, I assumed if this is how a Brahmin is, I am happy to be one. At that age, I believed you are never born as a Brahmin. You become one by your actions. Anyone can become a Brahmin. It is a way of life.

But with all the things that started cropping up as a part of this religion or caste, somewhere I started experimenting with everything I came across. I had to try it to make sure it worked for me. With time, I started to lose interest in rituals & religion itself. All of it does not make sense to me anymore.
C'mon, what is the point of going to a temple with 5000 others just to see a glimpse of a statue?(when your religion says God is everywhere)
What is the point in circum-ambulating a mountain for 14km with 10,000 others when you hear them talk about nothing but crap. I could not find sanctity in that.
It did not make sense to follow some rituals & not be able to explain its significance.
This is when I felt that religion should not come by heredity. A person should have the choice to choose a religion(as a "way of life") he wants. At least this way it is his path. At this point, I am a liberal or a rebel, I don't know. And it doesn't matter which one of the two I am.

When I heard Sadhguru say that Hinduism is a culture but not a religion, somewhere something seemed to make sense. Something inside me felt so relieved. What if it was true? What if we are making a mess out of religion(s)? I understand that rituals hold certain significance, but I am not there yet experientially. So, I am not scared to say, "I do not know".

Hinduism as a religion is very liberal. We all know that. We can do everything we want & still be a good Hindu. We can do nothing & still be a good Hindu.
Hinduism as a culture is even better. It seems a higher possibility.
It works for me!

2 comments:

JM said...

No No No...you are branding it...

All the religions are culture based, all of them teach morals and you and I were lucky to have parents who understood it well.

I was never asked to go to church, and ditto to all of yours :)

ME said...

I really do not know about other religions, Jay. So I really cannot say. Btw, hearing about your parents from you is a first for me. Very glad.:)

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