Journal of Sacred Work

As a person puts on new clothes and discards old and torn clothes,
similarly an embodied soul enters new material bodies, leaving the old bodies.(Bhagavad Gita  2:22)   

   The aroma of incense was what struck me first as I began my maiden voyage into a Hindu temple. Fortunately, I had a marvelous guide in the form of Rajiv Gupta, a friend.
   So much of the confusion and intolerance that blows across the world arises from misunderstanding and ignorance. This intolerance is sometimes furthered by various kinds of fundamentalists who think it’s heresy to try and understand any other faith. Accordingly, they may tell followers they are not allowed to enter any other place of worship. I’ve always wondered why they’re so afraid.
   The challenge for caregivers is always to learn how to embrace diversity….

   Patients and fellow workers come to us from all backgrounds. This means that loving caregivers are called to be inclusive of everyone and not exclusive of anyone in need. Sometimes, this becomes easier if we understand the faith of the person before us. As Rajiv said to me, "Isn’t personal faith often a result of where we were born
and how we were raised?"
   With this thinking in mind, I can
say that whenever I encounter another religion, I always feel humbled and more appreciative of human diversity. Hinduism is the oldest religion still widely practiced. It is the third largest in the world with one billion adherents. I have met many Hindus, but known little about Hinduism.
   As a Christian, it was
startling for me to enter a place where multiple gods are worshiped in
the form of statues. But, although there may be many gods in the Hindu
faith, most Hindus believe in one primary God who may appear in many expressions.

   As I stood before one statue, I wondered: What is the difference between the Hindu god of good luck and the expression of God many Christians pray to when they are seeking God’s intervention? Is there so much difference between the idea of the multiple Catholic saints and the many Hindu deities? The prayers may come in different languages, but the the content sounds very much the same.
   It is true that a core article in Judaism and Christianity (the first Commandment) as well as in Islam, is monotheism, one God. But if God is Love, as we have said many times in the Journal, perhaps our understanding of how Love is respected and honored can be broadened.
   As I understand it, Hindus believe in living Love throughout their physical existence. The goal is, ultimately, to free the soul (atman) from the body through living a life of pure kindness. They believe their atman is eternal.
   One of the things that used to confuse me was the Hindu notion of reincarnation. This cycle of the soul’s periodic rebirth into the world is called samsara. When the soul frees itself through cycles of pure living, then paradise is achieved, Rajiv explained. Hindus call this moksha.
   Many of us know the words karma and yoga. Karma includes the pattern of our actions in this world and yogas are paths or practices that the faithful may follow to live a more loving life. While Christians may do yoga to relax or gain muscle flexibility, Hindus developed these practices for deeper, spiritual reasons.
   Before any Christian caregivers condemn, as I have heard some do, people of other faiths for living in darkness, they need to first understand the core of that faith. Through understanding, they may be more tolerant.
   After Rajiv and I left the temple and the aroma of incense faded from my nostrils, what remained for me was this reflection: Although the practices of Hinduism may look very different from Christianity, Islam, or Judaism, what matters is that this ancient faith, like the previous three, is grounded in living Love. Indeed, the pure life, for Hindu’s, means acting with kindness toward others.
   This sounds like a faith worth admiring rather than condemning, doesn’t it? Isn’t this part of what it means to live Love?

-Erie Chapman