The White Hindu has moved

The White Hindu has moved! This blog is no longer updated, but Ambaa is still writing The White Hindu every weekday at Patheos.com.

Friday, November 16, 2012

We Can Be Better Than That

In response to the article I posted about yesterday, one of my friends on facebook said...

 Do u remember I said abt Dr. Swamy, well he is a hindu nationalist & I agree wid him. Coz if such nations won't become secular then we Hindus must change our policies & it is a hindu who has to suffer alot wether he may b in a gulf country or in any other country.What do u think?

What I said there is that I think two wrongs don't make a right. We don't want to become like the others who hurt us, we want to be better than them.

But my response goes deeper than that. I think at the root of this reaction is a very powerful fear.

We fear that Hinduism will be destroyed by the more aggressive religions. And I can understand why we have that fear when we do still see forced conversions and people being conned into believing in another religion.

Still, the fear is not necessary and it holds us back from our full potential. Fear is an emotion that shrinks us, not one that grows us. As my father says, one should never do or not do something because of fear.

Hinduism is strong. It has survived for thousands of years and is one of the oldest (if not possibly the very oldest) religions in the world. It is woven into the core of what it is to be human. Like Krishna, there has never been a time that it has not existed. It is not going anywhere.

No matter what other people might try to do, no matter how individuals experience it, Hinduism cannot be destroyed.

You know what a forced conversion can never do? It can never change your heart. Hinduism will always live  in your heart. No one can take that from you.

Hinduism does have its faults. Not at its core. At its core it is perfect (as we are too). But society and culture over time has corrupted parts of it and we need to always be careful to remember that Hinduism is about love. It is not about discrimination or being hurtful to another human being. When those things happen, then some people think that's what Hinduism is. We can be the example to show that that is not true.

When we feel hurt by the policies and religions of others, the first instinct is to lash back and do the same thing back to them. I think we can be better than that and show the world that a Hindu does not hurt others.

10 comments:

  1. Amba..May be you are Not Much aware the situations that HIndus are facing in India current Govt in India is an Anti Hindu govt..the Media is governed by Communists ...Who claim themselves to be Secular...the fact is that Every thing that is HIndu is considrered as communal in India...they abuse Hindu Devi Devtas...they say Diwali is wastage of Money..they have objections on our festivals...Many Riots happen in past few months instigated by Muslims...Christian Missionaries are hell bent on converting the tribals by giving them Money and fooling them...these all things have made Hindus frustrated....Yesterday only 4 Hindu temples were burnt down by Muslims in Hyderabad,India but No Media coverage given to them....In Kashmir alone 5 Lakh Kashmiri Pansits were kicked out by Muslim Jehadis.they are still living as Refugee in their own land...they were given two option either to convert or run away....So Hindus are Not getting Respect in India Itself...Human Rights of Hindus get unnoticed...however Slightest of Reaction Hindus made due to these events made Headline everywhere......In India most of the Hindu temples were taken over by Government there revenue which was meant for HIndus development gone to State..which was given NGO's.The same NGO's Involved in conversion to Tribals to Christanity...Govt. never take over the churches or Mosques.....In short Hindus are frustrated by these policies and In the name of Secularism how they are humiliated..... We need a Hindu State..where we can have equal Rights as others.There are 57 Islamic Countries there as many Christian countries but there is Not a Single Hindu Country who can Raise voice against any human Right violation of Hindus outside India..Hinduism at core is Secular..... it is Not a question all others will also be happy..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A "Hindu State" will have the same problems as a "Muslim State" or a "Christian State" or a "Scientologist State."

      It is too easy for power-hungry people to seize upon it and oppress others in the name of uplifting "their kind."

      All states should make it a priority to give equal rights to ALL and to combat human rights violations against ALL groups.

      You may believe Hinduism is, at its core, secular, but the Hindus who are in power may believe differently from you - or may change their beliefs when the taste of power comes to their lips.

      Religious-based states, by definition, look out for their own. Meaning it is very easy for oppression of minorities to occur, either deliberately or by omission.

      Delete
    2. Hi Andrea,
      What is your suggestion for the current situation , what should be done ?

      Delete
    3. I think you are confusing Dharmic and Abharamic faith , for a second even if we assume you are right about the "Hindu State" , however the track record and history tells us different, Buddhism survived, Jainism survived , Sikhism Survived, earliest Muslims came to Kerala state , they were not thrown out , Jews came , they survived ( only in India ) , Zoraistriam survived , eventhough the majority religion was Hinduism , so from the record i can assume that only in India which is a Majority Hindu State , others can co-exist.

      Delete
    4. I think that history is not what I'm basing this on. I hear the way people talk about it and it sounds angry and vengeful too much of the time. I hear things like "We need to take back power and put them in their place." That, frankly, terrifies me.

      I do not believe in the mixing of politics and religion. It's as simple as that. I think once religion is used to create laws, there is no way to escape discrimination against those whose religion is not in power. Being a religious minority in my own country, I'm very, very sensitive to that.

      I don't want to tell others what code they must live by because of my faith for exactly the same reason I don't want them able to dictate to me what code I must live by because of their faith.

      Delete
    5. Hi Amba,
      I think you are viewing my comments from an outsiders perspective. Hinduism ( here i mean Vedic traditions as per Vedas) in its Glory has entered every field , Science , culture , Arts , Music , Dance etc etc... , how can you separate it from Political Science. Even Ramanyana and Mahabharata if you look from one perspective is a book on Political Science , Vidhur Niti originated from it , Bhisma in his dying moments has given pearls of Wisdom on Political affairs according to Dharma, So basically Politics is a part of that and that is where Dharma is needed the most in current scenario. Books for Political Science to Financial Science to Spiritual Science everything has been in Hinduism. It is difficult to separate them and practically not possible ( that is why it is a way of life and religion). I believe there are only 2 ways of doing things Dharmic Way and Adharmic way, Whatever is done according to Dharmic Principles is Dharma and rest becomes Adharma. So the word is Dharma. Now Dharma is evolving and it will evolve without changing the basic tenets.

      Delete
    6. You make a very excellent point.

      Delete
  2. first, this is a great post, and the intent is greatly appreciated. however, a few of the recommendations above are fraught with risk.

    For brevity, I will highlight a few points.


    1. "No matter what other people might try to do, no matter how individuals experience it, Hinduism cannot be destroyed."

    Good intentions and hoping for a bail-out are useful, but cannot be a substitute for Sva-dharma and individual initiative.

    2."It is not about discrimination or being hurtful to another human being. When those things happen, then some people think that's what Hinduism is. We can be the example to show that that is not true."
    Great point. agreed. Hindus need to do this more.

    3. "You know what a forced conversion can never do? It can never change your heart. Hinduism will always live in your heart. No one can take that from you.
    "
    Forced conversion does not do that alone!! It ensures that the progeny of the forcibly converted person miss out on Hinduism and forced to accept dogma, and the "heart" of the next generation often ends up abusing Hinduism. This is EXACTLY what is happening in India. I've seen it from close quarters.

    4. "I think we can be better than that and show the world that a Hindu does not hurt others."

    I believe the last 2000 yrs have already shown that :)

    To not write, speak out, or protest discrimination against Hinduism and defeat the abuse cloaked in garb of intellectualism,
    is sheer cowardice. To remain a silent spectator, and hoping for the best, is to concede that the most important lessons of the Gita have bypassed us.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi,
    I agree with you, the change cannot be brought with fear , it has to be brought with Dharma.
    I think what Dr. Swamy intends to say is that it should be a level playing field, secularism should not become sickularism where one party is at loss at every walk of life. However,
    hinduism will not survive by self-indulging. The best way forward according to me is to change the mindset and motivate people to go to the roots ( Veda ), which is the root of our civilization and of ex-civilizations of the world. Once we understand our position and our roots then i think it will automatically solve most of the issues.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope so. Part of me thinks this is the kali yuga and no matter how much we fight it, ignorance continues to prevail.

      Delete