Non-Attachment in Action

My boyfriend and I were talking the other night about the book Tao of Pooh. My boyfriend is a Taoist and says that some object to that book being considered representative or educational about Taoism, but he and I agreed that whether the philosophy in the book was Taoist or not, it was great.

I haven't read it in years, but when I did I found it very helpful in encouraging me to relax more and stop trying to control everything.  It got us thinking about other characters like Pooh who are able to calmly and happily go about their lives while strange or incredible things happen around them.

Like "the dude" from The Big Lebowski . Or Forrest Gump .

I thought about how all these characters really have non-attachment down.

The events that happen around them are the sort of thing that the average person would get very worked up about, and try to grab hold of the events, control them, profit from them, DO something with them.

The Dude, Forrest, and Pooh don't try to make the things happening around them belong to them. They don't try to grab hold, but just pause and smile and admire, then go back to what they're doing.

It's like being able to take every moment the way a child sees a butterfly.

Asking Permission

When starting to practice a religion that is not your native one, it is natural to look to natives for insight. You want to learn how to behave and how best not to stick out as you master new practices.

There is also a tendency to see ones self as lower than the "real" people of the religion. It feels as though we need the permission of a native practicer for every thing that we do. I remember early on feeling like I needed a signed endorsement to carry with me to show people who doubted my Hinduness. "See? This Indian Hindu said that it's okay for my to practice Hinduism."

At some point this will change.

If you truly become a member of that religion, then it becomes equally yours. That is my belief, anyway. And that is how things have gone in my own life.

After ten years practicing Hinduism, I now have complete confidence that it is my religion and I am as valid a member as any other. My interpretations of scripture equally valid, my choices about which practices to take on equally valid, my relationship with the Gods equally valid.

I am a Hindu. And I don't need anyone's permission to make that claim!

What I have come to see as I publicly talk about my journey in Hinduism is that there is no one authority. And I mean that beyond the fact that there's no pope or leader of Hinduism. I mean that every individual has his own understanding of each aspect of Hinduism and almost no matter what you do or assert, someone will tell you that you're wrong. And someone else will tell you that you're right.

The only one that matters is the one in your heart, the Self within.

The Indian Hindu who tells you that you shouldn't enter a temple is not the authority over you. Neither is the Indian Hindu who tells you that it's wonderful that you are practicing this religion.

You are a Hindu and every moment of struggling to understand some piece of your faith is the same struggle that every other Hindu is also going through.  The others can give you advice, but always remember that they do not know everything or have the clarity of God. Their advice is their opinion. Which is well and good and you must decide if you trust that opinion. Being a native practicer of Hinduism does not give someone authority over your practice of Hinduism.

So choose your advisers with care and trust your intuition as you proceed in Hinduism.

I do not seek permission any longer. I trust in my own relationship with God and the universe.

What Do Dreams Mean?

What do you think causes us to dream when we sleep? What is the purpose?

Is it the brain processing all the input from our day? Is it messages from the divine? Is it a way of predicting the future? A way of understanding what's going on in our psyche?

I've always been curious about dreams, wondering what purpose they serve. When I was growing up I was told to focus on the present and pay no attention to dreams. But it seems like they must be there for a reason.

I have frequent and very vivid dreams. Some themes come up again and again and I wonder about what they might be trying to tell me.

Only once have I had a lucid dream, the ability to realize I'm dreaming and start controlling things. Usually when I suspect I'm dreaming, I try to wake up and I very frequently experience thinking that I've woken up when I haven't. There's usually at least three or four layers of this trying to wake up, being sure that now I'm awake, and being wrong.

I've often heard dreams used as a metaphor for how our soul is. That we are like someone asleep, enjoying a dream, but not realizing how wonderful our real life is and that we should wake up to it.

Is that the only reason we dream? To help us understand that simile?

A week or so ago I woke up distressed from a dream in which half my teeth had fallen out. I had never had a dream like it. Today I Googled it and was told that this can be a symbol of experiencing change and a new chapter in life with some trepidation. Pretty accurate, I'd say, considering that I just turned 30.

Sense of Humor

This weekend I posted a picture on my Facebook fan page that made a joke about the movie Avatar and Krishna. It depicts a cartoon of Krishna using a common Internet meme about "hipsters." I found it very clever and fun, but I was surprised to see an immediate backlash.

Amit Rasam dont play like this with hindu god. This not a cartoon,


I could see his point. I had not thought about people who see this as disrespectful to the Gods. It made me think two things:

1) It seems to me that the Gods are full of playfulness and teasing. Particularly Krishna. The stories of him are full of fun and games, teasing and jokes. He always has a twinkle in his eye.

So it's difficult for me to think that Krishna would be offended by this. It is not demeaning him, but in fact pointing out that the idea of a blue avatar is older than the Avatar movie. There's nothing offensive about that.

It is said that as one gets closer to God, He becomes more of a friend than a scary authority figure that is going to punish you. I feel that my relationship with Krishna is full of fun and teasing that is nothing but affectionate. I adore Krishna, and fully believe that He adores me.

2) Being chastised for my behavior towards the Gods makes me feel as though this person believes he is the authority on Hinduism and that I am not as Hindu as he is. Perhaps I'm imagining that, but it is what it comes across as.

I don't know this man, I have no relation to him, but he feels he should tell me what I should or shouldn't do with the Gods.

But the thing is, they are my Gods too. 

And basically what I said to him was that this is the relationship that I have with the Gods, and if he finds it offensive, he doesn't have to visit my fan page. It's as simple as that.

I'm fascinated to see that some people take religion with such an intense seriousness and I can't help but think it's going to cause them to develop an ulcer. Having a sense of humor around religion seems to me to be much more in line with the divine creation as a play and entertainment for God.

A Good Resource

I've been working on putting together some introduction articles with information on setting up your altar at home and doing pujas, etc.

While working on it, I came across this forum. I can't remember if I've mentioned it before, but I noticed that they had a message board for people who are new to Santana Dharma and I thought that would be a great place for people who are looking for help with being Hindu!

http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=60

Giggle

Your Advice for a New Hindu

kylel515Apr 9, 2012 08:43 PM

I have a question. I am 15 year old white male and I'm interested in becoming Hindu. My parents are both Christian, and I'm nervous to tell them because I am worried how they'll respond. Any advice?

Here is a comment that I received yesterday.

The advice I gave was to take things slowly, to learn and begin to practice quietly on his own and to wait to tell his parents until he has moved out and is on his own.

What do you think? What advice would you give Kyle?