Hinduism - A Spiritualist's Viewpoint

Questions, Posed by a friend on February 02, 2009

One of my friends has the following questions:

(1) Does Hinduism allow somebody to be atheist or agnostic and still allow him to claim to be a Hindu?
(2) who is Hindu or what is Hindu?
(3) what does it mean to be a Hindu?

I wonder how you would answer these questions.

Thanks.

Answer given the same day:

Dear One,
A seer, who I had the great good fortune of knowing in the early nineties, told me something that was nothing short of a revelation. Alexander, when he came to India, crossed the river (Indus). The waters of the river were black and so was the colour of the skin of the people on this side. So, he cried, "Indu. Indu." Perhaps in Greek it means black. This is how the river came to be known as 'Indus' and this country as 'India'. In course of time, we came to known as Hindus.The word Hindu does not appear anywhere in the scriptures and is clearly a term that was coined simply to describe a populace. Therefore, those, who are trying to propagate the so called "Hindu-Dharma" are spreading a myth that our scriptures do not speak of and do not endorse.What our sages speak of in the scriptures is the 'Sanatan-Dharma' (by its very nature, Dharma, which upholds everything, can only be sanatan - eternal). This is an eternal principle - responsible for this creation, its maintenance and its dissolution. This principle is self-sustaining because even when this creation has been dissolved it shall still be there to give rise to further new creations. Also, because this is the whole (complete), any other principle or doctrine (any other dharma, by whatever name called) is its part. Therefore, the Sanatan Dharma does not oppose or ostracise any other Dharma. Establishment in Sanatan Dharma leads to liberation while living [Jiwan-mukti]. Liberation is the right and attainment of an individual. Hence, by its very nature, the Sanatan Dharma is purely individualistic and cannot belong to or imposed upon a society. This explains why we have never used force (power of the sword) or allurement (like in Christianity or Islam) to convert others. [If someone is established in Sanatan-Dharma, he is bound to get complete understanding of the faith, in which he was born.] Also, this explains why we have never opposed propagation of their faiths by others.Also, all other dharmas, since these are not eternal, shall have to disappear some. Only the Sanatan Dharma shall remain.Thus in my opinon each one of us has to take a conscious decision as to what his dharma is and which dhama shall he subscribe. Being a Hindu to me is nothing beyond having been born in Hindustan.These are my views (my dharma that is upholding me). There is an equal choice to every other person.I think I have answered the questions, though not in the sequence they have been asked.
Love and only Love

An Addendum to the Answers (sent separately)

Dear One,
I think I did not touch upon the question about the choice of being atheist or agnostic. Before I deal with the issue let me discuss from my understanding the kind of believers or non-believers we come across in this world.

2. Non-believers are of two types:

a. Those, who do not wish to believe and are closed. Their mind is not just irrational but also too strong. It is in denial mode. So, even if such persons are given some experience, they would still be trying their best to find out ways and means to deny the same. [For such people, initiation in to spirituality comes at a time, only when they are faced with some great un-surmountable difficulty and reach their wit’s end. Then they discover that the mind has become still. This leads to light.]

b. Those, who do not believe because they have not experienced the realm beyond the senses and the mind. These people are essentially open. They readily accept things, as and when the experience befalls them.

3. However, believers would be of three type:

a. Those, who believe, without having had any experience of the teachings. Someone was born in a family of Hindus or Muslims or Christians and starts professing that kind of faith. These people are indoctrinated ones. Their allegiance to the faith depends upon the intensity or the kind of indoctrination or exposure handed out to them. They do not live the teachings but conform to the outer forms of worship, dressing and behaviour.
b. Those, who start from step one above but also have some experience. These people begin with the observances of their faith and outer forms etc. Yet, at some point of time, they begin to have some inner experiences. Such people are those who while performing outer observances also start exploring the deeper and inner life preached by their faiths.
c. The last category is of persons who are non-believers but have turned to a belief system or faith due to some undeniable and very strong inner experience. They may or may not be observing any outer observances. But, they discover the inner significance of any practice they choose to adopt. Such people progress very fast on the spiritual path.

So, according to me, in the beginning, whether a believer or not, one needs to be strongly rooted in his system of belief. Of course, at the same time, he has to be flexible and should be ready to change. This is necessary, because a belief system or faith is still in the realm of the mind – a wave of thought caused by undulations of awareness. With time, it will change. Changelessness comes only when thoughts have ceased to exist and Buddhahood has been attained. [This is one reason why the great ones (be it Buddha or Shankara or Jesus or Muhammad or the Sufis) have always come up and preached the opposite of what was generally accepted in their times.]

4. Irrespective of whether or not one believes in God, one has to have this belief – he exists. Each one of us says, “I am.” By this statement, each one of recognizes, “I exist.” This is self-evident. To make this statement, we do need any supportive evidence. So, whether a believer or not, one should try and investigate who this “I”, the commonality amongst all beings, is. When this is investigated, the Truth will be known. All debates would cease and in the void of samadhi.

5. Debates arise from the intellectual chatter and subside in the silence of the Absolute. Samadhi means that state where all questions have just disappeared.

6. Of course, from the un-initiated, all debates and questions are welcome. The debates and questions exist in the periphery of the mind. It is only from the periphery that one can begin to look at and investigate the deeper levels. But, it must be recognized that intellectual debates can only be supportive (sahayaka) and not decisive (vidhayaka).

7. The believers would like to put the fear of God in the hearts of the non-believers. Yet, in my experience, some of the non-believers are perhaps more firmly rooted in the path of search (mumukshutva) for liberation than the so called believers, whose belief is devoid of any experience and is half baked.

8. In conclusion, each one of us has a choice right in the beginning – to believe or not to believe. There is nothing good or bad about it. We choose to seek in a particular way. It is just that. What is important is readiness to change and accept new experiences. Depending upon the choice we have thus made through various life times, we meet a Master, who eventually puts us on the path.

9. No wonder the Master has often been likened to death. He gives us the experience of death while we are living in the body. He destroys the mind - the belief systems, we have. That engineers the disappearance of the ego. Then, a sudden and great transformation comes.

10. Let’s wish and pray that each one of us has that tremendous breakthrough.

Love and only love,
Brahmaprakash