Does one need to convert?

While shooting for "Eat, Love & Pray" Julia Roberts was required to shoot scenes of lighting incense, praying and meditating in a Hindu temple. She enjoyed these practices and has embraced them as part of her routine as she reportedly wants her next life to be quiet and supporting. Some people, obviously Hindus, are rejoicing Julia's apparent "conversion" to Hinduism. To me this inference is not very apt.

Firstly, there is a serious question about Hinduism being a religion. Not a single scripture, held in esteem by the Hindus, speaks of Dharma as the Hindu Dharma. Instead, in these scriptures Dharma is referred to as Sanatan (Eternal) - an eternal principle responsible for cycles of creation, maintenance and dissolution. Even when dissolution has taken place and only undifferentiated energy remains, Dharma would still be in operation and will give rise to a fresh cycle of creation, maintenance and dissolution. In that sense, Dharma propounded by our ancient sages and seers is far beyond any set of defined practices or paths. In comparison, the Hindu Dharma, like any other Dharma, appears limited.

In the early nineties I had the great good fortune of knowing Mr Soli Tavaria, who was a great seer, having easy access to past, present and future. Mr Tavaria once told me something about the origin of the word "Hindu".

When the invading armies of Alexander crossed the river boundary into India, they found to their surprise that waters of the river and also the people on this side were black. Seeing this, Alexander cried "Indu-Indu", which perhaps in Greek means "black". As such, the river came to be called Indus and the country was called India. In course of time, the inhabitants were called Hindus. So, the Hindu identity came into existence very recently, while the Dharma that was already there was far older. Thus, the notion of a Hindu Dharma is not in keeping with the Indian tradition, where Dharma is an eternal principle.

Secondly, conversion or proselytization is not ingrained in the Indian tradition (especially in the context of the Hindus). Sanatan Dharma is the whole, of which other Dharmas (belief systems) can always be part. So, a belief in the Sanatan Dharma recognizes that there is always scope for for accepting any other belief system that cannot be adversarial. This perhaps explains, why the Hindu kings never sent their armies or missionaries out to convert other populations either forcibly or through allurement into Hinduism.

Even in modern times, so many great Gurus have stepped out of India to become Gurus to the whole world. But, they have never "converted" any one into Hinduism because what they preach is more Sanatan (eternal and all encompassing) than Hindu.

All temples, not just Hindu but other places of worship too, witness sustained devotional practices by ardent devotees. Therefore, these places are chrged with extremely positive vibrations. Just by being their, a person finds that the outgoing flow of the energies of his body and mind changes direction and begins to flow to the source within. Temple visits, coupled with practices of lighting incense, chanting mantras, and meditation, further help this process of going within and enable a person to discover the core of his Being. The entire journey takes place within the inner laboratory of the body and the mind. For this, no one needs to renounce the faith he has been born into. Of course, when one reaches the goal of inner absorption, he will have a true understanding of his faith.

The sum and substance of the above discussion is that whatever faith we are born into is fine. We need to evolve by drawing our energies with so that we know who we truly are. This experience will be the same for everyone no matter what faith he originally subscribed to. So what Julia Roberts is doing need not be described as abandoning one faith to embrace another, as long the practces she undertakes help her go within and realize pure awareness (Christ consciousness).

As long as one is caught in to his limted identity as a Christian, a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Jain, and Islamist or a Sikh, he is likely to miss Christ, Krishna (or Rama), Buddha, Mahavira, Mohammad and Guru Nanakdev. What is important is that we realize the consciousness of Christ, Krishna (or Rama), Buddha, Mahavira, Mohammad or Guru Nanakdev that is common to everyone.

So let's celebrate Julia's evolution rather than her so called "conversion".