One of the most remarkable aspects of living abroad is trying to come to terms with cultural, religious, and individual differences. And what differences! While India represents a myriad of separate religions, societies, and cultures, Hinduism is dominant and is at the core of Indian cultural values. No wonder the Moslems and a few others sometimes feel left out.
To know India even a little requires focusing on culture and religion.
A Fulbright psychologist from Wittenberg University provided us with a very nice way to try to gain insights on how Americans and Indians relate to "self" and to "others" and how all this connects to Judeo-Christian vs. Hindu tradition:
• American Tendency:
The self is an independent entity, bounded by one’s body and defined by stable
traits. Indian Tendency: The self is
a fluid entity that moves in and out of one’s being, transcending time and space. This is core to religious beliefs in India.
- American Tendency:
Self-descriptions emphasize personal attributes, and bad behavior is explained in terms of personal attributes. Indian Tendency: Self-descriptions emphasize relational attributes, and bad behavior is explained in terms of situational demands. This is not easy for Americans to fully comprehend or to accept its significance.
- American Tendency: Resolves moral dilemmas in favor of individual justice. Indian Tendency: Resolves moral dilemmas in favor of interpersonal obligations. This ties to corruption and all kinds of behaviors that we as Americans frown on.
- American Tendency: Feels morally obligated to help strangers only in a crisis. Indian Tendency: Feels morally obligated to help others in a wide range of situations. We see this almost every day. Indians have given extremely generously of their time as we struggle to learn about health and pension reforms.
- American Tendency: Feels morally obligated to help strangers only in a crisis. Indian Tendency: Feels morally obligated to help others in a wide range of situations. We see this almost every day. Indians have given extremely generously of their time as we struggle to learn about health and pension reforms.
- American Tendency:
Resists accommodating to social expectations, feeling that it impinges on personal
freedom. Indian Tendency: Experiences accommodation to others’ expectations as freely chosen and personally satisfying. This plays out, for example, in the high success rates of arranged marriages.
First, from the Judeo-Christian tradition:
“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful
and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish
of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that
moves on the earth.” …from Genesis
Second, from the Indian-Hindu tradition:
“The one who loves all intensely begins perceiving in
all living beings a part of himself. He becomes a lover of all, a
part and parcel of the Universal Joy. He flows with the stream of
happiness, and is enriched by each soul.” ...from Yajur Veda
“The source of creation is an infinity, a wholeness. As the
source is infinite, the creation is also infinite. You cannot divide life
into Divine and non-Divine. The Divinity never gets exhausted. Destruction
and creation are not two different events. One is emergence and the
other is merging back. So let there be peace through the realization that the
whole life is Divine.” ...from Shavasya Upanishad
Even after all of our reading and talking, we are still total novices on Hinduism. What is clear to us is that Hindus have a deeply personal connection to their faith and their gods. There are literally millions of gods and these personal gods can take many forms: statues, trees, rocks, mountains, etc. These objects become gods as individuals believe in them thus everything is interconnected and very personal.
In the late afternoon in the apartment below ours in Defence Colony, candles are lit, and the sandalwood incense burns at the family altar, permeating our apartment. We can look directly down at the altar from our apartment and we often we see our landlady Shammi worshipping to her god.
Even after all of our reading and talking, we are still total novices on Hinduism. What is clear to us is that Hindus have a deeply personal connection to their faith and their gods. There are literally millions of gods and these personal gods can take many forms: statues, trees, rocks, mountains, etc. These objects become gods as individuals believe in them thus everything is interconnected and very personal.
In the late afternoon in the apartment below ours in Defence Colony, candles are lit, and the sandalwood incense burns at the family altar, permeating our apartment. We can look directly down at the altar from our apartment and we often we see our landlady Shammi worshipping to her god.
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| A woman worshipping her tree god ouside of a Hindu temple |
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| This a close-up from the picture above. Hindus often add eyes to inaminate objects of worship to deepen the personal connection to their god, Notice the Holi colors all over the icon. |
We have often visited one particular local Hindu temple. We've gone here alone, and we've taken all of our India visitors to the temple. Situated just four metro stops away, it is quite a place, with many, many places of worship, a health clinic, a food preparation and donation center for the hungry, and administrative areas.
We are invariably engaged by members of the community during our visits to help us feel embraced by their world. Once a man with a big smile and passable English latched on to us as we entered the temple. He guided us through the many Hindu rituals including offering gifts of flowers and corn, receiving blessings such as water.sprinkled on our heads, and connecting with the individual gods through touch. Yes, the taking of pictures was fine. He spoke excitedly about all the gods, but made a point of pointing out his personal god. Sadly there was much that was said that was unintelligible as his eagerness to share this temple he had visited since his childhood bubbled over.
Before leaving the temple our guide ushered us into a room with 12 foot long cushions on the floor where we sat. He insisted we meet the very intelligent and caring head of the complex. Clearly he hoped that we would support on a greater level than we already had this place that was doing such good work. As we left and thanked him, he gave us his cell number and told us to call him any time. He said it was his duty to help visitors. Truly amazing hospitality and not at all atypical. We experience similar acts all the time.
We are invariably engaged by members of the community during our visits to help us feel embraced by their world. Once a man with a big smile and passable English latched on to us as we entered the temple. He guided us through the many Hindu rituals including offering gifts of flowers and corn, receiving blessings such as water.sprinkled on our heads, and connecting with the individual gods through touch. Yes, the taking of pictures was fine. He spoke excitedly about all the gods, but made a point of pointing out his personal god. Sadly there was much that was said that was unintelligible as his eagerness to share this temple he had visited since his childhood bubbled over.
Before leaving the temple our guide ushered us into a room with 12 foot long cushions on the floor where we sat. He insisted we meet the very intelligent and caring head of the complex. Clearly he hoped that we would support on a greater level than we already had this place that was doing such good work. As we left and thanked him, he gave us his cell number and told us to call him any time. He said it was his duty to help visitors. Truly amazing hospitality and not at all atypical. We experience similar acts all the time.
Within the temple worshippers shove and elbow to get ahead or get closer to the altar to provide offerings to the gods. What a contrast to the Ba’hai temple 1/3 mile away. We approached the Ba’hai temple with its acres of grounds. We waited as instructed and were admitted to the temple after a briefing on Bahai beliefs and instructions regarding maintaining silence and not taking pictures. It was a very meditative experience at Ba'hai, but none of the personal chaos and connection that we see in the Hindu temples.
Before arrival in India, Ken felt somewhat negative and Caroline felt confused about Hinduism. No longer.
Before arrival in India, Ken felt somewhat negative and Caroline felt confused about Hinduism. No longer.
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| The serenity and simplicity of India's Ba'hai Temple... |
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| ...the Hindu temple is anything but serene and simple. |
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| Lots of offerings to these Hindu gods. |
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| The Christian Mother Mary gets absorbed into the Hindu tidal wave in India. |
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