Hindu Dharma for the 21st-Century

Our Hindu children and grandchildren are growing up in America without the
benefit of intrinsic knowledge of their parents and ancestors’ Indian culture, its
traditions and belief systems. As a result many grow up without strong roots in their
religious tradition, suffer low self-esteem as members of a religious minority in the
land of their birth, lack strong identity with the Indo-American community, and falter
in their commitment to abiding Hindu values. These conditions inhibit second- and
third-generation Indo-Americans from realizing their full potential and from
contributing significantly to the countries that nurture them. Everyone becomes a
loser in the process.
One reason, among many, for our children’s “uprootedness” and alienation
from their mother-culture is due to Indo-American parents’ individual and collective
inability to articulate and communicate those cherished values and religious practices
which they themselves hold. American Hindu children grow up in a cultural
environment with religious beliefs, social customs and family values radically different
from what they experience in their homes. The dichotomy between our native
traditional culture and that of our adopted country causes Hindu parents and their
offspring enormous strain, conflict and distraction. These second- and third-
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generation Indo-American children question the sanity and rationale of Hindu beliefs
and practices: our praying to a diverse array of Gods; our offering prostrations to and
propitiating deities; and our elaborate, time-consuming, and expensive rituals. They
argue about the “greed” of religious leaders, criticize India’s caste system, decry
arranged marriages, shun vegetarianism, scoff at frugality, and forego the traditional
practices of showing respect to their elders and teachers. Hindu parents have no ready
or studied answers to such questioning. Our children have limited or no access to
learned, practicing scholar-saints to whom they can direct their questions and clear
their doubts. Soon frustrated, they become indifferent, scornful, or outright rebels.
The “generation gap” between immigrant Indo-Americans and their progeny becomes
an unbridgeable culture gap, and we lose a generation. Is it too late? We think not: it is
time for action – a collective community response.
In the United States the Indian community has tried to address religious and
cultural continuity by building Hindu temples. Over 800 or more such temples exist
today in this country with virtually one temple being built each week. Predominantly
offering traditional ritualistic services replicating the manner and methods of India,
our temples are doing little to address the challenges that we have enumerated above.
To address these issues, The Sambodh Society, Inc. sees the need for a seminar which
we now propose here:
“Hindu Dharma for the 21st-Century”
Apart from our own ignorance, another problem in communicating our
practices and cultural values to our Hindu children is the scholars and Hindu leaders’
inability to interpret those beliefs and values to the needs of the times and to
communicate them in a contemporary idiom. This task of interpretation cannot be the
work of one individual. It must be a collective effort of many inspired practitioners,
community and religious leaders, swamis, saints and scholars. Ultimately, such efforts
will initiate an education for our Hindu temples in America and Indo-American
parents. The results will be a leadership capable of addressing the needs of our youth
and future generations.
Action Plan
The Sambodh Society Inc. and the Sambodh Center for Human Excellence are
planning a four-day seminar and workshop on the topic of Hindu Dharma for the 21st-
Century. The seminar will hold eight one-hour presentations on eight foundational
pillars of Hinduism identified by His Holiness Swami Bodhananda Saraswati on the
basis of his observations and discussions with Hindu scholars, parents, grandparents,
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and youth living in America. A two-hour panel discussion will follow each
presentation.
The Sambodh Society, Inc. is inviting eminent scholars and innovative thinkers,
such as yourself, to present papers and lead panel discussions on the following
themes: 1) Sanatana Dharma; 2) Varnashrama Dharma; 3) Karma Siddhanta and
Reincarnation; 4) Hindu Rituals and Temple Worship in the Modern Era; 5) Gurus,
Teachings and Ashrams; 6) Scriptures and their Interpretations; 7) Caste Conflict and
Coalition in Hindu Society amidst the Specter of Conversion; 8) A Hindu-Framework
for Interfaith and Science-Spirituality Dialogues.
This seminar is proposed as a discussion among scholars and seminar
participants with regard to these eight pillars of Hinduism, during which speakers will
provide a comprehensive view of contemporary Hinduism, presenting relevant data
from both India and America and articulating how various shifting circumstances and
the problems outlined above impinge upon Hindu families residing in America and
subsequent generations of Hindus. Seminar speakers will receive a set of prepared
questions based upon the pillars of Hinduism identified in this document for the
purpose of preparing for the panel discussions. We request that you submit your
responses to these questions in advance of the seminar.
Following the seminar, The Sambodh Society, Inc. will publish both a CD of
the lectures and a book incorporating all of the presentations and panel discussions.
We see the seminar and the book as an important first step in interpreting and
disseminating Hindu beliefs and practices to our Indo-American community which
reflect their unique circumstances, enable the living expression of these timeless
values, and thereby convey these values to the world. Finally, as a result of this effort,
we are hopeful that the scholarly presentations and discussions will provide both a
framework and serve as an impetus for future seminars at SCHE focused upon related
themes and their practical application.
Just as the European Renaissance of the 14th-century began with the
reinterpretation of ancient Greek and Roman culture, so, too, will a global renaissance
begin with the interpretation of the deeply spiritual Hindu culture and tradition. We
believe that the Vedantic tradition of Hindus will become a beacon for the 21stcentury
and that American Hindus will play a leading role in the cultural and spiritual
global renaissance.
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Topics for Presentation and the Panel Discussion
(i) Sanatana Dharma: This session will be devoted to the discussion of the
eternal universal values taught in the Vedas, Smritis, Puranas, and Darshanas by
the enlightened masters of India. In all ages, these values have been
transmitted and sustained as Hindu culture. They have been interpreted in
the light of modern science and social theories, and they reflect the
egalitarian and practical aspirations of individual Hindus as well as their
community. Included is the Vedantic relational understanding of God, the
world, and the individual, which leads to a meaningful life and purposeful
action. What application does this knowledge have to our everyday lives?
How does the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta, the bedrock of Hindu dharma,
reach our Indo-American population over the generations? How is Sanatana
Dharma sustained by Indo-Americans without the broad-base support of the
surrounding culture? How can Sanatana Dharma add value, depth and
perspective to contemporary American culture? These ideas and questions
will comprise the focus of this session.
(ii) Varnashrama Dharma: Apart from the awareness of Hindu beliefs and
universal human and spiritual values, individuals and communities also have
to know how to apply those beliefs and values in an ever-changing
landscape of events and outcomes. Their application must also accord with
one’s temperament, training, and age, as well as incorporate the needs of the
community and a culture’s stage of technological development. How are we
to apply dharma in our personal day-to-day practice? How are Hindu
practices affected by the Western lifestyle? And how do they remain
relevant and alive for Indo-American Hindus and their children? These are
the challenges that will be addressed in this session.
(iii) Karma Siddhanta and Reincarnation: These two ideas have been part of
Hindu beliefs and have been burnt into the Hindu DNA since time
immemorial, though later Hindu reformers, like Basavanna and Guru
Nanak, rejected those theories. Buddhists and Jains also accept these two
theories. Presently, karma-siddhanta and the theory of reincarnation are part
of popular Western imagination and the frequent subject of their
psychological and scientific investigations. What do these theories mean?
What are their implications for life, a changing worldview, and a deepening
awareness that enhances life’s quality? What are their implications for
Hindus residing in the West, whose ideas are being discovered, adapted,
adopted, and, alternately, denounced by a predominately Christian culture?
These themes and questions will be examined in this session.
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(iv) Hindu Rituals and Temple Worship in the Modern Era: Hindus invoke
God's presence in murtis or idols, and we offer our service to these
spiritually-charged icons installed in our Hindu homes and temples. This
practice has become the central theme of modern Hinduism. An elaborate
science and tradition has evolved around and supports the construction of
temples, carving images from stone, metals and wood, installing those
images with mantra and rituals, and offering daily and occasional ceremonial
pujas. Although, over the ages, the worship of “many Gods” has been
greatly misunderstood India’s varieties of deities have also been of great
fascination to non-Hindus. The ordinary devotee, the curious onlooker, and
even the indifferent or neutral participant, regardless of their degree of
interest, would like to understand the meaning and purpose of deity
worship. Some venture to explore the effectiveness of these Hindu
practices. This session will focus first upon Hindu praxis, identifying those
rituals which modern Hindus see as basic: as individuals, for families, and
for their communities. Then, how do Hindus understand their practice of
idol worship, its meaning, and its relevance to their lives? Having examined
these two areas, it is possible to identify ways in which parents might to
respond to their children’s questions about the practice of idol worship as
well as to those who have little understanding or limited exposure to these
ancient and viable religious practices. This session will grapple with the
basic questions Hindu parents seek most to answer: Why idol worship, and,
what (if any) is its relevance to modern life?
(v) Gurus, Teachings and Ashrams: Another tradition which is central to
Hinduism is the institution of gurus and ashrams and the unbroken flow of
their role in teaching the ultimate value of life. During the Muslim and
British rules, when Hinduism was under tremendous pressure and all visible
structures of Hindu culture were wantonly destroyed, it was the ashrams and
wandering gurus who kept the Hindu faith aflame among the common folk
in the villages and cities. They not only lived religion but also taught and
inspired others by their practices. But for these heroic, selfless gurus and
wandering ascetics, Hinduism would have been forever lost to us. This
session will look at the historical as well as the contemporary significance of
the guru and the ashram in the preservation and propagation of Hindu
culture. How can and does this pillar of Hinduism effectively incorporate
into a culture where ashrams are scarce, where gurus tailor themselves for
Western seekers, and immigrant Hindus seek to insulate themselves from
Western influence? What other challenges do ashrams and gurus in the West
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face? How might gurus and ashrams be of greater help to Hindu parents and
families living in America and assist in sustaining a Hindu way of life?
(vi) Scriptures and their Interpretations: A revealed scripture is the heart of
any religion or faith. The adherents intuitively connect with the revelations
of the scripture, intellectually interpret, and emotionally imbibe those
teachings, and modify their individual and collective behavior accordingly.
Without this rock foundation, life becomes a ship tossed in the storm of
unpredictable events. Faith is the anchor, and values are the compass for
this ship of life. But a literal interpretation of scripture is dangerous and
potentially leads to blind faith and sectarian violence. Scriptures ought to be
studied by people of balanced and pure minds. Scriptures are to be lived
both personally and as a community. From that wisdom gained in practical
living, scriptures are to be interpreted according to the needs of the times,
and, this kind of interpretation is one of the most important tasks for a
dynamic community. Great scriptural interpreters arose in India, like
Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Vallabha, Vivekananda, Swami Dayananda,
Mahatma Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo and others. This session will focus upon
several interrelated questions of import, considering both Hindus in India as
well as their counterparts abroad: What scriptures are foundational to
Hinduism in modern times? How do we (and how are we to) interpret
scripture for our times? Finally, what are the parameters of interpretation
that are to assist us in facing modern challenges, including those challenges
that Hindus confront living in the West?
(vii) Caste Conflict and Coalition in the Hindu Society, and the Specter of
Conversion: The prevalence of caste divisions based upon accident of birth
and caste discrimination are relics from the deep and long past of the Hindu
society. Caste divisions are slow to dissolve, and they continue, in some
form. So, too, the resultant caste-based conflicts for power and wealth. In a
multi-caste society like the Hindu society, we can expect dynamic shifts and
rainbow-caste coalitions, as in the recent trend whereby high-caste Hindus
have joined hands with Dalits for class/caste-based reservations on
economic considerations, squeezing the middle class. Caste-based social
divisions also affect Indians living in the United States. Western
stereotypical perspectives of caste as the hallmark of Indian culture
embarrass Indo-American youth, negatively affecting their cultural
identities. Evangelical, monotheistic religions that convert Hindus have
exploited the caste division in Hindu society causing a drastic and traumatic
rupture in a people’s sense of history and self. What special problems has
this system created for Hindu parents raising children in America? For inter-
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religious marriages and conversions that occur as a consequence of
marriage? This presentation will take a critical look at this age-old intractable
problem, as it was, as well as the current state of affairs, including the effect
upon Indo-American parents, their families, their identity, and their faith,
along with a diagnosis and prognosis.
(viii) A Hindu Framework for Interfaith and Science-Spirituality Dialogues:
In the modern global village, we find people of different faiths, languages,
traditions and customs mingling in common spaces: in families, the work
arena, leisure-time facilities, on every street, and in every suburb of
developed societies. Our Hindu children are exposed to all cultures and
faiths of the world. During this age of global integration, the time for
conflict, extermination, and/or forced conversion is waning. Ours is the
age of conversation versus conversion, consensus versus conflict, and global
initiatives versus isolation and retreat. Hindu Dharma, and its capstone,
Advaita Vedanta philosophy, provide an inclusive worldview, an allembracing
culture of coexistence amidst (and, in spite of) difference and
dissent. We believe that Hindus of all generations, living in India or abroad,
have a significant role to play in the unfolding of this global drama because
this Hindu worldview will be more effective for creating interfaith
conversation and even for integrating modern science with spirituality.
Preserving our Hindu heritage and responding to the changing
circumstances of increasing globalism is of significant import. How can
Hindus draw upon their philosophy and tradition of non-violent coexistence
to create a framework and regime for dialogue and global
conversation? Can we help the world in discovering a common ground for
collective action to protect both the planet and human civilization? Are
there special problems or boons to this discovery process associated with
such a diverse culture, religious, racial and global amalgam as is the United
States of America? These challenges will be the inspirational theme of the
final session.