(RNS) — For the third October in as many years, Hindu organizations in the United States and elsewhere are celebrating Hindu Heritage Month, a time to take note of the accomplishments of Hindus throughout history and the values drawn from this great world tradition that inspired them. But as we celebrate our ancient tradition, we should also reflect on its relevance and take measure of its potential contributions to the challenges of our contemporary world.
As my contribution, I wish to identify four insights of the Hindu tradition that I believe can be useful for the well-being and flourishing of both Hindus and the world community. We must constantly aspire to these principles in practice and must measure ourselves as a community by them. And if we are to take those values to the world, we must remember that Hindu heritage is also a human heritage; its significance for humanity must be an important part of our deliberations.
First is the teaching that human beings, and indeed all beings, constitute and belong to a single community. This is the principle of life’s unity. The Vedas, regarded as an authoritative Scripture by most Hindus, speak of the divine as “That from which all beings originate, by which they are sustained and to which they return.”
The divine, in this reading, is not the national or tribal deity of a particular religious or ethnic community, but the source of all life and existence. The Maha Upanishad articulates this teaching in famous and beautiful words: “Only those with small minds distinguish between the relative and the stranger. For those who live generously, the entire world constitutes a single family.” Do our relationships with others embody the understanding of the world as a family?
Second is the unequivocal affirmation of the equal dignity and value of all human beings. The one divine exists equally in everyone. The divine presence is not limited by anything — nation, gender, religion, ethnicity or age. This is why Hindus must always resist any ideology that denies the personhood and dignity of others. We can’t support any social, cultural, religious or political system founded on hate and inequality.
This teaching of the Hindu tradition is particularly relevant as we witness xenophobia and racism around the world. Our tradition requires us to stand with those who are marginalized because they are different.
Third is the commitment to the principle and practice of noninjury (ahimsa). Nonviolence is regarded in the Hindu tradition as the supreme ethical value. It is the first in the list of virtues enunciated in the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, and the Mahabharata describes it as the highest human obligation.
Though a call to nonaction, Hindu interpreters emphasize the positive content of nonviolence. The positive side of ahimsa is compassion. “Where there is no compassion, there is no ahimsa,” said Mohandas K. Gandhi. “The test of ahimsa is compassion. The concrete form of ahimsa is compassion. Hence it is said there is as much ahimsa as there is compassion.” According to Tulsidas, author of a version of the Ramayana, all the sacred texts and learned teachers of the Hindu tradition concur in affirming that there is no ethical obligation higher than freeing human beings from suffering and no transgression worse than inflicting suffering on another.
A Hindu heritage that affirms the supremacy of nonviolence and its expression in compassion is one that must be at the forefront of our efforts. Our heritage does not condone indifference to human suffering caused by the lack of health care, housing, education, good work and leisure. We can’t ignore oppression and injustice based on gender, birth, race or religion. May the Hindu heritage be known and celebrated throughout the world for its active commitment to the overcoming of suffering.
Fourth and final is valuing diversity. Nations that were once fairly homogeneous in culture, ethnicity and religion are being rapidly transformed, and it’s important that we welcome, celebrate and appreciate the enrichment that our diversity affords. In so many parts of our world, diversity is still a source of fear, mistrust, suspicion and violence.
Hindu tradition does not teach that differences are unimportant or that all teachings are equally true — how could religious teachings that legitimize hate and violence be as true as those that promote justice, love and nonviolence? What the Hindu tradition does emphasize is that the divine is always more than we can define, describe or understand with our finite minds and languages. No representation of the divine in image or words can ever be complete.
The implication is that we must profess our traditions with humility, engage in dialogue and be open always to the possibility of learning from diverse traditions. Are we hospitable in our communities and institutions to those who are different?
We Hindus have not always been faithful to these teachings. In Hindu Heritage Month, may we be inspired to awaken goodness in all human beings. May it challenge us to be self-critical and to stand together for the dignity and equal worth of human beings. May it urge us all to lives of active compassion to alleviate suffering. In a world that thirsts for peace, may it inspire us all to be agents of the way of nonviolence and positive peace (shantih).
(Anantanand Rambachan is emeritus professor of religion at St. Olaf College. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)
