1001 Steps to Enlightenment

There is a very long Indian tradition of using stories for teaching spiritual lessons. It is possible that the very oldest of texts (the Vedas) were based on stories that illustrated the meaning of devotion to gods, and the nature of those gods. The Upanishads--early mystical texts--are full of stories or story fragments, which are told by gurus and teachers to their students to illustrate issues related to the path of enlightenment, the nature of reality, and psychological insights.

The Buddha participated in this literary activity and told wonderful stories to illuminate religious points and to give life to his sermons.

exists in that tradition, as well as the tradition of framing stories within elaborate frame-narratives that define the meaning of the tales being told.

Early in the book, the American listener complains that the Hindu stories' characters seem too passive--that the heroes are "stuck" and "seem to be moving in molasses." Does this tell us anything about how Hinduism views free will?

The Hindu literary traditions have not emphasized the active hero who seizes control of his destiny or circumstances in quite the same way as some Western literature has. In fact, the personalities of characters are not as vivid (in the truly ancient texts) and they are not fighting a tragic battle for the sake of a unique destiny (these are very general observations--there are exceptions).

I think the reasons are more psychological than metaphysical. They are due to a social and psychological de-emphasis of the individual person in favor of the broader unit--the family, village, community. The more philosophical point has to do with time and cosmology--the sense that because we are bound in a social network (karma is about relationships) and because our life repeats, it is harder to take charge. Each story plays this out differently.

Furthermore, the stories do not emphasize dramatic elements in plot and personality change beause what matters is not the growth of the individual actor as the process of nature as a whole, including the listeners of the tale.

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