Ask The Swami: Christianity and Hinduism

sangaeditor@swami.org.

I don't believe thoughtful and spiritually vital Christians think like this. Christianity as a spiritual doctrine will never dominate the religious landscape of India. But its heart of love of God can be enriched by the kind of meaningful interface with Hinduism that Christian theologians like Thomas Merton engaged in. Hindus can also benefit from this kind of exchange. Whenever sincere spiritual seekers from different disciplines discuss openly with one another, they find considerable common ground.

As a general principle one should try to take the best from Eastern and Western culture and apply it to one's life. Thus it is natural that one influenced by an Indian-based spiritual tradition will develop affinity for certain aspects of Hindu socio-religious culture. However, not every aspect of Hindu culture is spiritual. Many Hindu social customs are simply ethnic traditions, some are the result of outside influences, and some are even based on superstition. None of these has much to do with essential spirituality.

Therefore, if a particular aspect of Indian culture makes you feel uncomfortable, then by all means inquire from an advanced devotee as to whether it has any actual bearing on Vaisnava spiritual practice. Essential spiritual practices such as chanting "Krsna nam" are not based on one becoming a member of any particular culture. In fact the culture of Krsna bhakti (devotion), centered on the chanting of "Krsna nam," is a spiritual culture unto itself. The culture of chanting can be incorporated into any ethnic culture or lifestyle.

By self-examination alone one cannot realize one's full spiritual potential. Self-examination is no doubt part of the culture of bhakti, but unto itself it cannot enable one to realize one's spiritual personality. Through self-examination one can understand that the mental sense of self, which is nothing more than the mind's reaction to sensual input, is not enduring and by that gain negative impetus to pursue bhakti. However, realizing one's spiritual personality is only possible by grace, which in Vaisnavism is derived from hearing, chanting, and remembering the pastimes of Sri Krsna, under the guidance of an advanced devotee.

Tolerance is required no matter how a person lives, and tolerance is after all a virtue. Yet the virtues of tolerating are certainly greater when based on living in the bigger picture of life as described in the sacred literature. Sacred literature such as the Bhagavad Gita tells us that the world of the mind and senses is a small world. In this world what is good for one may be experienced as bad for another, one's happiness being another's sadness. The Gita informs us that ultimate reality is bigger than this and that the beginning of realizing and living in the bigger picture beyond the duality of sense perception is tolerance.

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