Unpacking Hinduism, an Experiential Religion

“What is harder than rock? What is softer than water? Yet hard rocks are hollowed out by soft water.”

 – Seneca

“The basic recurring theme in Hindu mythology is the creation of the world by the self-sacrifice of God—”sacrifice” in the original sense of “making sacred”—whereby God becomes the world which, in the end, becomes again God.”

 – Fritjof Capra, The Tao of Physics

The teachings of Vedanta, organized in books called the Upanishads—Hinduism’s highest teachings—summarize and appear chronologically at the end of the Vedas. The Vedas, including the Vedanta, are the voluminous scriptural works of Sanatana Dharma, or “Eternal Law,” commonly known as “Hinduism” in the West.

The Sanskrit word “Dharma” is commonly translated into English as “religion,” but this is an inadequate translation and hence a misnomer. “Religion” connotes obligatory laws to be followed (from the Latin for “Religare” or “Religio” meaning “binding”). “Dharma” comes from the Sanskrit root “Dhri,” which means “to support.”

For example, we can ask, what supports the natural world in the sense that it governs and protects it? The answer is: laws, in this case, natural (physical) laws.

To illustrate, gravity, cycles of day and night, rules of molecular combination in chemistry, and so on, are all laws of nature, governing and therefore also protecting, how nature operates. You may ask, “How do natural laws protect? Aren’t they neutral?” Indeed, by virtue of their neutrality, they apply uniformly and prevent whimsical behavior. If gravity didn’t behave as a law, meaning act uniformly on everything, and every time without exception, then the next time you jump, you could just launch yourself into outer space!

Next, we probe what supports, governs, and protects society? Civil and social laws. Our everyday engagement with strangers and co-workers as well as our behaviors in public spaces (or even at home) are regulated and preserved by civil and social laws, thus preventing descent into chaos and anarchy.

Likewise, we can ask, what supports humans in their spiritual lives? The answer: spiritual laws. The entire body of such spiritual laws as revealed to the ancient rishis—forest-dwelling sages and “spiritual scientists”in India—is called “Sanatana Dharma.” These laws are “Sanatana,” which means they are eternal, both in time and space, and hence universal. In addition, they are conditioned upon contexts, goals, and situations, just like the aforementioned natural and civil laws. The latter aspect of these laws—contexts, goals, and situations—constitutes the basis for why Hinduism is often referred to as “a way of life.”

However, it is not just an arbitrary way of life. Rather, in conformance with the true definition of Dharma above, it is a way of living that supports all life. It is a way that protects and uplifts the inner and outer expressions of life, guided by the spiritual principles (not dictates), enumerated in Indian scriptures. These principles emphasize the centricity of truth, honesty, integrity, non-covetousness, humility, control of the senses, a mental detachment from greed and materialism, all arising primarily from love of God, whatever your conception of Him or Her.

The term “religion,” on the other hand, connotes fixed obligatory laws that people must follow, as dictates. This, Hinduism isn’t—not in the manner that other religions are. This is explained with a simple example: If you need to attend a job interview with a bank on Wall Street, you would be well-advised to wear an Armani suit and tie. In contrast, if you want to enjoy a day at the beach, you’d don swimwear! If you reverse the clothing choice and interview with the Wall Street bank in a swimsuit, it is safe to say that you won’t get the bank job (no matter how well you interview). And if you visit the beach in an Armani suit and tie, not only would people laugh at you, but you would not enjoy the sun or a swim in the ocean. The dress code, therefore, is obligatory only insofar as the context and goals are concerned. This is obviously a simplistic example, but it captures the gist behind the explanation of the word “Dharma.”

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