Hinduism and Interfaith
The Future Trends in Our World

At the World’s Parliament of Religions, held at Chicago in 1893, Swami Vivekananda quoted a beautiful verse from ancient Hindu scripture, Shiva Mahimna Stotra:
 
Akashath patitam toyam,
 Yatha gachathi sagaram,
 Sarva deva, namaskarayenam,
 Keshavam pratigachati.
 “As different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their waters in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths, which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee.”129
     He concluded his address by summarizing the message of his master, Sri Ramakrishna: “Criticize no one, for all doctrines and creeds have some good in them. Show by your lives that religion does not mean words, or names, or sects, but that it means spiritual realization.”

        There are two ideologies in the world today: the ideology of one religion or faith, and the ideology of multiple faiths. The believers in one religion feel strongly that their faith is the only one that leads to spiritual evolution and salvation of man. They would not accept that other religions or faiths could also lead to the same end. The believers in multiple faiths have a more open-minded approach and feel that mankind may attain spiritual wisdom through many different paths. There are many gradations of attitude, however, in this second category. Some practice tolerant exclusiveness; they tolerate other beliefs but do not wish any more closeness. Others believe in interfaith dialogue. They maintain a good communication with other faiths. Yet there are those who go beyond that to practice interfaith enrichment: They have a mutual respect for and an interest in learning from other faiths. Inter-religious tolerance is not enough; inter-religious respect is needed.

       In modern times, the talk of one religion being superior to other religions is gradually fading. Most don’t accept that one religion is right and another is wrong; they are simply different! As all races of the world are considered to be equal and free, so too are the various religions. The world at large is coming to terms with religious pluralism. It is important to realize and accept the fact that for any individual, his or her own faith is the best; there is simply no point for competition or confrontation among various religions.

       There is undoubtedly a growing awareness of the interfaith approach. The youth, especially, appear to be more inclined toward this new direction. In recent times, America and other Western countries have witnessed an unusual phenomenon—many people are not giving up on God, but they are not interested in empty rituals and labels. They see a unity in the diversity of many religions. Hinduism has a unique status in this regard. Its origin itself is suggestive of a conglomeration of many faiths in the ancient era in the subcontinent of India. The multi-deity system in Hinduism, which at times has been the cause of unnecessary scorn, may well be a forerunner in the emerging new interfaith philosophy of the world community in the future.

       The Hindu concept that the entire world is but one family lays great emphasis on the unity of all religions. At the same time, Hindu seers and saints have distinguished themselves consistently and emphatically in the belief that all different religions, as well as the religious sects, are sacred and must retain their individual identity. The Vedas explain, “Let us have concord with our own people and concord with people who are strangers to us. Ashvins, create between the strangers and us a unity of hearts.”130

       Mahatma Gandhi, too, strived all his life for unity among the various religions but not for uniformity. He has been hailed as the apostle of non-violence and peace. When confronted with failures and insurmountable difficulties, he would often surrender to the Supreme God for guidance, and pray:
 Let us ask for help from God, the All-Powerful, and tell Him that  we, His tiny creatures, have failed to do what we ought to do. We  hate one another. We distrust one another. We fly at one another’s  throat, and we even become assassins. Let us ask Him to purge our  hearts of all hatred in us. Let us ask God in all humility to give us  sense, to give us wisdom.131

      It would, however, be naïve to imagine that all Hindus have such an open heart about interfaith; even many a Hindu religious leader still has inhibitions and prejudices, the same as people in other faiths have also. Human weakness betrays its ugliness time and again.  Vivekananda’s participation and his famous speech at the World’s Parliament of Religions in 1893 have been hailed as a landmark and a turning point in the organization of the interfaith movement. His thundering words truly echo the concepts of Hindu philosophy:

 I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance.132

       In ancient times, many a Hindu sage would send his pupils, called shishyas, to learn at the feet of other spiritual masters. This would impart to them a more comprehensive view of the spiritual teachings. There are, at present, thousands of non-Hindus who enroll for instruction with Hindu spiritual gurus, so that they may learn meditation, yoga, and other such subjects. There is no question of their converting to the Hindu religion. Hindus also may open their doors of knowledge in the similar way.

      Paramahansa Yogananda adopted this open-door attitude to great advantage. He founded new and unique meditation centers, which adapted many ideas from the Western style of functioning. The Ramakrishna temples, spread all over America, also embraced a new system to a considerable extent. Devotees sit in comfortable chairs and may enter without removing their shoes; they even have no problem with keeping a picture of Christ in the main worship place. No wonder, then, these both organizations became very popular with many non-Hindu devotees. More recently, Hindu temples in America and other foreign countries have remained somewhat traditional. Participating and celebrating in each other’s religious festivities may be a great joy!

       There are examples of intense adaptation to all faiths in varying degrees, where there have been many bold and significant changes incorporated at different periods to suit the demands of time and place. Post-Confucian Buddhism in Japan is yet another classical instance of such intense transformation of religion.

       As a first and most important step, the interfaith opens the windows of all religions for each other. There has so far been an iron curtain between one faith and another. The fear of a forced conversion and other negative attitudes has prevented people from having meaningful and productive relationships with each other. Now, interfaith is directing devotees of different faiths to know and understand the philosophies, rituals, and teachings of each other. By this, the people become more friendly and cooperative, instead of being hostile and antagonistic. Indeed, they soon realize how, in essence, all religions have more in common. The basic teachings are remarkably similar. They also complement the knowledge of their own religion to make it more broad-based and complete. Indeed, each religion has a special spiritual value of its own, which is not to be found in any other.133 Thus, the interfaith approach truly brings religion in line with science.

       For Hindus, interfaith is a sacred heritage. In fact, it is incorporated in the ancient teachings of the Vedas and Upanishads: Ekam Sat, Viprah Bahudha Vidanti—there is only one truth; sages call it by different names. This age-old maxim is the intrepid recognition of the plurality of faiths. It also inculcated firmly the seed of toleration in Hindu society. At no time has any Hindu seer claimed an exclusive privilege of salvation (moksha) through only his or her own faith. Said Sri Ramakrishna, “As many faiths, so many paths to God, there can never be a single religion for all humanity. Each faith has distinct characteristics and has a definite significance in economy of an enriching divine life.”134

       In the ancient period, Emperor Ashoka created the Council of Religions, where representatives of various faiths met and discussed different issues in a cool, deliberate manner. None would be permitted to speak ill about other religions. Hindu sages have also repeatedly professed not to talk pretentiously of other creeds and sects. They have regarded God as the sun, which shines on all objects equally, without any discrimination. The human mind, however, is fickle and weak; Hindus may do well to remind themselves of this eternal Vedic pledge again and again when faced with adverse challenges.135 Another ancient Hindu scripture, the Trikural, contains good advice: “Those who cannot live in harmony with the world, though they have learned many things, are still ignorant.”

      Jainism, which developed as reform movement of Hinduism, has bold and innovative ideas in this regard. Jainism promotes the concept of anekta, in which there may be many valid viewpoints for any reality. It also considers any truth as only partial and non-absolute, thus giving credence and respect for all different ideologies without any qualification. Many conflicts and wars in the name of righteousness  could be resolved with this non-aggressive philosophical attitude.

      A pertinent question is often raised as to what Hinduism has to offer in regard to the emerging concepts of interfaith. Hinduism may be considered as a living link between the ancient tribal system and the organized religions of the later periods. The ancient concept of Mother Earth is also the basic Vedic theme. Reverence of nature, Earth, sun, planets, rivers, and all the cosmos are the heritage of the Hindu philosophy. The reverence to nature is then extended to family. A unified vision of the world as one family has been ingrained as Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Hindu sages have always considered different religions as divergent aspects of the same truth. The sages of the modern era, too, have repeatedly prompted us to create a liaison between the East and the West, to achieve the best possible results without compromising the essential and basic principles. Hinduism has thus carried forth the tradition of the early tribal religions, when tolerance of other religions was astonishingly high as compared with the organized religions of the later period. The Hindu custom of greeting with folded hands, Namaste, is symbolic of recognizing the Divine in all beings. It has been said that in this war-torn age, only the ancient Indian spiritual teaching of unity and harmony can be a true savior.136

     There is reason to believe that all religions have an internal bonding. Even as there are many differences, there are also amazing similarities. The Kabbalah sect of Judaism, the Sufism of Islam, and the Gnosticism of Christianity share a lot in common with Hinduism. Perhaps there is a divine purpose, both in the diversity and unity of faiths. Said Sadhu T. L. Vaswani, one of the most prominent saints of the last century:

There are so many who can believe only one thing at a time. I am so made as to rejoice in the many and behold the beauty of the One in the many. Hence my natural affinity to many religions: in them all I see revelations of the One spirit. And deep in my heart is the conviction that I am a servant of all prophets.137

    This sacred message of the great Hindu saint very deftly and comprehensively conveys the philosophy of interfaith.

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