this will not be an easy book to write, as it will deal with a Icomplex subject matter involving linguistics, cultures, religions, and politics. It will be necessary to use sweeping terms and misnomers such as: God, gods, religion, Hindu, ism, caste, scripture, sin, theology, deism, etc. Different words tend to have different meanings, however slight. There are some who pay attention to linguistics and know how the loss of Sanskrit, linguistic distortion, and linguistic disorganisation have caused harm to indigenous cultures.
India and Hindu, both names given by invaders. Therefore, both names, rejected. Bharat and Sanatana Dharma, both names given by Krishna Bhagavan. Therefore, both accepted.
Srila Prabhupada
The term 'God' is complicated in and of itself. It means many different things to many different people. Its meaning differs from one religion to the other and means absolutely nothing to many. It can even be a derogatory word used by parodists. It differs depending on the scriptural context it finds itself in. The etymological definition means 'to pour' or offer. Going deeper, it refers to both that which is offered and that which receives the offering. Within the Abrahamic traditions it is a generic word, used to describe an ambiguous deity, a vague son of God, or a mysterious prophet of God. The word 'God' is also a German word to describe that which is good. That does not sufficiently describe deities, nor principles of Hindu theology. Even the word 'theology' is probably incorrect.
It is my opinion that the term 'God' does not adequately describe Hindu deities and perhaps should not even be used in the Hindu lexicon if we are to be absolutely correct. Instead, Hindus might use terms such as Ishvara, Bhagavan, Brahman, Devata, Deva, or Devi. Better still, Hindus may refer to their 'gods' by their proper names. I expect this book to have a mostly Hindu audience, but I do hope it will be read by others. As such, I will use the word 'God' herein for the purpose of understanding. At the risk of losing clarity and confusing some, I will use the word with both a capital 'G' and a lowercase 'g'. For reasons I hope will be apparent, I will at times place quotation marks around the expression.
Hinduism, rather Sanatana Dharma, is the original archetypal form of religion that is ironically not a religion at all in the sense of the word that most have become used to. In this tradition, 'God' is in and around everything, not to necessarily be found separate from the Self. This reality is closer to us than our own bones, secondarily transcendent but primarily imminent.
Those of the Abrahamic persuasion believe God to be a being in heaven, to be met in the hereafter. For Hindus, 'God' is everything in everyone every nanosecond of the day. Such divinity of being cannot truly be found outside of the self, until it is found within the higher Self, in a state of pristine awareness. For the individual seeker, this may begin with an idea that the fantastic is not just plausible, but also experiential. That 'God' is not to be found but perceived.
The Hindus Devatas are wondrous beings. The Hindu 'God' is not a being at all, but Brahman... pure universal consciousness and being. Brahman is in one sense, unfathomable. Yet Brahman is always present, and therefore, the most normal thing there is, the most natural thing there is. So much so that it is often overlooked.
Whence has come upon you this cowardice in this time of crisis, Arjuna? It is adharmic; it will win you neither moksha nor glory. Do not give into this weakening hopelessness, it does not suit you. Cast aside this mean faint-heartedness and rise to the fight, Arjuna!!
-Bhagavan Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita
My spiritual experience began early in life. At the age of four, I experienced events I now see as mystical and metaphysical. I had no understanding of such things at that time, of course. Being able to see and communicate with beings from spiritual realms may have been childhood imagination and conjecture, though to this day I believe my past experiences to be real.
Looking back at these contacts later in life, I was able to comprehend their lesson. The lesson was that I am not the body. The lesson was that reality consists of more than the mental and physical, or the psychological and biological. The lesson was that a spiritual world exists beyond life's formalities.
A little later in life, I was indoctrinated into Catholicism. I went through the sacraments, studied the Bible, prayed, and became a follower of Christ. I became a Jesus bhakta. That was when I developed a sense of devotion that I would later put towards a Hindu practice.
My time as a Christian was not a negative episode. I was never the type of Christian who preached to others or wanted to convert others. I never had the thought that Christianity was the only true path to God. Unfortunately, this is a common attitude of most Christians.
Around the age of twelve, I briefly found some mild interest in the occult, and in European Paganism. This was also the age I began yogic and other esoteric studies and practices. My father was a psychology professor who studied the Vedas and taught meditation.
He was a student of Baba Ram Dass. So, I grew up around a lot of interesting books and lessons. By the age of sixteen, I had read the Rig Veda, the Tao Te Ching, the Bhagavad Gita, and the teachings of the Buddha. By this age I also had comprehensive yoga practice, Long before I realised I was Hindu, I was practising its disciplines.
In my early twenties, I was introduced to the teachings of Haidakhan Babaji. I was fortunate to have found an ashram established by his devotees just thirty-five minutes from my home. There, I could practise karma and bhakti yoga while learning more about the Hindu dharma, and how to practise puja, homa, japa and aarti.
Soon after this time I began to study Ayurvedic medicine and took courses from the American Institute of Vedic Studies founded by Acharya Vamadeva Shastriji or David Frawley, who is a wonderful man and a modern-day Rishi. His instruction and his many books and articles have shaped my mind.
I was also fortunate two decades later, to be able to study and practice yoga and Hinduism under the direction of Frank Morales, more appropriately known as Dharma Pravartaka Acharya, the founder of the International Sanatana Dharma Society. Acharyaji is a brilliant man with an immense amount of knowledge.
I initially felt drawn to the Sanatana Dharma by its depth of psychological understanding, along with its various systems of philosophy. I appreciated its all-inclusive pluralism and multiplicity. I had found none of these things in the monocultural Christian dogma.
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