10-17-2005, 12:12 PM
Solutions:
A) Hindus Must Develop a Formidable and Well-trained Leadership
We need to hold our present leaders â both Hindu activist leaders, as well as our current crop of gurus, swamis, and sadhus â to a much higher standard than we do at present. It is no longer acceptable for âswamijisâ to flock to America, gain a large and profitable following among American devotees, only to then abandon their allegiance to Hinduism by telling their American followers that what they are practicing has nothing to do with Hinduism. Such Radical Universalist âgurusâ wish to have it both ways â telling their American followers that they are not really practicing Sanatana Dharma per se, while simultaneously approaching the Indian Hindu community for donations and support. When our own supposed leaders shy away from being proud Hindus, how are we to expect our own children to behave any different? We need a stronger, more honest, and more credible Hindu leadership than this if Hinduism is going to have a meaningful future in America.
B) The Hindu Activist as a Servant of God
In their volunteer work, Hindu activists must be motivated by the insights derived from their own spiritual experience, an attitude of bhakti (devotion) toward God, and an overarching desire to serve God. They cannot be motivated merely by political ideology or ambition, or even merely by a fondness for Indian culture. Hindu lay-leaders, such as the many dedicated volunteers of the RSS, the HSS, the Vishva Hindu Parishad, and other Hindu activist organizations who are active today, must themselves deeply understand, and boldly proclaim to the world, that Sanatana Dharma is a religious tradition and has a purely spiritual goal, and that goal is to know God and to achieve spiritual emancipation. We must no longer shy away from the spiritual nature and goals of Sanatana Dharma.
It has been a source of amazement to me over the years that so many Hindu activists and lay-leaders I have met, who otherwise are very dedicated and sincere volunteers for the Hindu cause, are in their personal lives often very unspiritual people.
Several months ago, I had a meeting with one of the most important leaders of the RSS. After at least an hour of intense discussion with him about the current state of Sanatana Dharma throughout the world, and strategies for making Sanatana Dharma a global force again, he eventually shifted the conversation by asking me if I would mind a more personal question from him. When I said I would not mind a personal question, this is what he asked me: âDr. Morales. You are so passionate and enthusiastic about your work to save Hinduismâ¦more so than most Indian Hindus I've known. You weren't born Hindu; and you're not Indian. Why are you so eager to save Hinduism? What is it that motivates you?â
My answer to him was immediate and direct: âI care about Sanatana Dharma because I want to know and serve God.â
The reaction that this top leader of the Hindu RSS had to my answer has amazed and haunted me to this day. At first, his eyes glazed over, dumbfounded by my answer. Immediately proceeding this, his eyes then began to quickly dart around the room in a confused mental search as he tried to grasp the meaning of my answer. âWhat do you mean?!?â he finally thought to ask me a very long half-minute later.
âA deep personal yearning to know God, and a strong desire to serve God with bhakti (devotion) and an attitude of surrender, should be the only motivation for why one is a Hindu activist,â I said to him, âWithout this pure spiritual motivationâ¦why else would one care about the fate of Sanatana Dharma?â
Our leaders must be motivated by such a desire to serve God, and must have as the very foundation of their personal character, a deeply rooted experience of the Transcendent, fostered by a living and meaningful sadhana life. Without such purely spiritual motivations, our Hindu activists will merely be motivated by political gain, or at best, an empty pride in secular Indian culture.
C) Distinguishing Between Dharma and Adharma
We need to create systematic critical analyses of non-Hindu religions, ideologies, and thought-systems. Too often, when a modern Hindu encounters an anti-Hindu ideology (like Christianity, Islam or Marxism), instead of having the courage to defend Sanatana Dharma by, not only discussing the very real differences between the respective ideologies, but going so far as to show the actual superiority of Sanatana Dharma, they will instead try to weakly appease the opponent. "Oh we Hindus are the best Marxists!" "We love Mohammed in Sanatana Dharma!" âOh, I'm a Christian Hinduâ¦I love Jesus so much.â etc., etc. When we adopt such tactics of appeasement, we only end up looking like foolish children in the eyes of our opponents, and like cowards in the eyes of our children. We must no longer be afraid to actively engage non-Hindu systems of thought, and to show how Sanatana Dharma is not only distinct from them, but has much from which they can learn.
D) We must be able to vigorously defend the traditional essence of Sanatana Dharma, unaltered and unwatered-down, while also learning to adopt the famed American sense of excellence and professionalism. We must seek nothing less than absolute excellence in everything that we do in the name of Dharma. In everything we do in the name of Sanatana Dharma, we must aspire to the highest degrees of qualitative excellence - whether this be in the realm of writing, Hindu website development, organizational operations, philosophical polemics, the presentation of Sanatana Dharma to non-Hindus, in our behavior, ethics, eloquence and motivations. To merely say âIt's good enoughâ is not good enough for Dharma.
The Future of Sanatana Dharma in America
Sanatana Dharma, I feel, not only has a future in America, but America, more than any other nation on earth at present, is potentially the stage upon which a revitalized Sanatana Dharma as a global force can once again reemerge. America itself signals several potentially important attitudes and mindsets that Sanatana Dharma must adopt if it is to have a future at all. This is so for the following reasons:
A) Sanatana Dharma as a Multi-ethnic Community
Unlike the case in Bharat, or any other nation on earth at present, Sanatana Dharma in America is very much a multi-racial, multi-ethnic phenomenon. Only here do we see Indian Hindus, Sri Lankan Hindus, Nepali Hindus, Caribbean Hindus, Caucasian Hindus, Black Hindus, Hispanic Hindus, Chinese Hindus, etc. all practicing Hinduism â even if they are not always practicing it together. In America, we are beginning to have a glimpse in microcosmic form of what the world would look like if Sanatana Dharma were to be the primary world religion, as I believe it will be in the not too distant future. Moreover, the example and fact of a multi-ethnic Vedic culture will display for the world the truly universal nature of Sanatana Dharma as the future religion of the world, and not only of Bharat.
B) Ancient Dharma with a Modern Face
Sanatana Dharma in America will be instantiated as the most ancient religion on earth, but with a thoroughly modern face and attitude. American culture is a culture that fosters and celebrates success. It encourages a sense of practicality, excellence, a no-nonsense attitude, and high standards in every endeavor. These are all mindsets that Sanatana Dharma at one time also shared and taught when Vedic culture was historically at its greatest strength. It will now relearn these values from America.
C) Sanatana Dharma on the Cutting Edge
Here in America, more than anywhere else on earth, we will witness a revitalized Sanatana Dharma coupled with the most cutting-edge technology. Just as the IT revolution has begun to transform Bharat in ways we could not imagine only a decade or two ago, similarly the IT revolution will help to bring about a Dharma revolution globally as we begin to use the latest technology in the form of the Internet, DVDs, computer graphics, etc., to get our message out. Not only is Sanatana Dharma not opposed to the use of technology, but we must and will use such technology in Dharma seva.
D) Revitalized Hindu Youth
Long have we bemoaned the Americanization of Hindu youth. My prediction, however, is that in America, we will soon witness a veritable army of these very same Americanized, savvy, cool, energized and very practically-minded Hindu youth coming back to Sanatana Dharma. And when they do, they will be the vanguard of a new and truly American Hinduism that will instantiate the very best of both worlds â bringing together the very best of the most ancient with the very best of the most cutting-edge.
Does Hinduism Have a Future in America?
Like two wings of the same powerful eagle, Sanatana Dharma and the best of American culture must be coupled together in partnership if either is going to have a meaningful future. If this can happen, not only will Hinduism have a future in Americaâ¦Hinduism will be America's future!
Futures, however, do not merely occur. Futures are made. If Sanatana Dharma is going to once again become the meaningful and influential global force that history shows us it once was, then it is incumbent upon each and every Hindu to rededicate ourselves to our religion's future. We must learn not to merely be Nominal Hindus (Hindus in name alone), but to be Conscious Hindus â practicing our religion, studying the scriptures of our religion, and becoming living examples of God's grace (prasada) and compassion (karuna) alive in the world. It is up to each of us to be dedicated and loving stewards of this great religious heritage known as Sanatana Dharma. Hinduism's future is in the hands of every Conscious Hindu.
A) Hindus Must Develop a Formidable and Well-trained Leadership
We need to hold our present leaders â both Hindu activist leaders, as well as our current crop of gurus, swamis, and sadhus â to a much higher standard than we do at present. It is no longer acceptable for âswamijisâ to flock to America, gain a large and profitable following among American devotees, only to then abandon their allegiance to Hinduism by telling their American followers that what they are practicing has nothing to do with Hinduism. Such Radical Universalist âgurusâ wish to have it both ways â telling their American followers that they are not really practicing Sanatana Dharma per se, while simultaneously approaching the Indian Hindu community for donations and support. When our own supposed leaders shy away from being proud Hindus, how are we to expect our own children to behave any different? We need a stronger, more honest, and more credible Hindu leadership than this if Hinduism is going to have a meaningful future in America.
B) The Hindu Activist as a Servant of God
In their volunteer work, Hindu activists must be motivated by the insights derived from their own spiritual experience, an attitude of bhakti (devotion) toward God, and an overarching desire to serve God. They cannot be motivated merely by political ideology or ambition, or even merely by a fondness for Indian culture. Hindu lay-leaders, such as the many dedicated volunteers of the RSS, the HSS, the Vishva Hindu Parishad, and other Hindu activist organizations who are active today, must themselves deeply understand, and boldly proclaim to the world, that Sanatana Dharma is a religious tradition and has a purely spiritual goal, and that goal is to know God and to achieve spiritual emancipation. We must no longer shy away from the spiritual nature and goals of Sanatana Dharma.
It has been a source of amazement to me over the years that so many Hindu activists and lay-leaders I have met, who otherwise are very dedicated and sincere volunteers for the Hindu cause, are in their personal lives often very unspiritual people.
Several months ago, I had a meeting with one of the most important leaders of the RSS. After at least an hour of intense discussion with him about the current state of Sanatana Dharma throughout the world, and strategies for making Sanatana Dharma a global force again, he eventually shifted the conversation by asking me if I would mind a more personal question from him. When I said I would not mind a personal question, this is what he asked me: âDr. Morales. You are so passionate and enthusiastic about your work to save Hinduismâ¦more so than most Indian Hindus I've known. You weren't born Hindu; and you're not Indian. Why are you so eager to save Hinduism? What is it that motivates you?â
My answer to him was immediate and direct: âI care about Sanatana Dharma because I want to know and serve God.â
The reaction that this top leader of the Hindu RSS had to my answer has amazed and haunted me to this day. At first, his eyes glazed over, dumbfounded by my answer. Immediately proceeding this, his eyes then began to quickly dart around the room in a confused mental search as he tried to grasp the meaning of my answer. âWhat do you mean?!?â he finally thought to ask me a very long half-minute later.
âA deep personal yearning to know God, and a strong desire to serve God with bhakti (devotion) and an attitude of surrender, should be the only motivation for why one is a Hindu activist,â I said to him, âWithout this pure spiritual motivationâ¦why else would one care about the fate of Sanatana Dharma?â
Our leaders must be motivated by such a desire to serve God, and must have as the very foundation of their personal character, a deeply rooted experience of the Transcendent, fostered by a living and meaningful sadhana life. Without such purely spiritual motivations, our Hindu activists will merely be motivated by political gain, or at best, an empty pride in secular Indian culture.
C) Distinguishing Between Dharma and Adharma
We need to create systematic critical analyses of non-Hindu religions, ideologies, and thought-systems. Too often, when a modern Hindu encounters an anti-Hindu ideology (like Christianity, Islam or Marxism), instead of having the courage to defend Sanatana Dharma by, not only discussing the very real differences between the respective ideologies, but going so far as to show the actual superiority of Sanatana Dharma, they will instead try to weakly appease the opponent. "Oh we Hindus are the best Marxists!" "We love Mohammed in Sanatana Dharma!" âOh, I'm a Christian Hinduâ¦I love Jesus so much.â etc., etc. When we adopt such tactics of appeasement, we only end up looking like foolish children in the eyes of our opponents, and like cowards in the eyes of our children. We must no longer be afraid to actively engage non-Hindu systems of thought, and to show how Sanatana Dharma is not only distinct from them, but has much from which they can learn.
D) We must be able to vigorously defend the traditional essence of Sanatana Dharma, unaltered and unwatered-down, while also learning to adopt the famed American sense of excellence and professionalism. We must seek nothing less than absolute excellence in everything that we do in the name of Dharma. In everything we do in the name of Sanatana Dharma, we must aspire to the highest degrees of qualitative excellence - whether this be in the realm of writing, Hindu website development, organizational operations, philosophical polemics, the presentation of Sanatana Dharma to non-Hindus, in our behavior, ethics, eloquence and motivations. To merely say âIt's good enoughâ is not good enough for Dharma.
The Future of Sanatana Dharma in America
Sanatana Dharma, I feel, not only has a future in America, but America, more than any other nation on earth at present, is potentially the stage upon which a revitalized Sanatana Dharma as a global force can once again reemerge. America itself signals several potentially important attitudes and mindsets that Sanatana Dharma must adopt if it is to have a future at all. This is so for the following reasons:
A) Sanatana Dharma as a Multi-ethnic Community
Unlike the case in Bharat, or any other nation on earth at present, Sanatana Dharma in America is very much a multi-racial, multi-ethnic phenomenon. Only here do we see Indian Hindus, Sri Lankan Hindus, Nepali Hindus, Caribbean Hindus, Caucasian Hindus, Black Hindus, Hispanic Hindus, Chinese Hindus, etc. all practicing Hinduism â even if they are not always practicing it together. In America, we are beginning to have a glimpse in microcosmic form of what the world would look like if Sanatana Dharma were to be the primary world religion, as I believe it will be in the not too distant future. Moreover, the example and fact of a multi-ethnic Vedic culture will display for the world the truly universal nature of Sanatana Dharma as the future religion of the world, and not only of Bharat.
B) Ancient Dharma with a Modern Face
Sanatana Dharma in America will be instantiated as the most ancient religion on earth, but with a thoroughly modern face and attitude. American culture is a culture that fosters and celebrates success. It encourages a sense of practicality, excellence, a no-nonsense attitude, and high standards in every endeavor. These are all mindsets that Sanatana Dharma at one time also shared and taught when Vedic culture was historically at its greatest strength. It will now relearn these values from America.
C) Sanatana Dharma on the Cutting Edge
Here in America, more than anywhere else on earth, we will witness a revitalized Sanatana Dharma coupled with the most cutting-edge technology. Just as the IT revolution has begun to transform Bharat in ways we could not imagine only a decade or two ago, similarly the IT revolution will help to bring about a Dharma revolution globally as we begin to use the latest technology in the form of the Internet, DVDs, computer graphics, etc., to get our message out. Not only is Sanatana Dharma not opposed to the use of technology, but we must and will use such technology in Dharma seva.
D) Revitalized Hindu Youth
Long have we bemoaned the Americanization of Hindu youth. My prediction, however, is that in America, we will soon witness a veritable army of these very same Americanized, savvy, cool, energized and very practically-minded Hindu youth coming back to Sanatana Dharma. And when they do, they will be the vanguard of a new and truly American Hinduism that will instantiate the very best of both worlds â bringing together the very best of the most ancient with the very best of the most cutting-edge.
Does Hinduism Have a Future in America?
Like two wings of the same powerful eagle, Sanatana Dharma and the best of American culture must be coupled together in partnership if either is going to have a meaningful future. If this can happen, not only will Hinduism have a future in Americaâ¦Hinduism will be America's future!
Futures, however, do not merely occur. Futures are made. If Sanatana Dharma is going to once again become the meaningful and influential global force that history shows us it once was, then it is incumbent upon each and every Hindu to rededicate ourselves to our religion's future. We must learn not to merely be Nominal Hindus (Hindus in name alone), but to be Conscious Hindus â practicing our religion, studying the scriptures of our religion, and becoming living examples of God's grace (prasada) and compassion (karuna) alive in the world. It is up to each of us to be dedicated and loving stewards of this great religious heritage known as Sanatana Dharma. Hinduism's future is in the hands of every Conscious Hindu.