Practicing Hinduism in America

[Guest guest]

Indiana Co., Pennsylvania, USA (Dec 30, 2005): Indiana County is a

predominantly Christian community, but it is sprinkled with other

religious sects, such as Buddhists, Muslim and Hindus. Less than one

percent of Indiana County's population has moved here from abroad,

and with them, they brought their customs, their cultures, and many

times, their religions.

 

The Sonis -- Ramesh and Bina and their two children, Charishma, 14,

and Vrenda, 9, are practicing Hindus. Ramesh and Bina moved to the

United States in 1987 and have connected with other Hindus in the

Indiana area.

 

But many non-Christian religious practitioners are not transplants

from other countries, but Americans who simply discovered an affinity

to a different religion.

 

THE SONIS

 

The Sonis came to the United States from India in 1987, and lived in

Texas for one year until Ramesh Soni was offered a professor position

at IUP.

 

Bina Soni also had a professional background in education -- she

received her bachelor degree in education while in India, as well as

her certificate for secondary school teaching.

 

She grew up in the city of Calcutta, just a mile away from where

Mother Teresa had her ashram, although she never had the opportunity

to meet or visit her.

 

Soni has always made her religion a top priority in life.

 

"I've always been interested in religion," Soni said. "I was told all

of the stories as a small child," she said, adding that many stories

about the Hindu gods and goddesses had been made into comic book form

to better capture the interest of children.

 

Most Hindus study from the text Holy Bhaghavat Gheeta.

 

"It has the essence of all the scriptures," Soni noted.

 

Soni said her family and other practicing Hindus hold a weekly

religion class, since there are no Hindu temples nearby for them to

attend on a regular basis.

 

"We have been following the text with a group of people for almost

four years now," she noted. The children also have a class once a

week, every Sunday, held the past three years.

 

MERRILY DUNCAN

 

A nearby friend, Merrily Duncan, harbors a great interest in the

Indian culture and religion, and on her many trips to India, she has

attended Hindu gatherings.

 

Duncan has become particularly interested in a certain Hindu guru and

his ashram, or followers.

 

A guru, Duncan noted, is a holy teacher who has given himself to a

holy way of life, much like the Catholic monks. Only gurus actually

have disciples of their own -- the ashram.

 

"He leads them and teaches them his path to being at hone with the

universal spirit," Duncan said.

 

An ashram shouldn't be confused with the congregations of Christian

churches.

 

"Hinduism is not a congregational religion," she said. "At a temple,

you won't see pews," but you will see carpets where people can sit to

worship.

 

She said there is a special area at the front of the church where all

who enter take off their shoes. "We do not take shoes into the

temple," Soni said. "You want it clean. It's considered disrespectful

to have your shoes or slippers on in front of God."

 

The carpets are there for the same reason. "We also would not sit in

a chair in front of God," she noted.

 

Duncan does not actually practice the Hindu religion, she merely has

developed an interest in it, and has studied it extensively.

 

"I practice the culture," she said. "I've tried to adapt the

lifestyle that I lived with my host family in India. "I consider

myself a part of the Indian community."

 

There are three main principles of the Hindu religion, Soni said: God

is everywhere, God is in everyone, and God is in everything.

 

WHAT HINDUS BELIEVE

 

Hindus, like Buddhists, believe in the reincarnation of the soul. As

Soni explained it, "The soul has to be born over and over again until

it's ready to unite with the Supreme God. That level of spirituality

cannot be achieved in one lifetime.

 

"It's like our birth on Earth is like a classroom lesson. This world

is a temporary place."

 

But she said, every time a person is reborn, they don't start from

scratch, so to speak. They bring with them things they've learned in

past lives.

 

"It's as if our physical life is like a piece of clothing for our

soul," Soni pointed out. "And if it gets old or torn, the soul

removes it.

 

A person's reincarnate life is also dictated by karma, Hindus say.

 

"If you have done good in this lifetime, you will have good karma in

your next life," Soni said. "It's as if we have a blueprint to follow

in our lifetime. You are misguided when you are not in touch with the

spirituality."

 

Soni reiterated the main principle of her religion: "One of the main

philosophies of Hinduism is that God is everywhere, in every living

being."

 

In the Hindu religion, there is one Supreme God and hundreds of

lesser gods and goddesses. Soni related these gods and goddesses to

the Christian belief of archangels.

 

Under the Supreme God are three main gods: Brahma, god of creation

and wisdom; Vishnu, god of preservation; and Shiva, god of

destruction. The wives of these three gods are considered to be

goddesses: Sarasvati, wife of Brahma, is the goddess of knowledge;

Lakshimi, wife of Vishnu, is the goddess of wealth; and Parvati, wife

of Shiva, is the goddess of power.

 

Their sons and daughters are also considered deities: in fact, one of

the better-known Hindu gods, Ganesh, in elephant form, is a son of

Parvati and Shiva.

 

Soni pointed out that all of this information is simply an outline of

the Hindu religion--just skimming the surface. "Hinduism is very

elaborate," she said.

 

HINDUISM AND CHRISTIANITY

 

There are several similarities between Hinduism and Christianity,

Soni said. Many Hindu stories of gods and goddesses are similar to

stories that can be found in the Bible. Also, Hindus believe that

Jesus Christ was a man who walked the Earth.

 

"Jesus Christ is viewed as a very enlightened soul in Hinduism," Soni

remarked. "He is like a guru, so He is acknowledged."

 

"Because God is in everyone, different religions are just different

paths to reach the same goal," Soni said.

 

Unlike Christians, though, Hindus believe that "there is not just one

Son of God, but that we are all sons and daughters of God."

 

"There are commonalities in all religions. All religions teach us to

live a model life, to be good to each other."

 

"Whatever you are doing in the world, offer it to God first, and it

will be acceptable," Soni said.

 

Hinduism is one of the oldest living religions in the world, and is

unique among other world religions in that it had no single founder,

but grew over a period of 4,000 years in syncretism with the

religious and cultural movements of the Indian subcontinent.

 

The most sacred Hindu text is the Veda, which comprises the liturgy

and interpretation of the sacrifice.

 

Hinduism accepts the doctrine of karma, meaning an individual reaps

the results of his good and bad actions through a series of

lifetimes. Also universally accepted in Hinduism is the goal of

moksha or mukti, which is the liberation from suffering and from the

compulsion to rebirth, attainable through elimination of passions and

through knowledge of reality, and, finally union with God.

 

Moral ideals in Hinduism include nonviolence, truthfulness,

friendship, compassion, fortitude, self-control, purity and

generosity.

 

According to historians, the origin of Hinduism dates back more than

5,000 years. The word "Hindu" is derived from the name of River

Indus, which flows through northern India.

 

It is generally believed that the basic tenets of Hinduism were

brought to India by the Aryans who settled along the banks of the

Indus river about 2000 BC. Hinduism is commonly thought to be the

oldest religion in the history of human civilization.

 

THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS

 

Mannikka [i.e., an American Buddhist woman also profiled in this

article; I removed her section from this post because it's long and

off-topic, but you can read it at the full article link below - DB]

and her daughters -- both practicing Buddhists -- celebrate the

Christmas holiday, but instead of giving each other gifts, they will

give a donation to charity.

 

She said celebrating the Christmas holiday is more of a cultural

tradition than a religious one for her.

 

"It's a cultural festival," she said. "It's bright, it's shiny. I

like the Santa Clauses, the lights, the candles, everything. I know

it comes a Christian background, but it's a very cheerful time. I'm

American. I'm here, this is what we do."

 

Like Mannikka, the Sonis still celebrate the Christmas holiday,

mostly for the sake of their children, Bina Soni said.

 

"All of the schools celebrate Christmas," she said, noting that her

family puts up Christmas tree, exchanges gifts, and decorates for the

holiday. "Even though we don't have an attachment to these festivals,

the whole idea is so we continue to be open-minded."

 

SOURCE: The Daily Courier, Pennsylvania, USA

URL: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dailycourier/news/s_408594.html