Bhaktisandesam / Give the Kids Reason to Believe

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Hari-Om

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Bringing Up Hindu Kids

from Dr. Frank Morales

 

Give Them Reason To Believe

 

Indian Hindu parents are to be given immense credit. The daily

challenges that typical Hindu parents face in encouraging their

children to maintain their commitment to Hinduism are enormous and

very well-known.

 

Little Understanding

Hindu parents try their best to observe fidelity to the religion of

their ancestors, often having little understanding of the religion

themselves other than what was given to them, in turn, by their own

parents.

 

Just a Family Tradtion

All too many Indian Hindu youth, on the other hand, find themselves

un-attracted to a religion that is little comprehended or respected

by most of those around them - Hindu and non-Hindu alike. Today's

Hindu youth seek more strenuously convincing reasons for following a

religion than merely the argument that it is the family tradition.

 

Youth Demand Explanations

Today's Hindu youth demand, and deserve, cogent philosophical

explanations about what Hinduism actually teaches, and why they

should remain Hindu rather than join any of the many other religious

alternatives they see around them. Temple priests are often ill

equipped to give these bright Hindu youth the answers they so

sincerely seek…mom and dad are usually even less knowledgeable than

the temple 'pujaris'. What is a Hindu child to do?

 

Parents' Dilemma

As I travel the nation delivering lectures on Hindu philosophy and

spirituality, I frequently encounter a repeated scenario. Hindu

parents will often approach me after I've finished my lecture and

timidly ask if they can have some advice. The often-repeated story

goes somewhat like this:

 

" We raised our son/daughter to be a good Hindu. We took them to the

temple for important holidays. We even sent him/her to a Hindu camp

for a weekend when they were 13. Now at the age of 23, our child has

left Hinduism and converted to the (fill in the blank) religion. When

we ask how could they have left the religion of their family, the

answer that they throw back in our face is: 'but mama/dada, you

always taught us that all religions are the same, and that it doesn't

really matter how a person worships God. So what does it matter if

we've followed your advice and switched to another religion?' "

 

Many of you currently reading this article have probably been

similarly approached by parents expressing this same dilemma.

 

All Religions are the Same?

The truly sad thing about this scenario is that the child is, of

course, quite correct in her assertion that she is only following the

logical conclusion of her parents' often-repeated mantra of " all

religions are the same. "

 

If all religions are exactly the same, after all, and if we all just

end up in the same place in the end anyway, then what does it really

matter what religion we follow?

 

Hindu parents complain when their children adopt other religions, but

without understanding that it was precisely this highly flawed dogma

of Radical Universalism, and not some inherent flaw of Hinduism

itself, that has driven their children away.

 

Parents Not to Blame

My contention is that parents themselves are not to be blamed for

espousing this non-Hindu idea to their children. Rather, much of the

blame is to be placed at the feet of today's ill equipped Hindu

teachers and leaders, the supposed guardians of authentic Dharma

teachings.

 

In modern Hinduism, we hear from a variety of sources this claim that

all religions are equal. Unfortunately, the most damaging source of

this fallacy is none other than the many un-informed spiritual

leaders of the Hindu community itself. I have been to innumerable

pravachanas, for example, where a benignly grinning guruji will

provide his audience with the following tediously parroted metaphor,

what I call the Mountain Metaphor.

 

The Mountain Metaphor

" Truth (or God or Brahman) lies at the summit of a very high

mountain. There are many diverse paths to reach the top of the

mountain, and thus attain the one supreme goal. Some paths are

shorter, some longer. The path itself, however, is unimportant. The

only truly important thing is that seekers all reach the top of the

mountain. "

 

While this simplistic metaphor might seem compelling at a cursory

glance, it leaves out a very important elemental supposition: it

makes the unfounded assumption that everyone wants to get to the top

of the same mountain! Not every religion shares the same goal, the

same conception of the Absolute (indeed, even the belief that there

is an Absolute), or the same means to their respective goals. Rather,

there are many different philosophical " mountains " , each with their

own very unique claim to be the supreme goal of all human spiritual

striving.

 

 

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Jai Shree Krishna !