Hindu Ethics

[Guest guest]

Reply from Lyn Dobrin regards Hindu Ethics

" Lyn Dobrin " <lyndobrin

" Vivekananda Centre London " <hindu

 

 

Thanks. I am hoping that those who respond somehow speak authoritatvely for

Hinduism. Of course, I understand how there isn't a single authority or

church. Nevertheless, some respondents are closer to the tradition and more

informed than others. How can I sort this out?

Here are the questions.

 

General

[Guest guest]

-

<MKEWBIRD

<vivekananda

Friday, March 09, 2001 06:53

Hindu Ethics

 

 

Well, I'm not a " representative " of Hinduism, but I have been a student of

Vedanta (Ramakrishna-Vivekananda school) for 35 years, have studied and

taught comparative religions at the university level, and am intrigued by

your questions. So I presume to " take a stab " at some answers...no, not

answers...more like Responses.

 

The easy answers: to questions #3, 4, 7: Absolutely! Ethical categories

and religious categories are distinct and separate...two universes of

discourse. Hinduism tends to view the ethical dimension as a necessary but

not sufficient condition for spirituality.

 

How are you defining " religion " in your study? Is it identical to

" spirituality " or not necessarily so?

 

One difficulty in responding to your questions from a " Hindu " perspective

is

that there are many schools of Hinduism. The Advaita (non-dual) school

holds

that the ultimate reality (the " goal " of religion) is beyond good and evil,

a

transpersonal reality. This is a problematic concept for the

Judeo-Christian-Moslem worldview, in which the ultimate reality is a

Person,

who is all-Good, omnipotent and omniscient. As you are well aware, these

attributes of God/Jehovah/Allah generate " the problem of evil " , which

various

philosophers and theologians have attempted to " solve " . For the Advaitan,

the universe of good-and-evil, the entire category of ethics, is

sublatable....is ultimately surpassed or nullified by a higher and truer

experience/reality. Yes, the Hindu is concerned with ethical issues, qua

human being, qua religious being....but in the truest sense of things,

spiritually speaking, the ethical is to be transcended. Hence the worship

of

BOTH the Creator and the Destroyer in Hinduism. There is no " problem of

evil "

in Hinduism. Two sides of the same coin...good and evil.

Bad things happen to good people....(1) because of " samskaras " ,

impressions left over from past lives which inevitably will have their

expression. A " good " person did certain " bad " deeds in a past life, and

now

he/she is reaping the consequences. " what goes around comes around " . OR

(2)

as the bumpersticker reads, " shit happens " . IF you are identified with the

psycho-physical organism, then you are subject to natural laws...e.g., that

what is born must eventually decay and die. No " punishment " or " bad

karma " ,

just the laws of nature operating on the physical level. If a " good

person "

identifies him/herself with the body and the mind, then he/she is

vulnerable

to all the vicissitudes of body and mind...including " bad things " (cancer,

earthquakes, murder, political injustice etc.)

I reiterate...I am not a spokesperson for " Hinduism " . But these are

some

of my thoughts in response to your questions. Thank you for the

opportunity

to reflect.

Respectfully,

M.K.