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Tolerence to other Religious Viewpoints: Some Thoughts
Tolerance Towards other Religious Viewpoints: Some Thoughts
As human beings, we are susceptible to losing patience and we
are accustomed to accuse others for our actions. Can we stop
this behavior? The answer is yes provided we are willing to
try. The objective of this article is to help cultivate
habits to listen to other viewpoints without prejudice and
avoid jumping into incorrect and inappropriate conclusions.
The first step towards this goal is to display tolerance
towards other religions. We have two choices: either to look
for the "good points" in other religions or to search for the
"bad points" and abuse them for our selfish aspirations. The
win-win strategy is to assume that others are right unless we
can prove otherwise!
Following are excerpts from Alt.Hindu discussions and they are
presented to focus our thought process. These passages are
for illustrations to make my point and not directed to
criticize any individual. Let me express my unconditional
apologies if I offended anyone unknowingly.
***********************************************************
Ram Chandran writes:
: The last phase of the Vedic revelation established the most
: significant thought process to the philosophy of life
: through the Upanishads. The Upanishads come after the Veda
: and therefore the philosophy is known as the Vedanta.
Hari Krishna Susarla writes:
: That is not correct. Actually, the Upanishads are from the
: Vedas. They constitute jnana-kaanda portion of the Vedas.
Michael Tandy writes:
: I wouldn't agree with this; perhaps you misunderstood RC's
: statement..................................
Bon Giovanni EarthSpirit.org replying to the article by:
susarla@rice.edu (H. Krishna Susarla) on Caitanya Maha-Prabhu
on Bhakti (Siksastaka verse 4): writes
: HK Susarla posts many wonderful quotes from the Vaishnavite
: treasure trove, but sometimes he adds stuff of his own, and
: often he denigrates some unnamed group, as he did in this
: subject heading. Back on June 1st, Sri Susarla said "These
: days there are many gurus who claim to be avatars, often
: preaching a message of `I am God, and so are all of you.
: But you will only realize this by worshipping me, etc.'"
: I have no idea who he is talking about. Does he really know
: such men, or does Susarla address a strawman he employs for
: his thesis? If the latter, I suggest the use of hyperbole
: and innuendo to denigrate opposing views is not helpful to
: his presentation. I urge him to clarify that remark, or
: retract it.
Hari Krishna Susarla writes in reply to Ram Chandran's reply
on Philosophical Sketch of Hinduism:
: First of all, thank you for the nice comments. I am only
: following up because I feel like I did not really get my
: point across the first time. It's probably my fault, really,
: since I am not very good at expressing myself. I hope you
: will be patient and bear with me........................
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We always tell our kids that the sign of maturity is the
acceptance of one's faults. As human beings, we inclined to be
impatient and we jump into conclusions without thinking it
over. We become irritable and show our mental agitation
explicitly. We employ substandard language and improper words.
We expect others to have infinite patience on us and we ignore
our childish behavior.
In the long-run, we loose our dignity and identity. If we do
not undertake corrective actions, we will be isolated from the
community. Our parents, spouse, kids, friends and neighbors
start show their disappointment and disapproval. Even when we
verbalize our good ideas and demonstrate our virtues, we will
be ignored because no one has any more patience! We become our
own enemy, we acquire more anger, and we generate more
frustrations. We lose our discriminatory power (buddhi) and
we become intolerable and unreasonable and we start accuse
everybody for our misfortunes. The one and only way to avoid
this path of self-destruction is to realize our faults and
take more care to express our views with courtesy and
coolness.
"Thirukkural - volume of short poems of two line verses,"
written by Thiruvalluvar and the following verses define good
and bad actions:
"Tamil: Iniya ulavaaka innaatha kooral
kaniirupa kai kavarnthatru"
English Translation: Use of offensive language instead of
pleasant language is like eating bitter and unripened fruits
when sweet ripened ones are at hand. English translations of
"Thirukural" is available in the internet at:
(http://rbhatnagar.ececs.uc.edu:8080/scriptures/kural)
We all know that spirituality is not something that we can
start discussing and arguing among ourselves to spend our
valuable time. It is to be understood in an atmosphere of
peace and tranquility with an open mind. If show kindness and
respect to other viewpoints, we may be able to see their
validity. Religious disputes and doctrinal conflicts are
always motivated by egoism. The existence and practice of
different religions demonstrate that no single religious
perspective is absolute and complete.
I still remember my mathematics class on real numbers: Real
numbers include integers, rational and irrational numbers. An
"irrational number" does not have an unique numerical
expression unlike the "rational number." Different religions
attempt to express the "Absolute Truth," symbolically and we
do need the faith to "accept it." If there is a unique way of
expressing "Absolute Truth" then necessarily there will be
only one religion! The truth is there are many religions and
that is the "Absolute Truth!"
************************************************************
An anthology of Sacred Texts is electronically made available
at the WEBSITE: Global Hindu Electronic Network with address:
(http://rbhatnagar.ececs.uc.edu:8080-cgi-bin/imagemap//main-bar)
Click the Link: Comparative Anthologies of Sacred Texts
I recommend everyone to read in order to get an unbiased
viewpoint on world religions. In a multi-cultural society
like ours, it is necessary that we get better perspective of
other religions and cultures. There will be no peace in earth
if we do not show tolerance and open mindedness while
listening or reading. Plenty of "goodness" is readily
available in other religious scripts if we seek for it. The
following excerpts will illustrate that the ultimate goal of
any religion is to seek the truth and this is the "Absolute
Truth!"
Hinduism: (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.15)
Truth has many aspects. Infinite truth has infinite
expressions. Though the sages speak in divers ways, they
express one and the same Truth. Ignorant is he who says, "What
I say and know is true; others are wrong." It is because of
this attitude of the ignorant that there have been doubts and
misunderstandings about God. This attitude it is that causes
dispute among men. But all doubts vanish when one gains
self-control and attains tranquillity by realizing the heart
of Truth. Thereupon dispute, too, is at an end.
Like the bee, gathering honey from different flowers, the wise
man accepts the essence of different scriptures and sees only
the good in all religions. (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.3)
Christianity: (Bible, 1 Peter 2.12)
Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that in case they
speak against you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds
and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Jainism: (Sanmatitarka of Siddhasena 1.28)
All the doctrines are right in their own respective
spheres--but if they encroach upon the province of other
doctrines and try to refute their views, they are wrong. A
man who holds the view of the cumulative character of truth
never says that a particular view is right or that a
particular view is wrong.
Islam: (Qur'an: 2.256 & 10.99-100)
There is no compulsion in religion. Will you then compel
mankind, against their will, to believe? No soul can
believe, except by the Will of God.
Taoism. (Chuang Tzu 2)
Suppose you and I have had an argument. If you have beaten me
instead of my beating you, then are you necessarily right and
am I necessarily wrong? If I have beaten you instead of your
beating me, then am I necessarily right and are you
necessarily wrong? Is one of us right and the other wrong?
Are both of us right or are both of us wrong? If you and I
don't know the answer, then other people are bound to be even
more in the dark. Whom shall we get to decide what is right?
Shall we get someone who agrees with you to decide? But if he
already agrees with you, how can he decide fairly? Shall we
get someone who agrees with me? But if he already agrees with
me, how can he decide? Shall we get someone who disagrees
with both of us?... But waiting for one shifting voice to
decide forŮ another is the same as waiting for none of them.
Harmonize them all with the Heavenly Equality, leave them to
their endless changes, and so live out your years. What do I
mean by harmonizing them with the Heavenly Equality? Right is
not right; so is not so. If right were really right, it would
differ so clearly from not right that there would be no need
for argument. If so were really so, it would differ so
clearly from not so that there would be no need for argument.
Forget the years; forget distinctions. Leap into the
boundless and make it your home!
This well-known Indian tale is from the Buddhist canon, but
some assert it is of Jain origin. It does illustrate
well the Jain doctrine of Anekanta, the manysidedness of
things: Cf. Tattvarthaslokavartika 116, p. 806. Mihir Yast
10.2: Cf. Analects 15.5, p.1020. Udana 68-69: Parable of the
Blind Men and the Elephant.
A number of disciples went to the Buddha and said, "Sir, there
are living here in Savatthi many wandering hermits and
scholars who indulge in constant dispute, some saying that the
world is infinite and eternal and others that it is finite and
not eternal, some saying that the soul dies with the body and
others that it lives on forever, and so forth. What, Sir,
would you say concerning them?" The Buddha answered, "Once
upon a time there was a certain raja who called to his servant
and said, 'Come, good fellow, go and gather together in one
place all the men of Savatthi who were born blind... and show
them an elephant.' 'Very good, sire,' replied the servant,
and he did as he was told. He said to the blind men assembled
there, 'Here is an elephant,' and to one man he presented the
head of the elephant, to another its ears, to another a tusk,
to another the trunk, the foot, back, tail, and tuft of the
tail, saying to each one that was the elephant. "When the
blind men had felt the elephant, the raja went to each of them
and said to each, 'Well, blind man, have you seen the
elephant? Tell me, what sort of thing is an elephant?'
"Thereupon the men who were presented with the head answered,
'Sire, an elephant is like a pot.' And the men who had
observed the ear replied, 'An elephant is like a winnowing
basket.' Those who had been presented with a tusk said it was
a plough-share. Those who knew only the trunk said it was a
plough; others said the body was a granary; the foot, a
pillar; the back, a mortar; the tail, a pestle, the tuft of
the tail, a brush. "Then they began to quarrel, shouting,
'Yes it is!' 'No, it is not!' 'An elephant is not that!'
'Yes, it's like that!' and so on, till they came to blows over
the matter. "Brethren, the raja was delighted with the scene.
"Just so are these preachers and scholars holding various
views blind and unseeing.... In their ignorance they are by
nature quarrelsome, wrangling, and disputatious, each
maintaining reality is thus and thus." Then the Exalted One
rendered this meaning by uttering this verse of uplift, O
how they cling and wrangle, some who claim For preacher and
monk the honored name! For, quarreling, each to his view
they cling. Such folk see only one side of a thing.
**************************************************************
" Have a Good Day "
"Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path
whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. Truth, being limitless,
unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be
organized; nor should any organisation be formed to lead or to
coerce people along any particular path." J. Krishnamoorthy
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| Ram V. Chandran || email: chandra2%ers.bitnet@vtbit.cc.vt.edu |
| 6623 Westbury Oaks Ct. || or try Chandra2@ers.bitnet |
| Springfield VA. 22152 ||============================================|
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