The Hindu Spirit

The Hindu Spirit

Today the Hindu tradition is expressed in many forms. We have the traditional ways taught in the practices of Vedanta, based directly on the teachings of the Upanishads which grew from seeds of philosophical thought found in the Vedas. We have variations of Vedanta such as Yoga and Samkhya to name a few, and a culture so rich in teachings and history that it overwhelms me as a student to even try and grasp it as a whole. Terms, conditions and names such as moksha, Vishnu, unity, Arjuna, Veda, Bhagavad-Gita and Brahman overwhelm me as I search for a stable definition of what I'm trying to explore. Indeed, as I shuffle through my scattered knowledge of the Hindu tradition I'm reminded of a key concept in the teachings of the Upanishads: change. It was found that the only constant in the reality around us was the fact of change and, looking at the history of Hinduism, this is most fitting. Starting with the Vedas all the way up to the Bhagavad-Gita and off into new directions such as Buddhism, the Hindu history was constantly and is continuously changing. Perhaps this is what gives it its power, that, and its objective, a better state of being for everybody.

An explanation of the history of the Hindu evolution goes beyond the scope of this topic but it will serve us to know a little about the origins of Vedanta, which could be said to be the traditional Hindu philosophy. It is still very much in practice and is a direct creation of the change that I was speaking about.

Vedanta is based on the teachings of the Upanishads which were mystical texts built upon the Ð''truths' outlined in the Vedas. The Vedas were collections of rituals, hymns, and verses designed to please the Ð''gods' that controlled the forces of nature. Although not philosophical texts, the Vedas had the seeds of philosophical thought that would spawn a great search. They pointed to a unity that seemed to exist within all things. They drew this from the realization that, although uncontrollable, the forces of nature seem to operate in an orderly manner. This demanded that there was something controlling the world around us; the gods. A symbol for this knowledge, for this existence, was Mt. Meru. At the top lived the gods, towards the middle mankind dwelled and at the base of the mountain lived the animals and lesser beings. Mount Meru then came to symbolize the unity showing that everything existed together, changed together, grew, and died together.

Taking these seeds of thought were groups of people that set out to understand these Ð''truths' and harvest them into a sound philosophy. Gathering in small groups in the wilderness they studied and conversed together, the Ð''wisest' leading those who wished to learn. Their realizations, when transferred to text, came to be known as the Upanishads. Future study of the Upanishads led to the philosophy of Vedanta which means "end of the Vedas".

What we are left with today are very diverse understandings of these teachings. Vedanta, perhaps the most popular interpretation of the Upanishads, is but one. Again, defining the distinctions would be beyond the scope of our aimÐ'... but comparing the aims and more over the results of the search, will keep us right on track.

Regardless of the school of teaching you look at you will see that it has a very clear aim. To reach a state of being that transcends common (ignorant) existence. But what is this state of being that is so sought after? Moksha is the name normally given to it and is defined as liberation, salvation, illumination. But to get a good idea of what this state of awareness is it might be easier to look at what would be left behind.

The world in general is not one of necessity, but one of luxury. It's a world where true importance has no value, and the mission to satisfy your senses is the Ð''proper' path. It seems that in this world priorities are inverted. A good life should be one free from worries and fear, but instead it's a life filled with the pursuit of self satisfaction, or preservation of the material. Questions about who you are; or moreover why and what you are, don't seem to be the important ones. From these desires for material satisfaction, from the ignorance or lack of curiosity about the spiritual, spawns a problem, one that seems to be so common that its presence seems natural and life without it seems impossible. Worries, fear, and frustration