12. Are Hinduism and other religions well-understood?

Q12. Are Hinduism and other religions well-understood?

A12. There are several misconceptions about Hinduism. These are all wide-spread among the Hindus themselves (probably even more so among the educated and elite), not to speak of non-Hindus and atheists. Here are some examples:
1. There are many Gods in Hinduism. (Hence, it is a non-monotheistic religion.)
2. God is Good. And that God is the one I worship.
3. Leave everything to God, as HE controls all actions. We are mere pawns in HIS hands.
4. Do not expect fruits of your actions (detachment).
5. Shun material pleasures (renunciation).
6. If you sincerely pray, God will listen, and your wish will be granted.
7. Caste system, as we know it, and as it is practiced, is in accordance with Hindu scriptures.
8. Hindu scriptures are very succinct and clear, without any ambiguity.
9. Vedic scriptures are not as well-known because we don't try hard enough to publicize them.

(There are probably 100s more, but this is a good start).

Let us take each one:

1. There are many Gods in Hinduism. (Hence, it is a non-monotheistic religion.)
The Vedic scriptures, which are the origin of Hinduism, are very clear about the nature of God. They unequivocally state that there is not only one God (as stated by all major religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism), but God is the only one, and there is no second. Because nothing exists other than God, God can be seen and worshipped in anything and everything. Hence, it is OK to worship God in any form - in a stone, a tree, water, or as Vishnu or Christ or Allah - whatever suits you. Hence, people worship one God in many forms (deities), and now even the worshippers themselves believe that these are all different Gods!

2. God is Good. And that God is the one I worship.
All Hindu scriptures (Vedas, Gita, etc.) clearly declare that God is inanimate and impersonal, without any form or attribute. Hence, "Good" is an attribute that God cannot have. God cannot be good or bad. God cannot be perceived by common senses (sight, speech, hearing, taste, touch). God does not have a name either, but had to be called something ("Brahman" in Hinduism).

Interestingly, other religions say the same thing! They all declare that God cannot be described, does not have a form, does not have a name. For convenience, they attempt to give a name (with a lot of caution and caveats) - Allah (Islam), Yahweh (Christianity), YHWH (Judaism). (Note: Jesus or Muhammad or Abraham are not considered Gods - but some representative of God.) In fact, because no "one" name can be given to God, all these religions have several names of God - still they are monotheistic.

It is clear that all religions worship the same God, but struggle to describe HER (or, is IT a HE?) - the indescribable! And the moment they attempt some description, they begin to limit HER, and begin to differentiate their God from the Gods of other religions, convinced that their God is different from that of all other religions. And then, being God's real children that they are, they firmly believe that their God is the right one, and everybody else is not fortunate enough to know the truth. So, they either patronize them (God bless them, and show them the folly of their ways), or curse them (they will go to hell).

3. Leave everything to God, as HE controls all actions. We are mere pawns in HIS hands.
This is the most widely held belief in Hinduism (and also in many religions). Gita states the exact opposite in virtually all of its chapters. It urges people to take "action" - as, without action, there is no fruit, no life, no living. It makes a very compelling case for taking action - active, appropriate and selfless action - as a fundamental attribute of living. Hence, "effort" is given huge importance.

But then, why the misconception?

This is what the scriptures mean:
a. Fruits (results) of any action are governed not only by your own action, but by several other extraneous factors, beyond one's control (i.e. natural forces, action by others, etc.)
b. As a result, you should be aware that you do not have complete control over the results. A very simplistic interpretation of this: God controls everything, hence leave everything (results) to HIM.

4. Do not expect fruits of your actions (detachment).
As stated above, because the "results" are not completely in your hands, you should not grieve or gloat over the fruits - i.e. have "detachment" from the fruits of your actions. Some people have misunderstood this as "not to expect fruits of their actions". Expectation of fruits from action is essential, without which, appropriate action cannot be taken; just no need to be overly attached to the fruits.

5. Shun material pleasures (renunciation).
This is a big one. The scriptures merely indicate that material pleasures are only temporary in nature. They also indicate that in life's journey, material pleasure may become less important over time, simply because other aspects of life may become more appealing.

Because we have senses as an essential part of our physical existence, pleasures of those senses are also an essential part of living. The idea is to keep these senses under control, such that they are used in a productive (rather than a destructive) way. Hence, the scritpures emphasize "control" over senses. The false interpretation has driven people away from so much richness of the scriptures. (More about renunciation in Q5 and Q6.)

6. If you sincerely pray, God will listen, and your wish will be granted.
This statement is probably true of all religious practices. The purpose of a prayer is to seek inner peace - peace of mind, body and spirit. With peace of mind, it is likely that one would be able to think wisely. The body is likely to be more invigorated and have physical strength. And it is more likely to elevate the spirit, as prayer inspires optimism. Besides, a prayer implies some level of humility (somebody is "higher" than me), which is always a good thing, as it dampens the ego. There is no implication that prayer is the only tool to prepare for better action. But, it is one powerful tool, none-the-less, at least for a large number of people, if not for all. Hence, prayer is "self-help". And since "self" is identified with God according to Vedanta, one can argue that the statement (God will grant your wishes) may actually be even true, if one (self) tries hard enough.

7. Caste system, as we know it, and as it is practiced, is in accordance with Hindu scriptures.
There is some debate if the current practice follows scriptures. Scriptures do mention 4 castes, but that classification is according to professions - it is not a social structure. Many Hindus know this, and believe it as such. However, casteism is firmly embedded in the social structure and psyche of Hindus. This is the biggest downfall of Hinduism, and the biggest mistake the sages made (of even mentioning it, or not clarifying it enough).

8. Hindu scriptures are very succinct and clear, without any ambiguity.
All of the Hindu scriptures (Vedas, Upanishads, Gita, Puranas, etc.) unequivocally state the oneness of God with life. However, once that is done, they feel obliged to expand and explain and explore. Then, they are full of metaphors and stories. Somehow, sages preferred metaphors to express what they saw as the truth. May be, because metaphors gave the subject matter some kind of poetic quality. Or, is it that they wanted to challenge and tease the intellect to try and figure it out? Or, may be, the stories made it easy for simple-minded people to understand. The language has its limitations, and without adding color and context, it is difficult to drive home a point. Whatever may be the reason, metaphors and stories create an environment for open interpretations. Hence, in theory, one can be very liberal with these metaphors and interpret them whichever way they like, including taking them (stories and metaphors) as the fundamental truths (rather than a way to understand some aspect of the truth). However, as one explores, thinks, debates and reasons over these scriptures, the clarity begins to emerge. Without proper thought, they are subject to umpteen interpretations.

I suspect, this phenomenon is true of all religions in varying degrees. They are severely misunderstood by one and all.

I would hypothesize that some time in future (may be, thousands or millions of years from now), when humans have acquired enough intelligence and sharpened their cognitive power, they would not require "color" in order to understand a concept. In that case, future sages will refrain from metaphors and stories, and stick to simple truths without tyring to provide any color. Tons and tons of books will eventually consolidate into a few sentences, or just even a word, or just even a sound, or just only silence!

May be, this has already happened, and if we are sharp enough, we already see it!

9. Vedic scriptures are not as well-known because we don't try hard enough to publicize them.
The history books are full of long and truthful explanations about the suppression of these scriptures and their thoughts, with the rise of other religions. However, in my opinion, the biggest enemies of Vedic scriptures are Hindus themselves - 99.9% of them. Over the years, they have created so much myth and misunderstanding about Hinduism (and by extension, the Vedic scriptures), that it has driven away most of the wise people from them. As a result, the wise people have not studied these Scriptures to try and understand what they say, relying completely on what they see and hear hence, having significant misconception about them, and the religion itself.

By the same token, I think this is true of all religions. All religions have been heavily misinterpreted, misunderstood and mispractised by most people - especially by their practitioners. If the real truth were to be known, non-believers (5% of population) would become religious, and believers (95%) would have to look for other reasons to fight with each other.