Sannyasa

Something that has been on my mind and I think is important to point out is that we cannot use our western thinking to understand the motives and behaviors of people from the Hindu religion. The main character in the film we watched in class Tuesday abandoned his family to pursue a Sannyasa. In a Sannyasa he legally dies and is reborn. In our western view we see this as terrible. How does he leave his family and his career?  The women in his life had a more modern view on the Sannyasa asking him “why did you even marry; if you wanted to do something like this?" This comes from their attachment to their family and also, I believe their recognition that he was not ready to give up his attachments. In the Hindu view, having a family and household is just a phase of life. This world, what western culture views as reality is seen as an illusion to the Hindu religion. Eventually, in the Hindu religion you become more and more distant from attachments and can go to the Sannyasa with no regret. The main character in the film thought he was ready for Sannyasa when he wasn't and decided to back out before he was legally dead. His attachments are not just objects but emotional relationships.

The Hindu Religion

             After reading The Hindu View of Life by Radhakrishnan and learning how open the Hindu religion was to different ideology, I began to think about other religions that may be as open. Unfortunately, none came to mind. However, the book The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver did. The Poisonwood Bible is about a Baptist preacher named Nathan Price who brings his family to Congo Africa so he can spread his religion to those who he believes has none.  However, he did not want to realize that the people of Congo had their own spiritual beliefs. Nathan thought he was doing good and helping the people of Congo but he was actually forcing his religion and beliefs on them. This is very common with many religions. Their intent to teach may be good but their intent to convert is not. This just goes to show how unique the Hindu religion is.