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.
i agree with that and also to add on this, someone now in america will look at it as impossible because of the economical hard times. they see it as you work hard, acquiring debts through school loans, to become someone great and better in the society just to abandon it. Most people in the western world wouldn't understand the sentimental values and as such will look down on it. I also want to say how contradictory the women in the documentary were to what most people believe of Indian wives. Expressing, without any fear, their opinions about Sannyasa
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point: standard western thinking does not really work well when trying to understand Hinduism, largely because of the possessive nature of our culture. We love our possessions and our wealth, and can't really process that we would one day want to just give them up. Hinduism realizes that there are different points in life where you care about different things.
ReplyDeleteOn that note, it's a new way of thinking when you try to back away and look onto these people, in the movie especially, and view them without the western culture judgement. It's not just a challenge, it's almost impossible. People are judgmental and that is not something easily left behind, just like your family isn't easily left because of that emotional connection with them.
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