S
Subhash Kak
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Image of Krishna
Hinduism describes the nature of the outer and inner realities and instructs on ways to obtain self-knowledge. The formal name of Hinduism is Sanātana Dharma (Eternal or Universal Knowledge) and its oldest text is the Ṛgveda and it has a huge amount of ancillary literature that covers a wide variety of subjects.
Lived Hinduism is Yoga, in which one of the first steps is the practice of āsanas, which have become well-known all over the world.
There are many misconceptions about Hinduism both in academic writing and in the popular press. Some of these misconceptions are so ridiculous that to paraphrase Cicero only academics and journalists would believe them.
Briefly, Hinduism is a universal way open to everyone, which considers all humans to be equally capable of obtaining knowledge about themselves, that is their self-hood, and through that of Reality.
According to it, Consciousness (Ātman) is a unity, and it is present everywhere; all sentient beings have the same Ātman.
Here’s a brief introductory guide to Hinduism in terms of eighteen main principles.
From One to Many
1. Reality is One Universe of Being.
2. Our experience of reality is triplicate as in the invocation of bhūr bhuvaḥ suvaḥ of the Gāyatrī Mantra:
This is described in a different sequence in the conception of सच्चिदानन्द
Vishnu represents the physical and the moral law, Shiva the Universal Consciousness, and Shakti as the transformative power as well as diverse embodiments that include the physical, the natural, and also the power by which the mind is illumined by the light.
Vishnu and Shiva are complementary, paralleling the complementariness of Shiva and Shakti, for they are only aspects of Being.
3. The manifested Universe is governed by laws.
This means that Hinduism is fully accepting of scientific questioning in the understanding of reality.
4. Transformation is a characteristic of Being, therefore the universe goes through cycles of creation and destruction. According to Purānic accounts, the last cycle began several billion years ago.
5. Physical and biological forms have evolved across time; and the individual also experiences change.
6. The mind goes through developmental stages, which is why the outer reality is conceived differently by people with different awareness.
Inner Reality
7. The outer and the inner realities are mirrored.
This makes attainment of knowledge possible.
This is illustrated dramatically in the 108 names of the God or the Goddess, and the 108 prayer beads of the japa-mālā. The Rishis were aware that the sun and the moon are about 108 times their respective diameter from the earth (also the diameter of the sun is about 108 times the diameter of the earth), therefore the circuit of 108 names (or beads) is to make a symbolic journey from the body to the inner lamp of consciousness (like the journey from earth to the sun).
8. The mind and the Ātman (Consciousness) are not identical.
The mind is the instrument on top of the processes going inside the brain, whereas Consciousness is the light that illuminates these processes. Another name for Consciousness is Shiva (Īśvara or Maheśvara in the Bhagavad Gītā) or Prakāśa or Light.
9. The mind is finite, whereas the Ātman is infinite and transcendent.
The mind is government by natural law, whereas Consciousness is free. This means that cognitions and reasoning about them are associated with paradox.
The individual is bound by the chain of action and reaction, which is the karmic chain, until one connects to Consciousness directly, which sets one free. This freedom not only becomes the source of the creative impulse in the individual, but this freedom, paradoxically, channels a higher will.
10. It is through observation that physical reality is actualized.
This is in consonance with interpretations of quantum theory.
11. Knowledge is of two kinds: linguistic, where one speaks of the relationships between abstractions or physical embodiments, and intuitive and spiritual which guides our navigation through logical categories and guides us to generalizations and insights.
12. Ignorance arises from being a prisoner to biological nature in which humans are no different from other animals.
Ways to Obtain Knowledge
13. Knowledge is obtained by finding the meeting point of the inner Light and its interface with the mind.
14. The Goddess — seen through the lens of transformative processes — is the guide in the inner journey.
15. The exploration of the architecture of the mind through different methods, or sādhanās, constitutes different kinds of yoga.
16. One’s innate temperament together with training and learning determine the nature of one’s striving.
The Ātman has the potential that leads to a variety of temperaments whose seed is present in each person. In other words, all people can obtain freedom from bondage.
17. Worship is sacred theatre to facilitate the concentration of the mind (dhyāna); another way to do it is through devotion (bhakti).
It may be done anywhere, in group, or in privacy. Dance, art, science, inquiry, or service are also worship. Hinduism sees divinity everywhere.
18. The spiritual life in Hinduism finds harmony in all creation including the body-mind complex.
This is an ecological view of the health and well-being of the individual and of society.
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Hinduism is fully consistent with scientific inquiry. But it is different from the current mainstream science paradigm in that it postulates an independent category of consciousness.
Mainstream science is materialistic in which consciousness is an emergent phenomenon arising in the brain, whereas Hinduism acknowledges that while the experience of consciousness manifests in the brain (brain networks function as lens), it is the transcendent light that makes cognition possible.
It is generally acknowledged that consciousness is the frontier of science, whether you approach it from the perspectives of physics, neuroscience, psychology, or computer science. Given its materialistic trappings, modern science has failed to address this challenge successfully (excepting in quantum theory, where materiality and consciousness are like two sides of a coin).
The idea of Ātman is revolutionary within the materialism paradigm but since it appears important for further advance in fundamental science, it is sure to be much discussed in the coming decades.
Bibliography
To explore further the claims in this essay, and find citations from texts and works of scholars, see the following:
S. Kak, The Vedic Tradition: Cosmos, Connections, and Consciousness. SVYASA University, 2022.
S. Kak, Indian foundations of modern science. OSU, 2018; https://www.academia.edu/47750137/Indian_Foundations_of_Modern_Science
S. Kak, The Śiva Sūtra: Play of Consciousness.Brahmavidyā: The Adyar Library Bulletin, vol. 85, pp. 273–292, 2021. https://www.academia.edu/60085545/The_Śiva_Sūtra_Play_of_Consciousness
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