I worked with many teachers today at a training. As we were sharing a bit of personal culture as a basis for inquiry, I heard a statement that was made that has left me very confused, perhaps from my background of understanding and my definition of the word religion. One Indian teacher showed us a bell that she uses during her Buddhist worship ceremonies. In conclusion, she made this statement, "My religion is Hindu, but my personal beliefs are Buddhist." This left me so puzzled that I wrote it down to reflect on afterwards.
I am coming from the understanding that Buddhism and Hinduism are defined as different religions involving different rituals, gods, and beliefs. I have been taught/learned that most Indians describe themselves as being Hindu or Hindustani which is their origin as well as their religion. If you are born to Hindu parents, you are Hindu. Many have equated this to the idea if one is born to Christian parents or born in America, you are Christian. (Of course, this is not truth from the Bible, but is in fact a misconception among many about the Christian faith and Americans). However, I still can't make sense of the statement and it has left me with many questions. Is Hinduism a religion and Buddhism is not? Did the highly educated lady mean her origin rather than religion when making the statement? What is the actual definition of religion? I am just confused and am wondering if anyone can help!
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4 comments:
Some people hold the view that Buddhism is more of a philosophy than a religion, in which case they might feel that their "religion" and their "philosophy" are compatible. I once had a friend who identified himself as a Catholic-Buddhist. I don't know, just a thought.
What sounds a little more likely is what you tapped on with the "if you are born to Hindu parents..." bit. Perhaps she identifies herself as being Hindu from more of a cultural perspective even though she subscribes to the actual belief system of Buddhism more. I think it happens with a lot of religions...Judaism popped into my head as the first example. There's a little blurb on this site that scratches the surface with this example: http://www.jewfaq.org/judaism.htm
Christianity too.... It's not hard to find a person who, like you said, was raised in a Christian home, maybe observes lent, goes to church on Easter, looks forward to Christmas, candlelight services, etc. and calls him/herself a Christian. Maybe they have a personal relationship, maybe they don't.
It's hard for us to wrap our brains around since to us, Christianity is about a relationship and so deeply ingrained in every aspect of our lives. We can't separate it out as mere philosophy or culture (because it's not). I don't know, these are just my ramblings upon waking up. Not sure if it helps or not. :-)
Ah, this explains things a bit better. Unfortunately I am at work & my brain is a bit frizzled right now (for some reason lovely spring weather makes me want to not concentrate & just daydream of... Thailand) but Buddhism is its own faith system, but there is definitely a lot of cross over between the 2. Let me do some research pondering & I'll get back to you in a day or 2 (also behind on some homework so i can't jump in on this tonight).
Thanks you guys! I love hearing others thoughts about this topic and in the process getting me to think on different levels. Questions..would you ever hear a Jew who has accepted Christ say..my religion is Judaism, but my personal beliefs are Christian? OR would you ever hear a person who is "Christian" say..my religion is Christianity, but my personal beliefs are Hindu? Why do Indians who have chosen to follow Christ never say that their religion is Hindu, but their personal beliefs are Christian?
"Would you ever hear a Jew who has accepted Christ say..my religion is Judaism, but my personal beliefs are Christian?"
--> Not exactly, but Messianic Jews might say, "I'm Jewish, but I believe Jesus is the Messiah." Instead of just leaving it at "I'm Jewish." It wouldn't strike me as odd if Jewish person who converted to Christianity felt the need to mention his or her Jewish roots, either, given the emphasis on Jewish culture in many circles.
"OR would you ever hear a person who is "Christian" say..my religion is Christianity, but my personal beliefs are Hindu?"
---> No. However, I think a lot of the world finds Buddhism and [insert other religion here] less mutually exclusive than other religions (like Christianity and Hinduism or anything else for that matter). Which circles back to the whole religion vs. philosophy thing with Buddhism.
"Why do Indians who have chosen to follow Christ never say that their religion is Hindu, but their personal beliefs are Christian?"
--> Just speculating here. But I would guess that someone who converted to Christianity would have more of a grasp of putting aside the old self and adopting something new. For someone who was raised Hindu and may still practice certain traditions...I doubt there was anything comparable to a "born again" experience with Buddhism. There was no putting aside the old and taking on the new. I imagine it's more of a gray area than that. (I deleted a lot of rambling because I'm too tired to make sense...I'll try to elaborate later maybe.)
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