Core Assumptions
As is the case with all religions, the messages and lessons advanced by the sacred
texts, teachers, and prophets of Hinduism are diverse, numerous, and beyond the
scope and purpose of this chapter. However, Hinduism does contain some central
teachings that you will find useful when interacting with someone who is Hindu.Divine in Everything
For Hindus,“divine”is the concept that the universe is interconnected in a host of
ways. This interrelatedness cuts across time and space and encompasses the belief that
plants, animals, and humans are all interrelated. The essence of this worldview is that
God is within each being and object in the universe and that the spirit of each soul is
divine. Narayanan further develops this concept of the divine when he writes,“The
belief that the divine is not only beyond gender and name, but also beyond number,
has resulted in its manifestation in many shapes and forms: as human or animal, as
trees, or as combinations of these beings.”^178 This view of a vast number of deities
makes Hindus among the most religious people in the world because they find the
divine in everything. As Boorstin notes,“The Hindu is dazzled by a vision of the
holy, not merely holy people, but places like the Himalayan peaks where the gods
live, or the Ganges which flows from Heaven to Earth, or countless inconspicuous
sites where gods or goddesses or unsung heroes showed their divine mettle.”^179Ultimate Reality
The Hindu interpretation of reality is clearly introduced by Matthews when he writes,
The distinctive attitude of Hinduism is that there is more to the universe than meets the eye.
There is a reality that embraces all we experience; to understand the universe and ourselves,
its presence is necessary. Behind all the phenomena of life, a source of energy makes it possible.
This unit can be experienced, however, in a great variety of ways. No one way is complete.^180
This concept suggests the fundamental assumption that the material world, the one we
can touch and see, is not the only reality. Instead, Hindus hold that there are other reali-
ties that lead to spiritual advancement and reveal the true nature of life, the mind, and the
spirit. Hence, Hindus are not satisfied with what they see or hear. This view is reflected in
the Hindu saying“Him the eye does not see, nor the tongue express, nor the mind grasp.”
Counsel for such an orientation even comes from theBhagavad Gitain the following
advice:“A man of faith, intent on wisdom, His senses restrained, will wisdom win.”^181
An extension of this point of reference leads Hindus to believe that finding satisfaction
in the material and physical world (the Western notion of reality) might gratify you tem-
porarily, but eventually the satisfaction of that world will“wear out.”To experience true
happiness, bliss, or liberation (what Hindus call nirvana), one needs to discover the spiri-
tual existence found outside traditional concepts of reality. Kumar and Sethi summarize
this orientation in the following:“The normative implication of this principle is that indi-
viduals should strive to unite their inner self with the ultimate reality. The attempt to
realize this unity constitutes the heart of spiritualism in the Indian subcontinent.”^182Brahman
The notion of Brahman is actually an extension of the previous paragraph, as many
Hindus believe that“the reality”behind the entire Creation, be it physical, mental, or140 CHAPTER 4•Worldview: Cultural Explanations of Life and Death
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