Eastern Religions and Christianity: a Learning Process

If this DBE comes across as a bit jumbled, it is because I myself feel a bit confused inside as I read and write this evening. I am at once ashamed at myself for perpetuating within my own brain the stereotypical thoughts of a narrow-minded Western Christian; ashamed at myself for never noticing the similarities between Eastern religions like Hinduism and my own Western Christianity. I grew up attending a strict Christian school that, for all it’s Christ-like teachings, did not practice any form of compassion for other religions nor did it instill in its students a desire to learn about anything but “the right religion” that they forced down our throats.(No, this is not an actual picture of my elementary and middle school. But sometimes when attending this church-school, I felt that the teachings and form of learning was about as backwards as it might have been in this black-and-white time... image courtesy of:http://www.pictures.libraries.vic.gov.au/site/heidelberg/images/7528.jpg). I regret so much about that school’s teachings, but have maintained enough distance and knowledge now that I can be grateful for it, because now I know what a dangerous thing ignorance can be. Just today in my reading, I learned from our own Professor Bump that there is an incredible “hypersensitivity to the suffering of the individuals of other species, especially in the East. It is a rare thing in the West…” (Course Anthology, 218). Because of what I was taught about Eastern religions in grade school, I never would have considered them to be a compassionate, feeling people. Now I know better. Now, whenever I learn something new about another religion or the beliefs of another part of the world, I am always excited when it “matches” something I have been taught in Christianity. It means, to me, that we all collectively must be onto something. If we all say the same thing, then maybe it’s really true. Maybe a loving, compassionate, forgiving God does exist.

Another subject I really enjoyed exploring is Ahimsa. Ahimsa sounds like the ultimate way to live, if you ask me. I must admit, before reading our selected Course Anthology works tonight, I had never heard of Ahimsa before. The literal meaning of it, “non-injury that, of course, implies non-killing,” honestly does not do the actual term justice (Course Anthology, 235). The idea that “Ahimsa means entire abstinence from causing any pain or harm whatsoever to any living creature, either by thought, word, or deed,” is simply incredible to me (Course Anthology, 235). Incredible, but impossible. (This sounds like a difficult organization to be a part of, being that the attempts at Ahimsa perfection are....impossible. image courtesy of:http://www.ayo.org/logonew.gif). So, after reading about Ahimsa I began to ask myself how I could write a DB on a subject that was a mere fantasy. I mean, realistically, why would you give yourself a goal to aim for that is unattainable? Why attempt to maintain complete Ahimsa in your life if you know you will undoubtedly fail, if the practice’s own proponents say that “absolute Ahimsa is impossible,” (Course Anthology, 238)?

That’s when I realized, that is exactly what I do every day as a Christian. I attempt to reach a goal that I will never reach – a goal that I have already messed up enough times to the point where I might as well stop trying. I am referring, of course, to the acts of compassion, forgiveness, and lack of judging that God calls me to practice. Ahimsa, I quickly realized, is incredibly similar to the compassion I read about in my last DBE. Ghandi said that, “nonviolence is the law of the human race and is infinitely greater than and superior to brute force,” (Course Anthology, 244). Turn the other cheek. Same message, different religions.

The reading I explored tonight is only the beginning of opening this door for me, but I would like to learn more. I know that learning about other religions and other forms of Ahimsa or compassion can only make me a more compassionate, better person and I am excited about what else this class has to offer in terms of teaching me more.