A Journalist's Guide To Hinduism Writing & Journalism


E-Book Content

FORWARD For over two thousand years, Western scholars have struggled to understand Hinduism. They are simply overwhelmed by its mind-boggling diversity. They conclude that Hinduism has no set creed like Christianity, Judaism or Islam, and its followers arbitrarily worship any one of the countless strange looking gods and goddesses. Some consider it polytheistic while others have even coined new terms, like henotheism, to describe this baffling variety of Hindu spiritual traditions. These traditions range from worshipping natural forces- sun, moon, wind and rivers- to meditating on a formless, omni-present Universal Spirit or Brahman. This genuine problem is further augmented by a well-financed and highly organized campaign waged by evangelical, proselytizing Christian missionaries that have been using disinformation about Hinduism and enticement have been their major tools to convert economically vulnerable Hindus. With this backdrop, it is not surprising that an average Canadian has a very skewed understanding of Hinduism, which has long been a great source of distress to Hindu Canadians. Television documentaries or articles in newspapers and magazines about some gaudy and horrific rituals that are still practiced in some remote area of India, make good entertainment for mainstream Canadians, but Hindu Canadians squirm in their seats and feel humiliated. A correct media portrayal of Hinduism as understood and practiced by educated, modern Hindus in India, has been a very rare treat for Hindu Canadians. Reading Mark’s final script of the ‘Guidelines on Hinduism for Canadian Media’ is indeed such a rare treat. I was immensely delighted when Mark first contacted me about the Guidelines he was commissioned to write for Canadian media people. This is a highly commendable, much needed endeavor undertaken by the Institute for Faith in Media. This effort will go a long way in fostering inter-faith understanding and harmony. Mark’s writings gives me the impression that he has the spiritual bent which is a pre-requisite for understanding and interpreting Hinduism; a historical approach by non-Hindu writers has always failed. Marks has demonstrated a good grasp of spiritual underpinnings of Hindu concepts and beliefs that may be beyond the reach of a historian. Ajit Adhopia, author Hinduism In Canada [Note: his title needs confirmation] Preface My moment of enlightenment about Hinduism came in the summer of 2003 when, along with a group of international journalists, I visited the magnificent Rama Temple outside Chicago, Illinois. Like Adela Quested’s disorienting experience at the Marabar Caves in E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India, I was feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the jangle of smells and the unfamiliar sight of what appeared to be idols of gods dressed in brightly-coloured fabrics, wearing garlands of marigolds. And then it hit me: if I was asked to create a representation of the Divine, or the nature of the universe, what would I show? Suppose an entire people were asked to describe their relationship to Ultimate Reality, to All That Matters, to express the Inexpressible – what would that look like? What I was seeing amounted to an ancient vision of the divine, lovingly nourished and devotedly refined for thousands of years: rich, intense, as detailed as the human imagination can conceive, as sacred as the human heart can hold . I had taken my first step toward an understanding of Hinduism. Introduction If you are the sort of journalist who likes territory that is comfortingly familiar, Hinduism will be a major challenge. Consider some of the first words of the Rig Veda, perhaps the oldest living scripture known to humankind: "Ekam Sat, Viprah Bahudha Vadanti" - There is only one truth, but people describe it in different ways. In some ways this captures the impossibility of capturing Hinduism itself: not only is
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