Open-Source Hinduism

Author: Siddhartha¹

Source: Religion and the Arts, Volume 12, Numbers 1-3, 2008 , pp. 34-41(8)

Publisher: BRILL

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Abstract:

Hinduism is often taken to be a religion in the Abrahamic sense of the term. But the strength of Hinduism lies in the fact that it does not have one God, one prophet, and one book. Hinduism has always been an open-ended process that is constantly evolving. There was always a liberative current in Hinduism that spoke of justice and equality. But today even the dominant current of Hinduism can be shorn of its caste and gender inequalities. Hindu cultural nationalism, which has often shown an ugly and intolerant side, is unable to find any scriptural sanction for its excesses. It would be more fruitful to see Hinduism as a spiritual laboratory than a religion in the strict sense of the term. Just as Open Source software can be modified and changed on an ongoing basis, Hindu spirituality can also evolve and change itself to suit the complex social and ecological problems the world is now facing.

Keywords: CONSUMERISM; HINDUISM; NATIONALISM; OPEN-SOURCE; SECULARISM; SPIRITUAL LABORATORY

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1163/156852908X270917

Affiliations: 1: Fireflies Ashram, Bangalore, India

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