I was born in the wrong hemisphere...

Hello all!

I. Am. So. Sorry. Really, I haven't posted in an UNACCEPTABLE amount of time. I know this isn't an excuse, but the past few weeks have honestly been a blur of writing essays and naming organic molecules. It seems I tragically underestimated my work load this semester. :(

However, every now and again my classes remind me of why I'm studying what I am in the first place, and I get super inspired.

I was fully expecting my Religions of the East class to be a typical run-of-the-mill introductory class, full of freshmen and an absolute bore. I was quite happy to find that I was mistaken (minus the freshmen part :/ ) I'm actually learning a lot - not just about Hinduism and Eastern vs. Western spiritual themes, but about myself and my own spirituality.

My boyfriend joked last year about me being born in the "wrong hemisphere," i.e., fitting in much better in Eastern philosophies than in Western traditions, and I learn more and more how true that is.

I have more or less given up on an anthropomorphous God who is jealous, angry, and possessive. In my opinion, if there is in fact a Divine being among us, He/She/it must be more perfect than humankind. And how can a God who demonstrates the worst trait in man (with little to no redeeming qualities, might I add) be more perfect than man? Therefore, almost no Western tradition is welcoming to me.

Hinduism (the mother religion of many well-known Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Jainism), on the other hand, presents a god who is none of the above. The Hindu god, Krishna, is neither a loving nor a hating and condemning god; he is a transcendent energy and the maintaining energy in the universe through which all things are possible.

I would like to just plainly state that that last part is VERY in keeping with my Pantheistic worldview - a god that is in everything, not some third party floating around in the clouds. Even if I don't buy into all of the myths of Hinduism (which I don't), I love the general idea behind their god.

Anyway, we're reading the Bhagavad Gita (basically the Bible of Hinduism) for our lectures, and I just wanted to share a few passages with you guys that made me fall in LOVE:

"I am the goal, the sustainer,

the Lord, the witness,

the dwelling, the shelter,

the innermost heart;

The coming forth into being,

the going forth into

cosmic absorption;

the continuance of existence,

the cosmic receptacle,

and the everpresent seed." (9:18)

I love this; it sums up everything I think of when I think of something divine, something holy, something worthy of awe and reverence.  But that's not all!

"Those who serve divinities

go to the divinities;

those who serve ancestors

go to the ancestors;

Those who sacrifice for spirits

go to the spirits;

those who sacrifice for me

surely come to me." (9:25)

Another aspect that I love - no forced worship. Krishna - God - is literally saying "Do you; I'll be here waiting."

"Whatever you do,

whatever you enjoy,

whatever you sacrifice,

whatever you bestow,

Whatever austerity

you undertake - 

that, enact as an offering to me." (9:27)

In the same way that god does not care if you do not worship him, he also does not care how you worship him. Whatever makes you happy, you may do in his honor and he is pleased.

"I am the same

toward all beings;

no one is either hated

or dearly loved by me.

Yet those who,

with an offering of love,

offer their love to me - 

they are in me

and I am also in them." (9:29)

This is really the icing on the cake.  This god does not play favorites and does not condemn anyone for their choices. This god is in and all around us, waiting for us to notice. 

(This is the version of the Gita that I'm quoting. It's a translation by my BRILLIANT professor, Dr. Graham Schweig. It's also available on Amazon for dirt cheap if you're interested.)

Now, don't get me wrong - I'm not converting to Hinduism or anything. It is still very structured and fantastical in its myths for me to truly buy into it. However, I can appreciate the beauty of its sacred text and its value in Eastern spirituality. Without it, there would be no Buddhism, which as you all know is a philosophy that I hold very dear to my heart.

So that's it for today, guys! I'm glad I FINALLY got to rant and rave about spirituality and all things religious which, let's be honest, I could do all day.

 I have a list of topics going, so never fear, I PROMISE I won't be absent this long anymore. 'Tis downright unacceptable if you ask me!

I'm very grateful for those of you who stopped by during my hiatus - views steadily climbed even while I was away!

Til next time!

<3, Ali

P.S.!

I found this on my pinterest, and I thought it seemed fitting to share:

HOW COOL IS THIS?! The Sri Yantra is a very common and very sacred symbol in Hinduism, representing the universe and its unmanifest source. It has been around for, say, a couple thousand years. On the right is the sound of someone meditating and saying the 'Ohm' - and what it looks like on a tonoscope. 

To me it's scarily telling of how in tune the ancients were with the universe. It also pushes me to meditate harder and try to focus deeper - maybe I'll be able to see what sounds look like too!