HINDUISM AND SANATANA DHARMA

Can One Be a Hindu in the Modern World?

If we rephrase this question in terms of Sanatana Dharma it is easy to answer. Can one follow the universal tradition in the modern world? Obviously we must develop a universal view in order to be truly modern and global in outlook. If we don't follow the Universal Truth, we have fallen from Reality and live in illusion, whatever age we are born into. To be a Hindu in the modern world one must understand the basis of Hinduism in Sanatana Dharma. This is not just to be superficially universal in attitude or view but to learn to access the various practices of Hinduism for their universal relevance.

Sanatana Dharma, not being limited to a point in time or space, can be adapted to any time or place. As a perpetual or perennial tradition it demands names and forms appropriate to the time. Yet to follow the eternal tradition is not to be superficially modern - a creature of the moment, which is often no more than a fad, pursuing the latest social trend - but to live at the heart of creation. To be modern one is inclined to abandon religion and embrace the popular culture of entertainment, sensation and physical culture, or to take up modern intellectual culture, or modern politics which shuns religion. This however fails to answer the deeper issues of life.

The ultimate issue is not to be in harmony with the times but to discover That which transcends time. Then we become citizens of the universe and all time, and not just creatures of one age or another.

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