My admiration for Hindu dharma was never a mindless and uncritical admiration of all Hindus or of all Indian society. Even among otherwise good or insightful Hindus I sometimes found negative character and personality traits. It seems that Hindus were often their own worst enemies. Westerners provided an easy way to make money for some of them and they exploited this as best they could, including using a spiritual appearance in order to do so.

Some Hindus who uncritically fancied themselves spiritual or enlightened dispensed with human decency along the way. They indulged in negative gossip and sought to defame their competition, even their students who might stand on their own. It is easy to turn oneself into a guru and then place one’s behavior beyond scrutiny, focusing on the faults of others rather than on improving oneself. But the true Hindu way is one of self-introspection in which we examine our own faults before casting a critical eye on others. And it is not the personality of the other that we should find fault with but wrong doctrines that distort the soul, which is good, divine and wonderful in all creatures.

My appreciation of Hinduism was never blind or the result of any personality worship. Hinduism as an open tradition has room for everything, even a fair amount of wishful thinking. Its highest truth is the Self, the real individual, which should never be made subordinate to any external authority, idea, emotion or imagination.