God is Beyond Image--Diocese is Beyond Restrictions

Contemporary polemics that beleaguer the conceptualization of God would be an entertaining diversion if they did not elicit such hatred, scorn and even violence in people. To a Hindu, God--that omnipotent, omnipresent and immanent Presence in the universe--so transcends mere mortal minds, that limiting the Divine to a mere reflection of humanity actually reflects the banality of our own minds.

Indeed, God is visualized and worshiped in human form by Hindus, but that reflects the dual reality of God--Nirguna (formless) and Saguna (with form). A Hindu may visualize the Divine, or Brahman, as the formless, vast ocean. But some water from that ocean can be frozen and visualized into any form that we wish. That same image, melted again merges once more into that ocean of Brahman. Similarly, Brahman is contemplated as a ubiquitous potential energy, that when converted to kinetic energy--prakriti--turns the wheels of the universe.

The Divine, enveloped as the atma, or soul, permeates every sentient being in the universe, though the entire universe, including the non-sentient--reflect God. But here the dichotomy: Human beings possessing mind and intellect, possess free choice, and represent the highest evolution of life. In that, they enjoy privileged status and immense responsibility to complete their path towards salvation. Mortals may not be the only image of God, but certainly the most evolved.

Simply put, God is beyond the laughable polemics of insisting on the primacy of my interpretation.

I discussed a Hindu exegesis of homosexuality in last week's post. No heterosexual can claim exclusive access to divinity or Godliness over a homosexual who has mastered his senses, lost attachment to worldly impermanence and focused on the path to salvation (moksha).

A Hindu priest, after all, is following a vocation--a vaunted one--but not one that implies that he or she is any closer to God than any layperson. And as in any profession, the criteria for selection, rests within the bounds of tradition, tutelage and preparedness. All subjective criteria--as they should be. I argued in my first post that while males long dominated the Hindu priesthood--caste males at that--this is not defensible when one interprets Hindu scripture to its logical extent.

The Los Angeles Diocese of the Episcopalian Church has made a soul-stirringly gutsy decision to buck tradition, and open the clergy to those with tutelage and preparedness to lead their flock. A decision--whatever the consequence within their church hierarchy, sampradaya , mosque or synagogue leadership--does, and must, rest within the bounds of every congregation in the country.

By Aseem Shukla  |  August 6, 2009; 12:05 PM ET Save & Share:                 
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