Issues in Hinduism: Diversity

March 20, 2015 By Deepika Birks

There are a lot of things people could criticize any religion for. They range from silly to quite serious. One thing I can’t understand as a criticism of Hinduism: that it encompasses a variety of practices. Too much diversity? How is this a problem? Diversity is usually a sign of health. Diverse genes are healthier than inbreeding (look at the health issues purebred dogs develop, for example). Three sisters planting nurtures the soil, while mono-cropping strips it. Eating a variety... Read more

Puja in Plain English

March 19, 2015 By Deepika Birks

I had a roommate in college who approached prayer like it was a business meeting. Each morning, she’d show up with her coffee and her planner. She’d sit down with God and lay out what she needed Him to do that day. This is not the Hindu way of prayer. Hindu prayer, called puja, is more like what I do when my mom and dad are coming over: clean up the house, make sure there’s a place for them to... Read more

Issues in Hinduism: Murtis

March 18, 2015 By Deepika Birks

Some religions use symbols to represent the Divine. Other religions forbid such symbolism. Hinduism allows imagery; the images are called murti and they are a focal point during puja. Even religions that forbid images need a focal point of some sort. That’s why Muslims face Mecca when they pray. Some Christians use icons or statues, but the ones who strictly forbid it will often hang a cross. Even with no iconography at all, Christians tend to look like they’re praying... Read more

Will the real Divine Mother please stand up?

March 17, 2015 By Deepika Birks

There is an old joke about two patients in a mental hospital who keep arguing day after day because each thinks he is the Messiah. In Abrahamic monotheism, of course, there is a God and you are not He. In Christianity, He has one human incarnation. If one person is the Messiah, no one else can also be the Messiah. Islam misunderstands incarnation altogether, asking how God can simultaneously be in heaven as well as in a person on earth... Read more

Issues in Hinduism: Caste

March 16, 2015 By Deepika Birks

Sometimes it seems like world leaders can’t manage to get anything done. This is because, unless they’re dictators, they have to work with other leaders. But to the extent that, say, the President, is able to get things done, it’s due to a whole bunch of people doing things so that he doesn’t have to. The President may have an organic garden, but he doesn’t have to grow his own food. He also doesn’t have to wash his car, do... Read more

Is any diet truly sattvic?

February 27, 2015 By Deepika Birks

No matter how you go about it, eating is never a harmless act. Something has to die in order for you to live. Life can be sustained only by feeding on life. As long as we have bodies, this will be our reality. Despite this, many of us strive to do less harm. Occasionally you’ll meet someone who doesn’t care what harm they do. Their rationale is spoken in cliches of willful ignorance (like the people who joke that they... Read more

Why prohibit onions and garlic?

February 4, 2015 By Deepika Birks

Not just Hinduism, but other dharmic religions such as Jainism and Buddhism, advise against eating onions and garlic. Why? Read more

The tyranny of unread books

January 7, 2015 By Deepika Birks

We won't make much progress toward our goals if we're weighed down with hundreds of pounds of random things we might want to do someday. If I packed all my unread books into a giant backpack, I wouldn't even be able to walk. Read more

What’s the opposite of a white man?

January 5, 2015 By Deepika Birks

A lot of Americans apparently think of God as a white man. This was something I didn’t know growing up. I thought that the one thing uniting Abrahamic religions was their insistence on God’s formlessness. In my early 20’s I learned that a surprising number of Americans have co-opted a Michelangelo depiction as the official portrait of the Judeo-Christian God. I’m not entirely sure how or why this came about, and I don’t know if Christians in other countries share... Read more

Is There Magic in Tidying?

January 1, 2015 By Deepika Birks

Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to finally get on top of your clutter once and for all? Chances are, if you’re a woman, it might be. Studies have found that clutter in the home causes a spike in women’s cortisol levels (but not men’s). To men, it just looks like stuff. To women, it looks like a never-ending to-do list of things that will never be done. I’ve been reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Japanese... Read more