Religiousity

What can I relate that is meaningful about the panoply of religions that India hosts? The most meaningful word is diversity. I’ve never studied world religions much, so much of the information on Jainism, Sikhs, Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism was new to me. One interesting statistic: India is the 2nd highest concentration of Muslims in the world, second only to Indonesia. We in the West tend to assume Middle Eastern countries win that competition, but not so. Here’s my conclusion about all these religions in one country after visiting several of their houses of worship, and attending several lectures and a panel discussion about religion: India is remarkable in its ability to have all these religions co-exist peacefully to the extent they do. Also, the more I heard about the tenets of their faiths, their holy books, etc., the more confused I got. I finally came to the conclusion that perhaps I was unable to sort it all out because (a) I’m a little addle brained in general, (b) the jet lag lack of sleep is fogging up my grey matter, or (c) there is so much overlap between their spiritual beliefs that I heard the same information several times applied to several of the religions. I chose (c) and felt much better about myself. Indeed, many, not all, but many of tenets of faith I heard could have easily come out of the mouths of the Sisters of Mercy who were my Catechism mentors so many years ago. Food for thought. However, I did think it might be fun to award some prizes, so here goes:
Best iconography: Hands down, the Hindu deities are the most fun to check out. Who doesn’t love elephant trunks, 8 armed goddesses, and 3 headed gods?
Best signage: Sikhs. They put a flag at the top of their houses of worship, and it’s a life saver for those of who haven’t learned the exterior architectural clues that would help us in identify. Way to go.
Best threads: Well, that’s a hard one. There are lots of great clothes associated with these spiritual practices (that’s one thing I learned, not all are religions, and Indians prefer to be accurate by calling all spiritual practices. Don’t ask me which are and aren’t, I’d have to look at my notes, and I can’t really trust them all the time.) The Sikhs have those great turbans, and in many colors. The prayer caps for the Muslim men are cool, and the golden or crimson saffron robes of the Buddhists are fantastic colors. I have to declare a 3-way tie on that one.
Good works: I know I am still very ignorant about all these spiritual practices have to offer, but the Sikhs have an open house in Delhi that feeds anyone who comes in a free meal. ANYONE. They feed over 1,000 people/day, and I find that pretty impressive, so kudos for the mega soup kitchen.
Most Inclusive: Jainists are the winners. They accept everyone. EVERY ONE. They are like the Unitarians of the Eastern Traditions; anything goes, and it’s all cool. I’m a fan of the concept.

Best Dancers: The Sufis, of course. I’m still hoping to see a whirling dervish demo before I leave the country… Stay tuned!
Most gorgeous edifices: This is a tough one, because quite frankly, they all have beautiful things to see. However, I’m a huge fan of floral and geometric designs, and the House of Islam is all over it. Add to that the gorgeous script of Arabic on the walls, etc., and tilework to die for, and the winners have to be the Muslims.
That’s it, and I hope if anyone disagrees, they’ll let me know who THEY would have picked, and why. Remember though, it’s MY competition, and so you know who gets to be right, right?
Today’s Hindu deity story should be about the wonderful Parvati, because you’ve already met the other 2 members of her family, Shiva, and her son, Ganesha. Parvati is also known as Uma, Guari, and Shakti, but that’s all a bit much for our purposes. There’s a great love story here…. Parvati fell in love with Lord Shiva, but Shiva was playing hard to get. She visited Shiva’s cave every day, filling it with flowers and fruits, but he wouldn’t even look at her. Finally, she figured out two could play that game. She retreated to the forest and went into a meditative state that generated so much energy he was drawn out of his cave and into her arms. Isn’t that sweet? Look for the lotus blossom in the hands and at the feet of Parvati.