Hinduism , lessons from the past
You could
easily use history to argue for almost any position in contemporary India: that
Hindus have been vegetarians, and that they have not; that Hindus and Muslims
have gotten along well together, and that they have not; that Hindus have
objected to suttee, and that they have not; that Hindus have renounced the
material world, and that they have embraced it; that Hindus have oppressed
women and lower castes, and that they have fought for their equality.
Throughout history, right up to the contemporary political scene, the tensions
between the various Hinduisms, and the different sorts Hindus, have
simultaneously enhanced the tradition and led to incalculable suffering.
What an utter
waste it would be not to keep using our knowledge of a tradition, such as the
Hindu tradition, that is so rich, so brilliantly adaptive. The profuse
varieties of historical survivals and transformations are a tribute to the
infinite inventiveness of this great civilization, which has never had a pope
to rule certain narratives unacceptable. The great pity is that now there are
some who would set up such a papacy in
We can learn
from
Wendy Doniger