Atheism gained world popularity by opposing the ‘Guy in the Sky’ deity and Abrahamic monotheism. Hindu deism is much more complex. It cannot be opposed so easily, as, if one claims not to believe in Hindu deities, one must also claim not to believe in nature.
Hindus have the Trimurti, represented by Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who were initially depicted as Indra, Surya, and Agni, corresponding to the elements of water, sky, and fire. The Tridev represents the deification of the universal principles of creation, preservation, and destruction. Yajna fire ceremonies involve offerings of earth and water elements to the fire, resulting in air and space. This reflects the psychological doshas and/or principles of ojas, tejas, and prana.
We are defined by our true nature. A Hindu is as a Hindu does, not necessarily what occurs in his or her mind. Inner knowledge, based on experience, trumps all outer systems of belief. Dogma attracts and supports a hive-mind mentality and fanaticism. They are simpletons who rally behind ineptitude. Hindu dharma is not so mono-cultural. Dharma allows for freedom of individual expression, thought, and experience. It is basically not one religion but a conglomeration of many paths, and then there are paths within those paths.
Dharma is vast, diverse, and plural—encompassing and inclusive. Not every Hindu is a dharmika, and not every dharmika is a Hindu. Sanatana Dharma is far greater than any kind of ‘ism’—infinitely so, in fact.
When the eternal natural way is projected through matter, mind, senses, and identity, it becomes diffused and mistaken for mere religion. Religion, as we have come to know it, has definite boundaries. Sanatana Dharma does not. Hindu Dharma consists of many schools of thought, science, culture, technique, metaphysics, and profound philosophies. Four of the seven (including Buddhism) are indeed non-theistic. So yes, one may be called ‘Hindu’ and be an atheist—just not in the same way an atheist who opposes monotheism does. Many may say otherwise, but they could be under the influence of Abrahamic thinking and have come to know religiosity in its Western sense while they apply such an attitude of dogma to dharma.
Even famous hardcore Western atheists like Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and Richard Dawkins are much less critical of the Eastern dharmas than the Abrahamic religions. If we say an atheist cannot be Hindu, we then start getting caught in the Abrahamic games of competitive religion. We start believing that our faith is stronger than that of the others.
The highest absolute ‘God’ in Hinduism is Nirguna Brahman. However, Brahman is not a deity or a being in the heavens limited by gender, time, persona, and thought. Brahman is the ultimate principle of unconditioned consciousness.
I assume you believe in consciousness. If so, the question arises: ‘Are you truly an atheist?’ If you can reason that consciousness more vast and pure than your own exists, could you also reason that there may be an intelligence higher than your own? If so, might the existence of beings with such higher intelligence be possible, or even probable?
Again, dharma focuses on inner knowledge over outer belief, and finds its basis in timeless truths and natural law. Dharma is also an intellectual and multi-cultural tradition attached to philosophy, its own system of medicine and psychology, architecture, astronomy, metaphysics, mathematics and various art forms. In dharma, we find an all-inclusive pluralism and multiplicity. In religion, we find exclusivity, supremacists, imperialism, oppression, dualism, superstition, dogma and institutional-ism.
The highest or ultimate goal for a practising Hindu is moksha. Anything less is, in a sense, trading one thing for another. This is neither wrong nor bad. Perhaps one’s goal in this lifetime is to work on that which allows them to dwell in the realms of the devatas, or even to become a deva or devi. There’s nothing wrong with that, but ultimately, we must seek moksha. At that point, all paths become obsolete, and any desire to remain on one’s path becomes a roadblock to moksha. Ask yourself, ‘Do only Hindus attain moksha?’ If we are open-minded and honest, the answer is ‘no.’ Even though, in our worldly realm, only the eastern dharmas speak of moksha, there are non-Hindus and even non-theists who will attain this ultimate goal.
(Note: I am not an atheist)
Sean Bradrick is an American Sanatani, yogi and poet. Author of A Hindu`s Guide to Advocacy & Activism: Fighting the Narrative War & the soon-to-be released Awakening the Hindu Mind. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.