Being Different by Rajiv Malhotra: A Synopsys

JS
Being Different by Rajiv Malhotra

A Synopsys
Shankar Jaganathan
January 19, 2012
Content of the Presentation JS
The Approach
Being Different? What is Different
1. Embodied Knowing vs. History Centrism
2. Integral Unity vs. Synthetic Unity
3. Anxiety over Chaos vs. Comfort with Complexity
4. Cultural Digestion vs. Sanskrit non-transferables
Western Universalism
2
Approach JS
Caveats:
1. This is my view of the book, not the book summary
2. Based on my reading of the book, no prior subject expertise
3. I have no knowledge of Sanskrit; a major handicap
Objective of the Book (based on what is stated in the book)
4. Set terms for a deeper and more informed engagement
between dharmic and western world
5. To highlight the unique and core ideals of dharma using the
west as a foil
6. Refute Western claims of universalism
Author’s Methodology: Purva Paksha
Please feel Free to Contribute As We Go 3

Purva Paksha JS
Effective prerequisites for Purva Paksha
1. Level playing field, terms of debate mutually agreed
2. Intention to pursue truth, not conversion
3. Pursue truth irrespective of ego impact, no compromises to get win-win;
4. Basic self-control /mastery a prerequisite for the practioner
5. Be well informed in both the schools
Best example: Mahatma Gandhi and his fight against Colonial rule
Use Western Use Dharmic

Categories Categories
Gaze at Indian Colonial Indology and Pre-colonial Indian
Civilization humanities in today’s intellectuals
South Asian Studies
Gaze at Western Postcolonial Indian Very rare but the Authors
Civilization scholar who attack the goal
West using western
categories
4
My Framework for Understanding
Being Different JS
Materialism Spiritualism
Abrahamic Religions Tantric practices
Mysticism • Judaism, Christianity,
Islam
Rationalism Science Yoga /Vipasana
Diagonal Challenge
• Yoga /Vipasana vs. Abrahamic Religions seen as
Embodied Knowing vs. History Centrism
Vertical Challenge
• Integrating Rationalism and Mystism seen as
Synthetic Unity reflected in Evolution-Creation debate in the west, and
Integral Unity reflected in the idea of Evolution-Involution, leading to acceptance
Horizontal Challenge
• Anxiety over Chaos – Science supreme, but inability to explain spirituality
Comfort with complexity –Sensing adequate, explanations not adequate
• Cultural digestion vs. Sanskrit non-translatable
5
a challenge of translating multi-dimensional concepts in binary language
Being Different: Visible In
Tolerance vs. Respect JS
Western Eastern
• Charcoal Burner • Garland Weaver
– Tribal focus – Individual focus
– Only path – Multiple paths
– Salvation – Sat-chit-ananda
– Evangelizing or Soul – Individual moksha
harvesting • Mutual Respect for other
• Distrust for other religion, paths/ religions
current position tolerate
other religions
• Late 1990s Claremont Graduate University: Tolerance vs. Respect

• United Nations Millennium Religion Summit 2000
• Replace tolerance with mutual respect
• Retraced by the Catholic church a month later
6
Embodied Knowing vs. History
Centrism: The idea JS
Top Down-God Initiated
Common Ideas:
1. Sole Scripture
God Incarnate in 2. Original Sin
Via Prophets
Person 3. Cannot attain salvation w/o god
4. Externally dammed unless saved
5. Divine grace
Humanity Push marketing
Bottoms Up-Human Initiated

1. System integrator vs. Pre-
configured systems
2. Itihasa vs. History
3. Role of myths and multiple Yoga, Self-less Service, Devotion
narratives
Pull marketing
Human Self-realization Journey 7
Centrism: Issue of Contention JS
Three Concepts of Secularism
1. Western Secularism: The origin
– Separation of Church and Government or spiritual and material
– Separating reason from belief; a palliative remedy, defers the
problems
– Concept does not extend to political spheres: American
Presidents ‘God Bless America’ and current Mormon debate
2. Indian Pseudo-secularism: borrowed from America
– Constitutional amendment highlighted this concept
– Dharma-nirapeksha or indifferent to dharma vs. pantha-
nirpeksha or indifferent to organized religion
3. All Religions are the same, hence leave it to the individual
– Opts for a passive role for religion, but problematic due to
– Claims of only ‘truth’ by Abrahamic religion
8
Centrism: Implications JS
Conversion and Excommunication
Basis for Conversion
• World divided into Believers and Heathers
• Believers are the chosen people
• Nature available only to the believers for their enjoyment
• Mandate for the believers to convert heathers: Soul harvesting
Basis for Ex-communication
• Only approach to salvation is through the chosen path
• No direct communication with the Almighty
• Claimants for direct contact termed heretic, e.g. Joan of Arc
Central authority resulting in Bull: Fatwas of the
Church: Birth control, evolution, gay rights 9
Integral Unity vs. Synthetic Unity:
The Idea JS
• Integral Unity of the Dharmic world: Involution and Evolution cycle
• Concept of infinity: Purna
• Synthetic Unity: Creation and Evolution irreconcilable
Dharma Judeo-Christian
The Belief independent Belief based
Ultimate Impersonal, multiple forms Male, Father
reality God not separate from world God and world distinct
The Individual: sat-chit-anand Individual: sinner
Human Reincarnation One life
Self-made destiny-karma Circumstances unexplained
Moksha: individual effort Salvation: Grace of god
The Infinite cycle of creation Finite time and space, linear
World No collective end; moksha personal Judgment day for humanity
10
Issue of Contention JS
• Synthetic Unity: Binary world of True and False
– Emphasis on reasoning to bifurcate promotes ego or isolation
– Higher isolation/ inflated ego leads to higher needs
– Inflated ego promotes selfishness and violence
• Result, pursuit of infinite growth in a finite world
• Focus on freedom to
• A range of states: (7 in number) Negation, Approximation,
Absence, Difference (with some similarities), Reduction /
Diminution, Badness / unworthy, Opposite/ contradictory
– Concept of prana –unifying mind and body focused on feeling
– Process to integrate self with the ultimate reality, by eliminating
ego
• Focus on freedom from
11
Implications JS
Description Dharmic Judeo-Christianity
World view Cosmic centered system Human centered system
Time horizon Infinite Finite
Relationship with Interdependence Subordinate to man
nature
Approach to problem Discover solutions Invent solutions
Concept of Progress Sustainable co-existence Material progress
• Binary mode of view vs. multiple hues of dharma is seen

as dharma being ‘unethical’
• Means vs. end debate and Krishna in Mahabharata
• A view that ethics as a guide applies only in self-centered
actions 12
Anxiety Over Chaos vs. Comfort
with Complexity: The idea JS
Defined, permanent bifurcation vs. Subjective, temporary,
classification
Biblical view: Good and Evil inherited, Noah and three sons: Ham,
Shem, Japheth
• Dark-skinned Ham & ancestors punished for violating honor
Dharmic View: Good and evil, vision based
• Kashyapa =Vision, Diti= limited/ divided, limited, Aditi= limitless
Source of Difference: Desert origin vs. Forest born
View Time Karma/ History Psychological
Phala dependent implications
Christianity Finite Eternal Yes Tension/ Guilt
Hinduism/ Infinite Temporary No Ease
Buddhism
13
Anxiety Over Chaos vs. Comfort with
Complexity: Issue of Contention JS
Uni-dimensional Ethics:
• Commandments or the one Right path for all
• Push for Uniformity
Contextualized Dharma:
• Universal dharma an oxymoron
• Dharma is life-stage specific, occupation specific and era-
specific, Dharma is open ended and evolves
• Practice can be both right and wrong; they are context specific
• Push for unity
14
Anxiety Over Chaos vs. Comfort
with Complexity: Implication JS
• Satyam-Shivam-Sundaram implications
Western view:
• True, good and beautiful is integrated
• White skinned, symmetric gods and heroes, dark skinned,
malformed villains
• Was used to justify slavery
Dharma View:
• Beautiful need not be good, good need not be beautiful, both
good and beautiful need not be permanent, i.e. true
• Dark skin seen as beautiful and good, : Rama, Krishna, Vishnu
15
Cultural Digestion vs. Sanskrit Non-
translatebles: The Idea JS
• Four levels of Vak (the root/ source of creation): un-manifest,
subtle potential, mental image and outer expression
• Words have multiple meaning and is context specific
– Bridaranyaka Upanishad: The 3 meanings of Da
• Translating Sanskrit into other western languages misses the
essence
– It is like assigning constant value to an algebraic variable
• Brahman and Ishwara ≠ God, Impersonal vs. Personal, universe
vs. creator
• Shiva ≠Destroyer, Shiva is transformer, there is no end
• Atma ≠Soul; True self vs. waiting to be save by God
16
Cultural Digestion vs. Sanskrit Non-
translatebles: Implication JS
Religion viewed Differently
Aspects Christian view Dharmic View
Divine Distinct from individual Within; but not essential as in
Buddhism, Jainism, Carvaka
Source of Single source Multiple sources; library vs.
Knowledge books
Governance Institution of Church Not essential
Route to A standard set: Multiple routes: Jnana,
salvation repentance and Bhakti, Karma,
acceptance
Membership Formally granted No formal membership, a way
of life
17
Western Universalization JS
Idea
• Globalization means westernization
• Progress is salvation or scientific secular progress
• Concept of Universal History, linear in nature
Issues of Contention
• Binary categories like sacred/ secular, monotheism/polytheism,
creation/evolution, political right/left cannot explain Dharma
with multiple hues
Implications
• Other cultures selectively used to forward Westernization:
Germany and Sanskrit
• Uni-dimensional concept of success
– Cultural genocide in the name of development
• Eliminating local production and seasonal eating
18
JS
19

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JS

Being Different by Rajiv Malhotra

Being Different? What is Different

1. Embodied Knowing vs. History Centrism

2. Integral Unity vs. Synthetic Unity

3. Anxiety over Chaos vs. Comfort with Complexity

4. Cultural Digestion vs. Sanskrit non-transferables

Please feel Free to Contribute As We Go 3

Use Western Use Dharmic

• Late 1990s Claremont Graduate University: Tolerance vs. Respect

Bottoms Up-Human Initiated

• Binary mode of view vs. multiple hues of dharma is seen

• Push for Uniformity

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