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amulIt occurred to me today that, despite a long history of performing good works related to the temple over the last 30 years, my father is not actually all that religious of a man. In particular, he is not very Hindu.
Don't get me wrong, he has a strong and well-defined sense of right and wrong, he lives up to his own high standards. Yet, there is little in his behavior which you would not see in an equally spiritual Christian, Buddhist or Muslim. He never quotes scripture, never draws parallels between the rich tapestry of Hindu mythology and modern life. He has never, to my knowledge, sought solace in his faith. He does not practice any of the traditions which make being Hindu different from being any other religion.
Both my grandparents practiced yoga daily, and incorporated prayer into their lives (not "they took time out for prayer," they FIT IT IN to their work routines, made it a part of how they processed their workloads). They were versed in the stories, and my paternal grandfather (the few times I met him) would quote from the Gita as easily and as often as he quoted from the India Tribune.
In many ways, it makes me think of the distinction between what gamers refer to as "roleplayers" and "roll-players." When it came to religion, my dad just sits around the gaming table, ignoring the GM, until a fight comes up, and that's the only time he pulls out his g-o-d20s.
When I ask him about some of the more esoteric aspects of hinduism -- express an interest in reading the Upanishads, or going on a religious retreat, learning yoga, or asking about some obscure hindu ritual I've heard about (eg, neti pots), then the answer is always the same: "Oh, I wouldn't worry about things like that, son. Such matters are best left to the exceptionally devout."
It has never occurred to him that I might want to be one of those people. Isn't the point of the game making sure you have the dice ready when it's time to fight?
Don't get me wrong, he has a strong and well-defined sense of right and wrong, he lives up to his own high standards. Yet, there is little in his behavior which you would not see in an equally spiritual Christian, Buddhist or Muslim. He never quotes scripture, never draws parallels between the rich tapestry of Hindu mythology and modern life. He has never, to my knowledge, sought solace in his faith. He does not practice any of the traditions which make being Hindu different from being any other religion.
Both my grandparents practiced yoga daily, and incorporated prayer into their lives (not "they took time out for prayer," they FIT IT IN to their work routines, made it a part of how they processed their workloads). They were versed in the stories, and my paternal grandfather (the few times I met him) would quote from the Gita as easily and as often as he quoted from the India Tribune.
In many ways, it makes me think of the distinction between what gamers refer to as "roleplayers" and "roll-players." When it came to religion, my dad just sits around the gaming table, ignoring the GM, until a fight comes up, and that's the only time he pulls out his g-o-d20s.
When I ask him about some of the more esoteric aspects of hinduism -- express an interest in reading the Upanishads, or going on a religious retreat, learning yoga, or asking about some obscure hindu ritual I've heard about (eg, neti pots), then the answer is always the same: "Oh, I wouldn't worry about things like that, son. Such matters are best left to the exceptionally devout."
It has never occurred to him that I might want to be one of those people. Isn't the point of the game making sure you have the dice ready when it's time to fight?