Religious Tolerance in Hinduism

Religious Tolerance in Hinduism

Introduction

Hinduism teaches that in the natural order of the world (Dharma), all things are hierarchized according to their degree of purity. But nothing is entirely pure (good) or impure (evil) (Howard, 2001). Everything consists of a certain amount of good and evil. That's the reason why according to Hinduism, we cannot give such a rigorous definition of what is good or what is evil. There is actually no necessity to make a choice between two opposite. Therefore, Indians have an extremely tolerant mentality because they are convinced that nothing that exists contain any good at all. That's why, the spirit of conciliation is very developed : Indians think that all dissensions can and should be leveled by mutual agreements. In the same way of thinking, a Indian is persuaded that two parties that are opposed can be adopted simultaneously. For example, if he has to choose between free enterprise and social state, an Indian will prefer to apply the two systems while attempting to make them work together (Howard, 2001). As a result, because of his large tolerance the Hindu tends to accept what is new, strange or different very easily. This notion highly concerns us because it defines how Indians react when they are in contact with a different culture. Of course this is precisely, the concrete situation that we lived.

Tolerance in Hinduism According to Arvind Sharma

Sharma (1998) gives the example of the 11th century Muslim observer Al-Biruni who, after observing internal differences between Hindus, eventually came to believe "that there is not one thing one Hindu says that is not denied by another". Sharma recognizing Hinduism's tremendous diversity argues, "Fundamentally, a Hindu may be identified as someone who does not deny being one. The collectivity of the beliefs and practices of those who ...