so
um I found the idea of pluralism really good and it's something that I'd like to adopt but you
brought it out as being part of Hinduism though the thing is I well if you could explain what part
of Hinduism it's from because um growing up to me Hinduism has been taught as a thing here you're
going to pray to these Gods because we're Hindu and that's about it so if you can explain that
what I mentioned to you that this thing is not something that's just something new that you're
generated called pluralism it's very ancient idea and in the ancient scripture the rigveda is a
beautiful verse which says he says if you want to look search for unit in diversity there are
many approaches if you want to look for something even if you don't call it God Ultimate Reality
the nature what is it that's underpinnings reality to approach that there are a variety of different
ways now this is Central since the rigveda it's very ancient scripture authority of Hindus
Authority the scripture of authority but it's not in Hinduism I'll just show you the variation
in Jainism are there any James here in Jainism this is called anekantwad this
is a central feature of Jainism no absolutism every approach you take is relative it has to
relate to you otherwise you can't talk about it and yet there are many approaches many ways of
relating to reality so it's a central feature of Jainism they say stop there no Sikhism
one of the unique feature of adini seeks here one of the unique features of Sikh religion
that I find endearing and very loving is this it's the first attempt of pluralism
here is if he Guru nanak trying to reconcile Hinduism and Islam very difficult task
very difficult and that's why many gurus lost their lives trying to reconcile trying to bring
them together again you see attend a pluralism I've just given you some Vision uploadism but then
you see are there many gujaratis here two three only two or three I can't use a Gujarati phrase
but I will if you ask your grannies they will be singing bhajans and the person will say this is
same God many names this is a central Bhajan that all the grannies are singing away that's called
pluralism granny but they know don't call us it's pluralism or they will sing you know lovely Bhajan
said oh Lord by which name should I address you because I'm going to send your wedding invitation
which name should I send you the and what is your address by the way you seem to have so many
addresses pluralism so in the cultural terms it is already in this reason why Hindus are comfortable
with people of other religion they don't feel frightened they don't feel compromised if I
go to a church I don't I go to the church they give lectures there I go to a mosque as well and
give in to the Gayatri there so when I entered that I saw this is the way these people like to
think of spirituality good for them so it doesn't compromise it doesn't make us feel frightened over
the religions so it's in it's that you'll find Hindu this is standard stuff in the United Kingdom
wherever a Hindu goes in public life in a place of work at university schools they merge and
also they lose their identity but they March the integrate extremely well this is ingrained
pluralism ingrained they don't feel offended by other people or people of other religion they
play with it not because they have to say oh I'm going to give up my religion and again plutism
doesn't say you convert to the country said why convert the whole idea is this is your way this
is my way you don't change mummy certainly with the middle of your life that way so this is if
you like is ingrained in the Hindu culture as well as the philosophy I'm taking right back to rigveda
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