COMPARING PLATO AND HINDU SOCIAL THOUGHT

Comparing Plato and Hindu Social Thought



Comparing Plato and Hindu Social Thought

Introduction

Hinduism is one of the most ancient religious systems of humankind. It does not have a historical beginning. Its origins are shrouded in the mists of antiquity (Banerjee, 1980). Scholars have connected it to the Indus civilization unearthed by archeology. Its founders were ancient sages (Klostermaier, 1989), called rshis, who achieved enlightenment of spiritual truths, which they expressed in Sanskrit hymns known as the Vedas. Many Hindu insights and patterns of rituals are traced to these sacred texts of the tradition. This paper compares and contrasts Hindu and Plato's social thought in a concise and comprehensive way.

Comparing Plato and Hindu Social Thought

Unlike Platoism or Plato's thought, Hinduism is a complex system of beliefs, ideals and practices. Affiliation does not result from proclamations of faith, but by birth (Klostermaier, 1989). Hinduism does not recommend change of faith or conversion from one religion to another (DasGupta, 1978). It regards God and Truth as one, and leaves open the possibility that all people may call it by different names. The quest and effort to connect with the divine is what matters, not the paths and practices adopted for this. This insight that no approach can be considered best, implies an intrinsic respect for different religious modes (Day, 1982). In this respect, Hinduism differs radically from religions whose goal is to convert others to their own visions of godhead and afterlife. Hindu doctrinal tolerance enables its practitioners to go into a mosque, church, or synagogue, and pray there in silence to their own vision of the divine principle.

The Hindu view is that associated with every conscious being is an atman (pronounced aathman): the self. Atman infuses matter with life and consciousness. The atman experiences and preserves its own identity (Banerjee, 1962). Every atman is regarded as a spark from the Supreme Being known as Brahman. Brahman is the spiritual undercurrent of the universe. Embodied atman is often unaware that its separateness from Brahman is temporary and illusory (Dhagamwar, 1992). Hinduism says that one purpose of religion is to enable us to experience this cosmic connection. It says in an Upanishad: tat tvam asi—Thou art That (Sarma, 1962).

Thus, the Hindu spiritual vision regards individual consciousness from a cosmic perspective. It recognizes our transience as separate entities, yet incorporates us into the infinity surrounding us (Derrett, 1968). There could be other manifestations of Brahman elsewhere in the universe. Most importantly, in the Hindu view, there is a subtle spirit at the core of everything. From this perspective, the religious expressions of humanity are echoes of the Universal Spirit, just as volcanic outbursts remind us of submerged forces of far greater magnitude (Doongaji, 1986).

Hinduism is generally associated with the vast majority of the inhabitants of India, but its influence on the thinking and practices of many other peoples has not been insignificant. China, Japan, Laos, Kampuchea, Tibet, and Sri Lanka have all felt the impact of Hindu thought directly or via its ...