Amanda Bailey

Dance & Culture 1010

Life History Interview
Hinduism is one of the oldest known organized religions derived from the Eastern states.
Many people are uncertain as to how or why Hinduism was started, but many believe it was
originally founded in Northwest India by nomadic Indo-European tribes from Russia and Central
Asia ("What Do Hindus Believe? What Is Hinduism?"). These nomads mixed Vedism (an ancient
religion that included chants and sacrifices) with local Indian native beliefs. The mixing of these
two cultures produced the religion called Hinduism, which includes beliefs of reincarnation,
multiple deities, and the spiritual union of humanity (Atkinson).
Over time, the religious mix of ideas grew through the written Hindu scriptures called the
Vedas. The Vedas include divine revelations and wisdom passed down from mere mortals to
their followers. Hymns, praises, prayers, and sacrifices are also included. The four books that
make up the Vedas are Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Artharvada (Atkinson). One of the
most known or popular of the Hindu scriptures is the Bhagavad Gita. Its considered the most
sacred of the texts and is written in the Sanskrit language. This published piece outlines mans
duty, and if carried out, will bring sorrow. The main goal of this book is to describe how one can
find salvation. The scriptures are more than just theology books. They contain religious stories
that intertwine myths, theology, and history to achieve a story form religious roots ("What Is
Hinduism and What Do Hindus Believe?"). This type of Theo mythology is so deeply rooted in
Indias history and culture that much of the text is taken as literal.
Hindus do not share a unified system beliefs, like other religious organizations. In order
for my reader to understand their beliefs, I will identify the main concepts of Hinduism in

comparison to the bible and Christianity, since many people from the Western States have a basic
knowledge of this.
God: in Hinduism, God is called Brahman. He is the supreme reality, the unknowable, the
one impersonal, and ultimate (Atkinson, Shannon). It is said that there are over 330 million gods
in the Hindu religion. In contrast, the bible teaches there is one god who is the creator and savior
of mankind. He is Omnipotent (all-powerful), Omniscient (all-knowing), Omni-benevolent (allloving), and Omni-present (present everywhere at the same time) (Atkinson).
Creation: In most western religions, God is separate from his creation. According to
Hindus, Brahman exists alone, and everything like, the earth, universe, man, nature, animals, and
elements are nothing but an illusion. Brahman caused this illusion of creation. In the eyes of
Hindus, there is no beginning or end of creation, there is only samsara: the repetitive cycle of
rebirth, life, and death (Atkinson).
Humanity: Hinduism views mankind as divine ("What Is Hinduism and What Do Hindus
Believe?"). Each atman (eternal soul) is supposedly Brahman trapped inside a mortal body.
Therefore, anyone and everyone can be Brahman (a god). Before a person or Brahma can be
liberated from their physical body, they must follow the teachings of Dharma, (morals, religion,
and righteousness) and detach themselves from worldly things to achieve moksha (liberation
from limitations of space, time, and matter through realization of immoral absolute.) In other
words, heaven. On the flip side of things, those who believe in the bible know that god created
all people, god says every person is important, and man can choose to know and care for god.
Sin and Salvation: There is no clear path of salvation for Hindus. The only goal of
existence is to achieve moksha. Ways to achieve moksha can be done through things like yoga
and meditation. Gurus (religious teachers) teach things like mental concentration, rational

inquiry, right action, and devotion to a deity in yoga. Hindus hope yoga and meditation will help
them eventually leave the cycle of reincarnation. In contrast, Christianity teaches that one
persons body, mind, and soul are important to God. God wants to have a personal relationship
with every human being, not have people become part of him.
As one can tell, Hinduism completely contrasts the bibles views of life. Hinduism is not
just a way to god, its a belief system that promotes worship in many different gods for different
things. I found this quite interesting because I assumed religious followers strived to be better
people so they could get to God. I also have just started learning about Hinduism in my world
religions class at school and find it very interesting because it is so vastly different from other
religions. It is also very abstract and broad, which makes it difficult to understand. I thought this
life interview assignment would be a great way to help me understand Hinduism and their
beliefs, not to mention it will help me do well on assignments for my religion class.
For this assignment I decided to interview one of my dads coworkers Renu Bakshi, a
Hindu immigrant. I was able to conduct the interview over the phone with her. I really
appreciated her willingness to be open with me about her religion. I know religion can be a shady
topic, especially if one is part of a minority religious group. I think most people tend to stay
away from this topic, because it includes taking sides on certain beliefs. Many people think that
religion should be treated with deference, or silence by nonbelievers (Cohen). Religious
discussions can be like politics. For instance, when talking about politics, feelings can run high,
and there is a reluctance to combine digestion with discord. To an observant, a nonbelievers
comments and opinions on church doctrine may seem like less of a religious doctrine discussion
and more of a personal attack (Cohen). Instead of attacking and perhaps conducting bible
bashes, people should discuss religion courteously and vigorously with a mark of respect, so the

other person wont feel like they are being attacked. I decided to try this out in my interview. I
feel like I was able to conduct this religious interview in a professional manner because for one, I
am quite interested in the religion and what Hindu followers have to say about it.
I first spoke with Renu about her experience of coming to America. She first arrived to
the US from India at the age of twenty six. Her reason for coming was marriage because her
husband had already been living in the states. When she came, she realized things would be
different, including religion. She went from being a part of a major religious group, to a minority
group after entering the United States. Even though she become part of a minority group, Renu
said that she never felt any sense of discrimination from others, which she appreciates. She also
does not believe that she really experienced any privileges or constraints in her life. The only
constraint she noticed was a language barrier. It took her some time to fit into society
because she had a thick Indian accent. At first it was hard for people to understand her, but

as time went on, her accent has diminished and she now feels like her English has improved
immensely. She has been in America for fifteen years and is still going strong. I remember her
telling me that ever since coming to America religion was not a problem, especially in the work
force. Renu told me that when she went in to interview for her job, religion was never brought
up. I like this because I believe employers should only judge a person based off their work
experiences and work ethic because other things like religion usually do not hinder someones
abilities to carry out work tasks.
Renu also shared with me that not much of her religion was changed since coming to
America, although time was. Back in India, Renu grew up in a home where her mother stressed
daily prayer and scripture study, instead of education and work. This changed after moving
because Renu now has a full time job, so she is unable to do these things. She still participates in

daily prayer, but not in much detail. She hopes that even though work and her other daily duties
have taken over her time, she will still be able to make time to uphold Hindu traditions and teach
them to her children.
Some of the Hindu traditions include going to the Sri Ganesh Temple in South Jordan,
Utah every week. There, Renu and her family are able to worship the holy trinity which includes,
the Hindu gods Shiva (the destroyer), Vishnu (the preserver), and Brahma (the creator of man)
(Atkinson). Hindus believe that if they worship these deities, good karma (rewards or
consequences due to a person's actions) will come their way (dictionary.com). Karma is a way of
life, and Hindus are expected to do good things to receive good karma. ("Life History
Interview). It is also the goal of a Hindus life because it frees them from samsara which is the
repetitive cycle of life.
Hindus can worship the gods in many different ways like, dancing, praying, meditating,
and bowing their body to the god statutes. A popular form of a prayer is done by a priest. The
priest performs a small ritual to thank the gods for health and prosperity. In the prayer, the priest
also asks for good fortune and happiness for the Hindu followers. Many followers also like to
dance and celebrate their gods. Since there are many gods, there are many dances because each
dance is performed for a specific deity. Most dances are performed in large temples in front of
audiences. These performances are done to not only worship the gods, but to also tell stories
about the gods and about the Hindu religion in general (Life History Interview).
After talking to Renu I feel like I have come to appreciate the diversity that is present in
America. I was quite interested in everything she had to say. I feel like religion is downplayed in
the states because no one really talks about it much, and like I said before, it is a touchy subject
to some. After I asked Renu my last question for the interview, she made an interesting and kind

remark. She said that no one has ever really asked her about her religion, because people may
feel scared to ask questions about Hinduism in fear that Renu or other Hindu followers may
become defensive about their beliefs. She was really appreciative that someone who was not of
her same faith was kind and interested in what she had to say. Ever since taking this class and my
world religions class, I have come to cherish the many different doctrines and beliefs of others.
This assignment has helped me realize that even though every religion and culture is different,
there are also many similarities between each one. I hope that others will somehow be able to
receive the same opportunities that I have to open up their hearts and educate themselves with
different cultures. If they do this, I believe that they will be able to appreciate religion and culture
like I have.

Works cited:

Atkinson, Shannon. "Handout 1-What Is Religion? Why Is There Religion? Religious Terms,
Concepts, and Philosophical Problems." World Religions Class. Utah, West Jordan. Lecture.

Atkinson, Shannon. "Handout 4-Hinduism." World Religions Class. Utah, West Jordan. Lecture.

Cohen, Randy. "Can We Talk About Religion, Please?" The Moral of the Story Can We Talk
About Religion Please Comments. The New York Times, 27 Oct. 2009. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.

Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.

"Life History Interview." Telephone interview. 19 Oct. 2015.

"What Do Hindus Believe? What Is Hinduism?" CompellingTruth.org. Got Questions Ministries,

n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.

"What Is Hinduism and What Do Hindus Believe?" GotQuestions.org. Got Questions Ministries,
n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.