The Gourmets Of Vomit Series No. 2:
W.L. Glick — "Hinduism & Judaism Are Similar"
Lucio Mascarenhas.
Orthopapism II/Michaelinum | Index of Articles
Article by Roli Shrivastava in the "Spirituality" Column Inner Light in the Times of India, Bombay edition.
Bombay: "There are many similarities between Judaism and Hinduism," according to W. L. Glick, who has done a sudy on the similariy between the texts of the two faiths, "they share many concepts concerning the eternal nature of the soul and God."
"Historically, Vedic culture predates all religions, so it is not surprising that we have found many similarities between Judaism and Hinduism," says Glick. He further notes how people following the two faiths believe that it is only service to God that will spiritually elevate them.
Deeply moved and inspired by the
Bhagawat Gita when he was firs introduced to it in the early seventies, Glick gave up his course on psychology and devoted himself to the study of the scripture.
Glick, a disciple of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, hails from Miami, Florida, and was in Bombay recently. Having travelled across the world tto share his views on the subject of equality based on the soul and not religion, he feels that religious tolerance would be achieved if people understood this concept of faith.
Glick notes that the idea of soul and God is similar in all spiritual traditions. He relates Elijah's teaching of "any human being, according to one's deeds, can become worthy of 'Ruach Hakodesh' (the Holy spirit)," with the teachings of Krishna in the
Gita, where he says that all human beings are spiritually equal and can attain 'him' (Krishna).
The concept of demigods and angels too finds a place in the two religions. He quotes from the Jewish scripture
Midrash and the
Bhagawat Gita which gives an almost similar explanation - "God's providence works through angels." He goes on to mention other similar concepts discussed in religious texts of both faiths, albeit slightly differently. Reincarnation, for instance, is accepted by Rabbis, and is mentioned in the
Zohar, a Jewish text. Similarly, chanting God's name is also common to the two faiths.
"When I see the solemn Rabbis praying, it is hard to imagine that they are searching for the same ecstasy as a Hindu during
bhajans and
kirtans," he says.
"Moreover," he adds, quoting his guru, "the word religion conveys the idea of faith and faith may change. But
Sanatan Dharma refers to an activity which cannot change." Describing the true spirit of
Sanatan Dharma, he says, "One can go to the mosque and offer a prayer to Allah even if he is not a Muslim and still feel that he is offering prayers to his own god."
Lucio Mascarenhas.
Orthopapism II/Michaelinum | Index of Articles