Alas that the medicine for our ills
The cure for our distress
Is undertaken by a crowd
That thinks that they can improve us
By destroying us.

(Mohsen Makhmalbaf)

Im puzzled by the growing gap between some Christians and some Hindus. If these two groups do not appreciate each others’ beliefs it is because they have not bothered to look at the truths in each others’ faiths.

The mahavakyam of the Chandogya Upanishad / Sama Veda is

“Tat Tvam Asi”—I am That

Jesus Christ said exactly the same thing : an inconvenient truth for Christians raised to believe that Hindusim is only about breaking coconuts in worship of stone idols.

Asked about his relationship with God, what did Christ say?

“I and my Father are one.” (John)

On a previous occasion he said that anyone who believed in him would do greater things than he had. Messages from both religions speak of the potential for glory that we carry within us.

When you know that the subtlest part of you is your consciousness, a second statement that is not difficult to understand is:

Aham Brahmasmi --- I am the Great Reality (Atharvana Veda/Mandukya Upanishad)

And Christ’s simple, effulgent response when the Sanhedrin asked “Are you the son of the Living God?” ---“I am.”(Luke)

Preaching to simpler people he repeatedly said the perfectly upanishadic statement---“The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke)

Vedanta strongly condemns attachment to wealth and warns against it becoming a stumbling block in a person’s spiritual growth and a common criticism/misunderstanding about the worship of SriLakshmi is that Hindus worship money/Mammon! The reason Lakshmi Devi’s blessings are sought is because without money you cannot carry out one of the chief karmas of life, shaping your spiritual evolution through self-emptying and sensitivity to the pain of others: namely, daanam or charity. What did Jesus Christ say?“Sell all you have and give it to the poor and you shall have treasure in Heaven.” (Luke)

Most Christians have never bothered to look at the philosophical side of the Vedic expression of Hinduism, and believe that all Hindus are misguided people lost in spiritual darkness while they roll around temples. Actually thousands of Hindus do not visit temples at all and thousands of Christians worship the idols of their saints.Where do they fit in?

Could I request every Hindu who is interested in peace in India to look at the 21st verse of the VIIth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita a text which is the essence of the Upanishads. The words are as clear as a child’s rhyme , “I will appear to you in any form you like and strengthen your faith.” Now, because there are so many forms in the Hindu pantheon,if we sincerely believe this, how can any form of the Divine upset us enough to want to attack it ? The message of the Gita is to overcome the great enemies within : arrogance, aggression, greed and falsehood. The closing lines of chapter III,“Rise up and with the sword of discrimination,destroy the enemy” does not refer to the external battle Arjuna is hesitating to engage in. SriKrishna is urging Arjuna to destroy his own ignorance in order to reach the Truth within : self-understanding.

No Hindu who takes the Gita seriously will smash up a church or break the statue/idol of the Infant Jesus.

No Hindu really needs “saving” from his or her own religion. And no Christian needs to be destroyed to be improved.The Rig Veda says “Let noble thoughts come to us from all sides” and for the safety of our innocent children I hope that more and more people will see that the Cowherd and the Shepherd are but one and the same.

There is no earthly or heavenly need to do battle for either.