A few nights ago, I decided to look into the Bhagavad Gita. I had heard about it many years ago in university, but never got around to reading it. I watched a couple of video summaries about it, just to see if there was something worth exploring. Lately, I have been more resolute in embracing my Catholic upbringing. I find that learning about other religions actually helps me appreciate my own. I must say that I was not disappointed in the experience. Based on these quick overviews, I saw some similarities between Hinduism and Christianity. In particular, two themes stood out: surrender and devotion to the divine and reverence for creation.
Surrender
In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna teaches Arjuna about surrendering himself to the divine. This is not too different from Jesus surrendering to the will of the Father. In both scenarios, there is a subordination of individual will, an ultimate reliance on Krishna/God the Father on the outcome, a path to salvation, and an act of love and devotion.
Jesus knew the fate that awaited Him and was understandably afraid. Yet, He did not rebel or ask that the burden be taken away. He placed God's will above His own. This is a similar subordination that Krishna teaches to Arjuna, who needed to overcome his own desires, fears, and lack of personal understanding.
Both Jesus and Arjuna would need to put all their trust in God the Father/Krishna about the outcome, which would be difficult or unclear.
In both cases, this surrender was the path to ultimate spiritual fulfillment.
Underpinning this surrender is a deep love and devotion towards the divine.
Love of Creation
There is a shared view of creation as a testament to the power, beauty, and majesty of the Divine. When you deeply look at the the world, it is difficult to not have a sense of awe and connection. Even Physicists have this appreciation for creation when they see how perfect the quantum realm has to be for anything to exist.
Both faiths also discourage senseless destruction or reckless exploitation of the natural world. Furthermore, we are charged with a moral responsibility to steward and improve our world.
Nature often serves as a place for spiritual reflection, prayer, and experiencing the Divine. For example, Jesus went into the desert or the wilderness to pray and contemplate. Moses met God through a burning bush on a mountain.
There is also a sense of interconnectedness and cosmic order in both religions.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
My View
I come out from this broad overview with an appreciation for both Christianity and Hinduism. I think I will devote some time to actually reading the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, and Vedas. What I find most interesting are the shared spiritual principles. Sometimes you have to hear an idea in different words to better understand something you thought you understood. This is going to be a loooong term project as I do not sit down to read too often.
I think that what I am realizing is that there is a cosmic order of sorts and that it reveals itself to humanity in very similar ways. In a way, this reinforces the existence of the divine. I think many people would be unsettled to explore outside their faith out of fear that it would lessen their convictions. But I think the opposite. I think I will become a better Roman Catholic. Perhaps someday I'll circle back and study the theological progression of Christianity. There is a lot of philosophy over the past 2000 years.