ORTHODOXY OR ORTHOPRAXY?

A WIDE CANVAS


 ORTHODOXY OR ORTHOPRAXY?

Hindus who follow a traditional life style- in dress, manners, food habits, etc are ridiculed by the so called rationalists, secularists, self-styled intellectuals as being "orthodox". Some of us may get upset or offended by this, but many of us take pride in being 'orthodox'. We observe our things privately, even if we are not bold enough to display our 'orthodoxy' in public! But the younger generation has almost totally abandoned many old ways of dressing , eating, etc. 

Yet, as it happens with most things, it is doubtful if people know the meaning of the word "orthodoxy". Primarily it means conforming to the correct form of doctrine, ideology, philosophy etc. It is especially used in the context of adherence to religious creed, or doctrine or dogma. This is one of the many expressions we have imported from the West, and mindlessly use , like that word God.

Our Kerala brethren enjoying an Onam meal the traditional way!

This word is of special and specific importance and application in Christianity. Christianity attaches great significance to 'doctrine'; this doctrine is determined and enunciated periodically by the hierarchy. Once announced, it becomes binding on the congregation- it becomes the orthodoxy.

The earliest announcement of Christian doctrine was in 325 AD at the First Council of Nicaea ( This place is in Turkey,  now called Iznik). This is known as the Nicene Creed, the most fundamental dogma of Christians. Later, in 381 AD, it was amended at the First Council of Constantinople; it is known as the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed. This is the basic creed of all Christian denominations- the Eastern Orthodox, the Oriental Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican and the numerous branches of Protestant Christianity, though with suitable alterations. This involves believing that- there is only one God, that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son, that he is one with the Father in spirit, that he was begotten of Virgin Mary , that he was crucified but rose from the dead and sits in heaven at right hand of the Father, that he will come once again to judge people and his kingdom will have no end, that people will have remission of sins by baptism.

 So we now know what 'orthodoxy' means in Western usage: the  belief in the accepted creed. The correct form of the creed is declared by the hierarchy. Even today, the Pope issues 'encyclicals' which become the doctrine for the Catholics. There are encyclicals on evangelisation ie conversion, for instance. It is clearly laid down that "the missionary mandate belongs to the very nature of the Church"  ie conversion is their primary mission! (Doctrinal Note on Evangelisation, based on the encyclical letter of Pope John Paul II:"The Mission of the Redeemer".) But the original authority is traced to the New Testament- Mark, 15.16. Christians, like the Marxists,  use words in a special/technical sense, though ironically, the very word "orthodoxy" is derived from the root which means "straight"! ( Greek word 'ortho' means 'straight' and 'doxa' means opinion or idea, or glory etc)

An icon showing emperor Constantine and the Bishops holding the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed,381.

Once the process of approving the doctrine starts,  it facilitates revision too. It is said that emperor Constantine introduced 6 changes in the Christian doctrine. He changed-

• the place of resurrection of Christ
• the time of resurrection of Christ
• the date of birth of Christ to December,25. The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where Christ was supposedly born, is owned by the Orthodox Church, who celebrate his birthday on January,7.
• method of becoming Christian
• the headquarters from Jerusalem to Rome and Constantinople.

For all this, Constantine was not even a baptised Christian!

If one emperor can change, can not others? Can not the Pope? So we find more changes in the doctrine- all become orthodox. What is not approved officially is declared anathema or heresy.This is a common feature of Judaism, Christianity, Islam----and Marxism! The heretics were dealt with savagely.

The burning of adherents of a non-Christian sect in the presence of King Philip II Augustus in 1210.

Anna Charboniere, an adherent of the Waldensian sect of Christians being tortured by Roman Catholics, 1655. Pictures downloaded from internet.


Islam has many categories of heretics- Baha'is, Shias, etc. The 1989 Fatwa against Salman Rushdie, considered a heretic is well-known.
Medieval philosophers like Avicenna were also condemned as heretics.

We should note two interesting developments. It is now believed by independent scholars and many believers that the Orthodox Jews believed in rebirth ( they always call it reincarnation): they waited for the old Prophets to come back! This belief was carried by the original Christians, and scholars show the references in the Bible. Even their old thinkers like Origen believed in it. But emperor Justinian did not believe it. At that time, the Church was divided into two factions- the Western based in Rome and the Eastern in Constantinople ( now, Istanbul). The Bishops of Rome believed in rebirth! So, Justinian convened the Fifth Ecumenical Council in 553, with 159 Bishops from his church, and only 6 from the Roman side, and removed reincarnation from the official doctrine!

Likewise, Pope Gregory changed the Justinian Calendar in 1582!

Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem built after destroying the Temple of Venus, built after the Roman Conquest of Jerusalem in 135AD.

When people use the word orthodox in relation to Hindus, we must question them: just what do they mean? Hindus do not have a Pope or any  authority like that, they have no compulsion to believe any one doctrine as the only valid one, they don't have to bow down to any one particular god or to any  god even! There is no one authority fixing the doctrine or revising it according to convenience! Hindus have the greatest freedom of belief and worship among all religions in the world! So we have 6 systems of philosophy, with innumerable refinements and divisions in each; we have 6 main lines of worship (shanmata) with innumerable branches in each. Each sect has its own deities, rituals, prayers, holy men and teachers! And there are millions who are beyond the pale of all these- who have not even heard of them! Each willage has its own deity! We have no problem at all! As Swami Vivekananda said, we welcome even more! We have no fear of orthodoxy! or any other doxy! Even Buddhism , Jainism and Sikhism, which are not part of the so called orthodoxy are venerated by Hindus.

Compare Hindus with the communists for instance. The communists have to believe in Marx, in Lenin and all that they wrote. They cannot deviate. Who is more orthodox- the communist or the Hindu?

In fact, orthodoxy means conforming to the current form of belief or practice. In a women's college , girls may have to come in the prescribed dress- that is orthodoxy there! An office may prescribe a dress or behaviour code- that is orthodoxy there! The Congress Party has to obey the 'high command'- that is orthodoxy there! Any organisation that functions, functions because of some orthodoxy! It can be seen that Hindus alone are free of any orthodoxy in this rigid sense!

What  all Indian religions believe in, is not any one set of doctrine, but conduct- achara, dharma! Vichara or ideas, opinions (mata) differs but across all sects, including Buddhism and Jainism are certain practices which unite us. Observe all religious people of India: they are so alike in what they do, despite all the differences in the dress, in the sect marks on the forehead, etc. This conduct revolves, for the house holders, around honouring their manes, the family and other deities of their choice, the guests , taking care of all forms of life. It also enjoins on them the duty to get enlightened! Each branch, sect, group follows its own way. The pious Buddhist meditator, the austere Jain monk, the Hindu Sanyasi- they are all united in their basic conduct-  austerity or tapas, control of the senses,non injury, praying and working for welfare of the world. What does it matter if the Buddhist or Jain does not believe in a god or any god? They don't go in the name of their religion and kill non-believers. No one who is a true Indian can believe in conversion! The Buddha called his teaching 'Dharma', just Dharma (Dhamma in Pali)- a name by which what is called Hinduism by foreigners today was known then! That is why a Dalai Lama can feel at home in India and in the company of Indian sadhus! And that is also why so many Hindus venerate the Buddha and Dalai Lama! We don't feel they are different! This is Orthopraxy, not orthodoxy!

That our religion had no indigenous name for itself shows that we do not believe in the tyranny of orthodoxy! Even the Veda permits 32 ways of pronouncing words! How strange and how wonderful- a civilisation which could name its place 'Bharatvarsha' had no name for its religion! Once you give a name, you become its prisoner.

This is a point which the great G.K Chesterton made in his book Heterodoxy. He said that a religion is defined by its critics!  Once critics say something, you have to agree or oppose; thereby, you define yourself! This has also happened with us: once people call us orthodox, we have to prove or disprove it- thereby we play into their hands!

The problem with Hindus  is that we tolerate just about anything. In my school days in the 50s in Tamil Nad, the Dravidian elements in the guise of rationalists used to criticise Hinduism in vulgar and cheap terms, in public meetings. I happened to hear them at times, and would come home in tears. But our elders were not perturbed. They used to say: dogs will always bark- it is their nature; can we bark back at them? Just ignore! It is of course a different matter if they come to bite! Now I see the wisdom of it: the same Dravidian elements, coming to power, are doing the very things which earlier the orthodox people were accused of doing: they visit temples ( if not in their state, outside;or send their womenfolk; better still, they invite priests and pujaris home, secretly); they consult astrologers; their leaders preside over music performances and dance programmes (Whatever the language, there are the same 7 swaras and mudras and karanas and abhinaya).Their children are learning Hindi, if not Sanskrit! They celebrate many functions at home, like even the attainment of puberty by girls. What then is the meaning of orthodoxy?

But to ignore such attacks now in the media or academic circles is no longer desirable. The media and academic institutions are generally anti-Hindu in their views and attitudes.  We have to engage them where necessary.. 

Pandit Purushottam Gaur, 'Guruji'- an astrologer, but struggling for water conservation in Rajasthan. Is he  just orthodox?

From:occupy.com. Thanks.

Words like orthodoxy are loaded with hidden significance. They come from a specific religious and cultural background. This word is absolutely un-Hindu in spirit, though we use it freely. This is just small attempt to indicate some aspects of it.

The simple dress of Sri Ramakrishna!

Sri Aurobindo in our native dress! This was his attire subsequently!

Such were our National leaders!