MATERIALISM

          Many ideas that the Western World value are viewed quite differently by many Indians.  The drive to acquire material goods is a powerful force in the Western World.  The following lines from the Bhagavad Gita reflects the Indian attitude.  How does it differ from your viewpoint?:

     To action alone has thou a right and never at all to its fruit; let not the
fruits of action be thy motive; neither let there be in thee an attachment
to inaction.
     Fixed to yoga, do thy work, O winner of wealth, abandoning attachment,
with an even mind in success and failure.

          Despite this attitude, however, status and money, especially when achieved with honor, can motivate Indians.  Many view the acquisition of money and goods as a sign that enlightenment [moksa] is taking place, but it is rarely the end goal in life.  The reasons for this can be found in the Indian value system.  This value system is as old as Hinduism itself.  It is based upon the idea that a man must strive for material success when he is raising a family and must reject such striving after his family is grown.

          Indians do not necessarily gather possessions to keep, for giving is a major value in their society.  Indians give, in order to humble the one who receives the gifts.  When an Indian gives a present, the receiver is obligated to the giver.  This condition can only be changed by giving back a more valuable present than that which he got.  The basis for this value lies in the merit [karma] an Indian achieves for being selfless:

To action alone has thou a right and never at all to its fruit.

TOLERANCE

          The Indian concept of "tolerance" is surely Indian in nature.  To a Westerner, the tolerance shown by Indians is amazing.  The reason for Indian tolerance is the belief that every individual is responsible solely for himself.  Indians do not believe that they should be their "brother's keeper," a concept so important in Western society.  The Indian feels he must order his life according to his own conscience, but his conscience is shaped considerably by the rules of his caste.

          What is considered the right thing to do, then, varies from region to region, village to village, between caste groupings and even between individuals.  Social control is turned inwards toward one's self.  In the case of the Brahmin and the Mahoot, the Brahmin had no right to interfere in the work of the Mahoot.  This respect for all living things is evident throughout India.  lack of fences and of one-way streets, and variations in clothing and individual decorations show the value that Indians place on tolerance.  The Indian's acceptance of conditions that would shock Westerners is often bewildering to non-Indians.  The attitude of Indians toward cows is an example:

     Cows wander down streets stopping traffic; they walk into shops and
they steal fruit, bread or whatever else they can from markets.  They
"mow" the laws in public parks, they nibble at bushes and trees and will
have your lunch in minutes if you're careless.

          Throughout the world Indians are often criticized for their tolerance of cows.  Since the cow is sacred to Hindus, this example goes beyond mere tolerance.  However, the attitude in general is traditional in India and can be seen in many other aspects of Indian life.  Indians stand by placidly while their fellow countrymen break into ticket lines.  The police stand idle when traffic patterns are broken.  They politely step aside in order to avoid bothering those seated or asleep on sidewalks.  Shopkeepers permit their competitors to solicit business inside their shops.  Children run about shouting without being scolded while their elders try to sleep.  Intricate and time-consuming displays of fruit are made a shambles as housewives dig to the very bottom in search of the biggest fruits.  There seems to be no end to Indian patience.

          The explanation for such tolerance once again can be found in the Indian view of right and wrong.  Those that are doing wrong will reap their own reward.  One need not question the actions of others, for they will reap a future life what they have sown in this life.

TIME

          The differences in thought that exist between Indians and Westerners can also be seen in their concept of time.  Westerners picture time as finite, measurable, and with a beginning and an end.  The Hindu views time as an endless cycle.  There is not one life, but an endless series of lives.  The concept of seventy-year life-cycles with a beginning and an end so familiar to the Western World does not exist for Indians.  There is no need to hurry from one experience to another, no need to live a second childhood through one's offspring, no need to worry about what to do with one individual single life.  With an endless series of rebirths to look forward to in the future, what significance does earth-time have?  Individual days, hours, minutes, and seconds lose their importance when considered alongside the idea of being continually reborn.  The pressure to finish one task in order to get to another is eased when you view time as so many Indians.  Time, to them, is endless!