{"id":19875,"date":"2021-03-19T11:22:09","date_gmt":"2021-03-19T05:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dorjegurung.com\/blog\/?p=19875"},"modified":"2024-05-13T09:19:30","modified_gmt":"2024-05-13T03:34:30","slug":"like-gods-like-humans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/like-gods-like-humans\/","title":{"rendered":"Like Gods, Like Humans? Or, Like Humans, Like Gods? Or, Like&#8230;F*cked up?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If the Gods discriminate, why can\u2019t \u2014 or even shouldn\u2019t \u2014 the humans as well?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That question popped up in my head reading the short piece <em>Nepali Dalits and Religion<\/em> by Dr. Mitra Pariyar on Twitter (see below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Nepali Dalits and religion <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kE1ANlnxPO\">pic.twitter.com\/kE1ANlnxPO<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2014 Dr Mitra Pariyar (@MitraPariyar) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MitraPariyar\/status\/1370115393377894401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">March 11, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(<a href=\"https:\/\/dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/dalit-religion-Dr-Mitra-Pariyar.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here<\/a> to view the piece.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But before that a little bit about the Hindu social system. Dalits, in the Hindu social system \u2014 the caste system \u2014 slot into the bottom rung. They are the \u201cUntouchable castes\u201d (see image below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Slide05-SMD-HR-Ed.jpg\" alt=\"The Caste System\" class=\"wp-image-9534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Slide05-SMD-HR-Ed.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Slide05-SMD-HR-Ed-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Slide05-SMD-HR-Ed-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Both in India and Nepal, the caste system is widely accepted and its dictates followed more or less. That has had devastating consequences for millions for generations including inflicting generational trauma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And how does one know who is who in terms of caste? The surname of a person more or less reveals one\u2019s caste. (There can be confusion with some surnames because, among other reasons, they are shared by two or more castes.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Pariyar\u2019s surname, for example, tells us that he is a Dalit. It reveals even more! As per the system, his surname also tells us that tailoring is his birth occupation \u2014 yes, that\u2019s THE thing in the caste system. You are BORN into an occupation, and in that way, as far as Hindus are concerned, birth is an end NOT a beginning\u2026as it actually IS!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter wp-image-18281 size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"655\" height=\"628\" src=\"https:\/\/dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Birth-is-a-beginning-the-cobbler-V.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Birth-is-a-beginning-the-cobbler-V.jpg 655w, https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Birth-is-a-beginning-the-cobbler-V-500x479.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Birth-is-a-beginning-the-cobbler-V-150x144.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 655px) 100vw, 655px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A cobbler also belongs to the untouchable caste.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The short piece by Dr. Pariyar is about how caste-based discrimination is very closely tied to religion \u2014 mainly Hinduism. Sadly, in Nepal, some non-Hindus also practice caste-based discrimination. The Tibetan-Buddhists in Upper Mustang, the area I am from, for example, is a group that do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That is, even us Mustangis in \u2014 or from \u2014 a part of the Nepal where we are (Tibetan)Buddhists by birth, grade ourselves and discriminate against those slotting into the lower rungs of the social ladder. (Buddha, if you didn\u2019t know, preached AGAINST the caste system.) Yes, the indigenous people of Upper Mustang classify and discriminate one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether the classification is based on the caste system or an indigenous practice influenced by it or an entirely indigenous one I don\u2019t know. BUT what I do know for a fact is that we ALSO discriminate against Hindus belonging to the lowest castes, the Dalits. But I digress a little here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To return to the question\u2026Dr. Pariyar described something that caught my eye. See the underlined bits in the image below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gods-discriminate-featimage.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" src=\"https:\/\/dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gods-discriminate-featimage.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19876\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gods-discriminate-featimage.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gods-discriminate-featimage-500x262.png 500w, https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gods-discriminate-featimage-150x79.png 150w, https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gods-discriminate-featimage-768x402.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here it is\u2026for re-emphasis:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201c<strong>[A]ccording to the priests in rural Pyuthan, the villagers believed the deity would get angry [\u2026] if Dalits entered their temple.<\/strong>\u201d [Of course, emphasis is mine alone.]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>I would be very VERY surprised and impressed if that belief were limited to ONLY Hindus living in rural Pyuthan. I would be surprised and impressed if only a small minority of about 80% of Hindus in the country believed that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anyway, if the Hindu Gods themselves discriminate against some humans (at least Dalits) the way at least some Hindus believe they do, what\u2019s wrong with humans discriminating against the same humans?! After all, who better to follow than the Gods?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Something else that almost caused my eyes to pop out was Dr. Pariyar\u2019s discovery that even Dalit \u201cintellectuals and activists\u201d don\u2019t blame \u201creligious beliefs and practices\u201d for the widely prevalent and frequent caste-based discriminations (see image below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Dalits-dont-blame-religion.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"827\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Dalits-dont-blame-religion.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Dalits-dont-blame-religion.png 827w, https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Dalits-dont-blame-religion-500x261.png 500w, https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Dalits-dont-blame-religion-150x78.png 150w, https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Dalits-dont-blame-religion-768x401.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 827px) 100vw, 827px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>(Ok, I confess, I was exaggerating a bit about it almost causing my eyes to pop out!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For re-emphasis, here\u2019s a reproduction of that important find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201c<strong>Ironically, their long exposure to these forms of exclusion and oppression notwithstanding, many Dalit intellectuals and activists refrain from blaming religious beliefs and practices.<\/strong>\u201d [Emphasis entirely mine\u2026of course!]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>To place the blame on religion, or to identify \u2014 or label \u2014 it as the root or even the main source of the discriminatory beliefs and practices would be, on one level and among a host of things, like saying that the Gods are wrong. I think anyway!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, of course, how could the Gods be wrong?! They are infallible!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And, to many, therein likely lies the paradox and therefore not a point of contention. To me, however, that is a contradiction\u2026at the minimum (about which could be a whole different blog post). (Hindus, I believe, love their contradictions and are able to live with them.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am NOT a Hindu, so what do I know how Hindu Gods work, what they believe, and how they act?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, truth be told, contradictions are one of the features of Hinduism which I actually find intriguing, insightful, and even appealing to some degree (about which could be another blog post all together too)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What do you think?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>P.S. Of course, it hasn\u2019t escaped me that the question can be asked of other religions too in addition to the context of Hindus and their casteist beliefs and practices based entirely on what they believe what and who Gods are, what Gods apparently \u201cbelieve,\u201d how they apparently \u201cthink,\u201d and how they are projected to \u201cact\u201d etc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If the Gods discriminate, why can&#8217;t &#8212; or even shouldn&#8217;t &#8212; the humans as well?! If the Hindu Gods themselves discriminate against some humans (at least Dalits) the way at least some Hindus believe they do, what\u2019s wrong with humans discriminating against the same humans?! After all, who better to follow than the Gods?! Right?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":19876,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Like Gods, Like Humans? Or, Like Humans, Like Gods? Or, Like...F*cked up?","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[104,48],"tags":[264,105,615,429],"class_list":["post-19875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-justice","category-spirituality-science","tag-caste-system","tag-caste-based-discrimination","tag-casteism","tag-hinduism"],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gods-discriminate-featimage.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Jbro-5az","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19875\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}