Truth Is One, Paths Are Many

Radha and I were awoken this morning at 4:45 AM by the call to morning prayers blasting over the loud speakers mounted to a mosque near our hotel. This was our sixth day in India and our first morning in Cochin, a prosperous port city on the southwest coast of India. The interesting part of this ‘wake-up call' was that, although I was supposed to Skype our mediation group in South Florida at 5:00 AM, I had decided the night before to sleep in rather than teaching the class.

time to rise and shine

Our Muslim friend’s call to prayer was an invitation I couldn't ignore, however, and I embraced my dharma, dutifully calling in at the appointed time. Our friends and students back in Florida had just come out of meditation, and seven shining faces greeted my tired, sleep-weary eyes. I ended the session by leading the group in some chants and a prayer wishing our assistant Kalyani a safe journey to India where she will meet us in Delhi in two days.

The call to prayers was a reminder of how religion holds this entire country together. India has such a deep appreciation and recognition of the how all things sourced from God, and I am always amazed by their openness to discussing God, the emotional depth they feel when worshiping, and their receptivity to the religious approaches of others. In fact, one of the striking things about Kereal is its vast diversity. Cochin is made up of 40% Hindu, 30% Muslim, 30% Christian.

It is true that in other areas of India religious strife has begun to rear its ugly head, but in Kerala there is none of that. The meaning of Kerala is ‘God’s own country', and its people seem to be infused with a special quality. Kerala is one of only three states in India where the communist party leads the coalition government. (The other two are West Bengal and Tripura). Our driver, an articulate ex-officer in the Indian army, told us that the communist party is the reason why Kerala has the highest literacy rate in India. His soft, caring eyes widened when he told us that the communists take care of the poor people.

front of bus seen leaving Cochin

Interestingly, Kerala has the only synagogue in all of India, where Jews have been living side by side with Hindus since at least the 5th century. We visited it yesterday in the oldest section of the city called Fort Cochin. Most of the Jews left for Israel in 1949, however, and now only five Jewish families remain. There are, however, many 'black Jews' in Kerala, who trace their lineages back through the intermarriage of native Indians with the original Jewish settlers.

according to legend, Jews came to Cochin after
the destruction of the temple in 70 CE

After the synagogue, we visited two churches started back when the Portuguese controlled Cochin. Having grown up Catholic, I'm always startled to see the Indian devotees kiss the feet of the statue of Jesus, showing the same reverence and emotion that we have seem so many times in the Hindu temples where Radha and I have worshiped.

countryside church on the way to Cochin

In the evening we attended a sacred dance ceremony depicting how the Hindu God Vishnu sent an emissary to earth in order to battle an Asura (demon). Throughout the performance a Brahmin priest chanted mantras, drums set the tone of the drama, and the dancers dramatized the journey of the soul back to the Godhead. It was a perfect reminder of how the material world can seduce you into forgetting that we are all interconnected, one big spiritual family.

can you guess which one is Vishnu?

Thank you, India, for allowing us a day where we could meditate with Jews, Christians, Muslims and Hindus alike. A country where, for thousands of years, it has been taught that ‘Truth is One, and Paths are Many.'

back of bus seen leaving Cochin