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6/01 C'JCIRCIDatoDu..w5-p.15

A SPIRITUAL EXPEDITION
By

Bindiya Dutt

A THESIS

Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulﬁllment of the requirements
for the degree of

MASTER OF ARTS

Department of Telecommunication-Urban Studies

2001

ABSTRACT
A SPIRITUAL EXPEDITION
By

Bindiya Dutt

A Spiritual Expedition is a video documentary produced and directed by
Bindiya Dutt, as part of a master’s thesis. This twenty-minute documentary
explores Hindu Spirituality in the United States by taking us onto a journey to a
Hindu temple. The documentary is comprised of the history of the Hindu temple
in Lansing, prayer rituals, priests, concepts of Karma and Reincarnation, and the
core essence of Hindu spirituality.

This paper aims to explain some of the layers of Hindu Spirituality and its
teachings. It looks at how the video documentary has been used as a medium to

gain knowledge of Hinduism.

Copyright by
BINDIYA DUTT
2001

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to extend a very special thanks to Sandeep Rana, who walked
me through this tedious process of beginning and ﬁnishing my thesis. His
constant push, support, and help enabled me to ﬁnish this thesis, and ﬁnish it
well. It was a joy and a blessing to have had such a special companion, to ease
and enhance my educational experience. Not only did he accompany me to all
Shootings, and assisted me in writing this paper but was also present at each
moment. And best of all, he put all his heart into it. When I think of my thesis, I
cannot even begin to imagine how it would have been without him. This work
was not just my thesis, it was a wonderful experience. Thanks for adding to my
strength and being supportive. May God bless you!

I would like to also thank my friend Anna Gutierrez for her time, friendship
and teachings. Marcus Shapley, for his time, talent and encouragement. Sally
Wu for her friendship and guidance.

Thanks to Dr. Maxie C. Jackson, for all his guidance, advice and
opportunity here at Michigan State University. I would like to offer a special
thanks to my advisors, Lisa Whiting-Dobson and Professor Gilbert Williams for

believing in my potential. I am thankful for being blessed!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1
CHAPTER 1
LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................... 3
CHAPTER 2
RELIGION IN URBAN AMERICA .................................................................. 10
CHAPTER 3
RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY ........................................................................ 13
CHAPTER 4
HINDUISM ................................................................................................ 15
HISTORY OF HINDUISM ......................................................................... 15
HINDU TEMPLES ................................................................................... 17
BHARTIYA TEMPLE OF LANSING ............................................................ 19
HISTORY ........................................................................................... 19
. PRIESTS ........................................................................................... 21
DEITIES ............................................................................................ 21
PRAYER ........................................................................................... 23
RITUALS ........................................................................................... 24
FESTIVALS ....................................................................................... 26
KARMA ............................................................................................. 28
REINCARNATION ............................................................................... 31
ASTROLOGY ..................................................................................... 34
CHAPTER 4
YOGA & MEDITATION .............................................................................. 37
CHAPTER 5
DOCUMENTARY ...................................................................................... 39
HISTORY ............................................................................................. 39
DOCUMENTARY GENRES ..................................................................... 39
DOCUMENTARY AS A MEDIUM ............................................................. 40
CHAPTER 6
THE PRODUCTION PHASE ........................................................................ 42
PRE-PRODUCTION ............................................................................... 42
PRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 42
POST—PRODUCTION .............................................................................. 43
EVALUATION ........................................................................................ 44
CHAPTER 7
CONCLUSION .......................................................................................... 48
GLOSSARY ............................................................................................. 49 ‘
BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................ 50

Introduction

 

In life, some take a journey to reach a destination, while others to
experience the ride. But where do we come from, why do we come, and where
dO we go? As we walk on our individual paths, we ask many questions and Often
seek to ﬁnd the eternal truth, but what is the eternal truth? Maybe we are not
meant to know. We might just be here tO search and ﬁnd our own answers. For
many, those answers lie within.

Hindu philosophy espouses that happiness is our true essence and we
seek happiness throughout our life. Although we all take different paths, the
core Of our divine existence is to attain happiness and joy.

ln order to get in touch with our inner selves, some take a spiritual path.
In the midst of life’s rush there are the calm, slow-paced spiritualists who devote
their lives to something that cannot be seen, or heard, but only felt and belieVed.
These are those who explore life’s journey and seek its meaning. Such devotion
to a spiritual life may be supernatural to some while second-nature to others. We
have no control over when our journey begins Or when it ends, according to the
Hindu saints, we create our own destiny while thejourney lasts.

This paper and the video documentary explore Spirituality through
Hinduism by taking us onto a journey to a Hindu temple in the United States.

The video captures the essence Of a Hindu temple in Lansing, Michigan
and shows how it came into existence in a mid-western American community

while providing basic knowledge of the Hindu religion.

This paper touches upon some of the core aspects of Hinduism, provides
a literature review on Hindu temples in the United States and suggests some
ways to integrate multi-religious communities in Urban American society. Also
incorporated in this paper is a brief examination on why a video documentary is

used as a medium to expose individuals to Hinduism.

Literature Review

 

With the dispersion of Hindus around the globe, there has been an
emergence in the Hindu temples everywhere. Research shows that today in the
United States alone there are more than three hundred and sixty religious
organizations that espouse Hindu philosophy‘.

This literature review focuses on the history and origin of Hindu temples in
the United States, how the temples have become signiﬁcant to Hindu
communities in the United States and why some people oppose the continuously
emerging temples. The resources used in this essay discuss the signiﬁcance of

Hindu temples in the United States as well as question their existence.

The Early l-lindu Temples in the United States

Over the past thirty years, the religious landscape of the United States has
changed radically. There are Islamic centers and mosques, Hindu and Buddhist
temples and meditation centers in virtually every major American cityz. Raymond
Brady Williams in his article, Asian Indian and Pakistani religions in the United
States, speaks about the most notable example of Hinduism as an effect of the
preaching of Swami Vivekenanda (an Indian Guru) at the world's fair in Chicago
in 1893.

The ﬁrst temples built by immigrants from India in the United States were

in New York and Pittsburgh. They were built and consecrated between 1975 and

 

‘ Maha Prana Pratishtha Mahotsav, pp. 120.
2 Diana Eck, “The pluralism Project,” Harvard University;
www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralism; retrieved, April 25, 2001

1977. The late seventies saw the beginnings of many new temples in major
towns all over the United States3.

Religious diversity in America can be attributed to immigration, and the
change made in the US immigration law in 1965, that removed the 'national
origin' as the basis of American legislation. Adherents of all the religions of the
Indian subcontinent are now at home in the US, creating a new religious
landscape and requiring new religious adaptations to pluralism in America“.

The inﬂux of new immigrants from Southeast and South Asia since the
19703 has led to the construction of many more temples. Experts put the
number of Asian temples, shrines, monasteries and retreat houses in the US.
today at 1,500. Some sit on sprawling estates spread across hundreds of acres
while others are merely areas set aside in private homess.

According to Bradley, one of the reasons cultural and religious
organizations came into existence were the children of the early immigrants
reaching an age when they would receive a cultural education outside the home.
This is when the parents looked for help in raising their children. The ﬁrst
organizations created were national in character, gathering Asian Indians into
social and cultural organizations such as India cultural centerss.

Since Hindus constituted a large majority of the members, the religious
ethos of many of these organizations was Hindu: the organizations observed

Hindu holidays and welcomed Hindu religious leaders as guests. Out of these

 

3 Maha Prana Prathishtha Mahotsav, pp. 120.

4 Asian Indian and Pakistani religions in the United States, pp. 178
5 Transplanting God, pp. 34

6 Asian Indian and Pakistani religions in the United States, pp. 180

organizations developed the Hindu temple societies, which raised funds and built
Hindu temples in most major American cities7.

According to the Far Eastern Economic Review, Hindu immigrants have
donated $ 125 million in the last decade for temples. Apart from these temples,
about two-dozen other facilities such as the Hare Krishna temples and ashrams
costing over $100 million and built mostly with donations of American devotees

have developeda.

Hindu Temples in Michigan

The Hindu community in Michigan has built and established a few
religious organizations in the past two decades. The temples in Michigan are
fairly recent developments because of the period of time it has taken from initial
conceptualization to the ﬁnal establishment.

People of Indian origin who settled in Detroit area had a dream for setting
up a Hindu organization serving the need of the growing community. In 1981,
the Bhartiya Temple was inaugurated in Troy, Michigan to serve the spiritual
needs of the Indian community in the neighboring areas.

In October 1982, The Hindu temple of Flint, Michigan was inaugurated.
And in 1994, the Bhartiya Temple of Lansing was opened. In Lansing, the capital
of Michigan, the Hindu population felt that they would attract people from all over

Michigan to the temple.

 

7 Asian Indian and Pakistani religions in the United States, pp. 181
3 Transplanting God, pp. 34

Some Concerns of the Hindu Communﬂy

A great sadness is that children of the second generation are losing the
use of the family language and cultural norms. Indian languages are becoming
sacred languages as they are used in temples, gurudwaras, and mosques.
Sporadic attempts are made to hold language classes for the children, but many
leaders realize that they are waging a losing battle and that the third generation
will be alienated from their past. The older children often resist visits back to the
family
home and ﬁnd themselves strangers in the strange land of the Indian
subconﬁnent

How the religious organizations adapt to these realities is the most
important challenge that they face. Have the parents gained the whole world but
lost their children in the bargain? That is the awful questiong.

However, according to Brady Williams, author of Religions of Immigrants
From India and Pakistan, "Immigrants have always brought their religions and

reshaped them in America."

 

9 Asian Indian and Pakistani religions in the United States, pp.181.

Critics of the Temple Movement in the United States

Not all favor the temples and some even question their existence.
Is there a God? Is religious faith a resolute way for some that can never be
questioned or challenged and if so, why? According to Prakash M. Swamy, writer
for News-Times India, Jagadguru Shri Jayendra Saraswathi Swami has appealed
to Indian Americans to not to construct more temples than what is necessary in j
the US. In an exclusive interview with News India-Times at Kanchipuram, the
Acharya said it has almost become a fad to construct more and more temples
and places of worship in foreign lands such as the United States and the United
Kingdom.

"More often than not, temples are constructed to satisfy ego and aspiration
of individuals than offering places of worship to Hindus living abroad. There is no
necessity for more than one temple in a city abroad," he said. "Instead of using
their inﬂuence with the federal or state governments to build temples, they should
use their inﬂuence to collect funds to repair dilapidated temples in India. There
could be one temple in a city with all the deities than constructing temples for

different deities at different places. This would only dissipate energies resulting in
wastage of devotees funds," he clariﬁed“).

Pals and Sanders also discuss some critical views of people. They say
that some question how long the temples can sustain them selves. "Many of
them have taken loans from banks owned by the Indian Government," says one.
"And right now, they cannot pay the interest, for they are dependent on donation

from devotees and fees."

 

‘° Prakash Swami, News India-Times

While others question the relevance of the temples to life in America. The
late Surendra Saxena, who was president of the Association of Indians in
America, asked, "what appeal these temples will have to the second and third
generation of Hindus." He said: "Ask the rich doctors and businessmen who
cough up money for temples to fund a community hall or contribute to a social
cause or a scholarship, and many will refuse." This is another issue that Indians
are faced with. How do they get the young generations who have been
inﬂuenced by the American culture involved in the temples?

According to Pals and Sanders, many say that While the temples dwell on
rituals, they have mostly eschewed social responsibilities. "There are hundreds of
Indian women who are battered, and who are afraid to go into shelters," says A.
Bhattaryajee of Sakhi, an organization for South Asian women. "Temples could

help to get them temporary abodes. But they won't."

Supporters of the temple movement in the United States

With the growth in immigration, many people are hopeful for the future of
the temples in the United States. Supporters of the temple movement say that
temples will continue to survive as long as new immigrants keep coming. "And
precisely because we fear the second and third generations will lose their faith,
we must have temples and educational centers," says Manshueh of Hsi Lai
Temple. Ram Chandran, until recently an executive director of The Hindu Temple
in New York, says, "We have achieved the ﬁrst task, the construction. Now

comes the challenge, how to keep the faith alive, especially among the young."

To this end, the New York temple and others have organized children's camps
and seminars.

"The older generation is used to the chanting of mantras in Sanskrit or an
Indian language," says Uma Mysorekar, a doctor who has donated US$23 million
to the New York temple. The involving the younger generation, however,

remains an issue.

Religion in Urban America

 

The development of religious institutions in cities and suburbs has created
a multi-religious society in Urban America. The 1990 census reveals a
tremendous change in the ethnic structure of the American Society.

Religion has continued to play a signiﬁcant role in many facets of the
American life. The political structure, the schools and universities, all of these
have been touched by religion in some way or the other. Religious organizations
are part of a community’s make-up and this is manifested in both urban and
suburban geographic locations. Churches, temples, mosques, etc, are built
everywhere in the United States, both cities and suburbs. However, not
everyone in these communities is exposed to what goes on inside a temple, a

mosque or a church.

Urban Communities

Community means kinship or convergence, and the term “healthy
community" has been deﬁned as “the presence of a vibrant social infrastructure
consisting of formal and informal organizations held together by the social fabric

of the community"?

 

1' “The Sense of Community Project”, Urban Affairs Program, Michigan State University,
Retrieved: May 4, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.msu.edu/user/socomm/

10

In most urban communities, the weakening of the social fabric has
exacerbated existing problems. Schools, colleges and universities are all part of
a community and although there is religious diversity in schools and students
come together into classrooms, religious tolerance, respect and understanding
may still be an area that needs attention.

The relationship of the communities and religious organizations is two-
fold. Religious reform organizations have been functioning to help the homeless,
the youth and many more. However, there is a ﬂip side as well. Some religious
organizations do not contribute to the community’s welfare to their fullest
potential. This has been a concern for many critics of the temple movement in
the United States as discussed in the literature review.

The challenge of the urban researcher is to bridge the gap between
communities and organizations that are a part of it by working with both to build
better relationships.

There are diverse mediums that could be used to inform, educate and
expose individuals on many issues. Electronic media is now on the rise and
urban populations are swamped with media messages, and stereotypical
portrayals each day. Thus, it is not only important for the creators of media
messages and programs that the mediums be used in an appropriate fashion,
but it is also important to educate our urban audiences of how to perceive such

messages.

11

Urban researchers can focus upon several issues in fostering community

development and multi-religious awareness. Some of the ways are discussed

below.

Researching diverse organizations in the communities and exploring the
services that they may be able to provide to individuals.

Studying religious communities and their forms of adaptation to diverse
communities.

Educating students in schools through planning programs and ﬁeld trips.
Informing communities of media messages and stereotypical portrayals.

Urban research, documentation and planning in the area of multi-religious

communities in the United States can aSsist and foster healthy communities and

provide acknowledgement and sensitivity to the existing religious and non-

religious diversity.

12

Religion and Spirituality

 

Religion means, "to unite," referring to the uniﬁcation of the soul, the
essence of our being, with God. Religion is also viewed as a means of union
with our fellow human beings and the Divine”.

Dr. John J. Cremins describes Spirituality as a perception by saying that
the actual experiences for all people are more or less the same but that most
people go beyond the details and come to the conclusion that there is a meaning
that permeates all their experiences. This is a spiritual perception of life's
meaning”. While religion serves to provide various ways of worshipping God
through rituals and prayers, spirituality consists of internal attitudes and
practices, which leads to self-realization and transcends all external rules and
rituals. One who enters the spiritual path goes beyond all outer religious
identities“.

There are many world religions and they each have their-personal
philosophies, teachings and values. The element of spirituality could be present
in religion, however one can be spiritual without being religious and vice versa.

Through both religion and spirituality, we tend to seek answers. Sri Ramana

 

‘2 David Frawley, “Religion & Spirituality Hinduism the eternal tradition: Sanatana Dharma”,
http://www.hindubooks.org/david_frawley/hinduism/religion_and_spirituality, retrieved April 29,
2001

‘3 John J. Cremens, “Are We Wired for Spirituality or Religion?" retrieved: April 25, 2001
http://www.iona.edu/academic/arts___sci/orgs/resiliency/cremins.htm

1‘ David Frawley, “Hinduism: the eternal tradition Sanatan Dharma", retrieved: April 29, 2001
http://www.hindubooks.org/david_frawley/hinduism/religion__and_spirituality

13

Mahrishi says that all metaphysical discussion is proﬁtless unless it motivates
one to seek within the self for the true reality. One tries to ﬁnd out about things
that are external before one looks within. Only by looking within our own selves

can happiness be gained”.

Happiness — the true essence of HUmans

Hindu philosophy espouses that in our lives we seek Sat-cit-ananda. Sat
means everlasting existence. Cit means awareness and true knowledge, and
Ananda, is the happiness we experience when all limitations are removed”.
When we are happy we do not complain because happiness is our natural state.

Swami Shantananda acknowledges that, “in time and space there is
limitation and any limitation, whether it is physical, emotional, or intellectual
produces sorrow17."

Swami Vivekananda gives an analogy of a lake. He says that our mind is
like a lake in which each thought is like a wave. It comes and goes but the water
underneath needs to be stable. As we seek to unfold the mysteries of the self
and the universe through different paths, the following chapter takes us into an

understanding of Hinduism and its core teachings.

 

‘5 http://wwwhinduism.co.za/creation.htm
‘6 Reincarnation: A karmic cycle, pp. 120.
'7 Reincarnation: A Karmic Cycle, pp. 120.

14

Hinduism

 

HISTORY OF HINDUISM

There is very little chronological or archaeological evidence about the
origin of Hinduism. The ancient Indian scholars as well as kings had very little
sense of history and therefore they left no true historical accounts of their times”.

However, it is said that Hinduism is the oldest and most complex of all
religious systems. Although its origination and speciﬁc founders have not been
discovered yet, it is said that it could have been originated from the religious
practices of Aryan tribes who moved to India from central Asia more than three
thousand years ago. After the Aryans came to India, they attacked the Harappan
civilization, which lived in modern day India, around 1500 BC. After being
invaded, the Harrappan’s adapted to the religious beliefs of the Aryans, and thus
both groups developed similar religious belief systems”. Although there had
been no discoveries of temples or places of worship in the Harrappan civilization,
there have been some archeological clues of the ﬁgures of Hindu Gods and
Goddesses”.

The Aryans brought to India with them the term Veda that is used to
signify sacred knowledge. The collection of Hindu literature is known as Vedas.

The Aryans also brought with them the Sanskrit language but it is said that as

 

'3 http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduhistory1.htm
‘9 httpzllemuseum.mnsu.edu/cultural/religion/hinduism/history.html
2° http://www.faithnet.freeserve.co.uk/historyofhinduism.htm, retrieved, April 20, 2001

15

they could not write they had to pass their teachings on through oral tradition.
The Rig Veda is the oldest of the Vedic texts and contains 1,028 hymns of praise
to mainly male deities who personify the various powers of nature, such as the
sun, ﬁre, sky, and wind. These hymns do not contain any systematic exposition
of the Aryan belief but an array of mythical themes, often in contradiction, which
speak notably of the myths of the gods, myths of the cosmos, reincarnation and
karma. Thus even today, many Hindus believe in the cosmic principle of nature
instead ofa God. Sometime between 2400 B.C.E. and 1600 B.C.E. much of
the oral vedas tradition was put into two vast works of literature, the
Mahabharata, and the Ramayana. There are many stories and epics, which were
written using these two texts as inspiration, one of which is the Bhagavat
Puranam. These sacred writings include the Epics, which contain legendary
stories about gods and humans. The Upanishads, which date back to 1000-300
B.C.E. are commentaries on the Vedic texts. These speculate the origin of the
universe and the nature of deity, and atman (the individual soul) and its
relationship to Brahman (the universal soul). They introduce the doctrine of
karma and recommend meditation and the practice of yoga”.

Hinduism is based on the concept of reincarnation, in which all living
beings, from plants on earth to Gods above, are caught in a cosmic cycle of
becoming and perishing. We would be looking at the concepts of Reincarnation
and Karma in further detail in later chapters. Hinduism is not only a religion but

also a way of life for many Hindus. Also known as Sanatana Dhamia, which

 

2‘ http://www3.sympatico.ca/untangle/hindush.html, Retrieved, April 25, 2001
22 http://www.bright.net/~jimsjems/hindu.html, Retrieved, April 25, 2001

16

refers to the eternal principles that hold the universe, Hinduism teaches that all
humans are divine creatures. Hinduism is based on the practice of Dharma, the

code of life. We would be exploring these concepts through Hindu temples.

HINDU TEMPLES

There are many Hindu temples around the world, which are considered to
be dwelling places of the deities and to which people bring offerings.

A temple is the home of images, the material representation of the divine
spirit”. A Hindu temple is the home of a deity or many deities, where deities are
awakened, bathed, dressed, and fed as if they were human. At night the deities
are put to sleep“.

Hindu Temples observe and enforce certain rules and regulations to
maintain their purity. These rules have been taken from the scriptures. At a
Hindu temple, visitors and devotees must take their shoes off before entering the
sanctum area to keep it clean and pure. Another reason to take the shoes off
before entering the sanctum is to show respect to the deities by leaving the dirt
on the shoes outside and coming in bare feet.

Since using a temple is optional, a Hindu may go to the temple everyday,
once a week or only at the time of a festival”. Although God is omnipresent and

worship can be done in all places, yet its presence is felt more in a temple than

 

23 World Faiths: Teach Yourself Hinduism, pp. 12.
24 World Faiths: Teach Yourself Hinduism, pp. 13.
25 World Faiths: Teach Yourself Hinduism, pp. 17.

17

anywhere else due to the fact that the temple is built solely for communion with
Godze.

The temple space is considered sacred. The temple provides an
environment that helps one to commune with the Divine. By constant and
regular worship performed by the devotees of the temple, holy vibrations are
created and maintained. Congregational worship produces a great effect on
those who take part in it. This manifests the power of thought and that many
hearts and minds tuned to a particular attitude of love and devotion are bound to
produce tremendous results.

The reason that temples have come into existence is because one likes to
grasp the inﬁnite in some concrete form”. Besides serving as places of worship,
temples also stand as centers of learning. A temple is also a house of art and
ancient architecture. A temple is designed by the guidelines outlined in the
scriptures to lift one to a higher realm unveiling the inﬁnite horizon of the Divine.
So the temple’s architecture not only manifests a sense of the beauty in art but
also the beauty in life. In the United States as well temples are built with the
same guidelines as mentioned in the scriptures.

Once the temples are built, they require priests to keep the temple open
on a daily basis for worship. Some temples have hired one or more full-time
priests, while others depend on volunteers to perform rituals and prayers. Hindu

festivals and holy days are celebrated at the temples with special rituals, food,

26 http://www.hinduism.co.zaltemples.htm, Retrieved, April 25, 2001
http://www.hinduism.co.za/temples.htm

18

cultural programs, and socializing. Most of the temples also have facilities for
social and cultural events.
The video documentary tells a story of one such temple in the United

States and through this temple explores some of the core concepts of Hinduism.

BHARTIYA TEMPLE OF LANSING

HISTORY -

The Bharatiya Temple of Lansing was legally established as a non-proﬁt
religious organization on January 12, 1982. There were about a 100 Hindu
families in the Lansing area during that time and a few of them deeply felt a need
to build a place for worship. Some of the families got together and brainstormed
this idea and passed it on to the Hindu community in the greater Lansing area.
However, not everyone was in favor of having a temple in Lansing. There were
existing temples in the cities of Troy and Flint and the Hindu’s from Lansing
visited these places. 80 they did not feel the need to have a temple in Lansing.

However, there were those who were determined, such as Sudhakar
Kulkarni, Manohar Naga and Srikumar Poddar who took the initiative of building
a temple. However, they met many challenges. The biggest challenge was
ﬁnding the money. So they asked the Hindu families for donations and applied
for a loan from the bank. Gradually donations started coming in and they got an
approval from the bank to receive a loan. However, they still had to convince the
township and get a permit to build a temple in Haslett. Initially the township was

hesitant in approving a temple in the Haslett area. In the midst of a

19

predominantly European American community, with many Christian churches,
the idea of a Hindu temple seemed odd to some. The township was concerned
about the kind of religion this would be, and what their practices would entail.
They were also concerned about the trafﬁc and noise problems the temple may
potentially bring in to the community.

After a detailed dialogue clarifying all concerns the Haslett Township
approved the temple, and construction began. The ﬁrst Constitution of the
Temple was completed in May 1982, and in November 1982, the Temple
received their ﬁrst deity of Lord Ganesha, the God with a face of an elephant.

Now the temple needed land in an area that was not too crowded but at
the same time provided all the facilities of a city to comply with the township
codes for religious organizations. Haslett, a community of the greater Lansing
area provided what they needed.

In December 1988, the land was purchased, and temple construction
began. Once the temple was established, volunteers from the Hindu community
performed the prayers and rituals.

However, all Hindu temples need to go through a ceremony known as the
Prana Prathishtha at some point before they become the home of Gods and
Goddesses. Once this ceremony takes place, the deities in the temple are said
to come to life and therefore need to be cared for each day. This created a need

for full-time priests at the temple.

20

PRIESTS

The Bhartiya temple of Lansing began to place advertisements for Hindu
priests and finally found two priests in India whom they decided to hire. The
temple sponsored the two priests and brought them to the United States. Hindu
priests have to go through a rigorous process of study. Their course of study
involves about twelve years of schooling in Hindu scriptures. They study
Sanskrit language and learn mantras and chants. During their entire course of
study they are expected to live a disciplined and simple lifestyle. They are
supposed to stay away from worldly pleasures, eat a vegetarian diet, and devote
themselves completely into the process of staying in purity.

After completing a course of study, they function in various priestly
capacities depending upon their inclination, scholarship and effectiveness. Some
prefer to teach, some conduct rituals, while others become religious philosophers
seeking their salvation through meditation and asceticism”28.

In whatever they pursue, Hindu priests are supposed to strictly follow
purity in all aspects of their lives. The priests at the Bhartiya temple of Lansing

follow the teachings of the Scriptures and take care of the deities in the temple.

DEITIES

One of the myths of Hinduism lies in the number of Gods and Goddesses
that exist in the world of Hinduism. Some say Hindu’s have 330 Gods, while
some take the number in millions. In Hinduism, the concept of the divine is vast.

God in Hinduism is not limited to a particular place or limited by gender,

 

2" World Faiths: teach yourself Hinduism, pp. 45.

21

appearance or name. The variety of forms and places, have given rise to
misleading statements that Hindus have 330 million Godszg. Hindus believe that
God may take any name and any form. Any way the devotee wishes to have a
relationship with the divine, the divine takes that form.

According to Cole and Kanister, some Hindus do not believe in even one
God, but in an impersonal cosmic principle, known as Rta. The term Rta
signiﬁes the cosmic order, or the regularity of the cosmic process, such as day
and night, the seasons, springtime and harvest; and the intrinsic justice, moral
law and order underlying all thingsao.

The Bhartiya temple is unique in that it has several deities in the sanctum
sanctorum. Mostly, Hindu temples have one deity in them and those temples are
speciﬁcally homes for the particular deity that resides there. However, there are
many reasons why this temple has many deities. In the Lansing community
there are many Hindus, both from the North of India and the South of India, and
the devotees worship different idols. Thus the temple has strived to be inclusive.

Hinduism is a religion with many stories and the scriptures are a vast
literature in which these stories unfold. All deity in Hinduism have stories of their
own and unique reasons behind their existence.

' Each deity in the temple has a day assigned to it, when special prayer is
offered to that particular deity. However, each morning all the deities are

awakened, bathed, and fed, and at night are put to sleep just like humans.

 

29 World Faiths: teach yourself Hinduism, pp. 43.
3° World Faiths: Teach Yourself Hinduism, pp. 44.

22

Hindu deities have many different forms. Some deities are in the form of a
human, while others in a form of an animal. In the world of Hinduism, it is
believed that the divine takes different forms depending upon the devotee.
Whichever way the devotee wishes to worship, the divine is willing to adapt to
that form. Hindus see divinity in all living creatures, and thus animal deities have
an important place amongst others“. The next section explores prayer and how

Hindus offer prayer to the deities.

PRAYER

Prayer, widely known as puja in Hinduism, is the ritual worship of an
image or a picture representing some divine form”. Puja is a gesture of devotion
to a supreme power and has a special importance in Hindu temples and at other
holy places. However, it can be performed anywhere. Most often puja is
performed in one's home. Special pujas are done at each Hindu festival and at
special events such as marriage.

Prayer is considered a powerful way to reach God. Hindus pray in many
different ways to many different forms. Some may pray to the sun, while others
to an idol. Although there is no speciﬁc time to perform a puja, usually Hindu
priests recommend doing puja early morning orjust before sunset. Puja requires
puriﬁcation of mind, body and speech. Hindus usually bathe and wear clean

clothes before they perform a puja, either in their homes or at a temple. It is said

 

:; http://www.hindunet.org/god/animal_deities/index.htm, Retrieved: April 25, 2001
Maha Prana Prathishtha. 99.116.

23

that while performing a puja, one must concentrate on the worship only then will
a deity enter one’s heart.

Spiritualists agree that both prayer and meditation are powerful.
However they are different. Shri Chinmoy says, “when we pray, we go up to
God; when we meditate, God comes down to us". He explains by saying that
when we pray we experience a one-pointed ﬂame soaring upward, but when we
meditate we throw ourselves into an inﬁnite sea of peace and bliss, or we
welcome the inﬁnite into us”. Special days are assigned for each deity at the
temple for prayer.

The ritual of prayer has three steps. The ﬁrst is seeing the deity, also
known as Darshana. The second step is the worship of the deity. This includes
the worshiper offering ﬂowers, fruits, and cooked food to the deity. The third step
is retrieving the blessed food known as prashad and consuming it. This is -

thought to bring the deity down to earth and brings the person closer to them.

RITUALS

According to the early scriptures, the theory behind the rituals is that the
performance of certain actions controls the forces of nature. It is through these
rituals that the spiritual forces are directed“.

However, it is said that the chief function of ritualism is determined by its
symbolism. Most of the rites we perform are intended for visualizing belief. The

worshipper has the satisfaction, after going through a long ceremony, that she/he

 

33 The Wings of Joy, pp. 28.
3‘ World Faith: Teach Yourself Hinduism, pp. 46.

24

has done something with a holy purpose, and that this act is different from
everyday acts35.

Other reasons to perform rituals are that rituals are seen as special kinds
of karmas or acts which are enjoined by the scriptures, and are a great help to
fulﬁll various desires, help in puriﬁcation of mind, facilitate integration of inner
faculties, and the most important help bring God into our day to day activities.
Rituals also help bring about a cultural identity”. Below are examples of some

Hindu rituals.

Namakaran, also known as naming of a child, is the ﬁrst real ceremony
held for the newborn child. It is usually held on the twelfth day of the child's birth.
This is done on the twelfth day because the ﬁrst ten days after birth are
considered an 'impure' time for the mother and the child. The twelfth day is also
when the child's horoscope is formally drawn up. Many Hindus name the child
according to the star, of its birth. The child could also be named after the family

deity or guru.

Lakshmi Puja is one of the most important rituals conducted during the
festival of Diwali. Diwali is the festival of lights, and Lakshmi, the goddess of
wealth and prosperity, is believed to visit all the houses on this day. So, people

spruce up their houses, and perform Lakshmi Puja in the evenings.

 

’5 D.S. Sarma, http://www.hindubooks.org/essence_of_hinduism/hindu_rituals_and_myths,
retrieved: April 25, 2001
3° http://www.vmission.org/hinduism/rituals, retrieved, April 25, 2001

25

FESTIVALS

There are many festivals Hindus celebrate. These festivals play a
signiﬁcant role in the social and spiritual lives of people. Since these festivals are
religious, there is a bond between them and worship to deities. Hindu festivals
reﬂect a role of divinity. A Hindu Festival consists of puriﬁcation, prayers,
worship, fasts and other acts of piety. These festivals are a great source of
spiritual and moral advancement. The celebration of the festivals is generally for
remembering the existence as well as recognizing the power of a supreme power
and is more in the form of offering worships37.

Many Hindus observe fasts; perform rituals and prayers during festival

seasons. This chapter describes a few major Hindu festivals.

Diwali

Diwali is the festival of lights. It means "rows of lighted lamps" and the
celebration is often referred to as the Festival of Lights. During this time, homes
are thoroughly cleaned and windows are opened to welcome Laksmi, the
goddess of wealth. Candles and lamps are lit as a greeting to this Goddess. Gifts
are exchanged and festive meals are prepared during this festival. Diwali
signiﬁes many different things to Hindus around the world. For some, Diwali
celebrates King Rama's homecoming after the defeat of Ravana, an evil spirit.
While for others, the festival honors Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. However,

everywhere, it signiﬁes the renewal of life, and people wear new clothes on the

 

3‘7 httpzllgodsspeak.indiahit.com/astrology/vratahas/main.htm

26

_J

day of the festival. Similarly, it heralds the approach of winter and the beginning

of the sowing season”.

Raksha Bandhan

The annual festival of Raksha Bandhan, which is meant to celebrate the
ties between siblings of opposite sex, usually takes place in late August, and is
marked by a very simple ceremony in which a woman ties a rakhi, a decorative
thread, around the waist of her brother. The word "raksha" signiﬁes protection,
and "bandhan" is an association, signifying bond. When a woman ties a rakhi
around the wrist of her brother, she signiﬁes her loving attachment to him. He,

likewise, recognizes the special bonds between them.

iii

The festival of Holi begins with a bonﬁre at night made up of dried leaves
and branches left through the winter. This is a way of cleansing and making way
for spring. The ﬁre is meant to signify the destruction of evil. The heat from the
ﬁre is also a reminder that winter is behind and that the hot summer days are
ahead. The following morning begins with worshipping Lord Krishna by smearing
his idol with colors. This is a festival that is as much a gateway to celebrate the
arrival of spring as much as it is a way to celebrate the season of love. Lord

Krishna has been considered the ultimate lover in the Hindu scriptures. Holi is

supposed to be an exuberant celebration of goodwill and cheer.

 

 

38 http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Culture/Festivals/Diwali.html

27

Festivals are a significant part of Hinduism. However, there are many
major concepts of Hinduism, such as karma, reincarnation, and astrology that are

discussed in the following sections.

KARMA

The world of Hinduism believes in the law of Karma. “Karma means that
nothing arises by itself"39. There lies a cause and effect relationship that governs
our experiences and each experience is conditioned by a preceding action.
Hindus believe that we create our own Karma in this lifetime. Our deeds
determine our consequences, and those consequences determine our future
actions. In essence, the cycle of our actions and their results continues in future
actions and future results.

However, karma is not only a creation of action, but also intention.
Therefore, it is very important to understand the power of intention“. The
intention that we bring to situations in life is a detrimental factor in creating our
karma. For example, if we use a knife to cut someone with the intention to do
harm, it would result in certain karmic results, but if we are surgeons and perform
the same action to save someone, the intention is different. So the same action
can be performed with different intentions, and‘cause different experiences in
life“.

Hinduism also teaches that one must create good karma and do good

deeds without the expectation of getting something in return. In essence, the

 

39 Reincarnation, the Karmic Cycle, pp. 73.
4° Reincarnation, the Karmic Cycle, pp. 79.
4' Reincarnation, the Karmic Cycle, pp. 79.

28

result or the fruit of our action should not affect our deeds or attitude. For
example, when we study for an exam, we must not worry about what the result
might be, but only be concerned with our action of studying. In this case, if we
pass, we are fine and if we do not, we are still ﬁne. This way we stay detached
from the results and do not pro-condition ourjoy. We stay unmoved and concern
ourselves only with the actions, not the results. So ourjoy and our state of mind
do not depend on what we get but who we are.

According to the law of Karma, we are the creators of our destiny. Some
might question though, that how would we know the difference between good
and bad karma, that is, between meritorious deeds and sinful deeds. Swami
Shantananda explains that we can tell what kind of deed it is by the reaction we
experience after the action is performed”. Swami Chinmayananda says that we
are not punished for the sin, but by the sin.

Hindu spiritualists have questioned why sin creates unhappiness? Sin is
described as the psychological conﬂict created between the ideal and the real“.
When we can live up to our own ideals, we come into a state of merit. All
humans are seeking a state of merit and happiness, and this is part of our
spiritual essence. Happiness is our essential nature“. And we are only
completely content when we reach happiness. Our life becomes a search for this

true essence, but in order to seek happiness we must navigate our lives in the

right direction.

 

‘2 Reincarnation: the karmic cycle, pp. 116.
‘3 Reincarnation: the karmic cycle, pp. 117.
“ Reincarnation: the karmic cycle, pp. 117.

29

Our mind is a battleﬁeld and in order to live righteously we must be aware
of our thoughts“. This would allow us to think of the consequences of our
thoughts and actions. In other words, our mind should be alert of the thoughts
that ﬂow inside so that we may alter them if necessary.

In the karmic sense, no action goes unnoticed. Every action creates a
response or a consequence. One reincarnates or is reborn until one realizes
their true nature. This concept is known as reincarnation and goes hand in hand
with the concept of karma. In order to gain moksha, a state of liberation, one
must let go of her or his ego. Our self need not be conditioned and be enslaved
by our mind, body or intellect, but should be freed from all limitations“.

The doctrine of karma means, "as you sow, so shall you reap.” Karma is
based upon the inner reality of things, not upon the outer names and forms of the
world. Karma as a spiritual law is not adjusted according to our various and
conﬂicting cultural deﬁnitions of success and failure.

According to the ancient myths all the Gods abandon us so that we can
discover ourselves, only we ourselves can destroy the dragon of our own
ignorance".

The law of karma does not mean simply that we will be rewarded or
punished in the future for the effect of actions done today. Its main effect is
immediate. The law of karma states that the condition of our consciousness and

inner happiness is based upon how we act in the present. The main punishment

 

‘5 Reincarnation: the karmic cycle, pp. 118.
‘6 Reincarnation: the karmic cycle, pp. 121.
‘7 David Frawley, http://www.hindubooks.org/david_fraw|ey/riverheaven/karma_and_the_science;

retrieved: April 25, 2001

30

for an evil man is that he has to reside in the consciousness of evil, which cuts
himself off from his true soul and source of life“. All branches of Vedic Science
teach us to take control of our karma. This occurs by becoming aware of it. Once
we see how we create our destiny we will avoid the factors that bring us pain.
Rituals are said to aid us in getting past the effects of collective and
individual karmic imbalances. Yet Yoga and meditation is the sovereign means of
going beyond karma. It teaches us through detachment how to no longer be
affected by karma. This is the means of bringing our karmic bondage to an end.
We will be discussing Yoga and meditation in detail in the upcoming sections, but

ﬁrst we will discuss reincarnation, a concept that is closely attached to Karma.

REINCARNATION

Reincarnation means re-birth. Hindus believe in the cycle of birth and
death until one reaches moksha, or liberation. The soul can never die and it
can never be destroyed. Until one realizes their true nature, they are reborn.
For Hindus the ultimate goal is to reach moksha or liberation from the cycle of
birth and death. Moksha is a Sanskrit word which has many connotations: to
loosen, to free and thus also to spare, to let live, to allow to depart, to dismiss
and even to relax, to spend, bestow, give away and to open. Philosophically,
moksha means release from worldly existence but it is not a state of
disappearance of the conscious being. Nor is it mere unconsciousness. Rather it

is perfect freedom, an indescribable state of non-differentiation, or oneness with

 

‘8 http://www.hindubooks.org/david_frawley/riverheaven/karma__and_the_science/karma_ng.htm

31

the divine. Moksha is an end to the earthly journey, but it may also be understood
as a beginning of detachment and freedom.

Having lived many lives, each soul eventually seeks release from
mortality, experiences the divine directly through self-realization and ultimately
attains liberation from the round of births and deaths. All Hindus know this to be
their eventual goal, but the means of attainment and understanding of the
ultimate state varies from person to person”.

In the Hindu View of Liberation the dawn of freedom from the cycle of
reincarnation is moksha and one who has attained the state of liberation is called
a liberated soul. While some schools of Hinduism teach that liberation comes
only upon death, most recognize a condition liberation in which the spiritually
advanced being continues to unfold its inherent perfection while being alive in
this world. In essence, one does not need to die in order to be free. This is death
of the ego, or limited self-sense. Some schools hold the view that liberated
beings may voluntarily return to the physical universe in order to help those who
are not yet liberated.

The ego we know and experience is not reborn. The personality of this
particular incarnation is not particularly stable even within it. Most of us change
signiﬁcantly the idea of who we are several times in life. We cannot expect it to
go on to another. Nor is our inner self ever born, nor does it die, as its nature is
eternal. The true reincarnating entity is the causal body, wherein our karmic
impressions are stored. It is its stream of impressions that continues with the

reﬂection of consciousness upon it but there never is any real separate self. The

 

49 Hinduism Today, pp. 1.

32

individual is only a power of divine aspiration and service“.

The goal of the soul in evolution is to merge into the divine or the inner
self. This brings about freedom from the cycle of rebirth. This is the highest goal
of human life through which everything is accomplished. It can be brought about
only through self-knowledge. All life is an experience to provide us with self-
knowledge. To see our selves in all beings and all beings in our selves is the
essence of life. Only by becoming all can we go beyond all.

Liberation from the world, therefore, is not abandoning the world but
merging into the world and beyond, becoming the all. This is a return to our true
nature. Hence from this viewpoint, Hindus believe that there is no birth and no
death, no one is born and no one dies, there is only the unborn, perfect and
inﬁnite self-nature beyond all limitations and possessed of all powers ‘of self-
manifestation. This state has been called Nirvana, Kaivalya, Mukti, Moksha, etc.
and is beyond all states of body and mind and not limited by them. This state is
everything and nothing, everyone and no one.

Hinduism is a pluralistic tradition. On any given subject it offers a variety of
views that reﬂect different human temperaments and different levels of
emotional, intellectual, moral and spiritual development. So, too, on the subject
of liberation, various learned opinions exist. Since liberation involves
transcending time and space, and yet is a state that can be achieved while in a
body, it deﬁes precise deﬁnition. For this reason, some have argued that different

views of liberation simply reﬂect the built-in limitations of language and reason.

 

5° httpzllwww.hindubooks.org/david_frawley/riverheaven/karma_and_the_science/rebirth__pg1.htm

33

All schools in Hinduism have agreed that liberation is the ultimate
fulﬁllment of human life, whose purpose is spiritual growth, not mere worldly
enjoyment. Having lived many lives and having learned many lessons, each
conscious being seeks release from mortality, which then leads to glimpses of
our divine origin and finally self-realization. This consists in discovering our true
nature, beyond body and mind, our identity in the incomprehensibly vast ultimate
Being. Upon this discovery, we are released from the round of births and deaths
and realize eternal freedom, untold bliss and supreme consciousness.

There are many paths to discovering this. In the next section, we would

brieﬂy touch upon some of these paths, such as astrology, yoga and meditation.

ASTROLOGY

Astrology has been regarded all over the world as the foremost of the
occult sciences. It is the primary the limb of the Vedas. Also called the science
of reason or causes it can discern the karmic patterns behind events. Another
name for it is "Jyotish", the science of light, as it deals with the subtle light
patterns that inform and sustain our physical being and determine our destiny in
life.

Some form of astrology was used in most ancient cultures to aid all
aspects of life. In the Vedic culture as in others it set forth the ritual and the
calendar and the main sacraments and initiations of life. The ancients did not
look to the stars out of mental curiosity or primitive superstition but according to a

profound reverence for the power of the cosmos. It was their means of making

34

their action in harmony with the rhythms of the universe. Modern science also
shows us a mysterious universe that we must pay homage to but has yet to
provide us with a means of tuning into it to guide what we do“.

However, astrology is not just another system of interpretation. Its
purpose is not just to tell us what our destiny is through the stars. It does not
leave us helpless before fate but shows how we can use the planetary energies
operative in our lives in the best possible way. It also has a practical side, which
is Yoga. This is its series of remedial measures aimed at purifying our subtle or
psychic environment, balancing our planetary inﬂuences and maximizing our
karma. Its methods include the use of gems, colors, mantras, deities, rituals,
herbs and foods. An astrologer can provide us with tools to harmonize our entire
being with the stars and align us thereby with the beneﬁcent forces of the entire
cosmos. Astrology is the basis for a total examination of our life on all levels,
inner as well as outer.

We all clean our bodies and our houses on a regular basis. Yet few of us
know how to clear our psychic or mental space. We are blind to the occult
inﬂuences in the world around us. Such things as the use of rituals, mantras and
the science of astrology help us to do this. The foremost of these psychic
inﬂuences we have to deal with is that of the planets.

Astrology is closely related to Cosmology, known as the Science of the
Universe as a whole. Hindus believe that God created the Universe. According

to the scientiﬁc view, it was created by chance. It has taken its present form after

 

5' David Frawley, retrieved, April 25, 2001;
www.hindubooks.org/david_frawley/riverheaven/science_of_light_vedic_astrology/page2.htm

35

billions of years by the process of Evolution52. Yoga has been related to astrology
as the practical way of maintaining one’s psyche. The next concept we will

discuss is Yoga.

 

52 http://godsspeak.indiahit.com/astrology/universe.htm

36

Yoga & Meditation

 

Yoga is union of the mind and the body. There are three important
aspects of yoga, meditation, breath awareness, and bodily postures. Meditation
is the ﬁrst phase of yoga. It includes deep breathing. Spiritual seekers walked
ﬁfteen to twenty miles a clay and found it necessary to add postures and
exercises to their yoga practice“. As these seekers observed mammals, and
amphibious creatures, deep breathing developed.

Swami Nikhalananda says, “The main obstacle to self-knowledge is the
tendency of the mind to dwell on objects other than the Self’54. The reason that
one gets attracted to the external and forgets the self is because the creator has
created the organs with outgoing tendencies”. This concept is known as Maya,
where we are attracted towards the physical world. Hindu saints believe that
Maya binds humans, however they possess the power to turn their senses and
behold the inner self.

There are many kinds of yoga; Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga,
Mantra Yoga, Siddha Yoga, Dhyana Yoga.

Meditation is the heart of yoga”. Meditation requires the elimination of all

thought and action”.

 

53 Insight Into Yoga, pp. 18.

5‘ Reincarnation: A Karmic Cycle, pp. 102.
55 Reincarnation: A Karmic Cycle, pp. 103.
56 Play of consciousness, pp. 39.

57 Insight into yoga, pp. 22.

37

Swami Muktananda in his book speaks about the necessity of meditation
in our lives. He says, “All the pleasures are inside you. Through meditation your
world will become full of delight, and your life will become heavenly”58.

He says, “Meditation is the infallible means of conquering the restlessness
of the mind"59. According to the Bhagvad Gita, the vision of the self is “obtained
through meditation“).

Meditation is a mind free of thoughts“. Shri Chinmoy, in his book Wings
of Joy talks about meditation being a divine gift that simpliﬁes our outer life and
energizes our inner life. He recommends that in order to follow a spiritual path,
one must meditate at least once a day52.

When talking about soul, Chinmoy uses the analogy of food. Just like we
need to feed our body, we need to feed our soul. He says, “Only if we feed the
inner life the outer life can have real meaning”. He goes on to say that spirituality

does not negate the outer life. The outer life should be a manifestation of the

divine life within usG3.

 

58 Play of consciousness, pp. 10.
59 Play of consciousness, pp. 39.
6° Play of consciousness, pp. 39.
6‘ Play of consciousness, pp. 39.
62 The Wings of Joy, pp. 28-31.
63 The Wings of Joy, pp. 14-15.

38

Documentary

 

History of Documentaﬂ

Documentary was ﬁrst created in Russia. Dziga Vertov, a young Russian
poet and ﬁlm editor, produced educational newsreels that were vital to the
struggle for allegiance during the Russian revolution. He developed a passion
for capturing real lives of people by the camera. He disliked ﬁctional
exaggerated re-presentation of life by the bourgeois cinemas“. European
documentaries of the 1920’s and 1930’s tended to reﬂect more the onset of
urban problemsas.

John Grierson, in the 1930’s, ﬁrst used the term documentary, derived

from the French word documentaire, which means travelogue66.

Documentary Genres

According to Barry Hampe, documentaries can range from those shot in a
hot situation, happening right now with the outcome in doubt, to fully scripted re-
enactments or re-creations shot with the same preparation and attention to detail
as a feature ﬁlm or television program”. Documentaries have mostly looked at
history and biography of interesting people. History and biography are after-the-

fact reports on past events.

 

6‘ Directing the documentary, pp. 15.

65 Directing the documentary, pp. 20.

66 Making documentary ﬁlms and reality videos, pp. 20.
67 Making documentary films and reality videos, pp. 9.

39

Hampe in his book also talks about the two kinds of documentaries. The
former is the documentary of behavior, one that records behavior(s), such as the
PBS series An American Family. The latter is the documentary of emotion, "one
that explores the emotional dimension of a behaviorea.

Vertov believed that by compiling a rapid and ever-changing montage of

shots, life itself would emerge free of any point of view but that of the all-seeing

camera69".

Documentary As a Medium

Documentary is an art of story telling. According to Rabiger, “The
documentary ﬁlm reﬂects a fascination with, and a profound respect for actuality."
Documentary is an informative format compared to others since it was developed
from newsreels”.

One of the characteristics that makes documentary different from other
formats is the use of non-theatrical effects. The producer for this project has
used a video documentary as a medium to explore the subject because through
this video the audience can view what goes on in a Hindu temple. Video also
provides a visual array. The temple has a website, however it is an informational
medium. The video acts as a tool for story telling. For those who have never

been to a Hindu temple, it is a great way to learn about what goes on.

 

68 Making documentary ﬁlms and reality videos, pp. 11.
69 Directing the documentary, pp. 19.
7° Directing the documentary, pp. 15.

4O

It includes audio, visuals and music, the three elements of discourse.
These variant streams of visual, aural and music compliment one another and
create an experience of inter-connectedness enhancing the story.

A documentary is a form of storytelling and focuses on manifesting
relationships and linking the elements to each other. The themes explored in
this documentary are history of the Hindu temple in Lansing, the experience of
the priests, the essence of deities in Hinduism, prayer, yoga and meditation, and

karma and reincarnation.

41

The Production Phase

 

The Production process for this thesis documentary involved several
phases, including pre-production, production, post-production and evaluation,

each of which are described in detail.

Pre—Production

The ﬁrst phase in production is known as the pre-production. The pre-
production phase begins with a concept or a story idea that gradually progresses
to a written production proposal. Extensive research is involved related to the
subject matter, in this case, the temple and the priests. Once the subject and
proposal are approved, the next step is UCRIHS approval if the documentary
involves human subjects.

The other steps in pre-production were story development, writing a
preliminary script, and getting approval of the temple board of directors to ﬁlm at
the temple. This phase also involved identifying individuals to be a part of the
documentary, pre-interviews of these individuals and a sketch of how the

documentary would shape up.

Production

Once everything has been approved and the concept has been
developed, the production process begins. This is generally the next phase of

the production process. This phase involves the actual shooting of the

42

documentary. Subjects are interviewed on camera and necessary footage is
shot

Particular attention needs to be given to lighting, shot composition, audio,
and other technical aspects such as white-balance. The camera is an eye that
depicts what the documentary would look like.

The major part of the production for this thesis documentary took place at
the Bhartiya temple of Lansing. Priests and the board members were
interviewed at the temple premises. “B-roll” of the temple was shot and chants

and mantra were recorded. The other interviews were conducted at Michigan

State University.

Post-Production

Post-Production involves editing the documentary into a ﬁnished form.
This is the phase where the documentary is structured and reﬁned. All the raw
footage collected during the production phase is organized and is created into a
story that has a beginning, solid content and an end.

Music, voice-overs, narration, effects, graphics, and credits are all added
during editing.

There are different forms of editing systems, linear editing, and non-linear
editing that includes Media 100, Avid, etc. This documentary has been edited on

the Avid editors.

43

Evaluation

The ﬁnal phase of the documentary was evaluation. This video
documentary was shown to an audience to get their response. They were asked
to ﬁll out a voluntary form and comment on the technique used by the producer
and the content of the documentary.

Although these responses cannot be measured or validated, they are
treated as general comments from the audience. The evaluation process
provided feedback and enabled the producer to gain understanding of how the
audience reacted to the video and if the medium of documentary was effective in
conveying the message.

The goal of this documentary was to provide basic information about
Hinduism and generate thought in the audience’s mind. The responses of the
audience who participated in the screening were helpful in understanding the
audience’s taste and provided feedback enabling the producer to know what
worked and what could be changed. The feedback form used to gather

responses and a summary of audience feedback is described in the next section.

44

A Spiritual Expedition
Video Evaluation

This is an anonymous evaluation form of the video documentary “A Spiritual
Expedition” that you watched. The evaluation is voluntary and would take
approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. Your participation is greatly
appreciated and your answers would assist the producer to gather feedback on
the video.

Demographic Information:

Student/Non-student: College/Major (if applicable):
Reliqious preference lif any):

Racial/Ethnic Background:

§_e_>s

Age:
General:

1. What was your general impression of the documentary?

2. Prior to watching this video, were you familiar with Hinduism and its
practices? Please explain the extent of your familiarity?
3. Were you familiar with the Bhartiya temple of Lansing, Michigan, prior

to watching this video? If yes, what was your source of information on
this temple?

Content

4. Was there anything new that you learned/gained from watching this
video? If so, please explain.

5. Were your perceptions of Hinduism altered after viewing this video? If

so, how?

6. Was there anything in particular that you liked about the video? If so,
please explain?

45

7. Was there anything you did not like or thought could be changed? If
so, please explain?

Documentary

8. What is your general impression of video documentaries?

9. Did you think that the medium of video documentary was helpful to you
in understanding the content? Please explain.

10.What did you walk out with after watching this video?

(Please check all that apply)

11. Did you think that this documentary was...

A). Informational

B). Thought provoking
C). Both (A) and (B)
D). Neither

12. Any other comments:

Thank you for watchingll

46

Some of the viewer responses included that the video was informative and
touched upon a topic that is seldom discussed in the United States. Some
people had very little knowledge on the subject while others were familiar with it.
This manifested the lack of day-to-day avenues of gaining knowledge on diverse
subjects in society.

The audience reciprocated that they learned about the Hindu way of life,
the art of yoga and the Bhartiya temple of Lansing. They also mentioned that
they did not know the priests had to overcome challenges as well. Some of them
did not even know that there was a community of Hindus nearby prior to viewing

the video.

47

CONCLUSION

 

The purpose of this documentary and the paper were to inform and
educate the audience on Hinduism and some of its major concepts. The two
mediums, visual and written, used for this thesis project were very different in
format and style. While the visual allowed the viewers to actually see what was
happening in the form of a story, the written was a more descriptive and detailed
form of explaining Hinduism disparate from a storytelling technique. The
components in the written form not only explored the contents of the video, but
also explained the actual process of creating this video documentary.

The video documentary explores Hindu Spirituality in the United States,
which is manifested through Hindu temples. As we continue to live in a multi-
religious society, it is necessary to be well informed and exposed to diverse
cultural, religious and non-religious paths. This documentary strived to provide a
step towards that awareness by incorporating Hindu practices, Hindu temple and
Hindu priests.

This paper attempted to compliment the video documentary and answer
some questions about faith, rituals, karma and reincarnation.

Although were" are in this life’s journey together We choose different paths
to liberation. In Hinduism this is known as creating our karma. Dr. John Grimes
talks about creating Karma by not worrying about the outcome, but doing good

deeds and remaining happy. Thus with the one’s Karma, one creates his or her

destiny.

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Glossary
Ananda — Happiness
Aryan — A group of people that came to India
Atman — Individual soul
Brahman — Universal soul
Cit — True knowledge
Darshana — To see
Dharma - The religious and moral duty of a Hindu.
Karma — Cause and effect principle of Hinduism
Mahabharta — An ancient epic
Moksha — Liberation
Namakaran — Naming ceremony
Prashad — A blessed offering from God
Puja — Prayer
Pundit — Priests
Ramayana — A book of ancient literature, an epic

Reincarnation - The belief in Hinduism that one will live and experience many
lives in many lifetimes on the way towards salvation

Sanatana - Eternal
Sat — Everlasting Existence
Swami — Saint

Veda — Sacred Knowledge

49

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