Book Club: Eat, Pray, Love: 3-4

The second book in our book club series is Eat, Pray Love. Is it a Hindu book? Not exactly, but it is very relevant to the experiences of non-Indian Hindus. The author has a Hindu guru (whose identity has been rather easily found out by those familiar with the world of Indian gurus). Julia Roberts after playing the author in the movie, claimed to have become a Hindu. So I think it will be worthwhile to examine the experiences and stories that led these women towards Hinduism…

Bead 3

Having found herself praying, Gilbert spends the third “bead” telling us about her conception of God. She explains that when calling out to divinity, she feels the need to have something more personal than saying “The Universe” or “The Creator.” Still, she doesn’t use a particular name like Vishnu or Yaweh for God either. She says she uses “He” as a pronoun for convenience, but has no problem with people calling God “her.” Further, she writes: “Culturally, though not theologically, I’m a Christian.” Though she respects Jesus as a teacher of peace, she is unable to believe that he is the only way to God and so “cannot call [herself] a Christian.” Gilbert finds all mystics who speak of God being very close by as compelling. She speaks of how people from all religious traditions report God being an experience of supreme love.

There is a lot that is familiar to me here. My family have always been believers that Truth is present in religions and traditions all over the world and that you just need to be listening to find it. Combining reports might actually give us all a clearer picture of the divine. I also believe that God is love and that it doesn’t really matter what you call Him. To me, there are traditions in which it is easier to see and understand God. For me Hinduism is deeper and shows Truth more clearly than others, but I do realize that part of that is my biases and some people find other religions clearer for them.

Bead 4

We return to the night of Gilbert’s despair and her very first reaching out to God. Her prayer is messy and funny even in the midst of her dark night of the soul. She begs to know what to do over and over and over until suddenly her tears stop and she feels a presence of stillness around her. She says rather than this being a conversion of any type, it is the beginning of a conversation with God.

Prayer has always been a difficult concept for me. I chant mantras to clarify my inner being so I can hear that quiet, still voice within and I express gratitude to the Gods each day in my pujas. But I feel strange about asking for things. Not that I don’t do it. I have been known to plead for a baby. Here in “bead” 4 I see the purest kind of prayer, an authentic reaching out to divinity, a desperate desire for understanding and peace.