The writer visits with three representatives of populous religious communities
âHinduism, Sikhism and Catholicismâto learn how faith makes a difference in our city.
Words by Chris Carriere
No one article can hope to encompass the infinitude of meanings of the word faith, but what these three stories share in common is that they challenge us to broaden our definition of faith. To see it not just as a bridge connecting individuals to God, but one connecting human beings to their communities, to one another and to a deeper, richer sense of self.
THE HINDU PANDIT
Karma in the Digital Age Pandit Roopnauth Sharma is the spiritual leader of Mississaugaâs Ram Mandir, a Hindu Temple located near the Brampton-Mississauga border serving over 3,000 families. Heâs also the founder of the Canadian Hindu Heritage Centre and the President of the Federation of Hindu Temples of Canada. Heâs an extremely busy and humble man who was eager to help us understand the Hindu faith and its practical role in the lives of Mississauga residents.
Practical is the key word. Sharmaâs philosophy is pragmatic, pantheistic and all-embracing. âThe Hindu belief is that God is in everything, and everything is God,â he says. âSo, Hinduism is in everything a person does, all of their actions, mental and physicalâŚit is a spiritual way of life, not a dogmatic set of guidelines.â
This may seem strange to those who associate Hinduism with polytheism and a pantheon of gods. âHinduism is, in fact, a monotheistic religion with a polytheistic outlook.â All gods are one, as all the universe is God: when creating, he is Brahman, when sustaining he is Vishnu and when he destroys he is Shiva. These are not literal entities; they are symbolic of the eternal forces of the universe through which God reveals himself.
This stillness, this oneness, this open acceptance of everything without preconceived judgment, is what Pandit Sharma works to help his fellow Hindus achieve. As it is for people of all faiths, spirituality alone is not enoughâparticularly for a religion composed largely of recent immigrants, struggling to cope with life in a new city. âTraditionally, people come to the temple to receive darshan, the blessing of God,â says Sharma. However, he explains, as has happened with the Catholic priesthood, the modern pandit must fulfill many roles: counsellor, guide and psychologist. âIt becomes complicated when people are challenged with settling in financially, culturally and socially.â
Finding work based on the credentials you bring from another country is one of the biggest challenges, and things can become even more complicated when children enter the equation. âA mother, recently, came to me worried about her high-school-aged son who was extremely close to his father. He was upset and angry because his father accepted a job offer in a different province in order to support his family.â His mother was justifiably worried for the boyâs future: would he be drawn off, distracted, negatively influenced by his peers?
Enter the modern Hinduism. The son had been using email to keep in touch with his father; Sharma urged him to use Skype to have weekly face-to-face meetings, the prospect of which seemed to set him at ease. Because the boy was keen on technology, Sharma also worked to get him actively involved in Ram Mandir, helping out on the digital side of thingsâthe temple uses projection screens to aid in translation, and has a very sophisticated, sleek and well-designed website. Despite the panditâs busy schedule, he now meets with the young man once a week.
âThatâs the nature of karma,â Sharma says. âIf the rain is going to fall, the rain is going to fall. Thereâs absolutely nothing I can do about it. However, my personal reaction to it is controllableâand that is your karma.â
THE SIKH TEACHER
No Intermediary
Guljar Singh is a member of Ontario Khalsa Darbar, a large Sikh gurdwara located on Dixie Road. Large is, actually, an understatementâthis massive building has played host to crowds of over 40,000 during major festivals and ceremonies. An unwitting observer passing through the gurdwara could be forgiven for assuming that Singh is a priest; on Saturdays and Sundays, you will find him translating scripture, extracting life lessons and concrete advice from the sacred Gurbani and preaching it to the gathered faithful. But, as Singh explains, he is more of a teacher or guide: Sikhism does not have priests.
âFor Sikhs, there is no intermediary between yourself and God. Our spiritual leader is the scripture itself; the lessons passed down from the 10 gurus.â
While Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Islam tend to be widely understood (at least superficially) in the West, Sikhismâs tenets and history are not; media coverage of the faith has often focused on the ceremonial garb associated with the religion. Sikhism emerged in the Punjab region of India (some of which is now technically Pakistan), beginning as late as the 15th century AD. Their doctrine blends monotheism with an eastern sense of spirituality and pantheism. âSikhism believes in God, and believes that God lives in every creature of the world. Hence, we should care about everyone. Our three main principlesâhonest work, mindfulness of Godâs presence and sharingâcome from this.â
Passing the Torch
The beliefs outlined aboveâhumility, charity and a holistic assessment of Godâs presenceâcan be located in the operation of the Ontario Khalsa Darbar, which, as Guljar Singh explains, is as much a cultural and educational service centre as it is a religious hub. Put simply, it helps to keep Sikh culture alive.
Here we see another dimension of faith: faithas- tradition, as a place of common ground allowing individuals to seek solace and companionship in their heritage. Not only does this passing of the torch help to connect the generations; it also, as Singh puts it, keeps the younger generation out of trouble. âWe also offer karate and martial arts classes, as well as soccer during the summer.â
Strength in Tradition
So, I wondered, what does Sikh scripture have to offer the modern believer? âThere are many teachings in scripture which help us to build our character, our patience and our instinctive power,â Singh says. âFor instance, we believe it is vital to not have angerâor, to control your anger. Of course, everybody becomes angry: but how do we use that emotion in a productive way?â
Sikhs identify five evils sitting at the root of moral and spiritual corruption: lust, greed, rage, attachment (to material possessions) and egoâa list with striking similarities to Christianityâs seven deadly sins.
THE CATHOLIC SOCIAL WORKER
Safe Haven
Mark Creedon is the executive director of Catholic Family Services Peel-Dufferin (CFSPD), a member agency of Catholic Charities with a hefty mandate: âTo strengthen families and stop family violence.â For mothers and children (and, Mark is sure to add, fathers) who have experienced, witnessed or been exposed to emotional, physical and sexual abuse, Catholic Family Services is a haven and a place of healing and restoring faith. For their abusers, the organization can be a second chance, an opportunity to live without inflicting terror. Mark is not an ordained priest: heâs a social worker. But he still considers his organization an extension of the Church, which is an instrument of social justice as well as a place of worship.
Catholic, he reminds me, means universal. 44 percent of the people that CFSPD helps are Catholic, 26 percent are Protestant, 5 percent are Muslim, 5 percent are Hindu, 5 percent are Sikh and 10 percent express no religion. These numbers correspond roughly to the overall religious demography of Mississauga.
Good Samaritan
Catholic Family Services counsellors use a strength-based approach (as opposed to secular psychologyâs diagnostic approach) to help clients identify reservoirs of inner strength to overcome their problems. This can (but doesnât necessarily) involve drawing on faith, regardless of what that faith happens to be: CFSPDâs counsellors are trained to help clients look for buried glimmers of belief, and to direct them to the appropriate spiritual advisorâbe it pastor, imam, pandit or otherwise. âAnd if a person is suffering from a mental illness, a doctor needs to be involved, absolutely.â This, Creedon says, is where faith enters their ministry: CFSPD has to rely on others, and has formed a broad network with dozens of other agencies in Peel, including the Childrenâs Aid Society.
Reliance
Catholic Family Services has some astounding success stories. âThere was one woman who came in here, suffering from severe asthma attacks which were being exacerbated by the physical abuse she was experiencing at home. She was losing the battle; doctors told her that she wouldnât survive.â Through CSFPD and the Church, she made new friends; along with a local priest, the organization helped to get the marriage formally annulled. Today she is remarried and volunteers with CFSPD, providing comfort and companionship to others in need.
But not every story can end this way; thatâs what makes the job so difficult, and thatâs why faith is a necessary component of their work. Just as clients rely on the organization, and the organization relies on other organizations, its employees must rely on one another to find their own reservoirs of strength and have faith in the value of their work. Faith is not just a private contract between the individual and the divine: faith spreads through communities, giving individuals the strength to lift one another up, so that the lifted can lift others in turn.
Creedon has faith in the work of Catholic Family Services Peel-Dufferin. âNo matter how grave the situation might be, thereâs always something that can be done. We help clients to make friends; we prevent them from committing suicide. We help them find a reason to live.â