Defining truth within religious pluralism

Sukidi, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

We are all equal seekers of truth. None of us have any privileges in monopolizing the claim on truth. The question one may raise is how we define truth in the landscape of religious pluralism today. Let us take an insight from Mahatma Gandhi's notion of truth.

In the Study of world religions, Gandhi (1962) regards "truth" as satyagraha, or "insistence on truth." The word satya means "Reality, Truth and Being". All these words are attributes of God. This is what Gandhi referred to when he spoke of truth as God. "...instead of saying 'God is Truth,'" he argued, "I have stated that 'Truth is God.'" Associating truth with God as the transcendence of truth, Gandhi, as expressed through his sincere admission, "worship God as Truth alone". This reminds us of just how deep was his spiritual conviction that God is Truth.

In the course of religious history, however, one may ask: How do we apply Gandhi's notion of truth to the study of religious diversity and pluralism today?

First of all, Gandhi recognizes "the many-sidedness of truth." This means that truth has many facets and forms. As human beings, we are all seekers of truth who are only able to attain truth in fragments and manifestations because of our imperfections. The imperfection of humankind, as such, is an obstacle for attaining the full vision of truth. Believing that perfect truth is the sole attribute of God.

His perfect truth is then perceived, interpreted, and contested by the imperfection of the many seekers of truth through different ways and expressions. Accordingly, truth becomes the many. However, the many is simply an esoteric expression of the perfect truth. This is perhaps what Diana L. Eck (1993) refers to when she deals with many names for truth or God in connection with the nature of language, as she quotes from the Rig Veda (RV I.64.46): "Ekam sat vipraha bahudha vadanti: Truth is One; the wise call it by many names."

Second, Gandhi recognizes the equality of all religious traditions, as he sincerely purports, "I believe in Sarva-dharma- samanatva, having equal regard for all faiths and creeds." Here Gandhi strongly suggests that human beings recognize the equality of religions with equal vision, because "all religions constitute a revelation of Truth, but all are imperfect and liable to error." Gandhi (1962:1) shares his personal experience of having read and studied the world scriptures and religions in a spirit of reverence and high respect.

The above book should be kept in mind for everyone who is interested in the study of the world's religions and scriptures. "For myself," Gandhi asserts, "I regard my study of and reverence for the Bible, the Koran, and the other scriptures to be wholly consistent with my claim to be a staunch Sanatani Hindu."

As Gandhi calls himself a Sanatani Hindu, we should follow the same spirit of respect for all religions and its scriptures. As a human agency, we hold a very important role in the study of religions and its scriptures, because there exists what a distinguished scholar Wilfred C. Smith (1993) calls "a bilateral term" between human agency and scripture.

This means that the most significant approach to defining the world's religions and scriptures is based upon the centrality of human involvement. As such, it is so important to heed Gandhi's reminder of the need for a deeper respect in understanding the world's religions and its scriptures.

Third, Gandhi applies the notion of truth in relation to the recognition of truth in all religions. He argues, "All religions are true, more or less" with a solid illustration. "Just as a tree with its single trunk and many branches and leaves, True religion is One, that of Truth and God, with many forms and manifestations, the so-called religions." Gandhi leads us into a beautiful visualization about the varieties of religious tradition and expression that come from the same God, just as a tree with many branches and leaves emerges from a single trunk, or "beautiful flowers from the same garden".

As such, all religions could be considered to be different roads to reach God as the ultimate Truth. No one could ever claim that his or her road is a better than another's. A wise seeker of truth will maintain mutual respect and tolerance for the paths of one another.

Finally, Gandhi suggests that we ground our religious understanding of truth in a practical experiment. In his autobiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Gandhi reaffirms his long interconnection between speaking of truth and its realization through ahimsa, nonviolence, as he tells his life story, "My uniform experience has convinced me that there is no other God than Truth. And...the only means for the realization of Truth is nonviolence..."

In daily life, he practices truth as his own religion and, nonviolence as the chief vehicle for the realization of truth. In doing so, he is so closely engaged in "constructive work" for the transformation of society with a particular attention to the poor and the oppressed people at the village level.

The writer is a Graduate Student of Theological Studies at the Harvard Divinity School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. He can be reached at sukidioslo@yahoo.com.