Kollengode S Venkataraman, written in January 2005
As a species, we are reactive organisms. Only the most exceptional among us are capable of proactively changing the status quo even in our personal lives. No wonder, even the institutions we build tend to be reactive. As we have seen time and time again, organizations change the way they operate only in response to huge problems — financial crisis or scandals, usually both. Religious institutions are no different.
Hindu religious institutions, when they become rich, seem to forget that their assets are not in their ornate buildings, jewelry in gold, diamonds, & precious stones, ostentatious floats, and huge bank accounts.
Their real asset — in fact, their only asset— is the trust/faith devotees have in them. After all, devotees donate money to them out of blind faith. Lack of transparency in money matters and organizational details is the starting point for all scandals. When they abuse this trust in matters of money and people, we need to hold them accountable.
US-based Hindu religious organizations, particularly larger temples, are not known for their transparency on money matters and other dealings. These temples’ financial statements are open only till they owe money to banks. Once they clear their debts, a pall of secrecy insidiously settles in.
This can change only if donors, big and small, demand at the very least, information on how their money is spent by the temples’ governing bodies. But this is unlikely to happen any time soon because of donor apathy. Besides, in the case of larger US temples, donors contributing over 90% of temples’ revenue are dispersed in many near-by states, often, all over North America. These donors have no voice in the affairs of the temple. Eventually, a handful few, often outside the formal organizational chart, end up having disproportionate influence on temple’s temporal affairs.
Besides, on organizational matters, US-based temples buy peace among quarrelling ethnic subgroups by yielding to regional/ethnic pressures, and self-inflicted compulsions of dogma. The governing bodies often hide behind saffron-robed India-based heads of orthodox religious institutions, and others steeped in the ritual part of the faith. These Acharyas have their own agenda as they try to get a toehold in the lucrative and resourceful North American Hindu organizations.
Many of these men in ochre robes are either unfamiliar with, or do not want to recognize, the diverse composition of US temple-goers, their needs, and the compromises they continuously make in their personal life in synthesizing their own unique Indo-American lifestyle. These people struggle to reconcile their traditions and faith with the mainstream ethos, while raising their children in their “newfoundland.”
Members of the governing bodies of these temples, for their part, use these Sannyasis as their armor to fend off internal opposition, real and perceived. Soon, these India-based God-men exert enormous influence on US temples’ organizational matters. Scandals in religious organizations start innocuously as policy disagreements among members that morph into irregularities in their internal affairs and billow into scandals. Then these religious organizations, like any other organization, try to buy peace through money and favors, failing which, through intimidation, blackmail, and litigation. And when these also do not work, and if one can get away with it, through violence.
In this matter, Hindu religious organizations are not alone. In the 1980s, the Vatican Bank and Banco Ambrosiano were involved in financial shenanigans involving billions of dollars. Recently, in the US, many Catholic archdioceses filed for financial bankruptcy after pedophilia cases came out against scores of parish priests. The Rev. Jim Bakker’s and the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart’s tryst with prostitutes is another story. The real problem with religious organizations today is their moral and ethical bankruptcy.
So, it is time the faithful donating money to temples started demanding, at the very least, financial transparency from temples and religious heads.
On organizational matters and finances in Hindu temples, skepticism, not implicit faith, is the need of the hour. Often, among Hindus, people’s implicit faith is erroneously founded on the fear of Godly wrath, believed, and often subliminally reinforced, by what people hear second- and third-hand on events in other people’s personal lives. This is a deplorable way to inculcate and reinforce faith.
Don’t get me wrong. Implicit faith, rituals, and catechisms are wonderful, even necessary, in the early stages of one’s life-long spiritual journey. But they are only means to a greater end, not ends in themselves.
When religious organizations are built around rituals and dogma, and are confined to them, they become like any other organization, given to venality, pride, exclusivity, hatred, aggression, and desire for control.
Mercifully, in India, throughout ages, reformers have repeatedly reminded us that the true basis for religion is freedom from ignorance, anxiety, fear, and bondage. Thiruvalluvar, the Tamil sage, over 2000 years ago wrote:
“Grasp and hold on to the One who is free from all attachments, so that you can free yourself from even that grasp.”
US-based Hindu temples would be doing themselves and everybody else a favor if they do some introspection on these. But will they? END