Acts of Wayfinding:
Spiritual and Religious Action for Social Change

from Raja Gopal Bhattar

I have been Hindu before I even entered this physical earth. My certainty in this statement comes from a deep sense of connectedness to a larger universal spirit and my awe for all the ways nature and art collide. Seeing the stars and planets in the Milky Way Galaxy from the darkness of a valley in Bolivia or seeing a beautiful butterfly amidst the morning dew in California or evening learning about great souls who have and continue to serve as our guides such as Rev. Howard Thurman, the venerable Thich Nhat Hanh or transgender activist Sylvia Rivera. Growing up in an orthodox Srivaishnava family of scholars and religious leaders in South India, I was inculcated into Hindu worldviews from an early age. An important part of our tradition is a focus on pluralism, Dharmic livelihood, and individual responsibility for community wellbeing. Pluralism is the foundation for setting a table big enough for various faiths, beliefs, and perspectives, even at the risk of having our views challenged and contradicted. Indeed, it is this core belief and acceptance of multiple perspectives and truths that developed a religious tradition that is complex, contradictory, adaptable, and sustainable for over six thousand years. While living with multiple truths, Hinduism demands a focus on individual clarity of values and actions founded on one’s sense of Dharma. While Dharma is often interpreted in a communal/societal definition responsibility grounded in an external sense of right and wrong, I prefer a more personal version of Swadharma, an intrinsic knowledge that goes beyond morality to embrace one’s sense of purpose and commitment to be the best version of oneself.

śhreyān swa-dharmo viguṇaḥ para-dharmāt sv-anuṣhṭhitāt
swa-dharme nidhanaṁ śhreyaḥ para-dharmo bhayāvahaḥ

It is far better to perform one’s natural prescribed duty, though tinged with faults than to perform another’s prescribed duty, though perfectly. In fact, it is preferable to die in the discharge of one’s duty, than to follow the path of another, which is fraught with danger.

(Bhagavad Gita: 3:35, translation by Swami Mukundananda)

The divine spirit Krishna challenges the warrior Arjuna to find his sense of duty to guide his actions. I remember being a college student and feeling a sense of liberation upon learning this stanza of the Bhagavad Gita. Similarly I love reading Lama Rod Owens, a self-described, Black gay Buddhist monk, who says that authenticity is the act of being true to ourselves in a manner that does not cause harm to ourselves or those around us. It is practicing our Swadharma in a way that is healing to the world, not causing harm to the world.

Growing up in my family, I was always taught to behave well. When I questioned a particular action because I was a curious child, I was often reprimanded with “what will others say?” This focus on external approval has haunted me at various points in my life, causing shame, fear, and depression. When I was coming out as queer, I remember the voices of my mother’s cries “what will others say?” and the ways I forced myself into the closet longer than I wanted. Many years later this still shows up with awkward family conversations where we avoid any discussion of my romantic life (or lack thereof). Yet I remember getting strength from Krishna’s words: being myself imperfectly is more important and allows me to live my purpose than to be someone that I am not meant to be, simply for societal acceptance. And doing so doesn’t cause harm, but healing by being more authentic about who I am with my family and helping them grow in their own worldview. And my Hindu spiritual foundation has guided me to understand that my parents may never see me the way I see myself, and my job is not to convert or appease them. We can coexist in this pluralistic world and still love each other. While I do not have the responsibility for others’ actions, I can choose how I engage, respond and model the values I hold dear. Being honest about who I am while holding compassion for those that inadvertently harm me is both beneficial to my sanity and allows me to lead with purpose. Recognizing our contradictions or differences is not a cause for fear but hope that we can build a bigger table where we can gather and chat. Our goal is not to agree, but to understand and find a path that upholds our humanity while being true to our existence.

While Hinduism has guided my sense of purpose and approach to life, Buddhism under the guidance of the venerable Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh has been transformative for my healing and undoing trauma work. Being Asian American in the United States means constantly questioning one’s place in any conversations about race, politics, religion, immigration, etc. Especially as an Indian Desi American, born in India and raised primarily in the U.S., I am often unsure of where I belong. Within the Black-white dichotomy of racial conversations, I am often made invisible with questions of “where are you really from?” or simply categorized as white or desiring to be white. I am earmarked as a “troublemaker” for not fulfilling the fantasies of a submissive Asian person while being reminded I will never be “American” enough because of the color of my skin or my immigration history. While I have been told I am not enough – dark enough to understand racism, light enough to matter in national political arguments, submissive enough to be “a good Asian” or not oppressed enough to be a DEI consultant, my spiritual sense of Swadharma and grounding in Buddhist philosophies of embracing the present moment, learning to breathe deeply, letting go of control and practicing gratitude, not only for pleasant experiences but also for the difficult moments that are divine opportunities for self-awareness.

In all these experiences, my spirituality is a primary filter that influences how I (re)act and make my way. Finding a sense of belonging through an authentic presentation of self and knowing I am enough has continued to serve me well by building community and belonging with others on similar spiritual paths. While belonging often involves a group or groups to which we can belong, I believe we must first learn to belong in our skin, imperfection, and divine wisdom; only then can we belong without the strings of approval.