¶ … Hindus? What Am I? My Atman is so subtle that I am unable to perceive it. I know, therefore, that I am not in danger of experiencing the undifferentiated creative energy mentioned in verse 11 of the Katha Upanishad. That, however, does not answer the question posed. What am I? A Hindu might see me as a seeker on one of many possible paths to salvation.

Believers in Hinduism are not condemned from birth with only one possible path to salvation. They do not have to feel guilt for their humanity, nor suffer admonishment for their shortcomings. Hindus seek truth. I am a student and therefore a seeker of knowledge. I am on a path. My life is full of riches. A Hindu would perceive that my former incarnation was, at least, reasonable. I did not come back as harijan. For this, I am grateful. Only grateful, of course, that a Hindu's perception of my being is not distasteful.

My body, according to the chariot metaphor, is a vehicle in which I ride. My intellect, (the charioteer), steers my mind, (the reins), toward the ultimate goal of deliverance from samsara. My senses, (the horses), perceive the many pleasures and pains to which my intellect directs them. My desires form the path. Clearly, I am out of control. My Western culturalization fixates me on material success. "This being the case, the wrong-minded man, who, because his intelligence is inadequate, regards himself alone as the agent, sees nothing" definitely see myself as the agent of my own destiny. Wealth should not qualify as an end in itself, from the Hindu point-of-view. Any achievements I have in this area are, according to the Hindu, empty. I must learn that the secret of life is non-life and the secret of death is non-death. To succeed as a Hindu, I must go beyond Purusha into nothing. That is the end, that is the final goal. (Katha Upanishad, XI).

Only then will I be immersed in the truth of the Self and know He who...

According to the Law of Karma, I am exactly where I should be with relation to my life experiences, both current and former. Can any Hindu blame me for what I am? Hindus exercise a great deal of freedom in their path toward perfection, even though their social structure struggles under the cast system,
I am not Hindu. I am on a path directed by my intellect and guided by my senses. Today my senses have me choose the path of pleasure. Poor non-Hindu that I am, I may be circling the drain for quite a few lifetimes. Make no mistake. Pleasure is the first path. For the Hindu, there is nothing wrong with pleasure, or striving with all one's might to obtain it. Pleasure is not the final goal. It is a path to understanding. My Western mind would like to remain on the path of pleasure for a yet-to-be-determined amount of time. When I have experienced pleasure in all its forms, then perhaps I will proceed to the second desirable goal, that of power and substance. If I learn what I am supposed to learn, I will then desire to enhance my standards and live a worthy life. I will be on the path of Dharma. I do not know how many lives it is going to take me to understand the meaninglessness of pleasure, power, and wealth. If I find myself immersed in devotion, I will know that I have overcome the worldly draw of these goals. I will be in The Way of Works; a system by which the devoted follow strict codes to pay debts to the Gods in terms of sacrifice, duty, and the following of laws.

At this point of discourse, I must stop this wonderful nonsense. I do appreciate the freedom of Hinduism, but I do not accept the tenant of reincarnation. I do not believe that our souls circle the cosmos until they "get it right." I believe that I must get it right the first time.

Nachiketas was an observer as his…