Gender, religion, and craft in Dalrymple's Nine Lives

William Dalrymple's Nine Lives: In Search Of The Sacred In Modern India

William Dalrymple's book Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India (2011) is a unique collection of authentic stories. While they all provide valuable information and insight when it comes to how people keep sacredness alive in the face of modernization in India, there is not space to discuss or address all of them here. Instead, there will be two specific stories analyzed -- the nun's tale and the monk's tale -- both of which help explain part of what takes place in India in the less common religions. Many of these smaller religions are dying out, with fewer adherents every year. Even those who hold to the old ways and the smaller religions are changing, and they are not always as committed to following their religions the way they would have in the past.

That has become a serious issue for India in the present day, with modernization taking its toll on young and old alike. Dalrymple focuses on letting the people in his book tell their stories in their own voices, instead of attempting to take what they have said and put his own feelings and opinions into it. He also does not talk about his own spiritual journey, quest, or affiliation, which provides much more credibility to his work.

Discussed here will be the two tales -- the nun and the monk -- and the ways in which they are similar and different. Gender and different types of religious beliefs are the two most notable differences between the tales, and those are the two areas that will be focused on in the following pages.

The Nun's Tale

Prasannamati Mataji comes from a family that has plenty of money and material things (Dalrymple, 4). She does not want for anything of a financial nature, and she is treated well. One would think that this type of life would be a good choice, and something a person would prefer when given the choice between it and poverty, but that is not the case with her. Instead of spending time enjoying the wealth in which her family lives, she finds that she is drawn to the life of the Jain nuns (Dalrymple, 4).

The Jains focus on doing absolutely no harm to anything or anyone on the planet, going so far as to wear masks to avoid breathing in an insect or microbe, and sweeping their feet along the path when they walk so they do not step on a bug or creature of any kind (Cort, 77). This desire to have nothing and harm nothing can be hard to explain to someone who is not drawn to the same kind of life.

There are many traditions Mataji follows, including the ritual of plucking out all of her hair (Dalrymple, 6). That is a sign of her devotion and one of the ways in which she shows how committed she is to the beliefs of the Jain order (Dalrymple, 6). No one else in her family is walking this particular path, but to her it is very important and something about which she feels strongly. She then spends her life wandering with the other Jains, and she is allowed only her whisk, bowl, and robes (Dalrymple, 10).

She does not own any other possessions, because Jains choose to own nothing and do not focus on anything of a material nature (Cort, 77). There are other rituals considered, as well, including one that is designed to allow the person to slowly and ritualistically starve to death. While not common among Jains, it is an acceptable part of their religious practices and something that a number of them will do.

One of Mataji's companions has chosen this path because she is dying from tuberculosis (Dalrymple, 11). She has only a limited time to live, and has chosen to let go of her body and to leave the world on her own terms, instead of waiting for the tuberculosis to take her (Dalrymple, 11). While many people may feel that would make sense, and many would understand why this would be the case with someone who has a terminal illness, there are some who are perfectly healthy and who choose this path also.

Mataji is one of those (Dalrymple, 14). She reveals to Dalrymple that she is going to perform sallekhana, where she will slowly reduce what she eats and drinks until she starves to death (Dalrymple, 15). She is only in her mid-30s, and unlike her friend she is not sick with a terminal illness, but completely healthy (Dalrymple, 15). However, she is also very devoted to the Jains and their beliefs.

One of the ways she can show that seriousness and devotion is by letting go of everything -- and one of the things a person can choose to let go of is his or her body. The Jains first let go of their home, and they wander the streets (Cort, 78). Then they focus on giving up all of their possessions (Cort, 78). This allows them to travel light and not be burdened with anything from a material standpoint, but the most material thing they can have is their body (Cort, 78). It is the last thing they can give up, which happens when they die.

While many wait to die naturally and spend their lives up until that point following the Jains' requirements, others choose to leave their bodies and this life for what comes next (Cort, 78). There are many ways to do that, but ritualistically the proper way is to slowly reduce food and water intake, which can sometimes be done over a period of years as opposed to a period of days, weeks, or even months (Dalrymple, 16).

Analyzing the Nun's Tale

There are serious concerns and issues to be considered when it comes to the nun's tale, however. To people who are not a part of the Jains or who are not taking any other religion to its extreme, the idea of slowly starving oneself to death may seem frightening or even barbaric in nature. That is something worth addressing, of course, because of the way in which young people like Mataji choose their own deaths. There could be an argument made as to whether this is right or wrong, but those are subjective issues.

What is does show, however, is the darker side of some different types of spirituality. Not all religion and spirituality -- and the practices that come with them -- is about goodness and light. Additionally, the ways in which a person attains goodness and light can also be very different, because there are a myriad of options based on the type of religion or spiritual practice a person choose to follow. It is not possible to say that Mataji is "wrong" in her choice.

Those who think carefully about what she is choosing to do may not understand the choice she has made, though, because it seems that Mataji would have everything to live for. Her family is wealthy, she is young, and she is healthy. She has what millions of people throughout the world strive to have -- youth, wealth, and health. Without those things, many people will say that life has little meaning, but Mataji does not see any meaning in any of those things.

She is seeking meaning in a completely different way, through letting go of any societal trappings that she would normally hold dear and that most people would embrace. The idea that letting go includes her home and material possessions is not something too many people misunderstand, but the idea that letting go includes her body and her life on this planet is something people have trouble grasping. Most people fear death, or at least try to avoid it, and they do not welcome it or try to cause its arrival.

The choice she has made is a deeply spiritual experience, and not one that can be easily understood by those who have not chosen the same or a similar path. It is also related to a similar issue, in that most people who think of nuns think of them more in terms of Christianity and less in terms of Jains. Numerous people throughout the world have not even heard of Jains, and even in India it is not as common as other religions or spiritual practices.

This is important to note, because there are differences of religion that come into play even when people are in close proximity to one another and even when they live in the same area of the world. Because the Jains are a "valid" religion in India, however, Mataji is not seen as doing anything wrong. She is not the only person who has ever chosen this particular spiritual path, whether a Jain or a member of some other type of spiritual practice. Fasting has been a religious practice for centuries.

A second issue to be faced with the nun's tale is the issue of gender. Whether people are looked at differently based on their gender is really not up for debate. Studies and simply human nature indicates that this is the case. However, there is more to the issue than that. When it comes to religion -- and what people will do for and because of that religion -- gender also plays a role. Women see their roles in society differently than men, and as such they sometimes see their value to society differently, as well. Mataji may be an example of this, because she does not see the kinds of things she could do with her life here on the earth, especially coming from a wealthy family that could give her a leg up.

Instead, she sees that her "value" is tied to her ability to be committed to her religion. A serious commitment to that religion is enough to cause her death, however, which may not truly be the best use of her life and talents. If she were a man, would she see it differently? This is a question that is difficult to answer, but gender does play a role in many life decisions, including those that are related to religion and spirituality, depending on the type of worship.

The Monk's Tale

Another tale to consider is the monk's tale. This tells the story of a Tibetan monk. In 1959 he fled from his native country and cast off his robes so he could join the Indian Army and fight the Chinese (Dalrymple, 143). Rather than go back to his religion at the point the battle was won, he ended up spending an entire career with the Army (Dalrymple, 144). By the time Dalrymple started talking to him and decided to include him in the book, he had left the Army and had taken up his Tibetan vows once again.

He was then living in Dharamsala, which is a center for Tibetan Buddhists within northern India (Dalrymple, 143). Tibetan monks are very peaceful, as a rule of their religion (Wallace, 22). Because of that it is interesting that the young monk would give up his robes in order to focus on an army and a war. He willingly laid down his robes and the path he had chosen to focus on something else -- something he felt was more important for him (and possibly for his country) at that point in time.

The monk in question had chosen to do this, and had been well aware of what he was doing when it came to choosing between the peacefulness of Tibetan Buddhism and the life of a soldier. His religious plans were not important enough to him to keep his vows while he could do something else -- like fight in a war and have a career. He made the choice to do something different, but that does not mean that his religion lacked importance. There may have been other factors at play, and not just importance. Many people choose to do things that are important, and those plans can change. A new importance can be found.

Analyzing the Monk's Tale

What the monk did seems out of character, for want of a better term. However, what matters to a person and the depth of his religious commitment is different based on who he is and the circumstances in which he finds himself. The religion of Tibetan Buddhism is holy and peaceful, but that does not mean it is all consuming for everyone who follows it or believes in its value. While many monks spend their entire lives in a particular order or sect, others come to the order later in life or leave and then return for various reasons (Wallace, 49). This is something that frequently happens with various types of religious and spiritual practices, and not just with Tibetan monks or others who are focused on peace and harmony from the practices in which they involve themselves.

Dalrymple providing the tale of the monk in the monk's own words helps the reader understand why he felt compelled to let go of his plans as a monk and go off to fight. This is another way that a gender difference can be addressed, because going off to join an army and fight in a battle is not something a woman in India would have (or could have) done. The way the genders are treated has much to do with how they see themselves and why they react in particular ways, which is important to consider from both gender and religious/spiritual standpoints (Wallace, 58).

Similarities and Differences

The two main areas where similarities and differences can be seen in the nun's tale and the monk's tale are clearly religion and gender. The stories are similar in that they both focus on a particular religious belief or practice that was undertaken by the person telling the story. Since the stories are told in the words of the people who lived them, they can be considered to be authentic and not embellished by Dalrymple. Additionally, they are similar because they relate to how a person developed a religious belief and how important he or she determined that religion was in his or her life. People make these kinds of choices every day, just depending on what they feel is right for them and what they choose to do with their time and talents. Some of them choose religious or spiritual paths, and others do not.