Asian shades of spirituality: implications for multicultural school counseling

Professional School Counseling, June, 2004 by Fred J. Hanna, Alan Green

In many cases, Asian students can be better served by understanding the spiritual aspects of Asian spiritual and religious traditions. Three specific traditions are outlined in this article: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. Each tradition is described and a case example that illustrates working with students of these traditions is provided.

In the current practice of school counseling, little consideration is given to the spiritual background of students of Asian cultures. Although there is a body of literature on Asian culture in counseling, we could find remarkably few articles pertaining to counseling students in the context of Asian religious and spiritual traditions. In many cases, understanding these traditions can be of immense help in establishing relationships with these students. If the student is from an Asian family strongly dedicated to their religious tradition, we have found that demonstrating understanding and empathy toward that tradition can provide a powerful invitation to trust the counselor. The importance of establishing a relationship in counseling is well-known and well-documented in the literature (e.g., Orlinsky, Grawe, & Parks, 1994; Sexton & Whiston, 1994). Spirituality is often overlooked as a way of strengthening the counseling relationship and engendering trust.

We have also found that knowledge of Asian religion and spirituality can be extraordinarily effective in establishing trust with Asian parents. When a counselor can demonstrate some depth of knowledge of an Asian parent's religious tradition, the degree of trust generated can be deeper and even more inspired than what results from a counselor's understanding of culture. There is no question that multiculturalism is a crucial and important aspect of counseling. The wisdom of a counselor can cross cultural barriers and be the primary catalyst for establishing relationships (Hanna, Bemak, & Chung, 1999; Hanna, Talley, & Guindon, 2000). Part and parcel of this wisdom is how to apply a working understanding of the student and the family's spirituality to effective counseling. That understanding provides knowledge of the client's primary values which can then be aligned to counseling (Hanna, 2002). This article is intended to elucidate the central aspects of several Asian religious and spiritual traditions and relate this knowledge to counseling students. Specifically, we describe and discuss Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. At the end of each section we provide a case example in which the respective spirituality played a part in helping a student.

HINDUISM

Hinduism originated in India and is the oldest of the major religions on earth, being well over 3,000 years old. Interestingly, it is not a religion that seeks converts, as does Christianity or Islam. Practitioners are usually from India or are of Indian descent. Like Christianity, however, there are many individual sects and belief frameworks in Hinduism, and our necessarily brief description of it here will address it only in general terms.

Hinduism includes a pantheon of deities. This often appears strange to people raised in Western countries, where monotheism is often a religious given, but in many ways, it is not so different at all from Western faiths and traditions. As many are aware, Hinduism is pantheistic, and this also appears to be different. But the difference between monotheism and Hindu pantheism can be easily summarized. The God of Christianity, according to the Bible, created the world out of nothing. Hindu scriptures such as the Upanishads (Nikhilananda, 1963) and the Yoga Vasistha (Venkatesananda, 1984) inform us that Brahman or God, created the world out of its own being. Thus, it is only this seemingly insignificant variant that turns out to be the crux of the difference between pantheism and monotheism.

In essence, there is little difference between these theologies, as the act of creation of the universe is involved in both. The Judaic, Christian, or Islamic God, in creating the world out of nothing, leads to a belief in monotheism, which involves a belief in a dualism of the one God and the created world. Brahman, in creating the world out of itself, leads to a monistic formulation of pantheism in that there is ultimately only one "substance" and that is Brahman. The difference, however minor, does have some rather important consequences. For example, morality in Hinduism is not based on the dictates of a deity, but on the well-known idea of "karma" which literally means action. If people produce good actions, then good will return to them, either in this life or the next, as Hinduism also holds a strong belief in reincarnation. Another important consequence is with regard to Hindu metaphysics. Specifically, all of the gods of Hinduism, all human beings, all animals, and all things are simply manifestations of Brahman, the ultimate reality.

Like the Christian trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, there is a trinity in Hinduism as well. Among the many deities, such as Agni, the god of fire, and Ratri, the goddess of night, there are three who are of major power and significance. These three are Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver or "maintainer"), and Shiva (the destroyer), and together they form a distinct divine trinity representing tremendous power. Brahma having completed his work of creating the universe is not a focus of worship or devotion as are Vishnu and Shiva. Shiva, for example, is the god of those who practice Yoga and seek spiritual enlightenment, although many followers of Vishnu seek the same. What is not often understood however, is that these deities, powerful as they may be, are also mere manifestations of Brahman, just like all aspects of the universe.