Nine Lives Summary

“What does it mean to live a life of faith in the modern world? In India, ancient beliefs and historical forces intertwine, creating stories of devotion, struggle, and transformation.”

1. Jainism: A Religion of Self-Denial

Jainism, one of the world’s oldest faiths, is built around the principle of asceticism. Born in ancient India's Ganges basin, Jainism challenges the materialism and hierarchical practices of Hinduism. It demands purity through severe self-sacrifice, seeing the body as the site where spiritual fires must be kindled. Ascetics renounce all worldly attachments, including comfort, basic hygiene, and sometimes even food, in the case of voluntary fasting until death.

Jain monks and nuns display their faith through rigorous practices. For example, Jain monks abstain from bathing and typically pluck their hair by the roots as an act of discipline. Early texts describe these monks as appearing like they were clad in "black armor" due to layers of grime—a testament to their detachment from physical appearances and material cleanliness.

Such extreme practices highlight their belief in spiritual liberation through austerity. Jains emphasize that true sacrifice involves the renunciation of oneself entirely, considering possessions and even the body as distractions from attaining moksha (spiritual enlightenment). The Jain monk’s life becomes the very “fire of sacrifice,” embodying complete rejection of material and emotional bonds.

Examples

• Jain monks avoid harming insects by brushing the surfaces they walk on.
• Emperor Chandragupta Maurya adopted Jain principles and fasted to death in atonement for his sins.
• Jain scripture identifies 24 human Jinas who achieved liberation through severe asceticism.

2. The Jain Nun’s Test of Faith

The author encountered Prasannamati Mataji in Karnataka. A dedicated nun, she embodied Jain values through non-violence and compassion. Having renounced her possessions, Mataji lived a life of daily wandering and practicing ahimsa, the absolute avoidance of harm to any living being.

Mataji’s faith faced its ultimate test when her closest companion, Prayogamati, chose sallekhana—ritual fasting unto death. Unlike suicide, Jains see sallekhana as a passage into the next life, demonstrating control and detachment. While Mataji respected her friend’s courageous act, she struggled with personal grief—a lingering attachment that challenged her spiritual discipline.

Her candid sharing revealed the deeply human conflicts at the heart of rigorous devotion. Even in a life stripped of material attachments, emotional ties and loss remain journeys of spiritual growth.

Examples

• Mataji swept the steps before walking to avoid harming insects.
• Prayogamati’s sallekhana represented liberation, not despair.
• Mataji found attachment to her deceased friend the hardest challenge in her ascetic journey.

3. Oppression in Kerala’s Caste System

Kerala is renowned for its natural beauty and spice trade but harbors a darker side of caste oppression. Historically, its rigid caste codes enforced violence and discrimination, especially against Dalits (formerly known as "untouchables"). Upper-caste landlords dominated lower-caste workers, often through outright brutality.

Evidence of caste discrimination persists. Dalit laborers face demeaning practices such as receiving food at a 'safe' distance using disposable plantain leaves. Even in regions they helped cultivate, Dalits are forbidden to draw water from wells they dug.

This deep-rooted social hierarchy highlights how historical oppression endures in subtler forms today. Religion, often wielded as justification, continues to divide people by caste in public and private life.

Examples

• British traveler Francis Buchanan documented caste-based executions in early 19th-century Kerala.
• Hari Das, a modern Dalit, experienced discriminatory food-serving practices while working.
• The rules of caste dictated even hairstyles for Dalits in the past.

4. Theyyam Rituals as Resistance

Theyyam ceremonies in Kerala are cultural and religious phenomena led by Dalit performers. During these events, gods are thought to incarnate into the bodies of dancers, often from lower castes. Through storytelling, theyyyams critique social injustice and channel the voice of the oppressed.

These performances focus on themes of mistreatment, like tales of Dalits punished for transgressing caste rules. By embodying divine forces, performers like Hari Das act as vessels for public discourse on morality and provide voices to marginalized communities.

Theyyam ceremonies empower Dalits by offering role models for defiance and equality. They act as both catharsis and call-to-action for people facing systemic inequality.

Examples

• The theyyam transformation process involves meticulous rituals like painting the dancer's body.
• Dalits perform as deified laborers, embodying gods angry at caste injustices.
• Theyyam stories often center on Dalits punished unfairly, transforming them into local legends.

5. Solitude as a Path to Enlightenment

Tashi Pasang, a young Tibetan boy, embraced monastic life over yak farming. He left his family to train under his uncle and carried out rigorous spiritual practices like meditation, scripture study, and isolation retreats. These practices were designed to help him detach from worldly desires and find peace.

One transformative moment unfolded in a cave retreat. For months, Pasang lived in solitude, performing daily prayers and fasting. Although he initially struggled with loneliness, he later found clarity and happiness through this experience. Isolation provided a raw confrontation with himself, purging trivial distractions.

Pasang’s retreat illustrates the Buddhist belief in liberation through overcoming attachment and desire. His cave months marked a transition from worldly preoccupations to spiritual clarity.

Examples

• The Buddha emphasized avoiding desire, pride, and greed to reduce life's misery.
• Pasang performed 4,000 prostrations a day during his retreat.
• The experience purified him and set the foundation for a hermit's life.

6. The Monks Who Took Up Arms

The Chinese invasion of Tibet turned monks like Pasang into soldiers. Alarmed by massacres and suppression of Buddhism, they joined the resistance. While scripture allowed for limited defense of the faith, the karmic cost of violence weighed on their conscience.

Pasang's guilt deepened when India enlisted Tibetan fighters for unrelated wars. Years later, he returned to Dharamsala, troubled by the karmic burden of taking lives. Despite promises of Tibetan liberation, Pasang ultimately saw his years of fighting as a spiritual setback.

His story underscores how historical forces often disrupt religious truths, leaving monks to wrestle with moral conflicts that transcend dogma.

Examples

• China’s 1950 reoccupation of Tibet threatened Buddhist traditions.
• Pasang justified violence as a necessary evil to save his faith.
• Indian recruitment of Tibetan warriors ultimately betrayed their aspirations.

7. Bauls’ Spiritual Philosophy

Bauls, wandering musicians from Bengal, reject religious conventions. For them, God is neither in idols nor temples but resides within those seeking truth through love and devotion. Inspired by Hindu, Buddhist, and Sufi teachings, their creed blends philosophy and humanism.

Their songs focus on realization, shedding possessions, and finding Divinity in human experiences. Bauls challenge rigid orthodoxy by embracing pluralism, making their art both spiritually profound and socially subversive.

Bauls' migration between faiths and philosophies demonstrates India’s rich interplay of traditions, emphasizing the journey over specific doctrines.

Examples

• Bauls draw from Hinduism's Krishna, Sufi wisdom, and Buddhist meditation.
• Their medium of song connects audiences to abstract truths.
• The Rigveda's ancient openness resonates with Bauls’ core beliefs.

8. A Blind Boy’s Journey into the Bauls

Kanai Das Baul’s story captures the heartbreak and resilience behind many Bauls’ lives. Blinded in infancy, he lost his family to misfortune and poverty before becoming a wandering minstrel. His determination, rooted in grief, led him to find meaning through music and spiritual connection.

Mentored by elder Bauls, Kanai embraced their philosophy: abandon material attachments, seek truth through love, and bring joy to others. Adopting a life on the road enriched his spirit while letting him transcend societal pity.

Kanai sings of equality, scorns hypocrisy, and spreads hope—a life fulfilled through simplicity and shared humanity.

Examples

• As a blind teenager, Kanai sought a Baul ashram despite adversities.
• Villagers cherish Bauls' visits, seeing them as sources of joy and wisdom.
• Kanai's songs critique social inequities while celebrating universal love.

9. Faith Beyond Scripture

India’s religions, from Jainism to Baulism, reveal how faith transcends official doctrine. The people featured in these stories show that real belief evolves through personal battles with life’s hardships and contradictions.

The examples—whether monks grappling with war, Dalits reclaiming respect through ritual, or a blind boy finding solace in song—offer insight into how faith adapts to context. They highlight religion as a force of resilience and individual transformation.

Faith, then, is less about rigid rules and more about navigating paradoxes while searching for meaning and connection.

Examples

• Prasannamati Mataji’s grief contrasted with her teachings on detachment.
• Hari Das found empowerment through theyyams, not orthodoxy.
• Pasang’s spiritual redemption intertwined with political struggle.

Takeaways

1. Explore diverse traditions to find spiritual practices that resonate personally, rather than being bound by rigid doctrines.
2. Reflect on your attachments—whether material, emotional, or societal—and consider ways to reduce their grip on your happiness.
3. Seek shared humanity in faith, celebrating pluralism and love over divisive labels or hierarchies.