Reflections on how USA Hindu temples can have a proper professional relationship with their priests that benefits everyone
By Paul Yogananda Desantis
One of the world’s great saints, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, inspired Hindus worldwide with his loving, uplifting writings and lectures. Gurudeva taught that the Gods and devotees meet in our Hindu temples on Earth. These are unique, holy places of spiritual inspiration where devotees can experience uplifting darshan. When the devotees leave the temple, they report feeling more peaceful and often have found new life-sustaining insights.
The experience of “good darshan” in a temple is not accidental. Skilled Hindu priests, through their extensive Sanskrit prayers offered for many hours, create good darshan. In a Siva temple, it is the Sivachariyars who tirelessly invoke the Deities to enliven their divine presence in the murtis. The priests’ prayers are the existential component that attracts high vibrations. Visiting a sanctified Hindu temple provides a spiritually uplifting experience. Devotees go to a temple to experience higher consciousness for prayer and meditation and to share food blessed during pujas.
Gurudeva knew that some devotees were disrespecting and mistreating Hindu priests in USA temples. Regrettably, this priest mistreatment still exists two decades later in some USA temples. How is this possible? Temples in the USA have dedicated, hard-working Boards of Directors who volunteer their time to help maintain the temple’s physical buildings and equipment. However, in some temples, the administration does not fulfill its obligations to meet the needs of its dedicated priests.
Many devotees are surprised to hear that these devout Hindu priests, who create the sanctity in the temples, are often scorned, underpaid, and serve as overworked employees. Why are many good priests paid less, receive lower health care benefits, poorer housing, and significantly worse retirement than a public school teacher or the clerics of other religions?
What is the origin of the hostile—or at least negligent—attitudes toward priests, often held even by educated temple members? Why are negative attitudes tolerated in any USA temple? During India’s medieval period and the British Raj, Hindus and their devout priests were disrespected and shamelessly persecuted, while their temples were spat upon, desecrated and often physically destroyed. In British India, the Crown administrators pressured Hindus to convert to Christianity for a “better education” or a “better job.” For some USA Hindus, those disrespectful attitudes may be alive as unexamined, subconscious anti-Hindu priest beliefs.
Freedom of Religion in the USA Since 1791
In the revolutionary war the Americans successfully rebelled against the British Crown and formed their own government on the North American continent. In 1791, they adopted the First Amendment to the Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
What follows are recommendations on how we can strengthen our temples and establish proper dharmic relationships with our Hindu priests. First, we must acknowledge the painful truth that in our USA democratic tradition, “we the people”—in this case, we, the USA Hindu devotees—are ultimately morally responsible for the adharmic conduct towards priests in some of our temples. Second, it is our duty and privilege to establish pro-priest temple guidelines—free from the anti-dharma prejudices Hindus suffered during those despicable, intolerant days on the other side of Earth.
To begin, we must update our temple bylaws to include fundamental dharmic principles to protect, nourish and enhance the welfare of our priests. In California, religious organizations incorporate under the California Non-profit Religious Corporation Law, Corp C §§9110-9690. Amending the bylaws is not difficult (Article 5, Corp C §§9150-9153). To simplify the bylaws document, instead of modifying various provisions in any existing bylaws, I recommend preparing an “Addendum A, the Priest Policy Bylaws,” which sets forth the basic principles for Hindu priest employment and conduct. Below are listed sample principles to be included.
Proposed Dharmic Bylaws for Hindu Priests
Gurudeva’s teaching inspires us to include mandatory provisions to honor and care for our Hindu priests. Dharmic bylaws must contain specific principles which support Hindu priest dharma, such as the following:
A statement that Hindu priests are an honored, existential part of our religious organization who provide essential services for the devotees.
The temple shall have a written contract with each Hindu priest that specifies the terms of employment in this Addendum A, including the following points:
The priest’s basic salary should be at least comparable to that of an experienced public school teacher.
Health care for the priest, his wife and his children.
Details on how the temple will provide suitable housing for the priest, his wife and children.
Any dispute which cannot be resolved between a temple member and a priest shall be submitted to formal mediation before any attempt to commence litigation.
Priests must have a voice in temple administration. The chief priest and at least one other priest should attend all Board of Directors meetings.
The temple’s financial reports should disclose the compensation paid to priests and any delinquency in payments to priests.
About the Author
Paul Yogananda DeSantis of Santa Monica, California, holds a J.D. from Georgetown University. Born in New York and raised a Christian, he converted to Hinduism over three decades ago. He has practiced law and served on the board of a California Hindu nonprofit religious organization for more than thirty years.