 It is the oldest religion in the world and predates Christianity by 4,000 years. Still, the basic tenets of this faith have withstood the tests of time and human evolution. It is Hinduism, a faith rooted in concepts of goodwill, tolerance and harmony. Hello, I'm Chaplain Dean with the Chicago Police Department. This is the fifth in a series of videos to expand your knowledge and understanding of the many diverse communities within our city. Having even a basic knowledge of a person's customs and culture enables police officers to conduct their duties in a more efficient and respectful manner. Today we explore Hinduism. Swami Vivekananda introduced Hinduism to Chicago in 1883 during the Parliament of Religions. Since then, more than 80,000 people of the Hindu faith have settled in the Chicago area. Most of them have migrated from India since the middle 60s. They came as engineers, professors, doctors, they got education here. But not all Hindus are Indian. No, not necessarily. I'm American for example. It's basically what you believe in on determinants. And what do Hindus believe? We all believe in one Supreme Lord. We believe in a cabinetry, if you will, of multiple gods and goddesses who are in charge of different cabinets of learning of wealth and this and that. But ultimately, every Hindu believes there is only one God, one creator. And some choose to consider this creator a feminine gender, some consider this a masculine gender. Hindus believe in reincarnation. They believe that after this life you go to some celestial realm, you know, heaven or maybe a hell, but that's the temporary thing. Then you come back, you're born again, take on another body. And Hindus respect all religions as a path to God. Hindu gods are honored in temples, whether those be the elaborate community temples or simple temples within the home. Hindus don't go to temple on a specific day of the week, Sunday for example. Temples are open every day and get quite crowded on Hindu holy days. But a Hindu doesn't go to temple to hear a sermon or to get a talk. He goes primarily to have darshan, which means to see God. You know, see God, bow down, pay your respects, offer something and just kind of say hello to God. Hindu priests are typically the only people allowed to touch statues of the deities within the temple. Photographing deities is not allowed. It is not necessary for males to remove hats or for females to cover their heads inside a temple. However, all visitors and worshipers are asked to remove their shoes. The significance of taking off the shoes is keeping the place clean. This is practiced in all of the East, India, China, Japan. Cleanliness of mind and body is important in Hinduism. The left hand was traditionally used for hygiene and many Hindus still use the right hand for handling food or sacred objects. It may be considered rude to offer a Hindu something with your left hand. Hindus who have recently immigrated to Chicago or who are here to visit family may appear uncomfortable or fearful when approached by a police officer. One reason is that they are not used to seeing people with guns. In India, the constables level, they do not wear weapons. The basic, the police system in India is similar to in England. That's also attributable to the fact that the incidence of gun ownership in India is rather low. Guns are very costly. Guns are not affordable. You cannot go out and buy a Saturday night special anywhere. Many Hindus are accustomed to the Western habit of hands shaking. Others, however, prefer to press their palms together and give a simple bow. In the East, you always create a non-contact way. So the Hinduism way method is namaste, then bow, and already you brought a good will of the person. What basically namaste means is I worship the divine within you. Hindu women often wear saris. These are dresses made of one long piece of cloth wrapped around the body. Scarves may also be worn as a measure of modesty. Women should not be asked to publicly remove a scarf or unwrap any portion of a sare. Hindu women may also strongly oppose the removal of a marriage necklace. A woman won't remove it because it symbolizes marriage. It symbolizes the fact that she is into the sacred state of matrimony. Clearly if you meet someone from my group who will be wearing this, this is a very private and sacred thing to us. And in fact the olden tradition thought that this should not even be seen by others. As with other Eastern religions, it is preferred that male police officers avoid any physical contact with Hindu women. In Hinduism, pretty much the best an officer can do is don't touch the lady. That's one of the things you never see in a Hindu in public, a man touching a lady, even his wife. The same applies to female officers having contact with Hindu males. This is especially true for Swamis who are Hindu monks recognized by their orange colored robes. Interviews should be conducted in view of others. You don't have to be free from all those scandals. The best thing is whenever a lady comes, keep the door of the room open, everything open, the door, window, everything, so that nothing is hiding, nothing is hiding there. So that's the way we do. Many Hindu women and some men also wear forehead markings called bindis or telax. There is a definite religious or a sacred component to it. Much of the time when we come to the temples, we take a red powder here which we take and apply. The men call it tilak and the women call it bindi. So this is applied on the forehead and it represents almost your third eye through which you can see the world better. Within a Hindu home, officers may be asked to remove their shoes. Most Hindus are vegetarians and do not smoke cigarettes. It would be disrespectful to smoke or bring meat products into a Hindu home. Hindu homes have rooms or special areas used for worship. In a non-emergency, always ask permission before entering that area and handling any objects. Every family has on some degree or some scale you place it apart for worship. A devotion to Lord calls for the higher standard of cleanliness. Then just a normal thing. We take a bath, we change our clothes, we do into that and then we sit down before the Lord and pray. Because it's a question of a purity. We just feel that everything should be pure and clean. Something else officers may encounter in a Hindu home is the swastika symbol. Centuries before Adolf Hitler adopted the swastika as the symbol of the Nazi party, Hindus used the swastika as a religious symbol. In fact, swastika is a Sanskrit word that translates to let goodness prevail. It is still found on many Hindu articles of faith. It symbolizes power, it symbolizes Shakti, it symbolizes the general goodness of the divine being. As with all religions, Hinduism has many different subsets, hundreds of them around the world. Still, there are some basic cultural courtesies officers can observe. In non-emergencies, remove your shoes when entering a Hindu temple or home. When practical, ask permission before entering a sacred area within a home. Statues of deities within a temple or home should not be touched unless absolutely necessary. Handshakes may be refused. A traditional hello involves a slight bow and the greeting namaste. It is preferable to hand objects to Hindus using the right hand. Most Hindus are vegetarians. Marriage necklaces are considered sacred and should not be touched or removed by police. Hindu men and women may be more comfortable dealing with officers of their own sex. All of the people we encounter on a daily basis expect to be treated with dignity and respect. Those who practice Hinduism are no exception. It is our hope that this video will serve to enlighten and foster a new awareness and understanding. Thanks for watching and, as always, stay safe.