Dr Chopra, who has taped an hour of dialogue with Myers as part of the Iconoclasts series for cable television, blogs that if The Love Guru were a sermon delivered in New York's St Patrick's Cathedral, comedy would turn into religious propaganda. The premature outcry against the movie is itself religious propaganda, he continues. 'Worse than that, the protestors expose the insecurity of Hindus who don't believe that their faith can stand on its own.'
Silliness often has wisdom hidden just beneath the surface -- perhaps The Love Guru will too, since Myers laced his Austin Powers farce with a message about tolerance, Dr Chopra muses on the blog.
On second thought he wonders: 'But if you can't accept silliness in the first place, you are likely to be immune to wisdom too.'
The deeper irony is that the phrase 'Hindu fundamentalism' is a paradox to begin with, he says with pain. 'The more purely you follow Hinduism, the more you tolerate differences, because God is seen everywhere,' he explains. The Atman or higher self not only transcends the turmoil of material life but is more real than material life.
He hopes in the final reckoning the Hindu concept of Lila will prevail. Didn't the play of Goddess Shakti create the world out of sheer delight, he asks.
'Lila shocks Westerners because the purpose of the universe isn't goodness and reverence for God but a divine comedy,' he muses. 'The universe is recreational, and the most devout believers are those who abandon care and woe to join the cosmic dance.'
Dr Chopra, it seems, will not be put down by controversies or threats. He now plans to write a novel about the missing years in Jesus's life. He decided on the novel format because he can be creative and place Jesus in interesting situations. Perhaps Jesus could also visit Kashmir or India.
There is great drama in every corner of Jesus's known life, he says. 'Where else do you read a story of the Son of God being executed by their own?' he wondered recently in an interview. 'It is dramatic. It's three years of his teaching and it has shaped the world for 2,000 years.'
Image: A promotional poster for the film The Love Guru.
Photograph courtesy: http://www.lovegurumovie.com
Also read: Deepak Chopra Homepage
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