HINDUISM

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HINDUISM

• GENERAL INTRODUCTION, VOCABULARY, BELIEFS

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GENERAL INTRODUCTION

• NAME, OVERVIEW, GLOBAL DISPERSMENT, THEORIES OF
  ORIGIN, SACRED TEXTS, CASTE SYSTEM

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NAME

• Sanatana Dharma, or eternal religion
• Vaidika Dharma, religion of the Vedas
• Hinduism, derived from
• The country lying between the Himalayan mountain
  and Bindu Sarovara (Hindusthan)
• The Persian word for Indian
• A corruption of the Persian word Indus (Indus
  River)
• The name invented by the British administration
  during colonial times.

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OVERVIEW

• One of the oldest and most complex of the worlds
  religions roots are dated from the 3rd
  millennium BCE.
• This religion is diverse, extremely inclusive,
  tolerant, and complicated.
• Hinduism recognizes three ways to be religious
  and these provide one good way to sort the
  religion typologically (categorically) and
  historically.
• These three ways not only reflect different
  dimensions of being religious, they also
  characterize the whole Hindu religion as passing
  through three major historical phases, each
  corresponding to one of the following margas
  (or paths).

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OVERVIEW

• Karma Marga deed path, or religion of the
  hands (ritual and/or ethical) with an emphasis
  on RITE and RIGHT
• Characterized the early Vedic Period (1500-600
  BCE)
• Focus is on polytheism and ritualism
• Primary scripture is the Vedas (ritualistic hymns)

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OVERVIEW

• Jnana Marga insight path or religion of the
  head (intellectual and/or mystical) with an
  emphasis on WISDOM and TRUTH
• Characterized Vedantic Period (600 BCE-800 CE)
• Focus is on monism and mystical philosophy
• Primary scripture is the Upanishads
  (philosophical)

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OVERVIEW

• Bhakti Marga love path or religion of the
  heart (devotional and/or communal) with an
  emphasis on FAITH and LOVE
• Characterized Sectarian Period (800 CE-Present)
• Focus on henotheism and worship (puja)
• Main scripture is Bhagavad Gita with the notion
  that Krishna is Lord!

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YOGAS

• The aforementioned margas (3 paths) are
  sometimes labeled yogas and numbered at four.
• Yoga refers to the practice use dto gain
  control over the mind and body in order to
  reflect on the path to enlightenment.
• According to the yoga system of four paths, the
  mystical side of jnana marga is isolated as a
  separate discipline called raja yoga.

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GLOBAL DISPERSMENT
870,000,000 Adherents
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THEORIES OF ORIGIN

• CLASSICAL AND EMERGING THEORIES, THE ARYAN
  MIGRATION-INVASION, THE ARYAN RELIGION

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CLASSICAL THEORY

• Traces the roots of Hinduism to the Indus Valley
  civilization c. 4000-2200 BCE
• Light-skinned, nomadic, Aryan (or, Indo-European)
  tribes invaded northern India (c. 1500 BCE) from
  Russia and Central Asia, bringing with them their
  Vedic religion
• The Vedic beliefs mingled with the indigenous
  Indian native beliefs to form the Indus Valley
  culture.

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EMERGING THEORY

• Archaeological digs have placed the above theory
  in question, suggesting that the Indus Valley
  culture was not the result of an outside
  invasion, or so-called Aryan Invasion, but
  emerged over time.
• Archaeological discoveries of Vedic rituals
  merely prove that the emerging culture shared
  continuity with the Aryans.

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THE ARYAN MIGRATION

• The Aryans are reputed to have been semi-nomadic
  people who moved from their original home
  (between Poland and Central Asia) towards the
  west, east, and south.
• The Indo-Aryans entered Punjab and moved into the
  Ganga Valley, eventually controlling all of
  Northern India.

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THE ARYAN RELIGION

• This may be called proto-Hinduism and
  represents the initial Aryan influences of an
  incipient Hinduism (i.e., beginning to show
  itself).
• Polytheistic gods and goddesses (devas) as
  personifications or natural forces a male
  dominated pantheon of 330,000,000 gods and
  goddesses.
• Sacrificial Altars in open places with animal
  sacrifices and libations of milk and soma
  (juice, or perhaps an hallucinogenic mushroom??)

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SACRED TEXTS

• MAHABHARATA, BHAGAVAD GITA, VEDAS, AND UPANISHADS

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MAHABHARATA

• Written 540-300 BCE
• Attributed to the sage Vyasa
• Record the legends of the Bharatas, one of the
  Aryan tribal groups
• Epic poem that tells of two feuding royal
  families who descend from a common ruler named
  Bharat and suffer through the horrors of a long
  civil war.

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BHAGAVAD GITA

• Literally means, Song of God
• The 18th chapter (or 6th book) of the Mahabharata
• It is an extended course on Hindu metaphysics,
  describing a conversation between a warrior
  (Arjuna) and the Hindu God Krishna (Vishnu).

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SANSKRIT SELECTION FROM THE BHAGAVAD GITA
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VEDAS

• Veda is a Sanskrit word for truth or
  knowledge
• The Vedas represent the ancient Hindu
  scriptures.
• Rig-Veda Collection of over 10,000 hymns to the
  Aryan gods.
• Yajur-Veda Collection of ritual material for
  sacrifices.
• Sama-Veda Collection of chants.
• Atharva-Veda Home-rituals and popular prayers
  and spells to ward off evil.

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UPANISHADS

• The word means a sitting beside or a session
  which implies a personal teaching from ones
  spiritual master.
• These writings are also called Vedanta or the
  end of the Vedas in the sense of
• Last part
• Last in importance, or
• Goal
• Vedanta also refers to the tradition of Hindu
  philosophy that focuses on the writings of the
  Upanishads as the interpretive lens through
  which the Vedas and other scriptures are read
  (speculative, philosophical writings)

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CASTE SYSTEM

• HINDU SOCIETY

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PRIMARY CASTES

• In ancient India there developed a social system
  in which people were divided into separate close
  communities. These communities are known in
  English as caste.
• The origin of the caste system is in Hinduism,
  but it affected the whole Indian society.
• The caste system in the religious form is
  basically a simple division of society in which
  there are four castes arranged in a hierarchy and
  below them the outcast.
• But socially the caste system was more
  complicated, with much more castes and sub-castes
  and other divisions.
• Legally the government disallows the practice of
  caste system but has a policy of affirmative
  discrimination of the backward classes.

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PRIMARY CASTES

• The religious word for caste is 'Varna'. Each
  Varna has certain duties and rights. Each Varna
  members have to work in certain occupation which
  only that Varna members are allowed. Each Varna
  has certain type of diet.
• The highest Varna is of the Brahman. Members of
  this class are priests and the educated people of
  the society.
• The Varna after them in hierarchy is Kshatria.
  The members of this class are the rulers and
  aristocrats of the society.
• After them are the Vaisia. Members of this class
  are the landlords and businessmen of the society.
  
• After them in hierarchy are the Sudra. Members of
  this class are the peasants and working class of
  the society who work in non-polluting jobs. The
  caste hierarchy ends here.
• Below these castes are the outcasts who are
  untouchable to the four castes. These
  untouchables worked in degrading jobs like
  cleaning, sewage etc.

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CASTE IMPLICATIONS

• On 2001-NOV-4, one million low-caste Dalits were
  scheduled to meet in Delhi, India, for a mass
  conversion to Buddhism.
• According to Gospel for Asia, Dalits feel that
• "The only way for our people to find freedom from
  3,000 years of slavery is to quit Hinduism and
  Castism and embrace another faith."
• Mass conversions to Christianity have also
  occurred.

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CASTE IMPLICATIONS

• Two protest religions formed as reactions against
  selected Hindu religious practices and/or
  teachings such as the power of the priests, the
  overwhelming presence of rituals and the
  alienation of the lower castes from their Hindu
  faith.

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VOCABULARY

• KEY TERMS DESCRIBING HINDU BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

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Puja Act of worship, incense burned, offerings made to a Hindu deity.
Yoga Practice used to gain control over mind and body to reflect on the path to enlightenment.
Lotus Position Sitting position, heel and foot placed on opposite thigh, encourages breathing and physical disciple conducive to deep meditation.
Sanskrit Hindu language of the sacred scriptures dating to 1500 BCE.
Veda From Sanskrit meaning truth or knowledge.
Rishis Inspired sages who heard the hymns of the gods and transcribed them into the Vedas.
Satguru An enlightened master necessary for the attainment of knowledge of the Transcendent Absolute.
Nirvana Eternal soul, reborn millions of times in many forms. Ultimately this soul merges with the Universal Soul, or Nirvana.
Mantra A sacred incantation of prayer.
Indra One of the most popular Vedic gods, resembling Zeus of the Greek pantheon.
Brahmanas Vedic writings added to the Hindu scriptures that explain many ceremonies and priestly duties.
Vedic Age Period between 1500 and 1200 BCE in which the Vedas are written and compiled.
Upanishads Means sitting near or at the feet of the master. Final writings added to the Vedic scriptures. These are direct accounts written by spiritually advanced mystics and represent the final phase in the development of the Vedas.
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Samsara The Sanskrit term for reincarnation, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth until a soul achieves enlightenment and embraces the sacred reality of the Absolute.
Caste System Hindu social system dividing people into a rigid class structure. Women may change their birth caste through marriage. Men have the least mobility.
Karma An impartial force or principle of cause and effect that accounts for each persons good and bad actions and determines their position of rebirth based upon ones actions in a previous lifetime.
Brahma The world spirit, the Absolute, the chief god of the Hindu faith who is associated with the creation of all reality. Union with Brahma is seen as the end or goal for all individuals seeking enlightenment.
Vishnu The preserver god representing divine love who has been incarnated as Krishna and Rama.
Shiva The energy force of the Absolute, who is seen as the great cosmic creator and destroyer.
Moksha Attainment of enlightenment, or spiritual knowledge, that liberates one from the cycles of rebirth.
Atman The Hindu concept of the individual self or soul.
Mahabharata The epic poem that tells of two feuding royal families.
Bhagavad Gita Means, Song of God and is a portion of the Mahabharata and part of the Hindu sacred scriptures.
Mahatma Title given to Gandhi, meaning Great Soul.
Ahimsa The Hindu ideal of complete non-violence in thought, word, and deed.
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HINDU BELIEFS

• NINE BELIEFS IN HINDUISM, FIVE OBLIGATIONS, FOUR
  ENDS, AND FOUR STAGES

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NINE BELIEFS

1. Hindus believe in the divinity of the Vedas, the
   worlds most ancient scripture. These hymns are
   Gods word and the bedrock of Sanatana Dharma
   (Hinduism), the eternal religion which has
   neither beginning nor end.
2. Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme
   Being who is both immanent and transcendent, both
   Creator and Un-manifest Reality.
3. Hindus believe that the universe undergoes
   endless cycles of creation, preservation, and
   dissolution.
4. Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and
   effect by which each individual creates his own
   destiny by his thoughts, words, and deeds.

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NINE BELIEFS

1. Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates,
   evolving through many births until all karmas
   have been resolved, and moksha, spiritual
   knowledge and liberation from the cycle of
   rebirth, is attained.
2. Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen
   worlds and that temple worship, rituals,
   sacraments, as well as personal devotionals
   create a communion with these devas and gods.
3. Hindus believe that a spiritually awakened master
   (satguru) is essential to know the Transcendent
   Absolute, as are personal discipline, good
   conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry
   and meditation.

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NINE BELIEFS

1. Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be
   loved and revered, and therefore practice ahimsha
   (non-injury).
2. Hindus believe that no particular religion
   teaches the only way to salvation above all
   others, but that all genuine religious paths are
   facets of Gods Pure Love and Light, deserving
   tolerance and understanding.

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FIVE OBLIGATIONS

1. Worship Young Hindus are taught daily worship in
   the family shrine roomrituals, disciplines,
   chants, yogas and religious study. They learn to
   secure through devotion in home and temple,
   wearing traditional dress, bringing forth love of
   the Divine and preparing the mind for serene
   meditation.
2. Holy Days Young Hindus are taught to participate
   in Hindu festivals and holy days in the home and
   temple. They learn to be happy through communion
   with God at such auspicious celebrations. The
   festivals may include fasting and temple
   attendance.

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FIVE OBLIGATIONS

1. Virtuous Living (dharma, or duty) Young Hindus
   are taught to live a life of duty and good
   conduct. They learn to be self-less
   (renunciation) by thinking of others first, being
   respectful of parents, elders and swamis (or
   masters, those who mastery over themselves so
   as to have achieved renunciation), following
   divine law (especially, ahimsha). In this way
   they resolve karmas.
2. Pilgrimage Young Hindus are taught the value of
   pilgrimage either to holy persons or temples in
   order to learn to be detached from worldly
   affairs and to make God, gods, and gurus the
   focus during these journeys.

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FIVE OBLIGATIONS

1. Rites of Passage Young Hindus are taught to
   observe the many sacraments which mark and
   sanctify their passage through life. They learn
   to be traditional by celebrating the rites of
   birth, name-giving, head-shaving, first feeding,
   ear-piercing, coming of age, marriage and death.

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FOUR ENDS OF MAN

• Human pursuits can be guided by four different
  kinds of motive or purpose (end)
• Duty (dharma) We can do something because it is
  right, it is our duty, it is what we ought to do.
• Material Gain (artha) We can do something for
  the sake of material gain, such as money or
  power.
• Pleasure (kama) We can do something in order to
  experience pleasure.
• Liberation (moksha) We can do something to
  achieve liberation, or release from the
  everlasting cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

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FOUR STAGES OF LIFE (ASHRAMAS)

1. Student On being invested with the sacred cord,
   the Brahmin boy enters a celibate student stage
   in which his chief duty is to study the Vedas and
   live in the house of his teacher. Being "twice
   born" means that you come of age religiously,
   making you a member of the Vedic religion,
   eligible to learn Sanskrit, study the Vedas, and
   perform Vedic rituals. The "second birth" is thus
   like Confirmation or a Bar Mitzvah.
2. Householder Upon completion of his education, he
   returns home, marries, and becomes a householder.
   His principle duty is to care for the welfare of
   his family.
3. Hermit When his hair turns white, he should
   retire to the forest and live as a hermit,
   spending his days in meditation and devotion
4. Homeless Wanderer He now cuts off all ties with
   his family, changes his name, gives up all
   possessions except a staff, a begging bowl, and a
   few pieces of clothing (asceticism). He is now
   beyond all religious duties.