Hinduism

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Hinduism

• The religion you have all been waiting for!
• Where there is no founder
• no required set of beliefs or practices
• and where all, no matter what religion, will
  eventually be saved

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Hinduism

• Hinduism is the oldest of the religions we will
  study, and the 3rd largest
• It is both a religion and a culture (mostly in
  India)
• As a culture, in includes
• the caste system - began after the Aryans
  invaded in 1500 BCE
• there are 4 classes priests (Brahmins),
  politicians, merchants, servants
• vegetarianism, along with veneration of the cow
  (as a kind of mother)
• arranged marriages

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Hinduism

• The culture became a religion shortly after 1500
  BCE, as the Brahmins began to expand their role
  as spiritual leaders and guides
• there developed a body of religious literature,
  called the Vedas
• the Vedas were written between 1200 and 300 BCE
• There are other sacred text as well
• Upanishads, Baghavad Gita
• the Vedas describe in poetry and metaphor how one
  can live in such a way as to
• please the forces of nature (gods)
• attain the enlightenment of mind necessary to be
  freed from all suffering

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Hinduism

• As a religion, the basic beliefs include
• That all existing things have a single divine
  source, Brahman, to which they are related (like
  a drop of water and the ocean)
• That this divine source (Atman) exists in all
  sentient beings.
• That the forces of nature (gods) are parts of
  Brahman, parts of the divine energy concentrated
  to perform specific tasks, for example...
• Shiva god of wisdom, destroyer of evil
• Vishnu god of love and beauty
• Brahma god of power, creation

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Hinduism

• Shiva
• as an ascetic, his hair is matted, looks like
  snakes
• he drinks Soma, a mixture of wine and cannibis
• he has a third eye signifying wisdom

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Hinduism

• Vishnu
• takes on many earthly forms, including Krishna
  and Buddha
• he controls all forces of nature, including
  physical health and sexuality

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Hinduism

• Brahma
• he has 4 heads signifying knowledge of all things
  N, S, E, W
• he holds a copy of the Vedas in his hand
• he is the god of knowledge and education

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Hinduism

• The gods are worshipped in temples
• Their statues and pictures are objects of
  veneration
• Small sacrifices are made there (food, incense,
  small gifts)

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Goals

• Take Four

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Goals in Life

• In Hinduism there are four goals in living
• kama
• artha
• dharma
• moksha

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The Four Goals Explained

• Kama
• is the life of pleasures. It can be the pursuit
  of pleasure in literature or in love making
  (Kamasutra)
• Artha
• is pursuing "politics or the materialism of
  commercial competition.

• Dharma
• is the goal for those who want to fulfill their
  duties with regard to their caste.
• Moksha
• is for those who have grown tired of the other
  pursuits and want to be released from the wheel
  of life.

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The Stages in Life

• Where are you?

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Four Stages of Life

• For the Hindu there are four stages in life.
• Student
• Householder
• Renouncer
• Seeker

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Student

• Student - This stage is between 8 and 12 but no
  more than 24. He studies the Vedas and he has a
  sacred cord which shows that he is a member of
  one of the 3 highest castes.

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Householder

• At this stage a person is around 25 and usually
  married he lives as close to the ideals as he
  can. He tries to follow the rituals as
  prescribed for householders as closely as he can
  and he tries not to harm other creatures. Above
  all he tries to observe duties in marriage, in
  his occupation and in raising children.
• He is a spiritual man who observes his duties.

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Renouncer

• This person renounces everything including wife
  and go to the forest his wife can follow him if
  he desires. He leaves the village and goes to
  live in the wilderness. He offers the five
  great sacrifices with various sorts of pure food
  or hermits . . .

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Seeker

• This person seeks release (Samadhi) of the soul
  so that it can unite with Brahman. This can be
  do through raya yoga where the body is trained to
  serve the soul.

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Salvation

• In Hindu tradition one desires to be liberated
  from the cycle of birth and death

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Paths to Salvation

• 1. The way of action (karma yoga)
• 2. The way of knowledge (jnana yoga)
• 3. The way of devotion (bhakti yoga)
• 4. The way of meditation (raja yoga)

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Karma Yoga

• 1. karma yoga - the way of action is the path of
  unselfish action. One does ones duty but not
  for fear of punishment or hope of reward. The
  right action is done not for praise or blame.
  One does an act because it is ones duty dharma
  not because other people will praise you for it.
  Duties for men and women are prescribed. One
  performs the appropriate rituals every day. A
  persons whole day is filled with actions
  explained in the Vedas.

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Jnana Yoga

• 2. (jnana yoga) - the way of knowledge is the
  path of scriptural knowledge.
• A persons ignorance keeps one in illusion. If
  the bondage of illusion can be broken one can
  experience liberation. One attempts to identify
  with the universal soul instead transient
  material things or the world. Salvation lies in
  a persons recognizing that his or her identity
  is ground not in the world but in Brahman-Atman.

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Bhakti Yoga

• 3. bhakti yoga - the way of devotion is the path
  of devotion and it is emphasized in the Bhagavad
  Gita. One serves a god wholeheartedly with no
  reservations. One embraces god in love. One
  commits oneself to one of the Hindu gods.
• Some worship Shiva through trantrism, a
  religious practice that includes sexual
  intercourse as a ritual to generate the power of
  the spirit.

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Raja Yoga

• Raja Yoga - the Way of Physical Discipline. One
  wants to train the physical body so that the
  soul can be free. There are 8 steps to training
  the body.

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Four Major Castes

• 1. Brahmins - intellectual and spiritual leaders,
  priests - They perform the Vedic rituals and
  counsels. They are in demands a cooks because of
  the association with fire and sacrifice.
  Furthermore, they can prepare food for other
  castes as well as their own.
• 2. Kshatriya - warrior-noble - has the role of
  protecting society. This is the traditional
  caste of the aristocracy.

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Castes (cont)

• 3. Vaisyas - the merchants - includes landowners,
  moneylenders, and sometimes artisans. Males of
  the thee upper castes receive a sacred cord
  during a ceremony in their youth and afterward
  are called twice-born.
• 4. Shudras - the unskilled laborers - do manual
  labor and is expected to serve the higher castes.
  The origin probably goes back the Aryan
  subjection of native people, who were forced to
  do the work of servants. The peasant is called
  once-born.

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Untouchables

• mlechcha - outcastes, untouchables - are
  considered so low as to be outside the caste
  system. Untouchables do the dirtiest
  workcleaning toilets, sweeping streets,
  collecting animal carcasses, and tanning animal
  hides.

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Subcaste

• There is subcaste system which developed over the
  years from the simple four caste and is quite
  large. Although the caste system is outlawed it
  is still practiced to some extent.