World Religions

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World Religions

• Hinduism

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What people think they want?

• People say they want 4 things

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1. Pleasure

• Hinduism does not condemn pleasure
• It is normal
• The world is awash with beauty
• And heavy with sensual delights
• Worlds above this one where pleasure increase by
  power of a million at each rung
• Seek it intelligently only the stupid will lie,
  cheat, and steal for immediate profit or succumb
  to addiction.

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Problems with seeking pleasure

• Eventually it comes to everyone (maybe not in one
  life time), that one realizes that pleasure is
  not all that one wants
• Pleasure is too trivial to satisfy ones total
  nature
• Pleasure is private
• Sooner or later people want to experience
  something more than pleasure

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2. Worldly Success

• 3 prongs of worldly success
• Wealth
• Fame
• Power
• Hinduism says that worldly success is a worthy
  goal satisfaction lasts longer than pleasure.
• Worldly Success is a social achievement, and
  unlike pleasure it involves the lives of others.

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The West

• The goal of the West is to achieve worldly
  success
• People are too busy in the West to enjoy their
  lives
• What is he worth? Frequently means How much
  does he got?

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4 Problems with Worldly Success

• 1. Wealth, fame and power are exclusive
• Competitive
• No such thing as a society in which everyone is
  famous or rich.
• 2. The drive for success is insatiable
• To extinguish the drive for riches with money is
  like pouring gasoline on a fire.
• 3. In the end, people want more out of life than
  a country home, a sports car, and posh vacations
• 4. You cant take it with you?

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Path of Desire/Path of Renunciation

• Path of Desire
• Pleasure
• Worldly Success
• Path of Renunciation
• Disillusionment and despair
• Suspicion that life hold more than one is now
  experiencing

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3. Duty

• Brings respect and gratitude from ones peers
• Self-respect
• Problem history must end too.

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What People Really Want

• 1. To Be
• 2. To know
• 3. Bliss
• 4. Liberation (moksha)

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Atman v. Brahman

• Atman the infinite center with in a person
• Brahman Godhead or God
• AtmanBrahman

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4 Paths to God

• Yoga shares the same root word yoke
• 1. To unite 2. To place under disciplined
  training.
• Method of training designed to lead to
  integration or union Atman to Brahman

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Jnana Yoga

• The Way to God Through Knowledge
• People who are reflective by nature
• 3 stages
• 1. Listening to sages and reading scriptures
• 2. Thinking My and Persona Mask
• 3. Shifting identification I to 3rd person

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Bhakti Yoga

• The Way to God Through Love
• Emotional people
• I want to taste sugar not be sugar.
• Japam repeatin Gods name
• Ishta adopted form of the devine

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Karma Yoga

• The Way to God Through Work
• Action
• Selfless acts
• 2 modes
• Bhakti Mode or Jnana Mode
• Emotional or Reflective

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Raja Yoga

• The Way to God Through Psychophysical Exercises
• People who are experimentally inclined
• 1. Body
• 2. Conscious Layer of Mind
• 3. Subconscious Layer of Mind
• 4. Infinite Being