Hinduism

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Hinduism

• By
• Sarah Brookes
• Marcello DeAngelis
• Natalie Dubinsky
• Jillian Townley

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The absolute

• Variety of beliefs and practices, but start with
  guidance from Vedas
• Images of Hindu gods not intended to be
  understood literally
• Believe that it is better for people to have
  choices in regards to gods instead of having them
  unable to feel any devotion for an abstract
  principle
• Image worship not seen as threat
• Images are symbols of various powers in the
  universe (able worshippers realize) ? divine
  transcends image
• Henotheism a belief that affirms one deity
  without denying the existence of others
• More to universe than meets the eye

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The world

• More complicated that in religions from the
  Middle East.
• Creation is balanced by destruction
• The world is both good and bad
• Shiva is symbolized in both the phallus of
  creation and the trident of destruction
• Seasons repeat in cycles
• In a balance of forces is peace, in a balance of
  gods is a balance of forces
• World is neither good or bad, it is both and
  neither
• In assessing processes over very long periods, it
  is difficult to judge whether a result is good or
  bad.
• The physical exist because it is influenced by
  the divine.

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Humans

• The body is not the whole story of a human
• Our appearance hints to what we have been or will
  become
• The human is a soul who wears many different
  costumes, each is appropriate to the humans
  current condition. When the soul reaches its
  destiny it has no need for costumes. If the soul
  returns in the distant future it will not be the
  same soul.
• Karma- people get exactly what they deserve.
  Humans can not change the fact that they are
  exactly what they are supposed to be. However,
  people can change what they will be in future
  lives.

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Problems for humans

• An immortal soul that continues to inhabit one
  body after another until it is freed from the
  wheel of rebirth
• The soul is bound to the revolving wheel through
  karma, its own choices of thoughts and deeds

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Solutions for humans

• Harmony with the Absolute harmony is overcoming
  lifes polar tensions
• Purusha is liberated from prakriti Atman is
  liberated from Maya
• Effects of different yogas
• Paths of harmony are available for each type of
  personality
• Bad actions produce disharmony good actions
  produce harmony

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Basic Tenets and Major Features

• Background
• Formed before anyone kept contemporary written
  records of its development
• Scholars believed it developed in the early
  period of interaction between the Aryans and the
  Dravidians
• Aryans Indo-Europeans who entered the Indus
  Valley prior to 1000 BCE. They expressed their
  evolving religion in the hymns of the Rig-Veda.
• Dravidians dark-skinned inhabitants of India.
• Does not have a single founder
  (religioustolerance.org)

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Terms

• Moksha In Hinduism, the release of the soul
  from a cycle of rebirths. It is one of the four
  acceptable goals of life for Hindus.
• Reincarnation The soul leaves one body at death
  and is reborn in a new body. Although bodies are
  replaced, the soul remains essentially the same.
• Law of karma the principle in Hinduism that a
  persons thoughts and deeds are followed
  eventually by deserved pleasure or pain.
• Samsara The Hindu concept of the wheel that
  turns forever. Souls are reborn until they reach
  perfection.
• Prakriti In Hinduism, it refers to matter, as
  opposed to purusha, spirit.
• Atman the essence of Brahman that is present in
  individuals. The universal self.
• Vedas knowledge or wisdom. Scriptures of the
  Hindus.
• Upanishads sitting closely to the teacher the
  last of the Vedas.
• Guru A Hindu teacher of religious duties. For a
  student, the guru represents the divine in human
  form.

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Four Goals

• Kama searching for pleasures in life.
• Artha pursue politics or the materialism of
  commercial competition
• Dharma perform duties of caste. All expected to
  do.
• Moksha release. Goal when sick of other ways of
  life and wheel of rebirth

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Four Castes

• Brahmins (priests)
• Kshatriyas (kings, warriors, administrators)
• Vaishyas (commoners, merchants, artisans)
• Shudras (laborers)
• All are twice-born but Shudras

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Four Stages of Life

• 1. Student
• Men between 8 and 12 until 24
• Introduced to study of Vedas
• Sacred cord, guru
• 2. Householder
• Men age 25
• Marries
• Tries to live by ideals of wisdom
• Duties required in marriage, occupation, children
• No injury to living things
• Only when have son turn over responsibilities
  and move on

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Four Stages of Life (cont.)

• 3. Forest Dweller
• Renounce everything he knows
• Live in forest and reflect on life
• Small percentage do
• Most study sacred writing and mediate on uniting
  souls with God
• 4. Detachment
• Goal of stage four is samadhi
• Concentration that unifies absorption
• Release of soul from body so can unite with
  Brahman
• Ultimate success uniting Atman with Brahman
• Women have 3 stages Student, Householder, Forest
  Dweller/ Sannyasin (last stage of detachment)

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Four Ways of Salvation

• 1. Karma Yoga
• Way of Works
• Praised by Krishna in Bhagavad Gita
• Not highest road to salvation
• Leads to goal of release
• Vedic sacrifices at heart of path of works
• Shraddha rites to ancestors only men
• Duties for men and women
• 2. Jnana Yoga
• Way of Knowledge
• Basis in Upanishads
• Emphasizes freeing Atman from prakriti
• Aviday (ignorance) alienates humans from God
• Salvation - recognize identity ground in
  Brahman-Atman, not in world

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Four Ways of Salvation (cont.)

• 3. Bhakti Yoga
• Way of Devotion
• Strongly emphasized in Bhagavad Gita
• Love of God, trust Ultimate Deity, cannot
  perish, have Gods grace
• 4. Raja Yoga
• The Way of Physical Discipline
• Goal is to train physical body so soul can be
  free
• 8 steps to the process
• 1) Ethic that emphasizes detachment from the
  world, 2) Cleanliness and control over body
  desire, 3) Forming body into correct posture,
  lotus position, 4) Control breathing to attain
  peace of mind, 5) Withdrawal from all
  stimulation of the senses, 6) Only one object in
  mind, 7) Withdraw object in mind, 8)
  Extinguishes all consciousness of the world
• Requires brahmacharya, celibacy

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Gods of Hinduism

• Brahman the highest deity, the Absolute
• Brahma Creator, Ultimate Reality
• Vishnu Preserver, The Supreme Lord
• Shiva Destroyer, The Auspicious, Ultimate Lord
• Vishnu worshiped in his incarnation as Krishna
  as personification of divine love, divine love
  redeems world from evil
• Krishna an incarnation of Vishnu, who is also
  the chariot driver of the warrior Arjuna of the
  Bhagavad Gita. Others include Rama and his wife
  Sita.
• Vishnus consort
• Lakshmi exhibits loyalty and love for Vishnu
• Shiva can create life if join consorts

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Gods of Hinduism (cont.)

• Shiva s consorts
• Parvati kind and gentle
• Kali spread disease and death
• Durga requires sacrifices including human ones,
  warrior and subdue Mahisha
• Kali and Shiva partners in dance
• Ganesh son of Shiva and Kali, elephant-headed
  god, lift heavy burdens and clear road of life
• Minority worship Shiva through tantrism
• Tantrism religious practice that includes
  sexual intercourse as a ritual to generate the
  power of the spirit
• Most serve Shiva or Vishnu

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Symbols

• Hindus believe that there is only one God, but it
  is seen in many ways. The God in its natural
  being is too complicated for normal minds to
  understand, so it revealed itself in Holy symbols
  for the humans to worship.
• Hindus enjoy being able to chose which icon to
  worship, which leads their prayers to Brahman.
• Think of the symbols as being only that, not
  objects, so they symbolically indicate the God.
• The God took various forms in various occasions,
  which the Hindus worship in their temples.
• The Om . It represents Brahman, the source of all
  existence.
• The Swastica. It is to be a cross with the
  branches bent at right angles, facing in a
  clockwise direction. Its believed to mean "May
  good prevail."

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Symbols (cont.)

• The Saffron color, the color of fire. It
  symbolizes the Supreme Being and is flown over
  Hindu temples everywhere.
• The Lotus. It is the holiest of all symbols and
  symbolizes the true soul of an individual for
  living in rough conditions, but rises up and
  blossoms to the point of enlightenment.
• The Purnakumba is a pot filled with water, and
  fresh mango leaves and a coconut on top of it. It
  symbolizes mother earth the leaves, life and
  the coconut, divine consciousness.
• Fruit and leaves are also offered with the
  coconuts and incense sticks. They symbolize
  divinity.
• The Hindu God and Goddesses have special
  characteristics such as a bow or flute, that
  represent their power.

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Symbols (cont.)

• The Hindus are known for wearing a dot in the
  middle of their forehead. In the old days, both
  men and women wore it, but today it is only the
  most faithful women. This dot is called a bindi.
• The dot serves as the third eye of spiritual
  sight, which the physical eyes cant see. Its to
  serve as a reminder to see things through a
  spiritual eye also, not just as the physical
  world sees everything.
• For Hindu women, the bindi is seen as a beauty
  mark, and certain colors mean certain things.
• Red means marriage.
• Black is usually worn before marriage to rid of
  the evil eye.
• Some women may dress exotically and just want it
  to match their outfit.
• There are other symbols that can be worn on the
  forehead to show the different denominations of
  Hinduism.

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Rituals

• Rituals are special kinds of acts that are joined
  with the scripture to help fulfill various
  desires, purify the mind, and most importantly
  bring God into the every day activities.

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Various Rituals

• Samskaras the rites by which a Hindu family is
  fully integrated into the community
• Upanya A crucial ceremony of the Orthodox Hindu
  man is the initiation ceremony. This takes place
  between the ages of six and twelve to mark their
  awareness of their adult responsibilities. Also,
  theyre given a thread called a janeu which they
  must wear at all times if they want to be
  considered part of the caste.
• Vivaha the ceremony of marriage. The exact date
  and time of the wedding is determined by the
  parents after consulting an astrologer.
• Anyesti these are the funerals, the last rites
  that are observed. Most of them are cremated. The
  eldest son of the deceased is usually the one who
  performs the rites.

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Holidays

• People say that Hindus celebrate everything- and
  so they do. From births of gods to new moons to
  harvests to the traditional celebrations of
  anniversaries and birthdays.
• All of these have a religious feeling to them
  from the followers of Hinduism believing
  everything to have a sacred divinity.
• The festival season runs from late August through
  December. This is a very busy time with many
  celebrations and important festivals.

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Architecture

• India is known for the tradition of rock cut
  temples. The reason for this is religious
  devotion. The temples are carved so as to look
  like they were built in the stone.
• The caves are made of complex structures with
  many sculptures. They can also be brightly
  painted.
• The Ajanta cave is located on an island in
  Bombay, dating from the 5th to 8th century AD.
  Its exclusively Hindi, devoted to Brahma, Shiva,
  and Vishnu.

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Art
Temple shrine
Gajalakshmi
Shiva as Nataraja, Lord of the Dance
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Music

• The music is very relaxing and soothing. There
  are many details put into it, with everyone being
  perfected. They take their music very seriously.
• There are specific instruments used. They are
  the
• drone
• tabla and mrdindangam
• sitar
• violin
• flute
• voice
• Music must be learned from a guru, who will give
  you permission to perform in public. Many tedious
  hours will be spent on practicing, and even as
  much as a year spent on one raga!

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Major Figures
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Ram Mohan Roy

• 1772-1833
• He was one of the forerunners who created modern
  India
• Founded the Brahmo Samaj
• Denounced polytheism, abandoned a belief in
  reincarnation, and emphasized the power of the
  human intellect
• Searched for humanitarian ethics wanted to
  reform the practices of female infanticide,
  burning live widows on the pyres of their
  husbands, and child marriage
• The inspiration and standards for his ideas came
  from Unitarianism

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Dayananda Sarasvati

• 1824-1883
• Founded the Arya Samaj
• Defied his parents plan for his marriage and
  became a sannyasin, or celibate wanderer, at the
  age of twenty-one
• Mastered the life of the yogin
• Studied Sanskrit grammar
• Believed the Vedas were the only true scripture
• Did not believe that the jatis, the occupational
  castes that bound Hindus, should have any
  application in modern Hinduism because they are
  not mentioned in the Vedas
• Did not believe that Rama and Krishna are gods

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Ramakrishna

• 1836-1886
• Holy title for Gadadhar Chatterji
• His absolute devotion to Kali led him to repeated
  experiences of samadhi
• In a vision of Kali, he learned that all
  divinities are manifestations of one God
• Through experiments, he also found worship in
  Allah and Christ
• Swami Vivekananda, a young law student, organized
  a movement in his name
• There are now Ramakrishna centers in India and
  abroad

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Rabindranath Tagore

• 1861-1941
• Left the Brahmos to emphasize mysticism in his
  experience with a personal god
• His poems reflect his intuitive experiences with
  God
• Received a Nobel Prize for his book of poems,
  Gitanjali

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Mohandas K. Gandhi

• 1869-1948
• Studied in Britain and practiced law in South
  Africa
• Worked for the welfare of the untouchables
• he called them Harijans, Meaning Children of
  God
• Organized mass, non-violent demonstrations
  against injustices
• He would fast in prison until others did his
  bidding
• He was influenced by the Isha Upanishad
• Two doctrines shaped his personal commitments and
  public actions
• Satyagraha translated as truth force
• Ahimsa translated as non-injury or
  non-violence, but can also mean love
• His spiritual approach was influential in moving
  the British government to grant independence to
  India in 1947

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Sri Aurobindo

• 1872-1950
• Formerly known as Aurobindo Ghose
• Received his education in Cambridge, England
• Joined Bal Gangadhar in political action for
  nationalism
• Between 1906 and 1950, he led a group that
  published the Bande Mataram (Hail to the
  Mother), espousing non-cooperation, passive
  resistance, boycott, and national education
• He was arrested by the British and served time in
  prison
• Had a mystical experience that changed his life
  while he was there
• Abandoned Western ways

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Sri aurobindo

• Thought of the universe as essentially spiritual
• There are gradations of spirituality from the
  insentient up the scale of conscious being until
  the highest levels sat-chit-ananda, or
  being-consciousness-bliss
• Through yogin practices a person can become
  conscious of the universal spirit that resides
  within
• The moral law is not a foreign regimen to be
  suffered but a realization of principles deep
  within the self
• Taught that those who would change the world must
  first change themselves

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Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

• 1888-1975
• Sought a common spiritual ground for all peoples
  and religions
• Had faith in human potential to make a better
  world
• Believed that spiritual capacities make it
  possible for humans to cooperate in achieving a
  harmony in political, economic, and religious life

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The End