Hinduism

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Hinduism
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What do we know?
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Do you know any Hindus?
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon Apu seems to work at the
Kwik-E-Mart 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
But please don't be thinking it's only work that
Apu is having on his mind, my goodness, no! He
manages to spend some of his free time with his
wife Manjula and his brother Sanjay. Apu peddles
the usual Kwik-E-Mart fare (at remarkably high
prices) luscious heat-lamp dogs, chewy frozen
microwave burritos, and the ever popular
squishee. Apu himself doesn't eat any of this
stuff himself since, in keeping with his Hindu
beliefs, he is a strict vegan. To Apu's great
disappointment, his attempt to bridge the gap
between East and West with tofu dogs, curry
crullers, and chutney Squishees met with
resounding disinterest from customers.
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Texts

• Vedas (The main set of texts)
• There are four Vedas, the Rig Veda, Sama Veda,
  Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda.
• The Vedas are the primary texts of Hinduism.
• They also had a vast influence on Buddhism,
  Jainism, and Sikhism.
• The Rig Veda, the oldest of the four Vedas, was
  composed about 1500 B.C., and codified about 600
  B.C. It is unknown when it was finally committed
  to writing, but this probably was at some point
  after 300 B.C.
• The Vedas contain hymns, incantations, and
  rituals from ancient India.
• Upanishads
• The portions of the Vedas that contain the
  philosophy of Hinduism.
• In the Upanishads the spiritual meanings of the
  Vedic texts are brought out and emphasized in
  their own right.
• There are 18 principal Upanishads and several
  minor upanishads.
• Bhagavad Gita
• The name Bhagavad Gita literally means 'the song
  of the divine'.
• Even though this text is not part of the Vedas,
  most Hindus consider this to be a text of great
  importance.
• It contains a spiritual dialogue between Arjun
  and Sri Krishna from the epic Mahabharata.
• This is one of the most popular and accessible of
  all Hindu scriptures, required reading for anyone
  interested in Hinduism.
• The Gita discusses selflessness, duty, devotion,
  and meditation, integrating many different
  threads of Hindu philosophy.

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Reincarnation

• Individual souls (jives) enter the world
  mysteriously by Gods power, but how or for what
  reason we are unable fully to explain
• Reincarnation is the process by which an
  individual soul (jiva) passes through a sequence
  of bodies
• Life, death, rebirth

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Karma

• Karma the moral law of cause and effect
• As a man sows, so shall he reap.
• What we are now is based on what we did in our
  past
• Equally, what we do now determines our future
• Each action has its equal and opposite reaction

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How Many Gods?
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God

• Brahman,
• the name for the supreme reality. Br (breathe)
  and brih (to be great).
• God is being, awareness, and bliss (sat, chit,
  and ananda)
• God-with-attributes (Saguna Brahman)
• God-without-attributes (Nirguna Brahman)
• God as
• Creator (Brahma),
• Preserver (Vishnu), and
• Destroyer (Shiva)
• Hindus trinity

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God

• Strictly speaking, most forms of Hinduism are
  henotheistic they recognize a single deity, and
  recognizes other gods and goddesses as facets,
  forms, manifestations, or aspects of that supreme
  God.
• Most urban Hindus follow one of two major
  divisions within Hinduism
• Vaishnavaism which generally regards Vishnu as
  the ultimate deity
• Shivaism which generally regards Shiva as the
  ultimate deity.
• However, many rural Hindus worship their own
  village goddess or an earth goddess. She is
  believed to rule over fertility and disease --
  and thus over life and death. The priesthood is
  less important in rural Hinduism non-Brahmins
  and non-priests often carry out ritual and prayer
  there.

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The Stages of Life

• Student
• Lasts 12 years
• Primary focus is learning
• Apprenticeship, incarnated skills
• Householder
• Family (Pleasure)
• Vocation (Success)
• Community (Duty)
• Retirement
• Time to discover what life is about   
• Those who responded fully to the spiritual
  adventure were know as forest dwellers
• Sannyasin One who neither hates or loves
  anything
• Starts when one feels a strong urge to find God
• To goal is to remain a complete nonentity on the
  surface in order to be joined to all at root.
• No fixed place, no obligations, no goal, no
  belongings, the expectations of the body are
  nothing
• Two goals Find God and work for the good of
  mankind

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What People Want

• The Path of Desire --You Can Have What You Want!
• Pleasure
• Nothing wrong with seeking pleasure
• Obey basics of morality

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What People Want

• Path of Desire -- You Can Have What You Want!
• Success (Wealth, Fame, Power)
• Exclusive, competitive and precarious
• They do not multiply when shared
• They cannot be distributes with out diminishing
  your own portion
• If all were distributed equally no one would be
  wealthy, famous or powerful
• The drive for success is insatiable
• Hedonism
• Neither fortune nor station can obscure the
  realization that one lacks so much else
• Achievements are ephemeral you cant take it
  with you

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What People Want

• Path of Renunciation
• Responsible Discharge of Duty
• Community, giving to something greater than
  ourselves
• Duty, self-respect and respect from peers

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What People Really Want

• Liberation
• Being
• Knowing
• Joy

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What is a human being?

• Body
• Personality
• Atman-Brahman
• A human self is not completely accounted for
  until all three are noted
• In our culture we might equate this with Body,
  Mind, and Spirit

Atman Ultimate reality manifesting as the 'I' in
the individual. The real self. The silent
witness. Without any attributes. It is
imperishable and eternal. It does not die with
the body. BrahmanUltimate reality manifesting or
projecting itself as the universe and everything.
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What is the purpose?

• Hinduism says lifes purpose is to pass beyond
  imperfection
• Stricture (restriction) on our Joy
• Physical pain
• The conquest of fear can partly reduce pain
• Psychological pain (Frustration from thwarting
  desire)
• If the ego has no expectation there is no
  disappointment (Gods eye-view of humanity)
• Elimination of ignorance
• Restricted being
• Boredom with life in general

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The Paths to the Goal

• Yoga is the method of training designed to lead
  to integration or union.
• Where the West has sought strength and beauty,
  India has been interested in precision and
  control, ideally complete control over the bodys
  every function.
• There are different types of people
• Reflective
• Emotional
• Active
• Experimentally Inclined
• There are paths (Yoga's) for each type of person

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The Path to God Through Knowledge

• Jnana Yoga To distinguish between the surface
  self and the larger self
• Learning
• Thinking
• Identification of oneself as Spirit

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The Path to God Through Love

• Bhakti Yoga The Path to God through love (most
  popular)
• Out-going
• Adoring God with every element of ones being

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The Path to God Through Work

• Karma Yoga Action
• By Jnana (Knowledge)
• By Bhakti (Devoted Service)

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The Path to God Through Psychophysical Experiments

• Raja Yoga Meditation The
  royal (raj) road to reintegration
• Five Abstention
• Injury
• Lying
• Stealing
• Sensuality
• Greed
• Five Observances
• Cleanliness
• Contentment
• Self-Control
• Studiousness
• Contemplation of the Divine
• Keep the body from distracting the mind while it
  concentrates
• The Lotus Position

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The Path to God Through Psychophysical
Experiments (cont.)

• Raja Yoga Meditation The royal (raj) road to
  reintegration
• Mastery of Respiration
• Slow breathing
• Even breathing
• Reduce the amount of air needed
• No Bombardments (Outside Distractions)
• No Mind Distractions
• Resolution of the knower and the known
• The mind is absorbed by God

Aum is an important symbol. It is the sound heard
in deepest meditation and is said to be the best
name for God.
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What happens?

• Complete Identification with God
• Some contend that a remnant of personal identity
  remains
• The Universe grows from the Imperishable
• The Cosmos collapses into a Night of Brahma, and
  all phenomenal being is returned to a state of
  pure potentiality
• The universe had no beginning and will have no
  end
• We live in the middle world,
• between heavens and hell, good and evil, pleasure
  and pain, knowledge and ignorance
• All in equal proportions
• Dreams of utopia are doomed to disappointment
• The world is a training ground for the human
  spirit

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What happens?

• Distinct Kinds of Beings
• God as the divine base
• Individual Souls
• Nature
• Non-dualist distinguish three modes of
  consciousness
• Hallucination
• Maya (The normal world, as it appears to us
  Illusion)
• Super-consciousness (as appears to the Yogis)

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What kind of world do we have?

• A multiple world that includes innumerable
  galaxies horizontally, innumerable tiers
  vertically, and innumerable cycles temporally.
• A moral world in which the law of karma is never
  suspended.
• A middling world that will never replace paradise
  as the spirits destination
• A world that is maya, deceptively tricky in
  passing off its multiplicity, materiality, and
  dualities as ultimate when they are actually
  provisional.
• A training ground on which people can develop
  their highest capacities.
• A world that is lila, the play of the Divine in
  its Cosmic Dance untiring, unending,
  resistless, yet ultimately beneficent, with a
  grace born of it infinite vitality.

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Daily Living

• Hindus organize their lives around certain
  activities or "purusharthas." These are called
  the "four aims of Hinduism," or "the doctrine of
  the fourfold end of life." They are
• The three goals of the "pravritti," those who are
  in the world, are
• dharma righteousness in their religious life.
  This is the most important of the three.
• artha success in their economic life material
  prosperity.
• kama gratification of the senses pleasure
  sensual, sexual, and mental enjoyment.
• The main goal for the "nivritti," those who
  renounce the world. is
• moksa Liberation from "samsara." This is
  considered the supreme goal of mankind.
• Meditation is often practiced, with Yoga being
  the most common. Other activities include daily
  devotions, public rituals, and puja, a ceremonial
  dinner for a God.
• Hinduism has a deserved reputation of being
  highly tolerant of other religions. Hindus have a
  saying "Ekam Sataha Vipraha Bahudha Vadanti,"
  which may be translated "The truth is One, but
  different Sages call it by Different Names"

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Many Paths to the Same Summit

• All major religions are alternate paths to the
  same goal.
• Hinduisms classic contention that various
  religions are but different languages through
  which God speaks to the human heart. Truth is
  one sages call it by different names.

• God has made different religions to suit
  different aspirations, times, and countries. All
  doctrines are only so many paths but a path is
  by no means God Himself. Indeed, one can reach
  God if one follows any of the paths with
  whole-hearted devotion. One may eat a cake with
  icing either straight or sidewise. It will taste
  sweet either way.
• -- Sri Ramakrishna

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India Caste System

• Appendix

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The Stations of Life -- Caste

• People are different (a common theme within
  Hinduism) therefore society was divided into
  four groups or castes (and a fifth which is not
  completely accepted).
• Seers
• Administrators
• Producers
• Followers
• Outcastes (Untouchables)

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Caste

• Seers (Brahmins)
• Intellectual and Spiritual Leaders
• Philosophers
• Artists
• Religious Leaders
• Teachers

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Caste (cont.)

• Administrators (Kshatriyas)
• Orchestrate people and projects

Prime Minister Vajpayee with Himachal Chief
Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal at a public rally in
Shimla.
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Caste (cont.)

• Producers (Vaishyas)
• Skillful in creating the material things on which
  life depends
• Artisans (Craftsmen)
• Farmers

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Caste (cont.)

• Followers or Servants (Shudas)
• Unskilled laborers
• Their attention spans are relatively short
• Under supervision they are capable of work and
  devoted service

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Untouchables (Outcastes)

• Seen as one of the cruelest features of the caste
  system
• Anyone who worked in ignominious, polluting and
  unclean occupations
• They had almost no rights in society
• They could not touch anyone in the four castes
• In extreme examples, those who had associated
  with a member of the caste system were beaten and
  murdered
• Several prominent Indians have tried to abolish
  the untouchable as part of the Indian caste
  system

http//adaniel.tripod.com/untouchables.htm
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Issues with the Caste System

• The Outcastes is regarded as the basic perversion
  that the caste system can succumb to.
• Even among the castes there are a proliferation
  of sub-castes, of which there are over three
  thousand.
• Proscriptions against intermarriage and
  interdining
• Privileges, with higher castes benefiting at the
  expense of the lower
• Caste became hereditary

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Issues with the Caste System

• With its proscriptions regulating intermarriage,
  interdining, and other forms of social contact
  made it, in Indias first prime ministers wry
  assessment, the least tolerant nation in social
  forms while the most tolerant in the realm of
  ideas.
• Between castes there was no equality, but within
  each caste the individuals rights were safer
  than if he or she had been forced to fend alone
  in the world at large.
• Justice was defined as a state in which
  privileges were proportionate to
  responsibilities.
• Lower caste held to lower standards.

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Sikhism

• Appendix

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Sikhism

• Sikhs means disciples, there are approximately 13
  million Sikhs
• Revelation to Guru Nanak when he disappeared for
  three days while bathing in a river around the
  year 1500.
• Sikhism is formed from both Hinduism and Islam.
• Sikhs believe in the ultimacy of a supreme and
  formless God is beyond human conceiving
• Sikhs reject divine incarnations (avatars), caste
  distinctions, images as aids to worship, and the
  sanctity of the Vedas.
• There were a total of 10 Gurus
• They now rely on the Collection of Sacred Wisdom

Guru being popularly explained as a dispeller of
ignorance or darkness (gu) and binger of
enlightenment (ru).
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Sikhism

• Open to men and women who
• Abstain from alcohol
• Abstain from meat
• Abstain from tobacco
• And keep the five Ks
• Keep their hair uncut
• Have a comb on their person
• Keep a Sword/Dagger
• Wear a steel bracelet
• Wear under shorts
• Sikhs seek salvation through union with God by
  realizing, through love, the Person of God, who
  dwells in the depths of their own being.
• Union with God is the ultimate goal.

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Being a SikhTraditions and Beliefs

• Basic Sikh Teachings
• The essence of being a Sikh is that one lives
  one's life according to the teachings of the Sikh
  Gurus, devotes time to meditating on God and the
  scriptures, and does things to benefit other
  people.
• Sikhs believe that there is a single,
  all-powerful God, who created the universe and
  everything in it.
• Sikhism emphasizes social and gender equality,
  and stresses the importance of behaving
  altruistically.
• Equality Everyone is equal in God's eyes
  whatever their caste, creed, or gender.
• God is accessible without priests Everyone can
  be directly in touch with God. There are no
  clergy in Sikhism.
• Accept other faiths Sikhs do not believe that
  any religion has a monopoly on the truth. They do
  not regard Sikhism as the only way to God.
• Live in the world One should live a responsible
  life as part of the community. Withdrawing from
  the world or becoming an ascetic are not as
  worthwhile.
• No ritual for its own sake Empty ritual is
  meaningless and should be avoided.
• Devotion can take the form of action as well as
  prayer Personal devotion includes Nam simran
  (meditation on and awareness of God) and Sewa
  (community service).
• A good world is just and fair to all Social
  justice is to be supported. The use of force as a
  last resort is justified to uphold it.
• Death is not the end Death is seen as the
  transition to a life where the joy of being in
  the presence of God can be fully realised.

http//www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/
world_religions/sikhism_being.shtml
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Sikhs and God

• Sikhs believe that there is only one God.
• God created the universe, and the universe
  depends on God's will for its continued existence
  
• God has always existed and always will exist
• God needs nothing else in order to continue to
  exist
• God has no shape
• God has no gender
• God has never taken and will never take human
  form on earth.
• The essence of God is truth.
• God is without hatred or fear.
• God reaches out to humanity through the word,
  which is conveyed by the Gurus, or teachers, and
  which is laid down in the form of shabads, or
  hymns, which form the backbone of Sikh worship.

http//www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/
world_religions/sikhism_being.shtml
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Sikhism

• A guru is a teacher...
• There were ten human or living Gurus, or teachers
  in Sikhism.
• The Gurus were human beings, not Gods, nor were
  they incarnations of God (God taking human form).
  
• The Gurus are never worshiped, although Sikhs
  hold the Gurus in high esteem, and pictures of
  them are often seen in Sikh places of worship and
  homes.
• The ten human Gurus
• Guru Nanak, 1469-1539
• Guru Angad, born 1504, Guru 1539-1552
• Guru Amar Das, born 1479, Guru 1552-1574
• Guru Ram Das, born 1534, Guru 1574-1581
• Guru Arjan, born 1563, Guru 1581-1606
• Guru Hargobind, born 1595, Guru 1606-1644
• Guru Har Rai, born 1630, Guru 1644-1661
• Guru Har Krishan, born 1656, Guru 1661-1664
• Guru Teg Bahadur, born 1621, Guru 1664-1675
• Guru Gobind Singh, born 1666, Guru 1675-1708

http//www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/
world_religions/sikhism_gurus.shtml
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Hinduism

• Appendix

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Websites

• The Hindu Universe has a great deal of
  information available on Hindu scriptures, news
  groups, WWW sites, festivals, customs,
  anti-defamation work, etc. http//www.hindunet.org
  
• Sacred-texts.com has descriptions and
  translations of Hindu sacred texts.
  http//www.sacred-texts.com/hin/
• Website that teaches Hinduism for School
  (U.K.)http//www.hinduism.fsnet.co.uk

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A Summary of What Most Hindus Believe Nine
Beliefs of Hinduism

• Hindus believe in the divinity of the Vedas, the
  world's most ancient scripture, and venerate the
  Agamas as equally revealed. These primordial
  hymns are God's word and the bedrock of Sanatana
  Dharma, the eternal religion which has neither
  beginning nor end.
• Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme
  Being who is both immanent and transcendent, both
  Creator and Unmanifest Reality.
• Hindus believe that the universe undergoes
  endless cycles of creation, preservation and
  dissolution.
• Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and
  effect by which each individual creates his own
  destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds.
• 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. Not a single soul will be
  eternally deprived of this destiny.
• 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.
• Hindus believe that a spiritually awakened
  master, or satguru, is essential to know the
  Transcendent Absolute, as are personal
  discipline, good conduct, purification,
  pilgrimage, self-inquiry and meditation.
• Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be
  loved and revered, and therefore practice ahimsa,
  "noninjury."
• Hindus believe that no particular religion
  teaches the only way to salvation above all
  others, but that all genuine religious paths are
  facets of God's Pure Love and Light, deserving
  tolerance and understanding.

http//www.beliefnet.com/story/26/story_2656_1.htm
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A Summary of What Most Hindus Believe Five
Obligations of all Hindus

• Worship, upasana Young Hindus are taught daily
  worship in the family shrine room--rituals,
  disciplines, chants, yogas and religious study.
  They learn to be secure through devotion in home
  and temple, wearing traditional dress, bringing
  forth love of the Divine and preparing the mind
  for serene meditation.
• Holy days, utsava Young Hindus are taught to
  participate in Hindu festivals and holy days in
  the home and temple. They learn to be happy
  through sweet communion with God at such
  auspicious celebrations. Utsava includes fasting
  and attending the temple on Monday or Friday and
  other holy days.
• Virtuous living, dharma Young Hindus are taught
  to live a life of duty and good conduct. They
  learn to be selfless by thinking of others first,
  being respectful of parents, elders and swamis,
  following divine law, especially ahimsa, mental,
  emotional and physical noninjury to all beings.
  Thus they resolve karmas.
• Pilgrimage, tirthayatra Young Hindus are taught
  the value of pilgrimage and are taken at least
  once a year for darnana of holy persons, temples
  and places, near or far. They learn to be
  detached by setting aside worldly affairs and
  making God, Gods and gurus life's singular focus
  during these journeys.
• Rites of passage, samskara Young Hindus are
  taught to observe the many sacraments which mark
  and sanctify their passages through life. They
  learn to be traditional by celebrating the rites
  of birth, name-giving, head-shaving, first
  feeding, ear-piercing, first learning, coming of
  age, marriage and death.

http//www.beliefnet.com/story/26/story_2656_1.htm
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What does the mark on the forehead mean?

• The colored dot is variously referred to as a
  "tilaka," "bottu," "bindiya," "kumkum," or
  "bindi." It is a sign of piety, and a reveals to
  other people that the wearer is a Hindu. It
  symbolizes the third eye -- the one focused
  inwards toward God. Both men and women wear it,
  although the practice among men is gradually
  going out of style. In the past, many unmarried
  women wore black marks, whereas many married
  women wore red. But in recent times, women often
  wear dots that match the color of their saris.