272 hinduism Flashcards
1
Q
hinduism compared to other world religions 7
A
- only one with no founder or current leader
- 3rd largest in the world
- least dogmatic
- no shared creed
- absorbs new influences, very fluid
- no excommunication
- only one comperable to judaism in age
2
Q
3 groups that encountered
A
aryans, dravidians, animists
3
Q
aryan 4
A
- from sanskrit meaning “noble ones”
- came originally from scandinavia, then through persia to india
- had horses
- fine features
4
Q
dravidians 4
A
- from sanskrit meaning “people of the penninsula”
- came to india over islands, maybe all the way from australia
- had boats
- dark features
5
Q
what all 3 groups had in common 5
A
- ritual purity linked to water
- socio-religious unity (religious and political head the same)
- used fertility figures
- holy persons in a transstate
- nature deities
6
Q
male force of life
A
lingam
7
Q
female force of life
A
yoni
8
Q
lingam and yoni together 2
A
- deity present, symbol of blessing
9
Q
what caused the development of the caste system 2
A
- differences in race, culture, language, labour, lifestyle
- aryans got ahead because they had horses
10
Q
caste system 3
A
- 4 castes, one outcaste
- very rigid, must stay where born into
- smaller divisions within
11
Q
order of caste system 5
A
- brahmins
- kshatriyas
- vaishas
- shudras
- pariahs/harijans/untouchables/outcasts/dalits
12
Q
brahmins
A
religious teachers and priests, head of govt
13
Q
upper varnas 3
A
- brahmins, kshatriyas, vaishas, shudras
- descendents of aryans
- can have spiritual salvation if a man
14
Q
kshatriyas
A
aristocrats, military, gov admin, warriors, “old money”
15
Q
vaishas
A
skilled workers, merchants, large-scale farmers
16
Q
shudras 3
A
- unskilled labourers, subsistence farmers, slaves, indentured workers
- descendents of dravidians
- lower/inferior varna
17
Q
outcasts/pariahas/untouchables/dalits/harijans 2
A
- lowest of low
- descendents of animists
18
Q
interactions between castes
A
- don’t touch hands or objects, money
- don’t eat together, intermarry
19
Q
brahman 8
A
- divine life force
- recognized but not worshipped
- oozes and occasionally spills into history, creating gods that eventally go back to brahman
- symbolized by ocean or desert - moving and changing
- no personality or morality
- can’t be collected or manipulated
- nothing outside of brahma, if you think there is, you’re living in illusion (maya)
- different spills make dif timelines
20
Q
brahma 5
A
- creator god
- all-knowing (several heads)
- all-seeing (many eyes)
- all-powerful (many arms)
- wise (beard)
21
Q
sarasvati 3
A
- brahma’s consort
- goddess of education and arts
- multiple heads = knowledge
22
Q
shiva 5
A
- can morph into various forms
- 3 main manifestations
- river ganges from forehead - life force
- snake around neck - control over nature
- 3 lines on forehead - past, present, future
23
Q
shiva’s 3 main manifestations
A
- creator, sustainer, destroyer
24
Q
shiva as creator
A
manifests as lingam, life force, can never be extinguished
25
Q
shiva as sustainer 3
A
- meditative yogi
- keeps gravity working, sun and moon cycles, seasons through his concentration
- beats out rhythm of universe on drums
26
Q
shiva as destroyer 3
A
- destroyer of obstacles
- lord of dance, one leg raised to show he’s above the earth
- tramples on the demon of ignorance
27
Q
parvati 3
A
- shiva’s consort, called his shakti or power
- most powerful consort
- has 4 main manifestations
28
Q
parvati’s 4 manifestations
A
- parvati - consort, gentle
- annapurna - mother, eternally pregnent
- durga - warrior
- kali - death and judgement
29
Q
more on kali 2
A
- saved humanity by eating demons
- kills with purpose, before you can do too much bad, mercidul
30
Q
ganesha 5
A
- shiva and parvati’s son
- shiva was startled and accidentaly cut his head off, so elephant asked to give head and unites species with gods
- grants fortunes
- wrote holy books with broken off tusk
- rides bestie rat mooshika
31
Q
vishnu 4
A
- the preserver
- asleep on remains of last universe
- dreaming, has dreamt up work of brahma
- lotus flower brahma sits on comes from his belly button
32
Q
vishnu’s dream 4
A
- our history is vishnu’s dream
- suffering not real, Maya
- shiva breating drum louder and louder, eventually will wake up vishnu and this world will go back to brahma
- at various times in his dream he enters (avatars/incarnations) - 10 times total
33
Q
lakshimi 2
A
- vishnu’s consort
- goddess of fortune and beauty
34
Q
vishnu’s first three avatars 4
A
- all had to do with global flood
- fish - warned people
- tortoise - rescued treasures
- boar - raised up land to dry again
35
Q
vishnu’s avatars 4-6 4
A
- killed evil demons
- lion
- dwarf
- parusha
36
Q
rama 4
A
- helped by hanuman (monkey king) who reunites him with sita
- him and sita ideal married couple
- led home from sri lanka to india with lights, showing light triumphs over darkness (origins of diwali)
- becomes king after being wrongly exiled (story of redemption, good will win)
37
Q
vishnu’s 10 avatars in order
A
fish
tortoise
boar
lion
dwarf
parusha
rama
krishna
buddha
kalki
38
Q
vishna’s avatars 7-9 4
A
rama, krishna, buddha
worshipped as ind’l gods
39
Q
krishna 4
A
- lived in farm town, connection to cows
- plays flute
- becomes great warrior
- radha consort
40
Q
vishnu’s last avatar 4
A
- kalki
- only one yet to come
- to pronounce judgement at the end of the dream
- comes on white horse with sword of judgement
41
Q
spiritual problem 2
A
- samsara
- wandering, vicious cycle of life, death, and rebirth
42
Q
spiritual solution 2
A
- moksha
- release, spiritual liberation from reincarnation, allowing for union with Brahman
43
Q
karma 3
A
- means deeds (stuff done) or words
- locked sequence of events: what you do now directly effects your future
- gives hope: control over what you do to make future better
44
Q
darma
A
- duty within your cast to move up and gain good karma
45
Q
sin 3
A
- ignorance of theology
- neglect of religious duties
- violation of caste rules
46
Q
salvation 3
A
- knowledge of theology
- devotion to religious duties
- works
47
Q
death 3
A
- people go to varanasi to die near ganges river
- put ashes in there for faster reincarnation, or else their spirit wanders for longer
- cremate dead
48
Q
suttee 2
A
- for a woman to be burned alive on her husbands’s funeral pure, act of devotion
- outlawed but still happens.
49
Q
private practice 3
A
- yoga
- goal is self-transcendence and union with the divine
- restricting body in order to free the soul and mind
50
Q
4 steps of yoga
A
- way of spiritual exercises
- way of works
- way of knowledge
- way of devotion
51
Q
way of spiritual exercises 3
A
- way to open inner life forces w/in you
- 7 chakras and 3rd eye - where life force is felt in body
- includes 4 types of yoga
52
Q
hatha yoga 4
A
- strives for balance of opposing parts of body (ha=sun, tha=moon)
- combines postures, breathing techniques, meditation
- slow
- where western yoga gets positions from
53
Q
kundalini yoga 2
A
- serpent yoga
- goal is to awaken snake that moves up spine and enters brain to enter a state of ecstasy
54
Q
tantric yoga 3
A
- sex as yoga
- goal is to climax at same time to understand what it’s like to be opposite gender, connection to universe
- not for rship, procreation, or pleasure, but spiritual exploration
55
Q
way of works
A
ceremonies, darma
56
Q
way of knowledge
A
in a transstate
57
Q
way of devotion 2
A
- bhakti
- ultimate goal of yoga, to form union b/w human and divine
58
Q
guru 4
A
- gu = darkness, ru = light, leader from light to darkness
- trains aspiring yogi
- has vertical lines on head to mark body like temple. purifies and protects, followers of vishnu
- gives aspiring yogi mantra
59
Q
corporate practice 5
A
- temples
- small but very decorated
- house of deity
- often built in ganges
- often have a mandala or meditation aid on floor
60
Q
communal practice
A
- festivals
- many many people
- to honour deities
