Hinduism Flashcards
West vs. East Religions
WESTERN RELIGIONS
EASTERN RELIGIONS
Focus on INDIVIDUAL id.
Focus on COMMUNAL id.
CONTINUATION of individual life as ideal
EXTINCTION of individual life as ideal
RESURRECTION
REINCARNATION
Focus on HISTORICITY
Little focus on HISTORICITY
SINGLENESS of God
Divine manifestations embodied in DIFFERENT beings
UNIQUENESS of path leading to salvation
VARIOUS saving paths
Define Hinduism
- A set of religious beliefs sharing a common core
NOT a single religion with a founder or a creed
(Hinduism is a Western term) - The third largest world religion and the “oldest” Over a billion adherents (90% in India)
- Earliest roots in the interaction of the agriculturalist Dravidians (pre 2000 BCE) with the pastoralist Indo-Aryans (1800-1500 BCE) in the Indus Valley Ancient religion of nature worship and fertility goddesses
Historic Periods
- Vedic Period
- Upanishads Period (6TH cent. BCE)
- Bahkti Period
The Vedic Period
The Way of Works
Defining Traits:
- Four VEDAS:
hymns, magic spells, epic stories - Devas:
gods of earth, air, heaven - Brahmins (Priests):
Brahmins had preeminence and made Sacrifices on fire altars with proper formulas
The Upanishads Period
(6TH cent. BCE)
The Way of Knowledge
Defining Traits:
- Challenge to the priestly religion of ritual
- Interiorization:
- asceticism and meditation*
- Philosophical questions:
- universal monism*
- Tolerance for different forms of religious devotion
The Bahkti Period
(since 6th cent. CE)
The Way of Devotion
Defining Traits:
- One Deity:
- Loving and grateful devotion to one deity*
- Open to all:
- regardless of class*
- Temples and Shrines:
- Worship expressed especially in temples and domestic shrines*
Present Period
- Revival of Hinduism during 19th century
- British occupation
- For some groups INDIAN IDENTITY = HINDU IDENTITY
Yoga
- *YOGA**
- Union with True Self*
Different forms of Hinduism are manifested in different forms of YOGA
- Raja Yoga - following the spirit, meditate, more personal*
- meditative, the path of mental concentration
- Breath, posture, concentration, peace
- Jnana Yoga - ponder/education*
- spiritual/intellectual, the path of rational inquiry
- Karma Yoga - vt/ht, service, most relatable for Mormons*
- active, the path of right action/service
- Bhakti Yoga - sing and praise God*
- emotional, the path of devotion
What are the yogas of a Mormon spirituality?*
Scriptures
- Shruti (revealed)
- Vedas
- Brahmanas
- Upanishads
- Smriti (the open/human side of the canon)
- Epics:
- Mahabharata (Bhagavad-Gita): Krishna
- Ramayana: Rama
- Hundreds of other stories, legends, etc.
- Epics:
Monism
ultimate one reality
- BRAHMAN
The impersonal source of all objective reality, a universal force of all that is - ATMAN
The subjective manifestation of that reality in our inward world of reason, feeling, will and self-consciousness (a spirit/soul of sort) - MAYA
Illusion, failure to recognize that we are not individuals but only a small part of Brahman-atman
*Brahman is like the wave, Athman are like the individual drops in the wave
2 foundational principles
- KARMA :
The eternal law that words, thoughts, and deeds fix our destiny through unavoidable consequences. Even the gods (devas) are subject to it
*Caste system has been explained in both dharma (duty) and karma terms
*Compare to the Law of Justice. Where is Mercy? - SAMSARA:
Cyclic transmigration from life form to life form involving lower and higher forms of beings (what we usually call reincarnation) until MOKSHA is achieved
Who are the 3 main liberated dieties?
What does that even mean?
- Brahma (Creator)
- Shiva (Destroyer)
- Vishnu (Preserver)
In practice each believer sees all three aspects in the god they are devoted to. (part of monism)
To be ‘liberated’ means they have escaped the cycle of reincarnation, or ‘samsara’ and acheived Moksha.
Shakti
SHAKTI
feminine divine power
- Devi: goddess in all her forms and personifications
- The consort of the male gods where the female represents the active energetic force in the union
Shiva and Vishnu
- SHIVA:
- God of life and death
- Shakti is Parvati
- Son is Ganesh (the remover of obstacles) elephant head
- VISHNU:
- Loving god of preservation
- Shakti is Lakshmi (beauty & generosity)
- Most popular deity
- Descends to earth often as avatar
2 most popular avatars are Krishna and Rama
The 4 Castes
FOUR CASTES
- Brahmins – Priests, philosophers
- Kshatriyas – The rulers
- Vaishyas – The common people
- Shudras – The servants
- Dalits (Outcastes) – Harijan
*They are not even counted as a caste, hence ‘outcaste’
