Test 2 Flashcards
Sacred writings of Hinduism
Vedas
Upanishads
Bhagavad-Gita
Describe the Vedas (Hinduism)
(knowledge, wisdom)
- the oldest and most sacred scripture
- four collections including Rg Veda
Describe Upanishads (Hinduism)
philosophical extension of Vedas
Describe the Bhagavad-Gita (Hinduism)
- Epic poetry, mythology
- Most popular Hindu writing
The Hindu God
Brahman
Who is Brahman
- Ultimate reality
- Without qualities
Who are the 3 primary Hindu Gods?
Brahma (creator)
Vishnu (sustained)
Shiva (destroyer)
Hinduism has how many gods?
330 million
What is the atman? (Hinduism)
True self, soul, essence of human life
The atman believes that when the body dies…
Hinduism
the jiva (individual soul) transmigrates (is reincarnated)
In hinduism, the form of a new body depends on…
your karma
Hinduism human being desires
Pleasure
Wealth
Community
Moksha
Hinduism 4 stages of life…
Student
Householder
Forest dweller
Renunciation
The Hinduism caste system
ritual/religious hierarchy that is not identical with social status or political/economic power
Describe the Hinduism Moksha
the ultimate goal
The final step of Moksha
when one renounces all human trappings and discovers truth within the deepest self, he finds the atman is brahman
Karma-Margara
Hinduism
The way of action
Most important for Hidus
Describe the religious deeds of the Karma-marga (hinduism)
- Ritual (daily, rites of passage)
- Festivals
- Pilgrimage
Jnana-marga
hinduism
- they way of wisdom or knowledge
- the demanding path
- transmitted from guru to student
Two issues of Jnana-marga
hinduism
What is the essence of human self?
What is the essence of the ultimate reality?
Bhakti-marga
hinduism
- the way of devotion
- expression of faith and love for personal deity
- community worship
- personal care for diety (bathing, dressing, feeding)
- what is done is not as important as how it is done
Hinduism belief in eternity
- closest concept to eternity is ultimate reality
- the world is not reality
- to escape, one must renounce all it all and seek truth
What is maya?
hinduism
magic
trickery
What is lila?
hinduism
God’s play
Founder of Buddhism
Guatama Siddhartha
@563 BC
Guatama Siddhartha
- Royal indian family
- Carefully protected by father
- Awakened at age 30
Shakyamuni
Buddhism
the wise man of the Shakya tribe
Sacred writings of Buddhism
Tripitaka (three baskets) - recitations Buddha’s teaching;
Lotus Sutra - teaching of Mahayana doctrine
Tripitaka (three baskets)
buddhism
Sutta-pitaka (basket of discources) - doctrinal teaching
Vinaya-pitaka (discipline) - rules and regulations
Abhidhamma - supplement containing reflection on teaching
Buddhist belief in Gods
- Do not believe in one god
- worship of divine beings
Doctrine of Dependent Arising
buddhism
- No first or external cause
- circular chain of cause & effect
- liberation involves breaking one of the links in the chain
- the weakest links are ignorance and craving
Human beings
No self (no permanent identity, we are constantly changing like a stream/fire)
3 Jewels
buddhism
The Buddha The dharma (teaching) The sangha (community)
4 Noble Truths
buddhism
Life is suffering
The cause of suffering is desire or attachment
The cure lies in overcoming attachment
Overcoming attachment involves following the 8fold path
Nirvana
buddhism
“blowing out” of desire
Escape from Samsara
8fold path
Eightfold path
buddhism
Right knowledge Right aspiration Right speech Right behavior Right livelihood Right effort Right mindfulness Right absorption/meditation
Eternity
buddhism
a cycle view of time, no beginning and no end
Reincarnation until enlightenment
When Buddha died, he entered Nirvana and became inaccessible
Islam Founder
Muhammad
born 570 CE in Mecca
Muhammad’s visit to Jerusalem
620 CE
ascended into 7 levels of heaven
talked with Abraham, Moses and Jesus
Dome of the rock built in 691 on the site of his ascension
(Hijra) Flight to Medina
Islam
Marks beginning of muslim calendar
622 CE
Islam Scripture
Qur’an
Islam God
Monotheistic
Isalm greatest sin
Shirk=assigning partners to God
Allah is
Islam
transcendent
all powerful
creator
sovereign
Jesus was…
Isalm
Son of virgin Mary Great prophet (not son of God) Jesus not crucified Will someday return Will stand in judgement over men
Human beings…
Islam
People are born innocent
Not sinful, but forgetful and weak
Except for shirk, they can make up for sinful deeds with good deeds
5 Pillars of Islam
Confession Prayer Fasting Giving Alms Pilgrimage
Confession
Islam
Public statement: there is no god but allah and Muhammad is his prohet
First step in becoming Muslim
Repeated multiple times daily
Prayer
Isalm
Five times a day toward Mecca
Preceded by ritual washings
Must follow movements and postures
Fasting
Islam
Month of Ramadan
Abstinence from food, water, sensual pleasure during daylight
Children, pregnant women and travelers exempt
Three day feast follows
Giving Alms
Isalm
Zakat = purification
Annual giving to benefit to poor
Pilgrimage to Mecca
Islam
At least once in lifetime
symbol of purity & equality, men bathe, shave heads, wear white linen robes
Eternity
Islam
Resurrection
God is final judge
Judgement based on weighing good deeds vs. bad deeds
Rabbinic Judiasm
Emerged after temple destruction in 70AD
New system of daily prayer
Authority shifts from priests to rabbis
Judiasm writings
(Tanakh) Torah - five books of moses Nev'im -prophets Kethuvin -writings (Talmud) Mishnah - interpretation Gemara - narratives, illustration
God
Judiasm
Yahweh God is: Eternal Personal Compassionate Transcendent
Human Beings
Judiasm
God wants relationship with his people
Responsible; able to make ethical decisions
Israel is the chosen people
Salvation
Judiasm
God’s people must live according to his will
Halakha = the path one walks
When people sin, atonement is necessary
Eternity
Judiasm
resurrection of the dead
immorality of the soul
coming messiah
Contemporay forms of Judiams
Orthodox (strict adherence to Torah)
Reform (traditional customs not binding)
Conservative (middle ground; strong Jewish identity with accommodation)
