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Living Religions
A Brief Introduction
3rd Edition
Mary Pat Fisher
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Chapter 3 Hinduism
Philosophical and metaphysical origins
Major philosophical systems
Religious foundations and theistic paths
The Hindu way of life
Hinduism in the modern world
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Key terms
Aryans
asanas
ashram
atman
avatars
bhakti
Brahman
Brahmanas
brahmins
caste
chakra
darsan
devas
dharma
epics
guru
havan
Kali Yuga
karma
Kshatriyas
Kundalini
lingam
mantras
moksha
prana
Prasad
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puja
Puranas
reincarnation
Rig Veda
rishi
sacred thread
sadhanas
samadhi
Samkhya
Samsara
Sanatana Dharma
sannyasin
Sanskrit
Key terms (cont’d)
Shaivites
Shaktas
shakti
Shaktipat
shudras
shruti
Soma
sutra
Tantras
untouchables
Upanishads
Ushas
Vaishyas
Vaisnavites
Vedanta
Vedas
yantras
yoga
yoni
yugas
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Timeline
c. 8000-6000 BCE
c. 2500-1500
c. 2000-900
c. 1500
c. 1000-500 BCE
c. 400 BCE-200 CE
c. 400 BCE-400 CE
200 BCE
100-300 CE
c. 600-1800
711
c. 788-820
1556-1707
1836-1886
1857-1947
Traditionally, Vedas heard by rishis
Indus Valley civilization
Supposed Aryan invasions of N. India
Early Vedas composed
Upanishads systematized by Vyasa
Ramayana (present form)
Mahabharata (present form)
Traditionally, Patanjali edits Yoga Sutras
Code of Manu compiled
Bhakti movement flourishes
Muslim invasions begin
Shankara reorganizes Vedanta
Mogul Empire
Life of Ramakrishna
British rule of India
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Introduction
Some scholars claim there is no central tradition that can be
identified as Hinduism
The term Hinduism did not become common until the 19th
century
A range of practices that vary according to region, caste,
gender, and education
The philosophic Brahmanic tradition often referred to as
Hinduism is but one aspect of a larger tradition
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Philosophical and Metaphysical Origins
Brahmanic tradition traces back to the Vedic age, thousands of
years ago
The Indus Valley Civilization
The history and precise dating of this period is controversial
The Vedas
Foundation of upper-caste Brahmanic Hinduism
Revered collection of ancient sacred hymns
The Rig Veda is the first & oldest of 4 collections
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Major Philosophical Systems
Share
Roots in the vedas
Direct personal experience of truth thru meditation
Ethics as necessary to orderly social life (related to karma)
Suffering is due to ignorance of the eternal self
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Major Philosophical Systems (continued)
Samkhya: Two states of reality
Purusha, the Self
Prakriti, the cause of the material universe
Advaita Vedanta
Monistic
Based on the Upanishads
Yoga: raja, jnana, karma, bhakti
Union with the true Self
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Religious Foundations and Theistic Paths
Three major groupings of deities worshipped by Hindus
Shaktas: worship a Mother Goddess
Shaivites: worship the god Shiva
Vaishnavites: worship the god Vishnu
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The Epics and Puranas
Illustrate trend toward personal love for a deity
Two major epics
Ramayana
Mahabharata (includes the Bhagavad-Gita
The Puranas
Poetic Sanskrit texts that narrate the myths of ancient times
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The Hindu Way of Life
Ritual: central to Hinduism
Castes, duties, and life goals
4 occupational groups: Brahmins, Kshatriayas, Vaishyas, Shudras
Untouchables lay outside the system
4 major goals for a good life: dharma, artha, kama, moksha
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The Hindu Way of Life (cont.)
Life stages: student, householder, meditation/study,
renunciation
The guru: spiritual leader
Women’s duties: dharma, marital wealth, sensual pleasure
Fasts, prayers, and auspicious designs: determined by a
complex lunar or solar calendar
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The Hindu Way of Life (cont.)
Reverence of trees and rivers
Pilgrimages
Festivals
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Hinduism in the Modern World
Hinduism has been influenced by contact with Buddhism,
Jainism, and later Islam, and Christianity
Modern movements: currently being challenged by social
reform movements
Global Hinduism: Has spread through immigration and
conversion
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Hinduism in the Modern World (cont.)
Hindu identity
Some link Hinduism with nationalism
India’s constitution enshrines secularism
According to the Indian Supreme Court, to be Hindu means:
•Acceptance and reverence for the Vedas as the foundation of Hindu
philosophy
•A spirit of tolerance, and willingness to understand and appreciate others’
points of view, recognizing that truth has many sides
•Acceptance of the belief that vast cosmic periods of creation, maintenance,
and dissolution continuously recur
•Acceptance of belief in reincarnation
•Recognition that paths to salvation and truth are many
•Recognition that there may be numerous gods and goddesses to worship,
without necessarily believing in worship through idols
•Unlike other religions, absence of belief in a specific set of philosophic
concepts.
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