Download Hinduism - University of Mount Union

Hinduism
• The religion you have
all been waiting for!
– Where there is no
founder
– no required set of
beliefs or practices
– and where all, no
matter what religion,
will eventually be
saved
Hinduism
• Hinduism is the oldest of the religions we will study, and
the 3rd largest
• It is both a religion and a culture (mostly in India)
• As a culture, in includes:
– the “caste system” - began after the Aryans invaded in 1500
BCE
• there are 4 classes: priests (Brahmins), politicians, merchants, servants
– vegetarianism, along with veneration of the cow (as a kind of
“mother”)
– arranged marriages
Hinduism
• The culture became a religion shortly after 1500 BCE, as
the Brahmins began to expand their role as spiritual
leaders and guides
– there developed a body of religious literature, called the Vedas
– the Vedas were written between 1200 and 300 BCE
– There are other sacred text as well
• Upanishads, Baghavad Gita
– the Vedas describe in poetry and metaphor how one can live in
such a way as to…
• please the forces of nature (gods)
• attain the enlightenment of mind necessary to be freed from all suffering
Hinduism
• As a religion, the basic beliefs include:
1 That all existing things have a single divine source, Brahman,
to which they are related (like a drop of water and the ocean)
2 That this divine source (Atman) exists in all sentient beings.
3 That the forces of nature (“gods”) are parts of Brahman, parts
of the divine energy concentrated to perform specific tasks, for
example...
 Shiva: god of wisdom, destroyer of evil
Vishnu: god of love and beauty
Brahma: god of power, creation
Hinduism
• Shiva:
– as an ascetic, his hair is
matted, looks like
snakes
– he drinks “Soma”, a
mixture of wine and
cannibis
– he has a third eye
signifying wisdom
Hinduism
• Vishnu:
– takes on many earthly
forms, including
Krishna and Buddha
– he controls all forces of
nature, including
physical health and
sexuality
Hinduism
• Brahma:
– he has 4 heads
signifying knowledge
of all things N, S, E, W
– he holds a copy of the
Vedas in his hand
– he is the god of
knowledge and
education
Hinduism
• The gods are worshipped
in temples
• Their statues and pictures
are objects of veneration
• Small sacrifices are made
there (food, incense, small
gifts)
Goals
Take Four
Goals in Life
• In Hinduism there are four goals in living:
–
–
–
–
kama
artha
dharma
moksha
The Four Goals Explained
• Kama
– is the life of pleasures.
It can be the pursuit of
pleasure in literature or
in love making
(Kamasutra)
• Artha
– is pursuing "politics or
the materialism of
commercial
competition.
• Dharma
– is the goal for those
who want to fulfill
their duties with regard
to their caste.
• Moksha
– is for those who have
grown tired of the
other pursuits and want
to be released from the
wheel of life.
The Stages in Life
Where are you?
Four Stages of Life
• For the Hindu there are four stages in life.
–
–
–
–
Student
Householder
Renouncer
Seeker
Student
• Student - This stage is between 8 and 12 but
no more than 24. He studies the Vedas and
he has a sacred cord which shows that he is
a member of one of the 3 highest castes.
Householder
• At this stage a person is around 25 and usually
married “he lives as close to the ideals as he can.”
He tries to follow the rituals as prescribed for
householders as closely as he can and he tries not
to harm other creatures. “Above all he tries to
observe duties in marriage, in his occupation and
in raising children.”
• He is a spiritual man who observes his duties.
Renouncer
• This person renounces everything including
wife and go to the forest; his wife can
follow him if he desires. He leaves the
village and goes to live in the wilderness.
He offers “the five great sacrifices with
various sorts of pure food or hermits . . .”
Seeker
• This person seeks release (Samadhi) of the
soul so that it can unite with Brahman. This
can be do through raya yoga where the body
is trained to serve the soul.
Salvation
• In Hindu tradition one desires to be
liberated from the cycle of birth and death
Paths to Salvation
• 1. The way of action (karma yoga)
• 2. The way of knowledge (jnana yoga)
• 3. The way of devotion (bhakti yoga)
• 4. The way of meditation (raja yoga)
Karma Yoga
• 1. karma yoga - the way of action is the path of
unselfish action. One does one’s duty but not for
fear of punishment or hope of reward. The right
action is done not for praise or blame. One does an
act because it is one’s duty dharma not because
other people will praise you for it. Duties for men
and women are prescribed. One performs the
appropriate rituals every day. A person’s whole day
is filled with actions explained in the Vedas.
Jnana Yoga
• 2. (jnana yoga) - the way of knowledge is the path of
scriptural knowledge.
• A person’s ignorance keeps one in illusion. If the bondage
of illusion can be broken one can experience liberation.
One attempts to identify with the universal soul instead
transient material things or the world. “Salvation lies in a
person’s recognizing that his or her identity is ground not
in the world but in Brahman-Atman.
Bhakti Yoga
• 3. bhakti yoga - the way of devotion is the path of
devotion and it is emphasized in the Bhagavad
Gita. One serves a god wholeheartedly with no
reservations. One embraces god in love. One
commits oneself to one of the Hindu gods.
• Some worship Shiva “through trantrism, a religious
practice that includes sexual intercourse as a ritual
to generate the power of the spirit.
Raja Yoga
• Raja Yoga - the Way of Physical Discipline.
One wants “to train the physical body so
that the soul can be free.” There are 8 steps
to training the body.
Four Major Castes
• 1. Brahmins - intellectual and spiritual leaders,
priests - They perform the Vedic rituals and
counsels. They are in demands a cooks because of
the association with fire and sacrifice.
Furthermore, they can prepare food for other castes
as well as their own.
• 2. Kshatriya - warrior-noble - has the role of
protecting society. This is the traditional caste of
the aristocracy.
Castes (cont)
• 3. Vaisyas - the merchants - includes landowners,
moneylenders, and sometimes artisans. Males of
the thee upper castes receive a sacred cord during
a ceremony in their youth and afterward are
called twice-born.”
• 4. Shudras - the unskilled laborers - do manual
labor and is expected to serve the higher castes.
The origin probably goes back the Aryan
subjection of native people, who were forced to
do the work of servants. The peasant is called
‘once-born.’”
Untouchables
• mlechcha - outcastes, untouchables - are
considered so low as to be outside the caste
system. Untouchables do the dirtiest work–
cleaning toilets, sweeping streets, collecting
animal carcasses, and tanning animal hides.
Subcaste
There is subcaste system which
developed over the years from the
simple four caste and is quite large.
Although the caste system is
outlawed it is still practiced to some
extent.