Download How did Hinduism begin?

Hinduism, and the Quest for
Liberation
Background of Hinduism
• Rooted in Indian culture itself
• Tolerance and diversity: "Truth is one, paths are
many“ –pluralist and absolutist in approach
• Many deities but a single, impersonal Ultimate
Reality called Brahman (monotheistic with
polytheistic expressions)
• No single document maintains supremacy but
Hindus derive wisdom from the:
– Vedas
– Upanishads
– Epic poems
Ramayana
Bhagavad Gita
How did Hinduism begin?
• Indus River Valley Civilization >5000 years ago
• Vedic Tradition 3500 – 2500 years ago:
– rituals and many gods (polytheism)
– sacred texts (Vedas)
– social stratification (caste system)
• Upanishads (metaphysical philosophy) 2800 –
2400 years ago
The Role of the Bhagavad Gita
 “The Song of God” is a very long passage in
the epic poem The Mahabharata written
by the poet Vyasa
 The Mahabharata tells the story of an
ancient war between two ruling families in
India
 On the field of battle, Krishna (an avatar of
Vishnu) manifests himself to a young
warrior named Arjuna who is worried
about killing others in battle.
 Krishna reveals truths about the Absolute
Reality, about dharma—since Arjuna is of
the warrior/ruler caste, it is his duty to kill
in battle so he should not feel badly about
it, and about enlightenment as
liberation—3 paths: knowledge, action,
devotion.
What do Hindus believe?
• One impersonal Ultimate Reality – Brahman
• Manifest as many deities (polytheism); incarnations
= avatars
• True essence of life – Atman, the soul, is Brahman
trapped in matter (Maya=illusion =physical reality)
• Reincarnation – atman is continually born into this
world lifetime after lifetime (Samsara)
• Karma – consequences of good and bad actions
follows us andkeeps us bound to this world.
• Ultimate goal of life – to release Atman from maya
and reunite with the divine, becoming as one with
Brahman (Moksha)
How does Hinduism direct life in
this world?
• Respect for all life
• Human life as supreme
• Four “stations” of life (caste) - priests & teachers, nobles
& warriors, merchant class, servant class
• Four stages of life – student, householder, retired,
renunciant
• Four duties of life – pleasure, success, social
responsibilities, religious responsibilities (dharma)
• Various paths to enlightenment (Yoga= discipline): action
in selfless service (kharma); devotion (bhakti); knowledge
(jnana); meditation (raja); knowledge of reality, selfpurification, meditation (hatha).
Who do Hindus worship? –
the major gods of the Hindu Pantheon
Brahma, the creator god
Vishnu, the preserver god
Shiva, god of constructive destruction
All these deities are but
Manifest forms (attributes
and functions) of the
impersonal Brahman
Hindu Philosophy of Person
Vedanta tradition has 3 interpretations
• Non Dualism or Ideal Monism: There is only one ultimate reality –
Brahman. Brahman is one, unchanging, indivisible being. The world
of change, individuality, and multiplicity is illusion or appearance.
(Shankara, 8th century AD)
• Qualified Non-Dualism: There is a single ultimate reality, Brahman,
who at a certain time transforms itself into a personal God (Ishvara),
the universe, and individual souls. (Ramanuja, 12th century AD)
• Dualism: There are two realities, Brahman and created reality.
Brahman is eternally the creator, that is, all things eternally depend
on Brahman for their existence. So the world of plurality is real but
dependent on Brahman. (Madhva, 13th century)
Where Does the Self Fit In?
Atman: Real, essential,
uncreated consciousness
1. In Non-Dualism, Brahman and
Atman are identical.
2. In Qualified Non-Dualism,
Brahman is to Atman what the
whole is to the part.
3. In Dualism, Brahman and Atman
are distinct and Atman is
dependent on Brahman.
Jiva: Empirical self, individual,
changing, psychophysical
1. Physical or Gross Body (visible):
solid, visible mass of marrow,
bone, flesh, etc.
2. Subtle Body (invisible): a rarified
and ethereal body of
uncompounded elements: senses,
mind, intellect, action. It is not
material in the western sense of
matter. It lacks shape and size, and
consciousness in itself.
All three viewpoints distinguish
between the real self and the
empirical self – an essential
feature of Hinduism.
What Does It Mean to be Human?
• The physical body is subject to
corruption in the natural
process of physical death.
• The subtle body (being
uncompounded) is not subject
to corruption in the process of
physical death. It will continue
to exist.
• Non-conscious psychic elements
reunite to a new body to form a
new center of consciousness.
This is the generic Hindu
conception of reincarnation.
BRAHMAN
↕
ATMAN
↓
JIVA
Psychophysical Self
↓↓
(Gross Body) + (Subtle Body)
Buddhism: Seeking Detachment and
Nirvana
Background of Buddhism
The “middle way of wisdom and compassion”
Derived from Hinduism, but rejects certain beliefs
and practices of Hinduism.
A 2500 year old tradition that began in India and
spread and diversified throughout the Far East
A philosophy and spiritual practice followed by
more than 300 million people
Based on the teachings of the Buddha
How does Buddhism differ
from Hinduism?
Buddhism rejects…
Authority of the ancient Vedic texts
The Vedic caste system
The Vedic and Hindu deities—Buddhism is not
deistic
The efficacy of Vedic worship and ritual
The concept of Brahman—Buddhism is not
theistic
Who was the Buddha?
Born Siddhartha Gautama – of noble
caste in India, 563 B.C.E.
Raised in great luxury to be a king
Empathy for the suffering of others; at age 29, rejected
the life of luxury to seek enlightenment and the solution
to suffering
Followed a strict ascetic lifestyle for six years
• Rejected this extreme, sat in meditation, claimed to
achieve Nirvana – an awakening to the truth about life,
becoming a Buddha, the “Awakened One”at the age of
35
Spent the remaining 45 years of his life teaching others
how to achieve the peace of mind he had achieved
What did the Buddha teach?
The Four Noble Truths:
Suffering Exists (Life is Suffering): Humans sleep away their lives
in self-centered preoccupations; this self-centeredness only leads to
pain, misery, sorrow, and unfulfillment.
Desire Causes Suffering:
The need to refer all things to ourselves causes
suffering. We suffer because our ego dupes us into believing that we need
what we desire. Not an illusion, but attachment to the impermanent.
Cessation of Desire Brings the Cessation of Suffering:
Rather
than absorb everything into the ego for our own pleasure, we must allow our
connection with reality to cause an outward flow – a universal compassion
toward all living creatures.
The Eightfold Path Leads to Cessation of Desire:
The observance
of the Eightfold Path is at the heart of the Buddhist life, and leads to
enlightenment and liberation from detachment.
Nirvana,
What is the Eight-Fold Path?
Wisdom: seek truth and resist
self-centeredness
Moral discipline: respect all
•Right motivation
life and work for the good
of others
•Right understanding
•Right speech
•Right action
•Right livelihood
Mental discipline:
free the mind of
egocentrism
•Right effort
•Right mindfulness
•Right meditation
What do Buddhists believe?
• Rebirth (reincarnation) results from attachments (karma)
• Nirvana is a peaceful, detached state of mind
• Achieving Nirvana means escape from the cycle of
death and rebirth, samsara
Once Gautama Buddha died, after 80 years of life in this
world, having achieved Nirvana and teaching multitudes
his way of life, he ceased to exist as a distinct being, no
afterlife; join into the great cosmic energy.
Buddhism is non-theistic: Buddha is not the Buddhist
God – he is just a revered teacher
Buddhist Metaphysics
• Dukkha: life in this world is filled with suffering
• Anicca: everything in this world is impermanent
• Anatta:the self/soul is also impermanent – there
is no eternal, unchanging self (“no soul” – no
atman)
• Suffering is a state of mind – achieve a
balanced, peaceful, detached state of mind and
suffering can be extinguished (Nirvana)
What are some Buddhist texts?
• Tripitaka (the Pali Cannon) – the “Three
Baskets”:
–
–
–
Vinaya (“discipline”) – rules for monastic life
Sutta (“discourse”) – sermons of the Buddha
Abhidhamma (metaphysical “teachings”)
• Dhammapada – collected sayings of the
Buddha
Other texts used by specific schools
What is the Buddhist Self?
There is no continuous, unchanging self; no
“atman.” Self is an-atta, “no-self:”
merely a name for various sensations,
thoughts, and actions
an illusory source of suffering, desire, and
vanity
temporal and ceases to exist at death.
Only aspects of empirical self survives death, mental
elements (abstracted from self-consciousness or ego),
not the entire personality; this energy, if not
liberated, is reborn until it reaches nirvana.