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3c. Hinduism
Many Hindus invoke Ganesha, the
god who can overcome any
obstacle, before beginning any
undertaking.
Some consider HINDUISM to be the world's oldest religion. Its
roots extend to prehistoric times.
Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no founder and no
single set of beliefs. Because Hinduism is as much a way of
life as a set of religious teachings, a Hindu is free to worship
only a single god, many gods, or no gods at all.
Some Hindus worship many-armed gods in sculpture-filled
temples, and many believe that slaughtering cows is a kind
of murder. But Hinduism, the religion followed by over 80
percent of the population in South Asia, is a complex system
of beliefs and practices that deals with much more than gods
and temples. Animal sacrifice and magical rites combine with
mysticism, asceticism, and philosophy to form the Hindu
religion. To Hindus, religion includes everything from one's
outlook on life and worship to one's daily life and social
status.
What does bind Hinduism together, then?
Core Beliefs
REINCARNATION and the idea of karma are central to Hindu
thought. Hindus believe that, after a person dies, his or her
soul is reborn into a new life. This happens over and over
again in a seemingly endless cycle.
The form into which a soul is reborn depends upon the
KARMA that the soul acquired in its previous life. If a soul
lives a very bad life, it gathers lots of bad karma and will be
reborn into a lower form. If it lives a good life, it collects good
karma and will be reborn in a higher form.
Fireworks light up the sky
during Diwali, the festival
marking the start of the
new year.
For example, a murderer collects bad karma. If enough bad
karma is accumulated, and the soul might come back in its
next life as a demon, a tiger, or even a worm. A poor person
who lives a very good life might be reborn as a rich person
or even a god.
By leading a good life and accumulating enough good
karma, the individual soul may eventually escape from the
cycle of rebirth and achieve union with BRAHMAN, the
Universal Soul.
Individual souls are not the only things that experience
cycles of death and rebirth. The god BRAHMA creates the
universe. The god VISHNU sustains it while it lasts,
occasionally coming to Earth in incarnations called avatars in
order to intervene directly when trouble arises.
At the end of time when the balance between good and evil
is disturbed, the god SHIVA will dissolve the universe to
create the next life cycle wherein the souls which have not
yet reached nirvana will have another opportunity to liberate
themselves from the bondage of the physical world.
But after a period of silence, Brahma will come forth again to
create the world anew. This cycle, lasting millions of years,
will be repeated forever.
Sacred Stories and Writings
The ancient Hindu epic called the
Mahabharata describes the
timeless war between good and
evil.
Much Hindu philosophy can be found in Hindu sacred oral
traditions and texts, including the VEDAS (which may have
been written as early as 1000 B.C.E.), the UPANISHADS, and
the two epics — the RAMAYANA, and the MAHABHARATA —
which are filled with stories of gods, heroes, and monsters.
In the BHAGAVAD GITA, a chapter of the Mahabharata, the
god Krishna explains several paths by which the soul can
eventually achieve release from the cycle of reincarnation
and join with Brahman.
Gods and Goddesses
In addition to the gods Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the
Sustainer, and Shiva the Destroyer, Hindus worship many
other gods and goddesses. They pray to GANESHA, the
elephant-headed god, to help them overcome difficult
obstacles. YAMA, the god of death, judges the souls of the
dead.
The vast pantheon also includes Agni, the fire god; SURYA,
the sun god; LAKSHMI, the goddess of wealth and fortune;
and SARASWATI, the goddess of knowledge and learning.
Many Hindus believe that the different gods are really
manifestations of Brahman, and they worship Brahman
directly.
A Way of Life
Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth. In
pictures, she is portrayed in many
different colors (dark, pink, golden,
yellow, or white). Here, the golden
color signifies wealth.
More than just a philosophy and an extensive pantheon,
Hinduism is also a way of life. Although some devote their
lives to studying sacred texts, meditation, or the priesthood,
most Hindus practice their faith in a very different manner.
Hinduism states that one worships the gods simply by living
the way prescribed for the status into which he or she is
born. Thus, someone born to the working caste accumulates
good karma by working hard and respecting those of a
higher station.
A good Hindu obeys his or her family priest, performs daily
religious rituals, and respects the gods. Most important,
though, is living according to one's caste obligations and
doing good deeds.
Many-armed gods still decorate temples, and Hindu homes
sport statues of elephant-headed Ganesha. But Hinduism
has also adopted new ideas. Some Hindus believe that
Jesus Christ was an avatar of Vishnu, for example. Hinduism
has spread beyond South Asia, too. Today, many Americans
— some who don't even have South Asian ancestry — study
Hindu texts or worship Krishna. The world's oldest religion is
rich with tradition, but it is also continually changing and
growing.
3d. Buddhism
This giant statue of the Buddha
stands in Sri Lanka, the only
South Asian nation that is still
predominantly Buddhist.
Buddhism began when a very rich Hindu wanted his son to
grow up to be a great warrior.
Two thousand five hundred years ago, a new religion
emerged in India. As complex as its parent religion,
Hinduism, Buddhism has spread from its birthplace in
northern India. Devout believers practice the religion
throughout the world, but it all began with one man.
Get on
the
Path:
Why
do bad
things
have
to
happe
n to
people
?
When SIDDHARTA GAUTAMA was born in about 563 B.C.E., it
was predicted that he would be a great religious leader or a
great warrior. His father wanted him to be a warrior, so he
locked Siddharta in a castle and showered him with all sorts
of pleasures and comforts. But, on a few trips outside the
castle, Siddharta caught glimpses of old people, sick people,
and dying people.
He had been so well treated that he had never guessed
anyone ever suffered. Disturbed by what he saw, he became
troubled by the fact that these were problems with no
solutions. Then he glimpsed a holy man and realized there
might be an answer.
Siddharta Gautama gave up a life
of wealth and luxury to search for
truth. He shaved his head, gave
up his garments, and led a simple
lifestyle on his way to
Enlightenment.
Siddharta knew that the comforts of his former life could not
protect him from suffering, so he left home and became a
devout ascetic. He ate as little as possible, sat meditating for
hours, and strove to rise above the problems of the world
through religious discipline.
His actions did not seem to help. He was too distracted by
hunger and discomfort to solve any problems. He resolved to
take a middle path: he would neither indulge every whim nor
deny every need.
Then he meditated for 40 days. During this time, the
temptations and dangers of the world threatened him, but at
last, he achieved Enlightenment. ENLIGHTENMENT, also
called NIRVANA, is the ultimate goal of all Buddhists.
Suffering and the Path to Nirvana
After achieving nirvana, Siddharta Gautama, now called the
Buddha, gave a sermon in which he explained what he
called "THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS." Basically, he explained
that life is full of suffering. Everyone must face physical pain,
hunger, loss of loved ones, fear, death, and anger — along
with many other forms of suffering. But, the Buddha also
taught that people can put an end to their suffering.
Some people see Buddhism as a very pessimistic religion.
After all, one of the fundamental teachings is that everyone
suffers — and suffers a lot. In fact, the Buddha taught that as
long as people insist on seeing themselves as individuals,
they cannot help but suffer.
But Buddhism also teaches that suffering can come to an
end. The Buddha taught that, as long as a person holds on
to the idea that he or she is an individual with a body, a
mind, a soul, some possessions, friends, a family, and so on,
he or she is bound to suffer. The solution, therefore, is to
cease to be a person. Dying would not be enough, because
Buddhists believe that the soul comes back in a new life until
one achieves nirvana. Therefore, in order to cease to suffer,
a person must follow the Eightfold Path.
The EIGHTFOLD PATH is the moral core of Buddhism. It
provides eight ethical guides by which one can achieve
nirvana. A person who follows the Eightfold Path avoids
lying, drinking, and drugs, and never kills. The Eightfold Path
also teaches that one should have faith in Buddhist
teachings, strive to achieve nirvana, and meditate.
The Chinese monks who practice
Shaolin Temple kung-fu are
famous. But it was an Indian who
brought Dhyana (or Zen)
Buddhism to China and helped
found this ancient order.
Buddhism in Practice
Many Buddhists today are monks or nuns. Even during the
lifetime of the Buddha so long ago, monasteries were
formed. People who want to devote themselves entirely to
Buddhist practice can join monasteries. They spend their
time meditating and teaching people outside the monasteries
about morality and Buddhist ideas.
When they join, they must take certain vows, and they have
to give up many things that non-monks take for granted.
They can never marry, and they must spend their whole lives
working for the good of the monasteries, the communities
around the monasteries, and their own journeys toward
nirvana.
A person does not have to be a monk to be a Buddhist,
though. Non-monks give gifts to monasteries, and doing so
is a good deed that can help them in their own journeys to
nirvana. And anyone can follow the Eightfold Path.
Practicing meditation, the eighth item of the Eightfold Path, is
a very important part of Buddhism. Meditation usually
involves sitting still and concentrating. When meditating, a
Buddhist will try to make his or her mind blank, or think long
and hard about a Buddhist idea, or think worshipfully about
the Buddha or a Buddhist saint.
3e. Jainism and Sikhism
Although Jain monks and nuns are
prohibited from creating art, Jain
laypersons use their talents to produce art
that reflects the Jain respect for the
continuity of life.
One faith was formed out of the spirit of reform. One faith
was formed out of the spirit of compromise.
JAINISM emerged more than 2,000 years ago (around the
same time as Buddhism) out of an effort to reform the Hindu
religion.
Sikhism came about more recently in an effort to resolve the
violent religious differences between the Hindu and Muslim
populations of South Asia.
In about the 6th century B.C.E., most people in South Asia
practiced an early form of Hinduism that relied heavily on
animal sacrifice. They believed that the gods they
worshipped would become angry if proper sacrifices were
not made regularly.
Do No Harm
A memorial stone at Vaishali marks the
birthplace of Mahavira, the founder of
Jainism.
A few people hated all of the killing and believed that the
sacrifices were wrong. Furthermore, they believed that all
killing was wrong. They believed that a person could not be
perfect as long as he or she continued to harm any living
creature at all.
A man called MAHAVIRA shared these beliefs and followed
an ascetic life. He gave up most comforts and spent his time
meditating, eventually achieving enlightenment. He spent the
next 30 years teaching his ideas, and in the end had formed
the Jain religion.
The NIGRANTHA, or Jain monks, strive to avoid the
accumulation of bad karma. In order to do this, they practice
an extremely strict code of conduct. For instance, some Jain
monks cover their mouths with cloth so that they will not
harm bacteria when they breathe. Also, not only are they not
allowed to marry, but they cannot look at or even think about
members of the opposite sex.
For the Sikhs, no place on earth is more
sacred than the Golden Temple in Punjab.
Jain monks give up absolutely all their possessions, keeping
only what they need to survive from one day to the next. A
person who frees himself or herself from all karma, rises up
to heaven and exists forever in a state of bliss.
The code of conducts for non-monk Jains is less stringent.
They can marry, own a few things, and even eat a little meat.
But, they are still expected to have simple lifestyles and
follow strict rules.
Sikhism
SIKHISM, born much more recently than Jainism, is another
important religion in South Asia. In the middle of the 15th
century C.E., the Muslim and Hindu religions dominated
South Asia. Practitioners of the two religions fought with one
another about everything from land to ideas.
The Sikh warrior tradition is evident in the
modern Indian Army.
A man named NANAK, born in 1469, received a vision in
which he was told that both Hinduism and Islam were wrong,
but that both contained elements of truth. He became a
teacher, or guru, and began to preach this idea.
Guru Nanak founded a monotheistic religion. He taught that
there was only one god and that everyone — Hindu and
Muslim alike — should worship this being. The most
important way to worship this God is to chant his name.
Through devout worship and service, a person would
accumulate good karma. Eventually, one would be released
from the cycle of birth and become one with God. Guru
Nanak delivered a message of peace and urged his
followers not to worship idols or practice severe asceticism,
which he believed only distract from one's faith.
Creating the Khalsa
Family life is, and always has
been, important to the lives of the
Sikhs. The founder of Sikhism,
Guru Nanak Dev, encouraged
women to be as equally as
involved in religion and everyday
life as men -- a notion that
shocked both Hindus and
Muslims.
When Guru Nanak died, he passed his authority to another.
This guru, in turned, passed his authority on. Eventually,
GOVIND SINGH became the guru of Sikhism.
In 1699, Guru Govind Singh founded a fellowship called the
Khalsa. To become a member of the Khalsa, a person is
baptized and takes a new last name. All men who are part of
the Khalsa take the last name SINGH, which means "lion."
Women take the name KAUR, which means "lioness." Guru
Govind Singh also ended the succession of gurus, and no
official guru has had authority over Sikhism since.
Sikhs strongly believe that people owe service to those
around them. Many Sikhs today take this belief to heart and
contribute much to the service of their country and their
community.
Since the time of the gurus and the formation of the KHALSA,
Sikhism has become a militant religion. Sikhs are known as
warriors and even in modern times are a very important part
of the Indian army.
From the preparations at the home to
the long procession to the ceremony,
the Sikh wedding is filled with joy and
religious symbolism.
Today, some Sikhs want to establish their own country in
South Asia. India and Pakistan bicker about which of them
owns the Punjab region, but the Sikhs think it should be
made into an independent country called KHALISTAN.
Occasionally, the efforts of radical Sikhs to achieve
independence have been bloody. In fact, Sikh guards, sworn
to protect Indira Gandhi, the former prime minister of India,
actually assassinated her over the issue.
Jainism and Sihkism, two of the many distinct religions of
South Asia, both contribute to the burgeoning South Asian
culture. In their efforts to harm no one and nothing, Jains
have developed ideas of social and environmental
consciousness with which Western readers will be familiar.
And despite the violent acts of Sikh extremists in recent
history, Sikh idealism and activism play an important role in
the political culture of the region.