Download Chapter 3 Hinduism - One World Insight

Hindu Teachings
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Overview
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Harappan civilization & Vedic religion
The Upanishads & the luminous self
Reincarnation & karma
Bhakti and the Puranas
Krishna & The Bhagavad-Gita
The Four Paths to God
Major philosophical systems
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“Truth is one;
sages call it by
various names.”
Rig Veda, 2,500 B.C.
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Indus Valley
2,500BCOneWorldInsight.com
Aryan Invasion Theory
Vedas
All Hinduism has three
common themes…
• Deep roots in the Vedas and appreciation for
the direct personal experience of the truth
with meditation
• Ethics is central to orderly social life.
Suffering is attributed to the law of karma.
• But the ultimate cause of suffering is
ignorance of the true nature of things.
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The Vedas
• Rig Veda - world’s oldest known scripture
passed orally for thousands of years
• Vyasa credited for recording the Vedas in
3,000 B.C. ( probably written in 1,500 B.C.)
• Upanishads are last of the Vedas and are
teachings of highly realized masters
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“Beginning from non-being when nothing existed, not
even water nor death, that One breathless breathed by
itself. At first this All was concealed by darkness and
formless chaos, but by heat that One came into existence.
Thus arose desire, the primal seed and germ of Spirit.
Sages searching in their hearts discovered kinship with the
non-existent. A ray of light extended across the darkness,
but what was known above or below? Creative fertility
was there with energy and action, but who really knows
where this creation came from? For the gods came after
the world's creation. Who could know the source of this
creation and how it was produced? The one seeing it in the
highest heaven only knows, or maybe it does not.”
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Rig Veda X:129.
“In the beginning there was Existence alone—One only,
without a second. He, the One, thought to himself: Let
me be many, let me grow forth. Thus out of himself he
projected the universe, and having projected out of
himself the universe, he entered into every being. All
that is has its self in him alone. Of all things He is the
subtle essence. He is the truth, He is the Self, And
that…THAT ART THOU.”
Chandogya Upanishad
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Philosophy of the Upanishads
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Reincarnation – we live many lives
Karma – what we sow we reap
Social Duties – sacrifice for orderly living
The Kali Yuga – 4,000,000 year cycles
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Your Comments…
The Kali Yuga period is described as,
“…when society reaches a stage where
property confers rank, wealth becomes the
only source of virtue, passion the sole bond of
union between husband and wife, falsehood
the source of success in life, sex the only
means of enjoyment, and when outer
trappings are confused with inner religion…”
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Great Hindu Epics
• The Ramayana – the play of good and evil
through the human incarnations of Vishnu
• The Mahabharata – the story of the
Bharata family ruling India
• The Bhagavad-Gita – the divine instructions of
Krishna to Arjuna before a great civil war
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Kuruk
setra
The Bhagavad-Gita
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Krishna
“I am the Self…
seated in the hearts
of all creatures. I
am the beginning,
the middle and end
of all beings.”
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Arjuna
The perfect warrior,
and a devotee and
friend of Lord Krishna.
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Arjuna Confused By
Sorrow
“I can find no means to
drive away this grief
which is drying up my
senses. I will not be able
to destroy it even if I win
an unrivalled kingdom…
I shall not fight.”
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Arjuna Asks For
Teachings
Karma Yoga -- Work
Bhakti Yoga -- Devotion
Ghyana Yoga -- Study
Raja Yoga -- Science
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Karma Yoga of Work
“Considering your specific duty as a Ksatriya, you
should know that there is no better engagement for
you than fighting on religious principles…”
“Do thou fight for the sake of fighting, without
considering happiness or distress, loss or gain, victory
or defeat—and, by so doing, you shall never incur sin.”
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Bhakti Yoga of Devotion
“The wise, engaged in devotional service, take refuge
in the Lord, and free themselves from the cycle of
birth and death by renouncing the fruits of action in
the material world.”
“A true yogi observes Me in all beings, and also sees
every being in Me. Indeed, the self-realized man sees
Me everywhere.”
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Ghyana Yoga of Study
“Many, many births both you and I have passed. I
can remember all of them, but you cannot…”
“As the embodied soul continually passes in this body
from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly
passes into another body at death. The self-realized
soul is not bewildered by such a change.
“Those who are wise lament neither for the living
nor the dead.”
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Raja Yoga of Science
“There are others who, enlightened by sacrificing
their material possessions in severe austerities,
take strict vows and practice the yoga of eightfold
mysticism, and others study the Vedas…”
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Eightfold Mysticism of
Raja Yoga
Samadhi
Dhyana
Yama
Dharana
Pratyahara
Niyama
Asana
Pranayama
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Vivekananda
Yogananda
“It is true that
Christ lived in
India during
most of the
eighteen
unaccounted
for years of
his life…”
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Arjuna asks…
“…the mind is restless,
turbulent, obstinate and very
strong, O Krishna, and to
subdue it is, it seems to me,
more difficult than
controlling the wind.”
“What is the destination
of the man of faith who
does not persevere…”
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Krishna Reveals
Himself
Arjuna says to Krishna:
“You are the original
Personality, the Godhead.
You are the only sanctuary
of this manifested cosmic
world. You know
everything, and You are all
that is knowable.”
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“My dear Krishna, O
Infallible one, my
illusion is now gone. I
have regained my
memory by Your mercy,
and I am now firm and
free from doubt and am
prepared to act according
to Your instruction.”
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The War Begins…
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Krishna of the Puranas
• Myths of ancient times – 1000 CE.
• This material universe is only one of
millions of material universes
• Each is like a bubble created and destroyed
as Vishnu breathes in and out
• Krishna is depicted as a much loved young
cow herder boy
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Four periods in the life of
a Hindu male
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1-25 years a student to a teacher
25-50 house holder stage
50-75 detach from society
75 onward a sannyasin completely detached
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The Guru
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Mantras
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Great
Goddess
Durga
Goddess Durga with
ten arms holding
weapons to vanquish
the demons who
threaten the dharma.
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Goddess
Kali
The black mother Kali,
the destroyer, the divine
in its fierce form. Kali
is the destroyer of evil,
the destruction force
used for transformation.
She cuts away to the
truth.
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Shiva
Lord of
the Dance
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Shiva is one of
the three
aspects of
deity: Brahma
the Creator,
Vishnu the
preserver, and
Shiva the
destroyer.
Vishnu
Vishnu exists as the
Creator and also
within every being as
our soul, our
Supreme. He also
enters or descend to
our world in the form
of Avatar whenever
his presence is
needed.
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Indra King of the Gods
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Contemporary Hindus
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Your Comments…
“Truth or God is One.
Our Real nature is divine.
The purpose of our life is to realize the
One in our own soul.
There are innumerable spiritual paths, all
leading to this realization of divinity.”
Ramakrishna Movement
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