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HINDUISM (CHAPTER 3) There is only one God, but endless are aspects/attrib utes and endless are names. Worship in any aspect that pleases you, you will be sure to experience God. I. INTRODUCTION: TRUTHS Hinduism is the oldest of the world's major religions. It began as a cultural religion, having emerged without a founding prophet. Hindu roots in the Sanskrit “ sindhu” meaning…. Of ficial language: Monism: Concerned with: Remained essentially a cultural religion of South Asia and is more than a faith; it is a way of life. There is no Goal of Hinduism: II. HISTORY A . Background Originated in the region of the Indus Valley in what is today Pakistan, as early as 6,000 B.C.E. Hinduism reached its fullest development in India ( % of Hindus), and spread into Southeast Asia before the advent of Christianity. B. Foundation & Development Personal and family focus There are III. FOUNDATIONAL TEXTS/READING A . The VEDAS considered holy presentations of knowledge ( shruti), perceived by holy men. most ancient religious Hindu text (1500 B.C.E.), and they define the truth. Hindus believe that the texts were received by scholars directly from God and passed onto generations by word of mouth. Made up of four compositions, and each veda in turn has four parts which are arranged chronologically. *Oldest/Most Sacred: *The are the most ancient par t of the Vedas, consisting of hymns of praise to God. *The are rituals and prayer s to guide the priests in their duties. *The concern wor ship and meditation. B. The Hinduism. C. OTHER INFO: consist of the mystical and philosophical teachings of IV. CORE THEOLOGICAL TEACHINGS There is no absolute statement (creed) that all Hindus believe Monism: A. God: One Supreme god, many Hindus believe in a universal eternal soul called , who created and is present in everything. They also worship other deities such as Ram, Shiva, Lakshmi and Hanuman, recognizing different attributes of Brahman in them. Hindus believe that existence is a cycle ( Samsara) of birth, death, and rebirth, governed by the law of Karma. B. Reincarnation is the wheel of rebirth which means the soul is reborn from one life form to another. People may be reincarnated at a People may be reborn as is not final for Hindus as they expect to be reborn many times. There are many ways to God… IMAGES OF BRAHMAN All gods and goddesses are Brahman has Is Transcendent or beyond reach All things in the material/immaterial world are of the one essence that is Brahman Traditionally Brahman is spoken about in 3 forms Brahma is the Creator god Vishnu is the Preserving god Shiva is the Destroying god NOT ONLY MALE FEMALE IMAGES OF BRAHMAN Parvati is the Divine Mother, often representing the goddess Devi or Great Goddess Linked to Shiva Saraswati is the goddess of learning, literature, and music Linked to Brahma Lakshmi is the goddess of prosperity, good fortune, and beauty Linked to Vishnu AVATARS Hinduism does believe Two most popular: Both avatars of Vishnu Krishna is also considered a god Gautama the Buddha is considered to be an avatar of Vishnu THE ULTIMATE RELATIONSHIP: BRAHMAN & ATMAN (ETERNAL SOUL) Brahman cannot be separated from The body + mind + emotions ≠ a person’s real self These are illusions, or maya Only through release from maya can one achieve union with Brahman Both Brahman and atman are elusive and hidden We can only achieve true self-realization through rigorous physical and mental discipline True self-realization is called moksha or liberation from the endless cycle of rebirth Happens once you’ve removed the karmic residue from yourself Life; it’s made up of… 4 Stages of LIFE (Ashramas) Students Households Forest dwellers Wandering ascetics (called sannyasin) V. CORE ETHICAL TEACHINGS A . Samsara Belief in an ongoing migration Ignorance of the Brahman leads the soul to believe in the reality of the temporal, phenomenal world B. : d ete r m i n e s a l l t h e p a r t i c ula r c i r c ums t a nc e s a n d s i t u a t io n s o f o n e ’ s l i fe . 1 . L i f e i s c yc l i ca l a n d d ete r m i n e d b y k a r m a Moral law of cause and effect 2 . D e e d s o f t h e p r ev i o us l i fe d ete r m i n e i d e n t i t y / a c t i o n s 3. 4 . G o o d a c t i o n s m e r i t m i g r a t i o n to a b et te r s i t ua t i o n i n t h e n ex t l i f e 5 . g o d d o e s n ’ t d ete r m i n e yo u r c i rc um s t a n c e s … yo u r ka r m a d o e s C . D h a r m a : et h i c a l d u t y b a s e d o n t h e d i v i n e o r d e r o f r e a l i t y. T h e w o r d i s t h e c l o s e s t e q u i v al e n t to “ r e l i g io n . ” D . C o w Ve n e r a t i o n s : r e p r e s e n t s 3 PATHS TO LIBERATION Called Each is based on Involves particular human Learning The information tendencies rec’d from the outside world Effective means of moving Thinking Internal reflection of what’s been learned closer to the ultimate goal Viewing Seeing from God’s of liberation point of view Path of Action Path of Called Devotion/Emotional Performs right actions for the sake of Brahman; not personal gain Path of Knowledge/Philosophical Called Followed by most Hindus Perception that Brahman is more immanent than transcendent VI. RELIGIOUS PRACTICES A . Calendar, Feasts, Festivals No Festival No universal date Celebrated in the fall Length depends on where you live North celebrates for 5 days, while the south celebrates for 1 Some consider this the start of the new year Celebrates the return of Rama to his kingdom after a 14 year exile People lit lamps to guide him & his friends on their journey Today people decorate with colorful lights and candles Begins at darkness so the lights really shine Also celebrated by Sikhs & Jains B. Public/Communal Wor ship C. Individual Spirituality VII. SACRED PLACES/SPACES Banaras: Holy City Pilgrims come from all over to bathe in the Ganges. Countless Hindus come to Banaras to die. It has 1500 temples, most of them devoted to Shiva. It is a gathering place for the religiously learned and their disciples . River G Sacred to Symbol Ritual bathing power to wash away the karma At death ashes in River Temples Contain images of gods & goddesses Traditionally dedicated to No group services Homes No matter the caste VIII. PERSONAL & SOCIAL (MISC) CASTE SYSTEM: Social order significantly af fects individual identity and one’s dharma One’s ethical duty Provides the standard by which to judge the rightness or wrongness of actions Individuals… 4 levels of the Caste System Brahmin: Kshaatriya: Vaishya: Shudra: Doesn’t stop with 4 levels… but the 5 th group is so low they aren’t mentioned Aprishya or the WOMEN: Traditionally strong patriarchal, obedient to men, trying to change this (practice of sati — burning of a widow) HINDUS & MUSLIMS: Relationship have not always been peaceful IX. IMPT: MOHANDAS GANDHI Mahatma Advocated Efforts to stand up to oppression thru nonviolence & civil disobedience &passive resistance to British rule X. HINDUISM AND CATHOLICISM No one religion can claim knowledge of the absolute truth The ultimate reality (which other s call God) is unknowable If all the truth statements and experiences of the world’s religions were collected, the sum would be close to the Truth but it wouldn’t be the Truth Good interreligious dialogue with Catholics because of the dominance of pover ty and lack of basic human needs that plague India Jesus’ teachings & Beatitudes are attractive He was pure of heart Catholicism respects Hinduism’s encouragement of contemplation of the divine myster y Empathizes with the desire for freedom from the anguish of our human condition We can learn from their asceticism/flight to God with love and trust