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HinduismTTT

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HomeworkIn groups of three, decide on a book, movie, comic book, poem, opera etc .that fits the 8 stages of the

monomyth and be prepared to show how the story fits the pattern, and to share with the class. Consider which part of the Hero’s Journey you are living now!

The Hero’s Journey, or the Monomyth’s stages:

First stage: The hero's birth is generally miraculous or unusual in the extreme

The second stage: Childhood and adolescence, also is marked by unusual events.

The third stage:His/her withdrawal stage is usually one of meditation and passivity, a looking into the self and achieving an awareness of one's unique identity or mission.

The fourth stage: Involves labor or a quest.

The fifth stage: Death. The mythic hero thus becomes the scapegoat, enduring death for all humans.

The sixth stage: The hero continues in his/her role as quester and scapegoat as s/he descends to the underworld.

The seventh stage: Resurrection, the return of the hero from the underworld.

The eighth stage: The true uniqueness of the hero is made manifest. The hero transcends his/her role as "Everyperson," as humanity's representative, and becomes more than human; that is, s/he becomes divine.

Hinduism in Asia

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Harrapa and Lothal

Indus

Punjab, 3,300 BCE Gujarat, 2,600 BCE

Hindu Creation Story

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The Vedas- The Earliest Sacred Texts

The Gayatri Mantra

Aum (the primordial creative sound),

Bhu Bhuvah Svah (the three worlds: earth, atmosphere and heaven),

Tat Savitur Varenyum, BhargDevasyah dheemahe (adoration of

the glory, splendor and the grace that radiate from the Divine Light that illuminates the three worlds)

Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat (a prayer for liberation through awakening of the light of the universal intelligence).

Youtube Gayatri Mantra Enigma

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Gayatri Mantra

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Veda, divinely inspired knowledge

Who remembers the root of the word veda? (vid, which means to know-- god-given, supreme knowledge).

Veda is divinely inspired knowledge-- what other holy books in the world are considered veda?

In Indian literature there are two types: sruti and smrti. The Vedic corpus are considered sruti, or that which is "directly heard,” or divinely revealed. The smrti came after, is not divine, but contains stories that teach people dharma, or righteous behavior.

The Veda are sacred because the teachings have been directly revealed to seers or rishis, who memorized them orally for future generations.

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The Rig Veda

The Rig-Veda is a collection of over1,000 hymns containing the mythology of the Hindu gods, and is one of the foundations of the Hindu religion. The Rig is the oldest of the Vedas.

The Rig Veda was written by the Aryans who entered the Indus Valley toward the end of the Harappan Civilization. They wrote this Veda between 1300 and 1000 BC, during the period of the Aryan migrations, though the hymns were developing before the Aryans arrived around 2000 B.C.

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The Rig VedaThe Rig Veda’s hymns includes praises, blessings,

sacrifices, and curses.  They are the major way in which the Aryan people praised their gods.  The subject of the hymns is the personification of the powers of nature.  The hymns are written in poetic form:

“Worthy is Agni to be praised as living by ancient seers. He shall bring the Gods. Through Agni man obtains wealth, plenty waxing day by day, Most rich in heroes, glorious. Agni, the perfect sacrifice which you encompass about goes to the Gods.”

“Beautiful Vayu, come, for you these Soma drops have been prepared: Drink them, hear our call. With Soma juice poured forth, the singers glorify you, Vayu, with their hymns of praise. These, Indra-Vayu, have been poured; come for our offered delicacies sake: The drops are yearning for you both.

The universe is created through sacrifice and sacrifice sustains the divine order.

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The Vedas

Samhitas: Hymns of praise in worship of deities.

Brahmanas: directions on how to properly perform the ritual sacrifices to the deities.

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The Vedas

Aranakyas: The philosophical treatises written by the forest sages who meditated and lived in the forest as hermits.

The Vedas

Yajur Veda Chants for sacrifice

Sama Veda Musical elaborations of

chants

The Upanishads: The philosophical Veda

Upanishad means ‘sitting near the spiritual master’. Sanskrit: upa-(nearby), ni- (at the proper place) and sad (to sit).

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The message of the Upanishads

The holy men, rishis, taught thatbodily senses are made for looking outward; the eyes, ears, noseTongue and skin are enticed bysensory pleasures. Ultimately,

thesepleasures are fleeting, notlasting, impermanent.

They pass away and a person dies,never having experienced what is

of greater value because it is infiniteand everlasting. The rishis taughtTheir pupils to turn their attention inside, and to discover atranscendent reality from within.

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The Upanishads: The study of consciousness

Techniques for altering consciousness were developed: sitting for long meditations, breathing deeply, fasting, avoiding sexual activity, practicing long periods of silence, going without sleep, experimenting with psychedelic plants, and living in the darkness of caves.

The Upanishad’s Concepts: Brahman

Brahman: a divine reality at the heart of things, the Supreme Spirit. The God who appears in forms infinite.

Brahman is sat, reality itself; chit, pure consciousness; and ananda, bliss.

Brahman can be experienced within our everyday world of time and space, yet Brahman is ultimately beyond time and beyond space. What other traditions have similar concepts?

The Upanishads say experiencing the timelessness of Brahman can bring an end to everyday suffering and to the fear of death.

Carl Sagan Hindu Cosmology 3:48

Carl Sagan on Hindu Cosmology

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The Upanishad’s Concepts: Atman

Atman: the “deepest self” within the core of each human. Atman is Brahman within each person. Tat Tvam Asi (You are that!)

Atman is not the individual soul, rather each person is a divine reality, a divine spirit, that everything shares.

The Upanishads teach it is true to say that ‘I am God’ because, for the person who understands reality at the deepest level, everything is God.

Atman, when experienced fully, is identical with Brahman. Atman, like Brahman, is divine, holy, and timeless.Sacrifice internalized

The Upanishad’s Concepts: Samsara & Moksha

Samsara: The wheel of life and the circle of constant rebirth.

Moksha: Liberation from the wheel, absolute merging with Brahman, no more reincarnations.

The everyday world is full of change as well as struggle and suffering, to Hindus, endless rebirth is not seen as desirable

Shepard,S. The Wheel of Life, Trongsa [Photogrpah] Retrieved March 23, 2012 from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_wheel_of_life,_Trongsa_dzong.jpg#globalusage

The Upanishad’s concepts: Karma and Maya

Karma: Moral law of cause and effect, a belief that every action has anautomatic moral consequence.

Maya: The everyday world that is both illusory and mysterious. Magical matter: always changing, shifting, non-permanent. Maya can be a self-generated trap for those who think this everyday reality is all there is…..

Definition game

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In answer to the eternal question "What happens when we die?" the rishis answer that the soul leaves the body and enters a new one.

This process is compared to shedding old clothes and putting on new ones, one reincarnates again and again in countless bodies-maybe even as an animal or other life form--but the self remains the same.

Hindus see birth as a human being as a precious opportunity for the soul to advance toward its ultimate goal of liberation from rebirth and merging with Absolute reality-Brahman.

The Upanishad’s concepts: Reincarnation

Chandogya Upanishad

Uddalaka asked his son to fill a glass with water, put salt in it, and leave it overnight. The next day he asked his son to find the salt:

“Bring me the salt you put into the water last night.”Shvetaketu looked into the water, but could not find it, for it had dissolved.His father then said: “Taste the water from this side. How is it?”“It is salt [salty].”“Taste it from the middle. How is it?”“It is salt.”“Taste it from that side. How is it?”“It is salt.”“Look for the salt again and come again to me.”The son did so, saying: “I cannot see the salt. I only see water.”The father then said: “In the same way, O my son, you cannot see the Spirit.But in truth he is here.An invisible and subtle essence is the Spirit of the whole universe. That is Reality. That is Truth. Thou art That.

Hindu ConceptsHandout #1

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What does the term henotheism mean?

Hindus worship the ishta, or form of God, that they feel closest to.

The ishta of God allows the believer to form an emotional relationship with God. Do you think it’s easier to envision a God with form, or God as energy?

Hindus have a lot of forms of God to choose from!

Deity Presentations

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Hinduism II

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Homework QuestionsQuestions from the Katha Upanishad:

1.In chapter XX, Yama tells us how we need to be as humans in order to perceive Atman. Describe this in your own words.

2. Describe what Yama is talking about when he says, ‘Realizing the true nature of the Self ‘ affects how a person views his or her body and death. (Chapter XXII)

3. What do you think ‘direct perception’ of God means—Yama says it’s possible for those who are ‘pure in heart and spiritually awakened. What role does ‘longing for God’ play in this perception, according to Yama? (Chapter XXIII)

Questions From The Bhagavad-Gita

1.In stanza 5 what does Krishna say about existence?

2. In stanza 6 Krishna compares the Atman's journey to what? What is impermanent?

3. In stanza 7 who, according to Krishna, is 'fit for immortality?'

4. In stanza 11 what is another name for the 'ancient one' and what are its qualities?

5. What is reincarnation like according to stanza 12?

6. Why, according to Krishna in stanzas 12 & 13, should we not mourn?

7. How could the Gita be read as a text that supports the roles of caste and duty? As a text that views caste as non-essential? (This question points out the fact that any sacred text can be interpreted many ways, and the interpretation often reveals an agenda!)

Essential Teachings of HinduismGod is one and many.

The many gods are all manifestations of the supreme Brahman, which is pure consciousness and pervades all things.

God is manifest in nature.

Realization that the soul or atman is one with God is the basis of enlightenment.

© Oxford University Press

Essential Teachings of HinduismKarma: law of cause and effect

Samsara: endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth, reincarnation

Moksha: liberation from samsara through realization that God is all things

Renunciation: giving up attachment purifies oneself and helps one realize the true relationship between the soul and God

© Oxford University Press

Hinduism as a Way of Life Diverse forms of worship:• Darshan: seeing and being seen by the divine• Puja: arati• mantra

Yoga

Samsaras: rites of passage

Pilgrimage

Festivals & Holidays

Performance Traditions

© Oxford University Press

History of Hinduism:Rise of Theistic Hinduism

Informed by epics and puranas

Bhakti• devotional poetry• temple and icon worship• sectarian affiliation

Theistic Hinduism

Main Hindu Sects: Vaishnava: Worship of Vishnu

Shaiva: Worship of Shiva

Shakta: Worship of the Goddess (Shakti)

Hindu Worship

Hindu women are responsible for the spiritual well being of their families, and they often visit the temple daily where they bring a tray with offerings. They perform aarthi by lighting alamp and illuminating the deity.

They give offerings of flowers and food to the god or goddess.

After the food is blessed, the priest distributes the food to the faithful and they eat it (Prasad.)

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From Reel to Real: Santoshi Ma

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Hindu women also worship at sacred natural places--a ritual is being performed around a banyan tree, for their husband’s long life.

Hindu men worship in temples and sacred natural places, too!

Priests at the Maha Khumb Mela, where the Ganges and Godavri rivers meet. 70 million people attended in 2004, the event happens every 144 years!

Film clip ‘Aarti for Ganga’

Hindu Worship

The Hindu Gods

Henotheistic: Hindus

say there is only one God

(called Brahman), in

order to have a personal

relationship they choose

one specific deity as a

representative.

Hindus have a trinitarian

vision of God: The

Trimurti (three faces) are

Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva.Hinduism and Universe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBGMlQF-

YJ8

Hindu Cosmology Carl Sagan

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Brahma—the creator of the world, rarely worshipped individually (His work is done!)

Brahma

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Vishnu

The preserver of the world, sometimes worshipped individually. Vishnu keeps things balanced and in order.

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Shiva

The destroyer of the world, often worshipped individually. Hindus don’t consider destruction negative; some things must cease to make room for new things to be born. He is also a raja yogi: the energy he generates through his concentration causes a river to run from the Himalayas (his home) to the plains.

Kali

An ancient goddess, her name means ‘time.’ She is associated with Shiva, and is known as a devouring goddess.

At the end of things, it is Kāla [Time] Who will devour everything, and Shiva, the destroyer, is called Mahākāla and since You, Kali, devour Mahākāla Himself, it is You who are the Supreme Primordial Kālika.

Because you devour Kāla, You are Kāli, the original form of all things, and because You are the Origin of and devourer of all things You are called the Adya [the Primordial One].-Mahanirvana-tantra

In Vedic times, Kali was the goddess of the battlefield, drinking the blood of the warriors.

Her deeper meaning is related to the fact that all things born must die—no matter how important a person may be in life, she or he will die.

Kali reminds us that this life will require us to sacrifice ourselves. What kind of sacrifice will we be?

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The Ramayana

Prince Rama is the ideal Indian man. When his father dies, Rama’s stepbrother steals the throne from Rama & banishes him to the forest. His wife Sita and best friend Lakshman go with him.

Rama & Lakshman go hunting, telling Sita to stay within a protective magic circle. Sita sees a beautiful golden deer & leaves the circle.

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India’s Epics:The Ramayana

The deer is really Ravanna, the demon god, who wants Sita for his wife. He kidnaps Sita & brings her to Lanka, his demon island.

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The Ramayana

Rama, Lakshman and Hanuman, the monkey-god with his monkey army, save Sita.

Sita Sings The Blues, http://www.youtube.com/watchannotation_id=annotation_952203&feature=iv&src_vid=PfS2p1vFics&v=f8LvBnz7oRA

Sita Sings The Blues

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India’s Epics: The Mahabharata

The most famous chapter of the epic is the Bhagavad Gita (The Lord’s Song)

A great battle is about to be fought on the field of Kurukushetra.

Arjuna, the hero, a prince and warrior, arrives at the battlefield and gazes at the enemy—many of whom he knows.

He falters & cannot begin the battle. Krishna, the Hindu god, is his charioteer & explains that it is Arjuna’s duty to fight.

How could we view the field and guidance of God metaphorically?

Retrieved on March 21 from:http://mythos.50megs.com/hindulinks.htmlchapter

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The Bhagavadgita, The Song of the Lord

The god Krishna explains karma yoga to Arjuna. He tells Arjuna he must act, but not be attached to the fruits of his actions, he must fulfill his duty as a warrior and fight for good to triumph over evil.

Krishna reveals his divine form to Arjuna on the battlefield. As he does, Arjuna sees the whole universe subdivided into many worlds, but united into one in the Body of the Highest Deity.

Krishna Showing Viraat Swaroop to Arjuna http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Deib3aK7ktM

Krishna Reveals his Divine Form

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The Caste System

The division of society into social classes according to birth or occupation. The Vedas say that when the divine Purusha was sacrificed to make the universe, different parts of his body became different castes.

Priest: Brahmin

Warrior/Noble: Kshatriya

Merchant: Vaishya

Peasant: Shudra

Untouchable: Dalit

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Do We Have a Caste System?

Handout 1

In Hinduism, the division of society into social classes is according to birth or occupation.

Do we have similar divisions in the US?

What kinds of divisions does our society make along these lines?

Are these divisions changing?

Discuss how you describe class in America by occupation and birth.

If you are from another country, inform your partners about class divisions in your culture.

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The problem of caste

Is there any society on earth that is classless?

Who benefits from caste? Did the colonists benefit?

Has there been any political response to caste?

Ambedkhar: 14th child of ‘untouchable’ family, 1st to attend Indian university, attended Columbia, the London School of Economics, became lawyer, founded the Independent Labour Party.

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The Yogas

Paths to union with God (Yoga= ‘to yoke together’—humans and God)

Jnana yoga: The way of knowledge

Karma yoga: The way of action or deeds

Raja yoga: the direct personal experience of the God within using mental and physical practices

Bhakti yoga: The way of devotion

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Jnana Yoga: the Yoga of Knowledge

For those with a reflective personality whose thoughts can transform their lives.

The greatest teacher of Vedanta, Shankara (c. 788–820 CE), argued that everything is ultimately one—all is Brahman. He said: “Brahman is that one Reality which appears to our ignorance as a manifold universe of names and forms and changes. Like the gold of which many ornaments are made, it remains in itself unchanged. Such is Brahman, and ‘That art Thou.’ Meditate upon this truth."

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Jnana Yoga and the Jnana Mudra of knowledge

Jnana Yoga practice has 3 stages designed to convince a person they are more than just their ego:

1:Hearing sages & studying scriptures.

2: Prolonged, intensive reflection.

3: Shifting self-identity from ego to God.

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Karma Yoga: the Yoga of Action

For people who like to actively do useful work. Karma Yoga says work done unselfishly, without attachment to its rewards, can be a way to perfection. ‘Selfless Service’ is the karma yogi’s way.

Every act that is done selflessly lessens my self-centeredness until nothing separates me from the divine. The Bhagavad Gita says, “he who performs his task dictated by duty, caring nothing for the fruit of the action, he is a yogi.”

Karma Yoga practices:

Emotional people work for God’s sake rather than their own; work as service to God.

Reflective people work with detachment to the rewards of work so they don’t inflate their ego.

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Bhakti Yoga: The Yoga of Devotion

Bhakti yoga directs towards God the love that lies at the base of every heart.

“As the waters of the Ganges flow incessantly to the ocean,” says God in the Bhagavata Purana, “so do the minds of the bhakta move constantly toward Me, the Supreme Person residing in every heart, when they hear about My qualities.”Bhaktic Practices:

Japam: Repeating God’s name. “Keep the name of the Lord spinning in the midst of all your activities.”Ringing the changes of love: using all modes of love; parent-child, romantic, & friendship as a way to love God.

Ishta: loving God in the form of one’s ideal; Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, etc.

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Raja Yoga: The Yoga of Experiment

Raja yoga aims at the direct personal experience of the God within using mental and physical practices in a 6 step program:1: Putting personal life in order & making relationships harmonious.2: Abstaining from injury, lying, sensuality, stealing, and greed.3: Yogi sits in lotus position. 4: Master breathing techniques to focus awareness. 5: Skillful concentration of the mind (meditation).6: Deep meditation.

“When all the senses are stilled, when the mind is at rest, when the intellect wavers not—that, say the wise, is the highest state.”Katha Upanishad

Handout 2

 Activity: Yoga interviews and census. Directions: Decide which Yoga is most suited to you: Karma, Bhakti, Jnana or Raja. Find at least 2 other people in class who have the same yogic tendency (groups of 3-4 would

be best).  Discuss why you all feel you are this kind of yogi, and create a group poster. The poster’s

details should include a group definition of your kind of yogi, and cover aspects of your practice (what you actually do that shows you are this kind of yogi) and aspects of your personalities (what are your tendencies—extrovert or introvert, etc.?)

 Present your information to the class. (Be sure each person speaks during the presentation so

that each person earns participation points!)  

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Gandhi

Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi dedicated his life to seeking Indian independence from Britain. He was repeatedly imprisoned, but insisted his

followers practice nonviolence (ahimsa). Gandhi felt ahimsa gave moral power to its adherents

and it could sway cruel, thoughtless, and violent people.

This power satyagraha (“soul force,” or “holding onto truth”) was the basis of nonviolent

techniques: marches, hunger strikes, talks, demonstrations..

Gandhi argued that violence only begets further violence and brutalizes those who are violent,

whereas nonviolence begets admiration, spiritual greatness, and ultimate freedom.

Dr. MLK King studied Gandhian thought and action, adapting it for the civil rights movement.

Gandhi (1982): Protest speech http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hS1YWtalPY

Gandhi’s Protest Speech

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Hinduism in the Modern Era

Colonial Critique & Hindu Reformers

Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Interfaith Dialogue & the 1893 World Parliament of Religion in Chicago

Hindutva, Hindu Nationalism & the destruction of the Babri Masjid (mosque) in 1991

© Oxford University Press

What Is Ultimate Reality?• Most Hindus believe that deity both pervades and

transcends all of creation. Thus all things are in God and inherently divine. Humans are unable to apprehend this ultimate reality because of attachment, delusion, and identification with the limited ego-self.

• Maya, the illusory or magical power of God, conceals the underlying oneness of things or the intimate eternal relationship of all things with God or Brahman.

• A deeper understanding of the true nature of the world ultimately culminates in reunion with Brahman and the further expansion of the divine consciousness itself.

How Should We Live in This World?

• All Hindus believe in the atman, the eternal, undying soul, which transmigrates/reincarnates upon death.

• The nature of one’s experience both in this life and in future lifetimes is determined by the result of one’s actions.

• The human birth is seen as particularly useful for the purpose of quickening the spiritual evolution toward the ultimate attainment of enlightenment (moksha) as it is neither too pleasurable nor too painful.

• Human existence offers the ideal place to see the mystery of action (karma) and to transcend it either through using the powers of discrimination to disassociate with the temporal phenomenal self and identify with Brahman, the absolute self, or through an act of devotion to surrender the individual ego-self to god and relinquish the fruits of action.

What Is Our Ultimate Purpose?

• While most Hindus believe in the illusory nature of material existence, they differ on its purpose or reason. For instance, some Hindu sects consider the illusory nature of the world to be a result of divine play. Some don’t presume to know God’s intention but simply relish the unfolding of life in all its magnitude as God’s divine performance. On the other hand, some sects regard illusion as a simple result of ignorance, which is itself born from the attachment to the senses and the sense objects.

• The purpose of life is to achieve moksha or enlightenment. For some this is described as complete union with God or Brahman and is usually attained through relinquishing identification with the limited phenomenal self that is attached to sensory objects and thinks itself the agent of action.

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