Hinduism

World ReligionsChapter 3

There is only one God

But endless are his aspects and endless are his names.

Call him by any name and worship him in any aspect that pleases you,

You are sure to see him. - Shri Ramakrishna

HinduismClaims about 800 million practioners

It is unique among the major world religions

In that it cannot be traced to any specific individual or historical event.

Because of this,

It is seen as having some eternal essence, a religion that has existed forever.

It is the oldest of the living religious traditions

Dating back at least 3,500 years

Hinduism

Is a challenging term because it was not invented by those who practice Hinduism, but was given by outsiders

The name comes from the Indus River

But has gained acceptance by those living in India and practicing Hinduism

Hinduism is not an easily classified

It is not simply a religion in the Western sense like Christianity or Islam

It is a diverse collection of beliefs, traditions, practices, and texts

But this diversity itself reflects the worldview of Hinduism

Diversity is also a hallmark of India, where Hinduism is rooted

India has over 1,000 languages, 20 of which have over 1 million speakers each

The country of India has 18 official languages

Throughout its development,

Hinduism has revealed an inclusive approach: It has tended to stress convergence rather than suppression when encountering other faiths.

Brief history:

1) Indus Valley Civilization

One of the major early cultures of the world, settled along the Indus Valley region in modern day Pakistan

2500 BCE – 1500 BCE

It exceeded, at least geographically, the two other great civilizations – Egypt and

Mesopotamia

Aryan Settlement

A group from the northwest – the Aryans – settles in India.

More likely it was a gradual migration than violent invasion.

The Aryans merge with the existing Indus Valley culture

And contribute to it the main Hindu pantheon and their language – Sanskrit

The Vedic Period

“Veda” comes from a Sanskrit word meaning knowledge

The Vedas were brought by the Aryans as oral tradition

The Vedas are the most ancient of the Hindu sacred scripture

The Rig Veda

Is the oldest and is a collection of 1,028 hymns

“God is one but men call him by many names.”

The wisdom collected in the Vedas

Stretches from writings in the Rig Veda(1200 BCE) to the beginning of the 1st and 2nd century CE

The UpanishadsA collection of writings appended to the Vedas between 800

and 300 BCE

The name Upanishadsmeans “sitting at the feet of

the master”, and the texts are filled with the spiritual advice of the advanced mystics.

The Upanishads set out the principle of reincarnation and the path out of the cycle of birth and death.

The Bhagavad-Gita

An epic poem that has deeply influenced Hindu life and spirituality

In it, the god Krishna imparts to the warrior Arjuna spiritual wisdom in the eve of a crucial battle

Arjuna learns about dharma – what it means to do one’s duty

The Hindu worldviewIt is vital to understand that the Hindu worldview is very

different from the Western worldview

The Goal of Life

Is liberation from the constraints of the human condition

Moksha

Hindus believe in reincarnation

That one is reborn into a new life after death

And Hindus anticipate many lifetimes,

So Hindus do not experience the urgency to get it all right in one lifetime.

Moksha

Is the experience of being reunited with the divine source

It is unlimited joy, being, and knowledge

Brahman

All reality is one thing:

All plants and animals, all material things, all gods and goddesses, and humans – are all from the same essence – Brahman

Brahman

Like all water droplets are from the ocean and will return to the ocean – so are all things from Brahman and will return to Brahman.

Neti, neti

Brahman can only be described by what it is not.

Neti, neti “not this, not that” – is the description given in the Upanishads.

Atman

One can discover Brahman by discovering the ultimate reality in oneself – which is called Atman.

(the best way in the west to understand Atman is to think of the soul)

Brahman is Atman, and Atman is Brahman

One can experience Brahman by

Contemplating the universe,

Or by contemplating the inner self – the Atman.

Polytheism – Points of contact

Human beings need points of contact with the divine.

One reality, many masks

Gods and goddesses are seen as the various masks of GOD, the ways that people can experience the divine.

330 million gods!

Traditionally the number is 330 million – but all are masks of the one GOD – of the one ESSENCE – BRAHMAN

People are free to worship which gods they please

This plethora of gods reflects the diversity of human experience.

Hinduism does not dwell much on

the why of creation

Hinduism sees creation not in a linear way (as in the West) but cyclically.

The nature of the universe is a cycle of birth, destruction, and rebirth

This is a rhythmic pattern that repeats itself over and over.

The universe is created by the God Brahma

It is kept in existence by Vishnu

And destroyed by Shiva

All three gods are necessary for the cycle of existence – even Shiva who prepares the way for new life to come

This pattern plays itself out in human life

Humans are born again and again until they can escape the cycle and be reconnected with Brahman

This wheel of life is called

Samsara

Two principles connect the cycle of life with the divine

• Karma• Dharma

Karma literally means “action” or “deeds”

Every action produces an effect.

Karma is unaffiliated with any god

It has nothing to do with judgment of people or godsBut it is the natural

consequence of an action

It is like the law of gravity - impersonal

Karma so permeates samsara

That ones karma stays with one from one life to the next

Only human beings can affect karma

Other life forms cannot – so being human is a great responsibility and great privilege

In theory, Karma is a wonderful explanation for the things that

happen to a person in his or her life

If one suffers, it is because of bad karma in a previous life

If one thrives in this life, it is because of good karma

Dharma

Means doing ones duty – doing what your life asks of you

Dharma is a complete rule for life

A particular person’s dharma is determined by gender, caste, and stage of life.

CasteThe caste system

seems to have emerged during the Aryan settlement as a way of maintaining social order

All people were divided into hereditary castes

Brahmin – Priests

Kshatriya – warriors

Vaishya – producers (farmers, merchants, artisans)

Shudra – servants and laborers

The originial four castes

were divided and

subdivided over and over

Until over 3,000 categories emerged

An additional category of “outcast” exists

For all those who are deemed outside of the social system

This group includes the “Untouchables” who only recently began to enjoy legal rights due to the work of Gandhi – he renamed them “God’s beloved.”

Karma determines cast identity

And caste identity determines dharma

One’s dharma is also determined by your stage in life

Hinduism sees four stages to life

1) Student

2) Householder

3) Forest Dweller

4) Wandering Ascetic

These four stages mirror the four goals of life

1) Pleasure – Kama2) Success – Artha3) Duty – Dharma4) Release or enlightenment – Moksha

Hinduism offers three paths to liberation

This reflects Hinduism’s appreciation for the diversity within human nature

1) Karma Marga

The path of works

This will be the path of most people

It means to do your ethical duty

Gandhi is the exemplar of this tradition

“I am being led to my religion through Truth and Non-Violence, i.e. love in the broadest sense.

The bearing of this religion on social life is, or has to be, seen in one’s daily social contact. To be true to such religion one has to lose oneself in continuous and continuing service of all life.

Hence for me, there is no escape from social service; there is no happiness on earth beyond or apart from it.”

The path of works succeeds when one does right action

And is able to not identify oneself with the action

“Be intent on the action,

Not on the fruits of the action;

Avoid attraction to the fruits

And attachment to inaction.” - Bhagavad-Gita 2:47

2) Jnana Marga

The Path of Knowledge

This path is intended for those who do well with philosophical reflection

There are several schools of thought within this path

But all three emphasize the basic task:

The attainment of knowledge over the ignorance that binds the self to samsara

Human beings can attain awareness of the fundamental

illusion of existence

That I am an individual – something separate from Brahman, from the entirety of existence

This illusion is referred to as

“maya”

A cosmic illusion

Yoga

Refers to any sort of spiritual practice

It is meant to strip away the layers of false self – to free the eternal self from the bondage of existence

3) Bhakti Marga

The Path of Devotion

Suited for those who naturally favor emotional life

This is the practice of devotion to a deity

There are many popular deities in Hinduism

Some are avatars, or incarnations, of other gods.

Example: Krishna, Rama are avatars of Vishnu

Those following the path of Bhakti Marga

Practice many rituals and devotions

Household rituals

Shrines in the home

Pilgrimages to holy places

Especially the Ganges

Cow veneration

The cow represents all of the life. Protection of the cow, and veneration of them, is a way of caring for all creation

“The cow to me means the entire sub-human world. Man through the cow is enjoined to realize his identity with all that lives… The cow is a poem of pity. One reads pity in the gentle animal. She is the mother to millions of Indian mankind. Protection of the cow means protection of the whole dumb creation of God.”

- Gandhi

Hinduism in the modern world

India is a secular society, and the intersection of Hinduism and the government of a secular state can at times be challenging

Mohandas K. Gandhi

Reverently called Mahatma– great souled

Gandhi was the first modern person

To articulate non-violence as a political strategy and a way of life

– "When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall — think of it, always.“

• "What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy?“

• "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.“

• "There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no causes that I am prepared to kill for.“

Hinduism and Islam

India is the fourth largest Muslim nation

The two faith traditions are extremely different

And this difference was seen in the dividing of colonial India into the two countries of India and Pakistan

Relations between Muslims and Hindus

Are still tense

Hinduism outside India

Hinduism has not had the missionary impulse like Christianity or Islam

However, Hindu wisdom has spread to the west

YogaTranscendental meditation