REL 101: R Discussions Friends Who Are Hindus – Cross-Cultural And

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REL 101: R Discussions Friends Who Are Hindus – Cross-Cultural And REL 101: RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD Discussions Friends who are Hindus – cross-cultural and experience of another religion. Introducing Hinduism Demographics 3rd largest religion in world. Just over 1 billion adherents. Located principally in South Asia. Nepal has 80% Hindu population. Only officially Hindu nation. About 2 million Hindus live in USA. (less than 1%) . Hindu centers. Highly educated community in USA. Current Hindu World View Cyclical view of history and life. Some in West take on some Hindu ideas, but not like Hinduism. Four ages that time passes through. Four Yugas. Found in the writings called the Puranas. Progressive deterioration – dharma is forgotten. We are in the 4th age – Kali Yuga. Mahabharata marks onset of the Kali Yuga. The Ramayana happened in the 3rd age. Theory of expansion and contraction of the universe. Big Bounce Samsara (cycle of birth, death, rebirth) Prothero p136ff & discusses this under philosophical Hinduism p144ff. Not understood as something to be celebrated. The problem. Goal is to escape it. REL 101: RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD Can be reborn as an animal, in hell, in heaven, etc. Atman as animal, human, etc. Mostly in the Puranas. Karma (action) determines rebirth. Atman (soul, or self) That part of the person that is essential to be that person. That which is re-born. Brahman (ultimate being) Pervades and transcends the universe. Cannot be described. Unity between the Brahman and atman. Salt dissolving in water. Questions! What do Samsara, Brahman and Atman say about Hindu understandings of Humanity? About the relationship of humanity to the natural world? Animals? Karma (action) Prothero views as developed first in Vedic religion. Karma is not the result of actions (how it is used in the West). Karma is the actions that will eventually produce a result/effect. Phala is the fruit of the actions (i.e. the result/effect). Physical, mental, emotional, psychological, ritual karma. Your actions (karma) in this life will influence how you are re-born in the next. Moksha (liberation) The goal. The solution. To escape and be liberated from the ‘eternal’ cycle of samsara. One of the Four Aims of Life. REL 101: RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD Prothero’s system Problem: Samsara Goal: Moksha Technique/means: Yogas Examplars: Sadhus, Devoted, Hindu diversity What are some ways that Hinduism is diverse? (p 134-135) Yoga (union/discipline) (SHOW the PPT on Yogas thru Bakhti not the videos) Disciplines. Ways/methods/techniques of obtaining Moksha. Hatha Yoga (yoga of force). Discipline and perfect the body and mind. Esoteric practices. (enemas, magic, etc.) . Hatha Yoga courses at JMU. Karma Yoga. Discipline of correct actions. For Everyone, because everyone must have correct actions. Dharma All-encompassing ideology. Ritual and moral behavior. Law, order, duty, principle, ethics, justice, etc. Dependent somewhat upon one’s varna. Neglect of dharma has bad personal and social consequences. Jnana Yoga. (144-150) . Discipline of knowledge. (gnosis) . Moksha is found through true knowledge of reality, the absolute (Brahman). Truly knowing that the atman and the Brahman are one. REL 101: RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD Maya = illusion; know the real . Especially important in the Upanishads. Taking this path of wisdom means that one’s life Must express the truth of this principle. Live as if no individual self is separate from the rest of reality. Renunciation: giving up attachment Sannyasin, sadhu, etc Truth is within oneself. Bhakti Yoga. (150-164) . Discipline of loving devotion to God or Goddess. Choose your God with whom you establish a loving relationship. Choice most often comes via your context: Region, social, caste, family, etc. Moksha comes through the grace of God, the loving relationship established with the God/Goddess. These are NOT mutually exclusive! . Beginning of temples in southern India. Bhagavad Gita. Devotion to Krishna. Darshan – seeing and being seen by the God. Puja – making offerings to the God. (SHOW Videos) (157-159) Pouring milk. Food offerings. Placing flowers. Using candles and incense Aarti (Sense8 33:08 – 35:37) PW=Jordan90 Questions! . Which of the 4 yoga do you find most appealing? . Why? REL 101: RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD Gods of Hinduism (pp 153-157) Ganesha . Overcome obstacles . Prosperity, new adventures . Local restaurants . Very popular Shiva . Parvati, his wife . Ascetic – sitting cross-legged in Himalayas. Dancing Shiva – energy, creation and destruction. Vishnu . Lakshmi, his wife . Creator and destroyer. Ten Avatars, who come in earth’s darkest times to help. Rama, the 7th avatar of Vishnu Krishna, the 8th avatar of Vishnu Brahma . Sarasvati, his wife Durga . Wife of Shiva. Devi – worship of the Goddess. Paradox Erotic, but detached. Gentile, but heroic. Beautiful, but terrifying. Local goddesses and sankritization. Kali . Standing on Shiva. Wife of Shiva. Personification of Durga’s anger. REL 101: RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD . Anti-status quo element. Symbols . Many arms. An artistic way to depict the many qualities/powers of the gods; they hold items to show these qualities. Feminine appearance. The idea is to show them with very youthful appearance. Blue color. Represents infinity of the sky. Sometimes as living gods – humans take the form of gods! History and Hinduism Where? What? Who? No founder. Multiple influences. Multiple forms. Prothero uses metaphor of rock formation with layers (p 138) Metaphor of a River. Draw on board!!!! Sankritization! . Various ethnic groups and their gods and religious systems are incorporated thru Sanskritization. Challenges to Brahmin-Kshatriya control are incorporated thru Sanskritization. Many streams and rivers converge over time to form Hinduism. Three principle sources of the river! Indus River Valley Civilization (2800 – 1600 BCE) . Rivals Nile, Tigris-Euphrates, Greece, China, etc. Modern day Pakistan and northwestern India. Writing not deciphered. REL 101: RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD . Hints of links to Vedic religion. Dravidian (?) . Indigenous to India? . Migrants? . Linguistically different from Sanskrit and Indo-European. Aryan nomadic groups (2000 – 1300 BCE) . Migration or Invasion? . A people? An idea? What? . Sanskrit language. (Indo-European) Metaphor of banyan tree. Putting down new roots and expanding the tree (1) Vedic Religion (pp 140-143) The Vedas. Written in Sanskrit . The primary Shruti (inspired/revealed) scriptures. Shruti (heard) Without historical context. Inspired, untranslatable, purity, etc. There are 4 Vedas (Rig Veda) . Hymns, instructions for performing rites, spells, etc. 1300 – 900 BCE . Oral text for thousand years. Story of memorization. Explains sacrificial rites, origins, gods, etc. Horse sacrifice (install rulers) Agni – god of fire. The cosmos, the rites and the . Purusha human are held together. Traces still exist Sacrifice maintains the order. Fire pits in temples Nepal sacrifices REL 101: RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD Karma Yoga. Prothero associates Karma Yoga with Vedic Religion (2) Philosophical Hinduism (pp 144-150) Upanishads . More philosophically oriented texts. Ideas of cycle of rebirth and escape (samsara & moksha) . 600 – 200 BCE. Buddhism and Jain (7th to 5th C BCE) . Incorporation, reformulation and reaction. Jain – meditation and renunciation. Mahavira Buddhism – meditation and renunciation. Vedic system would not accept rejection of caste. Asceticism becomes important aspect of Hinduism Meditation becomes important Jnana yoga. (3) Devotional Hinduism (pp 150-164) Bhakti yoga. Loving devotion to a God or Goddess. Smriti (remembered) . Written by human beings. Can be translated. Epics. Mahabharata. (159-162) . Ramayana. (video) (162-164) Puranas. Devotional stories about the Gods/Goddesses. (bhakti) (videos) . Also: law codes, genealogies, cosmologies, guide to ritual and pilgrimage. Promotes the warrior/ruler groups. REL 101: RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD Sutras (sort of like commentaries – further explanations). Laws of Manu. Spell out more detailed rule of proper behavior, caste, etc. Kama Sutra. Kama is the God of love and desire. The text challenges structures of purity. Brahma Sutra, Yoga Sutra, etc. Muslim Empires . Hindu kingdoms in the south. Bakhti becomes stronger and integral part of Hinduism. Monotheism? (4) Modern Hinduism (pp 164-168) British Colonialism. Savage or civilized? . Re-discovering ancient texts. Printing presses. Reacting to scriptural religions. Creation of “Hinduism”. Somewhat as Prothero says, Umbrella for Indian practices . Intellectual defense of Hinduism. Various reform movements Ram Mohan Roy, Ramakrishna, Vivekanada India as a nation. More uniformity of religion and texts through media. Publishing. TV and film. Hindu nationalism – Hindutva. Lord Rama. Political parties Destroying buildings of other religions. REL 101: RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD (5) Tantra. Very much in opposition to the status quo. Superior to the Vedas by followers. Therefore, opposing scripture. Challenges traditional notions of purity. Secretive aspect. Erotic and antinomian. Low-caste groups. Temple prostitution – sexual relations between castes (outside norms). Cremation grounds. Ashes and skulls. Ecstatic. Animal sacrifice (i.e. non-vegetarian). Alcohol and sexual fluids. Gaining spiritual power. Sankritization. Moderated practices by Brahmins. Symbolic understanding. The Four Stages of Life (ashrama) Celibate student. Not really consecutive stages. Learning
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