1. World Religions Chapter 3
Hinduism
World Religions
Chapter 3

2. 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

3. Hinduism
Claims about 800 million practioners

4. It is unique among the major world religions
In that it cannot be traced to any specific individual or historical event.

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

6. It is the oldest of the living religious traditions
Dating back at least 3,500 years

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

8. The name comes from the Indus River
But has gained acceptance by those living in India and practicing Hinduism

9. Hinduism is not an easily classified
It is not simply a religion in the Western sense like Christianity or Islam

10. It is a diverse collection of beliefs, traditions, practices, and texts
But this diversity itself reflects the worldview of Hinduism

11. 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

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

13. Brief history: 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

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

15. Aryan Settlement
A group from the northwest – the Aryans – settles in India.
More likely it was a gradual migration than violent invasion.

16. The Aryans merge with the existing Indus Valley culture
And contribute to it the main Hindu pantheon and their language – Sanskrit

17. 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

18. The Rig Veda Is the oldest and is a collection of 1,028 hymns
“God is one but men call him by many names.”

19. 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

20. The Upanishads
A collection of writings appended to the Vedas between 800 and 300 BCE

21. The name Upanishads
means “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.

22. 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

23. The Hindu worldview
It is vital to understand that the Hindu worldview is very different from the Western worldview

24. The Goal of Life
Is liberation from the constraints of the human condition
Moksha

25. 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.

26. Moksha Is the experience of being reunited with the divine source
It is unlimited joy, being, and knowledge

27. 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

28. 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.

29. 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.

30. 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

31. One can experience Brahman by
Contemplating the universe,
Or by contemplating the inner self – the Atman.

32. Polytheism – Points of contact
Human beings need points of contact with the divine.

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

34. 330 million gods!
Traditionally the number is 330 million – but all are masks of the one GOD – of the one ESSENCE – BRAHMAN

35. People are free to worship which gods they please
This plethora of gods reflects the diversity of human experience.

36. Hinduism does not dwell much on the why of creation
Hinduism sees creation not in a linear way (as in the West) but cyclically.

37. The nature of the universe is a cycle of birth, destruction, and rebirth
This is a rhythmic pattern that repeats itself over and over.

38. The universe is created by the God Brahma

39. It is kept in existence by Vishnu

40. 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

41. 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

42. This wheel of life is called
Samsara

43. Two principles connect the cycle of life with the divine
Karma
Dharma

44. Karma literally means “action” or “deeds”
Every action produces an effect.

45. Karma is unaffiliated with any god
It has nothing to do with judgment of people or gods
But it is the natural consequence of an action
It is like the law of gravity - impersonal

46. Karma so permeates samsara
That ones karma stays with one from one life to the next

47. Only human beings can affect karma
Other life forms cannot – so being human is a great responsibility and great privilege

48. 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

49. Dharma
Means doing ones duty – doing what your life asks of you

50. Dharma is a complete rule for life
A particular person’s dharma is determined by gender, caste, and stage of life.

51. Caste
The caste system seems to have emerged during the Aryan settlement as a way of maintaining social order

52. All people were divided into hereditary castes
Brahmin – Priests

53. Kshatriya – warriors

54. Vaishya – producers (farmers, merchants, artisans)

55. Shudra – servants and laborers

56. The originial four castes were divided and subdivided over and over
Until over 3,000 categories emerged

57. 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.”

58. Karma determines cast identity
And caste identity determines dharma

59. One’s dharma is also determined by your stage in life
Hinduism sees four stages to life
Student
Householder
Forest Dweller
Wandering Ascetic

60. These four stages mirror the four goals of life
Pleasure – Kama
Success – Artha
Duty – Dharma
Release or enlightenment – Moksha

61. Hinduism offers three paths to liberation
This reflects Hinduism’s appreciation for the diversity within human nature

62. 1) Karma Marga
The path of works

63. This will be the path of most people
It means to do your ethical duty

64. 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.”

65. 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

66. 2) Jnana Marga The Path of Knowledge
This path is intended for those who do well with philosophical reflection

67. 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

68. 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

69. This illusion is referred to as “maya”
A cosmic illusion

70. 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

71. 3) Bhakti Marga The Path of Devotion
Suited for those who naturally favor emotional life

72. 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

73. Those following the path of Bhakti Marga
Practice many rituals and devotions

74. Household rituals
Shrines in the home

75. Pilgrimages to holy places
Especially the Ganges

76. 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

77. “The cow to me means the entire sub-human world
“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

78. 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

79. Mohandas K. Gandhi
Reverently called Mahatma– great souled

80. Gandhi was the first modern person
To articulate non-violence as a political strategy and a way of life

81. "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.“

82. "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?“

83. "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.“

84. Hinduism and Islam
India is the fourth largest Muslim nation

85. 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

86. Relations between Muslims and Hindus
Are still tense

87. Hinduism outside India
Hinduism has not had the missionary impulse like Christianity or Islam

88. However, Hindu wisdom has spread to the west
Yoga
Transcendental meditation