CHAPTER 9: Eastern Peoples & Eastern Religions

Columbian Exposition 1893 in Chicago World’s Parliament of Religion o Swami Vivekananda o Anagarika Dharmapala o Soyen Shaku

Asian Exclusion harassment & discrimination immigration laws o 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act o 1907 Gentlemen’s Agreement o 1924 Oriental Exclusion Act Japanese internment camps

Looking from Europe & the East Coast of the U.S. Nearer East – Eastern Orthodoxy Middle East – Islam & Baha’i Farther East – Hinduism & Buddhism

Eastern Orthodoxy in America Russian Orthodox o earliest to arrive Greek Orthodox o largest branch in America other national churches e.g.) Romanian, Serbian

Eastern Orthodox Churches “right religion” patriarchates: Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem autocephalous churches autonomous churches

Eastern Orthodox Practice Divine Liturgy Hesychasm Icons o point of connection to sacred o 8 th- & 9 th -century controversy

Eastern-Western Split within Christianity opposed primacy of Roman Pope o “filioque” controversy Pope excommunicated Bishop of Constantinople 4 th Crusade in Constantinople

Islam in America Muslim slaves African American Muslims o Nation of Islam Arab & European Muslim immigrants Immigration Act of 1965

Religion of Islam Muhammad Allah Qur’an umma jihad

Pillars of Islam 1)confession of faith 2)prayer 5x a day 3)alms 4)fast during Ramadan 5)hajj

Forms of Islam Sunni – caliphs Shiite – imams o line of Ali o await the Mahdi Sufi – sheikhs o mysticism

Developments in America mosques as Islamic centers Muslim Students Association Islamic Society of North America September 11 th, 2001

Baha’i “completes” previous religions Baha’u’llah age of universal unity & peace equality & reverence for living things forbids partisan politics

Hindu Religion religions of India Brahman & Atman monism polytheism puja

Yoga “union & the discipline to achieve it” 3 broad paths to the divine o bhakti o karma o jnana Hatha yoga

Early Export Forms of Hinduism Vedanta Society o Vivekananda o raja yoga Self-Realization Fellowship o Yogananda o kriya yoga

Later Export Forms of Hinduism Transcendental Meditation o Maharishi Mahesh Yogi ISKCON o “Hare Krishnas” o A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Post-1965 Hinduism temple culture o ecumenical guru culture

Buddhism Siddhartha Gautama Four Noble Truths Eightfold (Middle) Path 1)human suffering has a cause 2)the cause of suffering is desire 3)there is a way to end suffering 4)the way to end it is to end desire

Major Forms of Buddhism Theravada – Southeast Asia o arhat Mahayana – China & Japan o bodhisattva Vajrayana (Tantric) – Tibet o mystical union with divinity

Buddhists in U.S. early sympathizers o Transcendentalists o Theosophists monks & lay Buddhists o Pure Land Buddhist immigrants o Tibetan refugees

Buddhist Meditation popular export forms of Buddhism Rinzai Zen o koans Soto Zen Vipassana Insight Meditation

Trends of American Buddhism “Church” or “Temple” Buddhism “Convert” Buddhism “Missionary” Buddhism o Nichiren Shoshu o Soka Gakkai International, USA

Expansion, Contraction, & Combination postpluralism Healthy-Happy-Holy Organization o 3HO o Yogi Bhajan o kundalini yoga, Tantric & Sikh

OVERVIEW Near East – Eastern Orthodoxy Middle East – Islam & Baha’i Farther East – Hinduism & Buddhism ethnic & export forms in U.S.