Terms



Hinduism

World Religions

Dr. Korfhage

Questions to consider

• What idea or concept seems central to Hinduism?

• Is Hinduism pessimistic or optimistic?

• Is Hinduism polytheism?

• How does the goal of Hinduism compare with the goals of other religions we have studied?

• What motivates Hindus in their religions practices?

• What is the relationship between religious philosophy and religious practice in Hinduism? That is, how does the theory of brahman, atman, karma, maya, etc. relate to specific Hindu religious rituals and practices?

• How different is the Hindu worldview from the Western/Abrahamic worldview?

• How similar or different is Brahman from Western/Abrahamic ideas of God?

• Is Hinduism’s account of human nature more or less convincing than the Abrahamic accounts?

• Can other religions be “subsumed” under Hinduism? That is, can Hinduism as a philosophy of religion explain/account for other religions we have studied in a way that is satisfying both to Hindus and to believers of those other religions?

• Concern over justice, especially social justice, is prominent in the Abrahamic religions. How well does that idea fit into Hinduism? Is there an equivalent idea in Hinduism?

Topics to be covered

• Historical development of Hinduism

• The Hindu worldview

• The nature of Brahman

• Hindu views of human nature

• The goal of Hindu religion

• Hindu dharma: the caste systems and the stages of life

• The four yogic paths

• Hindu religious rituals (and their relation to Hindu philosophy)

Terms

Sanatana Dharma

Vedas

Upanishads

Puranas

Bhagavad Gita

Samkhya

Advaita Vedanta

Brahman

Saguna Brahman

Nirguna Brahman

Lila

Maya

Karma

Jiva

Samsara

Moksha

Dharma

Varna

Brahmins

Kshatriyas

Vaishyas

Shudras

Sannyasin

Bhakti yoga

Jnana yoga

Karma yoga

Raja yoga

Samadhi

Puja

Darshan

Kuladevata

Ishtadevata

Avatar

Saivites

Siva

Parvati

Lingam

Vaishnavites

Vishnu

Krishna

Lakshmi

Ganesha

Saktas

Durga

Kali

Readings

#1: Fisher, pp. 69-75, 88-94

#2: Meeting God, pp. 28-42 (chapter 1)—optional but recommended as a good overview

#3: Smith, pp. 12-50; Fisher, pp. 75-82

#4: Smith pp. 59-75

#5: Fisher, pp. 94-96, 98-101

#6: MG, pp. 46-63 (chapter 2)

#7: MG, pp. 66-89 (chapter 3)

#8: Fisher, pp. 82-88

#9: Readings from World Mythology on Hindu mythology.

#10: MG, pp. 116-154 (chapter 5)

#11: Fisher, pp. 101-106

#12: Smith, pp. 50-59; Fisher, pp. 96-98

#13: MG, pp. 234-250 (chapter 9)—optional but recommended

#14: Fisher, pp. 106-113, plus the article “How the British invented Hinduism”

#15: “This Guru Hugs a Lot, and Gets Lots of Love Back”;

#16 “The Other Face of Fanaticism”; “Braids of Faith at Baba’s Temple”

#17: “From the Ganges to the Hudson”; “Family Ties and Entanglements of Caste”; “What do Hindus do?—The role of the Vedanta Societies in North America”

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