Hinduism Review Sheet for the Quiz on Monday



Hinduism Review Sheet for the Quiz on Monday

General Timeline:

- Ancient Harappa culture c. 2000 BC

- Vedic Hinduism begins c. 1500 BC

- Upanishads written c. 500 BC

Vedas:

These are the holy books of the earliest period of Hinduism. The term means “knowledge” or “sacred lore.” There are four total Vedas that contain all the information needed to praise the gods and to understand the nature of the gods along with how to perform rituals correctly.

Animal Sacrifice:

The earliest Vedic period had animal sacrifice to the gods. This would get phased out when the Upanishads arose in 500 BC.

Priests:

Although there are still priests in Hinduism, in the Vedic period they were considered the only means to understand and connect to the gods as a medium or shaman. During the Upanishad period later on, there would be a new focus on everyone’s ability to achieve union with divinity, no longer relying exclusively on priests.

Polytheism:

The Vedic period maintained a huge pantheon of gods not unlike the Graeco-Roman pantheons. They tended to be gods of natural forces. Agni was the god of fire, for example, Rudra was the god of the wind, etc. The most famous of these gods was Vishnu, the god of the preservation of nature.

Vishnu:

Vishnu is a popular god throughout the entire history of Hinduism, both during the Vedic period as well as the Upanishad shift c. 500 BC and still to this day. As the god of conservation of nature (including humans), Vishnu is a savior figure, often coming down to earth in the form of avatars. In the Greek stories in which figures like Zeus would descend to earth in disguise as a human, he was still a full-on god. The avatar is a flesh and blood human who needs to sleep, eat, can bleed, and ultimately dies a mortal death. Upon death, Vishnu returns to his cosmic form until he is needed again.

There are 10 major incarnations/avatars of Vishnu, the most famous of which are Krishna (from the Bhagavad Gita), Rama (from the Ramayana), and Siddhartha, aka, The Buddha. 9 have already come. The 10th will arrive on horseback to judge the human race and bring about the end of days and total cosmic renewal.

The Upanishads

Around 500 BC, a new set of books came out to effectively replace a lot of the doctrine in the Vedas (though not entirely). The term means “sitting near” in reference to disciplines sitting near a teacher to gain his/her wisdom, indicating a shift from the reliance on priests to a reliance upon gurus, spiritual masters, and every individual’s ability to become a guru him/herself.

There was a new shift to monotheism, as well, and with a new conception of a less human-like divinity, combined with a new emphasis on reincarnation, animal sacrifices were forbidden and society shifted towards the preservation of nature, the divinity of all living things, and vegetarianism.

Brahman

The Upanishad term “Brahman” referred to the old Vedic idea of a “cosmic force” that exists throughout the universe, in all things, infinite and all-powerful and the polytheistic gods were facets of this all-powerful force. Now, the force, Brahman, became more important an object of devotion than the gods themselves which slowly became phased out (for the most part). Before, the priests had control over Brahman exclusively, but now all individuals could attempt to become one with this divine force. Brahman, being infinite, is both all things and no thing, at once. It’s all things in so far as it exists within all things, but is none of them, individually, but that from which they all come (their source). As the Upanishads note, Brahman is “the God who appears in forms infinite.” It is notoriously difficult to define, but a kind of all-permeating, infinite, all-powerful “force” is close: it cannot be seen with the senses, only known with the mind, it cannot be defined in words, only apprehended intuitively. It’s not a “God” in the sense of being a human-esque figure, but impersonal, natural force in the cosmos that is the cosmos itself.

Atman

The term “Atman” is closely related to Brahman. Atman, roughly translated, is “deepest soul.” Although humans have a jiva, a soul that provides our uniqueness and individuality, on the deepest level, we have atman which is not unique to you or me but can be found inside all people and is identical for each of us. In this way, we are all united, we are all one. And since Brahman is within all things, the One from which all else depends, at the deepest level atman (within us) is identical to Brahman. God is within us and we are all part of God. This unites us with one another as well as with God.

Maya

For those who rely too heavily on the senses (rather than the mind) for the truth of the universe, they are fooled by maya, meaning “illusion” (we get the term “magic” from this). The world is not an illusion like the Matrix or something but, rather, the illusion is that our senses tell us that there is difference and distinction in the world. I look around with my eyes and see tables and chairs and people and conclude they are all separate entities, distinct from one another. This is an illusion. The truth is Brahman, the absolute Oneness of all things.

Karma

Our actions in this life bring immediate ramifications in the form of karma, both good and bad. Karma accumulates on our jiva (our individuality) and determines the trajectory of our next rebirth. Ultimately, we want to rid ourselves of jiva, rid ourselves of karma (both good and bad karma), and thus stop being reborn altogether, becoming absolutely one with God (Brahman) who exists outside of space, time, and the cycles of rebirth. Karma is not divine reward or punishment, ie., God is not punishing you on purpose or rewarding you on purpose. It’s a natural phenomenon, like gravity, impersonal and amoral, it just is.

Samsara

Samsara is the term of the “wheel of life” and reincarnation. It’s the world of living things down here on earth. We spend tens of thousands of lifetimes on earth before having a shot at getting out of this endless cycle. We can be reborn in samsara as something less than human (animals) or something more than human (a divinity) depending on our karma.

Moksha

This term means “freedom” or “liberation” from samsara. It represents the ultimate human goal. It is liberation from everything that keeps us bound to reincarnation: liberation from the senses and the body, liberation from desires, liberation from pain and pleasure, and ultimately, liberation from rebirth itself as we become one with Brahman.

The Caste System

In terms of living a spiritual life, one part of that is adhering to a strict caste system which has existed in India for thousands of years and exists still to this day. The general idea is, again, an emphasis on unity rather than diversity: we ought not focus upon ourselves and our own egotistic desires in life but to operate for the good for the whole of society. In this way, there is something divine about the caste system: you are born into a certain caste because of your previous karma in the last lifetime and, once born into a certain caste, it is your duty to fulfill the function of your caste not for your own sake but for the sake of the whole society. To successfully do so is to set aside selfish needs and gain good karma which will ensure a better rebirth in the next lifetime. These are the traditional castes:

- Priest (Brahmin)

- Warrior-Noble (like the samurai or knight classes) tasked with defending the society

- Merchant tasked with ensuring the financial prosperity of the society

- Peasant tasked with working the land and providing for the society

- Untouchables tasked with the dirtiest of all jobs including toilet cleaning, sewage and waste management, collecting animal carcasses, etc.

The Stages of Life

Another way to live spiritually and gain good karma is to adhere to the prescribed stages of life and to perform those functions properly along with the duties of whatever caste you were born into. These are the stages of life in Hinduism:

- Student: this first stage is spent laying a religious foundation for life, studying the religious texts and remaining celibate until one is 20 years old.

- Householder: marriage (arranged by the parents) occurs around 20 years old and fulfills the demands of society by raising children.

- Retiree: when grandchildren arrive, the individual may retire somewhat from ordinary life and their caste duties to once again turn to religious studies. If he/she is not financially stable at this point in life, the children are tasked with their preservation.

- Sannyasin: the “renunciate.” This is an optional stage of life. Upon retirement, if one wishes to live entirely free from society, one is permitted to leave home provided that one has left his family without money to live on without him around. For such a person, the entire world becomes his new home. Celibacy is expected and religious meditation and scholarship is the goal of this last stage of life in an attempt to becoming enlightened and escape samsara upon death. They tend to wander and beg for food though occasionally come together in an ashram, a kind of commune/monastery for Sannyasins that is patronized by the local town to keep them all fed. They are easily seen in society by their bright orange robes.

Yogas

Another way to live spiritually, in addition to fulfilling one’s caste obligations and the obligations that come with each stage of life, is to engage in yoga. The term means “union,” denoting the individual’s union with the divine, the ultimate goal of Hinduism and human existence. In America, we think of stretching and breathing exercises, but in Hinduism it’s far more complicated than that.

There are many types of yoga, each is aimed at unification with the divine.

Some examples:

- Jhana yoga (“knowledge yoga”): brings insight into one’s divine nature by studying the Upanishads and their commentaries and by working with a guru. A greater understanding of Brahman aids in unification with Brahman.

- Karma yoga (“action yoga”): all useful work, if done unselfishly, can be a way to perfection. Much of what we normally do is motivated by money or pleasure or praise, but deeds performed without a desire for reward are the heart of karma yoga.

- Kundalini yoga (“she who lies coiled”): this is the most mystical of the yogas, maintaining that the divine power of Brahman lies “coiled” inside each of us and through meditation it can slowly be pulled out from the pit of our bodies through a series of chakras (“wheels”). The higher it rises, the faster the wheels turn, and the faster the wheels turn, the more enlightenment an individual achieves, often resulting in supernatural powers like the ability to heal oneself and others and divine insight. The top two chakras correspond to the “third eye” (sight without seeing, ie., seeing the truth of Brahman with the mind’s eye rather than the illusion of maya with the normal sense organ eyes), and to the “lotus” atop the head which, when opened, is a conduit between the universe and the individual.

The Trimurti

The rough approximation of a Hindu “trinity,” the trimurti represent the three deities that personify the most basic aspects of Brahman. In this way, Hinduism is both polytheistic and monotheistic at once.

- Brahma: the creative force that made the universe, the personal aspect of Brahman that is often depicted as a sage with a long beard.

- Vishnu: the preservation force that keeps what Brahma creates in good working order. As such, he often takes the form of avatars to ensure the continuity and preservation of life.

- Shiva: the destructive force of Brahman that breaks down what has been created and passes it back to Brahma to create anew. Shiva is not an evil deity, however, for like Socrates, Hinduism teaches us not to fear death for death is simply the doorway to another life and nothing within the universe ever truly dies.

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