RELG3 Chapter 3 Hinduism

Varna

"Color," a system of classification of people in Hinduism into 4 main classes

Hindutva

"Hindu-ness" of India as promoted by modern right-wing political parties

Aryans

"Noble ones," Indo-European peoples who migrated into northwest India (1500 BCE-1000 CE)

Dalits

"Oppressed ones," the outcastes below the 4 Hindu castes

Rishi

"Seer" of the divine and writer of the four Vedas

Bhagavad Gita

"Song of the Lord"; a long poem on religious duty in the Mahabharata

Diaspora

"Spreading" of Hinduism outside of India

Brahman

"World soul," the foundation of all physical matter, energy, time, and space, and being itself

Pantheism *

'world view' asserting the idea that "God is everything" (all things are God)

-Instructions for how to do the right things (to the priests, like Leviticus) -Commentaries on the Vedas -Emphasize sacrifice -Careful attention to ritual

Brahmanas

1720

British presence and power begin

500-400 B.C.E

Buddhism and Jainism founded in

•Brahmins: Priests, Teachers •Kshatriya: Warriors, diplomats, rulers •Vaishyas: Farmers, Merchants, Artisans •Shudras: Laborers

Castes

-Outcastes/Harijans -Prefer to be called Dalits ("crushed") as opposed to Harijan ("children of God") -Low caste: sin has accumulated -Follow your dharma (obligations in society)

Dalits/Untouchables

-Difficult to answer this in the past, but now because of globalization Hinduism is becoming more united -Caste System? -Reincarnation: No afterlife -Cremation - Hindus think of the body as refuse and only our souls matter -Vegetarianism? For Brahmins (priestly class) "Sacred Cow": Cow sacrifice use to be common Ahimsa (Non-violence) Bhagavad Gita allows for violence -Best defined as a geographic region of faith

What Unites Hindus

Swastika

indian symbol widely used as a good-luck charm

Jiva

individual, personal soul that collects karma and is subject to reincarnation

is the process of impersonal reward and punishment for human acts that directs reincarnation A. Karma is like pollution - when you sows bad seeds into the world dset off a chain reaction the leads to more negativity as it transfers from human to human. B. Sometimes described as "sin, C. Karma weighs you down and keeps one stuck in the cycle of samara D. If one is mistreating my people then the bad energy you show into the world will eventually come back to haunt the individual

karma

Moksha *

liberation from rebirth and samsara

Laws of Manu

main Hindu law code

Brahmins

the top priestly class in the varna system

Kshatriyas

the warrior and princely varna class

Forest-Dweller Stage

third period of life, in which Hindu man retires

Vaishyas

third varna class, the "common people"

Tantras

writings in the tantric movement of Hinduism

Worship and meditation in Hinduism are diverse. Worship is a daily event for observant Hindus, whether performed *at home, at a temple at an outdoor shrine, or on a pilgrimage*. Worship is called *puja*, a word suggesting "honor" and "veneration." *Ritual* is important and much of it is ancient, although with regional and devotional-group variations. *Individuals go to the temple on their own, usually for private worship and devotion*; Hindu *homes and businesses typically have a shrine* to the favorite Hindu gods.

How do Hindus worship at home and in temples?

1) *The Vedic age* (1500-600 B.C.E.) - Foundational Aryan invasion occurred around 1500 BC 2) *The Upanishadic age* (600-400 B.C.E) - Yoga and asceticism arose 3) *The Classical period* (400 B.C.E - 600 C.E.) - The caste system and other religious laws were added 4) *The Devotional period* (600 C.E. - present) - Worshipful attachment to the main deities Vedas are written down around 800 AD

How have the main periods of Hinduism's history shaped its present especially its unity and diversity?

Dharma (Hinduism)

In Hindu belief, a person's religious and moral duties If your born in a caste, do it the best you can

Reincarnation, Karma & Caste

Most Basic Assumptions of Hindus → Shared with Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism

1526-1857

Mughal (Muslim) rule in north India

1200 - 1500

North India ruled by Turkish-Afghan Muslims

Aryans brought with them a religion of animal sacrifice Aryans were animistic and polytheistic Max Muller's: Diseases of Language

What Aryans brought to India

Twice-Born

the males of the higher castes in traditional Indian society, who underwent an initiation ceremony at puberty. •Top three class males get this after the sacred thread ceremony

1857-1947

All India under British rule

1000-1280

Hinduism spreads to south India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal

early Vedic period

1500-1000 B.C.E - Aryans migrate into northern India;

1) Path of Action (karma yoga) 2) Path of Knowledge (jnana) 3) Path of Devotion (bhakti yoga) 4) Path of Discipline (raja yoga)

4 Ways to Reach Moksha

Classical period

400 B.C.E - 300 C.E epics and law codes written

Shudras

4th varna class, "servants"

Vedas

Hindu "books of knowledge" consisting of Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva Vedas

Hindu first appeared around 500 B.C.E. as a name for the Indus River and its valley. Muslim rulers of India used Hindu for all non-Muslim Indians. Beginning in the 1500s, European colonizers first used it in its current sense to mean the members of the supposedly single religion to which all Indians other than Muslims, Christians, zoroastrians belonged. From about 1800 on, Hinduism gradually became accepted by most Hindus in India as a valid name. Hinduism is a vague umbrella term, but it is fitting for a religious tradition that has so much internal diversity

What does Hinduism mean and what are it origins?

Student Stage, Householder Stage, Forest-Dweller, and Sannyasin Stage

Which stages are apart in Hinduism for a male?

Yoga

ancient meditational practice that yokes the body and mind in the quest for religious deliverance

Agnihotra

ancient prayer to the sun recited by the head of the household

Suttee

burning of a widow on the funeral pyre of her husband, thought to be an act of great merit

Jati

caste into which one is born

Indus Valley Civilization

culture of northwest India that thrived before the coming of the Aryans (3000-1700 B.C.E)

Reincarnation

cycle of rebirth of one's atman after death, in a different body

Samsara

cycle of reincarnation

Dravidians

dark-skinned peoples of the Indus Valley civilization who now live mostly in south India

Karma

deeds or acts as they influence reincarnation

Bhakti

devotion, particularly in a devotional movement or group

Puja

devotional actions of worshiping a god or venerating a human person

Upanishadic period

early Upanishads written, reincarnation and karma emphasized 600-400 B.C.E

Kumbha Mela

festival held every 12 years in Allahabad, India

Student Stage

first period of life, in which a Hindu male gains knowledge for caste duties

Bindi *

forehead mark of a married Hindu women (red sticker)

Sannyasin Stage

fourth period of life, in which a Hindu man becomes a renunciant

Murti

image of a deity

Artha

material success and prosperity, the second goal of life in Hinduism

Transcendental Meditation (TM)

meditation system, popularized by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, emphasizing the power of knowing one's divine identity

Outcastes

members of the lowest social class, outside the caste system; also called "Dalits"

soma

mysterious plant (hallucinagenic)

Atman *

person's innermost self or soul

Upanishads

philosophical scriptures at the end of the Vedic period -1000 BC, leads to a major shift Hinduism -Emphasizes Brahman as divine

Sadhus

renunciants, also known as "holy men"

Dharma

righteousness, law, duty, moral teaching, order in the universe; also, the first goal of life in Hinduism

Late Vedic period

ritualism develops 1000-600 B.C.E

Householder Stage

second period of life, in which a Hindu man marries and raises a family

Mantra

short sacred formula used in prayer or meditation

Kama

spiritual, mental, and physical pleasure, the third goal of Hindu life

Om (Aum)

spoken syllable symbolizing the fundamental hidden reality of the universe

Lingam

symbol in Shiva's shrines probably of erect phallus

Yoni

symbol probably of the human female genitalia representing the feminine power of the cosmos

Caste

system of social organization

Vishnu

the cosmic king who lives in blissful splendor in his heavenly palace. He supervises universal order and prosperity, protecting and preserving the world.

Varuna

the god guaranteeing moral order

Brahma

the god of creation

Shiva

the god who meditates in his home in the Himalayas (fearsome deity) Is a necessary part of re-creation. HIS FLAME DESTROYS IN ORDER TO PURIFY