hinduism in the world and the world of hinduism 1.pdf · • what we think of as “hinduism”...
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Hinduism
1
Hinduism and India
2
Concept of “Hinduism”
12th Century by the Persians
Originally intended to designate “Indians”
3
• Recall that when Columbus discovered America they were
looking for India
• And called the Native Americans
• Indians
4
Mistaken Impression
• That Hinduism is a Monolithic Religion
• Similar to the Roman Catholic Church
5
Sanatana Dharma
• Sanattana = “Eternal”
• Dharma = “Religion” = “Teaching”
6
• What we think of as “Hinduism”
encompasses many different sometimes conflicting beliefs and practices
7
Concept of “India”
• Suggests greater unity and cohesiveness than
there really is
8
Great Diversity
• Socially • Religiously
• Economically • Geographically
9
• + 1 Billion People • Host of racial and ethnic
stocks • 16 major languages • Hundreds of dialects • 850 languages daily
10
Religious Pluralism
80% Hindu 12% Islam
2.5% Christian 2% Sikhism
1% Buddhism 11
The Early Cultures of India
• What we call Hinduism is an amalgamation
of elements from several cultural sources
12
2 Major Contributors
• The Indus Valley Civilization
• The Aryans
13
The Indus Valley Civilization
• Highly sophisticated ancient society
• Rediscovered by the British in the 19th Century, while
building railroads 14
• Most evidence is based upon archaeological findings
• Civilization flourished between 3000-1500 B.C.
15
16
Bronze Age
• 3000 B.C. – 1200 B.C.
• Ancient Near East • Egyptian Culture • Early Dynastic Period • Age of the Pyramids
17
• 70 cities have been unearthed
• High degree of organization and central planning
18
• Civilization spanned about 1 million square miles
• Some cities had populations of 40,000
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Flood Control Culture • Like Egypt with Nile River • Agriculture • Significant industry and trade - Roughly contemporary with
Egypt and Mesopotamia
20
Sources
• Literate Culture we cannot fully understand
their writing
21
writing on bricks and seals
did not use paper or clay tablets
22
“Unicorn” seal + writing 23
More seals 24
…and more seals... 25
Seated “yogi” : early Shiva? 26
Major Cities
• Harappa and Mohenjo-daro
surrounded by smaller cities, towns, and villages
27
Major Cities
• 1 situated in the north • 1 situated in the south
28
Harappan society and its neighbors, ca. 2000 B.C.E.
29
Harappan Culture • Indus valley
–well-watered and heavily forested
30
Harappan Culture
• 500 miles along the river valley
–10-20 times larger than Mesopotamia or Egypt
31
Foundations of Harappan Society
• The Indus River
– Silt-enriched water from mountain ranges
32
Foundations of Harappan Society
• Major society built by Dravidian peoples, 3000-2500 BC
33
Foundations of Harappan Society
– Cultivation of cotton before 5000 BC,
- Early cultivation of poultry
– Decline after 1900 BC
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Mohenjo-Daro Ruins
• Population c. 40,000 • Regional center
–Layout, architecture suggests public purpose
–Broad streets, citadel, pool, sewage
38
• Standardized weights evident throughout region
• Specialized labor
• Trade
39
Grid map of Mohenjo-daro
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Mohenjo-daro : aerial view 42
Mohenjo-daro: View of the “Citadel” 43
The “Great Bath” 44
another view of the “Great Bath” 45
view of a small, side street 46
looks like a small tower, but actually it is a neighborhood well
47
A bathroom on a private residence 48
A public well in Harappa, or perhaps an ancient laundromat...
49
A large drain or sewer 50
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Granary 54
Monumental architecture
• very-large scale building • walled cites, with fortified
citadels • planned economy
55
Cities
• very densely populated
• houses: two to three stories
• every house is laid out the same
56
Culture and Society
• advanced agriculture
• surplus production
• textiles: wool and cotton
• domesticated animals and fish
57
Religion
• dominated by priests ?
• power base: fertility ?
• deities: male and female, both nude
• bull worship and phallic symbols
58
A priest? A bull
59
Decline
Combination of Changes
• climate shift: the monsoon patterns
• flooding
60
Decline
• destruction of the forests
• migrations of new peoples: The Aryans
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The Aryan Invasion
62
• Most scholars believe that the Indus Civilization came to an end around 1500 B.C.
• when the Aryans migrated into the Indian subcontinent
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• There is no archaeological evidence of a conquest
• There is evidence of a co-existence for some time
• But eventually the Aryan Culture became dominant
64
• Aryans, lighter-skinned invaders from the north
• Dravidians, darker-skinned sedentary inhabitants of India
• Color / Racial Bias
65
Possible route of the Aryan invasions 66
The Aryans
• not to be confused with Hitler’s “Aryans”
67
The Aryans, cont.
• these Aryans speak an Indo-European dialect
• related to other languages like Greek and Latin
68
The Aryans, con’t
• they called themselves “Aryans”
• their land: “Aryavarta” –land of the Aryans
69
The Early Aryans • Religious and Literary works: • The Vedas
–Sanskrit: sacred tongue
70
The Vedas
• Represent the perspective of the priestly class
• We cannot be certain how widespread these views were
71
The Vedas
• Divided into 4 Collections • “Samhitas”
• Each dealing with a different aspect of ritual
72
Veda = Teaching / Wisdom
• Rig-veda • Yajur-veda • Sama-veda
• Atharva-veda
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Rig Veda
• Oldest and most important • 1,000 songs to various gods and
goddesses • “Rig” = Praise
• Written between 2300-1200 B.C.
74
Yajur Veda
• Instruction for Sacrifices
75
Sama Veda
• Contains melodies
• Sacrificial songs had to be sung at just the right pitch to
be effective
76
Atharva Veda
• Spells and incantations for healing rituals
77
The Vedic Worldview:
• The Physical World • The Divine World • The Human World
78
“Triloka” (3 Places)
• Reality is divided into 3 levels
• Earth • Mid-Space
• Svarga (home of the gods and ancestors)
79
“Rita”
• The abstract, impersonal principle of harmony and
order which kept the universe intact and preserved unity
80
“Rita”
• Also regulated moral order and the order of ritual
81
• Even the gods were subject to Rita
82
“Rita”
• Also regulated
• The Moral Order
• Order of Ritual
83
Rita
Right Right / Wrong Human Rights
Rite Ritual
84
Rita
• Provides the relationship between the
Cosmic order and the
Moral order
85
Creation Stories
• Several different accounts • Sometimes at odds with each
other • Does not seem to be a
problem
86
Sanskrit words for God
20 different words
Most common is
“Deva”
87
Deva
• Means
• Shiny
• Exalted
88
Deva
• Divine being • Supernatural power
• But not necessarily an omniscient or omnipotent
being 89
Devas
• Not moral exemplars or lawgivers
• They were created after the world and are subject to its laws
• Including the Law of Rita 90
Vedic Gods
• Indra = God of War
• 25% of the hymns of the Rig Veda are devoted Indra
91
Agni
• The Fire God
• 20% of the hymns of the Rig Veda devoted to Agni
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Varuna
• Custodian of Rita
93
Soma
• Manifested in particular plants used in rituals
• Induces ecstatic experiences
94
Other Gods and Goddesses
95
The Hindu Trinity • Brahma = Creator God married to
Sarasvati
• Vishnu = Preserver and protector of creation married to Laxsmi
• Shiva = Destroyer and is married to Shakti / Parvati
96
Kali
97
Kali
• The Dark Mother Goddess
• Consort of Shiva
• Goddess of time and change 98
Vedic Tradition
• Aryan had strong emphasis on ritual over doctrine and belief
99
Axial Age
• Jarl Jaspers
• Transformation in world thought
• 800 B.C. – 200 B.C.
100
Axial Age • Jewish Prophets (800-500 B.C.) • Taoism (Lao-Tzo) 575 B.C. • Confucianism (Confucius) 551 B.C. • Buddhism (Buddha (560-480 B.C.) • Greek Philosophy • Socrates (470-399 B.C.) • Plato (427-348 B.C.) • Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)
101
102
The Upanishads
• (End of the Vedas)
• (800-300 BC)
• Most Philosophical Writings
103
Major Philosophical Tradition:
• “Advaita Vedanta”
• Shankara (750 AD)
• “Advaita” = Non-Dualism
• “Vedanta” = Summation of the Vedas
104
Summary: • 1. Everything that exists is Brahman
• 2. Brahman can be interpreted as
• (God): Impersonal Force Supreme Principle
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3. Creation is the Dance of Brahman
“Lila”
106
4. Atman is the Soul of the Individual
5. Atman and Brahman are One and the Same
107
6. Brahman is not to be confused with
• Brahma = a Hindu god
• Brahmin = Hindu Priest or Caste
108
• 7. Why do we not understand that Brahman = Atman?
• MAYA = Illusion
109
8. Our goal in life is Liberation from the cycle of Samsara
• Samsara = Reincarnation
110
9. And reach “Moksha”
• Moksha = Nirvana (Buddhism)
111
10. This is when the individual soul (Atman) in absorbed into
Brahman
• “Like a drop of rain being absorbed into a lake”
112
11.The Law of Karma
• Governs the cycle of samara
Karma • The good and bad deeds that
we do
113
• Good deeds
• better rebirth into this world • a god
• a human • an animal • an insect
114
• Bad deeds
• worse rebirth into this world
Dharma
• During the transition from the Vedic tradition to Classical Hinduism
• The concept of dharma evolves
• The caste system becomes more deeply established in Hindu life
115
• Distinctions between good and bad karma are determined by dharma
• Dharma has both moral and cosmological dimensions
116
• Dharma as a moral principle was rather abstract and required practical application to people’s daily lives
• Accordingly, the genre of literature known as dharma-sastras emerged to specify and codify the dharma
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• The cosmological element implies that • the moral order is rooted in the nature of
reality, not on human whim
118
The Laws of Manu
• The most important and influential dharma – sastras
• Written around the time of Christ
• Reflect an earlier oral tradition
119
• These laws assign different dharmas to each stratum of Hindu society
120
The Hindu Caste System
• Social • Economic • Political • Religious
121
• The caste system was founded on the Vedic stratification of society
• Acquired its characteristic features during the classical period of Hinduism
122
Caste Assumptions
• All people are not created equal
• We are all born with innate differences derived from actions in previous lives
• This is the Law of Karma
123
• Caste entails both a
• Division of labor
• Hierarchy of spiritual purity
124
“Caste”
• Word is of Portuguese origin
• Imprecisely refers to what Hindus call
• Varna • Jati
125
Varna
Color
Jati
Birth Birth group
126
Varna
• The varna system is the division of labor composed of the four categories of Aryan society
127
Brahmins
• Priests
• Top of the purity hierarchy
128
Ksatriyas
• The Warriors • Administrators
129
Vaisyas
• Merchants • Farmers • Artisans
130
Sudras
• Peasants • Common folks
131
“Outcastes”
• Outside the varna system
• “Untouchables”
• “Hari-jans” (Children of God)
132
Untouchables
• Handlers of leather • Morticians
• Toilet cleaners • Scavengers
• Their ritual impurity cannot be removed by
standard procedures of purification
133
• Live outside villages
• Cannot use the same public facilities as caste members
• Technically outlawed by the constitution, the practice remains a part of daily Hindu life
134
Jati
• Birth Group existing within the larger varna groupings
• One’s subcaste is determined by birth and it cannot be left except under rare circumstances
135
• Unlike the varnas which are pan-Hindu
• Jatis are local groups
• Total number has not been determined
• + 3000
• There are hundreds if jatis ranked within each varna
• Local ranking is not always the same
• Although little or no individual social mobility exists in the caste system
• There is some mobility for sub-castes
• There is much scholarly speculation on the relationship between varna and jatis
• Many believe that jatis were indigenous to the Indus Valley Civilization
• Varna were superimposed by the Aryans
Caste Dynamics
• Marital restrictions
• Food one can eat
• People you associate with
Enforcement
• Caste strictures are ordinarily enforced by family and intra-caste pressure
• Not by the upper castes enforcing rules on the lower castes
• There are caste councils which discuss caste interests
Caste Dharma
• Dharma of each caste carries specific duties and responsibilities
Karma and Dharma
• Karma is determined by one’s adherence to one’s caste duties
Laws of Manu
• Specify cast duties
Brahmin Caste
• Teaching • Studying
• Sacrificing • Receiving gifts
Ksatriyas
• Warriors / Administrators
• Protection of country • From foreign enemies
• Maintaining caste system • Social and cosmic order
Vaisyas
• Merchants / Farmers / Artisans
• Taking a wife • Keeping cattle
• Knowing the worth of valuable materials • Farm duties
Sudras
• Peasants / Common folks
• Serving the Brahmins and the other upper castes with humility
Outcastes
• No dharma according to the Laws of Manu
Stages of Life
• Laws of Manu
• Outline particular regulations for the livies of men and women and their relationship
Ideal life stages
• These principles express the “ideal” life patterns for upper caste men and women
• Do not necessarily describe the life cycle of each and every member of Hindu society
151
4 Stage for Men
• 1. Student • 2. Householder • 3. Forest-dweller • 4. Sannyasa (Renunciation)
152
Student Stage
• Leaves home to: • Study the Vedas • Religious Rituals
• A Trade • How to be productive member of Cast
• With a Guru, Teacher, at School
153
Householder Stage
• Expected to marry • Raise a family • Pursue an occupation appropriate to his caste • Establish himself as a financially independent
responsible contributor to society
154
• Marriage was regarded as the natural state for adult men and women
• Shameful to deviate from it
155
Forest-Dweller Stage
• A men and possibly his wife moved to a more modest dwelling
• Usually at the edge of the village near the forest
• Must become more devoted to the life of the spirit
156
• This could occur only after a man had • raised a family • Earned an income • Discharged his obligations to society
157
Sannyasa (Renunciation) Stage
• Great rigor and austerity
• Not all men would embark upon it
158
• Must renounce their former identity and everything with it:
• Name • Wife
• Family • All Material Goods
• Live out remaining days as a wondering, solitary ascetic
159
3 Stages for Women
• 1. Girlhood • 2. Householder • 3. Widowhood
• Each stage defined by the protecting male
160
Girlhood Stage
• Not allowed the same freedom as boys because they could not leave their father’s protection
• What education from their parents
• Domestic skills and religious rituals
161
Householder Stage
• Marriage marked the female’s entrance into the householder stage
• Marriages in India have historically been alliances between families
• reproduction and economic stability
162
• Because marriages were arranged,
• bride and groom often did not meet until the actual wedding
163
• Girls married early in life
• Frequently because of the great concern for their virginity
• They often married much older men
164
• Bride lives with her husband’s family
• Extended families
165
• The new bride was expected to obey her mother-in-law
• She was expected to live up to the ideals of the “good wife”
166
• If a women gave birth to a son,
• her status was greatly increased
167
Death of Husband
• Crisis for every Hindu wife
• Marked entrance into the 3rd stage of life
168
Sati
• Means “going with”
• The wife was expected to jump on her husband’s funeral pyre
• Many women were thrown on the burning pyre against their wills
169
• Practice outlawed by British in 19th Century
• Reports as recently as 1987 and 2002
170
Widows
• Very difficult situation
• Viewed as dangerous and the embodiment of all negative qualities in women
• Generally not permitted to marry even though many in their 20’s and 30’s
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• They were expected to wear the white sari for the rest of their lives
• because white is the color of morning in India
• Sometimes expected to shave their heads to be unattractive to men
172
• Usually given the hardest household tasks
• Forbidden to eat with the rest of the family
173
Today
• The roles of Hindu men and women are changing, perhaps more today than ever before in India’s history.
• But social change in India evolve slowly, because patterns of behavior are etched deeply into the soul of Hindu India
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The Ethics of Hinduism
• 4 Ways or Paths to Good Karma
4 “Goods” of Life
• First = Dharma or duty
• Second = Atha = wealth and material acquisition
• Third = Kama = pleasure and enjoyment of the senses
• Fourth = Moksha = Highest good / release from
176
Moksha
• To achieve moksha, one must be willing to give up the other three goods
• because even though doing one’s duty and pursuing wealth and enjoyment are viewed positively within one’s caste
• they also keep one bound to the samsara
177
Religious Life
• For those who are not yet prepared to abandon a life of
• duty, material acquisition, and enjoyments,
• The religious life means doing one’s best to improve this life and future lives
178
The Way of Meditation
• “Raja Marga”
• The Path of Mental Concentration
179
Raja Marga • Intense meditation focusing upon
the truth of Brahman
• Overcoming Maya
• Achieving inner peace and tranquility
180
“Asanas”
• Physical Postures used to develop the mind’s ability to concentrate
• Breathing exercises
181
Mantras • Chants
• Repetitive words, sound, etc
• Expresses the Divine in the form of sounds
• “OM”
182
183
The Way of Activity “Karma Marga”
• Emphasis upon “good works”
• Offerings and sacrifices to gods
• Helping the poor
Karma Marga
• Service is given without any interest in the personal benefits of one’s labor
• This consciousness leads to liberation from self in the midst of work
184
Karma Marga • The steadily devoted soul attains
unadulterated peace because he offers the results of all activity to Me; whereas a person who is not in harmony with the divine, who is greedy for the fruits of his labor, becomes entangled
• - p. 83 185
186
The Way of Knowledge
• “Jnana Marga”
• The Path of Rational Inquiry • Study
Jnana Marga • Employs the rational mind instead
of trying to transcend it by concentration practices
• Ignorance is the root of all problems
• Being separate from the Absolute
187
Jnana Marga • Seeks to develop spiritual values
• Calmness • Restraint
• Renunciation • Resignation
• Concentration • Faith
188
Jana Marga
• Spiritual knowledge is the only thing that can destroy our miseries for ever; any other knowledge removes wants only for a time
• - 83 189
190
The Way of Devotion
• “Bhakti Marga”
• Personal devotion to a particular god
• (Avatar)
“Bhakti” • Means = “To share” = “To share a relationship with a personal deity”
191
Post-Classical Period
• New texts added to the canon of Hindu writings
• very important in shaping Hindu piety in the bhakti movement
192
2 Great Epics
• Mahabharata
• Ramayana
• 400 B.C. – 200 A.D.
193
Puranas • Collection of poems about the
major Gods
• 6 – Vishnu • 6 – Brahma • 6 – Shiva
• (500-1500 A.D.) 194
Bhagavad-Gita
• “The Song of God”
• Part of the Mahabharata
• 400 B.C. – 100 A.D. • Authors unknown
195
• Dialogue between Krishna (avatara of Vishnu) and warrior named Arjuna
• Takes place on the battlefield
• Between the Pandavas and the Kauravas (Both Royal Families)
196
• Through a crooked dice game
• The Kauravas get the rights to the kingdom for 13 years
197
• The Pandavas are exiled to the forest
• The Kauravas refuse to return the kingdom to the Pandavas
198
• War is inevitable
• Arjuna does not want to fight is relatives
199
• Krishna is disguised as Arjuna’s chariot driver
• Krishna counsels Arjuna on the greater idea of dharma or universal harmony and duty.
200
• He explains that the soul (Atman) is eternal and immortal.
• Any 'death' on the battlefield would involve only the shedding of the body
• but the soul is permanent.
201
• Arjuna receives several lessons from the Upanishads
• Including the ultimate meaninglessness of birth and death
• and action without attachment or aversion to keep from creating bad karma
202
• As the dialogue proceeds, Krishna’s lessons begin gradually to focus upon himself
• Becoming increasingly characteristic of the path of bhakti
203
• Krishna encourages Arjuna to focus his mind, will, and heart on god and let all else go
• For bhakti practice, what is done is not as important as how it is done
204
• All that matters is to do things with faith and devotion to the god
• And to follow one’s dharma
205
• On a climactic moment
• Arjuna asks Krishna to grant him an extremely rare blessing
• the ability to see Krishna in his full glory as god
206
• Krishna grants Arjuna a divine eye with which to gaze on the god’s form
207
• After his vision
• Arjuna arises and goes into battle
• claiming that his doubts have been dispelled
208
• The Gita ends before we come to know about the battle itself
• But the war was not the real issue
209
• The war is a metaphor for:
• Our soul • Our self • Our mind • Our Struggle with dharma (duty)
210
211
Popular Bhakti Gods • Krishna
• Brahma = Creator • Vishnu = Preserver • Shiva = Destroyer
• Etc
212
• Also other world religious leaders are viewed as Hindu Avatars
• Christ • Allah • Tao • Etc.