Transcript Understanding the Hindu Worldview

Understanding
the Hindu
Worldview
Prepared by Josh Ellis
Union Baptist Association
History
Aryans
Dravidians
How did Hinduism begin?
• Aryan culture:
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Polytheism and extensive oral religious traditions
Vedic (Sanskrit) linguistic roots though illiterate
Class system
Reverence for cattle and livestock
• Dravidian culture:
• Pantheistic
• Tamil linguistic roots; literate culture
• Temple worship, fire sacrifices
Sanatana dharma: eternal truth
Country
Hindus
% of Population
India
909,542,254
80.5
Nepal
23,410,450
80.6
Bangladesh
15,797,076
10.5
Mauritius
625,441
50
Fiji
303,163
33
Guyana
253,801
33
Concept of God
Henotheism
• “God” has one nature and essence, but millions of
representations or forms existing simultaneously
• “God” has many names:
• “Brahman”
o Nirguna Brahman (without qualities)
o Saguna Brahman (with qualities)
• Supreme One
• Absolute Reality
• Hindus resent being called polytheists
“There is one Supreme Controller, who is the Inner Self of all
beings. He projects Himself outward, creating infinity from the
One. Everlasting joy comes to those wise beings who perceive
this great Being within themselves.” -Katha Upanishad
God and Man
Brahman
• eternal being that created, preserves world
• all-encompassing
• human mind incapable of understanding
Atman
• each person has atman, soul, a literally a part of Brahman
• Atman shapes personality, cannot be destroyed, even by death
Evil
• There is no concept of Satan, but there is evil in the world
and evil spirits of sorts
• There is no concept of Hell, a place that eternally
separates a soul from God- God is omnipresent
• There is a place similar to purgatory- there a soul
temporarily undergoes purification and expiation before
rebirth
• There is continual battle between good (devas) and evil
(asuras), also defined selflessness vs. egotism
• “avidya”- Sanskrit meaning “ignorance” or “lack of
knowledge” is the root of all evil
Brahma
Lord Brahma symbolizes the aspect of the
Supreme Reality that brings forth the
creation. For this very reason, Hindus call
Lord Brahma the Creator of the universe.
His divine consort is Saraswati, the
Goddess of learning and knowledge.
Goddess Saraswati provides Lord Brahma
with knowledge that is necessary for the
process of creation.
Vishnu
• Preserves and sustains the universe
• Commonly seen as having blue body
indicating his nature is infinite like the sky,
and four arms representing omnipotence
and omnipresence
• Father of Ganesha,
the remover of
obstacles
Vishnu
Incarnates as ten avatars (descents)
including:
• Rama
• Sri Krishna
• Buddha: Hindus consider Buddha as an incarnation
of Lord Vishnu and accept his teachings, but do not
directly worship him.
• Kalkin (a man on a white horse): this incarnation
is yet to come and will mark the end of Kali Yuga,
the current period of time
The Mahabarata records the Vishnu sahasranama ("Vishnu's thousand
names"); Apart from the ten principal avatars, another 22 avatars are also
given in the Bhagavata Purana
Shiva (Siva)
• The destroyer; the transformer
• Protector of devotees, from both external
and internal dangers
• Commonly seen in yogic positions
• The River Ganges is said to flow from his
feet, making the river important to
Hinduism
• Reabsorbs the universe into his pure
awareness to start the reincarnation
process over again
Practices
The Vedas
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Directly revealed religious text called shruti (heard)
Hymns written in the Vedic language- ancient Sanskrit
Many are written in metric verse to ease memorization
and recitation
Four canonical Samhitas or “compositions” (the Vedas):
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Rig Veda
Sama Veda- hymns noted with melodies from Rig Veda
Yajur Veda- focuses mainly on certain sacrifices
Atharva Veda
Three compendiums:
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2.
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The Brahmanas
The Aranyakas
The Upanishads
Smriti (remembered) texts
• Two Great Epics
• Mahabarata
o Bhagavad Gita- the story of Krishna, teaches about dharma
• Ramayana
o the story of Rama (and wife, Sita)
o Good triumphs over evil
o Love conquers all
• Puranas
• Continually added to over time
• “the people’s Vedas”
What are the four aims?
Hindus organize their lives around certain activities or
"purusharthas." These are called the "four aims of
Hinduism.”
• Dharma: righteousness in their religious life
• Artha: success in their economic life; material prosperity
• Kama: gratification of the senses; pleasure; sensual, sexual, and
mental enjoyment
• Moksha: Liberation from "samsara“
Karma
The law of action and reaction- every thought, word and
action produces an effect that leads to progression or
regression
Good karma
helps one to
eventually
break the
cycle of
samsara by
receiving
moksha
Time is Cyclical
Krita Yuga
(1.7 million yrs)
Kali Yuga
(432,000 yrs)
Treta Yuga
(1.3 million yrs)
February 18, 3102 BC
Dvapara Yuga
(864,000 yrs)
Actions to Avoid: “yamas”
• Violence (“ahimsa”)
• Ghandi’s reference to his nonviolent protests
• The origination of much of the vegetarianism for Hindus
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Lying: (“satya”)
Stealing: (“asteya”)
Overindulgence: (“brahmacharya”)
Greed: (“aparigraha”)
Actions to Practice: “niyamas”
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“Saucha”: cleansing
“Santosha”: contentment
“Tapas”: discipline
“Kshama”: patience
“Daya”: compassion
“Puja”: worship God
“Svadhyaya”: study diligently
“Japa”: repeating God’s name
“Ishvara Pranidhana”: surrender to God
What is yoga?
• “Union with the Divine Consciousness.”
• Method of keeping us in control of
our body, mind and actions
• Four types of yoga
• Jnana yoga – the path of knowledge
o The hardest, most dangerous path
• Bhakti yoga – the path of devotion
o Devotion to God personally; to gurus
• Karma yoga – the path of action
o Surrender blessings and ego to the Divine Will
o Peace through action (dharma)
• Raja yoga – the path based on control of one’s actions and
thoughts: Hatha yoga (breathing/stretching) + meditation
7/20/2015
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Vedanta theology
• Advaita vedanta: “not two”
• Spirit and matter do not exist separately
• Pure consciousness is highest reality- moksha is achieved when
Atman becomes fully unified with Brahman (since the two are of
the same essence)
• The world is an idea superimposed on reality: Is that a snake or
rope in the road?
• Vishishta vedanta: “not quite two”
• Atman can have union with—but not unity with—Brahman
• Identity is retained during union
• Devotional (rituals and duty) rather than mental approach
• Dvaita vedanta: “two, not one”
• World, self and God are real and completely separate
Hindu leadership
Guru
Sadhu
Swami
Hindu caste system
• Varna and jatis: (type, order or color & subcastes)
• 4 varna:
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Brahmins (scholars, teachers, priests)
Kshatriyas (warriors, kings)
Vaishyas (merchants, farmers)
Shudras (laborers)
“Twice born”
• Outsiders
• Dalits- “downtrodden” (outcaste, without Varna)
o Ghandi referred to them as “Harijans”- the children of God
• Panchamas- once excommunicated from Hindu orthodoxy
• Mlecchas- foreigners, never Hindu to begin with
What is “Om” and its importance?
"Om" is a holy word often spoken during the
practice of any Hindu rites.
• Represents the trinity of three supreme
Gods
• Brahma – the creator
• Vishnu – the preserver
• Shiva – the destroyer
Swastika
• The swastika is considered extremely holy and auspicious
by all Hindus, and is regularly used to decorate items
related to Hindu culture.
• It is also seen as pointing in all four directions (north, east,
south and west) and thus signifies grounded stability. It is
sometimes used to represent the sun.
• "Swastika" (স্বস্তিক Sbastik) is a common given
name amongst Bengalis
Tilaka and Bindi
Divali (Diwali, Dipavali)
The Festival of Lights
Leicester, England
Holi
The Festival of Colors
Kumbh Mela
Festival of the Pot
Murti
• A physical form through which the power and grace of
the divine can manifest
• The idols are not being worshipped; they would be similar
to icons being revered in orthodox Christianity
• Idols are dressed, fed, fanned, washed and clothed as if
they were real; they are also replaced if they fall into
disrepair
When visiting the temple…
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Dress modestly
Schedule for the darshan (viewing the idols)
Take off your shoes before entering
Observe the arati
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir 1150 Brand Lane, Stafford, TX 77477
When visiting the temple…
• There will be opportunities to purchase offerings
• Someone might offer holy water to drink and run through
your hair; tilaks might be offered as well
• Prasad will be available
Hinduism in
Houston
Specific Countries listed under South Central Asia are:
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Pakistan
Top 2 Most Unreached
Nationalities
in Houston:
1. Pakistani
(Urdu & English)
2. Asian Indian
(Hindi & Gujurathi)
Hare Krishna Dham
Transformation
• Administration Building
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Kitchen
Guest Quarters
Gift shop
Dining Room
North Elevation - Artist Rendering
Bridges to reaching Hindus
• Jesus Christ has offered a assured way to moksha, and
defined what it is
• Grace is a shared concept (hindus call it “kripa”), and
many think Christians define grace too tightly
• Jesus Christ is God incarnate and paid a price that only
God could pay on our behalf
• More details provided by the Lausanne Movement here:
http://www.lausanne.org/all-documents/lop-14.html#2
For more information:
Josh Ellis
[email protected]
731-957-2000