hinduism
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Hinduism claims no founder, no seminal event, no creed, no one textual authority.
This agelessness gives it a tremendous range of expressions—from sensual to philosophical to ascetic.
It also accounts for its breadth of tolerance for variety of understanding and practice expressed in the axiom
“Paths are many, truth is one.”
HINDUISM
What’s Dharma?
Dhārayati dharmaWhat sustains is Dharma
Duty, law, justice, moral conduct, one’s nature, the best possible course.
Way of living a virtuous life with emphasis on proper conduct & behavior.
Sanatana Dharma = eternal law/religion
SYMBOLS OF WORLD’S ORGANIZED RELIGIONS
Christianity (cross), Judaism (Star of David), Hinduism (the letter Om), Islam (Crescent Moon and Star), Buddhism (Wheel), Shinto (torii), Sikhism (Khanda), Baha’I (Star) and Jainism (the hand standing for protection from Ahimsa)
Adherents or followers as of year 2000 census
Christianity 2.1 billion Islam 1.3 billion Secular/Atheist/Irreligious/Agnostic/Nontheist 1.1 billion Hinduism 900 million Buddhism 708 million (see also Buddhism by country) Chinese folk religion 394 million Primal indigenous ("Pagan") 300 million African traditional and diasporic 100 million Sikhism 23 million Juche 19 million Spiritism 15 million Judaism 14 million Bahá'í Faith 7 million Jainism 4.2 million Shinto 4 million (see below) Cao Dai 4 million Zoroastrianism 2.6 million Tenrikyo 2 million Neo-Paganism 1 million Unitarian Universalism 800,000 Rastafari movement 600,000
The Vedas (the books of wisdom)The Four Vedas
1) Rig
2) Sama
3) Ajur
4) Atharva
Believed to have existed from the beginning of time.
Preserved by creator God Brahma during the dissolution, and then given to humanity when the world was
recreated.
Eternal = Sanātana
Saraswati River is mentioned in the Veda many times, but not Indus.
Controversy of the myth of Aryan invasionConventional theory vs. new theory proposed by David Frawley (read his article)
(Hand out Fire Sacrifice article)
Shruti = that which is heard
Vedas and Upanishads = Shrutis
Smriti = that which is memorized
Sacred scriptures (Puranas; theEpics—the Mahabharata and the Ramayana—are classified as Itihasa = history) authored by Rishis are Smritis.
Hierarchy of the Hindu pantheon
Brahman(Tat)
VishnuPreserver
ShivaDestroyer
Brahmacreator
Higher gods
IndraKing of gods
330 million gods
Lower gods (Deva)
Varuna, Vayu, Surya, et alAgniSoma, et al.
Brahma Loka
Deva Loka
While in deep meditation, the Rishis heard the verses of the Vedas and “channeled” them to other Brahmans (Brahmins) for preservation.
Oral transmission, passed from teacher to disciple.
Example of bringing several Brahmins to complete a Veda.
Not to be confused between
1. Brahman and Brahmaṇa
2. Dharma and adharma
3. Shanti and ashanti
4. Himsa and ahimsa
“A” and “Na” change the words into a negative meaning
Vedas were orally transmitted.
Oral transmission, not written down, using elaborate mnemonic system of preservation.
Verse in metric system, ideal for memorization, each chapter committed to memorization by each Brahmin.
Emphasis on accuracy
Language of Veda: An archaic form of Sanskrit.
Rig Veda, a collection of 1017 hymns to a wide assortment of gods arranged in 10 sections believed
to have compiled by Rishi Vyasha before 1500 BCE.
VEDAS, CONTINUED
Sama is a selection of hymns taken from the Rig with a basic difference. The hymns are melodious so that one can actually sing rather than chant.
Hymns from the Ajur are used for certain types of sacrifices ritualistic in form.
Atharva is practical. It contains magical formulas for a variety of useful purposes, e.g. attracting lovers, subduing enemies, curing diseases, regulating
weather, etc.
Samhita = collection, hence Vedas are a collection of 4 Samhitas (i.e. 4 Vedas)
Each Veda consists of three additional parts, viz. Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads.
THE VEDAS, CONTINUED
Sama Veda Ajur Veda Atharva VedaRig Veda
Brahmanas
Aranyakas
Upanishads
SamhitaSamhitaSamhita
Brahmanas
Aranyakas
Upanishads
Brahmanas
Aranyakas
Upanishads
Brahmanas
Aranyakas
Upanishads
THE SO-CALLED CASTE SYSTEM (CHATUR VARNA)
BrahmanaBrahmin
Kshetriya
Vaishya
Shudra
Mahapurusha
(Universal man)
Varna = color/skin color/profession based on aptitude
Untouchables=Bhangi, Chamar, etc. (Harijans)
Brahman
Kshetriya
Vaishya
Shudra
The untouchableHarijan, Dalit
The four castes (Chatur Varna, jat (jati) all came out of Mahapurusha’s body
Head
Shoulder Warrior, ruler, royalty
Thigh
Feet
Merchant, trader, farmer
ProfessionPriest, teacher
ProfessionWarrior, ruler, aristocrat
ProfessionMerchant, officer, farmer
ProfessionTailor, musicians, blacksmith
Head
Shoulder
Thigh
Feet
Mahapurusha
Caste is difficult to digest even for some non-progressive Hindus.
My anecdote
It obviously is most troubling for the non-Hindus, especially those who belong to the Abrahamic traditions.
How it was explained in the Vedic scriptures and how it was practiced by the later Hindus, and how it is today
viewed and treated is another matter.
Not rigid as it sounds
Able to negotiate
Rules are there, but they can be broken depending on situation
Manusriti by Manu (The Law Codes of Manu, codes of conduct for the followers of Sanatana Dharma)
Brahma Vishnu Shiva
Saraswati LakshmiParvati
Parvati
Vahana = animal vehicle
Avatara = incarnation
Rupa = manifestation
Mudra = hand gesture
Asana = sitting/standing posture
Sansara/samsara = phenomenal world
Mokshya = liberation, freedom, release from samsara, salvation
Vishnu’s 10 incarnationsPurpose: Yada yadahi dharmashya glanirbhavata Bharata,
abhyudhnamasya dharmasya tadatmanam srijam mahyem
1. Fish (Matsya)2. Tortoise (Kurma)
3. Boar (Varaha)4. Man-lion (Narasimha)
5. Dwarf (Vamana) 6. Parasurama
7. Rama8. Krishna9. Buddha
10. Kalki (Messiah)
AVATARA
Non-human
Half-human and underdeveloped human
Fully human
Three major Hindu gods and their functions:Brahma creates (architect)Vishnu preserves (tenant)Shiva destroys (demolisher)
Each god has a female counterpart called Shakti (energy)
A male god is not complete without his shakti; in her absence, he is like a bulb w/o electricity.
Shiva will be Sava (a corpse) without the presence of his energy, Parvati.
Sampradayi (Sectarian) marks, Tilaka
Two main centers of Indus Valley Civilization
The so-called proto-ShivaShiva as Pashupatinath
Shiva in meditationAt Mt. Kailasha
Located in Banglore
Shiva w/Parvati Shiva w/Parvati
“Only when Shiva is united with Shakti does he have the power to create.” Saundaryalahari by shankaracharya
ArdhanarisvaraAndrogynous form
of Shiva
AuspiciousInauspicious
Ithyphallic Siva
Base=Yoni
Superstructure/shaft=linga
OM
A
U
M
PastPast
Present
Future
The sound of OM is followed by a silence, and the silence is reconnected with the sound, hence completing a full circle. Om is
composed of three letters, and yet it's not a word. The unique aspect of Om is that it is monosyllabic. It is considered to be the sound of
creation, hence it's primordial.
The composition & meaning of OM
Copyright © 2004 by Deepak Shimkhada, Claremont, California
Brahma
Vishnu
Shiva
What is Samsara?
Field of action
Every action has an equal reaction
Karma is based on the idea of action and its consequence
Samsara
Atma(n)=selfBrahman=Absolute being, ultimate reality,
essence of everything.
Brahman is formless, can’t be seen, can’t be described, can’t be measured, it’s fathomless. And YET it’s
everywhere.
Is it dark matter? Is it God? What is it?
UPANISHAD
Nirguna Brahman
Saguna Brahman
Dvaita (two), dual, duality
Samkhya (Sankhya)
Purusha (Male), and Prakriti (Nature, i.e. female)
Advaita (no two), non-dual, non-duality
Shankara
Brahman (neither male nor female)
When Purusha comes too close to Prakriti, the equilibrium of the three gunas is disturbed, effecting
Prakriti to manifest into multitudes of elements.
PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF HINDUISM
Three Gunas1. Sattva (goodness, purity, harmony, centering),
2. Rajas (activity, energy, motion, passion)
3. Tamas (dullness, inertia, going out of balance)
When Prakriti is activated, unfolding of creation takes place.
The diverse forms of Samsara are manifestations of Prakriti.
PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE GODDESS
Once the gunas cease to be effective,
Prakriti returns to its original state of equilibrium.
And Purusha and Prakriti are once again separate from each other, like the lotus flower withdrawn from the
mud.
Example of a placid lakeExample of a placid lake
Purusha and Prakriti
Prurusha=Self/spirit/consciousness Perceiver, Seer, Unmanifest
Prakriti=Matter/Nature/manifest realityPerceived, Seen
Manifest or material world is not unreal Hence Parakrit is falseWhat is real is Purusha
Samkhya: Reasoning for Dualism
Samkhya literally means “enumeration.”
By analyzing and classifying, things can be discriminated from each other, and finally they can be enumerated, identified and qualified.
Purusha is eternal, unchanging, inactive, conscious & ontologically identical w/ultimate truth.
Prakriti is distinct from Purusha, it’s eternal as Purusha, but is eternally changing, active and unconscious.
Prakriti is characterized by three gunas (qualities): sattva (goodness, purity, harmony, centering), rajas (activity, energy, motion, passion), and tamas (dullness, inertia,
going out of balance)
Prakriti is a cause of all things that are felt by the five senses.
The original source of the world of experience is closely related to the concept of nature.
In samkhya the effect is logically linked with the cause.
Hence the nature of causality and a particular cause is an inherent feature of the material world.
Prakriti is female/earth, material or tangible aspect of Purusha (the unseen being, Atman).
Purusha is male/sky, spiritual or intangible aspect of the being.
In Samkhya, Purusha and Prakriti are equal, but independent in their roles. They complement each other and work in harmony like the Yin and
Yang, Shiva and Parvati.
Evidence of teleological structure in Nature.
Some instinct of Purusha directing in the design of Nature, the way in which the things are arranged as in teleology.
Prakriti playing part in the phenomenon of nature of material cause
Purusha without Prakriti is inactive while Prakriti without Purusha is undirected
Without Purusha there is no soteriological release from the material body, i.e. Prakriti
They have to work together to be able to operate in the world, and neither could be the source of
the other.
Vedic concept of heaven.
This is where gods live.
In the Upanishad, heaven isn’t the goal.
Liberation, mokshya is.
Liberation from birth and rebirth (samsara)
The wheel of life
Transmigration—84k life cycles
SAMSARA & KARMA(N)
Maha YugasThe smallest cycle. A maha yuga is 4,320,000 human years. Each maha yuga
is subdivided into the following four ages:
Satya Yuga (also called Krita Yuga)
This first age is 1,728,000 human years. Also known as the Golden Age or age of Truth. The qualities of this age are: virtue reigns supreme; human stature is 21 cubits;
lifespan is a lakh of years, and death occurs only when willed.Treta Yuga
This second age is 1,296,000 human years. Also known as the Silver Age. The qualities of this age are: the climate is three quarters virtue and one quarter sin; human
stature is 14 cubits; lifespan is 10,000 years.Dvapara Yuga
This third age is 864,000 human years. Also known as the Bronze Age. The qualities of this age are: the climate is one half virtue and one half sin; lifespan is 1,000 years.
Kali Yuga
The fourth and last age is 432,000 human years. Also known as the Iron Age. This is the age in which we are presently living. The qualities of this age are: the climate is
one quarter virtue and three quarters sin; human stature is 3.5 cubits; lifespan is 100 or 120 years.
Hinduism is the only religion that postulates the idea of life-cycles of the universe.
It suggests that the universe undergoes an infinite number of deaths and rebirths.
Four time cycles: Satya (Krita), Treta, Dwapara, Kali
CONCEPT OF TIME IN HINDUISM
The Hindu Time Cycles is equal to 4.32 billion years, a "day of Brahma" or one thousand Mahayugas,
measuring the duration of the world (scientists estimate the age of the Earth at 4.54 billion years).
Each Kalpa is divided into 14 Manvantara periods, each lasting 71 Yuga cycles (306,720,000 years).
Preceding the first and following each Manvatara period is a juncture (Sandhya) the length of a Satya-yuga
(1,728,000) years.
Two kalpas constitute a day and night of Brahma.
A "month of Brahma" is supposed to contain thirty such days (including nights), or 259.2 billion years.
According to the Mahabharata, 12 months of Brahma (=360 days) constitute his year, and 100 such years
the life cycle of the universe.
Fifty years of Brahma are supposed to have elapsed, and we are now in the shvetavaraha-kalpa of the
fifty-first; at the end of a Kalpa the world is annihilated.
“Hinduism is the only religion in which the time scales correspond... to those of modern scientific
cosmology.
Its cycles run from our ordinary day and night to a day and night of the Brahma, 8.64 billion years long, longer than the age of the Earth or the Sun
and about half the time since the Big Bang.”
- Carl Sagan
HINDU UNIVERSE
There are 4
1. Brahmacharya (celebacy, student)
2. Grihastya (householder)
3. Vanaspratha (retirement, forest dweller)
4. Sanyasa (renouncer)
STAGES OF LIFE (ASHRAMA)
There are 4
1. Dharma
2. Artha
3. Kama
4. Mokshya
PURSUIT OF LIFE
Because the defiled Atma is subject to negative thoughts and unfulfilled desires, it wants to return to
the world to fulfill them by taking another body.
If the soul is pure, untouched by any desires, it will be set free to return to the universal soul (Para-Atman)—which is luminous, pure & unstained—from which it
originally came from.
ATMA(N)=SOUL
Because the soul is trapped into an individual’sbody, it is colored or stained by the individual’s
negative thoughts and desires.
Thus, when thematerial body dies, the soul (Atman) is not
allowed to set free from the Samsara.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SOUL WHEN THE BODY DIES?
Atma(n)=soul
Sacred Tulsi plant in front of a
Hindu house
Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur, also known asRajarajeswaram, India's largest temple and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Great Living Chola
Temples.
Jagannatha Temple in Puri, Orissa, Ratha Yatra
The Subrahmanya temple at Saluvankuppam, near Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu. The brick shrine dates to the Sangam period and is one of the oldest Hindu temples to be unearthed
Chennakesava Temple of Vishnu at Belur, Karnataka, India
Kedarnath Temple dedicated to Shiva in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand
The tower (gopuram) of the Kapaleeswar Temple, a typical South Indian temple
complex in Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Hindu temple in Bali, Indonesia, designed as an open-air space for conducting rituals
Chandeswari temple, Kathmandu, Nepal
Janaki Mandir of Janakpur, a center of pilgrimage where the wedding of Rama and Sita as vivaha festival is re-enacted
Brahma in Pushkar, Rajasthan
Kamakhya, outside of temple
Chidambara temple
Brahma Vishnu Shiva
Saraswati LakshmiParvati
Three major Hindu gods and their functions:
Brahma creates (architect)Vishnu preserves (tenant)Shiva destroys (demolisher)
Each god has a female counterpart called Shakti (energy) and is given an animal vehicle to travel.
A male god is not complete without his shakti; in her absence, he is like a bulb w/o electricity.
Shiva will be Sava (a corpse) without the presence of his energy, Parvati.
Shiva w/Parvati Shiva w/Parvati
Only when Shiva is united with Shakti does he have the power to create - Saundaryalahari
Radha-Krishna
Ganesha
Cham
Cham Museum Danang - Central Vietnam
… Vishnu became infuriated, and Shiva, too, with furrowed brows and twisted faces. Then from Vishnu's face, filled with rage, there came forth a great fiery splendor (tejas), and also from the faces of Brahma and Shiva.
And from the bodies of all the other gods, Indra and the others, came forth a great fiery splendor, and it congealed into a single form. A stupendously fiery mass like a flaming mountain the gods saw there, filling the firmament with flames. That matchless splendor, born from the bodies of all the gods, came together in a single place, pervading all the worlds with its luster, and it became woman. -Devi Mahatmya (2.8 - 12)
Mt. Kailash—the abode of Shiva
Durga
Durga as Mahishmardini
Goddess Siddha Lakshmi with Kali
Yakshi
Goddess Ganga (Ganges River)
Lunar cycle of the Goddess (PMS?)
Painting of Kali
byJames
McPartlin
OM
A
U
M
PastPast
Present
Future
The sound of OM is followed by a silence, and the silence is reconnected with the sound, hence
completing a full circle. Om is composed of three letters, and yet it's not a word. The unique aspect of
Om is that it is monosyllabic. It is considered to be the sound of creation, hence it's primordial.
The composition & meaning of OM
Copyright © 2004 by Deepak Shimkhada, Claremont, California
Brahma
Vishnu
Shiva
Sanctum of a temple
Garbha griha (womb chamber)
Dark and small
No windows
Having only one opening like the
womb of a woman
Pradkshina (circumambulation)
Clockwise
Eastern orientation (from where the sun rises)
A temple is the abode of god(s)
Designed after the shape of a tall mountain so that it can be seen from distance
Points to the heavens
Gods descend from the heavens to the earth
Stands on a sacred ground
Must have presence of water for purification
Hence, ideally built on the banks of a river, sea, ocean, or lake. If there is no source of water, then water is brought to the
temple precinct
PLAN OF A HINDU TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE
TEMPLE
It may be dedicated to one god, but a devotee would find other gods as well since many Hindu gods are the
manifestation of one God, i.e. Brahman
A devotee announces his arrival by ringing the bell hung in front of the temple door
Like ringing a door bell when we visit a friend’s home
Prambanan, ( also known as Lorojonggrang Temple ) in Indonesiadedicated to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva
Nagushi temple, Goa
Elevation of the Khandesvara temple in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, Central India
From ancient times Hindu sages meditated in the Himalayan caves. (The Sanskrit term is guha.) Upanishads refer to caves as shelters where yogis practice, and also use cave imagery in depicting the presence of the sacred in the human heart.
The sacred is "the primeval one that is hard to perceive, wrapped in mystery, hidden in the cave, residing within the impenetrable depth.“ Normally our attention is drawn to the world around us, but "entering the cave of the heart, one sees the one who was born prior to heat and waters, the one who has seen through living beings." The nature of this consciousness is described in the Upanishads as Being, Awareness, Consciousness, and Bliss—sat-chit-ananda. Though beyond description, people describe it as "large, heavenly, of inconceivable form; yet it appears more minute than the minute.
It is farther than the farthest, yet it is near at hand; it is right here within those who see, hidden within the cave of their heart." In the Upanishadic view the All—the One—is found in the secret recess, in the cave in the heart. There one finds the inner core of sacred being, the Atman (Self) which is one with Brahman (infinite formless consciousness). To experience this inner light and be established in it is the goal, mokshya, of a Hindu.
Hindu temple of Greater Chicago
Hindu temple on the bank of the Ganges River in Varanasi (Benaras/Banaras)
Ritual bathing in Banaras
Making of the image
Eye opening ceremony
Consecration (prana pratistha, infusing life into the image)
North Indian vs. South Indian temple style
Nagara (N. Indian w/Shikhara) vs. Dravida (S. Indian) w/gopura(m), vimana(m)
Assembly hall
N. Indian is based on square plan, whereas Dravida is based on assembly hall (mandapa) and a tall gateway
(gopura)
South Indian type is more elaborate and is planned as a city than the North Indian temple
HINDU TEMPLE