World Religions

Lecture Outline for Quiz #4: Hinduism

Fall 2001

Spelling issues

Ancient India

Indoeuropean (Indo-aryan) invasion
~2000 -- 1500 BC
Indoeuropean languages
Sanskrit: language of aryan invaders
connections between Sanskrit and European languages, including English
Origins of the caste system as partly maintenance of Aryan racial purity

Video of family shrine

Role of images/statues in worship
contrast with several Western views
story of the sculptor
note that Huston Smith took a Western view of the statues

Castes

4 principle:
Priest (Brahmin)
Ruler/Warrior (Kshatriya)
Merchant (Vaishya)
Worker (Shudra)
untouchables / outcaste
many subdivisions
racial and socio-economic origins
attempts to deal with its problems in modern India
conversions to Buddhism among Shudras & untouchables

Vedic religion

Vedic deities:
Indra (creator)
Agni (fire, sacrifice)
Soma (mind altering plant-substance)
Shruti ('heard' or 'revealed' = ancient scripture)
Samhitas
Rig Veda
largest and prob. oldest
Upanishads
theological/philosophical speculations on the nature of everything

Kalpa (universe cycle)

Yuga (subdivision of the kalpa)
Kali yuga (the one we are in - the last will culminate in the destruction of the universe)

Brahman

manifested as:
Vishnu
Krishna, Rama, etc.
Shiva
Kali
Ganesha
Brahma
shakti (God's consort)
story of the yoni-lingam (vulva-penis)

The gods

distinct from Brahman in the same way that humans and other creatures are
subject to samsara
can be prayed to, etc.

Samsara (the law of reincarnation and reward)

reincarnation
karma (= work: the law of reward/recompense)
maya (the deception that the world is real, that suffering and pleasure are meaningful - keeps samsara in power)
story of Vishnu and the Indra
moksha (escape from samsara)
the 4 yogas (margas)
devotional (bhakti)
esp. Vaishnavites
intellectual (jnana)
esp. Shaivite
practical (karma)
contemplative (raja)

Atman (soul)

Atman vs. Jiva
Tat Tvam Asi ('that is what you are')
Chandogya Upanishad
Shankara vs. Ramanuja on the nature of the Atman
Shankara (8th c.)
non-dualism (advaita) [= monism]
atman = God
'is' in an algebraic sense
moksha = disappearance of self into ultimate
like drop of water into ocean
Ramanuja (11th c.)
qualified non-dualism (vishishtadvaita)
atman = god-essence
'is' in a set theoretical sense
moksha = eternal intimate union with God

Terminology

do not confuse:
Brahma = a name of God
Brahman = a generic term for God
Brahmin = a priest
Brahmana = a class of vedic literature

Dharma

place in the universe
with appropriate actions
4 Stages of Life
student, householder, retirement, renunciant (sannyasin)

Vedanta

Shankara (788-820 CE)
advaita (non-dualism)
Ramanuja (1040?-1137)
vishista-advaita (qualified non-dualism)
Madhva (1199?-?)
dvaita (dualism)
like Christianity/Islam
atman is distinct from God
moksha involves eternal bliss in a place like Heaven
moksha derives from the grace of God

Mahabarata

Krishna, Rama
Avatar
Bhagavad Gita
3rd-4th c. CE
Arjuna

Krishna as Lover

Yoga

goal: mental discipline
eight steps
controlling desire through abstinence and asceticism
mental/spiritual discipline
posture
breath control
withdrawal of senses from outside world
concentration/contemplation
mantras
yantras

a Kali yantra
meditation
trance of absorption into Brahman (samadhi)
the varieties of yoga
physical = hatha yoga
kundalini
devotional = bhakti yoga
intellectual = jnana yoga
practical = karma yoga
dharma
medational = raja yoga
sexual = kama yoga

Gurus

a spiritual guide
sadhus
claim to have attained spiritual enlightenment
tend to be charismatic leaders
sannyasin
4th stage (in the stages of life -- see above) = renunciant
often: the disciple of a sadhu or guru
sometimes: a shaivite ascetic

Shaktism (Hindu Tantra)

shakti
consort or feminine aspect of the God
often more particularly that of Shiva:
as mother goddess
Parvati, Uma
as destroyer, maya
Durga, Kali
"right-hand" shakti worship
devotion to the feminine divine
union of dual life-death aspects of Kali
"left-hand" shakti worship
harnessing magical and spiritual energy
ritual (sacred) violation of taboo
eating meat
yogic control of sexuality

Indian Renaissance

Effects of British occupation
economic nature of the occupation (originally)
policy of non-involvement in Indian social structures and religion
ambivalence toward missionaries
British orientalists
the 'discovery' of Hinduism
Westernized Indian intellectual movement
the radical reformers:
Ramuhun Roy
the Brahmo Samaj
the conservative reformers:
the Arya Samaj
Westernization of education
missionary schools
government colleges
the financial draw of government service
the Arya Samaj's 'Hindu' alternative schools
Sati
overview of the practice
the British response
pressure from the Indian intellectual community to criminalize it
We didn't talk about: Widow remarriage
After the abolition of sati, the social location of widows in the community became (and continues to be) a problem
One issue had to do with whether widows should be allowed to marry
The first wave of this issue hinged on virgin widows (unconsummated marriages)
The Arya Samaj was a 'back to Hinduism' movement in the latter 19th century, and were forerunners in allowing widow remarriage, as well as in Hindu oriented education of children, especially girls.

Reading:

WR: pp. 180-249.
Reading from the web page.

Terms, names & dates you need to know