Hinduism: A Deep Dive into Beliefs and History PDF

# Hinduism (Dharmic Religion) - One major commonality of Dharmic religion is that they all emerged from the vast continent of India, the land of complexity and diversity in terms of people, culture, practice, customs, and traditions. - These religions include Hinduism and the two branches of Buddh...

# Hinduism (Dharmic Religion) - One major commonality of Dharmic religion is that they all emerged from the vast continent of India, the land of complexity and diversity in terms of people, culture, practice, customs, and traditions. - These religions include Hinduism and the two branches of Buddhism, the Theravada and the Mahayana schools thought. - Central to their fundamental teachings are the belief in the DHARMA with each religion having their own special meaning for the term. - Interestingly, the word DHARMA has no exact and specific translations in the western languages. - For the HINDUS, it could mean an individual's appropriate behavior or duty to fulfill in observance of a custom law. - For the Buddhist, it could mean universal law and order, or the Buddha's teaching itself. - The unique character of each DHARMIC religion fascinates a great multitude of faithful followers all over the world. - With its one billion adherents notably in India, Hinduism is the third world's largest religion. - On the other hand, buddhism has a very strong followers in Asian countries most especially in east in southeast asia. ## Hinduism - Is the world's third largest religion with around 15% of the population practicing the Hindu faith. - Hindu followers in India comprise the major bulk with almost 80% country's population adhering to the religion. - Other Asian countries with considerable hindu faith include Nepal (23 million), Bangladesh (15 million), and Indonesia (3.9 million in Bali). - There are also substantials numbers of hindus in Mauritius, Guyana, Fiji, Bhutan, Trinidad, and Tobago, Suriname, and Sri lanka. - Hinduism was never a missionary religion unlike cristianity or islam. ## History - Hinduism is often times considered as the oldest and most complex of all world religion. - Hindu may have begun around the third millennium B.C.E. - Hinduism had no one indentifiable founder. - The term originated from the Persian hindu (In a Sanskrit sindhu) which means “river”. - The name was given in 19th century to describe the array of belief system in India. - Hinduism was originally known as "Arya Dharma” or the “Ayan Way”. - As early as 300B.C.E., was discovered in India the ancient Punjab city of Harappa and Mohejo-Daro along Indus. - The fundations of Hinduism may have originated from the customs of the early peoples of the Indus Valley around 2,500B.C.E to 1,500B.C.E. - Elements of Hinduism may have taken shape from the practices of pre-aryan people who were already civilized city dwellers. - Between 1,750B.C.E and 1,200B.C.E., Aryan conquerors moved to the Indus Valley and brought with them own set of beliefs that eventually mingle with the religion the natives. - Classical Hinduism resulted in the amalgamation of their faith. - Aryans brought with them their set of beliefs base on oral text known as VEDAS. - There is match difficulty in identifiying elements in the Vedas that are genuinely pre-Aryan or Aryan influence. - However, certain fundamental assumptions about the Aryan religion can be stated, Aryans brought with them a “Polytheistic religion” similar to other indo-European people. - Sacrifice was the principal form of worship to the Aryan gods. ## Sacred Scriptures - The sacred text of Hinduism have been principally passed down throughout generation by wat of music, recitation, dance and drama. - Sanskrit has been the language o the earliest writings. - The sacred writings of the Hindus are categories into two classes: - **SHRUTI** literally means “that which is heard” and - **SMRTI** means “that which is remembered”. - They are regarded as eternal truths that were passed orally until the beginning of the present age wherein they need to write it down. - The four collections of texts of vedas form the shruti, are considered primary sources and the most authoritative text of Hindu faith. ### Vedas - The four basic Vedic books, which are sacrificial hymns compiled from an earlier oral tradition, are composed of Rig-Veda, Sama-Veda, Yajur-Veda and Atharva-Veda. - The word Veda means “knowledge” or 'sacred lore". - The Vedas are the earliest known Sanskrit literature from the Brahmanic period and oldest scripture of the Hinduism. - In the great epic Mahabharta, Brahma was said to have creayed the Vedas. #### 1. Rig-Veda - Is the most important and oldest book that dates back to around 1500 B.C.E. to 1200 B.C.E. - Apart from being the oldest work of literature in an Indo-European language. - It also the oldest living religious literature of the world. - The book is a collection of over a thousand hymns and more than thousand hymns and more than thousand verses dedicated to the Aryan Pantheon of Gods. - **Rig-veda 10:129** is in famous hymn of the tenth mandala. - It is generally regarded as one of the later hymns, probably composed in the 19th century BCE. - It has the Indian name Nasadiya Sukta, “not the non-existen”, and is often given the English title creation, because of its subject. ##### The Paradox of Origin - The advanced abstract reasoning in the hymn has brought it a lot of attention, not only within Indology, but from scholar of philosophy and the history of religion as well. - Its line of thougth relates splendidly to cosmological thinking of the philosophers of Ancient Greece, all though to present day astronomy. - And it ends with what seems like a punch line, a paradox taken to the extreme, almost as if the unknown poet of it was making a joke. - Here are the last lines of it (in Max Muller's Translation). > Who knows from whence this great creation sprang? > He from whom all this great creation came. > Whether his will create or was mute, > The most high seer that is in highest heaven, > He knows it – or perchance even he knows not. - Maily, Rig Veda 10:129 reveals an insoluble paradox in which the human mind of the past as well as the present easily gets trapped. - How can the universe have sprung into exixtence? - How can something come out of nothing? - How can there be a beginning, before which there was nothing? - Much of what puzzled people three thousands years ago, still puzzled us today. - This dilemma, too. - Present-day scientist wrestle with the paradox, speculating about multiverse and such in an effort to explain the something out of nothing. - Doing so, they just move the problem to another location, not showing it at all. - So we should be wary of taking for granted that our ancestors were intellectually inferior to us. - We have more facts, but they knew that we still would not know today, not tomorrow. - That's what this creation hymn of Rig Veda points out. #### 2. YAJUR-VEDA OR THE “THE KNOWLEDGE OF RITES - Is the second book. - Composed between 1200 B.C.E this book is a compilation of material recited during rituals and sacrifices to deities. #### 3. SAMA-VEDA OR THE "KNOWLEDGES OF CHARTS” - Dating back almost the same time as the Yajur-Veda, this book is a collection of verses from the basic hymns recited by priests during sacrifices. #### 4.ATHARVA-VEDA OR KNOWN AS “KNOWLEDGE GIVEN BY THE SAGE ATHARVA" THAT DATE BACK AROUND 1500 B.C.E - This book contains rituals used in homes and popular prayers to gods. - Seldom used in solemn ceremonies unlike the other three Vedas, the Atharva-Veda contains numerous spells and incantations for medical purposes and magical aids to victory in battle among others. ## Upanishads - Forming the fourth part of the Vedas, the term Upanishad literally translates as “sitting down near” or “sitting close to” at it implies listening intently to the mystic teachings of a spirituals teacher who has fully understood the universal truths. - It could also mean “brahma-knowledge” whereby ignorance is totally eliminated. - Within these amazing collection of writing that were transmitted orally through generation, one can find early philosophical statements that from the basis for all later Hindu philosophy. ## Ramayana - The Ramayana translated as the “story of Rama” or “Rama's Journey”, is a Sanskrit epic poem written by the poet Valmiki consisting of 24,000 verse in seven books and 500 cantos. - This great was written between 200 B.C.E and 200 C.E Central to the story is Rama, a prince and later portrayed and later portrayed as avatar on incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, who was born in Ayodhya. - Rama was exiled by his father on the eve of his coronation. - Meanwhile, in the forest, Rama's consort, Sita, was abducted by Ravana, the demon-king of Lanka. - Rama struggles mightily to win Sita back. - After a battle, Rama kills Ravana and reunites again with Sita. ## Mahabharata - Tells of a great struggle among the descendants of the king called Bharata, a name used by many Indians to mean “India” (Coogan 2005”. - Two families are at war, the Pandavas who represented good and the Kauravas who embody evil.. - The hundred Kaurava brothers try to cheat their five cousins, the Pandavas, out of their share of the kingdom. - As intense battle ensued, every kingdom had to takes sides. - With the help of Khrisna another incarnation of Vishnu, the Pandavas emerged triumphant but lost all their sons and closest kin in battle. - With about 100,000 couplets than the Ramayana and 1.8 million words in total, this poem is about four times longer than the Ramayana, eight times longer than the lliad and the odyssey put together, and fifteen times longer than the bible. - Along with the Bible and Qurab, the Mahabharata ranks in importance among the sacred writings of various world religion ## Bhagavad Gita - A celebrated episode within the Mahabharata is the Bhagavad Gita (or simply Gita) which is translated as the “Lord's song”. - Considered as one of the holiest books by the Hindus, the Gita is a 700-verse narrative of a dialogue between the Pandava prince Arjuna and his guide-cousin Krishna. - Just as the war is about to commence at Kurukshetra, Arjuna is troubled at the thought of having to find his relatives and contemplates his fate and struggles set before him. - Returning to Ayodhya, they are crowned with portrayed as the ideal king. - Rama and Sita are the epitome of perfect man and woman. - Meanwhile, Ravana symbolizes ambition and greed resulting in cosmic disorder and degradation of women and family. ## Beliefs and Doctrines - The Hindu faith offers its followers many paths to salvation. - They may find liberation from the cycle of life through devotion to one or more gods. - Gods and Goddesses can be worshipped at their templates. - In templates, devotees can pray and offer sacrifices so that they can gain favor from deities and assist them in their struggle for salvation. - Bhaki stands for the soul's longing for and clinging to god. ## Hindu Gods and Goddesses - Central to Hinduism is the Brahman who is the ultimate reality, one and undivided. - The Brahman is often seen in three forms or functions. - **Trimurti** these are creation, brahman, the creator, preservation, and destruction. - These functions are expressed in god forms, namely, brahman, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and shiva, the destroyer. - Though widely respected and recognized as the creator of the universe, Brahman receives the least attention among the Trimurti. - In fact, only tow temples are dedicated to him in India and he has no cult of devotees . - He is not worshipped in the same way as the other gods because he has done his task and he will not come into his own until the next creation of the universe. - When depicted, Bhrama has four heads and eight hands. - His chief consort is Saraswati, the goddesses of science and wisdom. - Bhrama's vehicle is a swan or goose which symbolizes knowledge. - Known as God of love, benevolence and forgiveness, Vishnu's primary concern is huminity itself. - As a preserver, the creation is withdrawn to a seed whenever he sleeps but rises again as he wakes up. - He is worhipped in various forms of his incarnations of avatars. - Based on mythology, Vishnu has appeared on earth in the nine different forms and will come a tenth time to end the present era or kalpa, to bring the world to an end, and then recreate it. - These manifestation of Vishnu are intended to help humanity with his preserving, restoring, and protecting powers. - In hindu sacred writings, Vishnu is dispicted as having four arms and with a dark complexion. - His most popular manifestation is Krishna which is blue, the color of infinity, and plays the flute. - Vishnu's consort is Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, who is seated on a lutos flower between two elephants with their trunks raised above her. - Both Vishnu and Lakshmi ride the eagle mount or kite Garuda, the symbol of sky and the sun. - The snake in Garuda's claws represent water. - As the destroyer and the God of death, destruction and disease, Shiva is the third in Trimurti. - His functions are many. - He is also god of dance, vegetable, animal, and human reproduction. - In Hindu belief, death is but a prelude to birth, hence, the god of death is also the god often revered through lingam, the male energy surrounded by the yoni, the female source of energy. - In mythology, he is describe as having a constantly erect penis and sexually alert at all times. - Equally as popular as Shive are his man consorts that express the differing elements of his character. - Perhaps the most terrifying of his consorts is Kali, depicted as wearing a garland of human skills, tearing the flesh of sacrificed victims, and drinking blood. - Although wild and voilent. Kali is frequently the subject of intense devotion. - Kali is also the ferocious forms of consorts Durga and Parvati. - Durga is a powerfull goddess created from the combine forces of the anger of several gods. - Meanwhile, Parvati, he daughter of the sacred mountain Himalaya and the goddess of love, fetility, and devotion is the most modest, conservative, benign of Shiva's consorts. - Her sons with Shiva include Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity revered as the remover of obstacles, and Kartikeya, the Hindu god of war.