Hinduism and Buddhism PDF

HINDUISM Part 1: Originsㅤ Transliteration of "Shindu": Refers to the people living along the Indus River, known as Dravidians under the Harappan Civilization, who had their own religious beliefs. Aryan Arrival (1800 BCE): Aryan Invasion Theory: Claims Aryans invaded and im...

HINDUISM Part 1: Originsㅤ Transliteration of "Shindu": Refers to the people living along the Indus River, known as Dravidians under the Harappan Civilization, who had their own religious beliefs. Aryan Arrival (1800 BCE): Aryan Invasion Theory: Claims Aryans invaded and imposed their culture/religion on Dravidians, thus being the authors of the Vedas and founders of Hinduism. Aryan Migration Theory: Suggests cultural interaction rather than invasion. PART 2: Sacred Texts 1. SHRUTI (Primary Text) ○ "What is heard," containing revealed knowledge. ○ Rig Veda: Oldest, with chants, rituals, and hymns. ○ Yajur Veda: Sacrificial formulas and recitations. ○ Sama Veda: Musical expressions from Rig Veda. ○ Atharva Veda: Practical and magical prayers. 2. Four Parts of Each Veda: ○ Samhitas: Mantras & hymns for rituals. ○ Brahmanas: Explanations and instructions for proper living. ○ Aranyakas: Practices of ascetics/hermits. ○ Upanishads: Philosophical doctrines, currently read by Hindus. 3. SMRITI (Secondary Text) ○ "What is remembered," containing remembered knowledge and commentaries by sages. ○ Ramayana: Focuses on Dharma (moral duties). ○ Mahabharata: Epic war between cousins Pandu and Dhritarashtra. ○ Bhagavad Gita: Key part of Mahabharata, featuring a moral dialogue. PART 3: Doctrines & Practices BRAHMAN: The ultimate, unperceivable reality. ○ One & Undivided ○ Unchanging & Eternal ○ Spiritual & Necessary Trimurti: ○ Brahma (The Creator): Four faces symbolizing broad capability. ○ Vishnu (The Preserver): Manifests to fight evil and protect Dharma. ○ Shiva (The Destroyer): Master of fertility, poison, and medicine. ATMAN The essence of an individual, often referred to as the soul or self, reflecting their unchanging and spiritual identity. BRAHMAN The ultimate, impersonal reality. Hinduism worships many deities as manifestations of Brahman, who is abstract and beyond human conception. MAYA "Illusion"; the perception of the world as physical, changing, and divided. MOKSHA Liberation from Maya by realizing the world as Brahman, ending the cycle of rebirth (Samsara). SAMSARA The cycle of birth, life, and death. KARMA The moral law of cause and effect governing Samsara; one's actions have corresponding consequences. Goal: To achieve Moksha, ending the cycle of Samsara and merging with Brahman. VARNA (Social Classes) Brahmins: Priests & teachers Kshatriyas: Kings, governors, soldiers Vaishyas: Merchants, artisans, agriculturists Shudras: Laborers & service providers ASHRAM (Stages of Life) Brahmachari: Student; focus on purity and character. Grihastha: Householder; focus on family and protection. Vanaprastha: Retired; focus on spiritual matters. Sannyasa: Renounced; detachment from worldly life. PURUSHARTHA (Aims of Life) Dharma: Virtuous living and duties. Artha: Economic security and career. Kama: Pleasure and enjoyment. Moksha: Liberation from worldly illusion and Samsara. THE FOUR YOGAS  Karma Yoga: Path of Action Bhakti Yoga: Path of Devotion Jnana Yoga: Path of Knowledge Raja Yoga: Path of Meditation Denominations Vaishnavism (Vaishnavas): Vishnu as supreme God, practicing Bhakti Yoga. Shaivism (Shaivas): Shiva as supreme God, emphasizing self-discipline and philosophy, practicing Jnana Yoga. Shaktism (Shaktis): Divine Mother Shakti as supreme God, practicing Karma Yoga. Smartism (Smartas): Not specified. or liberal hinduism, as any of Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti, Genesha, Surya are their supreme Gods and are free to choose among the yogas. BUDDHISM Part 1: Originsㅤ Interpretation of Hindu Dharma Rejected Vedic Authority: Offers liberation from samsara through personal enlightenment. Middle Way: Advocates a balanced path between worldliness and extreme asceticism. Life of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha: Title meaning "the enlightened one." Enlightenment is attainable by anyone with proper training. Siddhartha Gautama: The historical Buddha, founder of Buddhism, achieved enlightenment at 35. Four Passing Sights: Old man, sick man, corpse, and ascetic that inspired his quest. Tests of Enlightenment: Overcame Desire, Fear, and Ego to attain enlightenment. Four Noble Truths: Core teachings of Buddhism discovered through enlightenment. PART 2: Sacred Texts 1. TRIPITAKA (Pali Canon) ○ Discourse Basket (Sutta Pitaka): Teachings and sermons of the Buddha on theology and moral behavior. ○ Discipline Basket (Vinaya Pitaka): Rules for monks and nuns on monastic life. ○ Special Teachings Basket (Abhidhamma Pitaka): Texts including stories, songs, and doctrinal discussions. PART 3: DOCTRINES 1. THREE JEWELS ○ The Buddha: Represents enlightenment and the ideal human being. ○ The Dharma: The path to enlightenment. ○ The Sangha: Community of monks preserving and teaching the Dharma.  2. THREE MARKS OF EXISTENCE ○ Impermanence (Annica): Everything is subject to change. ○ No-Self (Annatta): No permanent self; personal identity is an interplay of five aggregates: Form (rupa) Sensation (vedana) Perception (samjna) Mental formations (samskara) Consciousness (vijnana) ○ Suffering (Dukkha): Suffering arises from ignorance of impermanence and attachment. 3. KARMA ○ Moral law of cause and effect influencing current and future lives. 4. SAMSARA ○ The cycle of birth, life, and death. 5. NIRVANA ○ Liberation from samsara and suffering, achieved through enlightenment. 6. DEPENDENT ARISING ○ Everything is causally interconnected; explains rebirth and suffering without an eternal self. 7. TEN PRECEPTS ○ Basic ethical guidelines for Buddhists. Male and female monastics are required to observe the following: 1. I resolve to avoid harming living beings 2. I resolve to avoid taking that which is not freely given 3. I resolve to avoid sexual misconduct 4. I resolve to avoid false and harmful speech 5. I resolve to avoid intoxicants that lead to carelessness For lay followers: 1. I resolve to eat moderately and not eat beyond noon 2. I resolve to avoid spectacles like singing or theater 3. I resolve to not use flowers, perfume, or jewelry 4. I resolve to use simple beds 5. I resolve to not accept gold or silver Part 4: denominations & challengesㅤ THERAVADA BUDDHISM Sacred Writings ✔ They only accept the Tripitaka as the only canonical and authoritative text. Ideal Buddhist ✔ The ideal Buddhist is called "arhat" which means perfect being and one who is worthy.  ➔ The arhat automatically proceeds to the state of Nirvana individually. ✔ Theravada or Hinayana, which translates to "small vehicle." ➔ Vehicle means the way or path to nirvana. Nature of Buddha ✔ Buddhas are historical persons who have achieved enlightenment on their own, the last of which is Gautama Buddha ✔ Buddha is essentially human and nothing more. MAHAYANA BUDDHISM Sacred Writings ✔ They accept Tripitaka and also consider other Buddhist writings as their primary canonical texts. Ideal Buddhist ✔ The ideal Buddhist is called "bodhisattva." ➔ The bodhisattva postpones his entry to the state of nirvana to help others attain enlightenment. ✔ Mahayana means "great vehicle." ➔ Vehicle means the way to nirvana. ➔ A bodhisattva enters the state of nirvana with others who also achieved enlightenment, all in a great vehicle. Nature of Buddha ✔ Mahayanists advance the doctrine of the Trikaya, which means the body; under Trikaya ➔ Manifestation body (Nirmanakaya) — the physical body of Buddha that is born, walks on earth, and dies. ➔ Truth body (Dharmakaya) — the very principle or the Truth that a Buddha has known during his enlightenment. ➔ Bliss body (Sambhogakaya) — the body that experiences the joy of having achieved enlightenment or has entered the state of nirvana. Part 5: challengesㅤ 1. Consumerism - which contradicts the Buddhist teaching of detachment from one's desires or self. 2. Popularized understanding of Buddhism ignores its true meaning. 3. Discrimination of women. 4. Political issues that put its followers into difficult situations. ISLAM Descended from Ishmael. "Islam" = "surrender" or "submission." "Muslim/Moslem" = "The one who submits to God." Part 1: originsㅤ Islam claims to be the primordial and terminal religion. ➔ Primordial - Existing from the beginning of time. Since Judaism & Christianity have the same Gods, they claim that Islam is basic and fundamental. ➔ Terminal - The final religion that will clarify all theological issues caused by Judaism & Christianity Muslim refer to God in Arabic as Allah. In terms of: ➔ Teachings: Allah founded Islam. ➔ Religious Traditions: Muhammad (known as the last prophet) founded Islam. ✔️ Submission according to Muslim means: ✔️ Accepting & putting into action their fundamental doctrines contained in the "Five Pillars of Islam." Acknowledging Muhammad as God's last prophet. Muhammad Or "Seal of the Prophets," is the founder of Islamic religious traditions. He acknowledged all personalities in Hebrews & Christian scriptures, including Jesus, as prophets of Islam. THE NIGHT OF POWERㅤ The 1st interaction between Muhammad & God through a bright presence he identified as Angel Gabriel. ➔ Muhammad lives in the city of Mecca, where people are believed to be pagans. One night, a kaaba (or ka'bah, which is a black stone) appeared. Pagans believed it to be sacred. As a result, people came to the city where the Meccans asked for money in exchange for seeing the stone. ➔ Muhammad was disturbed by this practice, so he decided to wander the mountains to fast where the Night of Power occured. Muhammad had a conflict with the Meccans because he preached to the tourists of the city (those who went to see the stone). ➔ One of the messages he received from Allah was that there should only be one God to be worshiped which is Allah. Hijrah/Higera Migration of Muhammad & his followers to Athrib/Yathrib (later called Medina). It's also the beginning of the favorable acceptance of Islam & establishment of Islamic community (umma). Furthermore, it's also known as the beginning year of Muslim calendar. In a series of wars with Meccans, (Muhammad is the administrative & military leader of the first muslims) Muslims were able to go back to Mecca & finally took control of the city. ➔ Muhammad destroyed the statues of gods/goddesses worshiped in the region excluding the black stone. The stone became the center of Islam, as a religious tradition. Part 2: SACRED TEXTSㅤ 🧷 Qur'an God's messages to Muhammad: Memorization through oral transmission. It consists of 114 chapters (suras). Topics include: Spiritual origins of Islam and special instructions on how to live an ethical life. It's written in Arabic (language believed to be used by Allah). Any translation is considered to be just an interpretation. When Muhammad died, disciples decided to write down an authoritative version of the messages, initiated by Abu Bakr (the 1st caliph). ➔ The project was finished during the caliphate (which means successor) of Uthman.  ➔ The final version is called "Qur'an" = "The Recitation" 🧷 Hadith Muslims rely on Hadith to understand & interpret doctrinal contents of Qur'an. It consists of Muhammad's life. ➔ They refer to his life as the perfect model of life. 🧷 Shari'ah Qur'an + Hadith = Islamic law or basic legal system in the form of this book that includes a system of duties, responsibilities, or rules which Muslims must follow. Part 3: DOCTRINESㅤ 🧷 Tahwid (Oneness of God) The core of Islamic faith which states that Allah embodies everything that other gods were thought to embody. ➔ God, being one, cannot have a father and son. 🧷 Afterlife Belief in the Day of Resurrection and Day of Judgment. Heaven/paradise (Jannah) for eternal happiness and Hell (Jahannam) for eternal suffering. 🧷 Five Pillars of Islam: 1. Shahadah (Testimony of Faith) Most important pillar that is done by publicly reciting in Arabic the Islamic Creed. It's the 1st word traditionally spoken to a newborn Muslim baby. ➔ "There is no God but God; Muhammad is the prophet of God." 2. Salat (Prayer) Obligatory prayers that are done 5 times a day for Muslims who have reached puberty. The prayers are recited from memory and 3. Zakat (Charity for the poor) Donation of a usual 2.5% of a Muslim's total accumulated wealth each year to the poor. It's done at the end of the month of Ramadan. 4. Sawm (Fasting during Ramadan) Ritual fasting is done where Muslims must avoid all food, water, tobacco, and sex everyday of this month to promote spiritual growth. 5. Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca) Muhammad adopted the practice of pagan pilgrimage but under his beliefs. The muslim male who has undertaken the journey is called hajj while the female is hajjiyah. 6. Jihad Or the sixth pillar, is a physical, psychological, spiritual, and moral struggle to overcome evils within oneself and in one's environment and thus lead an ethical life. It's a physical struggle to defend Islam. Part 4: DENOMINATIONSㅤ Caliphs - After the death of Muhammad, the Islamic world was led by caliphs. Khalifa = successor The disagreement over succession became reason of division; thus the presence of denominations: 1. Sunnis (Sunni Muslims) Largest denomination (75% to 90%) that believes a caliph should be elected by the community, those who are righteous and just and are living according to the Qur'an. 2. Shiites (Shia Muslims) 10% to 15% of all muslims that believe only a descendant/blood relative of Muhammad could be a successor or spiritual leader (Ali was the "only legitimate caliph"). 3. The Sufis (Sufism) Mythical version of Islam that emphasized the spiritual essence of Islam. It's developed as a response to worldliness enjoyed by Islam during the reign of previous caliphs Part 5: ISSUES & challengesㅤ Stigma: Islam has always been associated with terrorist acts. ➔ Israeli-Arab Wars: Most non-Muslims understand jihad as a military welfare of Muslims against non-Muslims; thus, results in the stigma. Treatment of Women: (Surah An-Nisa 4:3) Certain practices are said to be there as it protects the women from being corrupted from the ways of the world, especially by Western ideologies.