Beliefs
BRAHMAN
The term Brahman originally stood for the cosmic power present in the Vedic sacrifice and chants, over which the priest had control. In the Upanishads the word Brahman was expanded to mean a divine reality in the external universe. Brahman is the lived experience that all things are in some way holy because they come from the same sacred source. It is also the experience that all things are in some way ultimately one. To experience Brahman is to know, firsthand, that every apparently individual reality in the world is actually a wave of the same sacred ocean of energy. According to the Upanishads, Brahman is "the sun, the moon, and the stars."
ATMAN
Atman is related to Brahman but is sometimes translated as "self" or "soul" or better, "deepest self." In Hindu belief, each person has an individual soul (jiva), and the individual soul confers uniqueness and personality. It asks: at the deepest level, what really am I? According to the Upanishads, at the deepest level of what I am is a divine reality, a divine spirit. The Upanishads teach that it is true to say that I am God, because for the person who understands reality at the deepest level, everything is God. Atman, when experienced fully, is identical to Brahman. Brahman refers to the experience of the sacred within nature and the external universe, whereas Atman refers to the experience of the sacred within oneself.
MAYA
The Upanishads speak of the everyday world as maya, which is usually translated as "illusion." Its root suggest illusion and mystery but it also has a more positive, objective connotation that suggests the original stuff of which something is made. The word maya thus contains both meanings: "magic" and "matter." This concept says that all reality is "maya" meaning the world is real, but not in quite the way most people assume. In reality, the world is one basic holy reality that takes on many different forms. People also assume that the world is solid and permanent, but in reality, the outside world is more like the inner world of thoughts and dreams - it shifts and changes, just as thoughts and dreams do. People assume that time is real, that it advances at a regular rate, and past, present, and future are distinct divisions. In reality, time is relative. Everything, is all, ultimately, unexplainable magic. Individuals are all manifestations of the Divine Spirit, which does not end when the individual dies. They are also continuation of earlier forms of life that have simply taken new forms.
KARMA
The word derives from a root meaning "to do" and implies a notion of moral consequences that are carried along with every act. It is the moral law of cause and effect, and this belief states that every action has an automatic moral consequence. A more popular and modern phrase that reflects the same idea as karma, is: What goes around comes around. Karma determines the direction of one's rebirth. Good karma brings "higher" rebirth, whereas, bad karma brings rebirth in lower," more painful forms. Ultimate freedom is achieved when karma ceases - rebirth, whether upward or downward, has entirely ended. Karma is like a force of nature. This belief of Karma helps explain why some people are born with great gifts and talents while others are born with no advantages at all.
SAMSARA
The term Samsara refers to the wheel of life, the circle of constant rebirth, and it suggests that the everyday world is full of change as well as struggle and suffering. This concept expands on the idea of reincarnation that the Hindus believe in.
MOKSHA
The term Moksha means "freedom" or "liberation" and is derived from a root meaning "to be released." In the Upanishads, moksha is the ultimate human goal. Moksha implies liberation even from the limitations of being an individual - from being born a particular person at a specific time to a unique pair of parents - a person with distinct physical characteristics, emotions, desires, and memories. The Upanishads are devotes to promoting insight into ultimate oneness.
The term Brahman originally stood for the cosmic power present in the Vedic sacrifice and chants, over which the priest had control. In the Upanishads the word Brahman was expanded to mean a divine reality in the external universe. Brahman is the lived experience that all things are in some way holy because they come from the same sacred source. It is also the experience that all things are in some way ultimately one. To experience Brahman is to know, firsthand, that every apparently individual reality in the world is actually a wave of the same sacred ocean of energy. According to the Upanishads, Brahman is "the sun, the moon, and the stars."
ATMAN
Atman is related to Brahman but is sometimes translated as "self" or "soul" or better, "deepest self." In Hindu belief, each person has an individual soul (jiva), and the individual soul confers uniqueness and personality. It asks: at the deepest level, what really am I? According to the Upanishads, at the deepest level of what I am is a divine reality, a divine spirit. The Upanishads teach that it is true to say that I am God, because for the person who understands reality at the deepest level, everything is God. Atman, when experienced fully, is identical to Brahman. Brahman refers to the experience of the sacred within nature and the external universe, whereas Atman refers to the experience of the sacred within oneself.
MAYA
The Upanishads speak of the everyday world as maya, which is usually translated as "illusion." Its root suggest illusion and mystery but it also has a more positive, objective connotation that suggests the original stuff of which something is made. The word maya thus contains both meanings: "magic" and "matter." This concept says that all reality is "maya" meaning the world is real, but not in quite the way most people assume. In reality, the world is one basic holy reality that takes on many different forms. People also assume that the world is solid and permanent, but in reality, the outside world is more like the inner world of thoughts and dreams - it shifts and changes, just as thoughts and dreams do. People assume that time is real, that it advances at a regular rate, and past, present, and future are distinct divisions. In reality, time is relative. Everything, is all, ultimately, unexplainable magic. Individuals are all manifestations of the Divine Spirit, which does not end when the individual dies. They are also continuation of earlier forms of life that have simply taken new forms.
KARMA
The word derives from a root meaning "to do" and implies a notion of moral consequences that are carried along with every act. It is the moral law of cause and effect, and this belief states that every action has an automatic moral consequence. A more popular and modern phrase that reflects the same idea as karma, is: What goes around comes around. Karma determines the direction of one's rebirth. Good karma brings "higher" rebirth, whereas, bad karma brings rebirth in lower," more painful forms. Ultimate freedom is achieved when karma ceases - rebirth, whether upward or downward, has entirely ended. Karma is like a force of nature. This belief of Karma helps explain why some people are born with great gifts and talents while others are born with no advantages at all.
SAMSARA
The term Samsara refers to the wheel of life, the circle of constant rebirth, and it suggests that the everyday world is full of change as well as struggle and suffering. This concept expands on the idea of reincarnation that the Hindus believe in.
MOKSHA
The term Moksha means "freedom" or "liberation" and is derived from a root meaning "to be released." In the Upanishads, moksha is the ultimate human goal. Moksha implies liberation even from the limitations of being an individual - from being born a particular person at a specific time to a unique pair of parents - a person with distinct physical characteristics, emotions, desires, and memories. The Upanishads are devotes to promoting insight into ultimate oneness.
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The Trimurti
The three gods that have been particularly important in the devotional and artistic life of Hinduism are: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva (The Trimurti).
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The Divine Feminine
The Divine Feminine play an important role in Hinduism, because it strongly recognizes the female aspects of divinity, despite the three gods of the Trimurti, who have been portrayed as masculine. The Divine Feminine have also been seen as consorts who accompany many of the male deities who allow the male gods to be effective in the human world. Some may also call these goddesses, shaktis ("energies").
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The Guru, An Object of Devotion
Since Hinduism does not have an organizational structure, devotion to a guru (spiritual teacher) is a very important component of Hindu spirituality. The word guru means "the one who removes darkness." Majority of gurus are men, but female gurus are not uncommon. The spiritual teacher need only be recognized as a person of holiness. Gurus, he or she, may assemble an ashram, a commune of people living in a single compound, separate from ordinary society. It is common to touch and even kiss the feet of a guru as an act of reverence (also performed for parents and grandparents). Many Hindus believe that the guru is both a saint and a living embodiment of the divine. They also believe that being in the presence of the guru allows the disciple/devotee to benefit from the guru's spirituality. This idea stems to the practice of darshan ("presence"), where because people with spiritual enlightenment are thought to radiate their divine nature. |
Practices
The Caste System
The Stages of Life
The Yogas
According to Hinduism, the role of yoga is to endorse meditation but also the work demanded by one's caste and individual place in society. The various types of yoga are used to help people live spiritually. The word yoga means "union" and is related to the English words join and yoke. A yoga is a way for people to perfect their union with the divine (god), and because the yogas suggest roads to perfection, they are also called margas ("paths"). There is a tolerant recognition in Hinduism that different sorts of people need different spiritual paths, and an individual's caste and personality type will help determine the appropriate yoga to practice.
- Brahmin - priests that traditionally performs Vedic rituals and acts as a counselor
- Kshatriya - warrior-noble that has the role of protecting society; this is the traditional caste of the aristocracy
- Vaishya - the merchant class including landowners, moneylenders, and sometimes artisans.
- Shudra - the peasant that does manual labor and is expected to serve the higher castes. The origin of this caste probably goes back to the Aryan subjection of native people, who were forced to do the work of servants. The peasant is called "once-born."
- Dalit - the untouchable that traditionally does the dirtiest work - cleaning toilets, sweeping streets, collecting animal carcasses, and tanning animal hides. Their low status prompted the Indian reformer Mohandas Gandhi to promote another name for the class - Jarijan ("children of God") and he urged their inclusion in regular society.
The Stages of Life
- Student (brahmacharin): spent laying a religious foundation for life; between the ages of 8-20, studies religious works. Celibacy is a necessary part of the training.
- Householder (grihastha): Marriage (traditionally arranged by the parents) occurs at about age 20, and the person fulfills the demands of society by raising children.
- Retiree (vanaprastha): the individual may retire somewhat from ordinary life to spend time once again on religious matters
- Renunciate (sannyasin): to enter this last stage is considered to be appropriate only after retirement. It is not expected of everyone but is simply an option. If one wishes to live entirely free from society, one is permitted to leave home. The sannyasin, considered to be outside the caste system, is free to wander, begging his food along the way, and many temples have endowments to feed such pilgrims. The sannyasin may remain a constant traveler, making pilgrimage to the sacred sites of India, or he may settle in an ashram (religious community) or even live in a cave.
The Yogas
According to Hinduism, the role of yoga is to endorse meditation but also the work demanded by one's caste and individual place in society. The various types of yoga are used to help people live spiritually. The word yoga means "union" and is related to the English words join and yoke. A yoga is a way for people to perfect their union with the divine (god), and because the yogas suggest roads to perfection, they are also called margas ("paths"). There is a tolerant recognition in Hinduism that different sorts of people need different spiritual paths, and an individual's caste and personality type will help determine the appropriate yoga to practice.
- Jnana yoga ("Knowledge Yoga"): This type of yoga brings insight into one's divine nature by studying the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita and their commentaries and by learning from teachers who have attained insight -> particularly appropriate for priests and intellectuals.
- Karma yoga ("Action yoga"): This type of yoga proposes that all useful work, if done unselfishly, can be a way to perfection. The heart of this yoga type are deeds performed without a desire for reward.
- Bhakti Yoga ("Devotion yoga"): Utilize a purifying power while they promote devotion to a god or saint - who is portrayed in a painting or statue. Hinduism, because of its belief in multiple gods, offers many possibilities for devotion. This type of yoga can involve various expressions of devotion such as: chants, songs, food offerings, and the anointing of the statues. This type can also extend devotion to one's guru, parents, and to one's spouse.
- Raja yoga ("Royal yoga"): This type of yoga promotes meditation which calls for basic meditation - sitting quietly, turning inward, and calming the mind. If done for short periods on a regular basis it can lower stress and bring a sense of inner peace. If done for longer periods of time, it can bring new states of consciousness. There are many types of meditation: emptying the mind, focus on a physical or mental object, or a word or brief phrase (mantra) is recited. The short mantra Om - sometimes called the sound of creation is the most popular. The many techniques of mediation are called sadhanas ("practices").
- Hatha yoga ("Force yoga"): these exercises, which were originally developed to help make long periods of meditation easier, mostly involve stretching and balancing. Breathing exercises are usually considered a part of hatha yoga.
- Kundalini Yoga: This type of yoga combines both raja and hatha yogas. It teaches that there are seven psychic centers, called chakras "wheels" that exist one above the other, along the spinal column. These meditation and exercises help the meditator lift spiritual energy, called kundalini (meaning "she who lies coiled") and envisioned as a coiled serpent - from one center to the next. Each chakra serves as a passage for the kundalini, bringing insight and joy. When this energy reaches the topmost center at the crown of the head, the individual experiences "profound bliss" (p 95). The topmost center is called the sahasrara, which appears as a lotus flower, and reaching it is shown as the flower opens.
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Devotion to Animals
A devout Hindu does not kill or eat animals. Popular gods, such as Ganesa and Hanuman, have animal features, and gods such as Shiva and Vishnu have animal companions. This devotion to animals in Hinduism has various possible origins: powerful animals (i.e, elephant, tiger, and a snake), or that human beings and animals have the same origins. It could also be rooted in the idea of reincarnation - that perhaps, Hindus see pre-human beings who will eventually become human. This sense of connection allows a spiritual bond and feeling of closeness to nonhuman forms of animal life. Among the animals, cows receive special recognition. This tradition may have derived from pre-Vedic worship in the Indus River valley of the bull or cow, a symbol of fertility and economic value. |