Twin valley presbytery April 20, 2018

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1 Twin valley presbytery April 20, 2018 Hinduism: The Name: The English name Hinduism is derived from the name Indus River. People who lived around this river were called Indus, when Persians invaded the place they derived the word Hindus in the place of Indus as in their language there was no I to pronounce Indus. So, Indus became Hindus. It was not the name of a religious belief to the world until the Oxford English Dictionary used it in Originally Hindus were a group of people who lived near Indus river. Hinduism, known as sanatana Dharma in Sanskrit, is a collection of believes, practices, and even cultures. It is a worldwide religious tradition rooted in Indian culture and based on the teachings of the Vedas and other ancient texts. Hinduism is a primitive religious form, who believe in deities that belong to the particular group of people and land. Before the invasion of Brahminism which was the religion of the Arians who migrated to Indus several thousands of years ago, there was no unified religious tradition for the people who lived in and around India. They worshiped gods and goddesses those are unique to each group of people, it remained the same in many parts of India. The main worshiping objects for them were like big trees, mountains, rock cliff, and so on. They attributed spirits to each of these objects and believed that they can protect people from calamities, give seasonal rains, fertility and protection form the evil spirits. By the invasion of Arians, however things began to change, Dravidians the original inhabitants of Indus, were pushed back to the southern parts of India, and Arians who were aggressive people dominated the natives and began to impose Brahminism to its people. Today all Indians not belonging to any organized religions are Hindus according to the constitution of India. Therefore, one can be a Hindu even if he or she does not belong to any faiths or have no faith. It is right to say that in Hinduism there is 1

2 no singular or unitary religious believes, practices or deity but it is an umbrella for multitude of related beliefs and practices. Hinduism has close ties with Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism though they have some basic differences. Though all these religious faiths are the offshoots of Hinduism, the reality is that all of them originated as a revolt to Hinduism, but unfortunately became part of Hinduism in a later period. Scriptures: The important religious text for Hinduism are the collection of Sanskrit hymns used in the rituals (puja) in the Hindu temples. Vedas, which is prominent among the religious texts are originated around 1500 to 1200 BC. The hymns formed a liturgical body that in part grew up around some rituals and sacrifices and were recited or chanted during rituals. They praise a wide pantheon of gods, some of whom personified natural and cosmic phenomena, such as fire(agni), the Sun (Surya), dawn (Ushas), storms (Rudras), and rain (Indra). There are four Vedas such as Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda. Four Vedas: Rigveda, is the oldest of the Hindu Scriptures, composed in an ancient form of Sanskrit hymns about 1500 BC. It consists a collection of 1,028 poems grouped into 10 circles. It is generally agreed that the first and last books were created later than the middle books. The Rigveda was preserved orally before it was written down about 300 BC. In the ancient Hindu religious practices Vedas were an essential part in the sacrificial practices of the elite Hindus. The great system of sacrifices at the heart of Vedic religion depended upon invocations of deities and ritual prescriptions of the Yajur Veda, literally "knowledge of the yajus (sacrificial formulas)," and the melodies of the Samur Veda, literally "knowledge of the saman (chant)." Together with the Rig Veda, they form a "triple Veda," following a traditional predilection for triads. A fourth Saṃhitā, the Atharva Veda, was added as an important ancient composition of hymns regarding popular religious practices not directly related to the sacrificial calendar. 2

3 Upanishads are a collection of texts of religious and philosophical nature, probably between c. 800 BC and c. 500 BC, during a time when Indian society started to question the traditional Vedic religious order. Some people during this time decided to engage in the pursuit of spiritual progress, living as ascetic hermits, rejecting ordinary material concerns and giving up family life. Some of their speculations and philosophy were compiled into the Upanishads. There is an attempt in these texts to shift the focus of religious life from external rites and sacrifices to internal spiritual quests in the search for answers. The name Upanishad is composed of the terms upa (near) and shad (to sit), meaning something like sitting down near. The name is inspired by the action of sitting at the feet of an illuminated teacher to engage in a session of spiritual instructions. Although there are over 200 surviving Upanishads, only 14 are considered to be the most important. These texts provide the basic source for many important topics of Hindu philosophy and all major philosophical themes are covered in their pages. Even though the Upanishads do not offer a single comprehensive system of thought, they do develop some basic general principles. Some of these principles are 1) Samsara, 2) karma, 3) dharma and 4) moksha. Samsara: The concept of Samsara is reincarnation, the idea that after we die our soul will be reborn again in another body. Perhaps in an animal, perhaps as a human, perhaps as a god, but always in a regular cycle of deaths and resurrections. Karma: Another concept is Karma, which literally means action, the idea that all actions have consequences, good or bad. Karma determines the conditions of the next life, just like our life is conditioned by our previous karma. There is no judgement or forgiveness, simply an impersonal, natural and eternal law operating in the universe. Those who do good will be reborn in better conditions while those who are evil will be reborn in worse conditions. 3

4 Dharma: means right behavior or duty, the idea that we all have a social obligation. Each member of a specific caste has a particular set of responsibilities, a dharma. Follow the caste obligations without question and rebellion will lead to better birth in the next. Moksha means liberation or release. Moksha is the liberation from this never-ending cycle of reincarnation, a way to escape this repetition. The Upanishads tell us that the core of our own self is not the body, or the mind, but atman or Self. Atman is the core of all creatures, their innermost essence. One of the great insights of the Upanishads is that atman and Brahman are made of the same substance. When a person achieves moksha or liberation, atman returns to Brahman, to the source, like a drop of water returning to the ocean. The Upanishads claim that it is an illusion that we are all separate: with this realization we can be freed from ego, from reincarnation and from the suffering we experience during our existence. Moksha, in a sense, means to be reabsorbed into Brahman, into the great World Soul. Ramayana and Mahabharata: Around 300 B.C, the great epics known as the Puranas, which include the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were written. These stories are more familiar to the vast majority of Hindus than the contents of the Vedic and Vedantic literature. By the time that the Puranas were written, the main deities of the Vedas had been supplanted in popular devotion by a pantheon of three gods: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, respectively creator, preserver, and destroyer. The image of the trimurti (three forms of God) is very popular in India, which represents the unity of the three aspects of God. Each has a consort: Saraswati (associated with education and speech); Lakshmi (prosperity); and Parvati (creativity, the arts). The qualities of fame, fortune, memory, speech, intelligence, and resolve are all listed as feminine. Each of the three has their own Puranas, and in these texts, there is a tendency to regard the subject as the most important deity, assuming the functions of all three. In popular Hinduism, Brahma is less important than Vishnu and Shiva. As preserver, Vishnu manifests or appears in human form whenever humanity is in peril. These manifestations, or Avatars (the ten avatars are explained bellow) include Ram 4

5 and Krishna, whose stories are told in the Ramayana and Mahabharata respectively. One of the most widely read and important Hindu scriptures, the Bhagavad-Gita, is actually chapter 11 of the Mahabharata. Although part of a Purana, it is widely considered to be Vedantic. In this text, which is said to summarize Vedanta, Krishna reveals himself to his charioteer, Arjuna. The three margas (paths): In Hinduism there are three means for liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth. Each life has four stages to undergo such as Brahmcharya, grihasthya, vanaprastha, and Sanyasa. The three margas or paths for moksha or salvation are Karma Marga, Jnana Marga, and Bhakti Marga. Karma Marga is for the socially active, it is called the path of works, it is for people who prefer to seek liberation through day to day tasks such as raising a family or volunteering. This path is about living in harmony with dharma, it is about being unselfish. Jnana Marga: Is the path of knowledge it is for philosophical or intellectual types. Followers of this path must devote a great deal of time to learning and meditation. Jnana Marga focuses on attaining knowledge over ignorance; knowledge of the true nature of reality. Bhakti Marga: The path of devotion, it is for the emotional followers they worship a God s or Goddesses of their choice. Worshiping the divine helps focus attention away from selfish concerns. Caste System: The religious theories explain how the four Varnas were founded, but they do not explain how the Jatis (casts) in each Varna or the untouchables were 5

6 founded. According the Rig Veda, the ancient Hindu scripture, the primal man - Purusha - destroyed himself to create a human society. The different Varnas (Castes) were created from different parts of his body. The Brahmans were created from his head; the Kshatriyas from his hands; the Vaishyas from his thighs and the Sudras from his feet. The Varna hierarchy is determined by the descending order of the different organs from which the Varnas were created. The castes became subdivided into numerous sub castes, most of which originally functioned rather like workers' guilds, since they were occupational or job-based. In the Hindu Varnashramadharma (caste based duties), the religious believers are classified in these four castes, at the same time all those who do not come under this caste system are called outcastes, or untouchables, in Gandhi s language harijans (children of god). Such people do not want to be called as harijans or outcastes but wish to be known as Dalits. Ten Avatars: Vishnu is regarded as the preserver and protector among the trimurtis (three gods). Hinduism teaches that when humanity is threatened by chaos or evil, Vishnu will descend into the world in one of his incarnations to restore righteousness. The incarnations that Vishnu takes are called avatars. Each has a different form and purpose. No matter the specific intent or place in time, the avatars are meant to re-establish the dharma, the path of righteousness or universal laws taught in the Hindu scriptures. The ten avatars are, 1) Matsya Fish 2) Kurma tortoise 3) Varaha Boar 4) Nrasimha Man lion 5) Vamana dwarf 6) Parasurama 7) Lord Rama 8) Lord Krishna 9) Balarama 10) Kalki. 6

7 Popular worship form of the present day. Idol worship Veneration of idols Ritualistic form of pujas Observation of festivals Daily or occasional participation of puja in the temple. Preserve caste system. The Hindutva: Ø Rastriya Swayam Sevak Sangh Ø Sivasena Ø Bharatiya Janata Party Ø And the adjacent factions of the above. NDA Conclusion: Salvation Prajapathi Question time: 7