Theology 12 - Hinduism

KEY TERMS

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exclusivism

the belief that only one religion is true and holds the exclusive path to salvation or ultimate truth

pluralism

a perspective that believes multiple religions can be valid paths to truth or salvation

inclusivism

while our religion is the truest one, there could be truth to other religions

Advaita

not 2, not 1

- highlights the relationship between self and Divine

1) Krishna

a major deity in Hinduism, revered as both the eighth avatar of the god Vishnu and as a supreme god in his own right

- Main character in the Bhagavad Gita

Schruti

the most revered body of sacred texts, meaning "that which is heard" and considered to be divine revelation.

These texts, primarily the Vedas (including the Samhitas, Brahmanas, and Upanishads), are believed to have been directly heard and transmitted by ancient sages (rishis) rather than authored by humans.

Smiriti

religious texts based on "memory" or tradition, as opposed to the divine revelation of Shruti (like the Vedas)

Maya

Cosmic illusion brought about by divine creative power --> the illusion the makes our world seem real

Atman

The eternal Self, which the Upanishads identify with Brahman;

often lowercased to refer to the eternal self or soul of an individual that is reincarnated from one body to the next and is ultimately identified with Atman

Moksha

Liberation or release of the individual self, atman, from the bondage of samsara; salvation; one of the four goals of life.

1) Trimurti

the triple deity in Hinduism representing creation, preservation, and destruction through the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, respectively

Brahman

The eternal essence of reality and the source of the universe, beyond the reach of human perception and thought

Vishnu

preserver and protector god

Shiva

god of destruction and transformation

Avatar

An incarnation, or living embodiment, of a deity, usually of Vishnu, who is sent to earth to accomplish a divine purpose; Krishna and Rama are the most popular avatars.

Vedas

the most sacred and ancient scriptures of Hinduism, revered as divine revelations of knowledge that guide all aspects of life, from rituals and philosophy to ethics

Mahabharata

one of the two great Sanskrit epics of ancient India and a foundational text in Hinduism, detailing the Kurukshetra War between the Pandavas and Kauravas, two warring cousin families

- explores themes of duty (dharma), righteousness, and morality, and famously includes the Bhagavad Gita, a dialogue between the warrior Arjuna and the god Krishna

Bhagavad-Gita

A short section of the epic poem Mahab-harata in which the god Krishna teaches the great warrior Arjuna about bhakti marga and other ways to God; Hinduism's most popular sacred text

Arjuna

central hero in the Hindu epic Mahabharata

- embodies themes of duty, righteousness, and morality, particularly through his internal struggle before the great war

Reincarnation

the central belief in the eternal soul's cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, known as samsara

Karma

The moral law of cause and effect of actions; determines the nature of one's reincarnation

Dharma

Ethical duty based on the divine order of reality; one of the four goals of life

Yoga

A system of Hindu philosophy and one approach within jnana marga, "the path of knowledge," seeking to free the eternal self from the bondage of personhood, culminating in the experience of samadhi; sometimes lowercased to refer to physical and psychological techniques for spiritual advancement

Jnana Yoga

the "path of knowledge" in Hinduism, a philosophical and intellectual approach to realizing spiritual truth and achieving liberation (moksha) from the cycle of rebirth (samsara)

Bhakti Yoga

path of devotion, focusing on cultivating a loving, emotional connection with a personal deity

Karma Yoga

path of selfless action, where individuals perform their duties without attachment to the results of their actions

Raja Yoga

emphasizes self-mastery and control of the mind through meditation to achieve spiritual liberation (moksha)

Shankara

proponent of the Advaita Vedanta school of thought

dualism

self and Divine are seperate

non-dualism

self and Divine are NOT seperate

caste

Traditional division of Hindu society into various categories; there are four main varnas, or classes:

• brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra;

• each class contains numerous subgroups, resulting in more than three thousand categories

Brahmin

The highest of the four classes of the caste system, traditionally made up of priests

Protest Religions

- Rise of Buddhism and Jainism led to a refashioning the reforming of Hinduism

--> it adopted some, but NOT ALL of Buddhist and Jainist concepts

Ksatriya

the warrior and ruler class, traditionally responsible for protecting and governing society

Upanishads

A collection of over two hundred texts composed between 900 and 200 BC that provide philosophical commentary on the Vedas

Shudra

the fourth and lowest of the traditional four varnas or social classes, historically associated with manual labor, service, and craftsmanship

Samsara

The wheel of rebirth or reincarnation; the this worldly realm in which rebirth occurs

Harijan

'Untouchables'

Ganesh

a popular elephant-headed deity revered as the remover of obstacles, the god of wisdom, and the patron of arts and sciences

Chakras

energy centers in the body, aligned along the spine, that vitalize the physical and mental body

Sikhism

- stems from Hinduism

- core beliefs include one God, the equality of all humans, and the importance of selfless service (sevā), justice, and honest living through hard work

Sanskrit

considered the sacred language of Hinduism, serving as the original language for its most important scriptures and continuing to be used in religious rituals and chants today

Diwali

the Hindu "Festival of Lights," a five-day celebration symbolizing the victory of good over evil and light over darkness

Holi

ancient Hindu festival celebrating the arrival of spring, the triumph of good over evil, and the love of Radha and Krishna

- the one with the colors

QUESTIONS TO KNOW

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Why is Hinduism considered pluralistic? Why is Catholicism considered inclusivist? Why are various Christian fundamentalist groups considered exclusivistic?

Why are various Christian fundamentalist groups considered exclusivistic?

- Believe they have the one true path, religion, only way, everyone else is in error

- Similar mindset to Atheists

Why is Catholicism considered inclusivist?

- Vatican II, Nostrate Atetae

- Catholic truth has fullest complete truth, but there is other truth in other religions

Why is Hinduism considered pluralistic?

- There are multiple religious path ways

- Many ways to approach God

- Says all religions are true and false

What underlying claim exists at the heart of Hinduism?

The fundamental claim at the heart of Hinduism is the unity of the individual soul (Atman) with the ultimate reality or cosmic consciousness (Brahman)

• This core concept, though interpreted differently by various schools of thought, provides the foundation for the central tenets of Hindu philosophy. 

What is the relationship between atman and Brahman?

Advaita

Such a close relationship that is is Not one/Not two

- Atman- self

- Brahman-one god

- Hind Trinity(Tri murti)

- Work together to keep health of universe:

Brahman(creator), Vishnu(preserve, defender, supreme soul), shiva(destroyer)

- Is shiva bad: no, playing an important role, burning away corruption

What Christian doctrines are similar to the Hindu concept of advaita and why?

- Trinity- Advaita

- Incarnation - divine god coming down and becoming man, christ is both divine and human(advita concept)

What is the ultimate goal of yoga?

Union with God (Moksha) , grow closer to God

How do the concepts of karma and dharma support the validity, or truth, of the caste-system?

By explaining an individual's place in society as the result of past actions.

How would Jesus Christ most likely be perceived, or understood, in terms of basic Hindi belief? What term might best describe him and why?

When Christian missionaries went to India, they believed Jesus was an avatar(divine incarnation)

- Jesus and Krishna are similar:

- Jesus however showed up once

- Krishna shows up where there is darkness and ignorance to bring light

- Cyclical - krishna shows up multiple times

- Many krishnas, one Jesus

How do the three primary gods of the Trimurti work together to maintain the universe?

Hind Trinity(Trimurti)

Work together to keep health of universe:

- Brahman(creator),

- Vishnu(preserve, defender, supreme soul),

- Shiva(destroyer

Why is Shiva not considered evil by his followers?

Is shiva bad: no, playing an important role, burning away corruption

Why does Krishna periodically make his appearance in human history?

Shows up in darkness, cruelty to bring light

THE CASTE SYSTEM

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Top

Brahmin --> priests

Second

Kshatriya --> Upper-class

Third

Vaishya --> Working-class

Fourth

Sudra --> Servants

Bottom

Outcastes/Untouchables --> harijan

dharma

live according to caste

karma

dictated into which caste one is born

LIFE GOALS

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Key repeating theme in Hindu scriptures?

You can have what you want, but...

Kama

(sensual pleasure) --> self-centered desire: characteristic of childhood/adolescence

Kama: Pursuit of pleasure within the constraints of appropriate morality: go for it...however:

The end result proves dissatisfying because the individual seeks only to fill the self

Artha

(wealth, fame, power) --> also self-centered desire: characteristic of adulthood

Artha: Worldly success...fame, wealth, power. Scripture says fine, go for it; however:

Like pleasure, worldly success proves to be unfulfilling because the self is insatiable

Dharma

(call to service) --> renunciation: characteristic of middle age

Dharma: Call to Service...the individual has left the stage of the will-to-get (meaninglessness) and entered the will-to-give (meaning). Go for it...However:

- Kama and artha focus on the self, while dharma focuses on the community

- The goals of each path progressively move away from the self (ego) towards others.

Moksha

(Liberation) --> renunciation: characteristic of old age

Moksha: Beyond the previous goals, eventually people (not all) come to realize that they want Absolute...

Being: Problem?

■ our physical bodies cease to exist

Knowledge: Problem?

■ our minds are finite

Joy: Problem?

■ we become bored, disappointed, and experience pain

MAIN DEITIES

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Brahma

creator

Vishnu

preserver

Shiva

destroyer

Trimurti

- Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva

each work to maintain balance and health of the world, the universe

Kali

goddess of death and alleviator of fears

Ganesha

god of prosperity and remover of obstacles

Durga

goddess of balance

Krishna

avatar (incarnated divine being)

RISE OF PROTEST RELIGIONS

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Rise of Buddhism and Jainism (7 th -6 th Century BCE) led to ___________________________________________________________________.

a refashioning and reforming of Hinduism by Hindu scholars

Hinduism adopted ________________________________________________.

some (but not all) of Buddhist and Jainist concepts

Accepted Buddhist concepts of ___________________________________.

karma and reincarnation

Rejected Buddhist concepts of ______________________________________________.

no-self (anatman) and enlightenment in single lifetime

SACRED SCRIPTURES: MAHABARATAS

epic poems

Bhagavad Gita (Song of the Lord)

- Arjuna and Krishna dialogue on the nature of existence

- Idea of self (atman) dharma (duty to one's caste) and karma reaffirmed

ADVAITA VEDANTA

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Hindu philosopher _______________ (4 th century BCE) developed key Hindu idea of ________________________________

- Shankara (4 th century BCE)

- advaita: 'not two/not one' (nondualism)

Advaita Vedanta is...

■ Meant to highlight our intimate relationship between self (atman) and the Divine (Brahman)

■ A major non-dualistic idea that impacts all Eastern religious traditions

Advaita challenges ____________________________________________________________________________.

our assumptions on the nature of the relationship between self/God; I/you; Mind/body; life/death; reason/emotion; male/female

FOUR PATHS OF LIBERATION

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Yoga =

the path

Yoga

method of training designed to lead to integration (union) of the human spirit with God.

God =

Brahman

Characteristics of Brahman:

Monistic - Monism: all is One...universal essence, Source and Ground of Being

Theistic - characterized by one of the many Hindu deities

Jnana Marga (yoga)

the way to God through knowledge: Knowledge: Theological Reflection