Comprehensive Notes on Religious Traditions, Identity, and Immigration Legislation

Good Thesis Statement

Argues a point rather than summarizing.

Double Consciousness (W.E.B. DuBois)

Internal conflict experienced by subordinated groups in an oppressive society.

African American Experience

Navigating identities as both insiders and outsiders in American society.

Perpetual Viewing

Viewing oneself through the eyes of others, evaluating one's soul against a world that observes with contempt and pity.

Duality

Simultaneously identifying as American and African American, grappling with unresolved thoughts and emotions.

Triple Consciousness (Eldin Villafañe)

Extends double consciousness for second-generation immigrants.

Second-Generation Latin Americans

Insider/outsider to the dominant Anglo-White group, AND insider/outsider to their first-generation Latin American community.

Mestizaje

Emergence of a 'new people' from the union of two or more ethnically distinct parent groups.

Liminal Identities (Fumitaka Matsuoka)

A state of 'inbetweenness,' often experienced by bicultural individuals.

Rhetoric Around Immigration

Demonization of immigrants, particularly following events like the Virginia Tech Massacre (2007).

Mislabeling

Immigrants are often inaccurately labeled 'illegal' (legality pertains to actions, not individuals).

Siddhartha Gautama

Birth: 6th century BCE in India, royal family.

Discovery of Suffering

At age 29, he wandered outside the palace and saw the 'four things' (suffering).

Four Noble Truths

1. All life is suffering (Dukkha). 2. All beings have desires (Tanha) which go unfulfilled. 3. Nirvana - suffering may be ended if desire is 'snuffed out.' 4. Middle Way - desire may best be extinguished by leading a temperate life.

An-Atman (No Self)

There is no permanent, unchanging self or soul (an-atman).

Skandas

The 'illusion of self' is composed of five aggregates: corporeality, feelings and sensations, ideations, mental dispositions, and consciousness.

Middle Way (Eightfold Path)

1. Right view point 2. Right intention 3. Right speech 4. Right action 5. Right livelihood 6. Right effort 7. Right mindfulness 8. Right concentration.

Theravada Buddhism

Geography: Southeast Asia, India. Characteristics: Priest/Monk-based leadership, emphasis on meditation and scripture.

Mahayana Buddhism

Geography: China, Japan, Korea. Characteristics: No single tradition/school, developed from monastic-based Buddhism towards a laity-inclusive form.

Bodhisattvas

Emergence of beings who achieved enlightenment but chose to stay on earth out of compassion to help others.

Vajrayana Buddhism

Geography: Tibet.

Zen Buddhism

Origin: From Chinese word 'Chan,' meaning meditation.

Vipassana Technique

Long periods of staring at an object to gain meaning of the universe.

Ancient Hinduism

Western Traditions locate religions in history, markers in time move towards an event.

Western Traditions

Locate religions in history, markers in time move towards an event. World is changing.

Hinduism

Sense of timelessness, worldview that the world is unchanging.

Complexity

Diverse traditions evolved over thousands of years. 'Hinduism' is a broad term.

Great Tradition

Pan-Indic form of Hinduism found throughout India.

Little Tradition

Regional/local expressions of Hinduism practiced alongside the Great Tradition, extremely varied.

Indus Valley Civilization (2700 BCE)

Ancient swimming pools for bathing and purification, traced to modern emphasis on ritual purification.

Ancient Aryans

Use of fire altars for religious traditions, reflecting ancient practices of sacrifice.

Burial Practices

Ancient Indians buried dead (vs. modern cremation). Food jars in burial plots suggest belief in an afterlife.

Tree Spirits

Belief in tree spirits, still venerated in rural communities.

Pachupati

Ancient deity, forerunner to Shiva, depicted in yogic position with erection (like the Linga).

Rita

Gods worked together to uphold and preserve rita (balance of cosmic order).

Asuras

Demons opposing gods, disrupting rita.

Agni

God of fire, still worshipped. Uses smoke from sacrificial fires to carry messages to gods.

The Vedas

Introduced by ancient Aryans, sacred texts.

Composition of The Vedas

Oldest literary texts from Hinduism, composed in Vedic Sanskrit.

Four Authoritative Collections

The Rig Veda, The Sama Veda, The Yajur Veda, The Atharva Veda.

Purusha

In Vedic period, one of several myths for universe creation.

Vedic Cosmology

Simple Structure: Heavens, Earth, House of Clay.

Upanishads (c. 800 BCE)

Collection of sutras (commentaries/ritual handbooks) attached to each Veda.

Bhagavad Gita (c. 500-200 BCE)

Story of the god Krishna and Arjuna.

Dharma

Meaning: 'To hold steady,' foundation of Hindu culture.

Karma

Meaning: 'Action.' Self-corrective force of Dharma.

Rebirth (Samsara)

Justice is found in rebirth; repayment for good or evil at death and birth.

Varnas (Caste System)

Four basic Varnas (colors), a class system.

Hindu Rituals and Philosophy

Belief in the unseen order of the universe, with supreme good found in harmoniously adjusting oneself thereto.

The Way of Knowledge (Jnana)

Goal: True knowledge of reality and how to escape samsara.

Moksha

Liberation achieved through knowledge, breaking cycle of birth and death.

Brahman

Ultimate Reality: The reality of the unseen order of the universe.

Atman (Self or Soul)

Separate from the body and waking reality.

The Way of Devotion (Bhakti)

Alternative for those who don't want to meditate or connect with a deity directly.

Schools of Hindu Philosophy

Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa, Vedanta.

Naturalization Act (1790)

Naturalization limited to 'free white persons.'

California 'Act to Discourage the Immigration to this State of Persons who Cannot Become Citizens Thereof' (1855)

Legislation aimed at limiting immigration of non-citizens.

Chinese Exclusion Act

Passed 1882, renewed 1892, permanently passed 1902. Repealed 1943.

Angel Island Detention Center

Built as primary West Coast immigration station.

Chinese Immigration

Great wave 1849-1882.

Kong Chow Temple, San Francisco (1853)

First Buddhist temple in Chinatown, representing the first instance of Buddhism practiced in the US.

Japanese Immigration

Great wave 1868-1912.

Gentleman's Agreement (1907-1908)

Between Japan and US, limiting Japanese immigrants in America in exchange for better school conditions for Japanese Americans.

'Alien Land Laws' (1913-1920)

Many states prevented land ownership by Japanese, pushing them into urban areas.

Ozawa v. United States (1922)

Takao Ozawa's citizenship application denied; Supreme Court ruled Japanese were not 'white.'

Japanese Relocation (1942-1946)

Forced relocation of Japanese Americans during World War II.

World's Parliament of Religions (1893)

First meeting of Eastern and Western religious traditions.

Soyen Shaku (1859-1919)

First Buddhist master to teach Zen in the US.

Countercultural Revolution (1960s)

Many Americans (e.g., Beat Movement) came into contact with Buddhism.

Convert Buddhism

Over 200 meditation centers, less than 10% run by immigrant communities.

Ethnic Buddhism

140 temples in Los Angeles alone, emphasizing selflessness and social networks.

Bhagat Singh Thind

Born in India, moved to US 1913; sought citizenship post-war.

1923 Supreme Court ruling against Thind (US v. Thind)

Retroactively denied all Indian Americans citizenship.

Thind's Arguments

Claimed high-caste Indian was 'racially pure' and shared common Aryan ancestry with Europeans.

Supreme Court's Rejection (Justice Sutherland)

Rejected 'scientific racism' but concluded profound differences between races.

The Bagai Family Story

Lost citizenship and livelihood; Vaishno Das Bagai took his own life in protest in 1928.

Broader Impact of Thind's Case

Embodied government to revoke citizenship from other immigrants.

Thind's Later Life

Received U.S. citizenship in 1935; earned PhD and lectured on metaphysics.

National Origins Act of 1924

Banned all immigration except for Germans, English, and French.

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

Opened immigration to non-European groups.

Indian Immigration Statistics (1965-2005)

1 million Indian immigrants; present: 3 million Indian population in America.

Swami Vivekananda

Opened the World's Parliament in Chicago - 1893.

1893 Speech at World's Parliament

Core Message: Tolerance and Universal Acceptance.

Paramahansa Yogananda and the Self-Realization Fellowship (1920)

Started a meditation fellowship and taught Kriya Yoga.

Kriya Yoga

Meditation technique encompassing meditation, breath control, and self-discipline.

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977)

Founded ISKCON and believed Krishna is the supreme lord.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Transcendental Meditation (TM)

Established in the US in the early 1960s, involving a mantra.

Home Puja

Devotion or prayer; much of Hindu life occurs at home.

Study Groups (Gita Mandals)

Groups that meet in homes to study Hindu texts like the Bhagavad Gita.

Sedlock v. Baird (2013)

Parents sued over a 'Yoga for Schools' program, claiming Establishment Clause violation.

Encinitas Union School District v. Parents Involved in Community Schools (2015)

California Court of Appeal upheld previous decision, ruling the program had no religious purpose or effect.

Power of the Courts

Demonstrates the courts' power to define and shape religion, even determining what can be considered 'secular.'

American Born Chinese (Novel)

Reflects challenges of navigating ethnic culture, religion, and constructing non-white American identity.

Journey to the West

Modern retelling reflected in American Born Chinese.

Aztec Religion (Pre-Spanish Conquest)

Five Elements: Earth, air, wind, fire, and the 'great spirit' that unifies life.

Life Concept in Aztec Religion

No individual life; all living things share in a general communal life.

Death as Communal Event

Death rituals emphasized in Aztec culture.

Divine Influence in Aztec Religion

Gods directly influenced daily life.

Role of the Dead in Aztec Culture

Considered part of the community, intercessors between human and divine realms.

Worship in Aztec Religion

City of Tenochtitlan featured tremendous temples and altars, documented many types of sacrifices.