World Religions: Hinduism Test

artha

material success and social prestige, one of the four goals of life

ascetic

one who renounces physical pleasures and worldly attachments for the sake of spiritual advancement common in Hinduism and many other religious traditions, most notably Jainism

Atman

the etermal self, which the Upanishads identify with Brahman

avatar

an incarnation, or living embodiment of a deity, usually of Vishnu, who is sent to Earth to accopmplish a divine purpose

Bhavagavad-Gita

Hinduism's most popular sacred text

lists all of the gods and goddesses

bhakti marga

"the path of devotion"

the most popular of the three Hindu paths to liberation

emphasizing performing actions according to right dharma

Brahman

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

brahmin

the highest of the four classes of the caste system, usually priests

caste system

traditional division of Hindu society into various categories

dharma

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

jnana marga

"the path of knowledge"

one of the three Hindu paths to salvation

learning and meditiation

kama

pleasure, especially of sensual love

one of the four goals of life

karma marga

"the path of works"

one of the three Hindu paths to salvation

performing right actions according to dharma

associated with Ghandi

kshatriya

the second of the four classes of the caste system, traditionally made up of warriors and administrators

maya

cosmic illusion brought about by the divine creative power

the illusion that we are all individuals

moksha

liberation or release of the individual self, or atman, from the bondage of samsara

salvation: one of the four goals of life

monism

the doctrine that reality is ultimately made up of only one essence

MOST BUT NOT ALL HINDUS BELIEVE IN THIS

Rig Veda

a collection of 1,017 Sanskrit hymns composed about 1500 BC or earlier

Hinduism's oldest sacred text

samadhi

a tracelike state in which self-conscienceness is lost and the mind is absorbed into ultimate reality

samsara

the wheel of rebirth or reincarnation

Sankhya

a system of Hindu philosophy and one approach with jhana marga

asserting that reality compromises two distinct caregories: matter and eternal selves

sannyasin

a wandering ascetic who has advanced to the fourth and highest stage of life

sati

the traditional practice of burning a widow on her husband's funeral pyre

outlawed in 1829

shudra

the lowest of the four classes of the caste system, traditionally made up of servants and laborers

Upanishads

a collection of over two hundred texts that explain the doctrines and teachings of Hinduism

vaishya

the third of the four classes in the caste system

made up of farmers, merchants, an artisans

Vedanta

within jnaga marga

holds that all reality is essentially Brahman

Yoga

a system of Hindu philosophy and one approadch within jhana marga

seeking to free the eternal self from the bondage of personhood, culminating in the experience of samadhi

Name three of the sacred texts of Hinduism

1. Rig Veda (oldest sacred text)

2. Bhagavada-Gita (names all gods and goddesses)

3. Upanishads (explains doctrines and teachings)

"That art Thou"

refers to the thought that Brahman is Atman

What did Ghandi call the untouchables?

Harijan-God's children

What are the four stages of life?

student, householder, forest dweller, sannysain

What are the three paths to salvation?

1. karma marga-the path of works

2. jnana marga-the path of knowledge

3. bhakti marga-the path of devotion

Two dieties

Vishnu and Shiva

Two avatars

Krishna and Rama

monoism

all is one

karma

the moral law of cause and effect of actions, determinest the nature of one's reincarnation

two cycles in Hinduism

the universe and indivdual reincarnation

examples of daily devotion

cow veneration, Ganges bathing, pilgrimages

When did Ghandi's assassination occur?

1948

also forbade the outcastes from being discriminated against in this same year

How many gods and goddesses?

330 million

Four parts of the caste system

1. brahmin-priests

2. kshatriya-warriors

3. vaishya-producers, farmers, merchants, artisans

4. shudra-servants and laborers

Four men to know

1. Mhatma Ghandi-karma marga "the path of works"

2. Vivekananda-missionary

3. Shankara-scholar (Vedanta)

4. Shri Ramakrishna-became Muslim and Christian to become a better Hindu

Three Schools of Philosophy within Jnana Marga

1. Vedanta-the most faithful to the predominant monism of Hinduism, maya, famous: Shankara

2.Sankya-reality is compsed of two distinct categories: matter and an infinite number of selves

3. Yoga-8 steps, samadhi

Four goals of life

1. sensual pleasure (kama)

2. material success (artha)

3. harmony with dharma (ethical duty)

4. bliss of moksha (the infinite being)