World Religions Hinduism

1. Explain the meaning of moksha. 

• Moksha is liberation from samsara — the repeating cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. It means final freedom: no more rebirth, no more suffering; union with the ultimate reality. It’s the spiritual goal toward which ethical living, knowledge, devotion, or yoga aim.

2. What doctrine says all reality is ultimately one? Give an analogy that describes it. 

• Brahman teaches that the apparent many are expressions of one ultimate reality.

• Analogy: The ocean and its waves — the waves look many and separate, but they’re really just forms of the same single ocean. Similarly, individual selves (atmans) appear separate but are, at root, the same reality.

3. How are Brahman and Atman related? 

• Brahman = the ultimate, infinite reality (cosmic ground). Atman = the individual self or soul. The inner self is connected to or grounded in the universal reality.

4. What is the general function of Hinduism’s many deities? 

• Deities are personalized aspects/powers of the divine that make the infinite accessible. They serve as focal points for devotion, ethical exemplars, and symbolic teachers. Different deities emphasize different paths, moods, duties, and cosmic roles (creator, preserver, destroyer, mother, teacher, etc.), helping devotees relate to the sacred in concrete ways.

5. Give a brief explanation of the teaching of samsara. 

• Samsara is the ongoing cycle of birth → life → death → rebirth, driven by one’s accumulated karma (actions and their consequences). It’s often experienced as a source of suffering and limitation; escaping samsara ends that cycle.

6. What is Hinduism's most popular sacred text? What is in it? (example) 

• A widely read and central text is the Bhagavad Gita. It’s a dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna that teaches duty, the nature of self, and paths to liberation (action, knowledge, devotion).

7. How do karma and dharma connect the divine to this world? 

• Karma is the moral law of cause and effect: actions produce results that shape future lives and circumstances. Dharma means duty, ethical order, or the right way to live. Together, they make the cosmos morally structured — ordinary human choices have spiritual consequences, and following dharma aligns human life with divine will.

• 8. Using regular English terms, please define the 4 goals of life, and 3 paths to liberation. 

• Kama — pleasure, love, aesthetic enjoyment (healthy human desire).

• Artha — material security and prosperity (making a living, wealth).

• Dharma — doing what’s right: moral responsibilities, social and ethical duties. 

• Moksha — ultimate freedom from the cycle of rebirth.

9. Describe these 2 important Hindu deities and their attributes: Vishnu, Shiva. 

• Vishnu: the preserver — sustains and protects the world. Often depicted with four arms, blue skin (symbolic of the infinite), and restoring cosmic order. Emphasize devotion, righteousness, and compassion.

• Shiva: the transformer/destroyer — destroys to enable renewal. Attributes include the third eye (spiritual insight), trident (power over three realms), and matted hair (ascetic life). 

10. How has caste changed in modern times? 

• Major shifts: legal abolition of castes and anti-discrimination laws, and greater inter-caste social mixing. But caste identities still influence marriage, politics, and social inequality; discrimination and social exclusion persist in many areas. 

11. Why does one perform puja? What are the most important elements of doing puja? 

• Why: Puja is a ritual of greeting, honoring, and inviting the divine — it expresses devotion, seeks blessings, and creates a personal encounter with the sacred. 

• Key elements: an image, prayer, offerings (flowers, food/prasad), light (lamp/diya), incense, washing/cleaning the image (symbolic hospitality)

12. What is the Hindu understanding of divine presence? (How does one connect?) 

• Divinity is both present in creatures and nature and transcendent (beyond all forms). Connection happens through puja, meditation, ethical living, study, and devotion. Crucially, murtis are not “just statues” — they are treated as living embodiments of the divine once consecrated, so seeing and serving them establishes a real relationship with the sacred. 

13. What is Hindu inclusivity and why are Hindus inclusive? 

• Hindu traditions embrace many philosophies, practices, and deities, and generally hold that multiple paths can lead to truth. Historical pluralism and scriptural passages that affirm different ways foster inclusivity. 

14. Who was the founder of Hinduism? 

• There is no single founder. Hinduism evolved over millennia from a mix of indigenous traditions, Vedic religion, local practices, and later philosophical developments. 

15. What are the Vedas? 

• The Vedas are the oldest layer of Hindu scripture. They contain hymns to deities, rituals, and sacrificial instructions.

16. Why do Hindu deity statues have so many hands and implements? And what’s up with skin color? 

• Many hands/implements: Multiple arms show a deity’s many powers and roles at once (e.g., protection, blessing, weaponry, knowledge). Implements are symbolic: a conch for sound/divine call, a discus for cosmic order, a trident for control over realms, etc.

• Skin color: usually symbolic, not literal. Blue often suggests infinity, the sky or ocean (divine, beyond human limits); dark or golden skin may symbolize a particular quality or story. Colors convey meaning, not race.

17. Which is your favorite Hindu deity? Explain them. 

• Krishna — a beloved form of Vishnu who embodies personal charm, practical wisdom (as in the Bhagavad Gita), playful devotion, and a model of loving, relational spirituality. He’s often chosen as a favorite because he humanly models devotion, ethics, and joy.

18. Give examples to elaborate how Hindu beliefs are made visible in puja, a temple, in controversies (e.g. from our case studies). 

• Puja: obvious signs — offering food (prasad), lighting lamps, reciting mantras, and the intimate treatment of the murti as a living guest. These practices show immanence, devotion, and the idea that gods are approachable.

• Temple: architecture (sanctum/garbhagriha), processional deities, ritual schedule, and pilgrim practices show communal devotion, hierarchy of sacred space, and theology made public.

Controversies (examples): disputes over temple sites, debates about who may enter certain temples, or conflicts over religious symbols and cow protection reflect how religion intersects with politics, identity, and law. These controversies reveal how religious beliefs, historical claims, and social power interact.

19. For Hindus, what are some factors to consider when thinking of pro and cons to online pujas? 

• Pros: increased accessibility (elderly, diaspora, disabled), continuity when travel is impossible, convenience, democratization of ritual participation.

• Cons: questions about authenticity (is remote darshan equivalent?), loss of embodied sensory elements (touch, smell, physical darshan), concerns about proper consecration and priestly procedures, commercialization or fraud risks. Religious communities differ about whether online pujas fully substitute for in-person rites.

20. For Hindus, what are some factors to consider when thinking about the status of hijras? 

Consider: religious/cultural roles (traditional blessing rituals for birth/marriage), legal recognition (some countries now legally recognize a third gender), social stigma and marginalization, economic vulnerability, and ritual significance (in some regions hijras hold special ritual/social roles). Ethical considerations include dignity, inclusion, access to healthcare/education, and protection against discrimination.