FULL STUDY GUIDE (PAPER 1)

Hinduism

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

Atman: a persons essential self

==Atman-Brahman: The connection of the individual soul to the "universal soul"==

TRIMURTI

MOKSHA: liberation from samsara (cycle of reincarnation)

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

DHARMA: a persons religious and moral duties

Maya: illusion

Jati: (castes)

Varnashrama-Dharma System: Duties performed according to the system of four varnas (social divisions) and four ashramas (stages in life).

Yoga

Human Condition

Samsara is the human condition, the overarching spiritual nature of reality. Reincarnation occurs within and resulting from this condition. Atman undergoes this process normally..but can escape it!

Where are we going?

favorable or unfavorable reincarnation after death

Dasharnas: is the concept of pluralism, the belief that multiple paths exist to reach liberation, or moksha, or unity with God and escape from the cycle of birth and death

OUR GOAL IS MOKSHA

Sikhism

Jot: divine spark  The soul is indestructible and survives for eternity. When the person dies, it is only the body that is destroyed; the soul carries on its journey of reincarnation

HUKAM: "Divine order, will or command";

• Sikhs must attempt to live in harmony with hukam, to achieve liberation and avoid hamuai (overvaluing worldly success)
• Gurmukh: God-centred; to be focused on God; to work for God; to be thinking about God

HUMAI: Human inclination toward being self-centered rather than God-centered

Man-muk: Lifestyle to be avoided in Sikhism; to be materialistic, self-centred.

• Man: desires

Nimrata: humility (Meditation on God and selfless service is the best way to restrict humai and build nimrata)

Seva: service of god

5 thieves

• pride (ahankar)
• anger (krodh)
• lust (kam)
• greed (lobdh)
• attachment (moh)

^^Naam Simran^^

• REMEMBRANCE of name,
• brings you in and out, manmukh-> gurmukh,
• Turning from ego orientation towards guru.
• That is which is already in you.
• Chant/Prayer

^^Naam Japna^^

• RECITING gods name

Where are we going?

MUKTI: freedom from the cycle of reincarnation. (YOU NEED DIVINE GRACE)

Born into a favorable or unfavorable rebirth after death based upon the karma of the previous life

3 pillars of Sikhism

Human Condition

Creator: waheguru

all living beings were created by God. Through maya (illusion) and haumai (ego-centredness), jot (the divine spark) is not realized and therefore human beings remain focused on their “man” or baser emotions

summarized in the five vices of kam (lust), lobh (covetousness), moh (attachment), krodh (anger) and ahankar (Pride).

Taoism

==Tao: the way or path==

• primordial creative force of life which flows through nature, giving rise to the opposing forces of Yin (passive) and Yang (active).”
• We must submit to the Tao and in harmony with its flow.
  • Core concept: Oneness. There is no division between humanity and nature-from the time of creation we are one.

Human Condition

Tao, the Way, is our original nature. Nothing is evil, but things are out of balance because humans departed from the Way (Tao).

Civilization has tried to improve on nature; as a result we have created conflict and chaos.

Where are we going?

• we are already there, we just have to realize it by becoming fully in accord to the Tao

How do we get there?

• focusing on our qi (align energy in our body)
• submissive with the tao

Yin/Yang: in order to be balanced (negative/positive)

Fu: returning to ones origin; model to emulate the tao; THE PATH

• Fu is the road or the energy to the tao

Wu Wei: the main virtue of taoism; “non action”

Qi: “energy”; flows through all things in the universe

• When qi in the body is out of balance, the body gets sick

Pu: goal OF WU WEI “uncarved block”

The concept of existing without thinking about existing

• It is a passive state and a pure state of mind (before the individual is tainted by experiences, knowledge, prejudice, illusions, etc.)

Qigong/Taichi:

• help a taoist practitioner by helping them with their inner alchemy and connecting them with the different energies such as the heavenly qi, earthly qi and human qi

• through qigong which is qi practice or energy practice which helps make oneself soft and connected. qi gong also helps them transform their qi and focus.

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Islam

Muslims “one who has submitted to god”

Allah

• is omnipotent and omniscient
• sustains the universe and determines what happens
• will judge all of humanity at the end of time
• God is complete reality so there is nothing beyond god

Hijra

• Migration of muslims to medina is the hijrah

Human condition

• Human must strive to submit themselves to the will of god
• Without divine guidance we will stray away from the path of god that is made to prevent moral error
  • Tawid: god is one
  • Wahid: god is unique
• Al fitra: natural state of submission for allah
• Pride is the cardinal sin, cardinal virtue is submission “islam”
• Hudud: Boundaries determined by god

Where are we going?

• For the FAITHFUL to eternal janna (paradise)
  • Go to spiritual and eternal janna
  • Housed in mansions, wear amazing clothes, just comfort and fulfillment of the desire to be w allah
• By DISOBEDIENCE to god's will to jahannam (hell) for those whom god has decided to punish for a time for committing grave sins AND not repenting
  • They will go thru a process to obtain oneness w allah

6 articles of faith

1. Belief in judgment day
2. One god (allah)
3. Angels
4. Prophets
5. Holy scriptures
6. Predestination (fate or quadar)

How do we get there?

==Obtain salvation via submission to God's will. This may be achieved by:==

1. Acknowledge tawid (the oneness of god) and submitting to his will, as revealed to the prophet
2. Believing in god, the scriptures, angels, jinns and akhira (life after death)
3. Living in accordance to the quran and the divinely inspired saying of the prophet
4. Practising the 5 pillars of islam, the obligations prescribed in the quran for individual muslims.

5 pillars of Islam

1. SHAHADA → CONFESSION OF FAITH there is no god but allah and muhammad is the prophet

2. SALAH → PRAYER must pray 5 times a day (facing mecca)

3. ZAKAT → CHARITY must give to charity anonymously

4. SIYAM → FASTING must fast during the holy month of ramadan, can't eat or drink during the day

5. HAJJ → PILGRIMAGE must make pilgrimage to mecca at least once in a lifetime

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Judaism

Abraham: founder of judaism

Covenant: A solemn agreement between human beings and God

• revealed his laws and commandments to moses on mount sinai in the form of the torah
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Messianic Age (olam-Haba): A future time of global peace when everyone will want to become closer to God, possibly through the intervention of the Messiah.

• Messiah: savior sent by god
  • Messiah who will come to redeem the jewish people, gather the exiled to the land of Israel
  • will come during Passover
  • The messiah will arrive in the darkest hour → the messiah will come

Olam ha-ba

• “World to come”

Where souls experience the total reality of their life

• Positives and negatives of a lived life along with purpose of existing are revealed

Some souls will require purifying in GEHENOM and after this process then unity with god will be the result

Talmud: The collection of Jewish rabbinic discussion pertaining to law, ethics, and tradition consisting of the Mishnah and the Gemara.

Torah: 5 books (old testament) by moses (religious moral and social law)

• 10 commandments: came after to support the basis of jewish law

Soul:

• Man was made from the dust of the ground and breathed into life
  • Soul is eternal and will survive some way after bodily death
• Contains intelligence and emotion and identity

Shabbot:

• the Sabbath - Jewish Day of Rest - 7th day and day of prayer
• put all worldly stuff aside

Shema

• Jewish prayer (morning and evening prayer service) (MOST IMPT PRAYER)
• Comes from deuteronomy

Human Condition

• God created humans and endowed them with free will which leads to a constant choice between
  • Yetzer ha-ra: bad inclinations
  • Not bad or evil but push in direction of pleasure personal advancement which can result in evil actions
  • Yetzer ha-tov: good inclinations
  • Is not good within itself but a focus or direction or push in the direction to do what is right and follow the torah
• Creation is from the book of bereshit (bear-ah-sheet) (genesis)
• Because humans are created by god they are born perfect and pure
  • However they are born with yeterha-ra and yetzer ha-tov
  • Adults are expected to control while children need to be guided by family and society

Where are we going?

• Judaism emphasizes observance of this life rather than elaborating on the hereafter
• Expectation of Messianic age of peace and justice (Belief in olam-ha-ba)
• Emphasis on the torah
  • Following the law in this life
  • Observance of law now, Jewish emphasizes law now

How do we get there?

• Living a life in accordance with gods will
• Readiness for messianic age
• Being in house of israel of chosen ones (jewish)
• Obeying all mitzvot (613) commandments → revealed in torah
• Living in according to the shema
• Practice tikkun olam

Tikkun Olam: any activity that improves the world

• Tikkun Olam or "interest in public policy" is that we should be able to fix things in the world, especially our human wrongs in order to erase history to reach the Messianic age.
  • today, some Jewish people believe that there are no heavenly relations, we have to have repairs through social action.
• modern Jewish thoughts of tikkun olam going into action with Jewish organizations to help those who are suffering. This is different from the old version of tikkun olam which focuses more on spiritual healing.

Christianity

Jesus’s teachings ran into direct conflict with both Rome and certain Jewish divisions of the Jewish council because he challenged “Ecclesiasticism”

• which is excessive attention to details of church practice, like rules/procedures/clergy/hierarchy

Agape: unconditional love, "the highest form of love, charity" and "the love of God for man and of man for God"

Sacraments:

signs of grace (gods love for humanity)

1. Baptism first sacrament where you become united with Christ and the Church through the dunking in water (cleansed of original sin)
2. Confirmation The Bishop administers confirmation. Through the laying on of hands, baptismal commitment is confirmed.
3. Eucharist sharing of bread and wine (some believe its real body and blood); significant of last meal (frequency changes with denominations)
4. Reconciliation confessions to priest
5. Anointing of the sick this sacrament is only bestowed upon those who are seriously ill or suffering, which then unites the inflicted with Christ's passion; while a priest administers a special blessing is how this sacrament is received.
6. Matrimony marriage under the church
7. Holy Orders A sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles, continues to be practiced in church until the end of time.

Agape:

“love from god”

• Agape is not the feeling of love, but the action of looking out for the wellbeing of others to show God love
• jesus showed his agape because he treats everyone even his enemies with love.
• Instead of holding humanity guilty for sin, Jesus was sacrificed for the sin of humanity and he overcame this suffering with resurrection so that we might become what he is, through agape.

Grace:

“relationship between god and man”

• you cannot have agape without grace because they work in tandem

the main element of grace is that it is undeserved, it costs everything to that who gives it and comes when you least expect it.

Buddhism

Origin Story

• Siddartha Gautama (founder of buddhism)
• Buddha: enlightened one

Four Noble Truths

The four central beliefs containing the core of buddhist teaching

1. Life is filled with suffering and sorrow
2. The cause of all suffering is people selfish desires for the temporary pleasures of this world
3. The way to end suffering is to end desires
4. The way to overcome is through following the 8 fold path

Eightfold path

Buddha’s guide to end suffering an attaining nirvana

• Nirvana: union with the universe and freedom from life (end of reincarnation)
• Dharma: the teaching or the practicing of buddhism

Tripitaka

• Buddhist sacred book of buddha's teachings
• Monasteries and covenants set up for meditation and study

Human Condition: Humans are caught in samsara: maya (illusion), tanha (craving), and hatred/aversion, leading to dukka (suffering or unsatisfactoriness)

• Dukkha: relates to the lack of satisfaction (physical or mental pain).
• Tanha: desire or thirst of something to gain satisfaction; desire for uncomfortable things to not start or continue (causes dukkha)
• Annica (impermanence): everything that changes everything that exists now will cease to exist. Can be seen from the cycle of human life
• Anatta: the concept of "I" or "self" does not really exist (you are not yourself but the world). the self is not important than it is easier to escape from personal suffering.
• Samsara: cycle of reincarnation -> even at death, one still possess passion, aggression, and ignorance or even an amount of unresolved personal bad karma

Enlightenment:

• to shed the ego of oneself, and  become aware of how we are connected to the universe (i.e: being one with the universe).

Sati:

Sati, ('clear understanding’ or ‘good judgment’.)

• ‘the conscious perception and evaluation of something.’
• Goal of sati: Equanimity, one that neither favors nor opposes the object of which one is aware
  • One is aware of something, but removed from positive or negative likeness of it
  • remove the "I" of everything (i.e: There is hunger, recognize what it is, not negative or
  • positive)

Non attachment

• problem stated in Noble Truth 2; if we are devoid of attachment we can reach nirvana
• when we reject the SELF there is no need to detach, because we are all interconnected

Equanimity:

• one of the 4 great virtues,  to be calm and balanced -> "to stand in the middle"
• Buddha described upekkha as "abundant, exalted, immeasurable, without hostility and without ill-will."
• can be reached with the 4 foundations of mindfulness

No Self

• Five Skandhas (Form, Sensation, Perception, Mental Formations, Consciousness)
• Theravada thinks anatman to mean that an individual's ego or personality is a fetter and delusion
• Mahayana considers all physical forms to be void of intrinsic self

Piti

• true happiness is a state of mind -> not dependent on an object or impermanent thing

• we don't realize enlightenment to reach happiness -> no easy process, usually through self discipline

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