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Assignment: VI. "Where Alanis and Madonna Have
Been" (Hinduism)
1. Using the works of Smith,
Trafford, Parrinder, or Yorke Crompton list and breafly explain (in three
pages) the major concepts of Hinduism.
2. Summerize a conetemporary
magazine or web article on Hinduism in Modren society. (one page)
3. Explain how a Hindu lifestyle
could be lived in today's westren society. Include thoughts on personal
and professional life, sports/recreation/leasiure... (two pages)
4. Compare or contrast one
aspect of Hinduism with Christianity. (one page)
1. Hinduism: “You Can Have What You Want”
An Individual’s soul or jiva enters the world
and progresses natural starting off in a body of the simplest life form
and eventually after shedding one body after another works its way into
a human body. Once a jiva enters a human body things change it becomes
aware of itself and with this comes freedom, responsibility, and effort.
It is no longer able to progress naturally. The mechanism that ties these
new acquisitions together is the law of karma. The literal meaning of karma
is work, but as a doctrine it means, roughly, the morale law of cause and
effect. Every physical event has its cause and every cause will have its
determinate effects. India extends upon this concept of causation
to include moral and spiritual life as well. Each act that is directed
upon the world has its equal and opposite reaction on one-self. Each thought
and deed delivers an unseen chisel blow that sculpts ones destiny.
As one lives they make decisions when a decision is made and an action
taken one then deals with the results that brings oneself to another decision
which one makes and takes action upon and then deals with the consequences.
At every point in life where a decision has to be made there are limitless
possibilities which one can choose, automatically oneself eliminates options
that to ones current position seem to be illogical and one is left with
a few more prime choices. These choices are pondered upon until finally
a decision is made and an action is taken. Then the Consequences of that
action are seen and one moves on. When asked the question “what kind
of world do we have?” Hinduism answers:
1. A multiple world that includes
unnumerable galaxies horizontally, innumerable tires vertically, and innumerable
cycles temporally.
2. A morale world in which the law of karma is
never suspended
3. A middling world that will never replace paradise
as the spirit’s destination
4. A world that is maya, deceptively tricky in
passing off its multiplicity, materiality, and dualities as ultimate when
they are actually provisional
5. A training ground on which people can develop
their highest capacities
6. A world that is lila, the play of the Divine
in its Cosmic Dance – untiring, unending, resistless, yet ultimately
beneficent with a grace born of infinite vitality
The first thing a new human spirit does is begin to explore the pleasures this new body has to offer the earthly delights that entice oneself. The Hindu’s to this person say that if what one wants is pleasure go after it. Eventually someone who lives life going from one pleasure to another will eventually be left tired and bored of the repetitiveness of life. Then Hindu’s say the person moves onto living life to be successful. There are three prongs of success wealth, fame, and power. The satisfaction that success grants last longer than that of pleasure, but there is not total point of satisfaction in success. The pursuits of pleasure and success are classified into the Path of Desire, because they are the pursuits of oneself. There is always more out there and one who lives a successful life is left wondering if there is more. Material goods only go so far, you cannot take your money with you when you die and therefore the jiva, or soul is left unquenched in a life based only upon success.
The Path that comes after the Path of desire is the path of Renunciation, which can stem from disillusionment and despair. The Path of Renunciation is taken when eventually the human spirit comes to the realization that what one truly wants is infinite being, infinite knowledge, and infinite joy. Through fulfilling these three wants one comes to a point of liberation (moksha.) One is released from the finite into the infinite. Hinduism believes that the goal of life is to pass beyond imperfections, which is what the state of moksha is. The belief is that we all have it within ourselves to attain moksha that buried deep inside us is infinite being, wisdom, and joy, the infinite is buried in the deepest darkest parts of ourselves. This is what makes life a problem, because the outer body craves our attentions and the ego surrounds our infinite selves so that we no longer realize it is there. Three things restrict Moksha, Physical pain, psychological pain that arises from the Path of Desire, and Boredom with life in general. One can eventually overcome these obstacles through dedication, and the practice of the yogas. The Yoga is a method of training designed to lead to integration or union. The Yoga is Hinduism’s Specific direction for the presuit of releasing the infinite self into the light.
Jnana yoga, is the way to God through knowledge and is designed for those who are strongly reflective in nature. Those people who spend lots of time in their heads. Ideas to these people have a reality in and of themselves. Jnana yoga is said to be the quickest way to God. This yoga has Three stages first is learning listening to the sages reading and building upon ones knowledge of God and life. The second is Thinking, prolonged, and intensive reflection on what one has learnt in the first step. The Atman (god within) that one has learned about must change from mearly a concept to a realization. The third is Spirit to think of oneself as spirit not only during rituals but throughout every moment of the day. To drive a wedge between the skin encompassing ego and Atman. Most people practicing Jnana yogi do this by thinking of oneself in third person.
Bhakti yoga is to direct towards God the love that lies at the base of every heart. Bhakti yoga rejects all suggestions that the God one loves is oneself, even one’s deepest self and insists on God’s otherness. Bhakti strive not to identify with God, but to adore him with all that they are. The goal of this yoga is to love God, not just claim it but love God in total, for no alterior reasons, to love God for love’s sake alone. Through singing praises to God, in praying whole heartingly, in meditation on God’s glory, in the reading of God in the scriptures and regarding the entire universe as God’s handiwork, the affections of the yogi move steadily towards God. Some approaches that a Bhakti yogi may take are the act of Japam, which is practiced by repeating God’s name over and over again. Hindu’s have many forms of God in Bhakti yoga the yogi chooses one of the forms, which acts as a symbol and an aspect of God. The chosen form of God becomes that yogi’s ishta or adopted form of the divine. Most Hindu’s find that the ideal form of choose would be one of God’s incarnations, for God can be loved most readily in human form. For humans are already attuned to loving fellow humans. This yoga is designed for those whoa re emotional in nature and cannot grasp or fully understand philosophical ideals. To these people images of God are that of a loving father, teacher, creator, and lover.
Karma yoga, is a yoga designed for workaholics and is the way to God through work. The idea of most workaholics is that one must retire and seek out God. For these people Hindu’s have said you do not have to enclose yourself from the world to find God, God is in the world of everyday affairs. A person following karma yoga not only works but throws themselves into their work, giving it everything they have. Only they do this wisely, in a way that will bring the highest awards. The no longer work for themselves for personal gain, which only inflates the ego and takes you farther away from God. The work for God they learn the secret of work by which every movement can carry you towards God even while other things are being accomplished. The work a karma yogi dose, dose without any thought for oneself. Karma yoga can be practiced in co-operation with either jnana and bhakti yoga. For those following bhakti yoga and therefore those who are emotionally inclined is to work selflessly, to bring their ardent and affectionate natures into play and work for God’s sake instead of their own. As one does this each action becomes an act of God, God’s energy is channeled through the worker, and each task becomes a ritual glorification to God. Those people, whose dispositions are more reflective and philosophical those who also would follow jnana yoga, the approach they must take when practicing karma yoga is still to work unselfishly. Although the approach changes to one of detachment from ones empirical self. It consists in drawing a line between the finite self that acts and the eternal self that observes the action. In this approach the True self has nothing to do with the actions being preformed this actions are merely being done by the finite self. Karma, yogi try to do each task as it comes, as if that task were the only thing in the world to be done. Having finished a task they move onto the next duty to present itself. They concentrate fully and calmly on each task, and resist impatience, excitement, and the vain of trying to do or think of half a dozen things at once. Those practicing either form of Karma yoga although different still practice some things in common, both engage in radical reduced diets, designed to starve the finite ego and neither gives the slightest purchase to what the west assumes is a healthy self-regard.
Raja yoga the last yoga is designed for people who are of a scientific mind, it is the way to God through psychophysical experiments. Those still wanting to look for God are asked to do so just as one would look for the reason to way water freezes when the temperature drops below 0C. The raja yoga outlines the experiment for the yogi. The yogi does not experiment on his body although it is involved he experiments on his mind. The hypothesis of the experiment of raja yoga is the Hindu doctrine of the human-self. The theory postulates that the human-self is a layered entity, first we have bodies, next comes the conscious layer of our minds. Third is the realm of the individual subconscious. That has been built up through our individual histories. Fourth is Being itself, the infinite, unthwarted, eternal. The yoga begins by following the first steps in any yoga. Things that block oneself from being able to truly listen to the inner self as one sits down to start a meditation they will most likely be hit by a sudden craving or a thirst for water. This is the body, the finite self, trying to remain the focus of attention. This with practice can be overcome, then when one overcomes the noise the senses send us the conscious mind also apart of the finite self, has trouble focusing on a giving task, it is hard to stop thinking. With practices the yogi can learn to concentrate fully on one idea. Then the yogi begins work through to body to the mind. To keep the body distracted while the mind concentrates, one attempts to find a bodily state between discomfort, and relaxation. The Hindu’s way of doing this are asanas, learnt and founded over thousands of years. The usual translation of asanas is posture, but postures, which carry a notion of balance and ease. One asanas that is most important is the world-renowned lotus position. Where the yogi sits with legs crossed in such a way that each foot rests sole up on its opposing thigh. The spine, with allowance for its natural curvature is erect. Hands are placed palms up, in the lap atop the other with thumbs thought lightly. When this position is mastered it is surprisingly comfortable, and seems to place the mind in a state that conduces to meditation. The Yogic postures distract the body but there is still the distraction of breathing. The yogi learns to master this through breathing exercises. In the fifth step the yogi tests the hypothesis, that the deepest truth comes only to those who turn their attentions inward. Using what he has learnt so far to do this, he attempts to shut out the outside world. With practice a raja yogi could be in a room with a drum beating and not even notice. At last when the yogi becomes alone with their mind. The mind is still busy with hopes and daydreams expectations. The yogi must smooth the mind out cease the constant inner chatter of his mind. The first part of this is to release those thoughts that need to be released to exorcize themselves from the subconscious. The one selects something to concentrate on such as the tips of ones nose, or an imagined sea of infinite light, the object doesn’t matter. The yogi keeps practicing keeping the mind on the object until success increases. Finally in the seventh step the yoga deepens his concentration bringing his mint to a point where it will flow steadily towards the object it is concentrating on. The simple concentration deepens into a meditation. The yogi is brought to a moment of duality of being the both the knower, and the known. Then the final climactic state is attained. Samadhi, the state of being together with God. In samadhi the object’s form falls away. For forms are limiting boundaries, to be one form others must be excluded. He raja yoga’s final stage is without limits. The mind continues to think, but it thinks of no thing. It is still thinking, it has perfected the paradox of seeing the invisible. It is filled with which is “separated from all qualities, neither this nor that, without form, without name.”
The four Yogas are not exclusive of one another no one is completely reflective, emotional, active, or experimental, and different life situations call for different resources to be brought into play. The main division of the yogas is that between jnana and bhakti. The others can be adapted to those paths. It is mainly making a choice of either total devotion to god or being philosophical in ones search for divinity.
God, the only literally accurate description of
the unsearchable of which the ordinary mind incapable of grasping is what
Hinduism calls neti, or “not this”. The idea of neti is to go from one
end of the universe to another and to everything you see to say not this
what you are left with when you have finished this will be God. Yet this
is the only literally accurate description words and concepts still arise,
and cannot be avoided, though concepts can never carry ones mind to God
they can point it in the right direction. The name Hindu’s give supreme
reality is Brahman, which has a dual etymology, deriving as it does from
both br, to breath and brih, to be great. The chief attributes to be linked
with the name are sat, chit, and anada. God is infinite being, awareness,
and bliss. Most people find this impossible to conceive, much less be motivated
by anything that is removed very far from direct experience. Hinduism advises
such people not to try to think of God as the encounter in the natural
world. This means thinking of God as the supreme (Ishvara or Bhagavan)
person, for people are nature’s noblest creation. God is conceived mainly
in this way for people following Bhakti yoga. This is the God as parent,
loving merciful, almighty, our eternal contemporary, and the companion
who understands. God conceived in such a way is called Saguna Brahman,
or God-with-attributes. Saguna Brahaman is an ocean alive with swells and
waves. God conceived in a philosopher’s concept is more abstract and called
Nirguna Brahman, or God-without-attributes. Nirguna Brahman is the same
ocean only without a ripple. God’s relation to the world depends on the
symbolism one embraces. Saguna Brahaman will stand in relation to the world,
as an artist stands in relation to his or her work. In this form God will
be the Creator (Brahma), Preserver (Vishnu), and Destroyer (Shiva).
The God who in the end resolves all finite forms back into primordial nature
from which they sprang. Nirguna Brahman on the other hand is regarded as
standing above the struggle, aloof from the finite in every aspect.
The concept of God depends on who you are.
2. Couldnt seem to find any articles anywhere,
if you do find some please leave the link in my guestbook and maybe I can
hand it in or at least provide it for anyone else dointhe project.
3.Living as a Hindu
As the soul goes through each stage of Pleasure,
success, and then finally the realization of what one truly wants, the
people of India have devised a system of life in which each of these wants
and realizations can be made. These are the stages of life, the first stage
is that of the student where a child between the ages of 8 and 12. Is taken
into the home of the teacher and is taught not only factual knowledge but
habits are built upon and character is defined. This stage usually lasts
24 years. And the student also emerges with a trade in which to live from.
The second stage is that of the householder, beginning with marriage, this
is the point in life where the wants of the Path of Desire may be fulfilled.
The one in question through his wife may fulfill his wants of desire, through
his profession, and working in the community. He is able to fulfill his
want of success. After this stage which lasts from marriage to usually
around the time that the first grandchild is born the stage of retirement
arrives. This is the stage in which one can enter the Path of Renunciation.
This usually begins with the man and his wife if she chooses to go, going
off into the woods this is the time in life to fulfill ones thirst for
knowledge about God and those who leave into the forest begin their personal
program of discovery. This is the time of working out a philosophy and
then working that philosophy into a way of life. The goal of this retirement
is to enter a state of sannyasin where one neither loves nor hates. The
state of sannyasin is the final stage the pilgrim is now free to return
to the world, for the intent of the forest discipline has been achieved.
In sannyasin one has learned the art of keeping the finite self-dispersed
lest it eclipse the infinite. The sannyasin wants to remain a complete
nonentity on the surface in order to be joined to al at the root they cut
free from society with no home, money. Therefore the extensions of the
body become nothing. They live walking from place to place no longer caring
of their body, which is just, like a piece of clothing to them. In western
society one can see that it would not be so hard to live such a life. Although
the time frame is a little different one usually enters school at the age
of 5 and does not emerge with a full ability to enter society until one
is at times even 25 or 27. The child enters early into school in western
society, they also leave early compared to one following the Hindu stages
of life. Although in total about the same amount of time is invested in
the education of a child. After that one gets a job and finds someone to
settle down with. From the age of 18 when most students enter collage it
is the time to fulfill the wants of pleasure, in western society once one
completes secondary education, they move on to trying to become successful
in everyday life. They get a job and work their way up meet someone and
get married. This is the point in western society where things change with
little regard for those who have aged. One is forced to retire to make
way for new younger faces; one then is left without the support of the
society one has supported for so long. For those who are lucky and have
financial needs they can carry on a journey of discovery and knowledge
much like the retirement in the Hindu’s stages of life. Carrying on the
Yogas in this part of life after the wants of the Paths of Desire have
been fulfilled and one is ready to begin the journey on the Path of Renunciation.
4. Christianity in Hinduism
Hinduism believes that all religions are ways of reaching the same goal, the same as there are many paths to the top of a mountain so there is many religions all created to reach the same goal. You may climb a mountain one way and your friend climb it another but in the end you both reach the top of the mountain. This idea makes Hindu’s very tolerant when it comes to other religions. Even when the Southern Baptist churches came out with a pray book for followers to pray for the damned souls of those who practice the Hindu faith similar to their pray book for those of a Jewish faith. Although some Hindu’s were understandably upset others took it with a grain of salt. When it comes to comparing Catholicism to Hinduism eventually you will see that the Catholic system of belief as it was meant to be through Jesus falls right into the practice of the bhakti yoga.
The bhakti yoga is the worship and total devotion of ones heart to God in a chosen image. To Catholics this image is the image of Jesus. In Bhakti Yoga you find that God is represented in many images as the caretaker and creator. It is the same images of God as one who loves us all forever. In Christianity we insist on Gods otherness just as in bhakti yoga. We do not strive to identify with God but to adore him with all that we are. To do all that he asks. The Catholics claim that everything they do is an act of god, which is a form of karma yoga. Although sometimes as in all religions people do fake their love and devotion. Those who are truly followers of the Path of Jesus devote themselves to him. Jesus said, “Love God with all you might, strength, mind, and soul.”
Compare the Descriptions of Love of God from a Hindu viewpoint Definition and a Christian Description:
Hinduism
Love of God:
This is an ecstatic yet intense consciousness
of unity with God, an
awareness only of God, nothing else exists and
- as part bhakti (supreme love),
prema bhakti (ecstatic love) and mahabhava (intense
love) - the highest form love
for God can assume. This is the state of the
avatar or the ishvarakoti whose birth
is to lead humanity to realization of truth.
Chrsitianity
Love of God:
According to François Fénelon,
there are three kinds of love of God:
Mercenary or selfish love, which is love for
God originating in desire for one's own
happiness. If this is the only love one feels
for God, then God is only a means to an
end and it is sacrilegious and impious, seeking
only self-gratification.
Mixed love, where a regard for one's own happiness,
although there, is subordinate
to a regard to the glory of God. This is not
necessarily wrong, as loving God as He
ought to be loved and one's self no more than
one ought is both unselfish and right.
Pure love is mixed love carried to its true result.
This result implies that the motive
of God's glory so fills the mind that the motive
of one's own happiness is practically
annihilated. God becomes the centre of the soul
to whom all affections tend, the
sun from whom all light and warmth proceed. Ones
own happiness and all that
regards one's self is lost sight of. It is not
that it is wrong to desire one's own good,
simply that when God is in the soul who can think
of himself ? God alone is loved,
all other things in and for God.
As one can see the Bhakti form of Hinduism is ver much like the teachings of Jesus Christ. I believe that they are almost one in the same. They are both very similar paths to reaching turn and total fulfillment.
