Important Aspects of Hinduism
There are many different areas of Hinduism covered in the book The Hindu Religious Tradition. The first important area discussed is about Aryans and early Indian culture. The Indus civilizations, cities, art, and culture are explained. Also discussed is the coming of the Aryans, the Gods of the early Aryans, and Aryan fire sacrifice.
The creative power of the sacrifice is explained. The Upanishads, and the search of a self of a man, speculation in the early Upanishads, the teaching of the Yajnavalkya, and the final goal of the Upanishads are also major topics in this book. Religious implications of Upanishadic teaching, challenge and change of Hinduism are explored. Lastly, the new Brahmanical Synthesis, the religion in the epics and puranas, late puranic religion, the full tradition, and the continuing tradition are all fully explained in this book.
Karma and Dharma in the Brahmanical tradition was a topic that expanded my knowledge in the subject more than the textbook could explain. Dharma is a large body of Brahmanical teachings on social as well as ritual responsibilities. This is "what men ought to do". This was defined largely in terms of proper actions in a sacrificial world in the early veda and Brahmans. "Dharma, what men ought to do, thus could not be confined to the circumscribed set of ritual actions in the fire sacrifice, it had to include all actions by which men express and define their place in the cosmos". In the development of Brahmanical thought karma and rebirth were important. Brahmanical texts classified as karma-kanda, having to do with actions as distinguished from the texts such as the Upanishads were jnana-kanda, having to do with knowledge. The...
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...e also much younger than men when they married. Some girls married before they reached puberty, and some were married right after they hit puberty. The father of the girl was responsible to arrange for his daughter's marriage. Brahman women were only allowed to marry Brahman men, and any other marriage relationship would be considered pratiloma, which means against the grain. This would bring disgrace on both the girl's family and her children.
Thomas Hopkins, the author of his book, gave a very good overview of the religion of Hinduism. All the topics in the book were well touched upon, and helped me understand the religion and its meaning and basis much more clearly than I knew before. His writing style and the was he divided up the subjects into different subject matters was very organized and therefore makes it easier for the reader to comprehend.
Many people in the world have a strong belief in their religion and base many life decisions off of it. These same people have a way of shutting out any historical possibilities that could otherwise differentiate with their beliefs. There are many different religions and spiritual practices throughout the entire world and history. Judaism and Hinduism are atop the list of the most practiced throughout the Worlds history, as well as the two original religious traditions.
The Question of Origin: Hinduism believes everything has been in existence and is a part of numerous gods. In (Foundation of Indian Psychology Vol.2 Pg.116) the text Hinduism is a treasury of spiritual laws discovered by different people in different times of life. Over the centuries the Hindus beliefs are not literally interpreted by the scriptures and there ethics are derived from them.
Although the Vedas and the Upanishads express common themes of the Aryan world view, they differ greatly in genre and emphasis. Underlying both texts are the core ideas of the religion: the ubiquitousness of atman, Brahman’s origins of non-being, the non-existence of physical reality, and the subtle, intangible existence of ultimate reality. But while the Vedas is mythical and ritualistic, the Upanishads is theological and devalues ritual.
Karma and rebirth were used to reinforce the responsibility of each caste. When Arjuna had uncertainty about whether or not to fight against members of his family, Kṛṣṇa attempted to persuade him that “No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul” (2.17) because “For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time” (2.20). The Hindu religion believes that the body is just temporary for t...
Hinduism is a complex religion that has a variety of beliefs and traditions. In the nineteenth century, the British had to categorize the people living in the region of the Indus River for census purposes thus getting the name Hindus by foreigners. Today they have a preference of being labeled as "Sanatana Dharma (eternal religion)" (Pg 79)
There are many cultural and societal influences that have made Hinduism vital to the region in which it originated. Hinduism can be traced to the Indus Valley Civilization that took place in 4000 BC to 2200 BC. India was a land of diverse cultures, religions, races and ethnicities. Hinduism was the unifying umbrella that brought peace to the land. The belief in Ahimsa or non-violence reduced warfare. In Ancient India, the caste system brought about social order but later this system decayed and gave rise to social ills. Many other cultures and invaders of the region influenced the development of Hinduism over the centuries. When the Indo-Europeans invaded India during 1500 to 500 BC, their religion of Vedas also greatly influenced the indigenous beliefs of Hinduism. Over 80% of Indians still practice Hinduism in modern India. The Hindus brought up in Hindu families are so steeped in the various Hindu traditions from infancy that they are totally imbibed into the Hindu religious system. The sages and seers over the ages held a prominent place in the religious beliefs of the region and their teachings of non-violence, unity, prayers and a life of righteousness have greatly influenced Hinduism.
When looking at how divine and semi-divine beings are viewed differently between the three religions we have studied extensively in class, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism, each utilizes very different practices and beliefs. All three disagree on whether or not to accept the Vedic texts, on the appropriateness of sacrifice and its place in rituals, and on how to reach afterlife and resurrection. However, one can find their differing views on sacrifice and rituals incredibly fascinating. Each religion’s view on rituals and sacrifice does not define how they view divine beings: it merely shows what each believes is the appropriate way to honor their supreme deities. It is also important to note that while the three have differing views, they also
“Religion as defined by the great sages of India…it did not require belief in a set of doctrines, but rather hard, disciplined work, without which, any religious teaching remained opaque and incredible” (Armstrong 51). The profound history of Hinduism contains important fundamental elements that play a major role in the daily life of its followers. Hinduism is famously known as one of the oldest religions in the world, which is widely embraced and composed of three prominent attributes: spiritual, tradition, and the caste system. The combinations of these three attributes in the Hindu belief system add rich tradition and deepen cultural meaningfulness and experience that uniquely defines the Hindu system of beliefs
One of the most important elements of these religions is their history. The Hindu religion disputably began around 2500 years before the Common Era (B.C.E.) in India. It was geographically based along the Indus River, which was called “Hindu” by the Persians who had migrated there. They also called the land Hindustan and it’s inhabitants, Hindus. After that, the religion that followed was called Hinduism. Today, almost 800 million people practice the Hindu religion (Spodek, 261)
Although I am not a Hindu, or have ever practiced any sort of Hindu worship, I question an aspect of the religion because of what I have learned about it. The question is whether or not Hinduism is really a polytheistic religion; the belief in multiple gods. I believe that Hinduism is a monotheistic religion. The Hindus put their faith in one almighty God, who they call Brahman.
The Upanishads are a series of mystical poems that are classified as religious Hindu texts written in Sanskrit. In the Upanishads, there are 108 authentic poems, but as a whole there are 150 poems which were written from 800 B.C. to the late fifteenth century A.D. The poems being interpreted in this paper are Isa, Kena, Katha, and Chandogya Upanishads, which shows the representation of Hindu values and the idea of Brahman/Atman. In this paper, I will be looking at each Upanishads selection and look at how the delivery and explanation of the Hindu “ultimate reality.” Each Upanishad encompasses a different aspect of Brahman/Atman and the ultimate reality of Hinduism, but still come together as the same beliefs that further pushes that Brahman/Atman
"In Hinduism, salvation is achieved through a spiritual oneness of the soul, atman, with the ultimate reality of the universe, Brahman. To achieve this goal, the soul must obtain moksha, or liberation from the samsara, the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. As a result of these basic teachings, Hindus believe in reincarnation, which is influenced by karma (material actions resulting from the consequences of previous actions), and dharma (fulfilling one's duty in life)"(Teachings and Beliefs, 2004, par. 1).
My intention in this piece is to explore the development of the concepts of brahman and atman in ancient Indian culture. I intend to examine the role of the Upanisads in Vedic society and to investigate their abandonment of Vedic sacrificial ritual. I contend that the writers of the Upanisads turned towards a mystical path away from society in order to explore a viable alternate way of living that did not involve sacrificial ritual. Although the only record we have of this shift in thought is a set of philosophical discourses, I suggest that this was not solely an intellectual move. Rather, there were emotional reasons as well as logical reasons that these groups of people moved away from Vedic society in pursuit of brahman. This was a slow process that evolved over many years and although it did not banish sacrifice from Indian culture, it laid the foundation for later non-violent religious movements in India. In attempting to apply Rene Girard and Gil Bailie’s theory of acknowledgement of the victim to an ancient Indian phenomenon, I intend to show that the Upanisadic rejection of Vedic sacrificial ritual was a significant move away from the sacrificial system upon which humanity relies so heavily.
Most people in the world derive their religious beliefs and traditions from their parents and peer influences. From a religious point of view, “There are many definitions for the term ‘religion’ in common usage. [Broadly defined], in order to include the greatest number of belief systems: ‘Religion is any specific system of belief about deity, often involving rituals, a code of ethics, and a philosophy of life’” (Robinson, 1996). However, in examining Hinduism, it is difficult to label the practices as a religion. This paper will expound upon the Hindu traditions, taking into account the characteristics of sacred elements, their meaning, and significance.
Hinduism is a very complicated religion from an outsiders prospective. When I think about it I never have really given any thought to what Hinduism is, so what is this religion, what do they believe in, what are the social and cultural influences and what is the desire for liberation from earthly existence?