Hinduism in American Life
The English word religion loosely translates into “rules” in Latin. Therefore, a religion teaches us how to think, how to act, and basically everything except what to eat in the morning. The Hindu and Christian religion agree on many things and our society follows some of the rules too because religion and laws are based on humanity. From holy literature many different ideas have been pawned but they are all supposed to lead you to the same things: a happy, healthy life, contribution to the world around us, and some kind of liberation after death. Concerning these ideals the Hindu religion has come up with three ways to make sure that everybody will get what they want out of life and those are the four stages, the four goals, and the four castes of life. There is so much holy war about which religion is right and wrong but if they all are striving for the same thing it is hard for me to see why they take place. In this essay I will show that Christianity is very similar to Hinduism.
The first thing that the Hindus follow to insure that you grow up to be productive (if you are in the upper three castes) is having specific stages of life. In other words throughout our life we have different responsibilities and duties which are spelled out by the Holy Scriptures. The four stages are student, “family man”, forest dweller and ascetic. The first stage of student requires you to go to school (if you were a male) and be initiated with the Upanayana ceremony. If a kid was at the top of the caste system and was preparing to be a priest he needs to get trained and before he gets trained he must have a Upanayana ceremony because without these he won’t know what he is talking about and won’t know and won’t have any credibility when he becomes a priest. It isn’t enough just to get an education and a little plaque on your wall, you must have lived a celibate life and you must be provided for by your family. This is a way of getting them to think a certain way since according to Hindu laws believe all members of a certain caste are supposed to do the same thing in the same way. The next stage of “family man” is also one that gets you not only to act a certain way but think a certain way. In this stage a man is supposed to get a wife, get a family, and repay his debts to everything that helped him including society. If you can do thes...
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... to make duties and responsibilities more straightforward is the caste system. The caste system is based on reincarnation and the better Hindu that you’ve been in past lives makes you who you are. The highest people up on the social pyramid are the priests followed by kings, then merchants and finally the servents. It makes clear just how good and pure the person has been in this and past lives because they are either high up on the ladder or they aren’t. There is something beneficial about being seen as a good person. Since most of our morals in America come from the Bible if you are seen as a good Christian than you will get special job offers and when you meet your girlfriend’s parents they won’t hate you. In India you can tell who is a servant apart from who is a king because of what they do in a day and what kind of clothes they wear etc. In America we have little status symbols such as crosses that go around our neck and making conversation of what you learned in the bible or church. The whole point of the caste system is to segregate people and give some people certain advantages based on how well they accord with the popular religious beliefs based on region of the world.
The Hindu Caste system characterized individuals by their born occupation and skin color (Varna). The caste system was also focused on Hinduism and the belief of reincarnation. Hindus believe they are born again into a different person after death. This reincarnation depends on the good and bad deeds that the individual performed during their current life. Reincarnation ends when the person reached perfection and paradise, known as Nirvana. The caste system directly reflected the Hindu religion. If a person born into high class was to perform negative actions, then their next life would mirror those actions. The highest class in the caste system was the Brahmins, or priests. These priests and religious teachers were the most powerful citizens because they ruled over religion. The next class system is the rulers and soldiers called Kshatriyas. After the Kshatriyas, were the Vaishays (merchants and traders). Finally, the caste system contained the Shudras (laborers and workers). Outside of the caste systems was a group called the Untouchables (Achuta). The untouchables were outcasts in society and were n...
The first understanding of India arrived in America through commercial and missionary activity. The finding of America itself was a mistake, as explorers were searching for a shorter route to India. At the time India was known for its great wealth, kingdoms and exotic mysteries (Charles Lippy & Peter Williams). Based on religious perspective India was thought to have an “ancient wisdom”, which rest upon a philosophy with the oldest religious scriptures. Prior to the twentieth century Americans knew little about Hinduism, therefore conceived it as inferior, pagan, and probably idolatrous (Charles Lippy & Peter Williams). Sadly this will not be the first of or last time America will have made quick and inaccurate decision on a diverse world religion. Even though Hinduism may have had difficulty establishing itself earlier in America, it has grown exponentially over the years.
“In thinking about religion, it is easy to be confused about what it is.” (Smart, 1992) To combat this, Smart uses seven dimensions to define common characteristics of religion. Much of what will be explored will fit his dimensions. The practical and ritual dimension can been seen in all three religions through worship and rituals and patterns of behaviour. The latter are those acts that help the believer develop spiritual awareness or ethical insight, such as yoga or meditation in Buddhism and Hinduism. The experiential and emotional dimension of religion explains that religion feeds on human emotions and key events from history to illustrate this is, the enlightenment of the Buddha, or the visions of Muhammad. A person will not follow something without meaning or emotion driving it. The narrative or mythic dimension of religion refers to the use of story telling in religion. Typically, all faiths use stories to illustrate their beliefs or events in history, whether they might be of things to come, or like in this essay, stories of the Buddha, or Muhammad. The use of story telling is important as the stories are often based on accounts of history or documents that have been found. Story telling can enhance the believers faith and are often integrated into rituals. The doctrinal and philosophical dimension of religion talks about the importance of the holy books/ doctrines. Since the doctrines typically have an account of the leaders life, and the leaders are usually educated, believers read the doctrines to gain an insight into the leaders life; and thus strive to become more like them or abide by their teachings. The ethical and legal
In today’s society, there are roughly around 4,200 religions that exist on this planet. Some define "religion" as a cultural system of behaviors and practices that help people make important decisions in life. Out of the many religions, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism have many similarities that connect them to one another. Themes of morality, justice, love are found through both the Buddha's teaching and the Hebrew and Christian Bible.
Since the early 1980's, there has also been an increase in the number of people
In India, the religion of Hinduism in particular, provides two sources of support in regards to the social structure of the era. These sources are the Vedas and the Upanishads. According to The Rig Veda when Purusha’s body was divided “his mouth became the brāhman; his two arms were made into the rajanya; his two thighs the vaishyas; from his two feet the shūdra was born (Reilly, 92).” By splitting up the body in this way, there was a justification for the creation of the varna or caste system. The highest class or Brahmin’s were the priest class, who were also known as the most pure. In this role, they were the connecting figures between Purusha and his people, which is reflective of them being his mouth. The next upper division class was the Ksatriya or warrior/leader class. In the class, the role was to do the fighting which was reflective of them being Purusha’s arms. The artisan/farmer or middle class was known as the vaisyas. In this class, members represented the role of the thighs of Purusha, who were responsible for doing the brunt or tougher jobs in society. The nethermost social class was the sudra, who were serfs and servants. They represented the feet of Pursha, which is reflective of their status as the lowest class. Along with the Vedas, the Upanishads served as a written guideline for the varna. These works urged the concept of doin...
The four main stages of life in Hinduism also take the caste system into account. The first stage is that of a student, being led by a teacher. T...
Class structure has been part of the entire world from the beginning of civilization to the present day. In the case of ancient India, class division was a severely enforced social classification system, but unlike other cultures around the word the Caste system of India would not only determined someone’s occupation and place in society, but also the “hope for the ultimate salvation”(Duiker & Spielvogel, 2010, p. 36).
A caste system is a system that restricts its members occupationally and socially, and it is typically unacceptable for members to marry outside of their own caste. This system often devalues its members according to their family history and status, with purity being the foremost concern leading to the creation of separate castes (Singh 2008: 121-122). However,
Pandey, T.N., 2014. Lecture 1/14/14: Cultures of India: Hierarchy Structure in India. Cultures of India. U.C. Santa Cruz.
“By a girl, by a young woman, or even by an aged one, nothing must be done independently, even in her own house. In childhood a female must be subject to her father, in youth to her husband, when her lord is dead to her sons; a woman must never be independent”. (Laws of Manu, V, 147-8). During the dominance of the Brahmins also known as the priestly caste, sons were required to carry on the family name and must perform the families sacred rites in order to ensure the happiness of their fathers and grandfathers in order to assist with the continued cycle of rebirths (samsara) (Goonewardene, n.d.)
Customs and traditions play a major role in reflecting religion and culture. Indian majority been populated by Hinduism, the customs and traditions is mainly based on Hindu practices. Hindu religion followed polytheistic believes and worshiped humanism and animism. During the past centuries Hindu people followed hierarchical system. Brahmins were the higher caste and most powerful people and untouchables were considered the lower caste people. Inequality was so powerful in India. Hindu people worshiped thousands of gods relating each God to ...
Religion is a big part of our world, as it dictates our beliefs and how we act towards other people. Though all religions have different beliefs, it is the core values of that religion that shape the way we act as people towards other humans, plants and animals. This essay will be looking at Christianity and Sikhism and how the core values of each of these religions compare to each other. Firstly looking at a brief summary of Sikhism and Christianity and a look at their beliefs. Then looking at the core values as protrayed by Christianity and Sikhism. Finally then comparing the core values of Sikhism and the core values of Christianity.
Now that we have covered the social classes what are the main point of the belief system, well they have several principals that almost all Hindus believe in The three-in-one god known as "Brahman," which is composed of: Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the Preserver), and Shiva (the Destroyer). The Caste System. Karma. The law that good begets good, and bad begets bad. Every action, thought, or decision one makes has consequences good or bad that will return to each person in the present life, or in one yet to come. Reincarnation. ls also known as "transmigration of souls," or "samsara." This is a journey on the "circle of life," where each person experiences as series of physical births, deaths, and rebirths. With good karma, a person can be reborn into a higher caste, or even to godhood. Bad karma can relegate one to a lower caste, or even to life as an animal in their next life. Nirvana. This is the goal of the Hindu. Nirvana is the release of the soul from the seemingly endless cycle of rebirths (Beliefs). These five central beliefs are what makes up the Hindu religion.
India sits in the middle of the scale and can be considered both individualistic and collective. There is great need for belonging to a bigger social framework. In Indian culture family is highly stressed. They strive to increase and preserve their family’s riches, by working hard in order to maintain the family’s dignity and insure the longevity of their offspring.. On the other hand the individualistic aspects of Indian culture are influenced by the major religion in India, which is Hinduism. Hindus believe in reincarnation where past lives are seen as affecting and determining the present life, as a result of this individuals are responsible for how they live their lives and how that will impact their next lives. Since aspects of both individualism and collectivism are present, India scores intermediately in this dimension. (Cultural tools, n.d.)