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Basics of Hinduism

Basics of Hinduism. Comparative Religions. Four things Hindus believe people want. Pleasure World success – wealth, fame, & power Community Liberation. Path of Desire. Pleasure and Worldly Success make up the Path of Desire PLEASURE Hindus say “go for it!”

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Basics of Hinduism

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  1. Basics of Hinduism Comparative Religions

  2. Four things Hindus believe people want • Pleasure • World success – wealth, fame, & power • Community • Liberation

  3. Path of Desire • Pleasure and Worldly Success make up the Path of Desire • PLEASURE • Hindus say “go for it!” • The world is beautiful and full of fun things • Only stupid people will lie, cheat, and steal to get pleasure • WORLDLY SUCCESS • Wealth, Fame, & Power – again, Hindus say “go for it” • In the end they will not make one content because • They are exclusive, competitive, and precarious • The drive for success is insatiable • It’s meaning is finite so it won’t last • The rewards are temporary

  4. Those who are psychologically immature will stay on the Path of Desire for a long time. • Hindus see chronological age and psychological age as two different things. Some people mature/learn quicker than others. • Those who complete the Path of Desire will long for the last two “wants” people have. This leads them to the…

  5. Path of Renunciation • COMMUNITY • The community is very important • Once one is finished with the Path of Desire • They no longer want to “get”, they want to GIVE • They no longer want to “win”, they want to SERVE • Faithful performances • Bring self-respect • Bring respect from peers • Once this too is not enough, the Hindus believe one seeks…

  6. MOKSHA/LIBERATION • Underneath all of the desires and service, there is an inner being that never dies, it’s never exhausted. • This is the infinite center of life, the ATMAN. • It is BRAHMAN – the Godhead • The ATMAN-BRAHMAN is hard to find because it is buried deep within us. We have a hard time finding it because we are self-serving, distracted, and deal daily with delusions. • By following the Path of Desire to the Path of Renunciation, we “clean” ourselves so the light from within can get out.

  7. Three ways to transcend imperfections • Joy • Knowledge • Being what we basically want

  8. JOY • Structures of JOY • Physical Pain – comes from our bodies, which we eventually outgrow • Thwarted Desire – Psychological disappointments are caused by our egos not getting what they want. Eventually, we learn to get over it. • Ennui ( an emptiness that causes us to feel apathy and be depressed) – it will end when we quit concentrating on ourselves and focus on the world around us.

  9. KNOWLEDEGE • Ignorance can be removed • Hindus don’t necessarily mean “factual knowledge” • Hindus are referring to insight into the world and how life works

  10. BEING • How do we define ourselves? • By the size of our spirits • Our minds are infinite in being • Our minds are infinite in awesomeness too • Hindus believe we are like the person who does not know where they are even when they are at home.

  11. YOGA • This is Hinduism’s way of actualizing the human potential • Is similar to the English word “yoke” – Yoga unites our minds and our bodies • Yoga has physical exercises, but the ultimate goal is to union with God. • Yoga has four different paths one may choose to unite with God • Knowledge • Love • Work • Psychophysical Exercises

  12. FOUR PATHS TO GOD • Hindus recognize people are different so they have different ways for them to reach God. • Four Hindu personality types: • Reflective • Emotional • Energetic • Experimentors

  13. REFLECTIVE = KNOWLEDGE • Jnana Yoga – for those who are spiritually led • They feel the path to God is through knowledge • They see God as a deep ocean with many waves • Their thoughts grasp their lives and transform them • The key to success with Jnana Yoga is the ability to distinguish between the surface self and the hidden self • There are three stages to go through to be successful in Jnana Yoga: • Hearing – listen to sages and scriptures • Thinking – be reflective • Shifting – moving away from the self-identification to bring one’s hidden self to light.

  14. EMOTIONAL = LOVE • This yoga has the shortest path, but it is the steepest climb • The strongest emotion is love • This is accomplished though BHAKTI YOGA and it’s two beliefs: • Healthy Love is out-going • God must be adored, not just identified • Symbols and Myths are used to get us away from the distractions of the world and to think on God and God’s love

  15. Three features of BHAKTA YOGA • Japam – repeating God’s name • Ringing the Changes of Love – recognizing the different types of love • Love for your parents • Love parents have for a child • Love for your spouse • Love for your family and friends • Ultimately, love for God • Worship of one’s chosen ishta (ideal) – form of God. Hindus believe that by associating god with a god or goddess one can understand love and love more deeply.

  16. WORK = ENERGETIC • KARMA YOGA – the way through work • Work is approached in the spirit of love • This combines the jnana and bhaktiyogas – work is approached “thoughtfully” through “love” • Thus the old saying – “What goes around comes around” • Those who are in touch with their emotions should work for God’s sake, not their own. • Work is prompted by God’s will and powered by God’s energy • Those who are reflective will work with dedication, but detachment – they do their jobs, do it well, but don’t seek the emotional aspect of the job. These people are often calm, even when they are very busy – not really stressed.

  17. PSYCHOPHYSICAL EXERCISES = EXPERIMENTORS • RAJA YOGA – “the royal road to reintegration” • Designed for people who like to experiment • The design of Raja Yoga is that the human self has four layers • Bodies • Conscious layer of our minds • Individual Subconscious • Being Itself – our infinite, eternal self • Purpose of Raja Yoga is to validate the fourfold human self by reaching the Being Itself. This is reached by • Willed introversion • Driving our psychic energy of the self to its deepest part

  18. Raja Yoga is practiced through 8 steps. • Step 1: 5 Abstentions • Abstain from injury • Abstain from lying • Abstain from stealing • Abstain from sensuality • Abstain from greed • Step 2: 5 Observances • Cleanliness • Contentment • Self-control • Studiousness • Contemplation of the divine

  19. Step 3: Keep the body from distracting the mind during concentration • Lotus Position – sitting on tiger skin for energy layered with deer skin for calmness – cross-legged with the bottom of the feet toward the sky and hands resting on the knees, palms up. • Step 4: Breathing – evenly and shallowly . • Holding one’s breath for a long period of time helps the body approach a state of suspended animation • Step 5: Unplug sensory receptors – pay no attention to what’s around you

  20. Step 6: Battle the mind for concentration • Relax the mind • Then, find something to concentrate on • Practice concentrating on that and that alone • Step 7: all that exists is the object of concentration • Step 8: SAMADHI • The peak of concentration • The object of concentration vanishes and the person is in their Being Itself.

  21. HINDU STAGES OF LIFE • Hindus believe each person moves through the stages of their life at their own pace. • Stage 1 = Student • Stage 2 = Marriage/Householder • This is the time one usually satisfies the first three human wants • Pleasure • Success • Duties • Stage 3 = Retirement – can come after the first grandchild. The person can claim retirement from previous social duties. This is the time to begin concentrating on philosophy • Stage 4 = Renunciation • Sannyasin – the person can now distinguish his true self

  22. The Stations of Life • Social order – the Caste System • Four levels of society: • Brahmins or Seers – the intellectual and spiritual leaders • Administrators & Organizers • Producers – artisans, farmers, and engineers • Followers - hired hands, unskilled laborers • Through reincarnation, the JIVAS (individual souls) can move up in the Caste System

  23. Hindus believe that everyone should be rewarded equally for their services at their levels. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THEY RECEIVE THE SAME PAY. • Producers receive what they most value – wealth • Administrators receive what they most value – social, political, and administrative power • Brahmins receive what they most value – respect from the other castes • Followers (shudras) – have the least responsibility and the greatest freedom, much like children

  24. GOD • Sanskrit name for God is BRAHMAN • Br = breath • Brih = to be great • Other links to the name: • Sat, chit, ananda = God is being, awareness, and bliss • Saguna Brahman = God with attributes; like an ocean with a lot of waves • Nirguna Brahman = God without attributes; like a quiet, still ocean, no waves • Hindu Trinity: • Brahma – the Creator • Vishnu – the Preserver • Shiva – the Destroyer

  25. The Path • Jivas (individual souls) begin as the lowest forms of life • Doing well, they move up in the chain of life each time one body wears out through reincarnation. • Karma, work, means that every action has a reaction. Do bad things, bad things happen to you. Do good things, good things happen to you. • Good Karma means one goes up a step each time one is reincarnated. • Human form is the highest the spirit achieves. • The jiva can increase human forms within the Caste System • Humans work toward achieving Moksha – total release. • As humans, the spirit always has the Atman with them. • The Atman seeks Moksha

  26. Hindus believe there are worlds above and worlds below our world. • Spirits repair themselves and prepare themselves for another life form/body in these worlds • The metaphysical world • Jnanayago and bhakti divide on the conduct of life • God’s nature – divides the personal from the transpersonal • Salvation – divides those who want to merge with God from those who just want to be with God • Cosmology – divides those who see the world as real from those who see it as semi-real

  27. Hindu answers to “What kind of world do we have?” • 1. A multiple world with tiers and cycles • 2. A moral world where karma rules • 3. A place that can never replace paradise for the spirit • 4. Maya, a world full of trickery and delusions • 5. A gym for strengthening the soul • 6. Lila, a cosmic dance where the soul plays into the routine. • ULTIMATELY, THE HINDUS BELIEVE WE HAVE A WORLD WHERE ONE CAN FIND GOD THROUGH A VARIETY OF PATHS.

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