Lisa Hancock

World Religions-2300-002
Wijitha Bandara
April 17, 2016
WHAT IS RELIGION VS HINDU DHARMA
Religion is a very controversial issue containing many different facets. I believe it to be a
very in depth topic and to be quite interesting. I also believe it to be a very difficult topic of
discussion as it is something people take rather seriously and share a deep compassion for. I
personally, do not believe in organized religion nor do I consider myself a religious person,
however, I am very spiritual.
So, what is religion? At best guess I would have to say religion is a belief in something
outside of oneself and the belief of a set of guiding principles. I believe the term religion is the
separation between organized and a way of life. The minute you make faith organized, by
way of building temples and requiring money and donations from its followers, that, to me, is
what denotes a religion rather than a way of life. Here are some other views on religion.
First we have the materialist perspective. The materialistic point1 of view is that religion
is manmade for the purposes of power, control, manipulation, greed, etc. Philosopher Ludwig
Feuerbach believed that we worshiped something bigger, outside of ourselves and that without it
we were nothing; we were sinners.
Next we have the functional perspective which defines religion as useful, that it makes up apart
of who we are. This perspective believes that it gives us a sense of belonging and a basis of
structure for which to live our lives. It is believed that people with whom belong to a religion are
1 Fisher, M.P., Living Religions; Upper Saddle River, NJ: Cambridge University
Press, Inc., 2014, p.3

more kind and giving; that they are healthier physically, emotionally and mentally and that they
live longer. Functional perspective is that religion does things for society and for individuals.
This was promoted by French sociologist Emile Durkheim.
Last we have faith perspective. Faith perspective is described as reality that cannot
readily be perceived. To have faith in something that cannot be seen or touched; something that
is intangible. To have faith that there is a guiding source with oneself; that we are not alone. This
perspective has been promoted by humans.
I believe there is some truth to all of these. I do believe that religion is manmade;
however, I also believe that religion brings a lot of good to mankind. Such as, giving them a
sense of belonging, structure, and rules for a basis on which to live. It can also provide people
with a sense of self.
As I said before, I do not consider myself a religious person, however, I do have faith in a
power greater than myself. A power that is not separate from but that is a part of me. I believe
this power speaks to me by way of enlightenment, intuition, meditation, spiritual experiences,
aha moments, gut instincts, etc. Without this power I really do not believe Id be where I am
today and if that power were to be taken away from me I believe I would feel a sense of loss of
identity, a sense of confusion and fear.
WHAT IS HINDU DHARMA
The term dharma has several different meanings depending on the context in which it is
used. Some of those meanings could be: that it is associated with kingship, that it is everything
contained in the stras (scripture), that it is the performance of Vedic rituals by the Brahmans,
that you know what family/caste system you belong to, that it relates to the world of human
transaction and that you are to uphold your duty to do no wrong. Basically put, dharma could be

considered as a moral code of living. And in regards to the western language there is no term to
even convey the importance of the term dharma.
Dharma according to Hindu scripture is explained in The Laws of Manu. The Hindu
society and the Cosmos have their own social order which was the result of the cosmic person
sacrifice. This social order (social hierarchy), goes like this:
From his mouth came
Brahmins (Priests)

The Cosmic
Man

From his arm came

Rulers/Kings

From his thigh

came Producers of

From his feet came Serfs

(neglected class/untouchables)

The social order is also associated with kingship and the caste system. The caste system
is known as the Vedic society that is divided into four classes, the Brahmins (priests), the
Kings/Nobles/Warriors, the Commoners/Producers and the Serfs. The highest society is that of
the Brahmans, and although the Brahmans is the highest status in the hierarchy, he is dependent
on the king for benefaction.
As a Brahman, it is important for the highest societies to remain pure which is done
through water. They were also concerned about the caste systems maintaining their order and
boundaries as to not pollute the higher caste systems. And going back to the context in which
dharma is used; dharma is different from that of a Brahman, a king and a warrior. For example,
to a king dharma is believed to be a set of rules to safeguard the prosperity of the kingdom.

Another importance to Hindu dharma is their rituals. Rituals are what bind and keep the
social and cosmic order together. One ritual is a fire ritual. During the fire ritual they offer
offerings such as bananas, grains, fruits and herbs to deities which is done around a havan (a
sacred space). They believe that through fire one can be purified and transformed. Death
ceremonies are also done through a fire ritual in order to help the soul cross to the spiritual
realm.
Taking a closer look into the dharma Stras and stras, although rejected by some Hindu
traditions, it plays an important part in relation to self-perception (ones position in society,
varna), and self-representation (ones stage of life, rama). These two part together make up
varnama-dharma.
The rama, which is also a part of the vedic society is divided into four stages: a celibate
student (brahmacrya), householder (grhastha), hermit or forest dweller (vanaprastha), and
renouncer (samnysa). A boy is twice-born, meaning he is separated from childhood to become a
student and learn each of these four stages. After completion of his studies he would then choose
which one to follow for the rest of his life.
In the student stage, he applies himself to brahman and is under strict rule and is in a holy
condition. He learns to collect fuel and practices heat-generating so that later on he can use fire
for cooking and daily offerings. He also remains celibate as to not be polluted by sex. This stage
can last anywhere from nine to as much as thirty-six years. Next is the household stage where the
student then marries, has children and enters into a householders life. Once old and wrinkled he
then moves to the hermit or forest-dweller stage and then on to the renouncer stage. In the
renouncer stage he then gives up the use of fire as he no longer cooks and lives entirely on
begging.

In summary we see the term dharma expressed as ethics, law and justice through moral
codes, rules and roles. We see a pattern of roles of caste systems (family structures), from priests
(Brahmins, the highest of the hierarchy), to kings, to students, gender roles and social hierarchy.
We see that dharma is predominately the performance of ancient Vedic ritual that is performed
and declared by the old scriptures to perform ritual acts as well as the way you run your family to
the way you practice your beliefs.
So, is Hindu dharma a religion? No, it is not. In fact, Hinduism did not even have a
founder. As we have seen above Hindu dharma is a way of life. It is a way of life that governs all
actions.

My reflection of this class:

I have thoroughly enjoyed this class. It has opened my eyes in so many ways. The layout
of the class, the assignments and the site visits were most excellent. The knowledge you possess
of the topic is very impressive and helpful. I believe that I am leaving this class a better person. I
say this because it has opened my heart and my mind; it has relieved me of my ignorance I once
had against other individuals of different faiths and cultures.
For my Eastern religion site visit I chose to go to a Hindu temple. It was quite interesting.
Here are some of the highlights from this visit:

They wear shoes as little as possible because they believe it cleanses their karma faster.
At the entrance of the temple there was an elephant on one side of the entrance door and a
lion on the other which represented protection so that bad could not enter.
The main dcor of the worship area was many Deities all seated in their own mini
towers/castles, rugs, patterns, and little and big gold bells.
One of their Lords is Sri Ganesha, they believe that he is the call to spiritual power and
so they worship and pray to him and cleanse him which is to bring all bad qualities out of
our minds.
Overall I would there was most definitely a lot of passion; the rituals they were
performing seemed very sacred (to most).

I really enjoyed this experience. The people were very welcoming and there was a pleasant
feeling throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed learning the different viewpoints.

For my Western site visit I chose to go to a Muslim Mosque as well as a celebration for
the birth of Muhammad. First off, what is a Mosque? A Mosque is defined as a building that is
roughly 20 X 20, which means any structure that is 20 X 20 a block that is sufficient to be called
a Mosque. Although almost all guests have the idea that when they go to a sacred place
everything has to have meaning, a Mosque does not. It is only a 20x20 block that is dedicated
and given to God and that structure belongs to God from there on. This also means that the
building itself may never be sold. The property can be sold but not the building. Its purpose is so
that people can come to pray, worship, educate, and socializeanything that will enhance an
individuals way of life.
Here are a few notes a jotted down during the sermon:

I found it interesting that the men prayed downstairs while the women had their own space
upstairs. I asked the reason behind this and they said, more or less, that it represents that women

oversee the men or that it puts women above them, gives them the upper hand.
Most women wore dresses over their casual wear, some of the children also wore robes and/or

dresses. It was said that all should dress similar, as so one does not appear as if above the other.
After the sermon they all stood up and some raised their arms while others bowed. Then they sat
back down and placed their heads on the floor and then repeated these actions. They said that

humans are not the only ones to do this, that plants and animals do this as well.
Food plays an important role in their faith. Once the service was complete they invited the five of
us non-muslims to join them in a separate room for questions and they provided a most excellent
meal.
Here are a few highlights from the Sermon:

Allah does not look at how much money one has.

If anyone talks to you, take notes and listen, for come a future day their words and actions should

match.
Become a person of integrity; by that which comes out of your mouth.
The hands can create a lot of problem, such as cheating a person their change in a grocery store.

Hands can do good or bad by what they touch.

Choose to live a life that you can take pride in who you are. This life is temporary but is a life of

responsibility.
The world is a world of work going to work, supporting family, being honest, study hard at
school, etc. The world is a place of challenge and sacrifice.
Judgment day will be the day of truth.
Here are a few of (what I believe are the most important), notes I took during the guest speakers,
Shaykh Yahya Ninowy, Founder of Madina Institute Atlanta, GA Scholar and decedent of profit,
at the celebration I went to of Muhammads birth (Mawlid):

Although there may be a language barrier, still feel and understand through spirit.
The key and lock to life is giving, you dont give you dont live.
Sufism Lions kill out of need, not greed; only better to positive contributions; we all
came from Neffs and spouse, either a brother in faith; omnipresent, hes with you

always.
Hadith Anything he says or does.
Loving mankind, message of love and peace, how we can help each other, pride of performance,

for poetry gospel singing.

Bible, Psalms, Torem and Quran Bible, Psalms and Torem have old/new changes that were

made; Quran has never been changed.

Prophet Adam, Moses, etc. all sent the same message; pen lifted, ink dried.
Age 10 = understand right and wrong so you now become accountable.
To purify, to be best human possible.
Love = transformation = love call to action
Those who say what they dont mean = hypocrite
Void of love = void of faith; love is life, living is giving; its what you put into it; you give, you
get to live
Hope, growth, opportunity religion, life, hope, redemption, compassion.
Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. I actually felt very much at home. I felt the
spirit, love, and acceptance (by most anyway). It also completely opened my eyes and changed
my views of this faith.

Bibliography
Fisher, M. P. (2014). Living Religions. Hong Kong: Nancy Roberts.
Fisher, M. P. (2014). Living Religions. Ninth Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ.: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Flood, G. (2012). An introduction to Hinduism. Sixteenth Edition. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.