Name: Casey Humpherys

Unit: Hinduism
Religion 351 | Woodward

Unit Summary & Reflection Paper

Key History of Hinduism
13.6% Hindus roughly. However they claim to have 1 billion “practioners” worldwide. 4 out of
every 5 people in India are Hindu.

Hinduism: Sanatana Dharma (The eternal way)

Religion? Philosophy? Social System?

Any attempt to define hinduism is fated to be only a partial description.

Hindus have been content to think of theirs as a religion of a people rather than the religion of all
people. For that reason, it has typically been classified as an ethnic religion such as the Jews.

Hindu Gods (Brief)

Not simply polythesitic or modalistic or whatever. What if I were tot ell you that human beings
have no right to tell the divine, the eternal, the ultimate *hypothetical conversation slides*

According to one estimate, there are about 330 million Hindu Gods.

Hinduisn accepts both infinite and single expressions of the Divine.

Brahman - the ultimate reality from which all things originate. All of the gods are multiple
expressions of the divine…*finish slide here* , like an ocean droplets are still ocean and not
ocean “its not the ocean, its a droplet” “but it just emanated from the ocean and will eventually
go back to the ocean” “If you dipped a cup in and poured it out, you wouldn’t get the same water
in the next cup”.

Hindus believe that the one almighty God can be addressed as Jesus, Krishna, Allah, Yahweh, or
as Shiva. That one God with many names is know as “Ishvara” in Sanskrit.
The conscious maneifestation of Brahman and created all things from himself. Thus, is
the fabric of existence, thus is present in all things making all things fundamentally sacred and
divine. You are serving God because God is in everything. You could say Hindues worship God
in an infinite variety of forms.

Find you favorite expression/manifestation of the divine. One that works for you. Learn to
encapsulate God in a way that is attractive to you, that motivates you, and that best dreams your
love of the divine out of your heart and soul.
Like how Alex is the right one for me, but that doesn’t mean he is the right one for
everyone else and their spouses are wrong. You chose one that is right for you.
THE BIG THREE

The Trimurti
Brahma - creator of all things, surveys the earth without being active in its affairs
Shiva - energy of the ultimate (Brahman) associated with destruction and creation, has
four wives, 2 nice and 2 mean. Associated with reincarnation and meditation. Shiva
crushes ignorance and is often shown dancing on ignorance. Patron of asceticism (those
who sacrifice everything except for basic necessities). Ganesha - used his husk to write
scripture, is the remover of obstacles.
Vishnu - Where Shiva and Brahma come from, has come to earth in different avatars,
some humans, some not. Some people believe one avatar is Buddha. He is the nicest one.
Rama is another one of his most know and favorite avatars as well as Krishna. He is what
inspired the holiday where people throw colors around playfully.

Found of Hinduism:
No real “founder” but the real answer is not easy. A good analogy for the history of Hinduism is
the cross section and strata of time periods and stones.

Indus Valley, proto-Hinduism 2500-1500 BC, evidence of ritual bathing, animal sacrifice, and
ancient script that no one can translate. Then Aryans came and settle in the Indus valley area and
the idea is that they brought religious text that mixed with this.

Next, the Vedic religion (1500-800 BC), the most ancient and revered hindu scriptures come -
called the Vedas (Rig, Atharva, Sama, Yajur). Veda means knowledge. composed over centuries
and were said to be revealed through rishis (seers) and then compiled later.

Chaos was the problem, and order the solution. The technique to appease this was fire sacrifice.
These were performed by Brahmin and they would chant their vedas (where typical “ommm”
comes from). Not much philosophy about the Gods or life after death yet.

Philosophical Hinduism (800-100BC), additional texts were appended and attached to the
Vedas including the upanishads sort of the first renaissance of hinduism. Very philosophical in
nature, were written in 600-300BC but not written down until 600 AD. Introduced a branch of
Hinduism called Buddhaism. It was written by intellectuals who asked hard questions like who
are the deities on the other side of the fire sacrifices, is this world real or just an illusion. Core
concepts were created such as atman (soul), Karma, and Samsara (reincarnation cycle).

Renounces also divered at a similar time, they felt the way out of the cycle of reincarnation was
finding wisdom (jnana) through discipline techniques of breathing, mediation, fasting, leaving
everything behind to seek out wisdom. But for commonfolk, try to aim to get reincarnated as
someone with more time so you can eventually become a renouncer.

Devotional Hinduism (300BC to 1500 CE) Famous scriptures come through, called
Mahabharata (an epic poem one written with tusk, 4x longer than the bible) and Ramayana(about
2x as along as the New Testament, one of the most influential books ever). These poems couldn’t
be more different from the Vedas and Upanishads, sacrifice manual vs wisdom vs stories. These
books tell stories about the life of Gods and Humans in the dramas of everyday life. The power
of their narratives redirect away from the Vedas and more you Moksha to break the cycle of
reincarnation through a relationship with the Gods who will help you break it.

Bhagavad-Gita, most popular hindu scripture that there is. An excerpt from Mahabharata. The
whole story is about cousins with inrecociable differences, but one person happens to be Krishna.
Time freezes and Krisha teaches Arjuna how to handle this conflict. Kill or not kill? He teaches
the thrree different paths to Moksha, with the preference toward devotion. Over a few centuries,
there is a devotion revolution. Fire sacrifices and philosophical speculation are left for an easier
form of Hinduism through loving their God in hopes they would use their vast storehouses of
merit to bring them to Moksha. Because its the easiest, it becomes the most popular.

The final layer is Modern Hinduism. Starts 1500 CE and is formed from criticism as idol
worshipped from muslims and christians. This was intensified over the next several centuries and
are seen as overly ritualized, hyper sexualized, unsophisticated, and a faulty faith. This led
England to determine they were unfit for self rule so Britain took over.

Hindus started to push back and the next Hindu Renaissance comes in. Ram Mahan Roy
addresses and abolishes the practice of Sati (when a man dies, the widow sits atop the cremation
fire until she dies with him). Then Dayanand Sarasvati denounced idolatry and ritualistic worship
and tried getting back to Vedas. Then we get to Mohandas Gandhi who is probably most well
known. He was anti-colonial and did not want India colonized by England. He was a lawyer and
political ethicist. Famous for how he did it, he was non-violent. This inspired a do no harm
attitude to any living creation as its all from God. He inspired Martin Luther King Jr later. He
believed your potential is not limited to your current conditions, you can rise above and make
your life better and are not stuck in a strata layer for your entire life until reincarnation again.

Key Beliefs of Hinduism

Problem: Samsara, the cycle of reincarnation. Your Atman (soul) is longing to reunite back with
Brahman (where everything originates)

Solution: Moksha, getting off the cycle. There are three ways (or yogas - disciplines) to do this.

Technique Karma, Jyana, Bhakti. Karma is the way of works. Jyana is the way of Knowledge.
Bhakti is the way of Devotion. You can also do a mixture of the three.

Karma - What goes around comes around. Law of the harvest. Action, reaction. Is there truth in
Karma, of course! For us, review Alma 41:13-15 where karma is referred to as restoration.
“The conquest of Karma lies in intelligent action and dispassionate reaction.” Karma can carry
over from past lives. “Sweet Grandma may not have done anything wrong in this life, but she did
something in her past lives that caused her sickness”
Positive: Punya, is the amount of good works/actions, following your Dharma (life
duty) that you perform. The more good karma that you build up, the better will be your
rebirth. this will continue until your atman will not be reborn into another body but you
will reach Moksha. “Do you dharma to build up karma”. Fungus → Plant → Bug → Animal
→ Human(sudra, vaishya, kshatriya, brahmin) → Moksha. You need to do what your
designed to do in order to climb up the ladder. If you are a poor person, be the best poor
person that you can is the idea.

Alternate View: Karma is not a way out. Karma always leads to rebirth.
Surplus is the problem. All karma must be rewatded or punished. A surplus of bad karma needs
to be punished through rebirth. A surplus of good karma needs to be rewatded through rebirth.
So, eithter way, Karma leads to rebirth, not Moksha.

Jyana: Interal and self knowledge. Men only approach. If you are a woman, aim to be reborn as
a man to succeed in this or choose another path like Bhakti.
Student: Achieve Manhood and spiritual rebirth
Householder: Achieve status of husband and father
Hermit: Lost all attachment to worldly things (aceticism) This is how Buddha accomplished it.
Holy Man: Achieve oneness and enlightenment (samadhi)
Moksha

Mediation enables them to go deeper and deeper in consciousness

Bhakti: The way of devotion and worship. The God-help way. This works for people of all
castes, both genders, so a majority of Hindus choose this yoga.

Typically you choose a big gun like Shakti, Vishnu, Krishna, etc and become extremely devoted
in worship and service and they can break the cycle for you. They do puja in their homes to
worship individually. Not typically in a congregational or organized ways.

“Be in the world but not of it”

“The self is one’s friend as well as one’s enemy” (natural man)
“The mind acts like an enemy for those who cannot control it”
“Lust, anger, and greed are the three gates to self-destructive Hell”
“We are kept from our goal, not by the obstacles, but by the clear path to a lesser goal”
“When immorality prevails, people become corrupted”

Nachiketa learns from Yama(God of Death), after offering fame and wealth, that the secret for
happiness is not passing and immediate pleasures but rather realizing the self formless in the
midst of forms, changeless in the midst of change, etc. Turning away from the world to know
yourself through meditation and putting off the natural man. Be in full control of yourself.

Exemplars: Bhudda

Key Religious Practices of Hinduism

Puja - Worship. You can do this at home, in public, but no congregation. There are some groups
you can do stuff with or find a mentor. Worship whenever you want, there is no sabbath.
Public Shrines. The #1 place is Varanasi, India. Hinduism revels in images of the divine. Many
Christians have ridiculed Hindus for worshipping pictures and idols, Mark Twain even called
this place “Idolville”.

You don’t talk to your phone, you talk through your phone. They believe they are worshipping
their God through their idol, not worshipping the idol.

They view the eyes as, essentially, the window to the soul. When they worship, they often look
into the eyes of the pictures or statues and this is called Darshan, or “Sacred Seeing”.

There is also giving of gifts and food to shrines, this is called Prasada. Because the deity does not
eat the physical food, only its essence, it is offered back to the people as Prasada, or what we
would know as “grace”. It is a sacred exchange and it is always eaten on the ground to show
humility.

Other examples of Puja include:

1. Ritual Washings
2. Self-mortification
3. Home celebrations with Family
4. Sexual Discipline
5. Service to others

Forehead Marks (Bindi, Tilaka, Tika)

Usually just a fashion statement
Some people believe it represents the opening of the third eye, also known as the the third
eye “chakra” and is the seat of concealed wisdom.
Said to retain energy and strengthen concentration.

When you star seeings lines, you can see this is a sign of a particular god.
Horizontal Lines are Shiva Worshippers
Vertical Lins are Vishnu Worshippers
Headpieces are Shakti worshippers

Holidays and Festivals

July-August, Krishna’s Birthday
August-September Ganesha Chaturthi (birthday)
September-October Durga Puja (Victory Over Evil) and Dussehra (Rama’s Victory)
October-November- Dawali (Festival of Lights)
January-February - Shiva Festival
February-March- Coli (Spring Festival of Color)

Rites of Passage (Sanskara) of the average Hindu

Namakarana - baby gets a meaningful name, typically on the 12th day after birth.
Annaprashana - first time the baby eats solid food, typically about 6 months old. They might
also place items in front of the baby, depending on what the baby chooses they might predict
their interests or talents later in life.

Mundan - Their first haircut, symbolizing freedom from their past lives

Karnavedha - ear piercing. Part of a socialization process and culture emersion. Left ear first for
girls, right for boys. The piercing reminds the child as they grow up of the importance of hearing
and speech in the wisdom of the Vedas.

Upanayana- for boys, typically 8 years old. A ceremony in which a teacher (guru) accepts and
draws a child towards knowledge and initiates the second birth of the young mind and spirit.
Receive a Janoi, made of three stands representing purity.

Ritusuddhi- for girls. Celebrating coming into womanhood. Happens after her first mentsrual
cycle. Usually, this is when a girl wears a “sari” for the first time.

Vivaha - Marriage. About 80% of them are arranged, and less than 2% end in divorce. You don’t
marry the person you love, you love the person you marry. The wedding date is based around the
birthdays of the couple. Brides usually get Henna. It starts with a prayer of good fortune to
Ganesha. The Bride’s garments will be red, representing fertility, the rising sun, etc. There are a
few other ceremonies of significance. The basis of strong marriage is Friendship. Women will
pot a red powder in their hair to signify they are marriage.

Antyeshti - cremation ritual. They believe the atman is released and the body is returned to the
five elements of air, water, fire, earth, and space. This is typically done within a day of passing.

My Personal Reflections on Hinduism

(Answers that are too brief or superficial in this section will lose points.)

Beauty: What do I find virtuous, lovely, and praiseworthy in this religion?

I really love all the ceremonies that go into the weddings and other celebrations. They really go
big or go home, they literally burn a statue of what is essentially Satan. But in all aspects of
worship, they use a lot of sacred symbolism which is something I respect and relate to, such as
the Janoi being similar to our temple garments.

Divinity: What in this religion do I believe was genuinely inspired by God? Why?

Their belief in there being ways to return to God, or, in their case, achieving Moksha. I believe
God did inspire these people that there is an afterlife that is achieved through being amazing
human beings through religious worship, self improvement, and service to others. Sure, the
methods of these are different than ours, but we also follow the ideals of service, worship, and
betterment of oneself.
Holy Envy: What do the true practitioners of this religion do very well that I want to incorporate
into my own religious practice? How might I do this?

Like Bro Woodward said in the video, why don’t we burn statues of Satan as a big party? On a
more serious note for myself. I like their appreciation of meditation. I understand that this is
mainly for the male dominated Jyanna yoga, but I would still like to incorporate the serious
pondering of life. There is a quote, and I can never seem to find the leader that said it, that states
that meditation is the companion to mighty prayer. I want to do more than simply say prayers, I
want to be better at meditating my mind and pondering my thoughts to receive knowledge and
revelation.

Additional Reflections: Hinduism is pretty chill, yet also very celebratory. I always pictured it as
simply monks or idol worship. I have learned it is a lot more sacred and personal than this for
these people.