Early (Vedic) Hinduism
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Not an “ism” (Hinduisms)
– An umbrella concept
– Materialism to idealism
– A “jungle” of spirituality
Must be seen from many angles
Religious diversity of India
“Hinduism” is an “outsider’s” term
– “Religion” is a Western term
Yoga, Dharma, Way, Tao, Principle
Most Hindus do not approach their life path in primarily textual terms: the
focus is on experience (psychological, existential)
– Not like a Christian with the Bible
Images of Hinduism (sketches)
– Other realities are more important than this physical world
• This physical world is fleeting, changing, temporary, transcient
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Early Hinduism began with the Vedic period
– Indus Valley civilization (2500 – 1500 BC)
– Harrapa and Mohenjodaro (excavated 1924)
– Aryan invasion about 1,500 BC (foundation for “ Vedic Hinduism”)
– No “historical founder”
• The contemplation and wisdom of ancient “seers”
• “Seers” : those who “heard” the universe
• Veda = “sacred knowledge” (shruti: “that which was heard”)
• Very different from Christianity
– Individual salvation (monkey: jiriki; cat: tariki)
– Clear affinities with Unificationism
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About the time of the Exodus from Egypt
– The national level foundation for the Messiah chart
– Central and peripheral providences
– World religions (peripheral) “follow” the central providence (J-Chr)
Early Hinduism (Vedic Hinduism)
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Evolutionary development from a “fire sacrifice” to “mystical union”
– Chart
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Vedic period (Rig Veda most authoritative)
– Polytheistic worldview
– Elemental powers of nature and life (storms, war, love, fire, etc.)
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– Hymns to the gods (Agni, Varuna, Rita, Mitra, Indra, etc.)
– Vedas are shruti (“that which was “heard”) by ancient seers (authoritative)
– Other literature (even the Bhagavad Gita) is smurti (“that which was
remembered”) (less authoritative)
The Vedas, composed by poets; over time, were expanded into the
Brahmanas, by liturgical priests; which were in turn expanded into the
Aranyakas (forest books), by ascetics; and finally expanded into the
Upanishads, by “philosophers,” culminating in the Vedanta (Vedanta: end
of the Vedas)
– “(Jesus) Christ Taught Vedanta” (book)
Evolutionary passage from RITUAL SACRIFICE ------------------- MYSTICAL UNION
Fire sacrifice/ritualism ---- Details of the sacrifice ---- Asceticism ------ Mystical union
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Priest
Vedas -------------- Brahmanas -------------- Aranyakas ------- Upanishads
(poets) ------------- Priests ---------------- Ascetics --------- “philosophers”
(Vedanta)
Rig Veda
Brahman priest
became specialized
Ascetic life
itself became
the sacrifice
“philosophical”
discussions
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The fire sacrifice
– An invitation to the gods; entertain them; then send them off
– It parallels the original sacrifice of the cosmic Purusha
– The constituents of the sacrifice correlated with the cosmos itself
– In time, the fire sacrifice came to represent the cosmos (diagram)
– The cosmic offering of a cosmic person (Purusha)
– Sourcebook 19
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In view of its great importance, the offering had to be done exactly & correctly
– The offering was a magical performance of cosmic proportions
– It came to possess creative power in its own right
– It “literally” renewed the cosmos (the cosmos depended upon it)
– The Rig Veda was concerned with Rita (cosmic law: “order of the world”)
• Compare “Logos” (reason/law) from Unification Thought
• The liturgical priests (Brahmans) became experts in the details
of ritual
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– Fire, altar, actions, words (all had to be precise)
– If any mistake was made, it could spell disaster for the cosmos
– Bhahmanas, composed by these Brahmans or liturgical priests,
were liturgical manuals of specialized and esoteric knowledge
concerning the minute details of the ritual fire offering
The Brahman priest became increasingly important and specialized
– Ritual actions were important and sacred
– Ritual sounds (Sanskrit) were important and sacred
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– Sanskrit was the “sound form” of an object (like the SS to a HS)
The power of the sound, the sacrifice, & the cosmos, became identical
This was known as “Brahman power”
Increasingly, you come to find the expression of a deep spiritual
aspiration; the sense of a principle of unity pervading the cosmos
There comes to be a search (an inner search) for “that One” which is
called by many names: Sourcebook 21
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In time, the external fire became transformed into an inner fire (meditation)
– Some began to seek solitude to ponder the meaning of “everything”
– Some retreated into the forest to contemplate and meditate
– Some found that they could make effective, symbolic use of the priestly
hymns & still achieve the same result
– This led increasingly to the practice of asceticism
– The “heat” of the ascetic was seen as identical to the “heat” of the
cosmos
– An ascetic life itself became the sacrifice
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Upanishads (culminating in the Vedanta: end of the Vedas) were
composed by “philosophers” searching for the ultimate meaning of things
– Seeking “the One”
– Upanishadic “philosophy” not the same as Western “philosophy”
– Upanishadic philosophy and practice seeks inner realization
– Not a Ph.D. (intellectual), but self-realization
– What is it that we must come to realize?
– Philosophical discussions concerning the rationale of all thought and
action
– Purpose of all thought and action is release/liberation/salvation
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“Proper” knowledge is not just in knowing (intellectually) that ignorance
causes attachment, but proper knowledge leads to an actual
elimination of ignorance
“Proper” knowledge is not just in knowing (intellectually) that desire
must be eliminated, but proper knowledge leads to an actual
elimination of desire
“Saving knowledge” is thus knowledge that is lived (embodied)
Similar to the difference between “believing” and “knowing”
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So, what is the genuine essence of all “knowledge”?...
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The True Essence of Knowledge
• Brahman is Atman (That Thou Art) (Tat Tvam Asi) (Self is self)
– World Scripture 381
– We must experience the reality that Brahman is Atman (God is in
me)
– Self realization (helps us to cut off from attachments to this world)
– Saving knowledge is knowledge that is “lived”
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Mystical union comes from seeking the One which exists within us.
Brahman (Universal Soul) is Atman (individual soul)
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The ultimate purpose of “philosophy” is to help us achieve
release/liberation/salvation from this world
Not just knowing intellectually that ignorance causes attachment, but
actually eliminating ignorance from our life; cutting all attachments, and
achieving release/liberation/salvation from this fleeting, unreal world
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Some major themes in the Upanishads
– Brahman – the only genuine Reality (ultimate reality)
• Neti, neti (p 59 world scripture; Sourcebook p 88)
• Sat (being), cit (consciousness), ananda (bliss, joy):
satcitananda
• Maya (when one takes ((mistakes)) the real for the unreal or the
unreal for the real)
• When one “sees” a “snake” in the dark corner (just a coil of rope)
– Atman (our most real self) is covered over by layers of illusion
• Upanishads p 60 – chariot and Lord (body and self)
• Shankara’s (The “Aquinas” of India) Crest Jewel of Discrimination
– Crest Jewel (the highest and best jewel=Atman)
– Discrimination (between good and evil, wisdom and illusion)
– Pages 65 and 70
– Tat tvam asi
• World Scripture p 146a; Sourcebook, p 69
• Upanishads, p 117f
– Knowledge
• 2 levels of knowledge (Upanishads p 75)
– Freedom (moksha) Upanishads p 79; World Scripture p 377
– Karma and rebirth (reincarnation, transmigration)
• Law of Moral Retribution
– Every cause has an effect
– He who puts the cause in action suffers the effect
– Upanishads 103; Sourcebook, 66
• Life becomes what it does (Humphreys 37)
• “As a person thinks, so they become” (Humphreys 31)
• The law of equilibrium
– Nature is always working to restore equilibrium whenever, through
man’s acts, it is disturbed
– Because this ceaseless effort to adjust a troubled harmony takes
time, the doctrine of rebirth is a necessary corollary of karma
– The higher the plane from which the harmony of nature is disturbed,
the more powerful the reaction to the act (fall of man!)
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“Man is altogether formed of desire; according as his desire, so is his
will; according as his will is, so are his deeds; according as are his
deeds, so does it befall him. (Brihad Upanishad)
Compare with the DP teaching:
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Spirit self and physical self
Thinking and action are connected
Every action gives vitality to the spirit (either good or bad)
We create our own spirit and determine our own destiny (Heaven or Hell)
Human beings have SS desires (value) and HS desires (food, etc.)
According to our desire (good or evil), we act with a good or evil will
Our will guides our actions
As we act our physical actions give vitality elements to our spirit
We create a own spirit and determine our own destiny (heaven or hell)
Worldview of the Upanishads
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Ultimate Reality: Brahman-atman is the only Reality (this physical world is
maya or illusion, conditioned by time and space; the goal of religion is to
release us from the cycle of rebirth)
Cosmos: Brahman is the only Reality (the cosmos “exists” for a “short time”
Deity: The many “gods” of the Rig Veda are identified (eventually) as
“aspects” of Brahman (although Brahman is quality-less)
Human being: The individual’s core is the Atman, reborn in a body as a
result of past karma. We usually only know the empirical self. We must
“realize” the Atman
Human problem (plight): Repeated rebirth, until realizing (existentially) the
truth of Atman/Brahman. This is possible only for the “elite”
Salvation/Liberation: Two levels: lower, for most people (rebirth into a
higher level of existence); higher, for the elite (total release from samsara
(round of birth-rebirth), achieved through moksha (freedom)
Conduct: Follow the dharma (way) of your caste (your individual station in
life), and seek to know Brahman/Atman
Destiny: achieve Nirvana=moksha=release=liberation
Later Hindu sects take off from this foundational worldview