Phil 330 Exam
Hinduism terms:
Vedic Hinduism
1.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Dravidians:
Dravidians: 2500-1800 BCE
Language and Advanced Civilization
Temple rites and other religious rituals
Fertility earth goddess and sky god (sky father-yoga?, earth mother-fat)
Pratice of Yoga and meditation
Aryans, brought vedic religion, Aryans (Indo Europeans, Western Russia): 1500 BCE
Aryan Society-conquered Dravidians
Rajas, (kings)
Rishis, (seers) saint, sage, or poet
Devas
(Indra (weather/war, thunder),
Agni (fire, messenger),
Varuna(sky, rain, celestial ocean, law, underworld, highest heaven god, Moral
divinity, similar to western god, punishes/rewards people),
Rita, Rita (right)-Law of order in the cosmos (no chaos)
Soma, hallucinogenic drink for religious purposes
Yama/Vishnu Life after death: Yama (boring place) and Vishnu (nice place)
Four Castes (Eng.),
i.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Four castes: settled into India
priests-Brahins,
nobles/warriors,
commoners,
servants (former Dravidians)
Four Vedas (Eng.)
Scripture: Four Vedas: (things we know)
-Rig Veda: hymns to gods (polythesitc)
-Yajur Veda: material to the gods
-Sama Veda: material for chants
Atharva Veda: prayers, spells, etc
Shruti (early writings, (what is heard): Early Vedas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and
Upanishads
Smiriti (later writings) What is remembered) Epics, Sutras, Puranas
Upanishadic Hinduism:
Atman, (self, soul)
Brahman, (pure being consciousness and bliss)
Sat-cit-ananda, words used to describe Brahman to a liberated Yogi
Sat=Being, they exist (vs beings)
Cit=Pure consciousness (vs forms of consc.)
Ananda=Bliss (vs states of happiness)
Karma, actions in our lives dictating rebirth
Maya,
a. “power” or “illusion”
b. Reality vs. Appearance-salt in water example
World is not really how we see it-snake/rope example
Rebirth, reincarnation based upon previous life’s karma
Moksha, (need for liberation of rebirth)
a. seeing through the illusion of maya: Freedom and Fulfillment
b. escaping karma: No rebirth
c. at death: Atman merges with Brahman
Yoga, exercises to find spiritual enlightenment
Guru, spirital guide, ultimate Guru is God
Tat-tvam-asi (innermost self, that though art)
Hindu Philosophy:
Samkara,
A. Shankara (788-820 CE)
i. The world of multiplicity we see is an illusion (Maya)
ii. It is produced by ignorance and superimpostion
Rope-Snake-Joe Hindu analogy
Ramanuja, (god is impersonal, transforms itself,
B. (ca 1017-1137 CE)
i. The world is a “real creation”
ii. God is a personal creator of a real universe that has God as its
hidden essence
Madva, (god creates world and it’s all real, but it’s not himself, it’s an art piece)
Vedanta answer to these problems (veda+anta=end of the Vedas or the Upanishads)
Popular Hinduism:
Nirguna, (Brahman is ultimate reality, God, impersonal, pure spirit, spirit is our soul)
Saguna, (God as personal, god is a person)
Trimurti (Brahma, Vishnu, Siva) trinity of Gods under Saguna Brahman, only different
forms of the same god
Lila, (dance of God, God wants us to discover him and transform world)
Avatars (Krishna (God from Bhag. Gita), Rama (prince/king of Ayodhya)), bodyily
incarnations of a heavenly being, Vishnu, Krishna was
Devi, (check book on this)
Goddess, Shakti-female aspect of divinity, no male influence
4 Yogas/Margas (Jnana, Bhakti, Krama, Raja),
Epic Synthesis of Practice 1: the four yogas
1. Bhakti: devotion, love for God, loving God so much you are liberated
2. Karma: action, selfless care for others, doing good without caring about
the karmic reward real/temporary, 6 virtues, desire to be free of temporary
limitations
3. Raja: “Kingly Yoga” of discipline of: action, body breath, senses, and
mind (meditation)
4 stages (student, householder, retreat, holy person)
Traditionally, the life of a male Hindu was divided into four Āshramas ("phases" or
"stages"; unrelated meanings of āshrama include "monastery" or "refuge").
student, is spent in celibate, controlled, sober and pure contemplation under the guidance
of a Guru, building up the mind for the realization of truth.
householder's stage, in which one marries and satisfies kāma and artha within one's
married and professional life respectively (see the pursuits of life). Among the moral
obligations of a Hindu householder are the duties to support one's parents, children,
guests, priests (Brahmins), and monks (sanyāsis).
retirement stage, is gradual detachment from the material world. This may involve giving
over duties to one's children, spending more time in contemplation of the Divine, and
making holy pilgrimages.
asceticism, one renounces all worldly attachments, often envisioned as seclusion, to find
the Divine through detachment from worldly life and peacefully shed the body for the
next life (or for liberation).[95]
Modern Hinduism:
Sikhism, combo of Hindu and Islam
a. Nanah (1469-1538)
b. Islam puts reincarnation and Karma
Dharma, (right, duty, law)
Ram Moham Roy, 1772-1833)-Brahmo Samaj: against idolatry, sati (widow burning),
child-marriage, castes discrimination against untouchables, oppression of women
Brahmo Samaj, movement started by Roy and followers, worships of Brahaman
Ramakrishna, (1836-1886): spirituality, oneness with god, harmony of religions
Vivekananda( 1863-1902)-Vedanta Society
Essay Exam: write one
1. Discuss the Four Yogas of Hinduism as presented in chapters 1-6 of the Gita.
Which do you prefer and why
On The Goal Of Yoga
" And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me (Krishna) alone, at
once attains My (Krishna's- Transcendental) nature. Of this there is no doubt."[21]
On Bhakti Yoga
1. Bhakti (Devotion) Yoga: love given to God in other 3 yogas, but is addressed in
ch 12
Put simply, Bhakti Yoga is Service in Love and Devotion to God (Krishna in the context
of the Bhagavad Gita).
"I consider the Yogi-devotee - who lovingly contemplates on Me with supreme faith, and
whose mind is ever absorbed in Me - to be the best of all the Yogis".[22] "
On Karma Yoga
2. Karma (Action) Yoga: Non-attachment, sefless action, giving all to God as gift.
The innter enemies of sefish desires, anger, laziness, etc
Karma Yoga is essentially Acting, or doing one's duties in life as per his/her dharma, or
duty, without concern of results - a sort of constant sacrifice of action to the Supreme
Krishna advocates 'Nishkam Karma Yoga' (the Yoga of Selfless Action) as the ideal path
to realize the Truth.
"To action alone hast thou a right and never at all to its fruits; let not the fruits of action
be thy motive; neither let there be in thee any attachment to inaction" [28]
On Jnana Yoga
3. Jnana: wisdom, insight into Atma.
Jnana Yoga is a process of learning to discriminate between what is real and what is not,
what is eternal and what is not.
In the second chapter, Krishna’s counsel begins with a succinct exposition of Jnana
Yoga. Krishna argues that there is no reason to lament for those who are about to be
killed in battle, because never was there a time when they were not, nor will there be a
time when they will cease to be. Krishna explains that the self (atman) of all these
warriors is indestructible.
"Those who see with eyes of knowledge the difference between the body and the knower
of the body, and can also understand the process of liberation from bondage in material
nature, attain to the supreme goal." [32]
On Dhyana Yoga
4. Raja: “Kingly Yoga” of discipline of: action, body breath, senses, and mind
(meditation)
Dhyana Yoga is the stilling of the mind and body through meditating techniques, geared
at realizing one's true nature. This practice was later described by Patanjali in his Yoga
Sutras.
2. Dicuss the Hindu notion of God as presented in chapters 7-12 of the Gita. Give
your own views about this notion.