Introduction to Hinduism.
Hinduism is the name given to a family of religions and cultures that began and still flourish in India. Like other Eastern religions, it doesn't fit comfortably into the same box as Western religions like Christianity. Hindus do not separate religion from other aspects of life. For Hindus in India, Hinduism is an inextricable part of their existence, a complete approach to life that involves social class, earning a living, family, politics, diet, etc., in addition to the things Westerners view as religious. The word "Hindu" comes from the name of the river Indus, which flows 1800 miles from Tibet through Kashmir and Pakistan to the sea. Originally the name referred to people living in a particular region of the world, regardless of their faith; so in the 18th century someone could quite sensibly be described as a "Hindu Muslim". There are 750 million Hindus in the world, and most of them live in India. In the UK there are 400,000 Hindus, 160,000 of whom are active in their faith. Hinduism includes a very wide range of beliefs and practices, so there aren't many things that are common to all Hindu groups. However they all have a "family resemblance" to each other. Hinduism has no founder, no creed, and no single source of authority. The things most often common to Hindus are a belief in a single Divinity or supreme God that is present in everything, belief in
b) Why is the worship of Rama popular with devotees? (12)
Why is the worship of Rama popular with devotees? (12) Rama and Shakti are two of the most important deities in Hinduism. Rama is one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu and is worshipped by many Hindus. Jamison describes him as "the perfect example of dharma in action." Shakti is the consort of Siva, and is described by Ling as "the goddess of Nature, she creates only in order to destroy, and she creates because she destroys." The actual term Shakti is ambiguous because it could refer to an actual goddess such as Parvati or Kali, all goddesses together, or the feminine power behind all divine beings. b) Rama is an extremely inspiration figure throughout the world as a manifestation of God, and also as a legendary hero of myths and stories. Hindu stories are rapidly increasing in popularity by Jainists, Sikhs and Hare Krishnas who regard Rama to be similar to Krishna, their main inspiration. Rama's story is very popular and is told to Hindu children from a young age. The Ramayana is an exciting and interesting story which is fun for the children to listen to, but it also teaches them morals. Such morals include how to follow dharma regardless of the circumstances. Jamison explains this as "Rama is put forward as the perfect example of dharma in action, the exemplar of righteous behaviour." Rama is also popular to be worshipped because he and Sita are thought to be the
What is the Role and Significance of Hindu Temples?
What is the Role and Significance of Hindu Temples? Unlike in other religions, it is not mandatory for a Hindu to regularly visit their temple. Temples are often visited on auspicious occasions and as a part of pilgrimages rather than as a regular occurrence. This is because Hindus have home shrines where they can partake in home puja, this is considered part of their dharma whilst temple worship is not. However, in England, Hindus are far more likely to regularly visit the temple as it gives them an opportunity to meet with the dispersed Hindu community in the country. This is important as the temple provides a social environment to maintain the bonds between the communities and prevent Hindus feeling alone. The temple is significant in aiding Hindus in retaining their culture. This is especially important in Western countries where the majority of people do not share the culture, here it can be easy to lose tradition. The temple is central to festivals, for example Durga Puja, and is often the focus of pilgrimages. The priests speak Sanskrit preventing the language from dying, this upholds the ties to centuries of Hindus. Furthermore, ceremonies are performed to perfection in the temple ensuring that the rituals continue as a constant. The temple acts as a preserver of the religion in all its glory and tradition. The temple is seen as the dwelling place of God and so is
The concept of Atman
Atman The West regards the atman as being like the human soul, and this implies individualism. The Greek word for spirit is atmos and by looking at this, we can see that the word atman is more closely related to the notion of a spirit. In Hindu literature, the atman is the part of human existence that lives on and there are numerous illustrations given by writers that support this. One of the most famous illustrations about atman can be found in the Chandogya Upanishad. In the Chandogya Upanishad, there there are over 16 different illustrations of this vital notion of atman. It's this story of a boy where basically his dad tells him to put a big old chunk of salt in some water. The next day the dad tells him to get the water and drink from the side of it. He asks the boy what it's like and the boy replies (quite obviously) "salty" and he gets the boy to drink from different bits of the container and the middle and every time, the boy tells him that it's salty. The point of this story is showing that he can't distinguish the salt from the water, and in the same way atman evades us and becomes part of the whole world. The first recordings of the notion of atman are found in the Upanishads and it isn't really featured that much in the Vedas. In the Upanishads, the main teaching is that of Atman-Brahman synthesis. "Though it fills the whole of space, by mysterious way which
How is Hinduism different from the other two major world religions?
Hinduism is different from the other two major world religions (Christianity and Islam) in that there is no single omnipotent paternal deity that governs people's actions. Hinduism is pantheistic, that is, it states that there is one super being and it is present in all material things and living beings. Hinduism does not have a single founder, a specific theological system, a single system of morality, or religious organization. There are many manifestations of the Creator, the Brahman, which take the form of many gods and goddesses. The Hindu believe that because all reality is a unity, worshipping different gods will in the end connect them to Brahman, because he is one. Out of this principle of unity stems the concept of accountability of one's actions in this earthly life. The rise in popularity of Hinduism in the last half of the last century is attributed to this very principle, because it can be compared with the Earth's ecosystem of interdependencies of different biological levels of organisms. The followers of Hinduism are motivated to behave according their religion's moral code not because of the fear of successive punishment. Rather, they know that everything in this world functions according to the cause-and-effect principle and one's actions today will lead to the inevitable consequences after the incarnation. The notions of Karma, reincarnation, and Varna work
Describe Hindu belief in respect for all living creatures In Hinduism, one of the fundamental beliefs is that all
(a)(i) Describe Hindu belief in respect for all living creatures In Hinduism, one of the fundamental beliefs is that all living creatures should be respected. This belief comes from various principle and teachings within Hinduism. Brahman is a very important concept in Hinduism and originates from the earliest scriptures. Priests of the early Indian culture called the magical power of nature 'Brahman' in their rituals with the 'brh' root meaning 'giving forth' or 'growth and creation'. Later on Brahman became known as the life-giving power of the universe. This power dwell in every corner of the universe and beyond as it is a mysterious concept to grasp and many writers of Hindu scriptures used poetry to try and describe Brahman. Many religions accept the existence of a soul or spirit embodied in everyone, containing their divine nature or God being present within them. For Hindus the person does no only consist of body and soul but a true, eternal, perfect self within a temporary and imperfect body. This inner self is known as the atman in Hinduism and as the body dies, the atman, the eternal, indestructible essence of the living being leaves the body to go to another body. This is known as reincarnation. So if every thing in the universe, including living creatures, contains an atman that has the essence of Brahman, Hindus should respect it. There are two stories that
Identify the characteristics beliefs and practises associated with Krishna And what is the significance for a devotee of Krishna.
Salma Aftab Identify the characteristics beliefs and practises associated with Krishna And what is the significance for a devotee of Krishna. Krishna is believed to be Vishnu's eight incarnations. Vishnu represents the "preserver" status in the Trimurti but is more frequently appreciated in his incarnation as Krishna. Krishna appears in many mythological stories but is most famously remembered for his part in the Bhagvad Gita. This scripture is believed to have been spoken by Krishna himself. Krishna is seen as a king and a conqueror of demons but his followers appear particularly fond of his childhood and youth. His love affair with the beautiful cowherdess, Radha is immensely popular with his followers. In many Indian temples dedicated to Krishna, his followers visit (Darshan) his images and present water for washing, drinking, clothes, flowers, incense and offer praise during their puja. Chanting and singing the Hare Krishna mantra is a very popular activity found in temples. The maha-mantra is a transcendental sound vibration which awakens love of God in the heart and mind. As with all other activities, music is considered a sacred offering to God. Murti's of Krishna are ritually installed temples, as it is believed that it is actually full of divine spirit of Krishna. Krishna's pictures often portray him as the young flute player, surrounded by cows, teasing the gopi
To What Extent Was Mohammad Ali Jinnah Responsible for The Foundation of Pakistan?
To What Extent Was Mohammad Ali Jinnah Responsible for The Foundation of Pakistan? Pakistan was formed out of the northwest provinces of India which contained a majority of Muslim inhabitants and so became an independent Muslim state from Hindu India. Muslims had found it increasingly difficult to become apart of India with the dominant Hindu community discriminating against them, and so a state like Pakistan was sought for the interests of the Muslim Community. However, an ongoing question amongst historian considers who was responsible for the foundation of Pakistan and in particular, how responsible was the 'Qaid e azam.' Mohammad Ali Jinnah played a large role within Muslim politics, initially apart of The National India Congress and elected to the Imperial Legislative council. However, perhaps most importantly, Jinnah became the President of the All India Muslim League after being a significant member for many years. Furthermore, Jinnah attended Round Table conferences in England causing great influence within the British government. Many suggest that Jinnah was the leader of the Pakistan movement spurring the Muslim community forward in search of equality and freedom and in essence creating such a movement and evidently the gain of a separate Muslim state. Perhaps as a show of appreciation, Jinnah was elected as the first President of Pakistan and is still
Describe Hindu belief in respect for all living creatures.
A.i. Describe Hindu belief in respect for all living creatures. Hindus believe the soul (the inner most spirit or true self) is in every living creature. So all living creatures should deserve respect. This is shown by many things in the Hindu society including the fact that all hindus do not eat beef, and many are vegetarian. " A householder should regard, deer, camels, donkeys, mice, snakes birds, and bees as his sons, for what difference is there between his sons and them?" Srimad Bhagvatam They believe that Brahman, the universal spirit, is symbolised in the symbol OM. OM represents all of life and creation and therefore represents male, female and neuter, hence Hindus believe that Brahman is within all living creatures. Hindus also believe the universal soul is the ultimate, so if it is in everything then you should respect everything and therefore killing an animal is exactly the same as killing a human. Some Hindus also believe in the teachings of the school of Advaita Vedanta, which was founded by the Indian philosopher Shankara. Shankara's main belief was the idea of Non-dualism. This is the belief that the inner self is the same energy that gave life to the universe, i.e. the universal soul is the same as the nature of a Hindu's true self. If Hindus believe this, they must have respect for all living creatures because again this shows that the universal