Discussing the life of Gandhi.
GHANDI Mahatma Gandhi was a well-known and influential Hindu man who lived between the years of 1869 and 1948. His childhood was experienced growing up in a strict Hindu sect, this greatly impacting upon his beliefs and values discovered later in life. Early on in his life Gandhi travelled to London to study law and did not return to India until 1915 (many years later and after working for Indian rights in South Africa). It was after seeing the discrimination shown towards his fellow Indians in South Africa that Gandhi first began a life-long struggle to improve conditions for Indians; both in South Africa and (primarily) India. Gandhi obtained his approach to the unjust treatment of the Indians from influences such as his upbringing, books of faith including the Ramayana, Bagavad Gita, the Bible and some contemporary authors and his own discoveries and philosophies gained throughout his life. These influences allowed Gandhi to understand that there were concepts that would help the Indian people to overcome their oppression, particularly from British rule, and also help them grow in their Hindu lives. The concepts that Gandhi strongly believed in and regarded as highly important in the lives of everyone, non-Hindu's included, were those of: Non-violence, Satyagraha, Simple Living, Vegetarianism, Celibacy, Brahmacharya and Politics. Gandhi strongly believed in the idea
It is traditional for Japanese people to visit to a shrine or a temple during New Year's Days. People pray for safety, health and good fortune. The first visit to a temple or shrine in a year is called Hatsumoude
Holiday web Japanese New Year January 1st to 3rd are shougatsu (New Year's holidays) in Japan. These are the most important holidays in Japan. People say to each other "ake-mashite-omedetou-gozaimasu" (Happy New Year) whenever they see at the first time in the New Year. Japanese people eat special dishes called osechi ryouri during shogatsu. Osechi ryouri is packed in a Jubako box, which has several layers. The foods are colourful and artistically presented. Each dish has a particular meaning. For example, prawns for long life, kuromame (cooked sweet black beans) for health, kazunoko (herring roe) for fertility, tazukuri (teriyaki taste small sardines) for a good harvest, kurikinton (sweet chestnuts and mashed sweet potato) for happiness, and more. It is also traditional to eat mochi (rice cake) dishes on New Year's Days. I wrote more about mochi in my feature about Japanese New Year's Eve. Zouni (rice cake soup) is the most popular mochi dish at this time. The ingredients vary depending on regions and families. If you are lucky, you can taste many different zouni. In my family, zouni is usually soy-sauce based with pieces of chicken, Chinese cabbage, carrot, green onion, and daikon radishes. It is traditional for Japanese people to visit to a shrine or a temple during New Year's Days. People pray for safety, health and good fortune. The first visit to a temple or shrine
Shinto - An Ancient Religion
Shinto Ancient and Indigenous Religions Beliefs In Deities (Gods) And Spirits The Shinto religion teaches that everything contains a spiritual force, or god, which are called kami. Every object, whether it be living or non-living, contains a kami. Therefore, there are an infinite number of kami in the universe. Despite the infinite amount of kami, specific kami are worshipped. The most worshipped of all kami is Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Sun. The picture on the right shows a shrine specifically devoted to Amaterasu, the previously mentioned Goddess of the Sun. Sacred Stories And/Or Writings The beginning of writing the Shinto religion had a deep impact on the development of a single system of religious beliefs. In the early Nara period (710 AD to 784 AD), the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki were written, which meant Japanese mythology was kept in records by gathering well-known fables and legends. The Kojiki, in greater detail, is a text which explains the creation of all the kami. The Nihon Shoki, like the Kojiki, begins with mythological tales, but extends into the modern events of the Shinto religion. The picture on the right shows an updated version of the Kojiki. Ritual, Worship And Festivals Shinto, commonly referred to as a religion, is also the term given to the collection of rituals and methods which help retain the relationship between living humans and the
Compare and contrast the iconography and mythology of at least two major Hindu deities.
Compare and contrast the iconography and mythology of at least two major Hindu deities. In Hindu tradition, Brahma created the universe, Vishnu maintained it and Shiva destroyed it. These three gods comprise the Hindu trinity (the trimurti) and are considered to be the leading gods of the religion, especially Brahma, who is the oldest of all the gods. This point is questionable though as the Visnu Purana talks of Brahma emerging from Vishnu's navel to maintain the world after Vishnu has created it and then he returns to the navel after Shiva has destroyed it. If this is the case then Vishnu's position as a god is elevated from merely the maintainer to the creator. This essay intends to compare and contrast the iconography and mythology of the two major Hindu deities Vishnu and Shiva with reference to their relationship with Brahma as part of the Hindu trinity. The Hindu god Vishnu is very powerful to his followers, the Vaishnavas, and he is found as an icon in many temples although he is also believed to dwell in the heart of all beings. Vishnu is said to be young compared to the other gods and blue in colour. He is depicted as having four hands holding a lotus, symbolising purity, mace, a conch shell to blow and a discus as a weapon. Vishnu is married to the goddesses Sri and Laksmi who were initially individuals but eventually merged into one being. Vishnu has a curl of
Describe Hindu belief in respect for all living creatures.
RS GCSE Coursework Hinduism (a)(i) Describe Hindu belief in respect for all living creatures. In the Hindu scripts, Hindus strongly believe that all living forms should be respected they also believe in the sacredness of all life, whether in animal, plant or human kind. The reasons for these beliefs are that Hindus believe that Brahman, the universal spirit is present everywhere in the universe, therefore it is considered to be highly respected. The Upanishads contain these teachings, "His being is the source of all beings, the seed of all things are in this life have their life. He is God hidden in all beings, their inmost soul. He lives in all things and watches all things." This is taken from the Svetasvatara Upanishad teaching respect for all life. According to Hindus, both living and non-living objects, (eg - mountains), was put there for a reason, by God. They also believe that all human beings need one and other to live, and it is all a chain. In the Bhagavad Gita it quotes, "Thus joy supreme comes to the yogi whose heart is still, whose passions are peace, who is pure from sin, who is one with Brahman with God...He who sees the oneness of love, loves me in whatever he sees. Wherever this man may live, in truth this man lives in me." Since Hindus believe in samsara (the cycle of life and death), they believe that in some way, everyone is related to
Hinduism - When a Hindu does dies.
Hinduism When a Hindu dies, it is believed that they should, if possible, have the name of God on their lips, as this is supposed to bring them closer to God. Every true Hindu, would like to die in Benares, the holiest of all holy places. It is believed that Moksha will come to those who are fortunate to die there. If it is not possible to die in Benares, a Hindu wishes to die near the River Ganges, because a Hindu believes that the sacred waters of the Ganges washes away the Karma that binds the sol to earthly existence, and so, Moksha may come to them more easily. When a Hindu does die, their lips are touched with water containing leaves from the sacred Tulsi plant. This cleanses the lips of the dead, which helps to wash away bad karma that prevents the soul from achieving moksha. At the point of death, the Hindu's family is able to mourn, however, they mustn't show too much emotion, as this disturbs the spirit. (I think that this teaching is good, because it helps the mourners to stop mourning ~ because not mourning, is the best thing for the dead Hindu's soul. This gives a reason for the relatives to stop mourning, and start coping with their loss.) In India, the dead Hindu's funeral must be within a day, wherever possible, and in England, it should be within three days. Because fire is very important in Hinduism, it is not very much of a surprise that a Hindu is
The Hindu marriage ceremony consists of several steps.
The Hindu marriage ceremony consists of several steps. The following is a description of this colorful and unique ceremony. This is a generalized wedding ceremony, and there are regional and community variations. Some of the steps may be omited or added from the following list based on local and family customs. The main three are- Pre marriage- Mahendi and Peethi The marriage ceremony (wedding) Post marriage ceremonies A day before the wedding the palm and feet of the bride are decorated with "Mahendi". A canopy or mandapa decorated with flowers is erected at the place of wedding. On the wedding morning, various ablutionary rituals are performed on both the bride and the groom in their own homes. Their bodies are anointed with turmeric, sandalwood paste and oils, which cleanse the body, soften the skin, and make it aromatic. They are then bathed to the chanting of Vedic mantras. The bride and the bridegroom face each other, and the priest ties their garments (the bride's saree to the groom's shirt) in a knot, symbolizing the sacred union. The bride and the bridegroom garland each other and exchange the rings. Next the nuptial fire, symbolizing the divine witness, and the sanctifier of the sacrament, is installed and worshipped. Both the bride and the groom grasp their hands together and pray to God for His blessings. Samagree, consisting of crushed sandalwood,
Being brought up in hinduism
Unit One - Marriage and Family Life Topic 1 - Religious Upbringing How a child might grow up in the Hindu Religion In Hinduism there are traditionally 12 samskaras in life, but later traditions suggest that there are 16 samskaras. A samskara is a sacred ceremony which marks a certain stage/event in life. They are usually performed by a priest with family and friends present and in Hinduism, most samskaras concern the birth and upbringing of a child. Before the baby is born there are prayers for a safe pregnancy and hopes for a healthy baby. The parents may give gifts to the temple and a havan (sacred fire ceremony) may take place where ghee and rice are offered to the flames. Flowers, scented oils and perfumes may be offered to the mother and she is given the tastiest of foods. The birth of the baby in the Hindu religion is a very happy occasion, but there are a lot of ceremonies which take place in a short space of time. These include the symbolic washing of the baby where a priest sprinkles water on the baby and the mother as well as chanting prayers for strength and safety. When the father holds the baby for the first time, he places a gold ornament or ring in a mixture of ghee and honey and places it on the lips of the baby. Eleven or twelve days after the birth of the baby, (depending on which tradition the family follows, the naming ceremony must be after the 10th
Attacks on religious minotirties in Bangaladesh
Minority: 'Minority' is a construction of the modern state. The latter, being predicated on the idea of 'nation', marginalizes and alienates the communities that, for one reason or another, cannot identify themselves with the nation. The state of being marginalised, alienated and to a large extent derogated is inherent with in the very etymology of 'minority'. It implies something minor as opposed to major, subordinate as opposed to super ordinate or dominant, hence less important. Minority does not necessarily have to do with numbers, but is rather a matter of status, role and, more importantly, access to power and resources. Thus one might be a minority in ethnic, religious, linguistic, gender or, for that matter, sexual terms. Religious Minorities: Religious Minority means specific religious group who are ignorable in number status and role. In this essay I have focused on the religious minorities in our country and their rights. There are 4 religions in Bangladesh - Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Buddhist and more. The majorities are Muslims and Hindu, Christian, Buddhist and other religious groups belong to the minorities. International bill of rights regarding minorities: Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): Article - 2 Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language,
What Is Hinduism?
WHAT IS HINDUISM? Hinduism is one of the oldest and largest religious groups in the world. It started thousands of years ago in India, where many followers still live today. Hinduism has not got a founder, but gradually from early beliefs. Now in life there are many different Hindu groups. They may worship the same gods, but they do not share the same beliefs. Ancient Persians first used the name Hindu over 2000 years ago to describe the people living near the River Indus in North India. Modern day Hindus prefer Sanatan Dharma to describe their religion. It means the eternal way of conduct. There are about 700 million Hindus in the world. Most live in India but also other countries including the U.K were around 360,000 Hindus live. What do Hindu's believe in God? Most Hindu's are monotheists in that they believe in the existence of one major soul or spirit called Brahman. He does not look like anything but is always around. Many Hindu's call this God. Brahma- is seen as the creator of the universe and the God of wisdom. His female counterpart is Saraswati the goddess of the art, music and literatore. He is not worshipped widely as the act of creation has been completed. Vishno- the preserver of the universe is thought to be in charge of human fate. He is supposed to rescue the world from chaos. He has come to earth as a tortoise and a boar. Two in human