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Hinduism Doctrines
Keys to Understanding Hinduism
Identify and describe the key developments of Vedic religious practice and its impact on Modern Hinduism
Explain how the doctrines of Hinduism affect Hindu religious practice.
Vedic religious practice
Modern Hinduism may have parts of religions practiced by native peoples- male and female deities- procreation a focus
Vedas- Body of Knowledge- Originated by 1500 to 1000 BCE- Passed down orally
Vedas are a liturgy manual (concerned with rituals, hymns, incantations) not a narrative (storyline) like the Bible
Rig Veda- oldest Praises and implores the blessings of the devas
(earth gods and deities of the sky and celestial realm.)
Vedas Samhitas: earliest
Praise and worship of deities Brahmanas
Directions for sacrifices Affirm God is immanent and transcendent, and prescribe ritual worship, mantra
and devotional hymns to establish communication with the spiritual world.
Aranyatas Writings of people meditating in forest
Upanishads Spiritual masters explain personal transformation in ritual
process Outline the souls evolutionary journey, provide yogic philosophical training and
propounds the realization of man’s oneness with god as the destiny of all souls.
Priestly rituals example
Vedic worship centered around the fire sacrifice- Offerings
Priests use: verbal formulas, sacred chants, sacred actions
Concerned with ritual purity- (example- eating salad in a restaurant)
Caste system http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Z0ctalomHig
Brahman and Atman
Brahman-breath behind all existence “one” god
Atman-subtle self within themselves We are all atman and are a part of
Brahman
Brahman
Atman
Bhakti
Difficult to pray to the abstract depictions of an impersonal deity from the Upanishads so many Hindus worship changes to bhakti worship.
Bhakti- Intense devotion to a personal manifestation of Brahman.
The epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, and the Puranas represent god as a person or human-like deities, and aid in this form of worship.
Evaluate why Hindus would desire personal experiences with their deities.
Assess why Hindu worship of Brahman is broken into many aspects/deities and how this impacts their worship.
Reincarnation Soul leaves the dead body and enters a
new one Countless rebirths (reincarnations) but
same soul Birth as a human is precious and rare
opportunity to advance/reach enlightenment
Reincarnation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EWwzFwUOxA
What do you think about the possibility of this boy having a former life?
Karma Action and the consequences of action Every act or thought shapes our future Shaped by what we have done in past Lasts into subsequent lives Sow/reap
Castes
Brahmins- Priests, carefully trained and maintain high standard of purity
Kshatriyas- nobility, kings, warriors, vassals Vaishyas- economic specialists, farmers and
merchants Shudra- manual laborers and artisans Untouchables How could a caste system develop out of the doctrines of
reincarnation and karma? (beliefsactions) Draw a conclusion as to why the caste system is still in
existence today.
Samsara and Moksha Goal is not good life but escape from
samsara Samsara- karma run wheel of birth-death-
rebirth Moksha- liberation from space, time, matter to
oneness with Brahman, escape from samsara Takes many lifetimes
Review Questions
Identify and describe the key developments of Vedic religious practice.
Analyze how Vedic religious practice affects modern day Hinduism? Sacrifices, rituals, etc..
Explain how the doctrines of Hinduism affect Hindu religious practice.
Describe the caste system.