HINDUISM SANATANA DHARMA

“Eternal righteousness”

Decline of Indus Civ. @ 1750 BCE Deforestation –

loss of topsoil Agriculture – soil

exhaustion Tectonic activity –

earthquakes, shifting river courses, Sarswati River

Aryan Migration

@ 1500 BCE Nomadic, warlike, bronze, Sanskrit Brahminism – polytheistic, gods of nature Warring kingdoms established

Oral traditions written down – Vedas

Focus on internal being – atman (soul)

Liberation from desire/suffering

Justification of social order

Origins of Hindusim

Blending of Aryan and local traditions – no founder

Upanishads – “sitting near”, dialogues to explain faith

Brahma

Brahman Origin of atman

(soul)--strives to join once again with Brahman

Mosksha—state of perfect understanding

Universal Spirit—different forms for different roles, different comfort

Choice of worship

Hindu deities Brahma - creator Vishnu - order Shiva - destroyer,

transformation

Hindu deities Shakti - female aspect of divine Ganesh - remover of obstacles Avatar - human incarnation of

divine come to assist humans on path to Moksha

Samsara Moksha: Freeing of the soul from earthly pain and suffering-

>Eternal Bliss/Nirvana (peace of mind). Union with the Supreme Being Brahman

Reincarnation: Living multiple lives, improving each time until you reach the peak (also had a higher position in society)

Karma: The actions of your current life determine how you will be reincarnated—better than before and closer to Moksha or worse and farther away

Part of good Karma is following your Dharma: the proper path for your current life– done by humility, personal sacrifices, living a ‘pure’ life in all aspects

Reincarnation “I believe in Reincarnation which explains

about the human hope—hope to do better; and which makes a person responsible. If there is no reincarnation, if I have money and wealth I could do anything—I don’t have to obey, to be compassionate, to care for people. So reincarnation makes it clear, the way I am supposed to live.”

Karma This is the sum of duty: Do naught unto

others which would cause you pain if done to you.

Just as he acts, just as he behaves, so he becomes.

How do you have good karma? Live a ‘Pure’ life

The higher your (position in society) the more pure you should be

2 types of Purity Moral Purity Ritual Purity

Moral Purity: How does one stay morally pure?

Practice Truthfulness Don’t steal, covet, or enter into debt Be sexually pure Exercise patience Show steadfastness—persevere, plan,

don’t complain, have a purpose Practice Compassion Act honorably at all times—don’t cheat,

follow the laws, don’t take shortcuts Moderate diet—don’t over indulge, drink

in moderation

Ritual PurityRituals: actions done on a regular basis

Why? Demonstrates Pure Spirit, Shows commitment Earn forgiveness for Karmic Debts

Examples: Worship Offerings Meditation Yoga Pilgrimages to Holy Places Avoid contact with ‘less’ pure people

A great place for rituals? WaterMost Holy Water? Ganges River Ganges River = a divine goddess, made

to cleanse the earth from impurity

Bathing in the Ganges can give peace of mind and cleanse karmic sins. Better karma better reincarnation

Therefore: The Ganges: key pilgrimage spot for

ritual bathing

City of Varanasi Banks of the Ganges Oldest Aryan Settlement Place to cleanse spirit in river Death in Varanasi—possible to break

cycle of rebirth After death—human remains put into the

Ganges can still lead to karmic cleansing

Caste System Aryan supremacy

over local population Varnas – color Myth of Purusha

Brahmin(priest) Kshatriya(warrior) Vaishya(merchant) Shudra(laborers)

Over time…Caste System 4 main castes become 1000s (by

profession)

Controls marriage, occupation, social company,

How do you know what caste someone is in? Occupation, family name, family location, manner of dress, manner of speech,

Who are the Untouchables (Dalits)?

Live outside the Caste System—too dirty/impure

Jobs related to death or dirt (leather workers, street sweepers)

If you are higher caste and have contact with untouchables you can become ‘unclean’ too

Extremes—no eating, drinking, touching, even shadows of the untouchables were unclean

Untouchables couldn’t enter into the city gates, couldn’t drink from the same wells

Stop and Think: Who benefitted the most from the caste

structure? Who benefitted the least? Why would something like the caste

system survive for so long?

Why does Caste last? Mentioned in the sacred texts (Vedas) Karma and reincarnation Part of good Dharma is observing duties

without question Laws set up severe punishments for

breaking Caste rules: Fines, outcast, lose family and social support, death

Human nature to stay with what’s familiar

Stop and Discuss: Was the caste system a good or bad

thing for society?

Caste system provided some good things

Castes were very united—tight knit social groups

People became experts at their jobs Everyone knew their place in society—it

was structured and organized All Castes were seen as important in

creating the whole society

BUT…Caste also provided bad things

Castes fought and distrusted eachother society was divided

Smart and talented people were held back—limited progress for everyone

Upper Castes could abuse their power and position in the name of religion with little complaint or resistance

Human rights abuses--Untouchables

Modern Day Roughly 16% of India’s Population—170

million people “Untouchable” is not used anymore—now

called Dalits Also found in other Countries: Nepal,

Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UK

Caste Today Technically illegal Indian Constitution—bans negative public

discrimination on the basis of caste (employment, education, etc)

Government has set up quotas in schools and government to help traditional lower castes

In reality—still exists. Many educated, upper class, urban Indians don’t follow it but more popular in rural settings. State of mind

How is Caste still evident today?

Intercaste marriages often not approved—in traditional families or areas

Caste based organizations still exist Political Parties—often organized around

Caste membership Some workplace or school conflicts (some

violent) Lower castes still have lower quality of

life