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what is it defined by
geography rather than doctrine
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meaning of hindu
people of india
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what type of religion is it
pluralism
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Geographical origin
Indus Valley, northern India
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Creed
first stage of growth
- Vedic period
- -Aryan Invasion
- -vedic hymns that recognized Tat Ekam
- -many differenct Gods / goddesses
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Creed
Tat Ekam
one reality
origin of all things
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Creed
what period began after the Vedic period
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Creed
what was the message of Upanishands books
- Brahman
- -the one divine reality beneath the diversity of Gods / worlds
- -life of everything
- -each indivuial self is a part of the Great self of the universe
- -all different Gods/goddesses are different expressions of one reality
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Creed
How is the religion of the vedas different from the upanishads
- Vedas
- -Gods are personifications of natural forces
- -focus on offering sacrifice to maintain natural order
- Upanishads
- -more philosophical / speculative
- -focused on whether there is one single eternal reality that is the source of all that is and whether that reality can be known
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what two perspectives did Upanishads develop
- Brahman and Atman
- -refer to the individual essence, soul or self and the universal absolute self or supreme reality
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Brahman v Atman
- Brahman
- -the ultimate reality
- Atman
- -the eternal soul or self
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relation between human heart and heart of divine
the deepest heart of each of us is one with the heart of the divine
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popular form of hinduism
Bhakti -- way of love
God descends from above and takes human form (avatars) (Krishna / Shiva)
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how does one experience unity with God
- through path of love
- accepting love of God, loving God in return, and feeling him alive in us
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male / female divine expression
male expressions of the divine can never stand alone
they need female counterpart
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Code
Dharma (2)
- inner structure
- -univeral order of things that enables all the elements of creation to function together as a whole
- everything has a role and a place
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Code
Caste system
- based on dharma
- -way of affirming the different "jobs" necessary to keep society operating
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what happens when you act in accordance with Dharma
you will have good karma, if not you will have bad karma
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what were the upanishads concern with reincarnation
being trapped in a never ending cycle of suffering called Samsara
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what is samsara and its cause
- -never ending cycle of suffering
- -results from ignorance of the true nature of reality
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Karma
is the idea that every action has consequences that have an impact on one's status in future cycles of existence
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Code
Moska
what is it, how can it be attained
- -liberation from the cycle (samsara)
- -can be attained if one can apprehend the true nature of brahman / atman
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Ceremony
purpose of hindu rituals
to maintain the flow of energy between humans and the divine
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Ceremony
central ceremony
- Puja
- -daily worship of God in the form of an image of a deity
- -the divine is present in the image
- -by concentrating on image -- experience darshana
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Ceremony
darshana
"seeing" of God / goddess that unites the person with the divine
oneness with divine and humanity is central to hinduism
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how do hindus view the natural world
- as Gods body
- thus we have to treat the world with reverence and love
- it is sacred
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what is the one divine reality and how many god/ goddesses do they recognize
tat ekam - one divine reality
330 million gods / goddesses
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famous hindu
Mahatma Gandhi
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view on violence
to do viiolence to another human being is to do violence to oneself, ultimately to God
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