We will explore the Hindu Religion thematically under the following themes:
1. Hindu Religion
2. Hindu Deities
3. Hindu Scriptures
4. Hindu Rituals
5. Hindu Doctrines
6. Hindu Denominations
7. Hindu Philosophies
8. Hindu Personalities
By discussing Hindu Religion under those eight themes it is hoped that a serious student will find answers to some of the fundamental questions connected to the seven dimensions of a religion – rituals, doctrines, myths/narratives, experiences, ethics/legalism, organization, and symbols/art and architecture – and in this case the Hindu Religion.
Very Important:
Please read Pat Fisher’s Living Religions, (7th Edition), pp. 72-119. Students should familiarize the “Key terms” (the words in page 118) and words in bold through pages 72-117 of Fisher’s book and become familiar with concepts behind those words!
There are also other introductory books that you may consult to appreciate the Hindu faith and practices. Among them are the following:
1. John L. Esposito, Darrell J. Fasching, and Todd Lewis, World Religions Today, (3rd Edition), Oxford University Press, 2009, pp. 301-387.
2. Hindu Deities
3. Hindu Scriptures
4. Hindu Rituals
5. Hindu Doctrines
6. Hindu Denominations
7. Hindu Philosophies
8. Hindu Personalities
By discussing Hindu Religion under those eight themes it is hoped that a serious student will find answers to some of the fundamental questions connected to the seven dimensions of a religion – rituals, doctrines, myths/narratives, experiences, ethics/legalism, organization, and symbols/art and architecture – and in this case the Hindu Religion.
Very Important:
Please read Pat Fisher’s Living Religions, (7th Edition), pp. 72-119. Students should familiarize the “Key terms” (the words in page 118) and words in bold through pages 72-117 of Fisher’s book and become familiar with concepts behind those words!
There are also other introductory books that you may consult to appreciate the Hindu faith and practices. Among them are the following:
1. John L. Esposito, Darrell J. Fasching, and Todd Lewis, World Religions Today, (3rd Edition), Oxford University Press, 2009, pp. 301-387.
2. Willard G. Oxtoby & Alan F. Segal, editors, A Concise Introduction to World Religions, 2007, pp. 258-325.
Hindu Religion in a Nutshell
Hinduism is one of the world's oldest religions with about 900 million to 1.4 billion adherents worldwide. The bulk of the Hindus are from India, which has about 1 billion Hindu practitioners, roughly a little over 80% of India’s population. There are about 15 million Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh, two Muslim majority countries. In Nepal there are about 18 million Hindus, and about 15 million in Nepal.
There are large number of Hindus in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Fiji, Myanmar, South Africa, and US!
There are large numbers of Hindus, immigrants from India living in the Western world. In the beginning of 2000 in Britain alone there were about 260,000 Hindus! The first Hindu Temple in North America was established as early as in 1906 in San Francisco! There are about 90 Hindu temples and worship centres – Ontario 65, Alberta 08, Quebec 06, British Columbia 05, Manitoba 03, one each in Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and New Foundland – in Canada. This excludes the many Sai Baba centres! There are at least 4 temples in Edmonton, the well known one being the Maha Ganapathy Temple in Running Creek Road, Edmonton!
Here are some facts from http://www.adherents.com/adh_predom.html
Hindu Religion in a Nutshell
Hinduism is one of the world's oldest religions with about 900 million to 1.4 billion adherents worldwide. The bulk of the Hindus are from India, which has about 1 billion Hindu practitioners, roughly a little over 80% of India’s population. There are about 15 million Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh, two Muslim majority countries. In Nepal there are about 18 million Hindus, and about 15 million in Nepal.
There are large number of Hindus in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Fiji, Myanmar, South Africa, and US!
There are large numbers of Hindus, immigrants from India living in the Western world. In the beginning of 2000 in Britain alone there were about 260,000 Hindus! The first Hindu Temple in North America was established as early as in 1906 in San Francisco! There are about 90 Hindu temples and worship centres – Ontario 65, Alberta 08, Quebec 06, British Columbia 05, Manitoba 03, one each in Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and New Foundland – in Canada. This excludes the many Sai Baba centres! There are at least 4 temples in Edmonton, the well known one being the Maha Ganapathy Temple in Running Creek Road, Edmonton!
Here are some facts from http://www.adherents.com/adh_predom.html
“The world's third largest religion, Hinduism, makes up the majority of the population of 3 nations: Nepal, India, and Mauritius. Balinese-style Hindus also make up 95% of the large population of Bali, in Indonesia.
It is interesting to note that although the majority of the world's Hindus live in India, the nation as a whole is only about 80% Hindu, and is an officially secular state, i.e., there is no state religion.
In Nepal a higher proportion of the population are Hindus than in India, and Nepal is the world's only official Hindu state. Freedom of worship is protected, but official state religion is Hinduism. As in many countries, religious proselytising is prohibited in Nepal.
In Mauritius, a bare majority of 54% of the population are Hindu.”
Hinduism has no single doctrine, and there is no single founder or teacher originating perhaps in the valley of River Indus, which is in modern day Pakistan around 3000 BCE.
Hindus believe in a universal eternal soul called Brahman, the creator God who preserves and destroys all that is created. However, Hindus do worship a multitude of deities. While worshipping a multitude of gods and goddess Hindus, following their sacred scriptures affirm “One God”. The Rig Veda says, “God is one and single, but the worshippers call God in a multitude of names!"
Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth – or reincarnation – governed by the principle of Karma. Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle of successive lives and its next incarnation is always dependent on how the previous life was lived.
Hindus in India may not have read the Vedas but still consider them as the most ancient religious Hindu texts heard by the ancient Hindu sages.
Some Problems in the Study of Hindu Religion:
1. Words such as “Hindu” and “Hinduism” are post 12th century CE and are imposition on a people by the outsiders! Even the word “religion” is not part of that phenomenon we call “Hindu” or “Hinduism”. The word the Hindus use is “dharma” instead of “religion”. However, Hindus today have begun to use the terms such as “religion”, “Hindu”, and “Hinduism” freely!
2. Hindus call their Hinduism – if we can use those terms – “sanātana dharma”, meaning eternal religion! Unlike other religions “sanātana dharma” has no founders, nor a historical moment of “founding”. Sir Charles Eliot once said, “Hinduism has not been made, but has grown”. It is the “beginning less” (anādi) character of this faith that provides a greater authority to this religion! (God, we may note, for a Hindu too, is “beginning less” and “end less”!)
3. It is one of the oldest living and thriving religions despite it being beaten and battered so many times by so many conquerors – Persians (Muslims) and Europeans (Christians) – Portuguese, Dutch, and English!
4. This religion – sanātana dharma – is not uniform or monolithic does not permit easy defining! Hinduism is simultaneously monotheistic, polytheistic, monistic, agnostic and even atheistic! How can that be? That’s the genius of sanātana dharma! Professor K.N. Tiwari said, “A polytheist is as much a Hindu, as a monotheist or a monist or even an atheist.” [Monism refers to a singular substance behind the multiplicity in form. Samkhya is an atheistic philosophical system that is one among the six philosophical systems of Hindu faith and practice. For the six systems please refer to: http://www.atmajyoti.org/sw_six_systems_of_hindu_philosophy.asp or go to http://www.indopedia.org/Hindu_philosophy.html]. The phenomenon described, as “Hinduism” is capable of accommodating all points of views – very pluralistic, and very liberal!
5. We may also notice the Hindu accommodation of some of the other distinct religions such as Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, etc as “other religious orders of Hindu Faith”! Hinduism thrives not by excluding but by including!
Meaning and Order in the Hindu Way:
A. The controversial Caste System - read Fisher, pages 99f – that goes back to the Vedic age is there to promote an orderly working of the Hindu community on the basis of “occupational groups”:
1. Brahmins – priests and philosophers
2. Kshatriyas – kings and warriors
3. Vaishyas – farmers and merchants
4. Shudras – manual laborers
5. Outcastes & Untouchables – Harijans and Dalits
B. Code of Manu compiled around 100 CE is the source of this system! You may want to explore the content of this controversial document!
C. Individual Hindu is expected to organize his life (confined to the males of the three upper castes) through various stages (ashramas) of life, which numbers four:
1. Brahmacharin – student hood
2. Grahastam – householder
3. Vanaprastham – Semi retirement
4. Sannyasin – Complete retirement and renouncement depending on others!
There is much debate around can women also participate in this process!
If you keep these entire rules you enter heaven, achieve liberation – the moksha, the goal of human life!
In Mauritius, a bare majority of 54% of the population are Hindu.”
Hinduism has no single doctrine, and there is no single founder or teacher originating perhaps in the valley of River Indus, which is in modern day Pakistan around 3000 BCE.
Hindus believe in a universal eternal soul called Brahman, the creator God who preserves and destroys all that is created. However, Hindus do worship a multitude of deities. While worshipping a multitude of gods and goddess Hindus, following their sacred scriptures affirm “One God”. The Rig Veda says, “God is one and single, but the worshippers call God in a multitude of names!"
Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth – or reincarnation – governed by the principle of Karma. Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle of successive lives and its next incarnation is always dependent on how the previous life was lived.
Hindus in India may not have read the Vedas but still consider them as the most ancient religious Hindu texts heard by the ancient Hindu sages.
Some Problems in the Study of Hindu Religion:
1. Words such as “Hindu” and “Hinduism” are post 12th century CE and are imposition on a people by the outsiders! Even the word “religion” is not part of that phenomenon we call “Hindu” or “Hinduism”. The word the Hindus use is “dharma” instead of “religion”. However, Hindus today have begun to use the terms such as “religion”, “Hindu”, and “Hinduism” freely!
2. Hindus call their Hinduism – if we can use those terms – “sanātana dharma”, meaning eternal religion! Unlike other religions “sanātana dharma” has no founders, nor a historical moment of “founding”. Sir Charles Eliot once said, “Hinduism has not been made, but has grown”. It is the “beginning less” (anādi) character of this faith that provides a greater authority to this religion! (God, we may note, for a Hindu too, is “beginning less” and “end less”!)
3. It is one of the oldest living and thriving religions despite it being beaten and battered so many times by so many conquerors – Persians (Muslims) and Europeans (Christians) – Portuguese, Dutch, and English!
4. This religion – sanātana dharma – is not uniform or monolithic does not permit easy defining! Hinduism is simultaneously monotheistic, polytheistic, monistic, agnostic and even atheistic! How can that be? That’s the genius of sanātana dharma! Professor K.N. Tiwari said, “A polytheist is as much a Hindu, as a monotheist or a monist or even an atheist.” [Monism refers to a singular substance behind the multiplicity in form. Samkhya is an atheistic philosophical system that is one among the six philosophical systems of Hindu faith and practice. For the six systems please refer to: http://www.atmajyoti.org/sw_six_systems_of_hindu_philosophy.asp or go to http://www.indopedia.org/Hindu_philosophy.html]. The phenomenon described, as “Hinduism” is capable of accommodating all points of views – very pluralistic, and very liberal!
5. We may also notice the Hindu accommodation of some of the other distinct religions such as Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, etc as “other religious orders of Hindu Faith”! Hinduism thrives not by excluding but by including!
Meaning and Order in the Hindu Way:
A. The controversial Caste System - read Fisher, pages 99f – that goes back to the Vedic age is there to promote an orderly working of the Hindu community on the basis of “occupational groups”:
1. Brahmins – priests and philosophers
2. Kshatriyas – kings and warriors
3. Vaishyas – farmers and merchants
4. Shudras – manual laborers
5. Outcastes & Untouchables – Harijans and Dalits
B. Code of Manu compiled around 100 CE is the source of this system! You may want to explore the content of this controversial document!
C. Individual Hindu is expected to organize his life (confined to the males of the three upper castes) through various stages (ashramas) of life, which numbers four:
1. Brahmacharin – student hood
2. Grahastam – householder
3. Vanaprastham – Semi retirement
4. Sannyasin – Complete retirement and renouncement depending on others!
There is much debate around can women also participate in this process!
If you keep these entire rules you enter heaven, achieve liberation – the moksha, the goal of human life!
Questions to Explore:
1. Explain and critically comment the sevenfold definition of “Hindu Religion” provided by the Indian Supreme Court (found in page 116 of Fisher’s book).
2. Explain the strengths and limitations of the ancient Hindu caste system for achieving of “liberation” in today’s world.
1. Explain and critically comment the sevenfold definition of “Hindu Religion” provided by the Indian Supreme Court (found in page 116 of Fisher’s book).
2. Explain the strengths and limitations of the ancient Hindu caste system for achieving of “liberation” in today’s world.
