Who is my Neighbor?Who is my Neighbor?

A study of world

religions

October 17, 2012

First Baptist Church of Pittsburgh

Week 2: What is a Cult? OCT. 10 - Megan•Scholarly vs. Popular Definition •Common Traits •Examples 

Week 3: Hinduism Brief History OCT. 17 – Megan (Kittie will contribute TM materials)•Vedas•Shaivas, Vaishnavas, Goddess followers•Beliefs & Practice

Week 4: Buddhism OCT 24 – Megan•Brief History •Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana •4 Truths, Eight-fold Path •Mahayana Sects (Zen/Chan, Pure Land, etc.) •Beliefs & Practice

Week 5: "Minor" Religions OCT. 31 - Megan•Zoroastrianism •Sikhism •Jainism•Taoism•Shinto

Week 6: Judaism NOV. 7 – Kittie•Brief history•Ancient vs. Modern•Orthodox vs. Reformed•Beliefs and Practices

Week 7: Christianity NOV. 14 - Kittie •Brief History •Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Other •Beliefs & Practice 

 NOV 21 – NO CLASS, BREAK FOR THANKSGIVING 

Week 8: Islam NOV. 28 - Kittie•Brief History•Four pillars•Shiite vs. Sunni•Sufism

Week 9: New Religions (post 1800) DEC. 5 - Kittie•Mormonism •Jehovah's Witnesses •Scientology •Neo-Paganism/Wicca •Various New Asian Religions

Week 10: Overview/Summary: What Does All This Mean for Christians?

Hinduism is the 3rd largest religion (1st and 2nd are Christianity and Islam, respectively)

Countries with the greatest proportion of Hindus (as of 2008) per Wikipedia:

• Nepal 86.5%• India 80.5%• Mauritius 54%• Guyana 28%• Fiji 27.9%• Bhutan 25%• Trinidad and Tobago 22.5%• Suriname 20%• Sri Lanka 15%• Bangladesh 9.6%

• Qatar 7.2%• Réunion 6.7%• Malaysia 6.3%• Bahrain 6.25%• Kuwait 6%• United Arab Emirates 5%• Singapore 4%• Oman 3%• Belize 2.3%• Seychelles 2.1%

There are three Hindu temples in the Pittsburgh area:Balaji Temple in Penn HillsShirdi Sai Baba Temple in MonroevilleHindu Jain Temple in Monroeville (below)

From the Vedas to the present

Term dates from the Muslim conquest of India c. 13th-16th centuries CE.Jizya – tax levied by Muslim rulers on non-

Muslims; non-Muslims referred to as ‘Hindus’ collectively, i.e. someone native to India

Term continued to be used by the British during their occupation of India

More of a collection of religious practices native to the Indian subcontinent than a single, coherent religion

Oldest Hindu textsComposed between 1500 and 1000 BCE

Consists of four books:Rigveda – hymns for sacrifices to deitiesYajurveda – ritual mantras for sacrificesSamaveda – hymns to be sung during libations

to deitiesAtharvaveda – spells, incantations, and some

hymns

Also known as ‘Vedanta’, the end of the VedasEach one associated with one of the VedasProposed dates for composition range from

1200 to 600 BCEPassed down orally108 canonical Upanishads

More continue to be writtenPhilosophical and metaphysical

Hindu devotionalismExperienced tremendous growth during the

medieval periodStrongly associated with VaishnavismEmphasizes personal experience over liturgy

and ritualSpread by poets of all castesInfluenced other religious traditions in India,

including Sufism, Sikhism, Christianity, and Jainism.

International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON), also known as Hare KrishnasBhakti movement centered on Krishna, an

avatar of VishnuShirdi Sai Baba movement

Started in the 19th century during Shirdi Sai Baba’s life

Considered a sort of Hindu saintSeen by some Hindus as an incarnation of

Krishna or Dattatreya

Castes, Duties, and Stages of Life

First mentioned in the Purusha Sukta in the RigvedaIn Hindu mythology, all things were created

from the body of Purusha, a transcendent cosmic being who sacrifices himself to create all thingsThe four castes (varnas) come from different parts

of Purusha:Brahman (priest caste) comes from his mouthKshatriya (warrior caste) comes from his armsVaishya (merchant caste) comes from his thighsShudra (worker caste) comes from his feet

Term comes from Sanskrit meaning "ground", "suppressed", "crushed", or "broken to pieces".

Also known as ‘untouchables’, considered outside the caste system

Historically held jobs that were considered ritually unclean, i.e. anything involving animal products, such as butchers and leatherworkers

Discrimination against Dalits is prohibited under the Indian Constitution.

Some converted to other religions en masse as protest

‘Sub-castes’Hundreds of jatis for every varna.Indian surnames often indicate a jati.Provided social support structureHistorically endogamous (married only within

the group)Today, inter-caste marriage is on the rise

Thus talk of jatis and other historical groups are slowly becoming irrelevant

Brahmacharya (student)Age 5-27

Grihastha (householder)Age 27-54

Vanaprastha (retiree)Age 55-81

Sannyasa (ascetic)Age 82+

DharmaDuty, righteousness

ArthaFinancial prosperity

KamaPleasure

MokshaSpiritual liberation,

detatchment

Purusartha

Terms, Sects, and Worship

Samsara – lit. “continuous flow”, the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth

Reincarnation – belief that the soul is born into a new body after death, the nature of which is determined by karma

Moksha – liberation, the only way to exit samsara; results in oneness with Brahman or entering a sort of heaven, depending on the school of thought.

Karma – “action” or “deed”, cause and effect of one’s actions, good or evil. One accumulates karma through thoughts, words, and actions performed or instructed to others to perform

Dharma – law, duty, righteousness; encompasses proper behavior and the natural order of things

Atman – the soulBrahman – the absolute God, or ‘all-soul’;

either a personal God or an impersonal entity depending on the school.

Ahimsa – non-violence; sometimes interpreted to require vegetarianism

VaishnavismWorship Vishnu as their primary

deityPopular avatars of Vishnu include Rama

(hero of the Ramayana) and Krishna (of the Mahabharata)

Ascribe special importance to the Baghavad Gita

ShaivismWorship Shiva as their primary deity

Avatars include Virabhadra, Bhairava, Sharabha, Durvasa, and Nataraja (at right)

Most popular form of Hinduism in Nepal

Widespread throughout India and Southeast Asia

Often worshipped in the form of a lingam, a cylindrical stone

ShaktismWorship Devi (lit. ‘the Goddess’)

as their primary deityPopular forms:

Durga (at right) – fierce warrior goddess

Lakshmi – goddess of wealth and prosperity

Saraswati – goddess of knowledge, music, art, and science.

Sita – wife of RamaKali – goddess of time and change

GaneshaElephant-headed godRevered as “Lord of

Obstacles”, “Lord of Beginnings”, and “Remover of Obstacles”

Worshipped during major life changes such as changing jobs, moving, major purchases or business ventures

Non-sectarian deity (i.e. worshipped by all the major sects)

SuryaSolar godWorshipped at dawnDepicted riding a chariot

drawn by seven horsesSeveral temples dedicated

to him

Means ‘worship’Performed daily in the home; more elaborate puja is

performed in temples.Example of a puja ritual (from Wikipedia):

Avahana (“invocation”). The deity is invited to the ceremony from the heart.

Asana. The deity is offered a seat.Padya. The deity’s feet are symbolically washed.Water is offered for washing the head and body.Arghya. Water is offered so the deity may wash its

mouth.Snana or abhisekha. Water is offered for symbolic

bathing.

Vastra (“clothing”). Here a cloth may be wrapped around the image and ornaments affixed to it.

Upaveeda or Mangalsutra. Putting on the sacred thread.Anulepana or gandha. Perfumes and ointments are

applied to the image. Sandalwood paste or kumkum is applied.

Pushpa. Flowers are offered before the image, or garlands draped around its neck.

Dhupa. Incense is burned before the image.Dipa or Aarti. A burning lamp is waved in front of the

image.Naivedya. Foods such as cooked rice, fruit, clarified

butter, sugar, and betel leaf are offered.Namaskara or pranama. The worshipper and family bow

or prostrate themselves before the image to offer homage.Parikrama or Pradakshina. Circumbulation around the

deity.Taking leave.

Possibly dates back as far as the 3rd millennium BCE, based on the depictions of a cross-legged man found on seals in the Indus Valley

Tied to meditationThree types of yoga listed in the Baghavad Gita:

Karma yoga: The yoga of action.One must surrender the ownership of one’s action.

Bhakti yoga: The yoga of devotion.One must devote oneself to the deity in order to

become closer to them.Jnana yoga: The yoga of knowledge.

One must distinguish between the temporal and the eternal.