A Tour of Hinduism - V

Neighboring Faiths – Winfried Corduan

1.      Hinduism has moved back and forth through various phases of monotheism, henotheism, polytheism and animism.

2.      There are no sets of constant core beliefs.

3.      In order to qualify as a Hindu, social expectations:

i.      Regard the Vedas as divinely inspired and authoritative,

ii.         Accept the caste system,

iii.    Respect the level of deities and spirits, respect cows and protect it

4.      Three phases: Way of Knowledge, Work and Devotion

i.                    Way of Work: The first phase. Rituals, priesthood, Brahmanism/Vedic Hinduism

ii.                  Way of Knowledge: ascetic and mystical path that emerged around 500 BC. Vedantic or Upanishadic

iii.               Way of Devotion: 1000 AD. Devotion to own’s own god within a pantheism of available deities

5.      Aryans:

i.              Came from somewhere in South East Europe, possibly SW Asian Steppes, area of Aral sea.

ii.                  Story of Hinduism begins from them

iii.              Settlement: NW corner of India, Indus Valley (Harappan, Kalibangan and Mohenjo daro)

iv.       Their (Indus civilization) actual belief and myth remained a mystery. They had high developed agrarian culture.

v.                  Aryans were cattle herding.

vi.      Either they invaded the Indus valley destroying those civilization or they took over abandoned areas by those civilization due to drying of river.

6.      Indus valley people may be related to Dravidian (Tamil people)

7.  Vedas: Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva. Transmitted orally until 16^th century (3000 years of oral transmission)

8.      Reincarnation: No trace appears in the Vedas. Highly negative, painful, burden and undesirable concept.

9.      Karma: cause and effect. Action of one’s life produces duties of the next.

10.  Goal: Release from Samsara i.e. Moksha.

11.  Upanishads:

i.                Brahman: One true reality, impersonal, all pervasive being, infinite, beyond all categories and all human thoughts. All there is. Advaita Vedanta: Everything is One.

ii.                  Maya: Illusion

iii.                Atman: a reality, true self deep inside human soul that is identical with Brahman. Atman is Brahman.

12.  Way of devotion: Bhakti Hinduismà Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shakti

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