Hinduism

• Hindus believe that an avatar is when a god appears on earth in living form, often during times of decline in goodness and influence of evil on human actions
• Puja = prayer
• Swami = Hindu spiritual teacher, guru, or teacher of yoga
• Avatar = a representation of a deity or a spiritual being that is believed to possess supernatural powers and is believed to be able to help people in need , human form of god on earth
• Dharma = the religious and moral duties of an individual
• Shiva has a third eye which represents his ability to look beyond the obvious
• Shiv Shakti - Shiva is inseparable from his consort Shakti. In images, the two are shown as being one
• Key words to not get confused:

  • Brahman: the supreme, eternal, and immanent spirit
  • Brahma: the Creator God
  • Brahmin: the highest priestly caste of Hinduism
• Summary of Key Terms:

  • Vedas: Oldest sacred texts of Hinduism
  • Upanishads: Hindu philosophical writings attached to the Vedas
  • Bhagavad Gita: Popular text in Hinduism describing a conversation between Arjuna and Krishna
  • Bhakti: Special form of worship and deep personal devotion expressing love to one's god
• Life Progression in Hinduism:

  • Death is not a tragedy but a rebirth into another life form, beginning the concept of reincarnation
  • Moksha, meaning freedom, is the ultimate goal of human life and includes liberation from self-limitations
  • Ascetic practice is a means to attain moksha and know the sacred reality
• Hindus call nirvana "eternal bliss" and it can only be experienced directly
• The four stages of life or ashrama for the twice born are:

  • Celibate student - males learn the Veda
  • Householder stage: males experience family life and wealth
  • Hermit or wilderness dweller stage: males retire from worldly life for pilgrimage and religious observances with their wife
  • Renunciation stage: males give up the world, wear a saffron robe or go naked, and seek moksha with a bowl and staff
• People in the top three classes are known as 'twice born' because:

  • They are considered ‘further along’ their reincarnation journey and can undergo a spiritual rebirth and initiation in adolescence (sacred thread- Upanayana ceremony) having undergone reincarnation
• Revealed knowledge in Shruti literature is restricted to a specific audience: only adult males from the upper three classes are considered worthy as they are twice-born
• The Upanishads/Vedas teach that the soul (atman) is trapped in the endless cycle of birth and rebirth (samsara) and cannot merge with Brahman
• Diwali honours Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth
• People start the new business year at Diwali and some Hindus pray to Lakshmi for a successful year
• Trimurti is depicted as a single-bodied, three-headed man, symbolizing that the three forms are aspects of one Supreme Being
• Yoga is the path to enlightenment, realizing our true nature as the all-pervading consciousness, and uniting individual consciousness with the universal consciousness
• Ashram = place where monks live
• 1.     What is meant by sanatana dharma?

  Hinduism

  
  

  
  

  'Sanatana' means eternal and 'Dharma' signifies the path of righteousness
• 1.     What are devas?


  Devas are divine beings in Hinduism and Buddhism.
• 1.     What is samsara? Cycle of rebirth
• Why is Samsara not considered an ‘exciting’ prospect ?

  Most Hindus consider samsara essentially painful, a cycle of four recurring problems: birth, disease, old-age, and death.
• 1.     What is meant by Moksha?

  The definition of moksha is the freedom from the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
• 1.     What are the four Varnas? Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras
• 1.     What is dharma?


  the eternal and inherent nature of reality, regarded in Hinduism as a cosmic law underlying right behaviour and social order.
• 1.     What is yoga in Hinduism?


  a practice to control the senses and ultimately, the mind.
• 1.     What is another word for jnana yoga?  What does one need to do when following this path? 1. Another word for jnana yoga is "path of knowledge." One needs to cultivate wisdom and self-inquiry when following this path.
• 1.     What is bhakti yoga? Devotional yoga practice.
• Sannyasa = renunciation of worldly life and attachment to material possessions
• Kshatriya = warrior/ruler caste responsible for protecting society and maintaining law and order
• After death in Hinduism, the soul is reborn as a different form in the cycle of samsara
• Moksha means freedom from samsara. Reincarnation is an important part of Moksha as it depends on karma in this life
• Aspects of human pursuit


  • Darma (righteousness)
  • Artha (wealth)
  • Karma and Kama (work and pleasure)
  • Moksha (liberation)
• Ashrama


  The four stages of life
• Sacred texts of Hinduism


  • Shruti
  • Smriti
• Texts under Shruti


  • Vedas
  • Upanishads
• Moksha


  Freedom from samsara and considered the ultimate goal of human life
• Smriti

  That which is remembered