hinduism paper

• Brahman


  Ultimate reality, a limitless, universal soul or consciousness, beyond human understanding, and the source of all life
• Brahman nirguna


  The idea that God is 'divine consciousness', with no form or shape
• Brahman saguna


  The idea that God has form and can be pictured
• Avatar


  One who descends, God literally descends to earth to benefit mankind and to rejuvenate spirituality
• Monism


  The belief that God is impersonal, without qualities or form
• Sri Ramakrishna: 'God can be simultaneously be both with and without form, like ice and water'
• God with attributes (saguna) is the most popular approach adopted by Hindus
• Common forms of God

  • Trimurti of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma
  • Other popular deities such as Ganesha
• To think of God as formless and without attributes (nirguna) may appear to be very abstract and difficult
• Brahman


  The Ultimate or Cosmic Reality, the underlying principle of absolutely everything
• "All this is Brahman.": 'The idea of monism'
• "He is the one present everywhere and He is the great one who is above all.": 'God is within our hearts'
• "I am the source of the immortal spirit, of everlasting dharma and of the absolute bliss.": 'God is personal as the spirit (atman) is an extension of the Supreme Being'
• "You are not able to see Me with your physical eye": 'Brahman is nirguna as all descriptions are incomplete and limiting'
• "I manifest Myself by controlling the material Nature": 'Brahman is saguna, with attributes that save humans in their limitedness. Brahman takes form on earth, known as avatars'
• Brahma


  • Four heads to show Brahman is looking in all directions and is responsible for all of creation
  • Holds the Veda to show he is guided by these holy books
  • Spoon for offerings during worship
  • Beads for meditation
  • Water pot for the water of life which began creation
  • Lotus flower as a symbol of purity
• Saraswati


  Consort of Brahma, goddess of music, knowledge, art and learning
• Vishnu


  • Represents the soul of the whole universe
  • Gave birth to Brahma who created the universe
  • Seen as the 'lord within' in the hearts of every individual
  • Worshipped through avatars
• Lakshmi


  Vishnu's consort, worshipped during Diwali, represents beauty, prosperity and wealth
• Shiva


  • In charge of destruction and recreation
  • Animal hides show mastery over lust
  • Trident represents the three deities of the trimurti
  • Serpents represent destruction
  • Third eye symbolises spiritual knowledge and power
  • Nandi the bull shows Shiva's calm and gentle aspects
• Shakti


  The general term for goddess, meaning energy
• Kali


  • Fierce and wild goddess, often shown naked with blue or black skin and her tongue sticking out, associated with death and destruction
• The Kurma Puranas teach Hindus about the members of the trimurti
• Vaishnava Bhakti


  Loving devotion to Vishnu
• ISKCON practices


  • Regulation of life (no gambling, drugs, sex, meat, fish, eggs, garlic)
  • Nama-japa (chanting the maha mantra)
  • Kirtana (congregational singing and dancing)
  • Daily puja (offerings and aarti rite)
  • Prashad (eating food offered to God)
• Why ISKCON practices


  Disciplines the mind, overcomes attachment to the sensory world, enables focus on God, demonstrates devotion, enables experience of God's blessing
• Shaivism


  Devotion to Shiva, Shaivites are often ascetics, some use marijuana to aid meditation, believe atman and Brahman are one
• Atman


  Eternal self, spirit or soul, our true essence underlying our existence
• Advaita Vedanta


  Belief that the soul is never really different or separate from God
• Dvaita Vedanta


  Belief in the existence of two separate realities - God and the soul, the soul relies on God for its existence
• Dharma


  One's duty or righteous path, acting according to one's dharma is right, acting against it is wrong (adharma)
• Karma


  The law that every action has an equal reaction, good actions have good reactions and bad actions have bad reactions, operates across lifetimes
• Samsara


  The continuous cycle of reincarnation, the goal is to be liberated (moksha) from this cycle
• Karma


  The law that every action has an equal reaction either immediately or at some point in the future
• Good or virtuous actions, actions in harmony with dharma


  Will have good reactions or responses
• Bad actions, actions against dharma

  Will have the opposite effect
• In Hinduism karma operates not only in this lifetime but across lifetimes: the results of an action might only be experienced after the present life in a new life
• Hindus believe that human beings can create good or bad consequences for their actions


  They might reap the rewards of action in this life, in a future human rebirth or reap the rewards of action in a heavenly or hell realm in which the self is reborn for a period of time
• Samsara


  A continuous cycle in which the soul is reborn over and over again according to the law of action and reaction
• Moksha


  The end of the death and rebirth cycle, achieved by overcoming ignorance and desires