Post 2. What Everybody Ought to Know about Religions
Hinduism the oldest and third most popular tradition.
This is the second post to help understand world events and our neighbors.
I am taking Cultural Literacy for Religion: Everything the Well-Educated Person Should Know, by Professor Mark Berkson of Hamine University. It is one of The Great Courses. I’m going to give you my take on what I’m learning in a series of posts. I will continue to look for how our spirituality or lack thereof improves our lives.
Lesson 3 is titled Hinduism - Foundational Texts and Teachings.
Please keep in mind that I am not covering everything in the course. I’m covering what I find most interesting.
The word Hindu was used by others to refer to people beyond the Indus River. Most Hindus are found in South Asia. There is no central authority and no orthodox creed.
Two traditions came together to form the Hindu religion. The Indus River Valley Civilization goes back to at least 4500 years. Goddesses, bathing and use of water in rituals, animals, yoga and meditation might all be traced to this civilization.
Aryans moved into India from the north around 2000 B.C.E. The Vedas (scriptures written in Sanskrit), numerous gods, rituals conducted by brahmins (priests), and social classes came from the Aryans.
There were four social classes. Brahmins (priests) and Kshatriyas (warriors and rulers) were the top two classes. Vaishyas (farmers, traders, merchants) were the third class. Shudras (servants) were the lowest class. The four classes (Varnas) became the caste system. Only the top three Varnas were “twice-born” and could have access to the Vedic texts. It is unclear how one became twice-born.
Veda is the word for knowledge. Sanscrit is in the same Indo-European language family as English. Although written down in 500 B.C.E., the Vedic texts go back to 1000 years earlier.
Two concepts I find interesting. First, there is a cosmic order to the world that must be upheld. Second, the entire universe is seen as a vast organism. Compare that to what we are learning about quantum physics.
Liberation from Suffering
Early Vedic teaching was about how to live a better life. The Upanishads believed that if we became attached to things of the world, we would experience suffering and rebirth. Samsara was the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
The Indian traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism all see life as suffering (sickness, aging and death) and rebirth as something to be avoided. Liberation from the cycle is the goal of religion.
What is liberated? The body goes back to the earth. The Atman (soul) is reborn.
Karma
Karma means action and explains the law of cause and effect that leads to rebirth. Our previous actions determine who we are today. Our present actions determine who we will become when reborn.
According to the Upanishads, if we knew our true identity as Atman (pure consciousness, which is changeless and eternal) we would not suffer.
Quoting Professor Berkson, “We now see one of the most fundamental tensions within Hinduism: the importance of preserving cosmic and social order by finding one’s place within it and the quest to find liberation from the world through renunciation, asceticism, and nonattachment. Some of the most powerful ideas in Hinduism have come from attempts to reconcile this tension.”
The Four Goals of Humanity
Dharma (performing one’s duty) is the first goal. Artha (gaining material wealth) is the second goal. Kama (pleasure) is the third goal. Kama can be sexual, music, dance, art, and food. Moksha (liberation from samsara) is the fourth goal.
One’s dharma will depend on caste and stage of life (ashrama). If there is an order to the universe, then one must find the right action to maintain the order, while acting to improve karma and lead to liberation.
Stages of Life
Stage one is the student.
Householder is stage two. During stage two one gets married (arranged), becomes a parent, gets a job, etc.
Stage three is the forest dweller or hermit. We would call them retirees. It is when we withdraw from life and take care of grandkids, etc.
The last stage is the renunciate. During this stage, the most committed give up their attachments to things to commit to a spiritual life.
The next lesson will focus on Hindu Gods and Devotional Practices.