This is the third 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.
A Buddhist friend told me that he was teaching his sons about a lot of gods. Having been raised in the Christian faith, I found that odd. Now I can reconcile the two.
Professor Berkson notes that Judaism and Islam are the most popular religions in India. Both Judaism and Islam prohibit making any images of God. Their rationale is that God is infinite. Therefore, if any image is made of God, the follower is limiting the concept of God. The follower is worshiping the image rather than God.
Hinduism agrees in the infinity of ultimate reality, which is called Brahman. However, Hindus believe it is important to see and be seen by the ultimate reality. So, they represent Brahman by many gods. The more the better. I rather like the approach.
Hinduism teaches that the soul is Atman, part of Brahman. Professor Berkson stated, “So now we know that we each have a soul (Atman) and we know about ultimate reality (Brahman). The Chandogya Upanishad reveals “that art thou”—tat tvam asi. Your soul, your Atman, is identical with ultimate reality, Brahman. When we recognize our identity with the ultimate reality, we achieve liberation.”
Later, when we cover Christianity, I will compare that to what Jesus actually taught. The similarities are striking.
In spite of the multiplicity, Hindus see everything as being part of the one ultimate reality. When I see everything as part of the whole, I can honor the multiple forms. All are created by God.
Some Hindus only worship one God. Others worship many gods. Professor Berkson discussed three categories. Male gods often have female consorts who have the female power (Shakti) necessary to release the male spiritual power. “Vishnu is seen as the all-pervading Lord of the Universe and protector of humanity.” His female consort is known as Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Vishnu can appear in ten avatars to help mankind. Krishna and Rama are the most widely worshiped. Krishna is seen as a child or lover. Rama is a warrior.
The second category is Shiva the god of opposites and Lord of Yoga. Images of Shiva can seem contradictory. Shiva may be seen with his wife Parvati and two sons. One son, Ganesha is the “remover of obstacles and the guardian of entryways. Praying to him is said to bring good luck and success, so many people worship him before embarking on a trip or a new venture.”
Berkson’s last category is Devi, the goddess. Male deities would be powerless without female power. He gave two examples of female deities. “Durga is portrayed with numerous arms, many holding weapons, Ganesha, a popular Hindu deity, is the god of beginnings and new ventures. riding a lion and ready for battle. Kali is usually portrayed as dark with a long red tongue, blood dripping from her mouth, and wearing a necklace of skulls. She is considered a great protector.”
Hindus see destruction and death as part of the divine creation. They face those realities with their depictions of gods.
Worship services (pungas) can include chanting, music and festivals. Hindus value sound, in particular “Om”.
Many Hindus are vegetarian. All refuse to eat beef.
In the next lesson, we will learn about the Bhagavad Gita.