...Introduction Hinduism is a major world religion that originated on the Indian subcontinent and consists of several schools of varied rituals, philosophies and beliefs. The name, Hinduism, is actually coined by British journalists and writers in the early 19th century to refer to the tradition of texts and practices. It is believed that Hinduism is now the worlds oldest and widely practiced religions known today having dated back to around the 3rd or 2nd millennium bce. When the term “Hinduism” was first published to describe the religion, it has since been met with mixed reactions with some rejecting it in favor of indigenous formulations. Some have taking to the term “Vedic Religion” as a way to refer to the ancient texts known as the “Vedas”. The majority of those who practice the religion do accept the term “Hinduism”. Hinduism and Buddhism Despite the labeling and acceptance thereof, Hinduism has managed to stay as a thriving religion with various influences in many cultures. Its believed that Hinduism and Buddhism share a common bond. The Buddha was born to a Hindu family and some still argue that because of this, Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism and that the Buddha was a part of the Hindu pantheon, a view which is not accepted by many Buddhists. Long ago, Hindu tradition accepted the Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu. There were many that didn’t believe that Buddha’s teachings and enlightenment were of any relation to the Hindu beliefs though. Despite the fundamental...
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...Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda Volume 1 Addresses at The Parliament of Religions Karma-Yoga Raja-Yoga Lectures and Discourses Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda Volume 1 Addresses at The Parliament of Religions Response to Welcome Why We Disagree Paper on Hinduism Religion not the Crying Need of India Buddhism, the Fulfilment of Hinduism Address at the Final Session Home / Complete-Works / Volume 1 / Addresses at The Parliament of Religions / > Home / Complete-Works / Volume 1 / Addresses at The Parliament of Religions / > Home / Complete-Works / Volume 1 / Addresses at The Parliament of Religions / > Home / Complete-Works / Volume 1 / Addresses at The Parliament of Religions / > Home / Complete-Works / Volume 1 / Addresses at The Parliament of Religions / > Home / Complete-Works / Volume 1 / Addresses at The Parliament of Religions / > Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda Volume 1 Karma-Yoga Karma in its Effect on Character Each is great in his own place The Secret of Work What is Duty? We help ourselves, not the world Non-attachment is complete self-abnegation Freedom The Ideal of Karma-Yoga Home / Complete-Works / Volume 1 / Karma-Yoga / > Home / Complete-Works / Volume 1 / Karma-Yoga / > Home / Complete-Works / Volume 1 / Karma-Yoga / > Home / Complete-Works / Volume 1 / Karma-Yoga / > Home / Complete-Works / Volume 1 / Karma-Yoga / > Home / Complete-Works / Volume 1 / Karma-Yoga / > Home / Complete-Works...
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...Swami Vivekananda : Life and Teachings Swami Vivekananda, known in his pre-monastic life as Narendra Nath Datta, was born in an affluent family in Kolkata on 12 January 1863. His father, Vishwanath Datta, was a successful attorney with interests in a wide range of subjects, and his mother, Bhuvaneshwari Devi, was endowed with deep devotion, strong character and other qualities. A precocious boy, Narendra excelled in music, gymnastics and studies. By the time he graduated from Calcutta University, he had acquired a vast knowledge of different subjects, especially Western philosophy and history. Born with a yogic temperament, he used to practise meditation even from his boyhood, and was associated with Brahmo Movement for some time. With Sri Ramakrishna At the threshold of youth Narendra had to pass through a period of spiritual crisis when he was assailed by doubts about the existence of God. It was at that time he first heard about Sri Ramakrishna from one of his English professors at college. One day in November 1881, Narendra went to meet Sri Ramakrishna who was staying at the Kali Temple in Dakshineshwar. He straightaway asked the Master a question which he had put to several others but had received no satisfactory answer: “Sir, have you seen God?” Without a moment’s hesitation, Sri Ramakrishna replied: “Yes, I have. I see Him as clearly as I see you, only in a much intenser sense.” Apart from removing doubts from the mind of Narendra, Sri Ramakrishna won him over...
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... REL 212 WORLD RELIGIONS PROFESSOR EUGENE MUHAMMAD OCTOBER 4, 2013 In this paper I will attempt to shed a better understanding about the religious background surrounding Buddhism and Hinduism. This paper will briefly describe how the two religions got its start, how the two has spread itself throughout the world. Buddhism is a religion to about 300 million people around the world….. The word comes from “budhi”, to awaken. It’s has origins about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gautama, who is known as the Buddha. At the age of 35 he himself was awakened (enlightened) at the age of 35. Buddhism is not just a religion it goes beyond that, to so many it is more of a philosophy in other words the “way of life”. To so many Buddhism explains a purpose to life, and it explains injustice and the inequality around the world. But it also provides a code of practice as well as a way of life that leads all too true happiness. Buddhism has become very important to the western countries because he has the answers to many of the problems that are a part of the modern materialistic societies. Buddha teaches many things in summing it up by the four Nobles truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Siddhartha Gautama was born into a royal family in Lumbini in 583 BCE, what is known today as Nepal. His father was a king and a leader of a Shakya. Unfortunately his mother...
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...Essay Assignment #1 | REL330 | Name | Chapter 4, Question 5 List the three major gods of modern Hinduism and give a brief description of each. Chapter 4, Question 5 List the three major gods of modern Hinduism and give a brief description of each. The three gods of modern Hinduism are Brahma, the creator of the universe; Shiva, the destroyer of the universe; and Vishnu, the preserver of the universe – together, they are referred to as the Trimurti. (Hopfe & Woodward, 2012) As with most religions, there is a creator of the universe. In the religion of Hinduism, Brahma is the creator of universe and all things in it. He is often depicted as red in color having four heads, four arms and usually a beard. Sarasvati, Brahma’s wife is the goddess of knowledge, speech, poetry, and wisdom. (Hopfe & Woodward, 2012) Although he is well respected and known to all Hindus, Brahma is the least worshipped of the Trimurti with only two temples in India devoted to him. Unlike Brahma, Shiva, known as the destroyer of the universe, is among the most popular of gods. (Hopfe & Woodward, 2012) Shiva is the god of death, destruction, and disease. His role is to destroy the universe in order to re-create it. His popularity stems from the belief that he is also the god of vegetable, animal, and human reproduction. He plays a vital role in the endless cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. In Indian thought, death is but the prelude to rebirth. (Hopfe &...
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...Hinduism Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion and was originated in the Indian subcontinent. Is rare that a big religion like Hinduism don’t have a single founder, religious organization, specific theological system and don’t even a system of morality, but it is a religion that has evolved over thousands of years. Hinduism has a diverse body of cultural and philosophical practices. Hinduism consists of belief and tradition. The most recognized belief and traditions of the Hinduism are Karma, Dharma, Samsara and Moshka. Hindu people don’t believe in violence, but they do believe in prayers, honesty, truth, austerity, celibacy and penance. The Hindu scriptures are collectively referred to as the Shashtras. The Hindu scriptures were initially passed on orally from generation to generation until finally ancient scholars wrote them down; mainly in the Sanskrit language that was the prevailing language of the time. Some of the Hindu scriptures are the Shruti and Smritis. The Shruti primarily refers to the Vedas which represent eternal truths revealed to ancient sages but some other Hindu individuals associated the Vedas with a God or a powerful person. The Smritis are all of the other text different than the Shruti. The most know of the Smritis are the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Although the Hindus worship a large pantheon of Gods and Goddesses, they believe in the one Supreme Power that manifests itself in various forms. There are many cultural and societal influences...
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...Hinduism Hinduism is a complex and multi-faceted variety of religions and belief systems. These Indian beliefs and traditions are categorized together as ‘Hinduism’, though the term originally referred only to inhabitants of the Indus River valley in modern day Pakistan. A more precise term is Santana Dharma, meaning ‘ageless religion’, and encompasses all of the Indian subcontinent beliefs and religions. Hundreds of millions of separate deities are involved and many Hindu beliefs are that the divine has countless faces. The traditions and beliefs can be traced back to the Vedic age, as early as 8000 BCE. It is during the Vedic age, at approximately 1500 BCE, that the written form of the Vedas emerged. The Vedas is a collection of religious texts that are the written basis of much of the Santana Dharma. It is theorized that the Vedas may have been written by Aryan invaders from Eastern Europe, but true or not, the Vedas is the earliest written compilation of the beliefs of the region. Elements of Hinduism Among the Santana Dharma, there exist concepts central to all belief systems. Reincarnation is the belief that when the body dies, the soul enters a new body and is reborn again and again, but including forms such as those of animals as well. Another central belief is that of Karma. Karma is used to define a belief that one’s actions result in consequences and that if the actions are good and pure, then the consequences will be as well. If one lives...
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...Hinduism The Beginning of Hinduism Hinduism is the oldest major religion. Making up 79 percent of the population of those are in India. Indian subcontinent is the beginning practice of Hinduism. Derived from a name applied by foreigners to the people living in the region of the Indus River and was introduced in the nineteenth century under Colonial British rule. Santana Dharma is the alternative label preferred today. Santana reference eternal or ageless and reflects the belief that these have always existed. Dharma means religion translated encompasses duty, natural law, ethics, and health. Dharma is the holistic approach to social coherence and the good of all. The scared scriptures of Hinduism consist of teachings contained in Vedas, Upanishads and the scared Bhagavad Gita. Krishna manifest in human form and thought of as an avatar. The wisdom of the ages percolated to the masses. Vedas spread the wisdom orally, because the written scriptures had not yet evolved. Mankind evolved as did the brain of human beings. Invoking wisdom directly from god almighty Vedas became competent. The Aryans forced to settle down in the region we call India today. Ramayana and Mahabharata are two scared epics forming part of Hinduism. Knowing the essence of life the inner truths and living the physical manifest life. Hinduism start was gained from the time humanity had a firm footing on the platform of spirituality. The teachings of Hinduism are universal in nature. The four...
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...Hinduism The predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent and one of the world’s largest religions is that of Hinduism. Hinduism lacks a uniting belief system and is comprised of a wide variety of philosophy’s, rituals and beliefs. The Hindu view is that truth is sought in multiple sources thus it cannot be encapsulated in any one god. The Hindu accept and celebrate the pluralistic and multileveled nature of their traditions. Today Hinduism is also referred to as “Sanatana Dharma.” Sanatana, meaning “eternal” or “ageless” and Dharma, meaning “religion”, encompasses duty, natural law, social welfare, ethics, health, and transcendental realization and the belief that these ways have always existed (Fisher, 2005). The religious texts of the Santana Dharma are referred to as the Vedas and considered to be the foundation of the religion. The Vedas are a compilation of sacred hymns and are not considered to be the work of humans, but are the breath of the eternal. The origins of the Vedas are unknown but it is believed that the scriptures were transmitted orally and then later written down. The Reg Veda is the oldest of the known Vedic scriptures, which praises and implores the blessings of the devas. The devas is the controlling force in the cosmos, deities who consecrate every part of life ( Fisher, 2005). The Vedas consist of four parts, the earliest being the Samhitas, hymns of praise. The second is the Brahmanas, directions about performance of the ritual sacrifices...
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...Hinduism Paper HUM/130 Due Hinduism is a set of traditions and beliefs that have evolved over a 5,000 year period. There are many forms of Hinduism that cannot be traced to one source. Hinduism is also known as Sanatana Dharma. “Sanatana means “eternal” or “ageless” reflects the belief that these ways have always existed.” (Fisher, 2005, 69) ”Dharma, translates as “religion,” encompasses duty, natural law, social welfare, ethics, health, and transcendental realization.” (Fisher, 2005, 69) The earliest forms of the ancient scriptures, Vedas, contain four parts. The earliest is the Samhitas, hymns of praise and worship to the deities. Then is the Brahmanas, directions about performances of the ritual sacrifices to the deities. Next is the Aranyakas, when people would go to the forests to meditate and recluse. Lastly is the Upanishads, consisting of teaching from highly realized spiritual master’s. (Fisher, 2005) Hinduism followers believe in the Supreme Being and many other Supreme Deities. Rig Veda is the oldest of the known Vedic scriptures which praises and implores the blessing of the devas. The major devas include Indra (the god of thunder and bringer of the welcome rains), Agni (god of fire), Soma (the sacred drink), and Ushas (the god of dawn). (Fisher, 2005) The devas represent and unseen reality as which include opaque earth gods and transparent deities. Hindus believe that once one discovers the...
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...Emerging adulthood and culture Class: Lifespan Development Name: Grishma Patel Week four assignment Meaning of Emerging Adulthood Emerging adulthood is the period of life from about age 18 through age 25, during which young people are exploring the possibilities of their lives and beginning to define themselves as adults, rather than teenagers. They shared the perception of “feeling in between” – knowing they were pulling clear of the struggles of adolescence and starting to feel responsible for themselves,, but still closely tied to their parents and family. Emerging adulthood can be defined as an: Age of identity exploration: young people decide who they are and what they want out of work, school and love. Age of instability: young people either go to college or live with their friends or a romantic partner. For most frequent moves end as a families and careers are established in mid 30’s. Age of feeling in between: many emerging adult say they are taking responsibilities for themselves, but still do not completely feel like an adult. Age of self focus: freed of the parent and society directed routine of school, young people try to decide what they want to do, where they want to go, who they want to be with – before those choices get limited by the constraints of marriage, children and career. Culture influences in India in emerging adulthood In my culture as I m from India, examination of (a) whether or not they feel they are adult (b) the criteria they...
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...Orientalism and India Introduction ”Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.” (Rudyard Kipling, The Ballad of East and West) In his much quoted verse above Rudyard Kipling revealed something of the nucleus of the long-lived tradition of Orientalist thought. According to J. J. Clarke, the ambivalence of the West [1] towards the East is age-old. The ”rich cultures,” ”superior civilizations” and ”ancient wisdom” of the Orient have inspired many Westerners, but on the other hand, the threats of its ”monstrous mysteries” and ”absurd religions” hailing from its ”stagnant past” have abhorred at least as many. For many, the Orient has been a dominion of hordes and despots or spiritual mystics and exotic sensuality. Exaggeration and imagination together with a range of both positive and negative stereotypes connected to popular prejudices have been essential to these views. Encountering the East has been significant for the self-image of the West producing identities ranging from decadent European modernity to concepts of cultural, racial and moral superiority. (Clarke 1997, 3–4. See also Pieterse 1992 and Hottola 1999.) In his highly celebrated but also provoking book Orientalism [2], Edward Said (1935– 2003) embarks on describing a long European tradition ”of coming to terms with the Orient that is based on the Orient’s special place in European Western experience.” This tradition Said calls Orientalism [3]. Said concentrates mainly on...
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...The Religion Hinduism Hum/130 The religion of Hinduism is very complicated and has many different aspects to it, from cultural and social influences. This paper will discuss these many different aspects that make up this belief system, along with the liberation from earthly existence. The term Hinduism is not the main word used today for this religion, the term used in this modern time is Sanatana Dharma. The religion has a wide range of expressions and beliefs that is believed to have developed of the course of approximately ten thousand years. “The spiritual expressions of Sanatana Dharma range from extreme asceticism to extreme sensuality, from the heights of personal devotion to a deity to the heights of abstract philosophy, from metaphysical proclamations of the oneness behind the material world to worship of images representing a multiplicity of deities. According to tradition, there are actually 330 million deities in India. The feeling is that the divine has countless faces.”(Fisher, 2005, p. 69). There is a philosophical and metaphysical element to Hinduism. The Vedic age is believed to exist from around 2500 BCE. Many people believe that today’s Sanatana Dharma stems from this period. This worship consists of the praising of hymns and the worship of the cow. It is believed that the cow is a sacred animal. “In the Aryan Invasion Theory of Western historians, the highly organized cultures of the Indus Valley and the villages in other parts of the subcontinent...
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...Hinduism vs. Buddhism Teasa Wright Professor King World Religions February 1, 2014 Hinduism is about understanding Brahma or existence from within their own Atman, roughly soul, whereas Buddhism is about finding the Anatman or not soul. In Hinduism, attaining the highest life is a process of removing the bodily distractions from life, allowing one to eventually understand the Brahma nature within. In Buddhism, one follows a disciplined life to move through and understand that nothing in ourselves is ‘me’ such that we dispel the very illusion of existence. In so doing one realizes Nirvana. About 80 percent of India’s population regard themselves as Hindus and 30 million more Hindus live outside of India. There are a total of 900 million Hindus worldwide, making Hinduism the third largest religion (after Christianity and Islam). The term “Hinduism” includes numerous traditions, which are closely related and share common themes but do not constitute a unified set of beliefs or practices. Hinduism is thought to have gotten its name from the Persian word hindu, meaning “river,” used by outsiders to describe the people of the Indus River Valley. Hindus themselves refer to their religion as sanatama dharma, a word emphasizing the fulfillment of duties (dharma) appropriate to one’s class (varna) and stage of life (asrama). Hinduism has no founder or date of origin. The authors and dates of most Hindu sacred texts are unknown. Scholars describe modern Hinduism...
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...country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma (Myanmar) and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia. Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history Four religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—originated here, whereas Zoroastrianism and the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom after the Indian Rebellion of 1857, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi. The Indian economy is the world's seventh-largest by nominal GDP and third-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became...
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