Siva (god of yogis, the destroyer)
Lingams (cylindrical forms that are highly regarded in India)
Shapeless nature of it is considered close connection to Siva
Vishnu is considered a kinder, gentler deity than Siva
The three basic tenets of Hindu related philosophy:
Base their philosophies on the Vedas as well as meditation experiences that reveal the truth
Ethics are the basis for a productive, orderly society – karma is important and should be adhered to
Ignoring your own Self is the cause of most suffering in the world
Samkhya (oldest philosophical system in India) – two states of reality
Purusha (Self, forever wise and free)
Prakriti (what brings about the material world – we confuse this with Purusha and thereby cause our own suffering)
Claims that you must understand this dualism in order to gain transcendence
Yoga (identifying with the eternal nature of earthly life)
The yogi Patanjali assembled the yoga methods into nearly 200 sayings known as sutras
Obstacles in our lives distract the mind from achieving enlightenment
Eight limbs of yoga (tenets to prevent obstacles from getting to us)
Yama (celibacy, pacifism, honesty)
Niyama (staying pure and content, being studious)
Asana (posturing)
Pranayama (controlling your breath)
Pratyahara (letting go of sensory perception)
Dharana (concentration
Dhyana (meditation)
Samadhi (achieving superconsciousness and absorbing yourself within them)
Advaita Vedanta (presents a single reality as opposed to Yoga and Samkhya)
Vyasa founded it around the time of the Upanishads
Teaches that material life is an illusion and that there has always been and will always be the absolute spirit, Brahman
Life is cyclical and will never end, but this fact is veiled by maya
Maya (illusion of reality in the material world)
FORMS OF WORSHIP
Sixteen rites exist for purifying a person’s path through life
Pilgrimages are common to sacred rivers such as the Ganges in order to perform these rites
Puja (worship)
Darsan (visual contact with the Divine, achieved in images in temples)
Prasad (sanctified food offered to a guru and/or deities)
FESTIVALS
Sixteen religious holidays
Lohari (mid-winter nights, bonfires are built and food is thrown into them, discarding your own evils
Holi (celebrates return of spring)
Naga panchami (takes place in July or August, celebrates snakes)
Janmashtami (Krishna’s birthday, holding vigil at Mathura, which was his birthplace)
Ganesh Chaturti (honoring Ganesh with clay images of the deity)
Durga Puja (celebrating Durga with images)
Dussehra (burning and destroying of images of Ravana)
Divali (four day festival of lights)
Mahashivaratri (fasting and vigils to honor Siva, but ends with feasting and merriment)
Kumbha Mela (happens every twelve years, largest festival in the world, occurs where the Ganges and Jumna rivers meet, a time of celebration and purifying)
MODERN HINDUISM
Took severe hit when the British colonized India in 1857, Christian missionaries came in and set to work converting
Mahatma Gandhi became powerful figure in advocating non-violent resistance to their oppression
Ramakrishna, a mystic who lived in the nineteenth century, celebrated all religions in his worship of the Divine
Transcendental Meditation came about in the 60s and 70s to bring yogic practices to the western world, gurus cropping up throughout the world
Was thought to increase concentration, make you healthier and more fit, increase creativity and cure any number of addictions and ills
Hindu-related violence has increased since the 90s
RSS (Rashtriya Svayamsevak Sangh) is a fundamentalist group that asks for the renewal of Hindu culture that promotes xenophobia towards Muslims and Christians
