Hinduism

Hinduism The largest civilization in the ancient world developed in the Indus Valley of India over 5,000 years ago. In the thousands of years that followed, India produced many great empires under which science, art and philosophy flourished. Out of this rich history developed the Hindu religion, today the third largest in the world. IMAGINE: If you lived then… Your house is built on a wide, waterless riverbed. Your father tells you it was once the giant Sarasvati River, five kilometers across. There is not enough rain to provide for the family’s crops and cattle. Travelers tell of another great river, the Ganga, hundreds of miles away. Your father and other villagers decide that you must move. Ancient Indian History: The early cities of India developed along the Indus and Sarasvati rivers starting around 3500 BC. They are called the Indus-Sarasvati, often called the Harappan culture. When the mighty Sarasvati River dried up the once fertile land became desert. The people of this region moved to other parts of India and beyond. By 2000 BC, the civilization had entered a period of decline. Many artifacts have been discovered from the remains of these great cities. They include pottery, seals, statues, beads, jewelry, tools, games, and toys. Many flat, stone seals have been found with pictures and writing on them. Many scholars believe that these contain information about the religious beliefs and practices of the Harappan people. One seal shows a meditating figure that is believed to be linked to Lord Shiva. There are also small statues with their hands pressed together in the traditional Hindu greeting of “Namaste”. The Vedas The central holy books of Hinduism are the four Vedas. Hindus believe that these collections of poems and hymns were spoken by God. The Vedas were in Sanskrit and they were not written down- they were memorized. Students might spend 12 years learning these scriptures. Even today, there are priests that can chant the entire Veda- that has as many as 10,500 verses- from memory. The Vedas describe a powerful and spiritual people, their clans, kings and emperors. Their economy was based on agriculture, industry, trade, commerce, and cattle raising. Hinduism Emerges As the people of the Sarasvati River valley moved to other locations, they mixed with the peoples already living in these cities and communities. By about 600 BC, a common culture had developed across all of India. The social, religious and philosophical ideas and practices of Hinduism were firmly in place. Indian Society A distinctive part of India’s culture at this time was the varna, or caste system. Society was classified in to groups with specific occupations. These groups tended to be hereditary. There were four broad classes- priests, warriors, merchants and workers. The system provided order and stability to society. Later on, varnas were divided into hundreds of sub-sections called jatis (castes). This caste system became very unfair to those at the very bottom of the social order. Women have always been held in high regard in India. Some of India’s most famous religious and political leaders have been women. Hinduism is the only religion in which God is worshipped in female form. Life in ancient times was hard for both men and women. The women were responsible for running the household; the men for their craft or farm, as well as security. Women had fewer property rights than men, but they received lighter punishments for crimes and paid lower taxes. They participated equally with their husbands in religious ceremonies and festivals. Some women were highly educated. The time from 1000 BC to the mid-6th Century was a time of great advancement in Indian society. Hindus discovered the zero and established the counting method we use today. Their astronomers knew that the Earth orbits the Sun and calculated the length of a year with great precision. Medicine was so advanced that doctors were performing complex surgery not equaled in Europe until the 18th Century. Hindu Beliefs and Scriptures Hindus base their way of life upon their religion. The Hindu culture is based directly on Hindu beliefs. The main belief is that there is one Supreme God. In the scriptures, the Supreme God is called Brahman, and it is worshipped as both male and female. Hindus believe that Brahman is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving and present in all things. They believe that Brahman created everything in the universe out of Himself. In Hinduism, a person’s soul is called atman. Hindus believe that God lives within each soul. Brahman has three main forms that Hindus recognize. Hindus believe that whatever the name or form, that He is the same, one Supreme God. The Rig Veda says, “The seers call in many ways that which is One.” The first is Brahma, or the Creator, who symbolizes the part of the Supreme Being that brings forth creation. For this reason, Hindus call Lord Brahma the Creator of the universe. Brahma is usually pictured as a bearded, four-faced, four-armed deity. The four faces represent the sacred knowledge of the four Vedas (Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva), and this is the most prominent feature of any image of Brahma. The four faces, therefore, symbolize that Brahma is the source of all knowledge necessary for the creation of the universe. The four arms represent the four directions and thus represent the omnipresence and omnipotence of Lord Brahma. He is often worshipped by seekers of knowledge, such as students, teachers, scholars and scientists. The second form of the Supreme Being that Hindus believe in is Vishnu. He represents the aspect of Brahman that preserves and sustains the universe. He is generally seen as a human body with four arms. In His hands He carries a conch shell, a mace, and discus. He wears a crown, two earrings, a garland of flowers, and a gem around the neck. He has a blue body and wears yellow clothes. Vishnu is shown standing on a thousand-headed snake and the snake stands with its hoods open over the head of the Lord. The worship of Lord Vishnu is very popular among Hindus, especially among the followers of the Vaishnava tradition. Lord Shiva is the third member of the Hindu Trinity. Hindus recognize him as the form of Brahman who dissolves and recreates within the universe. Lord Shiva is the Lord of mercy and compassion. He protects devotees from evil forces such as lust, greed, and anger. He bestows grace and awakens wisdom in His devotees. The symbolism below includes major symbols that are common to all pictures and images of Shiva respected by Hindus. Since the tasks of Lord Shiva are numerous, He cannot be symbolized in one form. For this reason the images of Shiva vary significantly in their symbolism. Hindus also worship gods and goddesses called devas such as Ganesha and Sarasvati. In Sanskrit, devas means “shining one.” In some ways, these divine beings who live in the heaven worlds are like the angels and archangels of Western religions. Each god and goddess has specific powers and areas of responsibility. Ganesha is the Lord of Obstacles. He is the god with the head of an elephant. Before starting a new project, a Hindu would likely pray to Ganesha to remove any obstacles blocking the way. In Hindu temples and shrines, the Supreme God and the gods and goddesses are worshipped in rituals called puja. Puja is a ceremony in which the ringing of bells, passing of flames, chanting and presenting flowers, incense and other offerings call to, or invoke, the Divine beings, who then come to bless and help the believers. During the puja, priests often lead the steps of the ceremony to ensure that a strong connection is made with the divine beings. Hindus also practice the internal worship of God. Many sit quietly, repeating the name of God while counting on a string of beads. Others may chant, sing or meditate upon God. In Hinduism, there are many ways to worship. Dharma, Karma and Reincarnation Dharma means righteousness, divine law, ethics, religion, duty, justice and truth all rolled up into one concept. Dharma means the proper way that one should live one’s life. To follow dharma, one should be religious, truthful, kind, honest and generous. Dharma includes the practice of nonviolence, called ahimsa in Sanskrit. It is the ideal of not injuring others in thought, word or action. Karma, a central Hindu belief, is the law of cause and effect. It means that anything you do will eventually return to you in this or in future lives. If we do something selfish or hateful, we will in time experience the same pain and suffering we caused others to feel. If our acts are good and kind, we will receive goodness and kindness in our future. Reincarnation means literally to “re-enter the flesh.” It is the belief that the soul, or atman, is reborn into a new body and experiences many lifetimes. The purpose of rebirth is to progressively achieve spiritual maturity and realization of God. Eventually, each soul learns to live by religious principles and avoids creating negative karma. This process of rebirth continues through many lives until the soul achieves liberation. Hindus believe that once the soul achieves “moksha”, or oneness with God, that the cycle of rebirth is ended. Hinduism in Practice Hinduism has survived many thousands of years because of its tradition of home-centered worship and its respectful tolerance of all other spiritual belief systems. Today there are almost a billion Hindus worldwide- 95% of whom live on the Indian subcontinent. There are 5 basic practices observed by Hindus. They are to: 1. Worship Daily 2. Follow dharma 3. Observe the samskaras (rites of passage) 4. Celebrate the holy days 5. Go on pilgrimages to sacred places. There are other practices included meditation, chanting of matras, study of scripture, yoga and fasting. Several examples of the rites of passage include a child’s name-giving ceremony, the first feeding of solid food, the beginning of formal education and marriage. Many Hindu women wear a bindi, or a red dot on their forehead. This often symbolizes the woman’s marital status, but can also be worn for many other spiritual reasons. Worship in the Home Every Hindu home has a place of worship. It could a simple shelf with pictures of Brahman or an entire room dedicated to worship. Many families have a spiritual guide or guru whose picture is displayed in the shrine. There, family members may light a lamp, ring a bell and pray daily. The most dedicated hold a formal morning worship ritual. They offer flowers, incense, lights and food to Brahman while chanting sacred verses. Individual family members will often go to the shrine for blessings before leaving for school or work. At other times, people may sit alone and pray or chant the names of Brahman, sing songs or mediate silently. Worship in the Temple Most Hindus like to live within one day’s journey of a temple. The temple is a special building thought to be the house of Brahman. The Supreme Being is thought to be enshrined in the temple’s central sanctum. In India, there are hundreds of thousands of temples, most quite old. Temples in India can be enormous- many of them covering many acres of land. They have huge pillared halls that can hold up to 500,000 Hindu believers during a festival. There are often several families of priests that care for the temple and oversee worship within the temple. When Hindus move outside of India, they build or join a temple as soon as possible. Today, there are hundreds of temples in Americathe largest are in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Texas and California. Hinduism’s Saints, Teachers and Swamis There is no one person in charge of Hinduism. Hinduism has a rich history of saints and sages, both men and women. Their lives are educational and inspiring to millions of Hindus throughout the world. These men and women come from all castes. There are hundreds of thousands of religious scholars or teachers. These teachers are called pundits. Hinduism also have millions of swamis, or holy men and women, who have taken up spiritual life fulltime. (These are similar to Catholic nuns and priests.) The swamis are the religious ministers of Hinduism and they spend their time teaching, doing community service or meditating. Among the swamis are the holy gurus. “Gu” means darkness and “ru” means remover- so guru means “the one who removes darkness”. These gurus are great religious teachers with millions of followers. Several gurus have made practicing yoga very popular in today’s culture all over the world. Festivals and Celebrations Most Hindu festivals are observed according to an ancient solar/lunar calendar and thus vary from year to year as to when the actual celebration takes place. The largest Hindu festival is Diwali, the Festival of Lights. This festival celebrates the victory of good over evil- light over darkness. Diwali takes place for five days around the new moon in October/November. It also honors Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, who is summoned for prosperity and Hindus believe that her presence can be felt in their homes. To celebrate Diwali, Hindus clean their homes from top to bottom, take a special bath and wear new clothes. Thousands of small lamps are placed throughout the home and fireworks symbolize hope for all of humanity. Diwali is a national holiday in India and in other countries with very large Hindu populations. The festival known as Raksha Bandhan, which is held on the full moon in July/August, takes place at home within the family. Sisters tie a rakhi, or colored string, around the wrist of their brothers. In return, the brother gives his sister a present and promises to protect her. The rakhi can also be given to anyone chosen to be an “adopted brother.” Holi, celebrated in March/April, is a highly spirited festival where everyone sprinkles each other with colored water and powders. It signifies the triumph of good over evil and marks the beginning of the winter crop harvest.