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Quizlet hinduism
Why are festivals important to hindus
World religions chapter 3 hinduism
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Colors of Hinduism
“Religion as defined by the great sages of India…it did not require belief in a set of doctrines, but rather hard, disciplined work, without which, any religious teaching remained opaque and incredible” (Armstrong 51). The profound history of Hinduism contains important fundamental elements that play a major role in the daily life of its followers. Hinduism is famously known as one of the oldest religions in the world, which is widely embraced and composed of three prominent attributes: spiritual, tradition, and the caste system. The combinations of these three attributes in the Hindu belief system add rich tradition and deepen cultural meaningfulness and experience that uniquely defines the Hindu system of beliefs When
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Out of the 365 days in a year, Diwali, known as the “festival of lights,” is by far the most important day to celebrate for every Indian. Like much of Indian and Hindu tradition, this holiday comes with a historical background framing its significance. The history of Diwali reflects the memory of Ram shooting an arrow through Raven’s stomach because Raven kidnapped Sita. In Hinduism, ladies are highly regarded because following that event, Ram doubted Sita for her purity and gave her the Agni pariksha (the fire test). Although the test proved her purity and bravery, Sita became upset and appealed to mother earth to conceal her within. Mother earth, understanding her sorrow, accepted her. This event from the time of the gods forecasted the biggest factor to tear apart marriage in Hindu culture by investigating the theme of doubt. The profound religious meaning behind this is opaque and is further formed by uniting family and friends together to celebrate the festival of lights. Another important holiday is Holi, the festival of color, which occurs around the season of harvest. Today, it is celebrated by spreading many colorful powders on everyone participating. The deeper significance behind Holi is between the power of truth, honesty, and good karma versus evil. Lord Krishna was born with a darker skin color and his love, Radha, was born with a fairer skin tone. Once Lord Krishna had a blue skin color …show more content…
This is based on the different levels of class in society. The system was made from the Aryans, who believed and practiced four main categories of class. The highest were the Brahmin, who served mainly as priests and leaders of religious and spiritual education. The second class was the Kshatriyas, who worked in government and politics, and whose primary aim was to help protect society. Following the second class is the Vaisyas. Vaisyas are considered hard workers and producers. Lastly, the fourth class was the Shudras, and they were considered the unskilled workers. As of today, people are classified into the cast system and it exists and is practiced. Many Indians and Hindus observe and acknowledge this system of society as well. It is easy to apply this categorization system to a broader global scale as well. For example, there are prominent global figures and leaders such as the Pope, who would fall under the category of Brahmin. In addition, President Obama would fit under Kshatriyas since he is a politician. Farmers and artisans could be considered Vaisyas, while Shudras would be comprised of workers in low-paying
“This Blessed House” is a story that focuses on two distinct characters that have a different perception about each other and their religious values. Sanjeev and Twinkle is a Hindu couple in an arranged marriage; these characters represent two different ways of looking at life and appreciating it. In focusing on the characterization of both characters Sanjeev and Twinkle the audience gets an understanding on the different values that Hindus and Americans share and also how religions can affect how people perceive things in life. Religious artifacts
Narayanan, Vasudha. “The Hindu Tradition.” A Concise Introduction to World Religions. Ed. Willard G. Oxtoby and Alan F. Segal. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2007.
Upon reading about the historical and religious background of Ancient India, one can clearly assume that the country was strongly influenced by three main religious teachings: Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. These three sects in religious thinking have many similarities as all recognize the life-cycle and the need of liberation, they worship one central deity that used to be a human who gained enlightenment and they all recognize the existence of the eternal soul and after-death re-incarnation. However, they also share a lot of differences that mark the underlying principles of practicing them. I will identify the scope of differences and similarities in these ancient religions in an attempt to understand why each attracted followers, why each was shaped a certain way and how they preserved the interest of followers on into the modern times as well.
The caste system was developed during the Vedic Period. The Vedas dictated these levels of the social structure through which the priests informed the public of their place in society. Society is primarily divided into four groups- the Brahmans, or priests; the Kshatriyas, or soldiers; the vaisyas, who are merchants and farmers; and the sudras, who are the servants to the high caste members. The fifth group, who are considered to not be human are known as the Untouchables. The caste system is based on the idea that your prarabadha karma, the karma from your previous lives that you cannot change, determines your place in society when you are reborn. Those who have very good karma are reborn as upper caste and those with bad karma are reborn into the lower caste, or as untouchables.
Growing up I had two family friends that were Hindu. Since then one of two friends converted to Christianity because of marriage. As a kid I thought Hinduism and Buddhism were similar but I knew they were both from the same country. Hinduism shares some similar ideas and practices as Buddhism and Jainism dharma. They were always in search of enlightenment, its purpose to get as far as possible from imperfection. Hinduism has reached a plateau of being bigger religion and dominant more than Buddhism in India. Hinduism encompasses popular south Asian polytheism and elite Sanskrit traditions. Hinduism is one of the third largest religions in the world. 900 million in India alone and is influential in southeast and central Asia. Known as Santana-Dharma, Hinduism consists of many diverse traditions. Hinduism is the oldest living religion and has no founder or date of conception. It is a timeless religion and always existed. Hinduism can be traced to the ancient Indus valley civilization. It is a dynamic religion that continues to evolve today. Because of colonialism the word Hinduism was coined in English in 1830 to describe the practice of the people across the river. It is a huge ideology, of religious, philosophical, and cultural ideas, and practices that originated in India. Some would argue that Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life. Since no one knows who originated Hinduism and the word has been coined by foreigners, scholars believe that Hinduism been around circa 10000 B.C. Hinduism is One of the most complex of all living historical religion. Because of the flexibility of the religion allowed it to last so long, but amassed a bunch of contradictions. Just as for India, Hinduism has a big following in United ...
Because of its long tradition, its links to social status and its integration with cultural activities, Hinduism has had an enormous influence on Indian society. It is not only a religion, but also a way of life for Indians.
Hinduism is known as one of the oldest great religions. After Christianity and Islam, Hinduism is the third largest religion. There are nine hundred million followers, which is equivalent to fifteen percent of the world’s population. Most Hindus are known to live in India. Four out of every five people that live in India are Hindu. Prothero stated, “Hindus cannot even agree on what to call their religion, or whether it is a religion at all (Prothero, 134).” Hinduism leaves behind many questions regarding whether or not it is a religion as well as different views of Hindu practices.
Narayanan, Vasudha. “The Hindu Tradition”. In A Concise Introduction to World Religions, ed. Willard G. Oxtoby and Alan F. Segal. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.
I will now examine what it means to be religious with a critical enquiry into Buddhism, Hinduism and
The world Hindu is derived from an ancient Sanskrit term meaning “dwellers of the Indus River” referring to the location of India’s earliest known civilization. Hinduism is currently ranked as the third largest religion after Christianity and Islam. It includes about fifty million Hindus worldwide with the majority of them dwelling in India. In order to understand the followers of the religion, one must first realize that Hinduism is more than just a religion; it is a way of life. Hinduism suggests a commitment or respect for an ideal way of life known as Dharma. In principle, Hinduism incorporates all forms of belief and worship without requiring the selection or elimination of any.
While most traditional religions are easy to define and comprehend, Hinduism is not. It cannot be spoken about as one single entity but rather a label for many different traditions within itself that originated in India. It is the world’s third largest religion with a following of a billion people. Hinduism, at its most basic definition, is the belief in either several gods or goddess, or the belief in one God with many faces. It is a way of life that relies heavily on the ideas of cause and effect. They believe in reincarnation with a desire to be liberated from the cycle of birth and death. They believe it is the key to a lifetime of happiness, prosperity and love. While it is considered to be the oldest
The Bhagavad Gita is a timeless example of how Hinduism can be applied and seen in Indian life. It also enforces the example of how Hinduism is the heart of India by demonstrating the qualities of ancient Indian culture. These beliefs although outdated, are also seen manifesting in many important values, such as Buddhism, which will be discussed later. It is in this document that both sets of beliefs which provide the foundation of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs are combined.
There are four castes, derived from the hymn of Rigveda, also called varnas: Brahmin, kshatriyas, vaisyas, shudras (Nielsen 1993, pg. 104). The highest class is the Brahmin, referring to the hymn as the mouth of Purusha, are the highest class. People who fall into this class have certain occupations such as priests, or intellectual leaders. They have had to have reached full enlightenment to be born into this class. The next class is the Kshatriyas, the protectors of society – warriors, military, police, or politicians. Following is vaisyas. Their occupational status is generally characterized as the producers: craftsmen, farmers, artisans, mechanics. The lower in the class system people are placed the worse the type of lifestyle is expected. Shudras are the unskilled laboring class and menial
Classical Hindu Mythology. Cornelia Dimmitt and J. A. B. van Buitenen. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1978. 38-40. Print.
Caste system is visible in many religions and many parts around the world. Caste is translates to “Jati” in Hindi, the national language of India. “Jati”, literally means born with, something that cannot be changed and is inevitable. Caste system has been part of our lives for centuries. Caste system affects the poor the most and without a surprise they belong to lowest of the caste system. They are given status of untouchable and believed to poses low values, physical disabilities and diseases. Such view makes it hard for them to find work, get education and equal rights in the society. Hence, they spend most of their lives working for the upper rich caste. The castes were divided into four castes as Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Shudra. The separation was made on the base of work they do.