Hinduism
One of the oldest and largest religions in the world, it is in fact more accurate to describe Hinduism as a compilation of many traditions and philosophies, or a “family of religions,” many of which originated over 4,000 years ago in the Indus River Valley.
History & Beliefs
Hinduism cannot be traced back to one specific founder or event, therefore there is speculation as to the exact origin of the religion, though sacred texts do help to provide a timeline and provide insight into the early years of the faith.
Vedic Period/Religion: the formative years of the earliest forms of Hinduism, from approximately 2500-800 B.C.E. (some followers of Hinduism insist that the way of life existed before this)
Around 1500 B.C.E., Indo-Europeans known as Aryans invaded the Indian subcontinent, and it is debated whether they influenced what is now recognized as Indian culture and Hinduism, or vice versa.
During the Vedic years, the earliest accounts of Hinduism known as the Vedas were written; these contain ancient sources of wisdom, the oldest example being the Rig Veda, thought to be written around 1800 B.C.E.
Also during these early years, the ancient language of Sanskrit was developed, and rituals such fire sacrifice were commonly practiced.
Today, more than 100 languages are spoken in India, with Hindi and English being the official languages.
Over the centuries, Hinduism has evolved similar to Buddhism and expanded into different branches of thought and faith. The most common types of Hinduism are:
Samkhya Hinduism - world is divided into two states: spirit and matter (purusha and prakriti).
Vedanta Hinduism - there is only one single realty: the combination of Brahman (ultimate reality within) and Atman (self).
Tantric Hinduism - uses bodily practices to experience the unity of purusha and prakriti within self.
In 1966, the Indian Supreme Court listed the following as official characteristics of Hinduism:
Acceptance and reverence for the Vedas
A spirit of tolerance
Belief in vast cosmic periods of creation & destruction
Belief in reincarnation
Polytheism
Philosophical flexibility (no single dogma)
Along with the Vedas, other sacred texts that have become crucial to understanding Hinduism are:
The Upanishads (philosophical reflections on the Vedas, 600-400 B.C.E.)
Epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata (contains the Bhagavad-Gita)
Caste System: a social hierarchy system developed in the Vedic Period, which witnessed the priests holding the most power, would gradually cause oppression until its legal end in 1948, though still loosely practiced. The system was hereditary, and one could only move down in status, never up. The categories included:
Brahmin – priestly caste.
Kshatriyas – nobility of feudal India: kings, warriors, and vassals – expected to guard and preserve society.
Vaishyas – the economic specialists including farmers and merchants.
Shudras – manual laborers and the artisans.
Untouchables – ‘outcastes’ who remove human waste, sweep streets and work with leather.
Four Purposes of Life:
Dharma ("law," "duty," "custom") related to one's place in the family and community
Artha (wealth, work, business) making a living within the family, community, and kingdom or state
Kama (desire, pleasure) pursuit of legitimate erotic and aesthetic activities
Moksha (release), practices to end samsara, or reincarnation.
Similar to the Holy Trinity in Christianity, the Hindu religion contains the Trimurti, which is the sacred trio of three different gods: Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer).
Hinduism in the United States
As Hinduism grew and adapted to the world around it, numerous spiritual paths were formed, practiced and taught in order for followers to connect and access their true self:
Bhakti Yoga - the path of love and devotion to a deity representing ultimate reality (Brahman).
Karma Yoga - the path of helpful action in the world.
Jnana Yoga - the path of rational inquiry.
Raja Yoga - the path of mental concentration
Famous writers in the early 19th Century such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were intrigued and influenced greatly by aspects of Hinduism such as the message of the Bhagavad-Gita and the path of Jnana Yoga (aspects can be seen in transcendentalism)
In 1893 during the World’s Parliament of Religions taking place in Chicago, Hinduism was prominently introduced to the United States by an Indian monk named Swami Vivekananda.
During this period Indian gurus were gaining popularity in areas such as Europe and parts of North America.
In 1894, Vivekananda founded the first Vedanta Society in New York.
These societies spread the teachings of Vivekananda and focused on raja yoga through meditation and mystical practices. As the societies developed they appealed to many Americans for their similarities to certain Christian practices and their emphasis on the good in humans.
In 1920, Swami Yogananda founded the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRFA) in Boston, combining elements of both religion and science
Utilizing hatha yoga, the practice of postures in order to access the energy within the body, this has inspired the popular exercise of yoga as we know it today.
Transcendental Meditation: made popular in the 1960s during the counterculture movement, this form of meditation was introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Currently this practice is used to reduce stress and promote physical health while focusing on attaining goals of material nature.
International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) or Hare Krishna: formed in New York City during 1966 by Swami Prabhupada, this religious organization revolves around a form of bhakti yoga known as Krishna Consciousness.
Krishna is an avatar of Vishnu, and a prominent figure in the narrative of the Bhagavad-Gita. The group is devoted solely to honoring Krishna.
Hinduism Lecture
Site Visit
Bharatiya Hindu Temple
1612 County Line Rd,
Chalfont, PA 18914
Website: https://b-temple.org/
2019 Lecture by Professor Deven Patel
Deven Patel was born as a Hindu in the U.S. in a fairly traditional family in California. Attended a Catholic school and has encountered many different traditions.
Hinduism as a "unicorn" tradition in that ancient practices and myths persist to this day. However, there is also a modern expression. There are a billion Hindus in the world today, two million in the U.S.
What about the category Hinduism? The term resembles something like Christianity that is composed of widely diverse traditions. Within Hinduism, there are traditions of following gurus. The term Hindu was one that was imposed on a collection of people near the Sindhu River. It is part culture and geography and ways of being. In the region, there were of course also Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, Christians, etc.
Within the tradition, they often refer to the term Sanatana Dharma - the eternal set of duties for, what is held together, dharma also refers to law. A pan-Hindu term. Patel has written about what counts for an authority within a tradition.
Vedic Hinduism - people who perform sacrifice rituals, rely on Vedic texts that when uttered become reality. The Gods came after the Vedas. The means of knowing that which you cannot know by other ways. (God of the gaps or the mysteries? -- Leaves room for scientific progress?) The three realms: earth, ________, and heavenly realms. The whole universe is linked. What happens in one realm is connected to other realms. Fire is used in making sacrificial offerings. Priests recite Vedic mantras. The ancient God Agni of fire carries the offerings to higher gods. When offerings go up to Indra - the highest God. Indra needs power to shoot lightning bolt to open the clouds to release rain. Offerings need to be made by people. Karma was a concept that was understood in terms of heaven - not as place but as a state
Changes came during the 7th Century BCE, the shift towards knowledge rather than deeds. The terms of moksha, nirvana, kaivalya, all have a concept of ultimate freedom.
For Hindus, the link between action and knowledge remained.
Brahma created the world and left, Vishnu and Shiva are active Gods. The stories of the Gods are included in the Puranas. The Puranas contain stories about the gods but is not really revealed scripture. Because of the heterogeneity of the population in South Asia gave a birth to diverse traditions without a central authority.
Modern understandings of Hinduism view it as a religion of orthopraxis rather than orthodoxy. In certain parts of India certain practices may identify you as a Hindu or not. Example: Beef-eating Hindus in Kerala.
Are there missionaries in Hinduism? Not to the degree that Islam, Christianity does.
Yoga - first discussed in the Upanishads. It is closer to Buddhist tradition.
Caste system - Purusha a book that discusses caste. The priests, the kings, farmers/merchants, laboring classes. By the medieval period, society had become more stratified. The priests and the elites are the ones who developed the ritual order.
Gender - honor killings and bride burnings are usually outlier cases only in small rural areas. Men tend to dominate public spaces but women tend to dominate households. The dowry
Karma - papa refers to sin, bad things, punya refers to good things. The term is typically applied to situations that we can't explain.
Temples in the U.S.: In India, temples are only for one god. In the diaspora, temples often include a wide variety of gods.
Hindu Nationalism: started in the 1940s to resist British colonialism. They had a notion that to be Indian was to be connected to the soil. One's identity tied to soil. The BJP party has grown in power.
Readings/Resources
Click HERE for a basic introduction to Hinduism by Dave Krueger. Click HERE for lecture slides on Hinduism in the U.S. If can't view the slides, try to watch these two videos:
Videos from Religion and Ethics Newsweekly (videos are approximately 6 minutes each)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/july-30-1999/hinduism-in-america-part-1/13176/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/august-6-1999/hinduism-in-america-part-2/13184/
Question: How have American Hindus adapted their religion to American culture?
Readings/Resources
Jain, Andrea R. "Who Is to Say Modern Yoga Practitioners Have It All Wrong? On Hindu Origins and Yogaphobia." Journal of the American Academy of Religion 82, no. 2 (2014): 427-71. www.jstor.org/stable/24488159.
Lucia, Amanda. "Innovative Gurus: Tradition and Change in Contemporary Hinduism." International Journal of Hindu Studies 18, no. 2 (2014): 221-63. www.jstor.org/stable/24713672.
