Notes on Hinduism and Study of Religion | REL 2315, Study notes of World Religions

Download Notes on Hinduism and Study of Religion | REL 2315 and more Study notes World Religions in PDF only on Docsity! REL 2315: Religions of South Asia Study Guide for Exam #1: Hinduism and the study of religion For each of the following items, be able to indicate the context, meaning, and significance for Hinduism. These terms may appear in multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, short answer, and/or short essay questions. I. Key Terms in Hinduism (& religious studies): 1. Hindu/Hinduism (origins of these terms)- The origin for the word is from around 500 BCE. The Persian word Sindhu, referring to people living beyond the Indus River. In the 18 th century, used by the British to describe the Indian people. Also used as part of the “nationalism” for the independence movement. 2. Veda(s)- Oral hymns composed by priests(seers or rsi). Composed between 1500-1200 BCE. 3. Dharma- that which supports or holds together. The teaching, the law. (The dharma complex- life in the world, duty, righteousness and harmony. 4. mokșa- freedom from the world, liberation from suffering. Opposed to the “world-affirming” values of dharma. Moksa is the independent and singular. 5. Samsara- The cycle of rebirth. 6. karma – action and its consequences. All actions have predictable effects. Nature of it is not universally agreed upon by Hindu community. 7. Brahman – true reality 8. Atman- individual reality 9. Māyā- the power of illusion. 10. Om (Aum)-A sacred syllable made up of A-U-M-( ). Represents many important triads (earth/human, mid-region/nature, and heaven/divine), the three dieties, three elements (fire, wind, and sun), and the three twice-born castes 11. Orthodoxy vs. Orthopraxy- Orthodoxy is adhering to or accepting a particular belief or faith. People believing in the same way. Orthopraxy is when the right kind of practice is more important. 12. Theodicy- Greek term for “Justice of God”. It is a philosophical method of dealing with the problem of evil. II. Hinduism: The Formative Period 13. Indus Valley- Located in current day Pakistan. Several cities have been unearthed near the Indus River. The city planning is organized in a grid format with people of similar careers and social standings living in the same block. Lasted from about 2500 BCE to 1500 BCE. No real expansion through war. 14. Āryans- Possibly brought on the decline of the Indus Valley civilization through invasion. It’s not so much a racial classification as a linguistic one. They brought with them the Indo-European language. Settled in Eastern Punjab and then gradually migrated. 15. Indus River – North West India/ Pakistan border. 16. Āryan Migration Theory - the invasion of the Aryans from outside the Indus Valley, conquering the Indus Valley region as they moved southward. 17. Cultural Transformation Theory – Aryan culture is an indigenous development of the Indus Valley civilization. III. Hindu Religious Literature 18. Śruti- that which is heard. Sanskrit texts that are regarded as revelation . Eternal , authorless oral history that were seen by rsi (seers). Oral tradition. 19. Smriti- that which is remembered/ recollection, a class of texts based on human memory and therefore tradition. Its role has been to elaborate upon, explain, interpret and clarify primary revelation. 20. Rāmāyana- Composed in the Classical Age (400 BCE-600 CE), an epic that is an addition to the Vedas afterwards. Written by Sage Valmiki, India’s first great poet. The sourcebook for dharma as depicted through the life of a perfect man, Rama. 21. Mahābhārata- Composed in the Classical Age (400 BCE-600 CE), an epic that is an addition to the Vedas afterwards. The longest poem in the word. Stories of seers, sages, and divine incarnations. Family feuds, beautiful women and dutiful wives. Smrti. 22. Bhagavad Gītā- became an extremely influential religious text from the early modern period to the present even though it is not a revelation. It is part of Mahabharata and only 18 chapters. A dialogue about righteousness and about a war between kinsmen. Smrti. 23. Purānas- Composed in the Classical Age (400 BCE-600 CE), compilations of ancient myths, legends and history. The creation of the world and various deities’ stories. IV. Varnāshrama-dharma 24. Varnāshrama-dharma- duties according to social rank and stage of life. 25. Varna – largely theoretical. The prescriptive as opposed to descriptive truth. Vedic/Aryan class system. 26. 4 Varnas- The Brahmins/priest, Kstatriya/warrior, Vaisya/commoner, Sudra/servant. 27. Jāti- ones birth group based on kinship, geographic limit, purity of pollution, ritual observances, clothing, and hierarchy. 28. Twice-born- The first three Varna classes. The males of these classes underwent Vedic initiation, a rite of passage that gave them access to being full members of a ritual-centered society. 29. Purity and Pollution- A changing way of determining cleanliness and ritual purity. Brahmin class could be almost constantly pure because of the rules. Untouchables do the dirtiest work and considered to be too unclean. 30. Āśrama –Stage of Life. Bramacarya (celibate student hood), Grhastha (householding, Vanaprastha (forest dwelling), Sannyasa (renunciation) 31. Āśrama’s V. Gods and Goddesses