Goddesses Parvati and Sarasvati in Hinduism: Roles, Gods, and Beliefs - Prof. M. Yadlapati, Study notes of Anthropology of religion

Download Goddesses Parvati and Sarasvati in Hinduism: Roles, Gods, and Beliefs - Prof. M. Yadlapati and more Study notes Anthropology of religion in PDF only on Docsity! 1/14/09 Religious Literacy  Secular humanism – the idea that the world is becoming less religious  Religion is important, people are becoming more religious, and secularism is not a real problem. Things these days, usually political, but almost everything is side by side with religion. War and all, political people usually say ‘God is on our side’ and such.  1. Name the Four Gospels. - 2. Name a sacred text of Hinduism. – bhagvand gita 3. What is the name of the holy book of Islam? - 4. Where according to the Christian Bible was Jesus born. - 5. President George W. Bush made reference to the Jericho road in his inaugural address, which biblical story was he alluding to. - 6. What is the first five books of the Christian old testament (Hebrew scriptures). - 7. What is the Golden Rule? - 8. ‘God helps those who helps themselves’ is this in the bible? And if so where? - 9. ‘Blessed are the poored spirit for theirs is the kingdom of god’. - 10. List the 10 commandments. - 11. Name the four noble truths of Buddhism. - 12. What are the seven sacraments of Catholicism? - 13. The first amendment says two things regarding religion in two separate clauses. What are the two religious clauses of the first amendment? - 14. What is Ramadan? And in what religion is it celebrated? – Jewish 15. Adam+Eve. Match the biblical story to the biblical story. – 1. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John 2. Betas, Bramanas, laws of manu, karma sutra, gita 3. Adfa 4. Bethlaham 5. To the good Samaritan story 6. Jenisus, exidus, laviticus, numbers, duderonimy 7. Do onto others as you would have them do unto you 8. No, No where 9. Yes, found in the beatitudes of jesus’s serman on the mound 10. 12 possible answers 1. I am the lord 2. You should have no other gods before me 3. You shall not make for yourself a graven image 4. You shall not take the name of lord in vai 5. Adfa 6. Honor your father and mother 7. You shall not kill or murder 8. You shall not commit adultery 9. You shall not steal 10. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor 11. Shall not covit your neibors wide 12. Shall not covit your neighbors goods 11. suffering 12. baptism, ucarus or mass, reconcialation, confirmation, marriage, holy orders, anointing of the sick 13. first amendment says congress shall make no law of religion or prohibiting. No establishment clause and free exercise clause 14. Ramadan is a muslim holiday observed by fasting 15. Adam and eve – garden of Eden 16. Moses - parting of red sea 17. Noah – olive branch 18. Jesus – road to Damascus and garden of Gethsemane 19. Abraham – binding of Isaac 20. Serpent – garden of eden 1/16/09 What is Religion?  Belief  Tradition  Community  Cultural values o Ethics  Higher power  Ritual  Daily practice  Text/script  Hierarchy/institution  Historical origin/development  Afterlife  Politics/power/authority/order  Symbols  Myths  Fashion  Sacred time  Sacred space  Artifacts  Iconic figures  Authority figures 1/21/09 India  Sindhu o Indus  Polytheism – recognizes the serperate existence of multiple gods or goddesses o Gods  Shiva – also known as the auspicious one – the destroyer – which is not to say that shiva is a dark god, quite the opposite – shiva is simultaneously threatening and a great warrior while kind and forgiving – was there at the creation of the universe but was not the creator – so powerful that he can destroy entire amries at will, he can defend you against anything physical or spirutual – when the world is destroyed shiva will stand and laughing and dancing – the perfect ascetic – loving – after denying his wife for 1000 years, he went to her and made love to her for 1000 years – a Lingam is a representation of shivas penis  Vishnu – the Preserver – the universe is maintained from moment to moment – was there when the world was created – sooner or later the world will be sucked down and recreated – it doesn’t happen now because he doesn’t allow it – the preserver – often associated with the sun because of life – maintains the world by the proper Dharma – has been incarnated into a physical body – avatar – generally people agree that Vishnu has taken or will take 10 reincarnation – first one was a fish – as a fish he saved Manu – (laws of manu) – 7th is usually recognized as Rama – hero of the ramiah – 9th – some traditions believe it was Buddha and others say it was Krishna – 10th will be Kalky – incarnation that is yet to come and will be the final manifestation of Vishnu who will come to restore Dharma at the end of the world.  Shakti – does not refer to a particular person or one deity – is roughly the feminine power – or simply THE goddess not A goddess – also called Devi, which is the generic term for goddess – according to devotees of Shakti; there is one power and that power is a female divine not a male divine. As such, that feminine divine power has several forms – many of the goddesses of Hinduism are in fact the same deity, the highest supreme power as Shakti – Those in Eastern India and Western India have different views on Shakti – some people believe there are different parts of Shakti  Durga – the active power that controls the natural world; she controls everything from the wind blowing to the forces of physics and gravity to the forces of fate and things that control our destiny  Kali – known for having darker skin and wearing a mini skirt made out of many arms – often has a clever – she’s called the Dark Mother – this does not mean she is evil – she is all that is powerful and fearful about woman; not able to be control; she is open in her sexuality; has sex in the open with many partners; she only wears a skirt nothing else which is in violation in Hinduism; fearsome to her enemies; whoever opposed her, angered her, or disrespected her, died in the end; and to those who respect and warship her get her protection  Laksmi (Vishnu’s wife) & Paravati (Shiva’s wife) – two distinct goddesses, and have different stories, but they do overlap in areas; they are the perfect wife, they are the ideal woman, the take care of the home and heart, they are mothers, they are the goddesses of the domestic sphere (home life)  Sarasvati – Brahma (Is Brahman with a face, the deity)  Others 1/28/09  Hinduism has sometimes been called the religion of 330,000,000 gods – no one has actually sat down and counted so it may not be an exaggeration – there are many reasons that there are this many; this is because any religion being practiced in India was called Hindu – different villages although next to each other may have different practices that could be called different religions, but they were all called Hindu; therefore, many gods had become part of Hinduism  Ganesha – the son of Shiva and Paravati – this is the elephant headed God that the west likes to throw around – this is because people in the West found this as ridiculous and therefore they throw it around – coconut is his favorite offering –  Om – symbol of om – it is actually a graphic representation of the sound of om – it means exactly that, the sound om – the sound is recited before and after recitation of religious texts and before and after prayer – Most people will agree that this sound is the most sacred sound – but why is the question – some believe that it is the representation of the ultimate reality; we may not know what that reality is but om is the sound of it – others believe that it is the sound of creation; when the universe was created and will be destroyed, the sound om was there and will be there – Aum is how it is spelt from the sound – A is the world as it is now and the; m is the world as you perceive it; but what comes between is something you will never understand or experience – Om contains within it the seed of true knowledge –  Yoga – is a physical and mental discipline – by which you are yoked to a God – yoke is a harness and you harness yourself to a god or to a good purpose – there is a list of things you shouldn’t do, and a list of things you should do.  Raja  Hatha  Manu – the primordial man of hinduisn – the first man who was saved by a fish in a great flood by a giant fish – the fish was Vishnu – hes like the Noah for Hinduism – he wrote down laws for religious beliefs – he was either governed or directed or maybe did it on his own – Kind of like the ten commandments – Laws of Manu is a list of Laws – They really are not that important to Hindu’s but since they look familiar to things in other religions; westerners focused more on it – includes that castes system, gender roles, four stages of life. 2/2/09 Buddhism  4 Noble Truths o Suffering o Also called the Noble 8-fold path  Right Views  Right Resolve  Resolve to do nonviolent actions, to not hurt any living creature; but instead perpetuate love to all living creatures; to think about and respect all living creatures  Right Speech  When you speak it should be moral; should be dictated by conscious; you shouldn’t lie, slander, mislead, use abusive language; when you choose to communicate you should only use it to promote other creatures that promotes life, health, and happiness  Right Conduct  The things we do should be moral; those actions we take;  Right Livelihood  Don’t take a job; or a life path that takes a immoral job; take a job that has Buddhist values; a job that promotes health, life, other creatures, and education; a Buddhist should not be an assassin;  Right Effort  Considered to be a mental discapline; must have dedication to doing what is right; you know its enough when it works; if you are doing the right thing, then you have the proper dedication to that path; if you achieve enlightenment you had enough; if you don’t, you didn’t  Right Mindfulness  Right concentration  When you sit down to do the action to achieve enlightenment; you have to do so with the right concentration; you have to have the right degree of concentration; right degree of effort; and concentrate on the right thing  Laity – Lay Person – someone who is not a religious professional – not a priest, a monk, a nun, a preacher – everyone else is a Laity  No matter who you are or what you do you can make advancements in this lifetime to reach enlightenment  3 Bodies of the Buddha – Mahayana believes that when he reached enlightenment  The appearance body – the body that came to earth and walked around and talked to people and picked up things…  The Body of Bliss – a spiritual body that exists in a higher realm of existence – in this paradise realm he rules over the realm; called Buddha-realm; there’s one for all of the Buddhas  The Dharma Body – the understanding of the Buddha as the underlying essence of the universe – when you reach enlightenment you will be too  Upaya – it means skillful means(strategy) that it takes to get you to the desired end – even if it contradicts Buddhist tradition 2/6/09  Scripts, School o Mahayana  Merit Transfer – as you increase merit, you decrease your karma – Mahayana says that merit can be transferred from one individual to another  Pure Land – land or realm ruled over by Amitabha  Amitabha – if you spend your life in devotion to them, your karma will be so low that your next reincarnation will be in the Pure Land that Amitabha rules over o Siddha – people who have Sidhe – which means achievement – they’ve achieved something special – these are more then human beings, they were born human but due to their enlightenment they have gained awesome abilities – they are not Buddhist o Mandala o Mantra o Tantra – Tantrick Sex – tradition within tibeten Buddhism – no individual act, thought, desire, or craving that is enherintly evil; the problem is becoming attached with that satisfying of the need. 2/9/09  Dali Lama o Was the political and religious leader of Tibet; the position was created and was not originally part of the religion. He was the leader of the region he was put in charge of; he is said to be a reincarnation of the bodi safva – one who is so close to reincarnation that he is on a higher level; but he wants to help man kind, therefore he stays here to help us cross over  Zen Buddhism – also called Zazen or Chan o Only got started at about 520 of the common era; the founder of this new form of Buddhism is Bodhidarma  Mahayana mixed with Taoism from China and created what we now call Zen;  Koans – riddles with no logical or rational answer o Satori – ken-sho; a peak of experience; moment of clarity, intuition, complete joy; a o The gateless gate – 48 riddles or stories that are supposed to teach you how to overcome a certain thing 2/13/09 Confucianism  Li – rituals; religious practices you do over and over again  5 Relationships – o Father – obedience; you owe your father with love and respect for what they have done; and as they get older you have to honor their wishes and be behind them in all of their decisions o The Elder-Younger – between an old person and a younger person; they have an accumulated vault of knowledge and will offer their knowledge to you by advice o Husband – has the duty to give the wife what she wants and what she needs; and ultimately the husband has the final say so in finance and family matters but he should take his wife’s wishes o Sibling – the older sibling has the duty to take care of the younger sibling and the younger sibling has a duty to not make it annoying or too hard o Ruler/King –  Mandate of Heaven – like a contract; not actually a physical thing; its an idea but it is real; contract between the government body (China) and the heavens above them – the mandate goes to whoever deserves it and whoever is the most worthy to rule; this means whoever is in power must have the mandate; the power that exists because heaven says it does  The Negative Golden Rule – do not do unto others as you would not do unto you o Golden rule is do to others as you would want others to do to you  Other Elements o The ancestor Cult – recognized that the human being has two souls; one soul when you die goes and the other stays with the body and possibly becomes a ghost; o Cult of Heaven – includes a lot about the ‘world’; all rituals that involve a particular spiritual being or god falls under this; any offering or something of the such made to all the gods  5 Agents School – 2/16/09 Toaism  Origins – came from ideas; was not really originally a religion or anything o Came from root word called Toa – “the way” o Lao-tzu o Toa te Ching – the book of the way or its power; can also be about its virtue o Zhuang-Zi – many of the ideas are found in this later book; however most people don’t read the book and just practice ideas found in the book o Ziron – naturalness – a thing just being itself; something doesn’t have to try to be something; it is natural to it – fungshwai comes from this – allowing it to be natural o Wu-wei o Wu-nian – according to this idea to really be natural we have to overcome social expectations and contraints; not do what is expected of you by society