Hinduism Triva (12)

Congratulations you have reached the end of this wonderful Guide To Hinduism, thank you for following along and I hope you now have a better understanding of Hinduism. Lets put your new found knowledge to the test, I have prepared a Hinduism Trivia game full of questions from topics we have discussed, simply click or copy and paste the link below into the search bar and start to test your knowledge! The Trivia game I created will give you a general understanding of Hinduism and its principles, good luck!

http://jeopardylabs.com/play/hinduism-trivia

Hindu Marriages & Hindu Symbols (11)

Hindu Marriages

A Hindu marriage joins two individuals for life, so that they can pursue dharma (duty), artha (possessions), kama (physical desires), and Moksha together. It also joins two families together, Hindu weddings are usually associated with arranged marriages. Traditionally Hindu parents look for a match for their son/daughter in their own community. The two groups of parents arrange for the couple get together, they do this to help prepare an emotionally and financially stable marriage for their children.


Hindu weddings are extravagant, the most common colours are red and gold. In typical Hindu weddings guests sit on the floor, the traditional Hindu wedding ceremony consists of 15 rituals; couples can choose to select only those that have special meaning to them. The bride wears a sari bought by the groom for her, the saris are usually red with gold detailing. Flowers and garlands are a very important part of the Hindu wedding, they symbolize acceptance and welcome. 


 Some Rituals

• The "tying the knot" ritual, in which the groom ties a gold necklace around the bride's neck. 
• The Saptapadi ritual is when the bride and groom take seven steps together these steps represent a long and happy marriage, blessings such as wealth, happiness, strength and devotion.
• The bride feeds the husband a mixture of honey and yogurt to ensure good health and a sweet start to their marriage.
• The bride stands on a stone to signify her faithfulness and loyalty to the marriage. 
• A marriage mark on the brides forehead, this is done with sedhu (orange power), this shows the world that she is now married. After the mark is applied the couple should touch each other their parents feet to receiver their parents blessings.

Hindu Symbols 

Om:  Christians have the cross and Hindus have the Om. The Om occurs in every prayer, the symbol is actually a sacred syllable representing Brahman ( the source of all existence.) The Om is also used to signify divinity or authority



Swastika:                         

The Swastika symbol has a lot of relevance for people in India and has been used for over 3,000 years. The Swastika is considered to be a mark of auspiciousness and good fortune. The Swastika points in a clockwise direction as a symbol of progress in social, spiritual and financial aspects of life. The Swastika symbolizes the eternal nature of Brahman, it points in all directions to represent the Absolute that is Brahman. (Brahman is everything) The word Swatika is a fusion of two Sanskirt words 'Su' meaning good and 'Asati' meaning to exist together it means 'May Good Prevail.' 

Hindu Holidays & Places of Worship (10)

Hindu Holidays:

It has been said that Hindus have a holiday for every day of the year, but even that may be an understatement! Exactly how many Hindu festivals are celebrated is not known, but one scholar of Hinduism has listed more than a thousand different Hindu festivals. However I will be explaining the two of the  most known  holidays which are Holi,  and Divali.  

Holi: Holi is a festival of colours and spring. During this time caste divisions are forgotten and bright coloured power is thrown on people. This festival lasts two days, day one consists of a public bonfire, the main event of Holi is the water and coloured powders. The myth behind this holiday is that the Demon Holika attempted to kill Krishna which is Vishnus avatar while it was a baby, the infant sucked the blood from Holika and exposed her as the demon she was.  Below a video from last years Holi Festival in America:

This video shows Holi in India

  

Divali: Festival of lights, Hindu’s decorate their homes with colourful lights. This is symbolic because it represents piercing the evils of darkness and the mysteries of light. 

The Goddess Ganaga

Scared Places

The Ganges River:  The Ganges River it is the boundary river between India and Bangladesh. It is referred to as Ganga after the goddess. Ganga is worshiped by Hindus who believe bathing in the river washes away bad karma. Hindu's also preform rituals in front of the river because they believe it multiplies their blessedness, some Hindu's request to die around the river because they believe if you pass away near the river you will enter into your next life with your sins washed away. With the constant high traffic of people around the river it has become one the most heavily polluted rivers in the entire world! It is also immensely populated there are millions of people living around the river.

                                                                                   
 A Hindu man praying in the river. 

                                                 

                                                                 

Places Of Worship

Unlike other religions, in Hinduism it is not mandatory for a person to visit a temple. Instead Hindus have small shrines or 'puja room' for daily prayers. These shrines are decorated as an alter for worship, Around the room you will find images of deities in picture or statue form. The purpose of the puja room is to bring offerings such as flowers, fruit and incense to the deity of their choice so that they god or goddess will be satisfied. The room is also for personal praying or meditating.

Below is an image of a Puja Room

A good Hindu will have a small shrine or ‘puja room’ for daily prayers.  Hindus generally go to temples only on special occasions or during religious festivals. Hindu temples are often a meeting place to sing religious devotional songs and chants. 

Important Hindu Temples: 

In Hindu temples members practice religious chants and songs. We are going to look at three of the most important temples in Hinduism (plus one in canada) 

                                                                                                                                                                             Hindus believe that their lives are merely stages in the progression to ultimate enlightenment. The temple is a place where God may be approached and where divine knowledge can be discovered. The temple is designed to dissolve the boundaries between man and the divine, the temple is not just a building but the temple ‘is’ God. 

 Below are examples of modern and ancient Hindu Temples.

 Swaminarayan Akshardham - Worlds Largest Hindu Temple

This temple was opened in 2005 and since then it has been a popular landmark of India's cultural and religious landscape. In 2009 it was featured in the Guinness World Records book for being the largest Hindu temple in the world. 

The Sri Meenakshi Temple

The Sri Meenakshi Temple is located in the city of Madurai in India. This extravagant temple was created in the early 17th century for Shiva and his wife, Parvathi. The wife is also known as Sundareshwara and Meenakshi. The annul 10 day Meenakshi festival that is celebrated during April  to May usually attracts over one million visitors!

Hindu Temples In Canada 

                 The Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Toronto. 
                                                 

Constructed in 2007, The Mandir is a architectural masterpiece with towering pinnacles, domes and marble pillars.

Since we are looking at Hindu temples it is only fit that I show you a video depicting the types of song and chants that occur in the temples. The video below is a collection of 5 Hindu Prayers, what they sound like, the significance of the prayer and how to pronounce the names. 

Hindu's God's and Goddesses (9)

There are a total of 330 million Gods and Goddesses in the Hindu religion, however 
the Hindu Trimurti consists of the three most important Gods. Then the 330 million gods and goddesses are also referred to as deities.

The Hindu Trimurti

The Hindu Trimurti is similar to the Catholic Holy Trinity, Trimurti translated means "Great Trinity", it consists of Brahma,Vishnu and Shiva. One must clearly understand that Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are not three independent deities. They represent the same power (the Supreme Being), but in three different aspects. 

       Brahma is the creator  
                                                                                 Vishnu is the preserver

Shiva the Destroyer

Brahma is rarely worshiped now but is still thought highly of; Vishnu and Shiva on the other hand are worshiped by millions. Vishnu is the supreme protector and example of moral perfection. Shiva is the God of destruction which makes way for new creation.

Avatars are an incarnation or living embodiment of a deity, generally Vishnu.


Since there are 330 million different deities, there is 
not enough time to explain them all so we are going to focus on the three know deities.



Ganesha: The Lord of Success


Ganesha is the elephant deity riding a mouse, Ganesha has become one of the most common deities that is associated with Hinduism. Ganesha is also worshiped as the god of education knowledge, wisdom and wealth. 






Krishna


 Krishna is the eighth avatar of the lord Vishnu. Krishna got his name from the Sanskirt word krsna meaning dark or dark blue, that is why Krishna is usually depicted with blue skin. Krishna is the protector and finder of the cows. Krishna also

 represents joy, freedom and love.  He is usually pictured with a flue. 

 Kali

Kali, Is the Dark Mother even though is she feared, Hindu's who worship Kail become her children and she assumes the role of an ever caring mother. Kali is the goddess of time and change. The word Kali means dark, she represents the realities of life and death. She also represents the frightening painful side of life which people who desire spiritual progress must over come. Kail is usually depicted with her tongue sticking out.  

What You Should Now Know:


The Hindu Trimurti means Great Trinity, it consists of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva      
Brahma is the creator  
Note That: Brahma is the creator and Brahmin is a priest                         
Vishnu is the preserver
Shiva is the destroyer 

Avatars are an incarnation or living embodiment of a deity, generally Vishnu. 

Three Paths To Liberation (8)

Recap: Liberation is Moksha and Moksha is what all Hindus strive for, it is ultimate bliss and awareness. Catholics have heaven as the ultimate goal and Hindu's have Moksha.

Each person has different talents and strengths; hence why there is more than one path to help Hindus reach liberation. There are three paths are Karma Marga, Jnana Marga and Bhakti Marga.  Hindu's can chose to follow more than one path.

Karma Marga is for the socially active, it is called “the path of works”, it is for people who prefer to seek liberation through day to day tasks such as raising a family or volunteering. This path is about living in harmony with dharma (ethical duty), it is about being unselfish. The saying “Do the right thing only because it is right” is very popular in this path because it explains that a person should not be doing a good deed to be rewarded but rather one should do a good deed because it is the right thing.

Jnana Marga: Is the path of knowledge it is for philosophical or intellectual types.  Followers of this path must devote a great deal of time to learning and meditation, this path is usually followed by members of the Brahmin caste. Jnana Marga focuses on attaining knowledge over ignorance; knowledge of the true nature of reality. To obtain knowledge of the true nature followers study the three schools of Hindu philosophy; Vedanta, Sankhya and Yoga. The path of Jnana Marga is the shortest but steepest journey to liberation, it is a profound spiritual journey. 

The image on the left is a man practicing Yoga.

Three Schools of Philosophy:

Vedanta:  This text holds all reality that is essentially Brahman, most notable advocate – Hindu philosopher Shankara

Sankhya:  Followers strive to free their eternal self from the bondage of personality.

Yoga:  Seeks to free the eternal self from the bondage of personhood. There are many different types of Yoga.

Bhaki Marga: The path of devotion, it is for the emotional followers they worship a God’s or Goddesses of their choice. Worshiping the divine helps focus attention away from selfish concerns.

What You Should Now Know: 

Hindus have three paths to help them achieve liberation, there are three different paths because each person is unique with their own special qualities. These three paths are action (Karma Marga), knowledge (Jnana Marga) and devotion (bhaki maraga)

Four Stages Of Life and The Four Goals Of Life (7)

The Hindu society has followed the four stages of life since ancient times, the four stages are the outline for the ideal Hindu life. Each stage is different and has its own set of duties. The four stages are traditionally for men.

First Stage: The Student- Boy hits puberty, must study the sacred texts such as the Vedas, this stage lasts until marriage.

Second Stage: Householder – Focuses on pursuing a careers and raising a family. Women are involved in this stage along with their husbands. The birth of their first grandchild marks the beginning of the third stage.

Third Stage: Forest Dweller- The man leaves his family, job, and home to retreats to the forest to pray, his wife is allowed to accompany him. During this stage no contact with the outside world is aloud. 

Fourth Stage:  Wandering Ascetic- The man is totally devoted to God, he is  sannyasin. He has no home, no attachments, he has renounced all desires, fears, hopes, and duties. The goal is to attain Moksha, this is a very difficult stage because you have to be away from your family therefore many Hindu men find this stage of becoming a complete ascetic extremely difficult.

The Four Goals Of Life 

Four Goals of Life: (K.A.D.M.)

The four goals of life, help Hindus seek desire and ultimately liberation. In Hinduism the four goals of life are called purusharthas. In Hindu tradition these four goals explain what life is for. The four goals of life for Hindu's are Kama, Artha, Dharma and Moksha. Each stage is meant to end before reaching the ultimate goal of Moksha.

Kama: Is seeking sensual pleasure either physical or emotional but within the limits of dharma. Kama has a limit, after fulfillment found in love a new yearning arises.

Artha: This new yearning is Artha; Artha means thing or object. During this goal of life you want to achieve material success and the social power that comes with it. After a while the pursuit of money becomes unfulfilling which leads to the third goal. 

Dharma: The third goal of life comes with age and maturity it is living in harmony with dharma (ethical duty).

Moksha: Is the final stage it is the ultimate goal of life, achieving liberation.

What You Should Now Know: 

The Four Stages of Life in the Hindu faith are the outline of the ideal lifestyle and bring you one step closer to achieving Moksha. The four stages are Student, Householder, Forest Dweller and Wandering Ascetic stage. 

The Four Goals of life focus on what a person desires throughout a life time, it begins

with Kama (Sensual Pleasure), leads to Artha which is material success and then matures by focusing on harmony with Dhrama and finally the bliss of Moksha, achieving the ultimate goal that all Hindu's strive for. 

The Caste System (6)

Hindu’s believe in Karma, they believe the position you are in or events that occur during your life is a result of the actions you have done in your past life. There is a system to group the positions called the Caste System; there are 4 ranks in the system. The Caste System is the traditional division of Hindu society, there are four main varnas or classes, the four classes are Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra.

Explanation: 

Brahmin: Is the highest class it consist of priests  

Kshatriya: Consists of warriors and administrators such as teachers

Vaishya:  Consists of producers and merchants such as farmers and shop keepers.

Shurda: The lowest class, this consists of servant and labourers.Members of the Shurda cast are often called the Untouchables.

In Western Society we have Upper, Middle and Lower class. The difference between Western and Hindu society is in Western Society we try to help members of the lower class out of their struggle while in the Caste System higher castes do not help the untouchables because they believe according to Karma these people deserve to be in the position they are in.

Indian politician and political leader Mahatma Gandhi was against the Caste System, he stated the “Untouchablitiy is a crime against God and men.” Gandhi called the Untochables by the name of Harijans meaning children of God. He fought to make the Caste System illegal, in 1949 the government of India made it a criminal offence to practice untouchability but it is still occurring in many parts of India.




What You Should Now Know: 


The Caste System is the division of Hindu society, there are four castes;  Brahmin (priests), Kshatriya (warriors and teachers), Vaishya (farmers and shop keepers) and Shudra (servants and labourers). 


Hindu's believe the position you are in this life is due to actions in a past life. 
Those actions are also known as Karma.
Dhrama also effects the Caste System because Dhrama is the rule of life and ethical duty Which is following a religion and abiding by the laws. Those who break the rules and commit crimes are demoted down a caste or rank in the Samsara for their next life. 

Divine Principles: Karma and Dharma (5)

Karma and Dharma are huge aspects of the Hindu faith. A persons Karma determines their rank on the wheel of rebirth while Dharma is the complete rule of life. 

Karma means deeds or actions; it is the moral law of cause and effect. Karma is related to the Samsara because your actions or deeds in one life determine what life form you will become in your next life.

Why do bad things happen to good people? Hindu’s believe these events are happening because the person committed evil deeds in their past life and are now being punished. The Law of Karma holds people responsible for their actions.

 

Dharma:

Dharma is the complete rule of life; the Hindu term of Dharma can be translated to religion or ethical duty.  Dharma comes from the Sandskrit word meaning “to uphold”, Dharma is basically upholding the order of positive things in your community, nation, household and ultimately the universe. For instance a policeman’s duty is to serve and protect the community. The opposite of Dharma is a-dharma; a-dharma is what happens when a person fails to do their duty. 

To help Hindu's achieve Dharma there are four major sources where they seek guidance from. 

1.    Divine Revelation- found in sacred scriptures 
2.     Sacred Tradition- passed on from generations. 
3.     Follow the example of those who are considered the wisest members of society. 
4.     Their Conscience- knowing difference between right and wrong.

What You Should Now Know:

Karma is the moral law of cause and effect, it is based in Dharma which is ethical duty. Dharma is connected to social order such as gender, caste and stage of life. 
They are all interconnected

Hindu Cosmology (4)

What Is Cosmology?: Cosmology Is the science of origin and development of the Universe. 

In this post we will be looking at how the Hindu religion believes the Universe works and how it was created. 

In Hinduism creation is believed to take place in cycles. The cyclical cosmology states that the universe goes through long periods of creation and destruction, it is a pattern that repeats itself endlessly. At the end of a cycle the destructive forces will gradually take control and eventually bring creation to a long pause. At the end of that pause the universe will be recreated again.

Reincarnation: With the cycle patterns of the universe, people are created and recreated until they finally reach Moksha (Ultimate Salvation)

According to the Samsara a person is reincarnated from one life form to another, the person’s personality traits from their past life were not transmitted into their next life and the individuals cannot recall their past lives. 

Samsara: Is the Wheel Of Rebirth, a person is reincarnated from one life form to another after they die.The Atman (real self) stays the same but the life form changes depending on Karma; the deeds and actions the person completed in their past life.

This is a Hindu illustration of the Samsara:

The topic of reincarnation may be hard for some people to grasp, so I have created the chart below, which depicts the start of the Samsara then the lowest life forms you can potentially be and the highest. You move up a rank if you lived a life full of good karma, if you did evil deeds in during your life when you die you are demoted to a lower life form.  

What You Should Have Learned: 


Hindu cosmology works in long cycles. 
Samasara is the Wheel of Rebirth.
Hindus believe after you die you are reincarnated 
Karma is the deeds or actions of a person
Karma is what determines what you will be reincarnated as
If you lived a life full of good Karma you will be moved up the Samsara 
If you committed evil crimes in a past life you will be demoted down the Samara 
Atman is the real self