"HINDUISM PART I"
Notes
Transcript
What do you know about Hinduism?
If you are able tell me about an interaction that you have had with someone who is a hindu -
Proposition - This evening we discuss Hinduism we will touch on several topics from 1) what is Hinduism, 2) how did it start, 3) what do they believe, 4) what is their authority, and finally what does the Bible say.
What is Hinduism -
What is Hinduism -
Hinduism is one of the oldest known organized religions—its sacred writings go back as far as 1400 to 1500 B.C. It is also one of the most diverse and complex, having millions of gods. Hindus have a wide variety of core beliefs and exist in many different sects. Although it is the third largest religion in the world, Hinduism exists primarily in India and Nepal.
How did Hinduism begin?
How did Hinduism begin?
It was the religion of an ancient people known as the Aryans ("noble people") whose philosophy, religion, and customs are recorded in their sacred texts known as the Vedas.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
Hinduism is one of the world's oldest living religion. There are almost one billion people professing some aspect of Hinduism.
Hinduism is often understood as being polytheistic, (many gods) supposedly recognizing as many as 330 million gods, it also has one “god” that is supreme—Brahma. Brahma is an entity believed to inhabit every portion of reality and existence throughout the entire universe.
Brahma is both impersonal and unknowable and is often believed to exist in three separate forms:
Brahma—Creator -
Vishnu—Preserver -
Shiva—Destroyer -
These “facets” of Brahma are also known through the many other incarnations of each. It is difficult to summarize Hindu theology since the various Hindu schools contain elements of almost every theological system.
Hinduism can be:
1) Monistic—Only one thing exists; Sankara’s school
2) Pantheistic—Only one divine thing exists so that God is identical to the world; Brahmanism
3) Panentheistic—The world is part of God; Ramanuja’s School
4) Theistic—Only one God, distinct from Creation; Bhakti Hinduism
Observing other schools, Hinduism can also be atheistic, deistic, or even nihilistic. The question is what makes a Hindu Hindu? About the only real issue is whether or not a belief system recognizes the Vedas as sacred. If it does, then it is Hindu. If not, then it is not Hindu.
What do Hindus believe and practice?
What do Hindus believe and practice?
The fundamental teaching of Hinduism, is that a human being's basic nature is not confined to the body or the mind. Beyond both of these is the spirit or the spark of God within the soul. This spirit is within us and also within everything we see. (Pantheism = God is everything and everyone and that everyone and everything is God)
All beings and all things are really, in their deepest essence, this pure or divine spirit, full of peace, full of joy and wisdom, ever united with God. This is not just theory, but it can actually be experienced. Anyone who takes the trouble to undergo the necessary training to purify and refine the mind and senses can begin to feel the truth of this.
This training can take various forms and is known as yoga ("union"- union of the individual self with this inner spirit).
Karma Yoga - the discipline of right actions is for those of active temperament, striving to eliminate selfishness, and to cultivate universal sympathy by seeing the divine reality in all.
Bhakti Yoga - is the path of devotion to God whose presence can be felt in all things. God can be worshipped as present in an image in a Temple. God can be worshipped also as present in suffering humanity by service.
Jnana Yoga - preferred by those of analytical bent of mind, is the discipline of trying to see the divine reality within all things directly, by mentally brushing aside all the obstructing physical and mental coverings that hide it.
Raja Yoga - is the process of mental control, purity, and meditation to make the mind very calm and quiet. In that profound quiet, the inner divine light reveals itself.
Yoga: In whatever way a Hindu defines the goal of life, there are several methods (yogas) sages have taught for reaching that goal. A practitioner is called a yogi. Texts on Yoga include the Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutras, Hatha Yoga Pradipikaand, as their philosophical and historical basis, the Upanishads.
Yoga positions are believed to channel spiritual energy (chi) through proper paths (gong).
What are the manifestation(s) of God in Hinduism?
What are the manifestation(s) of God in Hinduism?
The general name for God in Hinduism is Brahman. The name of the divine essence within us is Atman. They are one and the same, infinite and eternal. However, God is also present in all creation. God's manifestation in creation goes by many names.
So the same Divine Lord has been addressed as Shiva, Vishnu, etc and as Divine Mother, Kali, Durga, etc. God can also manifest as an extraordinary being in human form, who is then known as an incarnation of God, such as Krishna, Rama, etc. Since it is the one infinite God alone that is being looked at in different ways, all these manifestations can be prayed to for help and protection.
This is the underlying principle behind all the different sects of Hinduism. Those who prefer a particular manifestation of the divinity will form a sect devoted to the contemplation and worship of that manifestation. All the sects, however, will accept the ancient teachings of the Vedas and the Vedanta as the foundation of their practice.
What is reincarnation?
What is reincarnation?
To reasonably explain an excess of suffering or of enjoyment in this life, it was assumed that we all have had previous existences, and that we are now reaping the results of those previous actions.
It must also be true then that we can take charge of our destiny right now. We can create a better tomorrow by resolving do better actions today. However, as long as desires remain in the mind, the tendency toward rebirth will exist.
Maya = Humanities dilemma
Maya = Humanities dilemma
In this life we do not see things very clearly. We are constantly faced with contradictions. Though we know what is right, we have trouble doing it. Our thoughts soar high, but our actions cannot rise to the level of our thoughts. The world is full of misery and injustice; as quickly as we remove some, more seems to rush in to take its place.
We are told by the saints, and we also feel, that a loving God is at work in this creation, but we cannot reconcile this with what we see around us. This complex situation in which we find ourselves is called Maya.
The way out of this, according to Hinduism, is that we are not really seeing the world properly. If we saw it properly, we would see that it is God alone before us. Instead, we superimpose all this complex world on that divine reality.
The illustration given is that of a rope, mistaken in semi-darkness for a snake. The snake of this world frightens us. Bring a light and you will see its real nature. It is only a rope.
Likewise, the real nature or essence of this world is divinity alone. Bring the light of spiritual wisdom through yoga, and you will see God alone everywhere. This is what constitutes spiritual freedom or liberation, Moksha. When this knowledge dawns, there is complete satisfaction; no desire remains in the mind, and no further impulse for rebirth remains.
What code of behavior do Hindus follow?
What code of behavior do Hindus follow?
There are four main social positions or varna within Hinduism -
Brahmins (priests and teachers)
Kshatriyas (rulers and soldiers),
Vaishyas (merchants) and
Shudras (workers)
There are four ideal stages of life described in Hindu scriptures: the student, the family man, the recluse, and the wandering holy man. For most Hindu people these represent a metaphorical path, not an actual path.
Hinduism views mankind as divine.
Because Brahma is everything, Hinduism asserts that everyone is divine. Atman, or self, is one with Brahman. All of reality outside of Brahman is considered mere illusion. The spiritual goal of a Hindu is to become one with Brahma, thus ceasing to exist in its illusory form of “individual self.”
This freedom is referred to as “moksha.” Until moksha is achieved, a Hindu believes that he/she will be repeatedly reincarnated in order that he/she may work towards self-realization of the truth (the truth being that only Brahman exists, nothing else). How a person is reincarnated is determined by karma, which is a principle of cause and effect governed by nature’s balance. What one did in the past affects and corresponds with what happens in the future, past and future lives included.
What is a guru -
The job of a guru is to lead pupils on a spiritual path to help them attain “god” or realize their atman. Hindus hold that the atman is the eternal self, the spirit, or the essence of a person. On the path to liberation—also called moksha, nirvana, or self-realization—the final stage is realizing the atman is actually brahman, the one true reality and the force underlying all things. Hinduism states that a guru is necessary to reach such spiritual truths.
An avatar is the bodily incarnation of a deity on earth. The god can become incarnate in one place at a time as a full avatar or in many places simultaneously through partial avatars called amshas, such that the main form of the god can still communicate with the partial materializations. One could view avatars as embodying the concepts of pantheism (god is all) and polytheism (many gods).
What is an Avatar-
The belief in Hindu avatars is similar to the Christian heresy of Docetism, which is the belief that Jesus Christ only appeared to be human. Docetism teaches that Jesus’ body was spiritual, rather than physical; thus, He was unable to suffer physical pain.
In Hinduism, the avatar appears to the devotee in whatever form the worshiper envisions, which, according to Hindu belief could be Mohammed, Krishna, Jesus, Buddha, or any other personal god. An “unqualified” person would take the avatar to be an ordinary human.
The purpose of the avatar’s manifestation is to restore dharma, or righteousness, to the cosmic and social order. Dharma encompasses behaviors such as duty, ritual, law, morality, ethics, good deeds, etc.—anything considered critical to maintaining natural order. That which is unnatural or immoral is called adharma.
The caste system -
No nation or people have been liberated from poverty, want, or injustice through Hinduism. While the caste system was officially outlawed in India in 1950, in truth, the Hindu caste system continues to enslave people, binding them in their miseries, and is responsible for unspeakable human suffering.
The Hindu caste system divides people into four rigid hierarchical groups, based solely on heredity. Members of each caste are restricted in their occupation and their association with other castes.
In the Manusmriti, considered the most important book on Hindu law dating back 3,000 or more years, the caste system is favorably regarded as the bedrock of societal order. Here are the four castes of Hinduism:
• Brahmins: teachers and intellectuals
• Kshatriyas: warriors and rulers
• Vaishyas: traders and merchants
• Shudras: laborers and menial workers
Outside the caste system is another group, known as Dalits, the “caste of the impure.” The Dalits, or “untouchables,” are expected to accept poverty and degradation as a fact of life. Overworked, undernourished, and without access to proper health care or basic hygiene, the Dalits toil in odious, inhumane conditions for meager wages that scarcely keep them alive.
Many of these slave laborers are young women and children. They have few rights. Most are denied educational opportunities. These marginalized people live in filth and squalor and work long hours in hazardous, often deadly conditions.
A majority of Dalit children are chronically malnourished, and only 2–3 percent of Dalit women can read or write. Dalit children who attend school are segregated from their classmates and are often assigned disagreeable jobs such as cleaning toilets.
In a nation already steeped in poverty, the ancient customs of Hinduism prevent the Dalits from rising above their extreme suffering and want.
There is no denying barbarous acts have been committed in the name of Christianity, but those guilty of avarice and senseless bloodshed do so outside of the authority of Scripture. No amount of Scripture-twisting can turn the words of Jesus into a battle cry for bigotry, hatred, and violence, yet one of Hinduism’s holiest books, the Manusmriti, sanctions a cruelly unjust caste system that has enslaved legions of people for more than three millennia. The Lord Jesus can set the captives free (Luke 4:18); the four-headed Hindu god Brahma cannot.
Various Bible passages teach the opposite of the Hindu caste system:
20 And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
34 Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, 35 but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.
27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
1 My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?
31 He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker, But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.
What are the Hindu’s authorities?
What are the Hindu’s authorities?
Hindu ancient, sacred texts were written in Sanskrit, the language of ancient India.
The Vedas are the oldest - about 3000 years old. They are a collection of hymns, prayers, and magic spells.
The Upanishads are stories and parables told by gurus (teachers) to their students
The Mahabharata is a story of a war between two royal families.
The Bhagavad Gita is a very popular part of this text.
The Ramayana is a story of the god Rama and the rescue of his wife Sita from Ravana, the evil demon king.
The Vedas are more than theology books. They contain a rich and colorful “theo-mythology,” that is, a religious mythology which deliberately interweaves myth, theology, and history to achieve a story-form religious root. This “theo-mythology” is so deeply rooted in India’s history and culture that to reject the Vedas is viewed as opposing India.
A belief system is rejected by Hinduism if it does not embrace Indian culture to some extent. If the system accepts Indian culture and its theo-mythical history, then it can be embraced as “Hindu” even if its theology is theistic, nihilistic, or atheistic.
What does the Bible say?
1. God is personal and knowable -
5 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.
2. There is one set of inerrant, infallible, reliable, and applicable Scriptures -
18 and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
3. God is creator and sustainer -
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
4. Man was created by God, in God’s image, and lives once -
27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
5. Salvation is through Jesus Christ Alone -
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
6. Apart from Christ, there is only the Lake of Fire and eternal punishment -
27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
SO WHAT??
Psalm 119:97–104 (NASB95)
97 O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. 98 Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For they are ever mine. 99 I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. 100 I understand more than the aged, Because I have observed Your precepts.
101 I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word. 102 I have not turned aside from Your ordinances, For You Yourself have taught me. 103 How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.