Transcript The Eternal Cycle of All Life

The Eternal Cycle of All
Life
Ch. 7 Hinduism #2
Samsara: The Wheel of Life
 All
life governed by a law of birth, death, &
rebirth
 when reborn: not necessarily again as human
 Moksha:
samsara
the goal of life, liberation from
Karma
 Law
that determines how one is reborn
 What
one does in a life affects what one will be in
the next
 Best
 Do
way to ensure karma?
good deeds, follow one’s duty, i.e., dharma
The Divine: Brahman

Brahman: the power that sustains the universe, its deepest
reality

Upanishads: shifted Hindu thinking that:
 Consciousness
unites everything
 The
self one experiences in their consciousness is one with
Brahman (the reality of the universe)

Brahman can’t be named, many forms of the deities express
the various aspects of Brahman
Atman
 One’s
A
true self
fragment of Brahman
 Everyone
is part of the divine
 Coming
to a consciousness of oneself as Brahman is
the way to defeat death
 The
obstacle to this consciousness?
 Our
many distractions
Maya
 Humans
see & sense things as different,
(i.e., not One)
 This illusion: maya
 Seeing things as separate from each other,
one doesn’t see the divine oneness
(Brahman) of all things
 To be set free:
 Realize that Brahman or atman present in
all
Caste System

Traditional Hindu society, hierarchy

Karma & dharma: rebirth @ higher level

This belief  society divided into castes

Castes determined: roles, jobs, social standing,
religious structures

Caste system from around 1500 BCE with Aryans

Following dharma: follow rules of caste

Acting above one’s caste:  bad karma
Four Basic Castes (+…)
Priests
Warriors
Business
people
Farmers
Outcastes
/ Untouchables
Brahmans
Priestly
caste
Study and teach matters
of faith
Lead most key rituals
Kshatriyas
Warrior
caste
Role: protect people
& run a fair
government
Vaishyas
Traders,
merchants, farmers,
artists, business people
Role: care for economic needs
of the community
Sudras
Lowest
caste
Serve the higher castes
Unskilled workers, servants,
menial workers
Untouchables
 A.K.A.
“outcastes”
 May not interact in any way with other
castes
 Do the dirtiest of work
 Live separately
 This system is changing.
Four Stages of Life
1.Student,
7 – 20 Religious education, search for
truth
2.Householder, 20-50, duty to family, raising
children, earning living
3.Semi-retired, when family self-supporting
4.Wandering ascetic. Living a holy, detached life,
no possessions or responsibilities: sanyasin
Life Milestones

16 noted in Hindu scriptures

(e.g., Conception, birth, naming, 1st haircut, religious
graduation, marriage, retirement, death & cremation)

NAMING
@
home, 12 days after birth
 Traditional
rules dictate number of syllables, caste, deity of
devotion
 Modern
rules more flexible
Sacred Thread
 Initiation
ceremony, upper caste boys
between 7-12
 Marks becoming a student
 Boy introduced to guru, sacred thread
over him
 Must wear the thread at all times as a
reminder of responsibilities of caste &
study of Vedas
Death
Family
carries body to cremation
grounds
Body placed on pyre
Ashes scattered on water,
preferably a river
In Canada, Hindus have adapted
their funeral practices