HOPE MY ABSENCE WASN'T TOO DISRUPTIVE. KIDS ARE BOTH BACK AT SCHOOL.
When goodness grows weak,
When evil increases,
I make myself a body.
In every age I come back
To deliver the holy,
To destroy the sin of the sinner,
To establish the righteous.
- Bhagavad-Gita, (IV: 7-8)
DAY #1 - INTRODUCTION TO HINDUISM
You should be begin reading the Hinduism chapter in Huston
Smith's The World's Religions. Try to be through page 50 by the time we meet on Monday. Pages 12 through 26 are a sort of
introduction to the religion and its world view, and they will cover much of what we do today. Your suggested reading for
next time, pages 26 through 50, deals with four of the yoga, or "paths"
to God. You will use those pages below.
REMINDER: At the end of each unit, there is
an exam that has two parts. First, you take 25 multiple-choice
questions in class. (I generally allow up to 100 words of notes.) The other 30 points of the exam come from your
answering 3 short-essay questions that you choose from a list of
Hinduism Essay Questions. More
details on that to follow. They are generally due the third class
period after the in-class portion of the exam.
What is Hinduism?
Defining terms: Hindu, Sanatana Dharma, henotheism
"
Why Am I A Hindu?"
is written by a Hindu believer. This relatively short essay elaborates
upon her reasons for practicing the faith. It definitely comes from a
pro-Hindu perspective, but it is interesting.
Historical overview:
Defining terms: Indus River valley, Aryans, Dravidians
In class, we will discuss the traditional
"Aryan invasion" model of Indian history. Recently, a number of
scholars have challenged and refuted that interpretation. They consider
it to be Eurocentric and racist. This web site attempts to refute the "
Myth of the Aryan Invasion." Those of you who enjoy history will find this worth checking out.
There is an excellent
slideshow of the Ancient Indus civilization
available for you to view. It contains 90 images which introduce you to
aspects of the archeology, history, and culture of the are
Basic tenets of the faith:
Defining terms: Brahman, Atman, reincarnation, moksha, samsara, karma, dharma, bhakti, monism
The Nine Basic Beliefs of Hinduism:
This is a portion of the website developed by Hinduism Today.
This particular page elaborates upon the core beliefs of mainstream
Hinduism.
The Four Basic Goals of Hindu Life:
Defining terms: artha, kama, maya
It is generally recognized that there are four basic goals common to most Hindus. They are listed below:
- dharma: duty
- artha: participation
- kama: pleasure
- moksha: release
The achievement of these goals will help overcome the
maya of
life. Actions, thoughts, and intentions can be channeled in this
effort. Those efforts are the yoga of Hinduism.
The Hindu Yoga- Four (or more) Paths to the Goals:
Defining terms: yoga
The text does a great job of introducing four methods of seeking a closer relationship with the divine. Smith explains
jnana, bhakti, karma,and
raja yoga.
The Yoga Site goes into a good deal more depth of a wide variety of yogic practices.
HOMEWORK for Hinduism - Day #2
Select two forms of yoga. One of them MUST be
one of the four forms described by Huston Smith. The other can come
from the web page, or it can be another of Smith's. You task is to
explain how you would use the yoga to
reach your goals. In other words, how could/do you integrate this
practice into your life? NOTE: You can simply do this in your notes.
You don't need to blog this.
Ideally, you would have already have read pages 12
through 26, which are a sort of introduction to the religion and its
world view. and 26 through 50 deal with four of the yoga, or "paths" to
God.
If you want to get a real early start, I've posted the
Hinduism Essay Questions
for this unit. These will not be due for several weeks.
Your first Independent Assigment (
Speaking of Faith - Podcasts) is due to be posted before class time on Tuesday, November 15th.
