Hinduism in a Nutshell.

**Kompressor** · 09-15-2004, 03:40 PM

The term Hindu refers to the indigenous peoples of the Indus Valley when colonists first started coming to India. A myriad of cultures are bundled under the Hindu name, but there are a few core elements that still hold the different aspects together. There are no specific moralities, theologies, or founder. The religion itself is known as Sanatana Dharma, or the ‘Eternal Religion.’ The spiritual expressions of Sanatana Dharma range from extreme asceticism to extreme sensuality, from the heights of personal devotion to a deity to the depths of abstract philosophy. From metaphysical proclamations of the oneness behind the material world to the worship of images representing a multiplicity of deities. According to tradition, there are actually 333 million deities in India. The feeling is that the divine has countless faces.

The roots of Hinduism stem all the way back to 3000 BCE, making it the world’s oldest practiced belief. According to tradition, this is the beginning of the Kali Yuga, and the Vedas are foretold. The Harappan civilization flourishes around this time, which was started by the aboriginal Dravidian peoples of India. Bringing the first sense of civility to India, the practice of meditation is recorded extensively. Around 1500 BCE, a group of people known as the Aryans, believed to range from Ireland, Persia and finally migrating down into India, brought the ancient language known as Sanskrit and assimilated the Harappan Civilization into their own. Sanskrit was considered a re-creation of the actual sound-forms of objects, actions, and qualities heard by the ancient sages in deep meditation. The Vedas are recorded in Sanskrit, creating the world’s oldest written text.

According to Orthodox Hindus, the Vedas are not the work of any humans. The scriptures are thought to transcend human time and are thus as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago. The Vedas are four groups of text, loosely translated as ‘to know,’ or ‘Supreme Knowledge,’ and these revered collection of ancient sacred hymns appear to have developed over time. The oldest text, known as the Rig Veda, praises and implores the blessings of the Devas, or controlling forces of the cosmos. But beyond all the aspects of divinity, the sages perceived one unseen reality. This reality, beyond human understanding, ceaselessly creates and sustains everything that exists, encompassing all time, space, and causation.

This universal breath is later called Brahman, the’ Absolute’ or ‘Supreme Reality’ in the next Veda, the Brahmanas, which was recorded sometime between 700-400 BCE. This text explains the symbolic relationships between the religious rituals performed and its impact on the ‘real world.’ The Brahmins, priests who read and maintained the Vedic rituals, believed in a clear, orderly division of labor as well as placing a strong emphasis on social duties and sacrifice of individual desires for the sake of social order., from which the Caste system originates. Next came the Kshatriyas, who were the Kings and vassals appointed to guard and preserve society. They were followed by the Vaishyas who fulfilled the commerce sector of merchants and farmers. Finally, the Shudra caste contained the laborers and artisans. An outcast group had also emerged, known as the ‘untouchables,’ this group of people carried the work that was considered ‘unpure,’ such as removing human waste, sweeping streets, and working with leather from the skins of dead cows. Concepts of Karma and Samsara, the eternal circle of life and reincarnation, dig their roots, and the castes became hereditary by basing current caste status on the Karma of one’s previous life. To escape Samsara is to achieve Moksha, or liberation of the limits of the physical world and attain union with the Absolute.

Some people renounced the Caste system and wandered into the forests to meditate as hermits. Often people sought out known spiritual recluses, from which the third Veda gets recorded around 600-400 BCE, known as the Upanishads. Roughly translated as ‘Sit down close to,’ these scripts were secretly passed down from the Gurus, spiritual teachers whom secluded themselves in the forests, to the Seekers, or students/followers. This was a major shift in Hindu philosophy. Emphasis which was once placed on outward ritual performance moves towards the inner experience, known as ‘the Beyond Within,’ as the path to the Ultimate Realization. Brahman in Vedic times was considered a deity, but now the Upanishad form has no qualities. Brahman is thought as to be the all-pervading reality that is embedded in Maya, or the world of things. Maya is then divided into inanimate and animate, and the latter is known to contain the Truth within its soul, known as Atman. The sages declared that when one discovers the inner self, atman, the self merges into its transcendent source [Brahman] and one experiences unspeakable peace and bliss.

The final group of texts in the Vedas are know as the Epics and the Puranas were recorded around 500 BCE. These heroic narratives gave deities personalities, psychologies and human characteristics through the myths and legends of the Ancient Times. The Epics refer to the Supreme as Vishnu, who intervenes on earth during critical periods in the cosmic cycles. Each world cycle lasts 4,320,000 years. Two thousand of these world cycles are equivalent to one day in the life of Brahma, the Creator God. Each world cycle is divided into four parts, known as the Yugas. Dharma, or the moral order of the world, is its greatest amount in the first stage and continually decreases throughout the cycle. In this stage morality is natural, almost instinctual. The second stage, people must be taught their proper roles in society. During the darkening third age, revealed values are no longer recognized, people lose their altruism and willingness for self-denial, and there are no more saints. The final stage, the Kali Yuga the world is at its worst, with egotism, ignorance, recklessness, and war rampant. According to Hindu time reckoning, we are now living in Kali Yuga that began in 3102 BCE. Each of these lengthy cycles witnesses the same turn of events. The balance inexorably shifts from the true Dharma to disillusion and then back to the dharma. The Puranas list the many ways that Vishnu has incarnated in the world when dharma is decaying, to help restore virtue and defeat evil. For instance, Vishnu is said to have incarnated great avatars such as Krishna and Rama to help uplift Humanity. It has also been theorized that Jesus may have been another incarnation of Vishnu. Brahma, the Creator God, creates the world and falls asleep. Vishnu, the Preserver, maintains order during each cycle. At the end of a world cycle, Shiva, the Destroyer, does his ‘Dance of Destruction’ and destroys the world in order to be rebuilt anew by Brahma.

Modern Spiritual Seekers are generally encouraged to engage in disciplines that clear the mind and support a state of serene, detached awareness. This desired state of the balance, purity, wisdom, and peacefulness of mind is described as sattvic, in contrast with active, restless states or lethargic, dull states. The practices for increasing sattvic qualities are known collectively as Yoga. There are four main yogic paths, raja, jnana, karma, and bhakti.

Raja Yoga is the form most known in the Western world. They are thought to be extremely ancient, believed to reach far back as the Neolithic Age in the great Indus Valley. The goal in this practice is to make the mind absolutely calm and clear. The Asanas are physical postures used to cleanse the body and develop the mind’s ability to concentrate. Regulated breathing exercises are also used to calm the nerves and increase the body’s life energy. The major pathways for this energy to permeate through the body are known as Chakras. Ideally, the opening of the highest chakra leads to moksha.

Another yogic path employs the rational mind instead of pure concentration. As the ‘Way of Wisdom,’ jnana yoga considers ignorance the root of all problems. Our basic ignorance is our idea of our selves being separate from the Absolute. The seeker must also develop spiritual virtues and have an intense longing for liberation. Finally one graduates from the theoretical knowledge of the self to direct experience of it. The ultimate wisdom is spiritual insight rather than intellectual knowledge.

Karma yoga is the way to help the world. This is a selfless service without any interest in its fruits and personal sense of giving. The seeker knows that it is the Absolute who performs all actions, and that all actions are gifts to the Absolute. This consciousness leads to the liberation from the self in the very midst of work.

The last major Yogic path is embraced the most by Indian followers of Sanatana Dharma. Bhakti Yoga is the path of Devotion. This is forming a close, personal relationship with a deity, one of intense love. By dedicating oneself to a deity, one hopes to attain moksha through the help of a deity. Also, it is believed the truly devoted can see manifestations of their deity to help guide them through life.

Ultimately, the whole goal is to realize that everything is one universal truth.

Ego Tripping · 09-15-2004, 04:22 PM

"Ultimately, the whole goal is to realize that everything is one universal truth."

Sweet, guess I've already got that far.

**Kompressor** · 09-15-2004, 04:29 PM

Ok, now try getting to it.

Ego Tripping · 09-15-2004, 04:43 PM

I do what I can for a 22 year old young man living in San Diego who needs to live his life....

I try to keep that truth with me everyday and not a day goes by where I realize that my little egocentric desires, concerns, and memories are illusionary to the truth that exists outside my understanding. I do my best.

**SageTree** · 05-31-2009, 08:08 AM

bump

Xil · 05-31-2009, 12:25 PM

Thank you for posting this, Komp. And thank you for bumping this, Sage.

**SageTree** · 05-31-2009, 04:22 PM

I think with all the God talk around here lately, we could use a different concept of God, besides the Abrahamic religions. Trying to get up more Dharma religions were I can find them. I am greatful for Komps post as well.

Thanks XillyBean

Sage

Geeno · 05-31-2009, 07:33 PM

What about the aghorra?

**SageTree** · 05-31-2009, 08:15 PM

I seem to think they are an oddity and aren't even considered Hindu's by peer review, as I read anyways.

Wild practice, although I can see the corpse/impermance meditation logically, no matter how far out.

dubtrice · 05-31-2009, 10:35 PM

wheres the Tao thread!

Psilocychosis · 05-31-2009, 10:41 PM

Good bump. Hinduism interests me to no end. Something I want to study at some point in my life. Thanks for the bump sage.

**SageTree** · 06-01-2009, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dubtrice

wheres the Tao thread!

Make one, perhaps?
Buddhism is my bag and I feel I've inundated you all with it, answering and acting in accordance.

I will go through the lost posts sometime soon and see if I can't dig up a few. I'm pretty sure they are there.

Edit: I just did a search and didn't come up with anything. This is hard to believe, so I will look further later on. Got work in a few hours.

09-15-2004, 03:40 PM	#1 (permalink)
Kompressor Voice of Reason Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Illinois Posts: 8,066 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2,849 Times in 1,509 Posts	Hinduism in a Nutshell. The term Hindu refers to the indigenous peoples of the Indus Valley when colonists first started coming to India. A myriad of cultures are bundled under the Hindu name, but there are a few core elements that still hold the different aspects together. There are no specific moralities, theologies, or founder. The religion itself is known as Sanatana Dharma, or the ‘Eternal Religion.’ The spiritual expressions of Sanatana Dharma range from extreme asceticism to extreme sensuality, from the heights of personal devotion to a deity to the depths of abstract philosophy. From metaphysical proclamations of the oneness behind the material world to the worship of images representing a multiplicity of deities. According to tradition, there are actually 333 million deities in India. The feeling is that the divine has countless faces. The roots of Hinduism stem all the way back to 3000 BCE, making it the world’s oldest practiced belief. According to tradition, this is the beginning of the Kali Yuga, and the Vedas are foretold. The Harappan civilization flourishes around this time, which was started by the aboriginal Dravidian peoples of India. Bringing the first sense of civility to India, the practice of meditation is recorded extensively. Around 1500 BCE, a group of people known as the Aryans, believed to range from Ireland, Persia and finally migrating down into India, brought the ancient language known as Sanskrit and assimilated the Harappan Civilization into their own. Sanskrit was considered a re-creation of the actual sound-forms of objects, actions, and qualities heard by the ancient sages in deep meditation. The Vedas are recorded in Sanskrit, creating the world’s oldest written text. According to Orthodox Hindus, the Vedas are not the work of any humans. The scriptures are thought to transcend human time and are thus as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago. The Vedas are four groups of text, loosely translated as ‘to know,’ or ‘Supreme Knowledge,’ and these revered collection of ancient sacred hymns appear to have developed over time. The oldest text, known as the Rig Veda, praises and implores the blessings of the Devas, or controlling forces of the cosmos. But beyond all the aspects of divinity, the sages perceived one unseen reality. This reality, beyond human understanding, ceaselessly creates and sustains everything that exists, encompassing all time, space, and causation. This universal breath is later called Brahman, the’ Absolute’ or ‘Supreme Reality’ in the next Veda, the Brahmanas, which was recorded sometime between 700-400 BCE. This text explains the symbolic relationships between the religious rituals performed and its impact on the ‘real world.’ The Brahmins, priests who read and maintained the Vedic rituals, believed in a clear, orderly division of labor as well as placing a strong emphasis on social duties and sacrifice of individual desires for the sake of social order., from which the Caste system originates. Next came the Kshatriyas, who were the Kings and vassals appointed to guard and preserve society. They were followed by the Vaishyas who fulfilled the commerce sector of merchants and farmers. Finally, the Shudra caste contained the laborers and artisans. An outcast group had also emerged, known as the ‘untouchables,’ this group of people carried the work that was considered ‘unpure,’ such as removing human waste, sweeping streets, and working with leather from the skins of dead cows. Concepts of Karma and Samsara, the eternal circle of life and reincarnation, dig their roots, and the castes became hereditary by basing current caste status on the Karma of one’s previous life. To escape Samsara is to achieve Moksha, or liberation of the limits of the physical world and attain union with the Absolute. Some people renounced the Caste system and wandered into the forests to meditate as hermits. Often people sought out known spiritual recluses, from which the third Veda gets recorded around 600-400 BCE, known as the Upanishads. Roughly translated as ‘Sit down close to,’ these scripts were secretly passed down from the Gurus, spiritual teachers whom secluded themselves in the forests, to the Seekers, or students/followers. This was a major shift in Hindu philosophy. Emphasis which was once placed on outward ritual performance moves towards the inner experience, known as ‘the Beyond Within,’ as the path to the Ultimate Realization. Brahman in Vedic times was considered a deity, but now the Upanishad form has no qualities. Brahman is thought as to be the all-pervading reality that is embedded in Maya, or the world of things. Maya is then divided into inanimate and animate, and the latter is known to contain the Truth within its soul, known as Atman. The sages declared that when one discovers the inner self, atman, the self merges into its transcendent source [Brahman] and one experiences unspeakable peace and bliss. The final group of texts in the Vedas are know as the Epics and the Puranas were recorded around 500 BCE. These heroic narratives gave deities personalities, psychologies and human characteristics through the myths and legends of the Ancient Times. The Epics refer to the Supreme as Vishnu, who intervenes on earth during critical periods in the cosmic cycles. Each world cycle lasts 4,320,000 years. Two thousand of these world cycles are equivalent to one day in the life of Brahma, the Creator God. Each world cycle is divided into four parts, known as the Yugas. Dharma, or the moral order of the world, is its greatest amount in the first stage and continually decreases throughout the cycle. In this stage morality is natural, almost instinctual. The second stage, people must be taught their proper roles in society. During the darkening third age, revealed values are no longer recognized, people lose their altruism and willingness for self-denial, and there are no more saints. The final stage, the Kali Yuga the world is at its worst, with egotism, ignorance, recklessness, and war rampant. According to Hindu time reckoning, we are now living in Kali Yuga that began in 3102 BCE. Each of these lengthy cycles witnesses the same turn of events. The balance inexorably shifts from the true Dharma to disillusion and then back to the dharma. The Puranas list the many ways that Vishnu has incarnated in the world when dharma is decaying, to help restore virtue and defeat evil. For instance, Vishnu is said to have incarnated great avatars such as Krishna and Rama to help uplift Humanity. It has also been theorized that Jesus may have been another incarnation of Vishnu. Brahma, the Creator God, creates the world and falls asleep. Vishnu, the Preserver, maintains order during each cycle. At the end of a world cycle, Shiva, the Destroyer, does his ‘Dance of Destruction’ and destroys the world in order to be rebuilt anew by Brahma. Modern Spiritual Seekers are generally encouraged to engage in disciplines that clear the mind and support a state of serene, detached awareness. This desired state of the balance, purity, wisdom, and peacefulness of mind is described as sattvic, in contrast with active, restless states or lethargic, dull states. The practices for increasing sattvic qualities are known collectively as Yoga. There are four main yogic paths, raja, jnana, karma, and bhakti. Raja Yoga is the form most known in the Western world. They are thought to be extremely ancient, believed to reach far back as the Neolithic Age in the great Indus Valley. The goal in this practice is to make the mind absolutely calm and clear. The Asanas are physical postures used to cleanse the body and develop the mind’s ability to concentrate. Regulated breathing exercises are also used to calm the nerves and increase the body’s life energy. The major pathways for this energy to permeate through the body are known as Chakras. Ideally, the opening of the highest chakra leads to moksha. Another yogic path employs the rational mind instead of pure concentration. As the ‘Way of Wisdom,’ jnana yoga considers ignorance the root of all problems. Our basic ignorance is our idea of our selves being separate from the Absolute. The seeker must also develop spiritual virtues and have an intense longing for liberation. Finally one graduates from the theoretical knowledge of the self to direct experience of it. The ultimate wisdom is spiritual insight rather than intellectual knowledge. Karma yoga is the way to help the world. This is a selfless service without any interest in its fruits and personal sense of giving. The seeker knows that it is the Absolute who performs all actions, and that all actions are gifts to the Absolute. This consciousness leads to the liberation from the self in the very midst of work. The last major Yogic path is embraced the most by Indian followers of Sanatana Dharma. Bhakti Yoga is the path of Devotion. This is forming a close, personal relationship with a deity, one of intense love. By dedicating oneself to a deity, one hopes to attain moksha through the help of a deity. Also, it is believed the truly devoted can see manifestations of their deity to help guide them through life. Ultimately, the whole goal is to realize that everything is one universal truth. __________________ Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought. -H. Bergson

09-15-2004, 04:29 PM	#3 (permalink)
Kompressor Voice of Reason Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Illinois Posts: 8,066 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2,849 Times in 1,509 Posts	Ok, now try getting to it. __________________ Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought. -H. Bergson

05-31-2009, 08:08 AM	#5 (permalink)
SageTree ~Kalyāṇa-mitrā~ Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: In Love Posts: 22,612 Blog Entries: 26 Thanks: 11,485 Thanked 5,709 Times in 4,024 Posts	bump __________________ YaHooka is.... Cannabis lovers from around the world pulling up a comfy chair, picking up a vaporizer, a bong, a brownie, a pipe, or a joint, getting high, stoned, buzzed or healthy. Uniting our minds in conversation...While Portraying a Positive Image of marijuana and marijuana users to the world. Treat your fellow YaHookans with kindness,respect and tolerance. "We're not here to judge what's good from bad, But to do the things that are right."

05-31-2009, 12:25 PM	#6 (permalink)
Xil OD'ing on sobriety Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mizzura Posts: 3,292 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 993 Thanked 1,108 Times in 687 Posts	Thank you for posting this, Komp. And thank you for bumping this, Sage. __________________ Life is a waste of time and time is a waste of life, so get wasted all the time and have the time of your life

05-31-2009, 04:22 PM	#7 (permalink)
SageTree ~Kalyāṇa-mitrā~ Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: In Love Posts: 22,612 Blog Entries: 26 Thanks: 11,485 Thanked 5,709 Times in 4,024 Posts	I think with all the God talk around here lately, we could use a different concept of God, besides the Abrahamic religions. Trying to get up more Dharma religions were I can find them. I am greatful for Komps post as well. Thanks XillyBean Sage __________________ YaHooka is.... Cannabis lovers from around the world pulling up a comfy chair, picking up a vaporizer, a bong, a brownie, a pipe, or a joint, getting high, stoned, buzzed or healthy. Uniting our minds in conversation...While Portraying a Positive Image of marijuana and marijuana users to the world. Treat your fellow YaHookans with kindness,respect and tolerance. "We're not here to judge what's good from bad, But to do the things that are right."

09-15-2004, 04:22 PM	#2 (permalink)
Ego Tripping Are you in? Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 13,461 Thanks: 229 Thanked 657 Times in 438 Posts	"Ultimately, the whole goal is to realize that everything is one universal truth." Sweet, guess I've already got that far.

09-15-2004, 04:43 PM	#4 (permalink)
Ego Tripping Are you in? Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 13,461 Thanks: 229 Thanked 657 Times in 438 Posts	I do what I can for a 22 year old young man living in San Diego who needs to live his life.... I try to keep that truth with me everyday and not a day goes by where I realize that my little egocentric desires, concerns, and memories are illusionary to the truth that exists outside my understanding. I do my best.

05-31-2009, 08:15 PM	#9 (permalink)
SageTree ~Kalyāṇa-mitrā~ Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: In Love Posts: 22,612 Blog Entries: 26 Thanks: 11,485 Thanked 5,709 Times in 4,024 Posts	I seem to think they are an oddity and aren't even considered Hindu's by peer review, as I read anyways. Wild practice, although I can see the corpse/impermance meditation logically, no matter how far out. __________________ YaHooka is.... Cannabis lovers from around the world pulling up a comfy chair, picking up a vaporizer, a bong, a brownie, a pipe, or a joint, getting high, stoned, buzzed or healthy. Uniting our minds in conversation...While Portraying a Positive Image of marijuana and marijuana users to the world. Treat your fellow YaHookans with kindness,respect and tolerance. "We're not here to judge what's good from bad, But to do the things that are right."

05-31-2009, 10:35 PM	#10 (permalink)
dubtrice Old School Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: USA Posts: 417 Thanks: 83 Thanked 55 Times in 41 Posts	wheres the Tao thread!

05-31-2009, 10:41 PM	#11 (permalink)
Psilocychosis Reelin' in the Years Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Long and Winding Road Posts: 479 Thanks: 22 Thanked 58 Times in 49 Posts	Good bump. Hinduism interests me to no end. Something I want to study at some point in my life. Thanks for the bump sage. __________________ Life gave me lemons, I didn't make no lemonade, threw the fuckin' lemons back and busted out the Cabernet

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