Hinduism

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Hinduism

• Dr. Ashok Agarwal
• Victoria Hindu Temple

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Outline

• Introduction
• Hinduism and humanity
• Respect for Earth
• Science and religion
• Hinduism in the community
• Recent changes

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Introduction

• What are the four aims?
• What is Om and its importance?
• What is meditation, bhakti, sadhana or devotion?
• What is yoga?

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What are the four aims?

• Hindus organize their lives around certain
  activities or "purusharthas." These are called
  the "four aims of Hinduism.
• Dharma righteousness in their religious life
• Artha success in their economic life
  material prosperity
• Kama gratification of the senses pleasure
  sensual, sexual, and mental  enjoyment
• Moksha Liberation from "samsara,"  

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What is Om and its importance?

• "Om" is a holy word often spoken during the
  practice of any Hindu rites.
• Represents the trinity of three supreme Gods
• Brahma the creator
• Vishnu the preserver
• Shiva the destroyer
• Reincarnations of Lord Vishnu
• Lord Rama (Ramayana)
• Lord Krishna (Mahabharata and the Gita)
• Gita narrates the meaning of life, karma, moksha,
  atma, and parmatma

Man is mortalthe soul is immortal!
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What is meditation, bhakti, sadhana or devotion?

• It is essentially a language of love
• This alone can give us the bliss of
  God-realization
• Sadhana serves to attract the devotees attention
  to the Lord
• This makes the devotee free from sorrow and
  suffering, and reveals Himself (God) before the
  devotee

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What is yoga?

• Method of keeping us in control of
• our body, mind and actions
• One must master these four types of yoga
• Jnana yoga the path of knowledge
• Bhakti yoga the path of devotion
• Karma yoga the path of action
• Raja yoga the path based on control of ones
  actions and thoughts
• Having learnt these, the body can be detached
  from the soul.
• Achieve union with the supreme self or God.

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10 Common Hinduism Questions

• Why does Hinduism have so many Gods?
• Hindus all believe in one Supreme God who created
  many Gods, highly advanced spiritual beings, to
  be His helpers
• Do Hindus believe in reincarnation?
• Yes, we believe the soul (without body) is
  immortal and takes birth again and again.
• What is Karma?
• Karma is the universal principal of cause and
  effect. Both good and bad karma not only decide
  our fate (sorrow and happiness) in the present
  life, but also in future life.

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10 Common Hinduism Questions

• Why do Hindus worship the cow?
• By honoring this gentle animal, who gives more
  than she takes, we honor the creatures as well.
• Are Hindus idol worshipers?
• We worship God through the image so that we can
  commune with Him and receive His blessings.
• Are Hindus forbidden to eat meat?
• Hindus teach vegetarianism as a way of life to
  not hurt living creatures.
• Do Hindus have a Bible?
• Our Bible is called the Veda which means
  wisdom and which reveals the word of God.

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10 Common Hinduism Questions

• Why do many Hindus wear a dot near the middle of
  their forehead?
• It represents a divine sight and shows that one
  is a Hindu.
• Are the Gods of Hinduism really married?
• It is true that God is often depicted with a
  spouse in traditional stories, a symbol of love
  between husband and wife.
• What about caste and untouchability?
• Caste is the hereditary division of Indian
  society based on occupation (priests, warriors,
  business people, and workers). The lowest caste,
  untouchables, suffer from discrimination. It is
  now illegal in India.

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Hinduism and Humanity

• Code of Conduct
• Nonviolence (ahimsa)
• Truthfulness
• Patience
• Compassion
• Honesty
• Purity
• Giving
• Faith in God

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Hinduism and Humanity

• According to Mahatma Gandhi, love, sacrifice
• and truthfulness leads to comfort and pleasure
• in everyday life.
• Gandhis use of nonviolence was a strong weapon
  in achieving Indias independence
• Pluralism
• Hinduism promotes not only tolerance and respect
  for differences in belief and religion, but also
  acceptance of those paths as legitimate

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Respect for Earth

• Hinduism teaches us the need to care for the
  Earth and all its beings by not killing animals
  and plants
• Hindus worship mountains, oceans and the planets
  as God, to give respect for both earthly and
  heavenly things
• Vegetarianism has been advocated for many
  centuries.
• According to reincarnation all souls upon death
  are reborn in another body. Hence there is no
  difference between an animal soul and a human
  soul. We should respect every soul.

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Science and Religion

• Science without religion is lame, religion
  without science is blind. Albert Einstein
• The roiling mystery of the world can be analyzed
  with concepts (this is science), or it can be
  experienced free of concepts (this is mysticism).
  Sam Harris
• Scientific discoveries often take years to
  uncover the truth.
• Spiritual leaders spend years, before finally
  achieving enlightenment.

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Science and Religion
God
Religion
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Science and Religion

• Science and spirituality are the two different
  ways of seeking answers to life's questions
• Technology and religion are to make living and
  dying more comfortable
• Hinduism Science sometimes agree and sometimes
  dont
• Hindus believe that the body dies, but the soul
  never dies science disagrees.
• Hindu astrology accurately maps the positions of
  heavenly bodies

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Hinduism in the Community

• Community temple brings together people to share
  ideas and knowledge
• Most Hindu knowledge is transferred by word of
  mouth at community gatherings
• Children learn through cultural games, crafts and
  stories
• Priest presents insight into various religious
  beliefs and practices
• Prayers and devotional songs are sung
• In Victoria we have the Victoria Hindu Temple
• We meet every week on Saturday evenings and
  provide dinner after prayer
• Everyone is welcome

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Recent Changes

• Traditional Hinduism
• Derives origins from Aryans
• Basic ideas are from the Vedas
• Modern Hinduism
• Hinduism has no notion of conversion (born Hindu)
• Preserve existing beliefs and ideologies
• Self-defensive, self-assertive, and even
  aggressive
• More worldwide acceptance of Hindu ideologies
• Spread of yoga, nonviolence and vegetarianism
• Organizations such as ISKCON (International
  Society for Krishna Consciousness), and
  Ramakrishna Mission

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Final Thoughts

• Hinduism is a whole and complete view of life,
  characterized by wide tolerance and deep
  humanity.
• It is a religion of love, goodness, kindness, and
  sacrifice.
• It welcomes all religions.
• Giving rather than taking in life should be our
  motto to bring peace and harmony in this modern
  world.

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Prayer
O mighty God! we are yours Bless us always so we
may do good, and never do bad, So we may die
happily !!   Whenever there is a rise in crimes,
take care of us Even when others do bad, we do
good We should never have feelings of
revenge All our efforts should be towards
love, So there is no hatred around us
!! Darkness is spreading around us, man is
confused and without goal Our "hope of
happiness" is dying But only your light can
remove darkness and illuminate our life !! We
are truly yours !!