riests as medi- ators between men and gods were not required in this system, since in the new teaching each individual was responsible for his or her own salvation and the role of the deity could be absent.
Reminds me of Protestantism vs. Catholicism
as. This knowledge was part of the oral tradition but was deliberately kept to a limited audie
So as much about power and hierarchy as about religion
The classical Hindu view is of gradually deteriorating conditions, until finally the world is destroyed by fire and returns to chaos.
This seems to be a common theme in many religions across the world. I believe Islam and Christianity share a similar belief.
Rama is worshipped as the ideal ruler and the restorer of dharma. Always popular in northern India, Rama, has latterly become the principal god of Hindu nationalism
The Hindu gods acting as representatives of Nationalism or the women's rights movements vaguely reminds me of Catholic saints and how there are saints for nearly everything (ex: patron saint of orphans, patron saint of travelers, etc.). I know it is not the exact same thing but that is what it brought to mind.
There are even orthodox Hindus who are atheistic.
Like in Buddhism
Many Hindus
The author avoids making blanket statements like "all Hindus" or even "most Hindus" to show the diversity of beliefs and practices among Hindus.
Also, there is NO CLEAR DIVISION BETWEEN THE @SACRED AND @PROFANE n or natural and supernatural: religion and social life are inseparable and intertwined
Very different from the Abrahamic religions.
Hinduism possesses many features characteristic of ‘indigenous religions’: it has no single historical founder, no central revelation, no creed or unified system of belief, no single doctrine of salvation, and no centralized authority. In this sense, it is different from other ‘world religions’
I think the distinction here between "indigenous religions" and "world religions" is interesting. It implies that indigenous religions are typically seen as less important or at least less organized than world religions like Buddhism or Christianity. It also implies that the only reason why Hinduism is viewed differently is because of its large number of followers spread throughout the world.
The Vedic texts, from the period that followed, provide the basis for some of the central themes of Hindu belief, including samsara, the doctrine that all creatures are reborn repeatedly unless the cycle can be broken through liberation (moksha), and karma, the notion that actions in one life are rewarded or punished in the next.
A brief highlight of some key beliefs in Hinduism.
Ye, who by race, by blood, by culture, by nationality possess almost all the essentials of Hindutva and had been forcibly snatched out of our ancestral home by the hand of violence—ye, have only to render wholehearted love to our common Mother and recognize her not only as Fatherland (Pitribhu) but even as a Holyland (punyabhu); and ye would be most welcome to the Hindu fold.
This is the clearest definition of a Hindu that Sarvarkar gives.
4HESE ARE THE @4HREE *EWELS OR @4HREE 'EMS ANYONE WHO PLACES THEM AT THE CENTRE OF LIFE by ‘going for refuge’ to them, is a Buddhist
I don't remember any of the other readings containing a similar statement of "doing this = x religion". The passages on Hinduism made it clear that Hindus had many different beliefs and there were many ways to be a Hindu. The readings on Jainism were more specific but I still don't think they had a definitive, one-sentence definition like this. I think this definition of Buddhism could qualify as either a Essentialist or Family Resemblance approach to looking at religion.
. He taught that, when we look deeply, we can see that all our lives are, one way or another, at root simply dukkha.
As we discussed in class, all three religions we have studied thus far (Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism) share this concept of dukkha (suffering) though each religion's teachings on dukkha varies.
The Buddha was uninterested in the question of God; and Buddhist tradition has been unanimous that a creator-God, in the sense in which he is thought to exist by Christians, for example, simply does not exist.
Similar to Jainism, which is also atheistic.
When a living being dies, its soul is immediately reincarnated into another body, although not necessarily of the same type. For example, a human being may not necessarily be reincarnated as another human being.
Is the same true for animals? Like, for example, if a cow dies can it be reborn as a tree or even a human? Are the souls of all living beings considered identical in Jainism or are human souls unique?