Discussion Questions
- Do you believe that the Indians are right in their belief that all religions will lead to god or do you think that there is only own salvation? Smith asserts that "It is possible to climb life's mountains from all sides, but when the top is reached the trails converge"(Smith 73), do you think that it is true that god can be approached from all sides, is it possible to reach god without trying to? Can the mountain be climbed without a person knowing?
- The cycle of samsara is a "word that signifies endless passage through cycles of life, death, and rebirth" (Smith 63). Hinduism has accepted that there are unanswerable questions and one of them is why we are created in the first place. Why do you think the cycle begins?
- The Caste system has been in place for many centuries and it has left a permanent mark on India's society, it became a point of embarrassment. The shudras do better off following others but we "do not like to admit that there are such people" (Smith 56). What is your opinion on this topic, do you think there are people like this out there and by chance do you think that they would deny that they are like that?
- In Hinduism, there are four paths "All four paths begin with moral preliminaries" (Smith 28). The paths are made to fit individual personalities and help a person move faster on their journey, which of the four paths fits you best? Emotional, action, logical, or experimental? Why?
- Do you agree that there comes a point where pleasure is not enough? Do you know anyone who has reached that point? Smith claims that people really want joy not pleasure, he defined joy as "a feeling tone that is opposite of frustration, futility, and boredom" (Smith 21), do you agree that there is a difference?
Vocab
- Polytheistic- the belief in many gods
- pantheistic-the belief that god is part of the universe as a whole
- Manifestation- a god embodied in a more human form
- Hinduism-a religion with no one founder, started with the birth of Krishna, has many deities, is peaceful
- Jiva-the soul within us, it is a part of Brahman
- Samsarathe cycle of birth, death, and rebirth
- Brahman-the soul the inhabits every part of the world, god
- Bhakti- a yoga focused on devotion
- Jnana- yoga focused on critical thought and evaluation
- Karma yoga- a yoga focused on action and putting energy into everything done
- Raja-a psychopyshical yoga focused on experimenting, closest to western yoga
- Moksha- liberation
- Vedas- the holy texts for Hinduism
- Caste System- a system dividing brahmins, kshatriyas, vaishyas, and shudras, a social class for india
Resources
"BBC - Religion: Hinduism." 2002. 18 Dec. 2014 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/>
"HINDUISM: The world's third largest religion." 18 Dec. 2014 <http://www.religioustolerance.org/hinduism.htm>
"Welcome to the Heart of Hinduism." 2011. 18 Dec. 2014 <http://hinduism.iskcon.org/>
"HINDUISM: The world's third largest religion." 18 Dec. 2014 <http://www.religioustolerance.org/hinduism.htm>
"Welcome to the Heart of Hinduism." 2011. 18 Dec. 2014 <http://hinduism.iskcon.org/>