RELIGIONS, RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES AND SPIRITUALITY

MIDTERM
RANNEA K. PANANGGULON

HINDUISM

Hinduism as a term is popular among outsiders. Hindus call their

religion as "Sanatana Dharma." The concept of dharma speaks about
social and cultural obligations, aside from religious obligations.

INTRODUCTION

 Hinduism is the world's third largest religion by population

after Christianity and Islam.
 It is the dominant religion in India, Nepal, and Mauritius and
has significant number of followers in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
and Indonesia.
 It has no single founder, scripture and set of teachings.
 It is considered a "way of life" or a "family of religions.
o Belief in the social class system known as caste.
DHARMA
• Known as Varnashrama, it is a guide that systematize social order of
 It means "to perform one's duty." For Hindus, it is the highest
groups in a society. Hindus believe that this model maintains and
worldly aim. It is developing a virtue that will help one to
sustains society from crumbling.
achieve liberation.
 Dharma is a central tenet with great religious and • Vedas is an earliest among sacred Hindu texts, although not all
philosophical reverence. Hindus give value to this text. Still, they all affirm the centrality of Vedas
 The most important dharma is the sanatana dharma, which to Hinduism.
refers to the eternal functions of the soul that defines what a
person is and what actions he or she must do. • Belief in karma and reincarnation.
 Sanatana dharma is unique because first, it provides
elaborate teachings found in Vedas, and it presents a • Hindus believe that life is an endless cycle.
systematic process and method for achieving one's goals.
Whatever one has in his life has a corresponding reward or
AHIMSA punishment.

• Non-aggression, non-violence, it means protection of life, including HISTORY

animals.
• Hinduism originated around the Indus Valley (in present day Pakistan)
YOGA around 3000 years ago, with the migration of the Aryans from Persia.

• Sanskrit word yuj, which means "to yoke, unite, control."

• It refers to the ascetical and meditative disciplines that lead to

knowledge inaccessible to ordinary human consciousness.

• It is a form of prayer and meditation in which the body is used to

express oneness with the Brahman.

ATMAN, BRAHMAN, AND REINCARNATION

• A human person is like an onion. The outermost layer is the physical

body, the second layer is the soul, and the third is the True Self or
atman.

• Atman or the Self refers to the inmost spiritual property of the

individual. It is discovered through self-exploration and self-analysis.

• Brahman refers to the Great, or Supreme. For Hindus, Brahman is

considered the origin of life or existence, the cosmic principle. It is
considered as a whole of reality.

SACRED TEXTS

VEDAS - means knowledge

• Rig Veda - hymns to gods and goddesses. 1028
hymns divided into 10 books
• Sama Veda - collection of songs based on Rig.
• Yajur Veda - short proses and verses
• Atharva Veda - magical formulas and hymns related to matters of
daily life.

Characteristics of Hinduism

 Belief in one, all-pervasive Supreme Reality (Brahman).

• Belief in a cyclical nature of time
• Belief in alternate realities with higher beings
• Belief in enlightened masters or gurus
• Belief in non-aggression and non-injury (ahimsa)
• Belief that all revealed religions are essentially
correct, and religious tolerance is the hall mark of
true wisdom
• Bellef that a living being is first and foremost, a
spiritual entity.

HINDU FESTIVALS AND HOLY DAYS

RELIGIONS, RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES AND SPIRITUALITY
MIDTERM
RANNEA K. PANANGGULON
• Perfection of Wisdom Sutra – A group of sutras.
The earliest writings that express Mahayana
BUDDHISM teachings.

Introduction • Lotus Sutra – the most influential among

numerous sutras. Describes Bodhisattva’s way of
• Buddhism is a Hindu tradition that focuses on personal life.
spiritual development and a deep insight on the true nature
of life based on the teachings of Siddharta Gautama (aka • Six Virtues of Perfection
Buddha)
• Generosity – performing generous deeds.
• He is also known as Bodhisattva, or “enlightened being.” • Morality - conducting oneself according to
Buddha’s precepts (cultivating virtue, avoid
Basic Teachings of Buddhism harmful deeds, etc.)
• Patience – teaching a person to wait, on how to
• Their scriptures were called Tripitaka (threefold basket). It is be physically and mentally stable.
divided into three: Vinaya Pitaka (discipline basket), Sutta • Diligence – developing zeal in one’s practice.
Pitaka (discourse basket), and Abhidhamma Pitaka (further • Meditation – Seeking is the beginning of
basket). practicing meditation.
• Wisdom – leaning towards enlightenment and
• Four Noble Truths
eliminates ignorance.
• Life is a suffering.
• Suffering is caused by desire.
• Suffering has an end. CONFUCIANISM
• There is a way to end the suffering.
Introduction
• Buddha tries to present that life is full of suffering (dukkha). o Confucianism was founded by Masker Kong or Kong
• Eightfold Path - a practical guide to self-transformation and Fuzi. His life and teachings were in light of the social
liberation from all defilements of life. It transforms one’s and political turmoil during his lifetime.
intellectual, moral, ethical and practical aspects of life into a o After his death, his followers and students compiled his
liberating condition. teachings. One of the collections of his teachings is
called the Analects (Lun Yu)
• 3 Major Categories o During the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 8 CE),
Confucianism was promoted as a state ideology to laid
• Morality (Shila) – Speech, Action and Livelihood the basis of government.
o Throughout the years, Confucianism undergone
• Meditation (Dhyana) – Effort, Mindfulness, and reforms in order to become what it is now.
Concentration
SOURCES OF CONFUCIANISM
• Insight or Wisdom (Prajna) – Views and
Thoughts  Confucian Classics

 Shijing
 Shujing
 Chun Qiu
 Yi Jing
 Liji
 The Four Books

 The Analects
 Meng Zi
 The Great Learning
 The Doctrine of Mean

SOURCES OF CONFUCIANISM – CONFUCIAN CLASSICS

o Shijing (Book of Poetry) – composed of 300 poems. About

• Nirvana – refers to a state of perpetual bliss, peace or common experiences of people about love, work and war.
happiness. For Buddhists, it can be attained through wisdom
or insight. o Shujing (Book of History) – documents on mythology and
history of China, from the time of legendary emperors to
THERAVADA BUDDHISM Confucius’s time.
• Theravada Buddhism is the first tradition of Buddhism after o Chun Qiu (Spring and Autumn Annals) – about the history
the death of Buddha. Their teachings are more direct, of Confucius’s home state (State of Lu, now Qufu,
practical, simple and down-to-earth. Shandong, China)
• For them, achieving enlightenment is the highest goal of a
o Yi Jing (Book of Changes) – divination or fortune-telling
Theravadin. Also, for them, sainthood can be attained on
earth if one strives to be a monk. manual

• Popular in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. o Liji (Book of Rites) – composed of three separate ritual
texts about the Zhou Dynasty’s bureaucratic system
THERAVADA BUDDHISM – BASIC TEACHINGS
SOURCES OF CONFUCIANISM – THE FOUR BOOKS
• Law of Dependent Origination (Pratityasamutpada)
o The Analects – contains 497 verses which feature comments of
• It talks about the problem of suffering and the how Confucius on specific problems or situations and his suggestions
to free oneself from suffering. It specifies the of appropriate reaction.
causal pattern of psychic and bodily states
conditioning a person’s bondage to suffering and o Meng Zi – contains intellectual challenges faced by Confucianism
death. Similar to the law of cause and effect. during the time of Mencius.

MAHAYANA BUDDHISM o The Great Learning – a guide on how to become a true

Confucian Gentleman, all about self-cultivation.
• They possess revolutionary ideas regarding the teachings of
Buddha. They believe that there are many other Buddhas
o The Doctrine of Mean – series of essays and stories that convey
and that anyone is capable to be a Buddha as well.
the Confucian ideas of moderation, balance and harmony.
• Popular in China, Korea, and Japan.

MAHAYANA BUDDHISM – BASIC TEACHINGS

• Buddhahood is the main purpose of Mahayana practice. To

attain this is to strive for bodhichitta (means being kind-
hearted, helping others) and then adopt Bodhisattva vows.

• Sutras – sources of Mahayana teachings.

RELIGIONS, RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES AND SPIRITUALITY
MIDTERM
RANNEA K. PANANGGULON

BASIC TEACHINGS OF CONFUCIANISM

CONFUCIAN PRACTICES AND VIRTUES – The Five Hierarchical Relationships

WHO IS A GOOD PERSON?
 Parent and child
 Filial Piety – respect and reverence accorded to parents,
and is extended to teachers and elders. One should not  Husband and wife
disobey, according to Confucius.
 Elder brother and younger brother
 Dutifulness or Loyalty – the 1st duty of a person is the
respect and service he or she gives to his or her parents  Friend and friend
inside the home. It also has to extend outside the home by
 Ruler and minister
respecting and doing one’s duty to one’s superior or ruler.
o For these relationships to be harmonious, one has to
develop the value of righteousness and ren. Ren is the
 Honesty and Sincerity – it is important in the proper sense of being fully human. The means of obtaining the
development of one’s inner self, according to Confucius. fullness of being human is li.
Honesty entails living up to or delivering what one says he or
she will do. Sincerity is related to honesty. He or she must o One of the central principles of li is filial conduct (xiao). Xiao
act according to what he or she says or think. implies mutual obligations between the child and parents.
 Rightness and Knowledge – Rightness is knowing what is
proper, right, and moral based on one’s status and role as Gentleman
well as the specifics of the situation he or she faced in.
Knowledge must be worked on and be achieved.  A gentleman is someone who possesses moral uprightness,
ritual training, good education, and exemplar moral behavior.

 Courage – real moral behavior requires knowledge not just  He has the sense of responsibility as he helps others in
in politics, but on everyday life. need. He does not need affirmation or recognition from
others. He abandons material concerns.
 Understanding, Sympathy, and Compassion – it means
not doing to others what one does not want to oneself.  He is the master of himself. He also has to continually
evaluate the self and check if he is still in accord with the
moral behavior.
 Humanity – If a person inculcates all the virtues within
himself and expresses goodness toward others, it means  A gentleman has two noble tasks – to serve the government,
what he does, say, think are morally upright. and to teach the young of the same moral character.

 Gentleman-ness is a life-long process of self-cultivation and

 Rituals – religious rituals and noble etiquette
self-mastery.

Is Human nature good or evil?

 Gentleman – it is an aim everyone can become. It is a
perfect person to lead a government since he thinks not for  For Mencius, he believes that all human beings are given the
himself but for the common good. sense of right or wrong, which made them different from the
beasts.

 Human nature is inherently good. Furthermore, human

CONFUCIAN PRACTICES AND VIRTUES – WHAT IS A GOOD perfectibility is possible if humans will cultivate their inner
SOCIETY? values through training and education.
Setting words right  On the other hand, Xunzi believes that man is evil; human
nature is evil.
o One must use correct or appropriate words when discussing
something.  In order for a man to be good, one must be transformed by
o Second, words have attached expectations about one’s the teachings of a master guided by ritual practices and
behavior. principles. Goodness comes with conscious effort or activity.

Government works for the benefit of people.

o The government exists for the benefit of the people.

Law

o If laws and punishment is applied, people will either follow or

evade them simply.

Models

o People need to have a model of who a gentleman is.

Education without distinction

o In education, there are no different kinds. Education should

be given regardless if they are slow or fast learners, rich or
poor.

Women

o Though women are below the ranks, they too can do their
duties. Women provide a harmonious household and deal
with domestic and private concerns.

The Gods, Spirit of the Dead and the Afterlife

o Though Confucius does not speak about the afterlife, he

considered that the most essential is how a man should work
according to moral righteousness.