Origins of Hinduism. Unlike Christianity or Buddhism, Hinduism did not develop from the teachings of a single founder. Moreover, it has diverse traditions, owing to its long history and continued development over the course of more than years An admission essay is an essay or other written statement by a candidate, often a potential student enrolling in a college, university, or graduate school. You can be rest assurred that through our service we will write the best admission essay for you. Reviews. Editing Support Essay intentions and organization should be customized according to the key terms in the prompt! Prompt: To what extent does a country both benefit and suffer from where it is situated? To help you craft this element of the essay, remember that introductions should: o Immediately connect to the language of the prompt. What words might you use
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over here. Detail, Krishna Killing the Horse Demon KeshiGupta period, 5th century CE, terracotta Metropolitan Museum of Art. Krishna Killing the Horse Demon KeshiGupta period, 5th century CE, terracotta Metropolitan Museum of Art. Unlike Christianity or Buddhism, Hinduism did not develop from the teachings of a single founder.
Moreover, it has diverse traditions, owing to its long history and continued development over the course of more than years. The term Hindu originally referred to those living on the other side of the Indus River, and by the thirteenth century it simply referred to those living in India. It was only in the eighteenth century that the term Hindu became specifically related to an Indic religion generally.
Hindus adhere to the principles of the Vedas, which are a body of Sanskritic texts that date as early as B.
However, unlike the Christian or Islamic traditions, which have the Bible and the Koran, Hinduism does not adhere to a single text. The lack of a single text, among other things, also makes Hinduism a difficult religion to define. Hinduism is neither monotheistic nor is it polytheistic. It is for this reason that some scholars have referred to Hinduism as a henotheistic religion the belief in and worship of a single god while accepting the existence or possible existence two ways to belong in america essay other deities.
Hinduism can also be described as a religion that appreciates orthopraxy—or right praxis. Because doctrinal views vary so widely among Hindus, there is no norm based on orthodoxy or right belief.
By contrast, ritualized acts are consistent among differing Hindu groups. Shiva as Lord of the Dance Natarajac. Within the Hindu pantheon are a number of gods, goddesses and deities; however, one entity is supreme, Brahman. Brahman is the Supreme Being; the One self-existent power; the Reality which is the source of all being and all knowing. Enlightenment for the Hindu is recognizing that all things are united. Brahman is traditionally said to manifest on earth as the Trimutri: Brahma as the creator god; Vishnu, the preserver; and Shiva, the destroyer.
Brahman manifests himself on earth in other gods so that he will be more knowable. With this said, for Hindus, reaching salvation is understanding that everything is in union. The different names and forms that a god can take is immaterial as they are essentially Brahman. However, as human beings we crave the protection of many gods, in particular those gods with a very specific power. Beyond the Trimutri are numerous Hindu gods and goddesses : Ganesha, the elephant headed god and Two ways to belong in america essay, the female warrior.
Each god has a specific power and role. Ganesha, for example, is the lord of beginnings and the remover of obstacles. It is for this reason that images of Ganesha are present in Hindu temples, regardless of who the temple is dedicated to. Durgawho is solicited for protectionis also equally sought by women for fertility.
These personal deities are called ishtadeva. Having an ishtadeva does not mean a worshipper forsakes other gods, but it does mean that they have a more personal relationship with their patron deity. For Hindu worshipers, the concept of bhakti is important. Bhakti is the devotion, honor and love one has for god. Darshan means auspicious sight, two ways to belong in america essay.
By making a pilgrimage to see a god at a temple or shrine, the practitioner is going there specifically to take darshan. It two ways to belong in america essay be noted that for Hindus the image of a god is not just a symbol or a portrait of their god, but is in fact an embodiment of that god.
While the god does not always reside in the image, he or she does, from time to time, descend to earth and takes the form of the image. Often these times coincide with special holidays or certain times of the day—especially when rituals in honor of the gods are taking place. It is during these times, when the god is present, two ways to belong in america essay darshan is most effective. To worship the god, the practitioner must be seen by the god and in turn the practitioner must see the god.
The importance of sight and its reciprocation in worship is directly reflected in the production of Hindu images. Images of gods have large eyes, so that it is easier two ways to belong in america essay them to see the practitioner and for the practitioner to make eye-contact with them. Moreover, there exists a strict set of parameters artisans must follow in order to create images of gods so that gods and goddesses will inhabit the body.
Gods will not inhabit forms that they do not consider worthy of their stature. This set of rules is based on mathematical proportions and is called iconometry. Therefore, in order for an image to be successful it needs to have the appropriate iconography forms and symbols associated with the god and also have appropriate iconometry. Beyond darshanworship for a Hindu includes puja or offerings as a form of honoring.
One can make puja by lustrating an image with ghee, milk or oils, or simply adorn an image with garlands of flowers. For Hindus, time and space are organized and conceived of as cyclical—where one era cycles into the next. In Hindu mythology there are cycles of cosmic ages from a golden age kitri yuga to the dark age kali yuga. We are currently in a degenerate dark age. When it ends, in several millennia, the universe will be destroyed and Brahma will create it anew.
Just as the universe and time is conceived as being cyclical so is the progress of the individual soul. For Hindus, the soul is bound to the samsaric wheel. Samsara is the continuous cycle of birth, death and rebirth. In order to escape this cycle one must realize everything is one, everything is Brahman.
When this is accomplished it is called moksa and marks the end of the samsaric cycle of rebirth. All of this is understood through Hindu Dharma. For the Hindus, Dharma explains why things are and why they should be—there must be order in everything including society. And this is where the idea of the caste system finds credence in Hinduism. For Hindus, it is the Brahmin, or the priestly class, who has access to the sacred fire, which directly corresponded to their social rank, which was at the top.
Brahmins refers to an elite caste, which two ways to belong in america essay priests, scholars, teachers, etc. The social caste system as described by Hindu Dharma was likely one of the biggest factors in the development of Buddhism. Buddhism two ways to belong in america essay in reaction to the established religion in India at the time—Hinduism Brahminism.
Buddhism, in contrast to Hinduism, two ways to belong in america essay, has a single founder and while there is no singular text there are texts that outline the teachings of the Buddha as the great and exemplary teacher. Buddhism was founded by one individual, Siddhartha Gautama, sometime in 6th or 5th century B.
Prince Siddhartha Gautama lived a cloistered life of ease and abundance. At the age of 29 years he came across a sick man, an old man, a dead man and an ascetic. Siddhartha had never seen these unpleasant aspects of life before, and was profoundly moved and confused.
He could no longer ignore the existence of suffering in the world and live his life of privilege, knowing that old age and death are our inevitable fate. It was at this time that he chose to depart from his sheltered life to become an ascetic and find the truth to the universe. He removed his jewels and rich robes forever, cut his hair and went into the forest and became an ascetic where he studied with a variety of sages and yogis, but he was unsatisfied with their teachings.
He also practiced several types of self-mortification—most importantly starvation, because he wanted to concentrate exclusively on his spiritual advancements.
These searches proved fruitless and he finally came to the realization that the Middle Path avoiding extremes was the path towards enlightenment. The middle path teaches adherents to avoid extremes, two ways to belong in america essay.
For Siddhartha that meant neither a life of luxury as a prince nor starving himself. He traveled to a town in northern India called Bodh Gaya, where he sat under a type of tree called a bodhi tree and vowed to remain there until he reached enlightenment. After remaining in that spot in deep meditation for 49 days, he was tested one night by the demon god, Mara a symbol of ignorance—he is not evil, just deluded.
Siddhartha remained unmoved, kept his meditation and thus passed this final trial and gained enlightenment. Lion Capital, Ashokan Pillar at Sarnath, c. For example, two ways to belong in america essay, Dharma for Hindus explains why things are and why they should be. For Buddhists, Dharma came to be defined as the teachings of the Buddha. The caste system became invalid as the Buddha simply denied its relevance towards reaching salvation—as his salvation denied the existence of the self.
When the Buddha taught that there was no self, there was no need to attach the self to Brahman. Similarly, in the Hindu context karma refers to ritual action—darshan and puja—whereas for the Buddhists karma has always been an ethical action. For Buddhists, karma action —whether good or bad —lay in the intention. Buddha deemphasized Brahmanical rituals by making karma an ethical act and focusing on intention. Moreover, the Brahmin caste who had direct access to the gods through rituals were no longer a privileged class in Buddhism.
In Buddhism, anyone who understood the teachings of the Buddha could achieve salvation. Once an individual has become enlightened they can then reach a state of nirvana.
Nirvana is described as the extinguishment of suffering by escaping the continuous cycle of rebirth called samsara. The basic tenets of the Buddhist faith are called the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The middle path two ways to belong in america essay be achieved by following the Eightfold Path to end suffering and begin the course to reaching nirvana.
The Eightfold Path requires the practitioner to seek:, two ways to belong in america essay. During the time of the Buddha, there was only one school of Buddhism, which is the one that the Buddha taught; however, over time there came to be different sects of Buddhism. These Buddhist sects were produced by fissures within the monastic order. Such fissures occur in differences in practice not in belief in the doctrine.
Two major schools of Buddhist thought are Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. According to Theravada Buddhists, each person is responsible for their own enlightenment.
How to Belong in America
, time: 14:02Peter Paul Rubens, Elevation of the Cross – Smarthistory
In the central panel, we see the dramatic moment when the cross of Christ’s crucifixion is being raised to its upright position. Rubens created a strong diagonal emphasis by placing the base of the cross at the far lower right of the composition and the top of the cross in Essay intentions and organization should be customized according to the key terms in the prompt! Prompt: To what extent does a country both benefit and suffer from where it is situated? To help you craft this element of the essay, remember that introductions should: o Immediately connect to the language of the prompt. What words might you use Workman Publishing is an independent publisher of bestselling cookbooks, parenting/pregnancy guides, children's books, calendars, and more since
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