Hubris from Revelation: the Social Engineering of Ultimate Truths [Monday, Period 3]

[atreideslioness]

Hinduism is the predominant religious tradition of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as Sanātana Dharma -- a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal law" -- by its adherents. Much of modern Hinduism has grown out of the historical Vedic religion of Iron Age India, and as such Hinduism is often called the "oldest living religion" or the "oldest living major tradition". It is the world's third largest religion after Christianity and Islam, with approximately one billion adherents, of whom approximately 905 million live in India, and other countries with large Hindu populations can be found across southern Asia."

"Hinduism's vast body of scriptures are divided into Śruti -- "revealed" -- and Smriti -- "remembered" -- texts. These scriptures discuss theology, philosophy and mythology, and provide information on the practice of dharma, or religious living. Among these texts, the Vedas and the Upanishads are the foremost in authority, importance and antiquity. Other major scriptures include the Purāṇas and the epics Mahābhārata, which you saw the other week, and Rāmāyaṇa. The Bhagavad Gītā, a treatise from the Mahābhārata, spoken by Krishna, is sometimes called a summary of the spiritual teachings of the Vedas.

"Contemporary Hinduism is predominantly monotheistic, but Hindu tradition includes aspects that can be interpreted as panentheistic, pantheistic, polytheistic and even atheistic. Other notable characteristics include a belief in reincarnation and karma, as well as in personal duty, or dharma."

"Most interesting, to me, at least, is that contrary to some of the other major Earth religions, concepts of conversion, evangelization, and proselytization are absent from Hindu texts and in practice have never played a significant role, though acceptance of willing converts is becoming more common."

Comments

Discussion: Devas

[atreideslioness]

"The Hindu scriptures refer to celestial entities called Devas, or devī in feminine form; "the shining ones", which may be translated into English as "gods" or "heavenly beings." Ghanima said. "The devas are an integral part of Hindu culture and are depicted in art, architecture and through icons, and mythological stories about them are related in the scriptures, particularly in Indian epic poetry and the Puranas. They are, however, often distinguished from Ishvara, a supreme personal god, with many Hindus worshiping Ishvara in a particular form as their iṣṭa devatā, or chosen ideal. The choice is a matter of individual preference, and of regional and family traditions."

"Hindu epics and the Puranas relate several episodes of the descent of God to Earth in corporeal form to restore dharma to society and to guide humans to moksha. Such an incarnation is called an avatar. The most prominent avatars are of Vishnu and include Rama, the protagonist in Ramayana, and Krishna, a central figure in the epic Mahabharata."

"As unlikely as it sounds, sometimes we need to cater to a society's religious paradigms," Ghanima said dryly. "So what do you do when you find yourself acting into the role of Rama or Krishna? What sort of dangers come from playing the role of a Deva, and what sort of rewards?"

"Conversely, is it really acting if the people believe it? If you believe it? Or is all that matters that you fit the requirements of destiny?"

Re: Discussion: Devas

[unusual_sith]

"I suppose there's a danger if you can't live up to it," Lana said. "The rest would depend on why you're doing it in the first place."