Hinduism Questions

1.      Moksha is a release from this ordinary, finite, limited realm of existence into the infinite ocean of the divine.

2.      The Upanishads state that Brahman and Atman actually one. Brahman is Atman. All reality id one. An analogy would be how despite not seeing salt in salt water, it’s still present. The same goes with Brahman. Even though Hindus do not see Brahman he is everywhere in the universe.

3.      Brahman is Atman. All reality—the universe, oneself, and everyone else—shares one essence. And that one is Brahman. Or Atman as well.

4.      Because the divine reality of Brahman or Atman is beyond the reach of the senses and of thought, humans need accessible points of contact with the divine. Hinduism’s many deities provide these points of contact, each with its own personal characteristics.

5.      Samsara is known as the “wheel of rebirth, “ the individual is reincarnated from one life-form to another.

6.      The Bhagavad-Gita is Hinduism’s most popular sacred text.

7.      Karma and dharma connect the divine with this world. Karma determine the nature of each reincarnation. It states that every action produces an outcome that is justified by the action’s moral worthiness. Karma determines all he particular circumstances and situations of one’s life. It holds people responsible for their actions. Dharma is the ethical duty based on the divine order of reality. Dharma is the complete rule of life.

8.      The four classes of the caste system are Brahmin which consists of priests; kshatriya which consists of warriors and administrators; vaishya which consists of farmers, merchants, and artisans, and shudra which consists of servants and laborers.

9.      Krishna encourages Arjuna to engage in war because Arjuna needs to fulfill his duty. The battle of a sacred duty is beneficial. Abandoning his duty would only hurt him rather than save him.

10.  The first stage is the stage of a student. It last until marriage, while the student studies the Vedas and other sacred literature. The second stage is the householder. This stage consists of pursuing a career and raising a family. The beginning of the third stage is the birth of a grandchild, which is known as the forest dweller stage. During this stage, a man retreats from worldly bonds in order to engage fully in a spiritual quest. The fourth stage is the sannyasin or wandering ascetic. It is for forest dwellers who are engaged in the world, but not attached to it.

11.  Kama is a goal of life. Kama consists of pleasure. A next goal is artha, or material success. Yearning for artha leads to the goal of dharma, which is the duty of each Hinduu. The last goal is to reach moksha which is the release to a an infinite world. 

12. The three paths to liberation are to be active, to gain knowledge, and to experience emotional attachment. The "active path" is for those engaged in the day-to-day tasks of earning a living and raising a family. "The Path of Knowledge" is intended for those with talent for philosophical reflection. It requires the follower to devote a great deal of time to learning and meditation. "The Path of Devotion"(emotional attachment) is most suitable for those to whom emotional attachment comes naturally. Worship requires a focusing of attention on the divine, and away from the adherent's selfish concerns.

13.   The three most important schools of Hindu philosophy are Vedanta, Sankhya, and Yoga. The three approaches are in harmony regarding the attainment of knowledge over the ignorance that binds the self to samsara.

14. Three important gods and goddesses are Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
15.   An avatar is an incarnation, or living embodiment, of a deity, commonly of Vishnu, who is sent to earth to accomplish. Krishna is an avatar of Vishnu. Rama is another avatar; he's the hero of the Ramayana which is an epic poem from ancient times that has a big influence on Hindus.
16.  The Bhagavad-Gita is most closely associated with bhakti marga.
17. Household and village rituals, holy places, and cow veneration are three aspects of Hindu devotional life.
18. Mahatma Gandhi was a religious reformer. He helped India gain independence. His insights continue to fuel Hinduism's tendency to accept all wisdom as lighting the way to the divine.
19. The Indian government in 1948 officially forbade the discrimination against outcastes. Governmental programs have been created to further promote the economic and social rights of the marginalized people.
20.       Sati is the burning of a widow. Since 1829, sati has been officially forbidden. It does still occur, but rarely. 
21    In 1974, the Indian Partition caused Muslims and Hindus to fight each other as the two parties traveled to either Pakistan or India.