Ivan Frimmel presents

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What is Hinduism?

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What is Hinduism?
 It is the oldest major world religion;

 It is the major religion in India, but followers are found in many other
countries;

 Many modern Hindus prefer to call their religion Sanatan Dharma –

eternal or imperishable religion, because they believe that it is based
on eternal, divine, God-given truths;

 No one knows exactly when Hinduism began, but most Hindus would
agree it started in Northern India about 5000 years ago (and later got
its name from the River Indus);

 Hindus say it is also a way of life.

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Who is a Hindu?

In 1995 the Indian Supreme Court said a Hindu is someone

who:

 accepts that the Vedas (sacred Hindu scriptures contain the

word of God);

 recognizes that there are many different ways to know God;

 realizes that there are many different deities (gods or

goddesses) which can be worshipped.

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Hindus around the world
 India – about 751-million

 Nepal – over 17-million

 Bangladesh – over 12-million

 Indonesia – over 4-million

 Sri Lanka – nearly 3-million

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Hindu Scriptures
 Shruti that which is heard – the words God actually spoke:
 The 4 Vedas
 Rig Veda the oldest & most important section; contains 1028 hymns; the most
recent was written in 15th century CE

• Samhitas mantras, prayers, hymns, about 5000 years old

• Brahmanas belonging to Brahmins or priests; explaining the mantras
• Aranyakas forest books: writings on for hermits about asceticism and meditation
• Upanishads sitting down near; discussions between holy men and students on
Cosmology, Brahman, Atman, etc
 Yaur Veda
 Sama Veda
 Atharva Veda

 Smriti that which has been remembered – texts written by ordinary

people about God:

 The Ramayana
 The Puranas
 Bhagavad Purana
 The Laws of Manu
 Mahabharata
 Bhagavad Gita
poem which tells about the adventures & story of Rama and Sita
stories and legends from the past, focus on Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva
contains passages about Lord Krishna
collection of Smriti law books – how to live good life; About 100 CE
‘The Great Indian Epic; the longest poem in the world; 3-million words
the ‘Song of the Lord’, believed to be spoken by Lord Krishna

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Main Hindu gods & denominations
 Most Hindus believe there is only one God, who they call Brahman;

 Some believe
 that He is formless and without any attributes – Nirguna Brahman;

and others

 that He takes on many forms and many attributes – Sarguna Brahman;

 Those who believe in Sarguna Brahman believe that He manifests Himself as

Trimurti - three forms or murtis (images of God):

 Brahma – the creator (Brahmanism);

 Vishnu – the preserver (Vaishnavism);

and also that one of Vishnu’s reincarnation is Krishna;

 Shiva – the destroyer (Shaivaism).

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Picture of Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva

Brahma Vishnu Shiva

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Some pictures of Krishna

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Pictures of some female Hindu deities

Durga Kali Lakshmi

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Pictures of Lord Ganesh

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Picture of great monkey hero Hanuman

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Hindu great monkey hero Hanuman
 Hanuman, the great monkey hero, also called Maruti, assists Rama in his battle with
Ravana to rescue Sita, who had been kidnapped by Ravana. Hanuman symbolizes the
qualities of an ideal devotee of God, which can be represented by the letters of his name,
as follows:

 H = Humility and hopefulness (optimism)

 A = Admiration (truthfulness, devotion)
 N = Nobility (sincerity, loyalty, modesty)
 U = Understanding (knowledge)
 M = Mastery over ego (kindness, compassion)
 A = Achievements (strength)
 N = Nishkama-karma (selfless work in service of God)

 After his coronation, following victory in the battle with Ravana, Rama distributed gifts
to all those who had assisted him in his battle with Ravana. Turning towards Hanuman,
Rama said, "There is nothing I can give you that would match the service you have
rendered to me. All I can do is to give you my own self." Upon hearing these words,
Hanuman stood by Rama, in all humility, with hands joined together in front of his
(Hanuman's) mouth, and head slightly bent in the pose of service for Rama. To this day,
this picture of Hanuman, as a humble devotee of the Lord, is the most popular among the
admirers and worshippers of Hanuman. The worship of Hanuman, therefore, symbolizes
the worship of the Supreme Lord, for acquiring knowledge, physical and mental
strength, truthfulness, sincerity, selflessness, humility, loyalty, and profound devotion to
the Lord. 13
Shri Satya Sai Baba’s picture & symbol

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Photos of 2 Hindu temples

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What else do Hindus believe?
 Atman – or individual soul, is in all living things, and permanent
(eternal);

 Transmigration – when a person dies, the atman or soul enters a new

body and takes on (or reincarnates in) a different form to continue the
cycle of birth, death & rebirth called samsara;

 Moksha – or liberation from the above cycle and the aim of every
Hindu;

 Karma – the law of cause & effect;

 Dharma – religious duties to be performed by worshipping at home as

well as in the mandir, and by taking part in the religious rituals
throughout their lives;

 Ahimsa – practicing non-violence…

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Some Hindu festivals
 Divali – festival of light & start of Hindu New Year (October –
November);
 Navarati – dedicated to Mother Goddess in the form of Durga and
lasts for 9 nights (Sept – Oct);
 Dassehra follows straight after Navarati and means the tenth day; the
murti of Durga is taken to the nearest river and is symbolically
washed;
 Holi – welcoming spring (Feb – March); bonfires are lit and the God
of fire, Agni, is asked for blessings; everyone has fun; children throw
coloured powder at each other and unsuspecting adults;
 Chaturthi – for 7-10 days celebrating the birth of Ganesha, the
elephant-god of wisdom and good fortune, who is also known as the
remover of obstacles…

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Some symbols in Hinduism
 Aum or Om (Omkar) – sacred syllable,
Universal sound & mantra;

 Lotus Flower – symbol of purity & of

good overcoming evil;

 Swastika – old symbol for ‘good luck’.

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The 4 castes in Hinduism
 Brahmins – priests and advisers

 Kshastriyas – soldiers and rulers

 Vaishyaas – shopkeepers, traders,

farmers and skilled workers

 Shudras – unskilled workers

(…and, before, not so long ago, also the untouchables,

outside all castes…)
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Rites of passages (Hindu Ashramas)
 Brahmachari –the stage of studentship and religious study
with a guru (spiritual teacher);
 Grihastha – the householder stage, including marriage and
raising a family;
 Vanaprashta – the forest dweller; in times of past retirement
from work and time spent away from family to concentrate
on spiritual matters;

 Sannyasa – the final stage of renunciation, when a Hindu

leaves home after giving everything they own. Traditionally,
the rest of his life was spent wandering and thinking about
God.
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Various Names for the Ultimate Experience
 Vedanta, Hinduism, Yoga
 Samadhi (Self-Absorption), or Moksha (Liberation)
 Self-Realization, God-Realization
 Buddhism
 Kensho (‘no-self’ realization), Moksha (Liberation)
 Enlightenment, Nirvana, Satori (Zen)

 Taoism
 Wu Wei (non-dual action); The Ultimate Tao
 Mysticism
 Cosmic Consciousness (Richard Bucke)
 Objective Consciousness (Gurdijeff)
 Fana (Sufism)
 Ascension to Light, Illumination, Liberation
 Oneness, At-one-ment, Union with God
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Mysticism
Mysticism as the Common Ground of all Religions

Exoteric (External)

Esoteric (Internal)
Religion

Zoroastrianism
Islam Sufism
Christianity Via Negativa
Judaism Kabalah
Taoism Mahayana, Zen
Tao Mysticism
Buddhism Yoga, Advaita
Hinduism
What is Yoga?
 Yoga is a system of esoteric Hindu disciplines
designed to achieve a Union with God, e.g. :

 Hatha Yoga – physical exercises (asanas) to control

the body and breath (pranayama)
 Raja Yoga – meditation
 Jnana Yoga – knowledge
 Karma Yoga – selfless action
 Bhakti Yoga – devotion & love…

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 Advaita Vedanta Soteriology
Self-Realization (Vidya, Jnana, Knowledge):
1. Nondual Universal Consciousness is All There Is
2. Brahman = Nondual Universal Consciousness = All There Is
3. Atman (Individual Self) = Brahman
Avidya (ignorance): Atman’s identification

Atman
with name & form, intellect, mind, body

INTELLECT MIND BODY

CONTEMPLATOR THINKER FEELER ACTOR PERCEIVER

SUBTLE THOUGHTS GROSS THOUGHTS FEELINGS ACTIONS PERCEPTS

(ego)…

SPIRITUAL INTELLECTUAL EMOTIONAL PHYSICAL

PERSONALITY PERSONALITY PERSONALITY PERSONALITY
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“Steps” to Enlightenment, Liberation,
Knowledge of Self, Vidya, Jnana
 Ordinary, unenightened person, ajnani
 I am my name, gender, nationality, one,
personality, body, emotions, mind, self,
intellect, soul, ego; feeling and thinking ego,
“I” & “mine” (selfishness) v. “others” i
 Deliverance, Enlightenment, Satori, Zero
Self-Realisation, Moksha, Liberation… Point
 I am no-thing; there is no “i”; no-self I,
I am / is not a thing or object Self,
One,
 Enlightened person, jnani Paradox
 I am Everything, Self, One, One Self, (Nothing-in-and
as-Everything)
One-with-All, Love, Witness, Being… 25
Various Quotes about Enlightenment & Liberation

 Know Thyself ! – by knowing your Self all will be

known to you. – Delphic oracle to Socrates.
 If one has realised one’s Self here, truth is fulfilled;
if one does not realise one’s Self here, it is a
supremely great loss. Reflecting upon the Self in
every experience the wise transcend this world and
attain immortality. – Upanishads.
 Ask yourself “Who am I?” - and pursue this enquiry
to its source. Knowing the pure Self is moksha,
liberation from ignorance and suffering.
– Sri
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Ramana Maharshi.
Quotes from Vedanta
 Brihad-Aryanyaka Upanishad
 Aham Brahma Asmi – I am Brahman, the Infinite
 Aham Eva Idam – I am indeed This
 Sarvosmi – I am all that is

 Chandogya Upanishad
 Tat Tvam Asi – That Art Thou

 Isa Upanishad
 Yas Tvam Asi Soham Asi – You are indeed “I am”
 Soham – I am He

 Mundaka Upanishad
 Idam Sarvam Asi – You are all This

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Quotes from Shankaracharya
There is some Absolute Entity, the eternal
substratum of the consciousness by which this
universe is pervaded, but which nothing
pervades, which shining, all this universe
shines by Its reflection...

This is the innermost Self, the primeval

Purusha, whose essence is the constant
realisation of infinite Bliss...

— Shankaracharya.28
Quote from Chandogya Uphanishad

That which is the finest essence – this whole

world has it as its soul. That is reality. That
is Atman. That art thou. Tat Tvam Asi.

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Glossary of some Hindu terms (1)
 Advaita – non-duality

 Ahimsa – non violence

 Arti – a religious ceremony offering love & devotion to a deity and

receiving back

 Ashram – a community set up for spiritual development

 Ashrama – stage of life

 Atman – the soul or ‘real self’, part of God in each human being

 Dharma – religious duty – right conduct

 Fast – to stop eating all or certain foods, especially for religious purposes

 Guru – a spiritual teacher

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Glossary of some Hindu terms (2)
 Karma – action; the law of cause and effect

 Mala – a string of wooden prayer beads used for meditation (rosary)

 Mantra – a short religious saying which Hindus use repetitively for chanting

 Moksha – liberation or freedom from cycle of birth, death & rebirth

 Murti – an image or representation of deity

 Puja – worship & purification ceremony Hindus use at home or mandir

 Samsara – reincarnation; cycle of birth, death and rebirth

 Sanatan Dharma – the eternal or imperishable religion, also known

as Hinduism

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Glossary of some Hindu terms (3)
 Sanskrit – one of the world’s oldest languages, and the
language of the Vedas

 Sat-Chit-Ananda – one of the names for God: Knowledge-

Consciousness-Bliss Absolute

 Seva – service, either to God or mankind

 Shaivas – people who worship Shiva as the Supreme God

 Shaktas – people who worship Shakta, the wife of Shiva, in

one of her forms, as the Supreme God

 Shakti – the destructive and reproductive energy associated

with Shiva, usually in the form of a female deity
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Glossary of some Hindu terms (4)
 Shruti – ‘that which is heard’; a category of sacred writings believed to be
composed by God

 Smriti – ‘that which has been remembered’; a category of sacred writings

believed to be composed by human beings

 Swami – a spiritual teacher, also known as guru or holy man

 Trimurti – the three main forms of God: Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the
preserver) and Shiva (the destroyer)

 Upanishads – one of the sacred texts in Vedas

 Vedas – ‘to know’ or ‘knowledge’; a collection of shruti or divinely given

writings; the most important of Hindu writings

 Yoga – the ways of ‘union’ with God (e.g. Hatha, Raja, Jnana, Karma, Bhakti
Yoga)…

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 Thank You

Ivan Frimmel
Cell: 082-454-0311

E-mail: ivan.frimmel@nanhua.co.za

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