World Religions

2006-06-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

Required Literature

The New Testament contains four versions of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Even though the stories are all about the same person it is amazing how different the stories turned out. The four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John display the life of Jesus according to their knowledge and personal experiences. There are many similarities and many inconstancies throughout the four gospels. There is much to cover so in order to limit the comparisons only the death and resurrection of Jesus will be discussed in this essay.

Within the story of the Crucifixion there are a few minor details that are different between the four gospels. Matthew describes that Jesus was offered wine with some bitter drug but when he tasted it he refused to drink it. In the Gospel of Luke sour wine is presented to Jesus but it never states whether he drank it or not. Mark is a mix of the two. The Gospel of Mark declares that drugged wine was offered to Jesus but he refused it. Although this may appear to be a minor detail, it is still an inconsistency none the less.

All four of the Gospels agree completely that on the day that Jesus was crucified it stayed dark until 3:00 in the afternoon (specifically 3:00 pm) then he died. His death varies between the writings but the fact that darkness covered the Earth until the time of his passing, 3:00 pm, leads one to question where this information came from. In the moments before Jesus’ death each of the Gospels presents their own rendition of what occurred. Matthew writes that Jesus exclaimed, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” then Jesus gave out one last cry before he died. Luke gave a more demanding explanation for what took place. The Gospel of Luke states that Jesus cried out, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” and with that last breath he died. It is similar to Matthew in the fact that he exclaimed something, but what was stated and the emotions behind it leave different feelings aroused. The Gospel of Mark simply states that Jesus let out a cry before death. The Gospel of Matthew is the only version that declares the Earth shook as he passed.

Three days later when Jesus was resurrected, as the gospels all agree. The inconsistency lies within the situation on to whom and how Jesus appears to the people after death. These versions do not contain minor details like the previous examples, they are extremely different. All four gospels describe that Mary of Magdala was the first person to see Jesus and was sent to tell the disciples that Jesus had risen. After this is becomes multiple different experiences. John the most unusual describes that Jesus appeared to Thomas while fishing naked in a boat. Then they feasted together on the abundance of fish that was caught thanks to Jesus. The other three gospels are at least more closely related to each other than John. The other three gospels describe Jesus appearing to the disciples while they are traversing across the land. Another difference lies in the reaction of the disciples to Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Luke says that they were afraid of Jesus and thought that they had saw a ghost, as in Mark they were hesitant of the figure that was Jesus. The Gospel of Mark is the only gospel that says the disciples were eager to run to Jesus and pray at his feet.

Even though there are many differences within these four Gospels together they create an amazing story that helps provide “proof” of Jesus’ life and work.

2006-06-30T00:45:00.000-07:00

Final

A. Renee Kangas
B. Caramel_diva84
C. I completed 14 of the 14 posts. (I only posted 13 to yahoo)
Post 1 May 26 Post 8 June 10
Post 2 May 30 Post 9 June 16
Post 3 June 1 Post 10 completed- never posted
Post 4 June 6 Post 11 June 22
Post 5 June 9 Post 12 June 22
Post 6 June 9 Post 13 June 29
Post 7 June 10 Post 14 June 28
D. Field Trip One- ISKCON
Field Trip Two- Bait-Ul-Hameed Mosque
E. Grade A
F. I have completed all of the assigned readings required. I have read chapters one through eight in Smith’s book The Illustrated World Religions. I have read all of the assigned readings on the internet for example: When Scholars Study the Sacred, When God’s Decay, The Politics of Mysticism, The Enchanted Land, the website titled Jainism Simplified (I skipped about three sections), reviewed the link below regarding Jainism, Why I Don’t Eat Faces, Lions in the Punjab, The Gnostic Mystery, the two Islam websites, the four websites Judaism, the False Testament, Triumph of Christianity, Ancient Jewish Accounts of Jesus, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography. In regards to the required literature I have read the Tao Te Ching, Wisdom of the Buddha, the New Testament and The Koran.
G. I would definitely continue to use Crossan’s book because I think that he presents a terrifically unbiased view of the life that Jesus lived. Regardless of one’s religious views Crossan’s depiction of Jesus (like you said) can attract and teach anyone something new. Also, the Illustrated World Religions book does a good job dividing up the religions to make it easier to learn, but I had difficulty keeping some of the religious differentiated but that’s because of the shorter time line.
H. ARE YOU KIDDING…..I HAD NO TIME FOR SUCH, I WISH I DID.

Final Questions:
1. Gnosticism means seeking for the gnosis or spiritual knowledge, no to be confused with worldly knowledge. There are two forms of spiritual knowledge. The first, is knowledge of a God and the second, is knowledge of the passwords or multiple God’s names. These passwords are known because the spirit will take on a human form known as the Redeemer and purify the souls of the people on Earth in order to grant them access to their primordial home, in the Devine. The Redeemer will take a human form multiple times, not just once like Jesus and other religious figures. The Gnostic tradition has been related to Jewish and Christian cultures in the past. The Gnostic tradition may have found similarities within these cultures in order to gain more followers, but the faith and believe system of the Gnostic tradition is almost opposite of these two religions. When attempting to be a sect of Christianity, the Gnostics adjusted the story of Adam and Eve in order to show that the God that Christians see as God is really an evil God “that is a lower deity than the true Godhead”. The serpent, in Christianity a symbol of evil, is actually viewed as good. These alterations to the Adam and Eve story demonstrate the difference in view the Gnostics have from Christianity. In regards to the Gnostics being viewed as pessimistic, this I believe to be true because of the Gnostic stance against reproduction. Gnostics believe that an evil karma, Kal, holds the soul as long as possible within the world in order to keep the soul from finding the true Godhead. Therefore, not procreating is ultimately helping keep the supply of human souls depleting so that Kal cannot control any souls eventually. Since Kal cannot create humans the Gnostics do not want to help populate the world that he controls. There are many different sects of Gnostics around the world and it is hard to describe this tradition as one religion. Although each sect is a little different, all of the Gnostic sects recognize the original creators which transform the Gnostic tradition into a religion.
The Gnostic religion lost its strength during the rulings of the Roman Empire. There are a few things that allowed Christianity to survive while other religions such as the Gnostic religion were evaporating. Christianity held three key factors that allowed for the large number of followers to continue following regardless of the changes in society and over time. The three factors are (1) the “appeal” to the people that were surrounded by Rome’s state religion, (2) complete acceptance regardless of race, gender, age and social status and (3) the idea that the “Kingdom of God was at hand”. Many people felt that the Roman Empire was extremely corrupt and desired the religion of Christianity because it praised a God that created the world they lived in, yet “stood separate from it”, the proof that there was life after the physical death and a complete set of rules to live by. These basic pieces of the puzzle were combined in order to attract all types of people. Probably the most important difference between Christianity and the Gnostic tradition was the requirements that each religion had in order to be a member of the religion. “Not only were slaves and other undesirables excluded from these religions, there were also elaborate initiation ceremonies designed to exclude those not serious about involvement. This is why the Gnostic tradition and all of Christianity’s rivals were eventually became Christians simply, because of the simplicity of initiation. The final aspect of religion that Christianity provided that the Gnostic tradition did not was a divine plan or an “apocalyptic expectation, whether immediate or set in the future, gave converts a sense of mission and purpose, which no doubt added to the attractiveness of this new religion.” I think that the author Tim Callahan stated it best when he said, “Christianity had something for everyone, did not have any barriers to membership, and even had a sense of historical imperative.”

2. The author, John Crossan, of Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography argues that a man named Jesus may have existed but he was not the man portrayed by religious literature such as the Bible. John Crossan offers a different view of Jesus than most people are familiar with today. Through the help of history books, research, relevant knowledge and other religious literature Crossan is able to develop a realistic biography of the man known as Jesus. There are many inconsistencies that Crossan brings to the readers attention such as timelines and stories that have been recorded differently with alternate endings and teachings. These are the types of examples that will follow.
Crossan finds the comparison between John the Baptist and Jesus to be quite misleading the way that Matthew and Luke portray it. John the Baptist was born from a virgin mother just like Jesus only many years earlier. John the Baptist drew people out of their homes to be baptized where Jesus traveled to the people that would be baptized. John the Baptist in some stories actually baptized Jesus. The event in which John actually baptizes Jesus is a very controversial topic. Jesus did not commit sin which is the only reason that he was able to die for our sins, if this statement was true than why was Jesus baptized by John the Baptist? Another similarity between these two men is the way that the story of their birth was presented. The main difference here between the two stories is the alterations in order to make Jesus’ birth much more important than John the Baptists.
When John the Baptist was born it states that his neighbors and relatives rejoiced together. When Jesus was born there is “a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God” for this magnificent birth. The parallelism that Crossan demonstrates through this past example reveal that it is more than likely that the biblical Jesus’ life story may have been altered in order to strengthen the argument for religious purposes.
As I mentioned earlier, there are many inconsistencies with the travels of the biblical Jesus. Luke writes about Jesus time of birth being occurring during the “taxation census under Quirinius”, the taxation actually occurred about ten years after King Herod’s death. The only problem is that the bible gives this as the reason for Mary to return to Bethlehem and that Jesus was born while King Herod was still ruler. Obviously both of these statements cannot be true, they contradict one another. But to the uneducated, no one would ever know the difference. I guess, since Jesus was a peasant and wanted to reach out to other peasants, perhaps the authors thought that this statements would never be researched?
Crossan is not attempting to prove that a man named Jesus never lived; just that he did not live the life described by the Bible. Crossan depicts the life of a man that was born into a lower class family that was able to change the social structure of the Roman Empire and many other nations. The changes may not have occurred as the Bible depicts or for the reasons that the Bible states, but these man, if he existed, did change lives for the better. Crossan describes Jesus as a miracle worker because of the social changes he was able to make being that his social status was a simple peasant.

3. The False Testament presents the idea that the Bible’s depiction of the past is inaccurate and claims that it is completely false. The False Testament begins by explaining the process of science emerging from religious studies. Science was first used to find “proof” in order to back up the Bible’s tale of creation. The problem that occurred was when evidence was found that exposed a different story besides what the Bible has presented human kind with. These inconsistencies were, at first, disregarded and throw to the side in search of evidence that would support the faith that was followed.
As science has evolved and scientists actually want to discover the past, the true past, many inconsistencies regarding the timeline of the Bible have been exposed. Scientists have done research during the time of King David and King Solomon and are unable to provide proof of any such existence. The closest thing that was discovered was a piece of old material with writing on it saying something about the linage of a man named David. This cannot be considered proof of King David’s existence or even bloodline because the name could belong to anyone. The Bible talks about King Solomon having possessions that are numbered in the hundreds and having built many buildings with unlimited amounts of gold and grandeur. The only problem with this record, is that there simply is no proof of any such items anywhere near where King Solomon was have said to have lived.
Another inconsistency is the claim that the Israelites have against the land they claim as belonging to them. In the Bible the Israelites are described as trespassers or foreigners in this land and through war took over the land which should belong to them because of this simple fact. The research that has been done pieces together a different story. The archeologists and anthropologists have learned that the people that inhabited this land were indigenous people. That no-one came and claimed the land, the research shows that the people that originated started and ended there. Researchers have tried to make sense of the story that the Bible presents regarding the claim of the Holy Land. The only idea that seems to have stuck is that throughout history in order to have a valid land claim the land had to be taken through a war or was lost in a war. This could explain why the Israelites created a story that would prevent the loss of their Holy Land or Home Land.
The most interesting discovery made by archeologists is regarding the time that the Israelites spent out in the desert for nearly five centuries. “Not so much as a skeleton, campsite, or cooking pot had turned up, Finkelstein and Silberman noted, even though ‘modern archaeological techniques are quite capable of tracing even the very meager remains of hunter-gatherers and pastoral nomads all over the world.’ Indeed, although archaeologists have found remains in the Sinai from the third millennium B.C. and the late first, they have found none from the thirteen century.”

4. Christianity is the world’s most wide spread religion with the “largest number of adherents”. Christianity holds its importance in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus of Nazareth may have been a mortal man, but he was descendant from an earthly mother and heavenly father which makes him divine. Jesus was born to a virgin mother named Mary. Although the life of Jesus was not well recorded, there are many stories and events that occurred that explain more about the life that Jesus lived and died for.
Jesus attempted to change the social lifestyle of the world that he lived in, during the ruling of the Roman Empire. Although the government at that time was merciless, Jesus opened the door letting acceptance, love and healing flow in like a river. Jesus was viewed as a spiritual man because the spirit was within him. When John the Baptist baptized Jesus “the heavens opened and the spirit descend[ed] upon him like a dove”. This was one of the many miracles that Jesus disciples saw and experienced during Jesus’ lifetime. Jesus was a healer. Although his actions were not for show, because he healed in private, his disciples also were given powers through him to heal all that crossed their paths. Jesus spoke about the kingdom on earth that disciples would enter if they lived pure lives and lived strictly for the Heavenly Father.
When Jesus was killed on the cross it was the end of his mortal life and at the same time also the beginning of the church and the strengthening of the Christian religion. From this point forward the “Good News” was spread that God lives within and around us. God is within everyone if they only invite him into their hearts and live for him alone. The next step was to create a church in which to hold the body of Christ. Not only would the church symbolize the body of Christ it would also literally allow Jesus’ followers a place of worship and sanctuary. The church symbolizes the body of Christ in the way that the head of the body is God, while the spirit is actually the spirit and Jesus while the cells that keep the body running are the disciples within the body. Not only was the church a place, but a symbol of the disciples’ devotion to God. After the creation of the church came a split regarding different views creating three branches within the Christian Religion.
The first branch is known as Roman Catholicism. Roman Catholics follow the church unwaveringly and abide by the Pope’s religious and ethical decisions. The church serves as the supreme court by “adjudicate[ing] between truth and error on important matters”. The second idea that Catholicism centers on is that the church also serves as a Sacramental Agent. There are seven Sacraments that must be accomplished during each individual’s life. The seven Sacraments are: baptism, confirmation, holy matrimony, holy orders, sacrament of the sick, reconciliation and mass. The first Sacrament, baptism, normally occurs during the first years of a child’s life. Baptism “delivers” the soul into the world of the supernatural. Confirmation occurs once the child is old enough to understand the difference between right and wrong. Holy Matrimony is the union of two individuals through the act of marriage. Another act is announcing ones’ holy orders which is the act of dedicating one’s life to God. Receiving the Sacrament of the sick prepares the body for death. Reconciliation may be more familiar to most as confession. The final Sacrament but not at all of least importance is mass. Mass is where disciples go in order to consume the body and blood of Christ.
Another branch of Christianity is Eastern Orthodoxy. The Eastern Orthodox branch separated from Roman Catholicism around 1054 A.D. Eastern Orthodoxy is practically the same as Roman Catholicism with the exception a few details. Orthodox Christians believe that they are saved through groups and not as individuals. They believe that every individual’s actions contribute or hurt the entire group or body of Christ. “One can be damned alone but saved only with others” is a quotation that Orthodox Christians believe whole heartedly.
The third branch of Christianity is called Protestantism. Protestants agree that religion and having faith in God is not simply “a belief system but a response of the entire self. The movement consists of participation of the mind, by believing certain things; the heart, by loving and trusting in those things, and finally the will, in doing things that are prompted by that love.” One of the biggest fears that Protestants have is falling easily to idolatry. Idolatry regarding the Bible itself, Protestants hold the Bible in such high esteem that sometimes it becomes difficult to remember that the Bible is not the focus of religion but God.

5. Finding the meaning behind everything is the basis of Judaism. Jews look for the meaning in God, creation, human existence, history, morality, justice, suffering and messianism. Jews describe God to be singular, there is one God. Jews believe that God defines divine unity among the world and its inhabitants. There is nothing and there is no one like God. Creation itself is considered good. Unlike many other religions Jews believe that when God created the Earth it was good, very good in fact. Therefore everything in regards to creation is good, the Earth is good and even sex is considered good. Jews look for the meaning in human existence. God created humans through Adam and Eve and therefore must be good. Finding the meaning in history is very important and highly regarded within Judaism. History is the key to the future, alongside messianism. But I will refer back to the importance of history within Judaism later. Morality and justice are equally important to the Jews because both should be a goal for every Jew. Being a moral person is required by God. God delivered his instructions to Moses on top Mt. Sinai which informed the Jews of God’s expectations. Justice will be delivered to everyone on their day of judgment, but Jews believe that everyday is an opportunity for justice. Justice can also be called righteousness. Live a life that is righteous and that individual will be rewarded. Suffering almost parallels the importance of history in Judaism. The responsibility of suffering was placed upon the Jews by God and must be respected and understood. Suffering is the only way to show people that they should not take advantage of their complacency. The Jews were the chosen people in order to show the rest of the world how much freedom should be valued. The Jews learned the importance of freedom through the physical suffering of being enslaved while the rest of the world was allowed to learn through the Jews demonstration. Jews do not attribute their freedom to chance that some unorganized slaves were capable of freeing themselves from slavery and becoming a free nation, Jews attribute their freedom to the power of God. God was the only reason that freedom was granted to the Jewish people. Jews although all believe in some sort of messiah, are actually divided by this idea also. Jews have a common belief that there will be a messiah, but the details are the dividing factors.
Judaism is divided into sects or denominations. Although these groups are not defined by name or claim that they each belong to a particular group, they are divided by common beliefs. Defining a Jewish person is difficult because there is no set formula or combination. A person is Jewish only if they are born to a Jewish mother or are converted. Although a person may claim to be Jewish and follow all the rules and beliefs they are still not considered a Jew. On the other hand, people that are born Jewish and are atheist and follow none of the Jewish beliefs are still considered Jewish. This is unlike any other religion. Some Jews believe that a messiah will come and restore the world to its original form as in the past. Other Jews believe that when the messiah comes a new order will arise and it will be nothing like the past. The final group of Jews believes that when the Messiah comes, it will be judgment day and all will end
6. The religion of Islam began with the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad is also called the Seal of the Prophets because Islam recognizes other Prophets that came before him, but the “culmination” of Islam as a religion occurred with Muhammad. Muhammad’s parents died when he was a young boy, after which his uncle adopted him and showered him with love. Due to his early loss of his parents and the kindness showed to him by his uncle Muhammad became very sensitive to others needs. Muhammad, once he was older, met a woman by the name of Khadija whom he feel in love with and married. They remained married for the fifteen years that Muhammad prepared for his ministry. During these years of preparation Muhammad traveled to a cave in order to have solitude for open thoughts without distractions. One night while in the cave he was visited by an angel that told him to proclaim Allah as his savior the one and only! Muhammad returned to his wife and told her of the events that had occurred the night before. After hearing his story and expressing to her that he had become a Prophet or a madman she became his first convert among many.
In the year 622 A.D. Muhammad traversed to a city now known as Medina. The migration that Muhammad made became “known in Arabic as the hirja and is regarded to Muslims as the turning point in world history.” This migration became the basis for the Muslim calendar year. When Muhammad arrived in Medina he was assigned a position in administration. Throughout the next eight years many fights occurred changing the power back and forth between Muhammad and the Meccans. At the end of this period Muhammad became the more powerful political position and calmed the waters between the two feuding areas. Combined under one government lead by Prophet Muhammad these people created one fifth of the world’s population.
Muslims refer to the creation of the Koran as the standing miracle. Muslims tend to read the Koran literally and they never mention Muhammad’s name without instantly saying, “blessings and peace be upon him”. “Because the overwhelming thrust of the Koran is to proclaim the unity, omnipotence, omniscience and mercy of God – and correlatively the total dependence of human life upon Him – historical facts are in its case merely reference points that have scarcely any interest in themselves. When the Lord-servant relationship is the essential point, all else is commentary and allusion.” The Koran is the basis for decision making from early childhood on.
The five pillars of Islam are creed, canonical prayer, charity, observance of Ramadan and pilgrimage. The first pillar of Islam is creed, which simply means that each Muslim must at some point say a particular sentence and mean it entirely. “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet.” The creed is also known as a confession of faith or shahadah. The second pillar of faith is canonical prayer. Every Muslim must pray five times a day, everyday. Charity is the third pillar which states that people that live comfortably must share their wealth with the less fortunate and the poor. Observance of Ramadan is the fourth pillar of Islam. Ramadan is the holy month in the Islamic calendar that represents the time that Muhammad traveled to Mecca. The fifth pillar of Islam is pilgrimage. The pilgrimage requires that every Muslim (that can) must traverse to Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
One of the most important events that transpired from the Islamic religion catching fire throughout the community was the positive social effects that it had upon its people. Many changes occurred regarding the way that women were treated by their families and in society. Other changes have been occurring as time goes on such as the economic condition, encouraging of race relations and decreasing the use of force. Muslims have adjusted to the changing of the times socially but the question that author Houstan Smith presents is can the religion of Islam withstand many more changes?

7. While studying the religions of Judaism, Islam and Christianity there are more similarities than differences. The differences that do appear are quite significant to the separation of the three religions. All three religions share a faith in a God-head, a God that is singular. Monotheism is a common link between the previous mentioned religions. On a side note, Muslims believe that they are responsible for introducing the idea of Monotheism not only to Arabs around the world, but also to all of religion. Even though Judaism, Islam and Christianity are all monotheist religions, they differ greatly regarding that single God-head. Judaism was headed in the right direction but stopped short only allowing for God’s teachings to be confined to a certain people. Christians have a difficult time explaining to other religions the belief in the Trinity, while Christians fully comprehend the symbolism relating to one God in three forms. While Islam honors that Jesus was a religious leader, Muslims do not agree with Jesus as a divine being and argue that Christians are not monotheists due to this cross of divine and human life.
All three of the religions are God fearing religions, although fear not in the form of a “capricious tyrant” but instead out of the wonder of God’s /Allah’s/ Yahweh’s magnitude of abilities. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all agree that God is capable of amazing tasks for example, the creation of the universe. The three religions all agree that God alone created the universe and it is completely finite. Because the Earth was created by a perfect being the world itself cannot therefore be considered perfect also. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all agree that although the creation of the world was good, it is not perfect.
Another similarity that contains differences between the religions is the creation of the human self. The religions agree that the creation of man was good, but that is about as far as the similarities go. Christians believe that the human naturally has sinful desires, with this statement Judaism agrees. Islam on the other hand does not go that far. Muslims believe that the most sinful thing that humans can do is forget, they “forget their divine origin.” Islam views life as a gift from the Creator which requires the act of gratitude from the disciples that are aware of this blessing. The second responsibility that goes along with gratitude is the act of surrendering. Once a person knows about the Creator they are expected to do those two things: show gratitude and surrender their lives completely and willingly.
The final topic that these religions have in common is the reality of a Day of Judgment. Each religion whether Christianity, Judaism or Islam all agree that there will come a day when each individual will be judged and render a final decision. The degree to which these judgments occur varies within each religion and the corresponding sects but the common theme is the reality of a final day.
Each of these religions are similar and yet very different from one another. Having the multitude of choices from what religion an individual wants to follow creates for a very interesting world. If only all of the religions could realize that they have more in common than they realize. The religious trials and tribulations could possibly cease if not at least ease up on the level of intensity.

8. The religion that I found most interesting was actually the religion that I thought I would never want to learn about. My favorite religion was Islam. I was shocked when I read about how similar the history is to Christianity. I was even more shocked to learn that although Islam is the most dedicated religion, in my opinion, it also is the only religion that recognizes leaders from other religions. It appears that Islam is more open-minded to some degree than any other religion while I was taught (through the news) that it was the least open minded regarding other religious views.
When I visited the Islamic Mosque in Chino I was amazed by the hospitality that was bestowed upon me and my guest without anyone knowing that I was a student here for an assignment. I again was amazed at the vast amount of knowledge that these men had regarding not only their religion, but also Christianity and many other religions. I would very much enjoy going back to the Mosque simply to hold conversations with these leaders of the community. Regardless of all that the Islamic Religion has going against them because of nine eleven it is refreshing to see that people can overcome their differences and misunderstandings in order to create a better community and world. That is the primary focus of the Islamic Religion, besides Allah first and foremost obviously.

2006-06-29T23:50:00.001-07:00

Field Trip #2

The Religion of Islam follows the Prophet Muhammad. The focus of Islam is living a life of perfect humility, peace and happiness through free-willed submission to God. Muslims encourage positive interaction between people within and outside their community. Islam is “the stated completion and perfection of all religions that were previously revealed by God since such revelations began with Adam. Muslims believe that the object of human life is to worship and serve God completely. By learning and teaching others of the eternity that lies after death, God’s word spreads across communities through his disciples.
On the evening of June 19, 2006 I attended a symposium at the Bait-Ul-Hameed Mosque in Chino. The assignment was to attend a prayer service but thanks to another students recommendations I was fortunate enough to also attend the symposium. The event began at 7:00 in the evening. When we (my boyfriend and I) arrived the parking lot was practically empty. I thought that we were in the wrong place until some young boys came up to our vehicle asking if we needed any help finding the entrance. As we got out of the car an older gentleman walked up and introduced himself and said he would escort us to the entrance. We briefly chatted about the events of the night that would follow dinner. When we reached the entrance we were greeted by lots of empty tables and a very nice gentleman, that I was to learn later that evening, a very educated scholar that had moved from Pakistan to create a life in the United States. He told us to fill our plates and to not be shy. As we were enjoying the free dinner I was people watching and noticed that there were a lot of “guests” entering the hall. They were easily distinguishable because of the difference in attire. As more people entered the gentleman that had informed us to eat as much as we could joined us and wasted no time starting conversation. We actually spoke nothing of religion during this time, we talked about traveling and family and education. This man although I do not recall his name was very intelligent. He had traveled to ninety different countries throughout his life and was born in Pakistan. The story that he told was the type of story that I love to hear. He came from Pakistan alone, knowing no-one, all he had was a briefcase and a hundred dollars to his name. Now he has five sons, one a doctor, two lawyers, a teacher and a journalist. That kind of story gives me hope that maybe our country can still hold the title the land of freedom and opportunity.
As we finished dinner we walked over to the Mosque where the prayer service would be held. We reached the doors, removed our shoes and placed them in bins outside the entrance. When we entered through the doors there were many chairs set up (like a church) and a center table in the front of the room. The thing that I found as odd, but quickly disregarded, was the two video cameras that were set up in the front and back of the room. Once everyone was accounted for the introductions began. Reverend Moore of the United Christian Church was introduced and gave her rendition of what her church believes followed by the Imam of the Mosque discussing his religious beliefs. These were just brief basic introductions to the differences in each belief system. Then the question and answer session began. As both groups asked questions to better understand each other it was obvious which group was more educated. The Muslims were asking questions and offering information that proved their quest to learn and understand other religions was taken very seriously. I was very excited to see the common links that were being formed and discovered through this symposium. This was a true example of religious understanding. I will never forget this experience as long as I live.
I asked a question regarding the five prayers a day and also about the Muslim view regarding what they call the Holy Books. The religious books that Muslims regard as important were the Koran, the Bible and the Torah among other religious works. One question that caught me off guard was when one of the Muslim gentleman asked what the meaning of the Trinity was in Christianity. This took me by surprise because it never occurred to me that someone outside of Christianity would misinterpret the Trinity to have a multi-God appearance. Reverend Moore explained the Trinity perfectly; simply as three forms of one God, the God that the Muslims and Christians and everyone shares.
Another question that was asked was if the Muslims believe that God created the world in six 24 hour days and if the world is considered finite. The Imam answered by saying yes the world will end, it is finite. In response to the creation theory the Imam answered that the Koran is very specific when answering this question. Then he mentioned the use of language; he reminded everyone that language is a barrier for human expression. Although having a common language helps people express themselves it also constrains them. In Arabic certain words have multiple meanings in English which makes it hard to understand for some people.

2006-06-29T23:50:00.000-07:00

Post 14

The author, John Crossan, of Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography argues that a man named Jesus may have existed but he was not the man portrayed by religious literature such as the Bible. John Crossan offers a different view of Jesus than most people are familiar with today. Through the help of history books, research, relevant knowledge and other religious literature Crossan is able to develop a realistic biography of the man known as Jesus. There are many inconsistencies that Crossan brings to the readers attention such as timelines and stories that have been recorded differently with alternate endings and teachings. These are the types of examples that will follow.

Crossan finds the comparison between John the Baptist and Jesus to be quite misleading the way that Matthew and Luke portray it. John the Baptist was born from a virgin mother just like Jesus only many years earlier. John the Baptist drew people out of their homes to be baptized where Jesus traveled to the people that would be baptized. John the Baptist in some stories actually baptized Jesus. The event in which John actually baptizes Jesus is a very controversial topic. Jesus did not commit sin which is the only reason that he was able to die for our sins, if this statement was true than why was Jesus baptized by John the Baptist? Another similarity between these two men is the way that the story of their birth was presented. The main difference here between the two stories is the alterations in order to make Jesus’ birth much more important than John the Baptists.

When John the Baptist was born it states that his neighbors and relatives rejoiced together. When Jesus was born there is “a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God” for this magnificent birth. The parallelism that Crossan demonstrates through this past example reveal that it is more than likely that the biblical Jesus’ life story may have been altered in order to strengthen the argument for religious purposes.

As I mentioned earlier, there are many inconsistencies with the travels of the biblical Jesus. Luke writes about Jesus time of birth being occurring during the “taxation census under Quirinius”, the taxation actually occurred about ten years after King Herod’s death. The only problem is that the bible gives this as the reason for Mary to return to Bethlehem and that Jesus was born while King Herod was still ruler. Obviously both of these statements cannot be true, they contradict one another. But to the uneducated, no one would ever know the difference. I guess, since Jesus was a peasant and wanted to reach out to other peasants, perhaps the authors thought that this statements would never be researched?

Crossan is not attempting to prove that a man named Jesus never lived; just that he did not live the life described by the Bible. Crossan depicts the life of a man that was born into a lower class family that was able to change the social structure of the Roman Empire and many other nations. The changes may not have occurred as the Bible depicts or for the reasons that the Bible states, but these man, if he existed, did change lives for the better. Crossan describes Jesus as a miracle worker because of the social changes he was able to make being that his social status was a simple peasant.

2006-06-29T23:49:00.000-07:00

Post 13

Christianity is the world’s most wide spread religion with the “largest number of adherents”. Christianity holds its importance in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus of Nazareth may have been a mortal man, but he was descendant from an earthly mother and heavenly father which makes him divine. Jesus was born to a virgin mother named Mary. Although the life of Jesus was not well recorded, there are many stories and events that occurred that explain more about the life that Jesus lived and died for.
Jesus attempted to change the social lifestyle of the world that he lived in, during the ruling of the Roman Empire. Although the government at that time was merciless, Jesus opened the door letting acceptance, love and healing flow in like a river. Jesus was viewed as a spiritual man because the spirit was within him. When John the Baptist baptized Jesus “the heavens opened and the spirit descend[ed] upon him like a dove”. This was one of the many miracles that Jesus disciples saw and experienced during Jesus’ lifetime. Jesus was a healer. Although his actions were not for show, because he healed in private, his disciples also were given powers through him to heal all that crossed their paths. Jesus spoke about the kingdom on earth that disciples would enter if they lived pure lives and lived strictly for the Heavenly Father.
When Jesus was killed on the cross it was the end of his mortal life and at the same time also the beginning of the church and the strengthening of the Christian religion. From this point forward the “Good News” was spread that God lives within and around us. God is within everyone if they only invite him into their hearts and live for him alone. The next step was to create a church in which to hold the body of Christ. Not only would the church symbolize the body of Christ it would also literally allow Jesus’ followers a place of worship and sanctuary. The church symbolizes the body of Christ in the way that the head of the body is God, while the spirit is actually the spirit and Jesus while the cells that keep the body running are the disciples within the body. Not only was the church a place, but a symbol of the disciples’ devotion to God. After the creation of the church came a split regarding different views creating three branches within the Christian Religion.
The first branch is known as Roman Catholicism. Roman Catholics follow the church unwaveringly and abide by the Pope’s religious and ethical decisions. The church serves as the supreme court by “adjudicate[ing] between truth and error on important matters”. The second idea that Catholicism centers on is that the church also serves as a Sacramental Agent. There are seven Sacraments that must be accomplished during each individual’s life. The seven Sacraments are: baptism, confirmation, holy matrimony, holy orders, sacrament of the sick, reconciliation and mass. The first Sacrament, baptism, normally occurs during the first years of a child’s life. Baptism “delivers” the soul into the world of the supernatural. Confirmation occurs once the child is old enough to understand the difference between right and wrong. Holy Matrimony is the union of two individuals through the act of marriage. Another act is announcing ones’ holy orders which is the act of dedicating one’s life to God. Receiving the Sacrament of the sick prepares the body for death. Reconciliation may be more familiar to most as confession. The final Sacrament but not at all of least importance is mass. Mass is where disciples go in order to consume the body and blood of Christ.
Another branch of Christianity is Eastern Orthodoxy. The Eastern Orthodox branch separated from Roman Catholicism around 1054 A.D. Eastern Orthodoxy is practically the same as Roman Catholicism with the exception a few details. Orthodox Christians believe that they are saved through groups and not as individuals. They believe that every individual’s actions contribute or hurt the entire group or body of Christ. “One can be damned alone but saved only with others” is a quotation that Orthodox Christians believe whole heartedly.
The third branch of Christianity is called Protestantism. Protestants agree that religion and having faith in God is not simply “a belief system but a response of the entire self. The movement consists of participation of the mind, by believing certain things; the heart, by loving and trusting in those things, and finally the will, in doing things that are prompted by that love.” One of the biggest fears that Protestants have is falling easily to idolatry. Idolatry regarding the Bible itself, Protestants hold the Bible in such high esteem that sometimes it becomes difficult to remember that the Bible is not the focus of religion but God.

2006-06-29T23:48:00.001-07:00

Post 12

The False Testament presents the idea that the Bible’s depiction of the past is inaccurate and claims that it is completely false. The False Testament begins by explaining the process of science emerging from religious studies. Science was first used to find “proof” in order to back up the Bible’s tale of creation. The problem that occurred was when evidence was found that exposed a different story besides what the Bible has presented human kind with. These inconsistencies were, at first, disregarded and throw to the side in search of evidence that would support the faith that was followed.

As science has evolved and scientists actually want to discover the past, the true past, many inconsistencies regarding the timeline of the Bible have been exposed. Scientists have done research during the time of King David and King Solomon and are unable to provide proof of any such existence. The closest thing that was discovered was a piece of old material with writing on it saying something about the linage of a man named David. This cannot be considered proof of King David’s existence or even bloodline because the name could belong to anyone. The Bible talks about King Solomon having possessions that are numbered in the hundreds and having built many buildings with unlimited amounts of gold and grandeur. The only problem with this record, is that there simply is no proof of any such items anywhere near where King Solomon was have said to have lived.

Another inconsistency is the claim that the Israelites have against the land they claim as belonging to them. In the Bible the Israelites are described as trespassers or foreigners in this land and through war took over the land which should belong to them because of this simple fact. The research that has been done pieces together a different story. The archeologists and anthropologists have learned that the people that inhabited this land were indigenous people. That no-one came and claimed the land, the research shows that the people that originated started and ended there. Researchers have tried to make sense of the story that the Bible presents regarding the claim of the Holy Land. The only idea that seems to have stuck is that throughout history in order to have a valid land claim the land had to be taken through a war or was lost in a war. This could explain why the Israelites created a story that would prevent the loss of their Holy Land or Home Land.

It is difficult to comprehend why if the Bible was just a creation of someone’s imagination why it would be created. The False Testament explains that whoever the creator of the Bible was may have been trying to preserve the future of the Holy Land and create a future of a religion or political agenda. There is no other logical explanation for why such an elaborate story would be created. Then as many religious followers would argue, because the story was not made up, the Bible was created by the workings of God.

2006-06-29T23:48:00.000-07:00

Post 11

Judaism is not considered a religion to the Jews themselves. Judaism is more of a lifestyle than a religious movement. The Jews believe that they are God’s chosen people. Jews, in the beginning, believed that God was only a Jewish God then realized that God is everyone’s God yet chose the Jews to be a worldly example. God worked and is working through the Jewish culture to show the world that he is real. Jews feel that they are the messengers of God and have more responsibility than every other religion because they are the chosen people.

Finding the meaning behind everything is the basis of Judaism. Jews look for the meaning in God, creation, human existence, history, morality, justice, suffering and messianism. Jews describe God to be singular, there is one God. Jews believe that God defines divine unity among the world and its inhabitants. There is nothing and there is no one like God. Creation itself is considered good. Unlike many other religions Jews believe that when God created the Earth it was good, very good in fact. Therefore everything in regards to creation is good, the Earth is good and even sex is considered good. Jews look for the meaning in human existence. God created humans through Adam and Eve and therefore must be good. Finding the meaning in history is very important and highly regarded within Judaism. History is the key to the future, alongside messianism. But I will refer back to the importance of history within Judaism later. Morality and justice are equally important to the Jews because both should be a goal for every Jew. Being a moral person is required by God. God delivered his instructions to Moses on top Mt. Sinai which informed the Jews of God’s expectations. Justice will be delivered to everyone on their day of judgment, but Jews believe that everyday is an opportunity for justice. Justice can also be called righteousness. Live a life that is righteous and that individual will be rewarded. Suffering almost parallels the importance of history in Judaism. The responsibility of suffering was placed upon the Jews by God and must be respected and understood. Suffering is the only way to show people that they should not take advantage of their complacency. The Jews were the chosen people in order to show the rest of the world how much freedom should be valued. The Jews learned the importance of freedom through the physical suffering of being enslaved while the rest of the world was allowed to learn through the Jews demonstration. Jews do not attribute their freedom to chance that some unorganized slaves were capable of freeing themselves from slavery and becoming a free nation, Jews attribute their freedom to the power of God. God was the only reason that freedom was granted to the Jewish people. Jews although all believe in some sort of messiah, are actually divided by this idea also. Jews have a common belief that there will be a messiah, but the details are the dividing factors.

Judaism is divided into sects or denominations. Although these groups are not defined by name or claim that they each belong to a particular group, they are divided by common beliefs. Defining a Jewish person is difficult because there is no set formula or combination. A person is Jewish only if they are born to a Jewish mother or are converted. Although a person may claim to be Jewish and follow all the rules and beliefs they are still not considered a Jew. On the other hand, people that are born Jewish and are atheist and follow none of the Jewish beliefs are still considered Jewish. This is unlike any other religion. Some Jews believe that a messiah will come and restore the world to its original form as in the past. Other Jews believe that when the messiah comes a new order will arise and it will be nothing like the past. The final group of Jews believes that when the Messiah comes, it will be judgment day and all will end.

2006-06-29T23:47:00.000-07:00

Post 10

The religion of Islam began with the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad is also called the Seal of the Prophets because Islam recognizes other Prophets that came before him, but the “culmination” of Islam as a religion occurred with Muhammad. Muhammad’s parents died when he was a young boy, after which his uncle adopted him and showered him with love. Due to his early loss of his parents and the kindness showed to him by his uncle Muhammad became very sensitive to others needs. Muhammad, once he was older, met a woman by the name of Khadija whom he feel in love with and married. They remained married for the fifteen years that Muhammad prepared for his ministry. During these years of preparation Muhammad traveled to a cave in order to have solitude for open thoughts without distractions. One night while in the cave he was visited by an angel that told him to proclaim Allah as his savior the one and only! Muhammad returned to his wife and told her of the events that had occurred the night before. After hearing his story and expressing to her that he had become a Prophet or a madman she became his first convert among many.
In the year 622 A.D. Muhammad traversed to a city now known as Medina. The migration that Muhammad made became “known in Arabic as the hirja and is regarded to Muslims as the turning point in world history.” This migration became the basis for the Muslim calendar year. When Muhammad arrived in Medina he was assigned a position in administration. Throughout the next eight years many fights occurred changing the power back and forth between Muhammad and the Meccans. At the end of this period Muhammad became the more powerful political position and calmed the waters between the two feuding areas. Combined under one government lead by Prophet Muhammad these people created one fifth of the world’s population.
Muslims refer to the creation of the Koran as the standing miracle. Muslims tend to read the Koran literally and they never mention Muhammad’s name without instantly saying, “blessings and peace be upon him”. “Because the overwhelming thrust of the Koran is to proclaim the unity, omnipotence, omniscience and mercy of God – and correlatively the total dependence of human life upon Him – historical facts are in its case merely reference points that have scarcely any interest in themselves. When the Lord-servant relationship is the essential point, all else is commentary and allusion.” The Koran is the basis for decision making from early childhood on.
The five pillars of Islam are creed, canonical prayer, charity, observance of Ramadan and pilgrimage. The first pillar of Islam is creed, which simply means that each Muslim must at some point say a particular sentence and mean it entirely. “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet.” The creed is also known as a confession of faith or shahadah. The second pillar of faith is canonical prayer. Every Muslim must pray five times a day, everyday. Charity is the third pillar which states that people that live comfortably must share their wealth with the less fortunate and the poor. Observance of Ramadan is the fourth pillar of Islam. Ramadan is the holy month in the Islamic calendar that represents the time that Muhammad traveled to Mecca. The fifth pillar of Islam is pilgrimage. The pilgrimage requires that every Muslim (that can) must traverse to Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
One of the most important events that transpired from the Islamic religion catching fire throughout the community was the positive social effects that it had upon its people. Many changes occurred regarding the way that women were treated by their families and in society. Other changes have been occurring as time goes on such as the economic condition, encouraging of race relations and decreasing the use of force. Muslims have adjusted to the changing of the times socially but the question that author Houstan Smith presents is can the religion of Islam withstand many more changes?

2006-06-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

Post 9

Gnosticism means seeking for the gnosis or spiritual knowledge, no to be confused with worldly knowledge. There are two forms of spiritual knowledge. The first, is knowledge of a God and the second, is knowledge of the passwords or multiple God’s names. These passwords are known because the spirit will take on a human form known as the Redeemer and purify the souls of the people on Earth in order to grant them access to their primordial home, in the Devine. The Redeemer will take a human form multiple times, not just once like Jesus and other religious figures. The Gnostic tradition has sometimes been viewed as pessimistic. Although Professor Diem argues that they are not pessimistic in regards to the treatment of human beings, I would beg to differ. The Gnostic tradition has been related to Jewish and Christian cultures in the past. The Gnostic tradition may have found similarities within these cultures in order to gain more followers, but the faith and believe system of the Gnostic tradition is almost opposite of these two religions. When attempting to be a sect of Christianity, the Gnostics adjusted the story of Adam and Eve in order to show that the God that Christians see as God is really an evil God “that is a lower deity than the true Godhead”. The serpent, in Christianity a symbol of evil, is actually viewed as good. These alterations to the Adam and Eve story demonstrate the difference in view the Gnostics have from Christianity. In regards to the Gnostics being viewed as pessimistic, this I believe to be true because of the Gnostic stance against reproduction. Gnostics believe that an evil karma, Kal, holds the soul as long as possible within the world in order to keep the soul from finding the true Godhead. Therefore, not procreating is ultimately helping keep the supply of human souls depleting so that Kal cannot control any souls eventually. Since Kal cannot create humans the Gnostics do not want to help populate the world that he controls. This is a beneficial view for society if the world is overpopulated, but the point of animals is to procreate and humans are animals. There are many different sects of Gnostics around the world and it is hard to describe this tradition as one religion. Although each sect is a little different, all of the Gnostic sects recognize the original creators which transform the Gnostic tradition into a religion.

In regards to the Sant Mat tradition there are many similarities that encourage the idea that Sant Mat and Gnosticism arose form the same origins. Professor Ninian Smart provides a definition of religion that consists of seven required pieces in order to be classified as an authentic religion. Although within all seven aspects the Sant Mat tradition and the Gnostic tradition are comparable, only three are clearly undisputable. The three dimensions are doctrinal, experiential and ethical.

First, looking at the doctrinal dimension, both traditions follow the idea of a transcendent God. Both traditions also believe that there is “an illegitimate lower demiurge, the creator god, responsible for entrapping souls in material existence”. This creator God in the Sant Mat tradition is known as Ialdabaoth while this same God is known as Kal to the Gnostics. Both traditions believe that the spirit will be reincarnated until the reunification with the Devine occurs. This reunification can only occur when in the human form in order to "break all the shackles and get deliverance from the ceaseless cycle of births and deaths”.

The next dimension examined was the experiential dimension. This dimension consists of the path taken to reach the Devine. Both traditions believe that meditation is the only way that the soul can again become a part of the Devine. Both traditions talk about 5 levels that must be passed through before reuniting itself. On each level a different combination of light and sound must be recognized and followed in order to pass into the next realm. There will be distractions on each level and temptations to distract the follower from his/her goal, but the 5th level is the goal. Each spiritual realm is controlled by a demiurge or lower God. The name of this God must be known in order to pass into the next realm. Knowing the names of each God is needed to be learned from a spiritual guide. This is where the two traditions differ; the Sant tradition must have a live person as a guide. It is unclear if the Gnostics need a live person or if the original person was considered an enlightened being or simply another follower.

The final dimension is the ethical dimension. Although there are three main branches of Gnosticism, the branch that best compares with the Sant Mat tradition is the moderate group of the Gnostic tradition. The other two are called libertines and ascetics. Family life and marriage are highly regarded. Only by maintaining a balance between renunciation and libertism can a person overcome the worldly demands. Although there are small differences between the Gnostic schools and the Sant tradition in regards to ethics, there is still many similarities between the two traditions.

2006-06-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

Midterm

1. Renee Kangas
2. Caramel_diva84
3. renee.kangas@gmail.com
4. I completed 8 posts.
Post 1 -May 26 Post 5 -June 9
Post 2 -May 30 Post 6 -June 9
Post 3 -June 1 Post 7 -June 10
Post 4 -June 6 Post 8 -June 10
5. I have completed all of the assigned readings required for the posts. I have read chapters one through five in Smith’s book The Illustrated World Religions. I have read all of the assigned readings on the internet for example: When Scholars Study the Sacred, When God’s Decay, The Politics of Mysticism, The Enchanted Land, the website titled Jainism Simplified (I skipped about three sections), reviewed the link below regarding Jainism, Why I Don’t Eat Faces, and Lions in the Punjab. In regards to the required literature I have read the Tao Te Ching and Wisdom of the Buddha.
6. I went to the Hare Krishna Temple in Culver City. I learned about the chanting and becoming a vegetarian and the importance of the two to this religion. I have to admit that I have the words that were chanted permanently stuck in my head. I also have started to decrease the amount of meat I consume because I am not comfortable with as Lane presents the argument, eating faces.
7. No time for extra credit this half of the semester, hopefully next half though. I watched the movie Seven Years in Tibet with Brad Pitt, but I was unable to write a review in time.

Main Essay Questions

1. In order to create a new religion I would want to first determine if I wanted a religion to actually become successful in order to praise a God or if I was simply doing this for profit. If I only wanted to profit from this investment then I would not have to work as hard because a religion created for profit usually does not last as long as a “true” religion would. Every new religion begins as a cult. That is the definition of a cult, a new religion. Even if I decided that I wanted to cheat and branch off of an existing religion claiming that I was bringing the religion back to the classic, true ways my religion or sect would still be considered a cult. Once society accepted my religion, since I would not just be a sect, then the religion once regarded as a cult would become regarded as a religion. The first steps that I would take in order to create a religion would be to note Smart’s requirements for a society to be classified as a religion. According to Smart, religion is defined as containing seven specific components in order to be classified as a religion. These seven components consist of myths, rituals, experiences, doctrines, ethics, social aspect and material forms. By myth Smart means stories about people and events in order to provide followers with proof of their faith and the truth that this religion holds. Rituals are the daily, weekly, annual activities that followers perform in order to experience closeness to whatever or whoever is worshiped. Experiences are the independent feelings that a follower feels while performing the rituals or recreation of religious myths. A doctrine is the faith system itself and ethics are the moral codes that are followed in day to day life. The social aspect refers to the church and other activities with followers of the same religion. Lastly the material forms consist of anything physical such as literature, particular clothing styles, objects and even people, any physical thing that brings an individual closer to what is considered holy or sacred. With the understanding that all of these requirements must be met, I would have some work ahead of me ensuring that I could provide each of the seven items listed above. Having established all that Smart explains is necessary; the next step would be determining how I would spread the word that I have a religion. It appears that the next logical step would be to consider Blackmore’s study of memes. Blackmore explains that memes are key ideas that are repeated and transferred from one person to another. A key element that a meme must have is a “catchy-ness” in order for it to become stuck in people’s minds long enough for it to be transferred to the next individual that will follow the same process. Not every meme will survive the test of time but some have which is partially the reason that religion has not decayed. If the rituals and prayers and literature that Smart speaks of do not carry enough weight to keep a religion going then the memes will hopefully take over to ensure that the newly formed cult will become a religion and possibly a world religion.

2. When determining how to answer this question it is very easy for many people “to ride the fence” on such an issue. I am personally going to present an argument that claims religion will not decay but rather evolve over time. It is easy to explain why religion will not decay by refuting Peter Berger’s secularization thesis that states as religious skepticism increases, religion will loose its adaptability and essentially decay. Berger’s argument has been incorrect to the present day and will continue to be proven wrong. Secularization is actually itself a reason that religion will not decay. As individuals begin to become less involved in particular religions, new cults will arise and probably grab their attention. This is where cults and sects come into play; cults more than sects are subjected to scrutiny, especially from parents thinking that some unknown religion brain-washed their children. What most people do not realize is that a religious movement known as a cult simply means that the religion is not recognized by their specific community, although it possibly could be recognized and in fact very popular in another region. There are many different types of religion around the world and as long as any of them are around, religion has not yet disappeared. A very important and common form of religion is known as orthodox religions. Orthodox religions attempt to reach out to secularists in particular who desire to return to the basic moral principals that modern religions have turned away from or forgotten. Orthodox religions usually are sects that have broken away from an established religion that want to return to the basics and set the religion back on the right course. As more religions enter the scene and attract followers a logical explanation for this change are the people that desire the change. Today, a group of people known as the baby boomers are reaching their middle ages. This is a time when individuals begin to question everything that they represent. Baby boomers are the generation that grew up living in a world that believed people were naturally evil and are now claiming the opposite that individuals are actually, naturally good. Baby boomers focus on individual religious experiences, the betterment of themselves, learning more about the world that they inhabit and having a more tolerant view regarding other religions and the unknown. Wade Clark Roof wrote in A Generation of Seekers how baby boomers are soul searching and will continue to discover new religions and ways to revive the old in order to find the inner-development that they are so desperately searching for. The baby boomers generation may not occupy the Earth forever but they will pass down their discovered thoughts regarding religion to the next generation through memes and parenting. This passing of information and beliefs from one generation to the next will eliminate the opportunity for religion to decay.

3. I choose not to answer this question, but to instead answer question 4.

4. The proper methodology on how to study religion has been a process that has taken years to perfect and be transformed into the most academic and non-biased study as humanly possible. There are multiple ways that a person can study religion. For example to name a few there are: theology, which is the study of a religion as if a believer themselves; anthropology of religion (a type of religious study), this is the study of the humans involved in the religion in order to determine why the religion was originally created; and religious studies, the academic research of a religion to be done as unbiased as possible. The last type defined was religious study, this is the particular type of study that scholars should use when learning about religion. In order to study religion as unbiased as possible the individual’s objective should be to investigate the “origins and content” of a specific religious group “without addressing the truth-value of them” (Diem). Karl Mannheim believes that a scholar can never fully complete an unbiased study because the way a person was raised contains automatic biases. In response to this statement Ninian Smart said that there are different levels of sin, meaning that although there may be some bias a study with less bias is still better than a study done with complete prejudice. Smart separated studying religion into three categories, antipathy, sympathy and empathy. Antipathy is viewing the religion being studied negatively or trying to discover how to eliminate the perversion within the religion. Sympathy is defined as knowing the truth and viewing other religions with a biased outlook. The final category is empathy or a neutral view of religion, trying to understand the logic behind the religion as if a follower in order to provide an accurate description. The final category was the one that Smart felt was the best choice of the three that he recognized. Another man named Peter Berger describes three categories that although similar to Smarts have a slight variation to each. Berger’s three categories are reduction, deduction and induction. Reduction is believed to be reduced to “its social origins” in order to determine the material reasons for why it was created. Deduction is defined as knowing that there is a truth and believing that “your” truth is the only truth. Induction attempts to evaluate a religion as a follower without attempting to believe in any truths that the particular religion believes. Ken Wilber thought that a religious study needed to divide religions depending on the effects it had on the mind. Ken Wilber’s three categories are prerational, rational and transrational. Prerational meant that a follower would believe in the mystic and conform to the group’s rationality without questioning the logic behind the beliefs. Rational is a scientific approach demonstrating that an individual can change their thinking if new evidence is presented to them. Transrational means that some rational thought is needed but there are “higher spiritual experiences” that can be reached through actions such as meditation that could be described as mystical. The study of religion has been going on for many years. There have been many new developments that provide scholars with a better way to study religions among other things. Currently scholars are using a combination of the way religions were studied in the past and also more recently discovered techniques. Religious studies are currently done using the following three methods: a study of the religion done as a follower but not accepting all the truths, the second stage is a study of the social aspects of the religion and trying to find its origins. The final stage of the religious study is to determine the effects of the religion on a persons mind and whether or not the religion is helpful or harmful to an individual.

5. The religion of Sikhism has been very difficult to find an accurate history of due to the revitalization group known as Singh Sabha. Historians in the past had gotten their knowledge of the Sikhism religion from Singh Sabha a nineteenth century orthodox group that was attempting to reclaim the Sikhism identity. During this time the members of the Singh Sabha were afraid that Sikhism was merging with Hinduism and therefore portrayed Sikhism as a strict religion that was not open for change. When what actually happened was the elimination of the Sikhism evolution from its origination. Sikhism began in the early 1600’s by a guru currently known as Nanak. Nanak was the first of 10 acknowledged gurus. Nanak is responsible for the creation of the Sikhism religion itself. Sikhism was needed during this time period; it has been said that Muslims and Buddhists needed to find a common ground. The only loophole that accompanies this idea is that Nanak says that there are no Muslim and Buddhist religions. Therefore Sikhism may be a combination of the two religions and many more, but Sikhism was not created as a bridge between the two primary religions at that time. Sikhism is currently considered a world religion. Although Sikhism began as a small gathering of people at Kartarpur and followed the Sant traditions as W.H. McLeod explains, it has transformed itself into a religion that claims twenty million followers. The religion Sikhism reached its status as a world religion because of its religious writings, unique style and claims to a homeland; although these are not the only reasons.
Sikhism has survived many changes in leadership along with basic principles over the years. Sikhism may be one of the newest world religions but many people follow it. Although there have been changes to ideals the 5k’s have managed to stay consistent, with the option of obeying them in certain sects or branches of Sikhism. The 5k’s are kesh- long hair wrapped in a turban, kanga- a comb placed in the kesh, kara- a silver or bronze bracelet (silver representing strength), kaach- short briefs and finally kirpan- a sword for protection and to demonstrate that Sikhs are not afraid to fight for their religion (this last k has become optional depending on what sect a person follows, the non-violent sects do not wear swords). Even though there have been changes within the religion it has changed in order to survive the elements that surround the religion and its people. After Nanak passed away and designated his successor guru, Angad, no changes were noted during Angad’s time. From this point forward each leader had a new difficulty or continued issue that needed to be attended to. The changes mostly resulted from the Sikhs trying to adapt to the surrounding societal pressures. Some of the leaders built satsangs for Sikhs to hold services at, some of the gurus needed to protect the Sikhs from other religions and regions from destroying the religion so they adapted a more militant way of life. The Sikhs had to relocate multiple times and continued to stay strong even after the death of the tenth guru Gobind Singh. Gobind Singh had four children all of whom died in battle protecting the Sikhs. The only option left for Gobind Singh was to make the Holy Scriptures themselves the eleventh guru which still holds true today. Although some sects of Sikhism believe that an actual physical live guru needs to exist besides the text.
6. Huston Smith’s editorial on Hinduism was quite interesting. He explains that Hinduism is based on what people want. What people want is determined by two things, chronological and psychological age. Hinduism allows for a person to desire, it is considered natural for the growth process. Every person has the desire for pleasure and success. Once these desires have been fulfilled and have then grown tiresome the individual begins a search for what they really want. What a person really wants is on a different level then the previous desires. The desires just discussed are considered finite desires while what one really wants is infinite understanding. As Hindus say; what we really want is to be, to know, and to be happy (p 22).

Now that we know what the goal is there are multiple paths to reach that goal. There are four different paths one can take in order to reach God. Multiple paths were created, each with their own specific name, because every individual was created differently. Although there are four paths a person can combine any or all in order to find the path that best suits him/her. The four paths are through knowledge, love, work and psychophysical exercises. Any of these paths individually or all of these paths combined can lead one to God if they are pure of heart (and by this I mean they truly want to find God).

The first way to God, through knowledge, is known as jnana yoga. Jnana yoga is aimed toward personalities that like to reflect on events. The key to jnana yoga is discrimination according to Smith; determining between one’s physical self and the self as a “being”. In order to become one with God through jnana yoga one must complete three stages. The first stage is listening. During this stage the individual is expected to listen to sages and scriptures through which the individual realizes that “one’s essential being is Being itself” (p 27). The second stage is thinking. During the second step one is to examine their thoughts and sometimes even their language for inconsistencies. Smith gives the example that during a play people wear masks to play another role but the true self is hidden beneath, Smith explains that we as humans are also wearing a mask of our true beings. In the third and final step as Smith describes it, shifting self-identification to one’s abiding part. In laments terms separating one’s identity away from the physical body. In this stage the individual should attempt to shadow the body and watch its actions as if another, separate person.

Another way to God is through love which is commonly known as bhakti yoga. One major difference between bhakti yoga and jnana yoga is the belief that God is a part of one’s self. Bhakti yoga believes in the otherness of God, bhakti yoga focuses on loving another, rather than a part of one’s self. The second difference is that bhakti yoga will adore God and not identify with God. In bhakti yoga there are three important features, the repeating of God’s name, the different forms of love and finally ishta. Repeating God’s name while working and just whenever throughout the day will remind the devotee to fall in love with God and keep him/her near to heart. The second item, different forms of love is referring to the kinds of love one may experience throughout life. The love between a man and a woman, a parent for a child or a servant for their master; these are all forms of love that people experience and help to demonstrate how to love God. The final one, ishta, simply means to choose an object and that one object will help to bring one closer to God. The devotee is to use this item as a reminder of God, not to replace God, but to bring the individual closer to God mentally and emotionally.

The way to God through work is known as karma yoga. Karma yoga is recommended for personalities that have an abundance of energy. Becoming closer to God through work is actually very simple. Instead of the individual worker for their personal benefit they devote their work to God. They do not work for themselves but rather as a dedication to God. When the work is done for the benefit of God then the individual is working in ways toward God and not away from God (for personal benefit). Karma yoga can be combined with other forms of yoga such as the two previously described above. Different combinations or paths depends on the personality of the individual to determine what best suits them and what combination.

The final way to God is through psychophysical exercises known as raja yoga. Raja yoga is for scientific minds or experimental minds. Raja yoga is meant to prove or disprove a hypothesis through experiments. The self in raja yoga is believed to have four layers: the body, a conscious layer within the mind, the individual subconscious and being itself. “Its method is willed introversion; its intent, to drive the psychic energy of the self to the deepest part. (p 34)” According to Smith there are eight steps in order to prove this hypothesis. The eight steps are: (1-2) the first two steps are basically making sure one’s life or surface water, as Smith refers to it, is calm. This is done (in step one) by practicing five “abstentions” (from injury, lying, stealing, sensuality and greed) and step two the five “observances” (cleanliness, contentment, self-control, studiousness and contemplation of the divine). Step three keeping the body from distracting the mind during these experiments; this is why many devotees sit in the “lotus position” (described by Smith as “an alert but relaxed position). Step four is focusing on consistent breathing. Step five is contemplation on the experiment at hand or removing the sense preceptors so not to be distracted by other things going on around the devotee. Step six is learning to conquer the mind and force it to concentrate on one object until all distractions have been eliminated. This is usually the most difficult step. Step seven and eight are “deeper” versions of step six. In step seven the devotee must eliminate his view of the object focused on or as Smith refers to it, eliminating the knower. In step eight or the climatic stage known also as Samadhi, the object itself becomes eliminated. “Now the knower is confronted with total being” (p 38).

Hindu’s view God in many different ways, depending on one’s choice of path to God determines how they view God. God could be a part of one’s being or could be a companion or friend. Hindu’s do not believe in one human version of God they believe that he is what makes up the ocean and each individual ripple that lies within. Hindu’s believe that God is infinite.

Hindu’s believe that the self is reincarnated. That there are stages of life one must go through in order to achieve the ultimate goal and that would be realizing the being in oneself or finding God. This is how Hindu’s determine where on the path one is. There are many lifetimes and each comes with a lesson. Also each life affects the next life through karma. Smith describes this as dealing oneself a hand of cards. You may have dealt yourself a set of cards but in the next life you have the choice of how you want to play them.

Hindu’s view the Universe as Maya “the world appears the way we see it, but that is not the way it really is” (p 53). The universe is made up of galaxies, infinite galaxies. There are worlds above and worlds below, some are better some are worse; this is how Hinduism view’s the universe that they live in. *The universe in which Hindu’s live has six characteristics: 1. a multiple world that contains infinite galaxies, 2. a moral world where karma presides, 3. a middling world that will never replace the paradise that is the spirits destination, 4. a world that is maya, 5. a place of learning to shape one’s soul and finally 6. a world that is lila (the play of the divine in its cosmic dance).

*A side note for the teacher….Some of the words I used directly from the book, mostly in the last paragraph simply because I do not know how to describe them otherwise. If this causes a problem please let me know and I will somehow alter this information to be more so in my own words, but I did the best that I could and sometimes Smith’s descriptions are either the best or I simply do not know how to word them any differently. (for example the very last sentence in the previous paragraph)

7. Buddhists believe that there are questions in the universe that divide people everywhere not just cause the divisions of Buddhism. The questions relate to how an individual views God and the world. Buddhists are divided by whether a person places wisdom above compassion or if compassion is held higher than wisdom. If a person believes that each individual should lead their own search to find peace then they place wisdom above compassion. If an individual believes that the universe understands grace then compassion is placed higher than wisdom. This is how the two main sections of Buddhism are separated. The names that were created for both groups mean rafts or ferries for bringing people across the river of life. Each group has a variation of the word yana within the name. The latter group that encompassed laypersons or a person that felt religion was not a “full-time job” gained the name Mahayana (the Big Raft) meaning “Buddhism for the People” since this was the larger group of the two that appealed to the majority of people. The smaller group obviously took the name Hinayana meaning the Little Raft. The Hinayanas did not appreciate this name so they changed it and is now also known as Theravada Buddhism meaning the Way of the Elders. Theravada Buddhism claimed to be the original Buddhism lead by Buddha. These two groups differed greatly on their logic behind why each form of Buddhism was different. The Mahayana’s believed that they were the “right” Buddhists because they believe that Buddha came to the people after finding nirvana and helped others to find it also. The Theravada Buddhists believe that they are the “right” Buddhists because Buddha found nirvana by himself alone and not using group therapy to help reach this state of peace. Theravada Buddhism believes that those that each individual determines the progress that is made where with Mahayana Buddhism the group progresses together. Mahayana Buddhism believes that nirvana is reached when everyone has reached it, whereas Theravada Buddhism believes that this path can only be taken by the individual alone. The ideals of each group are also different due to the differences in approaches. The Theravada Buddhists aim for arhat which means the disciple that has gone out alone on a quest to find nirvana. The Mahayana Buddhists aim for the disciple known as bodhisattva meaning that once an individual has reached nirvana they return to Earth in order to help the rest of the group also find nirvana.

After the main split between the two forms of Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism remained fairly intact while Mahayana Buddhism divided again into many smaller schools. The primary two schools were Zen in Japan and Vajrayana in Tibet. First Zen Buddhism believes that the secret of Zen remains in the secret of the flower. What makes Zen Buddhism different from the other Buddhism’s is that Zen disciples do not express their religion in words. They believe that Zen can better be described by saying what it is not, rather than what it actually is because words cannot provide an accurate description of Zen. Vajrayana is popular in Tibet. Vajra was the Indian Thunder-God that turned into a staff made of diamonds. The diamond represents strength because the diamond can cut all surfaces but the diamond itself cannot be cut. Vajrayana cannot completely be defined unless we talk about Tantra. Tantra is the basis for Vajrayana. Tantra has two origins, first meaning to extend Buddha’s teachings and the second, means the intersecting of things. Tantra is the way of expressing oneself through sex, speech, vision and gestures.

Although there are multiple paths of Buddhism they all are similar in the way that each path of Buddhism is represented by a raft. These rafts although different shapes and sizes is meant to bring the devotee from the shore they are on, the shore that represents people’s ignorance. Once on the raft heading toward the opposite shoreline, the world that was known becomes smaller and smaller and more blended together until it disappears. While on the raft the devotees have put themselves at the mercy of the crewman taking the raft from one shore to the other. The crewmen represent the teachers of the devotees. Once the opposite shoreline has been reached the devotees discover a world that is as real as the first and the devotees head off to explore the new world.

8. Jainism so far appears to be the most difficult to understand as an outsider. There are three types of everything and each has its own name, meaning and place in the lifecycle. Despite the difficult specifics that need to be known IF an individual choose to follow Jainism the basic principles behind the religion seem to be fairly straight forward. Jainism is as old as nature itself. This is because Jain followers (monks, nuns & householders) believe that every living creature contains a soul. Each soul may be at different levels of complexity, but each living specimen has a soul. Each of these soul-containing things (animals, plants and so forth) deserves to be treated with respect. Jainism does not necessarily honor a specific God, unlike other religions, Jainism followers feel that each soul contains 4 elements; infinite knowledge, infinite awareness, infinite power and the last is that “worldly” souls cannot attain the last three items until they have become liberated. A minor difference that separates Jainism from most western religions is that Jainism separates its followers into two distinct groups liberated jivas and non-liberated jivas. The first group, liberated jivas, is a group that karma cannot touch; they are above karma and worldly issues. The latter group, non-liberated jivas, has karma and is stuck in the cycle of life (birth and death).

Jainism can be described as nature in its simplest form. Jivas believe that there are two kinds of energies in the universe; intellectual and mechanism. The technical term for the energy of intelligence is life; jivas refer to it as Chetana. Chetana is described as the more powerful energy because it is an emotional energy. The energy of intelligence embodies silence, prayer, love, dedication and sympathy. Jada used to describe the energy of mechanism or matter. Jada is the scientific energy that sustains the universe. There are three main forces that make up this energy; the energy of gravitation, magnetism and electricity. These two energies combined, Jada and Chetana, create the universe and the beings that are held within.

Jainism is a very unique religion due to the beliefs that jivas have, and even though it is different from other religions it is possible to find the similarities as well. For example, take Taoism and if these two religions were to be compared closely there in fact a few similarities. Taoism believes that if everything was left alone and desires were eliminated the world would be content. Jainism presents that the energy that travels through the universe is ultimately good with barriers in its way. Both religions believe that the universe is good by nature regardless of what is occupying the space within. Another similarity between Taoism and Jainism is the respect for the Earth itself. Jivas believe that every object whether alive or not has an energy to it and must be respected. Taoism believes that the Earth should be respected and every animal (including humans) should be treated the same, as part of Tao. Now that some of the similarities have been displayed the differences have also. Jainism focuses more on the energy within nature being the focus of their religion whereas in Taoism, the “energy” that Jivas see is everything, the air, the plants, humans, not just the energy but the entire being itself.

9. Taoism is a difficult religion to define. The word tao contains three different meanings. The word tao actually means path or the way. The problem is that the word way can be defined as multiple things. The first meaning of way is the way of ultimate reality which cannot be fully comprehended. It includes everything; the ground, the atmosphere and even the unknown. The second tao is the way of the universe which is described as the spirit that is found in all of nature. This spirit or energy is never ending. The third tao is the way of human life. Tao in this last sense means that every human is striving for the center or nirvana as Buddhists refer to it. The difference between Taoism and Buddhism is that in Taoism the center revolves around the relationships held with other human beings. Now that the word tao has been defined, the religion of Taoism has also been divided into three sections. All three types of Taoism have differences between them and not until the differences have been explained can the similarities be noted. The first type of Taoism is known as philosophical Taoism. This form of Taoism attempts to stretch te (or power) as far as possible by being efficient. Philosophical Taoism is also known as school Taoism because the Chinese believe that philosophy seeks power and that power is knowledge. School Taoism teaches the ideas of wu wei which means pure effectiveness. The next kind of Taoism is known as Ch’i which means vital energy. This second form of Taoism absorbed some of the ideals of raja yoga in attempting to control mind, matter and movement. The Taoists that follow Ch’i Taoism attempt to remove the obstacles that are in the way of energy that is trying to enter or leave the body. There is energy found in solids, gases and the cosmos. The third and final form of Taoism is the most widely known, religious Taoism. Religious Taoism believes in helping everyone that cannot find the magical powers that the mind possesses themselves. Religious Taoism believes that there is an energy that can be trained or controlled. Religious Taoism institutionalized the kind of faiths that provide for fait healers and other alike that get there power naturally. Taoism holds many concepts that could help the community at large. Society today is always in a hurry, they think that nothing is ever fast enough. The problem that I see is that most people are not slowing down enough to realize that they are creating their own problems. If more people were to read the Tao Te Ching maybe there would be a community wide realization that people do not have to try so hard to combat the “evil” nature of our society. If society realized that it has created the atmosphere that we live in then people would understand that it can be fixed and with very little effort. The most important change that needs to be applied is the way that we as individuals view each other and what we teach our children. I personally feel in love with the utopian atmosphere that Lao Tzu presents but I realize that until our way of life changes in America, this type of living cannot survive, especially in a market economy. After being exposed to Lao Tzu’s teachings I try to be aware of what I am doing and how it will affect others but at the same time Lao Tzu says that this will come without force right? (Naturally)

Confucius had five main ideals that he proposed and taught. The first ideal was Jen. Jen refers to the relationships between human beings and being able to care for one another unconditionally. The second ideal was chun tzu. Chun tzu is the actual approach of how we interact with others. Confucius compares chun tzu to the ideal housewife, one who is so comfortable in her surroundings that she attempts to accommodate her guests before anything else. The third ideal is known as li. The first part of li is following Confucius’ teachings regarding family, one’s age, the Doctrine of the Mean, the Five Constant Relationships and the Recertification of Names. Each of these demonstrates how one individual should act toward another in order to create harmony in a society. Once all of these are adhered to the actions become a sort of ritual by habit and become a “sacred dance” in Smith’s opinion. The fourth ideal is known as te or power. Power more specifically means leading by example. When people in power rule with ethical standards then the people below will adhere to the same standards; this philosophy leads to a moral society in which everyone is fair and just. The fifth and final ideal, wen, eludes to the fact that whatever nation contains the most culture, will also have the most political power.

The Confucian Project is a task that lacks expiration. The entire purpose of the Confucian Project is to create a society based on life. In order to define life it must first be explained that life is the meeting point that adjoins every human relationship. Relationships are the purpose of life itself. Each relationship a person has throughout their life will bring them closer to the self. The difference here between most other religions and Confucius’ beliefs is that the self is “a center of relationships” therefore there is no actual self that one is searching for. People grow simply by having positive relationships with other people and many as many as possible. Now there are Five Constant Relationships that every person must experience. The five relationships are between a parent and child, a husband and wife, elder sibling and junior sibling, elder friend and junior friend, and ruler and subject. Each of these relationships are similar by the latter should show respect to the elder or person of higher stature. The problem is that the person in the higher position must understand that the respect that they should receive must be earned. The ultimate goal of the Confucian Project is for every individual in a society to become a chun tzu, “a fully realized human being, through expanding one’s empathy indefinitely”. A society that follows the teachings of Confucius will reap benefits far beyond ever imagined here in the United States. If everyone could learn that working together rather than working against one another would create the opportunity to solve many critical issues and eliminate the hatred that some people feel. I personally would like to experience this type of society or at least know that it exists to watch its development, because honestly the closest thing that I have seen in the United States is the building of the railroad. This does not exactly fit the description but that is how disappointing reality is that no other group pf people have worked so hard in order to reach one common goal and they were getting paid.

Confucius and Taoism have many similarities. Both religions desire to have peace among their people. Both religions believe that the success of a nation is imperative to have individual contentment. With all of the similarities there are also a few differences that are actually pretty important. Confucius believed that a person’s life revolved around the relationships with other people. Lao Tzu did not believe that this was necessary which he demonstrates by putting himself into solitude for the last years of his life. Followers of Confucius were united together under his teachings. Where with Taoism, there are three different variations of the religion. Despite the differences between the two religions they created a beneficial society within China for many years.

10. I would have to say that after studying all of the different religions the religion that most attracted me was Confucianism. Although Confucius was a terrible politician he kept his goal in mind and began traveling around to give his advice to whoever would listen. He was not bitter that his dreams were not achieved because the dream was not his. Confucius taught everyone and anyone that would listen and follow his teachings. Confucius may not have been as successful as he had hoped during his lifetime has left a legacy and a religion that has withstood the test of time. Confucianism has the ideas that people’s religions and lives should revolve around creating and keeping positive relationships with as many people as possible. The core of Confucianism is based solely on the relationships that one has with the world and other human beings. When people are helping people and being kind to one another, many positive things come as a result. When this happens there is more peace, happiness and contentment in the world which creates a better atmosphere to focus on more important things than worldly issues.

2006-06-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

Required Literature
Tao Te Ching

Chapter 22 discusses the idea of rebirth when one finds the right path. They are filled with a rekindled energy that is found in the soul. This rebirth can only occur when a person decides to not be boastful anymore and to be comfortable with himself in solitude being surrounded by nature and peace.

Chapter 24 talks about not being proud of what path a person has chosen for himself regardless of whether the path is righteousness or not. Do not boast because it will lead a person astray from nirvana. Do not gloat about the path one has chosen only show others through your dedication that the righteous path is the path to nirvana.

Chapter 25 provides the reader with a complex idea of what is Tao. Tao is everything. Tao is the energy that flows in and out of human beings and nature. Tao is the wind, the Earth, the Heavens. Tao is everything and nothing at the same time.

Chapter 32 if the Tao was a physical thing that could be seen by everyone then it would be easier to embrace as an idea. The difficult part and the reason that Tao is the way that it is, is because only the people that seek it shall find the Tao if that is what the hearts true path is.

Chapter 37 states that if there is an absence of desire then everything would be as it should be and that is Tao.

Chapter 49 talks about the way that a follower should treat everyone around them. Regardless of how a person treats the follower the follower should always be kind. If a person acts wrongly, the follower should still treat them as if nothing had happened because the follower must contain a feeling of indifference towards everyone and focus on teaching the students that need to be learned.

Chapter 53 the Tao does not want recognition. Tao is available for the people that do not boast about finding it; Tao is the opposite of boastful. Although Tao is the way, it does not make others feel smaller by glorifying its own power and should not be glorified by others.

Chapter 56 talks about how the man that has discovered Tao will not be quick to talk about it although the man that does not know Tao will try to should like he does and speak feely trying to convince everyone he passes that he has found Tao. Tao is a lifestyle and is displayed without effort when one has found Tao.

Chapter 77 demonstrates that a man that finds the Tao does not boast because his efforts were not his own. The Tao awakened inside him and works through him and these are not his personal efforts to boast about.

Chapter 79 states that people that do not know Tao are bitter and hurt when things do not go in their favor. The man that knows Tao knows that it does not matter for life will go on and continue with or without discontentment.

2006-06-11T07:42:00.000-07:00

Required Literature:
The Wisdom of the Buddha

Chapter one: The Twin-verses
Chapter one talks about the differences between good and evil, right and wrong, good and bad. If a person is good they will be rewarded accordingly and vise versa. It appears to be a basic rule that is similar to the ying-yang sign and holds the same meaning. Nothing good is that far from bad, but being aware of what a person is doing is the right way, when doing the virtuous thing.

Chapter seven: The Venerable
Chapter seven says that eliminating the pride that people have within will bring one closer to inner harmony and nirvana. A person that is selfish will not have the accurate understanding of the truth is their path is not true and selfless.

Chapter eleven: Old Age
Chapter eleven discusses the idea that as people get older and the physical body begins to deteriorate, a realization should occur to them that the spirit does not end here on Earth as the bodies travels do. The spirit inside each one of use is again born into another body until we take ourselves from this process by realizing nirvana.

Chapter fourteen: The Buddha-The Awakened
Chapter fourteen encourages individuals to follow leaders such as the Buddha because these types of leaders are not around everyday at ones convenience. To be awakened or enlightened is a difficult path to master because that person only focuses on the elimination of desires and not just eliminating worldly desires. The Awakened but simply live a life of contentment because they know of the pain that can come from desire.

Chapter fifteen: Happiness
Chapter fifteen states that if a person wants to be happy they cannot dwell in activities once they know that they are harmful to finding nirvana. Happiness does not occur while in the company of others that are unhappy. The only way to find contentment and happiness is to seek out the leader that has attained nirvana and learn from the teacher in order to reach nirvana yourself.

2006-06-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

Post 8

Confucius also known as Kung Fu-tzu or Kung the Master was named The First Teacher and highly revered throughout China. Confucius was not actually the first person to try to create Chinese culture although he was the single person that perfected it. Confucius was born in 551 B.C. in Shantung province. As he grew older Confucius believed that the only way to have people listen to what he believes was to become a politician and demonstrate that his beliefs were in fact practical. Although in the end he proved that his teaching skills were much further developed than his political career ever was.

China during Confucius time was a very complicated nation. The social structure that Confucius was attempting to change had multiple rivals attempting to do the same as Confucius. In order to change a social structure two conditions are needed. The first requirement was to continue to have visible signs that the old way would still affect the society and the second requirement was that the new way must show how the original way was unsuccessful. Confucius did exactly that by “shifting tradition from unconscious to conscious status”.

Confucius had five main ideals that he proposed and taught. The first ideal was Jen. Jen refers to the relationships between human beings and being able to care for one another unconditionally. The second ideal was chun tzu. Chun tzu is the actual approach of how we interact with others. Confucius compares chun tzu to the ideal housewife, one who is so comfortable in her surroundings that she attempts to accommodate her guests before anything else. The third ideal is known as li. The first part of li is following Confucius’ teachings regarding family, one’s age, the Doctrine of the Mean, the Five Constant Relationships and the Recertification of Names. Each of these demonstrates how one individual should act toward another in order to create harmony in a society. Once all of these are adhered to the actions become a sort of ritual by habit and become a “sacred dance” in Smith’s opinion. The fourth ideal is known as te or power. Power more specifically means leading by example. When people in power rule with ethical standards then the people below will adhere to the same standards; this philosophy leads to a moral society in which everyone is fair and just. The fifth and final ideal, wen, eludes to the fact that whatever nation contains the most culture, will also have the most political power.

The Confucian Project is a task that lacks expiration. The entire purpose of the Confucian Project is to create a society based on life. In order to define life it must first be explained that life is the meeting point that adjoins every human relationship. Relationships are the purpose of life itself. Each relationship a person has throughout their life will bring them closer to the self. The difference here between most other religions and Confucius’ beliefs is that the self is “a center of relationships” therefore there is no actual self that one is searching for. People grow simply by having positive relationships with other people and many as many as possible. Now there are Five Constant Relationships that every person must experience. The five relationships are between a parent and child, a husband and wife, elder sibling and junior sibling, elder friend and junior friend, and ruler and subject. Each of these relationships are similar by the latter should show respect to the elder or person of higher stature. The problem is that the person in the higher position must understand that the respect that they should receive must be earned. The ultimate goal of the Confucian Project is for every individual in a society to become a chun tzu, “a fully realized human being, through expanding one’s empathy indefinitely”.

Taoism was also introduced during the same time frame as Confucius. The man that started Taoism is known as Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu spent most of his life trying to show his community how to live a righteous life. The problem was that no one would adhere to Lao Tzu’s teachings. One day Lao Tzu became so tired of his community that he exiled himself into solitude for his remaining days. As Lao Tzu was leaving the town gates the guard requested that if Lao Tzu had to leave to at least leave a written record of his teachings for the people. Lao Tzu fulfilled this request and three days later returned with a written work of his teachings titled the Tao Te Ching. Not until after the disappearance pf Lao Tzu were his words fully respected and understood. This was the beginning of the division of Taoism.

The word tao contains three different meanings. The word tao actually means path or the way. The problem is that the word way can be defined as multiple things. The first meaning of way is the way of ultimate reality which cannot be fully comprehended. It includes everything the ground, the atmosphere and even the unknown. The second tao is the way of the universe which is described as the spirit that is found in all of nature. This spirit or energy is never ending. The third tao is the way of human life. Tao in this last sense means that every human is striving for the center or nirvana as Buddhists refer to it. The difference is that the center revolves around the relationships held with other human beings.

There are also three types of Taoism that are still present today. All three types of Taoism have differences between them and not until the differences have been explained can the similarities be noted. The first type of Taoism is known as philosophical Taoism. This form of Taoism attempts to stretch te (or power) as far as possible by being efficient. Philosophical Taoism is also known as school Taoism because the Chinese believe that philosophy seeks power and that power is knowledge. School Taoism teaches the ideas of wu wei which means pure effectiveness. The next kind of Taoism is known as Ch’i which means vital energy. This second form of Taoism absorbed some of the ideals of raja yoga in attempting to control mind, matter and movement. The third and final form of Taoism is the most widely known, religious Taoism. Religious Taoism believes in helping everyone that cannot find the magical powers that the mind possesses themselves. Religious Taoism believes that there is an energy that can be trained or controlled.

Taoism shares many of the same beliefs that Confucius had. They both highly regard nature, and other people and relationships. Together these two religions have created the Chinese nation and helped form Chinese politics. Through hard work and faith the Chinese have created themselves a nation full of culture unlike any other Nation. It is sad to see that when other nations realized the power that the Chinese had they felt it was necessary to break the Chinese down. Although the Chinese culture has gone through many changes over the past years, they are on the right path again.

2006-06-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

Post 7

There was once a young lad that was destined to be a king or world conqueror. The young man’s name was Siddhartha Gautama and was born into a luxurious lifestyle. Gautama’s father upon the birth of his son sent for some fortune tellers to have Siddhartha’s future read. All of these men saw that this child was special and announced that he would either follow in his father’s footsteps and become a world conqueror or become a savior of the world, or world redeemer. His father obviously wanting to expand his power attempted to keep his son from seeing anything negative and kept him occupied with woman “at his disposal”. Siddhartha eventually married a neighboring town’s princess and between the handsome couple they bore a beautiful child. Siddhartha began to learn of the devastation surrounding his city when he would leave in his carriage and having some men forget their duties Siddhartha saw the Four Passing Sights. The first day he saw an old man that was very weak and leaning on his staff for strength. The next day Siddhartha saw a man “racked with disease” on the side of the road. On yet another outing he saw a corpse of what used to be a man. The final outing that is spoken of is when Siddhartha sees a monk on the road with a shaven head. Now that the prince had learned of devastation, disease and death he also learned of salvation.

After this when Siddhartha was about twenty nine years old he left his family in the middle of the night in search for the truth. He was about to enter into the three phases that spans about six years. The first phase was seeking out two of the most revered Hindu masters and absorbing all that was humanly possible. The second phase “was to join a band of ascetics and give their way a try”. The final phase was to explore and master raja yoga, which is the process of thought and concentration. The phases end with Siddhartha finally reaching enlightenment, but only after diminishing Mara (evil) from his mind. Siddhartha’s enlightenment occurred beneath a tree now called the Bo Tree; where his name changed from Siddhartha to Buddha.

Buddhism was initially different than what it appears to be today, especially different from Hinduism. The original Buddhism lacked the six religious features that normally make up a religion. These six things that make Buddhism so different are the lack of authority, ritual, explanations, tradition, grace and mystery. Buddha felt that the Brahmins had manipulated the system under which religion is defined in order to keep control and power. What Buddha did was first talked about a religion without authority. He spoke about individuals being responsible for their selves and their depth of faith. Secondly, Buddha talked about the absence of ritual. He believed that rituals were ineffective and therefore not needed. Third Buddha expressed the importance of religion not containing theory. Do not attempt to know everything; one does not need all of the answers in order to act in a moral manner. Buddha believed that the answers provided through words were unable to depict the infinite explanation that people were searching for; he simply wanted people to believe. Buddha preached about a religion that was self reliant and also devoid of the idea of the supernatural.

Buddha also preached about the Four Noble Truths. The first truth is that life is suffering or dukkha. Buddha defines these noble truths very specifically because dukkha means that not only is there suffering but one can discover how to eliminate suffering. Why is there suffering many have asked. The second truth, tanha, answers that question. Tanha means the desire for self fulfillment. Tanha is what causes dukkha. The third noble truth explains that one can overcome the desires of tanha in order to become closer to enlightenment. The last and fourth noble truth explains how all this can be accomplished. The only way to overcome Tanha is through what Buddha calls an Eightfold Path.

The Eightfold Path is having the knowledge of the Four Noble truths, having a sound dedication to reach enlightenment, learning to speak only the truth, following the Five Percepts (do not kill, steal, lie, be unchaste and do not take drugs or drink intoxicants), having a job that promote life instead of killing it, using moral application, having the ability to see everything as the way that it is, and finally having the right absorption.

The original form of Buddhism may have died in India as Smith argues but there are still traces of Buddhism in India; just under a different name. Buddhism and Hinduism began to merge together and form one religion in India. Although Buddhism itself is not a main religion Hinduism still is. As we studied Hinduism already there are many similarities in the later versions of Buddhism, since Buddha died. The six features that differentiated Buddhism came around full circle and this is why Buddhism “died” in India and merged with Hinduism because they were very similar after Buddha’s death.

Buddhism changed and became three different sects of Buddhism after Buddha died. The three types were called Theravada or Hinayana Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism and Vajrayana Buddhism.

2006-06-08T22:45:00.000-07:00

Post 6

Sikhism began in the early 1600’s by a guru currently known as Nanak. Nanak was the first of 10 acknowledged gurus. Nanak is responsible for the creation of the Sikhism religion itself. Sikhism was needed during this time period; it has been said that Muslims and Buddhists needed to find a common ground. The only loophole that accompanies this idea is that Nanak says that there are no Muslim and Buddhist religions. Therefore Sikhism may be a combination of the two religions and many more, but Sikhism was not created as a bridge between the two primary religions at that time. Sikhism is currently considered a world religion. Although Sikhism began as a small gathering of people at Kartarpur and followed the Sant traditions, it has transformed itself into a religion that claims twenty million followers. The religion Sikhism reached its status as a world religion because of its religious writings, unique style and claims to a homeland; although these are not the only reasons.
Sikhism has survived many changes in leadership along with basic principles over the years. Sikhism may be one of the newest world religions but many people follow it. Although there have been changes to ideals the 5k’s have managed to stay consistent, with the option of obeying them in certain sects or branches of Sikhism. The 5k’s are kesh- long hair wrapped in a turban, kanga- a comb placed in the kesh, kara- a silver or bronze bracelet (silver representing strength), kaach- short briefs and finally kirpan- a sword for protection and to demonstrate that Sikhs are not afraid to fight for their religion (this last k has become optional depending on what sect a person follows, the non-violent sects do not wear swords). Even though there have been changes within the religion it has changed in order to survive the elements that surround the religion and its people. After Nanak passed away and designated his successor guru, Angad, no changes were noted during Angad’s time. From this point forward each leader had a new difficulty or continued issue that needed to be attended to. The changes mostly resulted from the Sikhs trying to adapt to the surrounding societal pressures. Some of the leaders built satsangs for Sikhs to hold services at, some of the gurus needed to protect the Sikhs from other religions and regions from destroying the religion so they adapted a more militant way of life. The Sikhs had to relocate multiple times and continued to stay strong even after the death of the tenth guru Gobind Singh. Gobind Singh had four children all of whom died in battle protecting the Sikhs. The only option left for Gobind Singh was to make the Holy Scriptures themselves the eleventh guru which still holds true today. Although some sects of Sikhism believe that an actual physical live guru needs to exist besides the text.
Sikhism is a perfect demonstration of how religions will adapt and change their ways and beliefs depending on the demands placed upon it by society. Maybe not all religions have such drastic changes (or maybe they have not occurred yet, for example scientific discoveries) but every religion has been altered in some way shape or form in order to meet the demands of the society and to withstand the changes in time and societies beliefs.

2006-06-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

Post 5

Jainism so far appears to be the most difficult to understand as an outsider. There are three types of everything and each has its own name, meaning and place in the lifecycle. Despite the difficult specifics that need to be known IF an individual choose to follow Jainism the basic principles behind the religion seem to be fairly straight forward. Jainism is as old as nature itself. This is because Jain followers (monks, nuns & householders) believe that every living creature contains a soul. Each soul may be at different levels of complexity, but each living specimen has a soul. Each of these soul-containing things (animals, plants and so forth) deserves to be treated with respect. Jainism does not necessarily honor a specific God, unlike other religions, Jainism followers feel that each soul contains 4 elements; infinite knowledge, infinite cognizance, infinite power and the last is that “worldly” souls cannot attain the last three items until they have become liberated. A minor difference that separates Jainism from most western religions is that Jainism separates its followers into two distinct groups liberated jivas and non-liberated jivas. The first group, liberated jivas, is a group that karma cannot touch; they are above karma and worldly issues. The latter group, non-liberated jivas, has karma and is stuck in the cycle of life (birth and death).

Jainism can be described as nature in its simplest form. Jivas believe that there are two kinds of energies in the universe; intellectual and mechanism. The technical term for the energy of intelligence is life; jivas refer to it as Chetana. Chetana is described as the more powerful energy because it is an emotional energy. The energy of intelligence embodies silence, prayer, love, dedication and sympathy. Jada used to describe the energy of mechanism or matter. Jada is the scientific energy that sustains the universe. There are three main forces that make up this energy; the energy of gravitation, magnetism and electricity. These two energies combined, Jada and Chetana, create the universe and the beings that are held within.

David Lane’s approach to eating meat parallels the beliefs in the Jainism religion. I am not entirely sure that every aspect matches perfectly but Lane hits on some very important topics that should raise questions in any humans’ mind. One argument presented is the fact that animals have a central nervous system as humans do. When I was reading this section, I realized that I simply had never thought about what I was actually eating. On a personal note, I used to attend pig roasts at my Uncle’s house in northern Michigan when I was younger. I never would eat the ham from the pig (even though I LOVE ham) because I could see the pig intact, cut open, and grilled. I was disturbed that I was eating an animal. I could never eat meat when I was at his house because he lived on a farm and killed all the animals for food. I was so disgusted, yet on the way home I would always ask for a hamburger from McDonalds. When people actually take the time to understand what they are actually eating, they might loose their appetite or understand Lane’s argument better.

2006-06-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

Post 4 Field Trip

He came with the teachings of the absolute world- Srila Prabhupada. Also known as Bhaktivedanta Swami. Prabhupada came to America on August 13, 1965 when he was sixty-eight years old. His purpose was to spread Krishna consciousness across the western hemisphere. Between the time that he reached America and until the time he passed about twelve years later, Prabhupada managed to organize a world wide movement spreading Krishna consciousness. The group responsible for these achievements is known today as ISKCON or the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. ISKCON opened more than 300 temples, farms, schools and special projects across the world and is continuously growing. Srila Prabhupada is not only known for his preaching and determination but also most importantly for his translation of books. His books today are in more than 40 different languages and can be found all over the world. Srila Prabhupada is widely respected and responsible for the Hare Krishna movement.

I went to visit the Hare Krishna Temple in Culver City on the evening of Sunday June 3rd. As I drove by the Temple searching for parking I could not help but notice the extremely large sign facing the main road labeled ISKCON as if an advertisement to the town that we are here and everyone is welcome. I finally found parking about two blocks away (I arrived at 5:00pm) and walked past the housing complexes in order to reach the Temple. When I turned the corner to approach the building I was very surprised to see a table set up under an easy up (tent). The table was covered in books and had two gentlemen sitting behind it available to answer any questions that people might have. I also noticed that there were shoes spread around the front doors to the Temple. At first I simply wanted to observe the architecture of the building itself so I stood across the street and watched as more and more people began to enter the Temple. I found it interesting that everyone took off their shoes before they went inside; I have never seen this before. I glanced at my watch and determined that is was about time for the service to begin so I wandered across the street and was stopped by a gentleman that asked if I was a first time visitor. Apparently it was obviously that I did not attend services regularly! He introduced himself as Nirantara. I explained that I was visiting upon instruction of my World Religions class at Mt. SAC. The gentleman’s face instantly lit up and said, “Oh! Andrea Diem?” He told me to go inside and enjoy the service and if I had any questions I could ask him or speak to the gentleman at the book table because he was a well of knowledge. We parted ways and I proceeded inside.

I have been to multiple churches/temples across the United States but I have yet to see one such as the Hara Krishna Temple. I was very surprised to see the childlike décor against the back wall of the stage. The artwork appeared to be made by children, although I don’t believe that it was. There were many statues and bright vibrant colors on the stage. The walls themselves were a rather plain color in order to enhance the paintings on the walls. The first thing that I noticed was the absence of chairs or pews, everyone sat on the floor. There was a place on the wall for mats and other musical instruments to be placed, but no chairs. I then noticed that people were forming a line starting at the stage and lining the walls of the Temple. There were two gentlemen on the stag sitting cross legged facing each other. I was confused when I saw the first man, wearing a white robe, placing a tin colored vase upside down onto each person’s head. Later I was to learn that this is considered a blessing. The second man would hand each person cracker like food that they would eat. After each individual had traversed this course they would proceed to the back of the Temple, where I was sitting, to where another station was set up. Each person would ladle into the palm of their hand a milky colored substance out of a metal pitcher. After they drank from their hand they would run their hand over their head, then placing their hand into another picture that I observed contained what I believe to be water. This ritual I found to be rather odd. I inquired to what this was ritual was for and I received a basic answer of “it’s like Catholic’s holy water”. (I guess the difference is Catholic’s don’t drink the holy water!) As every one finished receiving their individual blessings I began to look around at all of the people. Every devotee would face the alter (or stage) and place their hands in a prayer form and place them at their minds, their lips and then their hearts then proceed to kneel and place their foreheads to the ground. I personally found this disgusting because everyone was barefoot. I realize that the Temple is a holy place, but still.

While my eyes wandered the Temple I noticed a statue that was placed a little off the far left wall. Some of the devotees would kneel before it and touch the body while others would just acknowledge it with a nod of the head with hands again in the form of a prayer. The statue is of Sirla Prabhupada. The statue is there so that the devotees can pay their respect to him for all of his work and for bringing the purest form of consciousness to the people in the Western Hemisphere. I then noticed another chair that was placed directly across from this one that was very similar except smaller. In this chair the gentleman sat that was leading the service. He also sat in a cross legged position with his back very straight, except for when he was bouncing against the chair midst a story. Also while all of this activity was going on, a small group of people were sitting in the middle of the temple playing music while the man in the chair sang songs, none of which were in English. I music itself was good, but the guy did not really say much, it sounded like the same syllables repeated again and again. I’m sure that they meant something but it just did not sound like anything that I could understand.

As the gentleman began to speak everyone became quite and the doors were closed. There was pretty much silence expect for the children running back and forth between their parents and the back door and finally the monk said something about keeping the children quite for the benefit of the group and they left. The monk spoke about a man that was President that retired in order to find Krishna. He would meditate all of the time and had reached a very high level of consciousness. Then one day a deer and its faun were running from a lion when they had to jump over a river for safety. The deer made but the faun landed in the stream. The man found the faun a few feet down the river and decided to save the downing animal. As the faun recovered the man decided to keep it as a pet. The problem was that as the man would try to meditate, he would always have an eye on the faun. This made his advancing in meditation very stagnant because he was constantly worried about taking care of the faun. Even when the man was on his death bed he yelled out for the faun and then died worrying about its well being. The moral of the story is save the faun but then return it to its natural habitat. Do not spend one’s life worrying about the faun; let Krishna take care of the faun as Krishna will take care of you.

After the story there was a small session of chanting and its importance. The monk expressed that chanting needs to be done in a manner that is comparable to when an infant cries out for its mother, in desperation. That is how chanting should be done. At about this time there was ten minutes left of the service but I wanted to get some of my questions answered before the crowd rushed outside. I quietly excused myself and went to the gentleman that Nirantara had introduced me to and began to ask all the questions that I could think of. This gentleman never gave me his name although he was very helpful in answering my questions. He began to tell me the two things that every first time visitor should learn, that first, chanting is of the utmost importance. He then gave me a card with the verses that had been chanted inside and recommended that I try it myself. The verse is, “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. Then I learned what each term meant. Hare means that the Lord’s energy is inconceivable. Krishna means “He who is all attractive” and Rama means “He who is the reservoir of all pleasure”. The second thing that he felt was very important to express to me was that becoming a vegetarian is required. He even went to the extent to tell me that the reason for war is because of the karma of eating meat. I was rather offended by that statement because I then felt that he was becoming delusional and I politely thanked him for his time and knowledge and continued on my adventure.

The next stop was the free vegetarian feast that was being served across the street. I gladly made my way over to the hall in order to fulfill my appetite and check out what vegans eat. There were three kinds of rice, which were all very good and some mush looking stuff that once I attempted to eat it almost threw up right away. So I determined that I will continue to consume my pork and chicken. To each his own! As I finished my meal I again ran into Nirantara. He asked me what I thought and we chatted for a few moments. Then he went back to playing music in the hall and I left for my car.

It was an interesting, positive experience overall. I personally will never join there religion but at least they are working towards doing good things for man kind. I would probably go again just to learn some more and get some rice! But that is all. The art work and décor that illuminates the Temple was interesting and very different from the usual Christian/catholic décor that I am familiar with. But it was a very unique peaceful atmosphere that I am able to say I visited and know a small amount about the ISKCON mission and the devotees.

2006-06-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

Post 3
Huston Smith’s editorial on Hinduism was quite interesting. He explains that Hinduism is based on what people want. What people want is determined by two things, chronological and psychological age. Hinduism allows for a person to desire, it is considered natural for the growth process. Every person has the desire for pleasure and success. Once these desires have been fulfilled and have then grown tiresome the individual begins a search for what they really want. What a person really wants is on a different level then the previous desires. The desires just discussed are considered finite desires while what one really wants is infinite understanding. As Hindus say; what we really want is to be, to know, and to be happy (p 22).

Now that we know what the goal is there are multiple paths to reach that goal. There are four different paths one can take in order to reach God. Multiple paths were created, each with their own specific name, because every individual was created differently. Although there are four paths a person can combine any or all in order to find the path that best suits him/her. The four paths are through knowledge, love, work and psychophysical exercises. Any of these paths individually or all of these paths combined can lead one to God if they are pure of heart (and by this I mean they truly want to find God).

The first way to God, through knowledge, is known as jnana yoga. Jnana yoga is aimed toward personalities that like to reflect on events. The key to jnana yoga is discrimination according to Smith; determining between one’s physical self and the self as a “being”. In order to become one with God through jnana yoga one must complete three stages. The first stage is listening. During this stage the individual is expected to listen to sages and scriptures through which the individual realizes that “one’s essential being is Being itself” (p 27). The second stage is thinking. During the second step one is to examine their thoughts and sometimes even their language for inconsistencies. Smith gives the example that during a play people wear masks to play another role but the true self is hidden beneath, Smith explains that we as humans are also wearing a mask of our true beings. In the third and final step as Smith describes it, shifting self-identification to one’s abiding part. In laments terms separating one’s identity away from the physical body. In this stage the individual should attempt to shadow the body and watch its actions as if another, separate person.

Another way to God is through love which is commonly known as bhakti yoga. One major difference between bhakti yoga and jnana yoga is the belief that God is a part of one’s self. Bhakti yoga believes in the otherness of God, bhakti yoga focuses on loving another, rather than a part of one’s self. The second difference is that bhakti yoga will adore God and not identify with God. In bhakti yoga there are three important features, the repeating of God’s name, the different forms of love and finally ishta. Repeating God’s name while working and just whenever throughout the day will remind the devotee to fall in love with God and keep him/her near to heart. The second item, different forms of love is referring to the kinds of love one may experience throughout life. The love between a man and a woman, a parent for a child or a servant for their master; these are all forms of love that people experience and help to demonstrate how to love God. The final one, ishta, simply means to choose an object and that one object will help to bring one closer to God. The devotee is to use this item as a reminder of God, not to replace God, but to bring the individual closer to God mentally and emotionally.

The way to God through work is known as karma yoga. Karma yoga is recommended for personalities that have an abundance of energy. Becoming closer to God through work is actually very simple. Instead of the individual worker for their personal benefit they devote their work to God. They do not work for themselves but rather as a dedication to God. When the work is done for the benefit of God then the individual is working in ways toward God and not away from God (for personal benefit). Karma yoga can be combined with other forms of yoga such as the two previously described above. Different combinations or paths depends on the personality of the individual to determine what best suits them and what combination.

The final way to God is through psychophysical exercises known as raja yoga. Raja yoga is for scientific minds or experimental minds. Raja yoga is meant to prove or disprove a hypothesis through experiments. The self in raja yoga is believed to have four layers: the body, a conscious layer within the mind, the individual subconscious and being itself. “Its method is willed introversion; its intent, to drive the psychic energy of the self to the deepest part. (p 34)” According to Smith there are eight steps in order to prove this hypothesis. The eight steps are: (1-2) the first two steps are basically making sure one’s life or surface water, as Smith refers to it, is calm. This is done (in step one) by practicing five “abstentions” (from injury, lying, stealing, sensuality and greed) and step two the five “observances” (cleanliness, contentment, self-control, studiousness and contemplation of the divine). Step three keeping the body from distracting the mind during these experiments; this is why many devotees sit in the “lotus position” (described by Smith as “an alert but relaxed position). Step four is focusing on consistent breathing. Step five is contemplation on the experiment at hand or removing the sense preceptors so not to be distracted by other things going on around the devotee. Step six is learning to conquer the mind and force it to concentrate on one object until all distractions have been eliminated. This is usually the most difficult step. Step seven and eight are “deeper” versions of step six. In step seven the devotee must eliminate his view of the object focused on or as Smith refers to it, eliminating the knower. In step eight or the climatic stage known also as Samadhi, the object itself becomes eliminated. “Now the knower is confronted with total being” (p 38).

Hindu’s view God in many different ways, depending on one’s choice of path to God determines how they view God. God could be a part of one’s being or could be a companion or friend. Hindu’s do not believe in one human version of God they believe that he is what makes up the ocean and each individual ripple that lies within. Hindu’s believe that God is infinite.

Hindu’s believe that the self is reincarnated. That there are stages of life one must go through in order to achieve the ultimate goal and that would be realizing the being in oneself or finding God. This is how Hindu’s determine where on the path one is. There are many lifetimes and each comes with a lesson. Also each life affects the next life through karma. Smith describes this as dealing oneself a hand of cards. You may have dealt yourself a set of cards but in the next life you have the choice of how you want to play them.

Hindu’s view the Universe as Maya “the world appears the way we see it, but that is not the way it really is” (p 53). The universe is made up of galaxies, infinite galaxies. There are worlds above and worlds below, some are better some are worse; this is how Hinduism view’s the universe that they live in. *The universe in which Hindu’s live has six characteristics: 1. a multiple world that contains infinite galaxies, 2. a moral world where karma presides, 3. a middling world that will never replace the paradise that is the spirits destination, 4. a world that is maya, 5. a place of learning to shape one’s soul and finally 6. a world that is lila (the play of the divine in its cosmic dance).

*A side note for the teacher….Some of the words I used directly from the book, mostly in the last paragraph simply because I do not know how to describe them otherwise. If this causes a problem please let me know and I will somehow alter this information to be more so in my own words, but I did the best that I could and sometimes Smith’s descriptions are either the best or I simply do not know how to word them any differently. (for example the very last sentence in the previous paragraph)

2006-05-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

Post 2
Among the gurus in the text I found the Saint, the Mother and the Master to be my choices as favorites. I am not sure if these were necessarily my favorites or more likely the ones that I believe to be possibly the most sensible. I offer my opinion on the Sage and the Monk as a basis for my decision choosing the three gurus I did. I do not disagree with the views of the Sage and the Monk or other animal rights activists, although I do not agree with placing animals on the same level as human beings. I feel this way simply because animals although they appear to possess senses they do not (as far as I know) possess a conscious. Therefore a religion based on the rights of animals I cannot see myself following. I do not doubt that these kinds of beliefs are benefiting the Earth which I respect, for but I cannot attest that these ideas are religious in nature. Mother Earth should be respected but not necessarily worshipped or considered parallel to humans.

First the Saint, Huzur Sawan Singh, represents his faith in naturalistic terms. The Saint, as Lane refers to Sawan Singh, describes his faith in terms of ripples in an ocean. The use of descriptive words has without a doubt caught my attention due to the beautiful picture that is painted. The attractiveness in description helped me to see how simple the path appeared to be to reach Sach Khand. The description of the course to reach Sach Khand appears to be easy yet is actually quite difficult. There may be only a few steps but the level of difficulty is quite high. Due to this complexity I feel that only the individuals that truly desire to find inner peace and find Sach Khand will be able to reach it and only through practice and patience can that be done. This is why I place the Saint and his faith as my number one in the top three because the directions are in black and white waiting to be put into use by anyone that desires to find the peace of mind through finding the light (literally) and harmonious musical sounds such as bells to guide them along their path of enlightenment.

Next I chose the Mother, Yogini Mataji, a kind hearted woman that left a lasting impression on everyone she met. I am drawn to follow in her footsteps of discovering the truth because I believe that the most important requirement that she possesses and explains that every follower needs to have is love. One of the paragraphs goes into detail about the process one must take to find the truth. Lane asks how can one sit so still, repeat only holy names and constantly think of God? Mataji’s response was simply this, “By falling in love. Because when one is truly in love nothing but the beloved can enter one's mind. So the secret of surat shabd yoga and of mysticism, is not necessarily practice and more practice, but love. To be so devoted to one's Lord that nothing can stand in the way.” When I read this I could feel how important God was to her and it is easily placed into perspective because I have been in love and know that feeling although my love is not on a deep level that Mataji’s is. Only a love for God can be that deep and impressionable.

The third person that I chose was the Master, Maharaj Charan Singh. The section on the Master was not so much about his religious travels but more so regarding how a person should treat other people and treat Earth, one’s temporary surroundings. The Master appears to be someone who wants to beatify the world that he is living in and take care of the people around him because they are all important and a piece of the whole. Every person is a “drop of love in the sea of God”. The way that people revere the Master by traveling from across the world to some and see him and listen to him speak demonstrates the effect that one person can have on many. When people see what he himself with the help of God’s love and other followers are capable of doing this love attaches to people’s hearts and travels with them everywhere they go. I learned when I was a little girl that I should always treat other people’s belongings with the utmost respect. What I and most people tend to forget is that Earth and everything on it belongs to someone else and we should treat this place with the utmost respect, which unfortunately is not the case today. The reading reminded me of this lesson I learned long ago and made me realize that it only takes one person to do such a thing.

All of the individual readings were very interesting. I found myself falling into the belief systems of two of the men. I found it interesting that although their systems of belief are very different and each individual has different reasons for why they practice their faith, the paths to reach the Sach Khand and the truth and God are very similar. It seems that every faith follows a variation of the correct path to God. Why then are there so many conflicts? The study of religion could reduce much of the tension in the world if people only realized how similar their beliefs actually are.

Surat shabad yoga is the ascending of the soul through four main levels of faith. In order to traverse these inner levels a person must first desire and practice to reach the first through versions of meditation. The levels from then on up must be guided by one’s guru. Once the guru’s figure becomes visible one is considered to be half way through their journey. The next level is only able to be reached by following the sound of drums and traversing a crooked path in order to ward off spirits. This level is difficult to pass through and may take many attempts. The third level appears to have beautiful flowers and décor that is more breathtaking than anyplace on Earth. Many individuals forget their purpose and end their travels here. This is not the end. The next stage is a stage of darkness. One must be guided by the hand of God because it is impossible to traverse this stage alone. God must bring them to the next stage. This final stage is said to be indescribable. No words can explain the beauty that lies within and must be experienced to be understood. Above these levels there are more stages to be explored but only few have traveled these depths of the inner soul and there are no notes regarding there contents.

I found the explanation of surat shabad yoga to be quite interesting. I felt rather inclined to attempt myself to see if I could find these stages within my inner being. Honestly, I have not attempted this yet but now that I have the directions I have some sort of outline on where to go. I think that this form of meditation is probably attractive to many individuals that want to explore their inner being but they do not want to go without instruction or an outline of what to expect. I’m sure that many religions encompass the same types of inner exploration just maybe not the exact layout.

2006-05-25T21:39:00.000-07:00

Post 1
Religion can be defined briefly which would be sufficient for say a religious follower, yet a person searching for an academic explanation would not accept these brief answers because the definition covers more than every possible form of religion. Some examples of brief definitions are religion is defined as “sacred” or religion is a persons “ultimate concern”. A person’s ultimate concern could be that they overcome cancer but this obviously is not considered a religion. Although brief definitions do define some aspects of religion a more detailed definition provides less room for error when determining what religion actually is. Smart presents a definition that is multilayered as compared to the unspecific (umbrella) definitions offered by others. Smart defines religion as requiring seven components in order to be classified as a religion. These seven components consist of myths, rituals, experiences, doctrines, ethics, social aspect and material forms. By myth Smart means stories about people and events in order to provide followers with proof of their faith and the truth that this religion holds. Rituals are the daily, weekly, annual activities that followers perform in order to experience closeness to whatever or whoever is worshiped. Experiences are the independent feelings that a follower feels while performing the rituals or recreation of religious myths. A doctrine is the faith system itself and ethics are the moral codes that are followed in day to day life. The social aspect refers to the church and other activities with followers of the same religion. Lastly the material forms consist of anything physical such as literature, particular clothing styles, objects and even people, any physical thing that brings an individual closer to what is considered holy or sacred.
The study of religion has been going on for many years. Currently scholars are using a combination of the way religions were studied in the past and also more recently discovered techniques. There are many different ways to study religion depending on the goal of the study. There is theology which is research done from by an actual follower of the faith being studied, obviously there is a bias here regardless of how unbiased the study attempts to be. There is phenomenology which is a study done by a person that does not practice the religion but attempts to observe the religion as if they were a follower. These are an example of the basic types and there are many more used to study religion. It appears that most of the studies separate religion into three different categories. These categories obviously vary depending on each study and who creates it but the basic three are a negatively viewed stage, a positive stage and an advanced stage that is unbiased. Religious studies are currently done using the following three methods: a study of the religion done as a follower but not accepting all the truths, the second stage is a study of the social aspects of the religion and trying to find its origins. The final stage of the religious study is to determine the effects of the religion on a persons mind and whether or not the religion is helpful or harmful.
Religion is an important topic to study especially in the United States because America is the melting pot of every culture and religion. By studying the different religions a person is able to understand better why people act or dress in a particular manner. Once individuals know more about what is foreign to them the less frightening these religions appear. Increasing one’s knowledge about worldly ideas will not only benefit the individual but society as a whole. American society began with lots of similar religions and people, but as time goes on and immigration continues many new religions and cultures have been and will continue to be introduced. Instead of being frightened by these changes the study of religion will help create a better understanding if not simply a tolerance for these foreign lifestyles.
I was raised and baptized Catholic, later I decided to be baptized Christian and currently I believe that there is something out there but what it is I do not know. I believe that religion was created for social purposes but it also is part of each person’s collective unconscious. Jung talks about archetypes in dreams originating from a persons collective unconscious, I agree with Jung in regards to this. I believe that people have a desire to find meaning in the symbolism that occurs in their dreams. This symbolism helps push individuals towards or away from religion depending on what archetypes are found in their personal unconscious. Religion is not only experienced on an individual level it can also be experienced on a social level through a church or organization for example. This is the social aspect of religion that is necessary for the public to feel that there is purpose to their individual lives. Religion and religious promises create a goal for people to work towards whether in a group or on an individual basis. When people feel that they have a goal to reach then they live longer than people that believe their lives have no significant purpose.
The possibility of religion decaying is hard to determine. Certain aspects of religion could decay and disappear depending on the scientific research that is discovered over time. I firmly believe that religion in some form will always be around because people need to feel that their lives have purpose and meaning besides their day to day activities. Religion gives individuals meaning to their daily tasks and keeps people’s spirits high which in turn lengthens their life span. Another reason that religion will not completely decay is because of memes. Religious memes have lasted throughout time thus far and will continue to be passed from generation to generation in order to keep some form of religion alive. Memes are key ideas that are repeated and transferred by one person to another. Only certain meme’s catch and survive the test of time but these memes are partially responsible for keeping religion alive.
Lane’s thesis is entirely accurate. Every individual dreams something different and who are we to judge whose dream is more valid than another. There is truth to some degree in each and every dream but these truths may be hidden in archetypes of some form and not necessarily to be taken at face value. Religious people can use any sign as a message to continue the path they are on or to stray from that path. Every religion uses personal experiences to reassure their followers that they are following the right path and that the religion they have chosen is the right one. There is no way to stop this and this type of reasoning will continue to be used in future religions simply because personal experience is a part of Smart’s definition of religion and many others agree.