Practicing Hinduism as a Student

Brahmacharya is the student stage of life. This stage is focused on learning the foundation of lifestyle and self-discipline. The word brahmacharya means both scholarship and celibacy. After his upanayan, or thread ceremony, the Hindu boy became a brahmachari: someone who would devote the rest of this ashram as a celibate scholar. The entire period of this stage of his life would be spent in an atmosphere of discipline, self-control and study. In other words, a brahmachari was not supposed to get distracted by anything that would stray him off path of fulfilling his dharma. At this point, his life was suppposed to be centered only around learning.

 In the old gurukul system, the brahmachari would stay with his guru.

In addition to the scriptures, the guru would initiate the scholar into the Hindu traditions and way of life. The student would learn in various ways.

The ancient mantras, the alphabet, the fundamentals of mathematics and other knowledge that was applicable to his caste.

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Compared to modern day Hinduism, we face some obstacles in trying to apply many of the concepts of the Brahmachaya Ashram. Lack of a regular access to a temple, Less guidance through rituals, Lack of a parental guidance, College Environment, Busy Schedules and Stereotypes. Some ways we discussed overcoming those obstacles include having some sort of physical statue or picture in your dorm or apartment, Set out time specifically for prayer and spiritual growth, even if its only 5 minutes, Remember your dharma, and Learn and grow spiritually so you can defend your faith if questioned.  

Discussion Questions:

Do you think that the ashrams were a social construct before a religious one? Do you think that it was written in the Vedas and then people started following it? 

What are some obstacles to practicing your faith that you have faced as a student in college? What have you done/are trying to do to overcome them?

Is it necessary to follow this timeline of four stages of life? Why or why not?

Gita Meeting

The Bhagavad Gita is arguably one of the most important and holy texts in Hinduism. Taking place upon the grand battleground, Kurukshetra, during the epic Mahabharat, right before the great battle between the Pandavas and their malevolent cousins, the Kauravas, the Gita details the conversation between a distraught Arjuna (one of the Pandavas) and his closest friend, Lord Krishna (an avatar of Brahman). Arjuna, lost and distressed at having to fight many of his family, teachers, and friends, asks God (in the form of Krishna), to explain why he must fight. The Bhagavad Gita follows Krishna's teachings to Arjuna.

Krishna illustrates Arjuna's dharma, or duty, that he must pursue in order to accomplish moksha, or enlightenment. He also teaches Arjuna various other paths to moksha.

·         Karma Yoga - The path to moksha through action. This path is pursued by following your duty as a citizen, your morality, and your personality, without the concern of the benefits or detriments of your action and devoting your action to Brahman. In other words, living your life without ego and attachment. In the case of Arjuna, his path was to fight as his dharma was to be a kshatriya, or a warrior. His personality was not fit to be an ascetic and he was a warrior, thus his duty dictated him to fight in the great Kurukshetra War.

·         Bhakti Yoga- The path to moksha through devotion. This path is pursued by devoting your mind, body, and soul to Brahman in whatever form you may perceive. Through following this path, the relationship is so strong that it oftentimes is akin to a human relationship, e.g.- the love between a mother and child, teacher and student, two lovers, husband and wife, etc. A follower of bhakti yoga would love a form of God so strongly that ego and attachment is lost. This is how moksha is attained through bhakti yoga.

• Jñāna Yoga- The path to moksha through knowledge. This path is pursued by devoting yourself to the learning and, more importantly, the understanding of spiritual knowledge. This knowledge is primarily of kshetra, or of the body, kshetra-jna, or of the soul, and being able to distinguish between the two. The follower of this path would attempt to learn this knowledge through spiritual guidance from spiritual Hindu texts and a guru, ostensibly one who has attained moksha and by understanding the physical world. The ability to see through the maya, or illusion, of this world is the most important quality.

These paths to achieving moksha all have a common theme of dharma. Dharma cannot be simply described as a person's duty because the term, spiritually, comprises a much deeper meaning. Dharma is not the same for every person, yet by following one's dharma, Krishna maintains that you attain moksha. The previous three yogas, or paths to moksha, are simply massive categories that your dharma can fall under. Hinduism does not prescribe a formula for people to attain moksha, as every person's persona and situation, in some way, differs from each others'. A current day and personal example would be this author's own mother who is a zealous devotee of the popular saint, Sai Baba. She views Sai Baba as her teacher and guide through her life and often talks to him, definitely an example of bhakti yoga. Not only this, but she studies his life through various biographies and writings of Sai Baba and attempts to implement his teachings as personally as possible. This is a prominent example of jñāna yoga. Finally, she maintains all of her dharma as a mother of two children and provides, cares, and protects them. That is a final example of karma yoga. Obviously, she does not stringently follow any one yoga, but follows her own mixture that has been dictated by her personality, attributes, and situation.

Hinduism does not and cannot tell you what your dharma is and how to accomplish completing your dharma, but it can help guide you to moksha, and, in the end, that is what the Bhagavad Gita tells us.

Symbols in Hinduism

Symbolism plays a great role in Hinduism. In fact they are the signs that represent the Infinite which would be incomprehensible to the common people. Imagine doing mathematics without the help of numeral signs for numbers. In Hinduism, the symbols also bring intimacy of the Supreme God to the common people as a personal God. There are so any symbols, to name a few: Shiva Lingam, Swastika, Bindi/Tilak, Janeu/Poonal, Trishula, Tantra etc etc. 

The prime symbol of worship representing God (The word "shiva lingam" translates to symbol of the Perfect God) for Shaivites. (In fact the name itself means symbol). This is broad in the middle and conical towards the top. This is the form of flame. In Shaivite philosophy the God is formless. Due to the Grace on the souls for the easy comprehension of the Divine and liberation the God appeared in the form of a Flame. This flame is what is worshiped as lingam in stone and other forms that make the worship easier. This is considered more sacred than form worship by Shaivites. 

n Hinduism, the lotus (Sanskrit: padma) primarily represents beauty and non-attachment. The lotus is rooted in the mud but floats on the water without becoming wet or muddy. This symbolizes how how one should live in the world in order to gain release from rebirth: withoutattachment to one's surroundings.

"One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus leaf is untouched by water."
-- Bhagavad Gita 5.10

A similar meaning is given to the lotus symbol in Buddhism. 

The lotus is associated with several Hindu deities. Krishna is described as the "Lotus-Eyed One," referring to his divine beauty. Brahma and Lakshmi, the deities of potence and wealth, are often seen with the lotus symbol. Other deities associated with the lotus include Vishnu and Sarasvati.

Finally, the lotus is also a symbol for the centers of consciousness(chakras) in the body.

A yantra is a geometrical diagram representing the universe. It is used in Hindu worship and meditation, especially in Tantrism. A yantra is quite similar to a mandala. but a yantra is different in that it can be a three-dimensional object of worship as well as a two-dimensional diagram.

LIke the mandala, the yantra symbolizes cosmogenic development, from the absolute in the center to the material world at the edges. Yantras often have a seed mantra inscribed on them, and they are considered the verbal equivalent of a mantra.

Social Issues and Hinduism

Karma and Legal System

- Why do we have criminal justice system in India even though the prevailing belief is that Karma is believed to give the ultimate consequence?

Is karma alone perfect? Can it create a reinforcing cycle that is difficult to get out of?

·         There are many similarities and differences between these two systems. Here are a few examples:

Repercussions

LS – third party sets and imposes consequences

K – nature of cause and effect

 Accountability

 LS – possibly escapable (must be proven guilty)

 K – inevitable reaction to cause, inescapable

“Laws”

 LS – indicate what is wrong

 K – no strict definition for right or wrong

 Focus

 LS – punishment, emphasis on action versus purpose

 K – punishment and reward, emphasis on purpose versus action

 Scope

 LS – inextricably tied to the act

 K – always independent of actions

·         How does the legal system reconcile with karma?

- Does this in essence provide a compounded punishment to the guilty?

- Does the one providing the punishment via the legal system get punished himself by placing the life of someone else in his hands?

Evolution of Sexuality

Sexuality has become so prevalent in media, but there is still little communication about this in the home environment.

Early India:

·        Shiv Lingum

·        Temple architecture

·        Gods viewed as sexual (for ex: Kunti and her sons, Radha-Krishna, Apsaras in heaven, Shiva-Parvati)

   

  Modern India:

·        Influence in Bollywood, especially during love songs

·        Conservative dress in temples

·        Discrepancy between conservative beliefs and practice

o   How did this shift occur?

·        Conservative Mughal and  British Empires influenced Indian beliefs

·        Early India: No contraception/birth control, later puberty, earlier marriages since no school -> people wanted to wait until marriage to have children so that they could have a stable support system

·        Modern India: Presence of contraception/birth control, earlier puberty, later marriage due to extensive schooling (high school –> college -> graduate school -> career) -> less people willing to wait until marriage to have sex

·         Why is there still a discrepancy between how our religion and society have evolved?