Movie Night

Hindu philosophy is one that developed over time from a study of the human experience by those we call Rishis. Because this experience is universal, so are the conclusions drawn from it within Hindu Philosophy. As such, we see many concepts prominent in Hinduism make their way into expressions of other cultures. During this meeting we examined two such examples- the idea of Karma Yoga in The Dark Knight and the idea of Maya in The Matrix.

                The goal of Karma Yoga is the destruction of ego so that one may obtain realization. Karma Yoga teaches us to act without ego or personal preference, and to do so without attachment to the fruits of our action. In Batman we see many of these characteristics at play. He remains anonymous throughout the movies, showing that he has dedicated himself to the ideal of justice and does not care for any recognition- he has given up his ego and acts purely in service of an ideal. He is an imperfect example at times, for example when he chooses to save Rachel instead of Harvey Dent, but at the end of the movie he is willing to completely surrender his identity as a superhero and take on the role of a villain just so that Gotham may have hope in its future. This final action represents the most karma-yogic action of all in the movie.

                In the Matrix, we see the theory of Maya come into play through the idea that the world around us that we perceive to be real may actually not be. Rather, according to the Advaita philosophy, this world is one form of reality that is less real than the ultimate reality- Brahman. Through our own flawed perception we believe this world is all that exists when in fact Brahman is the foundation of this very world. We come to know the nature of Brahman through 3 methods: perception of him through knowledge (symbolized in the red pill Morpheus offers Neo), through a reliable witness (Morpheus), or through logic. Using these methods we come to see Brahman as defined by 3 attributes: existence, consciousness, and bliss. From these 3 characteristics comes the name satchidananda, a common name used for Brahman.

Can you make any connections between Batman and Karma Yoga?

DQ#2:

●What does “less real” mean to you? Is it possible for there to be degrees of reality, or is something either real or an illusion?

Different Sects & Drawing Lines in Hinduism

Hinduism is not a single bodied entity; rather, it is comprised of many, heterogeneous individuals, each of whom possess their own outlook towards their faith. We can categorise Hinduism into four distinct major sects, namely Vaishnavism (followers of Lord Vishnu), Shaivism (followers of Lord Shiva), Shaktism (followers of the Goddess Shakti), and Smartism (followers of Brahman). This is not to say that each and every Hindu belief falls under these categories; rather, these four encompass the majority of traditional Hindu followers. Other sects such as Arya Samaj, for example, have similar doctrines but differ in their own ways.

This in turn leads us to question the basic philosophies upon which Hinduism is based. Nine major schools of thought have been identified, six of them labeled "Astika" and the other three "Nastika". It must be noted that there exists no such one to one correspondence between sects and schools of thought. More often than not, many different philosophies can be applied to individual sects and individuals. By definition, the Astikaschools hold stock in the Vedas as the ultimate scriptures while the Nastika three do not. The three Nastika schools include Buddhism, Jainism, and Charvaka. Classified as separate religions by many, this begs the question:

How does one draw the line between Hinduism and other faiths? Perhaps with belief in the Vedas as the ultimate scriptures?

If there are so many varieties of Hindu beliefs, what does it truly mean to be Hindu?