IN WHAT WAYS IS PI’S CHOSEN NAME A REFLECTION OF HISSPIRITUAL SELF?

DISCUSSION PROMPT

o Read Pi’s presentation and definition of his name aloud (pp. 22–23 beginning, “I got up

from my desk…” and p. 24 beginning, “And so, in that Greek letter…”).

DISCUSSION QUESTION

o What is pi? What do you know about the qualities of pi?

QUALITIES OF PIo By definition, pi is the ratio of the circumference of

a circle to its diameter. Pi is always the same number, no matter which circle you use to compute it.

o Pi (rather than some other Greek letters like Alpha or Omega) was chosen as the letter to represent the number 3.141592... because the letter in Greek, pronounced like our letter 'p', stands for 'perimeter'.

o Pi is an infinite decimal. Unlike numbers such as 3, 9.876, and 4.5, which have finitely many nonzero numbers to the right of the decimal place, pi has infinitely many numbers to the right of the decimal point. http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.pi.html

DISCUSSION PROMPT

o How do these qualities of pi relate to spirituality or religion?

SPIRITUAL CONNECTIONo Transcendent (adj.): 1 :

exceeding usual limits : SURPASSING; 2 : extending or lying beyond the

limits of ordinary experience; 3 : in Kantian philosophy : being beyond the limits of all possible

experience and knowledge; 4 : being beyond comprehension

o Universal (adj.): 1: present or occurring everywhere; 2 : existent or operative everywhere or

under all conditions <universal cultural patterns>; 3 a : embracing a major part or the greatest

portion (as of mankind) <a universal state> <universal practices>

http://www.merriam-webster.com/

WORK PERIOD

Working with a partner, locate and briefly examine the textual references that explain Pi’s experience and understanding of Hinduism and atheism.

Chapters 18, 19, 20 Page 69 Chapters 25 & 26

HINDUISM Unlike most other

religions, Hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings. Throughout its extensive history, there have been many key figures teaching different philosophies and writing numerous holy books. For these reasons, writers often refer to Hinduism as 'a way of life' or 'a family of religions' rather than a single religion. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism

HINDUISM Although it is not easy to define Hinduism, we can say that it is rooted in

India, most Hindus revere a body of texts as sacred scripture known as the Veda, and most Hindus draw on a common system of values known as dharma.

• Hinduism originated around the Indus Valley near the River Indus in modern day Pakistan.

• About 80% of the Indian population regard themselves as Hindu. • Most Hindus believe in a Supreme God, whose qualities and forms are

represented by the multitude of deities which emanate from him. • Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth,

governed by Karma. • Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle of successive lives and

its next incarnation is always dependent on how the previous life was lived. • The main Hindu texts are the Vedas and their supplements (books based on

the Vedas). Veda is a Sanskrit word meaning 'knowledge'. These scriptures do not mention the word 'Hindu' but many scriptures discuss dharma, which can be rendered as 'code of conduct', 'law', or 'duty'

• Hindus celebrate many holy days, but the Festival of Lights, Diwali is the best known.

• The 2001 census recorded 559,000 Hindus in Britain, around 1% of the population.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism

CHRISTIANITY Christianity is the

most popular religion in the world with over 2 billion adherents. 42 million Britons see themselves as nominally Christian, and there are 6 million who are actively practising.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity

CHRISTIANITY• Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah promised in the

Old Testament. • Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. • Christians believe that God sent his Son to earth to save

humanity from the consequences of its sins. • One of the most important concepts in Christianity is that of

Jesus giving his life on the Cross (the Crucifixion) and rising from the dead on the third day (the Resurrection).

• Christians believe that there is only one God, but that there are three elements to this one God: God the Father God the Son The Holy Spirit

• Christians worship in churches. • Their spiritual leaders are called priests or ministers. • The Christian holy book is the Bible, and consists of the Old and

New Testaments. • Christian holy days such as Easter and Christmas are important

milestones in the Western secular calendar

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity

ISLAM The word Islam

means 'submission to the will of God'.

Islam is the second largest religion in the world with over 1 billion followers. The 2001 census recorded 1,591,000 Muslims in the UK, around 2.7% of the population.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam

ISLAM• Muslims believe that Islam was revealed over 1400 years ago in

Mecca, Arabia. • Followers of Islam are called Muslims. • Muslims believe that there is only One God. • The Arabic word for God is Allah. • According to Muslims, God sent a number of prophets to

mankind to teach them how to live according to His law. • Jesus, Moses and Abraham are respected as prophets of God. • They believe that the final Prophet was Muhammad. • Muslims believe that Islam has always existed, but for practical

purposes, date their religion from the time of the migration of Muhammad.

• Muslims base their laws on their holy book the Qur'an, and the Sunnah.

• Muslims believe the Sunnah is the practical example of Prophet Muhammad and that there are five basic Pillars of Islam.

• These pillars are the declaration of faith, praying five times a day, giving money to charity, fasting and a pilgrimage to Mecca (at least once).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam

ATHEISM

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/athesim

Atheism is the absence of belief in any Gods or spiritual beings. The word Atheism comes from a, meaning without, and theism meaning belief in god or gods.

ATHEISM• Atheists don't use God to explain the existence of the universe. • Atheists say that human beings can devise suitable moral codes to live by

without the aid of Gods or scriptures. • Reasons for non-belief• People are atheist for many reasons, among them:• They find insufficient evidence to support any religion. • They think that religion is nonsensical. • They once had a religion and have lost faith in it. • They live in a non-religious culture. • Religion doesn't interest them. • Religion doesn't seem relevant to their lives. • Religions seem to have done a lot of harm in the world. • The world is such a bad place that there can't be a God. • Many atheists are also secularist, and are hostile to any special treatment

given to organised religion.• It is possible to be both atheist and religious. Virtually all Buddhists manage

it, as do some adherents of other religions, such as Judaism and Christianity.• Atheists and morality• Atheists are as moral (or immoral) as religious people.• In practical terms atheists often follow the same moral code as religious

people, but they arrive at the decision of what is good or bad without any help from the idea of God.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/atheism

SUMMARY DISCUSSION QUESTION

We began class by discussing the symbolic value of Pi’s name and its relation to spirituality. We have located evidence in the text that clearly supports the idea that Pi is seeking spiritual knowledge by examining the religions of the world. In religious studies, the term universalism is used to define the belief that truth and spiritual knowledge are available in many of the religious traditions of the world. In what ways do Pi’s religious beliefs seem to fit the ideas of universalism? Provide textual evidence to support your response

SPIRITUAL CONNECTIONo Transcendent (adj.): 1 :

exceeding usual limits : SURPASSING; 2 : extending or lying beyond the

limits of ordinary experience; 3 : in Kantian philosophy : being beyond the limits of all possible

experience and knowledge; 4 : being beyond comprehension

o Universal (adj.): 1: present or occurring everywhere; 2 : existent or operative everywhere or

under all conditions <universal cultural patterns>; 3 a : embracing a major part or the greatest

portion (as of mankind) <a universal state> <universal practices>

http://www.merriam-webster.com/

THIS IS A SAMPLE OF A STUDENT’S WRITTEN RESPONSE TO THE SUMMARY WRITING PROMPT.

There is so much information packed into this book that it is hard to keep track. In just a few pages, I learned about three major world religions and listened to an atheist describe how God does not exist. Mr. Kumar’s message is dark and desperate, while

Pi’s is full of light and hope. Although Pi identifies himself as a Hindu, he also claims to practice all of the religions he encounters and experiences. This seems to incorporate the Universalist message. Additionally, when Pi is being questioned by his father and the pandit he says, “Bapu Gandhi said, ‘All religions are true.’ I just want to love God.”

This seems a Universalist way of thinking, gathering knowledge from all religions.04_CCPS_12ELA_LPMS3.indd Q4.82