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Value

Education

Religions

In

India-V.Vasantha10/ucmb/502

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Introduction

We live in the cyber age. We have no time almost for anything for which our forefathers had

plenty of time. We want fast-food & quick bites. We prefer cryptic news through the electronic

media. We have abridged everything. Even games are getting abridged from a five-day

relaxation to a T-20 game. Macro polo and Hieun Tsang, Vasco-da-Gama & Columbuscircumbulated the globe and wrote long memories. We have no time even for pilgrimage to

Varanasi, Mecca, or Jerusalem. We watch those holy places on tour and travels projected on the

television. Even if we do on package tours, we just say we have seen the Alps, the Niagra, the

Egyptian pyramids and the corridors of Rameswaram. We have seen them for a record, not for

enjoyment.

Today we come across an individual who behaves like an automation, who does not

know or understand himself, and the only person that he knows is the person he is

supposed to be, whose meaningless chatter has replaced communicative speech, whose

synthetic smile has replaced genuine laughter and, whose sense of dull despair has

taken the place of genuine pain. He does not differ emotionally from the millions of the

rest of us who walk upon the earth

-Eric Fromm

In short, we are physically different, dark or fair, tall or short, fat or lean. It will be so because

human cloning is prohibited by law but in reality, emotionally, intellectually, mentally & morally

we are no more than clones!

Meaningless strife for material success and power is called Rat-Race. But even if you win a rat-

race, you will continue to be only a rat. Value education should enable us to lead a proactive

life sustained by meaningful activities so that we continue to be human beings.

Wisdom comes from living, experience and

Exposure than from studying

-Anonymous.

Education that helps an individual to fit into his society both at micro & macro level by

contributing to its survival and growth and deriving from it benefits for the individual can be

called value education. An engineer should not only be a competent engineer but also a good

citizen of the worlddd. It applies to all the people, doctors, scientists, writers, economists,

teachers, merchants and politicians.

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Wisdom is the capacity to suggest or make an unbiased and impartial conclusion on an issue or

a problem. Wisdom alone can make a person understand history in its proper perspective.

Hegel was a great philosopher and historian. But since he was a german, he identified the

Prussian state as the ideal, perfect and absolute state. Any person will love his language, his

people and his religion, but his love turns into fanaticism if it is not tempered with wisdom.

Wisdom enables an individual not to view facts through the distorted medium of ones own

passions.

Wisdom steers through the maze

eschewing the evil and courting the good.

Religion can be explained as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of

the universe, especially when considered as the

creation of a superhuman agency or agencies,

usually involving devotional and ritual

observances, and often containing a moral code

governing the conduct of human affairs.

There are different religions in the world. India,

the land of spirituality and philosophy was

birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism,

Sikhism, Aryan raise, Dravidian raise,etc. India

also hssas Muslim, Christian, Parsi and Jew followers.

India is a country where there is unity in diversity. How many ever religions may exist,but India is one country, a secular state.

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Introduction to Hinduism

Hinduism is the religion of the majority of people in India and Nepal. It

also exists among significant populations outside of the sub continent

and has over 900 million adherents worldwide.

In some ways Hinduism is the oldest living religion in the world, or at

least elements within it stretch back many thousands of years. Yet

Hinduism resists easy definition partly because of the vast array of

practices and beliefs found within it. It is also closely associatedconceptually and historically with the other Indian religions Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism.

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 asingle religion.

Defining Hinduism

The term 'Hindu' was derived from the river or river complex of the northwest, the Sindhu.

Sindhu is a Sanskrit word used by the inhabitants of the region, the Aryans in the second

millennium BCE. Later migrants and invaders, the Persians in the sixth century BCE, the Greeks

from the 4th century BCE, and the Muslims from the 8th century CE, used the name of this river

in their own languages for the land and its people.

The term 'Hindu' itself probably does not go back before the 15th and 16th centuries when itwas used by people to differentiate themselves from followers of other traditions, especially

the Muslims (Yavannas), in Kashmir and Bengal. At that time the term may have simply

indicated groups united by certain cultural practices such as cremation of the dead and styles of

cuisine. The 'ism' was added to 'Hindu' only in the 19th century in the context of Britishcolonialism and missionary activity.

The origins of the term 'hindu' are thus cultural, political and geographical. Now the term is

widely accepted although any definition is subject to much debate. In some ways it is true to

say that Hinduism is a religion of recent origin yet its roots and formation go back thousands ofyears.

Some claim that one is 'born a Hindu', but there are now many Hindus of non-Indian descent.

Others claim that its core feature is belief in an impersonal Supreme, but important strands

have long described and worshipped a personal God. Outsiders often criticise Hindus as being

polytheistic, but many adherents claim to be monotheists.

Some Hindus define orthodoxy as compliance with the teachings of the Vedic texts (the four

Vedas and their supplements). However, still others identify their tradition with 'Sanatana

Dharma', the eternal order of conduct that transcends any specific body of sacred literature.

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Scholars sometimes draw attention to the caste system as a defining feature, but many Hindus

view such practices as merely a social phenomenon or an aberration of their original teachings.

Nor can we define Hinduism according to belief in concepts such as karma and

samsara(reincarnation) because Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists (in a qualified form) accept thisteaching too.

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 acommon 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 nextincarnation 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.

Atman

Atman means 'eternal self'. The atman refers to the real self beyond ego or false self. It is often

referred to as 'spirit' or 'soul' and indicates our true self or essence which underlies our

existence.

Dharma

Dharma is an important term in Indian religions. In Hinduism it means 'duty', 'virtue', 'morality',

even 'religion' and it refers to the power which upholds the universe and society. Hindus

generally believe that dharma was revealed in the Vedas although a more common word there

for 'universal law' or 'righteousness' is rita. Dharma is the power that maintains society, it

makes the grass grow, the sun shine, and makes us moral people or rather gives humans the

opportunity to act virtuously.

The importance of sva-dharma is illustrated well by the Bhagavad Gita. This text, set before

the great battle of the Mahabharata, depicts the hero Arjuna riding in his chariot driven by his

charioteer Krishna between the great armies. The warrior Arjuna questions Krishna about why

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he should fight in the battle. Surely, he asks, killing one's relatives and teachers is wrong and so

he refuses to fight.

Varna

A display showing different castes in Rajasthan, India, brought to

England in 1894 by Frederick Horniman.Now exhibited in the Horniman

Museum, London.

An important idea that developed in classical Hinduism is that dharma

refers especially to a person's responsibility regarding class (varna) and

stage of life (ashrama). This is called varnashrama-dharma. In Hindu

history the highest class, the Brahmins, adhered to this doctrine. The

class system is a model or ideal of social order that first occurs in the

oldest Hindu text, the Rig Veda and the present-day caste (jati) system may be rooted in this.

The four classes are:

y Brahmans or Brahmins - the intellectuals and the priestly class who perform religious ritualsy Kshatriya (nobles or warriors) - who traditionally had powery Vaishyas (commoners or merchants) - ordinary people who produce, farm, trade and earn a

living

y Shudras (workers) - who traditionally served the higher classes, including labourers, artists,musicians, and clerks

People in the top three classes are known as 'twice born' because they have been born from the

womb and secondly through initiation in which boys receive a sacred thread as a symbol of

their high status. Although usually considered an initiation for males it must be noted that thereare examples of exceptions to this rule, where females receive this initiation.

Karma and Samsara

Karma is a Sanskrit word whose literal meaning is 'action'. It refers to the law that every action

has an equal reaction either immediately or at some point in the future. Good or virtuous

actions, actions in harmony with dharma, will have good reactions or responses and bad

actions, actions against dharma, will have the opposite effect.

God

Most Hindus believe in God but what this means varies in different traditions. The Sanskrit

words Bhagavan and Ishvaramean 'Lord' or 'God' and indicate an absolute reality who creates,

sustains and destroys the universe over and over again. It is too simplistic to define Hinduism as

belief in many gods or 'polytheism'. Most Hindus believe in a Supreme God, whose qualities and

forms are represented by the multitude of deities which emanate from him. God, being

unlimited, can have unlimited forms and expressions.

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God can be approached in a number of ways and a devoted person can relate to God as a

majestic king, as a parent figure, as a friend, as a child, as a beautiful woman, or even as a

ferocious Goddess. Each person can relate to God in a particular form, the ishta devata or

desired form of God. Thus, one person might be drawn towards Shiva, another towards

Krishna, and another towards Kali. Many Hindus believe that all the different deities are aspects

of a single, transcendent power.

Guru

The termsguru and acharya refer to a teacher or master of a tradition. The basic meaning is of a

teacher who teaches through example and conveys knowledge and wisdom to his disciples. The

disciple in turn might become a teacher and so the lineage continues through the generations.

One story that captures the spirit of the teacher is that a mother asks the teacher to stop her

son eating sugar for he eats too much of it. The master tells her to come back in a week. She

returns and he tells the child to do as his mother says and the child obeys. Asked by the mother

why he delayed for a week, he replied 'a week ago I had not stopped eating sugar!'

Jainism

Jainism is an ancient religion from India that teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to

live lives of harmlessness and renunciation.

The essence of Jainism is concern for the welfare of every being in the universe and for the

health of the universe itself.

Jains believe that animals and plants, as well as human beings, contain living souls. Each of

these souls is considered of equal value and should be treated with respect and compassion.

Jains are strict vegetarians and live in a way that minimises their use of the world's

resources.

Jains believe in reincarnation and seek to

attain ultimate liberation - which means escaping

the continuous cycle of birth, death and rebirth so

that the immortal soul lives for ever in a state of

bliss.

Liberation is achieved by eliminating all karma

from the soul.

Jainism is a religion of self-help.

There are no gods or spiritual beings that will

help human beings.

The three guiding principles of Jainism, the 'three jewels', are right belief, right knowledge

and right conduct.

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Wheel of Life overview

The Bhavachakra, the Wheel

of Life or Wheel of Becoming,

is a mandala - a complex picture

representing the Buddhist view

of the universe. To Buddhists,existence is a cycle of life, death,

rebirth and suffering that they

seek to escape altogether.

The Wheel is divided into five

or six realms, or states, into

which a soul can be reborn. It is held by a demon. Around the rim are depicted the twelve stages

of dependent origination. This gallery will explain the parts of the diagram.

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.

Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah promised in theOldTestament.

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 Sons

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

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God

Christians believe that there is only one God, whom they call

Father as Jesus Christ taught them.

Jesus

Christians recognise Jesus as the Son of God who was sent to

save mankind from death and sin.Jesus Christ taught that he was Son of God. His teachings

can be summarised, briefly as the love of God and love of one's neighbour.Jesus said that hehad come to fulfil God's law rather than teach it.

Justification by faith

Christians believe in justification by faith - that through their belief in Jesus as the Son of

God, and in his death and resurrection, they can have a right relationship with God whose

forgiveness was made once and for all through the death of Jesus Christ.

The Trinity

Christians believe in the Trinity - that is, in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.Some confuse

this and think that Christians believe in three separate gods, which they don't.Christians

believe that God took human form as Jesus Christ and that God is present today through thework of the Holy Spirit and evident in the actions of believers.

Life after death

Christians believe that there is a life after earthly death.While the actual nature of this life is

not known, Christians believe tshat many spiritual experiences in this life help to give them

some idea of what eternal life will be like.

The Saints

These days, the word saint is most commonly used to refer to a Christian who has lived a

particularly good and holy life on earth, and with whom miracles are claimed to have beenassociated after their death.

The formal title of Saint is conferred by the RomanCatholicand Orthodox Churches

through a process called canonisation.Members of these Churches also believe that Saints

created in this way can intercede with God on behalf of people who are alive today. This is

not accepted by most Protestants.

In the Bible, however, the word saint is used as a description of anyone who is a committed

believer, particularly by St. Paul in the New Testament (e.g. Ephesians 1.1. and 1.15).

Islam

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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.

Muslims believe that Islam was revealed over 1400 years ago in Mecca, Arabia.

Followers ofIslam 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 (atleast once).

Muslims have six main beliefs.:

Belief in Allah as the one and only God

Belief in angelsBelief in the holy books

Belief in the Prophets...

e.g. Adam, Ibrahim (Abraham),Musa (Moses), Dawud (David),Isa (Jesus).

Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the final prophet.

Belief in the Day of Judgement...

The day when the life of every human being will be assessed to decide whether

they go to heaven or hell.

Belief in Predestination...

That Allah has the knowledge of all that will happen.Muslims believe that this doesn't stop human beings making free choices.

Allah

Allah is the name Muslims use for the supreme and unique God, who created and rules

everything.

The heart of faith for all Muslims is obedience to Allah's will.

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Allah is eternal, omniscient, and omnipotent...o Allah has always existed and will always exist.o Allah knows everything that can be known.o Allah can do anything that can be done.

Allah has no shape or form...

oAllah can't be seen.

o Allah can't be heard.o Allah is neither male nor female.

Allah is just...

o Allah rewards and punishes fairly.o But Allah is also merciful.

A believer can approach Allah by praying, and by reciting theQur'an.

Muslims worship only Allah...

o because only Allah is worthy of worship.The one andonlyGod

All Muslims believe that God is one alone:

y There is only one God.y God has no children, no parents, and no partners.y God was not created by a being.y There are no equal, superior, or lesser Gods.

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