HINDUISME

Asal Usul/Konsep
Hinduism does not include several
components of the common conception of a
religion
No historical founder
No single scriptural text recognized by all
No single authoritative voice or organisation
No common creed
No single god or goddess

Kolonial British & Hinduism

A Hinduism was in fact constructed to serve
colonial purposes
Scholars played a role in the orientalist
construction of Hinduism in their academic
disciplines

Core concepts of HINDUISM

Hinduism originates from the ancient Vedic tradition
and other indigenous beliefs
Prominent themes i.e:
i- Dharma (ethics and duties)
ii- Samsra (The continuing cycle of birth, life, death
and rebirth)
iii- Karma (action and subsequent reaction)
iv- Moksha (liberation from the cycle of samsara).
*Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism share traits with
Hinduism

Dharma
Hindu Dharma specific to the situation of the
particular individual or social group,
establishing the religious identity of the
individual through an expected pattern of
social relationships and through the individual
fulfillment of responsibilities

Kasta
Considered as hierarchical division of society:
-Brahmans
-rulers and warriors
-merchants and farmers
-labourers

Kasta dan tanggungjawab sosial

Ones personal and social religious duty is
determined primarily by birth into a particular
social group
Caste determines ones range of responsibility,
the particular work (karma) with which one
must be engaged.

Concept of God

Hinduism is sometimes considered to be a

polytheistic religion, but such a view tends to
oversimplify a diverse system of thought with
beliefs spanning monotheism,
polytheism,pantheism, monism and even
atheism.

VARIOUS INTERPRETATION
Example:
the Advaita Vedanta school holds that there is
only one causal entity (Brahman), which
manifests itself to humans in multiple forms
many scholars consider the Samkhya school of
thought to have had atheistic leanings

Brahman
According to theologies of Hinduism, Brahman (the greater
Self or God) is in the highest sense One and
nondifferentiated from the world and its beings (hence
'nondualist')
it is also called Parambrahman, where the Sanskrit prefix
param- denotes "ultimate".
Brahman is also sometimes seen as synonymous with the
concept of Paramatma (Supreme Spirit). Beyond time and
space, both immanent and transcendent
Brahman is often described succinctly as sacchidananda,
meaning 'Truth-Consciousness-Bliss', not only possessing
the qualities but also being their very essence.

VIEWS OF ADVIANTA
Advaita philosophy declares that Brahman (the
impersonal God) is beyond mere intellectual
description
it can be understood only through direct spiritual
experience, where the 'knower' and the 'known'
are subsumed into the act of 'knowing'.
The goal is to "wake up" and realize that one's
atman, or soul, is really identical to Brahman, the
uber-soul.

OTHER VIEWS
monotheistic (typically Dvaita Vedanta) and related
devotional (bhakti) schools:
*Brahman as a Supreme Being who possesses
personality.
*In these conceptions, Brahman is associated with
Vishnu, Shiva or Shakti depending on the sect.
*Brahman is seen as fundamentally separate from its
reliant souls (humanity)
*in achieving liberation, individual beings experience
God as an independent being, a living personality, and
retain their individual identities.

Brahman (Devanagari)
is the concept of the Godhead
unchanging, infinite, immanent, and
transcendent reality which is the Divine Ground
of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and
everything beyond in this universe.
Its nature is described as transpersonal, personal
and impersonal by different philosophical
schools.
Rig Veda, it regards as primordial being
Hiranyagarbha that is equated with the creator
God Brahm.

ETIMOLOGY OF BRAHMAN
The word "Brahman" is derived from the verb
brh (Sanskrit:to grow), and connotes
greatness.
The Mundaka Upanishad says:
Om. That supreme Brahman is infinite, and
this conditioned Brahman is infinite. The
infinite proceeds from infinite. Then through
knowledge, realizing the infinitude of the
infinite, it remains as infinite alone.

BRAHMAN CRITERION
Brahman is said to be eternal, genderless,
omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent,
and ultimately indescribable in the human
language
Should be described as infinite Being, infinite
Consciousness and infinite Bliss.
Brahman is regarded as the source and
essence of the material universe.

AVAITIC VIEWS
The Advaitic tradition rejects to envolve in
definition of Brahman.
It considers the Vedas to be eternal, timeless
and contemporaneous with Brahman.
It considers, the Vedas were handed down
generations by vocal memorizations.
Written texts of the Vedas are a relatively
recent phenomenon.

Brahman and Atman

Philosopher mystics of the Upanishads
identify Brahman, the world soul, with Atman,
the inner essence of the human being also
known as "Micro-soul-spark of Brahman.
The Ultimate Truth is expressed as Nirguna
Brahman, or lord of all "Gods".
Nirguna means "formless", "attributeless",
mega-soul also known as. "spirit" only.

Advaita Philosophy

considers Brahman to be without any form,

qualities, or attributes,

considers all personal forms of God including

Vishnu and Shiva as different aspects of God
in personal form or God with attributes,
Saguna Brahman.

Dvaita Philosophy
understands nir-guna as without material
form or without bad qualities.
Vishnu is Brahman since the followers stress a
personal God.

OTHERS
According to some, God's energy is personified as Devi,
the Divine Mother.
For Vaishnavites who follow Ramunjacharaya's
philosophy, Devi is Lakshmi, who is the Mother of all
and who pleads with Vishnu for mankind who is
entrenched in sin.
For Gaudiya Vaishnavas she is Radha.
For Shaivites, Devi is Parvati.
For Shaktas, who worship Devi, Devi is the personal
form of God to attain the impersonal Absolute, God.
For them, Shiva is personified as God without
attributes

Ishvara
God is viewed as the supreme personal being
(rather than as the infinite principle) God is called
Ishvara ("The Lord; Bhagavan ("The Auspicious
One"; or Parameshwara ("The Supreme Lord[
Ishvara thus refers to the personal aspect of God;
it is not specific to a particular deity.
Ishvara transcends gender, yet can be looked
upon as father, mother, friend, child, or even as
sweetheart.

Ishvara
Some schools of Hindu philosophy do not
believe in Ishvara, while others interpret
Ishvara in different ways
Some schools do not distinguish between
Ishvara and Brahman.
The Dvaita school holds that Ishvara is not
incorporeal,[18] but is infinite and a personal
being.

Ishvara
Ishvara (Sanskrit vara "lord, master",
from an adjective vara "capable") is a Hindu
philosophical concept of God meaning "that
entity or the Supreme Being which is the lord
and the ruler of everything".
The term is also used in Buddhism, e.g. in
Avalokiteshvara. When referring to God as
female, particularly in Shaktism, the feminine
var is sometimes used.

Ishvara
Hinduism uses the term Ishvara exclusively to
refer to the Supreme God in a monotheistic
sense.
Often in popular speech the Hindu terms Ishvara,
Paramatman and Bhagavan are used
interchangeably for God, however each word has
its own specific meaning in the original scriptural
context.
Ishvara is also used to denote a "lord" in a
temporal sense, as any master or king (a dual
usage also found in English).