12 parts of Hinduism

Ataman

- The ataman is the non-material self that is always constant. The ataman transcends everything like race, origin, species, and nationality; it is constant throughout everything. Metaphor used for the ataman is that it is the driver and the body is a car. The car must have the driver to function. We sometimes discriminate against others because of their type or color of car, but we are all drivers, meaning that all of our atamans are the same.

Reincarnation and Samsara

- The ataman, being unchanged in life, is continued after death and carried into another body. When it is in the next body it is reincarnated. An incarnation is the embodiment of the ataman so being reincarnated is to leave a body and be put back into another. Samsara is the perpetual cycle of this reincarnation of the Ataman.

The Law of Karma

- Karma, meaning action, is only generated in the Human form because humans are the only species with free will. Human life is to be responsible for one’s actions. Karma has three states according to the bhagavad-gita, those being karma for elevation, vikarma for those who degrade, and akarma for those who cause neither good or bad.

Prakriti and Guna – how does the world work

- ataman are trapped within mortal bodies made up of matter or prakriti. All matter goes through 3 stages of existence; it is created, remains for some time, and is inevitably destroyed. These three phases correspond with the three gunas or qualities/modes of material nature. The gunas are that passion creates, goodness sustains, and ignorance destroys.

Maya (illusion) – why do we get into difficulty in this world?

- under the gunas the soul is misled by matter and entangled and trapped. Because of Maya the ataman mistakenly identifies with the body and takes on trivial bias, racism… this causes to serve the soul with greed lust and desire and fall deeper into illusion.

Moksha and liberation

- Moksha is the ultimate goal in the eyes of most Hindus. Moksha is a state of unity with God. This happens when the souls sense of individual is removed and the soul realizes it is among others exactly alike with it. They then share similarities with God therefore becoming Godlike obtaining Moksha.

Is there a God? If so, what is he/she like?

- There is a God in Hinduism, and he is perceived in three ways. Brahman residing everywhere, Antaryami residing within, and Bhagavan residing outside. Brahman is also known as the all pervading soul, Antaryami means the controller within, and Bhagavan means one endowed with ultimate opulence and refers to the beyond material God.

- God, in Hinduism, could very well encompass all other forms of god from primitive religions to modern ones. Even so, hindus view two different theories with god, monism (advaita) and monotheism (dvaita). Monism views God to be impersonal and without form or qualities. Monotheism views God as personal, with qualities, with a form, and performing activities.

Sanatana-dharma

- A dharma is much the same as a Mitzvah it is a religious obligation. But a dharma is something more necessary to the object, like sugar to be sweet. Sanatana-dharma is dealing with the soul and the spiritual part of a person. Sanatana-dharma rules and obligations are like the Ataman, they transcend prescribed reality and are universal.

Varnashrama-dharma

- Varnashrama-dharma has to do with duties performed within the four varnas or social divisions and four ashrams. These have to do with completing a task or way of living in one area that another would be repulsed by from its utter …wrongness (?).

One Goal, Different Paths

- Moksha is the ultimate goal, while some traditions accommodate material accomplishment even though it is temporary. Usually one must go through the first three goals before reaching moksha. These four are dharma or righteousness, artha or economic development, kama or sensual enjoyment, and finally moksha or liberation/ultimate goal.

Sources of Authority – Scripture and Guru

- Scripture is called shastra sometimes from the original translation shabda­brahman or spiritual sound. They were written some 5000 years ago and are considered to be the most reliable form of authority in the religion. The guru is plays the role of intermediary between the soul and the supreme. Many schools one must have a spiritual guide to bypass maya.

Kala – time

- the concept of time, like the concept of the ataman, is eternal. They have a notion of two-way eternity, the past doesn’t exist to us and neither does the future, it is all eternal.

Creation

- With the notion of cyclical time, the world is continually destroyed and recreated. Also, the world is one part of three in this universe, and this universe is one part of many. Hinduism is also not earth centered, but puts emphasis on many other planes of existence too, like the heavens.