Hinduism commentary: due Mon, 6/4 before school

[Ken Sklar (Radnor High School)]

Comment on an aspect of Hinduism that you find particularly
provocative and explain why. Analyze the concept rather than summarize
or explain it.

[Ashley Gubernick]

            I found the Four Stages of Life in Classical Hinduism very fascinating.  Though I grew up knowing Hinduism is a popular religion, it has always seemed very foreign.  Even learning about it in Global Issues I've felt many concepts are, to quote Mr. Sklar, "out of our comfort zone."  Which is why I found it so interesting that half of the "life stages" in classical hinduism are the same as in the Western World.  The first stage, "Student-Stage," entails a dharma of learning.  It is the job of a Hindu at that stage in life to learn.  At first I thought that this is not necessarily true in the Western World because many children in poverty do not get the opportunity to learn like we do in Radnor, but after thinking it through I've come to realize that interpreting a job of learning as going to school is too literal.  Learning comes naturally to all humans as we learn to walk and talk at a very young age.  Even if a child is not learning math and core classes we take at Radnor, all people, Western and Hindu, learn life lessons and gain experience at a ripe age.  In the second stage, "Householders Stage," it is the dharma of a Hindu to run the household; this involves getting a job to work at and caring for a family.  Although this does not come as natural to Westerners as the Student-Stage in my opinion, it is the stereotypical American Dream that we have a sustainable job and healthy family at this point in life.  In the Western World, outside of poverty, Americans go to school to get a job in order to raise a family.  Of course there are always exceptions, but this seems an accurate second stage in both the Western World and Hinduism.  The third stage is where classical Hinduism and the Western World seem to veer away from each other.  In the Western World we think of stage three as retirement because stage two (working) would be completed, but in Hinduism this when the pursuit of enlightenment begins.  This again seemed like a foreign concept not only because we do not grow up believing in enlightenment, but also because t is referred to as Sanyasin, and the word is so unusual compared to my English vocabulary.  In America we have very strong family values.  Although Hindus also value their families, in stage three Hindus become "renunciate" and deny themselves of pleasure, which includes leaving family behind.  I don't think most westerners have the emotional strength to leave behind a family, and it certainly does not coincide with American values. Stage four, Enlightenment, may or may not occur.  If stage three is not completed, then a Hindu must start all over in reincarnation.  If stage three is completed and enlightenment occurs then the Hindu will become a Guru.  In order for enlightenment to occur a Hindu must disconnect from Maya, the material world.  As stage four nears this when the Western approach at life varies the most from the Hindu approach in my opinion.  In Western World belief stage four is death, but in Hindu belief it is enlightenment or, if stage three is not completed, reincarnation.  Take a second to compare death to enlightenment.  Death means the spirit and body are gone from the material world forever, but it does not necessarily mean that the spirt or body will go to any other world either.  Enlightenment means the spirit becomes a Guru and also leaves the material world, but in sense the soul will continue living, unlike in death.  Now compare death to reincarnation.  In reincarnation the soul will re-enter the material world, unlike in death.  Thus, these concepts are very different.  The contrast between the stages of life was not as provocative to me as the similarities were. I always knew Hinduism was very contrastive to the beliefs I have grown accustomed to, but I never quite realized how alike the concepts are to each other.

[Cat Mosier-Mills]

As a Westerner who's traveled through numerous history classes, I'm naturally inclined to view time as a clean-cut line: it begins with a certain date and ends with a certain date, and we learn about various events in history according to these dates. For example, we had different units based on different time periods, and categorized/separated those time periods based on their defining characteristics. However, when we learned that Hinduism interprets time as a cycle, rather than a line, I was intrigued. And, as we continued to learn about it, I realized that the Hindu concept of time made much more sense to me.

To begin, time is an important factor of Western society. It's the basis for businesses, schools, planes, and many other important parts of society. But to the Hindus, these are all material things, a part of the maya illusion that stresses the importance of losing the materialistic "shackles" and gaining enlightenment. So if our material goods aren't really the meaning of life, then there's no need to continue running things based on a timeline; we shouldn't think of time as something that starts and ends, but as something that's an ongoing process. Yes, there is a phrase that "history repeats itself", but the circular interpretation of time is much more than that. It emphasizes a world that is constantly being created and destroyed, so nothing is permanent -- and, how I interpret it by learning about karma, there's always chance for improvement. There's reincarnation and a chance to obtain better karma, and there's a chance for the world to be re-created if it becomes too impure. Everything is connected and intertwined, and nothing can be defined as "beginning" or "end" (by human standards, at least; for Hindus, the gods determine the beginning and end of the world.) But even so, it doesn't disrupt the cycle; it keeps on going and operating, similar to the bicycle motif in A Fine Balance. Therefore, I find this view of time much more logical (as odd as that seems), and think that it's proof that we can't constrain a natural phenomenon like the world to an orderly timeline. A sense of time that stresses "re-emergence" and traveling in an interconnected pattern creates a fascinating society. 

On Tuesday, May 29, 2012 10:17:19 AM UTC-4, Ken Sklar (Radnor High School) wrote:

[Maureen McDermott]

        One of the most provocative aspects of Hinduism to me is the concept of reincarnation. I guess I've always wondered what happens after you die, and have contemplated with the possibility of some sort of after/second life, but have never really made any indefinite conclusions. I've found in the past few weeks, though, that the idea of reincarnation has been extremely thought provoking. One of the most stimulating aspects of it is that, like you say, there is no way to either prove or disprove whether or not it's a reality. There's just absolutely no way of knowing, and that's something that is extremely fascinating to me. (It's kind of similar to God, and though I don't believe in a god/higher power, I have absolutely no way of proving it, and I think that's largely where my intrigue in religion comes from)  

        One of the other aspects of reincarnation I found absolutely fascinating was the handout you gave us (and that we discussed a little in class today) of all the accounts people had about remembering parts of their past lives. I particularly enjoyed the one about the Alaskan fisherman whose who said he would come back after he died as his sons child, and when the sons child was born had the exact same birth marks as his grandfather. I connected it to one of my favorite episodes JAG called "Survivors". (I know, you probably hate me for my constant TV show references, but it's really relevant) But there is a Vietnam war veteran who blames himself for the death of his best friend during the war, and comes to believe that his son is a reincarnation of this friend and that he is being given a second chance to fulfill an old promise that he never got that chance to do. I remember watching this episode, though, and not really having an understanding of what reincarnation was, and just thinking this guy was absolutely crazy, and I know that that scenario is not really the same as the traditional Hindu sense of reincarnation, but, nonetheless, I feel like it would be really cool to rewatch that episode now with the knowledge of this topic that I now hold and see how it may or may not relate to the way Hindu's perceive reincarnation. 

       Finally, I know we touched on this in class today, but I found it so interesting how one of the widely excepted causes of homosexuality and many gender identity disorders come from being a different gender in a past life, and having some recollection of that in a current life which may cause discrepancies in your perceived gender identity/sexual orientation. This is a really cool idea not only because it's one I've never thought of before, but also because it is a religion is justifying homosexuality and recognizing that it isn't choice, which makes me really happy since most religions seem to immediately shut that idea down. And even though homosexuality isn't a religious belief, I think the Hindu view on it can apply back to the idea we opened our Hinduism discussions with, that Hinduism is one of the most tolerant and accepting religions of other beliefs. 

On Tuesday, May 29, 2012 10:17:19 AM UTC-4, Ken Sklar (Radnor High School) wrote:

[Lizzy Hilt]

Throughout our studies of India, I have noticed a chronic theme of complete contradictions imbedded in their religious practices and society. India's influence of language has made a profound impact on their society that comes in direct conflict with their belief in Brahman. India has developed into a technologically advanced society that thrives on their extensive skill of math. But this talent has been ingrained into their minds since the beginning of their people. This was caused by the development of the math-oriented sanskrit language. This fuels the people to be more inclined to create technology, and as we can see through current events, their economy is on the raise. As we learned from Marx, technology drives people away from religion because their society is being advanced. How can Hindus thrive on the very thing that drives them away from their deeply rooted religion?

Along with India being a raising economic and world power, their perception of time contradicts this belief as well. As discussed in class, if there is an appointment made, there will be at least a two hour delay. When Indian businessmen conduct themselves, how do they accomplish anything when their perception of time is infinite? This concept confuses me the most. How are they able to keep clients and accomplish anything? Westerners have such a restricted and narrow-minded way of thinking. They are self-absorbed with their business, and will, frankly, get offended because they are not the top priority. I believe this system is set up for disaster whichever way you look at it. Business and technology do not fit with hinduism however they meet hand-in-hand and thrive off of each other. I believe the aspects of business help to balance out the carelessness of hinduism and vise versa. Westerners need to learn how to have a moment to themselves to have a little fun and relax. Those are the moments that hinduism thrives off of because this is time to improve yourself and try to achieve enlightenment. This is the fine balance of business and timelessness.

[Steven Wood]

I thought a particularly interesting concept found in Hinduism is their interpretation of time.  Time drives our lives and motivates everything we do from school assignments to our occupation.  The concept of time in the Western world changes our lives and decides many things and the finite time we have motivates us.  The concept of limitless time seems extraordinary in a Westerner's finite mind.  Because of time's profound influence on our lives in is extremely interesting how Hindus essentially live without finite time.  This gives Hindus a different outlook on life.  If you really think about it, as Westerners, finite time, drives who we are especially as United States' citizen.  Living in the U.S. leaves us to believe that we are always in a rush and hurry to get as much done as possible in a finite time.  So removing finite time as a whole would seemingly end stress for a fair amount of people.  I understand that the Hindu interpretation of time such as due dates and working hours are similar to ours, but in the bigger picture of time as a whole, Hindus separate themselves from the West.  This also intruiged me because analyzing Hindu time gave me time to think about Western interpretation of time.  The fundamental features of time itself seem a bit skewed on both ends because time is a synthetic measurement.  Time is a measurement of space, nothing else.  An irrelevant measurement that seems so vital to our daily lives.  This makes time something that is a bit ambiguous.  Our measurement of time can't be proven wrong, but neither can theirs.  To analyze with a bit of objectivity, I would say I much prefer their interpretation of time.  Whether it is accurate or not, I believe it is far superior because of its relaxed regulations of time and rendering time infinite.  This infinite time gives people less motivation to gain material goods in their life, but rather spiritual goods, which seem more important.

On Tuesday, May 29, 2012 10:17:19 AM UTC-4, Ken Sklar (Radnor High School) wrote:

[Zoe Bermudez]

Hinduism, to me, seems to be the most incredible and accepting
religion. I like the idea that you worship whichever God you choose;
it allows from freedom and indiviuality in one's identity. I like the
idea that you get an almost infinite number of chances to reach
salvation. The idea that you aren't automatically doomed to hell seems
like the best thing. I also like that it tries to detach you from the
material world and dissuade you from valuing physical objects at all.
To me, that's the way it's supposed to be. People are supposed to
value memories and spiritual accomplishments, not material possessions
and goals. I love that. I actually want to move to India so I can
immerse myself in that kind of culture so there is no stress with
salvation or possessions.

[Ben Cohen]

The concept of reincarnation caught my attention the most. I never
really had learned about reincarnation before. The only exposure I had
to it was a brief description of people coming back to life in
another life, but the person explaining it snickered at the idea, so I
never took it too seriously. After studying the concept I now feel
like it makes more sense than any other religious belief about the
afterlife I've ever heard. The Jewish/ christian idea of following
commandments given by the Bible or Torah seems really outdated in
modern life, and it is almost impossible to follow them and live a
normal life. Reincarnation somewhat explains the meaning of life,
which would be to become one with Atman. Becoming one with Atman seems
like an accomplishment to me, where as following the commandments seem
like rules that have been laid out just to keep the world in order,
not to accomplish anything. The biggest reason I find reincarnation
more interesting than just living one life and going to heaven or hell
is because it comes with a sense of purpose and accomplishment. The
purpose of reincarnation, enlightenment, also touches on the idea of
there being something larger than life for people to experience. I
find this idea of something beyond life as we know it a lot more
provocative than the idea of heaven, which I interpret as just a
paradise version of life as we know it. I think all people find
themselves asking what is the purpose of this life, and reincarnation/
enlightenment explain that there is something beyond this life
(unimaginable) that one can strive for. The idea of striving to reach
beyond this life really opened up my mind to a whole new category of
thinking that helps explain the purpose of life as much as humanly
possible. Overall the concept of reincarnation touched on the purpose
of life, which I find very interesting, and and showed me a whole new
perspective on life.
On May 29, 10:17 am, "Ken Sklar (Radnor High School)"

[Melissa Lee]

I thought the central aspect of one’s soul in Hinduism was very fascinating. It is interesting to think of the individual in this way because I’ve never really thought about the mind, essentially, being superior to the physical body. This constant notion of acting to achieve a focus within is pretty provocative to me, because the objectives of a person’s life with this outlook are completely spun in a new direction in order to attain enlightenment. Because the soul is one’s “true self” and a part of God, there may still be an unsureness of how through enlightenment, one may want to be god-like, yet God is already within them. And also, it was interesting that in this prominent religion of India the central concept of the soul seems to put a great focus on the individual, yet contrastingly, within the caste system, there is emphasis on one’s dharma—which acts in a manner that abides to the duties involved in the group, to spiritually emerge as an individual through enlightenment. Also, more specifically, it was interesting to learn about the different practices or ways one would go about focusing inward towards the soul. Karma, as one of the ways, uses “action” to achieve enlightenment explained the ego’s role in the material world. It seems like how in the West, the concept of school uniforms may prevent individuality of a person, the ego masks the soul, therefore making vague and distancing a person from the path towards enlightenment. The more spiritual method of raja yoga also interested me because although, I have done hatha yoga before and know about some of the various poses involved, I had yet to know the significance of the common practice that here, has been Westernized so that we don’t know the implications behind the exercise many participate in during their leisure. However, in India, yoga is much more meaningful towards Hinduism and towards the spiritual devoutness involved. Among the four main systems of yoga that would help one attain enlightenment, raja in the West would be known as meditation and tends to be associated with the “om”s and serenity we are able to visualize. But, it is fascinating how integration of such practices is so common for Hindus, and even without doing anything tangible or explicitly evident in the material world, the utter focus on the mind creates such a profound affect. As the mind is like “a drunken monkey bitten by a scorpion”, I had never thought about the great difficulty to tame the unlimited thoughts of the mind (which is ironic because I just thought right then about not thinking!).. The clairvoyance of Hinduism is also evident in the beliefs of the mind because ultimately, the concept of the mind as seeking to almost escape from the body questions if any aspect of life in the material world is real or if they are just perceptions drawn from the mind.

[Addy]

The thing that I found most provocative is their polytheistic beliefs. When I think of polytheism I'm always inclined to the Greek mythological "religion". I just assumed that all polytheistic religions were based around that type of format. The Hindu beliefs are not like that at all. The belief in Brahman being manifested into millions of smaller deities is really interesting. The culture of India seems to be so profoundly effected by that. That frame of reference leads one to believe that everything is interconnected. If God is one and God is everything and God is within you, then God embodies the very essence of your life every second. Western religions see God as almost an extraterrestrial being that governs from afar. In Hinduism with God being within you as Atman and around you as Vishnu and other manifestations, that makes you much more aware of your actions. I think that it has a huge impact on the culture. Indians seem very aware of their actions and its consequeces because of that. I think that this also explains karma. If God/gods are everywhere, then your actions an God's reactions to them are much more tangible, and I think that that is a good explanation of Karma.

On Tuesday, May 29, 2012 10:17:19 AM UTC-4, Ken Sklar (Radnor High School) wrote:

[James Lofton]

One interesting aspect to the hindu philosophy that I would
like to comment on is that the sum of the karma of the previous lives
carries over to each sequential life. This is one way that the
religion ensured that people would not waste their lives away because
they have faith they will be reincarnated to try again. If a person
was to waste their life carrying out improper actions, they will be
punished in the future with lower karma, thus keeping them returning
to the material world again and again. I think this idea really helps
to maintain diligence among the people, to continue to fulfill their
dharma, and to keep focused on the task at hand. I myself sometimes
think it would be much easier to coast through school, have fun, not
work, and do whatever I felt like because this life in a linear
concept of time really doesn't matter. Whether I grow up to be the
president of the United States or I die tomorrow, the outcome will
still be the same in the western world... death. But in Hinduism, if I
was to waste this life, I would be punished in the future, and
consequently have more ground to make up in order to achieve the Karma
level required to achieve Nirvana. This religion really gives a
meaning to a life and I find that very profound. In addition, the fact
that Hinduism gives you and infinite number of chances to 'right the
ship' and be productive, really benefits the people in ways western
religions do not. Feelings of guilt and regret do not really hamper me
in my young age because I am not worried about what will happen when I
die at this point in my life, but for an older person, who may have
made mistakes, instead of christianity damning them to hell, hinduism
lets them try again. One aspect of the Karma summation that I would
like more clarity on is whether it effects their future caste
standing. One of the handouts suggested that when a person finishes a
life with 'negative karma' they are lowered on the caste scale, even
to the point where they take the bodies of animals (however Sklar said
this was not true). But I would be very interested if it was, because
the way I see it, in modern Indian culture, the higher you go on the
caste scale, the harder it is to have good Karma. If in order to
achieve good karma one must reject the material world, it would be
must easier for a Dalit to do so rather than a rich Brahmin who has
many luxuries in life. This could be interesting as it seems like the
religion is giving you harder and harder tests as you go on until you
finally break the barrier and achieve Nirvana. This also takes into
account the ability for anybody (any caste) to achieve nirvana, it
just may take a few more years of yoga for a Dalit... thats all.

On May 29, 10:17 am, "Ken Sklar (RadnorHigh School)"
<kenneth.sk...@rtsd.org> wrote:

[Alexa Lee]

An aspect of Hinduism that I find particularly provocative is the idea of Jesus as an Avatar.  I find this concept that Jesus, who claimed to be the Son of God of the Old Testament (Jews), is believed by Hindus to be a human manifestation of Vishnu a bit mind boggling.  Since Jesus taught that He was the Son of God (rather than Vishnu...) wouldn't this clash with Hindu beliefs?  Since Jesus taught that He came to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament wouldn't this clash with Hindu beliefs?  I don't understand how Hindus can accept Jesus in their religion while He taught so many things that were completely contradictory of Hinduism, such as when one dies one enters into a deep sleep (death) until His advent.  Jesus did not believe in reincarnation. How can He be accepted as an Avatar?  Additionally Christians in the West do not believe in a "linear" timeline.  Yes it is believed by Christians that mortal finite things such as humans have a beginning and an end, but not God.  God is eternal in the Christian faith.  It is not believed that there was a beginning of the universe, in the Bible it states that God was always there.  It is not believed that there will be an end to the universe, in the Bible (Revelation it states that God will save the faithful, then destroy the evil, then create a New Jerusalem and there the saved will live happily for eternity with God.  The timeline of Christianity is not a line segment.   

[Quincy Shuda]

The aspect on Hinduism that I found the most interesting was that of reincarnation, because to me, it seems that that is the root of many of the other Hindu beliefs and cultural aspects like karma, cremation, time, and even avatars. Therefore, it seems to me that reincarnation is the most important part of Hinduism. After learning about it, I think that whether it is true or not, it is an amazing concept. Religion is supposed to be something that guides people, showing them the light of what is right and comforting them when they feel despair or hopelessness. The idea of reincarnation in Hinduism accentuates this marvelously because it is the exact thing that urges people to live their life the right way. But at the same time, it isn't overbearing and stressful (because a religion really shouldn't be) since it provides a second chance; in this way, it proves to make HInduism very forgiving. It shows that people are only human in the sense that they make mistakes and should always be able to redeem themselves, in their religion through another life. I think that think way of living would simply increase the amount of joy someone felt in their life because they would know that there is always a second chance, and although it may be suffering and they shouldn't look forward to living again, they must not dwell on their mistakes. I think this greatly contributes to the Hindu culture of a more relaxed time frame. Time doesn't really matter because it is endless. Learning about this concept made me smile for some reason because, although it may not be what I was brought up to believe, it opened my eyes to the fact that it is absolutely a possibility that would make sense, which was a very reassuring feeling. Why would people choose to believe that it's lights out after death, when there is just as much evidence that you can live again. The tie from reincarnation to karma also was very amusing to me. I think that believing that the bad things you do may actually come back to bite you in the long run is a very forceful fear that will definitely impact people and persuade them to try to do the right things. I love the idea that how you do things is more important than what you do because I feel like it really levels out the playing field. People cannot all be born with the same circumstances or "luck" because then society wouldn't have dimension and could not function, but the idea that if they make the best out of what they have they can reach their ultimate goal of enlightenment, really sheds light on any situation no matter how bad it may seem. The last aspect of reincarnation that really fascinated me is the idea of out of body experiences. The reason I love this idea is because I remember my dad telling me a story about his friend's "lucid dream" where he left his body, and I always wondered whether something like that would ever happen to me. It wasn't until we discussed it in class that I ever thought of that story as being related to a clairvoyant experience, a part of reincarnation. When I was young and my dad told me the story I thought it would be really cool but then when I pondered on the idea more it started to scare me a little, because I didn't fully understand it. I think that is the way religions and any new matter of material is though. It is hard to fully accept something and be comfortable with it if there are parts that are unexplained still. I think that is probably why many Westerners reject the idea of reincarnation, because we are raised to fear what is unknown rather than accept it as simply unexplainable. So overall, although the concept of reincarnation is foreign to me and I'm not totally sold on its truth, the way I was taught about it has definitely explained many of the undefined parts and made be seriously consider that there may be life again beyond death.

[Jeremy Rhome]

Before this unit of India, all of Hinduism was completely foreign to me.  While learning in class I began to grasp each concept and slowly piece together Hinduism.  However, one concept that I can not comprehend remains, the Hindu concept of time.  Before this unit I believed that time passes from point A to point B, and that belief was universal.  That belief just so happens to be only Western.  Westerner's linear concept of time is a product of the belief that humans only live one life. The beliefs of Hinduism produce something far from what many Westerners think is universal.  Reincarnation produces the interpretation of time in a spiral-like pattern.  Time is cyclical because of reincarnation, goals can stretch lifetimes rather than years.  The ultimate goal remains enlightenment; after that the soul becomes one with god and does not need a body to manifest itself.  Their concept of time seemingly explains most aspects of Indian culture.  From Mr. Sklar's story of waiting 45 minutes for an airport ticket-salesman to have their lunch break, or deciding not to make a bridge which would cut out an hour drive because it would ruin quality of life (in one of the handouts). This whole time concept interests me so much and provokes me to keep thinking.  As I continue to grasp the time concept by "moving out of my comfort zone" the ethnocentrism of almost every culture becomes more and more apparent.  Each culture thinks their interpretation of life is correct, but no one really knows whose culture is indeed right.  That is why it is so hard to understand concepts so foreign from your own, especially a concept which was previously believed to be universal.  The Hindu concept of time overarches the entire Indian society, but trying to understand it makes me question themes about the society that we live in.

[Allie Martin]

I never knew anything about Hinduism except it was centered in India and they believed in reincarnation. Through this unit I've leaner a lot and have found the most thought provoking aspect of the religion is the theory that everyone is Hindu. The explanation that Jesus and Mohammed were avatars of Vishnu were very interesting ideas. This encourages the tolerance the religion shows for everyone which is something  rarely seen around the world. I think that this is something that everyone could learn from considering most of the problems we read about everyday are caused by some sort of intolerance for someone whether it be their religion, sect, or nationality. Even on the religious level, many are sustained on the fact that they are right and any others are wrong. In Hinduism they believe they are right, but everyone else isn't necessarily wrong. In a way I think Hinduism embodies what America is supposed to embody, and occasionally fails to. The total tolerance Hindus have for everybody is not only a religious belief that ties everybody together, but a lesson that the whole world can learn from.

On Tuesday, May 29, 2012 10:17:19 AM UTC-4, Ken Sklar (Radnor High School) wrote:

On Tuesday, May 29, 2012 10:17:19 AM UTC-4, Ken Sklar (Radnor High School) wrote:

[Shefain Islam]

The aspects of Hinduism I found most interesting were the ideas of limitless time and enlightenment. Being from the West, there is always a place to be and a certain time to be there by. When you stop to think about the day, its amazing how important every minute of the day is in our daily lives (ex: whether it be counting down the last minutes of a class or game). The idea of endless time can seem very unbelievable, it's hard to believe in time also. There are no bells or ringers that alert us when a minute or second is over and therefore, time can be a made up concept. The contrast Western culture and South Asian culture is very evident. In South Asia, whether it be Muslim or Hindu, afternoons are spent drinking tea and time comes to standstill whereas in the West time only seems to stop at night a even then some Westerners don't know the concept of rest at night. Often this fact is seen as a weak point of the East, but could our preoccupation with time stress us to the point where it hinders us? The answer to this question is not known but the answer could possible yes . 

The second aspect I found most interesting was the concept of enlightenment mainly because of the fact that there is no definitive consequence (such as heaven or hell)  in Hinduism. In the West, we live in constant fear of our destination in the afterlife and the motivation for many of our good deeds are simply because we don't want to end up in a place like Hell. It's like studying just so we won't get a bad grade because the grade is final and definite usually. However, Hinduism has a pass/fail system that allows for as many retakes one needs to become the best version of themselves. The motivation in Hinduism is not a bad grade, but to learn and become more knowledgeable. This is a very interesting concept to me and to be frank, I'm slightly envious of this type of thinking. Because of this mindset, Indians are very willing to absorb new ideas and advance themselves which is one of the reasons for their economic success.

[Leigh]

To me, the most interesting aspect of Hinduism is the acceptance of the caste system. I never knew that Hinduism reinforced the caste system; in fact before this unit I didn't even know what the caste system was. I think the reason why the cast system is such an integral part of Indian culture is because it reinforces the Hindu concept that life in the material world is hell. It really makes people focus on improving their spiritual life because they have no chance of improving their social standings or jobs. Overall, in America we are distant spiritually, because we place so much emphasis on improving wealth and social status. The so-called "American Dream" is all about getting rich and improving your life in the material world. This concept is somewhat foreign to Hindus because they believe chasing that dream will only get you reincarnated. Since Americans don't usually believe in reincarnation, they see importance in material things because they believe you only get one life so you need to make it count. Although the caste system isn't as prevalent as it once was, and is actually illegal, it still symbolizes one of India's core values. Whether you're a dalit or a brahmin, you can achieve enlightenment by doing your darma.The reason why I found this topic so provocative is simply because it is the opposite of what I've grown up thinking. While I don't think I would enjoy living in the caste system, I can definitely appreciate what it means to Indian and Hindu culture and I think it was worth learning about.

On Tuesday, May 29, 2012 10:17:19 AM UTC-4, Ken Sklar (Radnor High School) wrote:

[Rachel Hochberger]

In my opinion, the most interesting aspect of Hinduism is their view of time, and the idea that the universe is created by Brahman and destroyed by Shiva over and over again in a constant, unremitting cycle. I found this fascinating because of how drastically different it is from the Western view of time that we practice subconsciously throughout our everyday lives. We are generally taught that time is a finite thing, and we have to be in certain places and do certain things at certain times. To us, time is generally a fleeting thing, not meant to be wasted. And because this is second nature, to hear about such a different view on time was pretty surprising. Hindus believe in a constant recycling of the universe, which I think is an interesting explanation for the world’s beginning and end. But what interested me the most about their idea of nonlinear time was how it affects their everyday life. As westerners we tend to live our lives within the constraints of time, thinking that we only live once, and have to make every moment count for something. But for Hindus, the objective seems to be much less finite, and they seem to value taking things slowly, and letting things happen as opposed to forcing or rushing them. For us, time is often a due date or a deadline, but for them it can be little more than a number. While we’re constantly making up for lost time, they literally have all the time in the world, which seems like an incredibly liberating way to live life.  And while it’s easy to be skeptical of this idea, it’s not really possible to prove whether there is one universe, or an infinite number. So while the Hindu belief and mindset on time is varies greatly from ours, it really isn't any less legitimate. 

[Sarah M]

One interesting concept of Hinduism for me was the caste system. In
the western world, we are told as children that we can be anything we
want to be when we grow up. We pride ourselves on that freedom of
choice when it comes to a job, a marriage, a home, just about
everything. It seems extremely backwards to imagine a society where
your adult career has already been planned out for you before you even
enter the world. Imagine a society where each person has a specific
role to play, job to perform, person to marry, all without any input
from the person themselves. Imagine a society where the person you are
born is the person you stay for the duration of your existence,
without any movement up the intellectual or social chains of being. It
seems so simple and efficient to pigeonhole people into every job
needed in a society. In a way, I almost find it similar to Communism.
In theory, both systems give everyone a job to complete so there won’t
be any unemployment. However, in both situations, the corruption of
the higher-ups puts the majority of the people in poverty and
conflict. If a system does not involve competition, it is setting
itself up for failure. Fear is the driving force behind all work, and
if people do not fear for their survival they will not work to their
full capacity.

In addition, the caste system reflects a social hierarchy extremely
different from that of the West. The elites of the Western world are
those who earn the most money (I.e. businessmen, entrepreneurs, etc.)
This is because money is the most important thing to the United
States, a capitalist society in which most people live in wealth
(relative to the wealth of other countries). However, in the caste
system, the religious leaders, called Brahmins, are the elites. This
is because religion is the most important thing in Hindi culture.
Their spiritual connection to their faith surpasses all material
achievements. This reversal of priorities from those of the West is
both shocking and humbling to observe.

[Erica F]

I found the most provocative aspect of Hinduism is the idea of
reincarnation. I've always known what it is, and thought is was an
interesting concept, however I usually shot it down, since I found no
evidence that it existed. I've been thinking about the idea a lot
lately. I'm not trying to say I believe in it, but that I have more
respect for the concept. It really explains some odd things that
happen to people; for example, when children are afraid of something
that they've never even encountered. Why would a child be afraid of
guns if they had no logical reason to fear them? I know that most kids
are afraid of shots- but that's simply because they know that needles
hurt, and they've probably heard terrifying stories from others.
Reincarnation is actually a logical explanation as to why that child
fears guns. Perhaps they were shot in a past life? Maybe a loved one
was injured or killed by a bullet? There could be other explanations,
but this is a feasible answer. Deja vu happens to everyone all the
time. It's such a normal thing to experience, yet nobody questions it.
Again reincarnation offers some kind of explanation for it- you may
have had that experience in a past life. It's far fetched, but
fascinating to think about. When we began to talk about how genders
and reincarnation work, I really started to wonder about
reincarnation, and if it was so strange after all. Transgendered and
homosexual people could have been the opposite sex in a past life, and
now have a different sexual orientation. It has been said that these
people just have different wiring, which is also a possible reason,
but who knows, some of their last life may have unintentionally bled
into their current life, changing their ideas about gender and
sexuality.

The handout called The Egg, by Andy Weir, really got me thinking! The
idea that you are everyone, is such a crazy, interesting thought. You
die, you come back as somebody else -you may even run into yourself-
and when you've achieved a blissful life, you get to be God. The sky
is definitely the limit for this author, because his concepts and
revelations were so out there that they actually made sense. The
weirdest part is, you never even know about the reincarnation, because
by the time you're born again, you don't remember your death. We could
be in a huge, ongoing cycle that we don't even know about. While there
is no proof that reincarnation exists, it could possibly explain some
things that us westerners cannot.


On May 29, 10:17 am, "Ken Sklar (Radnor High School)"

[Colin Castro]

I found the Hindu concepts of karma and reincarnation provocative.
It's an interesting, yet extremely powerful idea that all actions are
seen and accounted for, and permanently stay with your soul. I find
the idea that a soul is a transcendent comforting and re-assuring.
Growing up in a Western society, the idea of only living once then
being subjected to terrifying uncertainty has always scarred me.
However, a soul provides a sense of calm and allows one to strive to
be their best and build a spiritual relationship with God.
Reincarnation sounds far-fetched, but once we delved into the topic I
found the idea of an immortal soul to be very fascinating. At first,
it seems forgiving in the sense that one is given unlimited
opportunities to improve their karma and soul until they're prepared
for enlightenment and an escape from the material world. However, it
can be viewed as equally unforgiving because one could be subjected to
a long stay in the hellish, Samsara cycle to overcome immoral
behaviors. Reincarnation and Karma are bound, as karma acts as a grade
of one's actions. The ties of karma and reincarnation are equally
provocative when one reflects on themselves. For example, I know I'm
incredibly blessed and my life is full of wonderful opportunities and
tremendous people. Based on these concepts, my soul has good karma,
but while I strive to be my best would my enjoyment of life in the
material world distance me from enlightenment and hurt my karma? This
is fascinating, because sometimes through greater studies we learn
that a Dalit (a soul perceived to be weighed with poor karma) can
reach enlightenment through overcoming, and transcending his difficult
circumstances. Overall, the ties of these concepts and comparing them
to my Western upbringing has been a very cool learning experience.

[Drew Vollmer]

For me, Hinduism is not necessarily a new subject, as I have had
previous education on the unit, and several Hindu friends. However,
that doesn't keep me from being incredibly interested in such an
unfamiliar culture. The most outstanding concepts to me are the ideas
of dharma and the caste system. These concepts may be alien to a
Westerner, one with a much more free-spirited belief and outlook on
how one's lifestyle should be governed. But the fact of the matter is
that dharma and caste work hand in hand with each other, creating
excellent social cohesion. The most known example in Hindu scripture,
the Bhagavad Gita, provides a rather provocative point. When Arjuna
refuses to fulfill his duty as Kshatriya, the god Krishna reminds him
that it his dharma, and he must remain as one. Even if Arjuna does a
poor job at being a warrior, say, by dying in battle, such a life is
much more preferable to do otherwise. Such ideals completely defy
those of Western civilization. In America, it is every man's right to
pursue whatever career they desire. Such a life would be unheard of,
in fact, denounced by traditional Hindu societies. But just because
Hinduism disagrees, that does not make their economic system wrong.
The caste system really does work if every citizen performs their
dharma. Hindu societies will have the proper number of proper number
of Brahmins, the proper number of Chamars, and the proper number of
Kshatiyas. It all leads to a finely balanced society. America, on the
other hand, suffers from a great imbalance, with an shortage of
aspiring engineers, and an excess of aspiring Hollywood stars. There
is nothing wrong with following one's dreams, but such a society isn't
always as productive as it could be. Th caste system on the other
hand, creates a stable, productive civilization. So it can be said
that the caste system works well economically, but one still may
question it morally. Who would honestly subject to living as a Dalit,
carting around the villagers' feces? This is where dharma and samsara
come together. One living as a Dalit lives in such a way because they
understand that it is for their own good. They will eventually pass
away, only to be reincarnated, or better yet, achieve moksha. Living
life as an untouchable isn't frowned upon by Hindu's. Rather, it is
seen as a learning experience, or another point of view on life.
Living like so is meant to assist them in understanding the meaning of
life, thus releasing their soul from the wheel of rebirth. Such a
concept may be difficult to wrap around a Westerner's head, but the
fact of the matter is that this is accepted as how life should be
lived in Hinduism. The poor, untouchable lifestyle undesired by an
American, but in Hinduism, the life will eventually lead to great
eternal reward. Therefore, there is no, or at least very little
complaint in a proper Hindu society. The fact that Hinduism is able
to tie in economics with religion is incredible, and truly worth
noting. While many may look down upon the Hindu caste society, it
should not be dismissed, for it is simply a different, but nonetheless
effective way of governance.

On May 29, 10:17 am, "Ken Sklar (Radnor High School)"

[Claire Kirby]

    One aspect of Hinduism that really intrigued me was the idea of reincarnation. Going along with enlightenment, I found it fascinating to think about the differences between Hinduism an western religions, where we expect to go to the afterlife and they need to earn it. Also, the idea of coming back to life as another creature after you die without being enlightened was very provocative, including the handout we had from the Philadelphia Inquirer sharing stories of people who were possible reincarnations of lost family members. These stories really interested and entertained me, and I found myself on the internet after reading them researching other stories of similar concept.
     Before we began this study, the only thing about reincarnation I had encountered was that people could become reincarnated as an animal, and I heard this in a movie about a young orphan living in India after her father died. My sister and I would find ourselves talking about which animal would be the best to be reincarnated into, but I had never understood that people can also be reincarnated into other people. I found it extremely interesting that people who are reincarnated can become people of different statures in their afterlife.
    I like the fact that the concept of reincarnation has no limits, allowing Hindus endless chances for their souls to be enlightened, making themselves one with Atman. It gives people hope that they will be enlightened, and make it on to a better life outside of Maya.

[Connor]

I thought that the most interesting part of Hinduism was the non-linear concept of time. I think that if Hinduism had to be summarized in one central topic, that would be what it would be. It is also the part of Hinduism that separates it from Western religion and culture. Depending on one's understanding of time, the culture can be very different. In Western culture where it is believed that "you only live once", people tend to rush to get things done and be impatient. I find that the place where this is the most prevalent is the Western educational and business model. In Western society, people go through academic rigor for the better part of a decade in order to climb the corporate ladder for most of their lives. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but it does reflect the mentality of wanting to be successful because there is only one life. Contrast this to the Hindu concept of time where people believe that they live infinite times. This can lead to a more relaxing life in which people have less pressure to succeed. On the negative side, however, it has lead to less motivation to do well, which reelects poorly on the country in comparison to Western culture. The concept of time reflects on all aspects of Hinduism. It appears in reincarnation by people living multiple times, karma by people's actions affecting other lives and dharma by having different jobs in different lives. The most interesting part of Hinduism and the part that I think defines the rest is the concept of time.

[Josh Klag]

The most provocative thing I learned about Hinduism was the idea that the ultimate goal in life doesn't lie in the material world, but instead is abandoning material desires and becoming one with god. While I respect this belief and can see its value, I personally think that it has a huge drawback- it prevents you from enjoying life. Since we truly don't know what lies beyond this world, I believe that we should enjoy this life as much as we can, even if that joy lies in material things. Of course, morals should be kept in check so as not to prevent any other individual from enjoying theirs. So although their beliefs regarding "moksha" do interest me and make me rethink some aspects of my own culture, my personal values and beliefs about life force me to strongly disagree. Of course, I also feel the same way about western religions, as their emphasis on life after death (heaven and hell) gets in the way of loving the life we have now.

[Alex Freedman]

One aspect of Hinduism that I found particularly provocative is the
concept of time. I always find myself scrambling to accomplish all I
have to do in my busy life for school, my family, friends,
extracurriculars...the list goes on. Additionally, I find myself
stressed because I don't have enough hours in the day to do all of
these things. The Hindu concept of time is one that really appeals to
me. It allows one to look at time as something that is infinite rather
than limited. It allows one to realize that rushing around, wasting
your life worried about miniscule details is a loss of time that could
be spent doing something you enjoy. Our society also places a lot of
pressure on punctuality, and I believe a more nonchalant aditude
towards being on time would allow the west to be less stressful and
more productive. For someone who is always late and/or stressed, these
qualities are very appealing. In the west, you only live once (YOLO),
and time in linear. I believe that the concept of time being more of a
circle shape is better and allows one to think about the greater
picture. If you only believe you are on the earth for a short period
of time, you are less inspired to make an impact on the world. A
believe in different lives and reincarnation allows one to, again,
truly see the bigger picture of life and strive to reach
enlightenment. I think that Hinduism is a very interesting religion
with many good qualities I wish I could bring into my own life.

On May 29, 10:17 am, "Ken Sklar (Radnor High School)"

[Maddie Chapin]

The one topic in the various handouts that I found most interesting was the common idea of aborting fetuses, if they are a girl. Although I was aware of the fact that men were more prized in many cultures than woman, this idea of aborting only girls saddened me to this culture. It also caused me to think alot about this idea of abortion and joining it with their idea of a neverending life, the circle instead of the line idea. Although here in the United States we seem apalled at this idea of finding out the sex of the child to determine whether to abort it or not, this also corresponds with the idea of only one life. After thinking a lot about this female abortion idea, although it is sickening, I also can understand the culture change from the west to the east. This article actually caused me to think a lot about the comparison of our culture vs. the Hindu culture where men are so valued. It is also interesting to think about how an abortion can be looked at so differently in this culture that believes in reincarnation so the idea of death isn't as big of a deal which also makes abortion not as big of a deal. The fact that India is stepping up to prevent these abortions shows their upcoming and modernizing culture and I am eager to see what happens with the strange concept of gender select abortions.