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33 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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Atman |
Translated as "Self" It + avidya (ignorance) = Jiva 3) Body 2) Jiva 1) Atman/Brahman (n) |
(Self) |
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Brahman or Brahma, neuter |
Brahman = "Ultimate" "Neti, neti" = not this, not that Nirguna = "w/out qualities" "One alone w/out a second"
Brahma (m) = Creator God |
(Ultimate) |
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Eight Limbs of Raja Yoga |
1 & 2 are to get distractions of the mind and body out of the way
3 is to find a yogic posture, one of the best known of which is the lotus posture
4 is to master one's breathing. In addition to making it regular, one must make it so that breathing is almost undetectable
5 is to concentrate completely inwardly, leaving behind all connection with the outward senses.
6 is to learn to focus all energies of the mind to one singular object, allowing the memories and thoughts of the mind to manifest and then subside until serenity in concentration is attained
7 is to deepen in concentration until all self-awareness has disappeared. Instead, the yogi and the object on which he or she focuses come into union
8 is where the intellect is lost in the infiniteness of God and realizes what was meant by the Upanishads, "You are that." |
(royal yoga) |
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Four Ends/Wants of Man |
kama is "pleasure" artha is "success/wealth" dharma is "civic duty/virtue" moksha "freedom/liberation"
None are viewed as bad goals, just as things to experience, only to find that moksha is the final and most fulfilling/important want of man
Moksha actually doesn't exist: it is to escape from samsara, but one can't because Brahman is everything, including samsara
Dharma: Sva-dharma is one's duty pertaining to their station Sadharana Dharma is your Universal Duty regardless of your position |
(pleasure, success, duty, liberation) |
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Jiva |
Brahman + avidya = Jiva Avidya is caused by the illusion of maya
The individual person, ego, personality
The idea of moksha returning Jiva to Brahman is false because your Atman is Brahman
Idea is to realize that you are Brahman, you are one with the Ultimate Self |
(individual ego) |
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Jnana Yoga & Bhakti Yaoga |
Jnana = knowledge, realization that one is Brahman Giving up own individuality and personal power, agency Practiced in non-theistic hindu tradition
Bhakti = discipline of love or devotion to God "I'd rather taste sugar than be sugar." - Sri Ramakrishna I'd rather serve God than be God. |
(knowledge yoga) (yoga of devotion or love) |
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Karma |
Translated as "action" A law of nature that occurs regardless of what you do For every action there is an equal and later reaction
Vedanta = one cannot blame God because it is a law of nature
The future can be changed, but present events are unavoidable
Samskara = "grooves on your mind" from past lives that affect how you live your current life, habits and thought-processes created by repeated actions and thoughts
Used as a tool of the wealthy to justify the status quo. |
(action; law of rehabilitation) |
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Karma Yoga |
Work without attachment to the fruits of your actions, you must work and then renounce the fruits
Bhagavad Gita This is the thrust of Krishna's argument as to why Arjuna should fight
Violates sadharana dharma, but if acts without attachment to fruits of action, is achieving Karma Yoga, one of the Three Paths to Moksha |
(action yoga) |
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Kali Yuga |
The last of 4 Ages of Mankind that cycle through
1 cycle = Maha Yuga
Golden Siver Bronze ***Iron/Rust = the Age of Discord
Samsara = 1 Maha Yuga
Dharma declines over the 4 ages |
(Age of Discord) |
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Maya |
1. Mystical power of creation and illusion 2. Relation to Brahman: Brahman + maya (cosmic ignorance) = samsara 3. Relation to Shakti: transformative power to make creation, one of her aspects is as temptress Maha Maya, deluder, creates the maya that deludes us, spreading the cosmic ignorance, gives Shiva the ignorance that he has power over her 4. Relation to Krishna: reveals the appropriate emotional response (Ex: Yashoda looks into mouth, sees universe, begins to worship Krishna, he makers her forget so that she can return to nurturing him) 5. The human predicament is ignorance - you're deluded into the fact that you have agency
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(mystic power of creation, illusion) |
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Moksa or Mukti |
Escape from samsara to the Ultimate Reality
Doesn't exist |
(liberation) |
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Saguna and Nirguna Brahman |
Saguna = theistic side iconic - can represent them with some sort of picture
Nirguna = non-theistic side cannot portray Brahman aniconic
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(qualified and unqualified Ultimate) |
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Samsara |
Realm of suffering |
(world cycle) |
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Sat Chit Ananda |
Brahman's 3 aspects The true wants Attained through moksha
1. Sat = Infinite Being 2. Cit = Consciousness as opposite of maya, delusion 3. Ananda = bliss |
(Infinite Being, Consciousness, Bliss) |
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"Tat Tvam Asi" |
"That thou art"
Dissolved salt = we can use other senses to detect Brahman
Clay example |
("You are That") |
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Avatara |
Incarnations of Visnu
Krishna and Rama are most famous
He incarnates whenever there's a serious decline in virtue to protect the good and punish the evil |
(incarnation or descent) |
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Kali |
One of the forms of Shakti
Maternal axis opposite of Good Mother
Kali destroys the finite to make way for the infinite
Not necessarily evil, but dangerous and destructive
Power that arouses creation from Shiva
She eats what she has given birth to for she has given birth to everything, and how else will she sustain her suckling creation? |
(the Terrible Mother) |
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Krsna or Krishna |
Avatar of Visnu
Takes on the disguise of Krishna with maya to play
Pranks with mother, butter thief, gopis
Goal: to experience the joy of being Krishna
Bhagavad Purana = no purpose in incarnation other than to play, no ulterior motive
Bhagavad Gita = incarnates when decline in virtue Teaches Arjuna role of Dharma and Moksha
Kansa demon |
(the God of Play) |
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Lila |
Play
purpose for our existence, for maya and samsara is to play
just so that we can experience things, emphasis is on the process, not the goal
Theater play: Krishna’s play allows for him as the absolute to take on a persona, to wear a mask, a disguise that allows for response to the divine that otherwise would be impossible
Sport play: reveals the freedom and spontaneous self-expression of the divine |
(play) |
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Linga or Lingam |
Phallic
symbol of Shiva, symbol of Shiva's creative side as opposed to destructive
together with the Yoni (Shakti's symbol)
prominent in all representations of Shiva
Shaft of light, Shiva appears after Brahman lies, Folly of Brahma = Brahma will not be worshiped |
(symbol of Siva) |
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Murti and Vigraha |
Theistic side of Hinduism
Murti = anything that has definite shape and limits Vigraha = that form which enables the mind to grasp the nature of god Icons are fantastical, 5 heads, 6 arms, blue skin, elephant head
Through consecration, the deities are invited to inhabit the icons in a ritual of hospitality
Puja = traditional customs and rules of hospitatlity
They're not worshiping the man-made icon, they're worshiping the deity inhabiting the icon
Darsan = to see and be seen Like touching the divine |
(icon, image) |
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Puja |
Practice of Bhakti-Yoga
Basic model i to go thrugh the domestic customs of hospitality 1. Bathing deity in milk and water and ghee 2. Flowers, music, sound 3. Basically what you would do for your most honored house guest |
(ritual worship) |
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Sakti or Shakti |
Shakti = energy/power
Maha Devi = the Great Goddess
Shaikites say she's the mother of the Tri-Murti
Symbolized by the Yoni, the womb
Symbolizes transformative power
Forms: Maternal/Natural axis: 1. Good Mother life-giving 2. Terrible Mother destructive Psychological/Spiritual axis 1. Giver of Wisdom - Maha Vidya 2. Temptress/Deluder - Maha Maya - delused us into thinking that we have earned our own energy, demonstrated in her relationship with Shiva
According to Shakti-followers, Shakti-mat = "he [Shiva] is possessed by Shakti" |
(the Goddess of Energy) |
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Siva or Shiva |
According to followers, described as Shakti-mat = "he who possesses Shakti"
Followers say that Shakti is his consort
Takes on the form of Brahma to create and the form of Shiva to destroy
Manifest and Unmanifest parts 1. Param Brahma, nirguna, infinite consciousness, symbolized by linga 2. Maha Isvara, saguna 1) Creator 2) Maintainer 3) Destroyer 4) Remover of maya
Paradoxes: Benign-Horrific Creative-Destructive Erotic-Ascetic Female-Male Active-Quiescent |
(the Destroyer) |
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Yoni |
the Cosmic Yoni temporal order, cycles of growth, natural process
transformative power |
(symbol of Devi) |
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Dharma |
Got it |
(cosmic, social, and moral order) |
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Four Stages of Life |
Student - education, growing
Householder - responsibility, artha and kama
Hermit - renounces physical material and sexual pleasures, retires from social and professional life
Renouncer - totally devoted to God, state of detachment from physical things and fruits of labor and desires, MOKSHA |
(student, etc.) |
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Four Stations of Life |
Caste system
Chapter Huston Smith |
(the Four Classes) |
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Raja Parba |
Ritual celebration of the menses of the earth (raja = king, parba = earth) * husbands leave the village * brothers and fathers care for women |
(menses of the earth) |
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Sannyasin |
"Renouncer"
Giving up worldly attachment, seeking oneness with God
Raju appeared to be a renouncer At the end he became it, as demonstrated by becoming one with creation/Brahman
Darsan as well |
(renouncer) |
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Bhagavad Gita |
"Lord's Council to a Disciple"
Short and fairly recent work 700 verses
dialogue of Krishna with Arjuna
Krishna is charioteer of Arjuna, who a self-reflective archer
Sees family and friends on both sides, so doesn't want to fight
Krishna goes through several reasons as to why he must fight
Reason it is influential workc= addresses what to do when your sva-dharma and sadharana dharma seem to conflict
Leads to idea of Karm-Yoga - working w/out attachment to the fruits of your actions |
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Purusha Sukta (Rig Veda X.90) |
By the seer Rishi Narayana
Cosmic Man in whom consists all of creation
1000 heads 1000 eyes 1000 legs
This is the only God who is everywhere at every time in whom consists everything
No desire is possible when all of creation is one Purush
The Purusha is not the ‘seen’ but the ‘seer’ => “seer seeing himself without a seen"
shortcut to Superconsciousness for the seeker of Reality |
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Upanishads |
Series of works
Part 6
Sage by the name of Uddalaka and his son, Svetaketu
Father to son: To know the Vedas is not enough – one needs instruction in that which cannot be perceived (composition of all clay is known by having one tiny clod, only distinguishable from other clods of clay by name)
Clay
Dissolved salt
Fig seed |
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