Hinduism Chapter Review Questions

1.     Moksha is the release from ordinary, finite, limited realm of existence into the infinite ocean of the divine.

2.     Monism. Analogy that relates to this is relating it to rivers, ponds, lakes and oceans. They are distinctive yet they are all made up of water.

3.     Brahman is the essence of all things. Atman is eternal self. Brahman is Atman. All reality is one.

4.     Since Brahman and Atman are beyond reach of the senses and of thought, the deities help to have access points of contact with the divine. Each of the deities with their own personal characteristics.

5.     “The wheel of re-birth”, the individual is reincarnated from one life form to another.

6.     Hindu’s most popular sacred text is the Bhagavad-Gita.

7.     Karma and Dharma are the two principles that connect the divine to the world. Karma is the moral law of cause and effect that states every action produces an outcome that is justified by the action’s moral worthiness. Dharma is the ethical duty based on the divine order of reality.

8.     The four classes of the caste system are the Brahmin (priests), Kshatriya (warriors and administrators), Vaishyas (producers such as farmers, merchants and artisans) and the Shudras (servants and laborers).

9.     Krishna encourages Arjuna to engage in the battle because the doors to heaven are open and if he decides not to take on the war, then he is abandoning his own duty and fame only to gain evil.

10.  The four stages of life are 1. Student (intensive study of the Vedas and other sacred literature). 2. Householder (pursuing a career and raising a family are central. Women are involved in this stage. 3.  The birth of the first grandchild (forest wilder stage). 4. Sannyasin (wandering ascetic, this is the stage for forest dwellers who are ready to return back to society but remain detached from the normal attractions and distractions of social life).

11. The four goals of life are 1. Kama, which is pleasure. 2. Artha, material success and the social power and prestige that accompanies it. 3. Harmony with Dharma, maintaining ethical duty. 4. The bliss of Moksha, the infinite ocean of the divine.

12. Three paths to liberation are 1. For the Active (people who are good physical activities, raise families and prefer to seek liberation through Karma Marga). 2. The philosophical “The Path of Knowledge” (intended for those with the talent for philosophical reflection. Spend a great deal of time in learning and medication). 3. For the emotional “The Path of Devotion” (those whom emotional attachment comes naturally. Directs spiritual energy outward, in worship of the deity).

13. The three important schools of philosophy are Vedanta, Sankhya and Yoga. Their main goal in the attainment of knowledge over the ignorance that binds the self to samsara.

14. Three important gods/goddesses of Hinduism are Vishnu (the preserver), Shiva (the destroyer) and Agni (god of fire).

15. An avatar is an incarnation or living bodiment of a deity commonly of Vishnu, who is sent to earth to accomplish a divine purpose. Two important figures of avatars are Rama and Krishna.

16. The Bhagavad-Gita Gita is closely associated with the Bhakti Marga.

17. The three devotional aspects of life are Household and village rituals, Holy Places and Cow Veneration.

18. Gandhi pushed for Hinduism to accept all wisdom as lighting the way to the divine.

19. Now, the caste system is pushing for economic and social rights for those people.

20. Sati is the burning of a widow. Today, sati has been forbidden but it still does occur, though rarely.

21.  In 1947, the Muslim community forced the portioning of India to form the divided nation of Pakistan (east now Bangladesh), thus providing a Muslim homeland.