Namaste

Hello, friends!

Namaste: the Divine in me bows to the Divine in you. A common greeting on the India subcontinent, accompanied by flat palms, pressed together with fingers up, against the chest, accompanied by a small bow.

I love this greeting, and first had it explained to me last summer during an interfaith conference when I sat in on a short discussion of Hinduism (though members of different belief systems common to India also use it). I am writing about it now because of my impending doom exam tomorrow morning for a class I took this semester, Introduzione alle religioni orientali (Introduction to Oriental Religions). This course was in Italian, and ended up proving much more difficult for me than it should have (it certainly did not help that it was on a topic about which I am only marginally familiar, or the fact that we also have to learn vocabulary in Chinese and Sanskrit, or that it was at 8:30 a.m. on Monday mornings...). However, with a little help from the notes of a friend here who speaks infinitely better Italian than me (thank you!) and four straight days of solitary confinement in my apartment, I am slightly closer to understanding the four belief systems that I need to know about for my test tomorrow: Taoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

My primary interest in learning about religions is usually to better understand people I meet who practice these religions. This has also made it a bit hard for me to tackle the material for this course. Yes, I have met Hindu individuals in the past, and those that vaguely ascribe to Buddhism (and in 2012 I had the opportunity to hear the Dalai Lama answer a question I sent in about multifaith relations when he visited my university...check out his answer here, at 54:00--he even does the namaste-type bow!). But even so, these experiences have been few and far between, and I have never knowingly met a Taoist or someone who ascribes to Confucianism. So why learn about them?

Before, I could never understand why all people did not try to learn more about Judaism. "But it's such an ancient religion!," I'd think. "But we exist all over the globe! Plus, we're super cool!" And yet...I understand a little more now. I understand how it could not necessarily feel extremely important to everyone to learn about a religion that is a minority in their part of the world. Because I found it tough to study these Eastern religions, which seem so far away from me and with which I have never really interacted. I guess, though, I wanted to study them just in case I ever do meet someone who belongs to these groups. Additionally, a side benefit I did not expect is that learning about these systems has reminded me that the Judeo-Christian tradition that seems to envelop the whole planet...really only dominates part of the planet. Hinduism and Buddhism are some of the oldest religions on the planet (older than Judaism), and have many, many adherents. I see value in learning about them.

What do you think? Should we take the time to learn about minority religions (Judaism, Zoroastrianism, UU)? What about religions that have basically died out (ancient Greek belief systems)? Or those that some consider heretical today (paganism, Wicca)? Why, or why not?

So now, in response to my father asking me earlier today, "So what do I need to know about these belief systems?" and my previous inability to find an adequate answer immediately, I have decided to compile some interesting facts about the four systems I have been studying. Feel free to read or not as you like. This is meant simply as a brief introduction for those of you who, like me, could use some more information on Eastern traditions. Please comment if you think I am mistaken about something, or if you have something to add.

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Taoism (sometimes called "Daoism")
"Tao" means a variety of things, primarily "way," "journey," or "path." This belief system originated in China, and is generally divided into two types: Tao-Chia is philosophical Taoism, whereas Tao-Chiao is religious Taoism. The goal of the philosophical strain is the mystical union with this "Tao," which is vaguely some type of ineffable concept. Religious Tao-Chiao is instead more concerned with achieving immortality through this union with the Tao. Apparently adherents refrain from eating grains or legumes, and also try to eat meals with foods that are black, white, yellow, red, and green. They also will not undergo surgery, all in an effort to work towards immortality by maintaining the pure, natural state of the human. This also means meditating to forget all learning.
 

Yin-Yang; white yin representing the feminine/cool/passive elements in us all, black yang the male/hot/active

Confucianism 
This belief system was the state religion of China for a while (a long time ago). It also incorporates the idea of "tao" that comes forth in Taoism, but defines the ways to achieve union with Tao in different ways. For example, Confucianism emphasizes the importance of interacting with other people in certain ways. The five primary relationships are king-subject, parents-children, husband-wife, older brother-younger brother, the elderly-the young, and Confucianism defines the proper ways to act in all of these interpersonal relationships. It also identifies the Four Divine Seeds, which are innate dispositions of people (the compassionate heart, the shameful heart, the selfless heart, and the heart that discerns between good and evil). The idea is that people have different amounts of these dispositions, so you have to cultivate them to bring some out. Study is valued, as well as loyalty/sincerity to others, and being a person of your word (for example, showing up on time for a meeting that you agreed to attend). Also, believers do not donate organs, but they can apparently donate blood.

Hinduism 
With no single founder, Hinduism involves a collection of different belief systems from India. One interesting thing I learned was that Jains and Sikhs actually somehow fall under the umbrella of Hinduism. Hinduism often gets a bad name amongst monotheists because of its belief in multiple divinities, but if I am understanding it correctly, these are actually manifestations of the same general G-d in different forms. There are three main divinities I learned about: Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver (he's blue and has four arms and often has a lotus flower and a conch shell), and Shiva the Destroyer (he had a trident and a snake). They can have different names if they are represented in certain situations, or if they are represented as women. India has long had a caste system, so that also plays in to the religion somewhat (first class "Brahmani" is priests--the "mouth" of Brahma, second class "Kshatrya" would be men in politics--the arm of Brahma, third class "Vaishnya" would be normal people--the legs of Brahma, and the fourth class "Sudra" is servants--the feet of Brahma). Most Hindus believe in reincarnation. Hinduism also makes use of the Om sound/symbol:

The "3" part on the left represents birth, the curly on the bottom right is life, the little "U" with a diamond at the top is death

Buddhism
Buddhism is based upon the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, or Buddha. Buddhists seek to escape a neverending path of rebirth until one can achieve nirvana, and remove all suffering. It is "nontheistic," which means some lack of a belief in G-d. This somehow means that many people that ascribe to Buddhism also follow another religion (a trendy term today in the United States is "Jewboo," a Jewish Buddhist). The Four Noble Truths are the truth of dukkha (suffering, anxiety), the origin of dukkha, the cessation of dukkha, and the path to the cessation of dukkha. The two main strains in Buddhism today are Theravada ("School of the Elders," the older and more conservative strain) and Mahayana (the more popular one today). Buddhists look to the Three Jewels for refuge and guidance, which are Buddha (as an example to imitate), dharma (teachings), and sangha (community). The Noble Eightfold Path are the eight tenets many Buddhists try to live by: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
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These religious and philosophical systems have a lot more to them than this, but I figure these brief descriptions will serve as a start for those interested in pursuing further study of Eastern religions.
 

Now go out and love one another.

Namaste.

<3,
Allyson