Week 6 Vocabulary: Hinduism

Week 6 Vocabulary: Hinduism

by Kathleen Stedman

Holi: a Hindu spring festival characterized by boisterous and usually ribald revelry including especially the throwing of colored water and powder.

Suttee: the act or custom of a Hindu widow burning herself to death or being burned to death on the funeral pyre of her husband; also : a woman burned to death in this way.

Ganges: Flowing primarily through northern India, this river is considered the most sacred for Hindus, referred often to "Mother Ganges". This river represents purity, and thus one of the most important actions regarding it is bathing in it. The healing powers of the Ganges is often bottled up to the sick and dying. Besides bathing in it, devotees pray to it, chant its name, and drink its waters.

Puja: the act of showing reverence to a god, a spirit, or another aspect of the divine through invocations, prayers, songs, and rituals.

Satyagraha: pressure for social and political reform through friendly passive resistance practiced by M. K. Gandhi and his followers in India.

Guru: a religious teacher and spiritual guide in Hinduism

-Typically, we use 'guru' to describe things that have nothing to do with Hinduism, as an alternative definition for 'guru' is 'a person who has a lot of experience in or knowledge about a particular subject.' For example, a 'makeup guru' is a person who knows a lot about makeup and typically shares their knowledge with others about it. In a way, there can be a 'guru' for most every subject.

www.sikh-history.com

"Siddhi is most often applied to a variety of spritual-related psychic capabilities or powers manifested by adherents in the Hindu and Buddhist realms. Through recognizing emptiness, clarity and openness of the mind, different qualities arise naturally, since they are part of mind. The Buddha, whose personal name Siddharta is based in the root-word and means "he whose aim is accomplished," distinguishes between two types:

Normal Siddhis: all those forces of the conditioned world that transform elements.

Extraordinary Siddhis: the ability to open beings up for the liberating and enlightening truths; to lead to Realization.

Siddhi is typically defined as "a magical or spiritual power for the control of self, others and the forces of nature." The Siddhis described by occultists and yogis are in actuality Supernormal Perceptual States available to all human beings. These are absolutely natural abilities that can be explained in highly rational terms. There is nothing mysterious or magical about the Siddhis." -http://the-wanderling.com/siddhis.html

Ashram: a place where a person or a group of people go to live separately from the rest of society and practice the Hindu religion.

-Paralleled to a religious retreat of sorts, Ashram is typically a place where disciples of the Hindu religion can go with like-minded individuals and dedicate their full time to practicing the Hindu religion.

www.satyachetana.org

Pictured above: A typical Ashram, that houses the disciples of Hinduism.

Works Cited

"Ashram." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ashram>.

"Benefits of Yoga for Surfers." LanzaroteSurf. 25 Nov. 2014. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http://www.lanzarotesurf.com/benefits-yoga-surfers/>.

"Diwali." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diwali>.

"Gadamanitri Ashram | Satyachetana Ashram." Satyachetana Ashram RSS. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http://www.satyachetana.org/mainashram/gadamanitri-ashram/>.

"Ganges River." Faithology. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http://www.faithology.com/places/ganges-river>.

"Guru." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guru>.

"Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469 - 1539)." Sikh Gurus. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http://www.sikh-history.com/sikhhist/gurus/nanak1.html>.

"Holi." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holi>.

"Osho Sannyas." Osho Sannyas. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http://www.neosannyas.org/>.

"Puja | What Is Puja?" Puja | What Is Puja? Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http://www.asia.si.edu/pujaonline/puja/background.html>.

"SIDDHIS: Supernormal Perceptual States." SIDDHIS: Supernormal Perceptual States. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http://the-wanderling.com/siddhis.html>.

"Sannyasin." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sannyasin>.

"Satyagraha." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/satyagraha>.

"Subbus Kitchen: Diwali Recipes - Diwali Sweets & Snacks - How Do We Celebrate Diwali." Subbus Kitchen. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http://www.subbuskitchen.com/2009/10/diwali-recipes-diwali-sweets-snacks.html>.

"Suttee." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suttee>.

"Yoga." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yoga>.

www.lanzarotesurf.com

Yoga: a Hindu theistic philosophy teaching the suppression of all activity of body, mind, and will in order that the self may realize its distinction from them and attain liberation.

-Yoga is a common practice with humans of all size and shape, and not necessarily practiced by Hindus. Bikram, hot yoga, and suspended yoga are all forms of Yoga.

Diwali: known as the "Festival of Lights", Diwali is celebrated as a religious holiday throughout India in mid-November.

Diwali is one of the most commonly known Hindu festivals, as it's portrayed in media(Season 3, Episode 6 of popular NBC "the Office").

Sannyasin: a Brahman who having attained the fourth and last stage of life as a beggar will not be reborn, but will instead be absorbed into the Universal Soul.

-On the OSHO Sannyas website, it is stated, “It is your decision. Always remember, whatsoever happens here is your decision. If you are a sannyasin, it is your decision. If you drop sannyas, it is your decision. If you take it again, it is your decision. I leave everything to you.” Osho also states that “The sannyas movement simply means the movement of the seekers of truth.”

This level of depth within religion is evident, as one becomes absorbed into the Universal Soul. Sannyasin is taken very seriously, but OSHO is saying it is all an individual choice.

www.subbuskitchen.com