Term
| What is the relationship between religions and death? |
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Definition
| Religion seeks to counter death |
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Term
In what way does each of the world religions oppose death?
Christianity—
Muslims—
Judaism—
Hindus and Buddhists—
Daoism—
Confucianism— |
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Definition
-Christianity—everyone offered eternal life through Christ the savior
-Muslims—eternal life in heaven for the faithful who obey god’s commands
-Judaism—alludes to life after death (misrep to say afterlife or eternal life in heaven) is emphasized
-Hindus and Buddhists—round of rebirth
-Daoism—seek immortality through extending this very life for all time
-Confucianism—fails to offer any explanation of what comes, but refers to immortals |
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Term
| What is the Buddhist 3-point contemplation on death? |
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Definition
-Death is definite
-Time of death is indefinite
-At time of death, the only thing that claims to help is religious practice |
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Term
| What is the distinction between knowledge and belief? |
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Definition
-Knowledge-- justified true belief or perhaps justifiable true belief. Knowledge observes an actual existence. It is concordant with the fact. One cannot know that which does not exist.
-Belief—not all belief is knowledge “things I believe that I do not know” |
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Term
| How do belief and faith relate? |
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Definition
| All faith is belief, but not all belief is faith |
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Term
| What are the various aspects of faith? Must faith always be spiritual or religious? |
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Definition
-All human religion and spirituality is faith-based
-Objects of faith: persons, texts, practices, experiences, feelings, places and objects |
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Term
| If we do not know something or if something is merely a matter of faith, is it fair to conclude that it is impossible? |
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Definition
| When rels study is done fairly it at least allows for the possibility that what people believe could be true |
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Term
| What does it mean to say that in order for a religious system to be effective it must accord with reality? |
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Definition
| -Its must accord with realty. Any system which relies upon false assertions or incorrectly describes the way things are cannot lead one to freedom |
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Term
| What is the meaning of Carl Sagan’s saying that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence? How does this relate to issues of religion and spirituality? |
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Definition
| No evidence of god, is not evidence of no god. |
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Term
| What are 5 attributes that one should look for in rels all over the world? |
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Definition
-An explanation of the self
-An explanation of the ultimate or divine
-Mythology
-Ritual
-ethics |
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Term
| In regard to the nature of the self, what are three main views of the ‘components’ of the person? How is the soul distinct? |
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Definition
-Body—physicalists – mind arises from body
-Body and mind—only Buddhists- body arises from mind
-Body, mind & soul—soul is permanent aspect of personality; body and mind like clothes |
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Term
| When the Divine is asserted.. what happens |
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Definition
| The Divine is the ultimate truth |
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Term
| -What are the foundations of religions? |
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Definition
| -Foundations of religion is not meant to refer to the origins or earliest evidences of religion. Rather, it is meant to refer to the motivations for religion and the underlying assumptions of religion. |
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Term
| Describe the division of religions into world religions/global religions and small-scale religions |
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Definition
World (arose in Asia)
Small-scale-two types:
1. particular ethnic beliefs-mayan
2. not ancient, but small-scientology, mormon |
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Term
| What is the list of 7 world religions or global religions? |
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Definition
o Christianity
o Buddhism
o Judaism
o Daoism
o Confucianism
o Hinduism
o Islam |
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Term
| Describe the division of religions into self-powered and other-powered religions. |
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Definition
oSelf-powered—Buddhism, Hinduism, Daoism, Confucianism
•Liberation—quest ultimately internal; wisdom
•“be a lamp unto yourself [illuminate your own path]” –Buddha
oOther-powered—Christianity, islam, Judaism
•Power for salvation outside of oneself
•“no one comes to the father except by me” --Jesus |
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Term
| What is soteriology? In what way is the division of religions into self-powered and other-powered a soteriological division? |
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Definition
| Soteriology—having to do with salvation or liberation |
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Term
| In any religion completely self-powered? Is any religion completely other-powered? What does this division mean? |
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Definition
| All religions call for reliance on both oneself and things outside of oneself. |
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Term
| Describe the division of religions into wisdom traditions and prophetic traditions. What do wisdom traditions say is the source of suffering and death? What do prophetic traditions say? |
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Definition
Wisdom traditions—Asian religions
•Suffering—result of our own ignorance
•Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, Hinduism
Prophetic traditions—Abrahamic religions
•Suffering—result of our failure to obey god
•Christianity, Judaism, Islam |
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Term
| Describe the assertion in Asian religions that one may become the equivalent of the Buddha or Lao-zi. Is this sort of assertion found in Christianity? |
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Definition
We are all cut from the same bolt of cloth, so we too may become enlightened. Buddha and Lao-zi ultimately freed by their wisdom; ordinary people can do the same.
No suggestion in Christianity that one can ascent to level of Christhood. Christ is divine |
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Term
| What is the list of countries in South Asia? |
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Definition
o India—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, & Sikhism developed here
o Pakistan
o Bangladesh
o Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon)
o Tibet
o Nepal
o Andaman Islands |
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Term
| What do Hindus call their tradition? What is the meaning of the term? |
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Definition
Dharma – that which holds
•‘that which holds reality, truth, duty, law… etc’ |
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Term
| What are two very important differences between Hinduism and Buddhism that the Prof. pointed out? |
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Definition
Hindus—god created world; denied by Buddhists
Hindus—believe everything has soul; denied by Buddhists |
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Term
| Describe the Hindu creation myth. Who are the four important Gods who play in the myth? What is the role of each? What is kalpa? What is the kaliyuga? |
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Definition
-Brahman (ultimate world soul)
-Shiva (destroyer god)—not seen as evil; destroys world to start anew when it becomes adharma (horribly unlivable)
-Vishnu (sustainer god) sleeps on 1000 headed cobra. Out of Vishnu’s navel grows a lotus, where the god Brahma (creator god) is born. Brahma holds the universe in his hand—shaped like an enormous egg, “The Egg of Brahma.”
• Egg divided into 21 zones, earth is 7th from top
• Paradise 1-6, Earthly world 7-14, Netherworlds 15-18?, Hells 19-21
-Vishnu awakens and governs world throughout the aeon. At the end of the aeon, Vishnu once again sleeps and universe is absorbed into his body.
-Eventually even Vishnu & potency of universe contained within him will merge with Brahman until once more Brahman gives issue to Vishnu & process is repeated
-Kalpa—4.2 billion years (day of Brahma)
-Kaliyuga – began 31,023bce, lasts 432 k years, dark era—aeon *avg human lifespan will lesson to only 10 years* |
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Term
| What is the meaning of the Sanskrit terms “lingam,” “yoni,” and “tantra?” |
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Definition
o Lingam—means “sign” (sign of being a man is having a penis) rounded stone
o Yoni—represents vagina
o Tantra—“continuem” |
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Term
| Who are the “devas?” What is the literal meaning of this term? |
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Definition
Deva—“shining one, luminous one, deity, divine”
Devas—the gods of the Aryans |
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Term
| Briefly describe the Hindu caste system. What is the meaning of the term “varna”? |
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Definition
1. The priests
2. the rulers and warriors
3. the merchants or common people
4. the servants
-Varna: color, lighter skin- higher caste, darker skin- lower caste |
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Term
| What is the meaning of the term “veda?” What is the big Rig Veda? |
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Definition
Vedas—earliest class of Hindu religious literature; means “wise” “sacred knowledge”
Rig Veda—“veda of praise;” prayers to devas (shining one); original Hindu religious text |
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Term
| What is the meaning of the word “karma?” |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the definition of karma? What does each part of this definition mean? |
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Definition
-The virtuous, non-virtuous, and neutral actions of body, speech, and mind as well as the pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral effects which may arise from those actions.
-Virtuous actions—of the type that may give rise to pleasant effects.
-Non-virtuous actions—of the type that may give rise to unpleasant effects |
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Term
| What is the definition of karma? What does each part of this definition mean? |
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Definition
-The virtuous, non-virtuous, and neutral actions of body, speech, and mind as well as the pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral effects which may arise from those actions.
-Virtuous actions—of the type that may give rise to pleasant effects.
-Non-virtuous actions—of the type that may give rise to unpleasant effects
-Karma is destroyed by wisdom—like film is destroyed by sunlight |
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Term
| What are the three doors of action? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the “good news” about karma |
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Definition
| The good news about Karma is that it can be destroyed in order to earn liberation |
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Term
| What are some of the things that karma is compared to? |
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Definition
| Seeds, photographic images, scented rice, and spiritual currency |
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Term
| What are the 4 aspects of the law of karmic cause and effect? |
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Definition
-Karmic seed inevitably ripen in accordance with their causes
-Just as one seed grain of rice produces many grains, so a karmic act has many effects
-One will not experience the effect of karma not performed
-Karmic seeds never lose their potency |
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Term
| What are the 6 factors that determine the “weight” of a karma, either positive, or negative? |
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Definition
o Nature of the act
o Force of thought
o Quality of the action
o Object of the action
o Constant commitment
o Opponent forces |
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Term
| What are the three kinds of effects of a karmic action? |
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Definition
o Main effect or ripening effect
o Effect consistant with the cause
o Environmental effect |
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Term
| What is the meaning of the statement, “tat twam asi?” |
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Definition
o “that thou art”
o this doctrine is that one is of the same stuff as God |
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Term
| What is “maya?” What is maya compared to? |
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Definition
o Maya—power of creation and illusion
o Compared to seeing a rope as a snake |
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Term
| What is the meaning of “mantra?” How is the sacred syllable “om” understood in Hinduism? |
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Definition
- Mantra—Sacred Syllables
- om-- the most sacred symbol in Hinduism
-OM symbolizes the infinite Brahman and the entire universe. |
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