Alright Guys. I Didn't Like My Last Lecture, So I'm Going to Do Something Different This

Alright guys. I didn't like my last lecture, so I'm going to do something different this week. As you know, many of the powerpoints (All except one really) were provided by neofaust. He has done a wonderful job, and as such, this week, the main medium will be a powerpoint of his that I've edited. This lecture will be notes and comments on the bulletpoints in the powerpoint, which I hope will better explain the concepts. Enjoy

Slide 2

First, I should introduce the Bhagavad Gita. The Gita is a 700 verse epic that is contained within the larger work of the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata is one of a pair of major epics that truly reshaped Hinduism after the rise of Buddhism and Jainism. The second of the pair, the Ramayana, is the story of Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu and the god of courage. The purpose of the Ramayana was to explore the concepts of dharma and human value. Similarly, the Mahabharata is an exploration of dharma, with the Bhagavad Gita representing the culmination of Hindu philosophy. The Gita is a story about a conversation between the god Krishna and prince Arjuna. In it, Arjuna has led his army onto a battlefield. He asks his charioteer, Krishna, to move the chariot in between the two armies. As he looks across the battlefield, he sees many people who are his relatives and subjects. As he sees this, he loses faith in his cause, realizing that, by continuing the battle, he will be dooming many people to cycle back through samsara. When he tells Krishna about his misgivings, Krishna first tells Arjuna that only the body may be killed. He also tells Arjuna that it is dharma as a Kshatriya to continue this battle. Krishna then reveals to Arjuna the first yoga mentioned on the slide, Karma Yoga. When Arjuna asks Krishna why he should engage in fighting, if jnana is indeed more important, Krishna tells him that doing his dharma, without attachment to his actions, is the most appropriate course of action in this case. Then Arjuna asks whether or not asceticism is an appropriate means of action then, since Krishna has just espoused Karma Yoga. Krishna says that both may be appropriate, but Karma Yoga is superior. After, Krishna teaches Arjuna about Jnana Yoga, the second yoga on the slide. Krishna gives the proper definitions of all the important terms (ie: karma, brahman, atman, etc.). He then explains how all deities are Krishna, and Krishna is all deities, and Arjuna accepts Krishna into his heart, leading to the final Yoga on the slide, Bhakti yoga. The Gita ends with Krishna asking Arjuna to abandon all dharma and surrender to him, devoting himself entirely to Krishna. This is the beginning of the devotional tradition.

So, Karma Yoga is performing the perfect action and following one's dharma, selflessly serving others. Jnana Yoga is the yoga of the Upanishads, knowing the true meaning behind Brahman and the teachings. And Bhakti Yoga, the newest development, is the utter surrender of one's self and dharma to a god. In terms of the Gita, that god is Krishna.

Slide 3

Worship of Vishnu is called Vaishnavism, worship of Shiva is called Shaivism, and worship of the Goddess is called Shaktism. By the way, neofaust refers to Devi in terms of the big three, I usually just say The Goddess.

Slide 6

We'll discuss Jainism next week.

Slide 11

I would like to take a moment here to mention two things. First, that the conception of yoga that people in the West have, with some rare exceptions, is generally wrong. The kind of yoga that you go to the yoga studio to do is actually largely based off of European Calisthenics that gymnasts used to train in the early 1900's. That is not to say that all of it is 'fake', but a lot of it isn't Hindu in any way. Secondly, I would like to say that there are more types of yoga than I can count, and many have different goals. The yoga that neofaust talks about here is the specific kind that grew out of the Mahabharata. For instance, there is devotional yoga that grew out of bhakti worship of Krishna, where the goal is to focus on Krishna with such love and devotion, that nothing else enters your thoughts. Quite different from the style discussed in the powerpoint.

Slides 19/20

These two forms of Bhakti are the most common in reference to Krishna. Generally, one either worships Krishna as a small, mischievous child, trying to relate to Krishna as a parent would to a child, or Krishna as a young herder, trying to relate to Krishna as a lover would. The purpose of Bhakti worship generally is to relate to the god in a very personal, loving way, and that holds true for all other devotional traditions, even outside of Krishna worship.

Slide 26

Like I discussed above, there is devotional yoga, although neofaust is right, the two traditions are the hardest to blend.

And there you have it. A very brief discussion of devotionalism in India. Please take the time to read the sample documents. I also have a prezi for you from neofaust (Isn't he just the greatest?). Please, feel free to ask me any questions.