Hinduism in Central Pennsylvania
What are the importance features of the practice of Hinduism?
What are the important beliefs of Hinduism?
How is Hinduism Practiced in America?
How has Hinduism influenced American culture?
What is the level of participation in Hindu worship and community activities in the area?
What resources are there in the community for those who wish to practice Hinduism or learn more about the religion?
Speakers and Contact info.
For further reading
What are the importance features of the
practice of Hinduism?
Important features of the practice of Hinduism are five daily
duties and five constant duties.
The 5 "daily duties" are known as Pancha Maha Yagnas
and they are…
1. Worship God (Deva Yagna) in form of family deity (Ishta Devata)
in the home shrine through prayers and meditations
2. Study Vedas and other scriptures (Brahma Yagna)
3. Contemplate on teachings of the sages, saints, holy men and
women, and one's forefathers (Pitri yagna)
4. Provide food for those who are in need (Bhuta Yagna)
5. Serve guests with love, respect, and reverence (Nara Yagna)
http://www.hindunet.org/day_as_hindu/pancha_maha_yagnas.htm
The 5 Constant duties or Pancha Nitya Karmas are…
1. Dharma (righteousness): Live a virtuous life
in accordance with the teachings of the scriptures. Cultivate
virtues of purity, self-control, detachment, thinking of others
first, truth and ahimsã (practice of nonviolence and reverence
for all life). Be respectful of parents, teachers, and elders.
Perform all duties associated with one's normal profession, and
individual and social obligations.
2. Tirthayãtrã (Pilgrimage): Regularly
visit holy persons, temples, and sacred pilgrimage sites. Such
journeys provide freedom from routine life and thereby freshen
the mind. Pilgrimages also help to create a sense of togetherness
in the family, since all members undertake the pilgrimages together.
3. Utsava (Holy Days): Participate in festivals
and holy days in the home and temple. Observe fasts on holy days.
This practice inculcates God-consciousness, refreshes the mind
and creates a sense of togetherness in the family and the community.
Hindu sages tell us that occasional fasting prevents bodily diseases,
restores the body's healing power, and heals the mind by removing
lust, anger, hatred, pride, and jealousy.
4. Samskaras (Sacraments): Perform various Samskãras
in accordance with the scriptures. Samskãras are the religious
ceremonies, which mark and sanctify an individual's passage through
life. They purify the mind by inculcating truthfulness in the
mind, and purity and generosity in the heart.
5. Sarva Brahma (God is in all): God lives in the
hearts of all beings. Hindus practice this truth, and its realization,
and achieve freedom. http://www.hindunet.org/day_as_hindu/pancha_nitya_karmas.htm
Taken from Hindu Dharma by Shree Bansi Pandit
What are the important
beliefs of Hinduism?
According to traditional Hindu beliefs there are many gods
and goddesses. The three central gods are Brahma, the creator;
Vishnu, the preserver; and Shiva, the dissolver of evil. It
is important to note that just like the concept in physics
that matter cannot be destroyed, only changed, Shiva dissolves
and changes things, but cannot actually destroy. Together
they are referred to as the "three basic forms"
of the Vedic notion of the Brahman, the ultimate or absolute.
This Absolute assumes both male and female forms. Durga, or
Kali is the awesome power of the Great Goddess who is able
to devour the demonic and evil forces in the world; she often
associated with Shiva. The Absolute also at times assumes
an androgynous form, half male and half female, known as the
Ardhanarishvara or "The Lord who is half woman."
This concept of the Absolute that is not purely male or female
probably results in the Hindu belief that a religious service
from a married person is not complete unless both husband
and wife offer the service together.
 In
Hindu temples, like the HARI temple in New Cumberland, there
are statues of the deities. They have human forms representing
human perceptions of God. Most of the statues in the HARI
temple are made of white marble except for one of Lord Vishnu,
which is made out of black marble. This is because it was
made in Southern India where there is an abundance of black
marble. The statues are made out of whatever material is available
and are not meant to represent the God as being a certain
color. God has no color according to Hinduism.
Another central belief of Hinduism is in endless cycles of unfolding
time and boundless variety of living forms that are controlled
by karma. Karma means action. Its basic underlying principle is
that a person's life is governed by his or her own continuing
behavior or practices; therefore, what a person does during a
lifetime causes what that person will become within the human
castes and also within the entire hierarchy of living forms. This
is true of everyone, including gods and goddesses. In this system
of beliefs, life and death are only phases. Death is followed
by rebirth and followed by another death.
There are four castes of human life forms that one could be born
into as a result of one's karma. The highest are the Brahmins
(priests), who are the purest and most learned people. Next are
Kshatriyas (warriors), who have the primary responsibilities to
govern and maintain social order. Vaishyas (belonging to the people)
are those involved in commerce, business, and economic productivity.
Lowest are Shudras (servile), who are servants and families that
serve the higher castes. There is also a designation of people
known as aspirshya or candala (untouchables) that is even lower
than Shudras. These are people who are considered "polluted"
since they are involved in cleaning human waste areas and dealing
with death. Only the highest three castes are able to learn about
the Vedas, the Hindu scriptures. Through the study of the Vedas,
the members of those three castes are known as dvija or "twice-born."
There is almost no mobility between castes during a person's life;
only in rebirth can a person move to a higher or lower caste.
This caste system has become part of Hinduism, but was originally
a social order that was brought by the Indo-Aryan nomadic tribes
around 1500 BCE. Hindus in India and America are beginning to
move away from this system.
How is Hinduism Practiced in America?
The Himalayan Academy, which is an American Hindu organization,
has set forth what it terms the "Nine Beliefs of Hinduism"
that are basic views that are accepted by all types of Hinduism
in the US. These nine beliefs are:
1. There is one all-pervasive Supreme Being
2. There are endless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution
3. All souls are evolving toward or seeking Moksha (liberation)
4. There is a law of cause and effect known as Karma
5. There is reincarnation
6. There are divine beings or forces that require temple worship
and personal worship, or Puja, in the home
7. There is a need for "an awakened master of Sat Guru (a
reliable, personal teacher) fro one's personal and ethical life
8. All life is sacred and one should pursue ahimsa (non-violence)
9. No particular religion teaches the only way to salvation above
all others, but all genuine religious paths are…deserving
of tolerance and understanding
(Larson, pg. 197)
There are now more than 150 Hindu temples in the United States.
In America, the temple has become the location for life cycle
rites, though in the Indian context those same rituals might be
performed in the home. The temples also provide a supplement for
learning Hindu practice and traditions in a society that is not
infused with the religion. New ritual forms are held in temples,
such as Graduation Puja for high school seniors, and Mother's
Day Puja for children to honor their mothers on Mother's Day.
These Pujas, which include the use of prayers, invocations, songs,
and rituals in order to show reverence for aspects of the divine
and make a spiritual connection with a deity, unite Hindu and
American traditions and make sure that Hinduism remains a part
of children's daily lives.
How has Hinduism influenced American culture?
Modern revision of Hindu values has caused a number of Hindu guru-
cults to develop, referred to as "Neo-Hindu," which
have become adopted in the West and especially the US. Neo-Hinduism
refers to Hinduism with a broadly internationalist perspective
and with the active desire for outreach to people outside of the
Asian Indian population.
Hindu spiritual traditions have been adopted in America. Paramahansa
Yogananda founded The Self Realization Fellowship in order to
spread the teachings of India's ancient philosophies of yoga and
meditation throughout the US; yoga has now become extremely popular
for stressed Americans. Vegetarianism, which is important to the
Hindu religion, is increasingly popular in America. Hinduism principles
of nonviolence, ahimsa, have become ideals espoused by American
thinkers and activists such as Martin Luther King Jr.
Many styles that are religiously significant
to Hindus have become popular in mainstream American society.
Hindu women must wear anklets, toe rings, and bangle bracelets
when they get married. Women all over America wear these pieces
of jewelry. Models and rock stars, like Gwen Stephani, as
well as trendy young women have been sighted wearing bindhi,
a little dot of red pigment, which is worn on the forehead
by married Hindu women. Mehendi, or henna tattoos, which are
an important part of Hindu rituals, most notably the marriage
ritual and used to beautify the hands, wrists, and feet of
the bride, are now very popular in America, and mendhi salons
can be found in cities and especially on boardwalks by the
beach.
What
is the level of participation in Hindu worship and community
activities in the area?
There has been a high level of participation in the Hindu
religious community by immigrants. There is a temple in New
Cumberland, the Hindu American Religious Institute, and some
families maintain shrines or prayer rooms in their homes.
Many of the newer immigrants and the younger generation are
not as religious anymore and therefore not as involved in
the religious community.
What
resources are there in the community for those who wish to
practice Hinduism or learn more about the religion?
The Hindu American Religious Institute in New Cumberland is
open to all who wish to practice Hinduism, or learn about
the religion. The institute's mission is
"to serve as a center for Hindu worship, to promote spiritual
development, and conduct cultural and educational activities
for the benefit of the Hindu community. The vision is "to
bring people of Hindu faith coming from various parts of the
world so as to promote the Hindu way of life and protect the
rich Hindu cultural heritage in our present and future generations."
In order to do this HARI holds 11-12 religious programs a
year and offers classes in 5 Indian languages - Hindi, Gujarati,
Marathi, Kannada, and Malayalam. There are also classes on
the Hindu religion on Sundays, as well as classes on Indian
classical dance, and Yoga.
Hindu American Religious Institute
301 Stigerwalt Hollow Road
New Cumberland, Pa 17070
(717) 774-7750
View
the profile of the Hindu American Religious Institute at the
website of the Harvard University Pluralism Project.
Speakers
and Contact info.
The following individuals from the local Indian-American community
are available to speak on a variety of topics regarding the
Indian community and Indian cultural and religious traditions.
If you are interested in any of the following speakers, please
contact Ashok Shukla at (717) 737-1919 or email him at ashukla@state.pa.us.
There is no formal fee but a donation is requested, which
will go to the Hindu American Religious Institute.
Speaker: Ashok Shukla
Topic: Hinduism, religion and culture, Hindu way of living
in the US, etc.
Speaker: Dr. Parikh
Topic: Hinduism
Speaker: Mr. Bharucha
Topic: Indian culture
Speaker: Mr. Vaidya
Topic: Hinduism
For
further reading…
If you would like to learn more, check out the following books
and websites:
Eck, Diana L. A New Religious America: How a "Christian
Country" Has Become the World's Most Religiously Diverse
Nation. Harper Collins Publishers, San Francisco; 2001.
Larson, Gerald James.
"Hinduism in India and in America." In Jacob Neusner.
World Religions in America: An Introduction. Westminster/John
Knox Press, Lousiville; 1994.
Pluralism Project,
Harvard University:
Williams,
Raymond Brady. Religions of Immigrants from India and
Pakistan: New Threads in the American Tapestry , Cambridge
University Press, 1988
http://www.hindunet.org/day_as_hindu/pancha_nitya_karmas.htm
http://www.hindunet.org/day_as_hindu/pancha_maha_yagnas.htm
|
