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related_results_labels({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$blogger":"http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2162545800636176770"},"updated":{"$t":"2024-12-18T19:28:42.131-08:00"},"category":[{"term":"history of hinduism"},{"term":"hindu gods"},{"term":"hinduism"},{"term":"hindu life"},{"term":"origin of hinduism"},{"term":"castes"},{"term":"hindu rituals"},{"term":"aryan civilization"},{"term":"basics of hinduism"},{"term":"caste system"},{"term":"hindu salvation"},{"term":"hinduism beliefs"},{"term":"hinduism today"},{"term":"facts about hinduism"},{"term":"goddess"},{"term":"hindu goddesses"},{"term":"hindu society"},{"term":"hindu scriptures"},{"term":"history of india"},{"term":"how hinduism was started"},{"term":"indus valley civilization"},{"term":"introduction to hinduism"},{"term":"karma"},{"term":"krishna"},{"term":"meaning of hinduism"},{"term":"vedas"},{"term":"vishnu"},{"term":"Bhagavad Gita"},{"term":"british imperialism"},{"term":"devi"},{"term":"devotion"},{"term":"dharma"},{"term":"gandhi"},{"term":"hind"},{"term":"hindu creation story"},{"term":"hindu teachings"},{"term":"hinduism and other religions"},{"term":"hinduism in the west"},{"term":"hinduism symbols"},{"term":"india"},{"term":"islam"},{"term":"meaning of life"},{"term":"modern hinduism"},{"term":"modern world"},{"term":"reincarnation"},{"term":"role of women"},{"term":"samsara"},{"term":"shaivism"},{"term":"shakti"},{"term":"shaktism"},{"term":"shiva"},{"term":"tantra"},{"term":"women in hinduism"},{"term":"worship"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Hinduism Beliefs"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"Welcome seeker! Here you can learn many things about Hinduism, the oldest and one of the more complex of the existing religions. Feel free to read some of the things I've learnt through my journey."},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/feeds\/posts\/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2162545800636176770\/posts\/default\/-\/history+of+hinduism?alt=json-in-script\u0026max-results=5"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/search\/label\/history%20of%20hinduism"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2162545800636176770\/posts\/default\/-\/history+of+hinduism\/-\/history+of+hinduism?alt=json-in-script\u0026start-index=6\u0026max-results=5"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Pablo"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/11389808587848128327"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"15"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"5"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2162545800636176770.post-761739156899549377"},"published":{"$t":"2009-02-15T06:33:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-02-15T06:37:36.030-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"hinduism in the west"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"hinduism today"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"history of hinduism"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"modern world"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Hinduism Today"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Here we will reflect on modern life and Hinduism’s responses to it. If there is a dominant theme that characterizes Hinduism during this period is the matter of its relationship with the non-Hindu world. The modern era has brought great challenges to Hinduism through the advent of Islam and western culture. Both incursions into India have left profound and lasting effects on Hinduism. In many ways, 21st century Hindus continue to struggle with issues associated with Islam and westernization.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/02\/hinduism-and-challenge-of-islam.html\"\u003EHinduism and the Challenge of Islam:\u003C\/a\u003E We in the West generally associate Islam with the Arab world. We often fail to remember that the majority of Muslims live in South Asia and eastwards. The most populous Islamic country is Indonesia, followed by Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. Islam first came to India late in the 8th century C.E., with several military conquests by Muslim leaders from central Asia.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/02\/british-imperialism-in-india.html\"\u003EBritish Imperialism in India:\u003C\/a\u003E In many ways, the British imperialism in India was far more significant than the presence of Muslims, although the British directly ruled India for only 90 years. The British brought with them western folk ways and culture. Many Indians sought to imitate them by speaking English, playing cricket and having afternoon tea. Yet the effects the British brought were deeper and more complicated than just this.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/02\/philosophy-of-gandhi-and-hinduism.html\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/02\/philosophy-of-gandhi-and-hinduism.html\"\u003EThe Philosophy of Gandhi and Hinduism:\u003C\/a\u003E I mentioned in another article that India was a western idea before it was an Indian idea. Christianity itself would lend to national Indians some of the ideas they would use to achieve independence. Gandhi was greatly impressed by Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and the writings of Leo Tolstoy. It may very well be that the British unwillingly implanted the very seeds of the independence movement within the soul of India.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/02\/hinduism-today-and-its-incursion-in.html\"\u003EHinduism Today and Its Incursion in the Modern World:\u003C\/a\u003E We’ve discussed the incursion of the West in Hindu life in India. Let’s turn to discuss the reciprocal reaction: the movement of Hindus and Hinduism into the West. The history of this movement is far briefer than the other. By the late 19th century, the main vehicle for the transport of Hinduism to the West was literary. Some of the most important Hindu scriptures had been translated into European languages in the 18th century and were available to intellectuals in the West.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2162545800636176770\/posts\/default\/761739156899549377"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2162545800636176770\/posts\/default\/761739156899549377"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/02\/hinduism-today.html","title":"Hinduism Today"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Pablo"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/11389808587848128327"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2162545800636176770.post-9057689970113896726"},"published":{"$t":"2009-02-15T06:27:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-02-18T00:08:53.349-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"hinduism today"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"history of hinduism"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Hinduism Today and Its Incursion into the Modern World"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"We’ve discussed the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/02\/british-imperialism-in-india.html\"\u003Eincursion of the West into Hindu life in India\u003C\/a\u003E. Let’s turn to discuss the reciprocal reaction: the movement of Hindus and Hinduism into the West. The history of this movement is far briefer than the other. By the late 19th century, the main vehicle for the transport of Hinduism to the West was literary. Some of the most important Hindu scriptures had been translated into European languages in the 18th century and were available to intellectuals in the West.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBecause western impressions were based principally on these translations from the Hindu \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2008\/11\/hinduisms-holy-book.html\"\u003Escriptural traditions\u003C\/a\u003E, many thinkers had a rather obscure understanding of Hinduism that neglected its more popular expressions. At the same time, westerners who actually visited India saw a different side of Hinduism: the many colorful festivals and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/01\/power-of-symbols-and-images-in-hinduism.html\"\u003Eimages\u003C\/a\u003E, the astrologers and fortune tellers, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2008\/11\/caste-system.html\"\u003Ecaste system\u003C\/a\u003E and the rituals. They were more often than not repelled by what they saw. To these western visitors, Hinduism wasn’t more than superstition, idolatry and cultural backwardness.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese impressions, based on translations of its \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/01\/essence-of-self-and-reality.html\"\u003Ephilosophy\u003C\/a\u003E on one end, and the observation of its popular practices on the other, contributed to an extremely ambivalent western view of Hinduism. Some who knew Hinduism through scripture regarded it as morally and spiritually superior to the western traditions. Many who knew it from popular practice regarded it as vastly inferior to western ways.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EThe First Missionary\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was in this context of western ambivalence that the first significant representative of Hinduism came to the West. \u003Cspan\u003ESwami Vivekananda\u003C\/span\u003E is sometimes known as the first Hindu missionary to the West. He appeared in Chicago in 1893, at the First World Parliament of Religions. Vivekananda’s address to this international gathering of delegates from the major religious traditions was extremely well received and widely celebrated. Vivekananda subsequently established centers for the study and practice of Advaita Vedanta, the monistic Hindu philosophy that he embraced.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EVivekananda was followed by numerous Hindu gurus to the West. Many of their names or the names of their orders are familiar to westerners today. We should mention the \u003Cspan\u003EInternational Society for Krishna Consciousness\u003C\/span\u003E. The name \u003Cspan\u003EMaharishi Yogi\u003C\/span\u003E became well-known to many in the West as the guru of the Beatles in the 1960’s, and as the promoter of a spiritual practice called transcendental meditation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe names of these modern teachers continue to evoke ambivalent feelings among many westerners. Many celebrate these teachers and their messages and many consider them dangerous. It is unclear at this point what will be the future of Hinduism beyond the Indian subcontinent. In India and the surrounding area Hinduism remains firmly established and its future seems secure, although how Hinduism would negotiate the challenges of westernization is not certain. Nor is it clear how the West would negotiate the challenges of Hinduism. Already western culture is beginning to accommodate Hindu immigrants as great number of temples and Hindu societies multiply throughout the United States and Europe.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is evident that many westerners find much in Hinduism worth of adoption and admiration. Ultimately, what effects the advent of Hindus and Hinduism would have on the religious practices of the west remains to be seen."},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2162545800636176770\/posts\/default\/9057689970113896726"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2162545800636176770\/posts\/default\/9057689970113896726"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/02\/hinduism-today-and-its-incursion-in.html","title":"Hinduism Today and Its Incursion into the Modern World"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Pablo"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/11389808587848128327"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2162545800636176770.post-749049456601115174"},"published":{"$t":"2009-02-13T07:46:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-09-25T08:27:32.641-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"gandhi"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"hinduism today"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"history of hinduism"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"history of india"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"modern hinduism"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Philosophy of Gandhi and Hinduism"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"icons\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size:130%;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family:webdings;\"\u003E\"Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.\"\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMahatma Gandhi\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGandhi was greatly impressed by Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and the writings of Leo Tolstoy. It may very well be that the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/02\/british-imperialism-in-india.html\"\u003EBritish\u003C\/a\u003E unwillingly implanted the very seeds of the independence movement within the soul of India.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMahatma Gandhi was the most important figure in that movement, and his life may well illustrate the best of modern Hinduism. Gandhi was perhaps most fundamentally a devout Hindu. Although he was educated in England, Gandhi’s politics were based less on jurisprudence and more on religion. The title by which Gandhi was known in India an throughout the world emphasizes the spiritual foundation of his life. He was called Mahatma, the “great soul”, a title that is reserved for the most spiritually accomplished Hindus. Yet, Gandhi was not a \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2008\/11\/caste-system.html\"\u003EBrahmin or a Kshatryia\u003C\/a\u003E, he was of the Vaisha varna. He was also not a theologian or a systematic religious thinker. His political vision and practice, however, was rooted in his understanding of sacred scriptures from many of the world’s religions, specially Hinduism’s \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/01\/summary-of-bhagavad-gita.html\"\u003EBhagavad Gita\u003C\/a\u003E and Christianity’s New Testament.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis kind of openness to spiritual truth regardless of where it is found is characteristic of much of Hinduism. Indeed, Gandhi had an appreciation of all the major religious traditions. This is the reasons why he was opposed to the partition of India and Pakistan.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGandhi called his philosophy Satyagraha, a term that meant grasping forth and holding on the truth. It might also mean “grasping forth and holding on to God”, because for Gandhi God is truth. Gandhi believed that truth is more important than political expedience. While others in the independence movement argued that India’s freedom from Britain should be gained through armed conflict or other means, Gandhi maintained that just ends could never be attained through evil means.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis conviction spurred the development of his philosophy and practice of non-violent resistance, a notion that also owed much to the Jains. In Gandhi’s childhood community, he frequently interacted with Jains and learned from them the practice of Ahimsa, the non-harming of living beings.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe result of these many influences in Gandhi’s life was a political vision of achieving justice by revealing the truth of oppression to the oppressor. Non-violent resistance endeavoured to demonstrate in a powerful and vivid way the oppressors’ own brutality.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn order to demonstrate the brutality of oppression, however, one must be willing to endure the wrath of the oppressive force without retaliation. For that, one needed great courage and the discipline of a yogi. In a sense, Gandhi opened a new avenue for the Karmamargra, the way of action, by making the political sphere an acceptable arena for the practice of religion.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 1948, Gandhi was assassinated by a fellow Hindu who believed that he had conceded too much to the Muslims."},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2162545800636176770\/posts\/default\/749049456601115174"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2162545800636176770\/posts\/default\/749049456601115174"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/02\/philosophy-of-gandhi-and-hinduism.html","title":"The Philosophy of Gandhi and Hinduism"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Pablo"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/11389808587848128327"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2162545800636176770.post-4726462598626240486"},"published":{"$t":"2009-02-13T04:43:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-09-25T08:29:28.378-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"british imperialism"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"hindu society"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"history of hinduism"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"history of india"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"British Imperialism in India"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"In many ways, British imperialism in India was far more significant than the presence of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/02\/hinduism-and-challenge-of-islam.html\"\u003EMuslims\u003C\/a\u003E, although the British directly ruled India for only 90 years. The British brought with them western folk ways and culture. Many Indians sought to imitate them by speaking English, playing cricket and having afternoon tea. Yet the effects the British brought were deeper and more complicated than just this.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBritish presence introduced into India western values and social dynamics. Britain’s initial and foremost interest in India was commercial. The East India Company was Britain’s first established involvement on the subcontinent. The British developed the cities of Calcutta, Mombay (which they called Bombay), and Chennai or Madras into large and industrialized trading centers. Industrialization and urbanization had uprooting effects on the traditions of Indian society. All restrictions imposed by \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2008\/11\/caste-system.html\"\u003Ecaste\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2008\/12\/role-of-women-in-hinduism.html\"\u003Efamily\u003C\/a\u003E could be more easily disregarded in urban areas.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETraditional practices and beliefs were placed in doubt and reevaluated. Industrial economies also raised expectations of material success. India had for thousand of years explicitly favored the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/01\/essence-of-self-and-reality.html\"\u003Etranscendence\u003C\/a\u003E over the material world. Wealth and pleasure were goods, but \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/01\/hinduism-and-path-to-salvation.html\"\u003Emoksha\u003C\/a\u003E, the bliss of ultimate release was the sumum bonum, the supreme good. Now, in view of the western focus on the material world, many Hindus begin to reassess this world’s significance.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMany Hindus began to consider that perhaps the way to happiness is not to transcend the world but to transform it. The British encouraged literacy. Learning to speak and read English was and still is regarded as an avenue to success. This, of course, is not a uniform trend. Still today, 30% of the Indian population is illiterate. The encouragement of literacy and English was sufficient, however, to generate interest among many in reading the western classics, including the Bible.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen one reads the literature of the western tradition it is easy to learn the values of the western world, such as the principle of the equality of all persons, which stands at odds with the assumptions of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2008\/11\/caste-system.html\"\u003Ecaste system.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EThe Responses to the New Ideas: The Brahmo Samaj\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe founding of two important Hindu movements in the 19th century can serve to illustrate different Hindu responses to westernization. The first is the Brahmo Samaj or the “society of believers in Brahmins”. The Brahmo Samaj was founded in 1828 by Rammohun Roy, an important modern Hindu reformer.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERammohun Roy, who was born just about the time the American colonies were beginning their revolution from the British, was educated by Muslims and early on developed an intense dislike for the British occupation. As a young man, however, Roy began to work for the East Indian Company. He learned English and came to appreciate western ways. Eventually, Roy came to support British rule and to value western education. The movement he initiated, the Brahmo Samaj, reflected Roy’s critical appreciation of the West.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Brahmo Samaj might be described as traditional Hinduism transformed by encountering Christianity. Roy studied the Bible and admired Jesus, but he could not accept the idea of Jesus’ divinity. He was troubled by the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/01\/how-many-gods-do-hindus-believe-in.html\"\u003Epolytheism of popular Hinduism\u003C\/a\u003E and denounced it. He also criticized the practice of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/01\/power-of-symbols-and-images-in-hinduism.html\"\u003EPuja\u003C\/a\u003E, the veneration of images. He called it “idol worship”. Roy preferred the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/01\/essence-of-self-and-reality.html\"\u003EUpanishads\u003C\/a\u003E to all other Hindu scriptures and he contended that they taught a simple form of monotheism.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHe adopted what I would call a liberal approach to scripture, because he argued that the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2008\/11\/hinduisms-holy-book.html\"\u003EVedas\u003C\/a\u003E should be authoritative only when it is shown to be reasonable. In this respect, Roy’s view parallels that of 19th century liberal Christians, who said similar things about the Bible. He even established weekly congregational worship services like the Christians.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERoy may be best remembered, though, for his efforts to improve the treatment of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2008\/12\/role-of-women-in-hinduism.html\"\u003Ewomen\u003C\/a\u003E in India, specially the widows. He was instrumental in the abolition of Sati, “widow burning”, in 1829.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EThe Arya Samaj\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhile the Brahmo Samaj had a liberal approach to Hinduism, the Arya Samaj, another religious movement that began in the 19th century, had a more fundamentalist outlook. I am aware that I’m using western labels, but perhaps this adjectives may help us grasp the situation. The terms liberal and fundamentalist categorize two responses to modernity itself.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Arya Samaj was fundamentalist in its approach to the Hindu collection of scripture. It not only regarded the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2008\/11\/hinduisms-holy-book.html\"\u003EVedas\u003C\/a\u003E as the only authoritative sacred text, thus denying the sacredness of popular books like the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/01\/summary-of-bhagavad-gita.html\"\u003EBagahvad Gita\u003C\/a\u003E and the Puranas, it also maintained that the Vedas were source of all truth: scientific and spiritual. Such view is not unlike that of Christian fundamentalists who consider the Bible historically and scientifically accurate. Just as Christian fundamentalists consider the Bible open and available to anyone for interpretation, the Aryasamage said that the Vedas are available to all for study.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Arya Samaj was founded by Swami Dayanand, in the late 19th century, about the time fundamentalism got started in the United States. Like the more liberal Rammohun Roy, Swami Dayanand disliked much of what he saw in popular Hindu practice of his day, specially Puja and pilgrimage. He viewed much of popular Hinduism as mere superstition. Dayanand even went to deny divinity of popular avataras, such as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/01\/hindu-god-vishnu.html\"\u003ERama and Krishna\u003C\/a\u003E, and to reject the idea of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2008\/11\/caste-system.html\"\u003Ejatis\u003C\/a\u003E, the hereditary birth classes, simply because these words do not appear in the Vedas.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELike Rammohun Roy, Dayanand was an advocate of fairer treatment of women. He contended that women should be educated and widows should be allowed to remarry. He also held that Hinduism was superior to other religions and that all other religions attempt to approximate to it. Anyone familiar with 19th and 20th century Christian theology might recognize that some Christians argue the same point about the superiority of their faith.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Brahmo Samaj and the Arya Samaj are both responses to the disrupting effects of westernization. They simplified the complex ways Hinduism encountered western culture and values. The Brahmo Samaj demonstrated a critical openness to Christianity and the values of reason and human equality. The Arya Samaj, like all fundamentalisms, reacted with suspicion towards the agents that bring change and it sought to restore authority to a single text.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe effects of the British in India of course had political as well as religious ramifications. The western idea of nation-state sovereignty stimulated a national spirit that would eventually lead to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/02\/philosophy-of-gandhi-and-hinduism.html\"\u003Ethe movement that established India as an independent nation.\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2162545800636176770\/posts\/default\/4726462598626240486"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2162545800636176770\/posts\/default\/4726462598626240486"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/02\/british-imperialism-in-india.html","title":"British Imperialism in India"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Pablo"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/11389808587848128327"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2162545800636176770.post-7689903413124552227"},"published":{"$t":"2009-02-12T03:41:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-02-13T07:16:28.492-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"hindu life"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"hinduism and other religions"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"hinduism today"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"history of hinduism"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"islam"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Hinduism and the Challenge of Islam"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"We in the West generally associate Islam with the Arab world. We often fail to remember that the majority of Muslims live in South Asia and eastwards. The most populous Islamic country is Indonesia, followed by Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. Islam first came to India late in the 8th century C.E., with several military conquests by Muslim leaders from central Asia. Islamic influence in India was not consolidated, however, until several centuries later, when Muslims Sultans established a capital at Delhi, now considered Old Delhi.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy the 15th century, Muslim Sultans ruled most of India, but their power was concentrated in the Northern regions. Today, Indian Muslims live throughout India, though mainly in the Northern region. The South is considered the most Hindu region of the country.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is hard to imagine two religions that contrast as starkly as Hinduism and Islam. Hinduism embraces both \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/01\/how-many-gods-do-hindus-believe-in.html\"\u003Epolytheism and monotheism as we have discussed in detail\u003C\/a\u003E. Islam, however, is singularly monotheistic. It has even criticized Judaism and Christianity for not being sufficiently monotheistic. Hindus venerate \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/01\/power-of-symbols-and-images-in-hinduism.html\"\u003Eimages of the divine\u003C\/a\u003E. Muslims are iconoclastic. In Islam the greatest sin is idolatry. From the Muslim perspective, images are idols.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EA Tense Coexistence\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen Islam began to spread in medieval India, Hindu temples and temple images were often destroyed. Hindus have an ages-long practice of cow reverence to honor the life-giving and life-sustaining qualities of the cow. Muslims, however, have no reservations about eating beef. Today, much of the butchery in India is performed by Muslims.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EStill, Muslims and Hindus did coexist in India for centuries. The relationship was frequently tense, although not always and everywhere so. Although Islam’s presence in India was openly antagonistic to Hinduism, Hinduism survived because it was so deeply rooted in the everyday routine of India. India’s other major religion at the time was Buddhism. Buddhism did not survive the coming of Islam, but Buddhism was in decline and had long passed the era of its dominance in India.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEventually, Muslim rulers granted Hindus religious toleration similar to the sort granted to Christians and Jews in other Muslim countries. To Hindus, Muslims were merely another \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2008\/11\/caste-system.html\"\u003Ecaste\u003C\/a\u003E and Hinduism usually ignored the challenges Islam presented to its religious way of life. Of course, Muslim rulers ignored the challenges of Hinduism. They did not try to convert Hindus to Islam. As non-Muslims, Hindus were susceptible to a greater tax-rate. Later, however, Sufi orders began to proselytize Hindus in great numbers. The Sufis were successful in part because their version of Islam was much like the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/01\/way-of-devotion.html\"\u003EBhakti religion\u003C\/a\u003E that was well established among Hindus.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESufi Islam thus began to appeal to lower castes who were attracted to its message of human equality. It also appealed to others who aspired to upward social mobility. Adopting the religion of one’s rulers has frequently helped people gain social power.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECertainly, there have been some bright moments in the Muslim-Hindu relationship. The rise of the Mogul emperor Akbhar the Great in the 16th century marked the beginning of a fine syncretistic culture. Akbhar was highly esteemed by Hindus as a tolerant ruler. Despite the tolerance of emperors like Akbhar, frictions between Hindus and Muslims increased. These tensions are the background noise in the history of modern India.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EThe Creation of Pakistan and Subsequent Conflicts\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 1947, centuries-long stresses came to an end when India was partitioned into India and Pakistan at the moment of its independence from Great Britain. Mahatma Gandhi strongly resisted the creation of Pakistan. But the President of the Muslim League, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, argued that Muslims needed a separate State to be true to Islam, since Islam does not distinguish between religious and political law.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe partition of India, however, did not end Hindu-Muslim hostilities. Tensions between India and Pakistan are extremely high as they continue a long standing dispute over the region of Jammu and Kashmir. Within India itself, Hindu-Muslim frictions often erupt in violence.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlthough the Hindu-Muslim tensions have been long and tragic, Muslims actually gave up the rule of India in the 18th century, when the British defeated them. This initiated the period of British colonialism in India. As the British established their Indian empire, they tended to favor the Hindus over the Muslims, and granted them greater administrative power."},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2162545800636176770\/posts\/default\/7689903413124552227"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2162545800636176770\/posts\/default\/7689903413124552227"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/hinduismbeliefs.blogspot.com\/2009\/02\/hinduism-and-challenge-of-islam.html","title":"Hinduism and the Challenge of Islam"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Pablo"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/11389808587848128327"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}]}]}});