What is Religion?

Study Guide for Quiz #4

Fall 1997

Models of Religion

Perennialism
common core = truth
commonalty in symbols
Carl Jung
Collective unconscious
collective symbols (mandalas, etc)
Joseph Campbell
collective myth
cosmogony
mystical experience
personal experience of contact with the divine
Huston Smith
Pattern of perceived unity with deity
universal oneness:
Hindu Monism
Some Islamic mysticism
Buddhism (?)
A few Christian mystics
A few Jewish mystics
critique of perennialism
many ubiquitous features conflict with perennialist mystical model
concept of hell, or something like that
concept of tradition exclusivity
traditional religious models for time and history of religions (revelation & decay)
Cyclical time
Kalpa in Hinduism

Apocalyptic eschatology

the 'big five'

Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism

Indian Religions

Indo-European/Indo-Aryan invasion
Indo-European language
Sanskrit, Farsi, Romance languages, Germanic Languages, Greek
Vedic Hinduism as backdrop to Indian spin-offs (esp. Buddhism)
Sacrifice
Caste System
Priests (brahmans), Rulers, Merchants/Artisans, Laborers (sudras), untouchables
Emergence of individual devotion traditions and "forest" teachers
Scriptures
Rig Veda
Upanishads
Moving toward monotheism/transcendentalism
reincarnation
karma
relationship to theodicy
samsara
moksha
monism (Shankara)
non-dualism (Ramanuja)
maya

Hinduism

dharma
Principle deities
Brahman
Shiva
Yoni-lingam
Vishnu
Avatars: Krishna, Rama
Brahma
Kali
Kali yuga
Indra
Scripture
Mahabarata
Krishna
Radha
Rama
Bhagavad Gita
Dharma
Arjuna

Buddhism

Buddha = enlightened one
Siddhartha Gautama (b. 563 BC)
Bhodi tree
4 Noble truths
all life is suffering (dukkha)
suffering caused by desire
end suffering if end desire
end desire through morality (8 fold path)